THE WORLD’S BIGGEST ARTS’ EXAMINATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20917, 6 January 1930, Page 14

THE WORLD’S BIGGEST ARTS’ EXAMINATION.

Candidates for examination in 1854 numbered one. Candidates in 192 D numbered 100,696. Such, briefly epitomised, is the record of the Royal Society of Arts, whose report on this year’s examinations was issued a short time ago (says the Daily Telegraph). It was as an outcome of the Great Exhibition that the examinations, which deal, generally speaking, with commercial subjects, were instituted in 1854. In this present year, including the papers set for the school certificate and junior school certificate examinations and the course examinations for the L.C.C. Junior Commercial and Technical Institutes, the entries numbered 100,696. Of these entrants about 60 per cent, passed, 35 per cent, failed, while 5 per cent, did not return their papers. “ We touched the 100,000 mark,” said G, K. Menzies, secretary of the society, “ but it is the progress made since the war which I regard as most remarkable. In 1914 there were 35,000 entrants. The war brought a heavy drop, but by 1918 the numbers were nearly 30,000 again. In 1920 they were 50,000, in 1925 over 70,000, while in 1928 they were actually over 96,000 papers worked, a record which has now been passed handsomely. “Our youngest, I think,was 10, bur oldest over 80. For the various examinations, -naturally enough, the average age and calibre of the candidates differ. In several directions our certificates are of prime importance. Many teachers are dependent for the retention of their posts and for promotion upon our examinations, not only in England and Wales and Ulster, but in the Irish Free State. “ Incidentally, we have been asked to hold examinations in Erse and in Welsh, and even in Hebrew, but we have never done so. One of our regular candidates in the teaching profession is a middle-age.l baronet. “Of our 100,696 entrants this year about 65 per cent, were men and boys aud 35 per cent, women and girls. The men and boys take very little interest nowadays in the shorthand examination, They leave it to the girls, and concen trate largely upon .bookkeeping, a subject which is taken by about 30 per cent, of candidates. “ The typewriting papers, which are quite difficult, attracted 10,398 candidates, a great increase on the past two years. In languages French takes the lead thjs year with 5563 papers forked, showing, however, a slight drop from last year. Spanish comes nest with 908, also less than in 1928. But German, with 570 as opposed to 471 in 1928. shows a gratifying advance. Of course, the German paper used to be far more popular before the war.”