A Symbol of Gratitude
No single word can be needed to commend the National Thanks- giving Fund inaugurated by the Lord Mayor's broadcast on Tuesday evening. The object makes its own irresistible appeal. The magnificent and moving generosity of the United States and the different States of the Commonwealth—both Governments and individuals—is beyond all adequate recognition. Nothing approaching an equal return is possible. But at least we can give our immeasurable gratitude a symbolic, a visibly symbolic and a permanently symbolic, form. Nothing could be more fitting than a project designed to make the ties between this country, the • Commonwealth and the United States closer yet, and to do it by bringing to study in our midst some of those American and Commonwealth men and women in whose hands the future of their own countries will largely rest. If the scheme goes through—as it is unbelievable that it will not—Mecklenburgh Square, with all its Georgian memories, will begin a new and memorable chapter of history. London House, the home of Commonwealth men students, already occupies the south sid of the square ; under the new scheme this will be paralleled on th north side by a residential hostel for women and married students from the Commonwealth and the United States. The east side, with the existing Georgian frontage retained, will serve the same purpose for men students from America. There will be a similar residential establishment in Scotland. Only one question arises. Is it desirable to segregate these oversea students so completely from their British fellows ? Would not an admixture of British students in the hostels be a gain ? The answer no doubt is, first that the principle of segregation of Dominion students is already established in the existing London House ; second that the Commonwealth itself covers far too large a variety of peoples to make the danger of any excessive homo- geneousness in the hostels illusory. And thirdly that the plan aims rightly at housing the maximum number of students from overseas. The £2,000,000 the Lord Mayor asks for should be raised without difficulty.
Previous page
