284 HUBERT ANSON NEWTON. 



Professor Newton was a member of the American Metrological 

 Society from the first, and was conspicuously active in the agitation 

 which resulted in the enactment of the law of 1866, legalizing the 

 use of the metric system. He prepared the table of the metric 

 equivalents of the customary units of weights and measures which 

 was incorporated in the act, and by which the relations of 

 the fundamental units were defined. But he did not stop here. 

 Appreciating the weakness of legislative enactment compared with 

 popular sentiment, and feeling that the real battle was to be won 

 in familiarizing the people with the metric system, he took pains to 

 interest the makers of scales and rulers and other devices for measure- 

 ment in adopting the units and graduations of the metric system, 

 and to have the proper tables introduced into school arithmetics. 



He was also an active member of the Connecticut Academy of 

 Arts and Sciences, serving several years both as secretary and 

 president, also as member of the council. He was associate editor 

 of the American Journal of Science from 1864, having especial 

 charge of the department of astronomy. His notes on observations 

 of meteors and on the progress of meteoric science, often very brief, 

 sometimes more extended, but always well considered, were especially 

 valuable. 



In spite of his studious tastes and love of a quiet life, he did not 

 shirk the duties of citizenship, serving a term as alderman in the 

 city council, being elected, we may observe, in a ward of politics 

 strongly opposed to his own. 



Professor Newton married, April 14th, 1859, Anna C., daughter 

 of the Rev. Joseph C. Stiles, D.D., of Georgia, at one time pastor 

 of the Mercer Street Presbyterian Church in New York City, and 

 subsequently of the South Church in New Haven. She survived 

 her husband but three months, leaving two daughters. 



In all these relations of life, the subject of this sketch exhibited 

 the same traits of character which are seen in his published papers, 

 the same modesty, the same conscientiousness, the same devotion 

 to high ideals. His life was the quiet life of the scholar, ennobled 

 by the unselfish aims of the Christian gentleman; his memory will 

 be cherished by many friends ; and so long as astronomers, while 

 they watch the return of the Leonids marking off the passage of 

 the centuries, shall care to turn the earlier pages of this branch 

 of astronomy, his name will have an honorable place in the history of 

 the science. 



GLASGOW: PRINTED AT THE UNIVKBSITY PRESS BY ROBERT MACLEHOSE AND co. LTD. 



