ON THE INFLUENCE OF EXAMINATIONS. 437 



their effects, not only in checking individuality and progress among 

 teachers, but in tending to substitute facility of reproduction for origin- 

 ality of thought among the taught. It is a bitter disappointment to a 

 young fellow to lind at twenty-two that tlio work required to get on in 



the world is of a different nature from that which has hitherto brought 

 ..... ^ 



hiin success in examinations. 



It may happen that a boy has to get up the same subjects over and 

 over again, to pass some examination in which he has been ploughed in 

 some other subject. For instance, I have known a boy's whole education 

 at a standstill for a year while he is getting up some one subject for the 

 London Matriculation ; and I have known boys go in four or five times 

 for the L.C.C. Intermediate Scholarships, getting up the same ' elementary 

 rxperiraental science' year after year, their scientific education meanwhile 

 being at a standstill, 



S -35. The substitution of unseens for prepared books in the Civil 

 Service examinations has an utterly cramping effect, as it leads to study 

 of cram books of unseens instead of authors. Ordinary examination 

 reports are useless, especially those issued by the Oxford and Cambridge 

 Boards on inspectional papers. 



S 25. Thinks that the examination of schools in classical and English 

 subjects, which is mainly done by the universities, is done very badly. 

 Points out faults and suggests reforms, thus : 



1. Wrong men chosen for examiners — persons who have no experi- 

 ence in teaching in schools or persons who have failed in it. 



2. Theory of examination misunderstood. Its real functions are — 



(a) to stimulate boys ; 



(b) to inform outsiders and governors of condition of school ; 



(c) to improve the teaching. 



The first is partially attained, the second very inadequately performed, 

 the third (by far the most important) practically neglected. The teachers 

 have no confidence in the competence of the examiners to advise or 

 criticise. 



3. Method wrong. 



(a) Examination wholly or mainly on paper, and does not touch 

 some of the most important parts of the master's work, e.g., training of 

 character. 



(b) Papers badly set — 



(n) far too long for boys to have time to think ; 



(/j) test memory rather than brains ; 



(y) questions often loosely and obscurely worded. 



(c) Papers badly looked over owing to laziness of examiner and 

 desire of schools for over-hasty results. 



(d) The reports are practically useless. They do not deal at all with 

 the training of character. Owing to the constant change of examiners 

 they cannot detect forgers or deterioration. The examiner usually takes 

 one or two forms, instead of one subject from top to bottom of a school, 

 and 80 cannot detect the weak points. He never comes into real contact 

 with the actual teachers. He does not know how many seeming failures 

 may be due to causes beyond the teacher's control. 



