338 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE.—1912. 
Again, each stroke is written with approximately equal speed. Thus, 
‘whilst the 4dult writes the entire word or at least a large part of it 
with a single voluntary impulse, the child has to employ as many 
single voluntary impulses as there are letters or even strokes.’ The 
development of the child’s handwriting therefore takes the following 
course: (1) the writing becomes more rapid; (2) ‘ the isolated impulses 
fuse to one complex or aggregated impulse with rhythmical subordina- 
tion of the single pressures to a chief or main pressure, until the inner- 
vations of a word form a single unitary act, in which with one decision 
the entire word is willed and produced.’ 
Pathological cases throw some light upon the nature of the writing- 
function. Sommer had a patient who was unable to write certain 
letters of the alphabet from dictation, yet quite able to write entire 
words containing these very letters. (Compare the analogous case of 
reading without spelling, which tachistoscopic experiments show to 
characterise the reading of adults.) 
Analytic v. synthetic method in teaching writing. As with reading, 
the synthetic method is the more valuable, though it should be supple- 
mented by an exact knowledge of the phonetic analysis of speech. As 
inner speech invariably precedes writing, there should be, as Meumann 
says, ‘the closest possible connection between reading- and writing- 
instruction.’ 
Correlation of writing with intelligence is small, and probably 
skew. This and other matters will be more fully explained at the 
meeting. 
The Overlapping between Secondary Education and that of 
Universities and other places of Higher Education.—Final 
Report of the Committee, consisting of Sir H. A. MIERs 
(Chairman), Professor R. A. Grecory (Secretary), Mr. D. 
BERRIDGE, Mr. C. H. BotHAMueEy, Miss Li. J. CLARKE, Miss 
A. J. Cooper, Miss B. Foxuey, Principal EH. H. GrirritTus, 
and Professor A. SMITHELLS, appointed to inquire into and 
report thereupon. 
_ScHoou CaNnpipaTEs IN EXAMINATIONS ABOVE UNIVERSITY 
ENTRANCE STANDARD. 
THE examinations which seem to be most important from the point 
of view of overlapping of secondary and university education are :— 
1. The Intermediate and the Final examinations for the degrees of 
B.A. and B.Sc. of London University. 
2. The Higher Local examinations of the Universities of Oxford 
and Cambridge. 
The subjoined statistics referring to these examinations are of 
interest. The numbers have been determined from the published 
class lists in the case of Cambridge, but those relating to the universities 
of Oxford and London were supplied officially. 
