THE COLONIAL SCHOLARSHIPS.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11243, 8 April 1902, Page 5

THE COLONIAL SCHOLARSHIPS.

A HEAD MASTER'S OPINIONS.

Mr C. E. Bevan-Brown, head master of the Christchurcb. Boys' High School, was asked for his opinion of the late Air Rhodes's educational bequests and their conditions, by a representative of "The

Press" yesterday. Hβ replied that m his

opinion they -would certainly help '■what he might call the higher kind of Imperialism —the highest development of free, selfgoverning communities, progressing along their own lines, but owning a common tie and a common ideal. They made for the spiritual, rather than for the material development of the Empire. Mr Rhodes had seen that in the British Empire there existed, for the first time in history, a league of free, self-governing nations, who could yet submit freely to a common bond of government, and who owned a common head, and a common heritage of great thoughts. There was no doubt that the bequest to Oriel College was an affectionate remembrance of the statesman's own residence there. Hβ was a friend of Professor Wilson, 'Mr Bevah-Brown's old tutor, .who had a great regard for the late Mr Rhodes, •nd saw a good deal ©f him when he was at Home and when he received his D.C.L. at Oxford. Professor Wilson used to say that .he was egotistic, but that he had , reason to bte, and that it was an egotism Bevan Brown thought the scholarships ■would , tend to be a very valuable link cit Etoprre in the best sense. It was a very generous and warm-hearted action to give scholarships also to Germany and America, and in doing so, Mr- Rhodes had seemed to be looking onward, almost, to "the Parliament of', men, -the Federation of the •w0r1d. , . . He was not sure whether the present time would- not be rather opportune for the bequests to Germany and America.

Aβ to the way in which the scholarships were to be awarded, much wae to be said for it, but Mr Bevan Brown questioned if it would work out* satisfactorily in practice. H« did not think himself that a large enough percentage had been allowed for "literary and scholastic attainment, if the holders were to take fuff advantage of their Univ«rkity- courses, and there were practically 50 points given for sports. Of these only 20 were., specifically so assigned, but as the candidate's school mates were to assign 30 more, they would be sure to give these, Mr Brown thought, to the boy popular in sport.- That was giving physical attainments, it seemed to him, a little too much weight over intellectual and spiritual force. Moral .force received 20 points, and it would be a difficult and de-

licate matter for. a schoolmaster to assign these at all. Often the quality was not developed until after a boy Jeft school, so that until then it would not bs capable of assessment. Moreover, if there was to bs one scholarship for New Zealand, for instance, hovr were the conflicting opinions of different masters to be weighed and coordinated, with regard to candidates? It would bee gjreat test of the moral integrity of the masters concerned. The points were difficult' of distribution, in any case, except for the scholastic attainments, and Mr Brown was afraid that, against Mr RhodesY indentions, there would be a tendency to give the scholarship to a successful footballer. Even if all the candidates were from one school, there would be difficulty in making the award. When they were from different schools it seemed as if the difficulty would be insuperable. At present, however, there were few details to hand as to how the scheme would "be worked, so that criticism on this point might easily prove beside the mark. Sir Bevan-Brcwn thought that if percentages were to be .given at all, tttiev sbo«ld b§. say, at the rate of 'one-third to. intellectual attainments, one-third to moral force, and the remaining one-third to .physical excellence. The scheme provided for in the will, however, would certainly be an interesting experiment, even if it broke down in any particular. It •was an effort to assign scholarships on other methods than those of mere competitive examinations in book knowledge. As sudh it would, .very likely, be fruitful in results.

; Commenting on the fact that .no less than 104 scholarships were allotted to the United States, Mr Bevan-Brown said that if these were given on a population basis, the large preponderance of over those offered to the colonies would be accounted for. In any case he was not sure but what it was a fine thing to do. It was of great importance to the peace and progress of the world to bring England and American thought into closer relations, so that the best men of both countries might better understand and respect one another. Mr Bevan-Brown stated that he was not aware of any other scholarship into which the physical, or even .the moral, element entered. • He did not know whether an allotment of marks among all tfcese qualities would be desirable in ordinary examinations, but Mr Rhodes, no doubt, had had in view the selection of men who would be useful for Imperialistic ends, who might be able to govern. It would be v splendid idea, ii some elements of the kind could be imported into the methods of assigning appointments, such as those of the India Civil Service. The comparison which has been made between the wills of Mr Rhodes and Julius Csesar was prompted, Mr Bevan-Brown thought, only by the bequest cf the estate as an interim poblic park, and by a mental comparison of the two men. Mr Stead had recently referred to Rhodes as a kind of cross between Julius Caesar, one of Cromwell's Ironsides, and Ignatius Loyola. No doubt the late Mr Rhodes resembled the Roman dictator in bis masterful spirit and large ideas, and the alleged" resemblance of the wills seemed somewhat hyperbolical. *Cjesar left legacies to all of his supposed friends, including several of his assassins, and bequeathed his gardens beyond the Tiber to the Roman public. Besides this, fc® l e fb 300 sesterces, which would correspond to* about 60s, to every citizen. ,

CABLE NEWS.