VIEWS ON EDUCATION 203 



top, and such a man should be a graduate. Do that and you will 

 affect the whole of the schools from top to bottom. It appears 

 to me that the inventive faculty is the one most pleasant to 

 exercise, and there your idea of pleasure comes in, as an end in 

 science teaching. But only inventors can teach to invent, and 

 discover the inventive faculty in others. Now I am afraid that 

 is almost lost sight of in schools. I gave a paper to the Assistant 

 Teachers and Pupil Teachers here some two months ago very 

 much on these lines. . . . 



I am afraid I have been rather discursive, but this letter has 

 been written at several go-s." 



Since this was written some steps have been taken 

 toward the system of awarding degrees for research 

 work at the University of London, and more recently 

 at Oxford and Cambridge. 



As already mentioned Ramsay held tenaciously to the 

 view that examinations should be conducted by the 

 teachers, and generally by the teachers only. He 

 served a term as examiner at the University of London, 

 where, of course, he had to administer a system which 

 was not harmonious with his own opinions. But that 

 he was a careful and sympathetic examiner is illustrated 

 by the following extract from a letter, 24th July, 1899, 

 to Professor Smithells : 



" Do you know what Huxley once said about exams. ? ' I 

 don't care who sees the papers of those who are ploughed ; but 

 God forbid that any one should see those of the candidates who 

 pass.' Perhaps if I tell you our plan of action, you will see how 

 certain it is that no one who should pass escapes passing, while 

 many who should fail pass. 



In the first place there are 600 marks given for the two papers. 



