The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-07
AN ABSURD PROPOSITION.

an advantage to the departments them
selves, but will do much toward bringing
about the general adoption of the system
by the public" This virtually recommends
the adoption of the so-called metric sys-
tenn In the departments and operations Of
the government. The secretary thinks this |
would do much towards bringing about the |
general adoption of the system by the pub
lie. 1t would be more likely to call out a |
popular protest and strong demand for a |
return to the present system. When the
people found annual reports to which they |
look for information regarding the oper-
atoms Of the government filled with such |
words as meter, decameter, hectometer,
kilometer, are. hectare and centiare. liter. |
decaliter and hectoliter, gram, decagram.
hectogram, and a score Of other strange
terms in place of the familiar inch, foot.
yard. pint, quart, gallon, ounce, pound,
hundredweight, etc, the meaning Of which
they know so well, they would want to
know who had directed or authorized the
introduction of such gibberish in govern
ment reports, and why it was done. They
which had been used by their ancestors
for hundreds of years and were part of
the daily life of all the people ought not
to be displaced by a lot of new-fangled
words of Latin origin, devised in France
and sought to be forced on Englsh-speak-
ing peoples by theorists and academicians
under the false pretense of progress.
If the secretary of the treasury really
favors the compulsory introduction of the
metric system in the government depart
ments and thinks that would tend to pop
ularize 1t among the people, he must have
fallen under the influence of some of the
scientific faddists in the Treasury Depart
ment. If he should go among his old
neighbors and constituents in Iowa with
such a suggestion they would ask him.
What are you giving us?' The PROPOSE
ton to introduce the so-called metric sys-
TEN has It's origin in the idea that change
is always reform. 1t does not come from
the people and Is not founded in any pop
| ular need. The of the system is per-
| mitted in Great Britain, but it has made
| little or no Roadway there 1t has been
legalized in this country since 1866 but the
| people do not want it. A good many scien-
| lists favor it because it is the language
Of science in Europe, but that is no reason
why the English language should be revo-
| lutionized. The extent to which such So
called reforms can be carried is shown by
a proposition made at meeting of the
| American Society Of Mechanical Engineers
| in New York during the past week. The
of the members favoring and others oppos-
| ing it, when Professor Reeve, of the Wor-
/ cester Polytechnic Institution, declared that
the metric system was inaccurate and cum
| bersome. He proposed what he called a
duodecimal system, which he said was much
simpler and more accurate. Following is
an outline of his system:
| The digits he proposes are those now in
| use, that is, from 1 to 8, inclusive. but he
adds two new digits; dek, having the value
! of decimal 10. and elm, with the value of
decimal IL. For twelve he would use the
| figures TO-. and call II doz. He also pro-
poses new characters to denote the dek and
| elm.
! inaugurate new notations, samples of which
| are: DOE indicated by TO-. meaning one
| dozen; doZ-nine indicated by 49,. meaning
| 81; twodz-one for two dozen and one; fidze
for five dozen; eighdz for eight dozen and
nidZe for nine dozen
The basis Of the system is the dozen, he
said, and he showed charts of the multi
plication system, which gave the result of
ks as 49,. meaning four dozen and eight
His system is worked out to take care also
of linear and columetric measure, meas
ures OF weight and area and even a system
of money.
II we are to have the most advanced sys-
tenn in the government departments per-
haps Congress had better introduce the
duodecimal system. Yet the House COM
mittee on coinage. weights and measures
has favorably reported a bill making the
use of the metric system compulsory in the
departments. The chairman of the COM
mittee is urging its passage on the ground
that the world needs a universal standard
of weights and measures. There are some
persons who think the world also needs a
universal language, but Congress would
hardly be justified in ordering its proceed
ings and the department reports to be print.
ed in volapuk language The proposition tc
make the use of the metric system compul-
sorry in the departments of the government
|, should not be entertained for a moment.
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