Examination Humours.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue XXVI, 29 December 1900, Page 1208

Examination Humours.

“The Mirth of School Inspection” is the title Mr G. Stanley Ellis gives to his cluster of examination stories. Here are a few of the answers he has culled:— “A professor” is “a gentleman that generally plays at balls.” How true it is that an M.P. is “a gentleman who tries to make laws.” “A negro is a man who eats missionaries.” A school board is—and this remark seems to merit “How true!” on the margin as much as any phrase in a lady’s novel from the circulating" library—“a place where people talk about education to make you vote for them.”

An inspector in orders was trying to make a class form words. “Now,” he said. “I am a man. What kind of a man am I?” He wanted to extract the compound noun ‘’clergyman.”

“A short man, sir.” “Yes, yes,” said he. a little huffed. No one likes to be called a short man, especially when he is short. “That is, I am not a particularly tall man. But that is not qui.te the kind of word I want. Can anyone else try?” y “Little man, sir.” “Well, that’s about equal to short, isn’t it? Try again.” “Ugly little man, sir.” * t