South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-12-06
A Good ine F or
World to Unity
its Standards
BY GARRETT p. .sERvIss.


on this side OF the big pond is going
10 meet in housekeeping for peace
and goodwill among men, why not
let us have, @or good measure. the
decimal system? Such an agreement
is brotherhood in itself! The Eng
speaking nations will soon find
a compensation and a very satisfac-
tory one for what initial inconven-
fence they may incur ny such an
agreement BY getting their language
| universally adopted on the par with
any nations own mother language.
1 do not need 10 explain how such
a unit OF expression would simplify
work, save time and make us all
feel-forward. forward. per ardira
ad astra! What is your opinion p
Constant Reader"
II is, OF course. the metric system
TO which you refer, that being the
only complete system OF standard Of
measurement worked out in the plan
OF decimal notation. or reckoning by
tens. There could be no stronger
argument in favor of the worldwide
adoption of the metric system than
the fact that IL is. and for a long
time has been. the system univer-
sally employed in scientific calcu-
latiOns and scientific text books
There was a time. and that not
long ago. when Englishmen defend
/ ed their cumbrous system Of weights
and measures Crlie monetary part
| Of which we Americans fortunately
! threw aside at the beginning) as
vigorously as If II had been the pal
ladium of their liberties. But they
have gotten over that. and both the
metric and the British systems are
used Both in Great Britain and this
country the opposition has had Il
commercial basis. II would cost
! money 10 make the necessary
changes OF gauge for the manufac-
ture OF tools and machinery.
But the money cost would be a
oagatene In comparison with what
we have had to pay to keep a mad
man from throttling the world. and
/ II is likely that the experiences %
our manufacturers in the war will be
a powerful help toward the adoption
here OF the metric system. II is
perhaps. no dream that the war
would have been greatly shortened
If the metric system had been in
I sole and universal use among the
! allies at its beginning. One gauge
for all their arms and all their ma
chimes would have assured unity of
action from the start.
Now that the world is TO be
united as never before, and now
that the nations are to safeguard
their peace and freedom by COM
bined action for the common good,
no more essential step could be
taken than that which the universal
use OF the metric system would in
| sure by giving one SCI of standards
for all mechanical, scientific. indus
trial and military work. and afford
! ing. at the same time. the clearest
and most rapid methods Of calcula-
ton.
One has only to see. Just once. the
great saving Of effort and the great
! increase in clarity of comprehension
that attend the use OF the metric
system by the school children Of
| France. as compared with the effects
| upon the mind Of our ordinary.
complicated system Of weights and
measures. in order to become an ad-
vocate of a change that would marx
an advance for which future genera
tons would be grateful.
More and more the progress Of
civilization IS going to rest upon