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.

menu In inc newspapers ana magazines
is growing into importance and their
letters to the editors bet0kcn studious,
inquiring minds. The art of letter
writing is itself not only an accomplish
mont, but good part of 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
arc 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 Il small
affair. ! know from experience, for
when was in my teens my father was
the postmaster and had the work to
do. There arc now ut 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 to Il place within
the State was 1oi 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 Il letter
was handed back to me with such re-
mark as 'Wcll, reckon it's from Dick
Jones, over in Arkansaw, and hain't
got the quarter just put it back ontil
| come ag'in.'
1t keeps me busy nowadays to an
swcr all the letters receive. My wife
and daughters help to keep up tho cor
respondcncc with tho far-away boys
and the other kindred, but good friends
who write kind letters to me must be
answered in person. Such letters arc
Il pleasure and n comfort.
Then, there are many letters asking
for charity or little help for church
that only reminds me how poor am.
Butthese letters from inquiring minds
who are in pursuit of knowledge and
perplexed 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
-irl in her teens. know that she is
pretty, because she writes II pretty let
ter and there is not a blot nor an
crasurc or an misspellcd word. She
wants to know where the day begins
and why, and where the navigators
first lind a change. Of 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
Just where man bcgun-in the garden
of Eden. If the Creator had chosen
New York or Charleston for that gar
Sien. the 5sy wes::s: have begun over
here on this continent and extended
westward to California, as the people
course the day Kept it's name and it's M
date around, and cast of Palestine as
far Us the sen, but westward the tide
OF empire takes its way,' and so did
tho tide of time. Columbus brought
tho day with him to this continent.
From our eastern coast tho people took
1T to California, and from thero the
missionaries took it to the Sandwich
sun until the navigators got around to
bombay and Hong Kong and Cairo and
found they had lost day and it was
Monday instead of Sunday. And those
who sailed eastward and travelled
against the sun found they had gained
4 day and it was Saturday instead of
Sunday.
Duo ~ 10 NY 81 ioN ioi tuclc - All
International inc iii midoccan--A mon
dean that has bccn established by the
great powers and accepted by the nav
igatOrS OF all nations rs tho change Of
date line. This line is $50 degrees west
of Greenwich and runs from New Zcn-
land north to Behring straits and goes
not far from Samoa. It is just half
way around the world from London
aud is called the Antipodc OF Green
wien. 1t is 800 miles west OF Hawaii
and 5000 west of San Francisco. This
line is check marked on tho np-tO- date
maps and Sunday is printed on the
west side and Monday on the east.
Navigators tell by their log books and
compass when thoy have reached it.
and the captain or the mato announces
clock back twenty four hours. We
have crossed the linc.''
For many years our American rail
ways, as thcy pressed their way from
tho Atlantic to the Pacific, found tho
question OF time very confusing, and
hence by consent of action they estab-
ilshed four divisions of railway time
and marked Longitudinal lines 1000
miles apart to indicate them. When
tho train crosses one of these lines the
passengers set their watches back or
forward just one hour for the sun
moves or seems to move just 1000
miles al hour. These mOn1ean lines
divide time into eastern, central, noun
tain and Pacific. and they pass through
Carson City, and 'i therefore hs; WHEN when # 's is
12 o'clock in Now York city it is only 8
o'clock in California. The railroad
companies, however, could not cut their
lines i'll two to suit these mondeans and
henco their railroad time is q zig-zag
crooked line to fit their terminal points,
but it approxlmates the mondcan.
about time and where tho day begins.
but it is enough to satisfy the school
girls and boys. and especially the pref
ty girl who writes mo from McRac. In
these days of telegraph and ocean
cables it seems very funny to us veto
rams that when h message is sent from