We wish to protest on the part of the students against the present system of hour examinations. Such examinations are perhaps useful in moderation, and especially so in elementary and large courses where the instructor can not form a definite idea of the work done by the men in the course. At no time have hour examinations, special reports and theses been so numerous as at present, at the end of the term, and it is against what we think to be an abuse of this feature of our college work that we wish to speak.

Just at this time when the senior and junior forensics and a sophomore theme are due, hour examinations are "sprung" in maddening profusion. Some unfortunate men, besides having a forensic and four hour examinations, have also a special report. We cannot see what can be gained by such a state of affairs; on the contrary, there is much that is of the greatest hindrance to a man. No one, when so driven, can do himself justice on anything, and the strain of the mid-years is practically repeated without the chance of freedom from other college duties. If hour examinations must continue a feature of our college, let them come systematically, let there be some agreement between instructors, so that men will not have to neglect shamefully the work of one course in order to pass creditably an hour's test in another, or worse still, fail to do themselves justice in any of their courses. The crowding of these examinations utterly without plan into the last three days of the term, in addition to the extra work at this time, is one of the worst abuses of our examination system, and one of the greatest onemies to regular and conscientious work.