834 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVIll. Xo. 4UU. 



Tliei'e is, however, an obverse to the shield. 

 Such grants inhibit individual initiative and 

 local support; they are likely to produce a 

 certain subserviency to the powers that deal 

 out money, and may lead to jealousy and 

 intrigues. 



It is perhaps scarcely fair to object to a 

 board of trustees consisting chiefly of prom- 

 inent politicians, lawyers and business men, 

 who meet once a year, and can not be exisected 

 to give much attention to the affairs of a sci- 

 entific institution, nor to have much knowl- 

 edge of its scope and possibilities. Such 

 boards are an established American institution, 

 controlling universities, banks, etc. Their 

 principal duty is to select efficient officers of 

 administration. But the Carnegie Institution 

 has been unfortunate in its first officers. Three 

 men were largely instrumental in persuading 

 Mr. Carnegie to make the original gift, and 

 they have assumed control of its administra- 

 tion. This triumvirate has been at the same 

 time autocratic and feeble, and has by no 

 means worked in harmony. Antony may be 

 supposed to say to Octavius : 



And though we lay these honors on this man, 

 To ease ourselves of divers sland'rous loads, 

 He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold, 

 To groan and sweat under the business, 

 Either led or driven, as we point the way; 

 And having brought our treasure where we will, 

 Then take we down his load, and turn him off. 

 Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears, 

 And graze in commons. 



"Whether after the ensuing war Antony, 

 Octavius or another will or should become 

 Csesar need not here be considered ; but in the 

 meanwhile and perhaps thereafter science will 

 suffer. The f undainental difficulty is that no 

 method has been found for consulting the 

 consensus of opinion of scientific men. An 

 American university has an absentee board in 

 nominal control and a president as benevolent 

 despot ; hut there is a faculty, which after all 

 is the real university. The Carnegie Institu- 

 tion has no similar body; and until it is 

 formed, it will drift along without compass 

 or rudder. — The Popular Science Monthly. 



THE RHODES SCHOLARS. 



Mil. W. S. MxVcGowAN, Principal of St. 

 Andrew's College, Grahamstown, Cape Colony, 

 writes to the London Times: 



In the Times weekly edition of September 

 25 you print a letter from ' South Africa ' 

 dealing with Dr. Parkin's proposal to select 

 the Ehodes scholars from students who shall 

 have pursued a two years' course at some 

 American or colonial university. 



When Dr. Parkin was in Grahamstown a 

 short time ago, he explained his views at some 

 length, but he was careful to tell his audience 

 that they were only partially formed and 

 necessarily incomplete, inasmuch as his col- 

 onial tour was not yet finished, although he 

 had completed his investigations in the United 

 States. I think that, when Dr. Parkin comes 

 to present his report to the Ehodes Trustees, 

 it will be found that it is America rather than 

 the Colonies which will be found making this 

 demand. To quote Dr. Parkin's own words to 

 me : " The American professors deprecate any 

 denationalization of their young men." This 

 is, of course, quite right and perfectly natural, 

 but surely in a British colony such a consid- 

 eration as this is somewhat lacking in weight. 

 I have not yet seen Mr. Hawksley's letter, and 

 only know from Renter that he has written 

 one on this subject; but, apart from the legal 

 aspect of the question, with which he is so 

 amply qualified to deal, there are several rea- 

 sons against tinkering with the plan that Mr. 

 Rhodes evolved with a view to securing that 

 his scholars should be hona fide undergradu- 

 ates. The first of these is a financial one. 



If the suggestion now being canvassed were 

 universally adopted, viz., that every candidate 

 for a scholarship should take a preliminaiy 

 two years' course at his home university before 

 proceeding to Oxford, there would instantly 

 be swept from the field all boys whose parents 

 could not afford for them more than an ordi- 

 nary secondary education. There are many 

 in this colony who could never go to Oxford 

 at all if they were compelled to spend two 

 years at the Cape University first. 



Again, if the trustees agree to extend the 

 usual university age in the case of Rhodes 

 scholars, they will be running counter to Mr. 



