Simple Arithmetic

"Most astounding intelligence!" to President J. Edward De Lancey of the Irvington (N. J.) Board of Education was the news that the 116 candidates for teaching positions in Irvington schools had all failed in an eligibility examination last month. Irvington needed 20 teachers. Robert Lee Saunders, superintendent of schools, sent notices to normal schools throughout the East. Came 114 young ladies, two young men, all properly quali- fied graduates, to take a five-hour test in spelling, punctuation and diction, grammar and composition, and arithmetic. All failed in the requirement: to pass all four sections with a grade of 75%. Only two made a general average of more than 75%. All agreed that the examination was "pretty stiff." Particularly stiff was the arithmetic section which all flunked with an average grade of 31.5%. The ten questions:

1) A bin 10 ft. long, 5 ft. wide and 3 ft. 7 in. deep--how many bushels of wheat will it contain, allowing 2,150 cubic in. to the bushel?

2) How many days of 6 hr. each must 28 men work to earn $1,209.60 on a wage of 20-c- per hr. per person?

3) A wholesale importer imports 12 boxes of broadcloth, each containing 12 1/2 bolts of 31 1/4 yards a bolt at $2-5/6 a yard. What is the

value of the cloth?

4) A speculator bought a lot of hardware for 19/16ths of its value and sold it for 11/12thsof its value, thereby losing $32.50. How much did

he pay for it?

5) What decimal part of 2 bushels, 3 pecks and 4 quarts is 1 bushel, 3 pecks, 1 quart and 1 pint?

6) A sale of city property realized $5,,347.40 to the owner after paying $65.20 charges and the agent's commission of 3%. What was the com- mission?

7) A dealer sold goods at 25, 16 and 5% off. and the discount amounted to $722.20. Find the cost.

8) Which is better and how much per annum --to invest $28,800 in 10% bonds at 150, or 8% bonds at 128?

9) If 36 men in 28 days of 8 hr. each can build a wall 680 ft. long. 12 ft. high and 3.5 in. thick, how long will be a wall that is to be 2.5 ft. thick, 10 ft. high, that 24 men can build in 15 days of 10 hr. each?

10) A speculator sold two houses at the same price each, gaining 15% on one, losing 8% on the other. If he gains $110 on the transaction, what must be the cost of each house?*

Members of the Irvington Board of Education and Dr. Charles H. Elliott, State Commissioner of Education, grew speedily angry when they heard of the examination results. They demanded an explanation. They said that Superintendent Saunders, a native Pennsylvania!, had cooked up a hard examination in order to discriminate against New Jersey normal school graduates. Something was wrong, evidently, if not one person in 116 could pass an examination to be a teacher.

Last week Superintendent Saunders re- plied to his critics. He had not made out the examination: it had been prepared by a board of teachers and proctors. "I am fond of New Jersey," he said. "I am for this State first." But he believed that the normal schools put too much emphasis on teaching methods and modern psychology, not enough on "fundamentals." Many an observer, glancing at the questions, agreed that all might easily be solved by any clear-thinking secondary school pupil who knew his fundamentals. But the teachers' committee of the Irvington Board of Education felt that the efficiency of New Jersey normal schools was called in question. Meeting last week, it voted unanimously to put the matter before the State Department of Education.

* Answers:

1) 144 bushels.

2) 24 days.

3) $11,250 (if the figure is taken to mean the price for 5/6 of a yd. If it means $2-5/6 per yd., the answer is $13,281.25).

4) $142.50.

5) .625

6) $167.40.

7) $1,076.55.

8) The 10% bonds arc better by $120.

9) 42.5 ft. (All the applicants missed this one.)

10) $2,200 and $2,750.

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