FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 6 December 1930, Page 17

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FBOM " THE POST "

EDUCATIONAL CONUNDRUMS

Those who havo been sitting for examinations recently have probably had many a rude word"" to say about the questions set and about the settors of those questions. There were similar complaints fifty years ago. Fifty years ago a Parliamentary paper was presented which was a report by the Inspector-General of Schools on a certain examination of candidates for scholastic appointments,- and contained, says "The' Post," some exceedingly pleasant reading. ."The Post" entitles its leading article on the subject "Educational Conundrums, '' and it is obvious that examination candidates fifty years ago were rather hardly treated, and deserve,the sympathy of the modern candidate. ''The first thing that strikes anyone glancing over the questions generally is the loose and illogical way in which they are often constructed. It is. in the questions on . Elementary Scii'nc that we find tho cream of the whole collection. It is asked: 'Why does the lid of a. boiling, kettle rattle? Men Jion some of the more wonderful results of the working of this law. 1 Which law? The lid of the boiling tea-kettle .rattling? . No. others are mentioned in the question, which, in-? deed, may be properly answered 'The kettle lid rattles because.it is loose, for if it fits tightly it does not rattle, and tho wonderful results are that the cook first says, "Drat the ; kettle,'? and then takes it off the fire.'' This may not be the answer sought by the examiners, but we defy them to take any just cxtujition to it. "Another question is: 'How is- a draught caused? Apply this to explain the monsoons.'What sort ofi draught?" And then "The Post" gives all the 'definitions of 'draught' to be found in "Webster's Dictionary," and says-it does not see how any of them could: be applied to explain the monsoons. ' "Then we conic to the famous query: 'It was stated recently that a-man- 6ft high on the earth would be 36ft high if ; hc lived' on the .moon. Explain this!' ' Who oh earth" could" explain such rubbish? If so ridiculous a statement were ever made -recently,- we should like to know: by whom it was made, and.why so preposterous a piece of nonsonse.must needs be used as .a. text for a so-called scientific question (Heaven save the mark!) to scholarship candidates'. The examiners distinctly ; put. Sorth.imquestioned the amazing dictum that a man 6ft high on the earth;would-be—-the same man observe—-36ft' high if he lived in tho. moon, and then ask some poor, children, to explain, the stupid impossibility. We should like-to hear these learned gentlemen explain whya jnan must necessarily swell out to six times his normal dimensions if suddenly removed to the mooi Besides, we do not see how a man Cft high could be stretched.out to the length of 36ft without something giving way, or at least cracking, and we refuse to believe ho could stand such .a strain and still live. . . "Another query is: 'What would be the proper way of treating a person on Hi-el' The natural impulse is to reply; promptly: 'Put him out/ for no; generous mind would suggest the alternative answer: 'Let him burn,' unless the individual undergoing combustion happened to be more than ordinarily objectionable. It might be retorted that this answer is not scientific. True, but neither is the question. If the-Tefer-enee is'to a'person's clothes beingion, fire, and not-the person himself,-we aay again that the form of expression is particularly -unhappy and scientifically inaccurate. . '■ ■ ' *, "There is one question, however, in entomology which at least has the rare merit .of .being perfectly, clear^ plain, and Tinarnbiguous;—'In' what kind of place' would you expect to find the greatest variety of insect life?' Nobody ■witt 'hesitate for., a moment as to the correct answer, which is, of course, 'In English seaside lodging-houses.' And these are the facetious, conundrum* with ■which the rising generation is regaled." BIRTH OF ROTORUA. "Tho news will be received with general satisfaction that the ' Government has succeeded in arranging for; a township to be laid ofi at Lake Botorua. A sort of sanatorium will be laid off in the best possible way, so as to render it a:.convenient and attractive place of resort not only for invalids but for tourists generally. • The land will be held by. the Government in trust for the Natives, and ail payments ■will have to be made through the Com-, snissioner of Crown Lauds. The arrangements have been made through Mr. F. D. Fenton, Chief- Judge of the Native Courts; and Mr. Percy Smith, the Auckland Chief Surveyor, has been instructed' to proceeded with the ■ suryey immediately."; ■ ■-■•- .' .- ■ MISCELLANEOUS JOTTINGS. • "It is formally notified in the 'Gazette, 'by the Minister .of-justice, that the Union Steam Ship Company offer a reward of £.500 for the; discovery of the person or persons who stole a box containing 1255 ounces of gold, valued at £5000, from a safe on -board the s'.s. Tararuaj on her passage from New Zealand to Australia, and for the recovery of the stolen property. The Government offer a free pardon to any person-implicated in the act, not being the principal offender, who-will .give such information as will; lead to the apprehension and conviction of the principal "offenders." '■■'.' "The Government has decided to reduce, the rate of wages paid to the unemployed on work provided for their benefit. The new.rates will-be 4s a day (instead of 4s 8d) for married men and 3s for single men, the prices for piece-work being proportionately^ 'lowered.' The reason given for this reduction is, we believe, the large number of men in Canterbury and Otago who prefer to remain in receipt of the Government pay rather than acctpt the slightly higher wages from private employers for farm work." : "We have been shown a sample.of ■ coal -taken from the Featherston coal reef,- and as far as we can judge it is of very fair quality. The ground is to be thoroughly tested, and great hopes are entertained of a successful result." An indication of the slump of -fifty years ago is conveyed by the following paragraph: "A number of town and suburban sections and agricultural areas ■were offered for sale this afternoon, but, the auctioneer did not succeed in getting even a bid. The Native reserves were not put up, and the sale is post-poned-indefinitely." . . . ■ "The whole of the applications for Dew hotels at-to-day's meeting of the Licensing Bench were opposed by the police authorities on the ground that additional hotel accommodation in Wellington is unnecessary. The applications.; for new licences were all refused."