WAR AND THE METRIC SYSTEM.
Is conservative England to be
shocked by the war into giving up her
antiquated systems of coinage,
weights and measures? This sugges
tion comes from a leading editorial
in The Electrical Review (London,
October 15). The war, says the pa
per, is “shaking the foundations of
civilization;” it cannot pass away and
leave things as they were, whatever
its result. There is to be a new re
gime of some kind, and Englishmen
must adapt themselves to it. Effi
ciency is to be its watchward, and to
attain this every obstacle to industrial
and commercial progress must be re
moved. Among such obstacles, The
Review decides, are certainly what it
calls the “obsolete” British system of
measurement. It must be noted that
we Americans here are in the same
boat with the English in all respects
except that of coinage. We “point
with pride” to our decimal system of
dollars and cents as being far more
logical and convenient than the Eng
lish pounds, shillings and pence; but
we stand shoulder to shoulder with
them in our determination to reject
the decimal substitutes for the equally
inconvenient yards, ounces, and pints,
despite the fact that all these long
ago were thrown upon the scrap-heap
by other civilized nations. Says the
British editor:
“In every part of our social, do
mestic and political life the welfare of
the nation must be the predominant
consideration, before which all pri
vate interests must give way. We are
a conservative people; but we must
learn to be progressive, bearing in
mind that any hindrance to our pro
gress must be ruthlessly flung aside.
And surely there is no greater ob
stacle to our commercial welfare than
the obsolete systems—if such they can
be called—of coinage, weights and
measures that handicap our inter
course with foreign nations and im
pede the development of our trade, to
an extent that is fully realized by
few. We have for many years ad
vocated reform in this connection, and
we believe that the return of peace
will afford an ideal and unique op
portunity to bring it about—an op
portunity such as may never recur.
“In normal times a great ob
jection to the adoption of new
weights and measures has been
the ‘dislocation of trade’ that many
feared would ensue; now that our ex
port trade has undergone a com
pound fracture, surely no one will hint
at dislocation. The mind of the coun
try is aroused; men and women in all
ranks of society are alert, they are in
a mood to receive new ideas and to
consider them without that tendency
to prejudice with which we are af
flicted in time of peace. Now, then,
is the time; and we earnestly call
upon all advocates of efficiency and
reform to aid us in our efforts to
convince the opponents of change that
it is their duty to accept new systems
of weights, measures, and coinage,
for the sake of their country’s wel
fare, , , , , ,
“We may observe that, while we
have coupled the metric system and
decimal coinage under one heading,
we do not suggest that they are nec
essarily combined or interdependent;
eiiher could be adopted without the
other, and it is interesting to note
that altho the numbers respectively
for and against these two items are
approximately equal, many of our
correspondents favor one while ob
jecting to the other. In view of the
necessity of economizing clerical la
bor after the war, we are disposed
to regard the adoption of decimal
coinage as of importance second only
to that of the metric system. No one
who has lived abroad for any length
of time will dispute the assertion that
facility in dealing with decimal coin
age is acquired in a very few days,
and that the simplicity of the system
endows it with immense advantages.”
—Literary Digest.
PAPER AS FUEL.
In a circular issued by the German
government shortly after the begin
ning of the war the attention of the
women was called to the value of pa
per as fuel, and they were instructed
to conserve it. Within three months
the waste paper in the different towns
was being soaked into pulp by the
thrifty housewives, formed into little
balls and then dried. These were used
in kindling fires and also to cook
food requiring little heat.
An American firm has improved on
this idea by collecting old newspapers,
packing them into tight rolls about
two inches thick and sawing them in
to three inch lengths. These rolls are
put up into packages of fifty and sold
at a cent a package. Housewives ad
dicted to the use of coaloil in starting
their kitchen fires can use it safely by
having these paper blocks soaked in
it some time before they are to be
utilized.
ICE CONSTRUCTION.
Several thousand dollars were
saved recently by the use of artificial
ice in repairing a leak in a cofferdam
surrounding the uncompleted pier of
a new bridge now being erected at
Cleveland, Ohio.
This cofferdam had been built of
steel strips sunk fifty feet into the
ground and the water had been
pumped out. Before the work was
fairly started the current of the
stream was strong enough to bulge
one side of the dam causing a leak
which stopped the work. After sev
eral other plans had proved unsuccess
ful a refrigerating plant was installed
and eight brine pipes were driven into
the ground surrounding the leak.
The brine was kept at a temper
ature of 10 degrees Fahrenheit and
circulated at a tremendous speed. In
five days it had frozen a solid wall of
mud and ice which effectually stopped
the leak. This was kept frozen until
the concrete had been built to a higher
level than the leak.
ALL RIGHT TO FILL IN.
“Why do you go with that young
man ? He isn’t making enough money
to be married.
“But he is makin enough to provide
theater seats and auto rides for Tues
days and Fridays, and I have those
evenings to spare.”—Louisville Cour
ier Journal.
THE BURNING QUESTION.
Queenie—Have you ever kissed a
girl?
Oswald—Is that an invitation or are
you gathering statistics?—Widow.
YEAR 1915 GIVES ENCOURAGEMENT TO COLORED AMERICAN.
(Continued from first page.)
ican interests and efforts than anything else in recent years.
“The Birth of a Nation,” no matter what its real purpose, has worked
to the benefit of Afro-Americans throughout the entire land, for the efforts
to prevent its production have caused a greater, more sincere and combined
force than anything else in recent years, and the end is not yet. And, too,
il has brought into prominence a greater number of worth-while citizens of
all raecs in behalf of the Afro-American. Such conditions cannot be easily
subverted; and though “The Birth of a Nation” may be produced here and
there, at the same time the aid and assistance of the better element of
citizens as well as the strengthening of their humanitarian views must and
will be responsive to the end that the Afro-American will profit.
Nothing worth while racially can be hoped for without a whole hearted
and sincere campaign in which men and women of all races take a part, and
these elements brought about from within the race must be creative of a
deeper respect in the opinions of mankind generally. If we, as a race, seem
satisfied with conditions and fail to attempt a remedy for the evils, how
can we expect tolerance or respect from the other side?
Nor must the campaign in behalf of woman’s suffrage be overlooked.
The enlistment of woman in any cause for uplift and advancement bespeaks
a wide field of popularity, and a sincere effort for its attainment, because,
woman is the bulwark of the home, which, after all, is the foundation of the
race. In the campaign for the enactment of woman’s suffrage, able women
of the race had opportunity to deliver to the laity pointed truths anent the
benefits accruing from such legislation, and, too, some of them at least,
took advantage of the opportunity to give other valuable information. All
of which must be taken into account in the survey of things racially im
portant in this, the passing year.
The supreme court, the highest tribunal in the land, declared the grand
father clause as unconstitutional and, theoretically, at least, placed the Afro
American on an equal footing with any and all other Americans, from the
point of franchise.
The year 1915 has therefore been a wonderful year. Its record is re
plete with instances of import to the Afro-American, and it must stand far
up in the list of achievements.
The year 191ft just on the threshold of Time inherits a wonderful aggre
gation of important events. Let us not only hope for, but bend all our
efforts to the perfection and perpetuation of these elements of uplift, ad
vancement and the enjoyment of manhood’s rights, firm in the conviction
that each effort in the right direction, whether successful or not, must
create for us as a race, a deeper respect in the hearts of those about us, of
those whom we should and must consider as our friends, and engender an
air of co-operation which in the end will be productive of good and lasting
results.
«
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