The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-11-27

separation from the darkness. "the
evening and the morning were the
first day."
After this the work OF creation was
completed. including animal life. at
the head Of which is the human. II
may be safely taken for granted that
some measurement of time. other
than that general division OF light
and darkness, took place after this.
In the Polar regions. where there
is night OF gloom, almost OF dark
ness, during weeks and even months
at a time, the darkness would not
constitute what We call night. nor
the light be held as day.
When the world was in its prime,
the early inhabitants would natur-
ally regulate their periods of repose
and labor by the appearance and de-
parture of the sun.
Modern science has observed other
methods. Naturalists and poets saw
and remembered that certain flowers
were regular in their hours OF open
ing and shutting, and Linnaeus
turned this TO account when he ar
ranged his "time-piece" of these beau
tiful creations.
what more natural than 10 divide the
day into periods. through observing
the various lengths of shadows
thrown by objects. Hence. no doubt,
the invention of sundials.
The drawback, however. was that
the dial would not show the time on
a cloudy day. 1t may Be added, as a
fact not generally known. that there
also were moondials. to tell the time
at night.
There were water clocks also, from
which the fluid fell. drop by drop. and
the time, by day or night, was ascer-
tanned by noticing the depth of the
water below.
These water clocks. technically
called clepsydras) were in use among
the ancient Greeks and Romans, and
from time immemorial, among the
Chinese.
The Greeks are said to have OBJ
tanned them. as early as $50 b. c.,
from the Babylonians. Nearly 400
years later the Romans divided their
four night watches by means OF the
clepsydra.
The hours OF these water clocks
we're counted for the morning, their
first hour commencing when the
hands OF our time-pieces indicate z,
and their sixth hour being equivalent
TO the twelfth by our clock.
When the Christian era was begin
ming this mode of counting time
would appear TO have been in vogue
In Palestine, and wherever a Roman
garrison was stationed this was the
method of dividing their night
watches-relieved four times both In
summer and winter.
In the ninth century Haraun Al
Raschid, the Caliph OF the Saracens,
sent an embassy to Charlemagne, and
one of his gifts was a beautiful clep-
sydra.
The simple instrument generally
known as the hour glass, measured
the time by the running out of sand
instead OF water King Alfred the
Great noted the time by the gradual
burning down of candles colored in
rings.
It Is not known where wheel and
weight clocks were first made, but
they were IL. use in the eleventh CEN
tury-about the time when William
of Normandy invaded England, and,
having conquered it, declared himself
its sovereign ruler, and divided large
districts of it among his soldiers.
1t is pretty accurately known that
the pendulum-Cr little weight which
hangs below the works of the clock,
swinging TO and fro-was first used
in the middle of the seventeenth CEN
tury.
1t may here be stated that the
word pendulum is derived from the
Latin pendere, 10 hang, and that
clock comes from the Anglo-Sayon
clucga, which means a bell. or a
clock, in the Gaelic, Danish and
Welsh languages.
Having mentioned King Alfred's
"time-csndles," 1t may be as we'll TO
say that, for his daily use, he had six
tapers made, each twelve inches long,
and each divided into twelve parts or
inches.
Three OF these parts burned for
one hour, and the six tapers. lighted
one after the other, would burn for
twenty-four hours. But as candles
were liable 10 be wasted by draughts Is,
in houses where glass windows were
not, Alfred had lanterns made to pro-
tect his.
Among Shakespeare numerous
anachronisxs Is the mention OF the
striking of clock In the ancient
city OF Ephesus.
By-the-way. the fact that Shakes
peare's plays are tesselated with such
fragrant mistakes or misstatements Is
the best answer TO the theory that
Francis Bacon, the great lawyer, was
author of said plays.
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