Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-27

Columbia road between Mintwood place and
Wyoming avenue, this city, and another at
"Colross, the old Mason mansion in Alex
andria.
There is a sundal of unusual shape at the
National Museum in this city. It's con-
struction Is singular, but its action very
accurate. A needle gnomon is mounted on
a cross bar, which casts It's shadows upon
a semi-circular sheet of brass beneath it.
G. F. Brander was the maker.
**
1t has been suggested by Alice Morse
Earle the authoress of an interesting work
on sun dials, of the opportunity of the United
States government and the District of CO.
lumbia Commissioners of easily making the
finest sun dial in the world. or. If not that
the finest noon mark The writer says:
The Washington Monument, with it's SUI
perb shaft 900 feet in height, most glorious
of all gnomons. traces unmarked day by
day its wonderful parabolic path on the
greensward around it. What a beautiful
sight 1t would be if the government would
order the tracing of the analemma and
mark the hours with beds of flowers. What
an instructive and inspiring object it would
be to all who visit that great monument
there might arise from it's inspiration some
thoughtful youth. another Ferguson or
Wren, to add to the list of the great mathe-
matictans Of the world. If dial is
be set-a line of stone or white marble,
noon mark In the grasses. This would not
equal the dial. but would be better than
the unmarked round of today
LEnfatt's plan for the federal city pro-
vided for a historic column (the site of
Lincoln Park and from this column all
distances through the continent were to
be calculated. But when Ellicott, another
engineer, laid off the streets and avenues
he began by drawing true meridian line
through the Capitol. But the Meridian Hill
known to old Washingtonians is not. at the
Capitol, but north of the White House, ut
the head of 10th street.
Admiral Porter had a house at the head
Of 10Th street, on the southern lawn stood
a low sandstone block. on which was
GRASS sun dial. This has been called the
meridian stone. 1t was removed and Is
now doing service a carriage step at Ne
corner of r and 14th streets.
It has even been claimed that sun dials,
or at least one In particular, should be Of
interest to all patriotic Americans because
at THE Washington House., Little Bring
ton. Northhamptonshire. England, is an
ancient dial face bearing dated Wash
ington coat-of-arms. which is thought in
some quarters 10 nave IuTHlSneO the lOed
of the national STARS and Stripes. It Is
a circular slab of sandstone sixteen inches
in diameter and bears the letters "R. w."
the initials of an ancestor of George Wash
ington.
In the first coinage of the United States
a sundial made frequent appearance.
design of a sundiaI was on the first dollar
that was cast in silver, then in bronze, then
in pewter; 1t appeared on a copper cent
and was printed on paper note of the
value OF one-third of dollar. This sundial
bore two inscriptions, one ''Fugio," the
other. Mind your business" The word
"Fugio' gave a name to this currency and
the pieces were known as the ''Fugio dol
lar the "Fugio cent and the "Fugio
note" The cent was also called the
Franklin cent and is known by col
Franklin's connection with the coinage
1t Is said that Franklin had known much
OF the postal service of Great Britain be-
fore he became postmaster general for the
American colonies under the crown He
had lived in London where on the post
Office was sundial with the motto, BE
about your business Historians have
never doubted that it was entirely Frank
Inns taste which gave to the nation the SUM-
dial design and the motto, Mind your
business" Many English dials bore like
motto. The one in the Inner Temple owed
its motto to the suriy reply given to the
dial maker who inquired at the Temple
library, as per instructions, FOR the motto
for the new sundial sir?" 'sBegone about
your business" was the answer Of the lone
inmate, and the maker proceeded to carry
out the supposed instructions.