176 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XX. No. 501. 



ability; but even if we sbould admit that 

 the author of ' The Nebular Hypothesis ' was 

 the ingrate, the time server, the fantastic 

 visionary that he is here represented to be, 

 it is hard to see what logical Connection 

 this can have with the question of interna- 

 tional imiformity of weights and measures in 

 the twentieth century. Mr. Dale seems to 

 think that his cause, that of protection to 

 textile industries, can be helped by such per- 

 sonalities. Of the gTeat mathematician he 

 says : " He was familiar with theories of in- 

 finity, but ignorant of the wants, necessities 

 and limitations of textile manufacturing. The 

 co-workers of this man in constructing the 

 metric system differed from him only in de- 

 gree. They were a party of mathematical 

 prodigies, ignorant of the essentials of textile 

 weights and measures." 



The textile industry is undoubtedly impor- 

 tant, but not enough so to warrant Mr. Dale's 

 apparent assumption that knowledge of its 

 technicalities is needed by the student of 

 science or the legislator. That these technic- 

 alities are abundant and confusing is suffi- 

 ciently shown in his chapter on ' The Con- 

 tinental Chaos.' This oldest of arts has al- 

 ways had its variable nomenclature, which has 

 been developed without any reference to theo- 

 retic consistency or international uniformity. 

 Even if the metric system had never been 

 devised, the chaos could hardly have been much 

 worse than what is here exposed. Attempts 

 in France to dispel this chaos by legislation in 

 behalf of the metric system have been re- 

 warded with little or no success. Conserva- 

 tism has been too strong and vested interests 

 too great to permit the enforcement of any 

 interfering laws. The statutes were passed, 

 but had no life. Scarcely any better success 

 has been had in Germany or, indeed, anywhere 

 else. English and American textile standards 

 seem to have been adopted away from home 

 more than any others, this progress being en- 

 tirely an incident of commercial convenience 

 and not through legislation. Mr. Dale thinl?:s 

 that these textile standards will become the 

 standards of the civilized world. Exiserience 

 thus far certainly seems to indicate that legis- 

 lation which contravenes custom in technical 



arts and manufactures is incapable of enforce- 

 ment. Any attempts to sec"ure change must 

 be wholly unselfish, and directed toward the 

 advantage of future generations rather than 

 of present interests. 



On the whole, this book is much to be com- 

 mended to the attention of metric advocates, 

 despite the unbalanced intolerance of Mr. Hal- 

 sey and the ungenerous personality manifested 

 by Mr. Dale. After discounting liberally for 

 its bitter partisanship there remains a mass 

 of information that must be taken into ac- 

 count by those who wish improvement in our 

 system of weights and measures. If the met- 

 ric system, so thoroughly installed in our 

 laboratories, which are all new, is to be 

 adopted in our industries, many of which are 

 old, no proofs of its excellence will be of any 

 practical value in securing the displacement 

 of what gives satisfaction to those who con- 

 trol trade. If it is finally to win universality 

 it will not be by legislation, but by its superi- 

 ority, demonstrated by a multitude of trials in 

 various fields, each initially on a small scale, 

 and each suggested by the prospect of gain. 

 Hope of general adoption within a few years 

 after the passage of appropriate legislation 

 has to be very limited. This statement does 

 not imply that hope of its final adoption is to 

 be abandoned. Nor must we claim that such 

 adoption will simplify our weights and meas- 

 ures at first; it will merely add to the di- 

 versity; an addition to be deliberately made, 

 with the prospect of the final disappearance 

 of all except what experience may prove 

 to be the best standards. Metric advocates 

 believe these to be the metric standards. Be- 

 fore final adoption standards must be sub- 

 jected to competition like all else, and only 

 considerations of utility will determine the 

 survival of the fittest. 



There is no reason for metric advocates to 

 relax their efforts to secure the adoption of 

 the metric system by the government and its 

 use in all government departments. An inter- 

 national system of weights and measures may 

 gradually become established for the benefit 

 of international commerce. Whether it will 

 be adopted in interstate commerce can not 

 now be predicted. Initial legislation should 



