Though uniform in height and appearance, we do not deem the modern
figures an improvement on the variously-lining figures formerly in vogue,
and now happily coming again into use. The latter can be caught by the
eye with greater ease and certainty, just as lower-case letter can be
read with more facility than continuous lines of capitals. In the new
style the 3 and 8 may easily be mistaken for each other, and so with the
6, 9, and 0; but in the old style figures such errors are quite unlikely
to happen, as some of them occupy the centre of the body only, and others
are ascending or descending characters. The example here given will show
the justice of our remarks:
~1~ ~2~ ~3~ ~4~ ~5~ ~6~ ~7~ ~8~ ~9~ ~0~
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0