The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1905-11-23
THE DAYS AND HOURS
ORIGIN or OUR SYSTEM OF The
DIVISION or TIME.

II you pull your watch out of YOU
pocket you viii have Goo your hand ON,
Of the most wonderful piece. Il ma
chiucry ever constructed Think how
IL works throughout the day and nigh
and how it Keep. it up year in, year on.
Think how tine second hand points %
$500 divisions oi time during every
hour II never sleeps
II il is like the average watch. it will
be built up of uo fewer than 10 diucr
ent pieces. These pieces will huy,
passed through more than 2IUD sep.
aratc operations, each being % distinct
form OF manufacture
The fourth Jewel wheel screw is So
very small that it Is almost Invisible.
TO the naked eye it appears TO bee but a
speck OF dust. When examined under
a magnfylng glass It viii bc seen to
be a perfect crew. having 2GO threads
10 the inch, each thread being well
ctt Actually the diameter Of this
screw is so little as the four one-thou.
sandth part Of an inch, ana II would
take no less a number than 10000
similar screws In order 10 fll an or
dinary thimble as used by the ladies.
Each screw has a double head and
has 10 be hardened. After the harden.
ing process the screws are arranged in
frames, being placed In with the heads
upward. This delicate operation Is
done by the sense Of touch alone in
stead Of by sight, and great rapidity
marks the skiilful operator Some.
where about hundred screws are
placed in each frame, and the frames
are attached 20 a machine which pol
ishes the heads OF the screws 10000 at
n time
1t will be seen how marvellous these
screws are. yet one of them forms but
one tiny piece of watch. Still this
will show the remarkable nature of that
everyday article. When special watches
are considered there is indeed room FOR
wonder
For instance. take the watch which
was presented TO Catherine /. on her
coronation as empress of Russia. This
watch was one of the most remarkably
constructed Instruments ever made.
on the opposite side of the works of
this extraordinary timekccper there
was an exact representation Of the
holy scpulchcr, with a carved image
Of the Roman guard stationed outside
IT, As soon as the watch case was
opened the imitation rocks would roll
away from the mouth of the scpulchcr,
the soldier would knccl, angels would
appear at opposite sides Of the opening,
and sweet strains of music would be
heard. This remarkable watch took
nine years uninterrupted labor i'm or
der TO construct.
The first clock in any way rcscm-
bling those In use At present was made
by Henry Wick In the year 1870. and il
was made for Charles y. Of France.
This monarch was surnamcd the Wise,
but his education was imperfect In
many respects, ana he knew il well.
As Il result he was very obstinate In
his claim 10 know everything. lie
showed this Obstinacy when Nick
brought the new timcpicce for his np.
proval The king could not find any
lhhlA W lAll llN NblklIEt 81 Nv - lilNNNl
the figures on the dial.
lie told the maker that hc had made
Il gricvous error, as the figures to de.
note the hour OF I should Ice four Is
Poor Wick vcntured TO tell the king
that he was wrong. Il am never
wrong Numbered the irate monarch
Take th" clock away and correct the
Iuistut.a "a, ,usn nnnp mn In nf my a IL
PLEASURE
Wick had To do as hc was told, with
the result that all our timcpicccs hav,
the fourth hour labeled iii instead OF
", rs should he the case If the correct
Enumeration were followed.
How many people have the slightest
notion why sixty seconds make miu
ute and why the hour is divided int,
sixty minutes. and SO out Why ar,
there not ten hours TO the day ana ten
10 the night;
The reason is very simple II is be-
cause the people of Babylon rcckoucd
not only by a decimal system Of uota
tiou, but also 10y scNagcsimal sys
tenn That IS 10 say. they not only
rcckuued 10y tens. but also 10y sixties
The Bahylouiuus were very clever pco
pie, ANA they saw that the decimal sys
tom was 10y mo- means the best
They knew that no number had st
many div.sor~ gs has sixty.
How about the division of the day
into hours The BubylonianS began 10y
comparing the progress made by IN,
sun on its daily journey To the distanc,
covered 10y "a good walker, this being
done at the time Of the equinox IN,
astronomers divided the suns journey
into twenty-four parsaugS, whence oul
hours
The Babyluuidu system was adopted
10y the Greeks II Is one of the most
remarkable facts of history that the
system has survived through every
change made since the days of Baby
lonia. When the the French rcvolu
tiouilcd all weights and measures go
ing So FAR as 10 alter the days Of the
week, SIN they lrfl the old system of
notation so far us regarded the reckon.
ing OF the flight of time Even our own