The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1920-06-17

Come on. O Death, if 1t may be
That from the life-bloOd flowing free
A finer world our sons may see,
And they the lesson. too. be taught
Who fights for right need fear thee
not
And now in behalf of the members
OF Eunice Farms worth Chapter l pre-
sent this sun-dial to the Park Com
missioners OF the town OF Skowhe-
gan. 1t is given in honor OF our sons
who came back. and dedicated TO low
ing memory OF Corporal Avian W
Bucknam.
Miss Louise II. Coburn, Park Com
missioner, accepted the memorial as
follows:
Madam Regent. members OF Eunlce
Farnsworth Chapter ID. A. X. ano
guests:
1t becomes my duty and pleasure
as one OF the Park Commissioners OF
Skowhegan to accept this oeautiluI
memorial gift. a..
The sun-dial is one of the Oldest
measures of time in the history OIL the
world In it's primitive form as inc
noon-mark it is undoubtedly the ola'
est. and was used BY the prehlstoIIo
races Of antiquity, as well as III 'hs
ancient civilizations Of Egypt anu
Assyria. The noon mark was IN
common use in the simple life OF our
New England ancestors one oil tie
earliest mentions OF the dial Is III tlle
Scriptures where the prophet lsaidh
tells Hezekiah that the LORD VIII give
him a sign by causing the shaao" Oh
the dial to return backward ten steps,
The sun-dial as we are acquainted
18th it is an institution OF ola ENG
nd No one of the splendid ola es-
es. no one of the historic ana loEe-
~ gardens OF the castles and manor
houses of England was without l's
sun-dial. and these relics OF the past
retain the artistic touch OF the won
derful craftsmen Of medieval Ehgianu
The dials were useful and necessary
as the only standard Of time IN rural
districts in the days of the Planlaee-
nets and Tudors, and they have Deen
preserved to today for their beauty
and their historic traditions. An
English writer Of the seventeenth
century thus describes the dial:
"A dial is the visible map OF tlme
till whose invention twas folly IN tnt
sun to play with a shadow. IL Is
the anatomy of the day and the scale
OF miles for the journey Of the sun
1t is the silent voice OF time and WIN
out 1t the day were dumb. 1t Is th'
book of the sun on which he writes
the story of the day. Lastly HEAVIER
itself is but a general dial, and Ola
It. In a lesser volume"
Borrowed from English gardens ant
designed after old models, the sun
dial has in recent years become
feature In many American parks an'
gardens.
We have in our town at present sew
eral kinds OF time. We have NUM-
cipal time. which we call daylight saw
ing time, by which we have come Il
this gathering. We have standard
time. which we use when we need tf
catch a train in making a journey
Before the introduction OF standard
time we had local time, and those
whose memories can go back far
enough will remember that many
people chung to local time for years
after the general adoption of stand
ard. Indeed you do not need to &c
forty miles from Skowhegan TO nno
farmhouses remote from the railroad
where local time Is still preserved
Now the sun-dial will not give day
light saving time, nor standard time
nor local time. 1t will give sun-time
which is not exactly either OF them
The sun indeed travels by mathemat
les, or rather systems OF mathematics
have been built up his steady drive
but his course cannot be computed by
simple arithmetic but by higher math
ematics, and 1t does not conform ex
actly to any earthly clock 1t VIII
be interesting to some school boys o.
the town who enjoy mathematics tc
find out why this is so, and just wha'
Is the difference between the sun and
the clock. Another difference besides
that of time between the sun-dial and
the clock is that the dial counts only
sunny hours, while our clocks and
watches are on duty twenty-four
hours a day.
1t is not as a measure or time that
we shall value our sun-dial. We shall
value 1t as a picturesque addition 10
the beauty of the park. We shall
value 1t more for the reason that II
has been given as memorial OF the
wonderful service Of soldiers overseas
and at home. in the great war through
which the country has just passed.
This Is the first memorial to soldiers
which has been erected in our town
and the Park Commission Is glad to
give 1t the place of honor In the Park.
The Park Commission pledges itself
to care for 1T and to preserve 1t for
It's intrinsic beauty as a decorative
feature of the park, and for its signi-
ficance as a tribute to some OF the
soldiers of the war whom we delight
to honor, and especially as a memo
rial of that Skowhegan boy who was
dear to us all. whose sunny smile
lighted our streets. and whom we
were so deeply grieved not to be able
to welcome home.
As Chairman of the Park Commits
sion, and on behalf OF the town OF
I accept this interesting
and significant gift.
The exercises were concluded with
the singing OF America"
Mrs. Miriam s. Merrill, who has
been spending the winter and spring
IL, Darpouluopin md for some time at