Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-02-11
THE METRIC SYSTEM,
MISSOURI

Reasons Why 1t Should Not Be Intro.
duced Into the United States.
The system of measures having the
meter for its basis has been much be-
praised as theoretically and practically
well-nigh perfect But Mr.. E. Noel, of
England, challenges it, and also the
use of ten as basis of notation. To
ioegln with, the meter is an inconven-
tent unit 1t is too long to pace and
too long for architectural measure
ments. The foot is a much more con-
venlent unit. The value of the metric
system is supposed. however, to lie in
Its decimality, or use of ten, and the
consequent ease of calculation, and not
IN the particular length of the meter.
But Mr.. Noel gives reasons for
considering the deci NAL the worst pos
slole system of notation. The reason
Tor It's use, he thinks, is our having ten
hngers, not its convenience Ten is I'M
handy for divisions. The half of it is
hVe-an odd cumberland its fourth is
not whole number. In business and
ordinary transactions we want to halve
and to quarter things; also to divide in
to thirds. We rarely wish to divide
any thing first of all into tenths. The
series half, quarter, eighth and six
teenth comes more naturally and use
full y to the mind than tenth, hundredth
and thousandth. A system based on
twelve would be better. Then we
should have halves, quarters, thirds
and slxths. In multiplying we get
along too fast if we have ten to start
with Ten times ten is big Jump. In
measures of area and capacity we find
this inconvenient We can not apply the
declmel system conveniently to many
things in practice. We do not want ten or
hundred. but "a hours in a day. A
circle is better with its $50 degrees, with
80 in each quadrant The pound of 16
ounces is vastly more convenient than
the kilogram (2.2 pounds), which is
1000 grams. Nobody wants so little as
thousandth, or even the hundredth
part of kilogram of sugar. We find
ourselves instinctively halving and
quartering the kilogram when we use
1T. The terms hectogram and deka-
gram are not used in practice. The
binary system. which prevails in India,
admits of continual halving; s, 16 or 81
being taken as the basis. The Romans
used duodecimals, our words ounce and
inch being derived from the Latin for
one-twelfth of the as. ''There are"
says Mr.. Noel, ''three main systems
of subdivision-the decimal duo
decimal and the binary-and of these
the decimal is the worst" A proof of
the inconvenience of the French system
is that the French do not themselves
use it fully. They do not use the de-
caare, or the milliare, while the square
meter they call the centiare-the Tooth
part of a square of ten times itself. The
hectare is used, but not the kiloare or
myriare. The liter. the unit of capacity.
is too small, being the cube of the de-
cimeter The milliliter is, of course,
too small for use, while the lziloliter is
too large, being over four hogsheads.
The hectoliter is merely a name for 100
liters, not cubic measure. The deka-
liter, deciliter and centiliter are mere
names, and are not in use. Practically
the liter is the only real cubic measure
in use. The unit of weight is the
gram, which is ridiculously too small.
being about one-twenty-eighth of
an ounce. Hence the use of a thou
sand of it, the ''lzilo." for a practical
unit, which is too large. Myriagram is
not used. Beyond that the Greek pre-
fixes fail, and 100. 900 grams is called
quintai. Summing up objections to
the metric system. we find that, being
system of pure decimals, its subdivi-
sions are too small; that it affords only
one real measure in each series, and
many of its measures are nominal: that
its standards are of inconvenient size;
that it's measures of capacity are bad
and unnatural, and, finally, that. the
scientific connection between its meas
ures of capacity and weight is unsatis-
factory. The advantages of a French
system, in a word, are. it is held, theo-
retical and not at all practical. A re-
form of our weights and measures, if
undertaken at all. should not, it is con-
tended, proceed on ten as a basis
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