, 1875-08-30
THE METRIC SYSTEM.
Practical Introduction Of the Metric
System Of Weights and Moas-
ures In tho United States.
United Action, on tho rart Of Tho Menu
hers of tito Scientific Professions
10 Secure Its General Adop-
tiOn After July 4, 1876.

ly boon nlhdo throughout tlio Uuitod Setos TO
bring into more general nao tho European
(n,cirto) nystom Of weights AMI tneas,tscH. Tho
System waa lcgaltzcd by our Cong,osB nino yrnFh
ago. Hud llaa now hoen adopted Ill our principal
seiuntIlto works.,
The American public is 2froady familiar With
tho principles OF th1a syBtutn without being
cInary conscious OF tha fact iuasmuch rs II APP
poass in tho simplest and most familiar OF cur
tsbies, namoly, that OF Fodurhl ourrouoy,-our
mills, cents, and dimcn corresponding. ooth In
| nomenclature anl In thoir decimal rolhttonH to
oach ether. with tho mfil-imctor. cont-imetor.
| doc .iroter, the n.iil.igran, cont.igran', dec
| gram, tho m,ti-thter, cont-ilter, dec-tlitcr.
whlch constitute tho metr1o syatcn Of weights
| aud nleasnres.
| THIS perfectly Rlnplo nomenclature Is COM
posed Of tvcIys words RIl In uso In tho English
lauguage thus, metor IN thermometer; nlil.
centt, doci, lii mill, conf. and dime; deka 10 do
cado hecto III liecatotnb, lo In cniliht nyrIh in
,nyrtad, liter In lt;alnptar, gram IN grain (soo
| WobHIors Dictionary.
Although. therefore. tho HyBten, has long boen
taught in our achoa1s especially ainco ita legal
| tzalon bY CongreEH In 1866, no schooling IL
really necessary to tcacIl pT,nciploH, and q no.
mouctatnro with which wo arc hlroady familiar.
AZ for tho values Of tho several units, t4oy may
bo learned In n fow hours by glauclag at full
Bizsd models Of tllom exhibited. aB was done in
Gormauy at tho tlIno 0f It's introduction In that
| country in 1871, 1u all rho Sup vii doSa. No
o1le olutd wnlk t" cnty steps III the business pnrt
| OF lilo city without Hac!nK beIuro him a. e,ery
turn tu!l-s!zcd cbarts aud inodea ut tho netr,u
| weights und measures. With thcBe cuilata!nly
III view, tho most ignorant assoH found no t!t-
| ticulty iu understanding tho dcc.u1at nsstom,
"htIeas The Ba-calIcl EnGlla!a "svstoni " nov iu
nBe hero ia II mystery even +, such as nlaY Lave
| enjoyed duzeIi veRrt Of Foho1lllx tllotoin.
Speaking Of tllo MOTTO tablcs, ChafloH Sumner
sa,l - lii this brief Hpace you beloM tue whole
metro system OF weights and 1ncasuEes. Whit
Il coutrnat 10 tho anterior cunfuslon boY ut
| school master tIo mttric 1yHteIn in All alter
| noun. Months, IL nut years, ete requlrcl TO
storo away tue lorpla1itIos. incongr',tlcs. aud
| Inconsistencies 1T tho existing Wolghts aud
| measures, and then tho memory H1lst often fail
IN reproducing them. Tho nyAtorY Of cosn-
pound ar!.nlet!c h esseht,al III tho calculations
| which they relu.ro. All this lB uoio away by
tho ucclnni progression, 80 that tho irdt four
| ru1cs OF arithmetic a!e auple tor the pupil
The following circular, containing All aerec-
meHt hlEdlug tile sgner TO tiHe tho 1nttr!e bys-
TEN after July !. 1876, Inns been Bont to all tho
citlus aud towns III tbs Uni:el SLatos coutAil.nE
I upwurIs Of 5000 mIlnb!tauta. Every CITY OF
| town bu Tar caniassed haA Eoiu1Hel oYcE"loIt,,-
ing majoriscs. Matorllica lad boon already
previously secured from Now io,k. Chicago,
| brooklyn, Dostou. st. LoutH, Baltimore. Iolt-
Land. Now Druuawea, Newport, otc., aud from
ovor thirty otlor cites and towns COO. i.eratlou
has bcon PROMISED. Tho nunbos OF slKnntareu
of nrcI,ltecta f1om 1}oa: on aoue nu1ounls tu 1D1
| ~ , ~, . ',.titt .t ,I,. .,s,.n ,.,,, -'
| HcTly so.'Is1 ~. ~ ~ ~ Pt Ptot.n. ~. .,,. L., ~,
| III u4ati ~ w h"'o - 'u1o'u suo pHtiio ~ uos
Ynuco OF the nature Of this pledEo, signed BY
| ulembcra Of tho bceEtIio proleaHu1lb, ESPECIALLY
Rrclltocta u.d engineers, tor tic purp >bs Ut on
| ubl!ng all cllsscs to lropalo them. olives for
| oarHt,on nj HIN timn M tin futIIln,n,,t ff thu
o,..r, :, IuIv ta7T cotv ~ fi'in circutnr vii
esnrHst - ~ ou'5. 'o.u' w si ~. % .t1t vs..
10 hull 70 W. sao pitul'!h Iuat!a1' III
| TAO Gntteu htateS ZOE l'uu'lcatlon. 4llast1ateu
cl,al lts as above described aud pamphlets OH the
| metric pyHtan haYa boon pIbIishod by members
| NJ tie Amor.cnu Neurological Society. auu tup
| uooloIv H. u otvl,,u nd p,nuuurca viii nrnv,a,,
| stH...s,... .i,f, n,ro, ~ .,ot,:. u,n ~ ,,,,l
themaolses WIN ntoea " ,nett{c ntnea s1.. aua
Heiehtsr WHICH, e1!lpltea ~ tAo haon." "iuuo"n
tugBtbrt vita tho illustrated chArts, viii beat on
liEhteu tho tl1lie ~ to tho poAuty aud simplicity
ut t3e ". tom, uld prepare them for tho chaugo
| ~ ia r,.l, II, 147J -