The Washington times., 1901-10-27

ure has varied so much (nIne and one
quarter inches) from its present recogniz-
ed value. We should not be surprised tn
hnd that the cubit varied from Is23 to
-ol ihches In Egypt. The cubit of the
rourth Dynasty varied from 2062 to 20 81
n.cies-only about one-tenth of an inch
me divided plotting scale lying on the
oraWing board of the statue of G,,dea
equaied 2O.Ss inches. The Babylonian Gu
oit was almost exactly Of the same length
as the Egyptian cubit of the Fourth ~
pI5asty-namely, 2O6 and 205 inches. The
sb.rt 81 st'n cuoit seems to have been rather
snort. measuring 1872 inches; but. accord
1s lts TO recent writer there is good evi
9ence OF another eubit. measuring ahout
2o.25 inches 's "o"u1
Ihe cubit of the Hebrew nation .c-
cording to a number of invasti5a,,,
- teins TO nave been 216 inches. alfhottrh
Lieutenant Totten insists. and seem 10
M naNe proved. that the value of the Jewish
exactly 25 inches va
There Is considerable difficulty in con-
nec.ng the links between ancient and
np' IaeuiSeN5I metrology, for no sharp lines
can pc drawn, and there is a period of
more than a thousand years over which
the connection of units of mea st1rp is vE.r,y
uncertain III cert; The Belgic foot was probably
ceI,ti,rI oFer 10 Great Britain in the tenth
century. Its value, as the foot now meas
-Ires, was 1922 inches: but it had 70 come
IN contact with the legal foot, which was
$50 Had ps thn law as early as the year
incnss in been adopted instead of fbe
, desaI loot of Y inches. only a very
~ sdiiaIi al chanSe would have to be made
10 make 1t one-third of a metre Tho ~
ire Deing about 3937 inches and thee
tiiaeS the value OF the Belgic foot wo,,ld
pe only 029 of an inch longer than the
tind bnt the edict of King Henry /
nad placed the value of the foot at 10
lhches. or one-third of the legal ward
"hich, IN turn, was supposed to he one
haH the distance between the tins of the
InnSeIs OF the outStretched arms of King
i1ehry. IN the year 1924 A. d.. in the
reign OF Edward III, statute was enacted
ihat made the standard inch euuaI to
i, three barley corns round and dry and
~ eve ~, such inches made one foot. Who
OIL us that have lived out our half CEN
tury 90 not remember the old long meas |
1re table commencing with, Three bar |
ley corns make one inch?" 1 believe the |
familiar sentence
inere We're several values of the ward
u the interval between King Henry's
dlne ,ln ana that of the final value which
vas established just 500 years after what |
nay be called the barley corn rtatnte
mere was the yard and handful of 4o- |
hch Ell, which was abolished in 1899: the |
ara ana inch. or a-inch ell. which was |
iDonshed in l553; the cloth ell of 40 inch
s. which was used until 1900 and the
ard of Henry VII, which had a vaiue of
s9e5 inches. within 37.0e0ths of the value
I the yard and handful.
But the mechanic arts cried ouf for n |
'etter standard one that was NOT so
ariable as the barley corn, or the length
/ mans arm. and so early as the be- |
mining of the seventeenth century most
ccurate standards of the yard. foot and
lch had been graduated upon metal bars
y Abram Sharp. Rowley, Sissons. Srnea-
on. Graham, and others, all of whom |
ontributed by their various methods to
Taf1t Of h. 4 ,
tandard
just 500 years after the statute of Ed
ard III which made the barley corn the |
asis of the inch, it was by an act of | !
Ieorge ~, in 1924 that legal definition ;
the yard was made. This declared
nat the yard bar, made by Bird in 17s0, | !
mould be the standard beyond question ,
doubt.-Cassier's Magazine.