Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23
AID CONSULAR SCHOOL
J. P. Morgan, ]. H. Hammond
and Others Give $4,000.
ROOT APPROVES COLLEGE
Would Exclude Failures in Life for
Refuge in Service.
HIGH STANDARD HE FAvORs
Secretary Of State Now Rejects Every
Other Applicant and Would
Be More Drastic.
ROOT APPROVES COLLEGE
HIGH STANDARD HE FAVORS

J. Pierpont Morgan. John Hays Ham
mond and others have contributed ovel
$4,000 of the fund of $4,000 which DIR
Richard D. Harlan of George Washington
University Is raising to broaden the work
and enlarge the teaching staff of the col
leee of political sciences of that institu
ton.
The college recently formed for train.
ing young men for the diplomatic. con-
, sular and public service, has been largely
attended
Great interest has. been manifested
throughout the country in the bettermen,
of the foreign service. According to an
authority the new college goes great
way in meeting a need of proper instruc-
ton.
The university hopes to place the new
school thoroughly before the people,, in
dicating its Importance to the nation and
the opportunities it offers to young men
to fit themselves for the service of the
government.
Roots Views on Service.
In recent letter to DR.. Harlan relative
to the new college Secretary of State Root
says:
II am much interested In it from the
government point of view. In order to
break w an inveterate abuse like that
which has made our foreign service. to
so great an extent. refuge for failure
in life, broken-down politicians, unsuc-
cessful business men, men who have out
lived their careers and have no ambi-
fion-it Is necessary not merely to refuse
to appoint such men. The pressure for
mere negative-it can be met only by an
affirmative so clearly made that It is
beyond discussion.
ITO furnish that Affirmative it is neces-
10 Oh hot
appointed by means Of some process of
selection which furnishes evidence of
superior merit We are trying to do that
now by means Of rules-which prescribes
young men instead of old ones; which
exclude political considerations; which
provide for original appointments only to
the lower grades and foR filling the higher
grades only by promotion on the basis Of
efficiency in the service. and which re-
quire examination.
Success in this r. Tres that the exam
nation shall be of such a standard as
to clearly Demonstrate superior ability.
and IT is impossible to apply such a
standard unless a considerable body Of
young men of the country have facilities
for preparation enabling them to come I'D
to such a standard
THE standard for examination and the
moved up together. Neither one can go
up by itself. leaving the other.
81 Would Be More Drastic.
I'VE are now rejecting about half the
men who apply: yet I should like to
make the standard higher than it is now.
and would do so If a greater number
able to pass 1t were to apply.
THE experience of other countries
shows that to secure a properly trained
service a special provision for training
must be made. The ordinary curriculum
. of the colleges and academies in the
United States is not adapted to prepara-
ton for such service
II regard the kind of facilities which
you are proposing to afford as of very
high importance in the building up of q
foreign service of a high standard, and
think 1t Is fair to anticipate that. other
things being equal, the men who avail
themselves of such opportunities for prep
aration will inevitably receive the ap-
pointments. subject only to the limita-
tions of number in the service and the
geographical distribution among the
states.
Your proposal has the advantage of
establishing a university relation between
the proposed school and the other branch
es of university education, and this is
something which 1 think is practically
essential to the successful establishment
Of such school,"