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on the hit-or-miss principle, while others, | He was chief butler to Faro and told is whose brains have become more or less dreams. He married Potiffers dortor, addled under the pressure of "memory work," will evolve from their unbalanced inner consciousness replies fearfully and wonderfully made.

and he led the Gypshans out of bondage to Kana in Gallilee, and there fell on his sword and died in sight of the promised land."

"Moses was an Egypshion. He lived in a hark made of bulrushes, and he kept a golden calf and worshipt brazen snakes, and he het nothing but kwales and manner for forty year. He was kort by the air of his ed while riding under the bow of a tree and he was killed by his son Absolon as he was hangin from the bow. His end was pease."

Some of the "exam." stories current in educational circles, though characteristic, and possibly "founded on fact," have an air of belonging to the too-good-to-be-true category. A number of these are told against and, if invented, were probably invented by undergraduates. Thus so the story goes — an undergraduate was asked to name the minor prophets, and, not having "got them up," neatly and Of the numerous stories told in connecpolitely replied that he would rather not tion with diocesan inspection "exams." in make invidious distinctions. Another public elementary schools, the two followuniversity man, called upon to give the ing are perhaps the best known and most parable of the Good Samaritan, did so worth quoting. At one of these exams., correctly enough until he came to the a boy, asked to mention the occasion passage where the Samaritan said to the upon which it is recorded in Scripture innkeeper: "When I come again I will than an animal spoke, made answer: repay thee," to which he added, "This he "The whale when it swallowed Jonah.” said, knowing that he would see his face The inspector, being something of a huno more." Perhaps, however, the exam- morist, maintained his gravity and asked: inee upon this occasion was a conscious "What did the whale say?" To which humorist, and had in mind the worldly- the boy promptly replied: "Almost thou wise saying, that there are a great many persuadest me to be a Christian." Anpeople willing to play the part of the other inspector, finding a class hesitating Good Samaritan, less the oil and the two-over answering the question, "With what pence.

Something of the same stamp must have been the candidate for a degree, who, asked to state the substance of St. Paul's sermon at Athens, said that it was "crying out for two hours, 'Great is Diana of the Ephesians.' "" With variations, that is the substance of a great many sermons, and of other discourses beside sermons.

Such stories as the above may or may not be rather broadly illustrative than strictly true, but in any case they can be pretty well matched by others, about the truthfulness of which there is no doubt. Every year a certain proportion of the children of the London board schools enter into a competitive examination in Scriptural knowledge, for the "Peek Prizes," which consist of handsomely got-up Bibles and Testaments. They are "paper work" examinations, and the following are a few of the many curious "hash" answers that have at various times been put in at them.

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weapon did Samson slay the Philistines?" and wishing to prompt them, significantly tapped his own cheek, and asked, "What is this?" and his action touching "the chords of memory," the whole class instantly answered: "The jawbone of an ass.'

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A good example of the manner in which students who are "in" for several "subjects" at the same time get their ideas mixed, is that of the youth who having to answer the question, "Who was Esau?" replied: "Esau was a man who wrote fables, and sold the copyright for a bottle of potash." Here the confusion thrice confounded of Esau and Æsop, birthright and copyright, and pottage and potash, is really admirable in its way.

As might be expected, the examinations of medical students afford some good stories- true or otherwise. As might also be expected, some of them are wittily impudent. For instance, a “badgering " examiner asked a student what means he would employ to induce copi ous perspiration in a patient, and got for answer: "I'd try to make him pass an examination before you, sir." The most frequently cited anecdote of this kind is that of the brusque examiner - said by some to have been Dr. Abernethy — who,

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Of such alleged answers by students as that the pancreas was so named after the Midland railway station, that the bone of the upper arm (humerus) was called the humorous, and was so styled because it was known as the funny-bone; or that the ankle-bone (tarsus) was so called because St. Paul walked upon it to the city of that name - of such alleged answers as these it is charitable to suppose that they must be weak inventions of the enemy.

The gall-bladder throws off juice from the food which passes through it. We call the kidneys the bread-basket, because it is where all the bread goes to. They lay up concealed by the heart."

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losing patience with a student who had answered badly, exclaimed: "Perhaps, sir, you could tell me the names of the muscles I would put in action if I were to kick you?" Undoubtedly, sir," came the prompt reply; "you would put into mo- Domestic economy, as nowadays taught tion the flexors and extensors of my arm, to "children of the elementary school for I should knock you down." On the class," embraces a good deal of physiosame lines as this was the retort made to logical knowledge, or rather, as applied to M. Lefebvre de Fourcy, a French exam- such children, physiological jargon. It is iner, celebrated, not only for his learning, a subject which affords hosts of amusing but also for his severity and rudeness. answers, though, from considerations of He was examining a youth, who, though space, two or three must here suffice for well up in his work, hesitated over answer- specimens. Thus, in reply to the quesing one of the questions put to him. Los- tion, "Why do we cook our food?" one ing temper at this, the examiner shouted fifth-standard girl gives the delightfully to an attendant: "Bring a truss of hay inconsequent reply: "Their of five ways for this young gentleman's breakfast." of cooking potatoes. We should die if we Bring two," coolly added the examinee. eat our food roar." Another girl writes: "Monsieur and I will breakfast together."" The function of food is to do its proper work in the body. Its proper work is to well masticate the food, and it goes through without dropping, instead of being pushed down by the skin." A third domestic-economy pupil puts in her examination paper that food digested is when we put it into our mouths, our teeth chews it, and our tonge roll it down into our body. We should not eat so much bone-making foods as flesh-forming and warmth-giving foods, for if we did we Many of the comicalities in the way of would have too many bones, and that examination answers recorded by her would make us look funny." On the subMajesty's inspectors of schools, the ex-ject of ventilation, one student informs us aminers in the School Board Scholarships that a room should be kept at ninety in competitions, and other the like official the winter by a fire; in the summer by a personages, go a long way to prove that thermometer: while a classmate writes: in examination blundering, as in many other matters, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. At least, it seems to us that no invented story-supposing examination stories ever are invented could equal for "nice derangement" the following written answer which was actually given at an examination in the "specific subjects" in a public elementary school within the metropolitan area. The specific subject taken was physiology, and the children "presented" in it were asked to "describe the processes of digestion," which one of them did in this wise: "Food is digested by the action of the lungs. Digestion is brought on by the lungs hav ing something the matter with them. The food then passes through your windpipe to the pores, and thus passes off your body by evaporation, through a lot of little holes in your skin called capillaries. The food is nourished in the stomach. If you were to eat anything hard you would not be able to digest it, and the consequence would be you would have indigestion.

"A Thermometer is an instrument used to let out the heat when it is going to be cold." Another girl sets down: "When roasting a piece of beef place it in front of a brisk fire, so as to congratulate the outside." But an answer still in domestic economy. that better, perhaps, than any of the above illustrates the jar goning that comes of the cram system, is the following: Sugar is an amyloid, if you was to eat much sugar and not nothing else you would not live because sugar has not got no carbon, hydrogen, oxy. gen, nitrogen. Potatoes is another amyolids."

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The definitions sometimes given by children in reply to examination questioning, are, to say the least of it, original. After a reading of Gray's "Elegy " by a fourth-standard class, the boys were asked what was meant by "fretted vaults," and one youth replied: "The vaults in which those poor people were buried; their friends came and fretted over them." Asked what he understood by "elegy,"

Third, between the Britons and Romans, and "The Wide, Wide World" was named as Shakespeare's greatest work. This last, however, was not so bad as the history of a pupil-teacher, who informed the examiner that "Shakespeare lived in the reign of George the Third, discovered America, and was killed by Caliban."

another boy in the same class answered: | Gladstone as "a great African traveller." "Elegy is some poetry wrote out for The battle of Crecy was stated to have schools to learn like Gray's Elegy." A been fought in the reign of George the class of girls, who had read a passage from "Evangeline," were told to write out 'the meaning of "the forge," and these were among the answers: "A firnest in a blacksmith's chop." "A firnest in a blacksmith." "The village smithy's anvil." "The dust that rises from the floor of a blacksmith's." A teacher, giving a reading-lesson to his class in the presence of an inspector, asked the boys what was meant by conscience - a word that had occurred in the course of the reading. The class having been duly crammed for the question, answered as one boy: "An inward monitor." 66 But what do you understand by an inward monitor?" put in the inspector. To this further question only one boy announced himself ready to respond, and his triumphantly given answer was, "A hironclad, sir."

A few years back there was published, as a curiosity in its way, the subjoined transcript from Cowper's poem on Alexander Selkirk, written (from dictation) by a fifth-standard boy at a government examination of a public elementary school. "I Ham Monac of hall I searve, there is none heare my rite to Dispute from the senter. Hall round to the sea I am lorde of the fowls to the Brute all shoshitude ware are the charms that sages have sene in thy face better Dewel in miste of a larms than in this moste horibel place. I am how of umity reach i must finish my Jurny a lone never hear the swete music of speach i start at the sound of my hone the Beasts that rome over the place my forme with indrifence see they are so unocent with men such tamess is shocking to me."

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The examiner for the School Board Scholarships competed for in 1882, gives the following among other equally strange answers on historical matters. "When Commonwealth comes to the throne it is called Oliver Cromwell." 66 The treaty of Utrecht was fought between the Zulus and the English." "Lord Clive captured the Fiji Islands in 1624.” Cardinal Wolsey was a great warrior." Walpole translated the Bible." 66 Walpole was another favorite of Henry the Eighth. He was the chief man in helping Henry to get a divorce." "Chaucer wrote Esop's fables." In another of these scholarship examinations, Jack Cade was described as "a great Indian conqueror," Sir Chris topher Wren was set down as a discov. erer and "an animal painter," and Mr.

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A schoolboy habit of placing upon a question some literal meaning other than that intended by the examiner, often leads to answers as curious as unexpected. Thus an inspector, testing a class upon their knowledge of the succession of the kings of Israel, asked the boy to whose turn it had come to be questioned: "And who came after Solomon?" To which the youngest answered: "The Queen of Sheba, sir." Asked what were the chief ends of man, another boy replied, "His head and feet;" and a third, questioned as to where Jacob was going when he was ten years old, replied that he was "going on for eleven." One specially unimagina tive juvenile, called upon to say for what the Red Sea was famous, answered," Red herrings!" but, perhaps, the most startling answer of this kind was that of the boy, who, when asked what was meant by an unclean spirit, responded: "A dirty devil, sir."

To the type of answers here in view, belongs that of the little girl, daughter of a watchmaker, who having repeated that she " renounced the devil and all his works," and being asked, "What do you understand by all his works?" answered: "His inside." Something akin to this was an answer given by a boy whose father was a strong teetotaler, and upon whom it would appear home influence had made a stronger impression than school lessons. "Do you know the meaning of syntax?" he was asked. "Yes," he answered; "sin-tax is the dooty upon spirits." An inspector, who had been explaining to a class that the land of the world was not continuous, said to the boy who happened to be standing nearest to him: "Now, could your father walk round the world?" "No, sir," was promptly answered. Why not?" "Because he's dead," was the altogether unlooked-for response. As little anticipated, probably, was the answer made to another inspector, who asked, "What is a hovel?" and was met with the reply: "What you live in."

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Another peculiarity of the schoolboy mind is to put things negatively. As for

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example, a fifth-standard boy was asked answered. "Quite right! Would you to write a short essay on pins by way of not like to be born again?" He hesitated, an exercise in composition, and produced but being pressed, said that he would not, the following: "Pins are very useful. and asked why not, replied: "For fear I They have saved the lives of a great many might be born a lassie." Alike astonishmen, women, and children-in fact, whole ing and amusing was an answer given by families." "How so?" asked the puzzled an adult examinee, who was sitting" for inspector, on reading this. Why, by not a certificate as acting teacher. In the exswallowing them," was the immediate re- amination to test general knowledge, he ply. On the same lines was the essay of was asked, "What is the age of reason?" another schoolboy, on the subject of salt, and answered: "As many years as have which he described as : "The stuff that elapsed since the birth of the person so make potatoes taste bad, when you don't named." It was also a certificate candiput any on." A prettily humorous exam-date who, in reading, rendered two lines ination story is that of the little Scotch from Goldsmith's “Edwin and Angelina boy at the Presbytery examination. He thus: was asked: "What is the meaning of regeneration?" "To be born again," he

The wicket opening with a latch
Received the armless pair.

- A

CHINESE NOTIONS OF IMMORTALITY. writer in a recent issue of the North China Herald discusses the early Chinese notions of immortality. In the most ancient times ancestral worship was maintained on the ground that the souls of the dead exist after this life. The present is a part only of human existence, and men continue to be after death what they have become before it. Hence the honors accorded to men of rank in their lifetime were continued to them after their death. In the earliest utterances of Chinese national thought on this subject we find that duality which has remained the prominent feature in Chinese thinking ever since. The present life is light; the future is darkness. What the shadow is to the substance, the soul is to the body; what vapor is to water, breath is to man. By the process of cooling steam may again become water, and the transformations of animals teach us that beings inferior to man may live after death. Ancient Chinese then believed that as there is a male and female principle in all nature, a day and a night as inseparable from each thing in the universe as from the universe itself, so it is with man. In the course of ages, and in the vicissitudes of religious ideas, men came to believe more definitely in the possibility of communications with supernatural beings. In the twelfth century before the Christian era it was a distinct belief that the thoughts of the sages were to them a revelation from above. The "Book of Odes" frequently uses the expression "God spoke to them," and one sage is represented after death "moving up and down in the presence of God in heaven." A few centuries subsequently we find for the first time great men transferred in the popular imagination to the sky, it being believed that their souls took up their abode

in certain constellations. This was due to the fact that the ideas of immortality had taken a new shape, and that the philosophy of the times regarded the stars of heaven as the pure essences of the grosser things belonging to this world. The pure is heavenly and the gross earthly, and therefore that which is purest on earth ascends to the regions of the stars. At the same time hermits and other ascetics began to be credited with the power of acquiring extraordinary longevity, and the stork became the animal which the immortals preferred to ride above all others. The idea of plants which confer immunity from death soon sprang up. The fungus known as Polyporous lucidus was taken to be the most efficacious of all plants in guarding man from death, and three thousand ounces of silver have been asked for a single specimen. Its red color was among the circumstances which gave it its reputation, for at this time the five colors of Babylonian astrology had been accepted as indications of good and evil fortune. This connection of a red color with the notion of immortality through the medium of good and bad luck led to the adoption of cinnabar as the philosopher's stone, and thus to the construction of the whole system of alchemy. The plant of immortal life is spoken of in ancient Chinese literature at least a century before the mineral. In correspondence with the tree of life in Eden there was probably a Babylonian tradition which found its way to China shortly before Chinese writers mention the plant of immortality. The Chinese, not being navigators, must have got their ideas of the ocean which surrounds the world from those who were, and when they received a cosmography they would receive it with its legends.

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