METHUEN 



3757 



METRIC SYSTEM 



tarded the work of Methodism in the United 

 States will be closed. The General Conference 

 of the Northern branch, in 1916, took definite 

 steps in this direction. That such union can 

 be accomplished successfully is proved in the 

 case of Canada. In 1883 all the branches of 

 Methodism there united, and since that date 

 a movement has been on foot to join in this 

 union the Presbyterian and Congregational 

 churches, as well. 



Doctrines and Government. The doctrines of 

 the Church, based on the specific teachings of 

 Wesley, have changed little, nor have they 

 ever been the subject of much controversy. 

 A belief in the divinity of Christ is funda- 

 mental, and other doctrines assert that all men 

 are sinners, who may through belief in Christ 

 receive forgiveness and adoption into the fam- 

 ily of God; that God, while hating all sin, 

 loves all men ; that Christ died to make possible 

 salvation from sin; that the Holy Spirit is 

 given to convict men of sin; and that "sancti- 

 fication," or living constantly in a spirit of 

 love toward God and men, is possible to those 

 who earnestly desire it. 



In its form of government the Church is 

 Episcopal, that is, it is organized as a hierarchy, 

 with bishops at its head. The governing body, 

 in most countries, is a General Conference 

 which meets but once in four years, and is com- 

 posed not only of bishops and other officials, 

 but admits clerical and. lay delegates, as well. 



Influence. With a membership in 1915 of 

 over 7,300,000 in the United States, 1,800,000 in 

 the United Kingdom, 351,000 in Canada, and 

 considerable numbers in Asia, South America 

 and on the continent of Europe, the Methodist 

 Church stands as one of the strongest of all 

 Protestant denominations. It is also, and 

 always has been, one of the most aggressive. 

 It .did much to bring about the abolition of 

 slavery and much to forward the cause of gen- 

 eral education, and to-day wherever Metho- 

 dism has gone there are schools and colleges. 

 Its missions are in all parts of the world, and 

 its numerous publishing houses spread Christian 

 literature broadcast. 



Consult Tigert's The Making of Methodism; 

 Green's Mission of Methodism. 



METHUEN, methu'en, MASS., a city of Esr 

 sex County, thirty miles north and west of 

 Boston, close to the New Hampshire state 

 boundary line-. It is on the Spicket River, a 

 short northern tributary of the Merrimac, and 

 on the Boston & Maine Railroad. The popu- 

 lation, which in 1910 was 11,448, was rep'orted 



by the state census of 1915 as 14,007, and by 

 a Federal estimate in 1916 as 13,921. 



Methuen has an area of twenty square miles. 

 It is an attractive residential town for workers 

 in adjoining towns. Among its art treasures are 

 a large statue of Washington, sculptured by 

 Ball, and one of the best-known memorial win- 

 dows by John La Farge. The city has Nevin's 

 Memorial Library, a fine high school building 

 and the Nevin's Home for Aged and Incurables. 

 There are manufactories of cotton and woolen 

 goods, yarn and hosiery. 



Methuen was first settled about 1641 and was 

 a part of Haverhill until 1725, when it was in- 

 corporated as a separate town. W.L.S.G. 



METHYLATED, mcth'ilated, SPIRIT. 

 See WOOD SPIRIT. 



METONYMY, me ton' i mi, derived from a 

 Greek word meaning change of name, is a term 

 applied to a figure of speech based upon sig- 

 nificant relation of some kind. That is, a 

 thing is called or described by some other than 

 its own name, because the thing spoken of and 

 the thing referred to have some important rela- 

 tionship. There are several kinds of metonymy, 

 but the following are the most commonly used: 



"The kettle boils." It is not the kettle that 

 boils, but the water which the kettle contains. 

 This is the use of the container for the thing 

 contained. 



"He deserves the palm." He deserves not 

 the palm, but that for which it is a sign, the 

 victory. This is termed the use of the sign for 

 the thing signified. 



"Ha.ve you read Shakespeare?" means "Have 

 you read his works?" This is an example of 

 cause used for effect. 



"Gray hairs should be respected." Gray hairs 

 should not be respected, but old age, that of 

 which they are the result. This is the use of 

 effect for cause. 



Synecdoche (which see), in which the part is 

 put for the whole or the whole for the part, is 

 a form of metonymy. 



METRIC, met'rik, SYSTEM, a system of 

 weights and measures which derives its name 

 from its principal unit, which is the meter. 

 The metric system was developed by a com- 

 mission of French scientific men and was 

 adopted as a legal system of weights and 

 measures in France in 1799. During the nine- 

 teenth century one after another of the coun- 

 tries of the world adopted it on account of its 

 simplicity and of the many advantages it pos- 

 sesses over the old local weights and measures. 

 To-day nearly every country in Europe and 



