OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 113 



their trials. The instructor can see all the main features of 

 the training errors. Occasional regular records should be 

 taken at this stage only to show the rate of progress or as the 

 mechanical proof of the judgment of the instructor that the 

 recruit was or was not fitted to go on. Probably the men who 

 make the best progress, or some proportion of them, should 

 then be introduced to the firing pointer's more complex co- 

 ordinations. Each group should be encouraged to practice 

 by themselves without records. The formal records of each 

 group should be posted to stimulate competition. Each rec- 

 ord should have the benefit of individual criticism. The rec- 

 ords of the trainers will show if the recruit's attention lapsed; 

 if he got mixed up in the manipulation of his gears; if he 

 started too slowly; if he tried to beat the roll; if he was irreg- 

 ular and jerky — as well as the accuracy of his training. The 

 records of the pointers will show similar faults in the pointing 

 coordinations, and in addition, if he fired when the vertical 

 wire was ofi"; if he stopped pointing to press the firing button; 

 if he failed to fire when on; if he fired off"; as well as whether 

 he failed to "follow through" sufficiently long after pressing 

 his firing key. 



"Undoubtedly others besides raw recruits would profit by 

 occasional graphic records and their criticism, especially those 

 whose work at actual target practice failed to give evidence 

 of adequate coordinations. 



"The following letter from Rear Admiral L. C. Palmer 

 was a very welcome summary of the naval estimate of the 

 instrument: 



Navy Department, 

 Bureau of Navigation, 

 Washington, D. C, March 4, 1918 



My dear Professor Dodge: This Bureau is in receipt of an offi- 

 cial report from the Commanding Officer of the Armed Draft De- 

 tail at the Navy Yard, New York, containing a description of an 

 instrument devised by you for the primary purpose of selecting 

 from among recruits those who are naturally fitted for training as 

 gun-pointers. 



The report indicates that in addition to fulfilling its primary 

 purpose, the instrument has proven of great value as a device for 



