Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-12-23
How They Had a Merry Christmas.

more place at Christmas than at mar
riage time, or heaven time.
How They Had Merry Christmas.
A pretty story came to me lately
from Germany about three boys and
how they have been preparing for
happy Christmas. Their father and
mother are very poor, and the children
had been wondering for long time how
they could earn some money to make
happy Christmas in their peasant home.
One day their sister, helpless little
cripple who has to lie on the bed from
morning to night, after thinking good
deal of the boys wish, suggested to them
who journeyed from the East to the
Christ child, and go out and sing before
the peoples houses in the village, as
surfing them that as their voices were
sweet the people would be sure to re-
pay them with candy or fruit or what
ever they might have for the pleasure
they gave.
The boys were delighted, and with
her aid they prepared some simple but
picturesque costumes. They made
crowns of gold paper and used old
shawls and coats for royal robes, and
one carried, mounted on stick, q star
made of gold paper, to represent the
star of the East which the wise men
had followed. A few weeks ago they
started out. The first afternoon their
success was SO great that they had to re-
turn three times to their home TO de-
post their treasures, which were all
sorts of simple things-nuts, fruits,
candies, cakes, even once a goose was
given them by kind old farmer, and
now and then bit of money. 1t was
not at ali like begging, for the simple
peasant people were SO delighted with
the pretty idea and the sweet songs
that they gave unasked, and urged the
three little kings to come again. Next
Friday will be a happy day in that
peasant cottage, especially rs the father
and mother as yet know nothing Of the
affair. Boston 1raUeler.
Christmas Forty-eight Hours Long.
If any of our readers do not see the
the correctness of the above statement,
let them solve the following problem;
If old Santa Claus uses all the time
Christmas distributing presents to the
children all over the earth, how long
would be his days work? When and
where would it begin and end?
Of course he could begin in New En-
gland a little sooner than in New York
and about three hours before he could
in California, as the day begins here
that much before 1t does there; but he
could be at work in the countries Of
Europe several hours before he could
in America, and IN Asia still earlier.
How far east does that rule hold true :?
If it is universally true that the day be-
gins earlier the farther east you go,
then 1t begins in California about seven
hours before it does in Japan, just as it
comes to old England five hours before
it does to New England. The natural
day-that is, the succession of day and
night-does come to California about
seven hours before it does to Japan, but
the day Of the week or month seventeen
hours later. How is this?
Time is measured by the apparent
revolutions of the sun about the earth,
which, being circular movement, has
no place of beginning or ending. 1t is,
of course, always daytime on the half
of the earth which is facing the sun and
night on the other half; and the part
over which day and night prevails is
constantly changing, hence day for any
location is not made up of exactly the
same time as that of another place
either east or west of 1t. But for date
purposes it is convenient to have the
day of different longitudes known by
the same name and number. In order
to do this, it is Just as necessary to have
some meridian for the starting-point OF
the day in space as it is to take definite
position of the sun as the starting point
in time. The meridian that has finally
been universally adopted is the 160th
from Greenwich, and the position Of the
sun the midnight When it is midnight
on the 160th meridian, it is noon at
Greenwich and Z o'clock a. NJ.
on the 18th meridian west, therefore
when it is 7 o'clock A. NJ. of the
previous day where 10Th meridian time
is used. AS the sun travels westward
from Greenwich the newborn day tray
els westward from the 1S0th meridian.
By the time it is noon with Us of De-
cember "A, Christmas exists over the s.
24th of the earth lying between longi-
tude 102 degrees east and $50, and by
o'clock P. VI. Christmas has reached
Greenwich and holds sway over just
half the earth-it being December 25
at all points having east, and December
"a at all points having west, longitude.
By the time the day begins with us it
has been on the earth seventeen hours,
and it will be seven hours longer, or
O'Clock A. NJ, December %, before it
covers the entire earth. And, just as it
was twentyfour hours gaining sway
over the earth, it will be twentyfour
more losing it, hence Christmas has an
existence reaching from Z o'clock A. NJ.
(75th meridian time), December "A, till
Z o'clock A. NJ, December 26, and, like
every other day is exactly forty-eight
hours long, not one second Of which is
it without the company Of either the
preceding or succeeding day.
TuRKEX TALK