NEW TIME-RECKONING. 357 



relating to timej whether local or non-local, the same hours, minutes, 

 and seconds will universally be observed at the same instant. In cases 

 when business men separated by long distances make contracts by tel- 

 egrai)h, the engagements will be free from all ambiguity as to time. 

 Both parties will be bound absolutely by the same notation. 



The Cosmic Day is a new measure of time entirely non-local. It will 

 be held to be the date of the world, and the change of date will occur 

 at the same instant in all longitudes. On the prime meridian the change 

 of date will be at midnight ; to the east it will occur after midnight ; 

 and to the west of the i^rime meridian it will come before midnight. 

 It will be one hour before or after midnight for every fifteen degrees of 

 west or east longitude. Fortunately, in nearly all the important coun- 

 tries on the surface of the globe, the change of date will occur out of 

 ordinary business hours. 



It will thus be seen that while the contemplated reform will interfere 

 as little as possible with existing customs, it will result in giving to 

 the human family around the globe concurrent dates and in making 

 every division of time uniform the world over. 



In the adoption of the new system, temporary inconvenience may 

 arise, but it will be trifling in extent and not of long duration ; and any 

 momentary disadvantage should not be allowed to weigh against the 

 benefits to be secured to mankind for all future ages. 



On the night of November 18, 1883, a noiseless revolution was ef- 

 fected throughout the United States and Canada. The hands of the 

 clocks of some fifty millions of people were for the most part moved 

 forward or backward in order to indicate the time of one of the five 

 hour zones. The time now observed from the Atlantic coast to the 

 Pacific varies with Cosmic Time, according to situation, from four to 

 eight whole hours. In North America, therefore, the portion of the prob- 

 lem yet to be adjusted is easy of solution. As the minutes and seconds 

 are already everywhere in agreement, the transition to universal uni- 

 formity of reckoning can be efiected simply and with ease. It will only be 

 necessary to move forward the dial hands of the clocks an even number 

 of hours, varying from four to eight, as each case may require, to bring 

 the Continent into complete accord with the time of the world. 



When eventually it may become necessary to bring the time through- 

 out all parts of North America to the world's standard, the transition 

 may be effected by adjusting the clocks as follows: 



I. Cloclcs in the Jiour zones^of the tvest meridians. 



Meridian west. Houra. 



GOO -^ ^ 4 



750 I I 5 



90° )> will have to be moved forward^ 



1050 I 7 



1200 3 [8 



Similarly wherever the scheme of hour meridians be adox)ted the 

 common reckoning may with equal ease be secured. To the west of the 



