The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-04-16
Ye Ancient Ancestor
of Ye Clock
"My Time is in Thy Hands"
"Let others tell Of storms and showers
I'll only count your sunny hours"

1t is supposed that the Sun-dial is CO.
eval with the first man, Adam, who
could not have failed to notice that the
sun at midday was the surest method
in which to divide the day, as it
awoke him in the morning, invited
him to rest and refreshment at noon
and at night to sleep.
In the Scriptures in IL Kings. Isat
iah causes the sun to go back zen
degrees onthe dial Of Abaz, and the sun
dial as now made, with the pole and
gnoman, was probably centuries old
at that time.
In Jewish history the dav was di-
vided into four parts, In Nehemiah
we read:
''They stood up in their place and
read in the Book of the Lord, their
God, one fourth. part of a day, and
another fourth part they confessed
and worshipped the Lord, their Cod
In the Parable of the householder
Matthew Xxx, 1 S,the householder is
described as going out to hire labor
ers for his vineyard on the 3D., 9Th
and 9th hour and afterward at the II h
hour. The night was not subdlgided
into hours but into three watches, the
beginning of the watch Liam. XII, 19)
the middle wa oh Judges VII, 49,
the morning watch (Sam. XII, ii). The
hour as a distinct period Of time is
first mentioned in Matthew.
There seems a mysterious attrac-
ton towards sun-dials. and for years
the gathering of the inscriptions has
engaged our attention. To go miles
~ loaly of a cnn-HiaI ooA hpJinO no ~
scription on it was disappointing, but
we felt amply compensated when we
discovered some quaint old words or
verses, and the finding the date on one
was an excessive rarity.
The first one to attract our atten-
ton was the n at Princeton Univer-
sity, which we copied at the time.
Sun-Dial at Princeton University.
Loyalty is e'er the same,
Whether it win Or lose the game.
True IS the diaIto the sun.
Altho it be not shined upon.
The passing shadow which the sun-beams THROW
Athwart the dial Times hastning footsteps show
Would by the teaching, work Ger life be DER,
Soon comes the night, when man can work no
more,
Reproduction of Turnville Sun-Dial
of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, pre-
sented by Sir William Matte, A.
d. 1907"
Time is a succession of breadthness
measured by the shadow crossing along
a dial plate. Some of the Inscriptions
are, TheTalisman,' Wake me not, l am
asleep, Wake me not.'Do not wake me. ;
In front of the Freehold High School
is one that reads, II Count but Sunny
Hours.p
We append a few of the verses on
old s~un-dials:
when thou dost look upon my face,
To learn The TYNE of day,
Think how my shadows keeps its pace,
Asthy life flies away,
Take mortal, this advice from me,
And so resolve to spend,
Thy life on earth that heaven shall be
Thy home when time shall end, :"
! So rolls the sun, so wears the day.
And measures out life's painful way,
1nIo SHitluB scenes OF Snaue ana 18ht,
To endless day or endless night"
life is like the shade,
Unseen upon its way,
At rest we deem it laid,
1t moveth on for aye"
"oh wretched Man.
Remember thou must die,
Since al1things passe,
And nothing certain be-"
at NJ. Taylor Pyne's place at Prince
ton, there is a very pretty sun-dial.
The tallest sun-dial in America is the
Washington Monument, where the
breadthness of hours are marked with
beautiful planted flowers.
g A 49,. -..