THE WILL OF CECIL RHODES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11953, 30 April 1902, Page 6

THE WILL OF CECIL RHODES.

The San Francisco papers received by mail contain cable messages from London giving particulars of the will of Cecil Rhodes. We quote the following: — '

London", April 4.—The will of Cecil Rhodes, which was made public to-day, provides for the establishment of colonial scholarships and two American scholarships to each of the present States, and territories of the United States, i The will also provides for five scholarships for student* of German birth at Oxford, to be nominated by Emperor William. Commenting on the bequests, Rhodes in a codicil telegraphed from South Africa said: " For a good understanding between England, Germany, and the United States will secure the peace of the world, and educational relations form the strongest tie." All the scholarships, American, colonial, and German, are at Oxford.. Rhodes' will is a remarkable and voluminous document of more than 3500 words. Even this is not the entire will, as the executors only gave out the .portions which they consider to be of public interest. It was executed in 1899. There is a 'codicil attached on the day of Rhodes' last departure from England, another cabled from Capetown leaves £4000 yearly to keep up the spot in the Matoppo Hills where his remains are to be buried. The will further (directs that a railroad extension be made into the Mateppo Hills, so that visitors may go there at the week end to inspect the "majesty and glory of their surroundings." Rhodes explicitly says he is to be buried ■in an aperture cut in the solid rock, surmounted by a brass tablet tearing the words : ' - :

" Here lie the remains of Cecil John Rhodes." ? No one else is to be buried there who has not deserved well of his country. Rhodes bequeaths all his lauded property near Buluwayo and Salisbury, both in Matabeleland, to trustees, whom he directs to cultivate the land for the instruction of the people of Rhodesia. , His celebrated country place at Qroot Sclruur, not far from Capetown, Rhodes JeAves as A residence for the "Prime Minister of the ■■Federal Government of South Africa," with £1000 yearly for its maintenance. -

Rhodes divides the £100,000 bequeathed to Oriel College into several funds, indicating ; exactly how lie wished them to be placed, and adds this characteristic sentence :' "' Arid finally, as college authorities live secluded from the world, and so are little children, as to commercial matters, I would advise them to consult, my trustees, regarding the investment of these various funds, as they would receive great help and experience from such advice." ' Regarding the American scholarships Rhodes says : " Whereas, 1 desire to encourage and footer an appreciation of the advantages which I implicitly believe will result from a union of the English-speaking peoples throughout the world, and to encourage in the students from the United States who will benefit from these scholarships an attachment to. the country from which they have sprung, but without, 1 hope, withdrawing them or their sympathies from the land of (heir adoption or birth." The will provides that the executors may, at their discretion, delay establishing any territorial scholarships until such time as they think tit, but it provides also that the territorial scholarships, once established, shall not lapse upon the admission of the territory to Statehood. , Another provision is that no student shall be qualified or disqualified for election to a scholarship on account of religious opinion. Rhodes desires that the students should not patronise any particular college, but distribute themselves throughout the university. The trustees are allowed to suspend or remove any scholar, at their discretion. In a codicil to his will Rhodes settles the Dalham Hall estate on his brother. Colonel Francis William Rhodes, and his male heirs, with the remainder to his brother, Ernest Frederick Rhodes, and the male heirs. In a clause erring to this settlement Rhodes expressed his objection to the expectant heir developing into a " loafer," and says that the essence of a proper life is that every man should have a definite occupation during a substantial period of his career. In the disposition of the Dalham Hall estate it is provided that the successor to the estate must have been ten " years in' business or in a profession other than the army, or, in the ca^,e of an infant heir, he must enter business and remain there for ten years, otherwise the entail will terminate. 'The will guards strictly against incumbering the estate. W. T. Stead wrote the following for the Associated Press : " The will of Cecil Rhodes is in every respect worthy of its author. With the exception of some family estates m this country, the whole of which'is left to his own relatives, Rhodes has dedicated his wealth in diamond and gold mines to public uses. Its disposition is dictated by what was ever the dominating principle of his life.

"What renders this will of exceptional interest to Americana is the- faafc that it reveals for the first time, under his hand and seal, that he was no mere British,lmperialist, but that he was essentially a citizen of the United SUtes, of the English-speaking world. In other words, his will proves that he recognised as his common fatherland the great English-speaking community, which includes both the United States and the British Empire within its ample frontier. " Mr. Rhodes' will appoints a well-known group of seven of his friends as general executors of his "estate.; This group is further charged to undertake the duty of acting as trustees, for the educational endowment fund which will provoke the liveliest interest throughput both the United States and i the British Empire, for both communities share in the benefit of Mr. Rhodes' bequest. Mr .Rhodes was a graduate of Oxford and' a strident at Oriel College, to which, by the nJ&J?,? bas V eft * special bequest of £100,000. He has made Oxford University m whose glories the American descendants of its founders share equally with those who still inhabit the Old Country, the centre of his educational scheme, and he has left a sum which may be roughly capitulated M reprinting £2,000,000 for the foundation of Anglo-American scholarships. . "The Antral principle of his scheme is that every English-speaking colony and every state and territory in the American Union S f°2, dbe offeml a scholarship of the value of £300, a year, tenable for three years, at Oxford. By this means Mr. Rhodes believed it would be possible to make Oxford the centre of the spirit of race unity, where students from every part of the Englishspeaking world would meet on common

—fc»—<■—— —— — ; ~^S ground "in the most famous of" the old CW4 ■ versitits. -.1 -' u- mr< '' rt»P " What will result in the future presence | W of Americans and colonials in -what, L,> ( . so ■:< long been one of the most; conservative atirf I Anglican centres of Great Britain the future must decided The influx of so much ! An^er^«^^ , «8 can aid colonial blood may have very, impor-< 1»| taut consequences, at which some of the old Vf£f '" Oxonian* would stand aghast. Having decided that each State of. colonial unit should have, on*, scholarship allowed' to it 'every' year Mr. Rhodes' will proceeds to define the ' terms upon which these scholarships should i be allowed. Mr. Rhodes always opposed* the modern ideas of awarding an educa-i " ,: tional prize solely for literary attainments.; The tendency to award a scholarship solely. for success in posing literal examinations seemed to' him to put a premium on lookworms. Hence he has drawn, y.p a scheme for the election of students for his 1 : scholarships which is extremely original and very characteristic of the man. r It is as follows;! ■ " ' In the election of a student to a scholar. ship regard should be had to first, his liter, ary id schoUstic attainments; second, his* , . * fondness for or success in manly outdoor, sport", such un cricket, football' and the like; third, 1 his qualities of manhood, such as truth,' courage, devotion to duty, sym- ' pathy for and protection of the weak, kind- .. liness, unselfishness, and fellowship; fourth,, his exhibition diring school days of moral force of character and instincts to lead and take interest, in his schoolmates, for these ' latter attributes Mill likely in after life guide : h' him to esteem the performance of , public ' duties as his highest aim.'"

LONDON COMMENT ON I'HK WILL OP .RHODES. London, April s.—The London morning, papers comment in various terms of eulogy * on the remarkable and munificent bequests of Cecil Rhodes and the strong personality displayed in his testamentary dispositions. : > "Seldom," says the. Daily Chronicle, *' has a human document of more curious interest been given to the world. All of the romance of-his career, his passion, of patriotism, his ideal of public service and his conception of the use of money as a means' of enforcing his ideas are stamped indelibly on this testa-:'? ment." ~ '■-•-..''...*:.;.:

The Daily Mail says: "We venture to think that the testament of Cecil Rhodes will pass into the story of his life as the' ' greatest and noblest deed he ever accom- . plished. The document itself, so full of|i lofty ideals and noble aim's, shows that, business-like and practical as he was, Cecil Rhodes was one of the finest dreamers and ■ ;■ thinkers of this or any other age." ',» ■" According to the Daily Telegraph th« will of Cecil Rhodes deals with a total 0/ £6,000,000. ' ; - ' ' .'■ ;