Leading Articles in the Reviews. 



525 



THE RHODES SCHOLARS AT OXFORD. 



The Areiui for Ma\ gives a full arrount of the 

 Rhodes scholars at Oxford, the methods of their 

 election; and a summary of their achievements. 



THEIR DISTINCTIONS. 



It is stated :— 



On the avcr.nge nearly 51 per cent, of the Rhodes scholars 

 in residence al Oxford are from the United Stales of America, 

 just over 41 per cent, from British Dominions and Colonies, 

 while the remaining 8 per cent, are from Germany. The tola! 

 number of scholastic honours won by Rhodes scholars during 

 the years mentioned is 313, or 276 exclusive scholastic honours 

 in America, of which 16 represent Diplomas in Economics 

 obtained by Germans, 130 honours won by Americans, and 130 

 honours won by men from our own Dominions and Colonies. 

 Taking into consideration the relative numbers of British and 

 American scholars, it may be seen that scholastic honours are 

 fairly evenly divided between t!ie two, but favour the represent- 

 atives of Greater Britain, while the Dominion and Colonial men 

 have scored 41 athletic distinctions at Oxford to 23 scored by 

 Americans. In athletics, therefore, the Briton much more than 

 holds his own judged by British standards, but there are two 

 forms of athletic sport in which America seems to be able to 

 excel all comers — in Throwing the Hammer and Putting the 

 Weight. The reason for this is debatable, but the fact remains; 

 and while American Rhodes scholars continue to come up to 

 Oxford it is a fair prophecy to say that in these two events 

 Oxford will almost always beat Cambridge at the Inter- 

 Tniversity Sports Meeting. 



THEIR CHOICE OV PROFESSIO.V. 

 -\11 these figures show what splendid results have marked 

 lUiodcs's scheme. .Mroost every great profession has received 

 some of their numbers to swell and ennoble its ranks. Educa- 

 tional work has taken 84 during the years I9o6-l<)io, Law 66, 

 Religious work ig, Civil Service in (Jermany 13, Medicine II, 

 Scientilic work 9, Business 8, Journalism 5, .Mining and Engi- 

 neering 5, Agriculture 3, Diplomatic Service in Germany 3, 

 Diplomatic and Consular Service in U.S.A. 2, LC.S. 2, British 

 Consular Service, Colonial Service, the .\rmy, and Secretarial 

 work I each. 



fPSETTING THE OXFURD AND CAMBRIDGE BALANCE. 



An earlier paper rails serious attention to the 

 influence of the Rhodes Trust on the balance of O.xford 

 and Camhridfje athletics. Already the Oxford lacrosse 

 team hardly contains a man born in the British Isles. 

 South .\frira is a strong asset in the Rugby football 

 field, and the Hammer and Weight events in the sports 

 are almost a gift to Oxford by the U.S.A. The writer, 

 while applauding the general scheme, fears that harm 

 mav result to both Universities by overbalancing 

 Oxford. lie says : — 



It may be that the Rhodes scheme will, in the long run. 

 allngcihcr upset the balance l>elween Oxford and Cambridge, 

 that till' lime will come when there will no longer be any doubt 

 as to which is the foremost University of the British Empire. 

 Should ihis be so, the writer lielieves that Oxford will lose far 

 more than she will gain, while the consequences to Cambridge 

 would, of tours'", be immeasurably serious. 



On the other hand, the effect might be different, and the 

 ullimali' result might be that Cambri<lgc — as the representative 

 of the It.ilish Isles — would slill contest the supremacy with 

 Oxford — as the representative of the Oversea Dominions, that 

 men would choose Iwlween the two on the score of llieir birlh 

 rather than on account of the particular nature of their inlen'lid 

 studies. Such a development would be detrimrnlal in many 

 ways, and would to a great extent frustrate the original purpose 

 of Khotjes's scheme. 



The writer argues that the best solution seems to lie 



either in a strict age limit for all performers in inter- 

 Uni\eisity contests, or in the encouragement of some 

 scheme calculated to draw a fair share of the talent 

 of the oversea dominions to Cambridge. 



THE WRECKS ON CAPE RACE. 



Cape Race, that has come into prominent notice 

 in connection with the Titanic disaster, is the topic 

 of a most interesting paper in Harper's for April by- 

 Mr. George Harding. He says : — 



In this neighbourhood there is an extraordinary conjunction 

 of perils. Fog, icebergs, submerged rocks, north-easlerly gales, 

 a sheer shore, and a singularly treacherous current create a large 

 possibility of catastrophe. Cape Race is a bluff, jagged bit of 

 coast, scarcely provided with sirand ; and a multitude of sub- 

 merged rocks are scattered from the breaking water at the foot 

 of the cliffs as far to sea as the Virgin Rocks, which outlie 

 ninety miles. The Polar current, which "runs like a river" 

 past the grey cape, is so variable in the direction of its flow 

 that it may race south-west al one time and flow north-east at 

 another. In the spring and early summer — and often as late at 

 ihe fall of the year — icebergs come down with the current, and 

 lie sluggishly off the coast, hidden from the sharpest eyes of 

 ships' look-outs in the dense accumulations of fog. 



It is ihe fog— almost continuously raised by the contact of 

 the Polar current with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream — 

 which for centuries has made a menace of this cape of evil 

 name. 



So rarely is the sun visible that " the dogs bark when 

 the sun comes out." The cottages which hudille in 

 the sheltered coves and their singular furnishings, 

 tell, he says, the dangerous character of the coast. 

 They are fitted up with the spoils of the wrecks. 

 Thousands of vessels pass within sight of the Cape 

 every year, and any vessel missing its way risks coming 

 to tragic grief. 



There are some two thousand folk living at Cape 

 Race, inhabiting a streti h of fifty miles. They are of 

 Irish descent through man)- generations, n hale, tough, 

 genial crew, .sailors, fishermen and noble-hearted 

 wreckers. " Lives before salvage " is a proverb and 

 religion on the Cape Race coast. By Colonial law. 

 the salvor, at the discretion of the \\recking Com- 

 mission, is entitled to either a third or a half of what 

 he brings ashore, according to the hazard of the 

 operation. N'aliant beyond all praise in the elTort to 

 save human life, they >et joyfully hail a wreck once 

 the ship is fast aground. When the cargo is ashore 

 and safely stowed away, the disaster and its profitable 

 issue arc celebrated with a roaring dance. Once many 

 bundles of whalebone worth two and a half dollars a 

 pound were, by the ignorant folk, burnt for fuel, and 

 u case of champagne «as disposed of at ten cents a 

 bottle. 'I'hcre are brightly-coloured illustrations of 

 this iraoic region, which adii much to the charm of 

 the narrative. 



The reign of Jame^ II. is the section of England's 

 .Story in portrait and picture which appears in the 

 May Windsor. The two principal scenes — the flight 

 of James II. and the landing of William of Orange — 

 are variously represented. 



