The Monroe journal., 1921-05-24
MIR. Edison's Test-Questions.


claimed "0f all horned cattle deliver
me from the college grauate." Mr.
Edison, a self-made genius in another
line. says less picturesquely, The,
don't seem TO know anything" The
ignorance of the educated was a we'll
established fact long before Mr.. Ches.
terton included il for brilliant con.
slderation in his collection of para.
doAes. Nobody indeed knows so vel
as the educated man how ignorant he
1t. 1t is an important part of the
mission OF education TO impart thi.
knowledge as well as to create a de-
sire TO know and to provide mean:
for knowing. Somebody has de
seribed education as learning how tc
learn.
Certainly a miscellaneous collec.
ton of facts. however. large the col.
lection and however important the
facts, Is not Of itself education. All
are familiar with the infant prodigies
who can rattle off the names OF all
the states. with their capitals and
their population and equally LONG
lists or historical and geographical
facts. and can perform extraordinary
leats OF mental arithmetic. The Rus.
sian boy chess-player is OF this sort.
Whether he could qualify for Mr..
Edison's staff by correctly answering
his questionable, or whether he
would get the *. Y. g." of failure.
could not be guessed. however. The
particular facts in question may nev.
er have come to his notice.
A retentiye memory is useful. but
1t is hindrance. There
Is such thing as remembering too
much. Useless facts obtruding them
selves may interfere with the logical
processes of the mind. II used to
be taught in some OF the schools.
and doubtless is now, that a founda.
tion of general knowledge and schol-
arly training. including familiarity
with books OF reference, is much
more useful than a great array of
unrelated facts without such founda-
tion.
Mr.. Edison's list of test questions
discloses the inventors interest in
facts of history, the arts and science.
Perhaps other lists which he has pre-
pared would disclose equal interest
In politics. In any case Ii Is difficult
to agree with him that any such col.
lection as he has prepared which
might have been made up from
'crapbook of "Squibs" used for news
paper 'fillers"-is a really informing
lest of ability to qualify for work in
my OF the various departments OF the
wizards establishment
Seventy-seven questions of the
lightweight submitted by Mr. Edison
n a recent examination of applicants
are recalled by a former Cornell
honor man, who failed on the test.
His feat In remembering SO many of
he questions is in itself rather re-
narkable. Ii he was once told the
answers Ii is probably safe guess
that he would remember most of
hem. AS II was he ''flunked" with a
of about fifty per cent.
Here are some OF the questions:-
Who invented the modern paper
making machine?
Who wrote Don Quixote"?
Who wrote the opera "Trovatore"?
Who was the father OF American
always?
Who was Pizarr0?
Who was Solon?
Who was the founder of the New
FORK Herald?
Where Is Magdelena bay?
What is the greatest depth ever
ound In the ocean?
Where was Napoleon born?
Where was Lincoln born?
OF what is porcelain made?
How Is celluloid madeg
What voltage is used in street cars?
What kind of wood is used for AK
handles?
What kind of wood is used for
ierosene barrels?
In what part of the world does IL
lever rain?
Who invented logarithms?
How far is 1t by the shortest rail
quite between New York and San
Where does most OF our quicksil.
Ter come from?
What Is copra?
From what city do most of our
aundry machines come from?
What is zinc?
Where are condors found?
What fabric is used In automobile
Tres?
An interesting test might be ap-
lied to Mr.. Edison himself by sub
hitting to him eighty-eight other
uestions of equal Importance. Very
likely he would make good score
With his answers. but there would
be no general disposition
o Judge of his standing as scientist
nd inventor by his success or failure
nth the list.