The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-09-27
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Arp Has to Have Help in Answering
His Letters.
atlanta Constitution.

ment In the newspapers ana maSdllncs
is growing into importance and their
letters to the editors betoken studious,
inquiring minds. The art OF letter
writing is itself not only an accomplish
ment, but q good part of a polished
education. Letters indicate character
and good letters require thought. The
letters Of notable men and women arc
the best part OF their biographies. They
are an index to the heart, the emotions,
the disposition. Time was when but
few could write at all, and the opening
of mail in country town was small
affair. / know from experience, tor
when I was in my teens my father was
the postmaster and had the work to
do. There arc now at least ten letters
per capita to where there was one in
those days. One great drawback on
letter writing then then was the cost
of postage. A letter toa place within
the State was 12s cents and the postage
had to be paid by the person receiving
it, and if it was poor letter he felt
like he was cheated. Many 4 letter
was handed back to me with such a re-
mark as "Well, Ireckon it's from Dick
Jones, over in Arkansaw, and ! hain't
got the quarter. Just put it back ontll
I come as'in."
It keeps me busy nowadays to an
swer all the letters receive. My wife
and daughters help to keep up the cor
respondcncc with the far-away boys
and the other kindred, but good friends
who write kind letters to me must be
answered in person. Such letters are
pleasure and comfort.
Then, there are many letters asking
Tor charity or little help for q church
that only reminds me how poor | am.
Butthesc letters from inQuiring minds
who are in pursuit of knowledge and
perplcxed about the mysteries of nature
always interest me, and have to pre-
tend to be wise man whether | am or
not.
Now, here is one from Il pretty school
girl in her teens. know that she is
pretty, because she writes a pretty let
ter and there is not blot nor an
erasurc or AN misspellcd word. She
wants to know where the day begins
and why, and where the navigators +:
first find a change. or course that Is
worth knowing. and | suppose that
very few outside Of tho colleges and
the continental travellers and the sea-
faring men understand it.
Well, my dear girl, the day begins
lust where man bcgun-in the garden
Of Eden. II the Creator had chosen
New York or Charleston tor that gar
den, the day would have begun oyer
here on this continent and extended
westward to California, as the people
multiplied and carried it there. OF
course the day kept its name and Its
date around, and cast OF Palestine rs
far as the sea. but westward the tue
of empire takes its way" and so did
tho tide OF time. Columbus brought
the day with him to this continent.
From our eastern coast the people took
it to California, and from thero the
missionaries took it to the Sandwich
islands, and it continued to follow the
sun until the navigatOrS got around to
Bombay AMI Hong Kong and Cairo and
found they had lost q day and it was
Monday instead OF Sunday. And those
who sailed eastward and Travelled
against the sun found they had gained
Il day and it was Saturday instead OF
Sunday.
But it is not so now, fOr there Is an
international line in mlOccan--a mon
dean that has been established by the
great powers and accepted by the nay
| igatorS of all nations as the change OF
date line. This line is $50 degrees west
of Greenwich aud runs from New Zca-
| land north to l5ehring straits and goes
not far from Samoa. 1t is Just half
wav around the world from London
and is called the Antipodc OF Green
wich. 1t is 1900 miles west OF Hawall
and $500 west Of San Francisco. This
line is check marked on the np-to-da atc
maps and Sunday is printed on the
west side and Monday on the east:
| NavigntorS tell by their log books anu
compass when they nave reached IT.
and the captain or the mate announces
with great ceremony: "Sct the uay
clock back twcnty-fonr hours. We
! have crossed the line.
For many years our American rail-
ways, as they pressed their way from
tho Atlantic to the Pacific. found the
question OF time very confusing, anu
hence by consent Of action they cstab-
lishcd four divisions OF railway time
and marked Longitudinal lines ,OoU
miles apart to indicate them; " hen
the train crosses one ot these lines the
passengers set their watches back or
forward Just Gnc hour. Tor the sun
moves or seems to move lust l.oNl
miles IN hour. These mondcan lines
divide time into eastern. central. noun
tain and Pacific, and they pass through!
New York city, st. Louis, Denver AND
Carson City, and therefore when it IS
II o'clock in New York city il is only .
oclocl, in California The railroad
companies, however. could not cut tEcIl
lines iii two 10 snit these lnondcanS and
hence their railroad time is Il ZG.-za2
crooked line TO fit their terminal points,
but it apprO'>lmates the mondcan.
This is rot I'LL that could be written
about time and where the day BEGINS,
but it is enough to satisfy the school
girls and boys. and especially the prct
~ girl who writes me from Mcltac. III
these days OF telegraph and ocean
cables it seems Very funny 10 lis vctc-