THE METRIC SYSTEM. i 99 



the retailer is or is not facilitated in portioning out these large 

 quantities into small quantities is a question having no business 

 interest for them. More than this is true. Not only have they 

 never in their lives measured out fractional amounts in return for 

 small sums of money, but they have rarely witnessed the process. 

 Their domestic supplies are obtained by deputy, usually in con- 

 siderable quantities; and neither behind the counter nor before 

 it have they with any frequency seen the need for easy divisi- 

 bility into aliquot parts. Their testimony is supposed to be that 

 of practical men, while in respect of the essential issue the use 

 of weights and measures for retail trade they have had no 

 practice whatever. 



See, then, the strange position. The vast majority of our 

 population consists of working people, people of narrow incomes, 

 and the minor shopkeepers who minister to their wants. And 

 these wants daily lead to myriads of purchases of small quan- 

 tities for small sums, involving fractional divisions of measures 

 and money measuring transactions probably fifty times as nu- 

 merous as those of the men of science and the wholesale traders 

 put together. These two small classes, however, unfamiliar with 

 retail measuring transactions, have decided that they will be 

 better carried on by the metric system than by the existing sys- 

 tem. Those who have no experimental knowledge of the matter 

 propose to regulate those who have ! The methods followed by 

 the experienced are to be rearranged by the inexperienced ! 



To the Editor of the Times. 



Sir : I am one of those who believe that this system, in con- 

 junction with its inevitable concomitant, decimals, is one which 

 is absolutely incompatible with mental arithmetic, and that, 

 whatever theorists may say to the contrary, it demands more 

 figures to perform most ordinary sums than does our present sys- 

 tem, when rightly applied ; and, further, is much more likely to 

 lead to error, owing to the very multiplicity of figures, and, above 

 all, to the common error in placing the decimal point. 



But, without further obtruding my views, which I am aware 

 will carry but little weight with your readers, I desire to be al- 

 lowed to send to you an extract from the Comte de Montholon's 

 book, vol. iv, pages 213 to 218, stating the views of the First Na- 

 poleon on this point, thinking that probably this will be read with 

 interest. 



I send also an extract from * Littre*," giving the meaning of 

 the (to me) unusual term * norribre complexe" for which I know 

 of no English equivalent. 



I am, sir, your obedient servant, 



Frederick Bramwell. 



