The independent., 1903-04-23
THE RHODES BEQyEsT
MIR. Sampson Regards the Rhodes Scholar
ships ut Oxford ~ q Misfortune
in Dispute

I'm Disguise
Editor Independent: The provision
In the will of the late Cecil Rhodes for
two three-year scholarships, in per-
petuity, at Oxford college, England,
for each state and territory of the
American union, has naturally created
much interest on both sides of the At
lantic.
The writer yields to no one in ap-
probation of the importance OF edu-
cation, and the value of college and
university education, nor is he obliv-
ious to the good generally resulting
from interchange Of ideas between
representatives of different rationale
ties. Ordinarily, therefore, bequest
of this character would be~welcOmed,
but, under the circumstances Of the
present case, Mr.. Rhodes action can
not be considered otherwise than as a
possible misfortune in disguise.
1t is an open secret that, with re-
gard to the South African war, Mr..
Rhodes was an accomplice before the
fact, because the destruction of the
two republican governments in South
Africa would directly and powerfully
contribute to his plan for British fed
GRAFTON in that continent. Nor is it
less well known that considerable
portion of his vast wealth was ac-
quired directly or indirectly through
the criminal exploitation Of Africa
by England. But we pass the ques-
tion as to the right or prOpriety Of
using even for education the proceeds
of public plunder, and proceed to a
consideration of more practical inn
portance.
Mr.. Rhodes is quoted as giving the
following reason for the beQuests in
question, in common with similar be-
quests to all the British colonies and
Germany:
II desire to encourage and foster an
appreciation of the advantages which,
I implicitly believe, will result from
a union of the English-speaking peo-
pies throughout the world, and to
encourage in the students from the
United States who will benefit by
these scholarships an attachment to.
the country from which they have
sprung; but without, | hope, with
drawing them or their sympathies
from the land of their adoption or
birth"
And Mr.. William T. Stead is quoted
as saying of Mr.. Rhodes educational
bequests:
"The central principle of his scheme
is that every English-speaking colony
and every state and territory In the
American union shall be offered a
scholarship of the value of 81 SEQ
year, tenable for three years, at Ok
ford. By this means Mr.. Rhodes be-
lieved it would be possible to make
Oxford the center of the spirit Of race
unity, where students from every part
of the English speaking world would
meet, on common ground, in the most
famous of the old universities.
While this sounds well enough, we
are pertinently reminded of the Ian
guage employed by President Wash
ington in his letter of January %,
1795, to the commissioners of the Dis
trict of Columbia, in connection with
his plan for national university at
Washington, as follows:
ut has always been source of
serious reflection and sincere regret
with me that the youth of the United
States should be sent to foreign coun.
tries for the purposes OF education.
Although there are doubtless many,
under these circumstances, who escape
the danger of contracting principles
unfavorable to republican govern
ment, yet we ought to deprecate the
hazard attending ardent and suscept-
ible minds from being too strongly
and too easily prepossessed in favor
of other political systems before they
are capable of appreciating their
own"
And again, in his letter of March
16, 1895, to Governor Brooks, of Vir-
ginia
'It is with indescribable regret that
have seen the youth of the United
States migrating to foreign countries
in order to acquire the higher
branches of erudition and to obtain
a knowledge Of the sciences. AL
though it would be injustice to many
to pronounce the certainty of their
imbibing maxims not ccngenial to re-
publicanism, 1t must nevertheless be
admitted that serious danger Is en-,
countered by sending abroad among