The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-07-01
A Uniform System of Weights, Meas urcs
LID and Curremcy. -|I .

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A Uniforni system of Weights, Measures
. ..1 ana Currency. ..-.J .
convention is about to assemble In Paris
Tor the purpose of fixing upon uniform STAN
dafd Of value upon which the currencies of
commercial nations may be based. Prince
Napoleon will preside over the deliberations
OF the commissioners who have been sent to
represent the views and interests of the more
Important commercial states of the world
Mr.. Samuel Ruggles appears for the United
States, but 1t seems that, abetted by Senator
Sherman, who Is now in Europe, he has Weld
ed to the views of the willy Frenchmen, whose
national prejudices have naturally led them
to prefer that the grand unit of value should
be coin OF their own country. This coin Is
the five franc piece, the value of which Is
not quite equal to that of our dollar. 1t has
already been adopted by several of the minor
states OF Europe, and will probably have no
formidable rival in the convention. The
American dollar, however, is candidate for
The new position. 1t Is identical In value
with coins OF several other countries, and as
the United States will soon be the great ex-
change OF the world, it seems as II the claims
of Its local star dard ought to be OF great
weight, If properly insisted upon. But Mr..
kuggles having given up the contest at the
outset, there IS no doubt but the commission
ers will report in favor of the five franc piece
The action of the convention will not, of
l course ha cOu ch,eivA u,,or, a,r of A. -.
tries that have sent commissioners. But
since any change which promises uniformity
Is to bs preferred to the continuance of the
complications and brokerage resulting ftom
The present diversity, Congress will probably
sacrifice Its patriotism to its philanthropy,
and adopt the views OF the Paris convention.
This will necessitate slight reduction In tie
value Of our dollar, but will not occasion any
serious dsturbancein monetary affairs. There
is, however, another movement on foot OF
still more important nature which will soon
force itself upon public attention. 1t has
long been dream of statesmen and schol-
ars to supplant the present complex system of
weights and measures by decimal system.
the units Of which shall have a natural
and easy relation to a common standard. The
adoption of decimal system would, of itself,
effect change of great Importance, as well
to the care-oppressed mephant as to "the
schoolboy, with his shining morning face,
creeping like snail unwillingly to school"
The mathematical requirements requisite for
the transaction of ordinary business would be
reduced to a minimum. A knowledge of the
decimal, that easiest and most flexible OF
mathematical ratios-as useful in facilitating
numerical calculations as steam is ia the per-
fornahee of mechanical iabor-is all that
would be needed beyond the names of the
units of the several tables and few Greek
and Latin prefxes. II, at the same time, the
system were adopted by all nations, so as to
avoid reductions in commercial transactions,
the labor of the custom-house and the count.
ing-room would be materially lessened, while
the broker would suffer from the reduction OF
his business and emoluments aYlH 3 tped
Ever since the Revolution. France has had
such system in practical operation. 1t is
known as the metric system, and is marvel
of symmetry and logical coherence. The
standard from which al the units are derived
was found by the French sardns, by the ac-
tual aslIneasurement of an arc Of the msridi-
an--one 10000 ,OO0th Of the distance from Sbe
equator to the pole. In doing this, their OBJ
ject was to obtain a standard which might be
resorted in case of the accidental loss of the
material representatives of its length. This
unit of linear measure Is called the meter
For the other denominations of length the
meter is increased or subdivided decimally;
the multiples and subdivisions being indicat-
ed, the one By Lain, and the other by Greek
numeral pretixes. The units of the othe
weights and measures have natural relation
to the meter. n a..., .5tlt =. t-t
This ingenious scheme has been received
and has finally obtained recognition In this
country and in England. A year ago Con-
gress passed an act authorizing its use, and
declaring that mo contract or dealing or plead
ing in any court shall be deemed invalid or Il
able to objection because the weights or mea-
sures expressed or referred to therein shall be
weights and measures Of the metric system"
1t was the idea Of Senator Sumner and 9TH
er friends OF the law to let it stand as permis-
sive merely, until the people shosld have time
to become familiar With the details of the sys-
tenn, and then to make 1t compulsory. But
meanwhile it has been attacked from various
quarters and on various grounds. 1t seems
that the boasted standard, which was to be as
fixed as the everlasting hills, is not the result
OF an accurate measurement; so that " the
arc should even be measured again, in order
to correct or verify the standards in use, the
same result as before would not be obtained.
But there is more serious objection than
this to its Introduction in the United States.
The French meter is 30.37 inches In length
None of our measures sustain to this a rela-
ton which can render easy the transition
from one to the other. Until the public should
become famiIiarized with its denominations.
its introduction would neces,itate the use OF
cumbrous tables or constant process of COM
putation. To persons who do not realize the
lnestimable advantages to be derived from a
decimal system, this objection would seem
very serious. I9a. q3H 34- s.aa sll -
A citizen of our own State has proposed a
remedy for the difficulty. Moses B. Bliss ESQ.,,
of Pittston, has devised scheme in which
most of the excellencies of the metric system
are embodied, whileit Is of such nature as
to be susceptible Of an easy introduction in
place Of the present irrational and arbitrary
tables. Gov. Chamberlain has expressed bis
hearty approval of the plan, and 1t so COM
mended itself to the Legislature Of last VIM
ter, that resolution was passed requesting
the members of Congress from this State to
take such measures as seem to them most
proper to secure the repeal of all laws relating
to the metric system, in order that some
scheme like that of Mr. Bliss may be adopted
in its place. Professor Henry of the Smith
sonian Institute has also expressed himself as
pleased with the leading ideas in Bliss sys-
TEN. We have not space to give more than a
very brief account Of its details. Its great ad-
vantage over the French system is in starting
tiom the knglish yard instead OF from the me
ter. The yard is the unit of linen MEASURE
1t is increased decimally by preixing the
numerals decG, hect0, ktlo and iny9id. and SUBJ
divided by pretxing deci, cent? and MILL. The
trate the manner in which the whole system
is carried out. 1t is the table designated i'm
our school books. ~
LONG MEAsURE.