The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-02-05

IN. t4tg,r. The LoBr-gt8S- @ttstft
aaNe been ala right u g ctoi3 have
charged ends automatically h4t h
kouIi have beer 4 very truubIrsafu.
AFFAIR 10 one who had anything rlse tn
p8k after II one ha4 nothing el~s
Is 40 but watch sht Sand ! Suppo~r
ne could have managed - keen ihr
hourS Nell enough tu enable hllu f.
proper Time. / don't know. bar j
upIo-e hour glass"s mighi have hesn
ana perhaps Ncre - arranged as I'll
run whole day perhaps a iaN aud
uighf-aud that they might als' haS,
DctH ~ nxrd as - tell ..lch qAlttef
hat.
AMONG The FIRST Things / remember
vas the clock leddi.r- tur down
-aSt.r. Who came through the cnun-
try selling the old time Connection
Yankee clock. hich co4t anywhtr.
from twenty-five t. nftv dollars 4e-
oriing 10 its size. ana the scenery
painted on the glass door IN front Big
7rofts must have been made ~ those
docks.
Ia these DAYS wc can 0uy watches
for j Ioltar. ANA clocks FOR from three
20 fy,. dollars. tSpmc even at one doll
arr. quite as good a. the Old thirly
iuilar ones. NON anu then I S,. one
# the old clocks. but they are back
numbers and mute reminders ~ the
long ago
cats eyes. We all know. are good
time Keepers. but | don't think. that,
IN these latter days. when clocks uni
watches are SO very cheap. and there
ire. besides, 80 many steam whistles.
hat The hour Of the day
hat cats eyes. rs clocks. are very
much in ma When cats "ye@
were used rs clocks and the house
vyi 70 had 70 hnt-a Z he l{pEar .al,. y
actly at twelve. tif it We're 4 cloudy
day 50 she could not SEQ by the sun
mark on the door slid a cat WAS indis-
pcnsible. All she bad 10 do was to
call pussy to her ANA see how near it
was TO twelve O'clock by looking at
the pupils Of the cats eyes. If the
JupilS were becoming very narrow she
new il was time to blow the horn.
for. when the pupils became per-
pendicular lines -almoSt 50 fine as 10
3e inperCeptible-she knew II was
twelve o'clock. If the husband came
home sometimes in a growing humor
complaining of the lateneSs of dinner
II the Wife had TO 10 was to tell him
10 go and look at the cats yes, and
zee for himself There was no going
back on that. for the lime could not
be disputed. if tho pupils wcr" TX
threads across the eyes.
The cat is a very ancient time piece.
How long the Chinese have used him
II sGch ] do not know. but, certainly
for a great while.
We learn from NJ. Hue, an European
traveller, that when he and a party of
friends We're going to q mission set
lennent among the p~easantry in hin
they met q Young China:nan on the
road, and to test his intelligence. they
asked him if he could tell the time.
The native looked up at the sky. but
The clouds hid the sun from vie&.
Sn1GCnlV no 63rtn1 away tnFV4rl n
farm and returned in q few moments
With a cat in his arms. Pushing W
IS cyelids with his hands, he told the
travellers to look at them, at the same
lime saving i was not yet noon.
hen the party cache the ViIlag"
they asked the Christian converts if
hey could tell the time by a cats
eyes, and how it was done. lmme-
diately al the cats that could be
found We're brought before them. and
the Chinese explained to the travellers
and missionaries that at twelve noon
The pupils of a cats eyes became
scarcely p~erccptible lines, drawn per
p~endicularly across them: but imme-
iiately after twelve they began 10 IL
ate. At midnight they would b
round. but the next day at noon they
Would be oblong again.
SO, there it is-and as much as we
hate the cat that renders night hide
Gus, and eats all the young chicke
nat are hatchcd on the lot. we arc
bound to admit he was q very useful
rime-piece before hour glasses, sun
lials, clocks or watches were ever
thought of. And in these days. If we
are not able to own a clock we can,
at least, place a cat on the mantle
piece and call it a catamount; or If
yOE please, q mounted cat The
only drawback to that arrangement
is the fact that the eat is very apt to
get in a bad humor along about mid
night. which is the time the ordinary
Sir Thomas does his quarreling and
~cat-a-Vvaling. on the yard fence and
under the house-not unfrequcutly on
the shed right at you window.
s.: aking Of clocks arm reminded
to speak of a very remarkable one
that has for Il number of years been
in the cooke family, nea LouisburS
the property now, / believe. Of &. X.
Cooke. Esq. Of Iouisburg. donated t.
him by his maiden aunts. Misses Helen
and Amanda coke. whose home. 70.
over q quarter of a century. has been
known as preachers Paradise" be-
cause Of the comforts and pleasures
visitors-especially preachers
sure to enjoy When s~ojourning
there. II is safe 70 say that thousands
OF people have gone there to see that
clock. and one saw it who did not go
away feeling we'll paid for the visit.
Hanging on the wall. the clock looks /,
very much like a painting. 1t Is
about three feet square and makes d
very pretty on the wall.
and. II not told that it was a clock. 4
Stranger wouldn't suspect, on seeing ii
the first time. that it was: but.
suppose it was simply a painting on
a number Of scenes had been
grouped.
Ia the first place there is the clock
Verltable time piece: then, around I
ne clock are grouped other pictures.
fof instance. a wind mill. d pigeon /,
a goat eating leaves. d man ;
irving a hoop on n barrel. 4 wom4n J
milking a COW. al old man reprimand- ;
.hg MS son. a Wonan feeding chickens i
anu some ducks swimming on n pond s
ana perhaps others. The pictures 7
are simply pictures. as first seen. But T
N1en a cord IS pulled the machinery is I
cut IN motion. ana the pictures be- I
living things. The clock begins Z
. work. the Windmill to turn. the I
pigeons begin to move, the man drives (
ne hoop on the barrel. the woman
nllks the COW. the ducks dive under 2
water. the woman feeds the chick y
and. TO accompany the exhibition. f
1 musical arrangement e~ntertains the [
0eholder and listen with several very z