which came upon us so quietly, so unconscious of itself, that its marvel was but dimly guessed till its presence had passed.

"There is no error in the sentiment that makes the heart of all America respond instantly and always to every and any mention of his name. He stands for us as more than a leader, more than a President, more than a national martyr, more than a defender of democracy as political force. He -the rail-splitter, the flat-boatman, the backwoodsman-is our apostle of democracy as religion.

"Lincoln was the living proof that a Republic of men is true in principle and works out truly in practice. Dead, he remains its immortal missionary. Today, high and clear over the rash perplexities of a great worldchange, the races of civilized men are stirred, by contemplation of his fidelity, to strive toward a realization of his brave creed:

"With malice toward none, with charity toward all."

That creed of Lincoln's deserves to be writ large in the heart of all men and women and young people in America for a belief in it and a following of it makes a straight pathway towards God. A study of this creed and the teachings of Lincoln in America at this time would serve as a timely antidote against Bolshevism.

When the body of the martyred president lay in Philadelphia, Phillips Brooks delivered a eulogy which has, forever since, stood as a warm and tender tribute to the memory of the Great Apostle of Freedom. The following is a part of the eulogy—a wonderful thing in itself and something that could never have been inspired except by the tragic passing of a great and tender soul:

"God brought him as he brought David up from the sheepfolds to feed Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance. He came up in earnestness and faith, and he goes back in triumph. As he pauses here today, and

from his cold lips bids us bear witness how he has met the duty that was laid on him, what can we say out of our full hearts but this: 'He fed them with a faithful and true heart, and ruled them prudently with all his power.' The Shepherd of the People! That old name that the best rulers ever craved. What ruler ever won it like this dead President of ours? He fed us faithfully and truly. He fed us with counsel when we were in doubt, with inspiration when we sometimes. faltered, with caution when we would be rash; with calm, clear, trustful cheerfulness through many an hour when our hearts were dark. He fed hungry souls all over the country with sympathy and consolation. He spread before the whole land feasts of great duty and devotion and patriotism, on which the land grew strong. He fed us with solemn, solid truths. He taught us the sacredness of government, the wickedness of treason. He made our souls glad and vigorous with the love of liberty that was in his. He showed us how to love truth and yet be charitable-how to hate wrong and all oppression, and yet not treasure one personal injury or insult. He fed all his people, from the highest to the lowest, from the most privileged down to the most enslaved. Best of all, he fed us from a reverent and genuine religion. He spread before us the love and fear of God just in that shape in which we need them most, and out of his faithful service of a higher Master, who of us has not taken and eaten and grown strong? 'He fed them with a faithful and true heart.' Yes, till the last. For, at the last, behold him standing with hand reached out to feed the South with mercy and the North with charity, and the whole land with peace, when the Lord who had sent him called him, and his work was done!"

The following description of Abraham Lincoln is clipped from a passage in Irving Bacheller's newest book-A Man of the Ages-of which Lincoln

is the great outstanding character:

"I often think of the ride down the river and the way Abe Lincoln talked to me. It was so gentle. He was a big, powerful giant of a man who weighed over two hundred pounds, all of it bone and muscle. But under his great strength was a woman's gentleness; under the dirty, ragged clothes and the rough, brown skin grimy with dust and perspiration, was one of the cleanest souls that ever came to this

world . . . He hated dirt on his hands or on his tongue. . .If another man had a trouble Abe took hold of it with him. He would put a lame man's pack on top of his own and carry it. He loved flowers like a woman. He loved to look at the stars at night and the colors of the sunset and the morning dew on the meadows. I never saw a man so much in love with fun and beauty."

HIGHER SALARIES Indianapolis, January 22, 1920. To Indiana School Officers:

(This letter revises and corrects circular letter of January 20, 1920, and is to be substituted in lieu thereof.)

There is, in Indiana at the present time, a shortage of teachers. The situation will be worse next fall, according to present indications, unless some drastic action is taken. Larger

Present Min. Present Multi- Gen. Minimum pliers Avg. Wages

salaries must be paid if the emergency is to be met in a satisfactory manner. There are other elements in the situation, but the demand for more money for teachers is the most pressing matter just at present. Accordingly, this department has devised the following table in the way of suggestion for paying more money to teachers and as a guide to school officers in arranging salary schedules:

Recom

Class

mended Multipliers

$ 78.30

38

"If democracy means an equal opportunity for all, children in the rural schools are entitled to as long a school term as is offered to the children who attend the city schools. A child provided with a six months' term, in the nature of things, can do only twothirds as much school work as one provided with a nine months' or ten months' term and do it equally well. The state should not place upon its rural school children the handicap of partly prepared and untrained teachers and short school terms."-Supt. W. F. Vogel, Boonville, Indiana.

* * *

Supt. C. C. Carson, Pendleton, planned a big community school meeting for Monday, January 19th. There was a session in the afternoon and also one at night, at both of which much interest was manifested.

change in purpose made possible the written examination, the first of which appeared in Europe at Cambridge in 1702.

The examination is not a trustworthy device, for no thoughful teacher can read the students' answers to questions and mark their standing on a basis of one or two examinations. These examinations do not find out whether the pupil can do what he is supposed to be able to do. If they are too formal and come at stated times, as ours do in Indiana, and if classstanding and promotion are dependent on them, they become in many cases harmful and unhygienic. One of the most serious obstacles is the tendency of many teachers to use a coming examination as a whip or spur to urge pupils to greater effort. Such practice is a misfortune for the teacher and a wrong to the pupil. It is no less than crime for a teacher so to allude to an examination and even if the general idea of the purpose of an examination be correct they undoubtedly should come unheralded. In short, the examinations if given should be educative. True, they may be given a limited importance in promotions, but the evils. attendant upon promotions made upon examinations are serious.

Mr.

Are examinations necessary? Moore thinks not. Most certainly not if given for the general purpose and in the way as stated above. Mr. Moore says that they "must be given a chance to show what they can do in an ordeal." The teacher's estimate of the fitness of a child for advancement should be based on his knowledge of the pupils day-by-day work. They are not necessary but of a possible advantage to the pupil. It calls for a longer, more sustained effort than the ordinary recitation or test. It is beneficial to the young person "to summon his energies and marshal his forces for a greater and more strenuous effort than usual. It is a stronger reminder than the recitation or brief test of individual responsibility. Probability of an ap

a

proaching examination will cause pupil to make greater effort to organize his knowledge. He will not be absent from school on slight pretexts for he will learn to know that each day's knowledge "means a link in the chain which is to hold him upon examination day." It also gives valuable training in language, yet this may be acquired in written work on regular recitation days. If wisely given it affords a real training of the pupil's judgment. As the higher grades are reached the examination should become a test in reasoning rather than memory. Then, too, there are some advantages to the teacher. If of the right sort, i. e., the "doing" kind, they aid the teacher in placing an estimate on the extent to which pupils can use what they know. The examination paper often serves as a "mirror" to the teacher to see himself as a factor in the education of his pupils. The test of a large class often shows common weaknesses and lapses of judgment. These errors may be corrected with the class as a whole and so accomplish at a single stroke that which otherwise would require much labor.

Yet, with all the advantages and good results that come from an examination of the general kind, the examinations are not reliable. They are not a fair test. A weak student may at times be able to correctly answer a list of six or eight questions when a remarkably brilliant pupil will fail on the same examination. A point which may be common knowledge to most of us may be wholly unknown to a student of much more ability than ours. one can be prepared for everything.

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Examinations tend to reduce the sciences to the features of an examination system. Not only that but they tend to reduce the teachers and pupils who study the sciences to servants of the examination system. Science is systematized knowledge, which is not primarily a body of exact answers to exact questions and cannot profitably be put into the form of a catechism.