my discovery of england-第11节

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is　is　so　they　only　followed　up　the　precedent　of　the　recognised　method　in　use　in　America。　When　an　American　college　is　established；　the　women　go　and　build　a　college　of　their　own　overlooking　the　grounds。　Then　they　put　on　becoming　caps　and　gowns　and　stand　and　look　over　the　fence　at　the　college　athletics。　The　male　undergraduates；　who　were　originally　and　by　nature　a　hardy　lot；　were　not　easily　disturbed。　But　inevitably　some　of　the　senior　trustees　fell　in　love　with　the　first　year　girls　and　became　convinced　that　coeducation　was　a　noble　cause。　American　statistics　show　that　between　1880　and　1900　the　number　of　trustees　and　senior　professors　who　married　girl　undergraduates　or　who　wanted　to　do　so　reached　a　percentage　of；I　forget　the　exact　percentage；　it　was　either　a　hundred　or　a　little　over。

I　don't　know　just　what　happened　at　Oxford　but　presumably　something　of　the　sort　took　place。　In　any　case　the　women　are　now　all　over　the　place。　They　attend　the　college　lectures；　they　row　in　a　boat；　and　they　perambulate　the　High　Street。　They　are　even　offering　a　serious　competition　against　the　men。　Last　year　they　carried　off　the　ping…pong　championship　and　took　the　chancellor's　prize　for　needlework；　while　in　music；　cooking　and　millinery　the　men　are　said　to　be　nowhere。

There　is　no　doubt　that　unless　Oxford　puts　the　women　out　while　there　is　yet　time；　they　will　overrun　the　whole　university。　What　this　means　to　the　progress　of　learning　few　can　tell　and　those　who　know　are　afraid　to　say。

Cambridge　University；　I　am　glad　to　see；　still　sets　its　face　sternly　against　this　innovation。　I　am　reluctant　to　count　any　superiority　in　the　University　of　Cambridge。　Having　twice　visited　Oxford；　having　made　the　place　a　subject　of　profound　study　for　many　hours　at　a　time；　having　twice　addressed　its　undergraduates；　and　having　stayed　at　the　Mitre　Hotel；　I　consider　myself　an　Oxford　man。　But　I　must　admit　that　Cambridge　has　chosen　the　wiser　part。

Last　autumn；　while　I　was　in　London　on　my　voyage　of　discovery；　a　vote　was　taken　at　Cambridge　to　see　if　the　women　who　have　already　a　private　college　nearby；　should　be　admitted　to　the　university。　They　were　triumphantly　shut　out；　and　as　a　fit　and　proper　sign　of　enthusiasm　the　undergraduates　went　over　in　a　body　and　knocked　down　the　gates　of　the　women's　college。　I　know　that　it　is　a　terrible　thing　to　say　that　any　one　approved　of　this。　All　the　London　papers　came　out　with　headings　that　read；ARE　OUR　UNDERGRADUATES　TURNING　INTO　BABOONS？　and　so　on。　The　Manchester　Guardian　draped　its　pages　in　black　and　even　the　London　Morning　Post　was　afraid　to　take　bold　ground　in　the　matter。　But　I　do　know　also　that　there　was　a　great　deal　of　secret　chuckling　and　jubilation　in　the　London　clubs。　Nothing　was　expressed　openly。　The　men　of　England　have　been　too　terrorised　by　the　women　for　that。

But　in　safe　corners　of　the　club；　out　of　earshot　of　the　waiters　and　away　from　casual　strangers；　little　groups　of　elderly　men　chuckled　quietly　together。　〃Knocked　down　their　gates；　eh？〃　said　the　wicked　old　men　to　one　another；　and　then　whispered　guiltily　behind　an　uplifted　hand；　〃Serve　'em　right。〃　Nobody　dared　to　say　anything　outside。　If　they　had　some　one　would　have　got　up　and　asked　a　question　in　the　House　of　Commons。　When　this　is　done　all　England　falls　flat　upon　its　face。

But　for　my　part　when　I　heard　of　the　Cambridge　vote；　I　felt　as　Lord　Chatham　did　when　he　said　in　parliament；　〃Sir；　I　rejoice　that　America　has　resisted。〃　For　I　have　long　harboured　views　of　my　own　upon　the　higher　education　of　women。　In　these　days；　however；　it　requires　no　little　hardihood　to　utter　a　single　word　of　criticism　against　it。　It　is　like　throwing　half　a　brick　through　the　glass　roof　of　a　conservatory。　It　is　bound　to　make　trouble。　Let　me　hasten；　therefore；　to　say　that　I　believe　most　heartily　in　the　higher　education　of　women；　in　fact；　the　higher　the　better。　The　only　question　to　my　mind　is：　What　is　〃higher　education〃　and　how　do　you　get　it？　With　which　goes　the　secondary　enquiry；　What　is　a　woman　and　is　she　just　the　same　as　a　man？　I　know　that　it　sounds　a　terrible　thing　to　say　in　these　days；　but　I　don't　believe　she　is。

Let　me　say　also　that　when　I　speak　of　coeducation　I　speak　of　what　I　know。　I　was　coeducated　myself　some　thirty…five　years　ago；　at　the　very　beginning　of　the　thing。　I　learned　my　Greek　alongside　of　a　bevy　of　beauty　on　the　opposite　benches　that　mashed　up　the　irregular　verbs　for　us　very　badly。　Incidentally；　those　girls　are　all　married　long　since；　and　all　the　Greek　they　know　now　you　could　put　under　a　thimble。　But　of　that　presently。

I　have　had　further　experience　as　well。　I　spent　three　years　in　the　graduate　school　of　Chicago；　where　coeducational　girls　were　as　thick　as　autumn　leaves；　and　some　thicker。　And　as　a　college　professor　at　McGill　University　in　Montreal；　I　have　taught　mingled　classes　of　men　and　women　for　twenty　years。

On　the　basis　of　which　experience　I　say　with　assurance　that　the　thing　is　a　mistake　and　has　nothing　to　recommend　it　but　its　relative　cheapness。　Let　me　emphasise　this　last　point　and　have　done　with　it。　Coeducation　is　of　course　a　great　economy。　　To　teach　ten　men　and　ten　women　in　a　single　class　of　twenty　costs　only　half　as　much　as　to　teach　two　classes。　Where　economy　must　rule；　then；　the　thing　has　got　to　be。　But　where　the　discussion　turns　not　on　what　is　cheapest；　but　on　what　is　best；　then　the　case　is　entirely　different。

The　fundamental　trouble　is　that　men　and　women　are　different　creatures；　with　different　minds　and　different　aptitudes　and　different　paths　in　life。　There　is　no　need　to　raise　here　the　question　of　which　is　superior　and　which　is　inferior　（though　I　think；　the　Lord　help　me；　I　know　the　answer　to　that　too）。　The　point　lies　in　the　fact　that　they　are　different。

But　the　mad　passion　for　equality　has　masked　this　obvious　fact。　When　women　began　to　demand；　quite　rightly；　a　share　in　higher　education；　they　took　for　granted　that　they　wanted　the　same　curriculum　as　the　men。　They　never　stopped　to　ask　whether　their　aptitudes　were　not　in　various　directions　higher　and　better　than　those　of　the　men；　and　whether　it　might　not　be　better　for　their　sex　to　cultivate　the　things　which　were　best　suited　to　their　minds。　Let　me　be　more　explicit。　In　all　that　goes　with　physical　and　mathematical　science；　women；　on　the　average；　are　far　below　the　standard　of　men。　There　are；　of　course；　exceptions。　　But　they　prove　nothing。　It　is　no　use　to　quote　to　me　the　case　of　some　brilliant　girl　who　stood　first　in　physics　at　Cornell。　That's　nothing。　There　is　an　elephant　in　the　zoo　that　can　count　up　to　ten；　yet　I　refuse　to　reckon　myself　his　inferior。

Tabulated　results　spread　over　years；　and　the　actual　experience　of　those　who　teach　show　that　in　the　whole　domain　of　mathematics　and　physics　women　are　outclassed。　At　McGill　the　girls　of　our　first　year　have　wept　over　their　failures　in　elementary　physics　these　twenty…five　years。　It　is　time　that　some　one　dried　their　tears　and　took　away　the　subject。

But；　in　any　case；　examination　tests　are　never　the　whole　story。　To　those　who　know；　a　written　examination　is　far　from　being　a　true　criterion　of　capacity。　It　demands　too　much　of　mere　memory；　imitativeness；　and　the　insidious　willingness　to　absorb　other　people's　ideas。　Parrots　and　crows　would　do　admirably　in　examinations。　Indeed；　the　colleges　are　full　of　them。

But　take；　on　the　other　hand；　all　that　goes　with　the　aesthetic　side　of　education；　with　imaginative　literature　and　the　cult　of　beauty。　Here　women　are；　or　at　least　ought　to　be；　the　superiors　of　men。　Women　were　in　primitive　times　the　first　story…tellers。　They　are　still　so　at　the　cradle　side。　The　original　college　woman　was　the　witch；　with　her　incantations　and　her　prophecies　and　the　glow　of　her　bright　imagination；　and　if　brutal　men　of　duller　brains　had　not　burned　it　out　of　her；　she　would　be　incanting　still。　To　my　thinking；　we　need　more　witches　in　the　colleges　and　less　physics。

I　have　seen　such　young　witches　myself；if　I　may　keep　the　word：　I　like　it；in　colleges　such　as　Wellesley　in　Massachusetts　and　Bryn　Mawr　in　Pennsylvania；　where　there　isn't　a　man　allowed　within　the　three　mile　limit。　To　my　mind；　they　do　infinitely　better　thus　by　themselves。　They　are　freer；　less　restrained。　They　discuss　things　openly　in　their　classes；　they　lift　up　their　voices；　and　they　speak；　whereas　a　girl　in　such　a　place　as　McGill；　with　men　all　about　her；　sits　for　four　years　as　silent　as　a　frog　full　of　shot。

But　there　is　a　deeper　trouble　still。　The　careers　of　the　men　and　women　who　go　to　college　together　are　necessarily　different；　and　the　preparation　is　all　aimed　at　the　man's　career。　The　men　are　going　to　be　lawyers；　doctors；　engineers；　business　men；　and　politicians。　And　the　women　are　not。

There　is　no　use　pretending　about　it。　It　may　sound　an　awful　thing　to　say；　but　the　women　are　going　to　be　married。　That　is；　and　always　has　been；　their　career；　and；　what　is　more；　they　know　it；　and　even　at　college；　while　they　are　studying　algebra　and　political　economy；　they　have　their　eye　on　it　sideways　all　the　time。　The　plain　fact　is　that；　after　a　girl　has　spent　four　years　of　her　time　and　a　great　deal　of　her　parents'　money　in　equipping　herself　for　a　career　that　she　is　never　going　to　have；　the　wretched　creature　goes　and　gets　married；　and　in　a　few　years　she　has　forgotten　which　is　the　hypotenuse　of　a　right…angled　triangle；　and　she　doesn't　care。　She