Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-31
ABOUT SUNDAYS.
The Ancient Maker of the First One is
Not Known.

The we'll known words, 1.-THE Shad-
dow lengthening as the vapOrs rise
probably express mans earliest notion
of measuring time. They indicate the
germinal idea of the Sun-dial. The
subject is full interest, and leads into
many bypaths of learning. Who made
the first sun-dial is lost in the mists of
antiquity. Charles Lamb, perhaps.
went too far in saying that Adam
could scarce have missed it in para
disc; but men must soon have found
out how to use the sun as kind of
timekeeper. But the Sun-dial was
known to the two most civilized races
of ancient times, the Chaldean and the
Egyptian. Herodotus tells us that the
Greeks obtained their knowledge of
the gnOmon-viZ., of the principal of
the dial-from the former people.
That. of course, is little help in fixing
an exact date, for recent discoveries
tend to put the origin of Greek civili-
cation several centuries earlier han
used to be supposed. The dial Of Ahaz
was probably copied from Assyria. for
wise men of the East doubtless
watched the stars many long century
before the Christian era, and there is
no reason why they should not have
discovered the principle of the sun dial
even when the elder Sargon reigned in
Agade. some 81 centuries ago.
Egyptian monuments and HERO
slyphics. SO far as they have been de
ciphered are not much more helpful
than the monuments of Chaldea. The
earliest dials found in the Nile valley
are Of Greek work, and little more
than 10 centuries old, but we may feel
sure that the wisdom Of the Egyp-
tians' included a fair amount Of
practical astronomy. and that the linen
who could build the pyramids would be
| capable of devising some kind of sun
dial.
The dial may be made after more
than one pattern. The Arab, when he
| sticks his spear upright in the sand to
! learn the time of day from its shadow,
illustrates the rudmentary idea But
that, though n ready. is an ineXact
method. In dials of more scientific
construction. the ma jority may be sub
divided into those where the shadow
of the gnomon falls either on curved
surface or on plane. How the dials
are mounted, provided the position be
it,iitiy hHNti idiii'd, IL secondary
| matter. Sometimes they are quite
! small and can be carried about like Il
watch though. of course. they they
are much less easily consulted. and
| only accurate in Il particular latitude
More commonly they are fixed and
often large.
To some monumental character is
given by mounting them on pedestals,
| often deliberately designed, but very
many are simply attached to the face
of wall. We are given here illustra-
| tons Of several interesting examples
of the former group, which includes
| almost all those of complicated pattern
| and incidentally indicates the curious
! forms which are sometimes assumed
Many are mounted on pillars-appro-
| p"iately when we remember the an
| Gent relation of these to sun Worship
| and one is on the slope of a buttress
| Some like this and a small cylindrical
| one carved on the face of a tombstone
are followed out; ''facet-headed" diaIs
where several plane surfaces are cut
on block of stone. each of which is
fltted with a gnomon. are also known:
others are shaped as crosses or stars.
| 80 idNtI "iiiiV tIit III lIitIDIt Is one,
| the construction admits of many mod
ificationS. These complicated Sun-diaIs
| seem especially chara cteristic of Scot
| land and the northern parts of Eng
land. In the former country they are,
comparatively speaking, frequent. and
| several examples are depicted in this
| volume. Indeed, the Scotch sun-dials
are so remarkable as to be allotted a
| SDeriD1 ch1ntpr They h.,
already received attention from Messrs
McGibbon and Ross. who have de-
| scribed no less than $50 instances in
their book on The Castellated Archi-
lecture Of Scotland" The latter au-
| thority makes four Independent types
| Of detached dials-the obelisk, the lac
| tern or sloping dial. the horizontal and
the facet-headed.
In towns the dials are often s,Ipported
by tapering shafts, mounted on stems
taking the place of the old market cross
some of them, perhaps, constructed from
1t when the 'idolatrous emblem had
been removed. The more ornate spcci-
mems belong often 10 the 18th or earlier
part OF the 18th century, and great In
genuity is displayed in varying the de-
signs. One from Haddinston might be
taken for font
At Lee castle in Lanarkshire and at
MI Melville. near ST. Andrew. faceted
dials are mounted on ornamental pedest-
tails, but the richest of all is at Glamis
castle. Standing over seven yards in
height. with its pedestal adorned by up
right lions. bearing shields, il supports "A
great block of stone cut into many pro
Jecting pyramids, and from il rise ribs
forming an open crown. on which rests a
cornet The monument fairly bristIes
with dials-they are fitted on each shield
and facet which can serve the purpose,
SO that. If multitude of counseors Is
any good. the time should be truly told.
This, perhaps the most beautiful dial
which the world can show" was set up
between 1647 and 1895. Some even Of the
vertical dialS are more ornamental than
usual These are two-faced and as they
project from the wall are supported BY
brackets.
Heriots hospital Is well provided, for
there are eight on its exterior walls and
three inside the courtyard. These were
constructed soon after 1910. An ornate one
at Alloa is dated 1865. But the making of
dials went on much later. though ii Is
being expelled by cheap clocks and
watches as flint and steel have beel BIZ
luclfer matches. The schoolmastcrs often
taught diaiin"' Robert Burns learned
1t in his boyhood-and the stone masons
carried the lessons into practice. A dial
made by Hugh Miller still stands at Gro