The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-01-17
The Metric System.

As far back as November, le0l, what il
called the metric system Of weights and
measures was legally adopted in France ON
the recommendation OF and on calculations
and measurements by 4 committee of emf
nent scientists, composed OF Bordo, La
grange. Laplace, Monge, and Coudorcet, the
British government, which had bee invited
To cooperate in the change, having refused
TO do 70. The metre is the basis of this
modern French system of weights and
measures, and the unit OF length, from
winch all its units are derived. In meas
ures OF length the unit is the metre, which
is intended to represent the ten -milliOnth
part OF the distance from the equator to the
pole, measured over the surface OF the
earth.
The unit OF iengLt is represented by bar
of platinum in Paris, measured at the tenn
perature of melting Ice. In measuring
suffice squares of the metre and its deri
vatives are used; also, they are equal TO a
square OF ten metres 10 the side; in cdpIcIts
the Iitre is the unit for both west
and dry measure, and equals one cubic
decimcire; in ight the standard is the
gramme, which represents the weight OF
one cubic centimetre of distilled water at
its maximum density; in French money
the silver franc weighs five grammes, ana
is equiv lent in value to the Ira of Italy,
the peseta of Spain, the francs of Swift
erland and Belgium, and the drachma OF
Greece Some of the South American
States now have silver pesos or dollars
weighing twenty-five grammes, and equiv
alenr to the tive-franc piece of France.
The French metric system, which ought
to be universal, is used in France, Algeria.
the Argentine Confederation, Austria
since January ], 1876, Bohemia, Hun
gary, the German Empire, Portugal, Bel
GUM, Bolivia, Brazil, Spain, Chill, New
Granada, Ecuador Egypt, Greece, Italy,
Mauritius, Mexico, the Netherlands, swift
arignd, and the territorial dependencies
of the countries. England, which was
one of the last among civilized nations TO
adopt lin l15l) the Gregorian calandar,
has also steadily resisted the metric sys-
TEN first. because, however good, ii Is
an innovation, and she dislikes getting
ont OF the old groove, and also because ii
is French In the United States there also
has been some reluctance, and, though an
act of Congress passed in 1866 legalized
the metric system, II has not as vet come
lulo u~t tpoits~" 'iaihS- Va t'hs
University OF Cincinnati, who states this
fact in his useful and generally accurate
work on Weights, Measures. and Money OF
all Nations published in 1876. states
"some of the units in this country are
slightly varied from the true units, how
ever. a. for instance the metre, which is
really 39,3707904 inches, is legalized at 80.
81 inches" The metric weights and mea-
sures, now legalized here, and used by al
least twenty nations besides, surely deserve
a. much attention, he contends, las our
own more locally familiar but more bung-
ling systems. Our three sets of weights, our
three different gallons, and our two dissimi-
lar bushels. all unrelated TO each other, or
the units of length, must soon give way.
he afiirms, before the simplicity and -le-
gance Of the metric system" 1t certainly
is most desirable that the weights and mea-
sures of the world may before long be re-
duced to metrict uniformity.