The Topeka state journal., 1919-12-23
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HASKIN, Director
Washington, ID. C.
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIoN

derstanding between the three great
powers will make war impossible,
said Cecil Rhodes in the will estab-
fishing his famous scholarship system.
He accordingly provided the means for
students from the United States. Ger
many and Colonial Britain to come to-
gether at Oxford, so that they might
absorb the traditions of England and
carry them back to their own people.
The Rhodes scholarship beauest, big
as 1t seemed, was too small project
to prevent war; but the idea that
thoro understanding among nations
will promote peace is still chung to by
hopeful scholars
7 Now that travel on the high seas is
comparatively safe again, universities
have resumed the pastime Of swap
ping professors" That is, an Ameri-
can university will send a professor of
English literature to Denmark, and in
return, perhaps, will have Danish
expert on chemistry to visit it for a
year or more. Due to the boycott on
things enemy alien, the exchange of
German and Austrian teachers with
America is suspended indefinitely.
Some students are also sent By
scholarships to the universities of diff
ferent countries, but this is not done
Systematically. Educators all over the
world seem willing and eager to have
their colleges exchange students with
other countries; yet. for some reason.
probably the scholarly. aversion to
haste. the project hangs fire
To put the exchange of students and
professors on an organized basis, an
institute of international education
with headquarters in New York has
been created by the Carnegie endow-
ment on national conciliation. The
director of the institute is abroad
making contracts with European uni
versities, but the actual work of ex-
change is already started. One of the
first professors taken charge of by the
institute is Professor Newton of the
University of London, who is touring
the United States to lecture on history.
Education is to make war impos-
sible; yet, paradoxically, war has pro-
NOTED international education. Brit
ish, French, italians and Americans
have been drawn together in closer
bonds of feeling than ever before.s The
desire to know more about their al
lies is expressed widely in each of
these countries. Lectures on America
given by a famous American professor
in France aroused an unexpected
amount of enthusiasm; while Amer
cia's interest in French traditions was
stirred by the admission of our SOL
diers to French universities
This interest was so great during
the war that American educators sent
an invitation to Great Britain, France
and Italy to organize educational mis-
sions to the United States. England
responded by sending a highly dis
tinguished mission to this country in
October. 1918. A little later France
followed her example. Italy SO far
has not accepted the invitation, tho
various Italian scholars have ex-
pressed themselves in favor of strong
er cooperation between Italian and
American universities.
The British mission was said to be
the most distinguished group of Brit
ish university men ever to leave Eng
land. 1t came eager to plan an ex-
change of students with America. as
it regarded this of prime importance
to both countries. It stayed two
months, visiting universities and plan
ming details of an exchange system
Before they left, the British scholars
declared themselves amazed at the
high quality of the American univer-
stiles, especially at the state univer
stiles, which have no parallel in Eng
land.
The French mission was not so
greatly. coTfc erned with an exchange
system as With the idea of interpret
ing French achievements to the United
States. It spent large part of its
time making speeches to. American
students, mostly with conspicuous
success.
Until now. the only formal and reg
ular schemes to send students to for
eIEu UNIVERSITIES nave Deen aIHe 6nO0eS
scholarship bequest and the Boxer in
demnity scholarships. The Rhodes
scholarships were founded in 1902 by
the will of Cecil Rhodes, British EN-
pire builder and idealist. Rhodes had
always valued a college education as
an immeasurable advantage in life
His health was such that he could stay
in England only for short periods. but
he was so determined to graduate
from Oxford that he went back and
Trf1 hat ok i
Africa and studied at intervals for
eight years to obtain a degree When
he was granted an honorary degree by
Oxford years later, he regarded the
occasion as one of the highest points
in his career.
His beQuest allows the United States
to send two students at time from
each state TO spend three years at Ok
ford. Canada, British Africa. Aus
tralia and the West Indies also have
their quotas, while before the war
Germany was given fifteen.
Oxford is noted for high standard
of classical training. Universities of
the United States excel in technical
lines: the German universities, before
the war, attracted students from all
over the world because of their repu-I
tation for intensive research. while the
University of Vienna. was best known
for its medical school. Such reputa-
tions for excellence along special lines
have for years attracted students from
other countries to certain universities
But the idea back of the interna-
tional exchange of students is not so
much to catalog these best universi-
ties and the best professors and to
send students to-them. It is rather to
place students and professors in for
eign universities so that they may
broaden their outlook and come to l1n-
derstand other peoples
The war, which had so paraIvzing
an effect on the European universities.
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