The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-14

were hexagonal. and on them had been
carved with an ingenuity that was al
most worthy OF the Chinese every for
mula In trigonometry hat was likely
under any circumstances to be asked
for on an examination paper.
Individual cases hat used to be
rather daring even 10 us fairly took
the breaths out OF the men who heard
about such things for the first time
hen I recalled a few of the most
striking instances that I remembered.
] hin the most audacious I ever wit
messed took place at an examination
In logic. The instructor in charge of that
was a young man who had been grad
uated only q few years before from
college. and he was familiar with the
tricks that were customary then. He
had declared, moreover, that cribbing
in college, so far as he was concerned,
had come to an end and would never
be tried again. This had the effect OF
making men work or keep out of his
classes, but there was one man who
had done nothing In the course and
was determined to make up for that by
taking the examination with every pre-
caution against failure. He copied. on
a piece of stiff cardboard. all of the i'm
| portant rules OF logic. n took enough
out of the textbook to make IL fairly
certain that he would get through. The
C"dfuDOdfu was ABOUT Iouf Dy I'VE III
ches N closely covered on both sides
with writing. One end of IL was at
tached to the inside Of his trousers at
the knee by a strong elastic. and the
other end was tied to his shoe by "a
piece of strong silk thread. Sitting in
one OF the chairs. the possessor Of this
intricate device had only to cross his
legs by putting one foot ON the knee of
the other leg. As hat was an attitude
| that the form ~ tghair had made rather
customary IL act no attention. All
that he had to do was to pull the thread
Until the elastic stretched far enough
to make the cardboard visible. Then II
could be held in the hand. provided that
the student was agile enough In let
ting IL snap out Of sight up his trousers
at the first sign that its presence was
suspected. IL worked perfectly. and
after that day the young professors de-
claration that nobody ever cribbed with
him was never received with the same
respect.
That was a much more unusual ef-
fort thar some others TO which we were
70 accustomed that they attracted lit
tie or no notice. Blue cop books Of a
certain size were always used for ex-
aminations then, and many a man has
cut others down TO that size. fitted them
with the necessary information. and
then carried them into the room in his
clothes. They could readily be produce
ed when the examination began, as
any number of books were allowed 70
Inc students. Greek and Latin texts Of
a certain rather unusual kind were al
ways given to the students at the exam
nations and one OF the most striking
features OF these little books were the
tops and sides of the edges. which were
red. They could not be had anywhere
with this peculiar mark. But practi-
cally the same effect could be attained
by rubbing the edges with red ink. and
more than once that was done. and the
entire English translation of the text
written between the lines. Then the
book could easily be substituted for
the one distributed by the instructor.
cribbing were ever looked upon as any
thing very daring. They were quite
conservative and comparatively safe.
II the evidently genuine surprise OF the
men who heard these stories and their
positive assertion that uch practices
are In effect unknown to-day were not
misleading. there has been a great ad-
vance within recent years. During my
days at college the men who were
known TO crib with comparative regu-
larity were never looked down upon by
their associates for that reason so Ions
as they were good fellows in other re.
spects. Indeed, men who had 10 need
OF any such assistance were often will
ing TO help their fellows. II was only
when men stood very high in Their
classes and yet cribbed systematically
that they became objects Of contempt
10 their fellows. Cribbing for honor
was certain TO make them looked dowr
upon But the others who did IL nevei
lost n respect OF their classmates
The present condition. however. ind
Gates an immense fmprovement-ons
thai is difficult TO appreciate. moreover
in view Of the fact that IL was less thar
a decade z that h practice -four
ished."-New York Sun.