Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-06-20
THE SEVENTH DAY.

Seventh Day. If it Is as important
as they would have US believe, it is
certainly worthy of our best intellect
ual efforts to have clear cOmprehen-
sion of the whole and Of each Of the
words used in the expression Serentt
Day.
What is meant by the word day:
Ordinarily it means the period from
sunrise to sunset: as when we read.
"God called the light day." but in
computing time it usually means
twenty-four hours.
| 1t has other meanings, as in the
expression Sidereal day it represents
exactly one revolutionof the earth on
| it's axis. 1t is the interval of time
| between two successive passages of
the same meridian under given fixed
star; and is always exactly the same
length Of time.
The Solar ddV is the interval of time
it takes a given meridian to pass from
| beneath the sun, until il returns again
| to that position. This day is always
longer than the Sideraal day and is
never the same length of time for any
two days in the year.
The Ciril day is an average of all the
Solar days in one year; and we seek to
indicate the difference between this
| and the solar day by saying in our
almanacs 'the sun is fast, or ''the sun
| is Slow" SO many minutes.
The average solar day, which is the
CiuiI ddg, represents d revolution of
| the earth on it's axis through 361
degrees.
The word day has many other
meanings. as when we say sin our
day; "a thousand years is but one
| day with the Lord"
After we have come to an agreement
as to the length of time covered by
the word "day" in the expression
| Seventh Day. and have given names
and numbers to the several days, when
shall we say the day begins?
The astronomers and some of the
ancientS say it begins at noon. The
Chaldeans and Modern Greeks say the
| day begins at sunrise. The ancient
Egyptians and most of the Europeans
| say the day begins at midnight, while
| the BohemianS and Italians say it
begins at sundOwn.
If sunset marks the beginning of
the day, when does the day begin in
the most northerly parts of our
country, in northern Alaska where
the sun goes for weeks without
setting?
If all men agreed as to the length of
| the day, the time when the day
| begins. the names and the number of
| the days, we might still differ as to
aohcre the day begins. The Serenth dag
does not now exist at any place on the
earth. 1t will exist in New York be-
fore it exists here. It will exist in
| London several hours before it exists
in New York, and it will exist at San
| Francisco a considerable length of
time after it has ceased to exist here.
Where did the Serenth ddy first begin
| to exist, and where will it cease to
exist when it again passes from the
earth?
It will exist at this place twenty
four hours; but as it began to exist
| before it reaches US, and will continue
| to exist after it ceases to exist here,
it's stay on the earth must be much
more than twenty-four hours. How
long does the Seuerth day stay on the
earth?
A very little knowledge of mathe-
matical geography will show that we
always have two and sometimes three
days of the week on the earth at the
same time; and that a man at the
North Pole or date line could with one
step, step from one day of the week
into another day of,the week.
| Assuming that we are agreed as to
the exact length of time covered by
the word "day"-as to when the day
begins-how long it stays on the earth
and arbere it begins and ends as now
generally recognized, we might still
differ as to where the Mosaic day
began and ended.
The line at which each day begins
and ends is called the date line. Pro
fame sea captains and ignorant
migratory people have for the most
part placed it in the Pacific Ocean. 1t
used to extend from the North Pole
southwark passing down the east
boundary line of Russian America,
now called Alaska, then out into the
Pacific Ocean sweeping across to the
westward of the Society Islands, now
known as the Hawaiian Islands, then
back to near the 1S0th degrees of
| longitude and continued southwark
near that meridian to the South Pole.
When we purchased Russian
America, our secretary of state
ordered a change in the calendar,
changing the mode of reckoning time
| from the ''Old Style" then used there,
to the modern GregOrian calendar
inaugurated by the Roman Catholic
| Pope, and at the same time changed
the names and the number of the
| days of the week, SO that what was
before known as Saturday or the
Seuenth day in Alaska, thereafter was
called Sunday, or the first day of the
week.
This moved the date line out into
Behring strait. 1t now passes down
close to the 1S0th meridian, but
DIVORCES westward from this meridian
sufficient to still take in the Hawaiian
Islands, and returning back again on
broad curve to near the 1SOth meri.
dian. it continues southwark near that
meridian to the South Pole.
If England should come into posses
sion Of the Hawaiian Islands, she
would find it convenient to change
the calendar there as we have changed
it in Alaska. so as to have it agree
with the neighboring Australian
calendar: and the day that Christians
in the Hawaiian Islands now cal
Sunday or the first day. they would
have to thereafter call Saturday. OF
the seventh day of the week.
1t would be very proper for those
who regard it as all important to know
what is meant by the Serenth day tC
determine as to whether such change,
are in harmony with the Mosaic
method of computing time: and as tC
whether profane sea captains, ignorant
| in, fC opI Goddess rprary, r.