my discovery of england-第12节

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ars　she　has　forgotten　which　is　the　hypotenuse　of　a　right…angled　triangle；　and　she　doesn't　care。　She　has　much　better　things　to　think　of。

At　this　point　some　one　will　shriek：　〃But　surely；　even　for　marriage；　isn't　it　right　that　a　girl　should　have　a　college　education？〃　To　which　I　hasten　to　answer：　most　assuredly。　I　freely　admit　that　a　girl　who　knows　algebra；　or　once　knew　it；　is　a　far　more　charming　companion　and　a　nobler　wife　and　mother　than　a　girl　who　doesn't　know　x　from　y。　But　the　point　is　this：　Does　the　higher　education　that　fits　a　man　to　be　a　lawyer　also　fit　a　person　to　be　a　wife　and　mother？　　Or；　in　other　words；　is　a　lawyer　a　wife　and　mother？　I　say　he　is　not。　　Granted　that　a　girl　is　to　spend　four　years　in　time　and　four　thousand　dollars　in　money　in　going　to　college；　why　train　her　for　a　career　that　she　is　never　going　to　adopt？　Why　not　give　her　an　education　that　will　have　a　meaning　and　a　harmony　with　the　real　life　that　she　is　to　follow？

For　example；　suppose　that　during　her　four　years　every　girl　lucky　enough　to　get　a　higher　education　spent　at　least　six　months　of　it　in　the　training　and　discipline　of　a　hospital　as　a　nurse。　There　is　more　education　and　character　making　in　that　than　in　a　whole　bucketful　of　algebra。

But　no；　the　woman　insists　on　snatching　her　share　of　an　education　designed　by　Erasmus　or　William　of　Wykeham　or　William　of　Occam　for　the　creation　of　scholars　and　lawyers；　and　when　later　on　in　her　home　there　is　a　sudden　sickness　or　accident；　and　the　life　or　death　of　those　nearest　to　her　hangs　upon　skill　and　knowledge　and　a　trained　fortitude　in　emergency；　she　must　needs　send　in　all　haste　for　a　hired　woman　to　fill　the　place　that　she　herself　has　never　learned　to　occupy。

But　I　am　not　here　trying　to　elaborate　a　whole　curriculum。　I　am　only　trying　to　indicate　that　higher　education　for　the　man　is　one　thing；　for　the　woman　another。　Nor　do　I　deny　the　fact　that　women　have　got　to　earn　their　living。　Their　higher　education　must　enable　them　to　do　that。　They　cannot　all　marry　on　their　graduation　day。　But　that　is　no　great　matter。　No　scheme　of　education　that　any　one　is　likely　to　devise　will　fail　in　this　respect。

The　positions　that　they　hold　as　teachers　or　civil　servants　they　would　fill　all　the　better　if　their　education　were　fitted　to　their　wants。

Some　few；　a　small　minority；　really　and　truly　〃have　a　career；〃husbandless　and　childless；in　which　the　sacrifice　is　great　and　the　honour　to　them；　perhaps；　all　the　higher。　And　others　no　doubt　dream　of　a　career　in　which　a　husband　and　a　group　of　blossoming　children　are　carried　as　an　appendage　to　a　busy　life　at　the　bar　or　on　the　platform。　But　all　such　are　the　mere　minority；　so　small　as　to　make　no　difference　to　the　general　argument。

But　thereI　have　written　quite　enough　to　make　plenty　of　trouble　except　perhaps　at　Cambridge　University。　So　I　return　with　relief　to　my　general　study　of　Oxford。　Viewing　the　situation　as　a　whole；　I　am　led　then　to　the　conclusion　that　there　must　be　something　in　the　life　of　Oxford　itself　that　makes　for　higher　learning。　Smoked　at　by　his　tutor；　fed　in　Henry　VIII's　kitchen；　and　sleeping　in　a　tangle　of　ivy；　the　student　evidently　gets　something　not　easily　obtained　in　America。　And　the　more　I　reflect　on　the　matter　the　more　I　am　convinced　that　it　is　the　sleeping　in　the　ivy　that　does　it。　How　different　it　is　from　student　life　as　I　remember　it！

When　I　was　a　student　at　the　University　of　Toronto　thirty　years　ago；　I　lived；from　start　to　finish；in　seventeen　different　boarding　houses。　As　far　as　I　am　aware　these　houses　have　not；　or　not　yet；　been　marked　with　tablets。　But　they　are　still　to　be　found　in　the　vicinity　of　McCaul　and　Darcy；　and　St。　Patrick　Streets。　Any　one　who　doubts　the　truth　of　what　I　have　to　say　may　go　and　look　at　them。

I　was　not　alone　in　the　nomadic　life　that　I　led。　There　were　hundreds　of　us　drifting　about　in　this　fashion　from　one　melancholy　habitation　to　another。　We　lived　as　a　rule　two　or　three　in　a　house；　sometimes　alone。　We　dined　in　the　basement。　We　always　had　beef；　done　up　in　some　way　after　it　was　dead；　and　there　were　always　soda　biscuits　on　the　table。　They　used　to　have　a　brand　of　soda　biscuits　in　those　days　in　the　Toronto　boarding　houses　that　I　have　not　seen　since。　They　were　better　than　dog　biscuits　but　with　not　so　much　snap。　My　contemporaries　will　all　remember　them。　A　great　many　of　the　leading　barristers　and　professional　men　of　Toronto　were　fed　on　them。

In　the　life　we　led　we　had　practically　no　opportunities　for　association　on　a　large　scale；　no　common　rooms；　no　reading　rooms；　nothing。　We　never　saw　the　magazines；personally　I　didn't　even　know　the　names　of　them。　The　only　interchange　of　ideas　we　ever　got　was　by　going　over　to　the　Caer　Howell　Hotel　on　University　Avenue　and　interchanging　them　there。

I　mention　these　melancholy　details　not　for　their　own　sake　but　merely　to　emphasise　the　point　that　when　I　speak　of　students'　dormitories；　and　the　larger　life　which　they　offer；　I　speak　of　what　I　know。

If　we　had　had　at　Toronto；　when　I　was　a　student；　the　kind　of　dormitories　and　dormitory　life　that　they　have　at　Oxford；　I　don't　think　I　would　ever　have　graduated。　I'd　have　been　there　still。　The　trouble　is　that　the　universities　on　our　Continent　are　only　just　waking　up　to　the　idea　of　what　a　university　should　mean。　They　were；　very　largely；　instituted　and　organised　with　the　idea　that　a　university　was　a　place　where　young　men　were　sent　to　absorb　the　contents　of　books　and　to　listen　to　lectures　in　the　class　rooms。　The　student　was　pictured　as　a　pallid　creature；　burning　what　was　called　the　〃midnight　oil；〃　his　wan　face　bent　over　his　desk。　If　you　wanted　to　do　something　for　him　you　gave　him　a　book：　if　you　wanted　to　do　something　really　large　on　his　behalf　you　gave　him　a　whole　basketful　of　them。　If　you　wanted　to　go　still　further　and　be　a　benefactor　to　the　college　at　large；　you　endowed　a　competitive　scholarship　and　set　two　or　more　pallid　students　working　themselves　to　death　to　get　it。

The　real　thing　for　the　student　is　the　life　and　environment　that　surrounds　him。　All　that　he　really　learns　he　learns；　in　a　sense；　by　the　active　operation　of　his　own　intellect　and　not　as　the　passive　recipient　of　lectures。　And　for　this　active　operation　what　he　really　needs　most　is　the　continued　and　intimate　contact　with　his　fellows。　Students　must　live　together　and　eat　together；　talk　and　smoke　together。　Experience　shows　that　that　is　how　their　minds　really　grow。　And　they　must　live　together　in　a　rational　and　comfortable　way。　They　must　eat　in　a　big　dining　room　or　hall；　with　oak　beams　across　the　ceiling；　and　the　stained　glass　in　the　windows；　and　with　a　shield　or　tablet　here　or　there　upon　the　wall；　to　remind　them　between　times　of　the　men　who　went　before　them　and　left　a　name　worthy　of　the　memory　of　the　college。　If　a　student　is　to　get　from　his　college　what　it　ought　to　give　him；　a　college　dormitory；　with　the　life　in　common　that　it　brings；　is　his　absolute　right。　A　university　that　fails　to　give　it　to　him　is　cheating　him。

If　I　were　founding　a　universityand　I　say　it　with　all　the　seriousness　of　which　I　am　capableI　would　found　first　a　smoking　room；　then　when　I　had　a　little　more　money　in　hand　I　would　found　a　dormitory；　then　after　that；　or　more　probably　with　it；　a　decent　reading　room　and　a　library。　After　that；　if　I　still　had　money　over　that　I　couldn't　use；　I　would　hire　a　professor　and　get　some　text　books。

This　chapter　has　sounded　in　the　most　part　like　a　continuous　eulogy　of　Oxford　with　but　little　in　favour　of　our　American　colleges。　I　turn　therefore　with　pleasure　to　the　more　congenial　task　of　showing　what　is　wrong　with　Oxford　and　with　the　English　university　system　generally；　and　the　aspect　in　which　our　American　universities　far　excell　the　British。

The　point　is　that　Henry　VIII　is　dead。　The　English　are　so　proud　of　what　Henry　VIII　and　the　benefactors　of　earlier　centuries　did　for　the　universities　that　they　forget　the　present。　There　is　little　or　nothing　in　England　to　compare　with　the　magnificent　generosity　of　individuals；　provinces　and　states；　which　is　building　up　the　colleges　of　the　United　States　and　Canada。　There　used　to　be。　But　by　some　strange　confusion　of　thought　the　English　people　admire　the　noble　gifts　of　Cardinal　Wolsey　and　Henry　VIII　and　Queen　Margaret；　and　do　not　realise　that　the　Carnegies　and　Rockefellers　and　the　William　Macdonalds　are　the　Cardinal　Wolseys　of　to…day。　The　University　of　Chicago　was　founded　upon　oil。　McGill　University　rests　largely　on　a　basis　of　tobacco。　In　America　the　world　of　commerce　and　business　levies　on　itself　a　noble　tribute　in　favour　of　the　higher　learning。　In　England；　with　a　few　conspicuous　exceptions；　such　as　that　at　Bristol；　there　is　little　of　the　sort。　The　feudal　families　are　content　with　what　their　remote　ancestors　have　done：　they　do　not　try　to　emulate　it　in　any　great　degree。

In　the　long　run　this　must　count。　Of　all　the　various　reforms　that　are　talked　of　at　Oxford；　and　of　all　the　imitations　of　American　methods　that　are　suggested；　the　only　one　worth　while；　to　my　thinking；　is　to　capture　a　few　millionaires；　give　them　honorary　degrees　at　a　million　pounds　sterling　apiece；　and　tell　them　to　imagine　that　they　are　Henry　the　Eighth。　I　give　Oxford　warning　that　if　this　is　not　done　the　place　will　not　last　another　two　centuries。



VI。The　British　and　the　American　Press

THE　only　paper　from　which　a　man　can　real