This article stresses the need for both practical and theoretical accounting training in the U.S. Probably the ideal situation for a school is to have its accounting faculty include both the theoretical and the practical types of teachers, the natural leaning and emphasis of each offsetting and complementing the other. By planning the sequence of courses with this in mind, the students will receive some instruction heavily freighted with theory and some devoted mainly to the mechanics of accounting procedures. The results should be stimulating to both students and faculty. Whether a special service course in accounting is designed for a group that will not pursue the subject further, or whether the same introductory course is offered to all students, the proper balance between practical and theoretical training should be considered. When the elementary course is available to diverse types of students, it can be planned to give all of them a proper and satisfactory introduction to the subject. The teacher's presentation to the class should supplement material in the text, and should often disagree with some of it.

Those who teach beginning courses in accountancy know that students frequently have difficulty with simple arithmetical computations. Some of the instructors of students in beginning accountancy at the University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, believe this difficulty indicates that the average beginner in accountancy has an inadequate background in ordinary arithmetic, and further, that this lack of arithmetic has an important influence upon his ability to do satisfactory work in accountancy courses. In an attempt to determine whether these beliefs are warranted, an examination in arithmetic was given to all University of Illinois students registered in the first three elementary accountancy courses on the first and again on the last day of class of the first semester, 1939-40. The grades achieved by each student in each of these tests were tabulated and compared, where possible, with his accountancy course grade. The article presents the results of the arithmetic examinations and a comparison with course grades together with such explanatory material as seems necessary to assist in the understanding of the results and conclusions.