The record-union., 1899-11-28
THE METRIC SYSTEM AND PRAC
TICE.

The Associated Chambers of Com
merce of Great Britain, at their recent
session, almost unanimously adopted
the following resolution:
That the association, reafirming It's
frequently expressed opinion that the
metric system of weights and measures
should be made compulsory in the
United Kingdom, strongly urges her
majestys Government to use 1t IN all
Government departments and to enforce
strictly the existing provisions in the
education code with regard to the
teaching of examination in the subject
in elementary schools, and that repre-
sentations to this effect be made to the
Government.
Many years ago the Government OF
Great Britain expressed its favor OF the
metric system It went SO far as to
introduce it's use into many depart
ments of Government to ascertain how
far the employees would take it UP with
out difficulty. The experiment was en-
tirely satisfactory.
Yet the system has made no real ad-
vance since in England or any OF her
dependencies. and in the very depart
1nents where it was once in use it has
been dropped. 1t is explained that TINS
result is due to the fact that its use
was not made uniform in all depart
ments, and that to attempt to use it in
a few branches of Government and not
those others in constant communica-
ton with them was folly.
In this country resolution prevailed
in Congress many years ago favoring
the metric system; it was given fair
trial in some departments, and no ver-
diet was recorded against it. On the
contrary, it had enthusiastic indorse-
ment. Nevertheless it has never been
formally adopted, and it has fallen into
the rut of the forgotten.
Time and again the educational asso-
Citations and conventions of the country
have endeavored to push the system
into actual use, but uniform failure has
resulted, the commercial world of Amer
lea rejecting it for home use. In the
educational system Of this State the
teaching Of the metric system is re-
quired in the common schools, and the
text books provided for the purpose are
ample. Yet as matter of fact it is
taught only perfunctorily, and we have
1t from direct authority that applicants
for graduation from the COM
mon schools in a large ma
jority are deficient or fail in the ex-
animation in the metric system. We
doubt very much if the pupils in the
public schools where it is taught have
1t SO deeply impressed upon them as to
be of any practical usefulness to them
1t is. then. rather side matter, and if
SO it is of very little value If we are
to adopt 1t at all it should be taught
thoroughly and introduced so far into
everyday practice that it would be as
familiar to the child as is the system
we use in business transactions.
If this conclusion is well grounded,
then one of two things should be done
either abandon the teaching of the
metric system in all except the higher
schools, or make it so thorough that it
Will be Of value to its recipients
throughout life. OF course, until the
system is introduced into business life
this value will be comparatively small
But the thorough teaching of the sys-
TEN would tend to it's earlier adoption
by the general public
Unquestionably it is an economic
system. It's adoption would make our
now conflicting laws concerning weights
and measures uniform 1t would en-
able us to deal more easily with for
eign countries where the system is in
use 1t would save time and compli-
cation and much annoyance in trans
lation of the measures of one sys-
TEN into the standards of another.
Throughout Continental Europe the
metric system is in use in all communi-
cation between countries, and in sew
erai of them it is in use in purely do
mestic business also.
IT the commercial forces of Great
Britain should succeed in introducing
into that country, it will go very far
toward bringing the United States into
line also. since our commerce with
Great Britain is so great and close. Let
our Government once resolve that in
all its reports, communications and Off
cial documents it will express weights
and measures by the metric system,
and it would be but comparatively a
brief time before all the States would
fall into line, and in perhaps less than
five years the whole people would be
using common tongue with the most
of those of Europe, SO far as expressing
intelligence of weights and measures is
concerned.
Sending plum puddings to Tommy