The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-29
AMERICAN STUDENTS VI
AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY

At OXFORD UNIVERSITY
Il Our readers will recall that 81 Cecil
Rhodes left Il sum of money to DO en-
poSed IN educating foreigners at Oxford"
Tho conditions on which these scholar
ships were awarded provide that each
man shall receive jE30O n yearsand. about
seyenly-fvo bencfGiarles hnye malrleu-
three Americans eight Or ten, Germans.
and representatives from a humber OF
British colonies. But an Oxford cnrre-
spondcnt or the Boston Transcript says
TINT the interest or the Universe Tvs seams
t'',nc States" and 1t Is to tl1ep largely.
that Oxford looks for tho impetus which
the advent Of the Rhodes scholars Is <cx-
pcctcd to bring. Care llas been taken to
Ing together, as Mr., Rhodes provided in,
his will that ms far as possible tho
scholars should be distributed among all
the various colleges. We are told that tho
BY the English press has been on the
whole q kindly one though now and
then n satrcal editor cannot forego u
comment on 1.-The Wild West Show that
Puacl is responsible for-the remark that
"rhlrty-tive Rhodes scholars, purportedi
( TO be tho pick of the American univorsl-
ties, have landed in England, and an
alarlnlst report Is abroad TO the effect
that America has again reapsed into bar
dated from Oxford tho London Daily
Telegraph says. '"rhe ordinary UNDER
graduate is a little astonished to find that
much like Other freshmen, instead OF be-
4 4sd - isuiSnt.i 3ta n lnr.y!t ir5s'5 SO
IstrangenGss OF their attire. the ,,ncon-
y ven .of their manners, and q pro-
Of boards. %IIo}is Il little disappointed and
hurt thereat. I would have added much
to the picturesqueness of Oxford if these
'Partllans, Modes, Elalnites and jewellers
In NIesopotamia' had arrived, let us say,
like Red Indians. or Bnsutos, or flat foot
ed 1iollnnders, AS q matter Of fact, they
4 look very much as other men, except,
perhaps. that some Of them seem a little
older than the average. Sometimes their.
speech betrayeth them but BY no means
always; and they came with an immense
respect for their future alma mater
What Impressions they will form OF
the old University, what benefits they will
derive from 1t. are the very cruS Of the
experiment. we know pretty we'll that
they will think OF existing undergradu-
ates. Our young barbarians on the Isis
will seem very kindly, hospitablc, full of
god ceiling towards the strangers but
It's possible that iilthe lump they may
strike their critics from other lands as a
little wanting in individuaity. We havc
Incompatible facilities III England Of turn
ing out young men as like as two peas,
cut out OF wood with q knife, all accord
Ing to the same pattern Our public
$schopls do not encourage Individuality.
Our universities absolutely discourage IT.
Thus the average undergraduates may
strike the Colonial as wanting in so
sand nrdor, more than ~ little slack, an
5easy-going, harmless, quite undistnguish-:
ed person.: at
The Transcript correspondents says that
At is perhaps rather carly to draw any
/, conclusions regarding the place which the.
Rhodes men are to hold with the student
revelations have beck made as the term
has opened.
I. Iii the first place, the majority of the
men WHO came from America expected
slnoners,n and to enjoy the privileges Incl
dent to the former title but pride goeth
before u fall" Tho University holds that
as tho Rhodes scholarships arc entirely
outside Its Jurisdiction and arc admins
ttered;by an independent Board Of Trus-
Stces/the men holding these PLACES are -
be treated as any other individual who
come up for residence. Hence q few
asplrants for unmeritel honor nave been
compelled TO doT tLo>. scholars gown
the! commoner's rneagre garb.
b An added stigma arises from the fact
that every one who 'Gonesi up to OK
ford no matter where he may enter his
ana lis treated as suoll. Some. 5of the
learned fellows from America ctla1e !: 1lil-
der tho indignitles which .befall g fresh
man tho world around, but fortunately
most or them arc lhessed, VIII ep
these eight weeks until some intercourse
5witIleupper classmen will be tolerated:
For it rather offenfs the american, spirit
: OF 4can,araderie to be coached on the river
day after day by second year man a hs1
I'm II further Mrur "a discussing ito stuation,
Americans arc reminded that there arc
certain striking d4fterences between, e.,
can universities. For on esWho has been
accustomed to spend from twenty 70
thirty hours q week IN lecture room ana
laboratory. to say NOTHING, q &. the re-
he goes on ut Is surprising toI ind that
books play a, rather ,insIgni Acal1t part
when one is up. ssi ]. !.
The spectre Of exa mlnat!ons i crosses ?
no w RdI ordered @ sH'os studeat WRITES
over a vision general yllosttin tho distant
fog. II Is sold that JoWett, the OLD mas a
ter OF, Balllol, was once asked nat OE-
ford Would DO for g ne rrgnllsu,
how to be an Eng lsh gen tlen,an.'; and aa
Professor James APPLY adds. There. as
elsewhere, England expects every man 70
do his Duty In other WORDS the OHt ,Is
ideaihas always been soHsthing more then
a mere intellectual life developed at the ex-
penso OF the whole man, i breaches ne q g
truth as yet somewhat, strange 20 me
American stud el.t.s namely, That S'educn-
ton is not exclusive or lnainly intolleo..
8tuul In the best sense Of the WORD pu Y
social and moral as Well-Ta discipline !. y
the way 10 live" The TelegraHh. article
quoted above goes on to say o. the On
ford regms and the iedueatona,;l Idea fo g.
which tho university stands ~ I'm . ~!
sure Tint the German Will ever find TINS
out out but the American and the colonial
cannot fail to gain therefrom much 1, az &!
vantage There will she5 some hin { pt
aling 10 hin, In, a. place where the IN
struetlon IS not SO Important as the life.
So tha, when he has PASSED thr ,apa h ~
Australia, 10 the United States ar to South
Africa, Ito viii be vaguely conscious. that
lie has, been subject to iniinences whi t,
make him different from nils iklth.and KIN.
Ito Will have made the discovery
that To be educated is not TO be- coneelted