Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1905-10-19
NATURAL MEASURES.
SOME PERSONAL SUBSTITUTES FOR
THE FOOT RULE.
Accurately Compile Your own Table,

Valuable Service to You.
When the dressmaker wishes TO es-
innate the number of yards in the
piece of cloth furnished she will, four
times out of five, measure it swiftly
between her chin and her outstretched
she will fold the bended upper joint
of her thumb along the cloth.
She calls the one measure a yard
and the other an inch, and the estimate
is usually close enough 10 serve her
purpose, although there are inches Of
difference in the length of arms. and
slight turn of the head will cause still
greater error.
Since these methods have proved
themselves so useful in spite of their
inaccuracy, it is easy to see how valu-
able some similar measures which
can be depended On wauld become.
The Individual must necessarily be
the first consideration. 1t is hardly
within the bounds of possibility to find
two persons identical in those dimen-
sions of which use can be made Thus
each must establish his own fable of
measures.
The forearm-from point OF elbow
10 tip of middle flnger-ls one of the
most practicable of the natural meas
ares. This is the cubit of Scripture
Set the point of the bent elbow in the
corner Of the wall. Holding IL nrm1y
there, straighten tba forearm and fin
gers, DaGk the point reached by the
middle digit and measure carefully the
distance to the wall. 4 man Is iikeiy
to find this measure about twenty
inches, 2 Woman about sixteen.
ror making. quick measurement az
the side of room, the iensth OF a
wood pile, and fo forth. this idea has
some very useful qualities.
fake the foot rule now and spread,
or rather span, tho hand to its utmost
upon it. There is sure to be differ
enee between the right and left, so
use always the same hand. or have q
separate measure for each.
If extended rigidly to tts utmost each
time the iBcaea s'spanned" will be a
practically fixed quantity Note the
measurement carefully, as before. 1t
Is most likely to be for an adult from
seven and one-half to nine inches,
This is an even moro convenient
measure than that OF the forearm, since
it can 20 conveniently applied either
horizontally or vertically and at any
point where the hand can reach.
The "hand'' of four inches used in
the measurement of horses is of course
derived from the breadth of the palm.
But this has become so firmly fixed in
its ono use that 1t may as well be omit
ted here The measure of thumb and
palm is, however, worth consideration.
The measurement from the opposite
edge of the palm to the end Of the eX-
tended thumb is very nearly six inches
and is therefore q convenient unit.
These measures need, of course, to be
supplemented by a shorter one, and
here is the opportunity of our old
friend the thumb joint. Bend the
thumb sharply and measure an the
back from the point os the knuckle,
over the nail. 10 the end Of the fleshy
ball of the thumb.
The resulting unit is likely to vary
from seven-eighths Of an inch to one
and one-half inches If the measure
ment does not "come OUT In oven
quarter inches use finger second joint
instead 1t will be as reliable and al
most as convenient.
Everybody knows. or should know,
his own height with sufficient exact
ness, but Il still more useful piece of
knowledge is the height of the eyes.
This is, as a rule, about four and one
quarter inches less than the total
height, But do not accept this sub
traction for the new table; measure.
When None is standing erect, with the
face close to the wall II is easy to
mark the exact point IN front of ones
eyes when they are looking straight
ahead. This measure will vary to n
trIflIng extent with the changing thick
ness of boot soles, and so forth, but
such an error rarely rises above one
sixteenth of an inch IN the foot,
The measure OF ones outstretched
arms-beginnlng and ending with the
tip Of the middle flngers-is another
valuable thing to know. The familiar
theory that this "span" is the same as
the height is not correct enough to be
depended upon for purposes OF meas
urement
A much used natural measure is the
pace. Probably everybody who has
much to do with land is accustomed TO
employ it. The usual way Is to stride
off, taking as long steps as possible
and "calllng" each pace yard. A far
better way is to measure the natural
step and continue to walk with 1t.
Take twenty or thirty ordinary walk
ing steps on level ground, measure the
distance and secure the average length.
When the table OF natural measures
Is fully compiled 1t Will bo somewhat
like this:
Thumb fninf IL Inchaa