The March of Time

The idea of time marching on has survived the idea of progress, and during this century of acceleration it has been expressed in cinema newsreels as well as in newspaper headlines. The older idea of time flowing like a river – in the words of a still much-sung eighteenth-century hymn, like 'an everlasting stream' – has not lost its imaginative power. The imagery of time has always been abundant. Time was described as f being 'in flight' a century before men flew. Tennyson's metaphor 'ringing grooves of change' preceded express trains. The latest slogan is 'We are making tracks for the next millennium'. Meanwhile, Father Time has been transformed into a Time Lord.