Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-04-10
WILL Of CECIL RHODES.
Some of the Provisions of a Remark
able Document By a Re-
markable Man.
UNITY OF EnGLIsH-spEAxIRG RACES.
That is His Keynote, and to That End He
Has Devised a Comprehensive Scheme
of Education with Oxford University
as the Center of the Spirit OF Race
Unity.

tefQaN wrote the iolioNlhS wi ="
press:
"The will of Cecil Rhodes is in ev-
cry respect worthy of its author
With the exception of some family
estates in this country the whole OF
which are left to his W relatives,
Mr.. Rhodes has dedicated his wealth
In diamond and gold mines to public
uses. It's disposition is dictated by
what wa ever the dominating princi-
pie of his life.
what renders this will of excep'
tional interest to Americans is the
fact that it reveals for the first time,
under his hand and seal that he was
no mere British ~imperiaEst, but that
he was essentially a citizen OF the
United States, of the English speak
ing world. In other words, his VIII
proves how accurately l interpreted
his sentiments when / declared, on
the strength of many intimate and
confidential conversations, that he
recognized as his common fatherland
the great English-speaking communi-
ty, which includes both the United
States and the British empire within
Its ample frontiers.
"Mr. Rhodes first will was made in
September, 1877, when he was a young
man of "a. At hat time he was only
beginning to amass the wealth which,
before he died, had made him "A null
ti-millionaire, not in dollars, but in
pounds sterling. His last will was
dated July J., 1899. But the two docu-
ments are essentially alike in senti-
ment. They both embody, i'll express
terms, what was ever the master
thought of this master mind, the
necessity for promoting the reunion
of the Notwithstanding race.
"Mr. Rhodes will appoints a we'll
known group of seven of his friends
as general executors of his estate.
This group is further charged to un-
dertake the duty of acting as trustees
for the educational endowment fund
which will provoke the l~iveliest dis
c%ussion and excite the keenest inter-
est throughout both the United States
and the British empire, for both COM
munities Share in the benefit of Mr..
Rhodes bequest. Mr.. Rhodes was d
graduate of Oxford and a student at
0riel college, to which, by the way.
he has left u special bequest of $780,
900. He has made Oxford university,
in whose glories the American de-
s~cendants of its founders share equal
Nv with those who still inhabit the old
country, the center of his educational
scheme, and he has left a sum, which
may be roughly capitalized as repre-,
s~enting $780, 900, 900, for the founda-
ton of Anglo-American scholarships,
fenable at Oxford for three years. Mr..
Rhodes, it will be remembered, was
so impressed with the value of a uni
versity education, that, after he had
been compelled to break his course
at Oxford, by i'll health, which rem
dered it impossible for him to winter
in England, he returned every sum
mer from South Africa in order tt
complete his university career. Tc
his thinking, the university, better
than any other institution, naturally
affords a vivifying center of race uni
ty. 1t is free from all political com
~plications, and a residential university
with the old traditions of Oxford
seemed to him the best fitted for thu
he had in view. When | dis
cussed with him the question of TIN
choice of university which should b.
selected as the race center, the re
spective claims of Oxford and Cam
bridge, or some American university
were freely discussed. That Nj
Rhodes settled the question in favo
of Oxford was due to his devotion t
his old university, and if these fe1
lowships had to be tenable at any on
center, it would be difficult to cav
at his choice. Mr.. Rhodes, therefore
having selected Oxford as his rae
center, from his love of his old aim
mater, has drawn up a broad outlin
of the general conditions upon whic
these scholarships should be awarded
The central idea of his scheme
that every English-speaking colon
and every state and territory in tn
American union should be offered
scholarship of the value of 81, 800
year, tenable for three years, at o!
ford. BY this means Mr.. Rhodes b.
lieved it would be possible to MAX
Oxford the center of the spirit
ace unity, where students from e
cry part of the English-speakin
world would meet, on commo
ground, in the most famous of I'll
old universities.
"What will result in the futul
presence of Americans and %colonia
in what has so long been one Of IL
most conservative and Anglican Gel
tiers Of Great Britain, the future mu
decide. The influx of so much Anne
car and colonial blood may have vel
important consequences, at whit
some of the old Oxonians would stan
aghast. Having decided that ea'
state or colonial unit should ha'
one scholarship allowed to it eve,
year, Mr.. Rhodes will proceeds to d
fine the terms upon which the
scholarships should be allotted. N
Rhodes always opposed the mode
ideas of awarding an education
prize solely for literary attainment
The tendency to award a scholarsh
solely for success in passing litera
examinations seemed to him to p
a premium on bookworms. Hence,
has drawn up a scheme for the eli
ton of students for his scholarship
which is extremely original and We
characteristic of the man. Tt is
follows: In the election of q 81
dent to a scholarship regard shor