404 



TEE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



the effect, before the semester is over, is to discourage the efforts of 

 some students appreciably, 23 do not; 26 believe that the effect of the 

 system has been good, 7 regard it as bad, and 23 as inappreciable. 



TABLE IV 



Univebsity of Missoubi 



Distribution of Grades, 1910 



Discarding the arbitrary divisions employed wherever undefined 

 symbols and numbers are used, we may divide the area of the normal 

 surface of frequency as it is always divided for other scientific purposes. 

 We may mark off a middle area equal to the sum of the two areas left 

 at the sides. Half the students of any group will be represented by this 

 middle area. We may designate this group by the symbol C, or K, or 

 76, or 13, or 289, or we may name it after the chairman of the school 

 board. Much will be gained when we rid ourselves of the notion that 

 the letters and numbers we now use so widely necessarily have any par- 

 ticular meaning. What we call this group does not matter : the signifi- 

 cant thing is that it stands for an ability above and below which half 



