The entrance examination is both written and oral, each part being given the same weight in the determination of one's grade. The former is now held in January of each year and the latter in April. The written examination covers a list of subjects whose variety can best be indicated by naming them. They are as follows: International, maritime and commercial law; Political and commercial geography; arithmetic; a modern language (French, German or Spanish); Natural, industrial, and commercial resources and commerce of the United States; Political Economy; American history, government, and institutions; Modern history (since 1850) of Europe, Latin America, and the Far East. The type of question which is asked varies as much as does the subject matter. The writer was called upon to answer many which might have been taken from some of the Intelligence Tests well known to the students in many of our colleges, and there were a few which revived memories of the Examination Schools on The High at Oxford. Many candidates avail themselves of a special tutor in preparing for the examination. Others rely upon their general knowledge and education. The oral examination bears a striking resemblance to a meeting of a Committee of Selection for Rhodes Scholarships. The candidate's life history is revealed to the examiners. The latter are able to pass judgment upon those intangible characteristics which are bound to play an important part in qualifying one for a career in the Foreign Service. The questions asked cover many diverse topics, but those of current international importance seem to be the favorites. The candidates who receive a grade of eighty in the examinations are eligible for commissions as Foreign Service Officers and are so appointed as vacancies occur. The initial compensation is $2,500.00 per annum. The officers are placed on probation for a year and are assigned to the Foreign Service School for a part of this time. This school is located in the State Department, many of the officials of which participate in the instruction. It performs a two-fold function. First, the prospective consular and diplomatic officers are taught how they should carry on their work in the field, and secondly, they learn how the foreign affairs of the United States are handled at home. A day at the Foreign Service School commences at nine o'clock with a half-hour of French under the guidance of the Chief Instructor, which position is now occupied by Consul General William Dawson. It is, of course, desired that each officer be able to speak the tra ditional "diplomatic language" and this daily conversation keeps one in practice. After this comes what is probably the most interesting part of the school's work. It consists of a lecture on a topic relating to foreign affairs or the operation of some branch of our government. Each of the geographical divisions provides lecturers who describe some of the phases of America's foreign relations. There are also talks by officers of the Army General Staff, by naval experts, by authorities on the Federal Reserve System, and by representatives of other government departments. Every afternoon about an hour is devoted to studies of a more technical nature, generally connected with the performance of the duties of a consular officer. The students are usually questioned on material which is prepared outside of the class. The subjects include visas and immigration, passports and citizenship, shipping and seamen, notarial services and estates, and invoices. The classroom instruction is supplemented by work of a more practical nature. Several hours a day are spent in the various divisions of the Department, the students being divided into groups of two or three men. Each group spends a week in each of the geographical divisions (the Far Eastern, the Near Eastern, the Eastern European, the Western European, the Mexican, and the Latin American). The time passed in these divisions provides an opportunity to learn something about the political conditions in these regions and the relations of the United States with them. Three weeks are spent in each of the following divisions: The Visa Office, the Passport Division, the Commercial Office, and the Office of Foreign Service Administration. The operations and activities of these offices are given a very thorough study. They are concerned largely with the consular branch of the service. Some time is also spent in the Division of Publications, the Bureau of Accounts, the Office of the Economic Adviser, and the Bureau of Indexes and Archives. In all of this work the students not only learn the details of the operation of the Department but also establish personal contact with many of the older men of the service. Besides this daily program at the school there are other duties to be performed. French translations and the drafting of diplomatic correspondence are some of the matters which occupy one's time in the evenings. In addition, each student makes a special study of one of the government departments or agencies not covered by the scheduled lectures and prepares to discuss it before the rest of the class. The Foreign Service School is a new institution, the present class being only the third one. Consequently some of its features may be said to be still in the experimental stage. There is no doubt that it renders a very important service. Consular and diplomatic officers formerly were sent into the field with practically no training or instruction on the duties to be performed. The work of the present-day officer is so complicated with technical detail that some sort of preparation for it is essential and the school provides this need. The class which is in the school during this winter of 1926-27 includes twenty-one men. Of these all, with one or two exceptions, are college graduates, and most have had some experience abroad other than that of a temporary tourist. Some have attended European Universities and some have lived abroad representing American commercial interests. Thus it will be seen that the Foreign Service is attracting men with a general education and some foreign training. F China As Oxonians See It OR many years China has attracted a large and otherwise important group of old Rhodes Scholars, engaged in educa tional, religious, or commercial work. Those who are at present there include the following: M. S. Bates (Ohio and St. John's, '16), Nanking University, Nanking. W. C. Lowdermilk (Arizona and Wadham, '12), Nanking University, Nanking. W. P. Mills (South Carolina and Christ Church, '07), Y. M. C. A., Hankow. E. F. Moseley (South Carolina and Wadham, '20), Sungkiang, Ku. E. V. Nash (Missouri and Oriel, '16), Yenching University, Haitien, Peking West. F. D. Stephens (California and St. John's, '13), P. O. Box 504, Shanghai. (Alternative address: Care Goetz Bros., 280 Battery, San Francisco.) A. K. Whallon (Indiana and Wadham, '07), Presbyterian Mission, Paotingfu. A letter from Brownell was published in our issue of last October. Those which follow, from Moseley and Nash, respectively, are offered as illuminating diagnoses of the situation as it appeared some months ago to men in different parts of China and in different professional activities. Moseley appends an explanation and some personal memoranda, to wit: "Your letter was appreciated despite the fact that I have not written before now. As a matter of fact, I have written something twice, but each time, before I could copy it, conditions in present affairs had changed so that I could not send it. Tonight I shall scratch off a short article and mail it before I have time to reconsider "I have since moved from Changshu to this city (Sungkiang). Here my main work is teaching in a Bible school. This keeps me moving, because I have to teach in Chinese, and since I have been in China only two and a half years I am not yet master of the language by any means. Missionary work is very discouraging these days, but life in China is interesting because of the wonderful transformation which we see all the time, and of which we are a part. "I may say that I think that during the past years I have been able in this land to render a better service toward Anglo-American good relations than I could have rendered in my native country. England has come in for some hard times in China, and everyone who can better interpret England to the Chinese at this time can perform a real service. "My wife and I are the proud parents of Edwin F., Junior, born May 11. We wish to enter the young fellow as a contestant for a Rhodes Scholarship and hereby warn his competitors." T I. A Few Remarks About China By E. F. MOSELEY. HE world may not be very interested in China and may not pay much attention to what is happening in this great land, but China is forcing the nations of the world to pay attention. Perhaps in no other part of the world are there as interesting and as important changes as in China. Years ago we read of the transformation in China but paid very little more attention to such reports than to a report of a revolution in Mexico. Now, however, conditions are different and every well-informed person is learning what he can of that nation which has such possibilities, and in the near future is sure to play an increasingly important role in world history. A year ago China was clamoring for a hearing on the questions of extra-territoriality, control of the tariff, etc. The country had hardly recovered its equilibrium, which had been terribly upset by the Shanghai riots of May 30. Just now, however, the country is torn with internal wars and disorders of all sorts. There are very few statements of a general nature that one can safely make in regard to China, but one is safe in saying that China's government, or lack of government, is the most hopeless since the Revolution of 1911. At the present writing there is no president, nor has there been one for many months. (One might ask, "What is a Republic without a president?"). Cabinet members change daily and whereas once there were many seeking such jobs the present ministers are seeking excuses to get away from their thankless and hopeless jobs. Militarism reigns |