THE PURPOSE OF SCHOLARSHIPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15056, 27 July 1912, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE PURPOSE OF SCHOLARSHIPS.

IN the Nineteenth Century (Jane) Professor Marcus Hartog thus condemns the refundable scholarships :— "What is the purpose of scholarships? We glanced at it. earlier; but I think that the best short statement is that they serve to enrich the life of a country by providing training for those who are bentfitted to receive it; they enrich not only • the intellectual but the material life of the country by bringing into the learned and-, scientific professions those who will do best work in them. Every man worthy of the name feels bound to justify his position in the world to inmeelf and to others. The man of money contributes willingly of his means to charities, public and private, and to various sociri objects, far more than the State takes from him for public purposes by taxation ; and, what is more, he does it cheerfully and without grumbling; this fact was the justification of Auberon Herbert's plea for voluutary taxation. The ex-scholar justifies his existence by his worldly success, for the world profits by fine work well done. Why should wo risk marring this work for the sake of recovering that money which has been forthcoming in the past, and will be forthcoming in the future, from the enlightened man of means? I have known most intimately not only scholars but private beneficiaries ; and their general feeling is that on them lies tho strongest obligation to give helo of every kind to those . who start from their own old stepping-off place, so that these in turn may rival or .surpass their own success in the service of man. If once we make the actual money debt of i definite amount the accepted obligation, if its' integral repayment become a standard duty, we have an end to this ennobling and generous conception. Shall we not demoralise and sour the beneficiary who is never in a. position to discharge this debt, by telling him that he should regard himself himself as a sort of bankrupt? He may be a great and inspiring trainer of men; he may add to the value of life by his researches like Faraway, like Leonard Hill of our own day instead of giving of his best freely and generously to the world, as these did, he must sell his goods to the highest bidder or incur the reproach of willing, acj quiescent insolvency."