on the blackboard or printed in fine form and placed upon the
walls of the room. These honor names are arranged alphabetically and
without the percentage of standing, so that it is an equal honor to all
students.

The Commencement Day of the graduates of the Normal Class occurs shortly
after the examination. These exercises are given on some suitable
evening of the week, and are made the event of the school year. After
the exercises comes the banquet. For this occasion the Sunday school
room is made by the graduates a veritable bower of floral beauty. The
Normal graduates and the honor students are received as the honored
guests at these festivities.

Such a description may make plain how to emphasize the examination. At
least two months before the examination the superintendent should make
short, pointed appeals to the scholars and try to fill them with the
spirit of study. These examination honors, open to every one, should be
made plain to all. Adults work with an object in view. It is the same
with the children.

The written examination, its report read to the school, the roll of
honor, the promotions, the Commencement and its banquet, are appeals
not made in vain to the modern child. What must be the legitimate result
of such an appeal to the children? They work for the examination as they
do for the examination in the public schools. These last weeks are busy
ones. They meet evenings at the homes of the teachers, and on Sunday
they gather at the church in special session for class study.

Under such inspiration whole classes have handed in perfect papers. And
yet some may and will fail. For them a second examination is given.

Then on the day of promotion the whole school moves forward and occupies
the rank won. A course of study can thus revolutionize a school and
create an atmosphere of genuine study.

FOOTNOTE:

[A] These books have been published in pamphlet form by the Methodist
Book Concern as "Graded Lessons for the Sunday School."

THE CHICOPEE PLAN.

BY HON. L. E. HITCHCOCK.

CAN the graded system be successfully used in small Sunday schools? The
plan described in this article has been in successful operation for
several years in the Central Methodist Episcopal Sunday school in
Chicopee, Mass., in which the membership during that time has averaged
200 and the average attendance has been about 150.

Before describing in detail the plan it may be well to stale three
principles on which