At each mid-year season the vexed question of examinations forces itself upon the University's attention. Here in the middle of the year's intellectual activity comes a period of nearly three weeks when all advance in every course in the department of Arts and Sciences is suspended and the time of every student is devoted, in some cases to a legitimate and helpful review of his work, in more to cramming for examinations, and in many, according to the accidental arrangement of examination days, to inaction. That there is a great waste of time here, all must agree, though there may be difference of opinion as to the exact advantage and disadvantage of the present system and the possibility of adopting any other.

We believe, however, that the present state of things cannot continue much longer. Difficult as it now is to arrange the schedule of examinations, every increase in the number of courses of instruction and the constant growth in the enrolment of all departments will make the task a harder one, unless the period is lenghtened.

But a change, we believe, should be brought about even before it might be forced by these circumstances. The question which the mid-year examinations bring up is not necessarily that of whether the examinations themselves are a good thing or not, though their abolishment would of course solve the whole difficulty at once. Admitting that a mid-year test is valuable in every course, a few queries suggest themselves. Does the benefit gained by preparing for an examination make up for the loss of eight lectures and, in the case of those who get through with their examination early in the period, a week's study, more or less; knowing that they will have a few days in which to "work up" each of their courses, are not most men inclined to neglect their regular work during the term; do not the Faculty thus, like the seminars which have grown out of the system and which they have frowned upon, "abet students in the neglect of regular work" by maintaining the present system? A consideration of these questions forces the conclusion that the present system of mid-year examinations is far from satisfactory. It seems clear that something ought to be done. Either they ought to be abolished altogether, or else some plan should be devised by which they would not interrupt the year's work for three weeks nor give an opportunity for men to cram down the requirements of over three month's work in as many days.