The Ordway new era., 1908-10-09
CRIME OF THE
CLOCKS
Man Who Missed Train troeo
hia Mind About a Com.
mon Nuisance.

railroad station waiting room. not anu
Indignant because he had missed MS
train that the man maintaining IN
public place n clock that does not keep
time ought to be found guilty OF ie'
lonious misdemeanor. II not oil SOME
thing worse. and punished. II 'ha'
we're possible, with a penalty In some
measure commensurate with his crime
II am not sure that | would hahS
him for the first offcnse-at least !
would not make such punishment
mandatory: would leave something
to the discretion OF the judge ana jury
hut would make the penalty cumu-
latiye. For instance. | would have the
law so read that after n man had been
found four times guilty of this crime
he must be hanged or electroch'ed
four times, with no escape. and don
know but what would both hang ana
electrocute him.
For | can conceive OF no higher
crime than that OF a man who sets up
a clock In public place and then iaiis
to keep 1t going correctly
Understand me clearly. ! do not
refer now to clocks in church steeples'
on which never rely; they may be
right and they may be wrong Nom
lnally they are supposed to be looked
after by the sexton. but really they
represent the congregation, divided
responsibility; and on anything for
which the responsibility Is divided you
can never rely. The church clock goes
its own sweet way through the week
with nobody to look after It, and SO on
II | never rely.
Nor do permit myself to be misled
by tower clocks. which, like the church
clocks. may be right and may be
wrong. You might think that the
tower clocks would be looked after
scrupulously by those who owned
them. but up so high, so near the sky.
and though looked at daily by many.
they seem sometimes TO be quite over
looked and forgotten by those whose
business 1t should be to keep constant
watch over them: and ! have learned
by experience not to rely on tower
clocks.
And | have long since ceased to
rely on clocks simply because they
had the word Regulator printed on
their face. have known such clocks
that were model timekeepers. but put
ting that name on their face didn't
make them so. Have we not all seen
one story shacks with a sign up read
ing Grand Palace Hotel?' But that
sign didn't make the shack a palace
any more than printing the word Reg.
tnsa faa ~ tue nj
clock makes that perfect timekeeper.
So have long since ceased to be mis-.
lead by the word Regulator
For that matter. may we not find In
jewelers. windows. where OF all places
you would expect to find clocks show.
ing the correct time. clocks that are
minutes on? I never rely on n clock
simply because I see 1t In a jewelers.
window.
Nor do I rely on the barber shop
clock, nor on any OF the many clocks
that find in many semi-public places,
and least OF all do rely on clocks
found in homes; for clocks are as vari-
Gus and as irresponsible as men.
And now | am coming to the real
point OF what want to say. There is
one sort OF clock set up in public
places upon which we should be able
to rely with absolute security, and that
Is the clock that is set up by bust.
ness man in front OF his place Of busi.
ness.
Now there Is a clock that really
ought always to be kept In perfect
order and keeping perfect time. For
does not this man place 1t there to at.
tract attention to himself and his
Goods for his own profit? Does he not
thereby expect to derive benefits from
the public. and should not the public
be able to rely upon receiving a recip.
rocal benefit from him? Does he not
thereby substantially say that what he
has to offer is good and worthy of at.
tention, and Is 1t not reasonable to
suppose that he invites our confidence
In his clock as well as his goods?
And would you not suppose that
the most commonplace considerations
OF selfishness would prompt him to
keep that clock always in perfect or.
der to confirm and increase for his
own profit the confidence that he in.
vites? You'd think so, wouldn't you?
But how many clocks are so?"
Il infer from what you say" said the
tranquil man waiting for his train to
whom these remarks had been made.
that you have trusted some public
clock somewhere and so missed your
train"
Your inference is quite correct. /"
, said the hot and indignant man, "and
what ! said to you as to the penalties
that ! think ought to attach to this
crime of failure to keep public clocks
IN order is only brief. limited. short,
condensed. mild. abbreviated, attenu.
ated and expurgated statement of
what think the penalty really oupbt