SCHOOL-GIRL HOWLERS.

Thames Star, Volume LXII, Issue 17390, 30 March 1928, Page 6

SCHOOL-GIRL HOWLERS.

ENLIGHTENING INFORMATION. IGNORANT BUT IMAGINATIVE. The school boy and girl are often ridiculed for the -'howlers" they make in examination papers, but in some cases it is difficult to believe that the howlers occurred through ignorance. Some youthful scholars apparently are not gifted with great intellectual 'powers, but they make up for it by displaying a ,vivil imagination and a keen sense of humour. In all subjects they show intelligence, even though it be of a mild nature. * For instance, in the examinations of one of the big Wanganui schools, a girl writes that the climax of Australia is a temporary one, while another student is of the opinion that Bishop Selwyn translated the Bible into English and lent a hand in the compiling of the Anglo-Saxon Chronj icle. ' The famous British statesman, William Pitt, would not have felt flattered if he had known that future generations were going to involve him with the delicate intrigues during the reign Of Queen Mary. He has been called an explorer who in the end was beheaded. The same informant, however, comes a bit nearer to the truth, when she says that he did a great deal of good for England Geography- is evidently not the 'strong suit of one girl, who informs the examiner that the Rangitikei River is a river that flowed out from the West Coast and went .inland. The Order of the British Empire! 'cannot be such a great honour offer all. The construction that has been put on its real meaning is that it .has to' do with old batehelors of England,

which perhaps is quite true. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. One girl, well aware of this, gives further proof of her knowledge- by adding: "We begin the week with Sunday. The next clay is Monday, most people's washing day." Those conversant with the French language would hardly accept this as a free translation of the phrase, "Une omelette de bonne meine"—a goodlooking omelette. The dignity of the forces of the law lias suffered a blow. P.C., according to another J;>nghlf individuaT means .Poltrc-' Cops,' while "A bolt from the blue" is said to mean to run away from a policeman. Mr H. G. Wells is an .author, but if all authors are what a certain young lady says they are, then he must wish he was something else, and apparently authorship is a : profession worse than law. According to one young lady~a fictitious character is one who writes. The Darien scheme is alleged to have been invented by William Patterson. It was, of course, invented only for - unhealthy people.

If copra could be used for the purposes another girl said it could, it would be much cheaper to *die, and motor cars would be given. away with ■a .pound of butter. Her answer to a question on the uses of copra was that it was used for making tombstones and the inside of motor cars.