The authorities of St. Johns College of Cambridge were today deliberating whether to accept a bequest of 50,000 pounds for medical fellowships which was conditioned upon a denial of the fellowships to Jews or Negroes.
The bequest, left in the will of Mrs. Margaret Pauline Meres of Torquay, stipulated that the fellowships established with these funds be held only by men of “pure” Scottish, Irish or English parentage. “It is particularly desired that no colored person or Jew be allowed to participate,” the will stated.
A spokesman for the college said that the restrictions were “very unusual” and the college would have to go into them very carefully before deciding whether or not to accept the bequest.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
