The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-10-09
COURIER FRIDAY


provide two youths from each state or
territory, of the age at which American
boys enter collega-seVenteen TO tWen-
ty-one-With three years OF residence
as undergraduates at an Oxford college
He did not intend to have his gift used
for graduate work at Oxford, but rath-
er he meant to give lads of special
promise an opportunity to understand
| and share in the oxford training which
has been the foundation of the culture
of many OF the leaders of English
thought and action whom these same
lads have been taught to admire. The
beneficiarieS are to be selected not only
or their high scholarship, but also for
marked qualities of manliness, for lead
ership among their schoolfellows and
even for proficiency in sport. Youths
of the muscular Christianity which the
late Bishop Brooks delighted to preach
are the persons Mr.. Rhodes desired to
aid. 5. ~
81 doubt much if just the kind OF
youth desired by Mr.. Rhodes will meet
| the administrators of the gift half way,
In the first place, until the end of the
first year at Oxford the holder of the
Rhodes scholarship will have little
chance at anything except classics and
mathematics, for by the requirements
of Oxford colleges he will take Respon-
sions on entering and, as a marked man
| wishing to do we'll, Moderations at the
/ end of his first year. "a This will leave
him two years for his preparation for
honors, or for special work. For some
years interest in American schools in
| Greek and Latin has been decreasing.
| The tendency is for the colleges to force
down into the preparatory schools more
of science, of the modern languages and
of the study Of English composition and
literature. Very recently an expe-
rienced and successful master of a sec
ondary school told the writer that he
could no longer arouse among his pu-
pills any interest in Greek, and that
| what maintained such interest as there
| is in Latin is the oft-repeated state
ment that knowledge of it is necessary
to intelligent use of English. How diff
ferent all this from the attitude in Eng
lish schools! AT Harvard college many
students enter without Greek, and the
majority do not go IN with Greek or
Latin after they have matriculated.
| The usual course for the first year in
cludes French or German, an introduce
| tory course in history. a course in Eng
| fish composition, a general course in
English literature and an Introductory
course in economics, government, phi
| losophy or fine arts. The youth of well
defined scientific trend substitutes for
some of these one or more of the follow
| ing subjects: Physics, chemistry, bot
any. zoology, geology or mathematics;
! leading directly to courses during his
second year in engineering. In some of
the colleges, provided certain regula-
tions as to proper sequence of courses
| within the same department be fol-
| lowed, a boy is from the start almost
| entirely free to choose whatever courses
he pleases. After the first year there
is but little prescribed work in the lead
ing colleges of the United States; and
even in the most conservative the free
| dom of choice increases yearly. There
fore, as against1ats Oxford a group sys-
tenn which In natural science promises
some freedom for three years, but in the
other groups little freedom till the sec
| ond year, youth considering whether
he shall offer himself as candidate for
a Rhodes scholarship can set off at
ileast three, and in some cases four,
years Of fuller or an entirely free
choice in American colleges.
THE kind of lad whom Mr.. Rhodes
had in rnind-w is already a leader,
or wishes to become one--takes in the
colleges Of the United States not the
classics and mathematics, but courses
looking toward the law or business.
Many such students, recognizing that
they will be from TWEEN ty-h five. to twan-
ty-seven years old before their work at
a law school will end or before they can
obtain salary sufficient to support
them comfortably, take each year, In
colleges permitting the arrangement
| enough courses to win the B. "a. degree
/ in three years instead Of four. Is II
likely that youths of these interests and
| of this. temper-arld it is to be rernem-
| bered that among them are the men
i who most closely meet them are the
men who most closely meet the requi-
sites for the Rhodes scholarships-wi
| be enthusiastic about adding to Their
study of Greek and Latin In the prepar-
atory school, carrying both languages
at least an extra year, and taking q
course in which they are given real
/ freedom of choice only in the last two
! years, and then only to limited de-
/ gree as compared with what is al
lowed in the leading American colleges
i Moreover, professors Of economics, So
cjoJaov history and government are of-