1907] Diplomas for Foreign Consumption 



other sons are Darwin, Huxley, and Kelvin, "a 

 galaxy of science," as the proud father observes. 



Among Australian scholars I found a general tend- SaU of 

 ency to criticize the custom, alleged to be American, 

 of selling college degrees. Moreover, it was at first 

 hard to convince my friends that these "American 

 diplomas," mostly issued by a pretended "National 

 University' 3 ' in Chicago, were not recognized by us, 

 and were indeed virtually unknown, such " degree 

 factories " coming to public attention only when occa- 

 sionally closed by the police. Furthermore, it is 

 mainly in Britain and her dominions that degrees not 

 purely honorary are legitimately granted on examina- 

 tion without residence, for which reason fraudulent 

 diplomas find little market elsewhere. According to 

 American custom, the degree is a certificate of at 

 least one year's successful work in actual attendance. 

 In one of my talks at Sydney, therefore, I made refer- 

 ence to the so-called "National University," the 

 agents of which had peddled its spurious degrees in 

 foreign countries among persons desiring a title never 

 earned and never legally received. Afterward I was 

 advised not to speak so frankly in Australia, where 

 the libel laws are very stringent. Of this warning I 

 took scant heed, feeling sure that no representative of 

 a pretended American institution would invite further 

 publicity by any attempt at defense. 



In addition to my addresses on Education, I gave 

 an illustrated lecture on Japan, in which I tried to 

 dispel the dense ignorance regarding that country 

 fostered by interested militarists. Australia bars the "The 

 immigration of all "colored" people, and the idea 

 that Japan was planning future expansion in the unin- 

 habited tropical north of Australia had been very 



C 213 3 



menace 



