The Washington herald., 1907-02-17
THE METRIC SYSTEM.

Uuitor me Washington Herald;
In many cases, the metric is the best
but not in all.
In surveys, no matter what system pre-
walls, vulgar fractions are often necessary
To express exactness.
In some measures of length. the metric
Is too verbose.
The tailor buys his cuts Of cloth-on'
yard and quarter. two yards and a half
anG three yards and a half
In the metric system he would have tC
order two-and-a-half-yard cut by ex-
pressing one meter. fourteen centimeters
and three millimeters; or one meter, one
decimeter, four centimeters. and three
lmillimeters.
Here our system is more concise, as
well as exact
The natural division Of substances is by
halves quarters, and so forth.
The druggist. after mixing his ingredi-
ents, divides his powder in halves and
quarters and the quarters into thirds tc
make the requisite dozens He has No
difficulty in dividing by quarters and
thirds by the eye. If he had to divide
the mass into half and halves into fifths
TO make the requisite ten powders, his
eye is not accurate enough. Twelve is
divisible by two. three. four. and six. Ten
Is diyisibie only by two and five.
The size Of a shoe is a third OF an inch.
the size Of a barley corn; as We learned
in our former arithmetics, three barley
corns make an inch.
The measurement OF shoes is arrived at
by somewhat arbitrary method. Many
OF the old designations Of length were
arrived at by reference 10 natural objects
An inch, the length Of the first joint Of
the thumb; an ell. the length II the arm
yard the distance from a mans nose to
the finger tips extended. So the foot was
the length of a mans foot. a basis for the
measurement for shoes. In practice, one
more inch. 10 make the bakers dozen.
was added, possibly because when the plan
originated the Kings foot was that long.
Take a stick thirteen inches long, divide
Il into three equal parts or lengths. each
third divided into thirteen equal parts. or
barley corns. and YOU have the measuring
stick. The first thirteen parts are omitted
ia the count, the next thirteen parts count
from one 10 thirteen. and the next thir-
teen from one TO thirteen. These numbers
indicate the length Of the lasts upon
which shoes are made In practice the
first third. or thirteen. is shortened by
imposing an upright piece 10 step the toe
against in measuring the foot or last.
The metric system Is more scientific, but
not 50 practical here. The centimeter IS
too large for q whole size ia shoes, and
the millimeter h too small for a half size
Common wood screws are designated
by lengths in Inches and by numbers as
90. sNH
If the smaller numbers is less than "a
mliiimeter. and the larger numbers greater
than a miliimeter Doubtless the metric
nomenclature could apply to lengths, but
there is an advantage iu applying a diff
ferent even though arbitrary. designation
To the diameters. Besides. as noJed above
a mIiimeter is too large 10 note the diff
ference ia the lower numbers
Ribbons. braids and buttons are known
10y indefinite lines. one line being smaller
than miliimeter. For all practical pur-
poses. the metric system would answer
here
a barrel Of shelled corn would mean
three flour barrels and a busheI of cob
corn. As corn in the country is almost
always fed 0u the cob for convenience. il
Is sold that way fO- home consumption.
But as the countryman has no busheI
measure DE Jumps it at the three -four
barrels Obviously the metric nor any
other system would be so convenient
here
Cob corn in the city - sold by weight.
$50 pounds 20 the barrel
our system OF weights and measures
are CAPABLE OF much Improvement. but
should not Dee revOlutionized.
For money. the metric system is m
doubleday The best. and yet Great Britain
sticks GO her pounds. shillings. and pence.
All other civilized countries have the met
ric system for money. Ii would be a
great convenience to commerce TO have
a convertible unit of all the principal
nations.
The computation below illustrates how
this could be done. All the calculations
are IN pure sold.