2. English Measure

The usefulness of a system of measure depends upon the unvarying identity of its unit together with its terminations. History informs us that from the earliest periods of civilization the unit of all systems of measure has been fixed by law or custom. In early periods there were many systems, and the multiplicity of systems of measure naturally led to much embarrassment to the commerce of the world. To transform values in trade from one system to another has always been a difficult task in regulating trade between nations.

The term "foot" has been in use for more than 2000 years, but with different meanings, having its origin in the republics of ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Tradition tells us that the Olympic foot was derived from the length of the foot of the mythological Hercules. The Greeks also had several other foot measures differing in length. These varying standards of length in early periods were the causes of much trouble in the exchange of commodities.

The unit of English measure is the yard. It was recommended by the Royal Society and became a legal standard Jan. 1, 1826. Part of the statute is as follows:

"The straight line or distance between the centers of the two points in the gold studs in the straight brass rod now in the custody of the clerk of the House of Commons, whereon are the words and figures ' Standard Yard, 1760/ shall be, and is hereby declared to be, the unit, or only measure of extension whatsoever, whether the same be linear, superficial, or solid, shall be derived, computed, and ascertained".

In case such standard be lost or injured in any way, the act provided that it should be restored by referring to the length of "the pendulum vibrating seconds of mean time in the latitude of London in a vacuum at the level of the sea." The length of this pendulum was declared to be 39.1393 inches.

The House of Parliament was destroyed by fire in 1834 and the standard yard was lost. A commission was appointed in 1838 to restore the standard. The commission reported that a standard bar of gun metal, 38 inches long and 1 inch square, the distance between two lines on which, crossing two gold studs, is one yard, at 62° F. and 30 inches atmospheric pressure. This standard was legalized in 1878.

In 1814 a brass scale by Troughton, of London, was obtained by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. This scale was 82 inches long and the part from the 27th to the 63d inch line was adopted as the unit of length. In 1830 the United States Treasury Department adopted the Troughton scale as a standard of length. The Constitution of the United States provides that: -

"The Congress shall have power to fix the standards of weights and measures." (Art. I., Sec. 8, CI. 5).

For table of linear measure see Appendix B.

3. The Metric System

Some one has said that the metric system is a product of the French Revolution. By a law passed on Aug. 1, 1793, the metric system was established as the only legal standard of weights and measures for France and the French possessions. The system has since been adopted by Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and by all European nations except Russia and Great Britain, and its use is permitted in these nations. The population of the countries in which this system has been legalized aggregate about 350,000,000, or about one-fourth the entire population of the earth. Its value and usefulness is in the simplicity of its multiples.

The Metric System was legalized in the United States by Congress, July 27, 1866. Part of the act is as follows:

"The tables in the schedule hereto annexed shall be recognized in the construction of contracts, and in all legal proceedings, as establishing, in terms of the weights and measures now in use in the United States, the equivalents of the weights and measures expressed therein in terms of the metric system, and the tables may lawfully be used for computing, determining, and expressing in customary weights and measures the weights and measures of the metric system".

The units of the metric system are as follows: 1. The unit of length is the meter. It is nearly the ten-millionth part of a quadrant of a meridian, or the distance between the equator and a pole. It is also defined as the distance between two lines on a platinum-iridium bar at zero degree Centigrade. This bar is deposited in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, Paris, France. 2. The unit of surface is the are. 3. The unit of capacity is the liter. 4. The unit of solidity is the stere. 5. The unit of weight is the gram.

The tables with their values, multiples, and sub-multiples referred to in the above act are found in Appendix B.