54 o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



dead-shot whose ultimatum was the duel, ruled to a certain extent the 

 society in which he moved. To test which was the most powerful 

 knight was an easy matter ; for a combat between the rivals was 

 easily arranged, and the result was seldom questionable ; or, if it were 

 uncertain, the relative powers were supposed to be equal. 



In the present day, however, the question of brain-power is a far 

 more difficult problem. We can not weigh brains as we can tea or 

 sugar ; we can not determine their mental capacity as we could the 

 physical powers of knights of old, by setting two of them opposite 

 each other and leaving them to fight it out. "We have, however, ar- 

 ranged various tests which we suppose give us a correct estimate of 

 the brain-power of various individuals. These tests may be better 

 than none at all, yet they are far from being perfect ; consequently, 

 we too often by such means select men to do work for which they are 

 quite unsuited, and to fill offices for which they have no capacity. 



The present is an age of competitive examinations, yet these afford 

 but an imperfect test of brain-power ; for, after a time, competitive 

 examinations become less and less efficient as true tests of intelligence, 

 and sink into a sort of official routine. As examples, we will take the 

 following cases : Brown is the son of an Indian officer who died when 

 his boy was ten years old, and left his widow badly off. Young 

 Brown is intended for the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich ; but 

 his mother's means do not enable her to send him to a first-class 

 " crammer's," so he has to sit beneath the average schoolmaster. He 

 works hard and thinks a great deal, and gains a fair knowledge of the 

 subjects he is required to learn. He goes up to the competitive exam- 

 ination at Woolwich, and finds each question so complicated that he 

 is utterly puzzled ; and, when the results of the examination are made 

 known, Brown is nearly last on the list. 



On the other hand, Smith is the son of a wealthy tradesman who 

 wishes his son to enter as a cadet at Woolwich. Young Smith is sent 

 early in life to a successful " crammer's," to be fattened with knowl- 

 edge as turkeys are crammed for Christmas. The crammer does not 

 confine his attention to teaching his pupils ; but he watches the exam- 

 ination papers set at Woolwich, and he finds that the examiners have 

 each a peculiar " fad," and set their questions in a sort of rotation. 

 He looks carefully over these, and he forms a kind of estimate of the 

 questions which are likely to be set at any particular examination. 

 He therefore trains his pupils for these questions, and is often so suc- 

 cessful in his predictions that at least half the questions have been 

 worked out by these pupils a week before the examination ; and this 

 result is obtained without any collusion between the crammer and the 

 examiner. On one occasion that we know of, seven questions out of a 

 paper of thirteen were predicted as " due " ; and the pupils conse- 

 quently of this crammer were most successful at this " competitive." 

 Young Smith is thus trained, and passes say fifth out of a long list, 



