VOLUME 3.
'The Metric System of Weights and Measures.
Official
Laws of tiik Unitkd Status— Panted
\ at the First Srntivn of the Thirty-Ninth
Congress.
[Public —No. ]
An Act t» authorize the use ol the Met
, ric System of Weights and Measures.
lie it enacted by the Senate am! l/ottsr
of Hfftretcnlatirct o/_ the Lmteil St'it^xof
,-1 mericti in Congress astsemblcd, That:
frotn and after the passage of this act it
shall be lawful throughout the JJnited
States of America to employ the \l eights
and Measures- of the metric Sysiem; an >
no contract or ..calini;, or pie iiling in any
court, shall be deemed invalid or liablt
MEASURES OP LENGTH*
" Metric del uminalli'ii. >nd ' l:.,iiifl.-nu In H—.«i.iniill..n« In »--■
llylMWter 0 Si" or 0 fret MMI tell Inchea.
s<-• ■ °« - i.
lukuMier M metre* MM. Inches.
lT.t.r i metre i-«-t.«.
becinieter.l"!*.'. MOOfa ".ire. w!i.rw
Centimeter 1-1«0 ef a metre • ;-3. in.
HilSZirt MOUO nf m. tr, inches _
MkA»i El So: 80RVA0K
r W# ,Hc MMBIaHioW a.. I vatan Kqulvnlrnts in denomination* »n u-e
~ " 10.0uo sqnare meties 2 471 acres.
« 7'.7....... lou square uutres 119 6 square vards.
1 M|tiuro Ultra. I 1660 #qnare inches
* " MI.A.M Ui.?« • Al'Al h\
MirftfO tTIONS in V ALI'ES. gqt IVALI.STS I * P-.XOMIX ATIQNS l\ PMK.
.Number of. Li.im : *r wfta*
Nanjos. I.to. <• Cubic Measure. I>ry measure. measure.
kUo7it7r~ur Sterel I.OOOL 1 ruble meter jt.308 cubic yards. *Jf K g*H »n*.
tltciouivi I Im.h-looftt cubic meter... 2 luvhel* si.d 336 peck* it. 41. K .;l »ns.
f-ekalitur i ~J lo Cubic di-cimeleis yon qtaiti VH"*" o'"** 0 '"**
• . } ' I ti»'-ic UenUifler o.OCS quai t* I 0o« 1 qi:a. Is.
!»«•«• 1 liter 1 —lO jMO of* cui»ic Jecinteitr tt.l wuidc ine'es UM.»kiII«.
' Milliliter 1—!• 0 •10 cubic centimeter*. . o.tloz cubic inchei o.:jß,riu»i nances.
Mi 11... v. : l 00 | I cubic centimeter 0.0"1 tub e inches fluid diam*.
w xiauTD.
j Etjl'l V ALf.MTS 1.1 DENOjn-
Ms TltlC DEJtOHI* ATtoS ATO VALUES. NATIONS IS t'»».
Nnuil « t • 112 Weights of what quantity of watei
N.„.e.. «. u..»u,,u>. density. I >• :»l. P ol, weight.
«I 1, " T..n„»*."\u I,'HW. On I cubic niotei rJtvi'- piVnn!«.
, 100.000 1 hectoliter '*" p"Ut»l«.
h ' ' ! I 1,11011 IU liters W 040 pound,-
Mtriagraiu.. t ?! 2»4*J ptrnuds.
V'rrr *::: C: i obiter:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::., a
iu.L lo 10 cubic centimeters j 0 3627 ounces.
IfihL I 1 I coble centimeter 13 032 grain*.
i.T5»m l-lf> l-lo ofnenbi. centimeter I i»4.;2 gmins.
1>? tilr-i.. ' t- .O) lJ cubic mllllnielars. 0.1643 groins.
tl tl'ltjrrrT i i- I ** I •• cubu miil.ni. tur 0 016* grains.
Approved July 28, 18M.
SPtECH OF HON. CHAS. SUMNER
IN TIIE L'NITKD STATES hJNATK, JL'I.Y
MR. SUMNER, — Mr. Pretidrnt, A' AI
oilier tine I mi«ltt Le inJuccJ to f?o
■into this question at some length ; hut
now, in these litter ilays of a weary sess
i.'ii, nti'l under tlie>e licats, I fiiel that I
.111 be l.riel. Ami jet I could not par
•Ji'n myself if 1 did not uiu.ertake, even
•at this time, to present a plain and i-im
jde account gf Ibe grtjit change which
is now proposed
There is something captivating in the
idea of one system of weights aud mcas
'ures, which shall be comajon to all the
civilized world; so that, at least in this
'particular, the confusion of Babel may
be ovc.csmc. Kindred to tiiis is # that
other idea of one system of money. —
'And both of these ideas are. pcrhaps.thc
foreruntu ri of that grander idea of one
language for all the civilized world,
"Philosophy does not despair of the ful
filment of this aspiration at some dis
tant dav; but a common system of money
i< already within the sphere of actual
•'legislation 'ihewoikhas already be-
gur., and it caiinut cease until this greit
object i accomplished.
If the United States seem to conic
.tardily into the circle ot nations rocog
nicing aci n,mi n system of weights and
measures. I joufess that 1 have pleasure
in calling attention to the historic fact
that, at a \cry early day.this important
subject was commended to Congress
Washington in his message to the First
Congress touched the key note when he
.used the word "uniformity," m conncc-
«ion with this subject. "Uniformity,"
lie said, "in the currency, weights and
measure's of the United States is a'i ob
ject ot great importance and will, I am
persuaded, be attended to." Then again
in l is message to tlio next Congress hu
..vent further i.i,eip«'es=iug a desire for a
at once invariable and ttnirrr
ilu these words.- he foreshadowed
k a system that should bd common to the
,civil zed world. It is for us now to rec
ognize the standard which he thus sen.
,tentiously described. All hail to a stand
ard "invarable and universal."
i I shall not occupy your time iuadevel
oping the history of these efforts on the
.part of our Government. ]iut I cannot
."forbear mentioning that Mr. Jefferson.
. while Secretary of State, made an clab
,"orate report, in which he proposed to re
duce "every branch to the same decimal
ratio already established in eoins, aud
."thus bring calculation of the principal
.'affairs of life within the arithmetic of
every uian who can multiply and divide
'ain numbers." Here is an essential
element iu that common system which
we veclc to establish. This was in 1790,:
while Franc* wa" just beginning those
efforts which ended at last io the estab
lishment of the metric system. The sub-
AMERICAN CITIZEN
to objection, because the weights or meas
ures express! or rcterred to therein are
weights or measures of the Metric Sys
tem.
SfcCTloN 2. J nil be it fur'her enacted,
That the tables in the schedule hereto
annexed, shall be recognised in the con
; struction of contracts, and in all legal
proceedings, as establishing, in terms of
' the weights and measures now in use in
; the United States, the equivalents of the
weights and measures expressed therein
|in terms of the metric system ; and
suid tables may be lawfully used for com -
jilting, i'e erinining, and ex pro * ng in
customary 1 weights anl measures the
weights and measures of the'iuetric system.
jjet was revived at different times in Con
press without definite result. President
Madi.'on, in his annual message of 1816,
called attention to it in the following
words:
••The grunt utility of a stnii'l ml flxrtl in ilt nature
andfoHuOtd "it the cury rule nf tlreitntt prnjtnrtion* i*
M'll'h leutly nl.vioiH It !».J t!ie tlnvernnient it an early
to i»rep:i«otorv ►!«■.* h I t intrtNliiclu'4 It : ami a
c -mpleliun (»112 1 10 wo.k w.llba a jmt title the pub
|ic griitaude."
Uut of this recommendation origina
ted that cull of the Se.-ute which drew
forth the masterly import of John Quin
cy Adams on the wlule subject oi weights
and measures, whore learning, philosophy,
and prophetic as.p':ratioa vio with cich
other,. After reviewing all that '-ad ap
periled in the past, and subjecting it all
ti a careful examination, he says of the
metric system 6? Fran c, which was then
only n cxpeiiment :
•'Tliis system npproache«i to the Meal perfection of
uniformity itpp'ied to weights and and wlu th
er ti.nuin'l i>» or donuo.l to fi.l will unetl un
ftding glory up>n the age in which it w n conccivtd
ami u «'n ilie nation by which it* executlou wi« ut
teiupted ulid baa heen in part achieved,"' '* '
This was iu JS-1, who? the molric
sys:cui, already fuventedj WA . still strag
gling K.»'adn| tion in France.
This briel tkettli <vi!l slu w how from
the b(ginning t.ur Guvcrnnicnt has been
looking to a system which i-hall be com*
nu ntu the civilized world. And now
this aspiration scents about to be fuifiilcd
The bills lie lore you, vhieti have already
passed the other llouse, if they bcco.ue
a 1.l;y. will be Uie practical commtnce
u.eut of the ' - iicw orJer "
I'efore proceeding to erplain the pro
(•used system, consider 'fi-r one momcn'
the necessity of a change, as illustrated
ly a glimpse at weights and measures in
times past.
l.ang#E£C is, of course, coeval with
luau as a social being. Weights and
measures arc hardly less early in their
origin. . They are essential to the opera
tion* of s-jyicty, and arc naturally com
moil toaM'w.ho belong to the same social
circle At the beginning each people
bad a systeui ot its own ; but as nations
gradually intermingle aud distant places
are brought together by the attractions
of commerce, the system of ouc nation
becomes inadequate to the necessities of
the composite body. A common system
becomes important, just in proportion to
the couimuuity of iotercsts : .among diff
erent nations. Next to diversity of lan
guages, t"he discordant systems of weights
and measures attest the insulation of na
tions.
The earliest measures were naturally
derived from the several parts of the hu
man body. Such was the cubit, which
was the distauce between the elbow and
the end of the middle fijger, being about
twenty-two incli*.s Such also, were the
foot, the hand, the spap, the flail, and
the thumb, These measures were de
rived from nature, and they were to be
found wherever a human being existed.
But they partook of the uncertainty ixi
the proportions of the human form,—
" Let us have Faith that Right makes Might; and in that Faith let us, to the end, dare to do our rtdty as we understand it"~ A - lAncoln.
BUTLER, BUTLER COUNTY, PA., WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 18GG.
When rfclden, in his Table-Talk, wittily
likened equity, so lor as it dcpDnded on
'lie conscience of the c banceller, to a
measure which was determined by the
length of the chancellor's foot, he expos
ed not only the uncertait.ty of equity,
but also the uncertainty of such a meas
ure.
Kven in Greece, where art prevailed
in the most beautiful forms, the famous
stadium was none the less uncertain.—
It was the distance that Ilerculcs could
run without taking breath, which, divi
ded b; iiGO, gave the Grecian foot.
Oar own standards, derived from Eng-
JanJ, arc of an equally fanciful charac
ter. The unit of length ' ls the barley
corn, taken from the middle of the ear
and well dried. 'lhreo ol there in a
straight line make an inch. The unit
of weight is a grain of wheat taken, like
the barleycorn, fnoii the uii..die of the
car and well Wed. Of tljose, tli'rty-two
are equal to a j ennj weight. Twenty
penny weights make an ounce, and twelve
ounces make a pound. '1 he unit "112 ca
pacity is derived from tlio weight of grain;*
of wheat. Eight pounds of these make
one gallon of wine measure.
Nor is the extreme vagueness and in
stability of these standards the only ma'/
ter of surprise. There is no principle of
science or convenience in the progression
of the different series. Thus we have
two pints to a quart, three scruples to a
dram lour quarts to a galbu, five quar
ters to an eft, five and a half yards to a
perch, six feet to a L fatlicir,' eight fur
longs to a mile, twelve inches to a foot,
sixteen ouuees to a pound, twenty units
to a score.
Then, aj il the fl:ily ruling principle
which governed the Selection was discord
we have different measures bearing the
same name, such as the wine pint and
the dry pint the ounces Troy and the
ounces avoirdupois. Take these last two
measures as illustrating the prevailing
confusion. They bolh seem to come from
France. The Troy weight is supposed
to derive its name from the French town
of Trcyes, where a celebrated fair was
once held. The term tivoirdiipdis is
French, and seems to have been part of
a statuie which declared how weights
should be determined. But Troy and
avoirdupois are different measures.
Those measures, having constant diff
crcnces, had accidental differences also,
in different parts ot England, aud also in
different parts of our own country.
Even where the names are alil'C vhe meas
ures arc often uji'i***. In England the
diversity was almost infinte, so that these
same measures differed in different coun
ties, and sometimes in different towns of
the county. Latterly in the United
States the standard has been regulated
by law, but the confusion from the mcas
ures still continnes. The question natu
rally arises why such confusion has been
allowed to continue so long without cor
rection. The answer is easy. Except in
rare instances the trkmphs of science
are slow and gradual. Traditional prej
udices mutt be overcome. Each nation
is attached to its own imperfect sytteui,
as to its own language. Even though
inferior to another system, it has the
great advantage of already known
to the people that use it. To this con
stant impediment it is only proper to add
(he intrinsic difficulty of establishing a
uniform system of weights and measures
which shall satisfy the demands of civ
ilization in scientific precision, in imme
diaic piactical applicability, aud in nous-,
enclaturc.
Take, for instance, the application ol
the decidual system, which seems at first
sight simple and complete. It is unques
tionably an immense improvement on the.
eid confusion ; but even we encounter a
difficulty in the circumstance, long since
recognized by mathematicians, that our
scale of decimal arithmetic is niore tie
child of chance than of philosophy. I
kuow not if any better reason can be giv
en for its adoption than because man has
everywhere reckoned by his ten fingers
On this account it has been often called
'natural." But on considering whether
the number ten possesses any inti i nsi
excellence, convenience, or fitness as a
ratio of progression,good authorities have
answered lu the negative. It is the du.
plication of an odd number which can
furnish, neithei a square or a cube, ana
which cannot be halved without depart
ing from the decimal scale. In this scale
we seem to see always those early days,
"wild in woods the noble savage ran,"
and fo bis arithmetic used his fingers or
his toes. An octacal system, founded on
the number eight, would have besa t>»t-
adapted to thi .divisions of material
things. Among us the decidual system
is adopted for money; but you all know
that we are not abli to carry it ioto rig
id precticc. Thus- convenience, if not
necessity, requires the half dollar, the
quarter dollar, the half dime, and the
threevecnt piece. In fact, eight divisions
to the doHur, as prevailed in Spain, are
available in the business of life, more
than the decimal division. The nuuiler
eight is capable of an indefinite bisection
The progression begiuning with 1 >?euld
proceed to 4, 8, 16, 32, 04, and so on.
The decimal scale is made easy of u-e
by the happy system of notation borrow
ed from the Hindoos, which might bo
applied equally well to an octaval scale
liut at this time, it would be vain to pro.
pose a change in the radix of the numcri
icai scale. Tho number ten is the rcc.
ognized stai ting point, and gives its name
to the scale It only lemains for us a&
pretCut to follow other nations in apply
ing it to an improved system of weights
and measures.
A system of weights and measures
born of philosophy rather than of chance,
is what we now sick. To this end old
systems must be abandoned. A chance
system cannot be universal. Science is
universal. Therefore, what is produced
by science may find a home everywhere.
If we consider the proper elements or
characteristics of such a system we shall
find at least three essential eonditwt-s. —
First, the new system must have in itself
the assurance of unvarying stability,and,
to this end, it should be derived from
some standard in nature by which any
errors creeping into the weights and meas
ures, from time or imperfect manufact
ure, may be collected. Secondly, the
parts should be divided deci'ually, as
nearly as practice will warrant, in con
formity with our arithmetic. Thirdly, it
should be of such a character as to dis
turb uational prejudices as little as pos
sible.
To a common observer the difficulties
of finding an unvarying standard are not
readily apparent; but philoso) hy stows
that all things in nature are undergoing
a constant change, so that there would'
seem to be no invariable magnitude, the
same in all countries and in all t'mes, as
Cicero described tho great principles o 1
Natural Law, by which a lost standard on
an inaccessible island might be reprodu
ced with m thcmatical certainty. There
i- but one magnitude in nature, which, so
far as we know, apptoximatcs to these
requisites. I refer, of courso, to the
length of the pendulum, vibrating sec
onds, which in our latitude is about 39 1
inches. This lenf-th, however, varies in
traveling trom the equator to the pole,
and it a';o varies slightly under different
meridians and the same latitude ; hut the
law of variation has been determine!
with considerable accuracy. One cle
ment in this variation is the difference if
temperature. Mr. Jefferson, in his re
port, on wjights and measures, pioposed
that we shouid find our standard i«i the
pendulum. At the same time the French
Government, just struggling to throw off
ancestral institutions, conceived the idea
of a now system of weights aud measures
which, founded in science, should bo com
mon to the civilized world.
Thc French began not only by discar
ding ail old systems, but also by discar
ding a measure derived fr«m the pendu
lum. 'I hey conceived tlic idea of meas
uring aii arc of the meridian of the
earth, and finding a new unit in a sub
division ot this immense span. At the
sas:e time the National Assembly invited
the co-operatien of other nations, so that ,
the system should become universal.—
The work proceeded. An are of the
meridian, embracing upward of nine de
grcs of latitude, and extending from
Dunkirk, in France, to the Mediterra
nean near Barcelona, in Spain, was uieas
ured with the moit scientific care. Some
of the most illustrious names in French
science were engaged in it, of whom I !
may mention Mechaiu, Dclambre, Biot,
and Arago, the latter just beginning his■
great career. Tho work proeeeded, not"
withstanding domestic convulsion and
foreign war. The reign of terror at
home and invasion from abroad did not
arrest Ten years elapsed before the
measurements were completed, when
again other nations were invited to co
operate in the establishment of the new
system.
The uuit of measure adopted "vas one
ten millionth part >of the distance be
tween the equator and th» north pole,
thus measured. It receives the name of
metre , from tho Greek,signilyingnicaaure.
A bkrol platinum was carefully prepared
representing thu length with all possible
accuracy. This bar'was deposited in the
archives of France as the perpetual
standard. Other bars have beep copied
from it and distributed throughout France
and in foreign countries.
There is something transcendental in
thittkaof this measurement of the earth
in order to find a measure for daily life.
It was an immense undertaking. But
the conception seems to have been lather
vast than practical. There is reason to
beliere, from later labors, that''there was
a serious error in the work. Thus the
distance of 10,000 000 meters from the
equator to the norlh pole, established by
(he French observers, is too small by 035
3"ards, according to Bpssal; by 1,410
yards, according to Puissant; and by 1,-
907 according to Chazallon. Sir John
Herschell has also testified with the au
thority of his great name against the ac
curacy of this result. If there be au
error, such as is supposed, then the mc
ter ceasfcs to be what it was originally
called, one ten millionth part of the dis
tance from the equator to the notth pole.
liven assuming that there is no error,
and that the meter is precisely what it
purports to be, yet it is not easy to see
how the artificial etanda-d can be cor
rected by a recurrence to tho standard in
nature. The massive work originally un
dertaken will not be repeated. Tho as
tro, imcrs of Fiance will not verify the
accuracy of the bar of platinum which is
tho artificial staudard, by another scien
tific enterprise, requiring years fjr its
completion. Therefore, tot all practical
purposes the meter is really nothing else
than a barof platinum of a certain length
preserved in the archives of France. It
is not less arbitrary as a standard than
the yard or foot, and it can bo perpetua
ted in practice only by tho distribution
of exact copies of the original bar, which
is the assumed meter.
I have entered into this explanation of
the origin anil character of the meter be
cause 1 desire that the admirable system
whi ;h is founded on it sfiould bo seen ac
tually as it is. To my mind it gains
nothing from the theory which preceded
at its origin. Its unit is not to bo re
garded as a certain portion of tho dis
tance between the equator and the north
pole, but as an artificial measure determ
ined with peculiar care, llad the same
or any other measure been selected with
out any measurement, of the earth, the
metric system would not have been less
Jjcautiful or perfect.
Look now at tho system. The meter,
which is assumid to be one ten-millionth
part of the distance from the equator to
the poles, is, in f:lct, 30J inches or 159.37
inches in length. It is 'especially the
dtlitof lenyth, but it is also the unit from
which all measure® of weight and capacs
itv, square or cubic, are derived. It is at
< nee the fouudation-sto:ie an 1 cap stone 11
the whole system. It is foundation-stone
to all in tho ascending series and cap
stone to all in the descending series.
The unit of measures nj surface or
land measures is the are, from the Latin
area , and is tho square of ten meters, or,
in other words, a square of which each
side is ten meters in JeLgth.
The uuit of sol id me'asure is the stern,
from the Greek, ami is tho cube of a me
ter, or, in other words, a solid mass one
inkier long, one meter broad, und ouc me
ter high.
The unit of liquiil mrasiires is tho liter,
from the Greek, and is the cube of the
tenth part of thb meter, which is the tlec
imctrr, or, in other words, it is a vessel,
where by interior measurement each side
and the bottom aie fqutre decimctcri.
The unit of weight is tho gntm, also
derived from the Greek, and is the one
thousandth part of thd weight of a cubic'
liter ol distilled water—at its greatest
density—this being just above the frecz-'
iDg point.
Such arc the iraiu elements of the
metric system: But each of these has
its multiples and its subdivisions. It is
multiplied decimally upward and divided
decimally downward. The multiples are
derived from the Greek. Thus, ucca,
ten ; her to, hundred ; kilo, thousand ; and
muriu, ten thousand, picbxcd to meter,
signify ten meters, one 'thoushud mete's,
aod ten thousand meters. The subdU
visions aio derive 1 from the Latin. Thus
<fec(, centi, viilli, prefixed to meter, sig
nify one-tenth, one-hundredth, and one
tbousandtfc of a meter.
Those same prefixes may he applied in
ascending and descending scales to the
arc. the liter and the gra u. Thus, foi
example, wo have in the ascending s.cale,
decagram, Aerfogram, kUogrtm, and
riagram ; and in tho descending scale,
rftr/'gram, centigram, milligram.
In this brief space yoju behold the
whole metric system of weights and meas--
ures. What a contrast to the antet'or
confusion ,! A boy at school can master
the metrfc system in an afternoon.—
Months, if not years, are required to store
away the ptrplexitiei, incongruities, and
ineonsintencies of the existing weights
and measures; and then" memory must
often |ail in reproducing, them. The
mystery of compound arithmetic is es
sential in the calculations which tbey re
-1 quuy. All this is done away by tho dec-
so that tho first four
rules of arithmetic «re ample for the pu
pit. < 1
If we look closely at the metiic system
we uiust confess its simplicity and sym
metry. Like every creation of science,
it is dtcording to Tule. Master the rule
and-you master the system. On this ac«
count it may be acquired by the young
with comparative facility, and when once
acquired it may be used with dispatch;
fhus it becomes labor-saving and time
saving I caunot hesitate to mention its
merits the nomenclature which it has
adopted. A superficial criticism hai obs
jeeted to the Greek and Jjntin prefixes ,
but this forgets that a system intended
for universal adoption must discard all
local or national terms. The prefixes em
ployed are equally intelligible in all coun
tries. They are no moro French than
English or German. They are in their
nature common or cosmopolitan. And in
all countries they are equally suggestive
in disclosing the denomination of the
measure. They combine thc'pcculiarad
vantages of a universal name and a defini
tion. Tho name instantly suggests the
measure with exquisite precision. If
thesi wortj, seem to bo scholastic or pc»
dantic y;>u must bear this for the sake of
their universality and defining power.
Unquestionably it is difficult for a gen
eration to substitute a uew system for
that which it learned in childhood. Even
in France the metric system wa? tardily
adapted Napoleon himself, on one oc«
cation, said inipatieutly to an engineer
who answered his inquiry in meters—
" What are meters ? Tell me in tours."
It was only in 1840 that the system was
definitely required in the transaction of
business. Since then it has beet, the le~
gal system of France, Cloth is sold by
tho meter. Roads are measured by the
kilometer. Meat is sold by tho kilo
gram, or us it'is familiarly abridged, by
so many kilos.
It is generally admitted that the names
are too long, although nobody has been
able to suggest substitutes, unless we re
gard the various abridgments in thai
light. But no abridgment should bo al
lowed to sacrifice that cosmoplitau char
acter which I clongs to the system. Thus
in England a nomenclature has been pro
posed which would secure short names
would be different in each language, and
would be entirely different from the
French names. This is a mistake. The
names in all languages should be identU
cal, or so nearly alike as to be recognized
at once. This may be accomplished by
an abbreviated nomenclature.
For instance, wc may say met, ar, lit.
and gram; and, in describing the denom\
illation, wo may say in the ascending
scale, dec, hec, kil and in the descending
scale iter, cen, and mil, indicating res
pcctivcly 10, 100, 1000, and 1-10,1 100,
and 1-1000. Compounding these words
we should have, for example, kilwet, kiU
lit, /digram, and cenmet, cm!it, ccngram.
These abb/eolations might be substan
tially the same in all languages. They
would preserve the characteristics of
unabridged terms, so thnt tlie simple
mention of the measure, even in this
abridged forji, would disclose the pro
portion svhUrti Lt bears to its fellow-meas
ures. Previous measures have been rep
resented by monosyllables; as grain,
dram, gross, ounco, pound, stone, ton.—
Where a word is often repeated in the
hurry of business it is instinctively abridg
ed. We shall not err if we profit by
this experience, and seek to reduce the
new nomenclature to its smallest propor
tions.
Twelve words are all that arc required
by this system. In learning, these you
learn all. There are th"s five words des
ignating the dijjJ'ercnt uuits of length,
surface, solid capacity, liquid capacity, 1
and weight. Then there aro the seven
prefixes, being four in the ascending
scale, expressing multiples or augmenta
tions of the meter or other units, derived
from the Greek; and also three in the
descending scale, subdivisions
or diminutions of the meter and other
units, derived from the Latin. These
twelve words contain the whole system.
Iu closing this shaptcr of the
tionable advantages of the metric sys
tem, I ojust not forget that it is already
the received system in tl»e majority of
countries. TIIU3 it appeared at the Sta-'
iistveal /Qqngtess assembled at Berlin
in 16t>3, that it was adopted partly or
entirely in Austria, Badeo, Bavaria, Bel
gium, France, Hamburg, lids**, Han-'
over, Mecklenburg, the Netherlaads
Pai ma, Portugal, Saxony, Spain, Sardin
ia, Switzerland, Tuscany, the 'i'wo Sic
ilies,. and Wurtemburg. Since then
Great Biitian, by an act cf Parliament,
has added her name to tibis list.. The
first step is taken there by making the
metric system permit**/# , as is now pro
NUMBER 50
posed in the bills before Congress. Tho
example of Great Uritinn is of especial
importance to us, since the ecmu.erriut
relations between the two counlries'ren
'lcr it essential that there shoiild be a
common system of weights and measure's."
On this point we cannot afford to differ
f-Otis each other.
The adoption of the metric system by
the nited Ft?tea w jH „ 0 fur to comp!ete
'hat circle by which this great imple
ment will be assured to mankind. Hero
is a new agent of civilization which will
ho felt in all the consejyis of life, at
home and abroad. It will bo hardly lest
important than the Arabic uumcrals, by
which the operations of arithmetic' are
rendered common to all nations. It will
help undo that primeval confusion of
which the Tower of liabel was th« »ep
reicntative.
As the first'practicaj step to this'grott
end I ask the Senate to give its sanction,
to the bills which have already passe i
the other Ilrusc, and which I have re,
ported from the special committee on the
metric system. ]{y these enactments the
metric sysfem will be presented to the
American people, and will becomo an
approved instrument of commerce. It
will not be forced into use, but will be
left for the present to its own intrinsic
merits. Meanwhile it must bo taught iq,
the Bchools. Arithmetics must explain
it. They who have already passed a cer
tain period of lifo maj not adopt it; but
tho rising generation will embrace it
ever afterwards number it among tho
choicest powessions of an advanced civ
ilization.
—During the first years of the war
says (1,0 Bellows Fall "Time.," whja
change was scarce and some large firms
were issuing currency of their own, •
farmer went to a iu ■ neighboring
town and bought gome goods, and gave to
the merchant a five dollar bill, of wlfi4(
he wanted seventy-five cents back. The
merchant counted out the amount and
handed it over to the farmer. He look
ed at it a moment and inquired, "What'?
this ? "It's iny currency," said tha
merchant. "Wal, 'taint good fornothin'
whore I live," paid the farmer. < Very
well,' replied the merchant, "keep it till
you get a dollars worth, and bring it to
my store and I will give yon a dollar bill
for it." The farmer pocketed the changa
and departed. A few weeks after he
went into the Bame storo and bought
goods to the amount of one dollar, and
after paying ovsr the identical seventy*
five cents, to took ont a handful pump
kin seed and counted out twenty five of
them, and passed them over to the mer
chant. "Why," said the mfiroUajl':
"wnat s this ?" "VVal," says the ffymor
tl.is's my currency, and when you gal
a dollar's worth bring it out to place
and I will give yoaa dollar bill for it."
A GOOD RUJ.E—A men who ia vtoy
rich now, was very poor »hen he was a
* 0, .\\ hen aske ljhow he got his
replied, "My father taught me never
play till my work was finished, and never
spend my moaejr until I had earned it,
If I had but one hour's work in a day J
mu»t do that thp first thing, and in an
hour, and after this I was 'fallowed to
.play; and I th u could play with more
pleasure than jf I had the thought of an
unfinished task before my mind. I early
formed the habit of doing everything
time, and it soon became perfectly
to do so. It is to tuis I owe my pros*
perity."
—-'East India exports cloves, nutmegs,
mace, pepper, rice, indigo, gold dust,
camphor, benzoin, sulphur, ivory. r ff~
tans, sandal wood, ziue and nuts.
—The IJaited States export principal
ly agricultural produce, cotton, fobteef,
flour, provisions oi all kinds, lumber, ta--
pentinc and wearing apparol.
—Rev. Danifl Dorchester estimates
the number of children and youth be
tween the ages of five and twenty in the
United Slates at 12,57,7329.
—Hindoos tan exports alike,
carpets, opium, saltpetre, pepper, gum,
indigo, cinnamon; cochineal, diamonds
pearls and drugs. «»
—Switzerland exports cattle, cheese,
butter, tallow, dried fruii, lime, silk vel
vets, laces, jewelry, paper and gunpow
der.
.
—Mexico exports gold and silver, coch
ineal, indigo, sursaparilla, vanilla, julap,
fustic, caiqpeachy wco I, pimento, drug*
and dyestuffs.
—Chicago shipped 72,8£4 barrels ot
flour and 648,226 of wheat east
ward last week.
—The Chicago water pipes are choked
up with small fishes in all stages of de>
composition. ,
—Woman shared the »ple with mm
but she toyk tiio first bite.
' i