Page:The Diothas, or, A far look ahead (IA diothasorfarlook01macn).pdf/84

 again, into twelve. Similarly, the day is divided into twelve parts, each, of course, equivalent to two of the ancient hours; and so on, by duodecimal subdivisions, as far as necessary. Thus when, in our present notation, an event is said to happen at 3.86, this corresponds to 7h. 25m. old Greenwich time."

"But," objected I, "how was it found possible to overcome the enormous friction that the introduction of such extensive changes must have encountered? In my time the metric system, in spite of its manifest advantages, was making but slow headway. As for the reform of the absurd spelling of my native tongue, it was a thing greatly desired, but hardly hoped for."

"The friction you mention," said Utis, "being the result of ignorance, naturally diminished in direct proportion with ignorance. Even in the days you allude to, scientists readily adopted improvements in terminology; while astronomers and meteorologists, scattered over the globe, framed and adhered to rules for the apportionment of their special work.

"Another important advantage was, that the progress of science had rendered many of the changes I mentioned comparatively inexpensive. At the present time four great electric clocks—one in each quarter of the globe— govern all the timepieces, each in its own quarter. Our timepieces, indeed, are only dials, like this you see, the hands of which move in unison with those of the great central clock."

"Have you no watches?" I inquired.

"Since every apartment and public edifice shows a dial, we have generally as little occasion to carry a time-