Yes indeed. Plural: arithmetics. I'm working from a photocopy of a
printing done by Congress, so that should be reasonably accurate.
Jim
Pat Naughtin wrote:
Dear Jim,
Thanks for reminding me of the reference to Senator Sumner's remarks. I
had included these in my /Metrication timeline/
at http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/MetricationTimeline.pdf but in
my original I had not included the two crucial issues included in these
sentences:
/Meanwhile it must be taught in schools. Our arithmetics must explain it.
/
I have now emended my web page (see page 55) but could you please
confirm whether Senator Sumner actually used the plural 'arithmetics'.
Cheers and thanks for the reference,
Pat Naughtin
Geelong, Australia
P.S. The reason for your confusion over the dates (1866 vs 1865) might
be because the Metric Act (Kassen Act) was signed into law by President
Johnson on 1866 July 28 and that I think might readily be confused with
Sumner's remarks of 1865 July 27. Here is the reference from the
/Metrication timeline/:
*1866 July 28*
President Andrew Johnson signed The Kassen Act (codified as 15 USC 204
et seq.) into law. This Act defined the meter in terms of the inch, 1
meter = 39.37 inches. 'Sec. 204. Metric system' authorized:
/It shall be lawful throughout the United States of America to employ
the weights and measures of the metric system; and no contract or
dealing, or pleading in any court, shall be deemed invalid or liable to
objection because the weights or measures expressed or referred to
therein are weights or measures of the metric system./
On 2008/05/06, at 4:41 AM, James Frysinger wrote:
Correction, Sumner's speech was made on 1865 July 27. I was off by a year.
Jim
James Frysinger wrote:
Today I am submitting two columns (this week's and next) to The
Mountain View, the newspaper of record for Spencer, TN and for Van
Buren County for which it is the county seat. In the second one, I am
ending with the concluding remarks by Senator Charles Sumner in his
speech before the Senate on 1866 July 27 in support of passing what
became the Metric Act of 1866. I thought that his words were eloquent
and interesting and I present them here.
"By these enactments, the metric system will be presented to the
American people, and will become an approved instrument of commerce.
It will not be forced into use, but will be left for the present to
its own intrinsic merits. Meanwhile it must be taught in schools. Our
arithmetics must explain it. They who have already passed a certain
period of life may not adopt it; but the rising generation will
embrace it and ever afterward number it among the choicest
possessions of an advanced civilization.”
No, I will not publish my columns on this mail list.
Jim
--
James R. Frysinger
632 Stony Point Mountain Road
Doyle, TN 38559-3030
(H) 931.657.3107
(C) 931.212.0267
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has helped
thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the modern
metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they now save
thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for their
businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many different
trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial and
government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA. Pat's
clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST, and the
metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA.
See http://www.metricationmatters.com/ for more metrication information,
contact Pat at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or to get the free
'/Metrication matters/' newsletter go to:
http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter/ to subscribe.
--
James R. Frysinger
632 Stony Point Mountain Road
Doyle, TN 38559-3030
(H) 931.657.3107
(C) 931.212.0267
