Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-10-22
COMMUNICATIONS.
THE RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS.

L i
To the Editor of the Register:
Permit me to make a few remarks in |
reference to recent paragraph in your
paper, which was copied into the Bur
lington Free Press.
/. The type of education which
Oxford has to offer is declared to be
too heavy with the classics and too
theoretical" Your readers may be in
terested, and perhaps surprised, to
learn that at Oxford in addition to the
courses in Literae Humaniores and in
Mathematics there are final honor
schools in l. Modern History, 2. Juris-
prudence, 8. Theology, A. Natural
Science (Which includes as separate
schools, a. Chemistry, b. Geology, c.
Botany, d. Zoology, e. Animal Physiol-
ogy, f. Physics, g. Astronomy, h. En-
gineering), 5. Oriental Languages, 6.
Modern Languages, T. English Lam
guage and Literature.
These subjects hardly correspond
with your description, nor can they
fairly be condemned as 'too
theoretical" They are not professional
or technical; University is not supposed
to be the place for technical or voca-
tional training, To any of these studies
man can devote his entire time during
at least two years of his Oxford course,
or after his first term when he should
be able to pass the only examination
that stands between his admission and
his final honor school.
g The idea that the courses of study
have been laid out to suit the tastes or
preference of 1.-THE English nobility"
would be provocative of more than
smile with anyone really acquainted
with the facts. The proportion of "the
nobility to the mass of students at
Oxford is exceedingly small.
8. AS regards "the English aristo-
Gratis" Oxford and Cambridge are not
bit more aristocratic or exclusive than
Harvard and Yale Mr.. Rhodes idea
of American Colonial, and German
students spending three years at Oxford
was that the privilege would by no
means be all on the side of the guests.
His hope was, and it is the hope of those
who are interested in carrying out his
trust, that this comradeship of students
would tend to better mutual under
standing between the different coun-
tries and peoples whose youthful rep
resentatives were thus brought to-
gether. This surely is a more worthy
endeavor than the sowing of distrust
which one would fear to be the result.
if not the intention, of your remarks.
d. While the Vermont committee of
selection has never lacked reasonable
number of candidates from whom to
choose our scholar, it must be ac-
knowledged that not so many of our
best youths come forward as one might
wish. This is the complaint and regret
with regard to the United States gen
orally. The Colonials win far more dis
tinctions at Oxford than the Americans.
The chief reason in my opinion for our
comparative failure to get more and
better candidates is natural feeling
that the additional three years of what
may be called general education, how
ever valuable, can hardly be spared be-
fore man enters on his life-work, or
at least on definite and immediate prep
arationsfor it. Where the time can be
given tits good investment, and |
believe it is so regarded by the
great majority of those who have
made the experiment.
5. | should think it would be quite
natural that there would be fewer men
thinking of Oxford and its advantages
in this time of European distress, when
at the Universities as much as else
where, or even more, the ordinary
course of life and work is necessarily
interrupted and disorganized.
ARTHUR c.. A. HALL.
Bishops House, Burlington.