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 i, 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 
