The Revival of the Sun-Dial 
for a simple country garden of old-fashioned 
flowers, or for a kitchen-garden of flowers 
and vegetables, or for the corner of a 
stone wall, or at “the parting of the ways’’ 
by the side of a stile, they have a quaint, 
old-timey fitness which will be improved 
by the time-wear of the too brand-new 
gnomon. These dials sold for two dollars 
and a half, and were made for these lati¬ 
tudes: 36°, 37 0 , 38°, 39 0 , 4 o°, 41 0 , 42 0 , 
43 0 , 44 0 and 45° north. One could thus 
have at a slight cost, a good dial which had 
been accurately calculated and which would be 
far better than Captain Bailey’s cast-iron dial 
at the same price ; which he told me with 
earnest simplicity was intended “ expressly 
for college students; that they might know 
the exact time for study, and thus employ 
fully and regularly every moment of sun¬ 
light.’’ Remembering the spending of the 
times of sunlight of the average college un¬ 
dergraduate of my acquaintance, I tear he 
would find things pretty slow if he had to 
employ thus the daylight hours, or fix his 
coming and going by a sun-dial. 
A better horizontal dial was made by Mr. 
Mitchell of heavy sheet brass. This was 
the same size as the stoneware dial, and was 
sold for five dollars. The hour lines and 
figures were of black enamel. His handsome 
octagonal sun-dial was really a beautiful in¬ 
strument. His price was eight dollars, but 
the “antique shops” in New York, who 
captured these dials, sold them as high as 
twenty dollars apiece, though a more com¬ 
mon price was twelve. This dial was made 
with the hour-marks partly worn and had 
the appearance of a somewhat battered and 
ancient dial, and it was generally sold as such. 
This dial was calculated for the latitude of 
New York and could therefore be used 
everywhere upon Long Island, where it was 
eagerly welcomed to many a summer home. 
To Rev. Father Woodman we owe a 
beautiful addenda to the sun-dial; one of 
the utmost importance when we regard the 
dial as a time-keeper rather than an ornament. 
This is a table of time equations. It is a sur¬ 
prise to many, and a grievous disappointment 
often to the buyer of a dial to learn that, owing 
to the difference between solar and mean 
time (what we call clock time) the sun-dial 
is exactly “ right with the clock ” only four 
days in the year; ranging in the interval from 
fourteen minutes slow to sixteen minutes 
fast. Tables of time variations are given by 
nautical almanacs but in phrases not readily 
understood. This table of time equations 
of Father Woodman’s is as fine and im¬ 
perishable as the metal dial; and it is just as 
plain to read. The letters and figures show¬ 
ing the number of minutes and seconds to 
be added or subtracted on certain days are 
all clearly engraved upon a small oblong 
brass plate which can be affixed to the dial, 
or framed and hung near it. It is a beauti¬ 
ful piece of work,with the beauty that comes 
from neatness and precision of execution. 
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