The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-09-13
THE RIGHT TIME.
How Greenwich Regulates the Clocks
of the Entire World.

L lldu ICdu IL. 44tltiH|lSA > NoON o1N
"The Royal Observatory" and had
learned that Greenwich "gives times
to the world.' So l thought-strol-
ing in Greenwich Park-that my
friend at the observatory on the hill
might know something Of the matter.
He would be a precision in the mat
ter Of time. Into his private room [
came.
"Come down and lunch with me at
the Ship" I said. He looked around
at the clock on the mantelpiece. It
had stopped.
"What's the time?" he asked.
"Exactly what I wanted to ask
you," replied. "The right time.'
He looked uneasily at me. Then he
drew me gently to lobby where an
ordinary looking clock was ticking.
"That's the time" he said proud
ly, "Greenwich time.''
"Then have I got the right time?"
l asked, pulling out my watch.
"Well," he replied, cit depends
upon whether you want solar time,
sideral time, local time, standard time,
apparent time or mean time," and he
looked like the draper who has sever
al other desirable Inns under the
counter.
1 explained that the right time was
what I wanted; and with strenuous
questions I dragged from him the
damning admission that the Green
wich noon does not correspond exact
ly with the sun or the stars, the heav-
ems or the earth, and that Greenwich
time is merely human compromise
with the clock, the spangled heavens
and the wobble of the earth's axis.
This awful confession from an emin-
ent astronomer was rather startling.
For, glancing round to make sure
that no one was listening to the ad-
mission, he whispered in my ear:
There's no such thing as the right
time We fake it."
And tnen we went off to lunch.
Over lprch he to'l me something
Of the =ria1aphs of mah over time;
for man las begun to master the clock,
and my astronomer dropped, his
shame-facednesS after lunch when ne
confessed the deception that Green
wich has imposed on the world. There
are two fundamental lines that en-
circle the earth, one the equator, to
which IS due respect. What should be
the other? The me1idians Of Jerusal-
en- and Of Rome and Of the Great
Pyramid were suggested as the cross
line that should start the time Of Dag.
But the supremacy Of Great Britain
on the seas, the necessity of accurate
measuring Of hours and minutes,
brought the centre Of the world to
Greenwich; and Greenwich set to work
to tell the time, and nowadays, when
Greenwich says it is noon, it is noon.
1t is usually compromise. The line
might have been drawn over any 9TH
er point Of the worlds surface. But
Greenwich has it, and sets the mean
time. And when it is today in Green
wich it is this evening in other places
and yesterday Of tomorrow in others.
( For when railways came, and swift
steamships and men ran to and tro'
Greenwich spread its compromise, the
world went on spinning as usual: but
men spun faster. The coach paSsen-
gers watch in London would take
him without disaster to Edinburgh,
while the voyager to America had pro-
badly forgotten all about time in the
wonders Of space. But when men be-
can to travel swiftly and far it was
necessary to come to some agreement
about time, since it would never do to
fiddle with the watch or rest the clock
at every station between here and
PenZanve. It was necessary to COM
promise. and compromise always I'M
plies certain amount OF deceit.
Therefore. Greenwich made out ITS
time, which is never the right time,
and the world chunks. If You 60 round
the world YOU lose day. or gain IT.,
according to your route. And thus
vou will perceive that our astronomer
has turned time to human devices.
There are many important places IN
tho world that are lured bv Green