Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-18

TVER since the war in Europe, the
t. need of thrift in America has
been impressed upon US. We
have been told how Europe saves its
money, how it conserves its natural
resources and how 1t keeps the record
OF its expenses, in order that our eN-
travagant instincts may be curbed by
its example. Now, the latest tnnova-
ton thrust upon us by the thrifty ones
is the economizing of daylight during
the summer months by setting all the
clocks ahead by one hour.
This plan, which bears the trade
mark, Made in Germany" has now
been adopted by Holland, Switzerland
England and Canada, where it is al
legged great saving has been effected
in kerosene, gas and electric light
In reality, all Americans know that
the idea originated with the first Am
erican economist, BENJAMIN Franklin,
years ago, when it was embodied in
two-line jingle which has been sung by
American school children ever since.
According to Franklin, he was the first
man to discover that the sun rose as
early as six o'clock in the morning
and diffused light as soon as it rose.
In a letter he wrote to a Partisan
journal he explained the phenomenon,
which IL is to be regretted was doubt
ed by a prominent American aStrono-
mer, and claimed the honor of the
discovery, although complaining Bit
terly that he supposed some one
would endeavor to show that the
thing had been known to the ancients.
1t was then suggested in the letter
that in order that people might have
the benefit of this extra amount of
newly discovered daylight, cannon,
drums and bells should proclaim the
rising of the sun every morning.
There is no evidence. however, that
the plan was ever accepted with any
great enthusiasm by the colonists,
through the early summer mornings
and to retire at the accustomed hour.
But changing the standard time of
an entire nation so as to get the peo-
pie up an hour earlier in the morning
is something new. Cleveland has
been getting up an hour earlier than
the rest of the country for the past
two years and Detroit and several
Canadian cities have recently follow
ed suit, while it is reported New York
is considering adopting the policy, but
in Europe the changing of the clocks
is provided by national law. AS early
as 1908, daylight saving bill was in
troduced into the House of Commons
in England and created a tremendous
furore, but failed or passage. To-day,
the clocks are moved up an hour on
the third Sunday in April and back
an hour on the third Sunday of Sep
tember The standard time of Green
wich remains the same for the pur-
pose of astronomical computations
and navigation.
AS far as the extra daylight is con-
cerned, there is no doubt but what
such economy would prove a benefit.
While many will miss the picturesque
moonlight of the nights and all the
interesting night noises of the frogs,
katydids and crickets, the sunlight is
much more healthful. Anyway, that
last hour of sleep which is causing all
the fuss is apt to be something of a
weary pretense. In the suburbs the
chickens have long since had their
own clock system with no considera-
ton for the established sleeping Gus
toms of the country, and in the city
the clatter of the milk bottles on the
six o'clock delivery is conducive to