HuffingtonPost.com provides a wonderful take on time in our modern world. I bet this guy didn’t have to complete his shopping by 6:00 PM, don’t you?
In three weeks we will take a leap backwards. Before we go to bed on November 5, we will go through the house and turn every clock back an hour, except for those clocks that are smart enough to do it with no human assistance. After all, it is an autumn tradition to Fall Back usually around Halloween. For some goofy reason it is the first Sunday in November this year. Actually it has to do with daylight longer on Election Day, but not this year because the election comes after our fall back.
As Americans we have used Daylight Saving Time for a large portion of time since we entered World War I in 1917. Notice, Saving is singular but most of us use the plural version. It’s easier to pronounce.
The standard reason given is we get more of our sun or better use of sunlight. Truly, most of the United States went on Daylight Saving Time back on the second Sunday in March and will change on the first Sunday in November. We can thank none other than Benjamin Franklin for the brilliant idea in 1784. Back in those days it wasn’t so vitally important to be on time. Actually it was quite fashionable in some circles to be late. But use of sunlight was a good reason.
With the introduction of trains, airplanes, television schedules, and other events of such magnitude, time became a big deal. In fact, that’s how the watch became so important until the arrival of Smart Phones.
On March 19, 1918 President Woodrow Wilson signed An Act to Preserve Daylight and Provide Standard Time for the United States. With that law, trains ran on time and civilians had time to tend to their Victory Gardens. However, the Victory Garden part was repealed in 1919 but trains and other forms of transportation still are expected to be punctual.
From February 1942 to September 1945, all the United States was on War Time Saving Time. Since then we have juggled the issue back and forth as Congress pleased. However, there was an issue in April 1910 I find rather unusual.
The new act signed into law by President Wilson included a part requiring grocery stores to close their doors at 6 o’clock p.m. every evening except for Saturday when they stayed open until 9 o’clock and Sunday when Texas law forbid stores to open. Previously grocery store owners set their own hours, usually from 6:00 a.m. to whenever they chose to close. Now grocers were told when to sell. In addition to staying late on the Saturdays, the stores must remain open until 9:00 p.m. on the first Monday of the month.
The Greenville Banner of April 10, 1918 suggested that if “you have been accustomed to wait until after 6 o’clock to buy your groceries, move up your buying time and buy them before then. The government wants them to close early and the public is expected to be patriotic in this measure and buy earlier.” Thirty-one grocers in the area agreed with a few who had not decided. I don’t know if they ever did.
My question is very simple. What was the reasoning behind legally setting the hours of retail stores? Did we need a law telling us it was time to go home to tend the Victory Garden?
Can’t explain the 1918 law, but do know that during cotton picking tine in the 50’s when I worked at a grocery store the customer traffic was heavy starting at 5am as they were buying stuff for lunches in the fiekds, and blocks if ice for water coolers. We did stay open until 9 PM or later on Saturdays.