curriculum, Platoon B is out in special rooms, engaged with special subjects. At the midmorning and mid-afternoon hour there is a complete change, the group comprising Platoon A passing to special rooms, and the group comprising Platoon B going to home rooms. There is also a minor change at the first and third quarter of each session, providing for a change in the special activities. However, home-room groups spend one-half of each session in the home rooms, working in the field of the fundamental subjects.

The second essential of a platoon school is the division of the subjects of the curriculum into the two classes, home room and special. The home room subjects are arithmetic, spelling, writing, formal language, history, geography and reading in primary grades. The special subjects include music, art, nature study, oral expression, literature, library work and physical and industrial education.

The third essential of a platoon school is the division of the teaching force into home room teachers and special teachers who conduct the activities peculiar to their several fields of work.

It is here we find the richest contribution of the platoon plan. In the conventional school in which each teacher conducts all the activities of any particular group, it is generally the case that the teachers are attempting to instruct in some branches for which they have neither appreciation nor preparation. In other words they are compelled to attempt the impossible.

In a platoon school teachers are selected to teach a subject or group of subjects in terms of their talent, preparation and appreciation in a particular field, and because they are responsive to art or music or nature study, they cause pupils of native ability to respond also, and thus are discovered latent desires and talents.

Often teachers perform a mediocre service when they are compelled to teach certain fact or drill subjects; but, given the subjects of music, art or literature, they become fountain springs of inspiration to their pupils. Such teachers are found in every community. They do not advertise their talents and abilities, but secretly they live in the world of art or music. They revel in good literature or thrill to dramatic situations in prose and poetry. They tramp the fields and climb the mountains in search of nature's gifts and beauty. They

are apostles of abounding health and are devoted to the business of giving it to others.

There are other teachers who from the manysidedness of their abilities and because of their practical attitudes to the problem of living have a special ability for conducting the home room activities. Thus children's lives are peculiarly enriched by their contacts with a diversified teacher-personality and ability.

The fourth essential of a platoon school is the division of the school plant to provide for the two types of school activities. In a school of twenty units it is evident that ten rooms will be needed for home room activities and ten rooms or spaces for the special activities. The home rooms are selected with a view of obtaining most desirable places in terms of location, space and light for in these rooms each group spends one-half of its school time. Ten other rooms including certain available unused spaces take care of the special activities. Thus a traditional school building containing sixteen class rooms, an auditorium, industrial rooms or large basement spaces may take care of from twenty to twenty-four units, bringing about a building economy of from twenty to fifty per cent.

It is a peculiar characteristic that what touches an individual's pocket-book generally brings about a reorganization of individual and home practices; but the situation that violates the social or municipal pocket-book is allowed to continue unchanged.

direction of trained teachers, since most of the special subjects are also included in the curriculum of the conventional school and since the fundamentals are tools used in working out the values aimed at in the special field, a better product, not a less, is obtained in the field of the academic subjects of the platoon schools.

In general the following are some of the outstanding advantages of the platoon type of elementary school organization:

1. The platoon school affords an opportunity for enriched teaching.

2. It makes possible an enriched and functioning curriculum.

3. It widens and enriches the opportunities of the pupil in the school.

4. It furnishes a finer social setting for the work of the school.

5. It makes a real democratic purpose and organization of the school truly possible.

6. It furnishes an opportunity for teachers to specialize in the work best suited to their bent and preparation.

7. It makes possible a definite and real health program through the proper scheduling of this work in the daily schedule.

8. It permits a better assignment of building accommodations.

9. It furnishes an opportunity to build up and equip departments in terms of subjects taught.

10. It makes possible the most economic use of textbooks and equipment.

11. It furnishes a program for the development of citizenship through self-discipline in terms of opportunity open to teachers and pupils.

12. It makes easily possible the development of a fine school spirit and the creation of a situation whereby the school life of the pupils is made pleasant and happy.

The platoon type of elementary school organization is laid on the foundation of the essential principles of modern psychology and good pedagogy. It is held together with the cement of common sense. It is plumb with the educational theories and principles of our greatest educators and stands the test of expert investigation and educational measurement.

Few can pay the price of Hemlock; few are worthy of the Cross; and few indeed, could meet Great Opportunity, even if fate supplied it.

No. 8

THE FIRST QUESTION OF A COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION Are you enough of a grown-up, well-bred man to carry through a gentleman's daily personal routine without a word of advice or suggestion or command from anybody? Let us examine a few leading items of this daily routine and test your preparation.

Do you, with reasonable regularity, go to bed at some fixed hour and rise punctually at some fixed time, with no one to remind you or order you or waken you? If not, you are still "a mere boy," not yet ready for a campus life or self-controlled freedom.

Have you formed the settled habit of personal cleanliness, with thoroughly washed hands and ears and head and body all the time, with clean linen and presentable clothes, with hair and shoes and nails properly cared for every day, with the habit of attending to your laundry and knowing where your various "personal belongings" are? If "somebody else" must look after these things for you, must find your clean clothes and keep track of your soiled ones, must remind you to brush your hair and polish your shoes, you are certainly not yet ready to lead a grown-man's life anywhere in America whether on a campus or in any business position.

Have you grown-up sense enough to take special care of your teeth during this special period when unsuspected decay and infection may injure your manhood health and wreck your later life with crippling disease? Or are you in "too much of a hurry" to give your teeth a thorough cleaning every morning and evening?

Have you learned that the human engine whose poisonous waste is not removed every day is on the road to an early breakdown or are you such a "fool-kid" chauffeur as to be rather proud of being able to put off such "interruptions" almost indefinitely without noticeable disability?

Are you in the habit of "gorging" your food in big mouthfuls, washing each down with a gulp of liquid, and finding ten or twelve minutes long enough to eat "plenty of grub" till the next feeding-time?

If you can't make a seventy-five per cent stand on this first section of the examination, you'd better get busy at once, for you are certainly not "getting ready for college," whatever your text-book grades and text-book units and personal conceit may be.-Washington and Lee University Bulletin.

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