Page:Last Will and Testament of Cecil Rhodes.djvu/58

44 Notwithstanding anything hereinbefore contained my Trustees may in their uncontrolled discretion suspend for such time as they shall think fit or remove any Scholar from his Scholarship.

In order that the Scholars past and present may have opportunities of meeting and discussing their experiences and prospects I desire that my Trustees shall annually give a dinner to the past and present Scholars able and willing to attend at on to moral qualities. Against this both Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Hawksley protested, Mr. Rhodes objecting that in that case the vote of the scholars would be the deciding factor, and the “smug” and “unctuous rectitude” would be outvoted. If brutality and moral qualities united their votes they would poll 600, as against 400.

It was further objected, both Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Hawksley drawing upon their own reminiscences of school-days, that hero-worship prevailed to such an extent among schoolboys that a popular idol, the captain of an eleven, or the first in his boat, might be voted in although he had no moral qualities at all. Mr. Hawksley especially insisted upon the importance of having a good share of culture in knowledge of Greek and Roman and English history. Then I proposed as a compromise that we should equalise “smug” and moral qualities. Mr. Rhodes accepted this, Mr. Hawksley rather reproaching him for being always ready to make a deal. But Mr. Rhodes pointed out that he had resisted the enfranchisement of the masters, who were to be helots, and he had also refused to reduce “smug” to 200, and thought 300 was a fair compromise. So accordingly it was fixed that it had to be 300—300 for “smug” and 300 for moral qualities, while “unctuous rectitude” and “brutality” are left with 200 each.

We all agreed that this should be done, half the marks are at the disposal of the voting of the scholars, the other half for competition and the headmaster. It also emphasises the importance of qualities entirely ignored in the ordinary competitive examinations, which was Mr. Rhodes’s great idea. Mr Rhodes was evidently pleased with the change, for just as we were leaving the hotel he called Mr. Hawksley back and said, ‘‘Remember, three-tenths,” so three-tenths it is to be.