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Show Thursday, January 23, 1969 By Florence Bittner How long is a yard? Well, Page 3 SOUTH SALT LAKE NEWS it was originally the distance from the tip of the nose of King Henry I of England to the end of his thumb. When he departed this frail existence, he failed to leave his nose and thumb behind or any accurate record of just how long that dis- tance was, but for many many years, a yard was from nose to thumb of whoever was doing the measuring. Smart women bought from tall men. Sizes, weights and lengths are now established and carefully guarded by law and the protection of the National Bureau of Standars. Ask them how long a yard is, and they can tell you to within a fraction of an inch, but you wont be allowed to take your yardstick and measure it against theirs. That yardstick is most sacred and is never touched by hand. When it must be taken from its vault, it is carried by forceps and there must always be two men present at such an occasion. One of the men holds the forceps that carrys the yardstick. The other is there to catch the first man if he should fall. Standardization of sizes and weights has become high international finance, and very probably within a few years all of us will have to learn to transpose the pounds and yards and quarts we grew up with into the metric equivalent. It sounds brain stretching exercise, and there are sure to be moans and groans from (me end of the land to Tracy Greenwood, 5, Velma, Okla., won't let crutches or braces fence him in. The 1969 National March of Dimes Boy, crippled at birth by an open spine, doesnt get all his knowledge of the "good old days from stories read aloud by his mother. The new west and the old west are part of his everyday life. The tribal medicine man has lots of feathers, but little knowledge about fighting birth defects. Physical therapist at March of Dimes-financeBirth Defects Center provides the knowhow of strengthening muscles. The lad, who symbolizes 250,000 American babies born each year with birth defects, can be a tough hombre when riding shotgun on an 1868 stagecoach or a willing helper on a 1968 tractor with his dad. d another. Progress, however, marchethon whether we like it or not. Progress has already taken place in the area of weights and measures to an extent we do not realize. During the middle ages weights and measures were as flexible as the boundary lines of most countries. An inch, for example, was the space occupied by three round, dry barrleycoms lined up in a row. A foot was the length of the foot of the person doing the measuring and could vary from 10 to 20 inches. Remember when you read Treasure Island and those other seafaring stories and how the man on the side of the boat would call out to the captain how deep the water was. "Twenty fathoms and a half. And a half nineteen. How long do you think a fathom was? Think a minute. Thats right. It was thedis-tan- ce between a mans outstretched only out about twenty cents, and even I can absorb that shock, but I have come to expect when I buy a half pint of sour cream that when I start the recipe I will have one cup not three fourths a cup or it depends upon whose cup were talking about. arms. Seems they send people around to in tie knots a take it stores all the time to buy little items line, Theyd arms outstretched put which length, every they then take back to the a lead weight on the end of it and office and weigh and measure, and thats how they told how much water if the carton says a pint, thered was under the ship. Which could better be two cups in the carton. account for some of the shipwrecks Standardization is important for if a captain sailed with a tall man people other than housewives who doing the measuring one trip and a want to cut out a dress and want the short one next time. full three yards they bought, imThe variety in measures could agine how perturbed a plumber would also account for some of the dis- be who tried to fit together two putes that arose over such things pieces of pipe which had been made as land, because it depended upon to fit different sizes of barleycorns. Of course I would never be guilty who was doing the measuring. An amount was the for of example, acre, being so indefinite about such of land one man could plow in a day. things. If you dont believe me, ask So you've got a weak field hand my nine year old Jonathan. He says, and you want to measure your land "When you say just a minute, I off by the rod? Know how much a dont know if you mean a minute or rod was? It was the combined length an hour. Now what was that I was saying of the left feet of the first 16 men who came out of church on Sunday. about progress? We don't realize how much standardization has affected all our lives It's an old wives' tale that and how much we depend upon the mix cakes don't keep well. unit of cake same the other guy's using measure we use. Early in their development, I recently bought a container of cake mixes were inferior and the sour cream and when I got home I cakes they produced were tasty found it was only falf full. The way only for a few hours. Today, the 1 hollered, youd have thought it was cakes keep as beautifully as the truffle which I hear is selling in some home baked variety France this year for $80 per pound. to it's impossible say experts It made me stop and think, so I from a comes which cake tell bugave the local better business from is which and "box" grandreau a call just to find out how such mother's favorite recipe. things are controlled. I mean, I was mMMWMMMIIIMJMMM Offtriiii Ym CMm Utah Gmra Pwritiy Fm Fimi IMCIAL CUTS AVAILAIU SaiAST-TMMM-MUM-- Wnppta A Fmh in Mr Uctan tan TMtan la Smm WHOLESALE ait AIL Niuim 4049293 One of the very best ways you can get a new baby started in life is by buying him or her a U.S. Savings Bond. And once youre started, keep on with it. As the baby grows, the Bonds you keep buying will grow, too. When the baby is ready for college, the Bonds will be ready to help pay for college. NOW Higher Rates! The extra interest will 5. bonus added as a at maturity. a full And now you can buy the BondFree-do- m no Share combination any time monthly commitment necessary. Get the facts where you work or bank. U.S. Savings Bonds, new Freedom Shares when Savings Bonds now pay 4.25 held to maturity and Freedom Shares (sold in combination with Bonds) pay 2685 S. MAIN SOUTH SALT LAKE be The U.S. Government doet not pav for tkii adrrrtinement. It it prenented at a public terviet in eooteration with the T rcaturt) Department and The Advertieing Council. |