. Sun dials and roses of yesterday; garden delights which are here displayed in every truth and are moreover regarded as emblems . f the only inmate of the a very good motto it seemed to the dial-maker,and the Benchers also, after it was put up. In the eighteenth century dials were an article ofcommon manufacture in America, though I thinknever in large numbers. Seldom do we find themnamed in old tradesmens lists. I have seen fifty-eight different articles enumerated in one pewtererslist, but sun-dials were not among them. Perhapsthe fact that each dial was limited in its sphere —c
. Sun dials and roses of yesterday; garden delights which are here displayed in every truth and are moreover regarded as emblems . f the only inmate of the a very good motto it seemed to the dial-maker,and the Benchers also, after it was put up. In the eighteenth century dials were an article ofcommon manufacture in America, though I thinknever in large numbers. Seldom do we find themnamed in old tradesmens lists. I have seen fifty-eight different articles enumerated in one pewtererslist, but sun-dials were not among them. Perhapsthe fact that each dial was limited in its sphere —could not be used save in its own latitude—hin- 24 Sun-dials and Roses of Yesterday dered their production. In England and on theContinent people lived in close-lying towns; in Eng-land the variation of latitude could not be vast; butin the new world all was different. Distances weregreat. And those distances were chiefly in latitude,— up and down the coast. Therefore, portabledials would be sought rather than fixed ones. Therestill exist in America, however, old soapstonemoulds used for the casting of pewter Ellicott Sun-dial. The steatite mould of George Ellicott, of BucksCounty, Pennsylvania, is in good condition. Hewas a well-known maker of sun-dials and highcase-clocks,—a son, I believe, of the engineer Ellicottwho did so much of the laying out of the Federalcity of Washington, and the District of is a pewter dial with base and gnomon inone piece made recently in this cast. It is aboutfive inches square ; is marked 1779 G. E. Thehours are in Roman numerals and Lat 40 is on theside of the gnomon. I own a much-worn pewter dial The Charm and Sentiment of Sun-dials 25 with circular base, bearing the same initials and was given me by a friend who purchased it inBucks County and paid for the tradition that it wasmade by Ellicott, as it undoubtedly was. I find that to many the sun-dial is an emblemand voice of some great sentiment or hope
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectsundial, bookyear1902
