i6o 



The National Geographic Magazine 



the metrical system possesses special ad- 

 vantages — reducing to a minimum the 

 amount of labor and skill required in the 

 solution of the every-day problems of life 

 involving the use of figures. 



The people of Great Britain, having no 

 practical experience by actual use of the 

 advantages of a decimal system of meas- 

 urement, may have difficulty in realizing 

 the amount of unnecessary drudgery 

 through which they are obliged to go in 

 order to obtain a solution of the simplest 

 arithmetical problems, and they therefore 

 have some excuse for remaining in the 

 rear of progress ; but the United States 

 has no such excuse to offer for her hesi- 

 tation in joining the majority of the civil- 

 ized nations of the world in the adoption 

 of the metrical system. We already have 

 a decimal system of money, and our peo- 

 ple are therefore prepared to appreciate 

 the great saving of labor involved in 

 pushing the decimal principle into all our 

 methods of measurement. We would 

 not, if we could, go back to the old 

 pounds, shillings, and pence of our an- 

 cestors, for we can realize through our 

 every-day experience with dollars and 

 cents the drudgery we are saved in all 

 financial calculations, and are therefore 

 prepared to appreciate, by analogy, that 

 corresponding benefits would arise from 

 our adoption of a decimal system in our 

 weights and measures. 



Let us compare for a moment the arith- 

 metical processes involved in calculating 

 by the old method of pounds, shillings, 

 and pence with the simpler process em- 

 ployed when we deal with dollars and 

 cent? and then apply the results to the 

 metric system of weights and measures. 

 Take any problem that may occur to 

 your mind. Let us take, for example, the 

 figures 1906, which express the present 

 year. Now if we had 1906 pennies and 

 wanted to find out how many pounds, 

 shillings, and pence this amounted to, we 

 must divide 1906 by 12 to find the num- 

 ber of shillings, and then divide the pro- 

 duct by 20 to ascertain the number of 



pounds ; but the moment you adopt a 

 decimal system of money like our own 

 this kind of drudgery becomes entirely 

 unnecessary. No calculation whatever is 

 required in order to reduce the figures 

 from one denomination to another — we 

 simply shift the decimal point. We know 

 at once, without calculation, that 1906 

 cents amount to 19.06 dollars. 



In a similar manner, in using the 

 metric system we know without calcula- 

 tion that 1906 centimeters amount to 

 19.06 meters, and that 1906 grams 

 amount to 1.906 kilograms. No calcula- 

 tion is involved. 



Now compare this simple process with 

 the laborious processes involved in the 

 use of the ordinary measures of length 

 and weight. Take 1906 inches — how 

 many feet and yards? We must divide 

 1906 by 12 to find out the number of 

 feet, and then divide the product by 3 to 

 ascertain the number of yards. Or take 

 1906 ounces — how many pounds? 



Mr Chairman:* What kind of ounces? 



WE HAVE THREE KINDS OF POUND 



Mr Bell: Yes — what kind of ounce, for 

 we have more than one. And what kind 

 of pound — avoirdupois weight, troy 

 weight, or apothecary's weight? In one 

 case we may have to divide 1906 by 16, 

 in another by 12; but the point I wish to 

 make is this : that a calculation of some 

 sort is involved in the mere process of 

 translation from one denomination to 

 another in the same kind of measure, 

 while by the metrical system all this kind 

 of labor is saved — we merely shift the 

 decimal point. 



The amount of labor saved in calculat- 

 ing square measure and cubical measure 

 is still more remarkable. Try square 

 measure first. Take the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 

 5, 6: 123,456 square inches, how many 

 square feet? I will not try to work it 

 out, but you must divide this number by 

 144 to get the number of square feet. 



* James H. Southard, Representative from 

 Ohio. 



