UNIVERSAL OR COSMIC TIME. 21 
mankind, and in its daily rotations the passage of the sun at any 
spot will be the index of Cosmic time. 
The resolutions of the International Conference establish a means 
of reckoning time which promises, in the years to come, to be of 
the highest advantage to the human family. Cosmic Time, or 
whatever name may be given to Universal Time applied to civil pur- 
poses, is an entirely new feature. It has now obtained recognition 
by a properly constituted authority, although until recently, I believe, 
it has remained unconsidered. Astronomers have long had equinoc- 
tial time, which is absolute time, dating from an epoch determined 
by the sun’s motion among the stars ; beyond this I cannot find any 
nearer approach to the mention of Universal Time as now understood. 
The conclusions of the Conference mark a new era. The civil 
time of England is adopted as Universal Time. It may be said that 
Greenwich time is already known on every sea, that it has been car- 
ried by British ships wherever British explorers and colonists and 
merchants have penetrated, but Greenwich time is the local time of 
Greenwich, and, heretofore, it has always been held as such. Uni- 
versal time, based on the Prime Meridian of the globe, and recog- 
nized by the several civilized nations, is an entirely different concep- 
tion. As the Time of the world common to every nation, it is held 
that the term “Cosmic” will better express that meaning than ‘‘Green- 
wich.” Cosmic and Greenwich time are identical by accident, but 
the expressions imply two totally different ideas, and known national 
sensitiveness suggests the good taste and expediency of distinguishing 
the two ideas by diferent terms. 
Iam induced to add a few words in explanation of the principles 
of Cosmic time. 
Time has been the subject of profound thought by many philoso- 
phic minds of the past. They have attempted to define it, and their 
definitions have been manifold. If we view the earth as a whole, and 
the conditions of the age in which we live oblige us so to view it, I 
am unable to see that any one of the recorded definitions gives sup- 
port to the ancient system of keeping count of time which we follow. 
Our ordinary usages imply that there is an infinite number of times, 
and they are based on the principle that time is dependent on local 
situation. Nothing can be more erroneous and misleading. It is 
this false principle entering into every detail of daily life which has 
led each insignificant locality on the circumference of the globe to 
