TO THE EDITORS OP THE CRIMSON:-

I HAVE a complaint to make against the length of the papers in the hour examinations that frequently take place both in elective courses and in prescribed work.

Now, I do not consider myself habitually of a fault-finding disposition, but in my complaint I am supported by a majority of students, and it seems to us quite an unfair thing for an instructor to give out a paper with as much work on it as is generally to be found in any two hour paper. Although it is quite a difficult thing for him to judge exactly how long his paper shall be, yet he should bear in mind that there are many students who cannot write one half as rapidly as others, and who, also, lacking conciseness in expressing themselves, are unable to write the whole paper in an hour, though they may have a perfect knowledge of the subject. Then, too, in hurrying through a paper with all his might, one feels that he cannot spend any time to write his answers with care, for he knows that no allowance will be made for the work left undone, and as marks are the representatives of one's knowledge of a subject, he is anxious of course to obtain as high a mark as possible by leaving no question unanswered.

Now, it seems to me that it is the quality and not the quantity of the work that instructors should aim at when making out a paper, and not to make one feel at the end of the hour that he had done himself injustice, whereas, if he had had a little more time, he could have given more careful answers, and had a few minutes to spare for the revision of his work.

KAPPA.TO THE EDITORS OF THE CRIMSON:-

AT present a man must make his beginning in science in his college course, for every one knows that the entrance science amounts to nothing. The College recognizes this in Botany, in Chemistry, and in Geology; all of these have excellent courses, where a man may get a good grounding and an idea whether to go on with the subject. But in Zoology there is no such course. To be sure, there is a course marked in the elective pamphlet as "Zoology (Elementary Course)"; but any one who takes the course finds that it is of the most advanced type. One is at a loss to know what an "Advanced Course" in the subject may be, which we see put down farther on, to be taken in case of passing (!) the examinations on the so-called elementary course.

The course, with all due respect to the instructor, is not an elementary course, and no beginner ought to think of taking it. The question is, Why is there no course in Zoology to correspond to the Botany and Chemistry courses? I hope another year the authorities will give us such a course, and allow Zoology to take its proper place here with other "liberal" studies, and not be made a specialty for doctors.

PIQUE.PEDLERS AND POCOS.TO THE EDITORS OF THE CRIMSON:-

LAST year we were all pleased to see that the College authorities had taken measures to exclude book agents, pedlers, etc., from the College buildings. Even University forbade the speculating "Poco" from plying his trade at the office. Within the last month, however, the "Pocos" have taken courage, and again begun their annoying visits to College rooms in defiance of the threat of the authorities to hand all such offenders over to the police. We trust that when the attention of the College authorities has been once called to the fact that their rules are being violated, all cause for complaint in this quarter will be removed.