On 2008/07/24, at 1:58 PM, Carleton MacDonald wrote:
Some of you may remember over a year ago when I wrote about the
traditional method of measuring change ringing bells
(hundredweights, quarters, pounds).
Here is a description of the bells in a famous church in London that
is refreshingly different.
Carleton
http://www.stmarylebow.co.uk/?Bow_Bells:Bell_Details
Dear Carleton,
Thanks for this reminder of the churches in London as you have brought
to my mind the thrill I had in finding that the Church of St Lawrence
Jewry is where John Wilkins was buried. As you know John Wilkins was
the first person to ever lay out the scope of 'a universal measure' in
his book, 'An Essay Towards a Real Character and a Philosophical
Language' in 1668.
You can find the actual words that he wrote in his chapter 'On
Measure' at http://www.metricationmatters.com/articles as there are
three articles about Wilkins' life and work near the top of that page.
Further down, you will find the 'Metrication timeline' where you might
like to search for 1662, 1666, and 1668 to find a few more details
about John Wilkins and the church where he preached, St Lawrence Jewry.
It's interesting in the history of metrication how many churchmen were
involved in promoting measuring methods that were simple, honest,
open, and worldwide. Many of them held the view that an open and just
measuring system made it easier for people to be honest in their
dealings with each other.
Cheers,
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]
or to get the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter/
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