SIDE SHOWS 153 



by the shadow it casts. Every part can be made at home, 

 although a dial face can nowadays be bought, if one chooses. 

 The steps taken in making one dial at a slight cost are thus 

 clearly given : 



" The pedestal was made of an old millstone ; upon this 

 was a concrete pedestal. Having planned the proportions 

 carefully, the core of the pedestal was cut out of wood, wound 

 with chicken wire and plastered with Portland cement and 

 sand. The square and round sections for the base and cap 

 were cast separately and the whole was joined with cement 

 and water." The cost of materials was about three dollars, ex- 

 clusive of the dial face, which may be obtained for two dollars. 



The dial, however, will only tell the correct time on certain 

 days in the year ; so that as a timepiece it of course leaves 

 much to be desired. Indeed, the best of dials are right only 

 four times a year, — April 15, June 15, September 1, and 

 December 24, — when " apparent time " and " mean time " 

 happen to coincide. But its persistent disagreement with the 

 clock will bring in many an inquiry and create, perhaps, a 

 desire to know some of the facts of astronomical geography. 

 It will be noticed, for instance, that the upper surface of the 

 style must form an angle with the horizon corresponding 

 to the degree of latitude for which the dial is designed; for 

 example, in New York the angle will be 40 . The hour 

 marks must then be computed for different latitudes, and the 

 style must point to the true north, that is, to the north star. 



One of the charms of a sundial, of course, is that it will 

 bear a motto. Deciding upon a motto for a school garden 

 which all the children will agree upon is no light matter. The 

 mottoes which have been adopted by eminent persons make 

 interesting reading. " Come light, visit me," was cut upon 

 Harriet Martineau's dial. A motto that has pleased children 

 runs as follows : " My face marks the sunny hours. What 



