The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-14
IN THE DAYS OF CR|BB|NG
College Man of To-Day Not Adept
in Cheating.
THE METHODS OF FRAUD
A Graduate Relates Some of the Devices
That Flourished In His Day.
Only a Decade
Ago.

The decline of ~"cribbing" in American
colleges is a change that is noticed to-
day by nearly every man who returns
to his Alma Mater and has the oppor-
tunity to hear the undergraduates dis
cussing examinations m the prepara-
ions that are made for them. What
has brought about this change IL may
not be possible to tell. But graduates
of nearly every college have something
to say about the improvement in that
direction which has come under their
own observation Doubtless. their
original knowledge of h vas done
in this direction vas the result of OBJ
servation merely. But there are few
men who ever went through an Ameri-
car college without a knowledge of the
existence of cribbing i'm a more or less
scientific, continuous and deliberate
way. So they are all able to Judge of
any change that has taken place, and
all of them have found an improve
ment.
Men who are now instructors in coll
leges at which they We're formerly
students have the same story 10 tell.
The commonest explanation for this Is
that there has been a change in the
methods of instruction at the leading
colleges OF the country. The system of
lectures has made the difficulty of pre-
pairing cribs" much greater than II
was formerly. Whatever the cause of
1t may be. the decline of the practice is
an accomplished fact. One of the
alumni of a college that ranks among
h six greatest of the country recently
visited the institution at the time in
which the men were busy preparing
for the examinations that are now un-
der way. He said that the activity was
quite as great as II had ever been dur
ta~ HE nvorn1trnfn dnxvC nlfn.t&n
one kim OF preparation vas not to be
observed. This was the manufacture OF
the various devices for "cribbing' which
used to be an unavailable preliminary to
the end of the term.
when I told the younger men. with
no fear of suggesting the evil to them.
of some of the devices which used to be
adopted during my time in college," he
said. "thev were astonished at the
trouble which used to be taken and the
ingenuity with which the schemes for
passing examinations were carried out.
I could tell from their manner that the
surprise which they expressed was gen.
uine. None Of them had ever heard of
the deceptive roller crib. which a al
ways been regarded as the heaviest
weapon for use against the examina-
| tons. This consisted of a long piece Of
white paper. sometimes long enough 10
contain the whole Of n set of compli-
C3teu rultS OF Hlh 'ueuldtiCs- lney NtTe
rolled up from either end. held together
with elastic. and manipulated between
the thumb and first finger.
There was one danger connected
with the use of the roller which was
not of frequent occurrence. but when II
did happen always had a fatal result.
| The rubber that held the roller In place
has been known to snap. and on one
occasion this landed the crib right un-
der the nose OF the ~astonished Latin
professor who had never suspected the
existence Of any sue thing. II was the
DELAY caused by his ignorance and his
efforts to identify the strange object
which enabled a culprit to escape. But
such an event was unusual. as few Of
the professors knew so little about the
crib and it's possibilities. One of these
roller cribs containing the entire list Of
problems that were contained In the
text book at college. passed down
through several classes and was bought
every succeeding year for s25. AS IL be
came blurred its price declined. but 1;
was regarded as a valuable possession,
even when IL was scarcely legible.
Another treasure that was handed
down from n class to another 70;
several years was also intended &c aid
the possessor In his progress toward a
degree. IL was n set Of six pencils. They