4. THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Some months ago a correspondent of the Times, writing from Cal- 

 cutta, said : 



" The Calcutta University examinations of any year would supply curious 

 material for reflection on the value of our educational systems. The prose 

 test in the entrance examination this year includes 'Ivanhoe.' Here are a few 

 of the answers which I have picked up. The spelling is bad, but that I have 

 not cared to give : 



"Question: 'Dapper man?' (Answer 1.) 'Man of superfluous 'knowl- 

 edge.' (A. 2.) 'Mad.' (Q.) ' Democrat? '' (A. 1.) 'Petticoat Government.' 

 (A. 2.) 'Witchcraft.' (A. 3.) ' Half turning of the horse.' (Q.) 'Babylonish 

 jargon?' (A. 1.) 'A vessel made at Babylon.' (A. 2.) 'A kind of drink 

 made at Jerusalem.' (A. 3.) 'A kind of coat worn by Babylonians.' (Q.) 'Lay 

 brother?' (A. 1.) 'A bishop.' (A. 2.) ' A step-brother.' (A. 3.) ' A scholar 

 of the same godfather.' (Q.) 'Sumpter-mule? ' (A.) 'A stubborn Jew.' (Q.) 

 ' Bilious-looking fellow ? ' (A. 1.) ' A man of strict character.' (A. 2.) 'A 

 person having a nose like the bill of an eagle.' (Q.) ' Cloister ? ' (A.) 'A kind 

 of shell.' (Q.) 'Tavern politicians? ' (A. 1.) ' Politicians in charge of the 

 alehouse.' (A. 2.) ' Mere vulgars.' (A. 3.) ' Managers of the priestly 

 church.' (Q.) 'A pair of cast-off galligaskins ? ' (A.) ' Two gallons of wine.' " 



The fact here drawn attention to as significant is, that these Hin- 

 doo youths, during their matriculation examination, betrayed so much 

 ignorance of the meanings of words and expressions contained in an 

 English work they had read. And the intended implication appears 

 to be that they were proved unfit to begin their college careers. If, 

 now, instead of accepting that which is presented to us, we look a 

 little below it, that which may strike us as more noteworthy is the 

 amazing folly of an examiner who proposes to test the fitness of 

 youths for commencing their higher education, by seeing how much 

 they know of the technical terms, cant-phrases, slang, and even extinct 

 slang, talked by the people of another nation. Instead of the unfitness 

 of the boys, which is pointed out to us, we may see rather the unfit- 

 ness of those concerned in educating them. 



If, again, not dwelling on the particular fact underlying the one 

 offered to our notice, we consider it along with others of the same 

 class, our attention is arrested by the general fact that examiners, and 

 more especially those appointed under recent systems of administra- 

 tion, habitually put questions of which a large proportion are utterly 

 inappropriate. As I learn from his son, one of our judges not long 

 since found himself unable to answer an examination-paper that had 

 been put before law-students. A well-known Greek scholar, editor of 

 a Greek play, who was appointed examiner, found that the examina- 

 tion-paper set by his predecessor was too difficult for him. Mr. 

 Froude, in his inaugural address at St. Andrews, describing a paper 

 set by an examiner in English history, said, " I could myself have 

 answered two questions out of a dozen. And I learn from Mr. G. H. 

 Lewes that he could not give replies to the questions on English 

 literature which the Civil Service examiners had put to his son. Join- 



