#The tabular standard.# Apart from the difficulties of its practical operation, a standard better than a single metal and more stable than a single commodity would be a _tabular standard_, consisting of a number of leading commodities in fixed proportions, such as is used in calculating index numbers expressing the general scale of prices.

Such a standard averages the fluctuations of particular goods and would give a fair approximation in practice to the ideals of equal sacrifice and equal enjoyment (on the average tho not in individual cases).

While some natural materials are growing more scarce and call for more sacrifice, other products are by industrial progress becoming more plentiful.

This kind of standard has been viewed with favor by many monetary authorities, and despite the administrative difficulties ways may yet be found for putting it into practice.
After determining the tabular standard, the actual regulation of the quantity of money to make prices conform to the standard might be accomplished in one of several ways.

It might be done by letting the value of the gold dollar fluctuate as it does now, while requiring a greater or less number of dollars to be given in fulfilment of all outstanding contracts.