606 



DAY DEACON. 



Sidereal Time), or the time between two passages of 

 1 1 ic centre of the sun tlirough the same meridian (solar 

 iliiy, see Solar '1 ime) n time a little differing from tlie 

 one first mentioned. In common parlance, day is op- 

 posed to night, aiul signifies the time between sunrise 

 and sunset, or the time during which the sun remains 

 above the horicon. This is allied the natural day. 

 Thus we have three different days the natural, the 

 astronomical (reckoned from one culmination to an- 

 other, cir from one noon to another), and the civil day 

 O\ h irh is reckoned from midnight to midnight). The 

 twenty-four hours of the astronomical day are num- 

 bered in succession from one to twenty-four, whilst the 

 civil day in most countries, is divided into two por- 

 t ions, of twelve hours each.* The first hour, therefore, 

 alter midnight, which is one o'clock A.M. of the civil 

 ilay, makes the thirteenth hour of the astronomical 

 lay, and the first hour of the astronomical day is one 

 o'clock, P.M. of the civil day. The abbreviations 

 P.M. and A.M. (the first signifying post meridiem, 

 Latin for afternoon ; the latter, ante meridiem, fore- 

 noon) are requisite, in consequence of our division of 

 the day into two periods of twelve hours each. In 

 this respect, the mode of numbering the hours from 

 one to twenty-four consecutively has an advantage. 

 If we take a day according to the first definition 

 L r i\ en of it, its length, of course, is the same through- 

 out the year. According to the second definition, 

 however, the day, in consequence of the rapidity of 

 the earth in its orbit, is different at different times, 

 ami this difference is uniform tliroughout the earth ; 

 but the time of the natural day is different at the 

 different ]x>ints of the earth, according to their dis- 

 tance from the equator. The daily apparent revolu- 

 tion of the sun takes place in circles parallel to the 

 equator. If the equator and ecliptic coincided, the 

 circle bounding light and darkness would always di- 

 vide, not merely the equator, but all its parallels, 

 into two equal parts, and the days and nights would 

 be equal in all the parallels through the year ; but at 

 the poles, there would be no night. Owing to the 

 inclination of the earth's axis to the plane of its orbit 

 (the ecliptic), the parallel of latitude in which the 

 sun appears to move is continually changing ; and, 

 therefore, the equator alone (being a great circle) 

 always remains bisected by the circle dividing light 

 Trom darkness ; so that the days and nights here are 

 always equal ; wliile the parallels of latitude, not 

 being great circles, are not equally divided by the 

 circle separating light from darkness, except at the 

 time of the equinox, when the siui is moving in the 

 equator ; and, of course, at this time only are the 

 days and nights equal in those parallels. As you ap- 

 proach the poles, the inequality between the days and 

 nights becomes continually greater, till, at the poles 

 themselves, a day of six months alternates with a 

 night of equal duration. The most distant parallel 

 circles wluch the sun describes north and south from 

 the equator are, as is well known, only 23 from it. 

 The distance between the polar circles and the poles 

 is the same. Therefore, as a little reflection will 

 show, when the sun is in one of the tropics, all the 

 polar circle in the same hemisphere will be within the 

 illiuninated region (because it will be within 90 of 

 the sun) during the whole of a diurnal revolution, 

 while the other polar circle will be in the region of 

 darkness. These circles, therefore, have one day of 

 twenty-four hours, and one night of the same length 



In Italy, the latter .division is called the French mode, 

 because the French introduced it into that country during 

 the wars of the revolution ; but the people in the south of 

 Italy still adhere to the old division of the day into twenty- 

 four hours, beginning always at sunset; so that one o'clock 

 is one hour .after sunset, or, as the bells are tolled at sun- 

 M*t. to summon the people to prayer, one hour after An 

 Maria, (q. r.) 



in each year. From the j olar circles to the poles, 

 the time of the lonirest day increases fast, and in the 

 same measure, the length of the longest night. Not- 

 wiilistaiiilintrtlie inequality of tlie ]n -rinds oflitrh: and 

 darkness in the different parts of tlie earth, each j-or- 

 tion of tlie earth's surface lias the sun alxwe its ho- 

 rizon, every year, precisely six months, and below it 

 the same length of time. For information on the 

 common way of computing time, see Solar Time ; see 

 also Sidereal Time. 



DAY, THOMAS, an ingenious writer, of a benevo- 

 lent, independent, but eccentric spirit, was born ..at 

 London, in 1748. His father, who was a collector of 

 the customs, died whilst he was an infant, leaving him 

 a considerable fortune. He was educated at the 

 charter-house and at Oxford. In 1765, he was called 

 to tlie bar. With a view to study mankind, he resided 

 in various parts of the continent, and, liaving been 

 disappointed in an early affection, took under his pro- 

 tect ion two foundling girls, with a view of educating 

 them on a principle of his own, in order to make one 

 of them his wife. His plan, which was kindred in 

 spirit to some of tlie reveries of Rousseau, utterly 

 failed, although both of the females turned out de- 

 serving women. He gave them small portions, and 

 eligibly miited them to respectable tradesmen. In 

 1778, he married Miss Esther Milnes, a lady of a 

 highly cultivated understanding. His principles led 

 him to renounce most of tlie indulgences of a man of 

 fortune, tliat he might bestow his superfluities upon 

 those who wanted necessaries; and he also expre ei! 

 a great contempt for forms and artificial restraint of 

 all kinds. He wrote several pieces, in prose and 

 verse, on the struggle with America, also other poli- 

 tical pamphlets oftemporary interest, but finally de- 

 dicated himself to the composition of books for youth, 

 of wliich tlie well known work, entitled Sandford and 

 Merton, is an able specimen, although it partakes too 

 much of the theoretical spiritj?f Rousseau for general 

 application. Mr Day at length became a victim to 

 his enthusiastic benevolence, being killed by a fall 

 from a young horse, which he would not allow to be 

 trained in the usual manner, Sept. 28, 1789. 



DAYS OF GRACE are days allowed for the pay- 

 ment of a promissory note or bill of exchange after it 

 becomes due. The time varies in different countries. 

 See Bill of Exchange. 



DEACON (diaconvs, from the Greek 3/av0 ; a 

 person who belongs to tlie inferior order of ministers 

 in the Christian church. Seven were first instituted 

 by the apostles (Acts, chap, vi.), which number was 

 retained a long time in several churches. Their duty 

 was to serve in the agapte (q. v.), to distribute the 

 bread and wine to the communicants, and to dispense 

 alms. The office of the deacons, at first, merely 

 concerned things temporal. Soon after the apostolic 

 age, or perhaps sooner, the deacons were admitted to 

 assist in the inferior parts of the church service. 



Deacon, in the Roman Catholic church, is an infe- 

 rior ecclesiastic, tlie second of the sacred orders. He 

 serves at the altar, in the celebration of the holy 

 mysteries. He is also allowed to baptize and to preach 

 with the permission of the bishop. Formerly, deacons 

 were allowed to marry, but this was prohibited to 

 them very early ; and at present the pope dispenses 

 with this prohibition only for very important reasons. 

 In such cases, they re-enter the condition of laymen. 

 There are eighteen cardinal-deacons, so called, in 

 Rome, who have the charge of the temporal interests 

 and the revenues of the church. A person, to be 

 consecrated deacon, must be twenty-three years old. 



In the English church, deacons are also ecclesias- 

 tics, who can perform all the offices of a priest, ex- 

 cept the consecration of the elements of the Lord's 

 supper, and the pronouncing of absolution. In this 



