Time Marches On, But A Sundial Remains Unchanged

Southland Times, Issue 23793, 15 April 1939, Page 16

Time Marches On, But A Sundial Remains Unchanged

Out in all weathers, untroubled by the centuries, most reliable and most noble of all time-measures—that is a sundial. It was the mighty Berosus, astronomer, astrologer and historian of Babylon, who in the reign of Alexander the Great, 300 8.C., created the sundial.

In a secret recess of the temple of Bel—of which he was a high priestafter much patient and careful study, Berosus achieved his heart’s desire —a timepiece so simple, yet so perfect—a brazen obelisk fixed to a circular platform. Spell-bound and elated, he watched the moving shadow—surely the finger of the Sun-god himself. The character and variety of sundial mottoes is amazing. Like the sundial itself, the motto stands above Fortune’s changes. Pierced by the icy blasts of winter, beaten by hail and rain, half its life spent in darkness—yet one peep of sunlight through the clouds and the sundial ’ speaks and smiles again. This tell-tale of time is a romantic yet practical link with the past. Hewn or carven from rock or stone millions of years old; ii represents the finest culture of mankind.

To look sundials you should really be by yourself, and the sundial should stand in a space open to the blue sky. where generations of butterflies and birds know it well and creeping’ and clinging mosses are old friends. The sun, in a natural sense, gives speech to the dial, and the motto is a personal message. For this particular reason a dial motto should be to cheer and ennoble mankind, not to depress and disconcert.

But this is not by any means always the case.