Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-07-16
IS A fine SCHOLAR
w. Crittenden of California, is
First to Finish Rhodes Tests
With High Mark.
SAYS AMERICANS WOKE UP
Did Not Take Oxford University Ser
iousIy at First But Knows Bet
ter After Experience.

Rhodes scholars from the wild and
woody western hemisphere may have
sent chills up and down the spine OF
old Oxford by perforating window
panes with bullets from II caliber six
shooters, and stories may have come
across the sea as to the rather poor
rank of the American students, but
California, Just the same, is pretty |
proud of a young fellow named VIII
liam CrittenGen, who recently got back
from his course as a beneficiary of the
great foundation made by Cecil
Rhodes, says IL Berkeley (Cal0 special
dispatch to the New York Times.
Crittenden was the first Rhodes
scholar to reach Oxford. He was also
the first to get away-at least the first
to get away with Il clean record for the
full course. As a matter of fact, Crit
tenden finished up his three years
work in two years and spent the extra
year seeing things in odd corners of
the continent and in taking Il special
course III law.
Now, about everybody in the Berke-
ley section of California knows Crit
tenden. In fact. he is notorious. To
begin with. he was one of the brightest
pupils in Il school hereabouts. AS one
| result of his youthful attuinments, he
| was picked out by Il man who runs n
chain of newspapers in America to
make a trip around the world and tell
oil ~, I'm obi A
| Connecticut bulldog To the IL p. IN.
extras. Tie did the job very conscien
| tiOusly.
When he got back and went into the
| University OF California everybody
| seemed 10 know all about Crittenden.
| and the haZing that he got in his fresh
man year would put West Point i'll the
| shade and cover it up with leaves.
| Pretty much all his first term was
| spent in telling inquisitive upper class
men in compulsory lectures just how
| he and the newspaper chain had done
| it. Just the same. he took it all in the
| proper spirit and came TO be one of
| the most popular men in college. He
| was president of the Junior class at
| Berkeley when he was picked to go to
| oxford.
| From what can be learned unofficial
| ly about Crittenden's stay at Oxford
| he seems to have been the best of the
| American students as far as rank goes
at least. Anyway. California will claim
that honor until the returns come in.
There was lot of talk awhile ago
| about the poor scholarship of the
| American Rhodes men. Crittenden
says that they are all doing very well.
| Furthermore he believes that the
Rhodes plan is great one and will be
| Of lasting benefit. The first year" lie
says. the Americans did not take
things seriously enough. The life was
so free and easy that the Americans
| did not seem to realize that there was
| any work To do. The second year, how
ever, the men got down TO real work.
| and now they have a higher regard for
| the English system of education than
they had at first"
| Praises English Students.
! or the English students whom he
i met at Oxford, Crittenden has only
warm praise. Il do not think" he
says, that the people of this country
I appreciate the Englishman. The Eng
i llsh are about as honest and sincere
and straightforward fellows as you
| can meet anywhere. They are not at
all ELUSIVE; they have sort of dig
nifty and reserve about them, to be
sure, but once you get to know them
they certainly are fine friends. They
| stick by one another in splendid fash
| ion.
II They received us Rhodes scholars
with q great denl more courtesy even
than they show one another. They
knew we were strangers and tried to
do everything they could to put us at
our ease. They seemed to see that if
the Rhodes scholarship scheme was to
j succeed they would have to give us an
, opportunity to see the English home
and the English life. Taking it for
; granted that we were decent sort of
men, they invited us to join the differ
ent societies and asked us to visit their
; homes. l remember that one man in
vited us to shoot deer in his private
t park. That of course was rather tame
sport for Californian, but one
l couldn't help approaching the spirit In
l which the Englishman gave the invita-
{ ton
, Crittenden while travelling in Asia
Minor short time ago had an adven,
= ture with n gang of bandits. Now he
is prepared to settle down to law prac.
: tice or at least to the further study OF
5 that profession, with the rich field that
j. San Francisco now affords as an in
ducement to remain in that part OF the
= country.
A Happy Man
Is Amos F. King, of Port Byron, n. Y
(S5 years of age); since a sore on his
loo which had hin, Tho rrroo,