THE HENRY FUND SCHOLARSHIPS

The keen competition for the international scholarships already in existence enables one to greet the new Charles and Julian Henry Fund stipends with more than nominal welcome. How much good is done to the cause of world peace by such exchange scholarships is largely a matter of opinion. No doubt can exist, however, that there is a large number of men eager to have the opportunity of foreign study, and that the new awards will be sought for in a market where the demand far exceeds the supply.

The terms under which the Fund will be administered in the United States raise two important questions: If the scholarships are to be open to men all over the country, would it not be better to have them awarded by a national board, and not by one representing only Yale and Harvard? And, by what standards are the candidates going to be measured to determine whether they have the "intellectual maturity" meriting a scholarship?

At first thought it appears preferable for the Henry Fund scholars to be chosen by an organization similar to the Rhodes selecting committee, since it would seem that a group composed of men from all parts of the country could best consider applications coming anywhere from Maine to California. The founders of the Fund evidently rejected this scheme, possibly because they felt that the limited number of awards makes a small committee desirable. It may also be argued on this side that, since the English students are to come to Yale and Harvard, it is well that the administration of the Fund in America be in the hands of representatives of the two institutions.

The trustees are not to be envied in their task of judging "intellectual maturity." If they can avoid the danger of accepting only high scholastic averages as a criterion, and still not go afield with vague demands for "qualities of leadership" they will escape using two standards that often prove to be anything but uniform. As far as possible, personal contact with the candidates would seem to suggest a good beginning for a sound judgment of their worth.