MDDM18: The Humorless Rule of Clock-Time

[Dave Monroe]

"Upon the day appointed, pursuant to the Chancery
Decision, the Commissioners of both Provinces, with
Remembrancers and Correspondents, attended by a
Thronglet of Children out of School, Sailors,
Irishmen, and other Citizens exempt from or
disobedient to the humorless rule of Clock-Time here
..." (M&D, Ch. 30, p. 296)

Cf. ...

"'I see our greatest problem as Time,-- never anything
but Time.'" (M&D, Ch. 28, p. 287)

>From The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1791
[French], 1793 [English]) ...

   "In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I
had met with in my reading, I found the catalogue more
or less numerous ....  I included under thirteen names
of virtues all that at that time occurr’d to me as
necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short
precept, which fully express’d the extent I gave to
its meaning.

[...]

"3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let
each part of your business have its time.

[...]

"6. INDUSTRY.  Lose no time; be always employ’d in
something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

[...]

   "My intention being to acquire the habitude of all
these virtues ....  Conceiving then, that, agreeably
to the advice of Pythagoras in his Golden Verses,
daily examination would be necessary, I contrived the
following method for conducting that examination.
   "I made a little book, in which I allotted a page
for each of the virtues. I rul’d each page with red
ink, so as to have seven columns, one for each day of
the week, marking each column with a letter for the
day. I cross’d these columns with thirteen red
lines, marking the beginning of each line with the
first letter of one of the virtues, on which line, and
in its proper column, I might mark, by a little black
spot, every fault I found upon examination to have
been committed respecting that virtue upon that day.

[...]

   "The precept of Order requiring that every part of
my business should have its allotted time, one page in
my little book contain’d the following scheme of
employment for the twenty-four hours of a natural day:

THE MORNING. (5–7) Question. What good shall I do
this day?  Rise, wash, and address Powerful Goodness!
Contrive day’s business, and take the resolution of
the day; prosecute the present study, and breakfast.
 
(8–11) Work.
 
NOON. (12–1) Read, or overlook my accounts, and
dine.
 
(2–5) Work.
 
EVENING. (6–9) Question. What good have I done
to-day?
Put things in their places. Supper. Music or
diversion, or conversation. Examination of the day.
 
NIGHT. (10–4) Sleep.

   "I enter’d upon the execution of this plan for
self-examination, and continu’d it with occasional
intermissions for some time...." 

http://www.bartleby.com/1/1/4.html

Oh, and ...

"Children out of School, Sailors, Irishmen"

http://www.pettifogger.com/simpsons/irish.htm

Okay, access problems, sluggish connection, et al.,
but persisting here as best I can ...


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Great stuff seeking new owners in Yahoo! Auctions! 
http://auctions.yahoo.com