Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1885-08-22
AzsesaR
THE METRIC SYSTEM.
ITS PROGRESS.

carried the Metric System into all
parts Of Europe, and his victories
enforced it's use. But after his7final
defeat at Waterloo, many countries
discarded the Metric System, be-
cause they regarded it as the badge
Of their defeat andlas the hated relic
ofthe csnqusrg SoRe forty years
or more passed before the System
became general, even in, France.
Soon afterwards the countries Of
Europe, one by one. Oyercame preju-
Dice and adopted and put into use
the System they had so strongly OPP
posed years before. Like the Public
School which was forced upon the
Southern States after the War, by
It's merits it finally overcame all OPP
position and became established in
the laws as we'll as in the affections
of the peoples of the countries once
conquered by Napoleon
In the last few decades the Metric
System has made rapid progress.
BY the year 1880 it had been adopt
ed in all the countries of continental
Europe, for exclusive use in business
transactions, with the exception of
Russia, and the partial exception Of
Denmark. In all but one or two of
these, the laws making the use COM
pulsory had already taken effect, and
in those which remain, the laws
were TO take effect in very few
years.
Throughout all the American CON
tinent south Of the territory Of the
United States, the same System,
though not in universal use, is the
only one legal, and is destined in
the progress oI time to supersede all
others.
The same Sys,em has been adopt
ed for the extensive territory OF the
British possessions in India by the
Governor General in council, with
the approval of the home government
t. be progressively introduced with
as much expedition rs the conven-
ience of commerce will allow.
The imperial goyoS Slment of Rus
sin has manifested = disposition to
adopt the System for use in that
great empire which covers one-tenth
Of the land surface Of the globe, hav-
ing instituted an inquiry by COM
mission appointed in the latter part
of 1876, as to the results of the leg
islation of Western and Central Eu-
rope on the subject, and having re-
ceived from that commission favor
able report. In more recent years
further action has been taken look
ing to the compulsory use of the
System in the comparatively near
future, but of the exact nature of
the action ! am not prepared to say.
In Great Britain a strong public
sentiment favors the abolition of the
existing system of weights and
measures IN favor of the Metric.
Bills providing for such change
have been repeatedly introduced in
to Parliament; /; and one of these fail
ed of success by the narrow majority
of only five votes. The science of
Great Britain is entirely on the side
of the Metric System, and has to a
large extent adopted it in use ; as is
illustrated in the fact that in the ac-
count of the explorations of Her
Britannia Majesty's ship Challen-
ger, under Sir Wyville Thompson,
published in the scientific Journals,
all quantities are stated in metric
denominations, and even the dis
tances sailed over by the ship are
gwen in kilometers.
In our own country, the Metric
weights and measures have been ex-
tensively adopted by the medical
profession, having been recommended
by the State medical societies Of New
York, Massachusetts and Rhode Is
land. by the National College of
Pharmacy, and the American Phar-
maceutical Association and having
been actually made obligatory in the
Marine Hospital Service, by order
Of the Supervising Surgeon-General,
approved by the Secretary of the
Treasury.
Some of our large manufacturing
establishments have introduced the
Metric System into their workshops.
The Waltham Watch Manufacturing
Company is an example of these.
Several of our States, as for IN
stance Massachusetts,, Connecticut
and New Jersey, have required IN
struction in the Metric System to be
given in all primary schools. The
last State named made an apprOprla-
ton to provide for supplying the
schools with apparatus for the visi'
BILE illustration of the System.
Educational organizations, local
and general, in various parts OF the
United States, have adopted resolu-
tions recommending the speedy in.
PRODUCTION of the System into gen.
eral use. One of the most prOmi-
men: Colleges, Amherst College,
Massachusetts, employs the Metric
denominations only, in the state
ments Of quantity, in every part OF
her course Of instruction. Missis-
sippi College gives special lectures
on the System, illustrated by the ac-
tual exhibition and use Of the various
weights and measures,