THE RHODES SCHOLARS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20892, 5 December 1929, Page 8

THE RHODES SCHOLARS.

The Committee of Selection, which meets at Wellington for the purpose of selecting two Rhodes scholars to represent New Zealand during the next three years at the University of Oxford, will to-day seek to discharge its responsible duty for the year. This committee, it may be concluded, is now admirably constituted for its peculiarly difficult task, for its decisions during recent years have .given very general satisfaction throughout the Dominion. The Governor-General (in his private capacity) acts as chairman, and the other members are the Chief Justice, the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of New Zealand, two senior ex-Rhodes scholars, and a representative of the business world of ! recognised standing and impartiality.

Although the Rhodes Scholarship was founded over twenty-five years ago, it still ranks probably as the most cherished and most valuable prize which is offered for open competition among the male students of the Dominion. It is gratifying to reflect that this country has never, through a dearth of well-qualified aspirants, been obliged to forego the privilege of nominating the full number of scholars allocated to her. On the contrary, as far as may be judged, the competition is as keen as it was twenty years ago, and the successful scholars are of a calibre that compares not unfavourably with that of the earlier scholars. Some changes have been inevitable in order to bring the farreaching .scholarship scheme into harmony with modern conditions, but the Rhodes Trustees have introduced modifications only after careful consideration, and in such a way as in their judgment is necessary to fulfil the purposes and intention of the public-spirited founder. The difficulty of the. selection is evident when it is borne in mfcd that, although literary and scholastic attainments are to form a part of a candidate’s qualifications, Rhodes expressly desired that “the students who shall be elected to scholarships shall not be merely bookworms.” Qualities of manhood, leadership and fellowship, moral force of character, and success in sports were to be main considerations. Cecil Rhodes fully believed in the capacity of the English-speaking peoples to lead the march of progress and to contribute powerfully to the peace and harmony of the world, and his scholars were to be chosen from those deemed to be the best equipped for such a purpose. The problem facing thfe Committee of Selection has been materially simplified by the narrow limits which have recently been placed on the entrants, for these scholarships. Unless exceptional circumstances arise, they must be either nineteen or twenty years of age, so they will, under normal conditions, have completed two or three years of their university courses. This fact makes a comparison of their respective performances much more certain than if they were at very different stages in their careers. The elimination of any possibility of a mistake occurring in the selection is of great importance, for one comparative failure can produce an almost indelible effect on the public mind. The final selection from among the eight chosen nominees of the four university colleges appears to be in safe hands, and depends ultimately on a personal interview, without which wise provision no scholar is ever elected. The choice of two nominees from each university college is entrusted to the Professorial Boards concerned. Admittedly the Boards are not ideally constituted for this purpose, but it seems most unlikely—though it is not. unknown—that a man of outstanding merit could fail to gain their approval. The Students’ Associations have expressed the opinion that they should have some direct voice in this pre-selection. At present there is no provision for this, but the matter is, under consideration by the Hew Zealand National Union of Students. In the past the scholarships have been fairly evenly distributed between the four centres and such a uniform geographical representation is one of the aims of the trustees.