ELISHA MITOHEM. SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 77 



Without dwelling separately on these arti(^lcs, or the argu- 

 ments adduced on one side and the other, I shall content myself 

 with trying to state clearly the reasons for adopting () = 10 as 

 the standard. AVere it a mere matter of sentiment, of securing 

 a larger luimher of integers in the table of atomic weights, or 

 something of that kind, I think all will agree with lue that the 

 change would he mere folly. Such men as Ostwald and Brauner 

 would not waste time quibbling over anything so insignificant. 

 There must be and is something deeper, and it is strange to me 

 that Meyer and Seubert seem unable to see the true point of 

 contention. 



The facts of the case are as follows: Hydrogen, as having the 

 least atomic weight, seems, at first sight, the most ap[)ropriate 

 unit for measuring the others. It admits of all being represented 

 by numbers greater than unity, and none of them of such incon- 

 venient size as in the Berzelius table with O = 100. If we could 

 determine the ratio of the other elements to hydrogen di recti v, 

 that is, if their atomic weights were determined by means of 

 hydrogen, and hence were directly dependent upon this as unit, 

 there would be nothing further for us to desire. Unfortunately, 

 very few such direct ratios can be secured. Only three or four 

 have been determined. 



Under these circumstances, two things are possible. First find 

 the ratio between hydrogen and oxygen, then, using this as a 

 factor, calculate the other atomic weights. Could we find this 

 ratio absolutely, there would be no objection to this method, but 

 it is impossible to eliminate or allow for personal and experi- 

 mental errors. The ratio found can at best be but an approxi- 

 mation. Evidently, by using an approximation to calculate 

 other approximations, we get further and further from the truth. 

 As Ostwald has said, we are introducing totally uncalled for and 

 unnecessary errors, and he is right in styling it, in this stage of 

 our science, a barbarism. As Brauner has pointed out these 

 errors can easily amount to several integers in the higher atomic 

 weights. 



It is not for lack of skilled workers to undertake the determi- 

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