02 July 2009
Posted in Illustrations - Judgment

Eight-hundred Rhodes Scholars and six-hundred spouses convened at Oxford University in the summer of 1983 to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of the trust that administers the fund left by the entrepreneur, Cecil John Rhodes. As an indication of his belief that Oxford was a civilizing place, and in the hope of developing leaders for world peace, Rhodes provided funds from a fortune of $20 million to make available scholarships for outstanding, well-rounded young men to attend Oxford.
Candidates were to be judged on their "literary and scholastic attainments, qualities of manhood (including) courage and kindliness, and instincts to lead, and on their fondness for or success in sports." This prestigious scholarship program has been referred to as "a talent hunt for an elite that will lead."
Commenting on the reunion of Rhodes Scholars, George Cawkwell, himself a winner from New Zealand in 1946, now vice-master of Oxford's University College, was quoted in Time (July 11, 1983,) as saying: "Many scholars are brilliant. Most are not. But the world is not run by brilliant people. It is run by good, sound individuals."