Polytechnic Association. 935 



federal currency. We have the half dollar, the quarter of a dollar 

 and we used to have the eight and the sixteenth. We did not find 

 those smaller divisions necessary, and have now abandoned them. 

 We might reduce our system to a much greater degree of conveni- 

 ence, without adopting the meter, if we would decimalize our foot, 

 and make the higher denominations multiples of the foot. If we 

 want to know the number of feet in a given number of miles, there are 

 two ways to perform the operation. We may multiply by 5,280, the 

 number of feet in a mile, or we may multiply by eight, the number 

 of furlongs ; then reduce the furlongs to rods, and reduce the rods to 

 feet ; either of these is very troublesome. But suppose we had 1,000 

 feet to the mile, as the French have 1,000 meters for their mile, we 

 should then know the number of feet instantly. Why should we not 

 decimalize our own system as the Danes, the Swedes, and the Nor- 

 wegians have done ? But if we adopt the meter, we shall put our- 

 selves in harmony with all the world. 



When we talk about the advantages of a new system of weights 

 and measures, people are very apt to say that they cannot change, and 

 that we cannot make them change. We do not intend to make them 

 change ; we wish them to change voluntarily. But if you will look 

 at the history of the world, you will find that there have already been 

 changes which have involved equal difficulties. 



For instance, for a thousand years half of Europe had one system 

 of numeration and the other half had another system. One was the 

 Greek and the other was the Roman system. We have rejected the 

 Greek for all uses now, because the Greek alphabet is not in our print- 

 ing offices ; but we still retain the Roman system upon our clocks, 

 for paging in parts of books, for headings of chapters, etc. We do 

 not use it for arithmetical operations. We do not extract the squai'e 

 root by means of the Roman numerals. The Roman had to learn 

 the Greek notation if he went to Athens ; and the Athenian had to 

 learn the Roman notation if he went to Italy. 



In the tenth century there arose a remarkable man by the name of 

 Gerbert, a peasant, who worked upon clocks, and who manifested 

 great ingenuity. That was in the middle of the dark ages, when the 

 little light that there was in Europe was not in the possession of the 

 Christian nations. There were a few philosophers, but their labors 

 brought upon them persecution, because they were believed to be 

 dealing with evil spirits ; and there were a few monks by whom 

 learning was kept alive. But the most enlightened people were the 

 Moors, in Spain. Gerbert had very little opportunity for education ; 



