Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-10-11
DAY AND NIGHT.
WHAT PRODUCES THE CHANGES
IN THEIR LENGTH.


WHAT PRODUCES THE CHANGES
THEIR LENGTH.
The Wobbe of the Earth on Its Axis Pro
duces Climatic Changes Which Control AL
Conditions of the Earth and Its People
In 10000 Years Our North Will Be South
The Center of Civilization Is Changed
by the Inclination of the Earth Which Pro-
duces the Phenomena Of Equinoxes.
Cor. Oregonlan.
Day and night are equal today; it
is the equinox. To the average man,
woman and child this, like sunrise
means nothing, yet the equinox is
the most important day, all told,
known to the human race. On the
equinoXes hang not only the very
existence of the English fleet, but
of England herself. The fact that
Europe and America are two seats
of the highest civilization is due
solely to the equinoXeS. To-day the
AnglO-SaXon race rules the world,
but in time to come it must fade and
die simply because of the equinoxes.
The fact that there are two times in
each year when night equals day in
length to fraction of a second is
perhaps the most important elemen,
in human affairs on this earth.
While it is popularity supposed
that the equinox falls on the 2lst
the 10th, I'D and 23d are also OF
equal length as regards day and
night
But first Il word to those of thor
Ough scientific training What is
here written is expressed in popular
terms, and at times the strictly cor.
rect, the exact, is sacrificed a bit fol
the sake of brevity AID clcarncss.
So with this understanding, let us
see what equinOXes are:
AS everyone knows, the days art
long in summer and short in winter,
and the nights just the reverse. The
farther north, in this hemisphere, OF
south below the equator, one goes
the more noticeable is this difference
in the length of days. The small boy
in school, with more ready wit than
knowledge, once accounted for this
fact by saying that the days are long
in Summer and short in winter be-
cause heat expands and cold con-
tracts. And for centuries no man
knew more about it.
To-day, by means of mathematics,
| <hn ,,Athn,, Of al !
various instruments, such as the tel
escOpe and the SpectrOScOpe, we know
that the earth goes around the sun,
and that while doing SO that the
earth spins on its own axis like u top.
Now consider the fiat circle that the
earth marks around the sun q level
table, and the earth itself q spinning
top. If the top stood upright there
would be no equinOxes; or, expressed
in another way, every day and night
would be an equinox; that is, of just
equal length the year around, hence
would be passed by unnoticed as any
thing strange. But. while spinning
toplike around the edge of this level
round table top, with lamp in the
center for sun, the top, which is
the earth, does not stand up straight.
1t always leans over about One-quar-
tor the way to the table top, that Is,
about % degrees. All the way down
to the table top would be 80 degrees,
The carth-top so spinning tilted
over does not always lean away or
toward the lamp-Sun, but always
with exceptions to be noted latcr)
leans toward what we commonly call
the north" Hence, with this pic
ture in mind, of the table, the lamp
in the center, and the top spinning
and at tho same time running around
the edge of the round table and al
ways leaning toward the north, "
we see that when north of the lamp
sun the top-earth leans away from
the lamp-sun, and that when the
earth-top comes around the edge of
the table to the south of the lamp
sun, the earth-tOp then leans toward
the lamp-sun. Half way between, on
each side of the table, the earth-top
leans neither toward nor away from
the lamp-sun, and at these two points
the days and nights made by the
lamp-sun on the earth-tOp are equal
that is, the equinoxes, which, freely
translated into everyday English,
simply means equal nights. "
Now we will suppose that this
earth-top made the circle OF the table
in just one hour, which we will call
the hour-year and that the top al
ways leaned to the north. In such a
case the equinoxes would be of com
paratively no more Importance than
of marking the dividing time between
summer and winter. But the tor
lags back bit each hOur-year, and
mark this well-the earth-tOp in
about 10,500 hOur-years no longer
leans toward the so-called north, y
but just in the opposite direction, due
SOUTH" Besides this, the table
orbit is not true circle put ova
(egg-shapeD in form, and the lamp
sun is not exactly in the center.
The result of all this Is that to-day
the earth-top leans away (winter
from the lamp-sun when nearest t.
| it, and leans toward (summer) the
lamp-sun when at that point of the
table edge farthest away from the
lamp-sun.
| Now we people in the northern
hemisphere live on the top part o.
this earth-top. So when nearest the
hot lamp-sun we lean away from the
heat which (winter) tends to make
our winters short and mild; and wher
we get half way around to the Other
side of the table we are leaning to
ward the lamp-sun (summer) but be
ing farther away the heat is lesseneC
SO the summers are longer and not Sc
hot. The result is on the northern
| Lo,.,;,,>Lou, ebo,t mild xri,, torc nnr