Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1905-12-06
TllEDAYS AND HOURS
ORIGIN OF OUR SYSTEM OF The
DIVISION OF TIME.

'eFt ticNer People,
""S Adopted by the Greeks and
ms survived Through All Changes.
IL you pull your watch out of your
pocket you will have In Your hand one
Oh The most wonderful pieces OF ma
chinery ever constructed. Think how
II works throughout the day and night
and how IT keeps it up year In. year out.
mink how the second hand points Ia
5000 divisions OF time during every
hour. IL never sleeps.
III 1t Is like the average watch. Il will,
be built up Of no fewer than 175 differ.
ent pieces. These pieces will have
passed through more than 2,4OO sep
arate operations, each being a distinct
form OF manufacture.
The fourth jewel wheel screw il so
very small that IL is almost invisible
To the naked eye 1t appears TO be but a
speck OF dust When examined under
magmfying glass II viii be seen TO
De perfect screw. having 2GO threads
to the inch. each thread being well
CIT. Actually the diameter OF this
screw is SO little as the four one-thou-
sandth part of an inch. and IL would
take no less n number than 100000
similar screws In order to FIJI an or
binary thimble as used 10y the ladies.
Each screw has a double head and
has 10 be hardened. After the harden
ing process the screws are arranged i'm
frames, being placed I'm with the heads
lnnf
done by the sense Of touch alone in
stead Of by sight. and great rapidity
marks the skillful operator. Some
where about hundred screws are
placed i'm each frame. and the frames
are attached 10 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 a 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 10 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 timekeeper there
was an exact representation OF the
holy scpulchcr. with carved image
Of the Roman guard stationed outside
II. As soon as the watch case was
opened the imitation rocks would roll
away from the mouth OF the sepulcher.
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 in or
der 10 construct.
The first clock IN any way rcsem-
bling those n use ut present was made
10y 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. and he knew il well.
As a result lie was very obstinate in
his claim to know everything. He
showed this ObStinacy when Wick
brought the new timcpioce for his APP
proval. The king could not find any
fault with its working. 80 he criticised
the figures 0h the dial.
He told the maker that he had made
a grievOus error as the figures 10 de-
note the hour OF should be four rs.
Poor Wick vcntured TO tell the king
that he was wrong. Il am never
wrong" Numbered the irate monarch.
Take the clock away and correct the
mistake ut once upon pain of my dis
pleasure,"
Wick had 90 do as he was told. with
the result that all our timepieceS have
the fourth hour labeled iii instead Of
", as should be the ease if the correct
enumeration were followed
How many people have the slightest
notion why sixty seconds make a min.
ute and why the hour is divided into
sixty minutes. and SO on? Why are
there not ten hours 20 the day and ten
10 the night;
The reason is very simple. 1t IS be
cause the people Of Babylon reckoned
not only 10y a decimal system Of nota.
ton. but also by a seXageSimal syS
TEN. That is 10 say. they not only
reckoned Icy tens. but also by sixties
The Babylonians were very clever PEG
pie. and they saw that the decimal SyS
tenn was 10y no means the best.
They knew that no number had SC
many divisorS as has sixty.
How about the division Of the day
into hours? The Babylonians began 10y
comparing the progress made by the
sun on its daily journey to the distance
covered 10y 4 good walker. this being
done ut the time of the equinox. The
astronomers divided the suns journey
into twenty-four parsangS. whence ouI
hours.
The Babylonian system was adopted
by 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 revolu
tionized all weights and measures, go
ing so far rs 10 alter the days of the
week. still they left the old system Of
notation 50 far as regarded the reckon.
ing Of the flight of time. Even our own
lovers Of the decimal notation do no,
suggest that the old seXageSimal meth.
oil of reckoning time should be altered
--PearSOn'S Weekly
Condensed.