A Great Experiment

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 788, 8 October 1929, Page 8

A Great Experiment

How Rhodes Scholarships are W on

WITH the close of The university year wii: lake place ia selection oi the two Xew Zealand Rhodes Scholars tot* 1930. S-E _ • - • v n the average university student, aetualiy knows of 1 r Rhodes Trust. -st 1 t is t the world more deeply, perhaps. T han any other modern *Aiameniary u.spcsitioii of wealth.

Ce il John Rhodes, graduate of Oriel ! CoII-se. Umpire s’E'-esman. and multimillionaire. tvas a man whose ideal cf life was public service, and who regarded wealth as a trust to be used for the public good. For this purpose his great endowment of made in perpetuity- provides ior the assignment cf Tv scholarships to the Empire colonies, five to Germany, and -wo to each of the United States cf Am eric a, Rhodes hoped that the education cf young colonials at Oxford would “broaden iheir views, instruct them in life and manners, and impress upon them the advantage to the colonies and to Britain of the retention of the unity of the Empire. The American scholarships would, »he hoped, “encourage the union cf English-speaking peoples throughout "he w:rld. ' and he added the bequest to Germany - that an understanding between the three great Powers might render war impossible ’ through the bond cf educational relationship. Provision is now made for the continuous residence at Oxford of 200 Rhodes scholars, who are awarded an annual allowance of £4OO for three years. New Zealand candidates must be under 22 years of age, and are selected with consideration to »a> intellectual ability. <fc : moral qualities. ; »c leadership and public-mindedness | <d> physical vigour, emphasis being ; -aid on the first two sets of qualities. METHODS OF SELECTION ' New Zealand students, it is s*aied. are consistently head and shoulders above those of all other nations, but ; the difficulty of obtaining youthful j candidates sufficiently well prepared I indicates that some system of cooperation with the secondary schools would be advisable. Methods of selection vary in differi ent countries. In New Zealand, appib i 'rants of each university college must • first place a full record cf their actii vities before the local Students’ Asso- ; elation executive, which reports as it 1 thinks fit to the professorial board. The board chooses its official nominees —usually two—to appear with others before the selection committee, which meets in Wellington at the end of [ November. This body, consisting of the —■ -

I Governor-Genera.: "he Chief Justice the chancellor and vice-chancellor of . the university. a representative of *~€ » business world, and two ftrine- Rhoie? scholars. Interviews each candidate. • and finally elects two scholars with . due regard both to general qualification sand to personality. The scholars elect must immediately apply for admission to one of ; the * colleges of Oxford, so that they may take up residence there in the ; following October. f Present occupations cf ex-Rhcdes scholars are as follow: —Education : 251: law. 27?: business, industry and . mining. 12-: m* : service, 57: ministry. 45: journalism 52: farming. I?; engineering, IS: rattary service, •>. It would appear from ; this and from other reports tha" : scholars have not taken that full psr* ■ in public and political life which - Rhodes originally intended The majority indeed do not return > to the colonies finding their services better remunerated abroad. In this . the system has failed. It is indeed a pity that colonial Governments have never troubled to make arrangements * whereby suitable men migh* be assigned position in the civil ser- ; vice or diplomatic office. The pc?* . cf High Commissioner is an obvious . case is point. A NOBLE CAUSE Time alone can pronounce success or failure on the great experiment. Realising the difficulty cf attaining his ideal. Rhodes nevertheless hoped • that he might at least give an impulse to a noble cause, and one may doubt whether there is today any scheme more highly planned for the realisa- . 1 tion of a great and generous objec r . j By the liberality of its provisions, it has opened up opportunities to a large body of selected young men, opportunities such as have never before been available to any association of youth in the world’3 history. I The system is as yet an experiment. But the inspiration of a great idea i gives significance to any work or any worker, and we may fairly hope that ■ once in a while there will be found ! the exceptional man in whom the j spiritual fire of Cecil Rhodes will be • brought to a white heat, helping him j “to lift the world's heart higher.” ■ P.L.S.