330 



SCIENCE, 



[KS. Vol. XXIV. No. Gil. 



is to purchase these text-books, direct the 

 student to study a certain number of pages 

 or chapters and then answer a set of ques- 

 tions. The student's answers are cor- 

 rected and returned to him, and if he de- 

 sires to be informed regarding anything 

 not clearly explained in the text, he may 

 write to the schools and obtain the infor- 

 mation desired. He proceeds in this Avay 

 until he has finished the particular text- 

 book he is studying. Such schools, how- 

 ever, have always failed, or at any rate 

 have made very little progress, for the 

 reason that the ordinary text-book is not 

 adapted to the use of a person studying 

 by himself. Another method is that in 

 use by the University of Chicago. The 

 student takes a regular college course, but 

 does a part of the work at home. He can 

 not get his degree, however, without taking 

 about half the course in residence. This 

 plan offers very few advantages over 

 taking a college course in the regular man- 

 ner. The student must have the same 

 preparation and must do the same amount 

 of work as any other student taking the 

 same course or subject. The only require- 

 ment necessary to become a student of the 

 International Correspondence Schools is 

 ability to read the English language and 

 to write it sufficiently well to be under- 

 stood. Sometimes even this requirement 

 is not fulfilled, as the student will get 

 some one else to write his answers to the 

 examination questions for him, from dic- 

 tation. This is especially true of students 

 speaking some language other than Eng- 

 lish, A case came up only a short time 

 ago of a German who was unable to write 

 English, but who induced his wife to 

 translate the text matter to him. He dic- 

 tated the answers to the examination ques- 

 tions, which she wrote down, and his work 

 was corrected by our instruction depart- 

 ment in the usual way. This is not an 



isolated case, but is one that occurs with 

 considerable frequency among such stu- 

 dents. 



Inasmuch as nearly every student has a 

 definite object in view when he takes a 

 course, he naturally objects to anything 

 that will delay him in obtaining the knowl- 

 edge he desires. As a consequence, we 

 frequently have several text-books treat- 

 ing the same subject. In some cases the 

 text-books differ quite materially both in 

 the amount of ground covered and in the 

 treatment; in other cases they differ very 

 slightly. For example, take the subject of 

 arithmetic. We have a very complete 

 arithmetic that is used in our English 

 branches, teachers' and commercial courses, 

 while for our technical courses the arith- 

 metics are all of about the same size ; they 

 may differ slightly in the methods of treat- 

 ment, but principally in the fact that the 

 examples and illustrative citations, etc., re- 

 late to matters with which the student is 

 supposed to be concerned in connection 

 with his course of study. For example: 

 in the arithmetic used in the school of 

 mines, the examples relate to matters per- 

 taining to mining. Another arithmetic — 

 very similar, but having different examples 

 and illustrative citations — is used for the 

 courses in the school of metallurgy. This 

 may appear to be stretching the point con- 

 siderably, but our chief aim is to keep the 

 student interested in his work and to teach 

 him something bearing directly on the 

 course he is taking in connection with the 

 study of every subject in that course. 



As to the results we have accomplished, 

 it is, as before stated, impossible to furnish 

 exact figures. Many students enrol for 

 the purpose of studying certain subjects 

 that will enable them to pass an examina- 

 tion, such as for a license for mine fore- 

 man, for engineer, etc. They do not care 

 whether they complete a course or not, pro- 



