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Show JUST HOW LONG 13 A DAY? Every One Knows What It is Scientifically, Scien-tifically, but Really It Depends on Circumstances. Scientifically, of course, a day is 24 hours long, but it is the popular custom cus-tom to separate this period into the two .parts of "day" and "night," and when one says "all day," only the daylight day-light hours are meant, and this meaning mean-ing may be further qualified and limited limit-ed to a specific number of hours ; if a person is hired to work "a day" lie expects ex-pects to give service for the usual or legal number of hours, a very necessary arrangement in order that endless contentions con-tentions and misunderstandings be avoided, since the length of a daylight day varies widely. Actually, modern understanding is that one shall work so many hours, not so many days. At London, England, the longest daylight day-light day has 16 hours, while at Stockholm, Sweden, it is 18 hours in length. At Fetrograd, Russia, the longest day is 19 hours, and the shortest short-est five, while at Wardbtiry, Norway, the longest day lasts from May 21 to July 22 without Interruption. In Spitzbergen the longest day is 3 months. In the United Stales the duration of the longest day depends upon the locality, but "iat (lt Kansas City, a little less than 15 hours, is about an average longest day for the whole country. . Legally "a day" may' he 21 hours or almost any shorter period, depending upon specific statutes, custom and common com-mon understanding. If one engages a hotel room for "a clay" he is entitled lo its use, unless there is a specific understanding (o'the contrary, for 24 j hours continuously, hut a horse hired Tor "a day" could not be retained for more than 12 hours and, unless otherwise other-wise agreed, that 12 hours would run between sunrise and sunset, and it would he necessary to surrender the animal at sunset, no matter when il was taken out. For general purposes, the law divides the 24-hour period into equal parts as "day" and "night," and assumes that the daylight hours are meant In general gen-eral agreements. A man who contracts con-tracts to deliver ice "once a day," tor example, would he required to deliver it during the daylight hours and at some reasonable and convenient time, i but if a gas company reserved the right to shut Off the gas for tin hour I "once each day'' in order to make repairs, re-pairs, for instance, it could do so at any hour of the 24. It is thus clear that it is no more possible to answer specifically the question, ques-tion, How long is a day? than the classical query, How large is a piece of chalk? Kansas City Star. |