326 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



In the latter half of the nineteenth century the reform spread over 

 continental Europe. Spain officially adopted the system in 18-19, Italy 

 in about 1850, Portugal in 1852, Switzerland virtually in 1851,. 

 through the medium of a transition system, and, finally, in 1877, 

 when the complete system was officially adopted. Germany and 

 Austria-Hungary officially adopted the system in 1871. Russia, semi- 

 officially, in 1900. Denmark alone in continental Europe has de- 

 clined to make the change: but even there, it is said that the system 

 is much used, owing to the influence of neighboring countries, in spite 

 of the government attitude. 



The pressure upon the continental European nations to adopt a 

 vniform international system has doubtless been considerable, owing 

 to their relatively close geographical association. Beyond the ad- 

 vantages inherent to the system and its international use, there does 

 not seem to have been any pressure which would have brought about 

 the change. Few persons now living in Spain or in Italy would be 

 able to remember the conditions at the time of inaugurating the metric 

 system. In Germany, however, the official change was made by law 

 only about thirty years ago, and the events connected with the change 

 are remembered by a large section of the people. The testimony seems 

 to be that the change was virtually made in the cities during the course 

 of a few weeks, and in the country districts during the course of a 

 few months ; so that in a year the metric system was practically uni- 

 versal. The manufacturers continued to use their tools, standards 

 and machines just as in the past; except that they gradually measured 

 their products in the new units; and as time went on, and machines 

 became renewed, the machines were changed in such a manner as to 

 produce even metric sizes. 



So far as can be ascertained from the history of transition to the 

 metric system abroad, the transition in this country should not re- 

 quire any machine, tool or piece of apparatus to be discarded or 

 abandoned. The difficulty of transition would not be in expensive 

 new machinery. It would lie in translating the old familiar sizes 

 made by existing machinery into the new units. The trouble would 

 be intellectual rather than material. New price-lists would have to- 

 be prepared in terms of the new units. In stores where sales had 

 been previously made by the yard, they would be made, in the new 

 regime, by the meter, which is a measure about ten per cent, longer. 

 In stores where sales had been made by the pound, the new sales would 

 be by the kilogram, which is somewhat more than two pounds (about 

 2.2). This would involve a change of foot-rules, yard-measures, and 

 sets of scale-weights, together with a change of price-lists. If the 

 change occurred suddenly, there would be great confusion; but if it 

 took place gradually, the trouble would probably not be serious. Tc 



