Time and Time-TellersBenson, James W., active 1857-1887
Philosophy
Time and Time-Tellers
Benson, James W., active 1857-1887
Clocks and watches
illiterate people of that time, who clamoured, assembled in great mobs
to testify to their sense of the great injury inflicted upon them,
'Give us back our Eleven days,'--one of Hogarth's prints of the
'Election' exhibits a paper containing this very inscription. The fury
of the populace at being robbed of its precious time availed not; the
day after the 2nd of September, 1752, was made the 14th of September,
and from that time dated the New Style, since which the year has been
almost exactly correct. Up to 1752 the legal year began in England on
the 25th of March, and it was usual up to that day to employ two
dates, as 1750-1; but since the change of style the year has commenced
with the first of January,--nearly midwinter. As there is one day more
than fifty-two weeks in a year every year begins one day later in the
week than the preceding year; and after leap-year two days later. The
only country in Europe which still retains the Old Style is Russia,
--the difference between the styles, now twelve days, is usually
indicated by O.S. and N.S., or as in one or two of our watch
illustrations by 'Russian' and 'Gregorian.' As regards the smaller
divisions of time, it should be noted that the minute and the hour are
thus reckoned,--the Earth divided into 360 degrees, turning upon its
axis once every twenty-four hours, brings fifteen degrees under the
sun each hour, and makes those fifteen degrees of longitude equivalent
to one hour of time,--fifteen geographical miles being equivalent to
one minute of time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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