The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-10
Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Co.
A COSMOPOLITAN COIN.
The Aid 1t Would Be to Travellers in
All Countries.

For mary years commercial men OF
all nationalities have spoken and writ
ten on the subject of the introduction
of a system of coinage which should
have a universal standard. The pro-
position has failed to meet with success
on account of the difficulty in persuad-
ing the people of different countries to
abandon their own systems of coinage,
which appear to them part and parcel
of themselves, as much as their ian
guage Itself.
THE time seems approaching" says
a Philadelphia financier, when it will
be possible and perhaps advisable, for
the great nations of the earth to meet
in convention and adopt a coin which
shall be cosmopolitan, the weight and
fneness Of which might be determined
by the convention, and the mfnting Of
which might be intrusted to body of
experts made up of representatives
from all the nations who care to enter
into the project. II may be some time
before this comes about, yet it would
greatly facilitate International business,
especially since large international
transactions have come to be quite
common. Such a coin would probably
never supplant the coin local to the
various countries in which also cosmo-
politant coin became current, yet with
education taking such strides as it
seems to be doing everywhere it ought
not to be difficult to instruct the chill
dren in schools in the table of the pro-
posed cola, and give them practical il
Illustrations of its use. Such coin
would not be welcomed enthusiastically
by small traders in different countries
who are wont to profit by the unfamil-
iarity of travellers with the coin of the
realm and their natural bewilderment
in attempting to fix in their minds the
comparative value of articles considered
in relation to the money they have al
ways handled, but it would be a boon
to the great travelling worlds public
to our globe trotting commercial
traVelers, TO opulent tourists and to in
digent erligrants. The current is sure
ly in the direction of a universal har-
mon.zing of commercial interests and
the elimination of all the little tricks
by which people deal to themselves
lucky cards and a relegation of all
things ana people in trade to a sound
basis of intrinsic merit"
1.-THE subject of a COSMOPOLITAN coin
is not new one" said George Steven
son, of the banking firm. of Sailer &
stevenson, recently. In some of the
aspects of the case it appears to be
very desirable. 1t has been suggested
that the various commercial nations
agree upon gold coin, of uniform
weight and fineness, to be given a name
which, would be understood in most OF
the countries agreeing to it's coinage.
Each country is to coin it's own pieces.
and to be responsible for their accur-
acy. The coin is to have on one side
the stamp or legend of the country
coming it, and on the other it's univer-
sal name. 1t will readily be seen that
with such a coin in universal use, both
in practice and accounts, commercial
transactions would no doubt be glS9t-
~ facilitated. l do not look, however,
for its early accomplishment.
Its desirability is not sufficient to
overcome the long established customs
OF the various countries so as to lead
them to relinquish the names and STYLES
or their various coins. Conservative
England, for instance, with it's cum
brous system, is not likely to relinquish
its pounds, shillings and pence and
adopt the decimal system of France.
Germany, Italy and the United States.
And it is not likely that the latter
would give up their quick and handy
decimal system for that of England.
On the whole, the idea is a very good
one but, like many other good things
like the proposed metricab system. for
nstance-impossible of accomplishment
for various reasons at present.-Phil2
adelDhia Traveller Htt'"