RHODES SCHOLARS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 14, 14 December 1932, Page 8

RHODES SCHOLARS

WHY APPOINTMENTS NOT MADE. STATEMENT BY COMMITTEE. WELLINGTON, Dec. 14. The following statement, which has been approved by the chairman of the Rhodes** Scholarship Committee, t o Governor-General, .Uord BJedisloe naa Ei handed to the Press for publicatlo announcement of the decision of the selection committee to appoint no Rhodes Soholar for 1933 naturally calls for some amount of explanation, rp state as an obvious reason that the general*all-round standard of atU.nment (as contemplated by the founder of the trust) of the latest nominees was' deemed inadequate may not appear sufficient justification; buti n the main that was the opinion of the committee, and it was forcibly urged by some of its members. . “It must be borne in mind that the Rhodes Trust -regards as of very considerable importance the appearance of the candidates in person before the committee, for its instructions contain the following:— ‘Committes need summon to a personal interview only such of the candidates as they choose; but, save in exceptional circumstances, no candidate may be appointed to a scholarship without such an interview “Another important point is that this interview affords a better opportunity than any other means for ascertaining from the candidates thereinbitions and aims they have beforo-rthem in view of their candidature t\ hetlier these include a genuine desire to do work, now or hereafter, of definite advantage to their country or to the Empire, Further, the trustees hate expressed the hope that, in the absence of strong candidates, the committees will make no selection. “In the 1932 memorandum received from the trustees appears the following : —‘Distinction of intellect and personality is the primary qualification for a Rhodes Scholar, and upon that committees should insist. A Rhodes scholarship is an exceptional opportunity for the man who is prepared to take advantage of it; but it is only for the exceptional man.’ “After the • interview with the individual candidates, it was the considered opinion of the committee that there was no sufficiently strong candidate or one of such outstanding .intellect and personality as to warrant an appointment. “It remained to consider whether it was possible to select any of the candidates whose age would exceed the limit set some years ago but whose application might be attended by thoso ‘exceptional circumstances’ mentioned in the proviso. It was only after long deliberation that the committee resolved that it would not select any candidate.”