Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-10-12
For the Spy.



government. "to regulate commerce, to coin
money, to 5fr the standard Of lOejglts and meas
mes, and to Iegslate upon all grave subjects Of
kindred nature, surprising as it may seem, no
laws have yet been enacted, by that body, with
view to improve upon the awkward menstrual
system which brought, by our ancestors.
from the mother country. Most of the several
State legislatures, however, have, from time to
time, tempered with the system, but without har-
mony of action, beyond the almost invariable gen.
eral result of rendering bad worse till at length
though the old names are retained, nothing like
uniformity can now be said to exist in any sec
ton of the Union The whole disadvantage of
such confusion is not felt by local consumers and
retail traders, but those making large sales or
purchases in remote parts of the country or in
Great Britain, often experience great difficulties
in converting to their own mot always certain)
local standards, quantities expressed according to
other rates :; and thus quarrels, ending in exDen.
sive litigation, may sometimes be traced to the
miserable weights and measures nov in in use in
this country. 1t is not easily explained how
fast people, like the Americans, should rest con-
tented with three different land all more or less
uncertain) measures of capacity alone, to say
nothing of other grave defects of our menstrual
system Still less easily we conceive of the
motives, which influenced the national govern
ment, in 1886, to order, for each custom house
and each State, a set of standard weights and
measures, similar to those which even the con-
servatism of England, two years previously, had
discarded, as being too awkward and nconyen-
lent for the purposes of modern traffic.
Much as we deprecate existing evils, however,
we are not OF those who desire the immediate
enactment, and, what would prove to be its neces-
sary concomitant, the legal enforcement of a new
National System of WEIGHTS and MeaSayes-
Such work of commercial reform would REQUIRE
the best talents of the most scientific men; and
when completed, should be so near to absolute
perfection, as to be altogether beyond the proba-
bllity of farther change. Even, thus prepared,
and aided by fhe endorsements of law, its intro
duction would be slow and difficult, as has been
the case with our admirable decimal money
which, after struggle Of nearly a century, has
not yet succeeded in expelling from general use
the old phraseoogy of pence and shillngs.
The thing really desirable, but not vet appar.
emily practicable, is unquestonably the adoption
of one uniform system of coinage, weights, and
measures, (including, of course, thermometrcal
barometrcal, electrical measures, &c., through
out the world. Failing of this, our next attempt
should be for uniformity wherever the English
language prevails for the menstrual Technology
is as much as any other, a component part of
the language.
Similarity of institutions, and the extensive
commercial and social intimacy existing between
the English speaking nations, greatly favor the
latter project, and certainly no evil could result
from taking the initiatory steps toward its accom-.
plishme1t Congress and the British Parliament
might appoint suitable number of the most
competent scientific and commercial men living
unuer their respective governments, and TO this
joint commission might be referred thewhole sub.
ject, not only of weights and measures, but also
of currency. The time and compensation allow
ed to the members of such commission, should
be adequate to secure the deliberate exercise of
their best abilities. Under the fortunate contipPeu
cy that this commission should recommend coin.
Re,weights land measures, substantially like those
of the admirable decimal system now enforced by
law in France, the introduction of the new sys-
tenn into the English speaking group of nations,
would doubtless be soon followed by its speedy
adoption throughout all other countries
Among the Improvements probably to be found
in such new system, would be the selling by
weight of many articles hitherto sold by measure
the abollshlng las has been done already in Eng
landl Of the mischievous practice of selling by
heaped measure the re-establshment OF the an
cient custom Of making some of the coins STAN
dards Of weight, as was the Grecan talent, The
Roman pondo, the English pound the French d.
ore, &C., &c which, answering the double pur-
pose of weights and coins, rendered their respec.
tive monetary and menstrual systems component
parts Of complete whole.
But for everything there is a time and while
the day of transatlantic telegraphy has already
arrived let us hope for that Of the universal mon.
etary and menstrual system, in the meantime ap.
plying ourselves at once to what the exgencies
of the present require. This we conceive TO be
| legal enforcement OF uniform system of weights
and measures throughout the Union This sys.
tenn, we think, for very important re asons, should
| be the same as that established in England, by
| the "Act of Uniformity" passed by the British
Parliament iu May 1884 This would be simply
to substitute the "imperial liquid and dry meas.
nre" for the old ineongruous beer wine, and dry
| measures, which we have so obstinately retained
| from the earliest colonial times for all linear
superficial, and cubic measures-even thermome-
tiers and barometers, We believe-still continue to
| be the same wherever the English language has
| spread over the earth. The imperial system, the
slowlymatured fruit of English wisdom, is all
| prepared ready to our hands. 1t would at once
establish uniformity throughout this country,
and would facilitate much more than any new
| system could, our vastly extensive commercial
intercourse with Great Britain. Its Technology
is already in familiar use. and its dimensions are
| all so nearly what we now have, that its introduce
ton would scarcely be attended with any Difficult
! ~, beyond-what in any case must be done-the
re-sealng according to this STANDARD, Of the
weights and measures now employed Its intro.
duction by us, while it would be a compliment to
the mother country which we can afford to pay,
and which she would not ungTAteiully receive,
| would greatly encourage its adoption in Canada
and other British colonies In short this sim.
Pile enactment by the federal government, 80 ben.
ehcial to our own commercial transactions,
| might be the hrst of series OF rapid steps to-
, ward the adoption of one common currency and
menstrual system throughout the English speak
ing world
Our subject, we are we'll aware, ia dry enough
and barren Of general interest Stll ii merits
the passing notice, perhaps, even of literary men,
| from the fact that 1t is a movement toward the
preservation Of the identity OF language, YER
nacular to seventy millions Of people, and the
| mOther-tOngue Of the now dominant race of