

77 



TABLE OF WEIGHT. 



ram = 10,000 grams. 

 Kilogram = 1,000 

 Hectogram 100 

 10 



GUAM 1 , 



Decigram A of a gram. 



Centigram T i b 



Milligram ,^ 



Q. Have you any observations to make on thia table ? A. 

 Yea; the myriagram is ran-ly if .-vcr used, and although the 

 gram is the metric unit of weight, the kilogram ia practically 

 the unit for all kinds of business and commerce. 



Q. You have formerly stated that there is a simple mutual 

 dependency between the different parts of the Metric System. 

 Can you give an illustration of this? A. Yes; the table of 

 weight shows the natural dependence of weight on volume, and 

 >re on linear dimension. For instance, since a cubic 

 :ioter of water weighs one gram, one thousand cubic centi- 

 meters, or one liter of water, weighs one kilogram ; and a cubic 

 meter of water, which is equal to one thousand liters, weighs 

 one thousand kilograms, a commercial weight which is com- 

 monly called the metric ton. 



Q. Has the weight of the kilogram been exactly determined 

 in terms of English weights ? A. Yes, by Professor Miller, of 

 Cambridge, acting under the authority of a royal commission, 

 and with the permission of the French Government, in the year 

 1844. It is as follows : 1 kilogram = 15432-34874 grains 

 (7000 grains = 1 Ib. av.). 



Q. Can you state in round numbers the relation between 

 Metric and English weights ? A. Yes ; for all practical purposes 

 ire may assume 10 kilograms = 22 Ibs. 



Q. Is the use of the pound weight consistent with the adop- 

 tion of the Metric System ? A. Yes ; in all those countries that 

 have adopted the Metric System, the half-kilogram is invariably 

 spoken of as a pound, and might be called by us the new pound. 

 Q. Does the half-kilogram differ much from a pound avoir- 

 dupois ? A. No, it exceeds the pound avoirdupois by about a 

 tenth part. 



Q. What are the principal weights for business and commerce 

 in England ? A. The pound avoirdupois, the hundredweight of 

 112 Ibs., and the ton of 20 cwt. 



Q. What are the corresponding weights in the Metric System ? 

 A. The half- kilogram, or new pound, which exceeds the 

 pound avoirdupois by about 1 4 oz. ; the centner of 50 kilograms, 

 or 100 new pounds, which is less than our hundredweight by 

 about 13 Ibs. ; the ton, of 1000 kilograms, which is less thau 

 our ton of 20 cwt. by about 35 Ibs. 



IQ. Having explained the principles of the Metric System, can 

 you state the advantages to commerce that would result from 

 its general adoption ? A. A uniformity of measures and weight*, 

 among civilised nations would enable merchants and dealers to 

 see at a glance what now requires complicated and perplexing 

 calculations, and whatever renders business easy tends always to 

 its increase. 



Q. Of what advantage would the Metric System be to en- 

 gineers, architects, and artisans ? A. A uniform system would 

 enable men of these professions to make use of plans and speci- 

 fications of works coujcructed or projected in foreign countries 

 directly, without the labour of previously reducing them to their 

 own peculiar scales as at present. 



Q. Would the adoption of the Metric System benefit these 

 professions in any other way than that which you have just 

 stated ? Yes ; in consequence of its complete accordance with 

 the principles of decimal arithmetic, and also the mutual depen- 

 dence of all its parts, engineering and architectural calculations 

 would be rendered much more simple. 



Q. What advantages to education do you conceive would flow 

 from the adoption of the Metric System ? A. The abolition of 

 the "Table Book," which is a grievous load on the memory of 

 children, and a great tax on the patience of teachers ; a great 

 simplification of the rules of arithmetic by the abolition of 

 reduction, practice, and all the perplexing sums in compound 

 addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Good books 

 on arithmetic, as in the case of geometry and algebra, might be 

 translated from foreign languages, which is now impossible. 



Q. How would the study of physics, natural science, and the 

 arts bo benefited? A. The difficulties which are at present 

 felt by students in consulting foreign authors, in consequence of 

 the use of various measures and weights, would be wholly re- 

 moved. 



Q. Have you any observations to make on the language of 



the Metric Syatem P A. Ita language ia extremely simple, M it 

 oonaiata of only eleven wordi, viz., the seven prefixes*, myria, kilo, 

 hf-t'i, di-kn, il'i-i, centi, and milli, together with the nama of 

 the four nniti, meter, or. tittrr, 



Q. Why are thone words taken from the Greek and Latin 

 languages ? A. Aa all civilised nations have an equal interact 

 in theae language*, so all cause for national jealouny in adopting 

 them ia removed. 



Q. Have you any obterration to make aa to the mode of 

 spelling them ? A. Each nation ought to apell them after the 

 analogy of its own language : than the Frenchman would apell 

 the measure of road diatanoe kilometre; the Englishman or 

 German, kilometer; the Italian, Spaniard, or Portngoeae, kilo- 

 metro. 



KEY TO LESSONS IN ABITHJCETia-XLVII. 

 EXERCISE 64. MISCELLANEOUS EXAMPLES (continued). 



READINGS IN GREEK. I. 



THE student having now learnt the formation of the words, and 

 the construction of simple sentences, as set forth in the Greek 

 Lessons, will find it desirable to become acquainted as early aa 

 possible with the works of the principal authors who wrote in 

 that language. With this object, we propose to give a series of 

 selections from the Greek classics, with a short account of the 

 works from which they are extracted, accompanied by brief 

 explanatory notes. It is sot our intention to give much assist- 

 ance in the mere translation of the extracts, as the student should 

 learn as soon as possible to rely upon his own powers of inter- 

 pretation, aided by his Greek Lexicon and the Greek Lessons. 

 By this means he will not only be able to obtain a fair idea of 

 the style and manner of the chief writers of Greece, but also 

 to have a model on which to form bis own Greek composition. 

 For this purpose we should advise him first to translate each 

 passage accurately, then render it into idiomatic English, and 

 some days later endeavour to turn this free translation into 

 Greek, which he can compare with the original and correct by 

 it. There can be no doubt that there is no method by which 

 he will so speedily acquire a sound knowledge of the language. 

 At the same time, in order to assist the student in forming his 

 style of translation, wo shall in each successive set of read- 

 ings give a translation of at least one of the extracts in the 

 previous set, sometimes from original sources, sometimes from 

 translations of acknowledged merit. Among the extracts 

 given will be some from the New Testament, the grammati- 

 cal difficulties in which we shall take especial care to explain. 

 Certainly the most valuable practical result to be obtained 

 from a study of the Greek language is the power we ac- 

 quire of being able to read the New Testament in the lan- 

 guage in which it was originally written, and very many men 

 have carefully studied the language solely with this object. 

 Owing to the alterations which have taken place in our lan- 

 guage since the Bible was translated, our translation docs not 

 in every case convey to the mind an accurate idea of the foroa 



