REPORT ON THE COMPETITION
The Editor offered a prize of £5 for a:suggestion. for a New
Competition. . -
Oun readers, on the whole, are good, solid, serious people, If we can judge by the entries for this competition, they enjoy exercising their minds upon major problems. Seine have written to thank us that we never descended to acrostics and cross-word puzzles. On the other hand, some have written to reproach us for the same fact. But these iris. sponsibles were very few ; most competitors preferred subjects which gave them scope for careful thought and good writing. In a word, and without jesting, the entries have been downright. sensible.
We could not be expected to set problems which demand either research or specialized knowledge. One competitor proposed, for example, that we should offer a prize for a new musical composition ; another, for a dis. cussion of kindergarten methods of teaching. We should be limiting very severely the number of our readers who could find exercise or pleasure in the competition if we adopted either suggestion. Two or three competitors declared a wish that we should set a General Intelligence Paper. It is an excellent suggestion, hedged round with many difn. culties. It is hard to set an Intelligence Paper vihich is not in some measure a test" of information ; and that would place readers who had no reference books at hand in an unfair position. This difficulty overcome, it would still be hard to judge intelligence when the time for answering is so Protracted.. It would be best, probably, to set a paper which demanded both intelligence and taste ; and we promise
to consider the proposal with care. •
We have gained a great store of subjects for future com- petitions, and we thank all the readers who sent us their suggestions. Most of all we thank A. C. Plester; L. C. Jack, Bette MacGregor, " Lucilla," E. H. H. Higham, Miss Canston, Captain Donald Anderson, Mrs. Milne, and the Rev. F. Tatchell. The prize is awarded to " Auliffe," whose suggestion we print below in our new competition. Will he please send us his name and address ?
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