New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-31
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE TwENTY.FouR-HoU NOTATION.
CHARLES r. DowD WRITES IN Favor OF THE
CHANGE OF TIME STANDARD

CHARLES r. DOWD WRITES IN FAVOR VI IhE
CHANGE OF TIME STANDARD
TO the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: On the first day Of Ibis present May Bel
GUM entered upon the Use OF the twenty four-hour
notation OF time In all railway, telegraph and postal
service. Thus Belgium has fallen into line for this
advancing reform 1t Is worthy Of notice that this
effected by the arbitrary power Of the Govern
ment that In Italy few years ago II was adopted
for the same departments Of service by like ar
bitrary act Of Government and that In Canada
about the same time In Italy II was adopted by
the arbitrary OF railroad officials for the time
tables of the extreme eastern and western ends OF
their transcontinental railway. In all these cases
be II observed. arbitrary power has adopted the re-
form for It's own ends and has left the people 10
adopt II not In their business as II might chance
TO suit them. Is this the way. we ask. 10 bring
about a successful public reform?
Attentive observers Of ongoing events can scarce
ly doubt that the twenty fourhour notation Is des
tined to become universal. Common convenience
-and common-sense require 1t. 1t. however inter-
feres with tho traditions and cordially adopted
usages Of the people. and history shows that the
people will resist even with violence. such inter-
ference until they understand the reasons for 1t.
About three hundred years ago the yearly calen-
dar found to be ten days in error. An arbitrary
edct OF the Pope corrected this error In a rev
countries In 1852. more than hundred and nifty
years later when the error had increased to eleven
days, the English Parliament ordered that the cor
rectlon be made by calling September 3 the iith
thereby jumping eleven days: but the people In
mob followed the Ministry with sticks and stones
calling out in madness Give us back our eleven
lost days." The error has increased TO twelve days,
ye. Russia Is dragging along with the oid-st?le
calendar twelve days behind and IL She persists
1t thirteen days behind the true
date Yet /. is plain that Russia must sooner or
later fall into line and make the change.
The history Of time standards also ought 10 n
struct us. Not until along in the fortles. whom
railroad travel began 10 be speedy and the tele-
graph brought distant places into instant connec-
ton, did the people generally know what change
OF UNDERSTANDINGS meant. England seems to nave
moved first to make Greenwich Observatory tie
the standard time for the whole Island. In 1913
Edinburgh by her Town Council, ordered that tho
public clocks at midnight Saturday night be
moved forward twelve and one-half minutes. Ii If
amusing for Us now 10 read an article publisheo
at that time In THE Blackwcod Magazine Inc
writer offers to head "a crusade. ana ne calls
upon "all sorts and sundries Of his feow-citizens
to join him in raising AN insurrection against the
authorities" The cause for such rising ne graph
ically portrays as follows: AT IL o'clock OH tho
night OF Saturday. January H. 1913, ihe Town
Councl-assYming themselves 10 be so many JOSH
uas-o-dered that the city clocks OF Edinburgh be
advanced twelve and one-half minutes. To th1t
extent therefore the clocks were made TO lie
Twenty-one years later more than eighty stand
ard times existed In the United States. In October,
1863 the writer presented before railway CONVEX
ton Of the trunk lines In New-fork the adJus.-
ment Of these multtudinous times by iongisuo"
standards. By single-handed effort for seven OF
eight wears he strove 10 awaken public interest IN
the subject. Then conventions began TO discuss IL
and editors to write upon IT. informing the people
about H. And when Il adopted by the rail-
roads November IS. 1854. there was scarcely rip
pie Of popular disfavor. The people had learned
the fact Of time differences and that some ad !l
however limit the full satisfaction OF the people
with IN" present system OF LONGITUDE sandaros 20
the ex,cni Of country lying within about nye t ne
grecs of each standard meridian The people Nv
Ing on the strips Of country compassed by the re-
hall degrees OF the borders OF each two adjoining
hour sections-as for example, In Michiean' ono
been b0 wn w viz IT, sppGss it to
be the best system for the whole county, INA, WIS
practicable but better nov oPpsaas 10 ssh
mens . in reference S to The calendar might ey
pect progressive movements In reference 10 stand,
aard time sOS r asG nf the
standard time for the whole country-thaI IS III
fs e IN Albany he
paper presenting the whole subject OF the iWen ac
case he called for objections to the scheme but al
though considerable discussion has been called ou,
a aS H the system proposed He now again cor
daily invites criticism and opinions favorable ..
paper read before the University convoca,io.n TO
h% at ssTs SsS
The frs; point to be reached u.s. plainly the ad iS'.
lion Of the as the ps6p not Sar%me ana
with the numbers In the teens ana twent,es OF the
Of twelve numbers with their p. m, appendages
in the old, A very, little thought viii show them
leaving off the appendage p. m. and adding Twelve
for example. 5 o'clock p. m Is simply Il o'clock
o o by wee ay and sns the S
dage p. m.-that Is. the simple Is o'cock means 8
If the question now before us were to form a
method Of notation for me hours instead OF TO re-
under consideration were submitted to vote OF
he Hnd al day
and nght-surely we could not expect that 50
as M mSod 70 small things
with large. lot us illustrate:
,weniy,four definite boxes or pgeonholes Tor de-
posting special papers in each Of It's station Offices
5y numbers, 50 that reference unmlstakabe could
be made TO the individual boxes every day, some
and. further that these boxes were constructed in
a case with two tiers, one above the other OF
%s n fpcn hG S fan we wo
de ii adopt the method Of numbe ring each
Mating The the numbers in The upper tier by the az
sndSS ~ Rese thu in the Swf5 tier by h
IIII,istrates the ab.nray Of designating the hours
by two series Of numbers Win the APPENDICES a.
Germ only small department OF n single business.
while the hours concern all departments OF bus-
ness everywhere.
The people Of this country not slow TO see
such obsnrdiiy when Il Is laid ont before them.
some railroad officials during the last year have
expressed n willingness to adopt the reform. but
sav that in their opinion the people are not yet
ready for IT, Every do something In hast
ening this reform. Let all take part. through the
public prints by letter or in conversation.
' CHARLES +. DOWD.
Saratoga Springs, y Y, May 20, isa7.
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CIERGYMAN'S WARNING