Items of Interest July 8, 1905 Issue

Items of Interest

with contributions from F. T. Gates

President Roosevelt has directed that action be taken by the Administration which will facilitate the landing in this country of Chinese of the exempt classes, and also eliminate from the Immigration Bureau such administrative features as have been the subject of criticism by Chinese. It is the declared intention of the President to see that Chinese merchants, travelers, students, and others of the exempt classes shall have the same courtesy shown them by officers of the Immigration Bureau as is afforded to citizens of the most favored nation. This action is the result of an investigation initiated by the reports of the growing tendency of Chinese merchants to boycott American trade. As a result of the inquiry orders have been issued to the diplomatic and consular representatives of the United States in China by the President himself, that they must look closely to the performance of their duties under the exclusion law and see to it that members of the exempt classes coming to this country are provided with proper certificates. These certificates will be accepted at any port of the United States and will guarantee the bearer against any harsh or discourteous treatment. As was anticipated, this action has already resulted in the issuance of instructions by the Chinese Government to all viceroys and governors to cease anti-American agitation.

The one million dollar endowment fund for the American Academy of Fine Arts in Rome is now lacking only about one hundred thousand dollars. While engaged upon the work of the World's Fair at Chicago a number of artists established the "American School of Architecture in Rome," to enable American students of architecture who were qualified, to develop their powers more fully. In 1897 it was decided to broaden the scope of the Academy along the lines of the French Academy in Rome, and thus provide a school which should be open to American students of sculpture, painting, and music, as well as architecture. In June of that year the American Academy in Rome was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York. In 1901, John Hay, Secretary of State, authorized the Ambassador at Rome to accept the position of trustee, ex-officio, of the Academy, and directed him to secure for it "all the privileges and exemptions accorded by the Italian Government to similar institutions in other countries." The Academy was incorporated by Congress on March 1, 1905.

Gifts to Harvard University aggregating $3,766,000 were announced at the annual meeting of the Harvard alumni. Two million four hundred thousand dollars was the gift of the alumni in aid of the teachers' endowment fund, and will result in an immediate increase in salaries. The other gifts were $605,000, to be devoted to the permanent fund of the university, $661,000 for immediate use, and $100,000 from President Roosevelt's class of 80, to be used preferably for the purpose of increasing teachers' salaries. President Eliot also announced that there was also contributed during the year, through Harvard University, one-tenth of the endowment fund of $1,000,000 to the Academy of Rome for American students. The gift of $2,400,000 from the alumni, President Eliot declared, was more money than had been contributed by the alumni and friends of Harvard for the same purpose between 1638 and the present time, and constituted the finest message which he had heard during the thirty-six years that he has been president of the institution.

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