1937-04-26 — Page 22

10

SPARE

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. MONDAY, APRIL 26, 1937.

MOMENT PAGE

3

SMITH HAS A DATE

He writes: "I'll meet you Monday,

April 26, at 6.45 p.m."

•

writes As he

he is using ideas many thousands of

years old MITH'S division of his day into hours has been bor- rowed from the ancient Egyptians. Thousands of years before Christ, the priests and farmers who lived on the banks of the Nile thought it would be useful to know what fraction of the day had gone by. So they built the first clocks known, and some of them can still be seen in museums.

"Give

been

SCIENCE IS NEWS

MATURING WHISKY

WITH SOUND

WHISKY has just been aged

four years In seven hours

by, screaming at it. Dr. L.A. Chambers reports that very im-

By John Langdon-Davies

portant effects have been ob- against are, or combined with other metale to save the housewife from served in liquids subjected to a having to polish the "silver," kind of bombardment by sound waves. He produces, electric- Jally, sound vibrations a hundred

drilis,

THE

BLUE FUNNE

PROTESILAUS

RHESUS

LINE

REGULAR AND FAST.

FREIGHT AND

́PASSENGER SERVICES |

SERVICE

salls 23 May for Havre, Liverpool, and Bromborough,

salls 1 May for Boston, N.Y., Philadelphin & Baltimore via Manila, Strals & Cape of Good Hope, (via Kobe, Nagoya and PACIFIC SERVICE

Yokohama) TYNDAREUS salts 15th May for Victoria, Vancouver & Seattle INWARD SERVICE

EURYLOCHUS Due 28 Apr. From Europe via Straits CALCIAS

Duc 3 May. From U.K. via Straits

Special reduced fares are quoted for cargo steamers with limited passenger accommodation.

LONDON. SERVICE

ANTENOR Bails 3 May for Marseilles, London, Rotterdam & Glasgow. times as loud as a full orches- NEWS-REELS for some time

AJAX have been showing factories tra; choosing a note about an

aails 19 May for Marseilles, Casablanca, London Rotterdam, Hamburg & Glasgow octave below the top D on your making Britain's future gas- piano.

masks. Soon Hongkong's sup- LIVERPOOL ply will begin to arrive. thermore, they decided that the year should henceforth begin on January These vibrations are exactly This has brought new problems 1 Instead of on Lady Day, March 25. like intense hammer blows for the social psychologist. The Air NEW YORK SERVICE.

This change was not at all wel-hitting the

twelve Raids Precautions whisky

pamphlets nli corned,

Up and down the country

emphasise that the worst danger in there were riots, and people were hundred times a second and any air attack will not be fire, nor killed in Bristol. Their cry was: under this bombardment the gas, nor high explosive, but fear. the Act of Parliament · hind

us back our fortnight Yet same changes take place is Airendy we are being given "treat- framed in such a way as to prevent normally occur over long times ment" to counteract this mass-fear, by being shown filins of calm people injustice being done to anybody. when the whisky is "matured calmly putting on masks at gas- As a rule they were made by fastening a wooden lath at In nancial matters Smith con- in the wood."

tinues to use the When the sun rose, the instrument settles his accounts on quarter days, the_old_year! he still right angles to another.

But should children be instructed In the same way the structure of in mask-dri7 A Dritish school was put flat on the sand pointing towards the East. A shadow beginning on March 25.

milk undergoes changes of great im- authority recently opposed this os

nervous Lension. Dr. Chambers found that might produce was then cast on the bottom lath, and this shadow became shorter So do all Englishmen except Mr.portance. and shorter until midday, when the clock was turned towards the votive than anybody else, the Chan- that it was no longer possible to is wrong Children do not get afraid Neville Chamberlain. More conser-the vibrations altered the milk so Psychologically speaking, I think this cellor still does not recognise the separate the cream. It is possible unless their adults are frightened eleven lost days, but forces Smith to that this will make it more diges first and show it. pay his income tax on March 25, tible.

cannot imagine anything more plus eleven days, which equals April

terrifying for a child than to see The cxelting thing about these with now speaks of A.D. 1937. 5

Smith now speaks of A.D. 1937. experiments is the use that can be om full of people in gas masks for

first made of them in medicine. It is

Kas-attack. Year of Our Lord. But remember known that the extent to which the If Hongkong is ever raided it is to

drugs that when Christ was born no one body can absorb food or considered this event important depends partly on the size of the be hoped that children will be kept particles of which the substance is away from adults who cannot hide enough to count the years from it,

their terror. Perhaps

school composed and perhaps we shall have ought to be the unit for anti-gas a large number of new and more preparations rather than the home. voluable medicines thanks to sound

One thing has been omitted in all wave bombardment.

the official anti-air-raid pamphlets- wads of wool for the ears. It is noise that produces panic more than anything.

West.

ì

The room la org" from sunrise to midday, and six THE bottom lath was divided into six portions, so that

from midday to sunset. Probably, at this time, like the Baby lonians, the Egyptians counted in twelves and sixties, and not in tens as we do.

Traces of this ancient system are still to be found in our own choice of sixty minutes in an hour. Later, too, when we found out how to make clocks accurate enough to measure divisions of time even more minute than the minute, we decided to have sixty of these second minutes in a first minute.

The

PRIMITIVE people

foundation of their city.

an abbot who

CA."

use no such system. They give a proper name to each year, just as we might speak of 1030 ns "the Year But why does Smith call the days giant clocks, the moon and the sun, of the Abdication," and of 1935 ns IN a newspaper there recently of the week by their names? move about the heavens. The Arst "the Year of the Abyssinian War." appeared the photograph of Here again Smith is following of about twenty-nine days-the in were counting from the year of the business man, and beneath it of these gives a convenient division By the time of Christ the Romans an ordinary looking. American Egyptian and Babylonian customs. terval between one new moon and The brilliant appearance of the the next,

Most of the world went on doing the words, "President of the night sky in those dry, clear climates early drew men's eyes towards the

this until about second moves about among stars.

the stars, but returns exactly to the Dionysius the 400 years ago. Then Indium Corporation of Ameri They noticed that they all tise in same place in 365 days 5 hours 48 ruled over a South Russian monas

This means that another precious minutes and 40 seconds and this is tery, suggested changing over. the east and move together as on the exact length of a year. It is

Hnd we gone on in the old-meini has ceased to be a chemist's system towards the west. They evidently

fashioned way we should now convenient to have could make maps of the stars, which simple relation between the moon of A.U.C.-"anno urbis conditonuriosity, and entered the world of show once and for all how they are and the year, and for centuries at the year of the founding of the cily

Rather more than fifty years ago -2089, and not of A.D, 1937. Incl dentally, Dionysius seems to have somebody discovered element num- It was then noticed that Ove stars

bul n bright line The Egyptians, a practical people, made a slight miseniculation.. Liang ber 40. For a long time it remained move about. among the others In very eccentric manner. These are dreided to have months of alternate- scholars think that this year is real-rough a spectroscope. Only twelve

A.D. 1043. called planets, or "wanderers of the ly twenty-nine and thirty days, but ly

years ago this business man tried to sky-The-sur-und-the-moon-ulso-this-gave them_a_your_of_unly 354 Curious that when Smith was

inking a date he has following the buy-an ounce and was willing to pay ancient customs of primitive peasants more than sixty pounds for it; now The Roman calendar was a much and admitting the abstruse calcula- he can sell it to you for rather less

arranged:

tempts were made to find one.

belong to this group, which thus days. numbers seven altogether.

A

commerce,

Indid

scen

These noteworthy planets were more complicated affair. Originally tions and researches of the long- than has proved to have three thought of as associated in close it had ten months-304 days in a forgotten Dionysius Curious, too, manner with the gods, and were year. Clearly this would not do, so that he was putting himselt under chict values: first, it is softer than lead and melts at a very low heat given their Nancs. The priests it was deelded, about 700 B.C., to put the protection of the moon and of a nat much above body temperature.

Roman god!

thought that, by studying their th two extru months,

movements and positions, they would

get

knowledge Intentions of the gods.

the of

future

the

THIS Roman year began In And now came an important slep:

day слеп

put SVAS

under

March, so that September, and December particular protection of a planet- October, November, god, and the days thus fell obviously were the seventh, eighth, ninth, and months. Their names still remind info groups of seven.

us of this, since, they

from

come

Not only was.cach day of the the Latin for those numbers, week ruled by a planet-god, but

also each hour of each

day

was

This calendar was still accurate;

Work it out for yourself.

under particular protection. The and the first month-Mercedonius, astronomer-priests of ancient Meso- the month of wages was left out potamia had prepared lists of the every other year. Normally, there- George, his wife, and young planets in the order of their distances fore, the Roman year consisted George went for a drive in the from the earth--and pretty accurate alternately of 355 and 377 days.

country last Sunday, and went they were. These lists read: Saturn

Un- furthest, Jupiter next, Mors, Sun, Confusion grew as time went, be-exploring in an old tower.

cause the priests had the right of fortunately the caretaker for varying the length of Mercedonius according to their inclination or got about them and locked them private profit. By the time of Jullus in.

Venus, Mercury, Moon nearest.

so bad The only means of escape

CUPPOSE now that we have Caesar `things had become

day the first hour of that the spring festivals, took place before morning was a rope pass- which is under the protection of in midsummer. Saturn. Then Saturn would rule

from midnight to 1 a.m., Jupiter from

ing over a pulley fixed to the Caeser decided on fundamental re-outside of the tower, with a

1 n.m. to 2 a.m., Mars from 2 a.m. form. He decreed that the year 40 basket on each end. Whenever B.C. should be the longest in history

to 3 a.m., and so on.

-445 days. Two new months were one basket was at the window

If you go on in this way, you will put in: July, so named from himself, the other was on the ground find that the first hour of the next and August, from the name of his below the tower.

day is ruled by the Sun; the first successor. hour, of the following day by Mars, and 'so on.

From

And the rope was fixed so

now on, the Roman year that the only way the baskets was to begin in the month of Janus, could be used was by placing a Last, we agree to call the day the two-faced god of houndaries, by the planet that rules over its who looked both forwards and back heavier weight in one than the first hour we shall get the following wards. And because his astrono- other. last: Sun's day, Moon's day, Mar's mers had told him that the length of day, Mercury's day, Jupiter's day, year was 365 days, Caesar de- Venua' day, Saturn's day. MAT clared, that, every fourth year should

be a leap year of 360 days.

calculations

were

Now George weighed 195 lbs., Mrs. George 105 lbs., and young Georgo 90 lbs., and in the tower It was this division of the week that the Saxons found when they But Caesar's

they found a 75 lb. iron chain. came to Britain the Romana had wrong by 11 minutes and 14 seconds The weight in the descending brought it from the East. But a year. By 1582 this error had ac basket could not exceed that in though the Saxons kept some of the cumulated to 10 days.

tne ascending basket by more Roman gods, others they replaced by Pope Gregory, therefore ordered their own.

that the day following October 4, than 15 lbs, without the descent 1682, should be called October 16. being intally fast for a human He also introduced our present rule being. And only two persons, for calculating leap years.

For instance, they called the god of war Tiw, not Mars; and in the same way, Mercury became Woden, Jupiter became Ther, and Venus became Frey. The Saxon week- which is our own-thus ran: Sun's day, Moon's. day, Tiw's day, Woden's day, Thor's day, Frey's day, Saturn's day.

DROTESTANT England re-

PR

You can combine it with other meiala and melt it, then dip linen In it and wrap it round a broken leg and it will harden into a better cast than plaster makes. It is already being used by doctors and artists for this purpose.

Second, it is more lustrous than

future silver and has a great

in jewellery art. Third, it is as untar- nishable as gold.

A few years ago you had never heard of chromium; now watch out for Indium, you will Boon find it put in your mouth by your dentist, or put on your finger by your fance, or put in the roof of your flat by the builder as part of a sprinkler system

VIA

TO

the

time at the moment of a

Worked out for

you

the

After some careful thought George started to sulve the problem in Column Three by sending the chain down in one

oet, thus bringing up the down thus bringing up-the-

young George went

chain. The chain was taken out and George sent his wife down, bringing young George back again.

Next the chain was sent down alone, and, following this, George went down, bringing up the chain and Mrs. George.

Once more the chain went down alone. nfter which young George went down, bringing up the chain.

Mrs. George then removed the chain and went down, bringing up young George. The chain was sent down alone. Young George went down with the chain as counterweight.

And, lastly, when young George stepped out of the basket on in the ground, the chain came down by the law of gravity.

HONOLULU

BY EMPRESS

CANADA, U.S.A., & EUROPE

EMPRESS OF CANADA

EMPRESS OF RUSSIA

EMPRESS OF JAPAN

at Noon May 14th ....May 28th ......June 11th

Air-conditioned equipment carried on Trans-Continental Trains. Frequent Canadian Pacifle Atlantic sailings from Montreal and Quebec, or one and, the chain, could be down the smooth St. Lawrence Beaway, to Europe. placed in the same basket at the same time.

How did George got them all fused to fall into line and down, and, incidentally, take carried on with the old 'calendar.

the chain with him as a souve- In 1751, however, Parliament de-

For business, trade, and agriculture cided on reform. They ordered that nir? If you can't work it out, Smith needs divisions of time larger the day following September 2, 1752, it tells you at the foot of Column than hours, days, or weeks. Two should be called September 14. Fur Five.

Telephoné 20752.

Canadian Pacific

For freight, passage rates and information apply to

BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE.

Tel. 30133.

Agente.

1; Connaught Road, C

OUR BRITIsh crosswORDS

12

114

16

ACROSS

1:24

b

tho Into 1 Throw your map

Eastern river, a fitting place for

cessions countenanced with

by girls.

10 Flexibly connected,

$

11 Spells the end of any good

CRUSC,

12 Measures.

13 The heart of the crowd is not

for

peace,

14 Cuille.

10 Scots girl--Engilsh girl, that is. 18 Watch for the man who goes for

the game.

22

20 You can't help getting a touch

of the sun in this position.

I should like to halve it gold, -the second half. 21 Dares to be wrong.

.

27 Like a ham in a ham and beef

shop (two words, 2, 3).

29 The Italian singer calls for beer. 30. To be right here you want the

wrong prefix. 31 Good housewives don't use this

cluster.

32 Reaches.

33 One can do this London suburb with envy, it might appear (two words, 7, 6).

DOWN

2 Notes about foreign coins.

3 Limps and stops simultaneously,

4 You may take it that the bird

looks back at the fool.

The thing to make one protest.

0 Rugger scores...

7 Draw by a small publication,

1336

113

18

119

23

A Shadows of coming events make

for. fogies

a silent start.

© Kindling

words, 3, 3, 0).

14 Proverbally a long ilme.

(three

15 What you might expect to find in hose, but not in the watering-

17

сап.

Just A word In season, my boy. 19 I never hear this brute called anything but sorry. But some women do.

21 The Story of Dill, obviously. 23 A good radiant heat is got from

form of sage-fir, 25 Get in a tangle.

this

26 Mad, sir? (anag).

28 One of those who book a bet. 20 Upsets the whible tribe.

Saturday's Solution. LANGA SHTREEPEE

I MIMLMOHOMBRENI

KINDLINESS ARIA FEBTOBAS BG

BOOLA B.BINGOING BJITEN EIE U BUALLY INGULAR MEMEBANENČENÁ |A| MOBCAPE DRUGGE. T IL BUSE TEJ DE NEEDLES SEENETE GS FTNBE TEAP CAPERSAUCE 0 IE BEI GIA PREYINSTALMENT

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