The herald., 1893-08-13
THE BATTLE OF THE STANDARDS
Senator Jones on Free Coinage
in 1890.
Extracts from a Celebrated Speech
in the Senate.
The AlIegory of the Clocks as Explained ID
by the Senator-Points Mado by
Him Upon the Great
Question.


States senate, which was celebrated al
the time. In view of the present gen
eral discussion OF the question the fol
lowing excerpts will be read with in
tereBt:
1.-THE battle OF the standards. The
allegory of the clocks"
In an ancient village there once stood
Q gold clock, which, ever since the In
vention of clocks. had been the measure
of time for the people OF that village.
They were proud of its beauty, its work
manship, its musical stroke, and the un.
failing regularity with which it heralded
the passing hours. This clock had been
endeared to all the inhabitants OF the
village by the hallowed associations
with which it was identified. Genera
tion after generation it had called the
children from far and wide to attend
the village school; its first morning peal
had act the honest villagers to labor; its
MONDAY notes had called them to re-
freshment; its welcoming evening
chime had summoned them to rest.
From time immemorial, on all festive
occasions, it had rung out its merry
tones to assemble the young people on
lue KT66u anu On tnO 06OOhph ~ AAN
advertised to all the countrywide the
hour of worship in the village church.
So perfect was its mechanism that it
people of this wonderful clock that it
roundabout, and the time which it kept
came to be known as the gold standard
OF time, which was universally admit.
Al L. n,,1 nt,ov v,eptv
In the course of time there wandered
that way queer character, clock
maker, who, being fully instructed in
the inner workings of time. tellers, and
not having inherited the traditions OF
that village did not regard this clock
with the veneration accorded to it by
the natives. To their astonishment he
denied that there was really any such
thing as gold standard of time; and
in order to prove that the material, gold,
did not monopolize all the qualities
characteristic of clocks, he placed along
side the gold clock another clock, OF sill
yer, and set both clocks at IL, noon.
For a long time the clocks ran along in
almost perfect accord, their only dis
agreement being that of an occasional
second or two, and even that disagree
ment only at rare intervals, such as
might naturally occur with the best OF
clocks. But the council of the village,
in their admiration for the gold clock,
passed an ordinance requiring that all
the weights (the motive power) of the
silver clock, except one, be removed
from 1t and attached to those of the gold
clock. Instantly the clocks began to
fall apart. and one day, as the sun was
passing the meridian, the hands OF the
gold clock were seen to indicate the hour
of l, while those Of the silver clock in
dicated 1915. At this every body in the
village ridiculed the silver clock, derided
the silver standard, and hurled epitbets
at the individual who had the temerity
to doubt the infallibility of the gold
standard.
Finally the divergence between the
clocks went go far that it was noon by
the gold standard when it was only 6 a.
m. by the silver standard, go that those
who were guided by the gold standard,
Notwithstanding that it was yet the gray
of the morning, insisted on eating their
midday meal, because the gold stand
ard indicted that it must be noon. And
when the sun was high in the heavens,
and its light was Ginning warm and re-
fulgent on the dusty streets OF the viii
lage, thoee who observed the gold stand
ard had already eaten supper and were
preparing for bed.
But this state of things could not last.
1t was clear that the difference between
the standards must sbe reconciled, or all
industry would be diaarranged and the
village ruined.
Discussion was rife among the villag-
ers as to the cause of the difference.
Some said the eilver clock had lost time !;
others that both clocks had lost time,
but the silver clock more than the gold !;
while others again asserted that both
clocks had gained time, but the gold
clock had gained more than the silver
clock.
While this discussion was at its height
q philosopher came along, and, ob5erv-
ing the excitement on the subject, re-
marked: by measuring two things,
one against the other, you can never ar
rive at any determination as to which
has changed. Instead OF disputing as to
whether one clock has lost or another
gained, would it not be we'll to consult
the sun and the stars and ascertain ex-
actly what he's happened"
Some demurred to this. because, as
they asserted, the gold standard was
and was always right, no
matter how much it might eeem to be
others agreed that the philoso-
piers advice should be taken. Upon
consulting the sun and the stars it WAS
discovered that what had heppened was
that both clocks had gained in time, but
that the gain OF the silver clock had
been very slight, while that of the gold
clock had been so great as to disturb all
industry and destroy all correct sense of
time.
Notwithstanding this demonstration,
there were many who adhered to the
belief that the gold standard WAS cor
sect and unchanging, and insisted that
what appeared to be its alterations
we're not in reality due to any fault of
the gold clock, but to some convulsion
Of nature by which the solar system had
been dsarranged and the planets made
10 move irregularly in their orbits.
Some people also remembered having
heard at the village inn, from travellers
returning from the east, that silver
clocks were the standard OF time in In
dia and other barbarous countries,
while in countries of more advanced
gold clocks were the stand
ard. They therefore feared that the
use OF the silver clock might have the
effect of degrading the civilization of
the village by placing it alongside India
and other barbarous countries. And al
though the great mass OF the people
really believed, from the demonstration
made, that the silver standard OF time
was the better one, vet this objection