The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1902-10-23
WHERE THE DAY BEGINS.
Proof That There Is Such n Place in
the World Submit ed In
England.

Seeing that as one moves westward
the time gets earlier and earlier, so
that when it is Monday noon in London
it is some time on Monday morning in
America, it follows that, if this prin-
ciple were continued without limit hall
the way round the world, atthe samS
moment that it was Monday noon in
London It would be also 81 hours later
that is, Tuesday noon, in London. AS
this is reductia absurdum, we have to
look for the limit, which does, in fact,
exist, on the principle that as one
moves westward the time gets earlier
and as one moves eastward gets later
says the st. James Gazette.
Before the decentralization of the
globe there was no difficulty. When on
a Monday the sun stood over London it
was Monday noon in London. AS the
sun moved Ito use the popular phrase)
westward and stood little later over
Dublin it became Monday noon in Dub
lin, and so on until he reached the west
ern limit of the known world. When
the sun passed over that limit that
was the end Of noon for that Monday,
and nobody knew what the sun was do.
ing until he reappeared on the eastern
limit of the known world, bringing
with him Tuesday morning. 1t is evil
dent therefore, that while the sun was
in the unknown abyss between west
and east he dropped the attribute of
making the time at all places directly
under his rays Monday noon and took
to himself the attribute of making it
Tuesday noon.
AS the confines of the world we're
pushed farther eastward and west
ward, respectively, the unknown abyss
where this change of attribute had to
be made got narrower and narrower,
until, when the globe was circumnavi-
gated, the place of change became sim
ply line. This line exists. and is the
place where the days begin. AS the
sun crosses this remarkable spot the
time jumps "a hours onward-from
noon one day to noon on the next day.
The situation of the line has been To-
Gated quite tously-namely, by
the circumstance whether any given
place was first reached by civilized
man journeying' the east or from
the west. The discoverer brought with
him the almanac from whence he came,
and if he came from the west the time
in the new country would be later, and
If he came from the east it would be
earlier than the time in the country
he came from.
America was reached by civilized
man voyaging westward, and China by
man travelling eastward, and the re-
suit is that the line that marks where
the days begin lies between these two,
in the Pacific ocean, and, instead of be-
ing a straight line, zigzags about, di-
viding islands which happened to be
discovered from the east from those
which happened to be discovered from
the west. There must still be many is
lands in that ocean where it is not yet
decided to which side of the line they
belong, and where, if one were put
down, one would not know whether it
were to-day, tomorrow or yesterday
There must also be many islands there
which, never having been permanently
occupied by civilized people, change
their day from time to time, so that
ship calling there coming from China
might arrive on Tuesday, while an
other ship calling at the same time
from America would arrive on Monday.
There must be people living so near
this line that by going few miles they
can leave to-day and get into to-mor-
row, or by going back can find yester-
day. How convenient for troublesome
appointments.
Many other curious considerations
occur to one, but have said enough, |
think, to show-what every one does
not, perhaps, realize-that there is
place in the world where the days be-
gin.