He notes that the psychologists also use this median value. He further points out that the intellectual process of studious attainment is a biological process which must conform to biological laws; and that, therefore, the results of examinations have a normal line of distribution. Any variance from this normal line of distribution indicates some peculiarity in either the instructor who marks or in the class which is examined. He further believes he has demonstrated that the normal curve of distribution corresponds to the curve of a series of binomial coefficients, raised in the usual way on the binomial theorem. Without dwelling on this special discovery of his (extraordinary and significant, no doubt), we note here merely that this table purports to use the test of median value, as employed by anthropologists, i. e., the value or grade of attainment possessed by the middle person in the group. The average value would be the total values divided by the number of individuals; the median value is that of the middle person in the total series of persons, who is thus the type of the group.

To ascertain this value, the following process was used: Each student's marks of each grade were reduced to a single net percentage by multiplication and division; i. e., his units of A marks were multiplied by 95, B by 75, C by 50, and D by 30; this total was then divided by the total units of all his marks; for example, for a student having the record A 20, В 40, С 10, D 2, the 20 was multiplied by 95, and so on, the sum divided by 72 (his total marks), giving 76 as his percentage figure. On a decimal scale the total number of individuals in each decimal section was placed (Table Q1). But since the total numbers of persons in the groups H and C were different, a just comparison required these section totals to be turned into percentages of the group totals; this result is shown in Table Q 2. Then these section totals were plotted on a curve graphically (Table Q 3).

1

Professor Palmer uses it in his recent volume, "The Teacher," p. 185 (1909).

The Table Q shows four varieties of results: (1) The median value, (2) the attainments of the bulk of the group, (3) the highest attainments, (4) the lowest attainments.

(1) The median value, i. e., the percentage-quality of work done by the middle man in each group is revealed as follows: Ha, 73; Hb, 73.7; H, 73.3; C2, 76.4; C4, 78.5; C, 78.2; Η C,

TABLE O 1.-Median value (actual numbers).

75.8. Thus, between H and C, is found a difference of only

4.9 per cent.

(2) The attainments of the bulk of each group fall between 60 and 90 per cent; i. e., 90 per cent of the H group and 90 per cent of the C group fall within grades of passable and high quality.

(3) The lowest attainments fall exclusively in the H group; i. e., 7.5 per cent fall below the 60 per cent grade.

40

30

20

10

(4) The highest attainments fall almost entirely within the C group; i. e., 2 per cent of the H group and 10 per cent of the C group come above the 90 per cent grade.

What inferences may here be drawn ? Looking at the youths at their point of entrance to the school, this table would seem to justify prophesying to them:

(a) "If you are of extraordinary capacity for legal science, i. e., belong to 6 persons in 100, there is only one chance in six

TABLE Q 3.-Median value, plotted.

30-39% 40-49% 50-59%

60-69% 70-79% 80-89% 90-99%

1

that you will develop that capacity to its best unless you first
go to college; and two years of college will be only one-quarter
as good for you as four years."

(b) "If you are of little or no capacity for legal science, i. e.,
belong to 4 persons in 100, there is every chance that you will
at least develop some modicum of capacity if you go to college."

(c) "But if you belong to the vast majority, i. e., to 90 persons in 100, there is no certainty that going to college will develop materially your capacity for legal science; there are merely 76

against 56 chances that you will develop high average powers if you have them, instead of fair average powers."

CONCLUSION.

Looking over these four tables, we return to consider the original argument which was set for empiric investigation, viz.: That a college education is essential to that scholarship which is needed for the scientific study and mastery of the law, and, therefore, should be required for entrance. The inferences which seem to be justified may be thus stated:

1. For developing the very highest powers, a college education is essential. Whether two years of it is as efficient, relatively or absolutely, as four years of it, does not fully appear.

2. For developing the very lowest powers, a college education is essential.

3. For developing ordinary and high powers, a college education has, in some aspects, the chances in its favor; but, on the whole, and for the vast majority of men, it appears not to be essentially different in its results in legal scholarship. But,

4. These inferences are based on the observation of a single school and a limited number of students, hence are provisional only, in any aspect; and,

5. In view of their significance if found to be universally true, they should be tested on as large a scale as possible before any policy is adopted for which their correctness or incorrectness has any important bearing.

EDUCATION PREPARATORY TO A UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL COURSE.

BY

HARRY PRATT JUDSON,

PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.

The state has seen fit to prescribe certain conditions precedent to the practice of some professions, especially the professions of medicine and law. In each case it may be supposed that these requirements are laid down primarily for the protection of society, as the individual otherwise would find it difficult to ensure in a practitioner the knowledge and skill requisite for the proper care of person or of property. It hardly need be said that the legal conditions in question are a minimum. The ablest physicians and attorneys far transcend these, not a few who can fulfill them are really ignorant and incompetent. The most that can be said perhaps is that on the whole many who would be glaringly unfit are prevented from practice, to the material benefit of society. In other words, the benefit is primarily negative, and only to a moderate extent positive. By virtue of possessing a state certificate of qualification to practise one may be presumed to be to a certain extent likely to know his profession. But the more important consideration is that one who has no such certificate may practically invariably be presumed to be unqualified.

With such state standard necessary to attain in order to secure the privilege of legal practice, it is obvious that in many ways provision will be made for providing young men with the requisite knowledge. Private enterprise, wholly or largely commercial in character, has established many schools of this kind. Clearly, such schools will aim at the largest practicable attendance, and hence will demand from their students a minimum of preliminary education. The main object is to fit the largest