The sun., 1901-06-30
A RAGE FOR Sun DIALS.
Some Fine Ones Made Here and Others Brought
over FROM Europe.

Sun dIals ara all the rage now In America, :
| said a Nsvs York sculptor. We are just
getting around to them. q few hundred years
behind time, and TO see the honest pride we
take in the things one would really think
we had discovered them. or invented them. "
What started the crazel" asked a Sun
reporter
-Oh, it's part Of the general interest In
antiques. All the world IL collecting an
tlque. and We are going in for IL harder than
any one else because II we have anything
| antique we've got 10 collect II. II we can't
collect II we manufacture II. I've had more
| orders for sun dals than for anything else
| this last year,
"StlI,, America has some good old sun dials
OF her own. There are a number In Nr-
ginia and other parts OF the South. and a
few in New En- gland all dating back to pre-
Revolutionary times, Some years ago a
few rich Americans took fancy 10 old
European sun dials and began to bring some
Of them over for their country places Other
Americans saw them and followed suit.
There was quite IA disturbance about II
| in the English papers At one time You see,
England used 70 be particularly long on sun
diala They we're put on almost all Of the old
English church towers and in the splendid
formal old gardens and in the graveyard..
but they are thinning out now. The English
climate is hard on them. and thcre have been
few new ones made so the En- xlish didn't
like our cartinR any Of their dials over here
I've studied sun dals good deal since
the interest In them revived and have taken
many a long tramp In search of an old dial
Of which I had heard collected notices
and made sketches The best are In I'm gland.
/ believe. Almost every old estate there
has at least one. and the pursuit Of the sun dial
led me into the most charming corners I've
ever found in my wa nderings: aut one needs
10 be n philos opher TO live with sun dials
They rub in the 'memento mort business
unrercifully
The English dals havo old English or
Latin notices usually the latter. There's
nice old one in Edinburgh marked, AS
the sun runes so deth comes One at Not
tingham has Now is Yesterdays tomorrow
Take lent of ftime ere time betnt,' The night
cometh, and Thy houre. too. comes apace'
That's the sort OF thing tho English nut
on their sun dalS The French were a trifo
more cynical and not so solemn, There's
an epcirean ring TO soWe OF the old Freuch
notices, and there's good deal about love in
them The English said Love your soul
for you will die and III" French sHid. Love
and be happy while YOU can, for You &ill
die Tho sun dial- reflect the national tenn
peramcn' You see
Il confess I have a sneaking fondness for
the French dals. but they aren't. as a rule.
SO tine IN their setting IA those in English
garden. The French garden, always leave
something tp be desired The English gar
dens are IDEAL
"Gcrmany hasn't many sun das. but
there are some charming ones in tho old
Italian gardens ard great many Of the
old Italian churches have sun dialS on their
walls I've heard that sun dels are common
in Japan hui have no mOttOe-
There have been several competitive
sun dial contests AZ the art schools here
within recent years and the same thing has
been done IN Paris and in London Some
Of our best sculptor~ have designed sun
America nrd | know several artists who
have made stunning sIr dIHl- for their own
garden 1ha formal garden is coming
and Tho sun dial ft~ IN with Tho stiff hedges
Of box and the clipped vow trees and tho
rows Of huilvAooks and wall flowers