Question Corner

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 9, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 41.

1171. The Great Round World.

(1) In circumnavigating the globe one way, a day is lost, and the other way a day is gained; what is the cause of this? (2) What is the custom on board a ship with the day lost or gained, when circumnavigating the globe? (3) Has the day lost or gained any effect on the days in the week, or on the date only, like the changing from the Old Style to the New Style of reckoning time? O. J. S.

Apparently the sun revolves around the earth from east to west once in twenty-four hours. It passes over fifteen degrees of the 360 into which the earth is divided in one hour of time. If one travels around the world with the sun, he apparently gains time in proportion to the space passed over. For instance, if he traveled over fifteen degrees of space, in round numbers a thousand miles, he apparently gains one hour of time. In other words, he has lengthened the day one hour by keeping one hour longer with the sun. If he should keep that up for twenty-four days, he would have extended each day an hour. Tho losing nothing in actual time, he would be a day ahead of where he was when he started, as the days are named in the week. If he were traveling eastward at the same rate, he would lose an hour, or be with the sun an hour less each day; and in twenty-four days would lose twenty-four hours, or a whole day. In the first case he would set his time back one day, in the second he would drop a day.

2. A traveler on board ship and otherwise in journeying westward, if he came to the usual place of the change on Tuesday, would call the next day Tuesday. In traveling eastward, if he came to the place of change on Tuesday, he would call the next day Thursday. Or he could add or drop a part of each of two days. Both Providence and custom have fixed this place of change in the Pacific Ocean. From the east coast of Asia to the west coast of America the traveler east or west finds himself in harmony with all the people in the count of the days of the week. But crossing the Pacific Ocean westward, ships add a day; in crossing eastward, they drop a day.

3. But the day of the week and the date are affected thereby. If the traveler should obstinately stick to his own time, it would put him out with all the rest of the world. But if he keeps himself in harmony with providential and everyday facts, he has no trouble whatever about losing or gaining days, or observing any day he wishes.

(See page 11.)