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diff --git a/old/54215-0.txt b/old/54215-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1500ba7..0000000 --- a/old/54215-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,27788 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Life of Sophia Jex-Blake, by Margaret Georgina Todd - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Life of Sophia Jex-Blake - -Author: Margaret Georgina Todd - -Release Date: February 21, 2017 [EBook #54215] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE OF SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note: - -This version of the text cannot represent certain typographical effects. -Italics are delimited with the ‘_’ character as _italic_. - -Footnotes have been moved to follow the paragraphs or quotations in -which they are referenced. - -Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Only the -most egregious of these have been corrected if they occur within quoted -text, particularly juvenile matter. Please see the transcriber’s note at -the end of this text for details regarding the handling of any textual -issues encountered during its preparation. - - - - - THE LIFE OF SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE - - - - - _By the same Author_ - - ------------------------------------ - - MONA MACLEAN - FELLOW TRAVELLERS - WINDYHAUGH - THE WAY OF ESCAPE - GROWTH - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - _Samuel Laurence pinx._ _Emery Walker ph. sc._ - _Sophia Jex-Blake_ - _at the age of 25_ -] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - THE LIFE OF - - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE - - BY - - MARGARET TODD, M.D. - - (GRAHAM TRAVERS) - - - - - - - - - MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED - ST. MARTIN’S STREET, LONDON - 1918 - - - - - - - - - _COPYRIGHT_ - - - - - - - - - GLASGOW: PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS - BY ROBERT MACLEHOSE AND CO. LTD. - - - - - - - - - TO ALL THOSE - MENTIONED IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES - OR PASSED OVER - FROM IGNORANCE OR WANT OF SPACE, - WHO LENT A HELPING HAND - TO A BRAVE AND UNSELFISH FIGHTER, - THIS BOOK IS - GRATEFULLY DEDICATED - - - - - - - - - PREFACE - - -There are several reasons why it has seemed worth while to write the -life of Sophia Jex-Blake at some length. - -1. She was one of the people who really do live. In the present day a -woman is fitted into her profession almost as a man is. Sixty years ago -a highly dowered girl was faced by a great venture, a great quest. The -life before her was an uncharted sea. She had to find her self, to find -her way, to find her work. In many respects youth was incomparably the -most interesting period of a life history. - -2. S. J.-B. has left behind her (as probably no woman of equal power has -done) the record of this quest. She was a born chronicler: almost in her -babyhood she struggled laboriously to get on to paper her doings and -dreams; and she was truthful to a fault. We have here the kind of thing -that is constantly “idealised” in present day fiction,—have it in actual -contemporary record,—with the added interest that here the story begins -in an old-world conservative medium, and passes through the life of the -modern educated working girl into the history of a great movement, of -which the chronicler was indeed _magna pars_. The reader will see how -more and more as the years went on S. J.-B.’s motto became “Not me, but -us,” till one is tempted to say that she _was_ the movement, that she -stood, as it were, for women. - -3. That, so to speak, was her “job”; but she never grew one-sided; never -forgot the man’s point of view. No woman ever took a saner and wider -view of human affairs. - -4. In spite of the heavy strain thrown by conflicting outlook and ideals -on the relation between parents and child, the reader will see in the -following pages how that relationship was preserved. This is perhaps the -most remarkable thing in the whole history, and it is full of -significance and helpful suggestion for us all in these critical days. - -5. And lastly, it proved impossible to write the life in any other way. -When S. J.-B. was a young woman, Samuel Laurence was asked by her -parents to make a crayon drawing of her. After some hours’ work, he -threw down his pencil. “I must get you in oils or not at all,” he said. - -Those words have often been in the mind of the author of this book. - - - - - CONTENTS - - _PART I_ - - CHAPTER I - PAGE - CHILDHOOD 1 - Birth, parentage and descent—Early influences— - “Sweet Sackermena.” - - CHAPTER II - SCHOOL LIFE 11 - A “terrible pickle”—Home letters—Holidays—“Poems”— - A confession. - - CHAPTER III - SCHOOL LIFE—_Continued_ 24 - Indifferent health—Various educational - experiments—S. J.-B.’s character as seen by her - schoolfellows. - - CHAPTER IV - SCHOOL LIFE—_Concluded_ 35 - Leaves school abruptly—Fresh start—Illness of her - mother and sister—Letter from her father— - Confirmation. - - CHAPTER V - LIFE AT HOME 50 - Friendship with her mother—Dreams of authorship— - Self-centred life—Makes acquaintance of Norfolk - cousins. - - CHAPTER VI - LIFE AT QUEEN’S COLLEGE 62 - Comes into touch with Feminist movement—Goes to - Queen’s College—Friction—Hunt for lodgings—Is - appointed mathematical tutor—Correspondence with - her father as to accepting payment for her work— - Certificate won “with great credit.” - - CHAPTER VII - FRIENDSHIP 78 - All-round development—Capacity for friendship and - service—Friendship with Miss Octavia Hill. - - CHAPTER VIII - A STEP BEYOND 95 - Confidence in her mother—Fresh dedication of her - life. - - CHAPTER IX - FIRST EXPERIENCE OF EDINBURGH 103 - The problem of realizing the vision—Goes to study - educational methods in Edinburgh—Chequered - experiences—Church-going and religious - difficulties—Consults Rev. Dr. Pulsford—Letters - from her mother—An “increasing purpose.” - - CHAPTER X - GERMANY 117 - Miss Garrett’s efforts to obtain medical - education—Comes to prospect in Edinburgh—She and - S. J.-B. go canvassing together—Disappointment— - S. J.-B.’s desire to study educational methods - farther afield—Germany—Göttingen—Mannheim— - Appointed English teacher at Grand-ducal - Institute. - - CHAPTER XI - LIFE AS A TEACHER AT MANNHEIM 129 - Letters to her mother—Success of her work— - Transient wave of unpopularity—Letter to her - mother on Biblical criticism. - - CHAPTER XII - VARIOUS PROJECTS AND VENTURES 147 - Return home delayed by scarlet fever—Death of a - college friend—Mr. Plumptre recommends S. J.-B. - as founder and Lady Principal of modern Girls’ - School at Manchester. - - CHAPTER XIII - A VISIT TO SOME AMERICAN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES 159 - Opposition of parents—Goes to Boston—Makes - acquaintance of Dr. Lucy Sewall—R. W. Emerson— - Dinner at the Emersons—Visits Niagara—Inspects - various colleges (Oberlin, Hillsdale, St. Louis, - Antioch) and schools—Correspondence with her - brother—Views on American education. - - CHAPTER XIV - QUESTIONINGS 172 - Gets to know women doctors in Boston—Assists with - dispensing in New England Hospital for Women— - Gradual initiation into hospital work—Heart- - searchings as to her own future—Law?—The - Ministry?—Religious difficulties—Medicine? - - CHAPTER XV - PIONEER WORK IN AMERICA 188 - Writes “A Visit”—Published by Macmillan—Good - reviews—Begins study of medicine—Application to - Harvard—Letters from Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes - and Dr. Brown-Séquard—Obtains clinical teaching - in Massachusetts General Hospital—Goes to New - York—Obtains private teaching in anatomy—Summing - up of three years in America. - - CHAPTER XVI - GOING HOME 202 - Visit of Dr. Sewall to England—Rapprochement - between S. J.-B. and her father—Dr. Elizabeth - and Dr. Emily Blackwell found Medical College - for Women in New York—S. J.-B. starts house- - keeping and medical study there—Illness of her - father—Return to England. - - - _PART II_ - - CHAPTER I - DRIFTING 213 - - Life at Brighton—Perplexities as to future - education. - - CHAPTER II - AT THE GATES OF THE CITADEL 218 - Correspondence with Mrs. Butler, Professor - Sidgwick and others as to possibility of - University training—Goes to Edinburgh—Canvasses - professors. - - CHAPTER III - SUCCESS? 232 - Support of _Scotsman_—Formal application to Dean - of Medical Faculty—Consent (_a_) of Medical - Faculty, (_b_) of Senatus, to receive S. J.-B. - as a student. - - - CHAPTER IV - A CHECK 242 - S. J.-B.’s run of popularity—Difficulties of - situation—Decision of Senatus vetoed by - University Court. - - CHAPTER V - OPENING OF EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY TO WOMEN 253 - S. J.-B. reinforced by Mrs. Thorne and Miss - Pechey—Dr. King Chambers tries—and fails—to get - women admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital—Edinburgh - University Court agrees to admit women to - separate classes. - - CHAPTER VI - THE HOPE SCHOLARSHIP 262 - More lady students—_Cives Academiae Edinensis_— - Difficulty of getting teachers—Miss Pechey - deprived of Hope Scholarship—Newspaper support - and opposition—Differences among professors. - - CHAPTER VII - PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES 276 - Science classes—Efforts to get anatomical - teaching—Correspondence in the _Lancet_. - - CHAPTER VIII - THE RIOT AT SURGEONS’ HALL 285 - Women begin study of anatomy—Apply for admission - to Royal Infirmary—Opposition and support—The - riot—Defence of women students by “Irish - Brigade” and other friendly students—Great - newspaper controversy—Annual Meeting of Royal - Infirmary—Crowded audience—Removal to St. Giles’ - Church—S. J.-B. speaks—The first woman since - Jenny Geddes to speak in that place—Professor - Christison’s protest and S. J.-B.’s retort— - Hubbub—“Fighting with beasts at Ephesus”— - Formation of “National Association.” - - CHAPTER IX - THE ACTION FOR LIBEL 306 - Dr. Christison’s assistant brings action for libel - against S. J.-B.—Her brother’s support—She - speaks at suffrage meeting in London—Makes - acquaintance of Rt. Hon. James Stansfeld—The - action for libel—Damages one farthing, but heavy - costs—Criticisms of the verdict. - - CHAPTER X - SOME FRIENDSHIPS AND HOLIDAYS 320 - £1000 raised by public subscription to defray - costs of action—S. J.-B. takes holiday in Paris— - Commune—Visit of Dr. Lucy Sewall to England. - - CHAPTER XI - THE QUESTION OF PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATION 330 - Continued practical difficulty in getting teaching - and as to professional examination—Counsel’s - opinion taken by both sides—Friendly professors - and others—Women refused entrance to first - professional examination, but in response to - lawyer’s letter are admitted and pass—Move and - countermove. - - CHAPTER XII - THE ROYAL INFIRMARY 340 - Marriage of several of the lady students— - Continuance of struggle in Edinburgh together - with enquiries as to chances elsewhere—Sympathy - of Professor Sidgwick and Mr. James Stuart—Rev. - Dr. Guthrie—Infirmary Annual Meeting again— - Success of the Women’s party—“Ring out the - old!”—Question of legality of votes of firms— - Litigation—Success—S. J.-B. a public character. - - CHAPTER XIII - THE ACTION AGAINST THE SENATUS 352 - _Impasse_—Friends and well-wishers advise appeal - to Court of Law—University Court suggests that - lady matriculated students should give up right - to graduation and be content with certificates - of proficiency—S. J.-B. and others bring Action - of Declarator against Senatus to define - position—Much searching of archives for - evidence—Senatus decides to defend action, but - six professors dissent. - - CHAPTER XIV - THE LORD ORDINARY’S JUDGMENT 362 - S. J.-B. lectures in London on the whole - situation—Lord Shaftesbury in chair—Difference - with Mrs. Butler—S. J.-B. publishes _Medical - Women_—Lord Ordinary decides substantially in - favour of women students—Widespread - congratulations. - - CHAPTER XV - PAYING THE PRICE 377 - Many claims, medical, legal, journalistic, etc., - on S. J.-B.—Gift of £1000 from Mr. Walter - Thomson—S. J.-B. is rejected in first - professional examination—Newspaper interest and - enquiries—Sympathy. - - CHAPTER XVI - END OF THE BATTLE IN EDINBURGH 388 - Interest of Rt. Hon. James Stansfeld—Introduces S. - J.-B. to some of his colleagues in the Cabinet— - S. J.-B. works hard and successfully for first - election of women on Edinburgh School Board— - University appeals against Lord Ordinary’s - decision—Persevering efforts of all the women - students to get on with their education somehow - and somewhere—St. Andrews—Durham—Ireland— - Edinburgh Court of Session (thirteen judges) - decides by narrow majority in favour of - University—The judgment of the Lord Justice - Clerk. - - CHAPTER XVII - THE QUESTION IN PARLIAMENT 398 - Increasing public and newspaper interest and - criticism—Mrs. Anderson writes to _Times_, - strongly advising women to study abroad and - practise without registration—S. J.-B. replies— - University censured in press—Apologia of - Principal and S. J.-B.’s reply—Sir David - Wedderburn’s notice of Bill to reduce vote to - Scottish Universities by amount of salaries of - Edinburgh professors withdrawn on hearing of - Lord Ordinary’s judgment—S. J.-B. again - interviews Home Secretary and members of - Cabinet—Things looking well when Gladstone - dissolves Parliament and appeals to country!—S. - J.-B. interviews Mr. Russell Gurney and others— - At Mr. Cowper Temple’s request she and her - solicitor draft “A Bill to remove doubts as to - the power of Scottish Universities”—She is - summoned to London to discuss matter—Bill - introduced and sixty-five petitions at once - presented in its favour—Fails to get through—In - debate on motion the two members for Edinburgh - (Town and Gown) join issue. - - CHAPTER XVIII - THE LONDON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE FOR WOMEN 415 - Discussion in Parliament calls all latent - opposition into play—S. J.-B.’s failure to pass - examination used as weapon against the women—She - questions justice of rejection—A great mistake— - Reproaches—By advice of Dr. Anstie and Mr. - Norton she founds the London School of Medicine - for Women—Miss Irby’s visit to it. - - CHAPTER XIX - THE RUSSELL GURNEY ENABLING ACT 423 - Difference between S. J.-B. and Mrs. Anderson, who - nevertheless joins Council of School—Mr. Cowper - Temple brings forward his Bill again, and, after - defeat, brings forward a “Foreign Degrees Bill,” - which is also defeated—Lord Sandon on behalf of - Government admits importance of question—Mr. - Simon suggests that women should qualify by - means of examination in Midwifery only, as was - then possible—This agreed to after legal - enquiries, and the women students send in their - names, but examiners resign—S. J.-B.’s longing - to break away and do rough hospital work in - Bosnia—Deputation to President of Privy Council— - “Foreign Degrees Bill” again defeated, but - Government intimate to Mr. Russell Gurney that - he should bring in an “Enabling Bill”—Though - late in session this passes and becomes law—Miss - Pechey and Miss Shove induce Irish College to - avail itself of ability conferred by new Act— - _The Woman Hater_. - - CHAPTER XX - AT LAST 436 - S. J.-B. and Miss Pechey study and graduate at - Berne, and obtain Licence of Irish College. - - CHAPTER XXI - THE ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL 441 - Hospital training still refused to the women - coming on—Mr. Stansfeld introduces S. J.-B. to - Chairman of Royal Free Hospital, whom he has - already interested in the matter—R.F.H. opened - to women—Opening of London University to women— - In organisation of London School for Women, S. - J.-B. is set aside—Mrs. Thorne becomes Hon. - Secretary—_persona grata_—Retrospect. - - - _PART III_ - - CHAPTER I - EARLY DAYS IN PRACTICE 455 - Special difficulties of women doctors in general - and of S. J.-B. in particular—Opens Dispensary— - Assistance of distinguished Edinburgh doctors— - Early success—Letters to colleagues and friends— - Views on Suffrage and on life in general. - - CHAPTER II - LAST ILLNESS OF MRS. JEX-BLAKE 470 - S. J.-B. called south for last time—Unavailing - efforts—Death of Mrs. Jex-Blake. - - CHAPTER III - PATIENTS AND FRIENDS 476 - S. J.-B. removes to Bruntsfield Lodge—Letters to - old friends—Interest in education of girls—Views - on problems and mysteries of life—Paying and - non-paying guests—Beginnings of Edinburgh - Hospital for Women and Children—Her love of - poetry—Her books. - - CHAPTER IV - PUBLIC LIFE 490 - Interest in all public questions relating to - women—Too masterful and uncompromising in - working with others—Publishes _The Care of - Infants_—Her coöperation much in demand in - parliamentary business—Assists Edinburgh - lecturers in their efforts to obtain charter— - Efforts fail, but examinations of Conjoint - Colleges thrown open to women—Re-publication of - _Medical Women_—_The Englishwoman’s Year Book_— - Health Lecture to Women—Founding of Edinburgh - School of Medicine for Women—Its difficulties— - Opposition. - - CHAPTER V - RE-OPENING OF EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY TO WOMEN 502 - S. J.-B. writes article for _Nineteenth Century_— - Views on marriage, etc.—Her Hindu students— - Appointed a lecturer on Midwifery in the Extra- - Mural School—Death of Dr. Lucy Sewall—S. J.-B.’s - renewed efforts to gain admission for women to - St. Andrews—Final appeal to her own Alma Mater - “to decide a question which has been under - consideration for twenty-five years”—Success— - Congratulations from members of “National - Association”—S. J.-B.’s characteristics as - doctor and as citizen. - - CHAPTER VI - DRIVING TOURS. ANIMAL FRIENDS 513 - - CHAPTER VII - THE SABBATICAL YEAR 523 - Search for a suitable house—Send-off from friends - in Edinburgh—Windydene—Life in retirement—Fruit- - growing—Dairy—Friends—Books—Winters abroad— - Interest in public affairs—Distrust of Germany— - Suffrage—Death of Professor Masson—S. J.-B.’s - religious attitude—Health—Last illness. - - APPENDICES - - A. Pedigree of the Jex-Blake family. Origin of 543 - compound surname - - B. “Words for the Way.”—No. 2. Rest 544 - - C. Conclusions from “A Visit to American Schools and 548 - Colleges” - - D. The Edinburgh Extra-Mural School 551 - - E. Letter to the _Times_ in reply to Mrs. Garrett 552 - Anderson - - F. Letter to the _Times_ in reply to the Principal of 555 - Edinburgh University - - G. Permanent Memorials of S. J.-B. 563 - - INDEX 565 - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE _Frontispiece_ - From a painting by Samuel Laurence - - THOMAS JEX-BLAKE _To face p._ 70 - From a drawing in chalks by Henry T. - Wells, R.A. - - MARIA EMILY JEX-BLAKE ” 384 - From a drawing in chalks by Henry T. - Wells, R.A. - - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE ” 484 - - - - - _PART I_ - - - - - Our great interest in biography is due to the desire to see that the - “child is father to the man”; in other words, to see how, from boyhood - to manhood and from manhood to old age, through all change of - circumstances and all widening of intellectual and practical - interests, we can detect the same unique, individual nature, and link - each new expression of it in speech and action with that which - preceded it. - - EDWARD CAIRD. - - - - - CHAPTER I - CHILDHOOD - - -Sophia Jex-Blake was born on the 21st January, 1840. “How happy I was -with my Baby this time two and twenty years ago!” writes Mrs. Jex-Blake -on the 21st January, 1862, and, if she had greater cause than some -mothers for the plaintive note that one seems to hear through the words, -she was the first to rejoice in her great compensations. - -Certainly no baby ever had a warmer welcome into the world. At the time -of her birth, her father, Mr. Thomas Jex-Blake, a proctor of Doctors’ -Commons, was living the life of a retired gentleman with his wife at 3 -Croft Place, Hastings. Both parents, though no longer young, and in some -ways older than their years, were devotedly fond of children, and a -number of disappointments had shadowed their married life. In January, -1840, their son, Thomas William, was eight years of age, and their -daughter, Caroline, a staid little maiden of six. The home was crying -out for a real baby, and all were prepared to treat the newcomer as a -little queen. - -And most royally did the little queen step into the position lying at -her feet. There was no doubt at all that _she_ meant to live. She was -vital to the finger-tips, a thoroughly wholesome little animal, with a -pair of great luminous eyes, too mature for a baby, though they retained -the child look for three score years and ten. - -The Baby came of an excellent stock.[1] On both sides she was descended -from well-known Norfolk families, whose lineage will be found in Burke’s -_Landed Gentry_. Her father was the son of William Jex-Blake of Swanton -Abbots, and her mother the daughter of Thomas Cubitt of Honing Hall. It -sounds old-world and picturesque, like Trollope’s novels or a landscape -by Constable. - -Footnote 1: - - Appendix A. - -On the other hand, the Baby—as in later years she never tired of saying— -“came in with the penny post.” New ideas were surging up on every side. -When one thinks of her parentage, her heredity, and the tendencies of -the world outside, one can scarcely imagine a more varied lot of -elements from which to build up a life. Of the fairies who came to her -christening, some brought great gifts, and some great opportunities, -and, when the cradle was full, one can almost hear them say,—“What now, -little girl, will you make of that?” - -Of all the gifts we know well which she considered the greatest. “No -child ever had better parents than I!” “How I wish you had known my -Mother!” Such words were constantly on her lips. Throughout life, when -she was making holiday, she loved to go back to old Hastings, to point -out to some intimate friend the house where she was born, the church—St. -Clement’s—where she was baptised; to wander about the old castle, and -note the very rocks which had afforded the most delightful scrambling- -ground when she was a child. There was a special point in some country -walk associated with the picture of her Father bending his tall figure -to hold her hand, while he talked to her of “the terrible things people -were doing in France.” - -“No one ever had a happier childhood than I.” - -In many ways she was extraordinarily fortunate in her parents. One -cannot go through the long series of carefully preserved letters written -to their youngest child without feeling tempted to say that better -people never lived. Absolutely upright in all their dealings, devoted -and unselfish in their affection, single-heartedly religious, regarding -themselves strictly as stewards of the wealth Providence had bestowed on -them, they really were the fine flower of old Evangelical Anglicanism. -One seldom sees a husband and wife so entirely of one mind as to what -are the things that matter. And if the Mother—Maria Emily Cubitt—was the -one to bring to the union the keen wit, the happy humour, which her -children inherited and loved to recall, her husband was the first to -acknowledge and rejoice in her gifts. He was her proud lover to the day -of his death. Family tradition made it a matter of course that they -should have a luxurious home, and that all the appointments of their -life should be good, but the note of self-denial was always telling -resolutely and unobtrusively. It was her younger daughter’s boast in -later years that Mrs. Jex-Blake “would have made a splendid poor man’s -wife;” and the vulgar criticism was significant of their whole attitude -towards life, that “the Jex-Blake’s carriage was as fine as any in the -place, but _there was always a poor person in it_”. - -What made this attitude all the finer was the fact that neither husband -nor wife was ever tempted to undervalue social distinctions. It was -_noblesse oblige_ always,—the _noblesse_ of family as much as the -_noblesse_ of Christ. - -Surely better people never lived, and yet, as human standards go, the -world which they built around them was scarcely a spacious world. “I -have learnt far more from my children than they ever learned from me,” -Mrs. Jex-Blake used to say with characteristic generosity in her old -age, and hers was one of the minds that grow and develop up to the last: -but in some ways the Evangelicalism of her middle life—even with the -advantage of her most gracious representation of its tenets—was a -cramping thing. While Caroline and Sophia were still in the nursery, -their parents had resolved, from the best of motives, to deny them the -social advantages which their mother had enjoyed before them. Dancing -and theatre-going were wrong; novels were mainly trash; _Punch_ was -“vulgar”. “Christ’s kingdom” was the one thing worth considering— -Christ’s kingdom as represented by the popular preachers of the day. -“The mission field” was the great object of enthusiasm. After reading -much contemporary correspondence one is tempted to say that the making -of pen-wipers and book-markers for missionary bazaars was the work fitly -to be expected of a Christian gentleman’s daughter. - -From her cradle the elder sister seems to have accepted this view of -life. Her fine and massive intellect bowed to the limitations imposed -upon it. Her strong character asserted itself in many ways, but never so -as to give her parents the proverbial “hour’s anxiety”. - -And, for better or worse, into this atmosphere Sophia Jex-Blake was -born. One can scarcely wonder that she came as a little queen. “Brother” -was already at school, his foot on the first step of a brilliant career; -“Sweet Carrie” was all that loving parents expected her to be; the new -thing came as a complete surprise. The freshness, the wilfulness, the -naughtiness of her were as the wine of life to these staid, law-abiding -people. It took their breath away sometimes, but it was all on so small -a scale, and were not all the forces of religion in reserve to check any -undue waywardness as soon as she was old enough to understand? - -The earliest samples of her handwriting are two letters addressed to her -brother,—undated, but written laboriously in “half-text” between double -lines. The quotation and punctuation marks are added by another hand. - - “DEAR BROTHER, - Your note was much ‘amiss,’ - But as you sent sixpence, - I pardon the offence, - And kindly send you this. - S. L. J. B.” - -and again: - - “DEAR BROTHER, - - I must say I think you very impertinent, however I condescend to - write to you. If you write a word more nonsense your head shall be - off. I am your humble servant grand mogul.” - -“_Entirely_ her own composition” is the postscript added in her father’s -handwriting. - -No doubt they spoilt her, and she must still have been very young when -her audacity and wilfulness began to cause her parents real anxiety. In -January, 1847, her Mother writes: - - “DEAR SOPHY, - - I am very pleased with your marker, I think it nicely done for - you. I wish you many happy returns of your birthday—now you are seven - years old I hope you will pray for the Holy Spirit to keep you from - sin, from disobedience, and from violence of temper. I send you as a - text for your birthday 16 Proverbs 32, and I trust you will try hard - to act upon it.... I hope you take all the care you can of dear Papa— - he says you are very good. Brother sends love. - - I am your affectionate Mother, - MARIA EMILY JEX-BLAKE.” - -A day or two later she writes again: - - “I am very glad to hear you had such a happy birthday—how kind in Mary - to give you that nice tea-pot. I hope you remember to thank God for - giving you so many kind friends. Be sure to take all the care you can - of dear Papa, and if he takes you for a walk do not let him talk. - - I miss Papa’s nice explaining God’s word every morning at prayers, you - must tell me what it has been about. - - We like Brighton and I think I am stronger, but we shall be very glad - to be home again. I hope Mary takes care about the poor people’s broth - and the puddings for the sick children. I long to see all my poor - friends again, but I trust some one visits them and that they do not - miss me. Papa must go and read with Mrs. P. when he is able and with - Mrs. C.... Ask Mr. Macleane to bring you back with him in his pocket, - when he returns on Monday. Show him how quiet you can be.” - -It is clear the teaching of religion had already begun, if indeed there -was ever a time when it had not,—the teaching of such genuine heartfelt -religion!—under symbols that never were suited to the mind of a -sensitive child. So it is not surprising that she was not always the -Grand Mogul, poor little soul! The next papers that survive are in a -totally different vein. They are written when she was seven or eight -years old, and the handwriting, though far from beautiful, is much -better formed. - - “DEAR MRS. BLAKE, - - I wish you would be so kind as to come and see me every night in - Bed-ford-shire at least tonight on Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday - Thursday Friday Saturday and next Sunday after tomorrow. I require an - answer to this note (letter) even if you do come tonight. There are - now so many railroads that you can get to Bedfordshire in one minute. - Please send ‘Madam Mary’ with this and then come up. - - GRANDAFLORER.” - -The true inwardness of this request appears in a private paper probably -of an earlier date, folded up and labelled on the outside, “A Prayer to -be Said After an unhappy Night.” - - “Oh Lord I beseech Thee take away my fears of a night, for Thou alone - knowest what miseries I this night have suffered. O Lord, I beseech - Thee this day enable me to behave as I ought. O Lord, I beseech Thee - to make me a Christain child ... take away my doubts and fears....” - -In the next letter—endorsed by her Mother, “7th May, 1848”—she says, - - “I whant to tell you that I feel so much less fear of a night.... - - “I will never say again (as I fear I often have) that God does not - hear my prayer or that I do not derive comfort from it.... Please (for - you say please wins everything) do not show this to anybody not even - to dear Papa. - - S. L. B.”[2] - -Footnote 2: - - The paragraphs and brackets are the writer’s own. - -Clearly the child at this time was learning to read and write. Of any -formal teaching no record has been kept, but, if anything of the kind -existed, it can have made no great demand on her brain power, which -began at this time to find expression in a somewhat unusual way. - -In common with most children, she dreamed dreams, but her dreams were -not the random visions of an hour. They were singularly coherent and -consecutive, aiming at nothing less than the construction of an ideal -state ruled by a “despotic emperor” in some wonderful islands lying in -an unknown sea. She was unable to throw the creations of her brain into -anything like literary form, but numberless papers have been preserved, -varying from large official-looking blue foolscap sheets giving the -“constitution” of the state, down to tiny scraps about the minutest -detail connected with it. - -There are many maps of the islands, of which the largest, Sackermena, -gave its name to the group; and these are supplemented by numberless -poems in which she strove to give expression to the feelings her Utopia -aroused in her mind. Poetry never came easy to her, dearly as she loved -it. - -She begins gallantly many times: (We all know the experience.) - - “See how pretily the sunbeams dance - Upon the fair waves of Speed-the-lance - See the Waters of Gold!” - -and again, - - “See Lord Grandaflora brave - Fighting his country and life to save....” - -and again, - - “See how gently Mordisca rules - O’er Sackermena and her pooles....” - -or is it “fooles”?—The writing is very bad. - -On the whole the most delightful stanza is the one that was probably the -first, - - “Sweet Sackermena and her isles - See how many yards and miles - It takes to go round Sackermena!” - -No, poetry never came easy to her. - -When she tackles the constitution of the state, however, her work is on -a totally different level. She gives us the officers, “Military, Civil, -and Judicial,” the standing army, standing navy, Men of War _and_ -frigates, and vessels “in rest, ready to be raised.” From this we go on -to Prisons, Castles, Laws, Parliament, Guards, etc. The population -varies greatly in different schemes. In one, by a stroke of genius, all -innocent of that terrible Woman Question in which she was to play so -prominent a part, she says:—Men, 7,000,000; Women, 5,000,000. Truly an -ideal state! - -There are many codes of laws, drawn up to meet one contingency after -another. The following are picked out almost at random: - - “The Despotic Emperor has authority that none may dispute and none may - appear in his presence without his gracious permission save his sons - and Lord Field Marshall, also the chief general the high Admiral the - high Treasurer, high Chancellor, Secretary of state and the Chief - Justice.” - - “Succession to the Crown. It is at the option of the Reigning Despotic - Emperor to name his successor but if he dies without making any choice - it descends to the eldest son but if he has no son the crown is placed - on the head of the eldest daughter unless 12 _strong_ reasons can be - urged to the contrary and accepted by Parliament. If he has no - offspring it does not descend to the next relation but it is in the - power of the parliament to give it to whoever it pleases.” - - “Robery shall always be punished by the culprits restoring fourfold or - if utterly unable to pay this as many days imprisonment as there are - shillings in the forfeit.” - - “Intentional murder and personal injury shall be punished by injuries - precisely similar.” - - “If any man conceals the persons mentioned in the preceding laws he is - punished half as much as the offender.” - - “That every English or Scotchman that is travelling with a passport - shall be supplied with provisions cost free. And every Frenchman shall - have things for half and every Dutchman quarter price. Any one - infringing this law is liable to be forced into the army with the - possibility of advancement or to be imprisoned for two years.” - - “No judge shall ever condemn a man to death without the knowledge of - Lord Trican. An infringement of this law shall be visited by - confiscation of all his estates except (if he have it) 250 to his wife - and 300 to each of his children; besides his being degraded from - office and receiving 30 stripes in the public square of St. Anhola.” - - “All disobedience to officers shall be punished by flogging. 1st - offence 20 strokes, 2nd. 34, 3rd. 40, 4th. imprisonment 4 months, 5th. - 14 months, 6th. Death.” - - “If any sentinel be found asleep in the camp he shall be shot with - blank cartridges and imprised 15 months. The second offence he shall - be shot really.” - - “Spirits or strong drink not being allowed in either army or navy any - person having any shall be shot with blank cartridges and the second - offence he shall receive 20 strokes and 1 months imprisonment, 3rd. 32 - strokes and 4 months imprisonment. 4th. Death.” - - “In time of war when the standing army is not sufficient to resist the - enemy’s forces 350 soldiers and 4 captains and 10 lieutenants shall be - sent to raise the ready militia to the amount required; if this is not - enough every man above 20 and under 80 compose the Possiblees which is - raised in great danger, but 2,500,000 must be left (all able bodied - men) to take care of the kingdom.” - -In many respects this state was a primitive one. When certain -announcements were to be made, “a large bell is rung which is heard to -the distance of 23 miles,” or “an enormous bonfire is made in the palace -gardens of Mt. Gilbow [!] which is perhaps seen to a greater distance.” - -This is fine: - - “The Despotic Emperor is the grand Law-giver General Judge Sage - Physician and in short the Father of his vast dominions.” - -In spite of the mass of prosaic detail as to dress, provisions, etc., -there is sometimes a hint of the supernatural about the whole thing. The -dotted lines between the islands in one of the maps indicate “invisible -bridges”, and in a request to “VICTORIA and PRINCE ALBERT” that a -governor may be sent from England to “controll the foreigners who -wilfully destroy the peace and comfort of this happy and well-governed -realm,” we are told that “if this wish is complied with, the Most -Gracious Despotic Emperor, PHRAMPTON OMAIL GRANDIFLORA,[3] will stand -the friend of your kingdoms on earth and admit 20 of your subjects to -his unearthly Kingdom.” - -Footnote 3: - - Note the similarity of the name to her signature on p. 5. Many a - little girl has loved to imagine herself a fairy princess. It would be - interesting to know whether any other ever dreamed of being a - “Despotic Emperor.” - -A great impetus to the whole conception may possibly have been given by -a tour which the child was fortunate enough to make with her parents and -sister to Warwickshire and thence to Scotland in June, 1850, a tour of -which further particulars will be found in the next chapter. In the -course of her very conscientiously kept diary, she says, “We read the -Lady of the Lake aloud,” and she herself is reading “Ivanhoe, one of the -Waverley novels.” - -There is no proof, however, that any part of her Utopia was sketched -after this tour, and a great part of it was certainly written before. - -On the whole, perhaps, the most remarkable thing in connection with -“Sackermena and her Isles” is the staying power shown by the writer in -developing her idea, and her determination to get everything down on -paper. In this more than in anything else the child was father of the -man. - -S. J.-B. was a born chronicler. - -As regards Sackermena, the idea certainly afforded no lack of scope and -variety. What with drawing maps, writing poetry, framing laws, adding up -the totals of her army and reserves, devising for the soldiery “A dark -red long coat with silver falcons, and thick leather buskins studden -with iron,” and many another guise equally picturesque,—she certainly -did not suffer from monotony in her self-chosen occupation. And the -above examples by no means exhaust its possibilities. On a stray slip of -paper we come upon a formal complaint from a “justice,” who, “passing in -disguise through Pe,” was supplied with a loaf deficient in weight; and -a tiny booklet (laboriously stitched together by the writer’s hot little -hands) has the following title page: - - THE SACKERMENEE’S - POCKET BOOK - - ---------- - - _Containing many Little Accounts - of their Customs_ - - ---------- - - PUBLISHED BY S. L. BLAKE & CO. - Hastings 1848 - - _Jan. 1850_ - -The two dates seem to indicate that _Sackermena_ flourished for perhaps -two years; but the Pocket Book itself was not a hardy plant. The big -foolscap sheets were clearly more stimulating to the imagination. - -The thing is child’s work throughout. From first to last it bears no -trace of grown-up criticism; nor is there then or afterwards any note by -her parents, teachers or friends, referring in even the most distant way -to the faerie region in which the little girl must have spent so much of -her time. - -Another thing strikes one incidentally—considering the atmosphere in -which the child was brought up—as rather curious. There is no mention of -clergy at Sackermena, nor of any form of church. We are not even told -that nothing of the kind existed. - -Note again that the Despotic Emperor was the grand Lawgiver, General, -Judge, Sage, Physician, and, in short, the Father, of his vast -dominions. - - - - - CHAPTER II - SCHOOL LIFE - - -“You often say how happy you were as a child,” an intimate friend -remarked once to Dr. Jex-Blake, “but you never talk of your school life. -I expect you were a terrible pickle?” - -“Specs so,” was the laconic response, and the subject dropped. - -There is no getting round the fact that she _was_ a terrible pickle. If -we bear in mind what the state of girls’ education was in those days we -shall see that it could scarcely have been otherwise. If she could have -gone to a boys’ school and enjoyed its boisterous give and take, the -little “despotic emperor” would soon have found her level. One loves to -think how happy she would have been in the modern Girls’ High School: if -she had but found the education of women in the condition in which she -left it, the difference in her whole future would have been very great, -but women of the present day would not owe her the debt they owe her -now. “The breaker is gone up before them.” - -As things were, she had, in a sense, got the upper hand of her parents -before she went to school at all. She was simply overflowing with energy -and vitality, and they found themselves, while she was little more than -a child, confronted with a personality which ran right athwart their -preconceived notions and theories of life. They had not the right -weapons with which to meet the outbursts of her volcanic temperament, -and it must always be borne in mind that “when she was good, she was -very very good,” immeasurably more attractive than the average child. - -The one effort of her teachers, of course, was to repress her, to induce -her to be “ladylike,” and, most unfortunately of all, to make every -childish act of disobedience, every outburst of passion, the text for a -homily on the necessity of “coming to Jesus.” One cannot read the long -series of letters referred to above without wondering how it came about -that the germ of religion in the child’s heart was not worn away -altogether; and indeed its survival only becomes comprehensible when one -bears in mind the genuine goodness of many of those who watched over -her, and also the “unknown quantity,”—that elusive unsearchable factor -that is present in every human equation. - -The earliest references to her education are two letters from her first -governess, Miss B., to Mrs. Jex-Blake, of which the first is dated -November 24th, 1848: - - “Sophy is a dear child, shewing daily advancement in her studies, and - often delighting me by a rectitude of principle emanating, I trust - ‘from the Father of lights’. A little native wildness (and that - gradually softening down) together with the want of promptitude in - setting about her duties, are the chief obstacles that could be picked - out from a much longer list of things most prized by an earnest - teacher. I have often thought of your wish that she should learn the - Latin grammar, and quite agree with your view of its probable - advantage; but I am afraid of breaking down in the long and short - syllables.... For the next few months it appears to me nothing will be - lost by our present system, in which I find parsing to be generally a - subject of interest. - - I trust the time is not very distant when your little girl will - successfully strive to be both a help and comfort to her parents.” - -The second letter is nearly two months later: - - “Your kind letter with its agreeable suggestion reached me too late - for a reply by return of post. It would have given me a feeling deeper - than pleasure to continue the instruction of your very promising - child, but I have already engaged with one daily pupil and have a half - prospect of another, in addition to which God’s high dispensation - seems to allot to my keeping, as soon as He graciously gives me the - means, the eldest of four children belonging to my Brother.... With - our best love to Sophy, I am, dear Mrs. Blake, - - Yours in the Lord, - MARY B.” - -The first arrangement having fallen through, Sophy was sent with her -sister to Belmont, a school kept by Mrs. and Miss Teed. The following -letter seems to have been written on the day they set out: - - “29th January [1849]. - - DEAR LITTLE SO, - - I hope you had a comfortable journey; I fear the cold wind must - have increased your cold. Now, dearest child, you must be always going - to Jesus for grace to overcome self-will and the desire to be - conspicuous. Strive to be a gentle child, in reality esteeming others - better than yourself. You cannot learn anything to any purpose till - you are obedient and have some self-command. Try to be a comfort to - dearest Carry, she has her trials, depend upon it,—do you be obedient - to her and thoughtful of her comfort, without making a fuss about it. - Carry likes kindness quietly done. Do not give needless trouble to - Miss Towers or anyone. Try to deserve Dearest Mrs. Teed’s good - opinion. Jesus will be sure to help you whenever you ask Him. I - forward a note that arrived from Aunt Taylor. Papa sends best love. - - I am your affectionate Mother, - MARIA EMILY JEX-BLAKE.” - -Mrs. Jex-Blake’s health never was robust, and at this time it was -causing her husband and intimate friends some uneasiness. - - “Do you know, darling Sophy,” she writes on March 27th, “it is - sometimes quite a trial to me to write _one_ letter to each of you, - and I should hardly do it, did I not know how ‘nice it is’ (as you - say) to hear from home at school. I so much like you to send me the - heads of Mr. Parker’s and of Mr. Taylor’s sermons. The one on 23 Jer. - 29 must have been very beautiful.... Papa has just come in and says - thank dear little _So_ for her letter and tell her I am _particularly_ - pleased with the clear way in which she sent me the heads of the - sermon.... I send you a few of our violets.” - -And again, - - “Be much in prayer, my sweet one, for grace to be obedient and gentle. - Hope whispers great things for our next meeting if God grants us one. - - I am comforting myself with the hope that you are waging constant war - against _self-will_ and _disobedience_. You can hardly believe how - happy you will be when through God’s help upon your earnest - endeavours, you can obey _at once_ and give up your own way. I send my - darling child a text which I wish her to learn and pray for grace to - live up to. It is 1 Peter v. 5. I wish you to learn it perfectly and - make it part of your _daily_ prayers. Tell me when you write that you - have done so. Bear it in mind all day long, and try hard, very hard, - to live up to it. I often fancy you all at morning prayers and wish I - could be there.[4] God gives you great privileges, dear child, that - you may live to Him.” - -Footnote 4: - - She would probably not have elected to be there on the morning when - some imp induced Sophy to tip over a bench on to the row of girls - kneeling in front of her. - -All the letters are in this vein, and all were read by the recipient -many times and carefully preserved. - -In June, 1849, she went with her parents, brother and sister to spend a -long holiday in the Lake District, and one is glad to think of her as -being much in the open air, collecting plants and stones, “shooting a -good deal with bow and arrows,” riding on the coach, and being allowed -to drive for a few minutes herself.[5] - -Footnote 5: - - She used to say that her intimate familiarity with the details of - harnessing and all stable matters was due to the fact that when they - were spending a holiday in the country her father allowed them to have - a pony and trap on condition that, with the exception of actual - grooming, the children managed it entirely themselves. - -Her holiday diary is as well written and as dull as that of the average -adult, and one is almost startled when one comes upon such entries as -“Played at horses and pretended I was driving the mail”; and again, “A -very wet day. I had a very nice game with Papa and Carry, and another -with Carry in the afternoon and afterwards another alone with Papa very -nice indeed and I enjoyed it _very_ much.” - -On the other hand there was no lack of church-going, and the texts are -always carefully noted down: - - “July 29th Sunday. Went to Keswick church in the morning and the text - was James 4. 8. Brother went to church at Thornthwaite. Papa, Brother - and Carry walked off to the Vale of St. John’s, but there was no - sermon—only prayers. Went to Keswick church in the afternoon and the - clergyman took his text from Ps. 119, 96.” - - “Aug. 5th. Mama was very ill and I stopped at home both in the morning - and afternoon with her. Papa, Brother and Carry went to Brougham-hall - to church but there was no service. They went again in the afternoon - to Brougham-hall—no sermon. I went in the evening to Penrith church - and the text was Luke 16. 8.” - -_She_ never seems to have drawn a blank, poor little soul! - -A previous entry is even more characteristic of the world she lived in: - - “July 23rd.... Had a walk with Papa and Carry in the afternoon, and - afterwards bought tracts (for 6d.) with Carry.” - - “24th. A rather wet morning. Went out with Papa and gave away some - tracts.” - -Yet her Father was an excellent playfellow and at this time her most -indulgent critic. In the spring of 1850 he writes—“It is a real pleasure -to me to hear from you, and I hear such pleasing accounts of you from -others that I am very glad”; but it must be admitted that this note of -congratulation is rare. - -There is an amusing little joint note from her parents, probably of an -earlier date: - - “DEAR SOPHY, - - I send you the 1s. and I hope the yellow paper. I do not know - what you want of paste-board, therefore I fear I cannot send it. I - send the gingerbreads, and hope to do so on the 11th again. Your - affectionate Mother.” - -Then follows in pencil: - - “Dear child, I have got _all_ the things for you and leave them with 2 - pounds of gingerbread. I think you want more than one shilling for - your purpose so I enclose 2s. for you. - - Your affect. Papa, - T. J.-B.” - -But it must not be supposed that her parents were ever otherwise than of -one mind concerning her. Like all well-constituted husbands, Mr. Jex- -Blake was quite prepared on occasion to demolish the child who made his -wife uncomfortable. And it must be confessed that little Sophy had -rather a knack of making people “uncomfortable.” She was so keen about -everything: she staked her equanimity so often on things which it might -have been wiser to regard as trifles, that those about her learned to -live in a state of some anxiety, never knowing when the eruption might -come. - -The remedy for it all is painfully obvious as we read. More scope, more -physical exercise, more fresh air; but, as already pointed out, the -girls’ schools of those days provided none of these things; and, when -the child came to her dearly loved home, the Mother’s excessive -fragility made it necessary that her daughter should live the life of a -grown up person.[6] The most devoted mutual love could not devise a -_régime_ suited to both. The lovely ailing Mother could not stand noise -and excitement. Sophy was often riotous, excitable, “rough” yet always -very loving with it all. On one occasion when walking demurely along the -pavement in a _queue_ of well-behaved girls, she caught sight of her -father, and, without a moment’s hesitation, deserted the ranks, and took -a flying leap on to his back! - -Footnote 6: - - “I must tell you my experience,” writes Mrs. Jex-Blake to Dr. Lucy - Sewall a quarter of a century later, “_not_ my own practice, it was - not the fashion of my day (and having lost my three eldest I was very - anxious and fidgetty):—Where children are trusted and have a good deal - of independence, and their tempers not fretted about _little_ things, - they grow up more open, confiding and trustworthy.” - -No wonder that a contemporary friend of the family describes him as -saying very often, “My dear Sophy! My dear child!” in tones of absolute -bewilderment. - -In the summer of 1850 Sophy made the tour referred to in the preceding -chapter, and a liberal education it must have been. In April Mrs. Jex- -Blake had written, - - “I hardly allow myself to look forward to the treat of going to - Scotland; it seems almost too much pleasure,—and we shall be sure to - find people who love Jesus and love the Bible there and that will add - so very greatly to our pleasure.... Papa thanks you for your letter, - he is surprised and pleased to learn that you are in Reduction.... Use - daily as a prayer the substance of 1 Peter v. 5.” - -“18th June. Left Belmont at 20 minutes to 10 with Miss Teed, and met -Papa and Mama at the Euston, and went to Rugby to pick up Brother.” So -Sophy’s own diary begins, and an excellent conscientious piece of work -it is. They visited Leamington, Warwick, Kenilworth: thence to -Edinburgh, Stirling, Glasgow and the Lochs, Callander and the Trossachs, -stopping at York on the way south. - -A pretty piece of doggerel shows the happy relations between Father and -daughter at this period. It is scribbled in pencil on the back of a -hotel-keeper’s note. The Father begins in his scholarly handwriting: - - “My little child, You’re very wild, - Could you be still, And yet not ill, - Then, little So, This I do know, - You’d be a blessing, Worth possessing.” - -Whereupon Sophy comes hobbling on: - - “My dear Father, I had rather - You’d believe me, And relieve me, - When I say, As I may, - That I’ll be good, As I should.” - -Of course it is she who recommences the game: - - “My dear Papa, Aha, Aha, - Send me a letter, Then you can better - Tell when we go, Off to Tarbet Oh! - And all your wishes, With many kisses.” - -And the scholarly handwriting closes the page: - - “I kiss you! Why if I do - I kiss a wild, And teasing child. - But this short note, Papa has wrote - To say at ten, We start again. - Henceforth you should Be very good.” - -In autumn the two sisters returned to Mrs. Teed’s school, and things -resumed their chequered course. I am told by a schoolfellow of Sophy’s, -who had an excellent influence over her at that time, that Mrs. Teed -managed the little girl extremely well: and in any case she remained at -Belmont for two years, when Mrs. Jex-Blake removed her—evidently to the -child’s regret—on the curious ground that she was being “extinguished.” -The truth is that the younger pupils were rationed according to age, -and, as Sophy was physically as well as mentally in advance of her -contemporaries, she was reduced to eating raw acorns to appease her -hunger. But Mrs. Jex-Blake was not aware of that detail till long after. - -In the meantime, the former teacher, Miss B., had settled at Ramsgate -with the pupils already referred to, and Sophy was sent back to her. A -more devoted and conscientious teacher one can scarcely imagine, but the -arrangement was in some ways a very unfortunate one. At home—and -probably also to some extent at Mrs. Teed’s—the religious atmosphere was -tempered by a sense of humour as regards the ordinary affairs of life; -but of this quality worthy Miss B. seems to have possessed no trace. -Henceforth the child lived in a religious forcing house. One hopes that -at times she escaped to Sweet Sackermena and her Isles, but the moral -atmosphere at Ramsgate was not conducive to such pagan wanderings. Her -brain was pronounced excitable, and she was to have but little head -employment, but she was taken to church several times a week, and -encouraged—or instructed—to write out the sermons to send home to her -parents. Here is an example of her work: (Miss B.’s trifling corrections -are omitted.) - - “Mr. Dunbrain. John iii. 3.* April 2. 1851. - - We live in days of deep interest,—the common topics of men are thrown - aside and everyone seems to be utterly absorbed in religious - controversies. The torpor which had overspread the church has entirely - dissolved, and now all around we hear nothing but the perpetual strife - jar and clamour of religious disputes. It is a storm and a strong one - too, but many think it precedes the blessed peace and quiet of the - Millennium. Like every storm it did not come all at once, but it has - been long in gathering; it began with what men call trifles and rose - gradually, gathering strength as it rose, etc., etc. - - Those marked * are Wednesday evening lectures.” - -We are left to guess whether she wrote out the lecture after supper the -night it was delivered, or lay awake “remembering it” till next morning. - -Memory altogether was a faculty assiduously cultivated. It was the -custom for the family to gather round the fire on Sunday evenings, and -for one after the other to repeat a sacred poem. When they had been -separated for a time, special interest attached to the items each had -added in the interval to his, or her, repertory. No doubt the custom -began with the learning of hymns, but they seem for the most part to -have been good hymns, and round this nucleus there gathered an -extraordinarily varied collection,—fine passages from Isaiah and the -Psalms, poems by Trench, Dean Alford, Longfellow, Wordsworth and many -more. It was said of the younger daughter in her later life that, if she -had been shipwrecked on a desert island with nothing but pens and paper -in addition to the actual means of livelihood, she could gradually have -provided a priceless library from memory alone. - -A few of her letters at this time have been preserved. - - [1851]. - - “DEAR DADDY, - - A most extraordinary thing happened this morning; the crew of a - Portuguese ship put up in the masthead figures representing Pontius - Pilate and Judas and exactly as 10 struck on the pier clock they - thumped them down into the sea! Now was not this Popish trash? A - respectable English jolly tar told Miss B. all about it and added how - happy we were to be taught better; now I think that’s a right good - English spirit. The first grand steamer has just come in. I have a - very bad cold and have not been out. Miss B. brought me some licorice - for my cough and I am to have treacle posset tonight so I could not - possibly be taken more care of and no doubt it will be quite well - before 30th. You musn’t think Miss B. had _anything_ to do with my - talking about tractarianism, indeed afterwards she forbade it,—it was - all my fault. I’m writing a history of our family entitled ‘History of - the illustrious family of Blakes from 70 B.C. to 1080 A.D.’ Dear Daddy - how I _do_ love you, if I could ‘climb those knees and kiss that face’ - I’d be happy enough, indeed I’m very happy here but home sweet home is - better than anything else. S. B. - - Do send me a _large_ seal of your crest.” - -Her Mother, however, is always her main confidant. - - “I’m in a scrape just now Mama,” she writes on April 5th, 1851, “I - long to be at Home, home sweet home there’s no place like home, no - person like Mummy and no kiss like Mummy’s cuddle and no knees like - Papa’s and no player at Prisoner and Judge Selling or any other game - in the world like Papa, no one that can put me in a good humour like - Daddy and Mummy! Oh! nothing like what everything is at home - _anywhere_ else, in all Europe Asia Africa and America no place is - like home, sweet sweet home.... Love to dear Papa and yourself 3000000 - kisses. I always kiss the envelope. Please write very soon. I am your - affectionate and I _hope_ dutiful Sophy.” - -We know how fervently the Mother “_hoped_” the same! - -The child seems to have spent the first weeks of May in her beloved -home, and the following letter from Miss B. gives us a graphic sketch of -her return to school: - - “MY DEAR MRS. BLAKE, - - Dearest Sophy has laid her letter before me, and such a burden - of grief I can scarcely bear to send—but you will look at my view of - the picture likewise. The tears shed in writing that were very nearly - all we have had; for soon after parting from her Papa the heavy clouds - passed away, and, when established in the fly I was glad to hear, - ‘Well, I am not quite so sorry as I expected to be,’ and then ‘Mummy - says the air of Ramsgate will almost make amends for the parting.’ We - got home and found dinner ready, but dear Sophy could only take a - little rhubarb.... At tea she seemed surprised at being able to - express herself as ‘hungry,’ though the appetite was soon satisfied, - and she is now sitting reading in the garden, which she says is - ‘delicious’. Dear Mrs. Blake do not think I will tax her head with - anything beyond beneficial employment. It will be my study to get rid - of that _thin look_ which I could scarcely have attributed to so short - a change (!). I ought to tell you that Sophy meant to say that she - felt better when she got into Ramsgate than for some time, but grief - swallowed up all other news.” - -A week or two later her Father asks her in a rash moment if she can tell -him “Why it is wrong to oppose Papal Aggression?” adding, “If you can’t, -I will tell you.” The question was a mere conundrum, but she takes it -very seriously: - - “DEAR FATHER, - - I am _very very_ sorry to hear that dearest Mother is so unwell (or I - should say _ill_). I send her a marker as _I_ have not many flowers - that will press well.[7] Please tell her that she must not give it - away to anyone. I am quite enchanted at Boy’s getting _two_ poetry - prizes; it is charming. - - Well, about the question, ‘Why it is _wrong_ to oppose the Papal - Aggression?’ I really don’t see how it _can_ be wrong and must think - it quite right. I can’t see how it can be wrong for any zealous - servant of God to oppose with _all_ his might that which dishonours - God and his word, which (when the Bible says ‘none _can_ come unto the - Father but by _Me_’) says that we _must_ come by the Virgin and the - saints etc. People might say ‘We must not oppose it for it is God’s - will’ they might also say that ‘temptation was put before the Jews and - _that_ was God’s will’ but they were told to put the accursed thing - far from them and destroy it utterly and _I_ think the Papal - Aggression is put in _our_ way to try us and see if we _will_ oppose - it unto death. But of course you know more about it than I, so please - tell me why it is wrong to oppose it.” - -Footnote 7: - - She had her own little garden at Ramsgate. - -One can imagine that her Father was almost ashamed to confess that the -question was only a joke. - - “Now for a word about the ‘bowing,’” he says in another letter. “It is - of _no_ importance in itself, and therefore I never tell my children - or servants either to bow or not to bow; but particular circumstances - may render it important, and if good and kind Miss B. thinks that at - Christ Church, you may honour God rather by doing as she and others - who are with her do, than by being singular on this point, I not only - wish you to obey her, but to do it with a willing and ready mind, - cheerfully, as a plain matter of duty. Which it is. It is for her to - judge, and for you to do, _gladly_, what she tells you.” - -Miss B. had the greatest admiration for her pupil’s gifts, and in -particular she considered her a budding poetess. These are some of the -effusions of the period: - - “Oh Mother! thou that broughtest me forth - My sins gainst thee none, none can tell - For these alone I ought in sooth - To be e’en now in lowest hell. - But oh! my God still spares me on - To be a comfort to thy years - God grant I may e’er the sun goes down - Seal thee this promise with my tears. - Ne’er ne’er again what [e’er] betide, - (In Jesu’s strength alone I trust) - I’ll vex my mother, who did guide - My years of infancy now past.” - -Another time after expatiating on her Mother’s virtues and unmerited -affection, she goes on to inform her that there is One— - - “Whose love surpasseth thine as far - As Sol excels the falling star. - My Mother ONE request I make - That thou wouldst pray for Jesu’s sake - That he would break this heart of stone - And mould it like my Saviour’s own.” - -Was it all mere humbug and “patter”? The question can best be answered -by quoting the following letter to her Father. It is written impulsively -in pencil on scraps of paper,—the questions and answers being on -different slips. The wording of the questions has sometimes been altered -and corrected, so presumably she drafted them herself. The little sheaf -has been thrust “anyhow” into an envelope (addressed to _Mrs_. T. Jex- -Blake) which bears postmark “Ramsgate, Ap. 21. 1851,” and Mrs. Jex-Blake -has quaintly endorsed it “very nice.” - - “MY DEAREST FATHER, - - I fear you are very uneasy about me for I have indeed manifested - no visible proof of a new and clean heart, but I think much of my soul - too much for me to speak even to you of it. But I cannot _talk_ so - whenever anyone tries to talk to me of it I always turn it into jest - but I must write (I cannot speak) to you about it so I have written - some questions down and endeavoured to answer them as _before God_. So - do believe _each word_. - - S. B. - - 1. If you died this instant what would become of you? And could you - face death unflinchingly? - - I know not what would become of me but I fear I should go to eternal - torments. And do not think I could face death unflinchingly for this - reason. - - 2. What would be your first emotion when you found yourself in the - presence of the Judge of quick and dead? - - Fear I think but yet I think that I should claim Jesus’ promises to - lost sinners. - - 3. If Christ came this night and asked you ‘Lovest thou me’ what would - be your answer? - - Yes Lord although I am very wicked and cold and dull yet I could say - without hesitation I do love thee very much I often feel my heart - warm towards thee and something tells me that one day I shall love - thee far better than I do now. - - 4. Could you before God say truly ‘I strive to live as I hope to die’? - - No I fear I could not although sometimes I do try to do things to - please Jesus. - - 5. Do you really in your heart know your religion to be a mere form or - do you really feel its life-giving influence on your heart? - - I know I often say far more than I really believe, I even have been - tempted so far as to doubt in my heart the existence of a Diety but - yet I have had a few bright moments in which I could sincerely say - Yes I _know_ it I know that Christ is mine and I am his but a deep - gloom is generally over my spirit. - - 6. Do you in your heart believe yourself to be a new creature? - - I know not but I fear not although at times I have been fully - convinced that I am God’s child. - - 7. Do you earnestly desire to be such? - - Most earnestly whenever anything touches that chord in my heart and - sometimes I could weep bitterly but generally I feel awfully - indifferent as to my soul. - - 8. Do you think you have ever known what true prayer is? - - Most certainly and have sometimes obtained very gracious answers. - - 9. Where will you be 200 years hence? - - In heaven I humbly hope and trust for I think the Lord has _begun_ a - good work in me.” - -Gallant honest heart! - -Is there a single word in the whole confession that the most devoted -parent would have wished different? - - - - - CHAPTER III - SCHOOL LIFE—_Continued_ - - -“I think the Lord has _begun_ a good work in me.” Is there in the words -a—very human and pardonable—suggestion of St. Augustine’s “_Timebam enim -ne me cito exaudires_”? In any case, though doubtless the good work went -on, it cannot be denied that the tares flourished abundantly with the -wheat. - -It happened most unfortunately at this time that the child’s physical -health fell into a very unsatisfactory state: we hear of great digestive -trouble and functional weakness of the joints. Modern hygiene would -probably have made short work of both complaints. As things were, the -weakness was “tinkered at,” and the child was encouraged to live the -life of an invalid. We are startled to learn incidentally that she is -going out in a bath chair! - -Good Miss B. took her up to town to see a consultant, and sent the -parents long detailed reports on the child’s health. We are not -surprised to come upon the following under date July, 1851: - - “You must not suppose, dear Mrs. Blake, that I overlook the _self_ - that you have rightly so much at heart. I see it too well, and it is - commented on to Sophy so frequently that I sometimes check myself, ... - but the punishment that I might inflict on another I hold back in - Sophy’s case, not only from my own knowledge of her character, but - because Mr. S. cautioned me if possible never to disturb the even - tenor of her brain.... Her case is peculiar and such must be the ends - to meet it: they will require patience and may be long in showing - fruit, but we will not despair.” - -The next vacation seems to have been disastrous. The child had grown -more indolent and self-centred, and no doubt the parents were unable to -deny her the sweetmeats which she loved and which the supposed weakness -of her joints made it impossible for her to “work off” as healthy -children should. Moreover, few houses are large enough to contain two -chronic invalids. - - “I received your letter,” writes Mrs. Jex-Blake when the child is - gone, “and very glad we were to hear of your safe arrival,—but, my own - child, I could have cried over your words. They were nice and - affectionate, _but the very opposite of your acts_.... Either my child - means what she writes or she does not. Your conduct completely - contradicts your assertions. More sad and foolish behaviour than yours - it is difficult to imagine. You behaved so ill that I doubt if I could - have borne it another day without being laid on a bed of sickness, and - I might never have recovered. Your ever being with us again for three - weeks at a time is _quite out of the question_ till you have the good - sense to understand (as other children of your age do) that to be - happy and comfortable and to enable me in my weak state to have you at - all, you must be _good_. When you seem really to feel how ill you have - behaved, we will some time hence have you home for a week, and if I - find you keep your word (which you do not now) we will have you home - very often; and Papa says that he shall then think that he can never - do enough to make you very very happy; but you now destroy your - happiness and my health, and the medical men will _not allow_ us to be - together. Think of your great folly and sin, my dear child. Pray to - God for grace, and He will give it to you for His dear Son’s sake.... - - When you have read this letter, I _wish_ you to tear it up.” - -As ill luck would have it, this most unusually severe indictment found -the poor little culprit seriously ill in bed. Her penitent reply is not -forthcoming, but five days later, her Mother writes again: - - “MY OWN DARLING CHILD, - - I trust this will find you much better; if you want me to be - happy you must make all possible haste to get well, and write to tell - me you are well.... I quite believe, my darling, that you are sorry, - and will, in God’s strength, take pains that the same shall never - happen again. I do particularly wish you to tear up my last letter _at - once_.” - -She didn’t tear it up: she never could tear up “Mummy’s letters.” She -tied the two together with a piece of red wool, and slipped in with them -a Sunday School “ticket” bearing the words, “Children, obey your parents -in the Lord; for this is right.” - -By the same post as the second of these letters her Father writes: - - “MY DARLING CHILD, - - We have been so grieved to hear of your illness, and do hope that - before you receive this, you will be much better. It will please you - to know that dear Mummy _is_ much better for the quiet and Norfolk - air. Everybody is so kind and trying to get her quite strong, and they - all enquire so kindly after little Sophy, whom they call ‘little - Sophy’ still, everybody saying what a very sweet and darling child you - were six years ago; and I do trust that, when you see them next, they - will find you a more darling child, and more loveable than ever. God - grant it be so, dearest, for I want you to be _very_ happy.” - -The next letter from Miss B. that has been preserved is dated September, -1851, and is addressed to Mr. Jex-Blake. “I ought not to express sorrow -at the sudden removal of your child, hoping and believing that it is -‘ordered by the Lord.’ She bears away with her my affectionate love and -prayerful interest.” - -No record has been kept of the precise steps that led to the “sudden -removal.” - -For the next two years the child went to a boarding-school in Brighton, -where her parents had now gone to reside, and there are, therefore, -practically no letters of the period. Two of her schoolfellows, however, -have been good enough to contribute their impressions of her. For better -and for worse, they call up a very vivid picture. Miss Lucy Portal -writes: - - “Being the junior of Sophy, as we always called her, she and I were - not much in touch, though I never forgot her, for she had a strong - personality, and was so clever—in fact, far above our school-mistress - in natural intelligence, and she made a lasting impression on those - with whom she associated. Whenever I heard her name in after life the - vision of a young capable girl who asked questions that bewildered her - governess rose before me. - - One day when we were walking on the ‘Downs’ with [an assistant - governess] in the rear, Sophy saw a large stone by the wayside and - seated herself on it. ‘What do you mean by this?’ said the governess. - ‘I am tired and must rest,’ replied Sophy. ‘Get up at once,’ said Miss - ——; ‘Do you suppose we are all going to wait your pleasure in this - way?’ ‘Impossible to do what is beyond one’s capacity,’ was the - rejoinder, and threats had no effect. At last Miss —— lost her temper - and said ‘Sophy, distinctly understand that if you do not get up, I - shall leave you here, and send a policeman to fetch you.’ ‘Ah,’ said - Sophy, ‘that is a kind thought. I am sure he would prove of great - assistance to me. But could you manage to procure _two_ policemen, for - I don’t believe one would be able to carry me, and two might do so.’ I - need not say that the battle of words was soon over after that.” - -Knowing as one does how anomalous was the position of an assistant -teacher in those days, one can but admit that the child must often have -inflicted far greater suffering and anxiety than she had the least idea -of. - -On the other hand, Mrs. Gover, widow of the late Canon Gover of -Worcester, writes: - - “Sophie set us a good example at school, and I shall always think of - her as one of the most truthful girls I have ever known, the _only_ - girl I ever knew who would not allow her drawings to be touched up by - her master. I had a very great respect for her high character.” - -But nothing can show more clearly the futility of the educational -methods of that day than the following letter from the headmistress -herself: - - “June, 1852. - - DEAREST SOPHY, - - I cannot tell you with what a feeling of anguish I heard the door - close after you on Saturday when you departed, and I had not _kissed_ - or _blessed_ you.... I saw you afterwards in the street, tho’ I was - unseen by you, and I could not stop you, my dear child, lest the past - should be renewed. On my return I saw your present of fruit, it was - not as gratifying to me as the _scrap_ of paper, which contained my - Sophy’s acknowledgement of her fault.[8] Yet I thank you for the kind - thought, as I hope you know me too well to suppose that any little - gift _can bribe me_ to forgive;—without that scrap, my Sophy, I should - have turned away from _receiving_ your fruit. The same afternoon at a - friend’s house I read a portion of your favourite Scott, and could not - but think of you while I read the account of the ‘evil and good’ - _trying_ for _Mastery_ in Harold the Dauntless’ heart, remember his - first act of _forbearance_ was noted as a step towards heaven. Beloved - child! do I beseech you remember the _duty_ of a child, be _gentle_ - and _tender_ to your dear Parents, then the Lord will love you, and - some day the Lion will give place to the Lamb in your bosom. Dear Mary - Bayly’s has turned to whooping-cough. I hope yours is better. Until I - find where to send her, I cannot leave home. God’s will be done.” - -Footnote 8: - - Her brother had called at the school, immaculately dressed, and had - behaved to the schoolmistress so charmingly that poor Sophy felt - herself quite left out in the cold, and had doubtless responded with - positive rudeness. What sort of visit was this from a beloved brother? - -For a year and a half Sophy remained under this lady’s care, and then -one or two equally unsuccessful experiments were made. Meanwhile Mrs. -Jex-Blake remained so ailing that it was not possible for her to have -the child at home for the long vacation, and a “dear kind” lady invites -the refractory young person to visit her for part of the time. Mr. Jex- -Blake writes to inform Sophy of the fact, and adds, “Now have we not in -this great cause of thankfulness to our kind God and Father who never -forgets us?” This was perhaps asking a little too much of the homesick -child. - -The truth is that the parents at this time were not growing younger (as -many parents do), and certainly they were growing more staid and set in -their ways. It was becoming increasingly difficult to them to adapt -themselves to this riotous child. “Avoid excitement which is your great -enemy,” writes her Father, unaware perhaps that his own weakness was a -tendency to be rather too fussy and precise. With hearts full of love -they were demanding of her a standard of excellence which for her was -wholly artificial, and in the half-hearted, or at least intermittent, -effort to attain it, she fell in the breach. And parents and child were -not the only factors in the difficult problem of home life. So long as -Sophy could by any stretch of charity be reckoned a child, it was -comparatively easy for her brother and sister to put up with her -volcanic ways. But from a schoolgirl one expects some conformity to -recognized standards, and Sophy’s elder sister had been such a pattern -in this respect that the contrast was necessarily acute. - -“I really don’t think you would enjoy [a visit from] Carry much at -school even if we could spare her,” Mrs. Jex-Blake writes in reply to an -eager request for this privilege. “You would be tempted to be odd and -excitable, and then Carry would be _vexed_ and all would be -uncomfortable” and no one who knew the elder sister can doubt that such -demonstrations of affection would probably have “vexed” her more than -most. On the other hand “Brother” was now a young man, and if his main -desire for the child was that she should grow up like the sisters of -other men, he only shared the attitude common at that time to the -overwhelming majority of his sex. One can see that his younger sister -must have tried him a good deal. The idea that she was plain and even -ugly had been firmly impressed upon her: the exhibition of vanity in -matters of dress had been discouraged on every ground: and it was -natural to her boyish temperament to be careless of such things. When, -in addition to these shortcomings, she added a propensity for making -people “uncomfortable,” one can quite understand that her brother did -not feel specially proud of her, and the strength of her character -probably made it difficult for him to influence her through the -passionate affection and admiration she had cherished for him all -through her childhood. In any case the relation between them became -somewhat strained, and it is not surprising if she sometimes attributed -the strictures of her parents to his influence and representations. - -It is delightful to record that, in spite of countless differences of -opinion and much plain speaking on both sides, a fine loyal camaraderie -existed between the sisters throughout life. - -I don’t know whether it ever occurred to the child to compare her -brother’s education with her own. If she had done so, the reflection -might well have made her bitter. In athletics as in the schools he was -bearing off laurels at every turn, while she was being curbed and -thwarted to meet the requirements of pious and half-educated -schoolmistresses. From the best of motives her parents refused for her -the outlet for the “excitability” they constantly deprecated; in other -words they simply sat on the safety valve. In the summer of 1854 she -begged—probably not for the first time—to be allowed to have riding -lessons. The father replied - - “I like to do anything in reason to please my own child, but you are - so very excitable and have at present so lamentably little self- - command that I should fear riding for you very much. It would do you - no good and might be injurious to you in many ways. When will you - prove to me that my hopes and expectations of you are not in vain?... - You don’t know how the hearing you censured goes to my heart, and the - not being able to place the most unbounded confidence in you is very - trying to me and the dear Mother,—doubly so to her in her weak state.” - -Of course it is easy now to see that he was wrong as regards the riding. -Apart altogether from the physical exercise involved, the discipline of -it would have been excellent. Big emergencies always braced her. She -never lost her temper with a horse, nor her presence of mind in an -accident. - -Meanwhile the series of loving reproachful letters goes steadily on. - - “Do you think, darling,” her Father writes, “that by divine grace you - are less self-willed day by day? How earnestly do I desire to see you - a loving happy child. Everybody seems to deprecate your presence as - that which will spread discomfort all around.... God bless you and - help you and give you His Holy Spirit to guide you continually.” - -“Everybody” was an overstatement. At no time was the child without her -own little circle of admiring friends. A schoolfellow with whom she -remained on terms of intimate friendship throughout life says,—“At our -house she was always good and happy, and a very welcome guest. My father -thought very highly of her.” - -A fortnight later Mrs. Jex-Blake writes: - - “I rejoice at the nice accounts I have of you from school, and I hope - (against experience) that you will when we see you again, be a - pleasant child, the comfort you might so easily be to me.” - -“Day and night,” her Father writes, “you are on my heart. You know how I -love you. Why will you thus be your own enemy?” - -The faith and perseverance of the parents is astounding: not less so the -fact that at bottom the affection and filial piety of the child never -flagged. - -One has to remind oneself constantly—what the daughter never forgot, -though small trace of it appears in the letters of this period—that Mrs. -Jex-Blake had a keen sense of humour. When she and Sophy were together, -they had many a good joke in common. It was when the mesmerism of the -child’s presence was removed that the sense of responsibility asserted -itself in full force. It is impossible to read the long series of -letters without being profoundly convinced,—1. That the parents were -devotedly attached to their youngest child (“Sophy was the favourite,” -was the elder sister’s deliberate comment some sixty years later). 2. -That their affection was returned with an intensity of which few -children are capable. 3. That the warning that she was injuring her -Mother’s health and must therefore be kept away from her dearly-loved -home did not provide a motive strong enough to make the child run in -harness like other people. The inference is that no motive would have -been strong enough. - -Did she ever really make an honest effort? One comes upon many -impassioned scraps of prayer for grace to resist temptation. “Oh, that -when a word irritates me I may remember how often I have said more -unkind things and been forgiven.” “Oh, Lord, punish me, reduce me to -submission in any way Thou seest fit, but oh, let me not alone, abandon -me not despite my wickedness.” And, although these prayers are apt to -run into conventional exaggerated language, it is impossible to doubt -their sincerity. Her tiny booklets and papers were always kept with the -strictest secrecy, and it is all but certain that no eye but her own -ever saw them before her death. - -Here is an isolated scrap of diary, recording probably a time of special -effort. - - “Feb. 26th, 1854. Oh, keep Thou my foot when I go up into Thy house of - prayer. O how difficult it is to fix the mind for even that short - time! Miss X. will treat me unlike any other human being, but that is - no reason for transgressing the commandment of my God. She says she - does not like to hear me name the name of Christ for I do not depart - from iniquity, she thinks I had better not hold conversations on - sacred subjects. - - A complaint having been made of rudeness from one of the girls, Miss - X. said it was just like one of Sophy’s tricks, heaven knows with what - ground. All these things have aggravated me, and I fear I have sadly - given way to temper and pride, not remembering Him who bare the - contradiction of sinners against Himself though He never offended in - word or deed. If sometimes unjustly spoken to, how often have I - escaped my desert and how few are the faults the strictest find - compared with an all-seeing God. Oh, for the charity that beareth all - things.... - - 27th Monday. I must expect trials this day, humiliating to my pride - and trying to my temper.... - - Nothing special, though I gave way sadly at different times and again - sinned in sending a letter to Mama [? Maria]. - - 28th. Again, more and more against light, got sweets. Miss X. in her - prayer speaks _at_ poor Agnes who is just come. She prays that all may - be kind to her, remembering the Fatherless and Widow are His special - care, etc. How could she harrow up poor Agnes’ feelings so! The poor - child was weeping under the infliction.... And in the prayer she - announced her intention of expelling anyone who would make the others - unhappy. O I could have knocked her down, and after prayers she really - spoke kindly to me about beginning March afresh and any other time I - could almost have promised to try. As it was I could not kiss her - even. Oh how much I think of that which might and probably did proceed - from a pure motive, and do not consider my unkindness often which I - know does not do so. - - March 1. Whole holiday. Gave way to passion to A. and B. tho’ perhaps - they were provoking I should better have striven to retain my temper. - Alas from my feelings since it seems as if it were the letting in of - water. O preserve me from being so awfully passionate as I was. - Overbearing and ordering in the afternoon. Oh for the Charity which - ‘is kind’ which ‘is not puffed up’ ‘seeketh not her own’ and above all - which ‘is not easily provoked’.” - -She had no lack of self-control in other ways: why should she have -failed so conspicuously in this? When all due weight is given to the -reasons already assigned one is still forced to the conclusion that -there was something elemental in her nature over which she not only had -little control, but of which she was to a great extent unconscious. As a -mere child she expresses her thankfulness in a letter to her Mother that -she is less “irritable,” and at rare intervals all through life she -would speak to intimate friends of the intolerable way in which the -blood rushed to her head at times, making it all but impossible for her -to weigh her words. But from first to last she was far less conscious of -the moral aspect of the defect than one would have expected anyone of -her sane judgment and essential humility to be. The severe self-analysis -of the above extracts are on the whole exceptional. From childhood on, -the thought that she had failed those she loved or had caused them -anxiety and suffering, _in a way that she understood_, was a source of -almost intolerable pain and compunction; but she seems to have rarely -and inadequately realized the extent of the suffering she inflicted by -her wilful ways and passionate temper. - -“And yet there was always something loveable with it all,” a childhood’s -friend reiterates. “She came bounding into a room, bringing with her an -atmosphere of gaiety and glee that is indescribable.” - -Nor are we as regards the judgments of contemporaries confined to the -possibly idealized picture of later years. Fortunately for the accuracy -of the picture, Sophy seems about this time to have originated in the -school a practice of character-writing, in which the critics were -encouraged to be absolutely frank. This is what she brought upon -herself: - - “Sophy is very affectionate and has more good in her than people - think, she is truthful and can be trusted. She has an immense amount - of self-conceit, self-sufficiency and pride. She will not be led by - anything but affection, or a desire to make much of herself, and make - herself well thought of. She has great talents and is very clever. She - wishes to be thought an out-of-the-way character and is so. She lacks - gentleness of feeling and manner.” - - “Sophy is certainly excessively clever but unfortunately knows it, and - makes a point of showing it off upon every possible occasion. She is - truthfulness itself and can really be trusted. Very passionate but - very penitent afterwards. Affectionate.” - - “Clever, passionate, affectionate. Many bad habits but tries (lately - at least) to get the better of them. Might be made a great deal of. - Rather too fond of her own opinion. I think true.” - -It is rather staggering to find how much wiser the young folks were in -those days than were their elders! - -Again Sophy propounds the question whether A. or E. is “the greater -pet.” The discussion goes on in writing, and finally the originator ends -it by saying: - - “At any rate A. is the only friend I have got, and I don’t want to - lose her.” - -To which D. responds: - - “You are wise, but she is not the only friend you _might_ have.” - -And Sophy all too proud: - - “There are only one or two others I _could_ have as a friend.” - -And finally M.: - - “As to your friends, I quite agree with D. I think you might have had - many. I know you might have had me long ere this, had you tried.” - -Of another schoolfellow under discussion Sophy explains that she finds -the young lady personally “aggravating,” and adds: - - “But I think she is very ingenuous, and would own to a thing, even to - a little one, which is a great thing considering her pride. - - That is what I do admire so ardently. - - SOPHY.” - - - - - CHAPTER IV - SCHOOL LIFE—_Concluded_ - - -It will surprise no one who has read the extracts from Sophy’s diary on -page 32 to learn that, at the end of the summer term, Miss X. announced -her inability to keep her any longer in the school. The culprit -evidently declined to manifest any proper sense of sin or even of -humiliation; and the distress of her parents may be imagined. They -recognized no other standard by which to judge her than the standard by -which poor Sophy had so egregiously failed. - -In any case their kindness never faltered: they could not face having -the child at home, and for some months they did not even see her; but -some “kind ladies” were found to take charge of her until she could be -put temporarily in the care of her old schoolmistress, Mrs. Teed. - -Very soon a reassuring report came to relieve the anxious parents. On -July 10th, 1854, Mrs. Jex-Blake writes: - - “I delight to think that my dear child is availing herself of this - great opportunity of redeeming her character. The past is so sad, so - disappointing, and the thinking of it is so sure to make me ill, that - I endeavour with my utmost power to forget it. I will not dwell upon - it, but look forward to a bright future when my own dear child ... - will see that determination and self-willedness _can only_ cause - misery and discomfort to herself, and wellnigh shorten, certainly - embitter my old age. - - I do feel greatly comforted by Mrs. Teed’s giving a favourable account - of you. She would like you to be less idle. Why do not you write out - some papers about your natural philosophy subjects and zoology?” - - “Well, darling,” her Father writes (July 17th), “I was very glad to - get your letter, though I should like you to write more wisely. I - don’t at all mind your writing about ‘unkind lectures’ for I _know_ I - never am and cannot be unkind to my own child; but I do earnestly wish - that you saw (as others do) how exceedingly foolish your conduct has - been, and that by nothing but a complete change can you ever be - comfortable.” - -Meanwhile arrangements were being made for the child to go to another -school, and one is thankful to record that it was at least a great -improvement on its predecessors. On July 21st, 1854, Mr. Jex-Blake -writes: - - “We have had a letter from Mrs. H. this morning, and it is now settled - that G.W. you go to her the beginning of next month and Mrs. T. will - take you and kindly give you the benefit of her introduction. You will - go under the most advantageous circumstances possible, and it will be - solely and _entirely_ your own fault, my darling child, if everybody - about you does not love you.” - -A month later he writes again: - - “MY SWEET CHILD, - - I have just read your letter to the dear Mother.... Your letter - gives me great pleasure, it is so sensible, and the tone throughout so - like that of a dear dear child, who will never knowingly again give a - minute’s pain to the very best of Mothers, that I felt I could not be - happy without writing to my darling at once to tell her how I look - forward to her being a real comfort to dearest Mummy, and a constant - ‘sunbeam’ to me.... I believe the happy feeling of confidence she has - about you now is doing more for her than all the doctors in the - world.” - -A fortnight later he paid the child a visit, to which she refers in the -following letter: - - “11th Sept. 1854. - - DARLING FATHER, - - You know what immense pleasure I had on Friday. I often think of - it even now it is past, I feel so glad to have seen you; but Daddy I - am so sorry about the boat. I cannot forget it and I am very sorry,— - will you forgive me? - - Do come down tomorrow just to say goodbye. You know you can come down - by the omnibus you took on Friday and just sit for an hour or so and - then go back. You can be back by luncheon time or nearly and it would - be such a pleasure. I cannot get an answer to this by letter but hope - to secure one by ocular demonstration. I saw Miss B. and gave your - message, but I fear unless you do as I hope you will that its - fulfilment will be rather distant. We could just go in the Crescent - Gardens or even sit still together in the drawing-room for one hour - (just one) and it would be so enjoyable. I have so many things yet to - say. You know we had so much walking and eating and shopping to get - through on Friday that I was not able to tell you half the things I - had to say. - - If you have arranged for me to come home in 3 weeks time I will try to - reconcile myself to not seeing you if it is really impossible or - _very_ inconvenient in joyful hope, but in that case I shall hope for - a nice long letter (but even then I should not be sorry to see your - darling face for an hour or so) on Wednesday. If not (but I hope no - ‘not’ will be in the question) I think you will yourself think that - considering that I have not seen you since about Jan. 26th, except for - 3½ hours and should not see you till Christmas that really one hour - would not be lost on your youngest little one. I am hourly - experiencing the comfort of your last visit (I am now writing with - some of the paper and a pen of your gift) and your face was like a - sunbeam in the way. I want to feel your rough cheek once more, though - I hope your Missis won’t let you come so unshaven and unshorn as you - did last time. I did delight in your beautiful flowers which are even - now on the chimney-piece—one flower I prized above all the rest—I - could almost fancy Mother picked it—a little tiny bit of jasmine (I - don’t know if that’s spelt right). It is so nice. Will you remember to - bring some stamps tomorrow. - - Darling Father I am so anxious to see you again. About 11½ I shall be - on the tiptoe of hope. You won’t disappoint Sody? You didn’t say it - was impossible to come, and if it is possible you will. Do bring a few - more flowers please. Those stones of Cousin Jane’s were lovely. Oh, I - was so delighted with them. - - Hoping very very soon to see you, I need not write a very long letter - but please give my best love to my darling darling Mother. - - I am just taxing my small brain to make up a story of a martyrdom in - Pagan Rome,—a sort of martyrdom at least; it is meant to be very - affecting, but I don’t know if it is. I will show it you tomorrow I - hope. - - Best best love, - SOPHY. - - If you have got leave for me to come home it will be _so_ much more if - you come by yourself to tell me, and if not, if not it will certainly - need all your presence to comfort me.” - -Among other little gifts, on the occasion of this visit, her Father had -given her a tiny note book, which she utilises at once as a diary: - - “Went to sleep with a sore throat ... and a bit of mignonette on my - bosom. Darling Mother, how I treasure her flowers. - - 15th. Knew all my lessons better to-day, and kept my place as 2nd.... - Had a note from Carry. Hurrah, people don’t know how nice it is to get - a note at school. Done all my algebra for Mr. R. It strikes me we can - do those problems in Kavanagh by equations.” - -The joy of this discovery! “Problems” became her passion: she begged -friends to send her some to solve, and took a mischievous pleasure in -sending them herself occasionally to those who had not been so fortunate -as to find the master-key of the “unknown quantity.” Sister Carry -writes: - - “Many thanks for your letters and numerous sums; I think the latter - are rather overwhelming to me. I think I ought to have a little more - instruction when you come, so please don’t send me any more at - present.” - -The diary continues: - - “Did Cousin Jane’s equation and am very glad I have got such a - sensible cousin. Made one to send her, and then couldn’t answer it - myself.” - -As cricket, tennis and hockey were unheard of in the girls’ school of -those days, and as the child was not allowed to ride or to dance, it is -scarcely surprising to learn that she was again troubled with weakness -of the joints. Mrs. H. took her to one “Professor Georgii” and the -school doctor met them at his house. The patient’s account of the -interview is interesting in view of later developments: - - “Then he went into another room which was rather dark. Dr. L. said, ‘I - suppose I may come too. I am the physician,’ and G. said, ‘I suppose - so’!” - -The two men examined her spine—the headmistress, of course, being -present— - - “and after about ten minutes I was allowed to dress with the 2 men - staring at me. I think they might have let us retire.... - - The room for exercises is hung all round with prints of skeletons and - flayed human beings, tho’ for a mercy they were covered with sort of - curtains and only partially visible.” - -She was condemned to an hour’s remedial exercises every day for six -weeks, and as it took double that time to make the pilgrimage to and -from the “Professor’s” house, three fatiguing hours were taken out of -her working day. - -And all for want of a few games in due season. - -The “sheer stuff of life” was proving educative enough at this time, for -Mrs. Jex-Blake and Sister Carry were both alarmingly ill, the latter -with some contagious fever, the nature of which is not specified. It is -touching to see the Father’s letters to his schoolgirl daughter: the -handwriting has all at once become shaky and feeble, like that of an old -man. - - “I write in the dear Mother’s room,” he says in November, 1854, “in - which and in sweet Carry’s I pass the greater part of the day. They - have both been _very_ ill, but I think I may say that now both are - beginning to mend.... From the beginning of their illnesses they have - never been able to see each other.... Oh, my darling child, I must not - conceal from you the danger the best of Mothers has been in. God give - you to value her more than ever, and keep you from ever, by - disobedience of any kind, hurting her feelings and giving her pain.” - -Two days later he writes again in answer to her eager enquiries, - - “If, darling, I _can_ buy anything with your money that I think Mummy - or Carry will be pleased with, be sure I will.” - -And again, three weeks later, - - “My dear child,—Your letters give me great pleasure, but, great though - it be, I will most willingly give it up to dearest Mother and Sister - when they are well enough to read and write letters.” - -On Dec. 5th, 1854, his mind is sufficiently at ease to write a truly -delightful letter, though the handwriting is still shaky: - - “First and most substantially (if not principally) the “plum pudding” - plan. It is really a capital one—‘The Crimea Army Fund’ or some such - title it bears, and subscriptions are pouring in to it from high and - low—donations of hundreds of pounds down to sixpences. It does not in - _any way_ interfere with the sending out of what you rightly enough - consider are things of still greater importance; and which (much later - than it ought to have been) the government and the public are now - despatching to the poor sufferers. The intention is to send out vessel - after vessel as quickly as possible, not only with materials for plum - puddings and brown stout, but to help our poor soldiers, officers and - privates, to get through the great hardships and privations of their - severe winter campaign, as far as that can be managed. Warm extra - clothing, flannel shirts and waistcoats, stockings, gloves, leather of - various kinds, needles and thread, tea, tobacco, sugar, preserved and - potted meats, _raisins_, sugar, wine, _porter_ and a hundred other - things in large quantities—enormous quantities—for at least 40 or - 50,000 men. - - Noblemen are sending deer from their parks, and game to be potted and - preserved and sent over, and some have offered their yachts to convey - the good things; and tradespeople have come forward to give liberally - from the stocks in their shops and warehouses. So I shall enclose 1s. - and think you cannot do better than give it as your mite in the good - cause. There are as you say ‘such hosts of things to subscribe to,’ - and I am very thankful for the privilege God gives me of being able to - help. It is one of the greatest luxuries we can enjoy, depend upon it, - my own darling.... There is no literally ‘war news,’ this week, but - there have been terrible disasters among the combined fleets in the - Black Sea. A most furious storm there the middle of last month has - sadly damaged many of the ships, and destroyed several—one went down - laden with the intended winter store (in many articles) for our whole - army,—forty thousand specially warm great coats, and numerous other - things in proportion, which cannot be replaced instanter, and it is - feared that very great suffering by thousands for some weeks must be - the consequence. The loss of that one vessel and cargo is estimated at - £1,000,000. But, worse than all the money loss, many hundred people - perished in that and other vessels. Your cousin Robert, whom I don’t - know that you ever saw even, embarks to-morrow for the Crimea. He is a - young lieutenant in the 18th foot. - - I think if we keep of the same mind, we can manage a backgammon board - when you come home, cups and all; only, as I am an old hand at it— - having played, I should think almost half-a-century ago—you will - expect, please, to be soundly beaten if we engage together. I have - read ‘Patronage’—about the same period, perhaps, as when we played - that game of backgammon, but I do think novels in general are very so- - so things, and some so wondrous foolish that it is worse than waste of - time to read them.... - - There was a good deal at Worthing[9] that was very pleasant, my sweet - Sophy, and I can recollect it with satisfaction. If there was anything - otherwise, it never even crosses my mind, I assure you; and do you get - rid of all thoughts of it too. I have not the smallest doubt that, by - God’s blessing, you will be a great ‘comfort’ to me. I have said so a - thousand times, and you won’t prove Daddy a false prophet I know. I - have nothing to ‘forgive’ my own child—_nothing whatever_, darling. - You have had childish faults enough, I daresay, but they were ‘the - faults of a child’ certainly, and I _could_ not remember a single one - of them. - - I won’t get a sore throat if I can help it, even for the sake of - Sody’s black-currant jam; but, if I do catch one, I know I may have a - whole jar if I want it, and I shall not perhaps like it the less that - you made it. Love from all. I will not forget to come for you on the - 23rd., my precious child. God keep you and bless you very much. - - Your affect. Father, - T. JEX-BLAKE.” - -Footnote 9: - - There is no other reference to the visit to Worthing. - -At last, on December 13th, comes a letter from her Mother: - - “DARLING SO, - - I feel very thankful to be once more able to enjoy a letter - from, and to write to you. I look forward with _great_ pleasure to - Saturday week, but pray try to be _quiet_ in your joy when I meet you, - because I am still _weak_ and _soon upset_, and people will be very - vexed _with you_ if I am the worse. Above all I could wish that you - did not get into trouble, and say and do what you _should not_, - because it agitates me to hear of it. If you, my own darling child, - could but once realise how trying you are by your impetuosity and - restlessness, and (must I still say?) roughness, even when you are not - put out, you would try very hard to conquer any outbreaking into extra - roughness. - - And, indeed, dear So, God has bestowed upon you much wherewith you - might be agreeable, and help others, if you would but avail yourself - of it.” - -Meanwhile the scrap of a diary goes on: - - “Dec. 16th.... Got a letter from my precious sister. She says she is - nearly well, but she is so careless of self I half mistrust her - account, especially as I am told by Mummy and Tom she is very thin and - pale. She speaks of a chance of her being shaved. I hope to goodness - she won’t, the darling.... - - Thinking of darling Dad’s birthday tomorrow. I hope I shall wake early - and be first to wish him joy.... His last day to be 64! In his 66th - year tomorrow. The darling. Sody hopes she’ll make him so happy yet. - This day week, heigh ho! I must try and persuade Daddy to let me stay - over Sunday. It will be but one lesson lost and two days gained and - one a Sunday.... - - 17th. Dear Dad’s birthday. Woke up once I think, in the dark, and - again before it was light to wish him many happy returns.” - -The wishing must have been volcanic in its intensity to judge by what -follows: - - “While dressing, Kate, who had not got up, woke up to ask if it was - not his birthday, she had been dreaming it was, and that he in - consequence was playing a duet on the piano with her, but would play - the bass first, not together with her.... Mrs. H. ill, not up all day. - No Mangnall.... I must have walked 6 miles at least. Wonderful for me. - Had a dispute about extempore sermons, I saying it meant without - written help, Mlle and Sarah saying people might have notes and yet be - extempore. Mlle as politely and sapiently as usual called me nobody. - She has neither sense nor temper to dispute. It is foolish to entangle - myself with her. My dear Dad’s birthday nearly over. - - 18th.... [Mrs. H.] promised I should nurse her when I came back, and I - did, and after dinner played chess and backgammon with Mrs. H. and - Conny. Mrs. H. lent me Woodstock to read. Nice, but not equal to some - of Scott’s. - - Turned out some of my letters from my pocket. Hope I have not turned - out any I want of Carry’s, but they are safe in my glazed box. - - 21st. At Georgii’s had a fuss with Conny in the dressing-room because - I was complaining of having only a week and asked her if she would - think a week enough with her Mother. She said no, but her Mother was - better than mine. I was silly enough to be offended, and gave her two - good slaps on her shoulders which were convenient, as I was doing her - frock, and then we had a regular squabble.... I said it was very - ungenerous. I should not have said it if she had been my guest far - away from her friends, and I don’t believe I should, though my - conscience smote me about Mary Bayley.” - -This reference to Mary Bayley is interesting, as Sophy had been at no -less than three schools since the days of their companionship. The -persistent recollection of some trifling unkindness is a typical -instance of the compunction she suffered when she hurt anyone _in a way -she understood_. - - “Got such a jolly letter from Mummy as if she had half got back her - mischief. Two bits of French, too, we are getting on. She certainly - deserves a ‘satisfaisant’.” - -When the Christmas holidays came on, Sophy’s course of exercises from -the “Professor” was not nearly over, and a week’s interruption was the -utmost that could be allowed. The holidays were long enough, however, to -allow of another week at home towards the end of January. Her birthday -fell in this second week, and suggestion was made that the two sisters -should have a party and a “Christmas” tree. The correspondence about -this little event is interesting as showing something of the conditions -in which Sophy would be expected to settle down when her schooldays -finally came to an end. The preparations contrast curiously with what -young folk now-a-days, even in a much humbler walk of life, consider -necessary on these occasions. - - “13 Sussex Square, - 10th Jan. - - DARLING SO, - - I am so much better for the quiet I have had the last week that I - think I may authorize you to ask Mrs. H. to advance you 4, or, _if_ - needful, 5 shillings to spend in little things for a Christmas tree. I - am _very_ anxious to have it if _possible_, and I think it entirely - depends on the self-command _you_ can exert over yourself; if you and - Carry will go about it _quietly_, and you yield at once if I say I do - not wish to add to our numbers, or if I object on any other point.... - - One thing I must tell you that I cannot have a _great_ many, neither - do I wish _unnecessary_ expense,[10] when the daily calls from - societies where funds are failing and souls perishing for want are so - numerous.” - -Footnote 10: - - From their earliest years the children were drilled in the virtue of - economy. The references to the altering and letting-down of frocks, - the calculation of pence for ribbon or frill, the careful computation - of the length of time a pair of boots might be expected to last,—all - these form instructive reading when one bears in mind the social - position of the family and the large sums of money which the parents - habitually gave away. - -Sister Carry writes with characteristic calm and reasonableness: - - “13 Sussex Square, - January 11th. - - DEAR SOPHY, - - I suppose probabilities are now in favour of the Christmas tree. I - don’t think it need do Mummy much harm, supposing affairs are - conducted with very unusual prudence and quietness. We shall defer - buying any ready-made-sweetmeat-ornaments (this is an 8-syllabled - compound word) until you come home, and then I think Mummy will quite - like that we should get them without her presence. I also think it - will be very desirable (if possible) that we should dress up the tree - without troubling her much; but I don’t know exactly how far we should - be up to it. However, I think the most important points of all are - that a certain friend of ours should endeavour to live in, and diffuse - around her, a certain atmosphere of peace and calmness; and that the - tree should be quite ready in very good time, so that there should be - no bustle or worry about it towards the last.... I mean to try to - provide (with pecuniary assistance from Mummy) some supply of purses, - penwipers and markers for the tree; I think a couple of cut markers - such as you gave Daddy the other day, on broad ribbon, would be very - good; of course I mean _them_ to be made by you. I suppose I shall - probably have a letter from you tomorrow or Saturday; I consider I - ought to have had one. With best love, I am, dear Sophy, - - Your very affectionate sister, - C. A. JEX-BLAKE.” - -Presumably the little festival took place in due course, but there is no -further reference to it among the papers. The strain of loving parental -homilies continues. - - “Bear in mind that _all_ our powers and faculties are perverted by the - fall, but my child cannot be rid of her responsibility; if you say you - cannot pray,—that is at once a subject for prayer. Down on your knees - and tell God so.” - - “I _exceedingly_ like a letter from you, and bustle down a little - earlier on Tuesday morning that I may have time to enjoy it before - breakfast.... Cousins Kate and Elinor Jex-Blake say they do not at all - delight in Mathematics, they are sorry to say.” - - “We are very sorry to disappoint you, but indeed we cannot sanction - your going to see the ‘Wizard of the North.’ I do hope and believe you - will submit cheerfully to give up what it would make me very sleepless - and unhappy to have you go to. Now get a victory and believe the - disappointment all for the best.” - - “Though I am most decidedly better, it arises, I think, from _perfect - quiet_, the least change or bustle brings on spasm or headache, or - both. Carry had Punch, and thought you sent it. I don’t like it, I - think it a vulgar paper, and don’t wish it sent. I don’t at all object - to the ‘Illustrated News’ occasionally.” - -Apparently Sophy declined to sit down under this condemnation of her -beloved Punch, for a fortnight later Mrs. Jex-Blake writes: “I will -return both the Punches in the hamper. The last was capital.” - - * * * * * - -In May, 1855, a family holiday in Wales was proposed, and, as usual, the -question was raised whether Sophy could be allowed to be of the party. -There is no suggestion in all the correspondence that her Father ever -wished to be rid of her company _except_ on the ground of his wife’s -health. On May 23rd Mrs. Jex-Blake writes: - - “Daddy and I have a strong wish that you should see Wales, and it is - truly painful to deny you such a pleasure and advantage but you see, - dear, I can’t help my health, and the being so easily upset and made - ill by worry. Indeed I am grieved to find you can fully understand - this, for you say your head aches if you get excited; but, darling, - strive to go on with your different duties and don’t get excited.... - Now, sweetest, _assure_ me that you will try to be controlled by me, - and try to fall into our habits, not always restless and having some - grand scheme of your own that _must_ be carried out.... I do not ask - you to promise, but if next week you feel you can, looking to God, - _assure_ me you will to the utmost try to be a comfort and not break - out in these violent excitements, which not only upset me at the time - but haunt and disturb me at night,... we are wonderfully anxious to - give you the pleasure, but meanwhile don’t be excited at school about - it. - - Shall we not be happy at Bettws-y-Coed if darling So is with us and we - _all_ consider each other’s comfort?” - -The microscopic school diary had for five months been non-existent; the -imperious demand of this glorious anticipation called a fresh volume -into being. - - “Thursday, May 24th [1855.] My answer was to come about Wales. When I - got my letter I prayed God to help me to bear it, for I was nearly - sure it would be a refusal, and I was quite prepared for it and - determined to keep my promise not to worry about it. I put my letter - in my pocket and ran away from them all. Then I burst it open and - read, ‘Daddy and I have such a strong wish you should see Wales, and - it is truly painful to deny you such a pleasure.’ There, thought I, - but I had expected it and didn’t feel so dreadfully disappointed. Then - I read on and oh, I found it _was not so_, that I should go. Oh, I got - so excited and half began to cry. Then came Mummy’s caution not to be - excited, but it was impossible. Dropped down there and thanked God. - Oh, then I trust He has granted my prayer. Glory to God in the - highest. Oh, I was so thankful. - - 25th.... Got a letter from Tom. How kind of him to write, it really - was, and he has got a first bachelor’s degree. G. told me he saw his - name in the paper. - - Had a great shortness and pain in taking long breaths. G. said there - was some irregularity in the heart, I believe. Laurie came in - afternoon and said my heart was wrong again. Left me some medicine. - - 28th. Mrs. H. told me to lie down and sleep if I felt tired, but I am - much better.... K. seized on ‘Prince and Peasant’ and M. on ‘Anecdotes - of Animals’ the 2 books Miss Smith had left me. I was very cross, I - had nothing to do. I seized on Anecdotes after Prayers to take up. M. - was in high dudgeon, as if it was her right. But I carried it off. But - upstairs I thought it was not right. ‘In honour _preferring_ one - another.’ So I took it her. But it was a hard struggle.... I am glad I - got that little victory. - - Miss C. came to G.‘s for the last time. I was so sorry and so were - most folks. She gave me a little parcel, or at least put it in my - pocket on condition I should not open it till I got home. I thought it - was some mischief but took it. It was such a lovely gold pencil case, - ‘from a schoolgirl.’ Dear girl, it was very kind of her. - - 30th. Very difficult geometry problem. I doubt if I can do it. - Mortimer was home, and told us some very good stories of —— the nurse - of his ward. Mrs. H. said in the evening she would like to be nurse - there (!) She said how should I get on who so hate injustice, and I - said I thought such open acknowledged injustice was not the hardest to - bear. This brought down an awful storm of wonder, reasoning, etc., - till at length I got off to bed _so_ tired. - - June 1st. A little fracas with Mlle at G.’s. Little Henriquez is here. - It is strange to be with a Jew and a R. Catholic so closely. Con - rather worrying, and I not _rather_ cross. Oh, dear, ‘Charity never - faileth.’ ‘The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the - sight of God of great price.’ - - Laurie came and left me some more medicine. - - 4th. Miss Teed’s birthday. Many happy returns to her. Wonder if Carry - remembers.... I want so to know Minnie’s exact birthday. - - know it is near.... - - Went in the gardens. K. and S. persecuted me with grass and I can’t - run after them. When I caught S. and when we were indoors I gave it - her rather roughly. She was very cross and would not have any of [my] - jam at tea, she never will when she is cross with me. Got a sore - throat. - - 5th. Throat very fairly bad, and very ‘cheval’ as M. would say. - Apropos it’s her birthday.... - - Just before prayers I was in the cupboard and someone shut the door - nearly on me. I threw it open again and half upset the great slate. We - had been rather uproarious all afternoon as M’s sisters had been here - and said holidays did begin on 18th. When I came out of the cupboard I - managed to tread on M’s toes, and Mlle packed me off to bed. I said - ‘All right,’ shook hands with her, kissed S. and went off. Mlle wasn’t - very angry nor I very sorry and so we were all very _comfable_. Seized - on K. for a kiss as she came up and she seemed forbidden to speak to - me. However we had a nice hug and she wasn’t very horrified. - - 6th. Found a handbill on my dressing-table from Mrs. H. ‘for Sophy’ - called Telling Jesus.” - -This entry closes the school diary. - - * * * * * - -She seems to have remained at the Notting Hill school till Easter, 1856, -and to have carried away with her the warm good will and genuine—if -sorely tried—respect of her headmistress, Mrs. H., with whom she kept up -a correspondence for some time. For another year and a half she seems to -have attended some school at Brighton within reach of her home, but -study here was discouraged, and she became the patient of another -doctor—or quack?—who prescribed a course of rubbing. - - “Under the new regulation of no study,” writes Mrs. H., “I suppose you - have plenty and to spare of the dolce far niente. I smiled at the ‘few - lessons,’ and wondered in what occupation you might possibly spend - your 24 hours.... Be assured, dear Sophy, that so much trifling and - frivolity is culpable in the sight of Heaven. It is an unworthy waste - of God’s gifts, and you are capable of something so much better!” - -That life, even now, was not all “trifling and frivolity” is obvious -from the following letter, which was written a few weeks later: - - “Monday, Sept. 8th. 1856. - - MY OWN DARLING MOTHER, - - This subject of confirmation has come up again, and I really - must say I am positively shocked at the way it is settled and talked - about. It is ‘How old are you?’ ‘Does your Papa wish you to be - confirmed?’ and never, ‘Are you fit to be?’ or ‘Do you really wish - it?’ It is just as if it were a history lecture to be attended. I - really think it is wicked. Miss H. took it for granted that I should - be and stuck down my name. I said, ‘No thank you, Miss H.,’ to her - great indignation. I assured her you wished me to do exactly as I - liked on such a subject, which she did not choose to believe at all. - - But I really do wish it, Mother. I think it would help me, and I long - to take the Lord’s Supper with you. Will you let me be confirmed from - home?—that is, spend the actual day of confirmation at home, so that I - may think of something besides how I am dressed and how good or bad an - examination I passed, on the day I take those solemn promises on - myself. Mother, dear, I seem less able to speak to you than anyone, - but I do feel very much about it. It is just,—‘I have gone astray like - a lost sheep, seek Thy servant, for I do not forget Thy commandments,’ - I do hope. No, I _can’t_ write what I mean or anything else. Just - write me one line by return of post. Mr. E. is certainly not the - minister I should have chosen, nor Miss H.’s the place I should have - preferred, but I don’t think that ought to stand in the way, for it is - not in respect to them I stand. - - I think I should have preferred waiting another year, but I don’t - think I can quite expect God’s blessing on His child while I defer - owning myself such. - - Oh, Mother, Mother, how I wish you were here, but it seems as if He - had expressly left me to myself each time confirmation has been spoken - of. I do not think you will refuse either the permission I ask, or - your blessing on the step I take,—unless it would be too great an - excitement for you,—though it need not be, for you need not go with - me.... - - Well, darling, just tell me what you mean and think. But pray, pray, - don’t show any of this to anyone.... - - God bless and keep my darling Mother. - - Farewell, precious. - - Your own child, - SOPHY.” - -“I like the idea of your being confirmed very much,” her Father had -written some months before. “God’s blessing be with you. Look to Him and -be happy.” - -Sophy’s first schoolmistress, Mrs. Teed, took a different view of the -matter: - - “10th Oct. 1856. - - DEAREST SOPHY, - - Your dear Mother tells me you are soon to be _confirmed_. When I - read her letter I thought to myself,—Confirmed!—in what?—in following - your own foolish ways? There needs no confirmation in that.... - - You told me in a letter written to me on my last birthday that you - hoped you were one of Christ’s little ones. O dear Sophy, you know - better.... I do not say do not deceive yourself, but I say never seek - to deceive others,” and so on. - -Those who have read with some sympathy the preceding pages may well be -inclined to doubt whether Sophy was “seeking to deceive others,” or -rather, perhaps, whether deception with her did not more readily take -the form of concealing the depth and reality of her religious life. -Christ’s lambs have not all been precisely of the type good Mrs. Teed -had in mind. The real difficulty, however, is to fit the child into the -categories of the pious people among whom she lived, or indeed, into any -category at all. For better or for worse, she belonged to another plane -of being. - -If one were compelled to adopt the system of classification current in -those days, one could but fall back with thankfulness on the remembrance -of that “hasty image” of the Good Shepherd in the Catacombs, - - “And, on his shoulders, not a lamb, a kid.” - -In any case the stormy chequered school career had now come to a close. -“I can’t fancy you, Sophy, with long frocks,” an old school-friend -writes, “taller than Hetty, a regular grown-up young lady. Are you -transformed yet? Do let me see you first like your own old dear self!” - -“Your own old dear self!” One almost weeps to think of all the -_unnecessary_ friction and waste of energy in those school days. Those -of us who have been teachers know how often the troublesome pupil proves -to be the pick of the basket,—the keen student and the loyal co-worker: -and perhaps more than one headmistress who reads these pages will wish -that she had been privileged to have the training of Sophia Jex-Blake. -Many admirable women prayed and wept over her in those days, struggled -to make her all they thought she ought to be; and, if their perseverance -and devotion seemed to be inadequately rewarded, this was due to no -fault of theirs. They were what the Society of that day demanded, what -Society made them. They were wanting only in what just chanced to be -almost the one thing needful,—_the modern spirit_. Rather behind their -own day, their lot was to be the trainers of a girl, who—unconsciously -to herself—was far in advance of her own day,—a girl who would have -appreciated to the utmost the free boyish education of our High Schools -for girls, and who—had it been her good fortune to have lived under such -auspices—might have written a somewhat different page in the book of -life. - - - - - CHAPTER V - LIFE AT HOME - - -It is with a definite sense of relief that one takes up the thread of S. -J.-B.’s life after she leaves school. She is still, it is true, a -problem and a perplexity to many, and sometimes to those who loved her -best: but at least she appeals now to a wider tribunal: her qualities -get a chance to tell, even if they do not precisely conform to the -pattern laboriously cut out by an early Victorian schoolmistress. - -Her health, unhappily, still left a good deal to be desired. The doctors -had much to say of the irritability of her brain. The stethoscope was -supposed, too, to reveal something wrong with her heart, but this must -have been functional, as no trace of it was discoverable in after life. -Riding, fortunately was now allowed, and she entered into the enjoyment -of it with characteristic intensity; but beyond this, in the early days -of her—comparative—freedom, she certainly took no pains to improve her -physique. The enterprising young women of those days had still so much -to learn! It seldom occurred to them to balance their physical -expenditure with their receipts. - -Meanwhile it is not to be supposed that her parents had gained _greater_ -control over her than when she was a child: they remained quite -uncompromising in the matter of dancing, theatre-going, and other -“worldly” amusements, but they were unsuccessful in making her conform -to the ordinary, wholesome, old-fashioned routine of English family -life. Naturally her self-will in this respect annoyed both parents very -much, and Mrs. Jex-Blake must often have been sorely put to it to -restrain her own impatience and to preserve any semblance of peace. - -To her credit be it said that she rose to a difficult situation in a -manner that makes praise an impertinence. One is glad to gather from the -records that her physical health was now on a firmer basis than -formerly, but that was only one element in the case. Always a deeply -religious woman, she seems to have stepped now into the full freedom of -her faith,—faith, not only in God, but in the essential goodness and -uprightness of her wayward child. She seems to have realized fully for -the first time that the stormy ways which tried her so sorely were not a -mere matter of whim and wilfulness, but that they arose from a definite -strain in her daughter,—a strain that caused no small suffering to the -owner of that nature,—a strain possibly fundamental in character, -certainly far too deeply imbedded to be easily eradicated. And, having -realized this, the Mother set herself, not as before to criticise the -evil, but to foster and rejoice in the good, to make life as easy as -might be, to reduce friction to a minimum, and, above all, to surround -her daughter with a real glow and radiance of sympathy. - -How sorely tried that sympathy must often have been, we can partly -understand when we compare the old-world fragrance of the Mother’s -personality with all that is suggested to us now by the name of Sophia -Jex-Blake. “When I was young,” the Mother used to say, “it was not a -question of _whether_ we should marry, but simply of _whom_ we should -marry.” And to her lot fell a daughter who rarely thought of marriage at -all, whose brain was teeming with all sorts of unfettered boyish -ambitions, who made it clear to everyone whom it might concern that she -meant to live her own life,—to “make good the faculties of herself” in -the way that pleased her best. - -And yet there was something in all this audacious, spontaneous life that -found an answering chord in the Mother’s heart. She was not a phlegmatic -conventional person by nature herself. She too, perhaps, long before, -had beaten eager wings against the bars. In any case from this time on -the friendship between the two was a sacred thing, never flagging, -comparable with the most beautiful friendships in history. - -Fortunately we have S. J.-B.’s own account of those first days at home: - - “1857. Dec. 17th. Thursday. Came home for good. For good? Who can - tell? Oh, what would I give to look forward ten, aye five, short - years, and see what I shall be. Just 18; half my life at school. Then - 28. Dr. Moore says,—and there seems a strange prophecy in his words,— - that I shall be something, something good if not great, but not in the - way I hope;[11] that ‘on a ruin of broken columns and shattered - Grecian capitols, shall be laid the foundation of a temple of God.’ - There’s something comes home to my heart in those shattered columns,— - - ‘The dearest idol I have known, - Whate’er that idol be, - Help me to tear it from _Thy_ throne, - And worship only _Thee_.’ - - Oh, that I had the strength, the faith, to pray so honestly,—but God - help me! I have prayed little enough lately. I seem in such a torpor, - such a prostration of mind, body, and, I fear, soul. I hope there is - much physical in this. - - That beautiful hymn,—‘What peaceful hours I once enjoyed!’ _Once_. So - it is, and _now_. Never mind; I think God must have some mercy, some - hope, to me when He has given and preserved to me my darling, my angel - Mother. She seems a pledge of hope. - - Well, shall I be a great authoress as my day and night dreams prompt - me to hope?... Shall I ever be a happy wife and mother? Shall I ere - ten years, or half ten years have passed, be _dust_?... I sometimes - think so. (June 1st. 1869. At any rate never thought of being a - sawbones.) - - Dec. 25th. How awfully sentimental my first entries do look!... Daddy - says he is sorry I have anything that ‘wants a lock.’ Hm, how very - well he understands me and my wants! Never mind; dear old man, he is - very loving and kind if not brilliant. Oh, Mother, Mother, what should - I do without you?... Just said how earnestly I hoped never to see one - dear to me die, that I may die first. ‘Oh, don’t think of self at all, - Sophy,’ she said, ‘Just see what good you can do.’ Right. - - 31st. Writing now in my own dear room, darling Mother, how every - article in it speaks of her love! They have gone to a New Year’s Eve - prayer meeting at St. Mark’s School,—uncommonly slow, I should think. - I do think however ‘good’ I became,—or rather I wonder whether I ever - could like such very slow spiritualities. Still there’s Bishop - Wilberforce and his ‘scaffolding.’ Don’t cry ‘spirit’ and take away - ‘means,’—remove the scaffolding because its work is not accomplished.” - -Footnote 11: - - “Dec. 20th, 1859. Strange truth this: How already that hope has - changed!” - -For some time she had been writing a story based on her own school life -at Mrs. Teed’s,—a story that was never finished. It is very well written -of course, but diffuse, and interesting chiefly for its autobiographical -touches. She is intensely loyal to both school and schoolmistress, and -one feels on reading her descriptions a fresh sense of regret that it -should have been necessary to take her away from an atmosphere that -seems in many ways to have suited her so well. - -One episode is definitely autobiographical, and it is of more than -passing interest. The small schoolchildren in the story, playing at -“shop,” have helped themselves to a quantity of “jewels” in the shape of -scraps of coloured quartz, etc., from a grotto in the garden. The theft -being discovered, the heroine is called up first, and, in great fear and -trembling, owns to having taken one of the fragments. Questioned as to a -second, and fearing to add to her condemnation, she falters, “I don’t -know.” Due punishment follows (banishment to bed and enforced reading of -the chapter about Eli’s sons), then a public scene in hall and -forgiveness. Now comes the point of the episode: - - “But still there was one leaden weight on me,—the story I had told - [Mrs. Teed] the day before. It seemed as though the forgiveness was - not thorough, nor of full value while part of the offence was - concealed. How easy it would have been I now saw to confess the whole - offence at once, how difficult now! Remembrance, however, of the - sorrow of the day before, and some innate love of truth, as I hope, - urged me on, and when, after prayers [Mrs. Teed] passed away through - the door at the extreme end of the schoolroom, I ran to meet her at - the foot of the great staircase which she must ascend to her private - rooms, and said hurriedly, ‘Mothy, I think I did not tell you quite - the truth yesterday. I said I did not know who picked out the bit of - yellow quartz. I think I _did_ know I did.’ - - ‘Thank God, my child,’ she said gently but solemnly, ‘that you have - told me the truth now. It is better than a thousand pieces of - quartz.’... - - Reward enough I certainly had at the time in my lightened heart from - that moment, but the effort I had made seemed hardly to merit such - rich recompense as it received some time after when I heard that Mothy - had said that she would believe everything told her by [S. J.-B.] as - if she had seen it herself. - - Oh, how proud and happy was I at that moment, and the desire fully to - merit testimony so inexpressibly sweet to me had, I verily believe, - far more effect on the truthfulness of all my after life than any - suffering or punishment could have had; and it in great measure saved - me from sinking utterly in after time into that slough of deceit into - which almost all schoolgirls do fall at one time or another in more - difficult circumstances and in the midst of a lower tone than that of - Hertford House. And,—though many will deem, and perhaps rightly, the - distinction of little worth,—though often in those after days, under - less noble rule, guilty of equivocation, I do not think I ever from - that day told a lie.” - -We return to the diary: - - “1858. Jan. 7th.... I must begin to write again if I don’t mean to - lose the knack ... and so ought to go on with Hertford House or write - something.... I want partly to write for the money,—now why, I wonder? - Honestly, why? I have plenty of everything. In a handsome if not - luxurious home, 6 servants all much at my orders, lots of rides, a - most loving Mother, tender father, almost every wish gratified, £30 a - year clear, and lots of presents, almost at will,—why I should write - for money unless I am avaricious or spendthrift I don’t exactly know. - Partly for the _pride_ of earning it,—of knowing myself as well able - to earn my bread as my inferiors. Surely, though, I ought least of all - in my list of comforts—blessing, should I say?—to omit my most happy, - most snug nutshell of a room, with its handsome furniture, cosy fire, - and thoroughly comfortable arrangements. How truly loving my most - precious pearl of a Mother has been to me in this especially.... - - I have conceived a rather wild idea of writing to Miss M. for counsel - and sympathy.... But how get a letter to her? And, if I did, would she - think it a bore? I think not. Send the letter to her publishers? - _Sure_ not to be opened? Then what to say if I do write? What do I - want? Don’t exactly know. - - Well, leave it. - - Now for the more important at least more solemn part of todays - journal. And I must make this _some_ use. Just heard a sermon from Mr. - Vaughan on ‘Truth,’—Gehazi being the scape-goat of warning. He spoke - strongly of allowing ourselves to say more on religious subjects than - we feel, calling it a dangerous deception and leading to worse. But - does that include speaking a word—earnest and sincere at least—about - the souls of others, tho’ our own may not be safe? Often at school I - have felt driven to speak very solemnly to girls about their souls - when I feel I am not worthy to say a word, for mine is perhaps as lost - as theirs,—and often and often have risen in my throat,—‘Lest when I - have preached to others I myself become a castaway.’ Yet if I am,—oh, - fearful word, I can hardly write it,—if lost (oh, God, save me!) can - it, would it not console, if consolation were possible,—to know I had - warned others from the pit into which I fell. And I hope I may have - done some little good.... And how happy I have felt—and better in - myself too,—if I have even for a moment led some to think of Jesus - else forgotten.... - - Dearest Mrs. Teed is dead. ‘Blessed are the dead that die in the - Lord.’ ‘Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be - like his!’... - - Dear Carry! At a moment like this I can’t help thinking ‘The righteous - is more excellent than his neighbour.’ Oh, how far, _far_ more - excellent than I am and yet I have sometimes almost despised her - because perhaps she has less intellectual power, for I do believe God - has given me some genius,—surely there is no pride in saying so, - remembering His grace, who gave thee all. - - Jan. 8th. Feel very much as if I had been sentimentalizing last night. - I wish I could keep in one frame of mind. - - Jan. 10th. Sunday. Just been reading the ch. on ‘Happy and Unhappy - Women’ in ‘Woman’s Thoughts.’ The Authoress speaks strongly about a - sort of repining and melancholy, and about neglected health and almost - voluntary sickness,—i.e. voluntary in not taking proper remedies and - safe-guards,—and I cannot but feel much she says is not more than - truth. - - She urges action, usefulness. - - Now I cannot but consider whether it does not become me to attend to - her hints, or rather to her arguments. _Well_ I am not. Over mental - exertion may have had, and I believe has had, very bad effects, still - whether by my own fault directly or indirectly I don’t make matters - worse, is another question. And certainly my Father and Mother are - getting wretchedly anxious about me ... perhaps, unless I make an - effort, I may find life ebbing ere half its purposes are - accomplished.... - - At all events efforts are mine, though results are God’s. Yet tho’ I - try to draw brilliant pictures of the future, and to persuade myself - life is sweet, I can’t but feel that, if I were once assured of peace - with God, I could be well content, nay grateful, to escape the waves - of this troublesome world, and flee away and be at rest. Rest! Surely - it is hardly natural at my age to be longing for it so....[12] But - coward! take God’s benefits and flee His service, His battle? It - should be our’s ‘to _act_ and to suffer, to do and to pray.’ No, it - cannot be right to flee rather than to overcome. - -Footnote 12: - - This longing for rest was something deeper than the ordinary - sentimentality of adolescence. She always said that by nature she - was lazy, and the saying was not devoid of truth. - - Well, to return. If I am, and ought, to preserve my health, how? - Suppose I make some kind of _plan_ for the day, not rigid but - suggestive. - - Rise, breakfast with the rest of the world. 8½. - - Have for walk till 11. - - Then either some master or work for myself,—writing, painting, etc., - till dinner. 1. - - Afternoon will be sure to be taken up with driving. Come in about 4. - Then read till tea. After tea write, or read out downstairs. And go to - bed with the rest of the world. - - That would be rather more rational than my present programme: - - Rise and breakfast at 11 or later. Dawdle till dinner. - - Drive. Read till tea. Read or write till 2 or 3 a.m. Well, that does - sound bad.... - - * * * * * - - Mother and I were talking about my marrying,—the chances pro and con. - I said I did not fancy I should ever marry, for I thought I should - require too many qualities to meet in the man I could think of as my - husband, for it to be likely that I should ever meet such a paragon - who could be willing to marry me. - - Let me see; the indispensables are I think:—A perfect gentleman, a - sincere Christian, a liberal-minded broad-churchman; a lofty intellect - to which it would be a pride to bow, a firm will which it would be a - pleasure to submit to and concur in; a nice-looking fellow,—for I - _could_ not be happy with one whose face I could not love and admire - in beauty of expression if not of form, and one whose means combined - with mine would lift us above genteel poverty at least.... - - * * * * * - - Had another squabble with Carry because she told me my own Hertford - House, which I was looking over, was not fit for Sunday. She does - meddle awfully. Still, she’s a precious sight better than I am.... - Bother her slow blood! She’ll drive me mad, she and Daddy between - them. Never mind, I have got my jewel of a Mother, bless her! - - 24th. Sunday. Talking in the evening about an old woman in Carry’s - district who came from the Barrack Ground, Hastings. And that put it - strong into my head how I wanted to go there. I had on Saturday - evening written a letter to Amelia about the treat, and then I thought - how nice it would be to go and give the treat myself. - - 30th. Saturday. Seven years today since I last saw old Hastings. Isn’t - it strange to return that day seven years! Pouring wet day. Rather - afraid of being disappointed in Hastings, I do love it so. But I - seemed so to have gone over and over every part in my dreams that I - could not be disappointed. I know it all so well.... After dinner went - to call on the Andrews. I thought I would go incog. and see if they - remembered me. Amelia opened the door. ‘I think the Miss Andrews live - here?’ ‘Yes, ma’am.’ ‘Are you not connected with the Infant School?’ - ‘Yes, ma’am.’ I asked if I might come and see the children. She - assented quite soberly. I couldn’t stand it, jumped at her, and pinned - her to the wall for a kiss. She knew me in a moment, seized my hands - and dragged me in in wild delight.... - - Then I went to No. 3 [Croft Place] and when Mrs. L. said she did not - know me, I said, ‘I wonder if the house does, for I was born in it.’ - Then she knew me instantly.” - -All this gives a vivid picture of the warm heart and riotous spirits -that endeared her to her friends, but there are not wanting indications -of the mysterious depression and forebodings—the dread of something -worse than death—that are part of the heritage of gifted youth. - - “26th. Friday. I am afraid I don’t care near so much for—as I did,—am - I changeable or is she changed? or is my standard altered?... I read - once of a person whose physical condition was such that he _could_ not - love one person intensely for long,—not many years if thrown much - together.... I sometimes fear I am similarly constituted. For even - those nearest and dearest I have experienced those fluctuations.... It - is like a frightful trance to know that I _cannot_ keep a warm deep - love equal; and yet in a manner the real undercurrent of love flows on - even in these estrangements,—I cannot in _myself_ cease to love one - who has ever been the object of that wild adoring love, though in my - outer mind and heart this tormenting, fiendlike malady makes me hate - and shrink from them while its fearful influence reigns. God grant - there is no touch of insanity in it; no words can tell how I dread and - deprecate it. There is a loathsome horrible fear in my mind of its - coming ever and anon. My ..., my beautiful, whom I used to think - mysteriously close to my soul, it has come on her. Oh, God pity me! I - fear I shall go wild. Every action, every word of her’s seems to anger - me unreasonably,—I feel the fiend on me and yet the wild resistless - love will not quite be swept away, and comes back in floods of passing - tenderness for a moment. And I can’t tell her, make her understand, - and she will lose her love for me and—oh, dear I am very miserable. - God grant in pity it may never fall on my Mother! I have a horrible - dread of it. I could not live without her love,—my love for her. And I - feel such wild maddening love now, as if I knew it would soon be out - of my power to love her.” - -This, of course, is morbid, and yet here again one is forced to say that -her depression is neither feigned nor wholly without reason. Many people -have experienced in some degree the elemental fitfulness which she -describes, and she probably understood it better than most. And yet how -many can testify to her fundamental and self-sacrificing constancy! But -there is no doubt that at this period she was living far too self- -absorbed a life,—dreaming too much, thinking too much of herself. It was -time for something to happen, and fortunately something did happen. Two -breezy wholesome girl cousins—half Irish, half Norfolk—came to Sussex -Square on a visit. They were the daughters of Ferrier Jex-Blake, S. J.- -B.’s uncle, but it chanced that she had never met them before. She was -out dining with friends when they arrived. - - “When I did come home, I went to take off my things, then to the - drawing-room, kissed them coolly enough, said, ‘How d’ye do, cousins?’ - and sat down to _rattle_. Tried hard to shock them with all sorts of - nonsense, and then carried them to see my room, and made them some - coffee. They, Elinor and Sarah, knew nothing of me, and did not much - admire me, I guess, that night.” - -By degrees, however, a very warm friendship sprang up. - - “Oh, dear, those two girls!” she writes a fortnight later. “What a - flood of happiness they have brought into the house. And made me - behave a little too. Sarah makes me attend to my hair. Oh, dear, home - is a different place since they have been here. I am _so_ happy. All - my gloom and troubles swept off like cobwebs.” - -When they are gone, she writes pages of analysis of their characters, -and very able analysis it is. This is how it concludes: - - “I feel as if I mean to love Ellie most, and Sarah forces me to love - her most. I love Ellie most in my mind, and Sarah most in my heart. - Sarah clings to me so, leans on me. Ellie walks upright beside me, a - companion, a guide, and gives me a hand. There certainly is something - of the angel about Ellie, with much of the woman. You don’t connect - the idea of angel with Sarah. - - Sarah will do almost anything for me. I do not think she has refused - me one thing since she loved me. She rode with me when no one on earth - could get her to mount a horse; she went in a boat with me, though she - never will enter one. Oh, she is so good, so loving to me. I wish I - had her always. - - And I am going to them at Dunham, my darlings.” - -When it became known that she was going on a visit to Great Dunham, a -number of Norfolk relatives on both sides of the house asked her to -visit them also, and the result was that for the next two months she had -quite a gay time,—beginning with her Mother’s elder sister, Mrs. Taylor, -and going from her to the Ferrier Jex-Blakes, the Evans, the Blake -Humfreys, the Cubitts and others. As a rule—not without exceptions—she -captivated her girl cousins, proved very attractive to her uncles and -elderly male cousins, and contrived to rub along with her aunts. “I -never appreciated my old Daddy till now,” she writes on one occasion, “I -really believe, as Mummy says, he never said an _un-nice_ thing in his -life, or approached a coarse or ungentlemanly joke. He is certainly a -beau-ideal gentleman, ‘Chevalier sans reproche.’” - -Of one family she says, “Not very quiet and not specially dutiful. -Rather reminds me of us, only they are more good-tempered over it.” - - “Uncle Evans amused me exceedingly at lunch yesterday, giving his - opinion in quite energetic style, and as if he had studied the - subject, that not only I should marry, which I said I shouldn’t, but - very soon.... Heaven knows who it could be.... I never saw the man I - would have.” - -At Wroxham she made the acquaintance of a cousin, Robert Blake-Humfrey, -who was deeply interested in questions of pedigree, heraldry, etc., and -he found in the creator of Sackermena an apt pupil. - - “Hurrah! Going in for a good morning’s work at the pedigree. 9¼. - - Near one! well, well! I certainly have had pedigree to my heart’s - content. Been hard at work for 3½ hours till my back aches and I am - properly tired. Never mind, I have learned a good deal and secured a - good deal. It is very kind of Robert to trust me with his valuable - pedigrees, so beautifully emblazoned.” - -Mr. Blake-Humfrey was good enough to consider that he too derived -benefit from the lessons. “Your observant eyes,” he writes when she is -gone, “have done good service in sundry ways towards the correction of -errors, which may atone in some measure for the mischief they are well- -calculated to cause in other ways.” - -On May 28th she visited her Mother’s old home, Honing Hall, and made the -acquaintance of an elderly uncle who was something of a character. - - “He offered lunch, and then took us up to see the rooms. All shutters - up, and had to be re-opened and re-shut. In an upstairs sitting-room I - unluckily wanted to see a Family Bible, and said, ‘Is that the Family - Bible with the names, etc.?’ ‘Yes, it is. You leave it alone—unless - you want to see it.’ I persisted I did and he took it down. Then out - came Burke’s Gentry and _alia_.... I thought I should have been eaten - up the way he roared at me. I asked if he hadn’t a pedigree, and he - almost roared again, wanting to know what I could want better than - Burke. I might have told him there were no shields, no intermarriages, - etc., but I held my peace, he really frightened me. I got him to show - me my dear old Mother’s room as a girl, and kissed the bed and - furniture. Thought of her as a girl there, her fun and her troubles, - her courting-days perhaps and the letters and thought and hopes that - room had witnessed. My precious darling Mother!” - -In July she returned to Brighton, “much better and better-tempered” as -she expresses it, for the outing. Richer, too, she was, in her whole -outlook on life, and particularly in the knowledge of her girl-cousins, -Elinor and Sarah Jex-Blake, and Mary Evans, with all of whom the -friendship was to prove a lasting one. - -A month later, to Sophy’s great joy, Cousin Ellie accompanied the Sussex -Square party on a holiday visit to Wales. - -Primary education at Bettws-y-Coed was at a low ebb in those days, the -village school being in the hands of a cobbler whose acquirements were -not great, and whose idea of discipline was primitive in the extreme. -Caroline and Sophy Jex-Blake became deeply interested in the children -and gradually fell into the habit of taking a class in reading, -arithmetic, geography, etc. It was an arrangement that gave great -satisfaction to all concerned, and one into which Sophy entered with -whole-hearted enthusiasm. One is not surprised to gather from the -letters of the period that she awakened a feeling deeper than interest -in one of the professional men with whom she was brought in contact, but -the diary makes no reference to the fact, and she may not even have been -aware of it. - -“To me and to others as far as I can judge,” writes Cousin Ellie about -this date, “she is the warmest-hearted person ever I came across.” - -And six months later, reviewing the events of an eventful year, S. J.-B. -writes: - - “But among the events of the old year, first and chief, my becoming - friends with my darlings, my stars, and getting acquainted with the - Evans and all the Norfolk folks.” - - - - - CHAPTER VI - LIFE AT QUEEN’S COLLEGE - - -Meanwhile, in the world outside, the feminist movement was beginning to -make itself felt,—if one may describe by so inadequate a name an -uprising which is due perhaps as much to the men as to the women who -have taken part in it. As regards the whole movement S. J.-B. was living -as completely in a backwater as was possible to a girl of her position -and natural gifts; but sooner or later a current from the main river was -bound to come in even to her little creek. - -In the spring of 1858 she had made the acquaintance of Miss Benson, -sister of the Archbishop. “Henry and Ada Benson came,” is the brief -record in her diary. “Pleasant, jolly girl, Ada.” The wanderings of that -pleasant summer hindered the development of the friendship for the -moment, but the thread was happily taken up again in the autumn. - - “Yesterday went with Ada to the Swedish minstrels. Very strange and - beautiful.... After concert went for a drive in the pony-chaise. Just - beyond the battery a carriage and pair drove into us. Coachman got - down and was very civil. Everyone said it was no fault of mine; he was - trying to cut in between two. I was not the least frightened. - - Speaking to Ada on Thursday night revived the idea of Queen’s College. - Her sister there. Wrote Friday for prospectus. Tried to speak to Daddy - last night. He very impracticable, I after a while very undutiful. At - last I went into hysterics[13] which frightened him dreadfully, poor - old man. I shall certainly go, I think. Michaelmas term begins 4th - prox. I should very much like a year’s or even less, good work, and a - few certificates. - - Very good last night Ada Benson’s story of the Bishop of —— ‘Opposed - as I am to the Catholic faith, opposed, as I say I am to the Catholic - faith...’ on which a priest from the body of the meeting, —‘Which - faith except..., etc.’” - -Footnote 13: - - It was an interesting and typical stage in the development of women - when a girl found it necessary to “go into hysterics” in order to - convince her father of her right to an education. - -How she always did delight in a good story! The most strenuous passages -of the diary are interspersed with pages of jokes, riddles, anagrams, -_bon-mots_, some very good, some as she herself admits on reflection, -very indifferent. She used to say that a sense of humour had been her -salvation,—that, but for that, she never could have got through the many -struggles of her life. - -And one is glad to think how often that sense of humour must have come -to relieve the intensity of that first conscious struggle for freedom, -when she herself felt that in venturing forward she was renouncing a -good deal,—that the life before her was an uncharted sea. - - “Worst thing about Queen’s College is—no Sarah till Christmas,” she - writes. “M. brought me an invite to write for the Sunday School - Quarterly. Sat up till 2 a.m. Friday to write story on 18th after - Trinity. I wonder if I shall succeed, and, if so, how compatible with - Queen’s? - - Sept. 25th. All settled for Queen’s. Mrs. Williams writes very - kindly.... Having rather hard work with Redknap, five lessons a week. - Must try for 2nd class in Mathematics, and, if I can, for more. - - Absurd panic at Dunham lest I should be a ‘governess’! Awful phantom!” - -It is difficult for girl students of the present day to imagine all that -was meant by the opening of Queen’s College in 1858. The plan of -establishing a college for women had been much discussed by Alfred -Tennyson, Charles Kingsley, and others; and the work had been warmly -taken up by Frederick Denison Maurice, E. H. Plumptre (afterwards Dean -of Wells) and R. C. Trench (afterwards Archbishop of Dublin), all three -of whom were represented on the teaching staff.[14] We may imagine what -it meant for S. J.-B. to pass from the hands of the average -schoolmistress of that day to teachers such as these. - -Footnote 14: - - See Mrs. Alec Tweedie’s interesting record of “The First College for - Women.” - -On the 5th October she settled down to work, and three days later she -writes: - - “Very delicious it is to be here. ‘Oh, if there be an Elysium on - earth, it is this, it is this!’ I am inclined to say. I am as happy as - a queen. Work and independence! What can be more charming? Really - perfection. So delicious in the present, what will it be to look back - upon?” - -She was “fay” that night, as they say in Scotland: it was scarcely lucky -to be so happy. She little guessed, poor child, “what it would be to -look back upon” her life at Queen’s. Much happiness she got from that -life, no doubt,—a rich harvest of education, contact with interesting -temperaments and able minds, friendships that were only broken by death. -But there are some people endowed for better or worse, with the gift of -taking what seem to be the side-issues of life far too intensely, of -living half-a-dozen lives in addition to the one they have definitely -chosen, of wringing out of an average human lot an amount of joy, of -experience and of suffering that to their companions would seem simply -incredible. And S. J.-B. was essentially one of these. Incidentally in -the course of the day’s work she would develop fresh interests, make -unusual friendships, perhaps even incur resentments that might well have -demanded her whole strength and energy; and all these threads had to be -carried on in addition to the recognized work of her life. - -That the recognized work was in itself no sinecure may be gathered from -her report for the Michaelmas term. She has “good,” sometimes “very -good” reports in all her seven classes,—four of them being signed by F. -D. Maurice, E. H. Plumptre and R. C. Trench. The classes were -arithmetic, geometry and algebra, English language and composition, -French, history, natural philosophy and astronomy, theology, and church -history. - -She was popular with her fellow-students, and particularly so with Miss -Agnes Wodehouse (afterwards Mrs. Williams) whom she greatly admired, and -of whom she made, incidentally, as profound a study as she did of her -Euclid and history. “How few ladies there are!” she concludes. “Agnes -Wodehouse is thorough. So is my Mother. Few else.” And again in this -connection, “I believe I love women too much ever to love a man. Yet who -can tell? Well, S. J.-B., don’t get sentimental, for patience’ sake.” - -Unfortunately she was not so appreciative of one of the younger women -who was more or less in authority over her. The new student meant no -harm, but she took playful liberties, and no doubt, as formerly at -school, amused the other girls by her wit and audacity. After a good -deal of sparring and chaffing, things came to an _impasse_, and it was -judged better by all concerned that S. J.-B. should seek a home for -herself elsewhere. This was not an easy matter in those days when -hostels and homes of residence for women students were unknown; and so, -to the other work of her life, was added the toil of tramping about in -search of suitable quarters. - -She made a number of unfortunate ventures, sampling experiences familiar -enough to the middle-class bachelor woman of the present day, though -somewhat staggering to the well-bred mid-Victorian girl. The bankrupt -householder, the drunken landlady, the undesirable male lodger, “and -other fauna,” formed part of the things that had to be taken—and were -taken most pluckily—in the day’s work. If S. J.-B. was instrumental in -bringing ill-fortune on herself—as was not infrequently the case—she -never sat down and howled,—she never even thought of giving in: she -simply put her shoulder to the wheel and went on with what she had been -doing. And so it was now, under very difficult conditions, for, once and -again, hopes were raised, hopes were dashed, and the weary struggle -began afresh,—with many bad headaches and occasional sore throats to -complicate matters. - -“Quite an experience of troubles,” writes Mrs. Jex-Blake, “as much as if -you had lived many years. I think no one could have acted more wisely -than you have done”: and again, “I wish I were near, yet I don’t think I -could be a real help: it is not in my way.” And the same might have been -said by many other friends. Greater drawbacks were involved then than -now in leaving one’s own social groove. - -“You have behaved very sensibly through the whole trial, which has not -been a light one,” says her Father. - -In her diary she writes,— - - “Mummy says it is (my boarding-house troubles, she means) quite an - experience of life. Truly not in these alone. Many, I believe, never - live as _much_, and _through as much_, as I have done already, in the - whole course of life.” - -Fortunately there was one house at least where she could always take -refuge, and never failed to find herself a welcome guest,—the house of -Mr. Cordery at Hampstead. Her brother had married one of the daughters, -Miss Henrietta Cordery, in June 1857, but the friendship was of much -longer standing than that, and it would be difficult to exaggerate the -comfort and support she derived from it throughout life. With Mr. James -Cordery and his sisters Emma and Bertha (now Mrs. S. R. Gardiner) in -particular she remained in intimate association, and always managed—even -after years of separation—to take up the threads again without a break. -She was always at her best in that Hampstead home, full of gaiety and -_joie de vivre_—never afraid to be her real audacious young self. - -Immediately after the extract from the diary given above, she goes on -light-heartedly: - - “I am so _thoroughly_ happy in this way of life, hardly any other - could suit me as well. So independent, yet so busy, so comfortable, - yet not luxurious. Plenty, yet no superfluity. It is certainly _very_ - kind of the dear ‘old folks’ to let me have it so, and very wise. I - should never, at least at present, have settled at home. I should have - been ever longing for independence and work, and now I have all I want - and may yet do good. Having, as Maurice would say, found my centre, - other things will, I trust, grow up around it. I trust most fervently - I may yet be a real comfort to my precious Mother and dear kind - Father. As last year I computed my ‘worldly estate,’ as quaint old - Pepys, whose diary I am reading, would say; I do it again. I have now - for dress and private money £40 per year. Henceforth I shall have - tutor’s money as well. From my Father I have, I think, as well as I - can calculate, about £50 a term for all expenses, besides all paid - when at home, as well as travelling expenses with them or anywhere - (except while at College) and riding, etc. So in actual money I have - about £200 a year and in money’s worth another £100. Therefore I - conclude about £300 a year to be about the happy medium of wealth for - a single woman. Dear generous old Father! Few would, I think, give so - much in so good a way to their children. I believe as regards - happiness and satisfaction never was money better, if never more - kindly, spent. I must try to pay back the ‘labour of love,’ and - ‘requite my parents,’ dear, dear old things! Bless them both. - - I really believe as regards money I am honestly _quite contented_. I - wish for no more. And as this is, they say, a somewhat remarkable - fact, I specially note it down. Yet it sounds ludicrously tempting to - reply to myself, Contented! Shame on you if you were not, I think. Yet - for actual pocket money, I am horribly pinched just now,—only 9s. 9d. - till next quarter,—nearly four weeks hence.” - -The reference to “tutor’s money” is interesting. She had not been two -months at College when she was asked to take the post of mathematical -tutor. The suggestion gave her great pleasure, and she broached the -subject to her parents when she next went home. Though startled, they -were on the whole pleased at the honour done her, but things assumed a -different aspect when her father realized the conditions on which the -tutorship was to be held. - -The correspondence seems well worth quoting _in extenso_: - - “Jan. 28th. - - DEAREST, I have only this moment heard that you contemplate being - _paid_ for the tutorship. It would be quite beneath you, darling, and - I _cannot consent_ to it. Take the post as one of honour and - usefulness, and I shall be glad, and _you will be no loser_, be quite - sure. But to be _paid_ for the work would be to alter the thing - _completely_, and would lower you sadly in the eyes of almost - everybody. Do not think about it, dearest, and you will rejoice - greatly by and bye with all who love you best.” - -A few days later he writes again: - - “MY DEAR SOPHY,—and you are very dear to me—you have been much in my - thoughts, and I have been grieved to know that you have had so much - real harass, and were so _tried_ before you settled down in your - present peaceful domicile. Now all is well, I trust, and you in peace - and comfort, so, remembering the Appellant from Philip drunk to Philip - sober, make the application, giving me the benefit of it, and bear - with me, my own child, whilst I briefly tell you what I think and - hope. I heartily admire your readiness to turn your talents to good - account, and employ them in a way so clearly beneficial to others, but - believe me that if you take money payment, you will make a sad - mistake, debase your standing, and place yourself in a position that - people in general, including many relations and friends, will never - _as long as you live_ understand otherwise than as greatly to your - discredit. You would be considered mean and illiberal,—tho’ I am sure - you are neither the one or the other—accepting wages that belong to a - class beneath you in social rank, and which (it would be said) you had - no right, under any circumstances, to appropriate to yourself....” - -The reply to this came by return of post: - - “Feb. 3rd ’59. - - MY OWN DARLING DADDY, - - I got your kind old letter this morning, for which, thanks.... - - Well, as to this Tutorship. I have thought about it, and about all the - accompanying circumstances. If you will listen, I will try to tell you - what I think. I believe I am particularly suited for teaching, my - taste, and I fancy my talent, lies that way. I generally succeed - pretty well in making my pupils understand what I understand myself - and so far I suppose that proves my capability. Well, there are so - many who make teaching their profession, who do _not_ love it, and are - not fond of it or fit for it, that I think anything that can be done - to raise the standard of teaching and teachers, must be good. Well, - this would be effectually done if everyone who loved the business (and - was therefore necessarily to a degree fit for it) undertook it, and no - others. I think this very College is doing much to raise the standard, - and I fancy they are particularly anxious—the authorities, I mean—to - get teachers of a somewhat superior rank in society (as generally - considered). Well, justly or not, I am, I believe, supposed to be of - rather higher class than the generality of teachers, and therefore - specially eligible. I suppose I certainly have considerable talent for - Mathematics, if for anything. It is the one thing I know best and love - best. Then—when the Mathematical Tutorship is vacant,—surely I am - right enough to be anxious to obtain it. I was thought capable, and - chosen. - - Now remember, Father dear, I am not here taking the place from anyone - else, though if I were doing so, being myself the best fitted, I do - not think my conscience need be troubled,—but this Tutorship has stood - vacant for some months from sheer want of anyone capable to fill it. - - Well, the terms of the agreement are—do this work, and receive this - payment,—the payment contingent entirely on the work. The conditions - are, if the Tutor has four pupils, forming a college class, she - receives 5s. an hour. It is right and natural I think, I certainly do - work equivalent to the payment, and have fairly earned it. Why should - I not take it? You as a man, did your work and received your payment, - and no one thought it any degradation, but a fair exchange. Why should - the difference of my sex alter the laws of right and honour? Tom is - doing on a large scale what I do on a small one,—I cannot recognize - any fundamental difference in the matter. I cannot say ‘I do not want - this money, I have no use for it,’ for in truth, tho’ having an ample - and generous allowance, I should have plenty of use for it. Then there - is the honest, and I believe, perfectly justifiable pride of - _earning_. Did you not feel this when you received your first salary? - Why should I be deprived of it? Then again you offer to give me the - money if I refuse to take it from the College. But this would be a - wholly false position, to get credit for generosity in refusing what I - yet receive. I could not do this. In that case I must say to the Dean, - not ‘I am willing to work without payment,’ but ‘My Father prefers - that I should receive payment from _him_, not from the College,’ and I - think the Dean would think us both ridiculous, or at least foolish. - - If I wrote a book I should receive payment for that, and I presume - even you would not object: why then now? - - For mental work done in the school the reward was a prize which cost - money, you thought this honourable,—why should the reward of labour at - College, being money, be dishonourable? - - Hitherto I have had a class of only 3, and therefore I have not been - officially entitled to this salary. The Dean wished to make some - arrangement for my payment last term, but I said at once,—‘The money - is not of much consequence to me—I had rather, not having the official - number, teach them as a friend and ex-officially,’ and so I have done. - Here I think I was right, I could afford to teach them gratis, and I - did so. The Dean was gratified, the pupils obliged, and I was - satisfied. So it was last term. But if this term I get the official - number, I do not see any reason except pride for declining the - payment. My pupils would pay the College all the same, why should not - the College pay me? I really do not see that I am doing anything - either mean or dishonourable, and I hardly think you can think so - either. I am _sure_ the College authorities do not. I do not think the - Dean would think the better of me for declining the money, which I - should be glad to receive, on account of a scruple of pride. Do you - honestly, Father, think any lady lowered by the mere act of receiving - money? Did you think the less of Mrs. Teed because you paid her? Would - you have thought better of her for refusing payment? I am sure you - would not. You are too much of a gentleman to attach importance to - money. - - Of course the question of right or wrong, honour or dishonour, is the - point. This once settled, people’s opinion is worth nothing. I should - be glad that my friends had the sense to see clearly and rightly in - the matter, if they have not, I regret it for their own sakes,—not for - mine. - - Of course I am speaking of indifferent people,—not of you or my - Mother. I care very much that _you_ should think me right. - - But even taking this lower view—of opinion—I do not believe that many - for whom I have any regard or esteem, would ultimately think the worse - of me for accepting well-earned wages. If I took the post, and, even - without accepting a salary, neglected my duty, or did it not to the - utmost of my power, I should be far more contemptible. - - Mary Jane Evans, I know, for one, and she is one of the proudest - families of our relations, thinks me right. Miss Wodehouse, whose - family is older and better than mine, not only says I am right, but - showed she agreed with my opinion by her actions. She sees no meanness - in earning, but in those that think it mean. When accepting Maurice’s - school, she said to him, most nobly, I think, ‘If you think it better - that I should work as a paid mistress, I will take any salary you - please; if not, I am willing to do the work freely and for nothing.’ I - think this more noble-minded than any proud refusal of money could - have been. - - Well, darling Father, I have written you a very long letter, but I - wished to tell you honestly all I thought, and I trust you don’t think - my epistle _too_ long.... - - Your loving child, - SOPHY.” - -[Illustration: - - _Emery Walker ph. sc._ - - _Thomas Jex-Blake_ - _from a drawing in chalks by H. T. Wells, R.A. 1862_ -] - - “4th Feb. 1859. - - DEAREST SOPHY, - - Your letter has given me unmixed pleasure.... - - About the tutorship, you write very ably, but your logic and - illustrations are not sound, as I hope to show you. I am sure you are - fit for, as you are fond of, teaching, and the desire to raise the - standard both of teaching and teachers is good, but your receiving or - not receiving wages for the work, can neither help or hinder the - matter. I agree to _all_ you say in favour of working,—it is very - honourable, very right, and worthy of all praise, but what I object to - is your taking money for it. It is beneath you, and you will be far - happier to decline it, and let it flow into its proper channels, to - fructify widely and do real good. - - The question is, as you say, one of right and wrong. In my deliberate - judgment it is _wrong_, in your position to receive pay for what you - do, to say nothing of the extent to which it would damage you. The - cases you cite, darling, are not to the point. I will take each of - them in the order you put them and then judge for yourself. I never - received a salary of any kind in my life. I was of a liberal - profession—a particularly honourable branch of it—and (chiefly) lived - by it. This was ‘right’ beyond all doubt. T. W. is doing the same sort - of thing. He feels bound as a _man_, with ability to do so, to support - his wife and family, and his position is a high one, which can only be - filled by a first-class man of character, and yielding him nearer two - than one thousand a year. The third case—Mrs. Teed’s—like the others - has no analogy whatever to my dear Sophy’s—Mrs. Teed had no _means_. - She went out in early life as a governess to earn an honourable - livelihood. She did earn it well and her talents, by God’s blessing, - led to her after success, enabling her to lay by something to support - herself and sister in their later years. - - How entirely different is my darling’s case. You want for nothing, and - know that (humanly speaking) you will want for nothing. If you married - tomorrow to my liking—and I don’t believe you would ever marry - otherwise—I should give you a good fortune. What temptation is there - for your doing that which, at best, will be misunderstood to your - prejudice? I should say at all events wait a bit till you are a little - older, and can form a riper judgment. My feeling is strong that you - being a paid teacher would certainly _damage_ you, in what precise - degree nobody can say. Do the work—it is a good work and I rejoice in - it, but don’t put a penny into your purse for doing it. Let the gold - go in some other direction. This will give you a greater and more - lasting satisfaction than you could derive from any money payment. - - Your loving Father, - T. JEX-BLAKE.” - - “Feb. 5th ’59. - - DEAR DADDY, - - Thanks for your letter. I do not know whether all my reasoning - was logical,—probably not—but I do not think that your arguments - respecting the relative position of (at least) Tom and myself, are - much better than ‘distinctions without differences.’ Refine it away as - you may, Tom’s position and mine are considerably analogous, though - very unequal. As far as I can trace the foundation of your asserted - difference it is first his being a ‘man,’ which difference, as I said - before, I cannot recognize as radical,—secondly, that his position can - only be filled by ‘a first-class man,’—and I think, allowing, of - course, for very great disparity of knowledge, acquirements and - requirements, the comparison holds, for it is not easy, as has been - proved by the length of time the office has been vacant, to fill this - Tutorship properly. I should say it is the one the College finds - hardest to fill, and therefore it is (in its degree) as creditable a - thing to hold as the mastership. - - Then I cannot think that you mean to urge the superior lucrativeness - of his post as any argument, for the principle must be identical in - receiving one penny or ‘nearer two than one thousand a year.’ Then I - cannot say that I want for nothing,—I do want the money, and am quite - satisfied to earn it, quite knowing that my allowance is enough. I do - not really _see_ that I am in any degree wrong, if I am it is - unconsciously and honestly. - - Well, I don’t think it is of much use to argue any more—I have told - you honestly what I think.... Thank you anyhow for listening to me - patiently and answering me. I do not like to vex you after all this— - you have been and are very good to me. You ask me to wait a little - while and consider. I have considered well, and I do not believe any - further thought would alter my opinion. However I will promise you for - this term only (not ceding the principle) not to take any fees, but if - they come (which I do not yet know) to return them as a free gift to - the College. If at the end of this term I still hold my opinion, I - trust you not to oppose my determination again. Remember and - understand, Daddy, I do promise this simply and only because you wish - it, and not because in the least degree my mind is one whit altered on - the point. I trust you to meet me half way, and not be in any degree - grieved if I resume my intention next term. - - Goodbye darling, - Ever your loving child, - SOPHY.” - - “Saturday night. Feb. 5th 1859. - - DEAREST, - - ... Tom’s being a _man_ makes _all_ the difference, he has just - taken the _plain path of duty_. I am very pleased with the spirit in - which you write, darling, but I must be sincere, which I should not be - if I told you that I had the shadow of a doubt that you ought not to - be a _paid_ teacher.... - - Ever, dearest, - Your affect. Father, - T. JEX-BLAKE.” - -So closes this delightful correspondence. It was not to be supposed that -she should have no regrets. In her diary she says: - - “Feb. 13th.... Like a fool I have consented to give up the fees for - this term only—though I am miserably poor. I am sorry. It was foolish. - It only defers the struggle.” - -The Norfolk cousins were not a little impressed by the new life S. J.-B. -was making for herself, though it was not to be expected that they -should all take so enlightened a view of it as Miss Evans did. - - “You seem,” writes Cousin Ellie, “to be spending rather a jolly time - of it, but still it seems to me rather queer that a lot of girls - should walk about London when and where they please. I don’t think you - would come to any harm, but I am sure there are many that would.” - -And Sarah with whom “one does not connect the idea of angel,” - - “What glorious fun a girl might have if inclined, but you are as - steady as a rock. No fear of my dear old man doing anything giddy. My - dearest treasure, Goodnight.” - -We gather from subsequent correspondence that the frivolity of this -letter brought down a very severe reprimand from its recipient. - -Elinor was the first to pay a visit to the unknown world, and she writes -a long account of it to the eager Sarah: - - “When I first saw her that evening, I thought she did not look so - well, but since then I think the contrary—She is much thinner, but in - such good spirits, and so happy. I think she quite likes everyone to - know that she has been made mathematical tutor, for it is considered a - great honour.” - -S. J.-B. would fain have seen more of these delightful cousins, but -their father held strict views as to the conditions under which well- -born girls might visit London. - - “As to Ellie and Sarah,” writes Mrs. Jex-Blake in one of the severe - moods that had become so rare, “instead of being hurt they do not - accede to all you ask, you might well be proud of their _warm_ love. - You have taken yourself out of your natural position, and you cannot - understand the need for their conforming to the proprieties their - Father so naturally and properly expects. Good-looking girls do not - needlessly go about London without chaperons. Happily for them, their - Father’s wish is sufficient to guide them. There is a respect and duty - to the position, however weak and inferior you may judge a Parent to - be.[15] Well, darling, God bless and comfort you.” - -Footnote 15: - - The reference is not to S. J.-B.’s own parents. - -Yet, judged by present-day standards, S. J.-B. would not have been -considered deficient in the spirit of compromise. Her letters to her -Father on the subject of tutor’s fees is evidence enough on that score, -and those letters are in no way at variance with her whole attitude. - - “A triumph as to _life_!” she records in her diary. “Last Monday told - Mummy of my not going to the Opera without telling her, but proclaimed - my intention in the future. No interdiction. So I talked a little - about it to make all my ground sure, and coming back on Tuesday found - them going to Macbeth, Friday, and yesterday told Mummy as a matter of - course. She acquiesced if not consented, and was glad we had so nice a - party and hoped I shall not go _often_, so entirely removing all - interdiction.... - - Well, as to the Theatre! I believe I must confess myself disappointed. - Charles Kean as Macbeth did not satisfy me. Mrs. C. Kean very good (I - suppose) as Lady Macbeth. Yet not _real_, as Shakespeare surely should - be. After the murder of Duncan was perhaps the grandest, most awful, - most real.... The scene where Macduff learns his loss more _real_ than - most. The fighting at the end ludicrous.... I thought there would be - decent fencing.” - -A few months later she went (with Miss Wodehouse) to a ritualistic -church, and was moved to hot indignation. - - “How can this man wear a priestly robe in the Church, and subscribe to - her 6th and 20th most scriptural articles? Well, indeed, might we pray - for the state of the Church Militant, when within her walls are such - teachers. - - Yet was I right in not staying the sacrament because this sermon so - stirred my indignation? ‘The unworthiness of ministers hinders not the - effect of the Sacrament.’ Perhaps I was wrong. Yet I could not have - stayed in a peaceful or holy mind. - - To the law and to the testimony! How precious is such unanswerable - decree!—so final a court of appeal!” - -A note is inserted in the margin,—(“This May 1859. Sic transit! Feb. 11, -1865!”). - -Meanwhile her certificate examination was drawing near, and mathematics -absorbed most of her thoughts. On July 1st she writes: - - “Certificate examination nearly 4 hours. Out of 23 problems did 20½. - So I trust I am pretty safe. I did get rather frightened as the time - drew on, but really have worked hard and I trust won. Sent a telegram, - ‘Success’ to Mother, though the declaration is not yet made. - - July 28th. My certificate won triumphantly and marked, ‘with great - credit’.” - -Of course she was working too hard. - - “I have a great deal of work in College,” she confesses some time - later. I take 8 classes,—English Literature, English History, Mental - and Moral Philosophy, Theology, Church History, Algebra, Geometry, and - German Conversation; and have 7 pupils. I am afraid it is too much - altogether.” - -And what about the ordinary traditional preoccupations and vanities of a -young girl’s life in the midst of these manifold interests and claims?— -what about thoughts of dress, of personal appearance, of love and -marriage? Well, obviously there was little room left for any of these. -S. J.-B. was under the impression that she cared a good deal about -dress, and she would not have been flattered if anyone had expressed a -different opinion. As a matter of fact she never had time to give the -subject much more than a passing thought, and the poor little remnant of -an allowance that remained when more pressing claims and numerous little -charities had been met, was barely sufficient to pay for the work of an -ordinary seamstress. The adaptable coat and skirt, and the endless -variety of cheap ready-made dress had not then come to the aid of the -educated working-girl, and S. J.-B. did not realize the difficulty of -the problem she had to tackle. - - “I should like to see your muslin at 3s. 6d. before I got one,” writes - honest Ellie. “You know you are the last person in the world I should - copy in dress, or who I would trust to get one for me, for it is the - only thing almost you _know nothing_ about, and you have very - peculiar, and, I think, generally bad taste.” - -The letter may have been written in a moment of irritation about -something else, or indeed about this very subject of dress, for young -folks are sensitive as to the appearance of their valued friends; but it -certainly contained more than a germ of truth. Fortunately youth and a -radiant personality cover a multitude of shortcomings in this respect, -and contemporary correspondence often points to the extent to which the -Almighty had “favoured” S. J.-B. “in person as well as in mind.” In this -connection there is an interesting letter of this period from an old -schoolfellow, the daughter of a former schoolmistress. After a graphic -account of a lecture by Thackeray, at which the writer had the good -fortune to be present, she says: - - “In face Thackeray is the image of—whom, do you think? Guess. Someone - you know,—of _yourself_. Yes, indeed, of you, Sophy Blake. Mama and I - were both struck, almost startled, by the resemblance.” - -It happened by a curious coincidence some years later that Laurence was -taking S. J.-B.’s portrait not very long after he had taken Thackeray’s, -and he expressed himself as greatly struck by the similarity of the -lines in the two faces. S. J.-B.’s magnificent, speaking brown eyes, -however, were hers alone. “If they were taken out and laid on a plate,” -said a forcible young friend, “they would still be beautiful!” - -As regards love and marriage, one can only say that, for a girl in the -middle of the last century she thought of them surprisingly little. She -speaks occasionally of her own marriage as if it were as much a matter -of course as her coming of age, and, after enjoying some pleasant boy- -and-girl intercourse with an unknown “H.” at the house of her cousins, -she describes him as “the sort of man I may probably marry in the end.” -Visiting a newly-married girl cousin, she frankly admits the charm of -the comradeship, for indeed, as a friend said of her (with more truth -than elegance of diction) a few years later than the point we have -reached: “You have taken on you a hard, hard vocation from your youngest -days,—and yet it is scarcely so hard for anyone in the world to stand -alone.” - -In any case S. J.-B. went straight on her course, like many of the -finest girls of our own day, without giving any thought to cross -currents that might alter the course of her life. And indeed her daily -life was absorbing enough. It is scarcely surprising if, among her many -interests, her religious life was somewhat smothered for the time, or -that, at least she thought so. - - “Mrs. Thornton called my doing what I had done ‘noble’. Yes, if for - _His_ sake, but, alas, much more—altogether—for my own. Yet my loving - the work is no disqualification for doing it for Him. I trust I do do - good a little. Surely honest intellectual help is something, if of - lower class.... I have thought—I cannot take more work, Sunday School, - etc., but what I do is _good_ in its degree; if done in His name, - surely He will accept it.” - -More and more, as she looked back on her own school life from the -vantage-ground of a year at Queen’s College, she felt how much the -education of girls might be improved. On the last night of the year she -writes: - - “In this year my idea of work in the cause of education has developed - itself into that of a resident College of the Holy Trinity. Heaven - knows if ever to be carried out. If good,—yes, doubtless,—if not, God - will raise up better. Little ‘religious’ as I fear I am, I do feel - this thoroughly.... - - ‘And may the New Year cherish - All the hopes that now are bright.’ - - Such a happy loving Goodnight to and from Daddy and Mummy. Very happy - I am tonight. - - ‘And once more ere thou perish, - Old Year, Good night! Good night!’” - - - - - CHAPTER VII - FRIENDSHIP - - -The great remain children to the last, and in this respect S. J.-B. was -essentially one of the great. To the end of her life, for those who knew -her well, she could be a delightful child. But it was about the time we -are considering—the age of 20 to 21—that she may be said to have become -a woman, or, more truly, to have put on her manhood. She was too busy at -the time to describe or analyze in her diary the change that was taking -place—“Oh,” she says, “the little space of time and paper! The mighty -space of events ‘unheard’!”—she was in no way self-conscious about it; -but there are indications, like straws on the surface of the water, that -show in what direction the current was setting. One sees that she was -beginning to look at life freshly and at first hand, that the old -traditional dogmatism was falling away from her views of religion, of -social questions, of the relation between the sexes. To be sure this old -husk was being replaced by the even more acrid dogmatism of youth; but -in that very acridity one feels the promise of growth, of the ripe -wisdom of later years. - -As far back as March 1859 one finds the following significant passage: - - “Had a long argument with Miss Wodehouse today. Two points chiefly. 1. - Are evil deeds, though always pernicious to the doer, sometimes - beneficial to mankind? I affirming: she denying. 2. Is it our first - duty to seek our own salvation? She denying. - - I cannot tell why I am so unable to argue with her. She seems to get - me into a maze. Yet I think she argues honestly. I sometimes shrink - from ‘sacred’ subjects with her, yet she considers all equally sacred. - - ‘What is truth’ indeed? Yet am I not somewhat like ‘jesting Pilate’ - who ‘would not stay for an answer’?” - -“What is truth?” one finds her asking again and again, and she at least -had one grand qualification for the search,—the habit of treating truth -with respect even in its humblest fragments. - -Her Father, of course, was uneasy about her. - - “_I should like to see you much_,” he writes, “but I feel that Sunday - would be a heavy day for you here (as I don’t frequent popish mass - houses or the like), so that if you could run down here on Monday - evening....” - -And again: - - “When I think of the (at best) half teaching you have, but that I - confide in our gracious covenant head, I should tremble for you when I - am gone. I have no doubt at all that Maurice is a most amiable man, - but I believe that to this hour he has never come clear out of - Unitarianism, and therefore does not see distinctly, nor, of course, - teach scripturally, any one of those fundamental Christian truths (all - connected together) original sin, Christ’s vicarious work atoning for - sin and fulfiling the law, justification by faith, and salvation by - grace. Read, darling, ...” - -The following “passage of arms” with a Norfolk cousin, a man some years -older than herself, is interesting in this connection: - - “Hastings, March 12/60. - - MY DEAR SOPHY, - - I left Brighton on Friday with something of a heavy heart. I saw - I had grieved you where I had really no intention of doing so: that - was painful to me and I must regret it. I express to you my strong - regrets. But oh! tenthousandfold deeper was the sad conviction _forced - upon me_, that the advance you have made,—shall I vex you if I say - honestly and openly,—_Romewards_, since I last saw you was very great. - I believe you are as yet unconscious of your own tendency. I told you - so at Lyng. But in honesty I must tell you, my dear Sophy, I tremble - for you. It is such _awfully slippery_ ground. It is such a _pleasant_ - accommodation of religion to our fallen nature. It so feeds our - _impulsiveness_ and fortifies our _natural religionism_. - - Will you forgive me if, with a cousin’s, I hope more than that, - anxious love I _beseech_ you to ‘consider your ways,’ and _bring your - soul before God in this matter_. Pray don’t _starve your soul on - gilded husks_ while bread lies at your feet in your Father’s house. - - I know more than one amiable creature who began _as you have done_, - and has landed in Rome.... - - Dear Sophy, don’t trust your _head_, much less your heart, much less - any fallen man or imperfect church under the sun. Trust Jesus, Jesus - only, Jesus _wholly_, Jesus _exclusively_. - - I trust this note will not make you wrath against me.... Be sure of - one thing, I banter no more, where feeling is evidently so deep. - Henceforth I will try and pray fervently for your poor soul’s - conversion to God.” - - “March 14th./60. - - MY DEAR ... - - If I do not say that you have written me a most ridiculous - letter, it will be more from respect to its motive than its matter,—or - purport. I know people can work themselves up to any exaggerated view - of things, yet I can hardly believe that, if you have half the sense - people say you have, you can on sober reconsideration really believe - that there was the smallest ground for your tirade in my objection to - hear a Church—a house of God at least, spoken of and criticised as if - it were a right thing to visit it as you would a theatre, and remain a - looker-on while others were worshipping. ‘Seeking occasion against’ - men was not the characteristic of the followers of the Jesus whose - name you reiterate so often. I believe this was the whole feeling with - which I spoke, exactly as I should have done if it had been a Baptist - Meeting-house you were commenting on,—as I believe you would _not_ - have commented on a Baptist Meeting-house. - - You may, if you please, take my word for it that I am _not_ going over - to Rome, among whose partisans, however, I must say that I have never— - no, nor I think from any other denomination under the sun—heard the - same virulent abuse of those who have at least ‘one Lord,’ if not ‘one - faith and one baptism,’—that I have from the Puritan portion of our - own Church: and I am sure no God and no Church was ever served by the - one or the other.... - - What I have written is probably ill conceived and worse expressed. - Excuse all such deficiencies. If I have myself fallen into the error I - protest against, I need more than excuse—forgiveness. I have not meant - to be violent or uncourteous, but where I have felt strongly, I doubt - not I have so spoken. - - For your cousinly care and affection I thank you heartily, as I am - ever - - Your affectionate cousin, - S. L. J.-B.” - -And not only in matters of thought and principle was she developing; she -was beginning, too, to take her full share of responsibility as regards -her fellow-creatures, entering into the meaning of brotherhood and -citizenship. In addition to her work at Queen’s College, she undertook -to teach bookkeeping gratuitously in connection with the Society for the -Employment of Women, and had a class of children at Great Ormond Street. -“I don’t know how I should like _her_,” said a candid critic, “but it is -a pleasure to see anyone do anything so well as she does teach.” - -Reference was made in a former chapter to her faculty for taking the -side-issues of life too intensely. It may not be right to look on -friendship as a side-issue—though many of the world’s workers are more -or less forced so to regard it: in any case it is scarcely too much to -say that—even when one takes into account the endless philanthropic -interests and activities of her later years—friendship constituted for -S. J.-B. the main work of life. If she had been paid for the sheer hard -work she did simply as a friend, she would have been a very rich woman. -She was always giving out, and from this time forward, she acted on the -maxim, “_Bis dat qui cito dat_.” If she arrived home, dead-tired, to -find a letter asking immediate advice or help, she would answer the -letter then and there and carry her answer to the post. If a friend was -passing through London, or coming to spend a few hours with her, she -would piece out a laborious journey by bus between her classes to meet -that friend at some far-off station and make things easy for her. If a -fellow-student or a teacher seemed on the point of breaking down, S. J.- -B. would write three or four letters and call on half-a-dozen people to -arrange for a holiday, and, if necessary, for a substitute. “Then home -very tired,” she writes to her Mother after such an experience, “but -very content to write this account to you.” (As not infrequently -happened, the invalid had found a refuge at 13 Sussex Square, and Mrs. -Jex-Blake’s kind heart was set on an extension of the holiday.) - - “I do not think I ever did so good a Lord’s Day work in my life,—if, - that is, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath Day,—to save life, not - to kill,—or let kill. I think I am very like a life-boat,—valueless in - itself, yet useful enough in saving better things alive. That, indeed, - its whole use and work.” - - “I am sure all that driving and running about with me on Thursday made - your eye and headache much worse,” writes Cousin Sarah, “but you are - such a dear kind old pet,—would half kill yourself for anybody.” - -A former school friend writes at the same date: - - “I feel I ought not to trouble you, occupied as you are, but, whenever - I have asked you for anything, your kindness and sympathy have been so - readily given that I always think of you when I hear of _any wants_.” - - “Mama sends her very best love,” writes Miss M. J. Evans, “and Papa - too. Oddly enough, both like you. How can they?—such a trumpery - _heartless_ girl!” - -And one comes upon hundreds of tributes to the same effect. - -Sometimes S. J.-B.’s willing assistance was of a kind that involved no -small labour and anxiety. If a friend was shy and gifted and poor, -capable of producing work not yet recognized as marketable, S. J.-B. was -always ready to be the middleman. She would write round to well-to-do -friends enlisting their interest, do up samples of the work for -inspection, and (most serious of all!) undertake the responsibility of -receiving the samples safe back again. “Put the responsibility on me,” -she used to say cheerily in after life, “my shoulders are broad enough”; -and there is no doubt she began to say this—if not in so many words— -before the age of 20. People got into the way of trusting her to _see a -thing through_, of assuming that it was her _métier_ to be competent and -to organize, of leaving to her the heavy end of the stick: and no doubt -she enjoyed it all and learned much from it, though, when taken in -addition to her regular work, it was terribly hard on her hasty temper -and “irritable brain.” - -“You must be very thankful to be a medium of helping so many,” writes -her Mother,—“a great honour, I consider it, pleasure without alloy.” But -in the same letter she says, “Sad, sad weather for you to knock about -in. Darling, don’t risk your health.” - - “I would not and could not speak” (after parting from you), writes - Ellie. “I wish I was not such a silly fool, but I could not help it - and never can, if I have to leave you.... I wonder if you have wished - for me, if it was only to scold and fight with; but what I wish most - of all is that you would give up fighting. I would do anything for you - if I could only make even a slight alteration.... I do with all my - heart wish that you would try to keep in that temper of yours.” - -Noble Ellie!—“Walks upright beside me, a companion, a guide, and gives -me a hand.” - -S. J.-B. rarely, if ever, expected her friends to do her the same kind -of service; but, if they became very dear, she did demand—more or less -unconsciously to herself—a definite _quid pro quo_. In her big masterful -way she would proceed to absorb their lives into her own; to establish a -subtle growing claim that was not easy to resist. She was splendidly -loyal herself, and the loyalty she exacted in return, though at first -glance an easier thing, involved more than she was in any degree aware -of. As life went on people found it increasingly difficult to disagree -with her: many simply ran away—_se sauvaient_, as the French say; and -yet it was only when in the last resort one resisted her to the face for -conscience sake in some matter very dear to her heart,—that one really -gauged the greatness of her nature. - -All this is taking us somewhat ahead of the early friendships at -Queen’s, but the frank recognition of this aspect of her character is -essential to an adequate understanding of her life even in those days. A -Queen’s College friend who, in the most admirable and magnanimous spirit -had accepted what might be reckoned a heavy obligation to S. J.-B. and -her Father, writes as follows: - - “I wish to tell you (I could not before, but think it right now) that - this ... will be more of a personal advantage and enjoyment to me than - anything else in the world.... - - With all my heart I rejoice to acknowledge an _immense_ obligation to - you for your love to me at all times and for this particular way of - showing it, but _not_ that sort of obligation which shall in any way - affect my words and doings with you for the future.” - -If friendships are to be weighed, not counted, S. J.-B. was, even at -this period, fortunate in her possession of them. The Norfolk cousins, -the Cordery family, Miss Wodehouse, Miss Ada Benson, Miss Lucy Walker -(afterwards Mrs. Unwin) who was her junior at Queen’s, Miss Martha -Heaton (Mrs. Hilhouse) a fellow teacher,—are the names that occur to one -most readily. And at this time there came into her life a friendship -that was destined to make a deeper impression on her than any of these,— -the deepest impression, in fact, of any in the whole of her life. - -This is how it began: - - “Jan. 26th. 1860. Just had a lesson in book-keeping from Miss - [Octavia] Hill. Clever, pleasant girl,—much nicer than I thought. - Dined with me. What and how the deuce am I to pay her? £1 1s., I - suppose. Dear old Patty Heaton! How fond I am of her, and what - wonderfully good friends we are!” - - “Jan. 27th. I am sure I am a good companion for her (Miss Heaton) if - only in amusing her. I think laughing does her a deal of good—hearty - fun. I rejoice in her exceedingly. And I hope for another sort of - friend, or ally at least, in Miss Hill who came and taught me book- - keeping yesterday evening. Nice, sensible, clever. Very good worker, I - expect.” - -In the published _Life_ of Miss Octavia Hill, one cannot but observe how -good this dawning friendship was for her also, how beneficient was the -sunshine that it brought into her somewhat grey young life. On Feb. 5th, -1860, she writes to her sister: - - “I am always thinking of you both, and longing to have you home again - that you may really know all our doings and lives. Mine lately you - would assuredly consider rather of the dissipated kind. I have been - giving some book-keeping lessons to Miss J.-B. She is a bright, - spirited, brave, generous young lady, living alone, in true bachelor - style. It took me three nights to teach her, and she begged me to come - to dinner each time. She has a friend who is killing herself by hard - work to support her younger sisters. I gather she would gladly give - her friend help, for she speaks most sadly of the ‘modern fallacy’ - ‘that the money must be earned.’ She thinks it might be given when - people are dear friends: she says they’ve given the most precious - thing and what difference can a little money make?”[16] - -Footnote 16: - - _Life of Octavia Hill._ - -Almost from the first Miss Hill’s letters to S. J.-B. took a serious -tone. On March 18th she writes: - - “I wonder whether you will think me very impertinent if I say that I - wonder you don’t see that, in turning away from so many important - thoughts with a half joke, you are refusing God’s means of grace as - much as in staying away from ordained services. It is no good my - writing sermons, however.... I trust to live to see some one or some - sorrow do for you what I cannot, to see such a peace as ‘passeth all - understanding’ come over you, to see the thankful, perfect dedication - of all your powers to His service for His sake.... - - I too long for a nice quiet talk with you. I enjoy it so, and your - magnificent energy does me such good.” - -The talks were not always quiet. There are those still living who -remember some animated discussions, for the two girls had stepped, as it -were, out of totally different worlds. Here is a typical passage: - - S. J.-B. (hotly), “_I_ never heard the game laws attacked!” - - O. H. (calmly), “_I_ never heard them defended!” - -In the Easter holidays of that year both Miss Heaton and Miss Hill were -guests at 13 Sussex Square, and the friendship between the latter and S. -J.-B. was greatly deepened. - - “My dear loving strong child,” writes S. J.-B. in her diary after this - visit. “I do love and reverence her.... Had a loving solemn letter - (not altogether pleasing to me) on my telling her we had had a ‘row’ - [at home]. Told her by return ‘Hang you,’ and bade her remember she - was neither nurse nor parson. - - Dear, dear child, though. Mother calls it beautiful letter.” - -It was so characteristic of S. J.-B. to show that letter to her Mother! - -On April 29th Miss Octavia Hill writes again to her sister: - - “You dear old thing, I wish I had you here to give you a good rest and - rousing, and refreshing. I am as merry as a grig.... Miss J.-B. and I - are always doing things together—great companions I am with her. You - know she’s teaching me Euclid. We went to see Holman Hunt’s - picture,...”[17] - -Footnote 17: - - _Life of Octavia Hill._ - -And again we quote from S. J.-B.’s diary: - - “May 17th, Whitsunday. A most delicious day at Hurst with Ruth[18] and - Octa. Went down together second-class by 6 train.... Told Octa about - Wales,—sitting in her room on the table, my heart beating like a - hammer. That Carry wanted to go to Wales and I too, and most - convenient about beginning of July, so ... ‘Put off my visit?’ said - Octa. ‘No, I was going to say (slowly) if you wish to see anything of - me, you must come too, I think, and not put off the mountains till - heaven.’ She sunk her head on my lap silently, raised it in tears, and - then such a kiss!” - -Footnote 18: - - Miss Heaton. - -There is a happy letter about this Welsh tour: - - “Bettws-Y-Coed, - July 26th/60. - - DARLING MOTHER, - - We have decided rather in a hurry as there are to be no prizes, - ... to give a treat to all, which, however, Mr. Jones specially - stipulates is not to be a _school treat_.... It is just coming off - today. I ordered 60 lbs. of dough and etcs. from Catherine Owen,— - rather less rich than last year (that is, fewer eggs and less butter). - It makes 88 lbs. altogether. But it was only settled on Monday, and as - this is Thursday I am half afraid all may not know. But we have tried - hard to send scouts everywhere.... - - Please tell me as early as possible where you will be each day of the - week beginning Sunday, August the 12th. Now don’t let Tom just prevent - your remembering or caring[19] to meet your little one. I do long to - see you so.... - -Footnote 19: - - By the charm of his personality, she means, of course; not by - design. - - _Weymouth St. July 30th._ All over, darling, now, and such a happy - time without a single blot I never remember in my life. Every thing - has been better than any anticipation of it. We have done everything - we wanted to do. We have been everywhere and have had no mischance, no - annoyance of any kind. Octa looks five years younger, and as bright as - a sunbeam. And I am in so thoroughly happy a state of mind as hardly - to know myself. I really almost think I should be good-tempered now. - We came home by Llangollen on Saturday, 40 miles coach and 194 miles - rail. Not a bad journey for one day. We went up that morning to your - high mound. The view was glorious. I took poor old Ellen Jones some - squills for her cough, but she looks very ill indeed. She sent so very - much love to you, and wished she had something to send you. - - The treat came off excellently on Thursday. It was grand fun to see - Octa playing with the children. At Hunt the Slipper once, she, - pretending she had the shoe, held up her boot toe, saying, ‘See, here - it is,’ or something like it. Grace Owen, who was seeking, seized hold - of it as quick as light, crying ‘Let me have it then,’ pulled away, - and capsized Octa entirely amid roars of laughing. Octa sprang up and - chased her round and round the field till she caught and tickled her. - It was quite one of the bits of fun of the evening.... The only - _contretemps_ was that poor little Hannah fell down and sprained her - arm. However, Miss Hill’s surgical powers came in grandly, and I do - not suppose Hannah is any the worse except for a few days inaction. - Well, how strange it is to find this all over, and probably never to - return. I cannot say I am glad our tour is over, for I do believe I - was never so happy for so long in my whole life, but neither can I say - I am sorry to see dear old London again,—I am sure I could come back - to no other place—as a place—with near so much pleasure.... - - Just fancy Octavia’s energy,—after that tremendous journey not - reaching home till 10.30, she was off to Lincoln’s Inn at 7 a.m. the - next morning for the early communion, and went again, and I with her - in the afternoon. Her Mother and sister were so delighted with her - account of all her doings, and a glorious one she gave certainly. I - had tea with them last night. Goodbye, my darling, for the present. - Not so very long now, I trust, before we meet. - - Aug. 1st. Although this has been in a ‘Milan’ envelope all this time, - I suppose I must now send it to Chamounix, as I foolishly forgot to - post it yesterday. - - Today quite forgotten to order any dinner, so just bought some cheese - and strawberries. - - Tell Carry John Davis has sent her a letter to complain of me, which - was forwarded to me, and which I have answered. Goodbye darling. - - Yours lovingly, - SOPH.” - -In August, when S. J.-B. and Miss Heaton were abroad together, Miss Hill -writes: - - “London feels strangely desolate, the lamps looked as they used to - look, pitiless and unending as I walked home last night, and knew I - could not go to you.... I don’t the least suppose you’ll go to - Florence or see my sisters, but, if you should, pray take off your - ‘spikes’ and remember ... how much they love England, and everyone who - is a friend of ours. I look forward to bright long days in which I - shall learn always more about you, and watch with unending and - unfathomable love and sympathy your upward growth, and we may look - back together on our lives, as I do often on my own, and wonder how I - could know and see so little, and wonder more how, knowing so little, - I should be led continually to deeper truth.” - -Here, one would have said, was the beginning of an ideal friendship, and -so it might have proved—allowing, of course, for the necessary rubs -between two such strong natures—had the two girls been alone in the -world. But each of the two belonged to a family that in different ways -exacted a great deal from each of its members, and particularly of the -member involved in the present friendship. It is doubtful whether even -the two girls could have made a success of _living_ together, for the -diary refers occasionally to “cataracts and breaks,” and on both sides -there are letters of penitence for hot temper or “coldness and pride.” -Moreover, Miss Hill loved peace more than do most, and, dearly as she -loved S. J.-B., she was almost bound in time to find her “more -stimulating than quotidian,” to quote a quaint phrase of Carlyle’s. - -It is therefore with no small sinking of heart that one reads the -following entry in S. J.-B.’s diary: - - “Sept. 9th. Sunday [1860]. A plan on foot of my taking part of a house - with the Hills and having Alice for a servant. That would be very - jolly. But rents high about here,—least £120.” - -Certainly a similar sinking of heart took possession of Mr. and Mrs. -Jex-Blake, and when they learned that the finding of a tenant for the -drawing-room floor was an essential part of the scheme, it is not -surprising that—short of stopping their daughter’s allowance which had -been increased some time before—they did everything in their power to -discourage the arrangement. They were well aware that, here as -everywhere, the willing shoulders would take their full share of work -and responsibility. The reader will be prepared for Mr. Jex-Blake’s -point of view: - - “DEAREST CHILD, - - You cannot surely mean to take a house and let lodgings in - direct opposition to your dear Mother and me. It would be quite - disgraceful and we never can consent to it. I will not believe, my - dear child, with all our love for you, that you will so directly - disobey us, or that Miss Hill, knowing our feelings on the subject, - can be a party to it. - - When you spoke of the other house, you said a lawyer was to look over - the lease, and take care of the Hills, and I firmly believed, till the - last few days, that you were to hire rooms. I had no more idea of your - becoming a lodging-house keeper than of your keeping a shop. You - cannot suppose that I would assist Miss Hill in such an exceedingly - blameable transaction. I would _with real pleasure_ assist her in all - possible ways ... but no Father or Mother who love their daughter, in - your position, could consent to her joining in it. I trust, dearest - child, you will give up all idea of such a thing, which, once done, - you would repent as long as you lived.” - -The response to this protest has not been preserved. On October 18th -Miss Hill writes: - - “MY DARLING CHILD, - - Thanks for all the trouble that you are taking about the houses, - I am quite ashamed it should all fall to your share. Is Harley Street - house quite out of the question? I received a letter from Mama, - earnestly desiring that we should keep near the park; she would not at - all like Bentinck Street. Don’t weary yourself with searching. I - certainly will return on Thursday (probably much before) then we will - look together again.... If it would secure the Harley Street house by - all means let us pay all the taxes whatever they may be. I am writing - in the dark. Goodbye, my own darling treasure. - - I am, - Yours affectionately, - OCTAVIA HILL. - - Mama has an affection now for Harley Street.” - -Finally, the house 14 Nottingham Place was taken, and rather more than -the customary number of difficulties had to be worked through in -connection with it. In addition to this, illness broke out in the house, -and there were several invalids to be nursed. - -The most forgiving of mothers writes after a visit to her daughter: - - “It is all your own choice and doubtless right, but it sometimes - grieves me to think how many discomforts you have, and how many - indulgences I have—only it is not my doing that you have them not. I - wish I did not think of you as worn and fagged. Do assure me that you - go to bed as early as you can and get good rest.” - -Fortunately youth and friendship make all things easy, or at least -bearable. During S. J.-B.’s brief absence in December Miss Hill writes: - - “Oh, child, your letters are such a delight, but I miss you so - dreadfully. I wander like a lost thing about the house and long for - you intensely. Every place seems so desolate. Every witness of your - thought and active care of and for me contrasted vividly with Z’s odd - procrastination till I almost felt unjust and unkind. And yet I ought - to glory in your kindness and goodness, and in all that mighty and - glorious energy that _will_ help so many people in this sad world, if - it is spared to us. Your room, the fire, the thought of all you had - told me to provide for myself, fills my eyes with tears. I mean to - spend a very quiet and happy Sunday.” And again, later,—“Do you know I - get on very much more easily with strangers than I used, all of which - I owe to you. It is a great satisfaction to me: it pleases one’s - friends to have their friends like one.” - -Up to this point the friendship had been an almost unqualified gain, -but, little by little, Miss Hill began to feel the strain of dividing -herself—so to speak—between her family, her comrade and her work. In May -1861 she was called away by the illness of her friend, Miss Harris,[20] -and the change to an ideally peaceful life was just what she needed. Her -own health had begun to suffer and she remained on at the Lakes for some -months to gain strength. In her absence, S. J.-B. took on her own -shoulders in great measure the responsibilities of householder. Hitherto -her acquaintance with the other members of the Hill family had been -slight, but a warm friendship now sprang up between her and the sister, -Miranda, who often shared the meals made ready by the devoted Alice and -served by her in her young mistress’ room. Few young people in the first -glow of a new friendship have sufficient tact, self-control and -knowledge of life to avoid all risk of wounding their elders, and such -tact would scarcely be possible in a nature like S. J.-B.’s. Little rubs -and frictions increased, and no doubt Octavia was the confidante of all. -In July she writes: - -Footnote 20: - - _Life of Octavia Hill._ - - “I hold myself prepared to come when it seems right, sure to be given - strength to do my duty, but certainly not longing for anything that - will bring me again into a world of contention. I can’t bear to think - how pained you would be if you could know the strength of this - feeling, for I know you would feel it a failure of love. I tell you - all this because I am sure you will feel it in my letters, because I - am sure such a cloud hurts less when frankly confessed, because I am - sure such a friendship as yours and mine need not fear it, remaining - untouched and immoveable, based on what can neither change nor know - fear.... All my life long this dread and misery about even the - slightest contention or estrangement has taken the form of misery, - continually saying in itself, ‘I can_not_ bear it.’ Since physical - strength has left me so far this wretched dread has increased - tenfold.... - - How delightfully kind and good you are to everybody. I can fancy I see - you, brightly kind, good and energetic, going about among all the - people, entertaining monitors, inviting my sisters to tea, giving club - dinners, learning about examinations, arranging the play, talking to - Miss Boucherett, delighting to plan work and holiday for them all.... - When I have thought, as I often have, that it is probable that I may - never have strength to work any more, you cannot think how I have - clung to the thought of your ever ready and powerful help and care.” - -Through all this tide of affection, one wonders whether S. J.-B. in any -way realized the very genuine apprehension her friend felt about -returning to the atmosphere of contention. The probability is that she -did not realize it at all, or rather that she looked upon it as the -expression of a transient mood caused by physical weakness. No doubt she -made a generous resolve that “everything should be made easy for Octa” -when she returned; but she did not realize how great was the need for -resolve. She never saw her own personality from the outside; and of -course hers was not the only “temperament” in the house. No member of -the family could have been described as a mere cabbage. - -We all know how friction increases when the machinery is out of gear: -differences of opinion grew: Mr. and Mrs. Jex-Blake protested against -the imprudence of accepting a banker’s reference only, in the case of a -foreigner who was in terms for the rooms, and for once their daughter -upheld their view with tenacity. Finally,—though this not till October— -the state of strain became so great that Octavia was summoned home. - -One can sympathize profoundly with her in the difficult situation she -was called upon to face. She knew by this time what the faults were on -both sides, knew in particular that S. J.-B. was not a placid person; -began to guess perhaps that explosions of temper were as essential to -that generous nature as the thunderstorm is to a stretch of summer days. -Meanwhile everyone was counting on her to solve the difficulty with a -wave of her wand: and here was she, never very robust, weary with a long -journey, called away from a congenial holiday to the intimate -association with a thousand and one petty cares in addition to the -special crisis that had summoned her home. - -The extracts given above are a mere gleaning from many unpublished -letters which bear witness to her devoted attachment to S. J.-B., but -although her sympathy with her own mother was perhaps less fervent at -this time than it afterwards became—she had a strong sense of filial -affection and duty. Moreover she had her work in the world to do— -invaluable work we know it proved—and she felt that she could only do it -in an atmosphere of peace and quiet. - -Assuredly it was not an easy situation to face. Looking back upon the -whole story after more than half-a-century, one cannot but wish that she -had simply _compelled_ S. J.-B. to realize the truth,—that she found -herself unable to live and do her work unless she could have the peace -that her soul loved, that—much as she had profited up to a certain point -by the stimulating friendship of one so unlike herself—the time had come -when she found that friendship too stimulating under present conditions. -Surely—one fancies—some arrangement might have been arrived at by which -so mutually beneficial a friendship might have been continued. - -Miss Hill, however, decided otherwise. In the watches of that first -night, after a long talk with her Mother (a talk that, in the nature of -the case, can scarcely have emphasized S. J.-B.’s point of view), before -she had even seen her friend, she resolved to forego even the semblance -of an attempt to reconcile these conflicting claims. Something must go, -and that something must not be the mother and sisters to whom she had -devoted most of her ardent young life, the mother and sisters who -depended on her wisdom and goodness more even than they knew. - -It was one thing to make the great resolve: it was quite another to -explain it to the friend whose one conscious desire was to make Octa’s -life an easy one. - -So she set her face like a flint, and, for the first time in the course -of their friendship, she refused to see S. J.-B.’s side of the question -at all. Peace must be secured at all costs, and, if peace was to be -secured, this delightful exacting friendship must end. S. J.-B. might -retain her rooms for the time as a matter of business— - -But neither S. J.-B. nor her indignant Mother would listen to that. - -Well, then, let it all go. The time for half measures—or so Miss Hill -thought—was over. All intercourse must cease. “The relentless knife must -cut sheer through.” - -How much the effort cost her we gather from the extent to which she -overdid the part. She was at the end of her tether, so to speak, and -acting, doubtless, on an instinct of sheer self-preservation, she would -allow no discussion of any kind. She set her face so flintily that S. -J.-B. was driven in uttermost bewilderment to the conclusion that the -complete withdrawal was due to some extraordinary aberration on the part -of her friend—an aberration for which so noble a being could not be -responsible, and which might therefore come to an end as suddenly as it -had begun. A thousand times she had said to herself, “Everything will be -right when Octavia comes!” And now, behold, Octavia was here, and it was -no Octavia. It was a fairy changeling to whom the beautiful past was a -thing unknown. The rupture was so complete that it was no rupture. It -was a nightmare, an inexplicable darkness at noonday, something so -contrary to all known laws of nature that it could not last. This hope, -this attitude of expectancy, was encouraged by the extraordinarily -tender and appreciative letters which, at intervals for some years, -broke through Miss Hill’s reserve. In one of these letters, dated Nov. -5th, she writes: - - “Oh, Sophy, how splendidly you and your Mother did act those last days - that now seem so far away.... When I see how deep your forethought - was, so loving as to have remembered the very slightest things that - might be the least trouble to us when you were no longer near to take - care of us, one feels as if an angel had (may I not say still is - taking) care of us.” - -A generous letter indeed, but in the face of such letters was it any -wonder that S. J.-B. failed as of old to grasp the extent of the -difficulty,—that she refused to accept the situation as final,—that she -lived on in hope, and often all but intolerable suspense? “Did I want to -learn constancy?” she says. - -If the lesson was needed, most assuredly it was learned. Till the close -of her life the friendship on her side remained unbroken, although she -ceased in time to speak of it even to her most intimate friends; in -repeated wills she left the whole of her little property to Miss -Hill,[21] and, although other friends came in time to fill the empty -place—although she even wrote playfully in her diary some twenty years -later of her “fanciful faithfulness”—until the eve of her last illness -she would not extinguish the hope that “even in this life” the -friendship might be renewed. - -Footnote 21: - - Until circumstances rendered Miss Hill independent of such aid. - -One might say more than this. From the time of the rupture, Octavia Hill -became to S. J.-B. a pure ideal—something of what the subject of the _In -Memoriam_ was to the author of that wonderful threnody. - -In any case the whole history of the friendship was destined to lie on -higher levels because Octavia Hill had felt bound to break it off. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - A STEP BEYOND - - -It has never been customary among students of human nature to attach -great importance to the outpourings of a romantic friendship, save in -the rare cases where these have achieved consummate literary form. The -religion of the adolescent, too, is a thing that we are apt to take a -good deal for granted. In S. J.-B.’s case, however, the ideal—the -vision—to which this brief friendship gave rise throws a light on -potentialities of feeling and expression which we should otherwise never -have had. The fact that so apparently transient a gleam should have -given rise to a great and lasting inspiration lifts the passages that -follow quite out of the category of the great mass of similar -experiences. - -The effect of one personality upon another is a thing we can never -predict and seldom explain. It is not a mere question of addition or -even of multiplication. The process is a vital one which can never be -mechanically reckoned out. We all see over and over again in life how -the receiver may contribute as much as the giver—the pupil no less than -the teacher. When the word of God went forth from Sinai, we are told, -_each man heard it in the tongue in which he was born_. - -In any case that strange and new experience came with the force of a -ferment to S. J.-B. “She was never the same again,” says a lifelong -friend, looking back on the whole history after more than fifty years: -“it cut her life in two.” But the cutting in two—like the division of -the primordial cell—was the earnest, not of death, but of life on a -larger scale. - -“My Mother’s full glorious sympathy! What could I do without that? God -bless her, my darling,—mine for ever.” - -So writes S. J.-B. in the first days of her trial. If anyone knew the -meaning of the words, “as one whom his mother comforteth,” it was she. - -And never did she need that comfort more than now. She left the house in -Nottingham Place at once, but she gallantly finished her term at Queen’s -College and then went home to Brighton. “I must _not_ get bitter and -cynical,” she says. “I don’t think I shall. And yet the crash has been -awful.” - -As often before in lesser troubles she was thrown back on her own deep -religious faith. - - “Bankrupt?” she asks herself. “No, by God’s grace, no! No personal - trouble, no trouble of any kind, _can_ wreck a life in His charge. - Still His,—that the strong, the enduring thought. - - From this very threshold of pain, whatever be its present issue, shall - go forth an earnest patient life,—to continue Christ’s faithful - soldier and servant to my life’s end. - - Yes, I,—Christ’s soldier! Yes, earnestly, heartily, entirely, though - speculatively this Christ I know not,—though my mind asks in all - uncertainty What and Who?... - - Dogmas are one thing; life is another. - - Doing is clear; ‘doing the will,’—‘knowing the doctrine’ shall come - later. Not _believing_ though. I mean _understanding_,—receiving with - reason and mind.” - -So she prepared her altar, “and put no fire under,” but the flash came. - - “Dec. 13th. Sunday. 11.45 p.m. Who could have believed what a happy - holy evening has succeeded to all the pain, storm and whirlwind of the - morning? - - Dr. Smith’s death.[22] The loss of Octavia’s day,—her visit of one - hour; the utter stupor of misery. Then, with all the pain, the perfect - feeling of content and assurance of Rightness in things. Then this - happy evening, lifting me altogether out of myself and my pain into - the trials and struggles and efforts and interests of Lucy and Emily,— - and, thank God, the power of helping both. Now this calm perfect - peace, which sends me to bed ‘resting.’... Oh, God is most merciful, - most bountiful. ‘Like as a Father pitieth his children’.” - -Footnote 22: - - Dr. Southwood Smith, Miss Hill’s grandfather. - - “12 p.m. Sunday night. - - Don’t chide me for writing late, Mother. I must speak to you. If I - could give you an idea of the peaceful, happy evening I have had,— - sending me to bed with a heart full of love and joy and thankfulness. - No, nothing has changed in outer things. I have no other news. But - perfect peace has come. I can hardly tell you how happy I am, Mother. - - I have had such a happy, holy evening with two or three of the - girls.... And God seemed to give me such wonderful power to help them, - and I believe He has helped them. And in all this—I know not how, but - I wake up at their departing ... to find that somehow God has rolled - away my burden utterly. - - I had forgotten it and myself altogether, and now I can find neither. - I can hardly believe in the pain and misery of the morning, it seems a - dim, far-off memory. - - Is it not wonderful, Mother? Goodnight, my own darling. - - Yours very very lovingly, - SOPHY. - - I do not know when I could so fully and entirely say, ‘I will lay me - down _in peace_ and sleep, for Thou, Lord, only makest me to dwell in - safety.’” - -Follows an undated fragment, probably written to her Mother next -morning: - - “—passed other quiet wayfarers, just as heavily weighted. How gentle - it ought to make one,—to see how utterly ignorant one may be of sorrow - at one’s elbow,—how one can only be _generally_ tender to people, if - one would escape striking down an already tottering neighbour because - one does not and cannot know his needs. - - It is only God who sees _which_ is the bruised reed, and cherishes - that specially,—or can do so. - - I am thinking how near 4 o’clock is coming. It may bring me a kiss and - a word from my darling. I am sure tonight’s post will at any rate. - - Well, dear, I have you always and forever, and with you only I could - never be desolate. And I have her too,—though she doesn’t know it now. - - Yours very very lovingly, - SOPH.” - - “4.30 p.m. Thanks, many, darling, for your loving little note. You - will know before this that the cloud is not dispersing in the way you - mean,—that it has only more fully and certainly overspread the sky. - Yet there is—and will be more and more, please God,—a light in it - too.” - - “Dec. 16th 1861. 8.30 p.m. - - MY OWN DARLING MOTHER, - - Thanks so many for the loving little scrap of letter which I - knew would come to comfort me. - - The sympathy is always delicious, but the active need for it is - utterly gone. You will have got my last night’s letter, so Mother will - not go to bed with a sad heart for her baby. - - Yesterday I was wondering how it should be possible that I should ever - live out the next three days till I got home to you. Now every sort of - trouble seems to have fled utterly away. I never knew before the - meaning of the words, ‘the peace that passeth understanding’.... - - I every now and then wake up with a kind of start of wonder to find - such a sunny smile of heart gladness all over my face. And people see - it too. It would be very odd if they didn’t when the whole world is - changed to me. It is the most wonderful separation of the inner from - the outer world that I ever knew. I suppose nothing is changed in the - physical world, but everything seems for me bright and golden,—as in - my Welsh tour with Octavia (I can speak of it and her now with perfect - quiet peace), as in those days at Hurst. - - Last night I thought it most glorious, but too delicious to last; but - it seems now the atmosphere of life, as if nothing can touch or shake - it.... - - Mother, a grand solemn wonder comes with it all, whether it is that - when we have actually and literally given up every will and wish to - God,—have rested utterly and entirely on Him with perfect trust— - whether then pain loses its power, and only blessing, even now, _can_ - come. - - ... if so, what a glorious future one sees for all the sorrowful - here,—for all the tried and suffering. ‘For _all_ the wanderers the - home is one’. The pain only till it has brought the bliss; the All- - loving Father that cannot wound but to heal. - - Now my spirit is so perfectly at rest, all my strength seems to have - come back to me like Samson. I feel as if Edinbro’ or anything else - was nothing to me. ‘He hath set my heart at liberty’,—that is the very - truth. Mother, how naturally in every depth of sorrow or joy one turns - to those words about which _verbally_ we quarrel,—not really or - deeply, Mother. - - Goodnight, my own Darling, - Yours very lovingly, - SOPH.” - -From diary: - - “Dec. 16th Monday. ‘For as soon as ever thou hast delivered thyself to - God with thy whole heart, and seekest not this or that for thine own - pleasure or will, but fixest thyself wholly upon Him, thou shalt find - thyself united and at peace.’ - - THOMAS A KEMPIS.” - - “Dec. 22nd. Sunday, 11 p.m. The last thread actually broken,—the - parting over. - - Left London on Thursday evening by the 8 p.m.... - - Well, it is all in hands that cannot err,—speculative sceptic as I may - be, practically my trust is as firm as the rock on which it rests. My - Father doth do all things well,—and even makes me feel it,—even now. - And surely, to take a lower ground, I have been an inapt pupil if the - lessons of the last few months have not taught me the utter - impossibility of calculating the possibilities of the future. - - Should I have believed from man or angel on Tuesday the first the - events of Thursday the last of October? - - But we don’t want low ground. He is the rock,—His work _is_ perfect. - - And He will care for my child.” - -Of course this mood of exaltation could not go on unbroken, except at -the cost of sanity itself. Hours of reaction had to come. “We might have -done _anything_ together, we two!” - - “Dec. 29th Sunday. Tonight the bitterness seemed doubled in finding - ‘my teachers removed out of my sight.’ I just feeling my way to - truth,—saved by her from so much doubt and possible infidelity. Well, - God will teach me, will He not, Himself,—so Mother said. I cannot (or - feel as if I could not: _cannot_ is not a word for ‘Christ’s soldier - and servant’, is it?) put it all away. I seem so physically weak and - _rotten_, so unable to exert will and force myself to be quiet. - - But I have found something to do. I behave infamously to the dear old - man. Well! I mean to throw my whole being into being a good child at - home. I _won’t_ be rude and bad to him! - - Now record this vow for a week,—don’t be superstitious, Jack; say ‘God - helping me’ and go on,—forget yourself. Just do this piece of work,— - and wait. - - So be it. - - What was the ‘chief evil’ to which the suffering must be directed to - be sufficient? - - ‘Selfishness,’ said I. - - Truly, Jack. And what is it but intolerable selfishness,—this brooding - over a ‘bootless bene’,—this expecting sympathy and all sorts of - kindness and excuse from my Mother and the rest, and talking about - nerves and fiddle-de-dees,—instead of forgetting myself and seeing to - my work and to other people. - - Well, God helping me, now for a new leaf—of strength and resolve - instead of whining self-pity.” - -It was with this inspiration that she wrote to one of her pupils: - - “Dec. 31st. 1861. - - DEAR LUCY, - - ... My Modern History was all right, thank you,—I forgot you had - it. By the bye, your handwriting seems to me to have ‘suffered an - improvement’—I must congratulate you. - - I am very glad you think I have helped you, dear child,—my life has - been a very pleasant one in London,—its memory will be pleasanter - still if it has been too not quite useless to some of the people who - have helped to make it so. I could not easily count the people who - have helped me,—some directly,—some merely ‘by living.’ It is a - glorious thing, is it not, to be a link in that chain of help which - encircles the world,—to pass on to another what one has given us,— - feeling how all our broken bits of help and gift are gathered up in - the perfection of the Great Giver and ‘Father of Lights.’ - - I do heartily hope that you will go back to Queen’s just to take and - hold your place in that chain. Only do quite resolutely take your part - for the highest and noblest,—remember ‘the soldier and servant’, and - remember how very far we are from helping when we acquiesce in any - wrong doing,—in any low standard of right and wrong, even by silence. - - I do not think it would be easy to over-estimate the importance of a - high pure tone among the leading girls at such a place as Queen’s,— - perhaps such as you and L. hardly know what a power lies in your - hands, for the very life of the College,—and mayn’t we look higher - than that, and say for our Master’s work? - - And after all that is the true and simple way of looking at it,—for - consequences we can’t calculate,—but we always can know right from - wrong, and the rest is not our affair. - - Well, dear child, God bless and guide you,—that is the true help.” - -And, finally, she writes in her diary: - - “Dec. 31st. 1861. The last day of the year! Now to ‘take stock’. I - have just finished, and balanced exactly my money matters (within a - deficit of 2s. 8d. with which I left London). Now for the moral and - historical. See the last volume for the beginning of the year. _How_ - well I remember the last day last year. Does she? How we did and - sorted accounts till the chimes,—and then leant together out of the - window in our new house fresh with plans and hopes, saying so - hopefully, - - ‘And may the New Year cherish - All the hopes that now are bright.’ - - And now truly almost, - - ‘For all my earthly hopes this (year) did kill.’ - - It is almost dreadful to look back and see how this book opens with a - jest. How full of joke and spirit all seems! The ‘deep waters’ have - come this year as never before. But it is a strange wild comfort to - find in myself so much _capacity_ for suffering. I had always despised - myself as a weak shallow nature, to leave others to suffer and escape - with a laugh.... - - (Wrote one last letter to Frid[23] tonight—for her birthday tomorrow. - Weak? I think not.) - - Well, now to ‘take stock’: - - The opening of the year, bright, clear, hopeful. Octavia’s visit to - the north, but that no real break. Our delight in our new house,—its - quiet and peace. Some disappointment is not letting, but that very - endurable. No bar to happiness.... - - Then the return of Frid and Florence. My unwilling acquaintance - ripening gradually into love for Frid, called forth perhaps first by - her great love for me. - - Then our glorious Whitsuntide at Hurst,—Octa and I. The few days - (Thursday to Tuesday) pure unmixed heart sunshine. Purer and deeper if - possible than that of Wales. - - Then the strange double summons on May 21st., she to Mary Harris, I to - the O’Briens. Coming like a thunderbolt on our week, but accepted by - both obediently and willingly. Together to London. Then my mission to - Tufnell Park. The hurried tea, the night mail, the parting hand - pressure as the train moved, ‘in the sure and certain hope’—is it - blasphemous so to use the words? I think not. There was a glorious - churchlike solemnity always on our love. Well!—then the five months’ - parting,—hard it seemed then, but painless—heaven—to what came after. - - Perhaps I am not yet meant to see the ‘why’ of all that followed.... - We seemed so helpful heavenwards to each other. Never seemed our love - truer, deeper, purer,—I know though _now_ that mine _could_ be all - three. - - Yet with all this wondering, I do and have felt most solemnly. Surely - it is best. ‘We shall see in Heaven why it could not be otherwise.’ - - At least, Octavia, you have never had (in me at least) so true and - deep and leal a friend as now,—and yet quieter and so stronger. - - And for her—God have her in His holy keeping! - - I feel some work has been done when I can say as deeply, truly as now - that no earthly blessing could seem to me (except relating to my - Mother) comparable to her restoration to me (for every feeling of hurt - or wound or injury seems merged in deep earnest love ‘beyond words’) - yet I am ready, and God helping me able to go through the world— - darkened and lightless as it seemed a few weeks ago—and feel it yet my - Father’s own world, ‘very good’ yet: ready in it manfully and - cheerfully to take up my burden, and again and forever as ‘Christ’s - faithful soldier and servant’ to fight manfully till my life’s end—so - help me God!” - -Footnote 23: - - Miss Miranda Hill. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - FIRST EXPERIENCE OF EDINBURGH - - -It is the great miracle of life—that first glow and uplifting of the -soul in touch with the Unseen. “The immediate consciousness of the -religious man,” said Hegel, “has in it an infinite worth, because an -infinite content.” For the moment it seems as if all the difficulties of -life were swept away, as if nothing temporal could matter any more. But -if the world at large is to be ennobled and spiritualised by these -individual experiences, the inspiration has got to be worked out in “the -commonplace clay with which the world provides us.” - -And here comes in an all-important point, to which, on the whole, far -too little significance has been attached. To some of those who have the -vision, Fate gives a tractable, malleable lump of clay, limited in mass, -fine in texture, ready to respond to the lightest touch of the potter: -and so we get sweet and saintly characters whose lives will bear the -minutest inspection—such characters as Maurice and Eugénie de Guérin, or -the wonderful family described in _Le Récit d’une Soeur_. But there are -some to whose lot a very different problem falls. The big and rough jobs -of the world-spirit have to be tackled somehow. There are unwieldy -masses of clay, full of grit and impurities, masses that do not seem to -respond to the creative impulse at all. Rough handling, bold tunnelling -may be required; and if it be true,—as it is—that the first beauty of -the spiritual vision seems degraded in _any_ attempt at realization, how -much more is this the case when the seer is baffled and thwarted at -every turn by the sheer inertness and stupidity of the lump, so to -speak, when he is forced to resort to almost brutal methods in order to -get his idea expressed at all. - -God gives man the vision and the lump of clay; and many a man who -escapes the censure of his fellows gives back the two separately to God, -like the talent wrapped in a napkin: some men are privileged to return a -piece of work that all eyes can value in a trice: and some, “with aching -hands and bleeding feet” have merely blocked out a great conception, -have half-unconsciously drafted the rough outline of one of the -Almighty’s big schemes, an outline on the details of which smaller souls -will be abundantly occupied for generations to come. - -Before we judge of the finish of a man’s life, before we judge of its -correspondence with what he believes to be his inspiration, let us ask— -What was the extent of the problem it had to grapple with?—What was the -mass and what the condition of the clay?—What, in a word, was the man’s -_task_? - -There must, of course, be some sort of affinity, some mesmeric -attraction,—even if this should seem to show itself in an actual -distaste—between the man and the task. So far as human stupidity makes -this possible, we must believe that God Almighty chooses His man, and -the work of the Almighty would be singularly limited in range if He -chose for His purpose only those whose natural endowments are such as to -make them an unqualified credit to any cause they may espouse. - -All this must be specially borne in mind in judging the subsequent life -of S. J.-B. We are bound, of course, to ask how she worked out in life -this beautiful vision of her adolescence—bound to ask how she realized -in practice the “infinite (potential) worth and content” of that first -radiant consciousness; but before we attempt to answer the question, we -must take into full account the extent and the difficulty of the task -that fell to her share, and we must give full weight to the natural -attributes which were the tools placed at her disposal. - -It is clear that there was about her a doggedness, a high-handedness, a -disregard of tradition, an actual—if superficial—roughness, which are -not common qualities among the highly-educated of either sex, and which -were never admired in her own. On the other hand, the reader of the -foregoing pages will no longer need to be told of her tenderness and -sensitiveness—of a capacity for loving and for suffering only -commensurate with her power of inspiring love, of incurring suffering. -In a sense she was a born fighter, but it is a very nice question how -far she enjoyed a fight. Thousands of times throughout life she might -truly have repeated the extract from her diary quoted on p. 46: - - “This brought down an awful storm of wonder, reasoning, etc., till at - length I got off to bed _so_ tired.” - -The diary continues after the extract quoted in the last chapter: - - “And now to turn to the outer facts of life. - - Here I am, my London College life over, with all its pleasures, all - its cares, all its responsibilities, all its glorious delight at - times. - - Ten terms have I kept,—ten passed since the beginning of that second - volume of mine! How sorrowfully meagre seems the record. Yet ‘the - world could scarcely contain’ what _might_ have been written. - - My rooms in Nottingham Place given up (first and second floors let to - Vs.). The world before me. Alice only bound to me. My life in Scotland - to begin whenever rested. Wants sufficient resolution to make that - ‘when.’ Yet I expect very needful. - - I suppose the shock to my whole being of the last three months could - not be easily reckoned. Two months today since I left N.P.! - - Again the burden has been lightened since my resolve (how inadequately - worked out!) of Sunday night. Not only Watch, but _Work_ and wait!... - - By-the-bye, Frid’s lovely Christmas gift,—Christ on the Cross. The - Child Christ and verses (her’s?) - - ‘The love that brings salvation - _Shall_ at last prevail!’ - - Amen.” - -“My life in Scotland to begin whenever rested.” - -It is not easy to say what induced S. J.-B. to seek farther education in -Scotland, except that she was anxious to extend her experience in every -possible way. A few years later, thanks to the efforts of Mrs. -Crudelius, Professor Masson, Miss Louisa Stevenson, and others, the -University Classes for Women at Shandwick Place were successfully -started, but in 1862 there is no reason to think women were better off -in Edinburgh than in any other town of the same size. A report seems to -have gone forth, however, of the superior advantages offered by some -institution, and S. J.-B. went north—accompanied by her faithful maid, -Alice—full of hope and ambition. On her last night at home, by an -interesting coincidence, she heard a sermon that impressed her on the -text: “They have no changes: therefore they fear not God.” - -The link that bound her with the world on which she was entering was of -the slightest. Mrs. Burn Murdoch (_née_ Miss Dora Monck Mason) was an -old schoolfellow, a contemporary of Caroline Jex-Blake, and the -traveller carried with her an introduction to Miss Margaret Orr, sister -of Captain (now General) Orr who afterwards married one of the Norfolk -cousins, Miss Henrietta Cubitt. In these acquaintanceships—both of which -were to ripen into lifelong friendships—S. J.-B. was very fortunate; but -as far as the immediate object of the pilgrimage was concerned, she was -destined to bitter disappointment. - -Here is her own account of her first lesson: - - “Then went in to the Arithmetic class. Found the first division doing - Proportion! And, oh, such teaching! First question:—‘If cloth is - bought for 2s. a yard, at what price must it be sold to gain 25 per - cent?’ ... exhortation following in this style,—‘Now say and exameen - carefully’ (_broad_ Scotch) ‘I think ye’ll find it need consideration, - etc.’ ‘It’s not quite a deerect question, etc., etc.’ ‘Now what will - be the third terrm?’ ‘Stand up the ladies who can answer. What, Miss - McCreechie! I think ye’ll hardly tell me, but ye can try, etc., etc.’ - And, sure enough, long took this abstruse question to solve. - - And such a lesson! No explaining,—some scolding, some shouting,—a good - deal of cry and small wool. Then he came to me. ‘Can ye do - proportion?’ ‘Yes (!) I want to do Algebra.’ ‘Ay,—but that’ll be - Friday. But do ye know Fractions?’ I intimated an idea that I did. He - didn’t seem at all to believe it,—‘did I understand them?’ I felt - rather absurd and hypocritical, and again said I _did_ rather - decidedly. However not a bit would he believe me,—gave me (as a severe - test, I suppose) ¾ x ⅝ to do and explain. Well,—did it! ‘But why?’ I - am sure I shall always hereafter have pity on unfortunate examinees - pounced upon. The whole thing seemed so absurd,—I was so annoyed,—it - seemed so silly standing up by that imp of a Sandy with a slate,—that - I very nearly failed to give any rational explanation. However I did - somewhat, and he had rather grudgingly to grant, ‘Ay, I see ye know - it.’ Then, when I asked him about the Algebra, it seemed he had none - but quite beginners (don’t I pity them?) and ‘it wasn’t his subject’! - in fact, clearly enough he didn’t know as much as I did. Amazed at my - astounding erudition, ‘Where had I learned?’ ‘Oh, in England.’ ‘Ay?’ - (very surprised) ‘the English gairls generally come very bad at - Arithmetic,—we’ve one just now doesn’t know her tables.’ I laughed - out. ‘Well, you mustn’t take her for a specimen.’ He seemed to think - that the national average! ‘Ay, but most we’ve had are very bad at - it,’ very resolutely. He must be a good judge by the specimen I saw. - Well, he kept hovering round me as a sort of strange animal, and told - me how the girls changed every year, and how he went through from the - First Rules to Decimals as the _ne plus ultra_.” - -Clearly there was nothing to be gained here, so next morning she -“explained and apologised” to the Principal, and found him “very nice -and pleasant.” Her first impulse was to go straight back to London (in -fact arrangements were made for her to live with Miss Wodehouse and -study at Bedford College) but in the end wiser counsels prevailed. That -arithmetic class was not the high-water mark of Edinburgh achievement -even as regarded the education of its women. S. J.-B. made the -acquaintance of Miss Blyth, who introduced her to Mr. Begbie, Miss de -Dreux and others, so she settled down to a varied course of work, living -comfortably in lodgings with Alice to “do for her.” To Mr. Begbie she -expresses her gratitude over and over again. - - “Mathematics not much with S. In answer to Miss de Dreux told the - truth. They so nice sensible and honest,—teachers born, ‘without - respect of persons’. Mr. Begbie glad to hear truth,—promises me a - better far tomorrow. Mr. Weisse a good teacher,—right good. German - less formidable than I expected.” - -One gathers from the letters that she made an extraordinarily vivid -impression on her teachers: several of them refused to take fees, and -Mr. Begbie persisted in his refusal. - -“Miss de Dreux said my coming and work had given her a fresh impetus and -help forward. Isn’t that nice?” - -On the whole these first months in Edinburgh though she talks afterwards -of their “grey pain,” were perhaps the high-water mark of S. J.-B.’s -life as regards sheer balance and beauty of living. She was having, it -is true, no physical recreation, but, apart from that, her faculties -were all called equally into play. She was working steadily and hard, -chiefly at her beloved mathematics: her wider reading included _Jane -Eyre_, _Le Juif Errant_ and _Aids to Faith_: she was profoundly -interested in religious problems and conscientiously attended the -churches of the best-known Edinburgh ministers: she was happy in her -friendships, and still more in the passing beauty of her relation to her -Mother: above all, the flame of her religious life—in which was almost -merged at this time her devotion to Miss Octavia Hill—was burning with a -clearness that made it easy to ignore the little jars and frictions. -Even politics were not crowded out. “Daddy is here,” says Mrs. Jex-Blake -in one of her letters, “and says, ‘Tell dearest Sophy I would not have -the _Times_, which she makes such excellent use of, given up on any -account.’” - -One cannot read the record of this period of her life without feeling -that it was mainly here and now that her character was made,—that it was -the resolute determination with which she took to work and stuck to it -as the remedy for intolerable heartache—that enabled her in later years -to bear the brunt of all she came through. - -It is interesting to hear what she herself has to say about the various -elements in her life referred to above: - - “There never was such a book as _Jane Eyre_—of its kind. Talk of - ‘finding’—that finds me through and through continually. How people - _dare_ speak ill of such a book,—I suppose they simply can’t - understand it. Its grand steadfastness and earnestness and purity, is - something glorious. I read and re-read it as I never could another - novel, and how it helps one!” - -Again: - - “_Aids to Faith_ put into my trunk by that dear old Mother who in her - weaker moment entertains an uncomfortable kind of desire to - proselytize me,—and yet can’t be quite dissatisfied. - - Immensely interested in _Aids to Faith_. Read Cook’s Ideology and - Subscription, Brown’s ‘Inspiration,’ and am reading Mansel’s - ‘Miracles.’ The last gives me a glimpse of light and clearness I never - had before. As far as I have read (and remember _Essays and Reviews_, - which I must get) I think this side has it. As to Ideology I don’t - understand it and don’t like to take the whole account from the - adverse side (though there seems great fairness and scholarlike - equity). As to subscription, I think Cook has it,—I never could - heartily sympathize with the other position, though I know it is held - by quite good and honest men. I suppose one real question might - arise,—Who is to determine the real sense of the Church? For doubtless - very grave doubts are found among equally good men. - - As to ‘Inspiration,’ though I like the Essay, I hold more with E. and - R. a good deal. Most of all with Coleridge as quoted in _Aids_,—‘what - finds me’ is its own witness, but why impose upon me what is not, - because bound in the same covers?” - -One finds among her papers brief notes of sermons by Rainy, Candlish, -Guthrie and Pulsford, of whom the last appealed to her most. - - “The prayers are what I can’t manage in the Scottish kirk. ‘Other - people’s’ need too much effort to approve or disapprove to leave your - spirit free to _pray_. I find more and more the value and _rest_ of - the Liturgy.... Saw Unitarian chapel. Shall I go? Don’t expect to be - in near such real sympathy as with Church of England. Octa always said - so. Bless her!” - -For many reasons she was anxious to bring herself into line with the -orthodox; she accuses herself of being too ready for an argument with -her Calvinistic friends (what earnest spirit is not too ready for an -argument at her age?) and at this time she read the Gospels carefully -through “with a fresh mind,” taking notes that might have a bearing on -dogma. If it distressed her to arrive at an unorthodox conclusion, this -was mainly because such a conclusion seemed to separate her from those -she loved best. - -In the meantime she had made the acquaintance of Mr. Pulsford, and had -called to have a talk with him about her difficulties. - - “Much helpful sympathy and no horror of my questionings (how helpful - that is!) but not much direct word gain. I suppose it must be _lived_ - out. He clearly does hold the Trinity, yet not, I think, as some do. - Certainly not the vicarious Atonement. He uses nearly Maurice’s - words,—‘To present humanity perfect to God.’ (I think they are - Maurice’s.) He believes Christ the man to have been God, but at first - in His manhood unconscious of His Godhead. This seems to me very - questionable and not clear. However, as I said—and he agreed - thoroughly—not being a question of spirit but of history, it is not - vital to me now, and living and desiring to know, we _shall_ know. - - He again spoke strongly of not talking to people who _can’t_ - understand.” - -The contrast of the next paragraph in the diary is irresistible: - - “A mouse caught at last. Odd, how it annoys me! ‘Shall I drown it, - ma’am?’ ‘Oh, let it eat its cheese first!’ How Octa’d laugh! Faugh!— - poor little thing, how it struggled for its life,—and how my heart - beat! It was some courage to resolve it shouldn’t suffer longer than - need be.” - -About her friends she has much to say as usual. On March 31st she writes -to Cousin Ellie: - - “Now for friends. I think I really may put that word to Dora Burn - Murdoch and Margaret Orr, short as the time seems in days since I have - known them; but then days sometimes go for weeks and they have both - been _so_ kind to me. ‘I was a stranger and they took me in.’ [Dora’s] - charity for others is something quite beautiful, her unconsciousness - of other people’s inferiority to her,—her width of thought, and power - of understanding those differing most widely from herself—most - admirable. You never hear her by any chance say a harsh thing, a - spiteful thing or a narrow thing,—neither do you ever hear a weak - one.” - -She speaks many times in her diary of the rest and refreshment derived -from visits to Mrs. Burn Murdoch. But she was working too hard, and Mrs. -Jex-Blake’s letters at this time take on an even deeper note than usual -of love, appreciation and solicitude. Varieties of note-paper were not -great in those days, so S. J.-B. had possessed herself of a large -quantity of common brown envelopes (similar to those used for the -delivery of telegrams) in order that her Mother might see at a glance— -without putting on her spectacles!—whether the postman had brought the -all-important thing. Many are Mrs. Jex-Blake’s references to “the -precious brown envelope,” “the dear brown letters”; and well might she -prize them. Indeed one does not know which to admire more,—the -painstaking labour with which S. J.-B., at the end of a hard day’s work, -strove to keep her Mother informed of all she was thinking and doing and -trying to do—or the painstaking labour with which her Mother strove to -understand and sympathize. She writes at great length about _Jane Eyre_, -about the higher education of women, and she enters into her daughter’s -religious arguments with a largeness of soul that is simply uplifting: - - “I expect,” she says, “I quoted in commas the very words _you_ wrote - about the Atonement. The rest was, of course, my able and learned - commentary. I _think_ I did take your words in your sense, though I - couldn’t help their _expanding_—you will perhaps say, narrowing,—in my - view. He will guide us both into all truth.” - -The following extracts give some idea how these beautiful letters go on: - - May 6th. “I don’t think I ever had a letter from you that I did not - enjoy and enter into sympathy with, because I never will open them - _till_ I can enjoy them. Sometimes one has come at dinner time with - others when Mr. O. has been here, and he has said,—‘Why don’t you open - the brown letter? I know it interests you.’ I answer, ‘Just because I - can’t fully enjoy it’.” - - May 7th. “You have a glorious field of usefulness before you. No one - can guess to what extent you may be permitted to be useful to the - generations to come. Plod on; expect rough waves that seem ready to - overwhelm your best energies, and almost quench life; but One sitteth - above the water floods Who will always bear you through.” - - May 8th. “My heart’s desire is that you should know _the truth of - God_, whether it be what I believe or not, and that I should know it - too.” (Previously she had written,—“I was thinking today how surely - God would guide you into all truth,—this text confirming the thought,— - ‘If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it - be of God.’) - - I think my cup of blessing would be fuller than I could bear did _we - two_ fully agree on that which must be all-absorbing and by far the - most interesting of subjects. Though C. and I essentially agree, we - cannot communicate with each other—our natures are so different. I - don’t think I do her justice or fully understand her.” - - May 9th. “We do well to struggle against that weary powerless feeling, - because, given way to, it might overcome all power of energy, but I - quite believe it is sometimes part of appointed discipline, and it is - no use to quarrel with ourselves for it. Still I do incline to believe - in your present case it proceeds from exhaustion of the nervous - system, occasioned by a shock struggled against with all your power. - You will be better when Dora is back, and you get real interchange of - thought and loving sympathy. God bless her for giving it to my - darling. Try not to allow yourself to think on getting up,—‘How long - will it be before I lie down to rest again?’ Remember you desire to - give yourself to service, though not so active just now, for others. - Remember as a help how many bless you for having sped them on their - way. Your want just now is someone to be helped and braced for - usefulness.” - -(“Never fail,” writes Mr. Jex-Blake, “to tell me of any case you know of -like that of the suffering governess; it is blessed to receive in such -cases, but doubly blessed to give.”) - - May 10th. “Own darling, you write me such charming long letters, you - quite spoil me.... I suppose your work in Edinburgh has been very - intense while it lasted, and proportionately exhausting,—and then you - don’t, as a schoolboy does, get any reaction the other way. You have - no one to play with,—_no_ positive recreation. I always think the - games and perpetual ‘outings’ in public schools such a fine - arrangement; and then an Oxonian or Cantab. has his boat or his ride, - My darling has positively nothing. Don’t little one overwork herself: - such concentration of thought as you give in one hour is very - exhausting.” - - May 11th. “I fear it is impossible for me fully to appreciate your - child, and, even had you done differently, I question whether she and - I ever would have got at each other, but I _quite_ believe in the - noble-heartedness you speak of. I would with avidity seize any opening - she offered, but I fear she will not make it. In the present - distortion of vision, she is more likely to suppose I am inclined to - alienate you from her. Had your’s been a common friendship, I should - have thought it possible that ‘Art might conceal too much,’ but she - knows you in spite of all your faults and independently of them,—and - surely the wine was a messenger of love. You _dared_ not have sent it - had you not been bound up in her.” - -On a previous occasion Mrs. Jex-Blake had written on this subject: - - “How very remarkable and interesting is Mr. Pulsford’s statement about - valued friends apparently lost for a time. I had no idea that your’s - was a case that ever occurred,—I mean of increased love—a stronger, - deeper, truer love: it is really very grand.” “I fancy I like ‘Sorrow’ - better than ‘Fidelis,’[24] but the latter is wonderfully your picture. - _I_ can scarcely grasp it, though I wonder and admire.” - -Footnote 24: - - Poems by A. A. Procter. - - May 13th. “I have nearly finished _Jane Eyre_, and like much of it - exceedingly. What I object to is the personal handling she allows ... - and, grand as her conduct is, she marries a man of very exceptionable - conduct, and who to the last had a relish for swearing.... I think she - makes St. John very unfairly disagreeable,—his icy coldness very - unnatural....” - - May 15th. “Well, darling, you and I must wait to talk it out about - _Jane Eyre_. I shall never be able to write it out. It appears to me - you have built up a wall to knock down.[25] I don’t at all ask a - different code of morals for men and women. But I do wish a woman to - be refined and pure, not because I am conventional, but because I - think it essential to self-respect and dignity.... I don’t believe - high-toned governesses fall in love with their employers.... I think - it _very cruel_ upon the race of governesses to put it into people’s - heads they are to fall in love. I always, since I took a district in - 1836 felt the tenderest, most motherly pity for any misguided girl.... - I certainly never did or will read impure things in books or - newspapers. I consider familiarity with impurity rubs the bloom off - the plum, which never can be restored. Minds differ, some almost enjoy - to read queer things. Impurity does not seem to me to find any - response in you: you can come in contact and it runs off like - quicksilver—leaves no print. I don’t think that is common.” - -Footnote 25: - - The letter has not been preserved. - - “A letter from Elinor. She talks of enjoying your letters so much.... - I am very glad Plumptre has sent you a testimonial you like. I fully - expected he would send (if asked) a _very_ handsome one. - - The world has many kind hearts, has it not?—none like my own child.” - -And again, talking of a sermon she had heard: - - “I thought of my precious child when he pictured a strong character - with exceeding depth of tenderness and gentleness.” - -One understands more and more fully the fervour with which S. J.-B. was -wont to say in her later years,—“No one ever had such parents as mine!” -“How I _wish_ you had known my mother!” - - * * * * * - -One naturally treats S. J.-B.’s religious life at this time as something -apart from her questionings about dogma, for indeed the two belonged to -different categories of her being. The following is one of the few -letters of this period that have been preserved: - - 8 p.m. March 17th, 1862. - - “DARLING MOTHER,—I know you care to hear all your child’s - thoughts and hopes and feelings,—I know you will not condemn for - conceit and egotism what might seem so to other people. - - I want to talk to you,—I feel so sure you want to hear. I want to tell - you what a glorious Strength and Power has come out of all the sharp - pain,—how I feel that I am a better person, a stronger and more real - one, than I ever was before.... - - Some one says that it is ‘not pain undergone but pain accepted’ that - bears fruit an hundredfold. You know the acceptance has not been - easy,—you know sometimes the flints have cut my feet deep enough, but - thank God for two things—I never for any single moment lost the - absolute certainty of Infinite Love and Wisdom ‘brooding over the face - of the waters,’—the certainty of my Father’s arms around me,—and - secondly that no suffering or pain could shake the love that has never - been half so strong, so real, so ideal, so unselfish as now. I doubt - if I ever half knew what being a friend was before,—I think I have - earned the knowledge now—some of it. - - And, Mother, about my work. I cannot tell you the strong exulting - feeling that seems to set God’s seal to my work, in that through all - the personal agony I have held firm to _that_: at no moment, I - believe, would I have purchased what I longed for most on earth at the - price of that,—that I have felt through all ‘The light may be taken - out of my life (and thank God how far that is from being so!) but the - object never can!’ Don’t you know how the lines that reminded us of - the oath upon our head, that bade us ‘never again our loins untie, or - let our torches waste or die’ was the strong helpful thing through it - all. - - And though I did believe in myself—and _thou_ ever didst believe in - me, Mother!—yet so long as my work ‘walked in silken shoon’ and lay - side by side with the pleasantest life possible for me, there was a - certain thought about fair weather sailing,—a certain (not doubt, but) - diffidence in looking on to the time of breakers,—a feeling as of - David, ‘I have not _proved_ them.’ But now I feel that I have come to - the proof,—that my armour has not failed in the battle,—something the - sure happy confidence (farthest of all from presumption) ‘I can do all - things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ You can’t think how it - ‘heartened’ me (you know that nice old word?) to find that truly as - well as verbally my work does hold the first place.... - - I am beginning to have hope, Mother! If I only suffer enough—and I - don’t believe mine will ever be a smooth or easy life—I may yet be fit - to _be_ the head for which I am looking so earnestly.... - - But all seems centred in the one thought, ‘Lead Thou me on!’—or - rather, not ‘me’ but ‘us,’—all the wanderers. - - Yours very lovingly, - SOPH.” - -Not that S. J.-B. was ever conventional even in her religion. Here is a -characteristic extract from the diary of the same period: - - “You never have the common honesty, Jack, in this most private journal - (they say hardly anyone _has_) to put down the thought if it crosses - your mind ‘Well, I think I am rather a fine fellow’ or its equivalent. - Because it never comes? Oh, dear your precious ‘humility’! I wish Miss - W. could look into you:—_do_ you? Not you, you humbug! - - ‘Well, but,’ (retorts S. J.-B. accused) ‘I _do_ work with a single - purpose,—I _have_ tried very hard, and, am sure, succeeded somewhat in - this hard battle of these months,—what is the good of pretending to - call myself names? Did not Job ‘maintain his integrity’? - - You coward! You must skulk behind Job. Looks respectable, does it? Say - honestly ‘I do try harder than some people do,’ for in truth I believe - that is all your conceit does amount to. - - I know from my heart I do recognize and reverence holiness and purity - as far above mine as Snowden to a mole-hill. And _is_ that conceit? I - don’t believe it is. No,—‘Not guilty, S. J.-B.’ Plead boldly, and - don’t give in for shamefacedness. And besides you have no right to - deny His triumph ‘Who giveth us the victory,’—by fighting modest on - the sham. You _have_ won some victories. Thank God quietly, and - pressing on to the things before. ‘I press towards the mark.’ God - knows—and _you_ know—there are enough to win. Oh, _how_ far away lies - doing even what is our ‘duty to do.’ But I don’t know that the realest - soundest life limits itself to calling itself ‘miserable sinner.’ - Zacchaeus told Christ what he tried to do. He did not rebuke him as - man does and say, ‘No, believe yourself utterly vile (for the glory of - your Maker?)’ - - There,—go to bed, S. J.-B.” - -A few days later she recurs—as often—to the broken friendship: - - “... Well, I note markedly how, with all this light, all this growth,— - respecting the suffering—(and I think all this would have brought a - ‘right judgement’ too) I do not swerve one iota from my judgement of - _facts_. I cannot conceive it one hairsbreadth more possible that any - but a mental cloud can have worked in the way it has,—that under any - possible circumstances my child, with her glorious nature and heart, - can have acted as her image has....[26] - - But while I have at last manfully and honestly and cheerily faced the - possibility of never seeing her again on earth—while I believe my - loins are girded for the way quite irrespective of any future fate - regarding her and me—while, having put my hand to the plough, God - shall grant me grace never to look back even for her (who, God knows, - is far enough before me) never to linger irresolute with thoughts that - should and shall urge me to double speed,—yet it is curious how the - whole fashion of my life shapes itself with the _arrière-pensée_ of - being ready for her ‘at midnight or cock-crowing or in the morning,’— - saving with the thought of her as well as myself,—looking at every - path as it opens to see that it is wide enough to tread together if - she joins me ere its end,—making the most of the working time now that - a pause of rest may fall due whenever she comes to claim the ‘moon.’ - - And I think, could she see my thoughts, my plans, my work, my - resolves, she would not have them otherwise.” - -Footnote 26: - - More than a year later Miss Hill wrote: “I wonder if it would be any - comfort to you if you could know the infinite love the thought of you, - specially of any pain of yours, calls up ... how passionately do I - cling to a like trust in you that your pain may not be tenfold - increased ... by any sense of desertion in spirit.... And yet, Sophy, - this thought of me must fail you as time goes on, for you cannot see - why I act as I do.... My love will be ready for you when He who is - teaching us both shall bring us together again.” - - - - - CHAPTER X - GERMANY - - -It was perhaps well that an interesting new factor came into S. J.-B.’s -life at this moment. Miss Elizabeth Garrett (afterwards Mrs. Garrett -Anderson, M.D.) had made up her mind to be a doctor, and, in the teeth -of many difficulties and much opposition, was striving to obtain the -requisite education and prospect of examination. A great effort had been -made to get the examinations of London University opened to women, but -the resolution (brought forward by Mr. Grote) had been negatived by the -casting vote of the chairman—the vehement feeling shown by the -opposition being, in the opinion of the proposer, quite out of -proportion with the cogency of the arguments brought forward. - -Miss Garrett had been in correspondence with S. J.-B. for some time as -to the nature of the prospects in Edinburgh, in case London University -should fail, and after talking the matter over with Mr. Begbie and other -friends, S. J.-B. urged her to “come and see.” Small prevision had -anyone concerned of all that they were to see in Edinburgh a few years -later. - - “Miss Garrett and her strength!” writes S. J.-B. in her diary on May - 19th, “making me break the 10th commandment. She doing Trigonometry, - Optics, etc. Running where I crawl!” - -And on the 20th: - - “Today Miss Garrett’s business. Wrote about ‘Commission.’ Twice to - [Royal] Circus with very sore feet. Mrs. Darts, friend of Lord - Ardmillan. Lady Monteith (Lord Advocate). Argyle. Hope she will come. - It will be everything to have her to help a little if I can.” - - “May 29th. E. G. coming tomorrow,—sent her off a telegram this - afternoon in case she might stay another day for the report I - promised, and so lose tomorrow’s appointment with Balfour, whom I saw - today with that splendid man, Begbie, who went down last night and - this morning with me, and is to arrange with Newbiggin tonight for an - appointment for her. My sore foot quite lame and not helpful for this - bustle. However I believe I shall have done a bit of real work for - her, and, as I said to Begbie, if there _are_ such people, ready to - face such an ordeal let’s help them in God’s name. One great obstacle - the (sometimes) ‘faux air’ of consideration for ladies’ delicacy. - People don’t seem to see how that is _her_ affair. Besides she _has_ - faced it: it’s a day too late.” - -How familiar all this talk was to become some half dozen years later! - -Miss Garrett remained in Edinburgh for a fortnight, and during that -period the canvassing went on. Mr. Burn Murdoch used to say that, when -the two young women went about, interviewing great ladies and important -citizens, considerable surprise was expressed that Miss Jex-Blake was -not the applicant. She was so tall and high-spirited, with great -flashing dark eyes, while the real heroine was small and almost pretty, -and fair. - -Strangely enough, S. J.-B. was not at all fired at this time by Miss -Garrett’s example. She meant to be a teacher, and medicine as a -profession did not tempt her in the least. She had her doubts even about -the value to herself of a University degree in Arts (supposing it could -be had!) although Miss Garrett and Miss Emily Davies were both anxious -that she should be of their number. “Chiefly I want you to make up your -mind to obtain the University degree,” writes Miss Garrett. “You are one -of the few who could do so pretty soon, and it would take most women a -year and a half or two years to prepare for the Matriculation.” - -In any case the opportunity did not arise. The following letter to Mrs. -Burn Murdoch explains the situation: - - “June 21st, 1862. - - DEAREST DORA, - - I do not know whether we are to look upon the result of the - Physicians’ meeting most as a defeat or as a triumph,—the motion ‘to - consider the question of admitting Miss Garrett’ was negatived by 18 - votes to 16,—very disappointing as regards immediate results, but very - much as a victory for the principle, just as at London University. You - see they have _not_ refused to admit,—only postponed the question - indefinitely, so that, when time and opinion have been brought to - bear, they can again entertain it without inconsistency. - - In the meantime the expedition to St. Andrews was very successful,—Dr. - Day and Principal Tulloch were both warmly favourable, and it seems - quite probable that Miss Garrett would be admitted to the University - there,—only unfortunately you see there is no medical school there, - and so it would be but half a solution to the difficulties as she - couldn’t get ‘nice little subjects’[27] there.... - - I have only just come to anchor after some 36 hours’ incessant - trotting about, etc., so I daresay my intellects are ‘even weaker than - usual’ as C. A. would say. - - I suppose I may now thank you again on paper for all your help, dear - Dora. You can’t cough me down so conveniently. You don’t know how much - you have helped me through. - - Yours affectly, - S. L. J.-B.” - -Footnote 27: - - Talking of the difficulties in the way of Practical Anatomy, someone - had suggested that Miss Garrett should get ‘nice _little_ subjects.’ - -Previously to this decision, S. J.-B. had published sensible letters on -the subject in _The Scotsman_, _The Daily Review_ and other papers. She -also drafted an amusing letter in reply to her own, supposed to have -been written by one of the retrogressive “unco guid.” - - “Well, it was grand fun,” she says in her diary, “and, if it had got - in, might have played very well; but the chief temptation was the - immense fun it would be. E. G. and I both thought we could command our - faces. Her sister opposed, but we agreed, ‘No harm. We don’t sign to - it,—and it’s what some might say; and, if the _Review_ puts it in, - it’s their look-out. It’s so weak, it can’t do harm that way.’ She - said, ‘Don’t let me know about it.’ I said she was very much like - ‘Tom, steal the apple, and I’ll have half.’ - - Well, we agreed to send it and no harm done. I went to bed. I wasn’t - quite content, yet I didn’t see any exact wrong,—and it was _such_ - fun!... - - Then somehow those dear eyes fixed themselves on me and I felt their - sad grieved look. I can’t, I can’t,—they would grieve,—‘Oh, Sophy!’ - - For a minute I went back,—‘Nonsense, no harm,’—then— - - ‘Let all thy converse be sincere, - Thy conscience as the noonday clear,’ - - and those words ‘righteous altogether’ rang in my ears.... - - I went out to the sitting-room and sat down to write, and my first - words to E. G. were, ‘Oh, I’ve annihilated the Review paper; it’s not - righteous altogether.’ She said instantly, ‘No, I’ve been thinking in - the night. I was going to advise you not to send it.’ - - My darling would be glad. God _bless_ her!” - - “‘Let all thy converse be sincere’: ‘and righteous altogether’.” - -A real fighting life lay before S. J.-B.—a life in which she received -and gave hard blows, and lost sight sometimes in the dust and turmoil—as -a fighter must—of the right on the adversary’s side; but the words -quoted above were the rock on which she built her achievement. One sees -now that often when lawyers and other well-wishers thought her candid to -the point of stupidity, she was simply determined that her converse -should be sincere, simply striving to be righteous altogether. - - * * * * * - -Her great desire for years had been to fit herself for the work of a -teacher, to found—or assist at the founding of—a wonderful college and -(as the very height of her ambition) to be perhaps herself the -headmistress. As she had planned Sackermena of old, so now she drafted -detailed schemes of work, organization, finance. Such schemes, however, -have been so much more than realized by the work of others that it is -useless to quote them. She took a keen interest in the school at Bettws- -y-Coed, offered prizes, set delightful examination papers in general -knowledge, and wrote stimulating letters to some of the elder girls. -Long before this she had written in her diary: - - “Read the account of the College in Ohio for both sexes. Well, ‘Be - thou but fit for the wall, and thou _shalt not_ be left in the way.’ I - do trust some day to graduate there or elsewhere. But still the great - thing is _to be able_; the actual fact matters little.” - -The reader will recall, too, the letter to her Mother: - - “I am beginning to have hope, Mother! If I only suffer enough,—and I - don’t believe mine will ever be a smooth or easy life,—I may yet some - day be fit to _be_ the head for which I am looking so earnestly.” - -Any girl in the present day who was fired with such enthusiasm would -have countless advisers ready and anxious to give the necessary -guidance. How different things were in S. J.-B.’s girlhood may be -gathered from the facts of her pilgrimage to Edinburgh and search for -education there. She wanted now to go farther afield—to study the state -of women’s education in France and Germany, and—after some considerable -hesitation—her Mother supported her in this desire. To her father, -however, the feminist point of view remained a sealed book—“Truly to -him,” she says at this time, “my whole life is as the ‘sight of dancers -to him who heareth not the music,’”—and many objections on his part had -to be overcome. Germany was so far away, and France was peopled with -Roman Catholics on the look-out to pervert Protestant girls. - - “While you are so young,” writes Mrs. Jex-Blake, “there will be a - fearful struggle to make Daddy bear your going abroad. We belong to a - Society for Governesses to protect them when they go for the - language,—young women have been sorely tried by _bad_ R.C.s to make - them perverts or corrupt them. And he has heard so much of this that - Germany would be less terrible to him than Paris.” - - “Written to Mummy at length about Germany,” she says. “Oh, the weary - kind of languor that deprecates work and talk! It seems almost too - much to have to do what is so hard, and to have, too, to justify it to - others.” - -The letter to her Mother has been preserved: - - “May 1st 1862. - - DARLING MOTHER, - - ... I had hoped that Germany was an accepted fact,—not only to - you, but to my Father, as at his (or your ?) wish I took that before - France, and at your’s before America. - - I believe, my darling, that I am trying to look simply and earnestly - at my life simply as an instrument for my work,—and shaping the one to - serve the other. - - I have long formed the conviction (which daily experience and the - opinion of others strengthens) that best of all now for my object will - be the devotion of years to the observation of other systems and the - endeavour to glean everywhere materials for my future edifice. I - believe that my work has come definitely before me as early as it did, - with the express intention that I should make this use of years which - later I could never recall. - - It seems to me the simplest verbal expression of the presenting our - lives a holy sacrifice, as is our reasonable service, to say,—God has, - I believe, given me this work. I have certain qualifications and - facilities for it. I will give up my life first to perfect those - qualifications and then to use them as He shows me how. So now my - whole intention and bent is to go anywhere in the world where, as it - seems to me on sufficient grounds, I may expect to learn most for my - work,—to learn what will make me myself a better scholar and to learn - what will most help me to organize (if organization falls to my lot) a - better system here in England. - - If I am myself to be the head, I will make myself as good a one, God - helping me, as He has put in my nature the material to make,—if I am - to be a servant I will certainly be as thorough and complete a one as - is in my utmost power. I do from the bottom of my heart pray God that - on no failure may be written, ‘Had I worked more earnestly, more - wisely, more diligently,—this had been avoided.’ - - You know, Mother, the purpose of my life,—you know the consecration, - as I trust, of every power to one aim,—you have helped me nobly, - gloriously to keep it in view,—you have told me that ‘manfully to - fight under His banner’ _is_ more blessed than ‘dreaming out life even - on Mother’s shoulder’.... - - Well, Mother, you know my object, you know my hope. Look for yourself - and tell me if you see for its fulfilment any course to be adopted - rather than the one which seems to me marked out. Look at the work and - that alone. Look at my life merely as the instrument,—see how it may - best be turned to account,—most solemnly it is my deepest desire to - arrive at a true answer. - - What could I be doing that would as readily and as really forward my - aim? In what way could I as usefully devote my time and power? - - I believe most earnestly that it is not to any one plan or scheme of - my own that I cling,—show me anything better for my work—show me - anything even that you yourself think as good for it (looking at it - only) and I am willing, renouncing every present thought, to take the - new into deep consideration, and trust to the guidance of the Light to - show me which is my appointed path. - - But take the question by itself,—satisfy yourself whether you think I - have judged rightly, as at least I have striven to judge honestly,— - and, if you arrive at my own conclusion I think you will feel that - _that_ is the only important thing,—that if we are enabled to - ‘perceive and know what things we ought to do’ we shall also surely be - given ‘power faithfully to fulfil the same.’ - - As I have said often before, if you and my Father ever need me at - home,—ever even desire my presence there,—I will relinquish for the - time everything to that which I am sure God would have me hold my - highest and dearest duty,—But I believe nothing else on earth must be - suffered to come between me and my work, and, please God, nothing - shall. - - I see ‘my Father’s business’ clearly before me,—help me, Mother, - wholly to consecrate my life as I would wish, to it. - - As to all questions of detail, I think, darling, you need not be - disturbed or anxious. Acting rightly, I am quite sure I shall be - always cared for far more than I deserve. I think you have, and may - have entire confidence in my practical common sense,—I think I have - already shown that I am not very likely to get into difficulties. You - have trusted me a great deal, Mother, have you had to repent it? - - You may be sure that I shall strive my utmost to do wisely as well as - rightly—indeed the one cannot be without the other. I think, moreover, - you will be almost certainly satisfied with my plans and - arrangements,—I am sure I have ‘caution’ strongly developed. And, - though it may seem more new to you, I am very unlikely to find in my - new life as difficult circumstances as those in which I have already - had to act. I think that you may have confidence that I know you trust - me, and that I shall not fail your trust. I think you may believe that - I shall know and think of your wishes. - - Then, as to any anxiety for myself. You have said much to me in the - trials of the last months which I would ask you to repeat to yourself. - You have told me to trust my darling in perfect faith to ‘Him who - keepeth Israel’ and whose love you tell me is deeper and truer than - mine. Can you not trust me to Him too? - - I think there were some circumstances which there are not here, which - did not make it easier. - - And in truth, Mother, what is there to fear? If God (as I believe) - needs my life to do a work for Him, He will surely keep it safely till - that work is accomplished. If He does not, wherefore should one live? - Could you regret for anyone you loved that they ‘in youth should find - their rest’? When one feels completely how each of us is a link in - God’s great chain,—how individual life and care sink out of sight, as - hardly worthy notice. How one feels the whole object and end of life - to be that God’s will should be done in us and by us in life and in - death. - - And whether in one or the other matters _so_ little.... - - You see, Mother, I have had very much lately to realise all this;—that - time and distance,—that all severance—are things of time—and shall be - cast into the lake of fire. That now we have to do God’s work, ... - that here we are not even to look for the fruition.... - - I have to cling very very earnestly now to principles,—I cannot see - for myself,—my teachers are removed out of my sight,—I can only cling - to the belief which is above and beyond all that that very sight and - those very teachers were but instruments of the great Guide,—and that - now without them, as before with them, ‘the Lord alone doth lead him.’ - As I said this morning, so it seems to me tonight the root and - fountain of everything ‘The Lord reigneth,—let the earth rejoice.’ - - Yours very lovingly, - SOPH.” - -It is not to be supposed—nor desired—that all her letters to her Mother -were on such a plane. Doubtless the weary flesh and spirit found -expression often enough. - -Of course that wonderful mother-heart never failed in sympathy, though -naturally the Mother’s mind did not know what the strain of a modern -woman’s life meant in those early days when circumstances were all -unadapted to meet the new demand. “Little darling shall have all the -rest I can help her to,” she writes about this time, “for greatly does -her troubled spirit need it.” - -And for a few weeks S. J.-B. really settled down to a restful time at -home. “I am just now chiefly living in the garden and stable in my -waking life,” she writes to Miss Lucy Walker, “but there is a sufficient -portion _not_ included in that.” - - * * * * * - -Meanwhile Miss de Dreux had recommended a family at Göttingen, who would -be glad to have an English boarder, and S. J.-B. arranged to go to them. -To the last moment before leaving home she was occupied in trying to -persuade the mother of a sick friend to let the invalid accompany her, -in the hope that change of air and scene might check the course of a -mortal malady. One cannot be altogether sorry—nor surprised—that the -mother refused. - -So S. J.-B. started alone on July 21st, and crossed from London to -Antwerp. “Delicious, cool and pleasant passage—smooth and comfortable. -Beds on deck in a kind of room knocked up under the ‘bridge.’ Quaint -night,—with crashing machinery, flashing lights, rough voices,— -altogether weird and quaint.” - -The choice of adjectives is curious, as it was not till many years later -that “weird” and “quaint” became the stock adjectives in the vocabulary -of the young. - -She spent the night at Cologne, and went on next day to Hanover and -thence to Göttingen. She was pleased with her quarters, her hostess, and -her reception. What the family thought of her is another question, to -which the records furnish no answer; for she was still feeling worn-out -in body and mind, and nature simply insisted on a rest cure. She seems -to have made little effort even to learn the language, much to the -amazement of the elder daughter, who had enjoyed the advantage of a -conscientious visit to England. So weary, indeed, was S. J.-B. that she -actually chronicles the “great blessing” of being freed from Sundays for -a while—of having rest all days, and “Calvinism, separation, none.” - - “How peacefully came over me today ‘One sweetly solemn thought’ as - they sat talking (I knew but a word or two) of someone found dead. How - uncongenial A.P.’s remark, ‘I find these so sudden deaths awful.’ What - she thought I don’t know, but I could not but say, ‘Oh, no!—going - home?’ - - August 18th. Everybody going ‘zu reisen,’—Rhine, Harz, everywhere. Ah, - childie, if you would only come quickly, we could have such a tour!— - Alps,—Mont Blanc,—Geneva,—Venice, wherever you would; in a few weeks - it will be too late. Too late! For _that_. But truly all _is_ ‘in the - fulness of time,’ and could we see and know, even our restless - impatience would not hurry it.... - - As to money, well enough. I really expect to clear £20 of my allowance - this quarter. I have that and about £1. 15s. in hand for stamps, - washing and wine to the end of the quarter, besides £9 for rent. How - jealously I do watch it! Really between my tour, my E.E.U.,[28] and my - distant college, I must look out that I don’t turn into a miser in - earnest! I get such a trick of watching and scraping halfpence! And - yet I don’t believe I should grudge them either if need were. - - And one must look to pence if one would do anything with pounds. - - Still, I believe of the two I have really more to look out against - ‘nearness’ than extravagance. I was right enough when I told Frid - (that poor little darling, I am sure her’s are ‘vicarious - sufferings’)[29] that she need never fear my spending 1/2d. I did not - see my way to. - - I expect, with my work, this is perhaps a fitness for it,—a surety - against a great danger.... - - “Today Lina and I reading English. Frau brought a young man out, and - Lina shut up all books at once—for the benefit of his remarks, I - suppose. I, rather wrath, took up Rawlinson.” - -Footnote 28: - - Englishwoman’s Educational Union,—a society planned by S. J.-B., which - should form a meeting ground for really qualified teachers, and also a - means of registration. - -Footnote 29: - - Miss Miranda Hill’s loyalty and devotion to S. J.-B. never flagged. - -During these weeks of comparative idleness, S. J.-B. was making -enquiries as to a place where she could profitably study the position of -the education of girls in Germany. Finally she applied for the post of -English teacher in the Grand Ducal Institute at Mannheim. - -As the Institution had embarked on a policy of strict retrenchment and -economy, this was refused, but she had quite made up her mind to become -an inmate in some capacity (as an ordinary pupil if necessary) and -finally she set out without announcing her intention, in a fashion that -recalls an adventure in the life of Lucy Snow in _Villette_.[30] The -condensed account of this in her diary could scarcely be bettered: - - “Sept. 13th. Saturday.[31] Left Göttingen at 5 a.m. with pleasant - gifts from the children, and the famous glass knife from Frau B. - - The morning cold, dank and misty,—darker than mornings are here even - yet, I think. As we came south, perceptible increase of heat, till, - leaving a cold autumn at Göttingen, we found a hot summer at - Frankfurt. Went to Pfälzer Hof,—clean, cheap, and civil. Had a bedroom - opening on a balcony, and very good night considering,—though, as I - lay down, the venture rose strongly before me,—quite alone,—without - counsel,—having come 200 miles to a place which had already refused - me,—with the slender chance of personal representation prevailing,— - uncertain, even if accepted, whether I could do the work,—in fact - feeling strongly ‘not knowing whither I went’ yet trusting, like - Abraham, I ‘went forth’. So fell asleep, seeing all perplexities, yet - laying my head very softly on the pillow, ‘Oh, Lord, in Thee have I - trusted: let me never be confounded!’ - - Well, I slept long,—breakfasted deliciously in my room,—dressed in - black silk, etc., with no end of care, wrote a little note to Mother, - almost to the beating of my own heart all the time. - - Frl. E. had promised to come at 11. I waited till 12,—then came Frl. - H. and Frl. M. Walked with them to the Institut,—was shown into the - ‘parloir’ and left. They fetched me again,—walked round the square - garden with its high convent walls[32] (oh, how I remember those white - berries!) Then out came Frl. von Palaus with her fine port and clear - good eyes, and round hat. I told her how I wanted to study German - education, and wished so much to enter here. - - She asked ‘mes conditions’. ‘Moi, je n’en ai pas, Mlle.’ She would - ‘parler aux autres dames.’ - - Marie M. was to show me the house. Then in Miss von Palaus’ room:— - - ‘Would I come again at four?’ ‘Certainly’. Then a series of warnings - for my own comfort:—‘ Very simple here.’ ‘I most happy to hear it.’ - ‘Very plain little room.’ ‘I am no sybarite.’ ‘Mixed communions.’ ‘I - only ask toleration for myself, and am most willing to give it.’ ‘But - as to money!’ I leave it entirely to them,—any arrangement of theirs I - agree to. Enfin I said I was sure to be more than content. I had no - fears. - - ‘Would I stay and dine?’ ‘Very gladly.’ ‘Very plain food.’ I was no - epicure, and sure to be pleased. So the result was, in fine, that I - have never dined anywhere else since, and find my prophecy well - fulfilled. - - After dinner talked to the governesses; they said how comfortable they - were. I thought, ‘I only wish I were in your shoes,’ for I had only - asked to come _anyhow_, as pupil or anything. Then Frl. von Gruben - came from Frl. von Palaus:—A teacher (a Frl. von Endert) was absent - from illness for 6 months (was it not wonderful?) would I take her - place?—but (as the Institution was only just struggling straight again - after its shocks) without salary? ‘Very gladly.’ How my heart leaped, - though I spoke very quietly. What a chance for saving, if not gaining, - money,—literally to earn my bread. Now I could hope for money for my - E.E.U., for the £50 for Christmas /63,—perhaps for Bettws school,— - perhaps for a tour! - - Well, again I saw Frl. von Palaus,—her face had satisfied me from the - first. ‘Did I quite understand? Was I willing to have no salary and no - expense?’ ‘Very gladly.’ - - So off I went at 4 p.m., gay as a lark. Settled my bill, got a cab, - and by 5 p.m. (less than 24 hours from my arrival) was established in - my little cell at the G.D.I., Mannheim!—‘au comble de mes voeux.’ - Thank God! - - And now I have been here nearly a month,—already established as if for - years, in full sunshine of content. - - At work again! And, thank God, with such strength for it! A new sap - and strength in all my veins,—my heart in songs of gladness. - - The heavy burden seems to have rolled away,—the sting and bitterness - quite gone; strength and power returned to my hand,—colour and - brightness to my life. Again I understand ‘the thrill, the leap, the - gladness’—again the sunshine has broken over earth. Now I go up and - down the long corridors, catching with my hand at a great beam, in - ‘superfluous energy’ again, (my darling!)—a smile over my whole face - as I think I will tell her of my life in this weird old monastery— - young bounding life all around—I myself no longer ‘going softly’. - - ‘Thank God! Thank God!’ I can say nothing else.” - -Footnote 30: - - Mrs. Jex-Blake writes about this time,—“I feel such a real sympathy - for the English teacher—Lucy Snow—it is quite a pity you haven’t it - with you—I think your Institut and the Park and Ducal Palace tally - very well with _Villette_. Fortunately you have no male tyrant like - Monsieur Paul,—do you remember Miss Lucie being locked into an attic, - with beetles, a rat, and possibly a ghost:—to learn in a few hours a - part in a play?” - -Footnote 31: - - The account is really written some weeks later, as there was great - delay in the arrival of the box in which she had packed her diary. - -Footnote 32: - - The building had originally been a monastery. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - LIFE AS A TEACHER AT MANNHEIM - - -To her Mother she writes: - - “Sept. 15th, 1862. - - MY OWN DARLING, - - Though I must now be rather more economical of space (for I can - send but 1/4 instead of 1/2 oz) I cannot resist beginning a fresh - letter to you, having but just posted my last, with one also to Daddy. - I am afraid Mr. Bevan must be again disappointed to learn that there - is still no kind of prospect of starvation for me,—quite the contrary. - - I will tell you our plans as far as I know them yet. We get up, as you - know, at 5.30 a.m., breakfast at 6.30, begin work at 7. At 10 we have - bread handed round, then at one we dine, very well, I think.... At 3 - we teachers (!) have cups of coffee, and at 5 or 6 some grapes before - going out for a walk. At 6 tea (or perhaps at 7) and then at 8.30 a - regular meat supper. So you see we are not so _very_ badly off,—indeed - it seems to me to be something going all day almost!... - - Mother, I can’t lie down without telling you of the very beautiful, - soothing influence one thing has (perhaps unexpectedly) over me. I - mean the perfect lovingness and charity in which we all of such - opposite faiths live together, and have just knelt and prayed - together. There seems to me something so inexpressibly touching and - happy in it,—everyone seems so loving to the rest, so far from - cavilling for ‘words and names’: each so absolutely free and all so - far from seeking to proselytize. At meals we stand round the table,— - ‘Nous voulons prier, mesdemoiselles,’ and in silence everyone together - thanks God ‘in his own tongue’,—one marking only that some cross - themselves silently and some do not. Then at night we kneel together,— - we have a fine loving German hymn, and a text for us all,—words - lovingly pronounced by our Roman Catholic head that yet every - Presbyterian minister might say. There seems to me something so - inexpressibly soothing in this union,—so far stronger than all - differences. I can hardly tell you the rest and refreshment it is to - me now, worn and weary as my spirit is. It struck me very much in its - beauty tonight as Miss von Palaus pronounced,—‘There is but one name - given under heaven among men whereby we may be saved’, and we all - received it on our knees,—Protestants and Romanists, Unitarians and - Trinitarians,—each ‘in his own tongue.’ Was it not beautiful how just - that name bound us all together,—Christians,—seeking at least the - spirit of Christ who loved us all,—our Master,—that we might ‘love one - another’.... - - I am charmed to learn the Scotch girl, Janet McDonald, has learned - both Latin and Algebra,—both wonderful acquirements here,—and I look - forward to perhaps doing some work with her, if she gets on well - enough with other things. - - 2 p.m. Tuesday. The politeness of these girls is really quite - refreshing. Last night, going up to my room after dark, there were - several girls at the candle-stand, and, when I asked for a candle, one - of them lighted one, and, with a reverence and ‘Permettez-moi, - mademoiselle,’ carried it the whole way upstairs for me in spite of my - efforts to get hold of it,—it being quite out of her way.... 7 p.m. - Well, Mother darling, I wonder if you can sympathize in my intense - exaltation and delight at the—for the first time in my life—literally - _earning my bread_,—something like ‘My First Penny’, you know. I have - had my ‘surveillance de musique’, but am longing quite childishly for - the commencement of my special work,—I see teaching all around, and am - just wild to be at it. Can Mother understand and sympathize? - - Thursday 18th. My letter at last. I have been several times to the - post in hopes of it.... Today I have had one lesson, and am just going - to give another,—delicious! It’s really like oats to a horse who has - been kept a year on hay. Miss Garrett was right enough when she said, - ‘Get teaching!’ I quite laugh at myself to feel how radiant I am with - delight at being again in harness.” - -To Miss Walker she writes: - - “Sept. 22nd. 1862. - Mannheim. - - DEAR LUCY, - - You will, I think, already have heard from my Mother that I - _cannot_ now offer myself to accompany L. to Paris. I do not know if - you are aware that three weeks ago I wrote to Mrs. B., urging her, as - strongly as I knew how, to entrust L. to me for the winter, and - offering to take her to any part of Europe which was thought best. I - believe, at Mrs. Z.’s entreaty, Mrs. B. did consult some medical man - on the subject, but I am sorry to say they confirmed her resolution of - ‘keeping her under her own eye’—of course not understanding, as you - and I think we do, all the circumstances. - - I therefore got so decided a refusal that even I felt further entreaty - to be useless, and, giving up the point, I entered at once into a six - months’ engagement as English Teacher at the Grand Ducal Institution - at Mannheim, where I have now been just a week, and therefore, of - course, no further change is now in my power as regards my own - movements.... - - I am much pleased on the whole with the kind of tone I find between - teachers and pupils, and with the general principles, which, if not - the very highest, are yet greatly superior to what you find in most - English boarding schools. - - By the bye, before I say Goodbye, I must tell you what horror my open - window at night (even now) occasions the natives! Having violent - headache some time back, an old servant assured me it was ‘the - window’, and since I have been here I have been entertained with the - account of a gentleman who went mad, as I understand, entirely from - sleeping with an open window! So now you see the fate before you as - well as me! Besides that, the doctor here (more shame for him) assures - me I shall get a fever! - - Goodbye, dear Lucy. Remember me to the B.s when you write. - - Yours very sincerely, - S. L. JEX-BLAKE.” - -And again to her Mother: - - “Sept. 30th. 1862. - - MY OWN DARLING, - - ... It amuses me very much as a proof of how soon a habit is - acquired (and also, I think, an evidence that it suits me very well - indeed) to find that now, and indeed for a week past at least, I - always wake of myself just at 5.30 a.m.,—usually just 5 or 10 minutes - before I am called.[33] I wasn’t wrong about my power of adaptability, - was I, Mother? Indeed I thrive greatly on hours, fare and all other - circumstances; I have not been so strong for many months,—indeed now - it is just a year. What a strange, grey, weird year!... - - You see idleness and listlessness is about the worst thing possible (I - was feeling that in Göttingen): now my days are full, not only - materially, but really, for it is the kind of employment that does - fill and satisfy me. And, I suppose, next to idleness, the worst thing - would be over mental fatigue.... It is, too, another advantage, which - anybody else can hardly appreciate, to have my day mapped out for me - with military exactness,—to find my work always ready before me, and - quite definite and imperative,—yet making no demand on my strength - almost—always pleasant and always changing. - - It would have been impossible to have planned a life suiting me - personally more exactly to my finest need,—and the glory is that at - the same time it is part of my work, and serving it very really and - materially. I don’t suppose in that point of view either it would be - possible to put my time to better advantage.... - - You see, Mother, how you get my sunny day-dreams now, as you used to - get the weary ones. I don’t know if everyone has words running all day - long in their head as I have,—it makes a glorious song sometimes— - silently enough, but running like a golden thread through daily work - and labour, raising it all till ‘the parapets of heaven with angels - leaning’ come full in view.... Do you remember George Herbert’s - delicious poem—? - - ‘My Joy! my Life! my Crown! My heart was meaning all the day Something - it fain would say,— And yet it runneth muttering up and down With only - this,— My Joy! my Life! my Crown!’ - - It is to me so exquisitely significant of the joy and peace that - floods one’s whole being, but does not very readily find words, except - in those already familiar to it, like those Psalm utterances,—or like - sometimes fragments of our own dear Liturgy or hymns;—and I think that - is perhaps one of the greatest uses and values of such things. In the - deep struggle times, one of the things that helped me most of all was - always those glorious words of consecration that reminded me of the - cross on the brow ‘In token that thou shalt not be ashamed to confess - the faith of Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under His banner - against the world, the flesh, and the devil, and to continue Christ’s - faithful Soldier and servant unto thy life’s end!’ And again, the - Communion words about ‘ourselves, our souls and bodies’. - - Oh, dear, how one does write on! But I think it pleases Mother, and - I’m sure it helps me.... - - I fancy my darling will be pleased to get a kiss from her little one - to welcome her in London, as she cannot see her knight at Shoreditch!— - _dear_ old lady,—would she could! But, Mother, you would let Daddy go - with you if you really _wished_ for anyone? I tell you, as I have told - you a hundred times before, how gladly your child will stay at home - altogether if ever Mother really wishes for and wants her there, or - will come from anywhere at any moment as rapidly as trains can bring - her, if only Mother wishes for her for any purpose or none.” - -Footnote 33: - - She did not always find this quite so easy. On October 17th she writes - in her diary: “Being all but late this morning, it is decreed that for - one week from this time S. J-B. rises every morning while the stroke - of the half hour and minute hand are ‘one and the same straight line.’ - - “Now, Resolution:” - - It is scarcely necessary to say that Resolution responded to the - appeal. - -It is very unlikely that she gave those about her the impression of -being _dévote_: that never was her way. The “spikes” Miss Octavia Hill -referred to were probably in full evidence. In her diary she writes,— - - “A talk with Miss E. and Miss H. about the sacraments, and - ‘preparation’. Miss Gruben instanced with horror,—‘In England a party - the night before.’ I said, ‘The theatre, with all my heart.’ - Exclamations. ‘If I could not take the Communion half an hour after - leaving the theatre, I would never enter it.’ Then found myself in the - disagreeable position of apparent Pharasaism. ‘Wish I were so good, - etc!’ or hints like that. Yet surely, Octa? If there is a time when we - cannot kneel for the Communion, that time should be blotted out. - ‘Living to God’,—how that blends and binds all life! - - Today dear Mrs. Teed. God bless her! Yes, surely,—now she would not be - hard on ‘prayer for the dead’. Yet what a noble soul! Ah, if she had - lived,—if I could have justified myself to her whom I so respected. - But, as Dora says, she knows it all now! Perhaps her spirit sees and - sympathises with mine that looks with such love to her footsteps gone - before. In life she would have disapproved of some things,—now at - least she will see motives. ‘I believe in the communion of saints.’... - - Just been reading C. Brontë. Moved me almost to tears. What honour and - blessing to have dried some of those tears,—filled some void in that - heart. And yet doubtless ‘He has fixed it well’. At least she and I - and a multitude that no man can number all form portions of the Hosts - of the Lord.... And it is the work—not our pleasure. The scattering is - part of the benefit. - - Ah, the Land of the Leal! The banishment past,—the solitude,—the - tears,—the struggle. In hoc signo. ‘The Lord shall wipe away all tears - from off all faces’.” - -At this time she was extraordinarily happy in her work. - - “How _can_ people paint a teacher’s life as always such a suffering - one! My room now quite a little Paradise. Frl. von Palaus up about it - again this morning.... Now only some ivy and a tin pot wanted! - - My Schematism [?] very light. Certainly they take a generously liberal - view of ‘earning my bread’. Well, at all events it shall be _well_ - earned, if not largely. I’m half afraid of myself now that I have the - responsibility of 25 English pupils. I am really very anxious to get - them on so well and so rapidly as to convince the world of the wisdom - of having an English teacher!” - -How thoroughly she succeeded in this aim may be gathered from the letter -of one of her pupils written a few months later,— - - “We now have an English mistress. Miss Blake, and she gives us so many - things to do that I am already too fatigued to entertain me any longer - with you: she is an inhabitant of your land, and, if all people are so - diligent there, it is a wonder that you are not all philosophers.” - -Her diary abounds with shrewd and genial criticisms of her fellow- -teachers. Of one whom she rather disliked, she says: - - “Miss D. has greatly laughed herself into my good books,—such a cheery - simple merry laugh. I don’t think anything very bad could hide under - such a laugh at her age.” - -And again,— - - “That good Frl. von Palaus! Well might I today liken her to a sunbeam! - How she lights up the very house,—how bright burns her lamp,—yet how - simply!” - -No wonder her letters were a joy to the Mother watching at home. - - “Your letter has cheered me and done me good,” she writes on Christmas - day, “taking away the clouds in a great measure, that would hang over - a day that owed so much of its brightness to your dear presence; but - truly, as you say, we have a far truer unity and a sympathy which I - fear might never have come but through trial and separation.” - -Life was not all spent on the mountain heights, of course. Even at this -time she had her ups and downs like other people. Here is one of the -“downs”: - - “Who is sufficient for these things? seems my whole cry today. I don’t - know why especially, but I seem so oppressed with a sense of the - greatness, the weight of my work,—and of my own miserable - insufficiency for it. Oh, so weak and stupid and unfit! And it isn’t - humility,—it’s just truth. - - I’m horribly showy,—always (voluntarily or not) deceiving people into - a belief into talents I haven’t. Then I’ve will enough and would work, - but no health or strength for it. That’s not your doing, S. J-B. ‘Hath - not the Potter—?’ - - Besides, you’ll never be called upon to do what you can’t. God will - give you power or send another in your stead.... And ‘who is - sufficient?’ ‘My Grace is sufficient’. - - Yet I am thankful, too, for even this fit of despair or at least - downheartedness,—for I was fearing horribly, lest, my whole heart - being bent on one hope and plan, I might be too far identifying _my_ - success with _it_, lest I might be seeking to win something for - myself,—not simply to see God’s will done by me or without me. And - from the bottom of my heart did go up, ‘Lord, put me aside utterly if - need be!—and here, perhaps, the answer.’” - -She did not always take her reactions so seriously: - - “Cold. Therefore rather cross and grumbling. Prowling about the - corridors with shoulders nearly up to my ears, mind do. And I fool and - sybarite enough to conjure up pictures of a certain dainty little room - with blazing fire.... ‘Shame on ye, Gallants, wha ride not - readily!’... Well, well, indeed it was not really a grumble,—only a - John Bull growl. You don’t think I really give in an inch for such - nonsense? - - No. Well, there, that’ll do. - - As well to grumble to my book as to poor small folk downstairs, who - want bracing not enervating. - - Granted. But why either? - - Oh, now you’re infringing the liberty of the press! I may write - anything that wells up. - - There, there!—pax.” - -This is one of the many dialogues between “The Infantine” and “The -Estimable,” as she called them. Greatly did her Mother appreciate the -titles. - -A few weeks later, after some words of yearning for a “comprehending -ear,” a “sympathetic hand,” she breaks off abruptly with,—“Heigh ho! -Shut up Grumbles! ‘a cussin’ and a swearin’ like that,’ as long coz -would say.” - -Greater troubles were in store than those constituted by cold dark -mornings. No mention is made in the prospectus given above of holidays, -and Mrs. Jex-Blake in her letters complains much of the “No holiday” -system. Apparently the boarders only went home for a few days at a time, -and for months together S. J.-B. does not seem to have slept away from -the Institut for a single night. It was no wonder if, under these -conditions, teachers and pupils “got on each other’s nerves,” and among -Frl. von Palaus’ many qualifications was not that of being a strict -disciplinarian. When the novelty wore off, the girls, after the fashion -of their kind, began to try how far they could go with the English -governess. As may be imagined from her previous history, S. J.-B., -though an admirable teacher, did not show herself particularly strong in -the matter of keeping order. The pupils found out their power of -“tormenting” her, and the delicacy of their feeling may be gauged by the -fact that on one occasion they gaily charged her with having “weeped in -church” (“False, by the bye, in fact,” she says in her diary). With -delightful _naïveté_ they summed up the things she could not do. She -could not sing, nor play, nor dance, nor paint, nor embroider?—“What -_can_ you do, Miss Blake?” - -Of course she would have thought it unworthy of her to mention the -things she had done and could do. Moreover, for reasons given above, she -was spending a minimum of money, and vulgar schoolgirls drew their own -conclusions. She sometimes admits with remorse that she was hasty and -unjust in little things,[34] and, although there is no indication that -she ever fell into the tempests of passion that characterized her -girlhood, she owns that she often assumed a stony indifference, which, -of course, though she did not know it, was a great deal worse. All the -time (so her diary shows) she was almost agonizing over these children, -longing really to get into touch and fire them with her own zeal; she -did not scruple to talk to them seriously and individually about the -great issues of life; but when the magnetic influence of the interview -was over, they felt a certain inconsistency in her, a hastiness, a -failure to conform to conventional standards of right and wrong, a want -of equity, or at least of equableness, of which she herself was almost -unaware. “But oh, where is the special flaw?” she cries in her diary. -“Lord help me! ‘Thou wilt not pity us the _less_’—that fault of my own -forms my cross.” - -Footnote 34: - - “I an’t _just_. There’s a fact. I’m sorry for it, but it’s true. As my - sky is bluer or greyer, as I see, or think I see, more or less into a - child’s character, the scale varies. Justice is blind no longer, but - gives a chuck to one side or the other.” - -In any case her pupils felt the flaw. Her conscientiousness, her zeal, -her fine uprightness were more or less lost on them, or so it seemed. A -cheaper form of goodness would have appealed to them more. - -She never spoke of her home life and circumstances, and probably even -Frl. von Palaus had very little idea that the English governess was a -woman of family and position. - - “Oh, how weary I am after those hours of struggle internal and - external!” writes S. J.-B. in her diary. “Almost like being tied to a - stake,—so suffering, so helpless. And this I?—who used to fancy I had - power to rule! Two months more will see me well nigh home I trust. - Some faint foreshadowing of ‘Then are they glad because they are at - rest.’ The thoughts of my green nest, and of the ruddy firelight, and - the hymns at Mother’s knee very frequent in these days of struggle.” - -She poured out the story of her failure to her Mother, and delightful -were the letters she got in reply: - - “(Miss v. Palaus) will miss my darling and her unselfish love terribly - when she leaves.... Without any great vanity you must know that your - hearty ready help must be most refreshing to her, and your wide-awake - state must have a great influence over the Girls.” - - “I cannot believe that your work has been done as indifferently as you - think. I believe you have always done what you could, and fought hard - against feelings and every form of indolence or selfishness. Surely - you could somehow raise some response to fun; only perhaps a good deal - arises from your being English and they not understanding.” - -In spite of all, however, the trouble went deep, and she chronicles -sadly in her diary that “neither moon nor stars for many days appeared.” -Oddly enough, she never seems to have entertained the idea of simply -giving in her resignation and going home. She entirely meant to serve -her time,—nay more,—to hold the position until some suitable person was -found to carry on her work. Certainly it was not the acquisition of the -language that served as an inducement to remain, for, throughout her -stay, she learned almost incredibly little. The whole of her very -limited energy was thrown into her teaching. - -“The hearty praise pouring in for the girls’ progress, ought to comfort -me there,” she says. “I suppose they almost certainly have got on more -rapidly than with 9 teachers out of 10.” - -One is glad to learn that months before she left Mannheim, the tide of -popularity turned; and, although even she attributed the change in great -part to the fact of her having worn a “ravissant” gown at the School -Carnival Ball (a gown which she had worn as a bridesmaid in England) she -was glad to respond by expanding good spirits to the diminished -pressure. So the pretty frock served its turn. “There’s no doubt about -it that opinion altogether has veered round widely about me. I think I -am rather popular now,—I certainly _was_ thoroughly the contrary.” - -She was, until the later years of her life, wanting in sympathy with the -more or less innocent and pardonable vanities of youth, and yet during -this period she did sometimes cry out for a more vivid life,—or rather -for days and hours of greater vividness to break the monotony of the -working life she had deliberately chosen. It was one of her ambitions to -be duly presented to Queen Victoria, for whom throughout life she had a -great admiration, but the ambition was never realized. - -“Darling,” writes her Mother, in answer to a very human cry, “your young -bright days are nobly spent for the Lord. Shall we offer Him that which -costs us nothing?... There always has been (though probably not -necessarily) so much that is false, impure and hollow connected with -most of what are termed amusements that you would soon loathe them, and -feel work and even discipline more satisfying.” But never for one moment -from her twentieth year onwards did S. J.-B. ask for amusement and -vividness _in place of_ work and discipline. - -She might have found recreation and stimulus in the music of Germany, -but her chief limitation was on the side of Art. Music did not appeal to -her, and, although one of her greatest gifts was the possession of a -beautiful speaking voice, with a perfect natural production, she could -not sing and had no ear for music at all. She argues with herself on the -subject,—“Surely singing, for instance, is a wholesome and good -amusement. Surely it is right that some should contribute it for others? -Yet, perhaps, mere amusement, even for others, is not a life-work for -anyone? At least unless _as a duty_. So few sing, as Fra Bartolomeo -painted, ‘on their knees’.” - -This is estimable enough so far as it goes, but artistic perception is -wanting, and throughout life she never got much farther in this -direction, though she always loved to hear a simple congenial song sung -by one she loved. “Do you care for the ‘unlearned praise’?” she used to -say. When she quoted, as she sometimes did, “’Tis we musicians who -know,”—it was not of music she was thinking. - -All through this period her main preoccupation was with religion. She -was reading, among other things, the _In Memoriam_ and Robertson’s -Sermons, and she continued to read them till the end of her life. Her -volumes of Robertson are falling to pieces with sheer honest careful -lifelong use, and many of the sermons are marked with a date and with -initials to remind her of the times when she shared her treasure with -some special friend. Assuredly, in the words of her loved quotation, -Robertson “found her.” Living, as she was at this time however, mainly -among Roman Catholics, she felt—as so many have felt—a real desire to -share their communion. - -“I mean to study Romanism as thoroughly as I can,” she says. “Hitherto I -have not by any means found, as C. Brontë, my repugnance to Roman -Catholicism increased by close view.” - -She was anxious to get a proper breviary or missal, and apparently -finding this difficult in Mannheim, she wrote to her Mother to send her -one. That wonderful old lady! She can’t have enjoyed the commission, but -she set about the fulfilment of it most loyally. And, oddly enough, she -too met with many difficulties. She declined to be put off with _The -Garden of the Soul_, and finally she writes: - - “I despair of getting a satisfactory breviary, unless you can send me - definite orders for Treacher to procure one. Marvellous rubbish at the - _only_ R.C. shop. They were _very_ anxious to fetch the R.C. priest!— - to help me,—‘were sure he was within.’ Fancy if Daddy had come by, - with the carriage at the door and I inside in deep conversation with - said Priest!...” - -No, there never was such a Mother! Her openness of mind shows itself in -a hundred extracts. “I do not fairly know Thomas à Kempis,” she says. -“The passage you quoted was very grand and beautiful.” “I wonder if you -will care for my extract from Pusey in the ‘Times’. I always think there -is such a chastened, disciplined spirit in what he writes,—no pepper, -nor vinegar.” “If I were obliged to have a great deal of company, I -should, I doubt not, feel ‘Lent’ a grand repose and comfort; as it is, I -am disposed to kick at it as artificial.” - -And she is no longer afraid to express her loving appreciation. - - “I don’t call you so much a ‘sweet-tempered’ as an ‘excellent-natured’ - girl,—most unselfish, energetic, and at all times ready in the behalf - of others. A regular ‘_sweet_ temper’ is rarely found with very strong - deep feelings.... I don’t think there ever was such true love as - your’s—unless it be her’s under disguise. You would not now be able to - stand alone as you do had circumstances not separated you. God has two - great works,—one for her, one for you.” - - “I am quite sure, by pouring out your heart to me, you help me on as - well as yourself. You bring before me such strengthening texts and - poetry, and our hearts get so very closely knit. It may seem selfish - to say so, but your sorrows have greatly enhanced my joys by bringing - us close, and, as it were, entwining us inseparably.” - -In a fine sermon on _Old and Young_, the late Bishop of Oxford dwells on -the “tragedy going on in the life of many a home, ... as father and son -or mother and daughter grow conscious, sometimes with silent pain, and -sometimes with scarcely veiled resentment, of an ever-widening -severance, a perpetual and almost irrevocable ebbing of sympathy and -trust.” If any further proof were needed than has already been given of -the wholeheartedness with which this mother and daughter resisted that -tendency to severance and realized the sympathy and trust, it may be -found in the correspondence that follows: - - “Jan. 23rd, 1863. Friday night. - and Jan. 24th. - - MY OWN DARLING MOTHER,—I’m right sorry you didn’t get your baby’s - first morning greeting,—I went out on purpose to post the letter on - Friday that you might. It’s very tiresome too that the other little - messenger didn’t reach you,—however Mother knows it was sent, and it’s - useless to risk sending more the same way; you shall get it in - duplicate when I come home,—whenever that is. - - Sometimes I think I ought to stay here till I have mastered my - difficulties and learned to rule,—then again I see that years and - years of my life will be but a learning of that lesson, and the great - thing is to see how to dispose of them most _wisely_, not in obstinacy - or in self-consenting even on a point like that. Besides month after - month of unbroken work _does_ come to tell on one, specially if one - starts not over strong; and I feel myself looking forward with - significant expectation to the coming rest (and still more, - _refreshment_ time) again,—to say nothing of seeing faces and hearing - voices that I fancy may too not be sorry to see and hear mine again. I - am watching the now really lengthening days almost like a - schoolchild,—indeed I am tremendously much of a child yet, Mother,—and - thinking how the days and weeks roll on and bring the homecoming - nearer. Even if I returned _here_, I must have a holiday and not a - very short one,—for I have got a good deal _used_ one way or another,— - though now I am again delightfully cheery and strong,—and able to work - twice as well among the children when a laughing word comes instead of - a weary one; and _they_ feel it too, I am sure. - - I shall be very curious to read Colenso’s book,—will you send me its - name, please? It is so very easy a way to get up a laugh (which - somebody calls the Devil’s keenest sword) against opinions or people - you don’t agree with, by such a jest as that Colenso wants to turn - ‘the Bible into Rule of Three sums’,—so much more easy than - justifiable or Christian. It’s just a word which, said of a great - Mathematician, is sure to ‘take’ whether there is any or no sense in - it. People like to laugh and repeat what sounds sharp, and prove their - own superiority (?) to such men as they can’t hope to get within 100 - miles of in attainments. - - Besides in a certain non-sneering sense, it may really be true without - inferring any blame. (I wonder if you like me to discuss the question - or not? If not, just tear up the next page or two unread, that’s all.) - - The Rule of Three (as it is most absurdly called) is perhaps the - purest form of development of the principle of Cause and Effect,—the - principle that rules the world and lies at the root of all science and - all logic. You see an effect,—it _must_ have a corresponding cause. - You are aware of a cause,—you imply with certainty answering effect. - ‘To look through Nature up to Nature’s God’—is strictly (if you choose - so to call it) a Rule of Three sum. Again,—‘These are Thy works, - Parent of Good,—Thyself how wondrous then!’—a pure syllogism,—or, if - you please, Rule of Three sum—thus: - - I. The author must be greater than his - works. - - II. God’s works are great beyond our - conception. - - III. How infinite then their Maker! - - Or, more beautiful and more sacred than all,—‘He that spared not His - own Son ... how shall He not with Him freely give us all things?’ - - The form of reasoning that St. Paul did not disdain to use need hardly - be a reproach to Colenso. - - God Himself _does_ give us minds and does bid us use them,—_He_ is not - afraid of His truth standing in the sunlight, though some of His - people are. Robertson draws out very beautifully how the Christ never - sought blind credence,—superstitious belief even in His words because - they were _His_. He never said ‘I say so,—there’s an end,’ (as so many - of His followers like to put in His mouth). ‘If I say _the Truth_, why - do ye not believe me?’—again, more exquisite still in its loving - humility,—‘Though ye believe not me, believe the works’,—‘Search the - Scriptures’ etc. etc.,—always praying them to test Him by His works, - by the voice of their own conscience, by the testimony of their sacred - books,—continually protesting against the idea of His own assumption - of sovereign power, ‘I know nothing of Myself.’ But here I’m getting - on another subject, and I’ll stop. - - But I always get greatly interested in a discussion about the Bible,— - people seem to me often so hopelessly superstitious and illogical - about it, and so to miss its truest, most blessed meaning. - - It always seems to me that the question divides itself into two - perfectly distinct parts,—regarding, so to speak, the spiritual and - temporal part of the Bible. The first is entirely without the province - of the intellect or the reason,—‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, ... - but God hath revealed them unto us by His spirit.’ As Colani says (I - think, indeed, it was him I quoted before) it is not a question of - logic or of evidence whether we believe ‘the sacrifices of God are a - broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God Thou wilt not - despise!’,—the _certainty_ of its truth is self-evident to us; we are - absolutely sure the moment we hear the words that the All-Good - rejoices in repentance and not in blood. It is the word of God from - without speaking to the Spirit of God within us ‘whose temples we - are.’ In Coleridge’s forcible words, ‘it _finds_ us’,—it pierces - through ear and brain irresistibly to the spirit of every man. Yes, - _every_ man; there is not one in the world however debased who _could_ - doubt whether God preferred a broken heart or a costly gift. He may - not think about it, he may let the words pass by him, but, receiving - them at all into his mind, he _cannot_ doubt.... - - Feel,—suffer, and words like those bring their own proof; let them - once _enter_ and you need not ask whether their truth is received or - not. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.’ We _know_ - it is so; no one in the world could really doubt for one second - whether holiness or impurity brings the man to God,—to _see_ Him.... - - In all this the whole mass of ‘Evidence’ goes for absolutely nothing. - If the Bible had never been heard of to this moment, and I picked it - off a dunghill, _those_ words and truths would just as irresistibly - transfix and ‘find’ me as a two-edged sword. - - But since, as Pulsford says, ‘Most people get their faith through - their heart, not through their head,’—there are thousands of God’s - children who, seeing and feeling the infinite beauty and pricelessness - of these words and truths,—but _not_ seeing fully their infinite - omnipotence, their absolute impregnability,—fancy that to preserve - from the slightest danger what is to them so infinitely precious, it - is necessary to claim for the whole casket the same authority and - value that the jewel claims for itself: and then, because this claim - does not and cannot maintain _itself_, they rush to arms for it and - brand as ‘rejectors of the Bible’ some who, like your child, find in - its words the very deepest blessings of existence.... - - I don’t know enough about it to have an opinion worth anything, but as - far as I can judge, it seems to me the result of open fair criticism - rather establishes than disturbs the veracity of all Jewish history as - given in the Bible since the time of Moses, while it does not seem to - me possible satisfactorily to defend the authenticity of the account - of the Creation and probably the first few centuries,—both from the - certainties of Geology and probabilities of history, and also from the - internal evidence. - - But what _is_ the leading point to me is the folly of trying to arrest - honest investigation about anything,—and the especial mistake of - fancying that _any_ result arrived at could touch the real standing - and position of the Bible. For myself, I can say in all sincerity that - if not one fraction only but the whole biblical history were proved to - be utterly unreliable and mistaken, it would not make the difference - of a straw’s weight either to my life or my faith,—it is not as a - rival of Herodotus that I have valued the Bible,—the destruction of - the historical credit of the one would matter just as much to me as - that of the other. We might lose some grand illustrations of God’s - love and care, but the truths would remain, and the history of any - century, of any land, of any man, leaves Him not ‘without a - witness’.... - - Well, Mother, it has indeed been more than a page or two,—if it pains - or wearies you do but burn it; but I am glad from the bottom of my - heart to tell you honestly what and why I believe on a subject where I - fear Mother is a little afraid of me;—to put at least calmly and - clearly before you other thoughts and words than those you hear - oftenest,—not that you may accept, but that you may consider them. For - you as for me, Mother, God ‘shall lead us into all truth’. - - Sunday. You asked me about Miss v. Palaus. She isn’t ill now, but I - think she suffers altogether from this terrible ‘no holiday’ system. - Think what it is to go on for 26 years!—with only a week’s break at a - time, and that perhaps once a year. - - Dear, I broke off abruptly, it occurring to me to apply the principle - of how bad it was to go on without change and how one was bound to get - all one could; also that it was a bright day and that I was no use - where I was, so had better go to Heidelberg.... - - The sermon was about sorrow and bereavement, commonplace enough and - disagreeable sometimes, but chiming in in bits with some thoughts of - mine. For one thing he said it was a duty to rouse oneself after a - time and go back to one’s daily work. Now, Mother, you know better - than anyone how I have strained every sinew to take up my tool again - and work on, from the very first months even. But there is a certain - state of things which I can’t honestly conceal from myself which makes - the struggle in some ways a very terrible one. - - I am sure ‘what is is best’, and I don’t say one word in the form even - of sorrow, only of perplexity. But, Mother, I haven’t the least the - mind I had,—I have waited and waited to see if they would not waken - but now for nearly 18 months my mental powers seem struck with stupor. - It’s no use urging them,—they don’t answer the call. The love and - power of mental work seem to have faded away. I just jog on from day - to day with sense enough for daily life perhaps,—but I don’t seem to - get any nearer any return of intellects. I won’t say it would have - been _better_—because if it would, it would have been so—but I don’t - doubt if I had had a crushing physical illness last Xmas, the agony - would have exhausted itself and I probably risen from a brain fever as - strong as ever,—but no physical relief coming in this form, the whole - weight seems to have fallen on my brain and paralyzed it. My whole - mind sometimes seems a blank,—the children ask me simple questions and - I know nothing. Sometimes it’s hard work to crush back the tears when - it is so. - - You know those terrible (they did frighten me horribly) kinds of - delusions that showed me a white dog or a wheelbarrow just when I was - going to pull up when driving you. - - Well, Mother, it’s no use to go on,—no use even to say ‘What am I to - do?’ One feels sure in truth that God ‘will find a way’ and show it to - me.... - - But the time goes on and on, very many months already, and yet no - streak of light comes from any quarter. One does not see the faintest - sign of change, and yet one cannot see how things are permanently - possible as they are. - - You don’t think it is any want of will or effort in me, Mother? Surely - God ‘reaps not where He has not strawed’. - - Oh, Mother, Mother, what it will be to rest the tired stupid old head - on your bosom again. - - 80 lessons a week is too much I’m afraid for Ruth, but I can’t pretend - to look after her when I’m in Germany,—and perhaps nobody gets on much - the worse for that fact. It’s a very forcible rebuke to one’s vanity - to find _how_ little anybody is missed from anywhere, (except in their - Mother’s hearts, darling) and one or two others perhaps. Yet that’s a - hasty way to speak. I believe I do have a great deal of love from more - people than I deserve.... - - Yours lovingly ever, - SOPH. - - Please tell me by what post this arrives.” - -An able letter surely, for one whose “intellects” were worn out. Of -course she fails to realize how different her whole outlook on life -would have been if she had found the Bible for the first time -accidentally in mature life, “on a dunghill” or elsewhere. The Mother’s -reply is surely at least as able: - - “Thursday, Jany. 29th. - - MY OWN DARLING, - - Your letter did not reach me till first post this morning. I - quite believe Truth will in itself bear coming to the light, without - suffering. But I do fear there are many minds, heads and hearts - without one sentence of heavenly truth upon which to fall back for - comfort, which may be irreparably injured by the doubt and contempt - thrown upon historical parts; and thence deduce, ‘All is false, and - cannot do me good or help me in any way.’ I think I must send you the - last ‘Cornhill’ come in this afternoon. I imagine the critique in it - is from a man who would favour free enquiry,—a son of Dr. Arnold’s,— - Matthew Arnold. He says, ‘I censure Colenso’s book because, while it - impresses strongly on the reader that the Pentateuch is not to be read - as an authentic narrative; it so entirely fails to make him feel that - it is a narrative full of divine instruction in morals and religion, - etc., etc.’ I ought to have stated that all this comes in in a - critique upon Stanley’s ‘Lectures on the Jews’, which Arnold greatly - admires. Now that February is at hand, I find that the _January!_ - Macmillan has an actual critique upon Colenso. Shall I send it to you? - I have not read it. I asked Hetty if she had. She considers it severe - on Colenso. I think I shall send it. - - Your long dissertation did not annoy or weary me at all, indeed it - rejoiced mother’s heart. You seem to have all you want to _live_ and - die upon. What can you need more? Certainly I have individually - _great_ comfort and enjoyment from seeing Christ as my Substitute in a - manner that I apprehend you do not. If it be, as I suppose, needful, I - am sure your loving Father will give it you in His good time. As to - your mental powers, it is _very strange_. We can only wait patiently - and say, ‘It is the Lord. Let Him do what seemeth Him right’. I don’t - suppose the important precious discipline you are going through could - have been produced in time of full mental vigor. That will assuredly - return if for your real good. Meanwhile you may well trust Him who has - done such great things for you. I long as much as you to have you - resting on my bosom. Rest you _must_ have: refreshment of spirit I - pray you may have.... Nothing, as you say, invalidates the grand - truths responded to from within. At all times the Eternal God is thy - refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms. - - Your loving Mother, - M. E. JEX-BLAKE.” - -A fortnight later she writes: - - “Only fancy, Daddy has been reading Colenso’s book!” - - - - - CHAPTER XII - VARIOUS PROJECTS AND VENTURES - - -“Rest you must have: refreshment of spirit I pray you may have.” - -So wrote Mrs. Jex-Blake in the end of January; but even the physical -rest was destined to be long delayed. As explained in the previous -chapter, S. J.-B. did not at all draw to the idea of deserting her post -before a suitable person arrived to supply it, and that suitable person -was not easy to find. So the months went by, and it was not till April -was well advanced that all arrangements were made for her departure -within a fortnight. She was wild with delight at the prospect of getting -home, but the fates were unkind. On May 3rd she writes in her diary: - - “Well, I do feel most uncommonly seedy,—no doubt about that,—having - just waded through my packing somehow, and ‘bitterly thought of the - morrow’, and how many leagues and hours lie between me and a snug bed, - clean sheets and beef tea. But, somehow or other I do mean to push - through and trust my luck for falling as usual on my feet, catlike. - Specially anxious, by the bye, not to be spied out here or it’ll all - go down to the baths”—she had been bathing in the Rhine before - breakfast—“as I daresay this heavy cold may, which reduces me to, or - below, the level of the inferior animals. - - Well, three days hence! Who can’t hold out that time?” - -She certainly did her best to “hold out,” dragged herself out of bed, -and went downstairs looking like “_une déterrée_,” so Frl. v. Palaus -said. She refused to see the school doctor, believing that he would -prevent her going home, and also that he would insist upon her keeping -her window shut. For some reason unknown Frl. v. Palaus resolutely -declined to have an English doctor sent for, and so things went on for a -day or two till the patient agreed that the German doctor should be -allowed to say whether her throat was “of importance.” Whether he was -allowed adequate means of arriving at a diagnosis we have no means of -knowing. In any case his answer was in the negative. Two days later the -patient was obviously suffering from a sharp and typical attack of -scarlet fever. - -It really was a blow, poor child! She was so longing for her Mother, “My -year’s work just done _so_ painfully,—and now my cruse snatched from my -lips. It is hard, _hard_! I didn’t one moment doubt it was right,—only -very hard.” Then like an audible voice came the reminder of the inner -light, and all pain went. - -It does not necessarily follow that she proved a very easy patient, -though she tried hard to be reasonable, and even to keep her window shut -at night, which was quite unreasonable. The whole situation was -sufficiently trying for Frl. v. Palaus; and S. J.-B., although she and -her nurse became attached to each other, got little of the petting which -throughout life she so greatly valued when just the right person -bestowed it. Her Mother’s letters as usual were an infinite comfort, and -her Father was with difficulty prevented from sending out a London -physician to look after her, and, in due time, bring her home. - -She made a good recovery, and was allowed to start for England on the -27th, when an English lady was engaged to accompany her. “Very like -getting out of purgatory into heaven,” she says. “The dear old folks!” - -Her Father was nervous about infection, and, fortunately for him, a -trifling driving accident some four or five days after her return forced -her to consult “Sam Scott.” “He couldn’t swear me free of fever, but -said, ‘If you meet my children on the cliff, you may kiss them.’” - - * * * * * - -So S. J.-B. settled down once more to the old life at home, not without -occasional “cataracts and breaks,” for her Father did not advance with -the times, and hers was not the only hasty temper in the family. But she -never doubted that a definite work was in store for her somewhere. - -Her diary is sometimes amusing reading. To an acquaintance who—after -visiting at Sussex Square and hearing the intimate fireside names—wrote -to her as “My dear Jack,” she replies, - - “DEAR MISS D., - - Firstly I don’t like being called names, and secondly I have - been overwhelmingly busy,—which two reasons must excuse my not having - earlier sent you the address.” - - “I agree with Macdonald,” is her connotation. “The only argument some - people understand is being knocked down, and it’s cruel to withhold it - from them. - - And a very mild knocking down this time.” - - “July 8th. Annette’s Sunday School. ‘The outward and visible sign in - baptism?’ - - ‘Please, ma’am, the baby, ma’am.’” - -That her lamp was not burning dim one gathers from the letter that -follows. It relates to the young invalid college friend whom she had -wished to take with her to Germany: - - “Nov. 15th. 1863. - - DEAR LUCY, - - Though I know you will have heard before this of dear L.’s going - home to her rest, I think you will like to have a few lines from me, - as I believe E. was not able to write to you herself. - - You heard probably of her breaking a blood vessel last month soon - after her return to London, and it was very soon after that that I saw - her for the last time alive. She was very gentle and quiet then, and I - have since thought that she more entirely realised how near the end - was than I and others did,—for there was no immediate danger then as - far as anyone could know. When I told her again how much a duty I - thought it for her to take the utmost care of her life for His service - Who gave it, and added ‘Not that I want you or anyone to _fear_ - death,—that is the last thought one should have of the Home-going’,— - she said,—‘Oh, yes,—I never did, and I never understood why people - do.’ I told her Mother of this afterwards, and it is a very pleasant - memory, among others. - - Well, it was on Thursday, November 3rd. that this terrible spasmodic - asthma came on, and I am afraid the struggle was sore for just the - week,—but there was mercy in that too, for it made her Mother glad to - see her at rest after it. Just a week later she died, very - peacefully,—passing in sleep into the rest that remaineth. I heard of - it on Thursday and went up to London directly, and I never was more - heartily glad of having done anything in my life, for both Mrs. B. and - E. seemed _so_ glad to see me, and you can hardly believe the peaceful - happy few hours we had together,—indeed there came to me (and I think - to them too in some degree) such an intense realization of what the - joy and light was into which she had entered, that no room seemed left - for any pain even for oneself. I did love L. very much,—more perhaps - than any of you knew,—but when I stood looking down on that calm pale - face, the only words that would come into my mind were,—‘He was not, - for God took him’. It seemed quite impossible even for a moment to - identify _her_ with that chill silence,—one felt _she_ was already in - the everlasting arms. Dear child! She left altogether a very happy - memory,—of a bright clear life, and a calm peaceful death. We ‘thank - God for this our dear sister departed....’ - - The funeral is to be next Wednesday,—I know that you will not be - absent in spirit, though you cannot be there in presence as I hope to - be. Mr. Plumptre will read the service at Kensal Green. - - I do not know if I helped dear L. in her life. I know that she has - helped me in her death almost beyond my conception. I ‘never feared’ - death, and I always felt theoretically how it was the ‘going home’ and - that only, but I never felt it with the practical intensity of this - week. I never entered before into half its beauty and its holiness,—I - feel almost as if I could never associate sadness with the idea again. - Let it come in what form it may,—‘God giveth us the Victory’. - - Just before she died, L. finished a story at which she had been - working to compete for some magazine prize,—if it does not win this, - we hope to get it published separately, as a memorial that will be - beloved of many,—and indeed I hope it may come out in this form. I - have offered to undertake the whole business. It is very pleasant to - me that she has left this,—is it not to you? - - Goodbye, dear Lucy,—my letter is already enormous, but I don’t fear - your criticisms. - - Yours affectionately, - S. L. JEX-BLAKE.” - -The monotony of the life that followed was broken by one or two visits -to Paris and one to Germany, and she had a great scheme of going to -America to study the education of girls there. Here again, of course, -she was met by the strong opposition of her Father, and again she was -forced to put forward all the good and attractive points in her plan -while herself profoundly convinced of its vagueness and of her own -physical inadequacy. She saw a good deal at this time of Mrs. Ballantyne -(afterwards Lady Jenkinson) whom she met first in Edinburgh at the house -of her sister, Mrs. Burn Murdoch. This was the beginning of another -lifelong friendship, most refreshing to both,—a friendship characterized -almost equally by playful camaraderie and jesting, and by many long -talks about the things that lie deep. - -“She _is_ just good and true and ‘clear’,” S. J.-B. had written in her -diary some months before. She records how they went together to an -evening Holy Communion, what they felt and said,—and goes on without a -break: - - “Then, again she so delicious about my bonnet (_not_ calculated - - ‘To take upon it - The guilt of her wandering soul’.) - - The first time. I saw you in it, nearly disliked you for it—only it - was past that. - - Not your taste?—Then you oughtn’t to wear what isn’t,—nor to get 14s. - 9d. bonnets! - - Poke into omnibuses?—Poke away, but wear proper bonnets. - - Tottenham Court Road?—No business to go there for bonnets. - - No money?—Then you must manage very badly! [Badly!—poor generous - child,—counting every halfpenny that she might have the more to give - away!] - - Your sister?—No, I have nothing to do with her, but I _have_ with you. - Buy proper bonnets,—then get them altered— - - Whereon I vowed that if she didn’t come to London and choose one, I’d - buy the ugliest in Tottenham Court Road. - - My compliments to Mrs. Heath, and she oughtn’t to compromise her taste - by letting you buy such bonnets, etc., etc. - - So very very refreshingly, and with such bright arch eyes.” - -It was certainly no lack of appreciation in the ordinary relationships -of life that urged S. J.-B. to find her vocation. There are many -indications of her popularity at this time among cousins and friends. - - “DEAREST SOPHY,” writes the mistress of Honing Hall,—“It will be - _delightful_ to see you here. How often have I said to myself lately - (having no one else to address my remarks to,—your Uncle being - entirely taken up with his harvest, and more bothered than ever by - it). ‘I do wish Sophy would offer her company for a few days.’ - - So, well pleased was I to see your handwriting this morning. I can - meet you anywhere within reasonable distance. On Thursdays I have only - your old friend, Little Grey, and on Tuesday, 30th., some of the - Catfield people are coming over. Should you be here then, it would be - an additional pleasure to _all_.” - -And here is a characteristic note: - - “DEAR MISS BLAKE, - - ... Pray bring back from America a few more such good stories as - you told me yesterday. I say this _not_ ‘hoping I should see your face - no more’. - - Yours very truly, - FRANCES P. COBBE.” - -On November 11th S. J.-B. received a letter that pleased her much from -the Revd. T. D. C. Morse, rector of Stretford, Manchester: - - “MADAM, - - I have had some correspondence with Professor Plumptre of - Queen’s College about establishing a Ladies’ College in this locality, - and he has referred me to you as likely to help me in this good work. - Notwithstanding the fact that the movement for the improvement of - female education has now been for some time set on foot, this populous - neighbourhood is still very destitute in this respect. I have two - girls, 12 and 13 years of age, and after making enquiries in very - competent quarters, I have been told that there is only one Ladies’ - School ‘worth a farthing’ in or near Manchester, and that is the - Ladies’ College on the north side of the city at Higher Broughton. We - are living on the south side and are surrounded by a large number of - wealthy people who must necessarily miss such educational facilities. - I wish therefore to _try_ whether a good Ladies’ College can be - founded on this side of Manchester, and I would be glad to know - whether you could introduce me to a lady qualified to act as Principal - of such an Institution. Mr. Plumptre was not quite sure whether you - might be disposed to undertake such a work yourself or not, but, if - you were so, I feel sure from what he has told me that the matter - could not be in better hands.... You will understand, of course, that - the matter at present is only in the phase of a project.” - -“Plum, I owe thee one!” is S. J.-B.’s irreverent comment,—“good old -Plum!” - -“Such a real ‘call’ it sounds—and what a field to learn in!... Now -America seems put in the background with a vengeance.” - -She plunged at once into plans and arrangements, timetables, lists of -tutors, etc., and on November 17th she writes in her diary: - - “On Tuesday and today received letters from Mr. Morse, telling me of - the Bishop’s support, and thus answering my question ... asking me for - ‘any suggestions’. I feel little more is to be done without an - interview, but write somewhat on essential heads ‘with great - diffidence’: - - I am sure that no one can give their really best work to any scheme - which does not stand on foundation principles with which they are in - sympathy, and, bearing in mind the proposition you hinted at in your - first letter, I am bound both for your sake and for my own to - ascertain as far as possible how far the harmony of our views would - allow me to be a really efficient worker in your cause. I have a great - belief in the superiority of rule by Law over that of individual will, - and should as Director of any such College be very anxious to have as - little as possible left to my own choice and judgment; but, having - once been able to acquiesce in the spirit of established regulations, - would deem it essential to have absolute authority to see them carried - out alike by teachers and pupils. I am sure that to have such - questions ill-defined at first is one of the most fruitful sources of - after disturbance and failure in a college.... - - I believe that really good women teachers are more able to measure the - power of a girl’s mind, and force her to do a certain amount of good - work than men, who are in my experience very apt to let _young_ pupils - slip between their fingers, as it were. - - At the same time, after a thorough groundwork has been laid, I think - first-rate lecturers (almost useless till then) become quite - invaluable. - - Meaning—I want an interview. - - “Dec. 1st. 1864. Reached Manchester yesterday. Staying now with the - Morses. - - Capital man he,—clear, energetic and practical; a little ‘trammelled’ - by clerical bonds, but in the main wide and satisfactory. - - Spite of the double assurance of Minnie and Ruth that I need not talk - of my Unitarianism,—I could not be quite silent, and so tonight, - naturally enough, and I think truthfully, gave in my half-declaration. - - Mr. Morse said (in answer to my question whether we might not be - ‘_too_ episcopal’) that, without wishing to exclude any, he wished to - have the College decidedly of Church origin, and should be sorry to - have other than Church main workers. - - I said, ‘Then perhaps you had better not have me.’ - - ‘But do you not belong to the Church?’ - - ‘Well, I was baptized and confirmed in it.’ - - ‘But you go there rather than Chapel?’ - - ‘Well, I don’t know. I go there pretty often. I go where helps me - most.’ - - ‘Where else?’ - - ‘Oh, mainly Unitarian’, adding ‘I have not, however, any intention of - joining the Unitarians, but they have helped me’, and, in answer to a - farther remark ‘that I ought to make up my mind clearly black or - white’. - - ‘That I _can’t_ do.... However on the whole, though very unorthodox, I - believe I am on the whole most of a Churchwoman, and certainly non- - proselytizing, nor, I believe in the least likely to originate any - religious difficulty.’ - - Still he was evidently ‘stumped’, and I daresay I shall hear more of - it. - - Yet, on the whole, feeling as I do, I cannot regret speaking. - - ‘Be true to every honest thought - And as thy thought thy speech.’[35] - -Footnote 35: - - Mr. Morse had unwittingly given her some encouragement previously by - telling the story of a candidate for Orders, who when asked “If any - man broached before you doubts of the divinity of our Lord (‘and I - needn’t tell you,’ said Mr. Morse to S. J.-B., ‘what a difficult - subject that is’) what answer would you make?” - - “My Lord, I beg that you won’t suppose that I keep such company.” - - “Well, but _if_——?” - - “My Lord, I should take up my hat and walk out.” - - “(Prudent too),” comments S. J.-B. - -She visited the Principal of Owens’ College, however, and the Headmaster -of the Grammar School, drew up a tentative list of names for Council, -and had a long talk with Mrs. Gaskell, who promised to be a “Lady -Visitor” if the College was founded. (“I explaining it to mean ‘right to -visit’.”) - - “As to my contumacy (it’s really that and not the heresy!), W. and G. - to be consulted. I said how I wished him to do only what he thought - right,—yet believing they would be wise to have me(!) - - I think he surely _wishes_ it, and, as I should guess he would find - his consultees not otherwise inclined, a very small push would decide - him that way. - - (Stories,—‘The fool hath said in his heart,’ etc. Old sexton loq. ‘I - can’t but think, sir, there is a God after all’).” - - “Dec. 4th. Came to Rugby last night. The music in chapel again and - again bringing me well-nigh to tears,—so weak and thin is one worn. - - (Yet should surely notice the good Miss Garrett’s medicine does me— - taken about a fortnight now.)... - - And how the conviction came (when first this Manchester scheme) ‘Yes,— - “be thou but fit for the wall, and thou shalt not be left in the way.” - It _is_ true!... - - Is Minnie far wrong in her ‘Men have the best of it’? Easiest,—yes!— - - Fancy the pleasure of going through School,—College,—returning - hallmarked, for good happy well-paid work here. - - Yet is the easiest ‘Best’? - - Must there not be pioneers?—can their work be easy? - - Yet is there not (in many tongues and roads) a ‘noble army of - martyrs’? - - Shall we like Erasmus ‘not aspire to that honour’? - - But, oh, dear, when the heart’s light and brain clear and life sunny, - it’s easy to ‘scorn delights’ (having plenty of the reallest) but when - the ‘laborious days’ fail and only weary and dim ones remain—when the - tunnel narrows and darkens, and nearly all the light and strength - seems to have leaked out— - - Then—? - - ‘My Grace is sufficient for thee’. No other help,—‘none other fighteth - for us’—and what need?—‘Only _Thou_, O God.’” - -How little her friends could guess the attitude of her mind may be -gathered from the entry that follows: - - “Dec. 5th. M.’s and my mutual objection to family prayers evidenced by - staying out tonight. Justified? - - I say, prayer continual and interjectional rather than formal and - obligatory. - - But follow out logically? Public worship, etc.” - -Meanwhile she was hard at work, drawing up schemes for the proposed -College, visiting schools and colleges for men, and striving to fit -herself for the new work. Mr. Morse must have felt that Mr. Plumptre had -recommended a worker of remarkable talents, fine sincerity and most -unusual enthusiasm, one whose knowledge of life and of the world was far -in advance of what might have been expected from her years. Such -qualities have to be paid for, of course. Nature has a rather staggering -way of throwing in counterbalancing asperities, and, when S. J.-B. -proposed to foster a religious spirit in the college without the -formality of daily prayers, he must have begun to realize the -inflexibility of the person he was dealing with. He would probably have -sympathized with the dictum of Cousin Ellie,—“I would do anything for -you if I could only make even a slight alteration”! - -All we actually know is that he showed no indication of wishing to draw -back; and at least one public meeting in support of the scheme was duly -held and reported at length in the local papers. Public opinion, -however, on the subject, needed more fundamental education than Mr. -Morse had allowed for, and—although S. J.-B.’s budget was characterized -by the splendid economy that was one of her most striking talents—the -project failed for want of adequate financial support. - - “Feb. 22nd. Manchester scheme obiit. R.I.P.! I must be really in a bad - way to be able to find so few mental tears for this! It does - practically close up my foreground again. Heu mihi! Why mayn’t useless - people be smothered out of the way if there’s no possibility of being - or doing or having? - - ‘Because you’ve got to _learn_’, as that good Miss Harry said last - night.” - -In the midst of these varied personal interests, S. J.-B. did not lose -touch with her old girls at Queen’s College. Indeed, when one realizes -the intensity of her own experiences, it is rather refreshing to see how -whole-heartedly she could enter into those of others. - - “Feb. 23rd. 1864. - Brighton. - - MY DEAR LUCY, - - I feel rather guilty in not having written to you before this, - but I do not think that you will attribute the omission to any want of - interest in one of my dear old ‘children’.... I have to send you my - hearty congratulations and good wishes for the life that seems opening - so happily before you. Happiness is a wonderfully solemn thing,—a - thing to go down on one’s knees and thank God for.... - - ‘So pray they, bowed with sorrow down,— - While we whom love and gladness crown - Bend lower yet in prayer; - With hearts so full we need to pray, - “Oh, make us worthy, Lord, alway, - This weight of love to bear....”’ - - Don’t be too self-distrustful, dear child,—I don’t believe that you - are at all ‘unfit to be a help to anyone’.... Send me as long a letter - as your indolence will admit of, and tell me all about your prospects, - and whether your engagement is likely to be a short or long one.” - - “Dec. 13th. 1864. - - ... Having heard from E. B. of your marriage last month, I was not - quite so bewildered as I might have been at receiving an epistle from - a certain mysterious ‘Lucy Unwin’— - - ... I am so glad to hear of your being so happy, dear child (dear me, - I suppose I ought to be more respectful to so venerable a matron!) I - daresay if I heard the other side of the question it would not be so - full of wailings over your incompetencies general and particular as - yours is.... I should like exceedingly to see you in your new sphere - ... and please thank your husband very much for taking me so much on - trust as to want to see me,—though perhaps, after all, the real - compliment is to _you_! It will be a great pleasure for me to come to - you for a few days when I am next in the North.” - - [Received May 10th, 1865.] - - I had hoped to pay you a visit before this, and I am afraid you will - be disappointed as well as myself when I tell you it must now, I fear, - be indefinitely deferred, for circumstances have made me decide rather - hurriedly to pay a long-planned visit to America for the purpose of - learning something about the schools and colleges there. - - I am to start from Liverpool on Saturday the 27th., and am going to - take with me a girl whom you will perhaps hardly remember at Qu: - College:—indeed I think she was after your time,—Isabel Bain. - - “May 14th., 1865. - - DEAR LUCY, - - I should like exceedingly to see you if it were possible before - sailing for America, and your letter has made me wish more than ever - to do so. - - If I found it just possible to come to you for one day and night, - would you think it worth while to have me? I do not know what the - possibilities are,—are you _in_ the town?—or would it be an - undertaking to get to you from the station? Would it upset you all - terribly if I came and went at unearthly hours as I might have to do? - - I should like to see you exceedingly, and I should like _very_ much to - see your husband,—if my coming in such a rush and making such a fuss - wouldn’t make him hate me. - - Thank you very much for your photograph. There are no decent ones of - me, but I will see if I can find you up one of the least bad.” - -The visit was paid in due course, and proved successful in every way. -Mr. Unwin frankly shared his wife’s admiration for the character and -gifts of her old college friend, and this was by no means the last visit -she paid to their Yorkshire home. - - * * * * * - -In the meantime S. J.-B. had carried out another idea that had been -simmering in her mind for long. It may be remembered how in her -childhood she had “bought tracts (for 6d) with Carry,” and had even, -apparently, been encouraged by her Father to give them away. The -distribution of evangelical tracts was a great feature of the religious -world in which she had been brought up, and, with the hopefulness of -youth, she felt how much good might be done by circulating helpful -religious pamphlets of a non-doctrinal kind. As a first step towards the -realization of this scheme, she herself wrote three tracts,[36] and had -them printed at her own expense. The most remarkable thing about them—in -view of the writer’s youth—is their non-controversial spirit. A Father -of the Church could not have written more simply. With proper machinery -for distribution they might have met with some considerable success: as -it was the poor little booklets crept timidly into the world only to be -pronounced sadly wanting in essentials by most of those who read them. - -Footnote 36: - - Appendix B. - -“Very harmless, but very useless,” said Mrs. Jex-Blake, and she at least -knew enough of tracts to be an authority on the subject. She had evaded -reading these as long as possible, and, of course it was not to the -dearly-loved writer of them that she made the crushing comment. - -The _Guardian_, strangely enough, reviewed them rather favourably, and a -few total strangers wrote to say that this was the thing for which they -had long been looking; but on the whole appreciation was rare. - -“Frankly, I call them Cobbe and water,” said Mr. Morse. - -For the Kingdom of Heaven is a treasure hid in a field, and S. J.-B. -never realized how few can avail themselves of the treasure without -first buying the field. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - A VISIT TO SOME AMERICAN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES - - -“I have such a feeling that with the new world, a new life will open.” - -So S. J.-B. had written in October 1864, and, seven months later, she -sailed for Boston. This crossing of the Atlantic was another -considerable venture for the young woman of those days; and, although S. -J.-B. took with her a number of introductions, she knew no one on the -other side. She was fortunate, however, in her travelling companion, -Miss Isabel Bain (now Mrs. James Brander, H.M. Inspectress of Schools -for Madras, retired), a young girl of exceptional charm and promise, in -whose education S. J.-B. and her parents had taken a deep and active -interest. - -It is scarcely necessary to say that both Mr. and Mrs. Jex-Blake -regarded the new enterprise with profound misgiving: a few days before -the parting Mrs. Jex-Blake had written to Mrs. Ballantyne: - - “I was so sadly selfish and engrossed about America the few hours you - were here, that I must write a line to tell you how grateful I feel - for all your kindness to Sophy, and how thankful I am that she has - such a friend to consult with in this hour of need. I hope you did not - suffer for the way in which you were plagued here: it really was very - hard: though I quite believe you don’t think so. - - Tuesday. Sophy’s letter has just come, and I do indeed need your - prayers and sympathy. The wrench it is to me to have her go is - indescribable, but I hope and believe my view will be more reasonable - as time goes on. Any way, I know I shall have strength to bear. It is - quite a panic, and I feel as if I must run away from it. Yet I would - not prevent it if I could. I should have been very thankful for an - older companion.... - - I ought not to plague you, her good kind friend. - - May God bless you and _all_ dear to you. - - Yours affectionately, - M. E. J.-B. - - I hope to write you a less selfish letter another time. I am hardly - myself now. Is it not curious,—I have such a prejudice against - Americans that I hardly ever will read a book describing American - manners. I _hate_ descriptions of low life.” - -Surely the frequent twinkle was returning to her eye when she wrote the -closing words of the postscript? In any case there is no doubt about it -a short time later when a question arose about Miss Bain’s leaving S. -J.-B. and becoming a student in one of the colleges they had visited -together: - - “I think Daddy has a terror of only your bleached bones(!) being - found, if you went about without a companion.” - -The two girls left Liverpool on May 27th, and, after experiencing some -rough weather which confined them to their berths, they staggered -gallantly up on deck to enjoy the voyage and to make the acquaintance of -their fellow-passengers. “A very nice Scotch Independent, Dr. Raleigh of -Canonbury,” is specially noted. - -The great excitement of the voyage is described in a letter to her -Mother: - - “After I had done writing to you, we were summoned by a cry of - ‘Icebergs!’ and up we ran to see a bright white light on the horizon, - just visible, right on our track. Soon another came in sight and it - was really grand the next hour. The evening hardly beginning to close - in, but the cold _intense_, yet so beautiful.... On went the ship, - tearing on to the icebergs, that grew whiter and larger every minute,— - great cliffs of white rearing themselves out of the waves that beat - into spray at their base,—looking so strong and grim and beautiful.” - -On June 8th the _Africa_ reached Boston about midnight, and next morning -the two young women went on shore to begin the new life. The weather was -very warm and most of the people to whom they had introductions were out -of town. The travellers suffered a good deal from the heat and from -various minor inconveniences due mainly to the strangeness and -expensiveness of life in general; but S. J.-B. does not fail to put on -record how much they enjoyed the ice-cream! - -Dr. Lucy Sewall was at her post, but Mrs. Peter Taylor, in providing -this introduction had given the wrong address, and it was a couple of -days before they succeeded in finding her. The meeting was destined to -be full of significance in determining S. J.-B.’s future career. - -It was an interesting moment in which to visit the States. The war was -over, but feeling still ran high, and, although the travellers met with -much kindness and hospitality, they were not a little surprised to find -themselves in an atmosphere of deep resentment against England. - - “Oh, dear, How they turned on the tap, and talked right on end when - they got near politics, only pausing to wonder at our ‘ignorance’ in - England (that being, of course, the only source of difference of - opinion with them). Finally, after listening with the utmost patience - indefinitely—only devoutly wishing to kick over the table—I got - mentally [sic] collared by Miss Peabody with an accusation of being - ‘still incredulous’, to which I replied very frankly, that ‘certainly - till I heard both sides I could form no definite opinion.’ - - Emerson was refreshing after the rest, inasmuch as, after speaking, he - would allow you to answer.... A Miss Elizabeth Hoar told me she had - seen Carlyle in London in 1862, and that he had said to her,—‘So - you’re quarrelling out there? Why don’t you let the Southerners go to - the devil with their niggers if they like, and you go to Heaven with - your virtues if you can?’ Rather sensible, I thought,—from one point - of view at any rate.” - -There is a pleasant little letter from Emerson, written after this -meeting: - - “Concord. Monday 14th June. [1865.] - - DEAR MISS BLAKE, - - I am sorry to be so very slow in sending you the address of Mr. - Fields’ good farmer in the White Mountains region. It is Selden C. - Willey, Compton Village, 6 miles from Plymouth, New Hampshire. I - looked for it immediately on my return from Mrs. Mann’s, but could not - find it, and now today have stumbled on it in looking for something - else. Tis probable that you may have seen Mr. Fields himself before - this time. When I have found my right correspondent at Oberlin, I - shall hope to bring you my letter in person. - - With great regard, - R. W. EMERSON. - - Miss Blake.” - -The diary continues: - - “Everyone most wonderfully kind and helpful to us personally—lots of - offers of introductions, etc. That nice Dr. Sewall very anxious that I - should not tire myself out and ‘get sick’. By the bye one really can - converse with her, I think.” - -There is a kind little note from Dr. Sewall also: - - “MY DEAR MISS BLAKE, - - As usual this evening I enjoyed your society so much that I - forgot to say half that I wanted to.... - - If you call on Mr. Emerson today, I think you had better call in the - afternoon, as he told me he was engaged Wednesday and Saturday - forenoons. - - Don’t have any neuralgia when you come to the Hospital today, or I may - want to try my Electromagnetic machine on your face. I have not seen - Dr. Zakrzewska yet, but I want you to come early. - - Yours sincerely, - LUCY C. SEWALL.” - -Dr. Lucy Sewall was at this time a young woman of 28, a worthy -descendant of “a long line of truly noble ancestry.”[37] She held the -appointment of Resident Physician to the New England Hospital for Women -and Children (an institution which had been founded in great measure -through the exertions of her father, the Hon. Samuel Sewall), but there -was nothing about her to suggest that she had adopted what was at that -time an unusual line of life for a woman. Singularly girlish in -appearance, she was and remained throughout life so gentle and womanly -that, until one knew her well, her reserves of strength were a source of -repeated surprise. “So simple and humble and kindly,” writes S. J.-B. at -this time,—“said she ‘_could_ not succeed in learning to think enough -before she spoke about a case.’” - -Footnote 37: - - See _inter alia_ Whittier’s poem, “The Prophecy of Samuel Sewall, - 1697.” - -No wonder S. J.-B. was attracted. A warm friendship sprang up between -the two young women, a friendship by means of which S. J.-B. was -introduced primarily to the world of Medicine, and, secondarily, to the -wide question of Feminism. She had been living, of course, in a feminist -world at home, and a very choice world of its kind; but here the -movement had become more explicit, its aims were clearly defined and -partially realized. It had, no doubt, lost a certain amount of charm in -the process, but that is the fate of all movements the world over. They -too have to be worked out “in the commonplace clay with which the world -provides us.” - -In any case S. J.-B. was profoundly influenced by the change of -atmosphere. Her conception of woman’s work and woman’s sphere began to -widen out. On June 22nd she writes to her Mother: - - “We saw Miss Crocker the other day,—late Mathematical professor at - Antioch,—and she impressed me extremely with her quiet dignity and - wisdom, and her tremendous Mathematics,—I _should_ so like to study - under her some day. I felt like an uppish dwarf beside some strong - quiet giant.” - -And a few days later: - - “By the way that wonderful astronomer, Maria Mitchell, whom I told you - we were going to see, is a _very_ nice woman—grand and able and strong - and kindly.... She is to be a professor at Poughkeepsie, and, if we go - there, I shall certainly hope to learn of her,—though I did not know - that Astronomy would ever have come into my life. Any way it will be a - great pleasure to know such a woman.” - -On the same day she records in her diary: - - “Sat for a couple of hours in Dr. Sewall’s dispensary this morning. - Some 36 cases heard and helped more or less. Some coming with bright - faces,—‘So much better, Doctor,’—some in pain enough, poor souls. Dr. - Sewall with such a kindly ready sympathy, and such clear firm - treatment for them all. Certainly the right woman in the right place, - except in as far as she herself gets to look sadly fagged and tired - sometimes.” - -The state of S. J.-B.’s own health continued very unsatisfactory. “What -is one to do,” she says, “when one has alternate days of ‘feeling like a -tallow candle,’ and days of feeling rather grand and energetic, like -yesterday, when my ‘book’ was begun with a bounce?” After watching her -for some weeks, Dr. Sewall pronounced her “worn out in mind and body,” -and advised a holiday among the hills until the excessive heat was over. -So she paid a delightful visit to Professor and Mrs. Rogers at -Lunenburg, and then went on to West Compton near the White Mountains. -“The railway (a single line) cut through delicious woods with no fence -or wall, just through the wildest glades full of ferns and pyrolas,— -vistas of sun on fir and maple boles,—then again by the side of one -lovely lake after another, a perfect prodigality of beauty.” - - “Aug. 18th 1865. - West Compton. - - DARLING MOTHER,—I don’t think I shall be able to write by the next - mail, as we are going for a few days’ excursion round the mountains, - so I must send you off now as long a letter as I can manage, telling - you what we have been doing just lately. - - First and foremost, I have been coming in useful as ‘teamster’, in - Yankee parlance, having been chiefly employed in driving my neighbours - all about the country lately. You would have laughed, I think, had you - seen my ‘span’ (pair of horses) the other day,—one brown, pretty - high,—the other mouse coloured and some three inches lower, the most - delightful variety prevailing in the harnessing and general appearance - of the two. Behind these beauties came six of us in a big rough - country ‘wagon’, all of painted wood,—two big seats fixed in a sort of - open cart. - - We went through _such_ a ford,—the Penningewassett River, and (when - the horses didn’t bite each other) we got on grandly....” - - “You haven’t the least idea what that word ‘woods’ means,—in England - there are just a few acres of carefully preserved trees and ‘no - trespassers allowed’. Here you plunge into a vast forest, miles and - miles every way,—lucky if you can find a path at all, else guiding - yourself by sun and stream and taking hours and hours to get a mile or - two,—yet all through so grand, so green, and so delicious! If you - could just have been with us yesterday! Every few minutes we found - some great tree fallen across our path, or some black bog of decayed - cedar or pine,—oh, the scents of those!—perfectly delicious;—and then - round we had to go, creeping, jumping or gliding round the - obstruction. Then we would come to some little clearing, and catch - such views of the mountains we were shut in with,—then on again and - hardly see daylight through the dense trees. And such mosses, such - ferns, such berries! - - Then over the river somehow from rock to rock, and such a scramble up - among the cascades which came leaping down like liquid silver in the - sunlight, and such pools we did so want to bathe in, and had to - [refrain] for lack of time and towels! They called the distance 2½ or - 3 miles, but we took just 3 hours to get there,—and then coming back - pretty sharply in about half the time. The only grief to me was—what - perhaps you will hardly sympathize in—that we didn’t come across any - bear. There are a good many left in the woods and one hears every now - and then of their being met, but they are getting few, and they are - proportionately timid and modest, running off full speed if they see - you. Wouldn’t it have been fun to see one?... - - I think hardly anything strikes an Englisher more than the no-value of - wood here. Over the water it’s half high treason to hurt a tree;—here, - if you want a napkin-ring, you strip the bark off the first birch you - come to and make a lot; or, if you take it into your head, set fire to - the woods anywhere and have a bonfire of a dozen trees, and no one - says a word. We have seen woods on fire over and over again, and no - one says more than,—‘Oh, somebody’s fired the wood’; and the odd thing - is it doesn’t seem to spread as one would expect. - - One comes continually to clearings full of blackened stumps not yet - grubbed up,—the beginning of a garden or house place perhaps. I want - to see a great big forest fire some day,—and I only wish I might see a - prairie on fire too; only that is said to be horribly dangerous. It is - so funny to hear here, as when I was asking about a certain road (from - St. Louis to California), ‘Yes, it’s the shortest, but the Indians are - cross just now and have been scalping a lot of people there’! - - Well, darling, we had such a drive home by starlight last night, and - all enjoyed our day hugely. When we got in I suppose I walked slightly - lame or something, for my greeting was,—‘I guess you’re tired, an’t - you? You’re kind o’ waggling’!” - -One is quite sorry to see the Boston postmark again; but the high -spirits do not flag. “You don’t know,” she writes to her Mother, “what -an immense thing it is for us to have got free admission to the Woman’s -Hospital life here,—we are always doing something jolly together with -the students and doctors,—all women, by the way. - - Dr. Sewall is resident Physician, and is always asking us to spend - jolly evenings there,—or to join them in going to theatres, etc. - Yesterday we made an expedition in the evening to a famous place for - ice-cream, 8 of us there were—4 M.D.s (one of whom is a splendid - surgeon,—the first female surgeon I have heard of) two students and we - two. After the ices we went back to the Hospital, and played a most - ridiculous game of cards called ‘Muggins’, keeping us in roars of - laughter half the time. Then Dr. Tyng (the surgeon) sang, and, among - other things gave us a specimen of the ‘Shaker’ singing—with its very - peculiar religious dance,—have you heard about the Shakers? I hope to - see them and then I will tell you. - - But can’t you understand how refreshing it is to slip into the bright - life of all these working people—working hard all day, and then so - ready for fun when work’s over? It reminds me of the full colour and - life of the old London times when all we working women were together.” - -So she utilised every opportunity of getting information likely to help -in her study of the conditions of Women’s education. She regretted in -after life that her dislike of ‘lion-hunting’ had prevented her from -making—or cultivating—the acquaintance of well-known people who did not -seem likely to be of direct help in her work. Not that she disdained the -opportunities when they actually came within reach. Here is an -interesting episode in the course of her wanderings: - - “Sept. 9th. Went over to Concord, Mass. by 11 a.m. train. At the - station found Waldo Emerson just fetching his wife and friends. I - spoke to him and he very cordially asked us to ‘take our dinner’ with - him. We accepted, first paying a visit to Mrs. Horace Mann and Miss - Peabody. Mrs. Mann gave me a letter to Mr. Pennel (her nephew) at St. - Louis, whither I am advised to go after Oberlin and Antioch perhaps. - Poughkeepsie we must visit later, by wish of the President, Dr. - Raymond. - - Went on to Emerson’s to dinner. Was received by one of the daughters, - Ellen,—simple and kindly, the ‘housekeeper’, I should think—and shown - into a room with several people.... About 3 p.m. dinner served, more - English-wise than most, though with a new Irish maid for waiter, who - looked anxiously to ‘Ellen’ for orders. Another daughter, Edith (about - to be married) and a son, Edward. They had sherry on the table, which - I have only seen at the Rogers’ besides,... Pears and grapes,—partly - the queer sage grapes with tarry flavour,—on a pretty basket, large - and shallow. - - Mr. Emerson struck me as having one of the sweetest expressions I have - ever seen on a man’s mouth. He was very kind in offering help. We - talked besides a little about Swedenborg, for whom he seemed to have - some admiration. ‘To be read as one reads a poet’s ideas,—not - critically,’ he said, and spoke of the pre-inspiration works on - science, etc., as really valuable. - - Mrs. Emerson talked a little about ‘women’s questions’, female - franchise, etc.—and spoke of the wonderful blinding power of habit,—as - in slavery question,—looking to Christianity in its advance to set all - to rights. - - I remarked that few had done more harm to the cause than St. Paul by - some of his words. She replied very truly that the fault lay rather in - those who would rigidly apply such words and consider them binding out - of all connection of time and place.” - -It was left to a later friend to point out that St. Paul showed himself -in this respect the John Stuart Mill of his day when he asserted that -‘in Jesus Christ is neither male nor female.’ - - “Speaking a little to an old schoolfellow of Emerson’s he told me it - was hard for anyone to say what Emerson’s opinions were. I said I had - heard of him as a pantheist; he said at any rate he was one of the - best of men and had been from boyhood up.” - -A few days later she visited Niagara,—“the only ‘pleasure’ thing” she -tells her Mother, “I _resolved_ to do if possible. We hope to spend next -Sunday there,—not a bad church, will it be?” From Niagara she writes to -Mrs. Unwin: - - “Sept. 17th. 1865. - Niagara. - - MY DEAR LUCY, - - I congratulate you with all my heart on the birth of your little - son! I think by this time you will have forgotten all doubts and - difficulties, and all but pleasant feelings of responsibility, in your - great content, have you not? God very seldom sends us either duties or - blessings without showing us how to fulfil and enjoy and use them, and - I do not doubt but you will have found in your own case all sorts of - new powers and instincts develop with the need of them, and will have - by this time a pretty definite idea ‘What to do with a baby’—Is it not - so?... - - I wish there existed a visual telegraph (if such a phrase may be - coined) and that I could give you a glimpse of the scene I have in - front of me, and which is continually stealing my eyes from my paper. - No less than Niagara in its full glory!—and what that glory is I don’t - think any _but_ eyes can tell. I have seen a good deal of beauty and - grandeur in my life, in Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, etc., but I - think never anything so wonderfully, bewitchingly, grandly beautifully - as this. People talk of being disappointed in Niagara, but I think it - can only be because, for the first moment, the enormous width of the - Falls (900 feet in one case, 2000 in the other,—separated by an - island) prevents their recognizing their height as well, or else they - have not got the right natures to admire with! (and I think that last - is oftener the case than people think). - - It gives one most wonderfully the feeling of power and immensity,—the - sort of feeling that was [expressed] long ago, ‘When I consider the - work of Thy fingers, what is man that Thou are mindful of him?’—and - yet the feeling of infinite beauty and harmony too. Before leaving we - go under the Falls, and into the ‘Cave of the Winds’ behind a vast - curtain of water, and that I think must give one almost more strongly - still the impression of might and vastness. It is very little use to - talk about it any more, I wish you could see it! - - Thank you very much for writing to my Mother about A. I hope she will - get away from her present uncomfortable place,—it would give me great - pleasure if she came to you. Only I warn you I shall claim her some - day! - - Goodbye, dear child. With all good wishes for you and yours, I am ever - - Yours very sincerely, - S. L. JEX-BLAKE.” - -From Niagara she went via Cleveland to Oberlin, and so began the tour -which she afterwards described in _A Visit to some American Schools and -Colleges_ (published by Macmillan in 1867). She had been very kindly -advised by Dr. Hill, the President of Harvard, as to the Colleges best -worth visiting, and the experience proved both interesting and useful. -At Oberlin the two sexes were almost equally represented, and “coloured” -students formed about a third of the whole number. “In the year of my -visit,” she writes, “it so happened that the only woman who graduated -was a coloured girl, originally a slave, who had not even then paid her -full ransom to her former owners.” A considerable proportion of students -of both sexes supported themselves wholly or in part by doing the -domestic work of the establishment. Manners were rather rough even for -the America of those days, but the standard of behaviour was high, and -the religious atmosphere almost overwhelming. - -From Oberlin she went on to Hillsdale, St. Louis, and Antioch (at Yellow -Springs in Ohio) spending a few days or weeks at each; and afterwards -she visited a number of schools. What impressed her perhaps more than -anything else was the success with which the joint education of men and -women was carried on, and this impression was destined to play its part -in the later struggles of her life. - -“If anyone asks you again about my views of comparative English and -American teaching,” she writes to her Mother, “I suppose I may say that -I believe on the whole American girls _are_ more thoroughly, and -especially more universally, taught fundamental things. They learn -Mathematics more thoroughly, and Latin more invariably; their knowledge -of modern languages is decidedly inferior (very naturally, being so far -from France, Germany, etc.) and their English and their manners both -less polished. But I should think a decidedly smaller number of them are -able to manage to grow up _quite_ ignorant!” It annoyed her a good deal -that, in the matter of pronunciation, an American will always ask you -“what dictionary you go by,” and seems quite unable to understand the -unwritten law of language which in England reigns supreme, and from -which, if a dictionary differs, it simply condemns itself. - -Her birthday inspired a breezy letter from her brother: - - “13 Sussex Square, Brighton. - Jan. 21. 1866. - - MY DEAR SOPHY, - - Many happy returns of your 26th birthday, as they would say in - Ireland: and may they ache find you younger and fresher! - - We have been enjoying three very fresh but windy weeks here; and are - now leaving tomorrow for Rugby. We leave Violet, Katharine and Netta - here, however, as they are only half through measles.... - - We have ridden a good deal, been with the hounds more than usual; and - not read much. Lecky on Rationalism is the best book I have read - lately, of the fairly solid sort; Swinburne’s Atalanta the best new - poem; Citoyenne Jacqueline the best new novel; Mr. ——’s the worst - stale sermons. Is there anything good out in American literature of - late? Artemus Ward is good in his line, but his line is audacious. - - I should like six months in America immensely; locomotive, with - introductions, I don’t know the politics of the people you are with or - have been with; but I was always a Northerner.... I wonder how the - Mexican business will end: and cannot pretend to guess: but I hope - Louis Napoleon ... will soon withdraw his troops, and Maximilian will - collapse. We are on the eve of a noisy session, I expect; Home Office - stung by reform into a queer tarantula, and Colonial secretaries - badgered about Jamaica by both sides of the House. I cannot pretend to - judge till we get more evidence: but as yet none has turned up which - in my eyes justifies the execution of Gordon—who for all that was - probably deep.... Have I wearied you out with politics? or have you - not read so far? - - With love from us all, - I am your affecte brother, - T. W. JEX-BLAKE.” - -She answered the letter while the stimulus of it was fresh: - - “DEAR TOM, - - Many thanks for your birthday letter. Though they came rather - late, I got quite a budget at last. - - I quite agree that you ought to come and see America,—both its people - and its scenery. It’s a queer study in all ways, one finds so much to - like and respect, and so much that one is inclined to laugh at. People - are certainly less tied and bound by the chain of ‘on dit’, on this - side the water, and that tells more for good than for evil, I think; - but on the other hand it lets people who are so inclined fall into - overgrown eccentricities, and set at nought to an alarming extent all - rules of grammar and etiquette when they don’t suit. In fact I have - not found more than three or four Americans altogether who talk what - we should consider cultivated English, or behave as if they had been - in what we call cultivated society. They’ll pick their teeth while - they talk to you (so will the shopmen—‘store clerks’, if you please,— - while they serve you) spit within an inch of you, eat things in the - streets while walking with you, perhaps whistle and sing ditto; talk - about what they ‘had ought to do’, say they should ‘admire to do so - and so for you’ or ask if they shall ‘turn out the tea,’ etc. And all - this from men who have been through College, and women who know more - Mathematics, Latin, Greek and Philosophy than I dare think about. In - fact there’s a very curious contrast in the much higher level of - learning and the much lower level of outward signs of refinement in - American as compared with English averages. - - I’m afraid that while we may have some few hundreds better educated,— - more ‘elegant scholars’—than any in America, we must confess that - there is here a very much higher percentage of fairly well read and - well educated people than with us. I notice this specially among the - girls—as to the men I know less. But almost all girls here have - studied a good deal things few English girls go much into—specially - Mathematics and natural science. - - Then I am sure no one ought to speak more highly than I of American - kindness and hospitality,—I am very much afraid few foreigners would - have found in England such a welcome as I met with here. People were - so cordially kind in helping me in all sorts of ways.... There seems - to me much less of the spirit of ‘pride of office,’ etc., much more - readiness to admit one everywhere to see everything, and to be ready - to help without standing too much on one’s dignity. I found this - specially in the case of Dr. Hill, President of Harvard University, - the first in America—and the same in the case of the presidents of the - colleges for both sexes, Oberlin, Hillsdale, and Antioch. - - I don’t know whether you will care for all these results of my - observations, but your mention of America and wish to see it drew them - out. - - As to politics, I knew very little about them before I came, and had a - faint sort of prejudice in favour of the South, believing the North to - be very insincere about slavery, etc. I now think that the Anti- - slavery cry _has_ been used most shamelessly for private and political - ends by some, but that there is at the heart of Yankeedom a strong - true heart beating earnestly in favour of liberty for negroes as well - as whites, and that there are and have been very many most sincerely - bent on very unselfish ends, and a great deal of real patriotism (on - both sides probably) evolved by the war. - - I am chiefly with some of the very best of the Anti-slavery people. - The Sewalls used to shelter escaped negroes when to do so was a penal - offence. - - I saw Lecky’s Rationalism (which ought rather to be called the History - of Reasonableness) before I left England, but only read part of it. I - first found it on Miss Cobbe’s table, and liked it very much. I don’t - know of any great American books lately,—they pirate almost everything - English. - - I think the English here must be feeling pretty badly about Jamaican - affairs,—I am. They say the French troops are certainly to evacuate - Mexico now.... - - I hope Hetty got thanked for her note a little while ago,—this letter - is meant as much for her as for you, though I forgot to begin it so. - Love to the bairns. I suppose I shall scarcely know them when I get - back. - - Your aff. sister, - S. L. J.-B.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - QUESTIONINGS - - -When S. J.-B. left England her plan had been to spend at least part of -the winter with an old school-friend, now married to the Revd. Addington -Venables—afterwards Bishop—of Nassau in the West Indies; but life in -Boston proved too attractive. She liked the women doctors and they liked -her; possibly they had designs on her; in any case Dr. Sewall was -anxious to get her health up to such a level as would make professional -life a possibility; and, for the furtherance of this end, it was -arranged that she should share the resident’s little house in connection -with the hospital. Miss Isabel Bain had gone to pursue her education in -one of the good girls’ schools. Already in October one had heard of S. -J.-B. “helping the doctor through oceans of figures in hospital -reports,” and one can well believe that she was an efficient member of -the little community. The very day after she took up her residence in -the hospital precincts the “student” who did the dispensing was summoned -away, and as—of course!—there was a run of arduous cases at the same -time, S. J.-B. cheerfully volunteered to do the dispensing,—“and was -very thankfully accepted” to fill the gap! Within a week she writes to -her Mother: - - “It’s very amusing, dear, to learn to write and make up prescriptions - so easily,—I shall be up to the doctors in future you see! I have just - been making one up for myself under the doctor’s directions, to my - great amusement,— ... and precious nasty it is! - - It’s a great comfort to be of some sort of use to these people who are - so frightfully overworked just now.... Besides being apothecary, I’m - general secretary,—write all the business letters (which the doctor - hates) and post up the hospital records of cases, etc.; and besides - this I requested to be and got appointed what I call ‘chaplain’ with - discretionary powers. The only people who visit in the hospital - (besides friends at visiting hours) are the Lady Managers, each of - whom has a month on duty, and besides that Mr. Barnard comes and holds - a short service and preaches every Sunday afternoon. So I thought that - the patients would like some reading, etc., sometimes, and Dr. Sewall - gave me leave to do all I liked.... You can’t think how pleased they - were all of them, and how heartily they asked me to come again, which - I shall do pretty often.” - -A week later (Nov. 24th) she writes again: - - “At present I am so exceedingly content in my quaint pleasant quarters - in the midst of so new a working world, that I hardly feel the need of - anything beyond; and I do greatly want quiet and rest to ‘recuperate’ - as the new word goes. I can’t tell you when I have found so much - chance of rest of mind and quiet interest in things wholly unconnected - with the old pain,—not for years, I am sure, and I have ready to hand - just as much work as I feel able for, and yet no strain on me to do it - if I am not able. I can’t tell you the pleasure it gives one simply to - see Dr. Sewall in her hospital and especially among her poor patients. - She is such a true _Healer_;—so infinitely compassionate and - sympathetic, with blue eyes sometimes quite full of sorrow for the - people’s pain, yet such strong firm hand and will to remedy even - _through_ pain. I say a dozen times a day,—‘Were I not a teacher, I - would be a doctor’—if I could. - - (Nov. 27th.) This hospital life is simply charming. So busy, so - simple, so quaint and so interesting! I am entering more and more - fully into it daily, and finding more and more nooks which I can fill - ... sometimes giving mechanical aid in operations where they want an - extra hand, etc. - - Darling, one very unexpected result is coming out of this new life - which I embraced simply for its rest and comfort,—I find myself - getting desperately in love with medicine as a science and as an art, - to an extent I could not have believed possible. I always associated - so much that is repulsive and nasty with it in my mind, but I find - that one really loses all sense of that in close contact,—that the - beauty of nature’s arrangements and of art’s contrivances absorb one’s - mind from everything less pleasant, and I find myself saying to myself - a dozen times a day that, did I not feel my life devoted to another - object, I would be a doctor straightway. As it is, I mean to use all - the time I have in gaining all I can, by observation (for which one so - rarely has such a chance) even more than by study, though I find - myself devouring all sorts of medical works too, and am quite amazed - to find how far even in this little time I am able to understand to a - certain extent all sorts of things going on around me, and how _very_ - interesting they all become in the new light.... Of course one has - access to an enormous medical library here, and the junior doctors are - all as ready to help or show me all I want as possible. I in my turn - do all I can to take extra work which I can do off their hands. Today - the hospital note-book was handed over to me, and I went round with - the physicians taking down directions for food, medicines, etc., and - then making up the latter and taking them to the wards: all of which - was very little for me to do, and very interesting, but a great deal - saved for the over-worked junior doctor of the wards. I am really a - _great_ deal stronger and healthier than I have been for a long time.” - - “Nov. 27th. We get up at 6.30 a.m.,—breakfast at 7, then go round the - wards with the doctors, then I make up the hospital medicines and see - what drugs need to be ordered into the dispensary. The Dispensary - opens at 9, or two days in the week at 10, and on Mondays and - Thursdays (Dr. Sewall’s days) I am there all the morning, making up - prescriptions as fast as she writes them (two of us generally have our - hands full, but sometimes I am alone), and very often we have not got - through our work when the dinner-bell rings at 1 p.m. Dr. Sewall - always has an enormous number of patients—from 60 to 70, and if I go - down into the Dispensary waiting-room I get seized on so eagerly,—‘Is - Dr. Sewall here herself?’ as she is occasionally obliged to be absent - part of the time. - - I think anyone who passed a couple of mornings in this dispensary - would go away pretty well convinced of the enormous advantage of women - doctors; and one sees daily how the poor women feel it by the crowds - that come on the four days in the week when the lady physicians are in - charge, and the handful that comes on the two days when a man - presides.... They say that they have cases again and again of long- - standing diseases which the women have borne rather than go to a man - with their troubles,—and I don’t wonder at it.” - - 15th.I have just begun to have a little Sunday service in the wards - where there was none before. Dr. Sewall is very good in letting me - make such plans if I like, and comes herself to the service. Of course - we have a very mixed multitude, but I think we manage to worship our - ‘Father in Heaven’ and look forward to the ‘One fold’ some day, when - neither ‘Jerusalem nor this mountain’ shall be the vital thing.” - - “(Dec. 19th.) My chaplain’s work has rather fallen into abeyance now - from the crush of other things,—the only thing I do regularly being - the Sunday service, writing a weekly sermon for which, by the bye, is - not to be omitted in one’s list of work. It’s all but impossible to - find any printed ones one could read,—one needs to be so absolutely - non-doctrinal and non-combative; and besides the doctors and people - will come to hear mine when they’d think twice about anything else. - - The young surgeon I told you about has a splendid voice, and last - Sunday she brought a sort of large accordion and played all our hymn - tunes, so we are getting quite grand. Wouldn’t you like, darling, to - peep in at us and see all our busy doings?—I _wish_ you could.” - -To say that the young doctors who came to her services were frankly -critical of her and her beliefs is an understatement of the facts. Some -of their remarks have survived,—clever and flippant for the most part; -but the following letter from an intimate friend, whom she had persuaded -to accompany her to church, is worth quoting: - - “Sunday evening, 11 o’clock. - - My dear Baby, I cannot sleep for thinking of the rude speeches I made - to you this evening. I am so sorry that I said them, but at the same - time I could not help it,—the whole service and the going to church of - most all the people there was such a farce that it roused the devil in - my nature. - - Besides all this, my Baby answered me so sweetly and truly that it did - me good to make her talk, and raised my faith in human goodness which - was getting almost extinguished by that man’s sermon. If I ever get - into such a disagreeable mood again, and say ugly things to tease you, - you must give me a good moral box on the ear so as to bring me to my - senses. - - I do not believe that going to church is good for me. - - Don’t think me foolish for writing this, and don’t let anything I said - today trouble you, but be as good to me as you have been.” - -In the midst of all this busy life, S. J.-B. never forgot the family -festivals at home, the birthdays of parents and friends, the date when -such an one was to be married, or another to sail for India. This was a -striking gift, more of the heart than of the head, that she retained -throughout life. “I was thinking in bed this morning of the faithful few -who would remember my poor old birthday,” wrote her childhood’s -schoolmistress, Miss Teed, at this time, “And a little bird whispered, -‘You will get a letter from Sophy.’” - -Not that she ever felt bound to say the thing that was expected of her. - -“I suppose you don’t expect me to say much about Uncle’s death, -darling,” she writes to her Mother. “It cannot seem to me sad for anyone -concerned. I do not think he would have learned much more here; -doubtless he will hereafter.” - -Three weeks before the anniversary of her parents’ wedding, she writes -to her sister: - - “DEAR OLD CHARLIE,—Please keep the enclosed very secret till the - morning of May 12th. - - Get a grand plant of some sort—full of blossom, geranium or fuchsia or - something,—any price up to 5s.—and put the letter in its leaves on - Mother’s plate at breakfast. _Mind_ you get a glorious plant.... - - Your aff. sis., - S. L. J.-B.” - -From a letter written to her Mother at Christmas 1865 one realizes what -a child she was still: - - “Our rooms did get so prettily decorated,—Dr. Sewall is clever that - way,—and I took holly round to all the wards that everybody might have - some bits to look at. We had quite a rush of babies just then—four - born on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.—When we were going round the - wards on Christmas Day Dr. Sewall ordered of course ‘light diet’ for - the new Mothers,—so I said laughingly to console them, ‘Well, I - guessed the babies were worth losing a dinner for, weren’t they?’ - ‘Humph!’ says one of the Mothers, ‘a good dinner’s worth more to poor - folks!’ - - To tell the truth I was too much taken aback to reflect what a - sensible woman she was!—What would _you_ have said, dear? - - Darling, I come more and more to the conclusion that anyone who wishes - to preserve intact all romantic ideas about ‘Mother’s love,’ etc., had - better not live in a Lying-in Hospital. It’s a grand and blessed thing - when it does come, but that isn’t always. We had two of the babies - born here found deserted in the streets a few days ago,—the day after - their mothers were discharged.” - -On March 4th, 1866, she writes to her Mother: - - “I have given up my Sunday service, or at least have resigned it into - the hands of a minister who already had a service in the medical - wards. I found it very hard to find time to prepare properly for it, - and sometimes it tried my nerves very much, and besides it got to be a - great weight upon me in the way of responsibility and absolute honesty - in _what_ I said. Things seem so very un-clear to my own mind that it - rather weighs upon me and worries me to be trying to say much about - them to others. Perhaps this state may just pass away again, but in - the meantime I like best to ‘be true to every honest thought’ and, - till I’m sure, to be silent. - - Much love to Daddy and Carry, and such a lot of kisses for my darling. - - Yours lovingly, - SOPH.” - -To understand the inner history of this change one must revert to the -diary,—the most intimate friend of all—and this takes us back for a -moment to the time of her arrival in America. - - “June 18th. How thoughts and plans and possibilities rush upon me! The - opening of the bar to women here,—Mr. Sewall’s wish for a female - pupil. ‘Ah,’ as I said to L.E.S. last night, ‘if I had been an - American, I believe I should not have doubted to be a lawyer.’ She - thinks one _should_ be, if one has the powers and will. - - Yes, but is the ‘dedication’ and vocation of years nothing? Have I - believed rightly or wrongly that God meant me to do something for - teaching,—and that in England,—to the almost certain exclusion of all - other life-work? Rightly, I think. - - Then, again, the ministry. What seems to draw me so irresistibly that - way? Is it pride or wish of note, or is it vocation? Is it partly Dr. - Arnold’s belief that Headmaster ought also to be chaplain?... - - One seems at crossways,—‘the tide’ perhaps. Well, _look_,—and surely - the kindly Light will lead.” - -Anyone who had gone through all S.J.-B.’s papers up to this date with an -open mind would have said that the choice really lay between teaching -and preaching. All her life she had been more interested in religious -subjects than in any others, and her gifts of exposition and of public -speaking were far above the average in either sex. In later years, when -she was addressing thousands of people, she could make all hear without -seeming to raise her voice; it remained full, mellow, easy, perfectly -controlled, just as when she sat at the head of her own dinner-table. -She might have spent some considerable part of the day in “wishing -somebody would shoot her,” but no one would have guessed it when the -moment came. “My mind is perfectly at ease when _she_ rises to speak,” -said one of her patients in Edinburgh, many years later, “one feels then -that humanly speaking nothing can go wrong.” As a matter of fact it was -when she was addressing a large audience that she looked most radiantly -happy. - -In many ways, then, she would have made a good minister; we know that -she wrote a number of sermons that were appreciated by her colleagues, -and she went so far as to preach at Weymouth (Mass.) for the Rev. -Olympia Brown. “On seeing Him who is invisible” was the subject she -chose, and, judged by ordinary standards, the sermon seems to have been -a success. - -The main reason why she did not follow it up was (as indicated in the -last-quoted letter to her Mother) the change that took place in her -religious views after she had lived some time in America. In England she -had been considered an advanced thinker on religious subjects: in -America—the America in which her lot happened to be thrown—she was -amazingly orthodox and conservative. For the first time she found -herself among people who really _did not care_ about religion as she -understood it. - - “July 2nd. Very nice these people are,” she writes in her diary, “and - very nice Mrs. Rogers’ deep clear interest about the poor and wicked,— - refuges, etc. - - Yet is there not in them the sort of un-religiousness which half jars - on one in Unitarians? I wonder _why_. I _hope_ I shan’t get into it. - ‘_More_ of reverence in us dwell.’ Yet so difficult in throwing off - old bonds of sentiment not to lose something of the real feeling,—and, - as Miss Cobbe says, if our religion is not a synthesis of _all_ the - good and beauty we know, we are less, not more, by rejecting errors.” - -And again: - - “A new psychical study in the shape of Mrs. F., who ‘can believe in - Providence but not in God,’ and who ‘means to say that there is - absolute right and wrong, but _not_ good and bad people. People were - born with certain notions and acted accordingly; they did the best - they could and could do no more.’ - - Mr. F. allowing and accepting the consequence that men differed no - more from brutes than by finer organization, no more than the elephant - from the fish! It is really good to contrast opposite extremes of - thought,—it gives one a certain sense of stability and reality to have - to defend one’s castle on _both_ sides, and so to feel sure that it is - one’s own at least.... - - Talking of struggle as the only root of good, I quoted ‘perfect - _through_ suffering,’ and spoke of my belief in Christ’s struggle in - those 30 years as the only possible root of his accordance of will - with God’s. - - July 16th. Curious how the things most living to me are just simple - absurdities to another. Talking of tombstones, Mrs. H. doesn’t like - them, as preventing the dead rising—in idea. Mrs. F.—‘Well, you don’t - expect them to, do you?’ (as a sort of _reductio ad absurdum_). - ‘Certainly I do: the Bible says so.’ ‘Oh—aw—ah!’ with such a face,—‘if - I thought so, I’d take to Banting at once.’” - -Curious how none of them seem to have seen that the frivolous remark -involved a great principle! - -There were many stories and jokes on biblical themes, and—though S. J.- -B. even at this time was a touchstone in the matter of jokes, never -allowing one to pass which was not funny enough or clever enough to -justify its breadth or its seeming irreverence—her sense of humour was -keen. - - “Suggestion to read the prayer for fair weather,—‘Lor, sir,—not a bit - of good with the wind in this quarter.’” - -But she was constantly reverting to the old religious intensity: - - “How reading of any spiritual conflict—even such an ‘ébauche’ as in - Agnes of Sorrento—rouses one’s whole nature in a sort of enthusiasm of - longing and half prophecy!... - - Sometimes I feel such intense sympathy and pity for Christ because of - his very deification. That after spending his whole life to learn and - tell men about his Father, he should find them, after his death, - trying to set him up himself to obscure that Father,—making God a foil - to Christ!” - -With that extraordinary frankness that does such credit to both, she -writes to her Mother at this time,—“I was thinking the other day how -curious it was that I really never read one Unitarian book till I was -altogether Unitarian,[38]—never one but the Bible at least, if that -counts.” - -Footnote 38: - - It was only for a very brief period of her life that S. J.-B. would - have called herself by this name. - -“It is strange,” says someone, “that, in all our talk of the evolution -of the individual, we fail to recognize the evolution of the medium.” S. -J.-B. seems to have thought—as so many earnest spirits thought in those -days—that she stood practically alone. “It has so been,” she says in the -same letter to her Mother, “(I can’t say _chanced_) that I have had next -to no human sympathy or help on my way. I do not remember that anyone -but Mrs. Ballantyne has given me much of either in this one strife, and -before I knew her the worst was over.” - -One must bear this in mind in reading the passage that follows: - - “To realize more and more that my life will be one—for years if not to - the end—of struggle and perhaps obloquy, certainly outcasting from the - synagogue,—struggle theological and social: and will it even succeed - at last? Yes, surely,—inasmuch as Robertson says how to fall in the - gap is success,—to be one of the conquering army, if not of the - conquerors.” - -The next entry in the diary is the quotation of a flippant joke about -the Californians who “when they go to a certain warm abode have yet to -send back for their blankets.” - - “July 30th. A very interesting talk with the Fs. ... trying hard to - show Mrs. F., who longs so to believe in a loving God, ‘Thou wouldst - not seek me, hadst thou not found me,’—and that to long is almost to - believe. Also to show her that Christ’s Christianity is a strong true - manly thing,—that what she deprecates is the letter not the spirit, - and that her willingness to live, and yet fear to die, without - Christianity is of the essence of Calvinism. - - With him, still more interesting, (except that one pities and longs to - help her) about origin of evil, free will, etc. I arguing that God - _could_ not give men the possibility of virtue without the possibility - of evil,—he arguing a higher state where evil not possible. I say—then - you exclude the idea of goodness from God. - - With some effort cleared ideas so far as to detect the ‘undistributed - middle term,’ to distinguish between the possibility of evil and the - wish _toward_ evil. Saying that the very truth we prized in - Unitarianism was that it said ‘Christ, if God, was no example’ and - that Christ’s very goodness consisted in that he had the possibility - of evil and no wish for evil. - - Illustrating with May forbidden sugar, in a room with and without it. - In one case unable to disobey, in the other restrained from the wish - to disobey. - - The two, confused in one, being absolute opposites. - - Is this all part of my training ‘for the ministry’? Please God. One - does so gain a clearness never, one trusts, to be lost. - - He asked me tonight if I did not find I had a clearness of thought and - language very rare; and she said I was the first person who had made - her feel the intense reality of the invisible and long after it. - Please God, a prophecy. - - I said I had won through infinite struggle—almost ‘to blood’—a - certainty to which the visibility of the outer was nothing. And, - please God, it is deeply true.” - -Ah me, Prometheus! The audacity of us small mortals all! - -But the words that follow are indeed ‘a prophecy.’ - - “I have such a conviction of infinite struggle and contest in the - future,—yet please God, of earnest, on-pressing struggle, and in the - end, victory and Rest.... - - Oh, dear, the ‘religious’ people and their effects!—very nearly making - L. E. S. hate the name. So far from all good being ‘in the name of our - Lord Jesus Christ’ or rather in God’s, there is actually room for the - reverse to be said;—not wholly truly, I trust though. But she said, - ‘If I want help for those poor things in or out of hospital, I never - go near the pious people. I have and I know them. Go to atheists, and - you are never refused.’ - - Oh, dear!” - -Knowing the spiritual history of earnest souls in that generation, one -is not surprised to come a couple of months later upon the entry: - - “I am wonderfully unsettled and uneasy somehow.... I do believe this - terrible sort of logical doubt of Theism that enters in—_not_ un- - faith, but a failure of the abiding surety—an entrance of the - admission how possibly _reasonable_ Atheism may be—hurts horribly. - - And then isn’t the whole world void? - - Oh for the ‘_I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not_‘!—and - doubtless one has it,—both in ’_Neither pray I for these alone_,’ and - also in those who live and love one, Mother and Octa.... - - L.’s absence of sympathy weighs heavily. Hitherto all my friends have - met me here,—she does not. ‘All the help she ever got, she got from - herself and her will.’ Not from the Bible or hymns, etc. She calls - herself a theist, but it seems to me to run close to practical - atheism....” - - “Oct. 29th. She _is_ so good! Told her something of today’s pain, she - so sympathizing and good! Believed that the struggle was part of the - sequence of early training and later reaction into ‘wider faith’—what - many had to go through one time or another. I spoke of herself,—asked - her what practical difference she would find if an atheist. ‘Not much - generally,’ she thought, but in trouble she did pray. She couldn’t - help it, and believed it was good, and when her friends died she was - happier. ‘When she thought of it, she felt very sure about God, but - very seldom did stop to think. She was sure her first duty was her - work, etc. and then she had small time and sense left. - - I said lives not continually lived as seeing Him who is invisible - would be worth but little; she said Then her’s was so, and many - others. So I retracted hastily. ‘At least _mine_ would be.’ - - Perhaps her’s is actually higher and more childlike. ‘He will care for - my soul,’[39] as it were.” - - “Nov. 13th. Looking at p. 253, ‘the Ministry?’, I ask whether the sort - of spiritual speechlessness—almost deadness—is not perhaps a merciful - answer to that question. Clearly I can’t preach now.” - - “Nov. 24th. This temptation to medicine is pretty strong in some ways, - both as to present study and future life.... But ‘not each on all’ - come the claims,—_this_ is surely already responded to, and will - surely grow without me. - - I feel as if my work would not [how little she knew!] as if, at least, - it was given _me_ to do and needed most of all my labour. - - So ’Traveller, hold thy cloak’! - - While it was identical with life interests and labour am I to claim - ‘vocation,’ and then when others open, forsake it? - - ‘Shalt not excel.’” - - “Nov. 25th. I cannot but believe that if God enables me ... to do my - work as I have believed and planned it, it will do wider, deeper good - for England than the addition of one woman doctor can.[40] - - And then if I say,—‘Ah, but see how my theology will impede me!—well, - would you have everyone give up working but those who hold the popular - views?—is it not just those whose views have changed who need to work - and justify them, and not hide light under a bushel at call of - indolence or cowardice? You know that you believe in the horrible harm - of leaving education to Calvinists, downtreading and hardening earth - round the root,—that you believe in children being taught ‘the two - commandments’ and no more,—and yet, because you would so teach them, - you half shrink from the battle through which you must do it. - - L. E. S. says, ‘If you feel you can and wish to be a doctor, you - ought.’ Ah, but I _can_ do the other too. And if it is only selfish or - worldly considerations that sway you to medicine—if it is the interest - or the power or the success, mainly or wholly—if it is the - difficulties present or future that make you half yearn to turn from - the other—surely these are no reasons. - - Surely, having presented ourselves, our souls and bodies, a reasonable - sacrifice, these things no longer enter in.” - -Footnote 39: - - The reference is probably to the reply of Wilberforce when asked - whether in his struggle for the emancipation of the slaves, he was not - neglecting his own soul,—“I had forgotten that I had a soul.” - -Footnote 40: - - “But thou wouldst not _alone_ - Be saved, my father! _alone_ - Conquer and come to thy goal, - Leaving the rest in the wild. - * * * * * - ... to thee it was given - Many to save with thyself; - And, at the end of the day, - O faithful shepherd! to come, - Bringing thy sheep in thy hand.” - -In view of all that was to follow, it is interesting that, in turning to -Medicine, she should suspect herself of ‘half shrinking from the -battle.’ Here is proof, if proof were needed, that while half of her -enjoyed the fray, the other half had to be dragged, an unwilling -captive, begging always to lie down and be at peace. - - “The Medicine fascinates me.... If I resume teaching, it will be grand - to have an M.D. for head of College: if not, why Medicine is a ‘good - work,’ and if I am led up to it, it may be mine after all. - - But won’t E.G. be cross?” - -Here are two pleasant little sidelights on the situation—from letters to -her Mother: - - “(Jan. 21st. 1866.) And, darling, do you know that the doctor has such - a splendid temper, and is so infinitely gentle, that I really believe - she is improving mine,—because I’m absolutely ashamed to be cross to - anybody so good. Suppose I come home angelic, dear?” - -Her best friends would have said there was no great cause for anxiety on -that score. - - “(Feb. 6th.) Yes, dear, I mean to be a thoroughly good nurse for you - at any rate, if ever you need me; as to ‘Doctor too,’ I can’t say. I - should like to be enough of one at least to know how to save you some - pain. I listen to and learn specially everything that I think can ever - help my darling,—it would be grand to be of some use and comfort to - her if she was ill.” - -A few weeks later she wrote to Mrs. Unwin: - - “13 Pleasant Street, Boston. - March 3rd. 1866. - - MY DEAR LUCY, - - I hope you are quite prepared to renew your invitation to me for - next summer, for I’m beginning to think seriously of my visit home, - and I want very much to see you! I say my ‘visit’ for I have been so - well and strong since I came to America, and have found so much to - interest me, that I think it very likely I may come back here after - seeing all my home folks.... - - I am so glad to hear that you have got Alice with you, and expect to - like her. She is a real friend of mine, and a very true and valuable - one.... I only hope you will let her take as good care of you as she - used to do of me.... - - Whenever you feel energetic enough to enjoy a chat by pen and paper, I - shall be very pleased to hear of your doings. Pray tell me all about - the Baby—of course the most wonderful of his kind—and be sure, dear - child, that I shall care very much to hear and know about everything - that concerns you. - - Please give the enclosed lines to A. I shall enjoin her to feed you up - no end, and whenever we do meet, be sure I shall ask if you let - yourself be taken proper and sensible care of. I believe in food and - rest as just the best doctors in creation—with all my new medical - lights! - - Goodbye, dear child. With every good wish for you in the New Year, I - am, - - Yours affectionately, - S. L. J.-B.” - -All through this time her happy letters had been giving no small -pleasure to the “old folks” at home. - - “Brighton. 18th Dec. 1865. - - DEAREST, - - Your welcome letter arrived a day or two before the 17th., but - dear Mother kept it back till _the_ morning. Thanks for all your good - wishes. One thing you can always do,—pray for me,—and that, I trust, - you will do daily. I have constant faith in prayer simply offered up - to our heavenly Father through the one mediator between God and man. I - believe it never fails. - - I am rejoiced you are so quiet at Boston, and have employment that - interests you, but even that work will hurt you, remember, if you have - too much of it. You want _rest_, dearest child, and only light - agreeable work on your hands. I wish I could see Dr. Sewall, to give - her a Father’s heartfelt thanks for all her loving kindness to you. - She is indeed an invaluable friend. If I am to see her, she must come - to Europe, for I shall never cross the Atlantic.... I am _very_ glad - you are so well, and your letters are so cheery that they are a great - pleasure. - - We are all, thank God, fairly well, and are to have Tom and his wife, - and four (I think) of the children here after Christmas. On Thursday - last, at 2 a.m. their house was on fire, and till 2.30 a.m. he did not - expect to save the house; and had there been a high wind, nothing - could have saved it probably. Mercifully it was a still night and - everything went well. Two engines were on the spot rapidly, in perfect - order,—plenty of water close by, and the superintendent very active - and intelligent. No crowd, and the entrances kept clear by respectable - known men: and by three o’clock every spark was out. - - The children were sent off rapidly to the school-house, and all _five_ - (baby being put elsewhere) put in Miss Temple’s bed! Nobody has been - hurt,—a few colds and that seems all. Our God be praised. How - different it might have been! - - Your affecte Father, - T. JEX-BLAKE.” - -And the Mother writes: - - “Jan. 29th. 1866.... You were very good and very right not to attempt - to enter yet as a student.... - - I had much rather _know_ you well and happy there than see you ill and - know you worried here. If they would only have the Cable, I think - Boston no distance. I should certainly like the Cable,—but I don’t - hear a word about it. Couldn’t you apply to Government?” - - “Feb. 20th. I hope your medical education is progressing, and that you - don’t addle your brains. I shall expect you to make something on the - way home by your medical knowledge.” - - “Mar. 5th. It is such a repose and joy to me to hear of your being - occupied so usefully and happily, and feeling comparatively well, - though I suspect sometimes my little one is a wee overdone.” - -The medical study was more or less of a joke so far to her friends at -home, and many are the enquiries as to when she means to return and go -on with her life after this interesting digression. - - “I am very glad you find things and people pleasant in America,” - writes Mrs. Unwin. “I hope they won’t be so nice that they will tempt - you to stay there very long, for I shall be very glad when I can think - of you again without that great sea between us. I do so want a long - talk with you about no end of things. I don’t think I ever wanted you - more than when I was ill.” - -And Mr. Unwin expressed the view of many when he wrote: - - “If I told you of the estimate in which I hold the purpose to which - you are devoting your life, you would suspect me of flattery, so I - abstain; but, barring all that, your friends in England are in great - need of you, and I think it is very horrid that you should leave them - all, to whom you would be of infinite service, on God knows what - outlandish errand. They all grudge you to Boston entirely, so pray be - quick and come back.” - -Dr. Sewall, on the other hand, had become not a little dependent on her -competent helper, and, although this friendship too was not without the -“cataracts and breaks” to which S. J.-B. so often refers in her diary, -there is no doubt that the older and gentler woman found it not only a -pleasure but a great asset. “How I wish I had you here: I do so want -your _strength_! So few people are strong,” is a sentiment that recurs -in her letters many times from now to the end of her life. - -So in June 1866, S. J.-B. returned to England to see her parents, and to -talk over the whole question of her future career with them and with -other friends. - - “Most people are much more in favour of Medicine than I expected,” she - writes, “except Miss Garrett, who thinks me not specially suited, and - E. S. M., who thinks it indecent of unmarried women knowing all about - these things.” - - “July 8th. Sunday. ‘Taller,’ say Laurence, Mother and self. ‘More - firmly knit,’ say do. ‘Muscles like iron, as if rowing all morning and - prize-fighting all afternoon,’ says Nigger. - - Well done America and L. E. S.!—bless her.” - -Almost at the same moment Dr. Sewall was writing: - - “I really feel quite well satisfied with the increase in my practice, - and if it continues to increase for the next two years as well, we - shall be able to take a fine house and live in style. I cannot tell - you how much pleasure I get out of anticipating our house-keeping. - When I am too tired to do anything, I lay on the sofa and plan and - plan and think what a good time we are going to have, and am as happy - as a cricket.” - -So America won the day, though not without many questionings. - - “August 12th. Sunday. On Sunday last at Mrs. Hyde’s suggestion wrote - to Macmillan. On Tuesday heard from him, and had a ‘book—not too - short’ warmly accepted by him, at ‘no risks and half profits.’ - - So we gradually come to our wishes when we have ceased to look for - them. I accept it almost as I did the preaching,—because I _had_ so - longed for it. - - This day three weeks on the Atlantic,—5 weeks, home to L. E. S., I - trust. Study Medicine? ... or push on in literary career now opening - apparently? - - How about conflicting interests and powers hereafter? If my book— - _inter alia_—brings me to notice of Commission,[41] etc.,—cry off from - my chance because too busy as a doctor? - - Ah, well,—long way off yet! Do the work ‘lies nearest thee’ and leave - the rest!” - -Footnote 41: - - The Schools Inquiry Commission, presumably. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - PIONEER WORK IN AMERICA - - -On September 1st, 1866, S. J.-B. sailed again for America. A warm -welcome awaited her, and she speedily fell back into her niche at the -Women’s Hospital. Her main interest for the first month or two was the -writing of her book on _A Visit to Some American Schools and Colleges_, -the manuscript of which was duly despatched to Macmillan in November. -Based though it avowedly was on somewhat limited observations, and -dealing with a transient stage of a great subject, the book was -extraordinarily fair and clear, and was greeted with genuine respect by -those who were qualified to form an opinion. What was equally important, -it made really excellent reading. At the close of a four column review -the _Athenaeum_ said: - - “An English teacher, whose special avocations enabled her to gain - prompt attention from American instructors, and qualified her to - detect the true worth and significance of the facts brought under her - notice, Miss Jex-Blake has written a sensible and entertaining book - upon an important subject; and, while we thank her for some valuable - information, we venture to thank her also for the very agreeable - manner in which she imparts it.” - - “Redolent with common sense and practical suggestions,” said _The - Stationer_. - -How sane a view she took of the whole subject may be gathered from the -quotations given in the appendix.[42] - -Footnote 42: - - Appendix C. - -Having happily despatched her book, she was free to give her whole mind -to the subject of Medicine, and she seems - -now to have enrolled formally as a medical student. In any case we hear -of her dissecting—when material could be got—and finding, in the -stimulus this gave to her work, a new interest and fascination. - -Excellent work was done at that Women’s Hospital in Boston, as a number -of our English women doctors have had reason to testify: sickness was -relieved, and—what is quite as much to the point—competent and able -doctors were turned out year by year. But of course the scholastic side -of the work was on a very different level. Even for those days, the -practical scientific education, and, above all, the sheer supply of -material, were inadequate in the extreme. Then as now, of course, it was -true that “la carrière ouverte aux talents,” and when women doctors were -so rare there was little doubt that a competent woman would make her -way. Certainly it was not the hallmark of a good University degree that -helped her, for good Universities existed for the male sex only. -Graduation in America to this day may mean a great deal or it may mean -just nothing at all. It was not the fault of the woman doctor of that -period if her “degree” was one that failed to inspire the enthusiasm of -those that understood. - -Now S. J.-B.’s entry on any new sphere in life could seldom be fitly -described as the addition of a little more of the same stuff. For better -or worse, she was apt to come somewhat as the yeast comes to the dough, -and yet that metaphor, too, falls short, for the medium reacted upon her -as intensely perhaps as she acted on the medium. In the present case she -had drifted into medical work all uncritical and full of admiration[43]; -but a visit to England brought her back as an outsider with her critical -faculty fully awake. She saw that the need of adequate Graduation—urgent -though it might be—was as nothing compared to the need of adequate -Education. It _was_ hard to make bricks without straw. In America women -doctors had proved, against heavy odds, that women doctors were wanted. -Why not give them a fair field? One heard on every side of the splendid -advantages laid, so to speak, at the feet of men students at Harvard. - -Footnote 43: - - As early as June, 1866, she had written to Dr. Sewall:—“I am glad you - are pleased with prospects as to the College; but, however good you - may get it to be, take notice (if I study at all) I don’t mean to - graduate at any Woman’s College,—on principle,—or else for vanity and - ambition sake,—which is it?” Whichever it was, there can be no doubt - as to the soundness of the decision, but she little guessed what that - decision was to cost. - -Why should not women be admitted to Harvard? - -Why not ask? - -In April, 1867, the following correspondence was published in _The -Boston Daily Advertiser_: - - “March 11th. 1867. - - GENTLEMEN, - - Finding it impossible to obtain elsewhere in New England a - thoroughly competent medical education, we hereby request permission - to enter the Harvard Medical School on the same terms and under the - same conditions as other students, there being, as we understand, no - university statute to the contrary. - - On applying for tickets for the course, we were informed by the Dean - of the Medical Faculty that he and his coadjutors were unable to grant - them to us in consequence of some previous action taken by the - corporation, to whom now therefore we make request to remove any such - existing disability. In full faith in the words recently spoken with - reference to the University of Harvard,—‘American colleges are not - cloisters for the education of a few persons, but seats of learning - whose hospitable doors should be always open to every seeker after - knowledge’—we place our petition in your hands and subscribe - ourselves, - - Your obedient servants, - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE. - SUSAN DIMOCK.[44] - - To the President and Fellows of the University of Harvard.” - -Footnote 44: - - Miss Susan Dimock was a student of great promise who afterwards - completed her education at Zurich. She was lost at sea in the wreck of - the steamer _Schiller_ in May 1875. - - “Harvard University. April 8th. 1867. - - MY DEAR MADAM, - - After consultation with the faculty of the Medical College, the - corporation direct me to inform you and Miss Dimock that there is no - provision for the education of women in any department of this - university. - - Neither the corporation nor the faculty wish to express any opinion as - to the right or expediency of the medical education of women, but - simply to state the fact that in our school no provision for that - purpose has been made, or is at present contemplated. - - Very respectfully yours, - THOMAS HILL. - - Miss S. Jex-Blake.” - -A few days later the following paragraph appeared in _The Advocate_: - - “_The Beginning of the End._ A correspondence between the President - and two lady applicants for admission to the Medical School was - published some days since in the ‘Boston Advertiser.’ We understand - that the friends of female education have no notion of resting - satisfied with their first rebuff; and that prominent Alumni of Boston - are already taking measures for the prolonged agitation of the - question.” - -A month later S.J.-B. had obtained introductions to each of the -professors in the Medical Faculty at Harvard, and to each member of the -staff of the Massachusetts General Hospital and of the Eye and Ear -Infirmary: as well as to many people of standing connected with these -various institutions: and she now proceeded to canvass them -systematically. In addition to a number of influential friends, she was -ably supported by Miss Dimock. - -On the whole their reception was encouraging. The individual letters, -indeed, are so favourable, that the hopes of the inexperienced young -applicants must have run high. The following from Dr. Oliver Wendell -Holmes is typical of some half dozen at least: - - “I should not only be willing, but I should be much pleased, to - lecture to any number of ladies for whom we can find accommodation in - the anatomical lecture room, always provided that any special subject - which seemed not adapted for an audience of both sexes should be - delivered to the male students alone.” - -Dr. Brown-Séquard is even more emphatic in a letter to Dr. Holmes: - - “MY DEAR PROFESSOR, - - Miss Blake, who will hand you this note, wishes me to say that I - am strongly in favour of the admission of persons of her sex at the - Medical College. As such is my decided opinion, I write very - willingly. - - Very faithfully yours, - C. E. BROWN-SÉQUARD.” - -The corporation of Harvard, however, exerted its power to veto any such -inclinations on the part of individual professors. - -S. J.-B. quotes the above and a number of similar letters in the diary, -and adds the comment: - - “All which ends in ... smoke!” - -There were always flashes of humour to temper the various -disappointments. - - “Those wise men of Gotham at the Eye and Ear think it ‘the kindest and - most gentlemanly thing’ to shut us out after all!” - - “Dr. A. ‘not afraid of responsibility, of course’—only—he’d rather not - admit us till other people do”! - -Here is the official letter from the wise men of Gotham: - - “Massachusetts Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary. - June 18th, 1867. - - DEAR MADAM, - - The surgeons of this Infirmary are, at the same time, members of - the Massachusetts Medical Society, and are bound to respect the - opinion of its Councillors. And in view of the recent action of that - Board, we are of opinion that we cannot continue to allow female - students to attend our cliniques. Ungracious as is the task, we - therefore feel compelled to ask you to suspend your visits. - - We have no hesitation in adding that our intercourse with yourself and - companions has been throughout most pleasant to us personally. - - Very truly yours, - HASKET DERBY, - for the Surgeons. - - Miss Sophia Jex-Blake.” - -A certain amount of clinical teaching in the Massachusetts General -Hospital the women did obtain, and for this they were duly grateful, -though it only made them feel more keenly the deficiencies of their -lecture-room and laboratory training. And, even in hospital, they walked -with a constant sense of insecurity, as one member of the staff was -keenly opposed to the presence of women, and was on the look-out for -causes of offence. Little by little S. J.-B. began to feel the wear and -tear. - - “July 5th. Rest yesterday, but altogether weighed down yesterday and - today with the fear and horror of this irritability which seems so - fatally unconquerable,” she writes in her diary. - -And one knows how terrible an enemy that irritability was. - -Fortunately, a few weeks later, she and Dr. Sewall got away together for -a holiday; and this, apparently, was the first of the long series of -driving-tours which were to prove the great joy and recreation of an -arduous life. - - “Tuesday. July 30th. Atlantic House, - ‘Town of Wells,’ Maine. - - DARLING MOTHER, - - As I have a spare hour, I may as well use it to chat a little to - you about the oddities of our journey. - - I wrote to you from Newbury where we stayed one night at the Merrimac - House,—having slept the previous night at the Agawam House, Ipswich - (!)—both Indian names, of course. Yesterday we drove (as I told you at - the end of my last letter) from Newbury port to Portsmouth, and were - uncertain when I wrote whether to stay or go farther. It had been a - hot day, but, after posting your letter, a violent rainstorm came up, - deluging the streets for about 20 minutes about 5½ p.m. - - After it was over, everything looked so cool and clear that Dr. Sewall - was anxious to get on, though I was a little afraid of the heavy - roads. So we set out soon after six, and had a most delicious drive at - first. By-and-bye, however, we came to terribly wet clay roads and - could only go at a walk. Our horse got tired and it began to get dark, - and we found that the distance to go was even longer than we had been - told. - - It’s hard for you to understand the sort of society in these country - places,—no gentry and no peasantry—almost all small farmers doing - their own work and owning house and land, with some education but no - polish. We stopped at two or three houses, scattered at wide - intervals,—and enquired for lodgings, but with no success till after - dark when we got to a house belonging to a widow woman who informed us - we could come in and have bed and food, but there was ‘no one in the - house but her,—no one for the horse.’ However, I was perfectly ready - to act groom, so in we drove to such a queer loose sort of yard, where - I unharnessed by very uncertain lantern light, and then the doctor and - I had a tremendous job getting our phaeton into a queer coach-house up - a sort of hillock! - - Then the lantern led on to the ‘barn,’ which (here as usual) meant - also stable, and soon I found myself plunging in the dark through soft - masses which proved to be long wet grass, leading my horse by the - halter. Then up among big loose stones, and up a step more than 1½ - foot high into a barn so low that my horse all but hit his head. Then - over some boards set edgewise to divide off stalls ... the good woman - being amazed at my venturing in ‘with the horse’! - - Then a queer hunt in the half darkness for a pail for water and wooden - box for Indian meal (which, stirred with water, often replaces oats - here), and then to bed, tired enough! - - This morning I groomed the horse, and, so doing, found a stone in his - foot, fed him, and we between us washed the carriage. You may tell - Daddy I had no idea what hard work it was before! We washed a long - while at it, and somehow it wouldn’t look _quite_ clean at last. - - (N.B. Why _will_ water dry muddy on to a carriage?) - - Then we drove on again some distance and found a place for dinner,—one - of the big boarding-houses like what I was in at Compton,—and then on - again. Dr. Sewall began to get tired when we were still 5 or 6 miles - from our next point, Kennebunk,—and seeing a notice on a bye-road, - ‘Atlantic House 3/4 mile’—we drove down,—found a charming inn almost - on the sands, close to the Atlantic,—fresh and bright and airy, and - settled here for the night. If you only knew what my afflictions are - in American country inns,—I have hardly seen decent food in one since - I left Boston—you may imagine my satisfaction at getting here the best - supper I have had yet,—excellent fresh fish, lobsters, etc., and - currants, and nice bread, and milk. Altogether the best table we’ve - found yet. - - It sounds natural, too, to hear the roar of the Atlantic as I write,— - only it seems sometimes to murmur, ‘Over the sea!’ - - But then it always makes me feel nearer home to see the actual water - which is the only thing between us,—of which you at Brighton see but - another part. - - _Wednesday._... We have spent the day quietly here, and shall very - likely drive to Portland in one day tomorrow,—30 miles is not much for - a rested horse. He has not been out today, except for a short drive on - the broad smooth sands which stretch for miles here. - - It is deliciously cool here by the ocean,—Dr. Sewall says ‘cold,’ and - borrows my old blue jacket. - - It is very pleasant and restful after Boston. If Portland is hot, we - may return here for a few days on our way back. - - Goodbye, darling. Yours lovingly, - - SOPH.” - - “Atlantic House, - August 9th. 1867. - - DARLING MOTHER, - - Here we are staying again on the very verge of the Atlantic, - having found Portland more gay than restful, and desiring some perfect - quiet before we get home again. - - Your letter of July 25th has been forwarded to me with a long one from - Carry, and one from an old schoolfellow of mine who had seen and liked - my book, and so bethought herself to write to me and say so. She is a - governess now. - - I should like to see that review in the Pall Mall,—perhaps some of you - will send it to me,—and _any_ others of which you hear.... - - “August 11th. Sunday evening. We have been spending the afternoon - ‘camping out’ in the midst of some woods (Haywards Heath fashion) - letting our horse graze and enjoying the cool and quiet. We have one - more day here and then go on towards home, and expect to get there on - Friday. Soon after—in September probably—we shall make another - attempt, aided by Mr. Loring, and, I hope, by Prof. Rogers (have you - seen him?) to get into Harvard or to get some advantages out of them; - and I suppose on our success will depend a good deal what we do in the - winter.... - - The Doctor begs me to send her love. I do hope you may know her by - this time next year. Don’t you? - - Love to all. Tell Carry I’ll write soon in answer to hers. - - Yours lovingly, SOPH.” - - “I think what you say is true about the difficulties of ‘Joint - Education’ in England,” she writes to her brother in answer to a - criticism of her book. “Myself, I care very little about it if both - sexes can somehow get all the education they want or wish for.” - -There is little record of the winter’s work, though the following rough -draft—in S.J.-B.’s handwriting—of an appeal to Harvard has been -preserved: - - “Jan. 1868. - - GENTLEMEN, - - Having during the past year been granted access to the clinical - advantages of the Massachusetts General Hospital, but finding it - impossible anywhere in New England to obtain adequate theoretical - instruction in Medicine, we now earnestly entreat you to reconsider - the subject of the admission of women to the lectures at Harvard - Medical School,—such admission being, as we understand, forbidden by - no past or present statute of the University. - - We do not wish to enter on the vexed question of the capability or - non-capability of women for the practice of Medicine, as we believe - that time and experience only can furnish its true answer, but we now - present our urgent petition that some opportunity may be afforded us - for the thorough study of the medical science and art, that we may be - granted at least some of the advantages that are not denied to every - man, and allowed to show whether we are or are not worthy to make use - of them. - - We are willing, Gentlemen, to submit to any required examination, to - qualify ourselves according to any given standard, to furnish any - personal references, and to abide by any restrictions and regulations - which may seem proper to the Corporation or to the Faculty. - - Several of the Professors having expressed their personal willingness - to allow us to attend their lectures, we earnestly request that the - Corporation will authorize our admission to those classes into which - the respective Professors do not object to receive us, and that, in - any case where the Professors does so object, we may be allowed to - receive private instruction from some medical gentleman approved by - the Faculty, whose lectures shall in our case be held equivalent to - those given to the College classes in the same subject.” - - “Fighting on for Harvard with a sort of dull persistency,” she records - in her diary in March 1868, “expecting another answer from the - Corporation on the 11th. - - Well, having been in Mass. Hospital for 8 months is something. With - all my dull atheism, I do believe somehow the Best will be,—if not - this, another. ‘And so far have brought me—to put me to shame’?” - -Many entries in the diary about this time prove that she was passing -through that veritable “dark night of the soul” that has lain in the -path of so many bright spirits of her generation. - - “I suppose it isn’t till the whole world—and oneself—breaks away under - one that one does know what rubbish one is made of,—‘dust and - ashes.... And what fine things I started with! Sir Launfal[45] and - gilded armour, etc. To conquer all the giants and beam Christian - charity everywhere. - - I believe old folks _do_ ‘know young folks to be fools.’ - - A nice result at near 28—Chaos!—with a possible sawbones in futuro!” - -Footnote 45: - - Some few intimate friends will recall the evenings, 30 or 40 years - later, round the study fire at Windydene, when the white-haired woman - would recite _Sir Launfal_ from beginning to end with a subdued - enthusiasm that was more expressive than pages of commentary. - - “Jan. 21st. 1868. ‘Quid sum miser tunc dicturus’! - - Eight and twenty!—‘and a sinner!’” - -One must bear in mind always, of course, that a diary is apt to reflect -the graver side of a character, the side that associates, and even -friends, would scarcely guess at. Certainly the letters to “the dear old -folks” bear small witness to this stress and strain. They recount all -sorts of innocent adventures and happy doings which were quite as real— -one is glad to believe—as the strong crying and tears of the night -watches. - - “13 Pleasant Street, - Boston, U.S. - Monday, Jan. 27th. 68. - - DARLING MOTHER - - Such a sleigh ride as we had yesterday I hope you’ll never - have,—and indeed I don’t care about repeating the dose myself! I drove - the doctor eight or nine miles in a pelting snow-storm, partly across - open country, long bridges and marshes, etc., the thermometer - somewhere about 10° or 15°, a good deal of wind, which always makes it - feel much colder, and the sharp crystals of snow cutting into our - faces and eyes like so many pin points and causing actual pain. - Towards the end I found it rather hard to see,—some white things - seemed to get in front of my eyes;—what do you think they were? Solid - icicles hanging from all my eye-lashes on the side exposed to the - wind,—frozen together into three or four solid little balls as big as - small peas, and partly freezing the lids together! When I got in I - called Eliza to see them,—you should have heard her ‘Gracious - goodness!’ - - Even sealskin gloves fail one in such stormy cold,—one’s hands freeze - and have to be thawed out as regards sensation several times in a - drive! So we carry hot bottles to do it with, and Dr. Sewall laughed - at the figure I cut yesterday, driving with one hand, the other - grasping a big two-quart bottle upright on my lap, and my head bent on - one side like a lapwing’s to see out of the one eye that wasn’t frozen - up! - - She herself offered to drive again and again, but speed was my object, - and I always make the horse go half as fast again as she does. He did - gallantly yesterday,—the roads and streets were clear, and we spun - over the white frozen surface at eight or ten miles an hour. - - When it is not actually snowing, sleighing is very exhilarating,—the - horse has a light load and is generally in good spirits,—sleigh-bells - jangling merrily, etc.” - - “March 6th. - - ... A few days ago one of the women who had been confined here was - fetched home by her husband, and with him came a rather big dog of the - setter or lurcher kind, I think, or rather a cross on one of them. The - folks went away, and so did the dog, but in half an hour he was back - again, scratching at the Hospital door. He was fetched again by the - man and again ran back, no one having, so far as I know, petted or - enticed him at all. Then he was refused admission or turned out on the - street, and when his master came again for him I believe he found him - on the street; but in the evening there came a scratching at _our_ - hall door—not the Hospital,—and in walked the same dog again! I knew - nothing of the previous story, but remembered having seen him with the - man who came to our house to see Dr. Sewall, so I took him in. From - that moment he attached himself to me, so that he follows every step I - take, and whines at any door I enter without him. As the man didn’t - come again for him, I drove to his house this morning,—the dog - following close to the sleigh all the way (some two miles), and when - he got there the dog greeted his master certainly, but directly I rose - to go, up he jumped after me. So, as _his_ choice seemed to be made, I - offered the man $5 (15s. 6d.) for him, and now am undisputed owner of - my loyal friend! - - It is rather queer, for I had been wishing for a dog of my own, and, - though he is not a great beauty, he has a nice face, is very obedient, - clean, and, I think, intelligent,—though Dr. Sewall professes to - disdain him for being ‘so big’!—and then one can’t help liking even a - dog who so plainly declares ‘elective affinity.’”[46] - -Footnote 46: - - The dog was named Turk, and became a devoted friend. - -In the midst of all these new interests she had not forgotten the -question of education at Bettws-y-Coed, and she was deeply interested in -the maturing plans for a new school there. She writes to her Mother: - - “I am glad to understand that you have bought, not the first bit of - ground, but another near it. I hope Carry will soon send me some idea - of her plans, though, of course, we can’t build for some months. I - enclose a very rough sketch of what would be my own idea of a - schoolroom with gallery at one end and with classroom at the other,— - and besides the class room a sort of lobby with second entrance and - with stairs leading to the rooms above for Anne. The porch to have - places to hang hats, etc., as also under the gallery (as at Hastings). - - I can’t remember about dimensions, though I have a sort of idea that, - when we spoke of building before, we planned our schoolroom at 18 ft. - by 28, and 10 ft. or 11 ft. high, the class room to be perhaps 11 ft. - by 8. - - Ask Carry to see how that agrees with the standard space for 100 - children.” - -The school was actually built in 1869, everything being done in a -fashion characteristic of the Jex-Blake family. They gave what was -needed, but not in such a spirit as to discourage the generosity of -others. The landlord gave the site—for a purely nominal rent,—together -with permission to take what stone was needed from a neighbouring -quarry. Farmers and others did the carting for love. For years the Jex- -Blakes had been educating a competent girl—a former pupil—as mistress. -Local sympathy and appreciation, combined with the persevering interest -of the founders, were the very life-blood of the school. How much finer -this than the building of an ornamental edifice that should hand down -the name of the donor to future generations. - - * * * * * - -In March 1868 S. J.-B. gave up Boston in despair for the moment, and -went to New York, where she had the support of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell -and her sister Emily, both of whom had plans for the more adequate -medical education of women, and were organizing special classes. S. J.- -B. also persuaded the Head Demonstrator of Anatomy at Bellevue to give -her and another woman student a course of private lessons in Dissecting -and Practical Anatomy. - - “March 28th. Saturday. Began dissecting with Dr. Moseley ... oh, dear, - isn’t it good to have some real teaching at last! - - By-the-bye, the Blackwells think they could get us into Bellevue if - Harvard refuses. New York for 3 winters? Shall I bring Alice or what? - They want English ladies to come and make a class, and offer to - receive them into the Infirmary. (But English ladies are not given to - dine in kitchens on poor kitchen fare, etc.) - - Is my old idea ever to work out by O. H. studying medicine? _Wouldn’t_ - she be a good doctor! - - By-the-bye, challenged by the Blackwells as ‘to whose management (in - re English Female University) would inspire me with £1000 confidence,’ - I say, O. H., Miss M., etc.” - -She wrote delightful long letters to Dr. Sewall about the _minutiae_ of -her work, and was somewhat concerned as to how the little Boston world -was getting on without her. - - “I am glad that you find out (as I told you you would) that I did do - one or two little things while you wondered how I spent my time. I - wish, however, that you had someone to do them now,—I am afraid you - will get so tired. I shall ask Eliza if you eat properly. Tell her - that I mean to write to her next time. - - The little book of your bills is on my shelf in my secretary,—a small - account book. Don’t muddle the things in looking for it. Be sure and - put down in it all the bills you send out. Can’t you get Miss Call to - write them for you? She really can _write_ (unusual in the N.E.H.).... - - Tell me if Eliza does nicely,—tell her I asked after her and her - housekeeping and Robert. - - I am glad that my son Turk behaves better as he grows older. Give him - an extra bone with my blessing.” - -To her Mother she writes a long account of her difficulty in finding -rooms at a reasonable price. - - “So living in New York is neither easy nor cheap, you see, ... I - hardly know how I shall manage if I go to a medical college this - winter, and have to pay all lecture expenses, etc., besides living,— - for women have to incur extra expense in all sorts of ways, because - they can’t share the arrangements of some sorts made for men.... - - ... while studying, Miss Garrett had, I know, to spend lots of money,— - paying £50 for a single course of lectures which the men got (in - class) for £5 each. - - When there was an idea of my taking the Manchester College, Daddy was - willing to advance me £1000 or £2000 for the start, instead of part of - the income he allowed me;—do you think he would be willing to do some - such thing now? I suppose it is hard for you at home who don’t realize - exactly the hard battle we are fighting (especially to get into the - good medical colleges) to see how very important it is not to be - stopped from seizing every bit of advantage obtainable for want of - money. And it unfortunately happens that most of the women who are - studying Medicine really _cannot_ get money even when most necessary. - - When I began I had no idea of going into any of this,—but somehow one - gets talking to Mother of what is uppermost in one’s mind sometimes. - - And I know Mother wants to hear all my bothers and perplexities. - - Much love, darling, to Daddy and Carry. - - Yours lovingly, - SOPH.” - - “April 12th. Notwithstanding all the discomforts in the way of board, - I have been gaining greatly by my stay here. I have had a better - opportunity for dissecting, etc., than ever before, and besides have - learnt a good deal at the daily medical lessons which take place at - Dr. Blackwell’s every afternoon. If I am to be a doctor at all, I mean - to be a thoroughly good one, and now that I have gone so far in - medical study, I mean to go right through, unless some very unforeseen - obstacle comes. And then the future may decide what use my knowledge - may come to. I sometimes think that a woman doctor could find very - useful work in teaching Anatomy and Physiology,—or at least something - of them—to women and girls, who are apt to be so terribly ignorant of - them. - - Lately I have been spending an hour or so of an evening (for rest) in - hearing a nice ‘daughter of the house’ read French to me, she having - very few chances of help, poor child.” - -On the eve of sailing for England, she sums up the situation in her -diary with her usual relentless truthfulness: - - “April 11th.... Within three weeks of leaving for home,—what balance - sheet? - - Nearly three years in America. - - In that time complete health regained,—probably better than ever - before,—real strength and power of study. A profession opening calmly - and clearly before me,—its sciences already ‘as trees walking,’ - becoming clearer daily. The edge of pain all gone. But with it vivid - faith and life in many directions—belief in all invisible and much - reaching after the heroic. A sort of passive ‘quo fata vocant,’—a sort - of ceasing to demand the very good or very true, perhaps,—a sort of - coldbloodedness that is not peace,—a nil admirari that only ‘will do - for it.’ My vocation given up or laid aside, and I quietly learning - knowledge chiefly because it is power,—hardly yet shaping out any end; - but what does come, selfish enough. Professor of Anatomy? Surgeon? - Doctor-Teacher? - - Sometimes a sharp pain rushes across,—‘Ah, if Mother shouldn’t live to - _see_ me succeed!’—She does seem woven in with the heartstrings,—my - old darling who _cannot_ forget. - - All this health and new life—more than ever hoped for—comes mediately - from L.E.S.” - -If this estimate of herself is just, one can only say that the lulling -for the time of her higher emotional nature was probably a blessing in -disguise. It helped her to make her foundation of knowledge sure. She -had in her measure to learn—what every true scientist must learn—that -“the natural is the rational and the divine,” that “there is no real -break between the natural and the supernatural.” - - “A man that looks on glass, - On it may stay his eye—” - -and if his eye be single his whole body may yet be full of light. - -In any case the closing words of S. J.-B.’s ‘balance sheet’ are -significant enough,— - - “Comes—_mediately_—from L.E.S.”! - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - GOING HOME - - -It was in the course of this summer of 1868 that S. J.-B. realized her -earnest wish to welcome her friend Dr. Lucy Sewall in England. She had -raised great expectations among her friends, but, notwithstanding this, -the visitor’s sweetness and grace won all hearts. “That woman is fit to -be the apostle of a great movement,” Dr. T. W. Jex-Blake had said when -he first saw her photograph, “with a face at once so strong and so -tender.” And a closer acquaintance only served to confirm this judgment. - -It is impossible to exaggerate the pride with which S. J.-B. took “the -Doctor” everywhere, in a world that knew not the “sweet girl graduate” -of the present day, and showed her off—for choice in a pretty pale-blue -frock—with secret triumph to the friends who were expecting something -very masculine and aggressive. Quite a number of sick people—Mrs. Unwin -among the number—were eagerly waiting to consult her: and many were the -requests that she would come and settle in England. - -What Mr. Jex-Blake thought of her may be gathered from the following -most characteristic note written a month or two later to his daughter: - - “13 Sussex Square, - Brighton. - 2nd August 1868. - - DEAREST, - - It is so much in my head and heart, and in the dear Mother’s, to - have the privilege of presenting your most valued friend with some - memento of her visit, that I beg you to use all your influence, and - entreat Dr. Lucy Sewall to accept a carriage, or any other thing that - she would value, as a remembrance of your dear Mother and myself, when - she has returned home. She can little imagine how much she would - please us both by doing so. - - Your affectionate Father, - T. JEX-BLAKE.” - -Two other happenings specially marked the holiday,—a visit from Mrs. -Jenkinson (Mrs. Ballantyne), and a delightful _rapprochement_ between S. -J.-B. and her Father. - -Of Mrs. Jenkinson she writes in her diary: - - “So good, so fascinating and dainty! I haven’t had so much wide and - deep talk with anyone for three years at least.... - - The proposal of her driving them to church ending in my doing so. - Somehow the service moved me greatly. ‘Gethsemane, can I forget,’ - etc.... - - ‘What is truth?’—no jesting Pilate,—yet _do_ I stay for an answer? Oh, - dear, the certainties of p. [181], etc., and now! Yet I think the - wheel is beginning to sway upwards again. Please God! Yes, surely the - Ephesians stretched wise earnest hands (or may have done) to the - Unknown God. ‘Strenuous souls ... to stand in the dark on the lowest - stair.’” - - “May 31st. Wonderful how content everyone is with my medical - prospects. Daddy decides our residence (!) for Mount Street, Grosvenor - Square. I say now pretty definitely,—in 4 more years England, three - years study, and one of practice. - - Meanwhile a _quiet_ satisfactory holiday _must_ have. No one can tell - how many more with the old folks, and this _must_ be what will be good - to remember.” - - “June 20th. Maurice’s lecture. ‘Miss Jex-Blake’s investigations in - America might help much to the solution of the problem’ [of mixed - education, presumably]. And after the lecture he _thanked_ me for my - book. _I_’m cock a hoop now!” - - “June 24th. On the whole my resolve well kept till now,—one month’s - success in no (or few and light) ‘cataracts and breaks.’ Somehow I - have a solemn sort of feeling about it this year, as if it would be - the last with one or other.” - - “Ah, darling,” she writes to her Mother on the voyage, “it was _such_ - hard work to say Goodbye last week! Do you know for one little minute - I wondered whether after all the price wasn’t _too_ hard to pay, and - whether after all I shouldn’t give up doctor, hospital, M.D. and all - and just stay with the old Mother.” - - “Sept. 29th. Boston. I am sorry to say that Harvard has refused me - again, so I must go to New York!—Ah, well,—‘all things are less - dreadful than they seem’!” - -In that autumn of 1868 the Blackwells carried out their project of -starting a medical school for women in New York. - -Two class-tickets are extant admitting Miss S. L. Jex-Blake to the -classes of Practical Anatomy and of the Principles and Practice of -Medicine at the Women’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary; and -there is also a letter from Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell giving advice about -rooms: - - “With regard to your winter’s work, we will discuss it when you come. - We shall be glad to meet your views in any way we can. - - There are other matters connected with the school itself we shall be - glad to talk over with you, one in particular, which I think would - interest you, and in which, from your exceptional position in the - class, I think you could help us in our organisation; but I shall - leave its discussion till you come. - - I hope you will allow time to get thoroughly settled and through with - the trouble of it before November.” - - “Oct. 23rd. Friday. Came to New York.... Went 137 Avenue for a week to - hunt for rooms,—oh, dear!... At length decided on 222 East Tenth - [Street]—two back parlours and two above,—gas and all $55. Alice - arrived on Monday 26th.” - - “222 East 10th Street, - New York. Nov. 1st. 68. - - DARLING MOTHER, - - The term begins tomorrow, and I am glad to say that Alice and I - have just succeeded in getting things into some sort of order in time. - Besides laying down carpets, buying a stove and kitchen pots and pans, - a bedstead and chairs, etc., I have been providing winter stores in - American fashion, and yesterday bought two barrels of potatoes, 30 - lbs. of butter, etc. etc., to say nothing of flour and wine. My money - is running terribly low,—I have only about £20 left when this month’s - rent is paid; but then most of my things are bought now, and besides I - can borrow from Dr. Sewall if needful. Besides the Hospital owes me - about £10 or £11 for duties paid, so I can probably get on till my - next quarter comes.... - - I know Mother will be thinking of me on my own hook in New York. This - last week _has_ been a pretty hard time, but now things are falling - into shape. Alice has been invaluable. I know that having her, with - the proper food, will just make all the difference to me of being able - to work on all winter without breaking down. The Blackwells are very - pleasant, and, though I have no special friends here, I shall be so - busy and cosy that I expect to get on capitally. - - I am afraid the poor little Doctor gets the worst of it,—she will - really miss my help in many ways, besides mutual loss of company,—and - I am sadly afraid she won’t take due care of herself. I can’t tell you - and Daddy how thankful I am that he has given her that charming little - carriage,—it is such a relief to my mind to know that she will not be - forced to drive herself when weary and half frozen: and I believe it - will make a real difference in her health. - - Her Father was very pleased with it, though I believe he made very - careful enquiries as to whether the Doctor was sure Daddy ‘could - afford to give her such a splendid present.’ Of course he didn’t ask - me that, but I took an opportunity of telling him that I knew you both - felt that the carriage represented only a small part of your feeling - of real gratitude to her for all the good she has done me medically - and otherwise. Wasn’t I right?...” - - “DARLING MOTHER,—I wrote the two other sheets on purpose that you may - pass them on to Daddy, and I mean to try to do so as much as I can, - and put anything private on a separate bit for you, for I think the - dear old man really likes to see my letters, and I am sure I want to - give him all the pleasure I can. - - His Goodbye was so very kind and loving,—I often think of it.” - - “Nov. 3rd. - - Yesterday was the opening of our College, at which Dr. Elizabeth - Blackwell made a speech which I was asked to report for the chief - medical paper here. I have done so, and will send you the paragraph - when it appears.... - - My rooms are not far from the College and other places where I have to - go daily, and altogether I may consider myself well off. I have - managed to buy as little furniture as possible, having brought carpets - from Boston, and having hired two tables, a bed and a stove, from the - landlady here. I have not yet bought more than £12 worth, and I mean - to try to get on with as little more as possible. - - I am very glad to hear of Miss Garrett’s good news. I shall send her - note on to the Doctor. I know it will please her so much.” - - “222 East 10th Street. - New York. Nov. 8th. 68. - - DARLING MOTHER, - - I enclose two letters which you can read and forward - respectively to ‘Mr. H. 69 Jermyn Street, S.W.’ and to ‘Sam. Laurence, - Esq. 6 Wells Street, W.’ Don’t transpose them! - - I have now got fairly settled in my new abode, and am really very - comfortable in it,—thanks to Alice. Our rooms are so situated that we - can keep quite to ourselves,—having even a back staircase almost of - our own,—and we get on famously. My daily routine is pretty regular - throughout the week. I go to the dissecting room at 9 a.m. and work - till about 11.15. At 11.30 comes a lecture on Anatomy and Physiology - on alternate days,—and I get home to lunch a little before one. Alice - always has things ready and nice for me, and I rest for about half an - hour after lunch, before going to the afternoon lectures which begin - at 2 p.m. and continue (except on Saturday) till 5,—three lectures of - an hour each. I have just put in a petition to Dr. Emily Blackwell - (who manages everything and is very nice) for five minutes space - between each two lectures, for opening windows and a walk up and down - the corridors,—to which she instantly assented as desirable. - - Pleasant as it was to live with the Doctor, and extremely grateful as - I feel for the very great good she has done me, I confess now to - rather enjoying a completely independent nest once more,—for a while - at least. You see it was inevitable that at Boston everything had to - be shaped to suit Hospital work, and that was sometimes a nuisance. - - I can study and write and read in a much more thoroughly undisturbed - way here than I could there,—in fact it would have been simply - impossible while living there to work as I am doing now,—there were so - very many inevitable interruptions. - - And yet, but for my two years there, I never could have been strong - enough for my work here,—I believe that I never was so strong in my - life before—isn’t that grand?” - - “222 East 10th Street, - Nov. 13th. 1868. - - DARLING MOTHER, - - Yesterday your letter (containing the one from the Times agent) - was brought to me in the dissecting-room, and wasn’t I pleased to get - it!... It is quaint sometimes to think of the different scenes in - which letters are written and read! I am really very much grieved to - hear of Daddy’s having been so ill,—I did not understand fully before - how serious his attack had been. I comfort myself, however, with - hoping that while the news is coming here, he is really getting better - daily. Give him much love from me and a big kiss on each cheek.... I - hope my old lady takes care of herself. _Do_ for my sake. - - Darling, I ought sooner to have answered your enquiries about the - Colleges, etc. Harvard (Boston) is a University for _men_, and we - couldn’t get in there, because they wouldn’t have any women. I was - anxious to go there because the degree is considered a valuable one. - Here in New York the College I am at is just opened by Dr. Elizabeth - Blackwell for women only,—or at least only women attend it, though I - believe men would be admitted. - - The teachers are 9 in number,—7 men and 2 women professors, as you - will see by the circular. In the actual classes we are all women - students; in going to hospitals, dispensaries, etc., we mix with the - men. The teaching is really very good and I am getting on capitally. - - Capitally in every way indeed.... - - I see it is now a little past nine, and I shall soon be off to bed and - sleep like a top till about 6 a.m. - - I have never worked so hard in my life (for a continuance), and I have - never been in such good health. I am absolutely _well_, (and what a - blessing that is after all these years!) I eat and walk and sleep - perfectly, have no pains and aches, and the sweetest of tempers! - - I only wish Mother could peep in and see me in my little den!—dog and - Alice and all. - - With very much love, darling, to Daddy and Carry, - - Yours lovingly, - SOPH.” - - “Saturday. Nov. 14th. [Diary.] In sober fact I get on grandly. Better - and stronger than I have ever been.” - - “Monday, Nov. 16th. Oh, why, _why_ didn’t they telegraph at any rate? - If people only _would_ do _as_ they are asked! Carry’s note just come - after Chemistry. ‘I believe if you could start from New York today, - you would have no prospect whatever of seeing him alive’.” - - “Sunday, Nov. 29th. Brighton. Reached home about 10.30 a.m. yesterday - (after a rush through Dublin, Cork, etc.) to find that he had died ten - days even before that letter arrived. Nov. 6th. 9.50 a.m.” - -It seems a pity for her own sake that S. J.-B. could not have been with -her Father during those last days of his life, for his was certainly one -of the cases in which - - “The soul’s dark cottage, battered and decayed, - Lets in new light through chinks that Time has made.” - -It is no very uncommon experience to see people go through their last -illness without a word of complaint, but Mr. Jex-Blake rose to a higher -level than that. He had felt the end approaching for some months, and -had set his house in perfect order, even to the refinement of writing -farewell letters—beautiful letters they are—to be delivered to those -nearest him after he had left them. There was nothing now to be done -save to gather himself together for the great ordination of death. “I -suppose this is about as bad as can be,” he said to the surgeon who -attended him. “Nothing more can be done, I take it.” - -One complaint he did make in the early days of his illness,—that he -“could not collect his thoughts to pray,”—he whose “whole life,” in the -words of his son, “had been a prayer and thanksgiving.” It was a great -joy and comfort to have that son at hand. “I am very happy, very -comfortable,” he said. “You cannot tell how happy I am.... God is so -good to me.” - -When the end drew near, he wanted to be lifted out of bed, but they -dared not move him, except as to pillows. About 11.30 Mr. H. [the -surgeon] moved him a little in bed, and he said, “Beautiful, beautiful,” -and never spoke again. - - * * * * * - -One can imagine the feelings with which his ardent wayward “youngest -little one” arrived in England to hear all this, and to hear it through -the transfiguring medium of bereaved affection. With passionate -intensity she recalls every detail of the parting which had so lingered -in her mind, and which had proved to be the last: - - “He had not risen. I went and lay on the bed by him and kissed him, - and he told me how they had enjoyed having me,—‘never had so pleasant - a summer together,’ etc. - - I said I had tried hard and yet I hadn’t fully succeeded. I was sorry - I had been cross sometimes. ‘No, no,’ he said, stopping me, ‘I hadn’t - failed,—there was nothing to forgive.’ And then I told him I would try - and do them credit in my profession, and then he took my hands in his - and prayed for me. And then I kissed him again and got off the bed,— - but he (very unlike him) sprang out after me and embraced me again and - again,—and so we parted very lovingly,—I telling him, I think, that - ‘next time’ it should be _all_ right. And so, please God, it shall,—if - there is a God and a ‘next time’!” - -In the darkest hour she admitted that it might have been worse: it might -have been her Mother who was taken. One could almost have foretold how -she would act. Cancelling the golden prospects in America with a stroke -of her pen,—cheerfully sacrificing the very considerable financial -outlay,—the class fees, the “snug little nest,” and “two barrels of -potatoes,”—she resolved that never again should the Atlantic divide her -from the life that was most dear. - -It was not easy for Dr. Sewall to let her go thus finally, and her first -letters are not a little pathetic, but—born friend of heroes as she was— -she helped to fasten the armour on. - - “If you don’t come back to America,” she said, “you won’t give up the - work. You will open the profession to women in England.” - -And so it came about that Sophia Jex-Blake sought a medical education in -her native land. - - - - - _PART II_ - - It is as hard a thing to maintain a sound understanding, a tender - conscience, a lively, gracious, heavenly frame of spirit, and an - upright life, amid contention, as it is to keep your candle lighted in - the greatest storms. - - RICHARD BAXTER. - - Individuals, feeling strongly, while on the one hand they are - incidentally faulty in mode or language, are still peculiarly - _effective_. No great work was done by a system; whereas systems rise - out of individual exertions. Luther was an individual. The very faults - of an individual excite attention; he loses, but his cause (if good, - and he powerful-minded) gains. This is the way of things; we promote - truth by a self-sacrifice. - - JOHN HENRY NEWMAN. - - - - - CHAPTER I - DRIFTING - - -S.J.-B. landed at Queenstown on November 27th, 1868, and “came rushing -through Cork, Dublin and Holyhead on that weary 24 hours’ journey” back -to the home in Brighton, to find that she had arrived too late. Her -Father had died some three weeks before, and outwardly the household had -already settled down to the old life—as households do—in a way that to -her ardent nature must at first have seemed passing strange. There was -the joy and pain of meeting her Mother again,—the joy and pain of -finding that that Mother was too fine a Christian to be broken-hearted -at the prospect of so brief a parting,—and then, little by little, there -came for S.J.-B. the realization of all she had left behind. - -On board the _Java_ she had written to Dr. Sewall: - - “The first thing of all I want to do is to write and tell you what I - said so very imperfectly in my hurry and worry when you left,—how much - your kind thought for me in arranging even the little things of my - cabin has touched me.... Even now when I am going home—and going under - such circumstances—the thought of all you have done for me and of all - I owe you, comes uppermost.... - - Mrs. Browning says,— - - ‘God gives what he gives—be content, - He resumes nothing given, be sure,’ - - and your love and help have been given to me, and I _know_ it is not - all over now.... - - I am going home now to try and be a child once more,—simply to love - and serve my Mother, as God will help me (for I do believe in Him in - my pain and my love in my heart of hearts) and I believe that by being - a child I shall learn to grow a better woman.” - -Such was her resolve, and for months she struggled hard to carry it out, -with no small success when one considers the complexity of the elements -involved. She had come from a busy bustling beneficent life, with an -outlook that appealed keenly to her energetic and ambitious nature, and -she found herself in the quiet, smoothly-ordered home of her childhood, -where she was only “Miss Sophy,” where her medical books and microscope -slides were roughly classified as “nasty,” and where she was expected to -conform to a rule of life which had never given scope to her -possibilities, and was little likely to do so now that all its music was -set in a minor key. The free life in America had developed her -capabilities; quite possibly it had also rubbed off some few of those -superficial elegancies that were regarded as a primary essential in the -Englishwoman of her class. - -There was another side to the question too. Glad as Mrs. Jex-Blake -always was to see her “youngest little one” again, one can imagine that -in the circumstances so electrical a presence in the house was not an -unmixed boon. “I had much rather _know_ you well and happy there [in -Boston] than see you ill and know you worried here,” the Mother had -written years before, and there is no reason to think that her feeling -in the matter had changed. Nothing could alter the deep undercurrent of -love and understanding between this Mother and child, but neither of -them had a naturally equable temperament, and one gathers that on the -surface things were not always smooth. - - “Poor little woman,” S.J.-B. writes to Dr. Sewall, on receipt of the - first letter from Boston, “I do feel so sorry for you all alone and - dreary, but don’t you think I am even worse off than you are? You can - fancy what this house is now,—so silent and mourning,—and so much cut - off even from outside, and at any rate no people or work or occupation - of any interest outside ourselves. - - M. and C. have their regular ways and plans, I suppose, but it is so - long since I have been at home except for a visit, that it’s hard for - me to fit in anywhere, and of course everybody’s feeling more or less - sad and pained doesn’t make matters smoother. Just at present I am - getting my books and drawers, etc., to rights, and after that is done - I mean to try and read some Medicine at least,—perhaps if we stay here - all winter I may apply to visit at the Hospital, etc.—only it would be - rather disagreeable all alone. - - Oh, Lucy dear, I do think it’s too bad to be expected to go on with - Medicine, and not have you to help and interest me in it. If I didn’t - believe you would after all come and start me in practice when I do - get through, I don’t think I should have any heart to go on at all. - But we _will_ be together again some day, old lady, won’t we? Oh, - dear, I am getting so tired of living and fighting and hoping! As soon - as one hopes one has got a little foothold it is all knocked away from - under one!” - -The letter then plunges into the question of money and accounts, which -were not Dr. Sewall’s strong point. - - “Poor little girl!—she has so many accounts, and I am dreadfully - afraid she will get into a dreadful mess with them all! Do tell me if - you got your accounts anything like straight after New York.” - -Dr. Sewall was overwhelmed with work, but her letters came as fast and -frequently as mails could bring them. “I do hope you do not miss me as -much as I miss you,” she wrote, and again: - - “I do hope this New Year that begins so sadly may not be a very hard - one for you, though I fear you will have to fight hard before you can - settle down at home. Do try to get some visiting at the Hospital or - some medical work as soon as you can. It will do you good and your - Mother too.” - -But she too, when it comes to a question of “business,” relapses -delightfully into the child. “Do say you are contented with me, and that -I have done well.” - - * * * * * - -For three weeks S.J.-B. drifted, uncertain of her course, and then she -set her sail. - - “Today—after three weeks of doubt, indecision and rather negation—I - was suddenly inspired to get up out of the dining-room arm-chair, walk - to the Hospital, and ask Mr. Salzmann to read Medicine with me,—so - Thursday and seq.—Histology! - - It’s quite odd how pleased I am at the prospect of ‘shop’!” - -On the last night of the year, as was her wont, she made her summing-up: - - “Within a few hours of eight years ago,—the window,—and - - ‘May the New Year cherish—’ - - I don’t think there are any ‘hopes that now are bright.’ I believe I - have been growing downwards in some ways. The simply quiet and - comfortable, with no bother of any kind, seems to be about my ideal - now.” - -And this on the eve of the ‘Edinburgh Fight’! - -The truth is S. J.-B. was in one of those backwaters of life which may -at any moment give place to the swift rush of the current. She was -living a great deal, of course, in the life she had left behind. On -January 4th she writes to Dr. Sewall: - - “When I find time I mean to write to your cousin.... I am sorry for - W., he is a very nice boy. But, dear me, they do seem such a pair of - children. - - I don’t think she will get a _nicer_ man, but of course that is - nothing if she doesn’t love him. I quite agree with you, ‘Never marry - if you can help it’!” - -And, in the depths of her mind she was constantly pondering the problems -and mysteries of our being. - - “Jan. 21st. [Diary] 29!—‘et praeterea nihil’!” - - “Jan. 25th.... Yesterday Martineau’s fine definition of atheism,—the - mind that venerates nothing, aspires to nothing.” - - “Jan. 31st. Came tonight across old Trench’s line,—‘When God afflicts - thee think He hews a rugged stone, which must be shaped or else aside - as useless thrown.’ - - And then those true sad pale lines of Martineau’s (‘Child’s Thought’) - about youth’s eagerness for truth, sometimes productive of dark - agonies of doubt and loneliness drearier than death,—leaving the soul - exposed upon the field of conflict without a God to strive for or a - weapon for the fight. - - Yesterday his ‘Immortality’ helped me again to seize that idea,— - apprehend, ‘hang on to’ (Trench). That the negative testimony was - stronger for than against—far harder to realize soul extinct than - immortal,—that instinct for immortality grows stronger in sorrow, - bereavements and on confines of death,—more likely teachers than the - dust and glare of Vanity Fair. That the strange ‘caprice of death’ in - selection, etc., inexplicable except in belief of future to which this - is the ante-chamber. ‘Simply migrations of mind.’” - -Of course the outward stagnation of life, the want of a definite object -and purpose, renewed the old regrets for the friendship by means of -which “we might have done anything together, we two.” - - “Feb. 3rd. 4 p.m. - - ‘Are not the letters coming? - The sun has almost set.’ - - I seem to have two such abiding ideas (presentiments?—hopes?) 1st. - That somehow, somewhen the old door must be reopened,—light in the - eventide,... 2nd. That some medical way will open—perhaps in - Scotland,—and at length some one take pity on me and really teach me - and push me. - - Oh, dear, how I wish I had anyone with whom I could really take - counsel and make common cause. - - Well, I believe I am learning silence and patience at least somewhat, - but how ‘bleak and bare’! Everything so grey and so dim. - - Feb. 4th. In the night I woke and found M.’s head was ‘dreadful.’ So I - laid one hand on her forehead and one on her hand and willed and - willed the pain away,—till she slept quietly. - - Curious how weary and achy that arm was even next morning,—how ‘washed - out’ I was! - - She says,—‘How do you explain it?’ - - ‘Nohow.’” - - - - - CHAPTER II - AT THE GATES OF THE CITADEL - - -In any case S. J.-B. was not to wait long for those “with whom she could -take counsel.” In the autumn of 1867 Mr. Alexander Macmillan appears to -have discussed with her the projected publication of a volume of essays -on questions relating to modern women, and in January 1869 he writes in -answer to an enquiry from her: - - “DEAR MADAM, - - Mrs. Butler, 280 South Hill Park Road, Liverpool, is the - address. There has been nothing done about the proposed volume yet. - But I have by no means abandoned the hope of having it done, and shall - not be sorry if you allude to it in writing to Mrs. Butler. - - My own notion was that the volume should be wholly written by ladies, - and that some diversity of judgement should be allowed on minor points - at least, provided that a consensus were assured on the large ground - of higher culture for women. I confess myself that the question of the - Suffrage is a doubtful one.... I confess myself to think that politics - in the sense of mere government is by no means of the highest - importance to nations and to humanity, and that what is done in homes - is incalculably deeper and more powerful [in its influence] on human - character and destiny. - - All these points are open to discussion, and I think a volume claiming - the very highest and widest culture for women might at the same time - discuss with advantage whether the field in which it is to be - exercised need be co-ordinate with men’s. - - Yours very truly, - ALEX. MACMILLAN.” - -Apparently S. J.-B. approached Mrs. Butler without delay, and a few -weeks later she writes to Dr. Sewall from Bonchurch, where they were -staying for the benefit of Mrs. Jex-Blake’s health: - - “Did I tell you that I have been making friends with Mrs. Butler, the - head of the non-Davies party among the women? She approves of the new - Cambridge exams, which Miss Davies ... refuses because not identical - with those of the men. Mrs. Butler and I say ‘Take all you can get and - then ask for more,’ don’t you? - - I expect to be here with my Mother for about three weeks longer, then - she will probably go to Cheltenham to see my brother, and I may go to - Cambridge, Edinburgh, St. Andrews, etc., to see if I can poke in - anywhere. - - And yet, even if I got admitted, I don’t feel sure that I should feel - ready to leave my Mother next winter. Unless she changes very much for - the better, I cannot but think very badly of her. I think she has aged - five years since you saw her.... - - She said to me yesterday, ‘Don’t you wish Dr. Lucy were here?’ I said, - ‘No, she’s doing better work,’ but I _do_ sometimes ‘weary for you’ - all the same.” - -Mrs. Butler was deeply interested in the new ally, and very anxious that -she should carry out her dream of obtaining a proper medical education -in her own country. Dr. T. W. Jex-Blake was also sympathetic, and so it -came about that enquiries were made among University professors who -might be supposed to have an open mind on the subject. Some interesting -letters were the result: - - “Wimborne, - Jan. 14th. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I have not been able to obtain quite as accurate information - about London University as I should like, but there is no use in my - delaying any longer to answer your letter. As regards Cambridge, I do - not think that the most sanguine reformer would advise you to look for - any relaxation of barriers that would be of service to you, for some - years. I am among the most sanguine, and I do not think that we shall - be giving degrees to women until after ten years at least. We do not - as yet examine men unless resident in colleges. The University of - London, which is an open examining board, ought to be much more - hopeful. Unfortunately this university (by an arrangement which ought - not to have been borrowed from its older sisters) is governed in the - last resort by Convocation, an assembly got together by agitation - among all graduates of a certain standard, and in which the influence - of the London doctors is practically preponderant. This assembly - rejected last year a proposal by which women would have been admitted - to medical degrees. - - The proposal will, I believe, be renewed, but I cannot say what reason - there is to anticipate a different result. My information is only at - second hand, and you may easily get more accurate in London. As soon - as I hear more precisely what is going to be done, I will let you - know. I cannot, from what I have heard advise you to expect a very - speedy change. - - At the same time there is a general movement, of which it is hard to - estimate the force, against the exclusion of women from the higher - education. You say that you do not wish your plans to be talked of. I - am rather sorry, for if you would suffer yourself to be made a - grievance, it might help ‘the cause’ in London. - - Believe me, - Yours very truly, - HENRY SIDGWICK.” - - “Trin. Coll. Cambridge. - Feb. 4th. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I have now been here nearly a week, and hoped to write to you - before, but I wished before doing so to see Markby, Bonney, and one or - two of the Medical Board, and, being overwhelmed with work, have only - just managed to do so. I find that neither Markby nor Bonney estimate - any higher than I do the chance of your request being granted. - Professor Liveing, one of the members of the Board, is favourable, but - shakes his head as to his colleagues. Doctors preponderate on it, and - one, Dr. Humphrey, professor of Anatomy, whom I expected to find - somewhat more liberal, is averse to women practising medicine, ‘mainly - on their own account, because’—but you are familiar with the reasons. - - I have not canvassed the others as you had a certain wish for secrecy. - If you think it worth while, I will ask Liveing to broach the question - at the Board, without mentioning your name, in order to sound opinion: - or I will in other ways ascertain privately the views of the members. - I do not however feel that this would be decisive, as they may not - have considered the question and might yield to argument. However I - feel almost sure that your appeal would be rejected without much - discussion. _Markby_ is of opinion that even supposing the Board - consented to propose the change to the Senate, that body would - certainly reject it. And he (M.) is inclined to think that it would - injure the cause of female education here in general, to stir up - hostility in the Senate on this particular matter. (I do not myself - feel sure of this.) But he does not think application to the Board - would do any harm. Bonney also thinks this course hopeless but - harmless. - - Even after consent of the Board and the Senate, you would have to be - admitted as member of some college; but in the case supposed, that - would not cause much difficulty.... - - I do not know whether you will think any thing more of us after this. - If you do come to look for yourself at the ‘terrain,’ you will at any - rate find a minority of sympathizers who will give you any aid in - their power, among them - - Yours sincerely, - HENRY SIDGWICK. - - P.S. You will see that, on reflection, I am somewhat doubtful of the - advantage of making the application. On the whole, however, I still - think it would be a good thing.” - -Meanwhile Professor Masson of Edinburgh University had written a letter -to Mrs. Butler, from which S. J.-B. quotes the following extract in her -diary: - - “It will give me much pleasure to see Miss Jex-Blake (whose name is - well known to me); Sir James Simpson will be very glad to see her - also.... I fear however that at present the chance of the throwing - open of professional education and degrees are not so great with us as - Miss Blake seems to imagine” (!)—The exclamation point is S. J.-B.’s.— - “But who knows what may happen or how soon?” - -On February 15th, S. J.-B. writes to Dr. Sewall: - - “I think I may probably go to Cambridge and see whether there is the - least chance of anything medical there. I have almost no hope, but it - is thought well to apply at least to the Medical Board just for the - principle of the thing. Then I may probably go to Edinburgh, St. - Andrews, Glasgow, etc. I understand that Glasgow was expressly founded - on the model of Bologna;—now Bologna admitted women! - - Did I tell you that there is to be a volume of Essays published in the - summer about all sorts of Women’s questions, and I have been asked to - write about the Medical question. If I do, I rather think I shall send - you my essay to criticise first, shall I?... I wish very much that I - could find some English lady to go in for Medicine with me,—it would - be such a comfort in thundering at the Colleges, and in working - afterwards. There is one very capable woman of about 30,—a _thorough_ - lady,—who is staying with us now, who would like extremely to study - for many reasons, but is withheld by the great prejudice and very bad - health of her mother.” - -It was indeed a loss to the whole woman movement that Miss Ursula Du Pre -was prevented from taking a more articulate part in it, for one tries in -vain to think of one of her contemporaries who was more generously -gifted by nature and circumstances. She had mental powers that would -have fitted her to shine in almost any of the professions strictly -preserved for the benefit of men, great common sense, a finely balanced -judgment, and—what appealed to S. J.-B. perhaps more than anything else— -a keen and unfailing sense of humour. Tact too she had, and the singular -charm of the “great lady” who is at the same time one of the simple- -hearted. Deeply religious throughout life, she was absolutely devoid of -false humility and of the ultra-sensitiveness that would have rendered -her gifts of small avail beyond her own circle. The accident of her sex -set her free from the cares and responsibilities of the landowner; and -one cannot wonder that S. J.-B. bitterly resented the unalterable -decision of some members of her family that a medical career was out of -the question. - -Nothing, however, can really rob the world of the usufruct of gifts like -these. The influence of a man or woman can never be measured by the -number of those who experience it at first hand. Who shall say whether -it is better to have a thousand disciples, or twelve, or one? - -Mrs. Jex-Blake and Mrs. Du Pre had long been acquainted, but it was in -this month of January 1869 that the two daughters first met and found -each other. S. J.-B. brought much to the friendship, as the reader of -the previous volume is aware; her gifts were great, her knowledge of -life astonishingly wide for a young woman of her day; but she found no -less than she brought. Never again could she complain of the lack of a -friend “with whom she could take counsel.” All through the troublous -times that were to follow so closely on the inception of their -friendship, Miss Du Pre was her admiring critic, her confidante and -counsellor, following every move in the complicated game, disapproving, -perhaps, sometimes, but sympathising always. She was the friend too of -S. J.-B.’s friends and comrades, and in the long days of hope deferred -there were those who must surely have fallen in the breach but for Miss -Du Pre’s material and spiritual aid. - - * * * * * - -Meanwhile S. J.-B. wrote the Essay on “Medicine as a Profession for -Women,” which was published a few months later in the volume entitled -_Women’s Work and Women’s Culture_. “Fairish, not quite satisfactory,” -is her own verdict on the first draft, which was doubtless considerably -improved by the suggestions of friendly critics. As the Essay appeared -later in her book on _Medical Women_, it could scarcely be bettered, and -indeed it has proved a storehouse of research and argument for all -subsequent writers and speakers on the subject. - -Professor Newman, to whom Mrs. Butler sent the first draft, wrote an -admirable letter: - - “I have no learning in the history of female physicians, but I know - that in my boyhood I read in a magazine an urgent remonstrance with - ladies for their prejudice against man-midwives, of whom the writer - speaks as a beneficent innovation. I think I have read that they were - first used in the Court circle of Louis XIV.... To prove negatives is - always hard, but I should not fear to write that the exclusion of - women from acting as physicians to women is quite a modern usurpation - by the male sex, and limited to the nations which cultivate modern - science. The topic reminds me of the address of the nurse to Queen - Phoedra in Euripides’ Hippolytus, when she observes her mistress to be - wild and out of health,—‘If thy complaint be anything of a more secret - kind, _here are women_ at hand to compose the disease. But, if thy - distress be such as may be told to males, tell it in order that it may - be communicated to the physicians.’ - - This is almost as if _in no case_ would the male physician do more - than give advice when the facts were reported to him through the - women. - - It is nearly so in Turkey to this day. A Pasha wanted advice for his - wife from a friend of mine without his seeing her.” - - “_Do_ quote Euripides in your Essay,” writes Mrs. Butler. “Never mind - if we look a little more learned than we are. Let us spoil the - Egyptians.” - -And again,— - - “I am sure Mr. Newman _intended_ you to use anything in his letter - which you could make available. He is so generously helpful.” - -On February 24th, S. J.-B. writes to Dr. Sewall: - - “I have written the Essay I spoke of about Medical Women, and I shall - send it to you to see in a week or two, as soon as I can get it - copied. There are several points on which I want your authority and - opinion;—tell me whenever you think I overstate facts or make - mistakes—or tell me if you think I might put things _more_ strongly - with advantage. Tell me how many instances have occurred of men - doctors putting their womankind under _your_ treatment, or that of - other women you know,—Dr. B., Dr. C., and J. W.?—any more? - - Also anything else that occurs to you generally. - - I had a witty letter from Miss Putnam this morning, in which she says - how very indifferent it is to her if Mrs. D. chooses to ‘invent - Arabian Nights’ tales’ about her. I do hope that you have published - her letter,—don’t simply disregard me because I’m across the Atlantic - and can’t pinch you! She made me dreadfully envious by saying that she - is going in for some months’ work at Operative Surgery, and that it - will be ‘very jolly.’ I believe, however that for the summer at any - rate I _ought_ to stay with my Mother and try to make her very jolly - (poor old darling!) If I can get into any of the Colleges for the - winter, that may be another matter, though I am not sure.” - -Meanwhile Professor Sidgwick was pursuing his kind and public-spirited -enquiries: - - “Trin. Coll. Cam. - Mar. 1. - - MY DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I should have written to you before, but I have found it - difficult to make up my mind. I now, however, after some hesitation, - am inclined to dissuade you from making the attempt. I have not - visited any of the Medical Board (as I thought it best, if you did - come, that you should find them unprepared), but I have discussed the - matter with about ten discreet persons varying in age and position. - - Not one of us thinks that there is the smallest chance of your request - being granted. The feeling of the [? Board] is certain to be decidedly - against you: and there are minor obstacles interposed by existing - regulations, which might be easily set aside if there was a desire to - do so, but which will furnish excuses for rejection to any who may - require such. - - The question then comes, Will the raising of the matter _now_ advance - or retard our _ultimate_ success? On this point we vary in opinion, - but no one very decidedly thinks it will be a gain, while some are - very strongly of opinion that it will do more harm than good. After - much hesitation, I have come myself to this latter view, not on - general grounds, for in general I like (as Lincoln said) to keep - pegging away: but because we have hitherto done what we have done for - women’s education by great quietness and moderation, and so far it - seems best to go on in the same way: if our present scheme for - examining women succeeds, it will be easier to take a further step: - moreover I expect that we shall soon open our examinations more - unrestrictedly to men, and that will make it easier to open them to - women. Your application _now_ would thus be a ‘breach of continuity,’ - and would appear extravagant to many undecided people who after a few - years may be brought to look upon a similar application as quite - natural. - - Against this is to be set the advantage of raising the question, and - getting people to exercise their minds on it, especially with so good - a case (and I have no doubt advocacy) as yours. - - In short, we should gain, I believe, by argument, but should very - likely lose more by hardening a mass of fluid prejudice, that may - otherwise evaporate in the natural course of events. - - So that, on the whole, I am slightly[47] opposed to your making the - attempt, on public grounds only: and even if the balance between - probable gain and loss is about even, I should hardly like to advise - you to incur so much trouble that could not possibly benefit yourself. - - If you do come, I need not say that I will do anything I can to assist - you, and generally to make your stay in Cambridge as pleasant as - possible. - - My _instinct_ is to tell you to come, but that is because I like a - fight: my soberer judgment is the other way. - - Believe me, - Yours very truly, - HENRY SIDGWICK.” - -Footnote 47: - - “Slightly” is interpolated in the original letter. - - “Trin. Coll. - Mar. 8. - - MY DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I am sorry that we shall not have the pleasure of seeing you: - but, as regards the application, I am quite convinced that your - decision is right. Just at present the reformers here do not want - stimulating, and I think the neutral people want management. As - regards the Scotch Universities, I am afraid I cannot help you - personally.... - - I have taken counsel with a friend here—J. Stuart—who is now examiner - at St. Andrews. He has promised to write to you and to send - introductions to two or three people there whom you may like to visit. - I imagine that either Edinburgh or St. Andrews will be more likely to - serve your purpose than Glasgow or Aberdeen. If I can find any means - of aiding you at Edinburgh, I will write again. I may have friends who - know some of the Professors. Masson is the only one of whom I know - anything,—he having once been an editor of mine. I should think he is - very likely to help you, Shairp, I should fear, not; but I may be - wrong. - - Of Ireland I know nothing: but from what I have heard I should think - our Conservatism here is nothing to the Conservatism of Dublin— - particularly when Gladstone is Disestablishing. - - With best wishes for your success, I am, - - Yours very sincerely, - H. SIDGWICK.” - -On the following day came a letter from Mr. Stuart, offering all the -help in his power: - - “I hope you will excuse my unceremoniousness in thus writing to you by - the belief that I have your success much at heart.” - - “My husband and I both think that it would be better not to try - Cambridge in the face of Mr. Sidgwick’s opinion,” writes Mrs. Butler. - “No one is better able to test the feeling of the University than he. - I hope before long England will be ashamed of herself in this matter. - We must do all we can by working quietly and extensively on the hearts - and consciences of men. I find no man of ordinary candour who is not - easily convinced, but the M.D.s will be the obstacle. They hang - together so. - - Shall you try Edinburgh? If not, do you think of taking a foreign - degree? I wish you were an M.D. You would have plenty of patients at - once.—myself among the number.” - -Thus it came about that when Mrs. Jex-Blake went to visit her son at -Cheltenham, S.J.-B. “screwed her courage to the sticking-point,” and -went to Edinburgh. The entry in her diary is characteristic: - - “Monday, March 15th. To Edinbro. How I dreaded the journey and - sequence! On waking,—‘If Thou go not with me, carry me not up hence’!” - - * * * * * - -Meanwhile the University of Edinburgh stood foursquare, and the -professors sat in their comfortable chairs, little dreaming that their -Day of Judgment was at hand. Even at a cursory glance they were an -imposing body of men. Some few of them were great in character, or in -intellect, or in both: taken as a whole they were probably well above -the average. In any case they were men of like passions with ourselves, -well-disposed, kindly, just a little blunted by success, desirous of -smooth things. As they acted, so would most similarly constituted bodies -of men have acted at that day. The only difference between them and -other men lay in the fact that it was to them the challenge of the -future came. - -And who was to tell them that this was the challenge of the future? It -was so trifling an episode in outward seeming,—only the visit of a -gifted young woman, with a clear strong head, but assuredly with no -immunity from an average human being’s liability to error and mistake. -If the professors had been canvassed on the subject of her request -beforehand the result would have been an almost unanimous No: they had -no more idea of admitting women to the University than they had of -founding a Chair of Millinery. But the applicant was among them before -they were aware; she knew what she wanted and she knew how to state her -wants effectively. Her arguments were all at her finger-ends; and, -although she made no sex appeal, she was possessed of fine dark eyes and -a singularly musical voice. - -In those days men had not learnt to be on their guard against an -apparently guileless young woman. To many she stood for little more than -a precocious child, who must be humoured, and, if necessary silenced -later by sheer _force majeure_. - -But S. J.-B. took them a step farther on than this. She was obviously no -mere child: she was a woman who had seen a good deal of life, who -realized something of the meaning of sex as a factor in human affairs, -and who was prepared calmly to assert that it ought not to stand in the -way of the privilege she asked. When she faced the pundits with those -candid earnest eyes, there must have been some who were literally -mesmerised for the moment into sharing her belief. - -Yes, the Day of Judgment was at hand. I do not mean, of course, that the -“sheep” were those who forwarded the applicant’s claims, and the “goats” -those who put difficulties in her way. In those days there might well be -room for two opinions on an experiment that had scarcely been tried. The -Day of Judgment is apt to be a subtler, more searching thing than that. -What I mean is that one cannot go through the vast mass of letters and -documents relating to the whole matter without seeing the stuff of which -those men were made,—the “worth” on the one hand, the “leather and -prunella” on the other,—and oh, such imposing leather and prunella! One -realizes afresh that when a big emergency takes everyone by surprise, -only those who are guided in life by great principles can hope to act -rightly. They may not all act alike: they may or may not make mistakes; -but at least they act with essential dignity: they ring true; when they -lie in their graves their greatness shines out from the musty old papers -which have chanced for a few short years to embody an imperishable -record. - -And there is no one whose greatness shines out more clearly than does -that of David Masson, Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature, to -whom S. J.-B. went first. From first to last one’s admiration for him -never swerves: one does not know which to admire in him most, the clear -insight, the high courage, the fine discretion, or the sheer unfailing -brotherly sympathy. - -This is the first impression he made upon S. J.-B.: - - “Quiet, rather reserved, kindly. Promised introduction to most of - professors. Seems rather hopeful,—‘tide setting in.’” - -One wonders what were the words in which he summed her up. He must have -rejoiced in the clear brain, the quick wit, the cultured voice, the easy -flow of sane and logical speech. Did he guess at the impulsive nature -that was bound to make mistakes?—at the great warm heart that was bound -to suffer more than most? - -In any case he gave her the following letter to the Dean of the Faculty -of Medicine: - - “MY DEAR BALFOUR, - - Miss Jex-Blake, an English lady known as the author of a work on - American Schools, is now in Edinburgh for a few days, chiefly with a - view to ascertaining what chance there may be that Edinburgh - University may (now that Paris and other continental cities have set - the example) see its way to conferring a medical degree, after due - study and qualification, on a lady candidate. It is but right that - having come to Edinburgh for this purpose she should see you as the - Dean of the Medical Faculty, in order to receive the best information - and advice on the subject: and I shall be obliged by your courtesy in - this matter. - - Yours very truly, - DAVID MASSON.” - -There was a similar note to Dr. Christison, in which the writer said: - - “The question, I believe, has been already before you; but it has - seemed to Miss Blake possible that, now that Paris and other - Universities abroad have set the example, there may be some chance of - a modification of the previous conclusion of Edinburgh University on - the subject. As she will receive the best information and advice on - the whole subject from members of the Medical Faculty, I take the - liberty of giving her this note to you, with a request that you will - kindly explain to her the state of things as they are, and of - possibilities in the direction she has in view. - - Yours very truly, - DAVID MASSON.” - -And so, quite alone—she who was as dependent on a comrade, on a -“helpmeet,” as some of our greatest men have been—with strange lodgings -for a “base,”—she began the great work of canvassing the Edinburgh -professors and the distinguished citizens who, for one reason or -another, might be supposed to have a voice in the matter. She stood -absolutely alone. She might belong to a good old family: her brother -might be Headmaster of an English public school: but on the other side -of the Tweed only a few of the enlightened knew anything of that. She -was merely a clever young woman, with a rather outlandish name, who had -conceived the extraordinary desire of obtaining a medical education by -hook or by crook under the auspices of the Edinburgh University. If only -Dr. Sewall could have been with her—or Mrs. Jenkinson, or Miss Du Pre,— -what a stay she would have been! Fortunately Mr. Begbie was “kind and -helpful as ever”; the old friendship with Miss Orr and with Mrs. Burn -Murdoch was a great resource still; and Mr. Burn Murdoch was ready and -willing to help to the utmost of his power. Miss Orr, it is true, was -rather uncertain about the whole quest, wanted to know whether her old -friend “went to church and read the Bible”; and, however relevant the -question may have been,—S. J.-B. rightly felt that there was no time to -go into it at this stage. - -Undoubtedly her two great supports through the time of stress—if we set -aside for the moment all that was involved in her “_If Thou go not with -me,—!_” were the deep interest taken by Miss Du Pre in every detail of -the story; and the possession of Sadie’s poems, which had just been -published. In these latter she found fitting expression for the -fightings and fears of her own inner life, and for her hard-won -“twilight” consolation. It is an interesting fact that these two -elements should have come into her life just at this moment, for one -scarcely sees how she could have “won through” without them. Sadie’s -poems remained dear to her throughout life: she knew many of them by -heart and repeated them almost on her deathbed; and her copy is worn -even more “threadbare” than are her volumes of Robertson’s Sermons. One -can imagine the feelings with which, after a keen exciting day’s work, -she went home to her lonely lodgings, with no “Alice” looking out for -her, to write her report to Dr. Sewall or Miss Du Pre, and to copy in -her diary—as she did—the lines: - - “Up the way that is narrow, the path that is steep, - With no guide for my footsteps, no help for my fear: - Only this—that He knoweth the way that I tread, - And His banner of crimson is over my head. - - With the loneliness awful pressed into my soul, - With no voice for companion, no grasp of a hand—” - -Yes, one cannot help wishing that an intimate friend had been at hand. -One wonders whether she was even becomingly dressed: we know she would -have wished to be; but she so seldom made the most of her -appearance.[48] - -Footnote 48: - - “By the way your accounts of your dress are just a shade - contradictory,” writes Miss Du Pre somewhat later. “One day you tell - me you look disreputable and plunge me into depths of anxiety! and the - next you say you are ‘very tidy.’ Isn’t this more than average - inconsistency?” - -In any case what happened is perfectly clear. The Professors for the -most part had a deeply rooted dislike to having women students in the -University: in fact, the idea of such a thing was unthinkable; but when -a gifted young woman actually sat in their sanctums urging her plea, -they could not bear to say No. Strictly speaking, they should have -refused to see her, but did any man yet ever refuse to see a woman whose -name was before the public? - -One wonders as one reads the papers how many of them knew what their -“powers,”—what the legal powers of the University—really were?—how many -of them really wished to know? There was a comfortable conviction in the -back of their minds that insuperable difficulties lay shrouded in those -unprobed depths. In the meantime why not show a little kindness to a -gallant girl who was as modest as anyone could be in formulating so -outrageous a demand, and whose pleading—so it has been said—would have -“wiled the bird from the bough”? It was after she was gone that the real -horror of the situation came home to them, and that they fell back again -with relief on the thought of those unprobed depths,—the legal powers of -the University. - -It would all be very ordinary, and sometimes rather depressing, reading, -were it not that Professor Masson and some of the others, when they gave -her their provisional support, really meant exactly what they would have -meant in giving their support to a man—no more and no less. Their own -principle, their own righteousness was involved; they were quite -prepared to see women students—if so it was to be—in the University -quadrangle and class-rooms; and they meant to do what in them lay to -give this woman a fighting chance. - - - - - CHAPTER III - SUCCESS? - - -Meanwhile Miss Elizabeth Garrett was providing in her own career the -very example that was needed to clinch the argument. After much arduous -work and lavish expenditure of money on special classes, she had -obtained the “L.S.A.,” a licence to practise from the Society of -Apothecaries,[49] and good use she had made of the platform thus gained. -Henceforth no one could deny that an Englishwoman had the physique and -the wit to study, “qualify,” and practise Medicine,—yes, even to get her -full share of patients. It was scarcely to be expected that Miss Garrett -would rest content without a University degree, but she considered that -the time was not ripe for the agitation of the question in England, and -she had little sympathy with S. J.-B.’s efforts in Edinburgh. None the -less her successful career was a more valuable argument than her support -would have been,—even if, at the moment, she had not been too fully -occupied elsewhere to enter into the question at all. - -Footnote 49: - - After Miss Garrett had obtained her diploma, the Society of - Apothecaries passed a resolution forbidding students henceforth to - receive any part of their education privately, thus making it - impossible even for a woman of means to follow in her steps. - -On March 21st, S. J.-B. wrote to Dr. Sewall: - - “I have two nice little bits of news about Miss Garrett. One is that - the Princess Louise went to see her, and, after enquiring about the - medical prospects of women, expressed strong hopes of their complete - success. This is really worth a great deal, and I hope you will have - too much sense to sneer at it. - - Secondly, I see in the _British Medical Journal_ (which I shall try to - send you) a notice that Miss Garrett had ‘by special order of the - minister’ been admitted to the first examination for M.D. [in Paris] - and had passed it in the presence of a crowded audience with very - great _éclat_. That woman certainly has great power of study and work, - hasn’t she? - - By the bye, you would have been interested at the scene in which I - noticed this paragraph. I was sitting yesterday morning at Sir James - Simpson’s breakfast table, between him and his wife, and he passed the - paper to me.... - - He was, of course, quite favourable to my application, and I am to - breakfast with him again tomorrow and hear what he will do about - it.[50] He is going off to Rome for a trip this week, but I am very - anxious that he should vote in my favour first. He is so unreliable - that I do not know how to make sure of his doing it though,—very - likely he’ll be at the other end of Edinburgh when the meeting is - held. I told him that you remembered him and always spoke of his - kindness to you. I am not quite sure whether he recalled it. He spoke - highly of Dr. Emily Blackwell.” - -Footnote 50: - - To the irreparable loss of the women students, Sir James Simpson died - in the spring of the following year. - -A few days previous to this an unobtrusive little note of no small -import appears in the diary: - - “8.30 p.m. at Begbie’s met Campbell Smith, who walked home with me. - Older and more quiet than I had expected. Kindly.” - -The favourable impression was mutual, if one may judge from the letter -that follows: - - “30 Royal Circus, - 21st March, 1869. - - DEAR MISS BLAKE, - - I left your MS. yesterday with Mr. Findlay of the _Scotsman_. I - think he will give you some help. If nothing be in the _Scotsman_ - tomorrow, and whether or not, you may call for him at the office. He - will be happy to see you. He said so, and said further that you needed - no note of introduction. - - The review of your book appeared on 18th Nov., 1867, and you will see - that also in the pile when you call. - - Faithfully yours, - J. C. SMITH.” - -Thus began that support from the _Scotsman_, which, in the able hands of -Mr. Alexander Russel, was destined to be of such incalculable value to -the whole Feminist movement. The _Scotsman_ was just approaching the -height of its reputation, and its advocacy was the more valuable because -it was not supposed to have a specially weak side for new movements and -forlorn hopes. It used to be said in those days that, when the North -Pole was discovered, a Scotsman would be found sitting on it, and it -might have been added that the Scotsman would prove to be engrossed in -the newspaper that bore his name. In any case, from this moment on, all -that publicity could do for the cause was done. For better and for -worse, the doings of S. J.-B. were about to be writ large for the whole -world to read. They were the text round which the whole question was -threshed out by countless firesides,—the text on which the life and -character of every other woman provided a running commentary. - -Small notion had S. J.-B. of the great flame that small spark was to -kindle. In her diary she speaks quite casually of “my” leader, “highly -approved by Masson.” - -Meanwhile the canvassing was proceeding steadily, and S. J.-B.’s “thumb- -nail” notes and sketches of character often make interesting reading,— -none the less so because her gifts in this direction were necessarily -immature. - - “Thursday, 18th.... A long 1½ hours’ talk with Allman,—-going - earnestly over every inch of ground, he very nice; at last, he ‘should - be delighted to see me in his class,’ and he thought no legal - objection against admission to classes, however about degrees. I am - sure he will be a firm strong true friend.” - - “Friday, March 19th. Today for the first time the astounding idea - dawned upon me that it was perhaps just possible that I really might - succeed after all! - - _If I did!_—to enter first a British University!—(‘first’?—Yes, rather - mean, I know, but instinctive!—) - - 11 a.m. [after three hours’ work and visiting]—Fraser. Friendly, but - rather non-committal,—speaking of it as a ‘matter for the medical - faculty,’ etc. - - 12. Balfour. At first rather wavering and weak. Didn’t see how a woman - _could_ dissect, etc., till I told him ‘I’d done it for some months,’ - etc.... Ultimately a very valuable suggestion that he and A. should - admit me to their summer courses, of Botany and Natural History, and - then, if all went well I matriculate in October, and go to the rest. - Proposes to call a Medical Faculty meeting next week if possible - before Simpson goes. - - 1.30, Lunch at the Grants. Very friendly and kind,—he with real - English Oxford manner and courtesy,—she very kindly. - - He thought ‘all would agree as to end,—only difficulty as to means,’— - agreed with Balfour’s idea of wisdom of deferring degree question. Was - ‘very much interested’ in it all, and thought my going to see each of - the Faculty would make a great difference. - - Told me that in a recent speech here, Jowett ‘hoped the Universities - would open to women’ and was cheered greatly. - - Gave me (sealed) introduction to Christison (the ogre)—and authorized - me to tell him ‘he should make no difficulty,’ etc. - - 3 p.m. Henderson,—feared women ‘would get the cream of practice, if - any’ (noble fear!)—would ‘think over it,’—-after a futile ‘non - possumus’.” - -On the following day S. J.-B. sent in her formal application to the Dean -of the Medical Faculty: - - “SIR, - - As I understand that the statutes of the University of Edinburgh - do not in any way prohibit the admission of women, and as the - Universities of Paris and Zurich have already been thrown open to - them, I venture earnestly to request from you and the other gentlemen - of the Medical Faculty permission to attend the lectures in your - Medical School during the ensuing session. - - I beg to signify my willingness to accede to any such conditions, or - agree to any such reservations as may seem desirable to you, and - indeed to withdraw my application altogether if, after due and - sufficient trial, it should be found impracticable to grant me a - continuance of the favour which I now request. You, Sir, must be well - aware of the almost insuperable difficulty of pursuing the study of - Medicine under any conditions but those which can be commanded by - large colleges only; and, in view of the increasing demand for the - medical service of women among their own sex, I am sure that you will - concede the great importance of providing for the adequate instruction - of such as desire thoroughly to qualify themselves to fulfil the - duties of the medical profession. - - Earnestly commending my request to the favourable consideration of - yourself and your colleagues. - - I am, Sir, - Yours obediently, - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE.” - -This letter is copied in her diary, and followed by the note: - - “Taken to him, and meeting called to oblige me at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Oh, - dear, how these folks gain by comparison with Harvard! - - 9.30 a.m. Turner. Quiet, thoughtful, realizing difficulty strongly, - and referring to Christison as ‘our Nestor.’ Still listening heedfully - and promising my words should ‘have due weight.’ - - 10.30. Christison. ‘The matter _has_ been decided.’ Not rude but quite - uncompromising. He should use no influence, but vote against me. - - ... 2 p.m. Dr. Bennett, who declared himself tired of fighting Syme - and Christison, but will, I think, do it. He railed at them most of - the time. Did not see the need of women as doctors, but acknowledged - their possible value as assistant physiologists....[51] Will admit me, - if possible, to his non-obligatory histology class in summer.... - - 10 p.m. Was awfully cross at having to go to dine at ... and to tea at - ..., but at the latter ‘met the gods,’—a _very_ nice woman of 33 or 34 - with curiously white hair,—Mrs. Evans, I think. She and I held - together on almost all subjects. She would like to study Medicine (and - I am sure has the power) but for an ‘old aunt.’ Oh, dear, the ‘might - have beens’!—And yet here was I ten minutes ago defending ‘absolute - right’ as the only rule. - - Curious though how one’s instinct leaps forward at the smallest - chance.—‘Couldn’t we take a “flat” together?’” - -Footnote 51: - - As Physiology was Dr. Bennett’s speciality, the admission was worth - having. - - “Monday, March 22nd. A cup of tea and then to Simpson’s to breakfast. - He said he should probably be here tomorrow and would go to the - meeting if at all possible.... - - Then ... to Laycock ... who was ‘frank’(!)—and told me ‘as a public - man,’ etc., he must oppose,—informed me women ‘didn’t understand their - position,’ that they did their own work in the world badly, that they - had not sufficient strength for medical practice,—‘if women are fit - for war, I will allow them fit for medicine.’ And, when I instanced - the Amazons, thought that had nothing to do with it! Was sure women - preferred men to do everything for them, even in shops;—and informed - me no decent woman knew what young men are, or if she did, it was - reprehensible, etc. - - After lunch to Syme,—he more favourable than I had expected. Did think - women ought to supersede ‘that man in ... Street,’—and thought if it - was clearly understood that they only meant to practise in Midwifery - and uterine diseases, there ‘would be no opposition.’ Not to be - present tomorrow any way. - - Spence,—rather doubtful-minded. Not strongly opposed,—might turn - either way, but is, I think, rather kindly and not irrational. - - Then called on kind Lady Grant; then home to rest.” - - “Tuesday, 23rd. 10.30 a.m. Now, having done all that lies in one - woman’s power—except, perhaps, an article in the _Daily Review_,— - having left a book, as a reminder, on Bennett, hunted up Sir J. Y. S. - and crammed him [with] Mlle Unpronounceable at St. Petersburg,—I have - to do what is hardest of all,—wait. - - Four distinct votes in my favour, I believe, if all go and all keep - faith with me. Allman ... Bennett, Balfour, Simpson. - - Against me distinctly,—Christison, Laycock, and probably Henderson. - - Doubtful,—Turner, Spence, and, perhaps, Syme. - - Besides Maclagan (ill), and Playfair (probably absent).[52] - -Footnote 52: - - It must be borne in mind that at this time the question was before - the Professors of the Medical Faculty only. - - To lunch with Simpson at 2 p.m., and hear results. - - 1.45 p.m. Waiting for the verdict? How will it be? Somehow the - probability seems rather for me this time,—but there,—the Fates are so - habitually adverse! I can’t help hoping and yet I _don’t_ expect - success. I hope they won’t ‘give an uncertain sound’ and put it off - indefinitely! - - 8 p.m.—Gloria tibi Domine!... - - At 2 p.m. went to Sir J. Y. S.,—found him out, but met him in the - street. ‘Yes, ye’re to be let in to the classes if the Senatus allow - ye,—‘ of course with all provisos as to ‘tentative,’ etc. But the - great fact is granted,—the thin end of the wedge in, and, though - nothing is secure till after the Senatus on Saturday, yet it is an - enormous triumph! - - Three more days’ of calling and entreating and arguing,—then ‘after - all these voices ... peace.’ - - After all, my aspiration to L. E. S. was not so ill-founded,—‘If I can - be the first woman to open a British University’—then surely I, like - Charlotte Brontë ‘shall have served, my heart and I’—even if I die - straightway. - - For May, June and July, the Botany, Natural History, and Histology, - with preparation for the Matriculation exam. - - Oh, dear, I do feel so exultant.... In one sense I do see all the - life-preamble to have been needed. The experience in the United States - gave me much more chance of success now,—the life there gave me health - really to use the chance when it comes. - - I hardly fear the future at all;—not the students, nor the work. - - I am sorry not to be with Mother, but on the whole this must be best, - I think. - - Four years of College! All alone? Surely not literally all the time— - spiritually, who knows? - - What a pity, as I said to U.D. that they will use up gold for - toasting-forks! - - Well, I am sure the hind-wheels may run by faith for a long time now. - Perhaps the tangle is beginning to unravel after all these years,—and - I shall have to cry, ‘Oh, why didn’t I bear on better then!’ I suppose - that is always the feeling when the cloud begins to lift. But _till_ - it lifts,— - - ‘Still it is hard. No darkness will be light - Though we should call it light from night till morn.’ - - And surely the Father pitieth His children.” - -The numberless quotations in the course of her diary,—however -fundamentally optimistic—are almost always in a minor key; but the minor -key proves inadequate in the face of this great joy. One can see the -dark eyes flash as she goes on,— - - “‘Fair are the Marcian kalends, - The proud ides, when the squadron rides, - Shall be Rome’s whitest day.’ - - Surely I shall have to institute a festival for March 23rd. I wonder - who’s the saint. It will be very odd if any other day in my life will - be (if all goes well) as vital an epoch as today.... - - I feel as if everybody was my peer today, for I want everybody to - shake hands with me. I am so glad. Dear old Mother!—why are you not - here to kiss me?... O.H.?... L.E.S.?... Ursula?... Perhaps _your_ - thought is nearest me tonight, because you more than any perhaps - realize the day of crisis....” - - “Wednesday, March 24th. How very nice it is to wake with a sense of - something very good in the wind!” - -Indeed it is small wonder that she was elated. Everyone had assured her -that the opposition of the doctors was the thing to be feared, and now -the Medical Faculty had recorded its vote in her favour. True, the -permission only applied, in the first instance, to the Summer Term, and -some of the professors may well have thought that the Summer Term would -be more than enough to quench the ardour of the solitary woman student. -But there is really no need to enquire into the manifold motives that -may have swayed them. They had done what she asked, and it was scarcely -to be supposed that the professors of the other faculties would prove -more obdurate. One thinks with satisfaction of some of the men with whom -she now had to deal,—Professor Masson was not the only rock among them. -One has but to recall the names of Professor Calderwood, Professor -Lorimer, Professor Wilson, and others too, in order to realise that, so -far as they were concerned, her feet were on sure ground. - -The diary of March 24th continues: - - “Then to Masson’s, where I got 5 introductions. He very hopeful, I - think. Seems not to think the University Court have the right to - interfere. - - Then to Tytler’s. He very quiet and legal. ‘Should go to the Senatus - quite unprejudiced,’—which was hardly all I wanted!... - - ... In afternoon went with Mr. Begbie to see ... Calderwood,—at home - and quite favourable. Should support me on Saturday. ‘Fine speaker,’ - says Begbie. - - Then Tait,—quite favourable. - - Fleeming Jenkin,—rather so,—indeed I think he almost promised to vote - for me, but feared some legal difficulties as to Matriculation, etc. - - After Begbie went home, I saw Kelland,—he mildly favourable,—but saw - ‘difficulties.’ Still will vote, I think. - - In the evening at Blackies’. He with clear pure face, white hair and - straw hat! Half mad looking, certainly. But showed me favourable - passages in his Notes on the Iliad, etc.—XI. 740—, and ‘unless he - hears strong things to the contrary’ will support me. Mrs. Blackie - also nice, I think,—not commonplace.” - - “Thursday, 25th. Congratulations from Mother and U.D.... Left Iliad - notes at Blackie’s. Then saw Lorimer. Very kind and friendly. ‘Very - glad to see me.’ Introduced me to Mrs. Lorimer, was ‘sure women could - do work men couldn’t’, etc., and were needed. Introduced me to - M‘Pherson, saying he ‘sufficiently expressed his opinion by saying he - intended to vote for me.’ - - Which McPherson _doesn’t_. Not disagreeable however, though less - earnestminded than most. - - Cosmo Innes. Painfully deaf, but very friendly. Much interested about - my written communications about Bologna. Will support me. I’m to send - him facts from British Museum. - - Muirhead—I had been taught to fear as surely opposed. So he was at - first, but candid and earnest and kind, and said at last, ‘You have - disposed of many of my objections.’ Much interested as to University - statistics,—Bologna, etc. Suggested Balfour should write for - information to Paris and Zurich. - - Then bought stockings and basket, and called on Miss Blyth, and came - home pretty well done up. Now to start again soon. - - (I hear Mr. M., downstairs, is interested to hear they have ‘that - lady’ here!) - - 3 p.m. Professor Playfair has been here,—very kindly,—very much in - earnest,—laying stress on Bologna degrees, etc. Introduction to Piazzi - Smith,—‘I am strongly in favour of granting her desire to attend the - classes, with the view of taking the degree in Medicine. She is - thoroughly in earnest and desires no favour. Do give her an - opportunity of stating her case to you.’ - - Then with D. B. M. to Stevenson ... who thinks it ‘haigh taime’ to - have female practitioners, and means to vote for me, I think. - - Then D. B. M. home, and with Mr. Begbie to Dr. C. who seems to have - been at a Tory clack with Christison and Co. in the morning and won’t - help me. He most naïvely let out ‘what Christison meant to do,’—i.e. - argue that the Senate could not act without more legal advice,—delay,— - and if possible refer to Chancellor Inglis. Whereon I wrote to Tait, - Innes and Playfair to put on guard. - - 6 p.m. Dinner at 22 Manor Place.... - - By the bye, how queerly much impressed Muirhead was with the ‘trouble - I had taken’ at British Museum, etc.” - - “Friday 26th. This morning at 10.30, to Piazzi Smith,—deaf and very - hard to get at. Declared nothing but Astronomy to be his business,—and - particularly no science used for money-getting!—Then he rambled off to - ‘supply before demand’—Meteorological Society and Mr. Lowe, etc., and - Registrar of Deaths, etc. Then—had a ladies’ meeting been called to - declare they would employ women, etc.... However I might be sure he - ‘would not vote against me,’ and advised me not to be discouraged!... - Oh, dear, what a strain it is on one to have to sit out that sort of - thing! - - 2 p.m. came Professor Wilson,—very kind and friendly,—though, having - inadvertently shown him my list, he instantly pounced down on his own - name and asked my authority. So I gave up Playfair instantly!... A - grave good thoughtful man,—a very sound champion. - - Then to see Lorimer who encourages me finely.” - - “Saturday March 27th. Went with Mr. Begbie to see Oakeley (at school - with Tom) Oxfordish (i.e. non enthusiastic), but civil enough. Said he - should support. - - 11 a.m. Fraser. The Medical Faculty having agreed, he was ready to do - so too. I specially pleaded against “shelving” the question. - - Indeed I hope with all my writing and speaking and warning (including - my rather ill-advised raid on Balfour at College this morning) I have - put a spoke in Christison’s wheel. Just about voting on it, I - suppose,—3.30 p.m. - - It is to be hoped Wilson will be prophetic,—‘We’ll have a great fight, - but we’ll beat them!’ - - 10 p.m. Success,—and _such_ a success,—14 to 4!—‘Nunc dimittis’?—No, - surely,—fresh zeal and energy for lifelong work. - - Isn’t it _good_ after such a fortnight of rush and battle and strain - to go to bed, saying,—‘The work is done!’ - - ‘Of all the gifts of God...!’” - -It is interesting to note that the speakers in S. J.-B.’s favour at the -Meeting of Senatus were:—Professors Balfour, Tait, Lorimer, Fleeming -Jenkin, Masson, Blackie, Bennett, and Sir Alexander Grant. Against her -were Professors Christison, Turner, Laycock and Craufurd. To her great -surprise Professor Muirhead gave notice of an appeal to the University -Court. Professor Playfair was out of town, but the following letter has -been preserved: - - “University Club, - Edinburgh. - 26 March, 69. - - MY DEAR MASSON, - - I have to express my regret that, in ignorance of there being a - Senatus Meeting tomorrow, I had made an important engagement in - Fifeshire. - - I cordially concur in the recommendation of the Medical Faculty, that - Miss Blake should be allowed to attend the Summer classes. If no - inconvenience be found in practice, there are many precedents for - female graduation, and for female professors. Pope Joan herself is an - instance, although she professed and graduated in male attire. But - lesser people than a pope may be adduced as precedents, in Salamanca, - Bologna and Padua, especially from the thirteenth century onwards. Sir - Roundell Palmer would not object on the ground of the legality of the - prospect of female graduation, though if he were a member of Senatus - he might doubt the expediency. - - For my part, I have faith that the students will act like gentlemen, - and will prove that the tentative session has not been lost by - discourtesy on their part. - - Yours sincerely, - LYON PLAYFAIR.” - - - - - CHAPTER IV - A CHECK - - -On the day following that memorable meeting of Senatus, S. J.-B. had a -curious conversation with the wife of one of the professors: - - “Mrs. A. tells me Christison actually threatened to resign if women - are admitted!—and to the Medical Faculty this is a formidable threat. - She thinks also ‘the professors haven’t treated me fairly’ (which I - deny) in not letting me know how much they dislike the whole thing. - Doubtless A. does,—and the babble of her bourne is magnified to her. - - Still I know all is not yet gained. Yet surely very much _is_. And can - ‘He so far have brought me’—? Not that that is a real argument, - because if it fails we must suppose failure is right in one sense. - - Amusing how much personal power Mrs. A. attributes to me, ‘You’ve just - turned them round your thumb,—I don’t believe there’s another woman - could have done it,—_you_ are wholly exceptional, etc.’ I say ‘very - complimentary, but I think not quite true.’ She thinks I’ve been - ‘wonderfully clever,’ and when I object to the phrase, ‘have really - shown wonderful _power_ and tact.’ - - I’m afraid one can’t help being a little pleased to think one’s own - effort has done something,—and yet the other feeling lies deeper: - - ‘If Thou didst will, a mighty sword - Out of my stem should grow.’ - - By the bye U. D. thinks my poem[53] the saddest in the book, ‘Poor - child’ [she says] ‘_how_ sorry I am for you! Oh, if the atmosphere of - Easter joy which is bright round me were only your’s too, ... Such an - “only this,”—it would be better to be in the blackest night with the - hope of stumbling into broad daylight some time or other. It is the - sort of hopelessness of any more light to come that makes the poem so - sad to me.’ - - I don’t agree. I think the ‘only this’ is just everything,—enough to - live on and die on, though not enough (what is?) to prevent life being - very hard and stony. It seems to me just the essence of the— - - ‘... strenuous souls for belief and prayer— - Who stand in the dark on the lowest stair - Affirming of God,—He is certainly there.’ - - And did even Christ keep that much always?— - - I believe Miss Cobbe is right,—in every Calvary there must be - ‘darkness over the face of all the land’ for awhile. - - Well, indeed, if we can always keep a firm grip of— - - ‘Only this, that He knoweth the way that I tread, - And His banner of crimson is over my head.’ - - And again,— - - ‘This only for solace,—God knoweth indeed - Where the poverty galls,—of what things we have need.’ - - At 1.30 came Mrs. Evans with her clear good eyes and face. Much - disposed at least to Botany. _How_ I hope she will!” - -Footnote 53: - - “Walking in Darkness.” - -Meanwhile S. J.-B. was undoubtedly the woman of the moment, and she had -the satisfaction—by no means an unbroken one as life went on—of feeling -herself a thoroughly popular person. She lunched with this dignitary and -dined with that; some of the wives of the Professors offered to -accompany her to the lectures if no other women came forward to join -her; and some students whom she met at dinner told her they thought the -students would be delighted that she should join the class. - -Apparently this sanguine view was a mistaken one, for an agitation was -raised among some of the men—at whose instigation we have no means of -knowing—which resulted in another appeal to the University Court against -the decision of the Senatus. - -Very characteristically, but with Professor Masson’s approval, S. J.-B. -had called on Professor Muirhead to ask him the grounds of his appeal. -He told her he had appealed because he did not think the question had -been fully considered, and he thought the vote of the Senatus had -settled the question too finally for _all_ women. He pointed out that, -as things stood, she _must_ matriculate even to go to the lectures, but -held out hopes that the University Court could give tentative -permission. He was “not at all unfriendly,” and showed her cases of -mediaeval women doctors to add to the strength of her armoury. - -Meanwhile Lord Advocate Moncrieff had proved “kindly and favourable,” -and the Lord Provost, “very lordly in his big chair, but rather -gracious” had promised to give the question “his best consideration.” -Sir Alexander Grant thought the thing was won with the Professors, and -had “hardly a doubt” of the University Court. - - * * * * * - -When, on March 31st of that eventful year, S. J.-B. returned to -Brighton, she fully believed that her cause was so far gained, and there -is not the smallest doubt that a number of the professors shared her -belief. One cannot read the diary and the letters of the periods without -feeling how much cause there was for confident anticipation; but we have -only to turn to dry-as-dust facts, to the constitution of Edinburgh -University, in order to realize how precarious the situation was. - -There were no less than four bodies whose business it was to consider -the question at stake, and who—in addition to the Chancellor—had to be -consulted before any important change could be made: - - 1. The Medical Faculty, consisting of Medical Professors only. - - This hurdle, as the reader is aware, had been somewhat unexpectedly - passed. - - 2. The Senatus, comprising all the Professors of every Faculty. - - This obstacle, too had been passed. - - 3. The University Court, composed of the Rector, the Principal, the - Lord Provost of Edinburgh,—with five others appointed respectively by - the Chancellor, the Rector, the Senatus, the Town Council of - Edinburgh, and the General Council of the University. - - 4. The General Council, comprising all those graduates who register - their names as members. - -Mr. Sidgwick’s remarks about Convocation naturally occur to one at this -stage; but what mainly strikes one on facing these particulars is the -extraordinary constitution of No. 3 as a body authorized to reconsider -the decisions of No. 2. The Rector was some distinguished man who might -never have been in Edinburgh in his life; the Lord Provost may be fairly -supposed to have his hands pretty full without taking upon him the -consideration of highly technical questions that lay outside his sphere. -As for some of the other members,—one can only say that the manner of -their election calls up possibilities concerning them too varied for the -human mind to grasp. - -No doubt there were occasions on which this “lay control” had its -advantages; but, when one considers how much must depend on the point of -view from which the case was laid before the Court, one cannot but feel -that it lay in the power of so singularly-constituted a body to defeat -the very end for which it was created. - -From S. J.-B.’s point of view then, as we have seen, two hurdles had -been successfully passed; but the dangers of the third may be estimated -from the fact—the importance of which she as an outsider could not -possibly gauge—that her avowed and implacable opponent, “our Nestor,” -Dr. Robert Christison, was the only Professor and the only medical man -who had a seat on the University Court. He had in fact the unique -distinction of belonging to every body by which the interests of the -women had to be decided, viz. the Medical Faculty, the Senatus, the -University Court, the University Council, and the Infirmary Board. - -Add to all this that he was a respected and representative citizen, one -who made a strong appeal to the religious and church-going public. “No -man,” said Professor Masson about this time, “walks the streets of -Edinburgh whom I more respect; ... but this is not the first time, and I -suppose it will not be the last, when grave and wise men will be found -defending a dying tyranny.” - -Professor Masson’s feeling for the great man was destined to be sorely -tried. - -It will surprise no one, then, to learn that on April 19th, the -following resolution was passed at a meeting of the University Court -held, as was the custom, in strict privacy: - - “That the Court, considering the difficulties at present standing in - the way of carrying out the resolution of the Senatus, as a temporary - arrangement in the interest of one lady, and not being prepared to - adjudicate finally on the question whether women should be educated in - the medical classes of the University, sustains the appeals and - recalls the resolution of the Senatus.” - -“As a temporary arrangement in the interests of one lady.” - -Supposing that the decision of the University Court was really to be -taken at its face value, so to speak, it was one of which nobody could -fairly complain. Was it not simply another way of saying,—“If this -counsel or this work be of men it will come to nought”? For, although it -be true that “God and one man make a majority,” the fighter who has God -on his side does not indefinitely remain alone, even so far as his -fellow men are concerned. - -The mere fact of the adverse decision is recorded in the diary almost -without comment. One is glad to think that when S. J.-B. received the -news she was among her friends in the south, and no longer so dependent -on the lonely solace of an unwritten page. On April 26th she wrote to -Dr. Sewall: - - “You will have seen my bad news in the papers I sent you on Saturday,— - I can no longer urge you to come and settle in Edinburgh, for all my - plans there have been overturned again. The University Court has - actually vetoed the permission given by the Medical Faculty and - confirmed by the whole Senatus (or conjoined faculties). - - This is very unusual and seems _very_ hard. - - I expect to go to Scotland in a week or two still, to see whether - nothing can be done about it. If I had any legal standpoint I would - take the matter into the Courts.[54] If I _can’t_ get in at Edinburgh, - then I shall try Glasgow, etc., but I should very much prefer - Edinburgh.... - - You see it is very well that I asked you not to talk about Edinburgh - to other folks. When I really succeed, you may ‘boast’ as much as you - please! I am sure that anything I ever do in Medicine will be all - yours. - - I am so glad that you are prospering so well, and getting patients - sent you by the men. Thank you for all the papers you send me,—when - you send whole papers, do _mark_ the paragraph.... - - I am glad you like my Essay. It will be a good deal better when it is - rewritten, for I have a good deal of new evidence to bring in. It - _may_ be out in July, or it may wait till October. - - I have had terrible wear and tear to go through the last two months. - Edinburgh was _very very_ tiring work,—to repeat endless arguments to - an endless succession of people took so very much out of one,—and then - too there was really a great deal to _do_, and tho’ I took cabs - recklessly I could not but get very tired.... - - I am sure you are right about women being fitter to understand women. - I will put in some more about that. Do you know whenever it comes home - to me personally I am more and more amazed how women _can_ go to men - for uterine treatment. I think that, sooner than go to any, I would - come across the Atlantic again to you. I wish you would let me know - how often doctors have sent you their own relations. I wish Dr. Cabot - or some leading doctor would publish a pamphlet or something - expressing his strong belief in the ‘_need_ of women doctors for young - girls.’ This is the point that hits the public hardest, I think. If he - could write me a short note that I could quote in my Essay, with or - without his name, I would do so.... - - There is such a nice girl here,—Ursula Du Pre (a sort of connection of - Mrs. Jenkinson’s) who would like very much to study medicine, but her - Mother objects strongly and she is too ill to be worried, she thinks. - - It is a thousand pities, for she would make a splendid doctor;[55] - and, being extremely ‘well-born,’ it would have an excellent effect - for her to study. She is very anxious to see you,—she has fallen in - love with your picture. I tell everybody that neither that nor - anything else can tell them _how_ good and sweet you are, my dear - child. - - Your very aff. - S. L. J.-B.” - -Footnote 54: - - This suggestion had been made to her by one of the legal professors. - -Footnote 55: - - “Tell me everything that happens,” writes Miss Du Pre about this time, - “so that I may not lose the thread of your history. I think I know - most of the people’s names now, and should not require much - explanation. You need not tell me in _every_ letter that Sir A. Grant - is the Principal. I’ll try to remember that fact.” - -Meanwhile she was not left without sympathy from those whose sympathy -was a distinction in itself. On April 5th Professor Masson had written: - - “DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - Here is the latest news. The case was to come up today before - the University Court—with these two new elements,—of which I heard - only on Saturday: viz. (i) That Professor Turner has appealed - independently to the Court, and (2) That there is a petition against - you to the Court by a large number of students—not gainsaying the - propriety of women studying or practising Medicine, but laying stress - on the difficulty and the injury to male students, should a lady - student be admitted to open lectures on certain medical subjects, so - that a Professor should be forced to abstain from exhaustive treatment - of those subjects. - - It was known at a Senatus meeting on Saturday, that the appeal, with - these new conditions, might come before the University Court today; - and, in view of this, Professor Balfour and myself were deputed to - appear before the Court and defend the vote of the Senatus,— - representing the reasons of the majority of the Senatus for the vote - and replying to any new objections. - - We were at our post for the purpose today; but the University Court— - whether from an excess of business, or because of a desire for delay - in this particular question,—postponed the consideration of your case - till the 19th of this month. So nothing was done today. - - On the whole I am of opinion that delay will do no harm. Prof. - Muirhead appeals (as far as I can understand him) not as an enemy, but - in order that there may be farther discussion. Professor Turner’s - appeal is grounded, I believe, on his own difficulty as regards - Anatomy. And then there will be time for outside influences, and the - considerations they may induce.... - - Had I known in time that I should be deputed to defend the case, I - would have written to you to request suggestions. As it is, there is - plenty of time now, and what occurs to me immediately is that any - facts showing the prevalence of right opinion in British Society (both - Whig and Tory) might be converted into argument. Please write to me - anything that you can collect on this head, i.e. facts and names to - prove that the tendency to open the profession to women is approved by - eminent and representative personages, of different political - opinions, throughout the country. - - I will write again. Meanwhile, with doubled zeal for all that has - happened, I am, - - resolutely Yours, - DAVID MASSON. - - P.S. Prof. Balfour received this morning a letter from the Medical - Dean at Zurich of very satisfactory tenor.” - - “3, Rosebery Crescent, - April 20th, 1869. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I regret to have to tell you that it went against you at the - University Court yesterday. After the three appellants (Profs. - Muirhead, Turner and Laycock) had been heard on the one side, and - Prof. Balfour and I on the other, we left the Court to their private - deliberations. These were long, and resulted, I understand, in an - agreement to something like this effect—that considering the extreme - inconvenience that would attend any present arrangement for the end in - view, especially when that is demanded for only one lady, the Court, - without pronouncing on the general question whether ladies ought to be - educated in the medical classes at the University, do not consider it - expedient, etc. I tried to get the exact terms of the resolution, but, - not having seen the Secretary, report the substance as it was told me - by Principal Sir A. Grant, and Mr. Nicolson. The _Scotsman_ of - tomorrow will probably have the communicated report: if so, I will - send it to you. - - Only five of the Court were present,—the Principal, Mr. Gordon, Dr. - Christison, Mr. Phin and Mr. Nicolson. I believe the petition of the - 180 students against you was really the determining argument,—the - Court foreseeing the chance of a disturbance, and not being prepared - to run the risk. Except two, I rather gathered that those present - favoured the notion of the medical education of women, if - circumstances would permit, and, on the whole, what has occurred to - me, since I learnt the decision, is, that, if a new attempt were to be - made, on the University of Edinburgh (and I hope there will), and if - it were to come in the form of a joint and simultaneous application - from a few ladies (say from half a dozen to a dozen), then our - authorities would be obliged to yield and to betake themselves to the - consideration of the means whereby such a class could be best - conducted—how far along with the men, how far apart. - - Much chagrined at the result, but with the firm conviction that your - application and visit have done great good, and led to an advance in - the right direction beyond what could have been anticipated. - - I am, - dear Miss Jex-Blake, - Yours very truly, - DAVID MASSON.” - - “Aberdour, Fife, April 20th. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - Your letter has followed me to this place, which must be my - apology for not replying to it at once. I was indeed annoyed at the - reversal of our judgment in your case at the University Court,—the - more so considering how the Court,—at all times a most absurd body to - review the decisions of the Senate—was constituted on that particular - occasion. I have not a copy of the Universities Act with me, and I - cannot therefore express any opinion as to whether this decision falls - under the category of those which are reversible by the Queen in - Council. If it does belong to this category I should say that your - best course was at once to carry it there, and I should say, with the - majority you had both in the Medical Faculty and in the Senatus, that - the reversal of the decision of so very insignificant and prejudged a - body as the Court was which judged of your case was pretty nearly - certain. If this cannot be done—which Masson or Playfair or Sir A. - Grant will at once tell you,—then I suspect the best thing is to bring - the case before the next meeting of the University Council. It has no - power to decide, but it may recommend to the University Court, and - that will bring the matter up again, and the constitution of the Court - can be better looked after than it appears to have been this time. It - may be also—though here again I am speaking without the Act, that such - a recommendation could be carried beyond the Court to the Queen in - Council. Any claim to admission on a legal construction of the Charter - would involve you in a law-suit which would not be decided for years - and would cost _x_=£s.!! Against that course I have no hesitation in - advising you, as a question of personal interest and comfort, though - of the legal merits of the question I can say nothing. I certainly, in - your case, however, would lose no time in seeing the Lord Advocate. - Substantially, I think he will be with you, and his advice in all such - matters is of great value, and will, I feel sure, be willingly given. - - Mrs. Lorimer joins me in very kind regards, and in sympathy for the - annoyance which you are subjected to, and I am, - - Yours very faithfully, - J. LORIMER.” - -In a later letter Professor Lorimer says: - - “There is one point on which I find I am with you against many of my - colleagues—even those who are guided by reason and not by tradition, - viz. as to whether Medicine ought to be taught to ladies separately, - or in the open classes along with the male students. As regards the - question of delicacy, I am clearly and strongly of opinion that in - holding the latter view your female instincts have guided you right. - The root of indelicacy is immodesty, and the root of immodesty is - immorality, and the arrangement that would in my opinion be immodest, - and might be immoral, would be that such subjects should be taught by - _one_ man to _one_ woman. The farther you recede from _that_ - arrangement, the more you separate yourself from the circumstances in - which according to a well-known legal _brocard_, ‘charity ceases.’ - - The opposite pole as it seems to me, is the teaching of science - publicly in an open class, irrespective of the sex, age, or other - peculiarities of the audience; and mindful only of _truth_. - - I am aware, however, that there are other considerations which - influence Sir Alexander Grant, and other members of Senatus who would - probably agree with me on this point. If young men and women were - thrown together daily, they say, imprudent marriages and the like - would come of it. Even here, however, I think the balance of evil is - on the existing arrangement, and not on that which you propose to - substitute for it. I have not seen Mr. Mill’s ‘Subjection of Women’ - and I don’t go in much for that sort of thing, but I cannot see why - greater harm should come of men and women meeting at their occupations - than at their amusements; and I think imprudent marriages are just as - likely to come of croquet parties and riding-lessons as of medical - lectures. - - As in later life one is sometimes apt to be deceived as to one’s - earlier feelings, I asked a young bachelor whom most Edinburgh Mamas - would _not_ consider ‘an imprudent marriage’ what his feelings were on - the subject; and his reply was ‘Anything rather than those dreary - balls and idiotic evening parties which at present afford the only - occasions on which men who go in for work in the early part of the day - can make the acquaintance of persons of the other sex.’ - - It can scarcely be doubted that by _working_ together men and women - would learn to know each other better, and that many _mistakes_ that - are now committed, would be avoided. - - With kind regards from Mrs. Lorimer, believe me. - - Yours very truly, - J. LORIMER.” - -No one who has grasped something of S. J.-B.’s character will imagine -that she was likely to mistake a check for a checkmate, though she -sometimes made the converse mistake. She seems to have had some little -correspondence with Professor (afterwards Sir Lyon) Playfair, for the -following letter is among her papers: - - “Athenæum Club, - London, 10th May, 1869. - - DEAR MISS BLAKE, - - I was much obliged by the list of women graduates and grieved at the - result of your case in Edinburgh. - - There is no power of appeal against the decision of the University - Court. You had overcome the prejudices of the profession, but not - those of the students. With their strong opposition the University - Court could not possibly decide otherwise, for Scottish Universities, - without endowments, cannot go in face of the Constituency by which - they are supported. It would not do to ruin classes by the admission - of one pupil against the opinion of all the others. Though I regret - the result, I am not surprised at it. In the face of this prejudice, - the only hope that I see is for intending female graduates presenting - themselves in sufficient numbers to induce the Universities to give - them a separate education though a common graduation. - - Yours truly, - LYON PLAYFAIR.” - -“What I thought and think,” wrote Sir Alexander Grant, “is that if a -sufficient number of ladies could be found to constitute a small extra- -academical class in medical subjects, the University of Edinburgh would -be willing to make arrangements for the teaching of such a class, and to -examining the lady pupils with a view to awarding them medical degrees.” - -In her diary S. J.-B. writes, - - “Tuesday, May 11th.... Wrote today to ask to see Goschen,—see if - anything _can_ be made of appeal.” - - “Friday. Saw Goschen, who will have the Act ‘looked up’ about appeals. - Lord Advocate also to ‘write.’ Slept at Hampstead Heath.” - - “Saturday. Croquet. Came to Brighton by noon train.” - -She used to recall many years later how on these much-prized visits to -the Corderys, some of the young folks got up at 6 o’clock in the morning -to have another game of croquet before the work of the day began. - - “Wednesday. Met U. at Waterloo Bridge. It did me good to see her. Had - just heard ‘No appeal’ from Moncrieff, and no support except for - private classes from Grant.” - -Here then she was obliged to stop and take breath. Failure? Surely not. -I think no one can view the subject all round, as we have done in the -foregoing chapters,—realizing something of the forces that were arrayed -against her—without a feeling of amazement that she should have -accomplished so much. Whatever the mistakes and failures of her -subsequent life, that first campaign must surely be pronounced an -astonishing success. - - - - - CHAPTER V - OPENING OF EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY TO WOMEN - - - - -The results of the campaign, duly chronicled in the _Scotsman_, filtered -through into other papers, and a certain amount of public interest was -the result. Before many days had passed the following letter came to -nerve a possibly flagging arm: - - “8 Bedford Square, W.C. - May 15th. 69. - - MADAM, - - I venture to write to you as I see that the decision of the - University Court at Edinboro is based on the fact that they do not - feel justified in making ‘a temporary arrangement in the interest of - one lady.’ I also gather from the article in the _Scotsman_ on the - subject of your application that you are desirous that in some cases - private instruction should be taken instead of compulsory attendance - at the public classes. - - As these are your views, I should be glad, if you renew your - application, to join you in doing so, and I believe I know two or - three other ladies who would be willing to do the same.... - - Trusting you will pardon my troubling you on account of the great - interest I feel in promoting the entrance of women into the medical - profession, believe me, Madam, - - Yours truly, - ISABEL THORNE. - - Miss Jex-Blake.” - -A few days later came an equally interesting letter from Mrs. Butler: - - “Your Essay is in Macmillan’s hands. You will receive a proof soon. I - have asked him also to let me see one, and to let you have a duplicate - to send to America. - - I read it once again before sending it away. It is well worth while to - have included in it so much research. It gives one strongly the - impression while reading it, how much the present male monopoly of the - profession is an innovation; also how at all times women seem to have - striven to assert their right to a share in the healing art. I cannot - help hoping the publication of your Essay may be the beginning of a - new social era in those matters. God grant that it may! - - It is indeed most trying to be kept back so long by the difficulty of - getting leave to do good and to toil. O England, what a wicked amount - of conservatism of selfish customs have you to answer for! I daresay - to yourself your life must appear sometimes to be being wasted—but it - is not so. In every good cause there must be martyrs and pioneers, - who, with gifts for more, have had the hard task of opening the way - for others to work. I saw a Miss Pechey at Leeds, who wishes to become - a doctor, and Miss Wolstenholme told me of a lady she knows who is - studying. - - I don’t think the story about the Greek lady at all indelicate. I hope - no one else will think so. Is it not strange how people cry out at the - indelicacy of _speaking_ of a thing which it is far more indelicate - should _exist_, and yet to its existence they have no objection. - -In a later letter she says: - - “... Have you _seen_ Miss Pechey? She did not seem to me very clever, - but very steady and nice,—a silent, quiet woman.” - -One knows the fine reserve under which Edith Pechey’s great gifts lay -hidden. “I only wish,” wrote a friend who knew her well, “that there -were 12 more _like_ her ready to begin.” - -This is what Miss Pechey had to say for herself: - - “Before deciding finally to enter the medical profession, I should - like to feel sure of success—not on my own account, but I feel that - failure now would do harm to the cause, and that it is well that at - least the first few women who offer themselves as candidates should - stand above the average of men in their examinations. - - Do you think anything more is requisite to ensure success than - moderate abilities and a good share of perseverance? I believe I may - lay claim to these, together with a real love of the subjects of - study, but as regards any thorough knowledge of those subjects at - present, I fear I am deficient in most. I am afraid I should not - without a good deal of previous study be able to pass the preliminary - exam, you mention, as my knowledge of Latin is small and of Euclid - still less. Still, if no very extensive knowledge of these is required - (and doctors generally seem to know very little of them) I could - perhaps be ready by the next exam., and the study of Carpenter at the - same time would be a relaxation. Could you give me any idea when the - next matriculation exam. will be held, and whether candidates are - examined in _all_ the books of Euclid. If I thought I could prepare - myself in time for this, I think I could arrange pecuniary and other - matters so as to enter in October as you advise; and, though for some - reasons I should prefer to wait another year, yet, as I am nearly 24, - it will perhaps be better to lose no time. - - Allow me to thank you for your kindness in assisting me with your - advice. I feel especially grateful as I have no friend able to supply - the information I need. - - Believe me, dear Madam, - Yours sincerely, - EDITH PECHEY.” - -We know how warmly S. J.-B. felt that the thanks were not all on the -side of her unknown correspondents, and she would have felt this even -more if she had known the sheer value as human beings of her first two -recruits. Taking the trio together, one simply could not have wished for -abler representatives of a struggling cause. - - * * * * * - -Meanwhile a new avenue of hope had opened quite unexpectedly; Mrs. Jex- -Blake had been seriously ill, and her daughter had taken her to consult -Dr. King Chambers. - - “I liked Dr. Chambers very much,” she writes to Dr. Sewall. “I first - had a talk with him alone, and told him I was studying Medicine, about - which he was very kind. He seemed to think that if women were willing - to pay for separate Anatomical teaching, they could get into almost - any of the London schools, and promised to enquire about his own - school,—St. Mary’s. I doubt whether the way is quite so open as he - thinks, but I shall be very glad to hear his report, and meanwhile - shall go on to Edinbro’ and see what can be done there by way of a - separate class. It would be a much greater thing in the end to get the - Universities open, for of course the other medical schools feed - Apothecaries’ Hall and the College of Surgeons, and do not give the - M.D. - - I think it very possible that by guaranteeing some sufficient fees for - two or three courses (_whatever_ the number of pupils) we could get - the thing _tried_, and, when once publicly done, I am sure numbers - would flock in. I had rather borrow and spend some money about it than - be bothered any more. But of that I can tell you more next week.” - -In her diary she writes (June 19th): - - “After opposite advice from Mrs. Butler (for St. Mary’s), and Salzmann - (Edinbro’) and much deliberation, decided for ‘baith, my lord.’ The - petition to go today to Dr. Chambers (signed by Miss Pechey and Mrs. - Thorne),—mine to Senatus on 25th. and to University Court July 5th.” - -Dr. King Chambers spared himself no trouble in the matter. - - “I have got over the chief difficulty,” he writes, “viz., that of - engaging the Anatomy lecturer, Mr. Arthur Norton, to undertake a class - of ladies. There is also a room they could have for dissecting, and - arrangements may be made with the porter’s wife to take care of their - cloaks and attend to their comforts. The other lecturers shall be - approached in due course, but I think Mr. Norton is the chief one to - be considered. What number of ladies can you get to form a class?” - -A fortnight later, however, he is obliged to write: - - “DEAR MADAM, - - I fear you will be disappointed with the result of my - application to the School Committee of St. Mary’s. It was a full - meeting which had been already called on another subject; so I took - the opportunity of getting as many of my colleagues as possible to - freely state their opinions. And the result is my agreeing with the - idea you expressed in your note, that the most insuperable of your - difficulties lay in the direction of the students—to which I may add - their parents and guardians; of whom, as customers, private firms in - the position of the medical schools of London, must stand in awe. Such - a sort of partnership is essentially opposed to change, as, if even a - minority object to a novelty, their colleagues shrink from forcing it - upon them. - - It seems hard that British women should be sent abroad to get that of - which there is such abundance at home, but circumstances seem to - render this inevitable. - - Repeating my regrets that I should have deluded you with false hopes, - I am - - Yours faithfully, - T. K. CHAMBERS.” - -It is pleasant to note that, if S. J.-B. failed to get from Dr. Chambers -the thing she wanted at the moment, she had at least found in him a -lifelong friend and helper. - -It was well that she had decided for “baith, my lord.” She now once more -approached the University Court in the person of its President, the -Rector, asking whether they would remove their present veto in case -arrangements could be made for the instruction of women in separate -classes; and whether in that case women would be allowed to matriculate -in the usual way, and to undergo the ordinary examination, with a view -to obtaining medical degrees in due course. - -She also wrote to the Senatus, asking them to recommend the -matriculation of women as medical students on the understanding that -separate classes should be formed: and she addressed a letter to the -Dean of the Medical Faculty offering on behalf of her fellow-students -and herself to guarantee whatever minimum fee the Faculty might fix as a -remuneration for these separate classes. - - “I appreciate your truly kind and thoughtful plans with regard to the - pecuniary arrangements,” writes Miss Pechey in this connection. “I - shall be sorry if my means will not allow me to take a full share of - the expenses, but I am afraid I shall not be able to afford more than - double the usual fees for a man.” - -S. J.-B. had returned to Edinburgh in order to further arrangements, and -to meet any difficulties that might arise. The first thing to be done -was to secure teachers, and, now that it came to the point, some even of -those who had been most favourable showed a singular reluctance to take -the plunge. Their enthusiasm had had time to cool. - - “June 26th ... Today went to see A. Most disappointingly timorous,— - ‘_could_ not give the extra time himself,’ though he did not refuse to - see the importance and responsibility of the case. I _hope_ he will - vote for me still. - - B. very disappointing,—very avaricious,—trying for the 100 guineas. - - Balfour, out. - - I very disheartened and weary.... - - I _do_ fear failure now,—indeed it seems to me probable, in Medical - Faculty. - - And then all the time and effort wasted since March 1st! A year’s - steady work would have been less strain!... - - If one had but faith! Ought one not to say, ‘I fight and work my - best,—God _will_ bring out the best result,—let me not prejudge what - is best.’ - - And so be content either way.” - - “June 30th. Christison has had to go to London,—wrathfully enough they - say,—hurrah! I hear that he asked to have the day changed, and that - Balfour refused,—the brick! - - Of course this adds to my chances. - - Also I had a long crack with Turner this morning. He did not speak - against it as in his own person,—only evidently thought how awful it - would be if ‘odium were thrown’ on two professors for refusing perhaps - what others had granted. I suggested that it might perhaps be more - awful to refuse all women for the sake of that. - - 9 p.m. The 40 lines of Virgil written out [in preparation for the - matriculation examination that as yet was a more than doubtful - prospect], eyes and head weary. (Oh, dear, ‘it is not good for man to - be alone.’) - - By this time tomorrow Medical Faculty at least decided. - - Thrown back utterly again? Today for the first time since Friday I - hope a little. (Something of the Caliban in me says,—‘Unlucky to say - so!’)” - - “July 1st. Yesterday O. H.’s ‘Two Poor Courts’ interested me much. - - 7 p.m. Won after all!—and I do think this must be at last ‘the - beginning of the end.’ For me 4 out of 6:—Balfour, Bennett, Spence, - M‘Lagan. Turner would not vote dead against it, as Laycock wished, so - those two did not vote, but Laycock ‘protested’.... - - Allman absurdly wroth (to Masson) about canvassing and unjustifiable, - etc., etc., seeming to mean that my poor little calls on people had - interfered with their judicial wisdom. - - Just seen a letter from A. G. J.—I must hear that organ at Lucerne - (with its storm, etc.) before I die.” - - “Friday, July 2nd.... 6 p.m. Hurrah!—The Senate granted my request - without limitation and without division, though M‘Pherson tried to get - up a motion for delay,—no one (not even Turner!) would second him. - Turner wished to have it recorded that he ‘did not vote,’ but as no - vote had to be taken this could not be, so he reluctantly had it - recorded that he ‘dissented,’ which I regret, for I am sure that it is - more than he wished. - - Present,—14. Grant, M‘Pherson, Lorimer, Masson, Wilson, Tait, Kelland, - Craufurd, Liston, Stevenson, Balfour, Bennett, Spence, Turner.” - - “Monday. _The_ day! Even now (4.30 p.m.) a University of Britain may - be literally open to women,—if so, won’t that have been worth doing? - - When I say to Alice, ‘The University Court may still stop it all,’— - ‘They’d better not!’ quo’ she ferociously.” - -What actually happened at the University Court this time is best related -in a letter to Dr. Lucy Sewall: - - “Maitland Street, Edinburgh. - July 6th, 69. - - MY DARLING, - - You may address to me here for a fortnight after you get this, - for I expect now to be here till about August 15th. - - The Medical Faculty and the Senatus have both voted in favour of - special classes in the University for Women, and the University Court - at their meeting yesterday passed a vote in favour of the measure. It - seems however that there are some legal difficulties about the old - Charter, etc., and that the matter will require the sanction of the - Privy Council, which will cause delay, but I think no real - difficulty,—for the Queen is known to be favourable to women doctors; - and the present government is specially liberal. Indeed it has this - real advantage that it will make the whole thing very public and very - safe and permanent,—so that it will be almost impossible ever again to - exclude women. - - So now I am looking forward to years of steady work here, and am so - very glad to be able to do so! - - I am working at my Latin, etc., for the Matric. examination. It would - astonish the women studying in Boston to see the examination that we - have to pass here before we can even begin Medicine,—and it is a - capital thing, because it will keep out ignorant and silly women to a - great degree.... Oh, dear child, it is so nice to look forward to - having you here next summer to see and know all about it. You will so - enjoy Edinburgh. I have been thinking about taking rooms or a house - lately, and I keep saying to myself, ‘You must have a room full of sun - for my doctor!’ It _is_ so good to look forward to seeing you.... - - Have you seen Mill’s Subjection of Women? Your Father would delight in - it. I mean to send him a copy as a remembrance. - - I am very glad to see that the British Medical Journal encourages the - opening of classes for women. I shall send you the number. - - I am only anxious now to have a good big class of women and of a - creditable kind.... _How_ I wish that you would come and settle here! - You could establish a Dispensary at once, and have all us students at - your orders. We shall want sadly some teaching of that sort.... This - climate would be so much better for you, and I should feel so much - happier about you if you were here. I know if you are in Boston, I - shall worry about you all winter.... - - Well, Goodbye, my dear child! Whether you come or stay, all good be - with you! - - Your very aff. - S. L. J.-B.” - -The reader will scarcely be surprised to learn that when on July 23rd -the University Court formally acceded to her petition, S. J.-B. was -almost too tired to feel elated, though she admits that she would be -“grieving bitterly had things been otherwise.” In addition to her other -work, she had spent a fortnight in the house of a very dear friend, -nursing several serious cases of scarlet fever. Trained nurses for -private houses were almost unknown in those days, and she did not spare -herself. On July 9th she had written to ask Mrs. Thorne—who was in -Aberdeen at the time—to join her in Edinburgh. “I _won’t_ take the whole -responsibility alone,”—the responsibility of engaging lecturers and -guaranteeing fees,—she confides to her diary. The grasshopper had become -a burden. Even the modest amount of Latin required for the Matriculation -Examination was a great effort to her, and she knew of old the -importance of husbanding her strength. - - “Most folk,” she says with great truth and pathos,—“or at least many, - have only their indolence to strive with. If they conquer that, all - serene. I (after that done) have to pause half way,—ware crash!—and to - calculate nicely how much brain force I dare bring to bear or use up. - - Ah, well,—shall my strength be as my day,—or isn’t it fair to apply - that to self-imposed work?” - -“Self-imposed?” There is a big question involved here. No doubt the -readers of this book will answer it in different ways. - - * * * * * - -In any case she had achieved her task. Notwithstanding a direct -negative, moved by the Revd. Dr. Phin, the resolution of the University -Court was approved by the General Council on October 29th, 1869, and was -sanctioned by the Chancellor on November 12th. The following -regulations, drawn up by the Court, were officially issued at the same -date, and inserted in the _Calendar_ of the University: - - “(1.) Women shall be admitted to the study of medicine in the - University; (2.) The instruction of women for the profession of - medicine shall be conducted in separate classes, confined entirely to - women; (3.) The Professors of the Faculty of Medicine shall, for this - purpose, be permitted to have separate classes for women; (4.) Women, - not intending to study medicine professionally, may be admitted to - such of these classes, or to such part of the course of instruction - given in such classes, as the University Court may from time to time - think fit and approve; (5.) The fee for the full course of instruction - in such classes shall be four guineas; but in the event of the number - of students proposing to attend any such class being too small to - provide a reasonable remuneration at that rate, it shall be in the - power of the Professor to make arrangements for a higher fee, subject - to the usual sanction of the University Court. (6.) All women - attending such classes shall be subject to all the regulations now or - at any future time in force in the University as to the matriculation - of students, their attendance on classes, Examination or otherwise; - (7.) The above regulations shall take effect as from the commencement - of session 1869-70.” - -This is how the “first British University”—the University of Edinburgh— -was thrown open to women. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - THE HOPE SCHOLARSHIP - - -The month of August brought some rest and refreshment, though S. J.-B. -remained in Edinburgh to “coach” for the Matriculation Examination. Mrs. -Burn Murdoch put her spacious and comfortable house for a little time at -the solitary student’s disposal, and, to S. J.-B.’s great joy, Miss Du -Pre came to visit her. - -There were delightful excursions up the Forth, through the Trossachs, -and even farther afield, and S. J.-B. spent what is now known as a week- -end, at his country-place, with Mr. Findlay of the _Scotsman_, and his -wife. One realizes by many little indications how her views on the whole -question of women were becoming explicit. In the course of her visit, -her host showed her letters he had received from a clever American -woman—a journalist of sorts, apparently—in the course of which she asked -him to “help the little woman,” “the wee bit thing.” “When _will_ women -learn,” says S. J.-B., “if they claim to stand on common ground at all, -to ‘stand upright,’ to ask _only_ ‘fair field and no favour’!” - -On October 10th she moved into No. 15 Buccleuch Place, “the house nice, -airy, wholesome, roomy,—rent, taxes and all probably £45,” and, on the -following day Miss Pechey lunched with her. A week later S. J.-B. sums -the new comrade up: - - “I think her strong, ready-handed, with ‘faculty,’ great ability, - resolution, judgment; great calmness and quiet of manner and action, - and probably strength of feeling; good taste, good manner; very - pleasant face; rather good feet and hands; considerable sense of - humour; lots of energy and interest in things,—witness dissecting the - slugs, keeping caterpillars, etc. In fine, as good an ally and - companion as could well be had.” - -She had occasion to add considerably to this estimate as life went on, -but in no wise to subtract from it. - -Meanwhile Mrs. Evans had resolved to throw in her lot with the little -band, and S. J.-B. was coaching her in Arithmetic. Miss Chaplin -(afterwards the wife of Professor Ayrton) had also joined their ranks, -and it was a gallant and creditable little phalanx that made its way up -to the University on October 19th to undergo the Matriculation -Examination. - -Of course they all passed, and passed far above the average, though -there was one “narrow squeak” in Arithmetic. They were all cultivated -women, all on their mettle, and the result was scarcely more than might -reasonably have been anticipated. “We believe,—” as a local paper had -occasion to say, after a similar result some ten months later, - - “We believe that these results prove, not that women’s capacities are - better than those of men,—a thing that few people would assert,—but - that these women who are devoting themselves to obtain, in spite of - all difficulties, a thorough knowledge of their profession, are far - more thoroughly in earnest than most of the men are, and that their - ultimate success is certain in proportion. Nor would we omit the - inference that, this being so, those who wantonly throw obstacles in - the way of this gallant little band, incur a proportionately heavy - responsibility, as wanting not only in the spirit of chivalry, but - even in the love of fair play, which we should be sorry to think - wanting in any Briton.”[56] - -Footnote 56: - - _Daily Review_, Aug. 5, 1870. - -It was natural, however, that friends and well-wishers should be not a -little elated. Here is one of many delightful letters: - - “Oct. 22, 1869. - - MY DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - This is just one word of warmest congratulation from us both to - you and the other ladies. We are rejoicing more than I can tell you - over the results of the examination. I have been a prisoner today with - a severe cold, or I should have been unable to rest until I had shaken - hands with you. Shall you be at home any time tomorrow after one - o’clock? If so, I shall like to come and see you and Miss Pechey. - - Do send me a line to tell me if you are as happy as I fancy you. - - Yours faithfully, - E. ROSALINE MASSON. - - Mr. Masson was very much gratified by the papers of the ladies. They - fully justified his highest hopes.” - -From diary: - - “Tuesday, Nov. 2nd. ‘The deed—of life—was done!’—This morning, 11.30 - a.m., I, S. L. J.-B., first of all women, matriculated as ‘Civis - Academiae Edinensis!’—Tonight for the first time 5 women are - undergraduates!—Hurrah! - - ‘With exactness grinds He all.’” - - “I do indeed congratulate you undergraduates with all my heart,” wrote - Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, who had now settled in London. “It seems to - me the grandest success that women have yet achieved in England; it is - the great broad principle established that conducts to every noble - progress. - - I feel as if I _must_ come up to Edinburgh in the course of the - winter, to see and bless the class! Perhaps towards the close of the - term would be best,—advise me.” - -So began a winter’s work that for most, if not all, of the women -students, was an experience of extraordinary interest and happiness. S. -J.-B. and Edith Pechey had settled together in Buccleuch Place, and the -house was a _rendezvous_ for a choice little circle. It would be -difficult to say which of the two proved the greater attraction to their -friends. Miss Pechey was younger, more adaptable, less obviously -alarming, though possibly more critical really, in proportion as she had -seen less of life. The reader is already aware that S. J.-B., though a -most interesting person to live with, was not by any means always an -easy person to live with, particularly when she was overworked and -overstrained. For her friends as well as herself it was sometimes a -question—in her own significant words—of, “Ware crash!” Moreover, -although she often gave to others the advice,—“Glissez, mortels: -n’appuyez pas!”, she not infrequently failed to act on it herself: she -still, as when a child, staked her happiness too readily on matters that -might better have been regarded as trifles: and this is a characteristic -that becomes a more serious factor in domestic and social life as the -years go on. On the other hand, when she really “let herself go” in her -most intimate circle, there was no one like her. The diary and the -letters give scarcely an indication of the sense of humour and fun that -were so ready to bubble over into real whole-hearted laughter. The eyes -so familiar with sorrow could still sparkle with merriment like a -child’s, and, when anything struck her as irresistibly preposterous or -comical, she had a way of “tossing them up to the ceiling and catching -them again” that was a joy to behold. Increasingly as life went on, she -was a touchstone on which to test the things that might be said, the -stories that might be told. She could enjoy a joke that would have -shocked many women of her generation; but, as her Mother had said long -before, “anything impure ran off her mind like quicksilver,” and she was -a past master in the art of calling home a conversation that was -lingering too long in permissible bye-ways. - -More than this,—even at the time of which we are writing, she was one of -those with whom people know instinctively that it is safe to speak, not -only of the great things of life, but of the disgraceful things, or the -small disconcerting things that want to be looked at in an atmosphere of -greatness. She was a Mother Confessor to many. “Now straight into the -fire!” she says in her diary of certain letters she had received; and -the smoke of that sacrifice meant something, for—born chronicler as she -was—it was pain and grief to her to destroy a letter at any time. - -She was particularly happy that winter term. On the last night of the -year she writes in her diary: - - “11.30 p.m. The long tangle of accounts unravelled at last!—‘after - long travail, good repose!’ - - In more senses than one. - - Nine years since that look from the window,—‘And may the New Year - cherish.’ - - Since then I suppose no such (visibly) important year in my life. One - very dear friend won,—one strong ally,—Edinburgh opened!—What if one - _is_ a little tired? ‘After long travail good repose!’ - - I see that a year ago I thought there were no hopes ‘now bright,’—and - ‘an hour of joy I knew not was winging its silent flight.’ Indeed the - next six months did cut out their own work. - - The year has been glorious in many ways. - - The chief point of pain....” - -The chief point of pain was the fear that she was fickle,—that the new -interests and friendships were making her disloyal to the strange -unearthly friendship for Octavia Hill. Whether this would have been -blameworthy is a question that it is unnecessary to discuss, as the -contingency never arose. The flame may have flickered and sunk low, but -it continued to burn for another forty years. Then “after long travail -good repose.” - -And in any case she was very happy that winter term. Strangely -enough,[57] her family were thoroughly sympathetic with her aims. -Discussing the volume of Essays to which she had contributed, her -brother wrote: - - “Miss Cobbe was very vigorous and suggestive: might have been longer. - So might yours without any risk of the interest flagging; and more - details of fact would (I think) have driven the nail deeper in the - Philistine’s understanding.... I should say that Mrs. Butler’s and - yours will hit the public hardest; most dissimilar as they are.... On - the main question, for you personally, I am very glad that you are on - the medical rails. They are real and solid and really lead somewhere. - There is more specialty about them than in the somewhat vague - educational line. They belong to an old strong well-paid profession. - They tend to the alleviation of intense human misery; and that for a - large class of delicate cases women when properly trained are the - right physicians I have felt for years and feel increasingly. Stick to - them head and hands and feet. Don’t be drawn aside into tempting but - irrelevant bye-ways. You will be very useful and very happy in your - work: and to have helped to bring about the result that for the years - to come girls shall not be without the pale of professional and - University education,—shall not waste their best years in chafing at - want of elbow room at home—will be a great and additional - satisfaction. Nothing succeeds like success, and what you have got to - do is to prove that a Lady Physician can be trustworthy and a success. - Do nothing but your work, and you will do your work well. Of course - get hold of the widest and deepest Professional education within - reach. - - Your aff. brother, - T. W. J.-B.” - -Footnote 57: - - “Strangely” when compared with the families of her contemporaries. - “When I told Mamma I had got my certificate,” said a former fellow- - student, “she said ‘Have you?’ When I told Uncle, he said ‘What good - is it?’ When I told Emily, she said, ‘I am very glad to hear it, but I - am very much surprised.’” - -This last point, on which the writer touches so lightly, was precisely -the rub. - - “Everything is just as we would have it,” wrote S. J.-B. at this time - to Dr. Sewall, “but that Professors are not _compelled_ to lecture to - us. We have already arranged for two courses for this winter,—5 - lectures a week each,—Physiology and Chemistry; and we are now - arranging for Anatomy, both in lectures and dissecting. - - As we have to make entirely separate arrangements, the Anatomy will be - very expensive,—about £100 probably for us five,—and of this I shall - pay about one-third, as two of the students are not at all rich. - - Still it is worth any money to get the thing done, and I am only - thankful that I _can_ spend the money. Of course I borrow it from my - Mother.[58] My fees for this year will be about £55 or £60,—about - $400,—for the 6 months. - - I have made up my mind to spend if needful £1000 on this business. I - feel sure that one does more good in thus concentrating one’s energies - and one’s funds to get one thing done thoroughly, than in frittering - away lots of small sums in charity,—Don’t you think so? It _is_ a - grand thing to enter the very first British University ever opened to - women, isn’t it? - - My darling, you _must_ come and see us this summer, for, as I tell the - other students here, the whole thing is due to _you_ primarily;—when - they say that they feel grateful to me for having worked for this, I - say, ‘Thank Dr. Sewall,—she made me care for Medicine, and resolve - that a _thorough_ education should be open to Englishwomen.’ So I told - Dr. Blackwell too when she said something pretty to me. She is _very_ - pleased about Edinburgh. - - Well, dear child, I have settled down now for the winter in my little - new house. It amuses me to hear of your expenses in furnishing. The - _whole_ I have spent is under £35,—about $200,—and yet we are very - comfortable! - - Miss Pechey is very nice and very clever,—you will like her very much, - and she is excellent company.... - - Our classes begin on Nov. 3rd. I am _very_ busy till then. - - Your very aff. - S. L. J.-B.” - -Footnote 58: - - Money borrowed from Mrs. Jex-Blake was refunded as strictly as if it - had been borrowed from a banker. - -Busy indeed she was with the great task of finding lecturers. The -University of Edinburgh still stood foursquare, and the Professors sat -in their comfortable chairs, lecturing to enormous classes of male -students. Looking at the question as a sheer matter of business, one -asks what inducement had these men to lecture to a handful of women -students? S. J.-B., Mrs. Thorne and the others might struggle and pinch -to raise the fees of a dozen or more, but what was that to men of -assured wealth and position?—men who looked upon a Scots professorship -as the topmost rung on the ladder of comfortable success,—men to whom -leisure and peace seemed almost a matter of right, an essential part of -the prize they had drawn in the lottery of life? Why should they double -their work for the sake of this paltry pittance? It was not to be -expected that they should have a great enthusiasm for the cause. How -could they? They might, it is true, have been possessed of a high sense -of the trust conferred on them by their position: but is such a sense in -any sphere of life the possession of more than the choicest few? - -As regarded the class in Chemistry, everything had gone with delightful -smoothness. On July 10th, S. J.-B. had written in her diary, “Dr. Crum -Brown agrees,—not a word of demur as to fees,—good fellow,” and a few -days later she had received a letter from Dresden in which he said: - - “I am convinced that the experiment must be made, and do not wish to - place any unnecessary obstacles in the way. I therefore cordially - agree to your proposal, on the understanding that the consent of the - University Court is obtained, and that the course be conducted in the - Chemical Class-room of the University, and be in all respects the same - as the ordinary course of Chemistry.” - -So far as the work was concerned, one is glad to think that his -generosity met with its reward. All the teacher in him must have -rejoiced in the mettle of the new students. Miss Pechey, in particular, -simply fell upon Chemistry and proceeded to make it her own. In the -house of which the furnishing had cost £35, she and S. J.-B. rigged up -some kind of laboratory, and carried on experiments with a keenness that -to the stern advocate of “limited liability” might well have endangered -their success in class examinations. - -When the winter session came to an end in March, however, it was found -that Miss Pechey stood third in the entire list, and was really first of -the first-year students,—two of the men having attended the class -before. There would have been nothing calamitous in this state of -affairs, had it not chanced that there were certain small scholarships -involved. A previous Professor of Chemistry in the University—Dr. Hope— -had made the experiment of delivering a course of lectures to ladies, -and had devoted the proceeds—amounting to about £1000—to the founding of -four Hope Scholarships, which entitled the winners to the free use of -the College Laboratory. What this privilege would have meant to a born -student like Miss Pechey one can easily imagine, but, as mixed classes -were forbidden, there might have been a difficulty—scarcely -insurmountable—about her making full use of it. - -Hitherto, as we have seen, the Professor had treated the women -generously. We know that he bore them no grudge; and it is absurd to -suppose that he had any wish to be unjust to an engaging, deft-handed -girl, with a calm strong face, and a brain which he must have already -seen to be far above the average in either sex,—a girl, moreover, who -was frankly appreciative of her good fortune in having so able a man as -her teacher. - -One can only conjecture the motives and the advice that must have -influenced him in the decision to withhold even the name of Hope Scholar -from this woman, and to give it to the man who stood beneath her on the -list. In explaining his position, the Professor said that, having -studied at a different hour, she was not a member of the Chemistry -Class; but at the same time he awarded to her the official bronze medal -of the University, to which she could only lay claim as a member of that -class; and, in the published list of honours, he put her name and those -of the other women in the place to which their marks entitled them. - -It was a clumsy though well-meaning compromise, and only led to greater -difficulties farther on. Having said that the women were not members of -the Chemistry Class, how could he give them certificates of attendance -on that class? It was obviously impossible, so he offered them written -certificates of having attended “a ladies’ class in the University,”— -certificates absolutely worthless from the point of view of professional -examination. One is reminded of the strawberry jam labels which Mark -Twain offered to the conductor of a continental railway when his ticket -was worn out; but, unfortunately, the Registrar of a great University is -not to be appeased with strawberry jam labels. - -In truth the Professor had done the cause an incalculable service. A -howl of indignation went up over the whole country. The _Times_, the -_Spectator_,—a faithful supporter from the first,—even the _British -Medical Journal_, were genuinely roused. The Universities and the -Profession had been governed by a spirit of Conservatism, of Trades- -unionism, of which this was but a mild example; but now at last that -spirit had become explicit: here was the priceless desideratum of the -tangible grievance: and it was just like life—just the irony of fate— -that the man who provoked the outburst, the man who had to suffer, was -not one of the bitter opponents: he was, in his own way, the friend and -helper of the struggling cause. He had taught the women Chemistry, and -he had taught them well; and that was the main thing, even though a -bronze medal, and a few “strawberry jam labels” were—for five people in -deadly earnest—to be the only outward and visible signs of six months’ -hard work. - -The matter was referred to the Senatus, who decided by a majority of one -that Miss Pechey was not entitled to the Hope Scholarship, and (on the -motion of Professor P. G. Tait) also by a majority of one, that the -women should have the ordinary class certificates. So the women grasped -the substance, if they did lose the shadow. - - “I agree with you that the one vote stultifies the other,” wrote - Professor Masson, “and I think people are seeing this. At the time I - made up my mind that the first vote must carry the other unfavourably - with it; but it was not for me to keep the Senatus consistent, and, - when Tait announced his view, I grasped at the unexpected accident and - seconded his motion.” - -But the outcry was not stilled. In those days the general public knew -little of the difference between one certificate and another; but they -had some idea of what was meant by the losing of a scholarship, and Miss -Pechey became the recipient of an amount of condolence that was -positively embarrassing when compared with the extent of the injury -inflicted. The skilled appreciation of the situation, however, was -delightful. This was the tribute of the _British Medical Journal_: - - “Whatever may be our views regarding the desirability of ladies - studying medicine, the University of Edinburgh professed to open its - gates to them on equal terms with the other students; and, unless some - better excuse be forthcoming in explanation of the decision of the - Senatus, we cannot help thinking that the University has done no less - an injustice to itself than to one of its most distinguished - students.”[59] - -One can imagine the effect of criticism such as this on some of the -professors. Here was a tiresome muddle from which it was difficult to -see a dignified exit. What wonder if many took the cheap and obvious -course of exclaiming, “The _woman_ that Thou gavest me!—she is at the -bottom of it all?” So far as the explanation went, it was perfectly -true: and of course only a few of the pundits saw today with the eyes of -tomorrow; only a few realized that the difficulty that was worrying them -was a part of a world-wide upheaval involving the whole human race. - -Of course there were those who, without taking any extreme view, were -admirably sane and dignified. Instance the following letter from -Professor Fleeming Jenkin: - - “April 5th, 1870. - - DEAR MADAM, - - I regret that I shall be unavoidably absent on Saturday next, - or, as far as might have been possible, I should have supported Miss - Pechey’s claims. - - I regret my absence the less, however, as it seems to me that the - legal question of a particular reward is of far less consequence than - the fact of the position which you and Miss Pechey have taken in the - class. - - Accept my very hearty congratulations and - - Believe me, - Yours truly, - FLEEMING JENKIN. - - Miss Jex-Blake.” - -Footnote 59: - - _Brit. Med. Journal_, April 16th, 1870. - -There was a question of referring the matter to the University Court, -but one is glad to think that wiser counsels prevailed. Miss Pechey had -gone to her home in the country, and was listening to the nightingales. - - “Thank you for Masson’s letter,” she writes to S. J.-B. “He is a grand - fellow. Wilson has sent me the minutes of the Senatus meeting about - the scholarship. I suppose I ought to write to him. I wish you were - here to tell me what to do. - - You understand that I leave you to do as is thought best about the - scholarship,—only remember that my own judgment—apart from personal - feeling—is against appealing, and that I do not wish to do so unless - our friends are very decisively of opinion that we ought to.” - -Well might Miss Pechey say, “He is a grand fellow.” Professor Masson had -taken up the cause of the woman as wholeheartedly as if it had been a -matter of vital import to himself. At the next meeting of the General -Council of the University, he moved (seconded by Professor Balfour) -that, instead of having separate instruction, women should be admitted -to the ordinary classes of the University. The original draft of the -motion was as follows: - - “That, as the present arrangements for the medical instruction of - women in the University impose great and unnecessary inconveniences on - the women who are students, and also on Professors, and may, if - continued, even nullify the resolution of the University admitting - women to the study of medicine [and as it will not be to the credit of - the University that it should pretend to do a thing and not do - it],[60] the General Council recommend to the University Court that - women desiring to study medicine be admitted to the medical classes as - other students are, and on the same terms, except in cases where the - Court may see special reasons why the instruction should be separate.” - - “The motion is longish,” he says, “but I thought it well to have - something which, when printed, would explain itself and attract - attention of members of Council.... I am the more convinced that we do - right in moving the General Council as above, even if we should lose, - because I distinctly perceive a relapse on the part of those who had - merely acquiesced, and a kind of exulting feeling on the part of - others that the experience of the session may be pleaded in proof that - the University perpetrated a troublous blunder when it admitted Eve’s - sex at all. This state of feeling will be but temporary; but it is - time that the opposed forces should meet in full conflict on the - mixed-classes question.” - -Footnote 60: - - The words in brackets were omitted from the resolution, but introduced - in the speech supporting it. - -“Full conflict,” indeed, it proved. The opponents brought forward -arguments that called forth an indignant interruption from the Professor -of Moral Philosophy (Dr. Calderwood); and the _Times_, while -disapproving of mixed classes, stated in a leading article: - - “We cannot sufficiently express the indignation with which we read - such language, and we must say that it is the strongest argument - against the admission of young ladies to the Edinburgh medical - classes, that they would attend the lectures of Professors capable of - talking in this strain.”[61] - -The motion was lost by 47 votes to 58. - - “No speaking on our side could have changed the vote,” wrote Professor - Masson, “those present were all predetermined. Crum Brown did well, - and administered a proper reproof to L. Struthers was present and - voted with us; so did Nicolson (who was quite in earnest when the time - came), and Dr. Craufurd, who avows himself a convert. On the other - hand, Wilson, Bennett, Charteris and Tait, of our side, were absent, - reducing our number somewhat. People today are consoling me—for I was - really downcast—by saying the result was a success in its kind, and an - omen of final success when the thing comes up again, as it must. All - very well; but how shall I console _you_? What are _you_ to do this - year? The only thing I disliked in Crum Brown’s speech was his opening - statement that he thought the motion perhaps premature, the time not - having elapsed for the experiment of the other method. Premature! This - in face of his own refusal to continue, and in face of his subsequent - declaration that the existing method is impracticable! Still he said - and did well. What shall I say but that my heart is sore for your - immediate discomfiture? Time—a year or two—will rectify the thing - generally, here and elsewhere; but how you are to get on with us is - the question. Christison, who draws Turner, Lister, and Sanders (L. is - nothing) with him, seems determined to get rid of you, and trusts to - effecting this by mere continuance of the present arrangement. Whether - you can wriggle on with us by any ingenuity in the hope of beating him - is for your consideration. Would it might be so! - - Ever yours truly, - DAVID MASSON.” - -Footnote 61: - - The _Times_, April 25th, 1870. - -The view that the result of the motion was a success in its kind proved -to be a general one, and the matter was discussed at great length by -newspapers, lay, medical and religious. - - “There is no possible reason,” said the _Guardian_,[62] “why a very - large proportion of instruction may not be given with perfect - propriety to men and women together; but there are clearly some parts - in a medical course which cannot be so treated, and there ought to be - no difficulty whatever in making arrangements for these. To provide - separate lectures for a few special occasions is a very different - thing, both in the matter of convenience and expense, from insisting - on having two distinct and separate courses throughout in every - department.... Professor Masson’s motion was defeated, but by a - majority so small—eleven in a meeting of a hundred and five—that its - success at some future time seems certain. Let the ladies only add to - the exercise of one quality, with which the world credits them, that - of patience, another, which is supposed to be a less common attribute - of their sex, perseverance, and they will assuredly gain their point.” - - “The female students almost deserve this rebuff,” said the - _Spectator_,[63] “for making the concessions they have done to English - prudery, concessions not made either in France, Austria, or the United - States. The only safe ground for them to stand on is that science is - of no sex, and cannot be indelicate unless made so of _malice - prepense_, and that by the very conditions of the profession the - modesty of ignorance must be replaced by the modesty of pure intent.” - -Footnote 62: - - April 27th, 1870. - -Footnote 63: - - April 23rd, 1870. - -It is not to be supposed that the women students were fortified by a -unanimous chorus of journalistic support: far from it: some six or seven -months later the _Spectator_ strove to understand “the bitter and, so -far as we know, the unprecedented malignity with which women who aspire -to be Doctors are pursued by the literary class.” - -One does not wish to dwell on this. It was simply bound to be. As Sir -James Stansfeld said seven years later in reviewing the whole movement: - - “It is one of the lessons of human progress that when the time for a - reform has come you cannot resist it, though, if you make the attempt, - what you may do is to widen its character or precipitate its advent. - Opponents, when the time has come, are not merely dragged at the - chariot wheels of progress—they help to turn them. The strongest - force, whichever way it seem to work, does most to aid.” - -It is the more pleasing, however, to record the sane and wholesome view -taken from the first by the leading responsible papers, including -_Punch_. - - “I am very vexed about the General Council,” wrote Miss Pechey from - her home; “but it’s no use worrying,—at least so the nightingale tells - me. She sang two hours at my bedroom window last night, and said all - sorts of pretty things. I wish I could bring her to Edinburgh with me, - but she wouldn’t like it; besides they are a very old family, and have - lived in the place from the time of the Britons, so she wouldn’t like - to move. - - Papa did not write to the _Scotsman_. I knew he wouldn’t unless - someone told him what to say; and I believe, if the truth were told, - he still has some lurking prejudice against mixed classes. He isn’t a - bit scientific, never notices the butterflies and beetles in a walk - unless I point them out to him, and there are lovely ones now, - peacocks and brimstones and tortoiseshells.” - -It is clear that just then Miss Pechey was having a very good time. She -was the woman of the moment, a lion abroad as well as in her country -home, and she had the courage and the sense to enjoy the position -quietly and without making a fuss. Moreover both she and S.J.-B. were -human enough to appreciate the situation all the more because, from the -ordinary point of view, the heroine was a truly pretty girl, as -disarming as heroine well could be. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES - - - - -Perseverance—“wriggling on”—was thus the course recommended to the women -by stranger and friend alike. - -The Professor of Botany (Dr. Balfour, formerly Dean of the Faculty of -Medicine) who had wished to admit them to his ordinary class, made -arrangements to teach them separately. Professor Allmann also had -declared his willingness to admit S. J.-B. to his class of Natural -History (see p. 234) but he did not feel able to follow the generous -example of his colleague in devoting special time and energy to the -purpose. Fortunately the women had a second string to their bow in the -person of Dr. Alleyne Nicholson, lecturer in the Extra-Mural School,[64] -and their application to him called forth a letter which shows what the -difficulties were which even a kindly and open-minded man had to face. - -Footnote 64: - - Appendix D. - - “April 26th. 1870. - - DEAR MISS BLAKE, - - I have not as yet succeeded in obtaining a positive assurance as - to the legality of my admitting you to my ordinary class, though I no - longer entertain any doubt as to my perfect freedom in the matter, so - far as the University is concerned. I have, however, consulted several - of my colleagues, and they are tolerably unanimous in advising me to - submit the question to my class.... They advise me, namely, not to - commence abruptly on Monday without any warning, but to give my - opening lecture separately, to my ordinary class at one o’clock, and - to you at 2 p.m. At the conclusion of the hour I should explain to the - students how matters stand, and should ask their permission to make - over to you a bench in the general class. This is the advice which is - given me, and I have no doubt as to its wisdom. - - I am fully aware that this will not be nearly so satisfactory to you - as unconditional permission on my part; and I must beg you to believe - that it is in many respects far from being so satisfactory to my own - feelings in the matter. If I were a thoroughly independent man I can - assure you that I should not be deterred from doing what I thought - right in this question by any fear of the consequences. As things - really stand, however, I do not feel justified in running the risk of - losing my ordinary class in whole or in part, as I am assured I should - do if I were to attempt to introduce this innovation wholly without - warning. If I _knew_ my class, if I had the opportunity of even two or - three days’ acquaintance with them, I think I should have little to - apprehend as to their behaviour on any such question as this. You will - remember, however, that I am dealing with an unknown quantity in - making up my mind as to the course I shall adopt; and that I am wholly - without adequate data to guide me in my determination.... My present - opinion is that whilst I have every wish to admit you to my general - class, it will be safest for me to submit the question to my class and - to abide by a decision of the majority.” - -Apparently S. J.-B. obtained a verbal, but satisfactory, modification of -this programme by suggesting that the class should be asked “to unite -with the lecturer in inviting” the women to join them, but that was a -mere matter of detail. Everything depended on the way in which Dr. -Nicholson stated the case, and one is not surprised to hear that the -favourable reply came not from a majority, but from the entire class. -“So,” says S. J.-B., “the first ‘mixed-class’ was inaugurated and -continued throughout the summer without the slightest inconvenience.” - - “The course of lectures on Zoology which I am now delivering to a - mixed class,” wrote Dr. Nicholson later in answer to a mistaken - statement in a medical paper, “is identically the same as the course - which I delivered last winter to my ordinary class of male students. I - have not hitherto emasculated my lectures in any way whatever, nor - have I the smallest intention of so doing. In so acting, I am guided - by the firm conviction that little stress is to be laid on the purity - and modesty of those who find themselves able to extract food for - improper feelings from such a purely scientific subject as Zoology, - however freely handled.” - -This was all very well, but the classes so far obtained were mere -outposts. The real Giant Difficulty lay with Anatomy and Clinical -teaching, and that session’s work was complicated, for S. J.-B. in -particular, by a constant undercurrent of effort to obtain the necessary -teaching. It was essential that the teacher, if not a Professor, should -at least be recognized by the University, and there were representatives -of the University who were not desirous to make the matter easy. Over -and over again hopes were raised, only to be disappointed: on one -occasion the lecturer, after much parleying, had actually agreed to do -the work and had accepted his fee; but, even at that late stage, he -backed out and returned the fee with an apology. (“_How_ vexed I was!” -says S. J.-B., “thoroughly upset and nervous.”) It happened repeatedly, -too, that the men who would have liked to help had already on some other -question taken up a position unpopular with their more conservative -_confrères_, and simply dared not espouse another fighting cause. - -S. J.-B. was urged to go to Zürich and fit herself to teach Anatomy; but -what assurance had she—what encouragement had she even to hope—that the -University would recognize her teaching on her return? And what were the -other students—a growing number—to do in the meantime? Try their fortune -elsewhere?—and brave the inevitable, “Lo, these who have turned the -world upside down are come hither also”? - -Once and again some chivalrous man took up their cause, refusing to -believe that the difficulty was real; but little by little he was apt to -find that the intangible mist of opposition was as impervious as an iron -wall. - -It was due to Dr. Arthur Gamgee that Dr. Handyside finally agreed to -admit the women to his ordinary Anatomy class and dissecting-room at -Surgeons’ Hall, provided the other lecturers made no objection: and, so -far the arrangements for the following winter session were made. - - “Saturday, [June] 25th. Called on Dr. Watson[65] (Surgery). He signed - my petition readily. Thought if _we_ made no difficulty, no one ought - to about mixed classes,—anyone in earnest in his subject should be - able to teach all students. Of course the teacher should put his foot - down,—the students followed a beck,—and, if invited, would of course - make a row, etc.... - - Saw Keiller too.... Was quite favourable as to Handyside and mixed - classes;—he himself having had students and midwives....” - -Footnote 65: - - Afterwards Sir Patrick Heron Watson. - -The question of these mixed classes in the Extra-Mural School was -technically an infringement of Regulation 2 in the _Calendar_ (see p. -260), and in this connection it was duly brought before the Senatus of -the University, with the proposal to refer the matter to the University -Court; but Professor Bennett moved, seconded by Professor Tait, “that -the Senatus see no reason to interfere.” This amendment appears to have -been carried by the casting vote of the Principal. - -“So that’s settled,” says S. J.-B. - -“_How_ fast events go! I really hope for mixed classes in the University -before 1871.” - -She forgot to allow sufficiently for the fighting force of a large -minority, led by an angry few. - -Meanwhile that wonderful Mother was following the struggle, not indeed -with the minute study Miss Du Pre was giving to the question, but with -the old unfailing sympathy. Like Miss Pechey’s father, she had been -rather staggered at first at the thought of mixed classes, but shortly -after this she writes: - - “DARLING, - - I don’t now at all object to mixed classes. As the teaching must - at present be given _by men_, I don’t see why there should not be - mixed classes to listen: and I feel confident if you continue to have - such a nice set of women, the tone of the young men generally will be - greatly raised. If mixed classes answer so well at Zurich and Paris, - why not here?—but I confess to great ignorance.” - -Intellectually, the supply of women showed no sign of falling short. -With the advice and coöperation of Miss Garrett, Lady Amberley had -offered a scholarship for competition at the October Matriculation -Examination, and S. J.-B. proudly jots down the verdict of the examiners -on their work: - - “‘Miss Barker’s Logic paper best ever had from medical students.’ - - ‘Miss Bovell’s French best in University except one Frenchman’s.’ - - ‘Miss Walker had the _only_ 100 per cent. in Mathematics.’ - - Classical examiner wrote,—‘I was very much struck with the accuracy as - well as elegance of some papers.‘” - -Of course a woman—or a man for that matter—may pass a brilliant -examination in Mathematics or Chemistry, and yet be unable to keep her -head at a difficult midwifery case; and it was perfectly right and -fitting that men doctors should recognize and even emphasize this fact. -One would not have wished them to do otherwise. It was fortunate for the -women, however, that their opponents were apt to state their case with a -conspicuous want of any sense of humour, as the following letter from -the _Lancet_[66] sufficiently exemplifies: - - “SIR,—In all popular movements, however one-sided and irrational they - may seem, there is some foundation of truth, the grain of common sense - in the bushel of chaff. And so it is with the movement that is now - taking place with respect to the admission of women into the rank of - medical practitioners. I believe most conscientiously and thoroughly - that as a body they are sexually, constitutionally, and mentally - unfitted for the hard and incessant toil, and for the heavy - responsibilities of general medical and surgical practice. At the same - time I believe as thoroughly, that there is a branch of our - profession—midwifery—to which they might and ought to be admitted in a - subordinate position as a rule. - - In France, and in many other parts of the Continent, this division of - labour in Midwifery is fully carried out, and with great advantage to - both parties—to the regular practitioner, who is relieved of part of - his most arduous, most wearing and most unremunerative duties, and to - the women who have a vocation for medicine, who are able, thus, in - large numbers, to gain a respectable living in the profession they - wish to practise. - - I think I may safely say that there are very few medical men who have - been ten years in practice, who would not gladly, thankfully, hand - over to a body of well-educated and friendly midwifes their half- - guinea or guinea midwifery cases. To a young practitioner there is the - charm of novelty, and the desire to improve, which make remuneration - altogether a secondary consideration. But after ten years‘ practice, - often long before, a very decided change comes over the spirit of the - dream.” - -Footnote 66: - - June 18th, 1870. - -The part of the letter that follows is perhaps too technical for -quotation; but the writer continues on the general question: - - “I would add in conclusion that, given women of exceptional energy, - capacity, and intelligence, nothing would be easier than for them, if - deserving, to rise out of the midwifery ranks into a wider sphere of - activity and worldly success. Let them show by their energy, by their - writing, by their contributions to the progress of medical science, - that they had exceptional powers of observation and intellect, and - fame would soon reach them. It has reached the very few women, who, - like Mrs. Somerville, have given evidence not only of mere ability and - talent, but higher powers, the power to grasp the more recondite and - abstruse teachings of science. But even this power—the power to master - and understand the existing state of science—does not constitute the - characteristic feature of the male mind in the Caucasian race. The - principal feature which appears to me to characterise the Caucasian - race, to raise it immeasurably above all other races, is the power - that many of its _male_ members have of advancing the horizon of - science, of penetrating beyond the existing limits of knowledge—in a - word, the power of scientific discovery. I am not aware that the - female members of our race participate in this power, in this supreme - development of the human mind; at least I know of no great discovery - changing the surface of science that owes its existence to a woman of - our or of any race. What right then have women to claim mental - _equality_ with men? - - That woman may attain an honourable social position and pecuniary - independence in our ranks in the position I point out, is proved by a - case that came under my observation last year. A German lady M.D. in a - German University, called on me on her way home from San Francisco. - She told me that she had been practising there as an accoucheur and a - ladies‘ and child’s doctor for twenty years, had gained a small - fortune, and was returning to Germany to live and die in quiet. Her - history was this: Early in married life her husband lost his fortune - and became a confirmed invalid. She had thus her husband and two - children to support. She studied midwifery and medicine, took a - degree, and then went to America, settling at San Francisco. There she - placed herself in a subordinate position to the medical men, acting - with them, under them, and consequently supported by them. She had - thus lived harmoniously with her professional brethren, and had had a - career of uninterrupted professional success. - - I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, - HENRY BENNET, M.D.”[67] - -Footnote 67: - - Not to be confused with Dr. Hughes Bennett, who had lectured to the - women on Physiology. - -One can imagine the somewhat grim smile with which this lucubration was -passed round the little band in Edinburgh: and it is only fair to say -that many of their opponents would have been glad to cry:—“_Non tali -auxilio, nec defensoribus istis!_” The _Lancet_ was not the advocate of -the women students in those days, and one is glad to record that the -Editor allowed S. J.-B. the opportunity to reply. Her letter is a fair -sample of the style of writing that was becoming habitual to her,— -translucently clear, concise and businesslike,—absolutely shorn of the -picturesqueness that had characterized the writing of her youth. - - “SIR,—I see in your columns of June 1st, 1870, a letter on ‘Women as - Practitioners of Midwifery,’ and appeal to your sense of fairness to - allow me a fourth part of the space it occupied for a few words in - reply. - - It is hardly worth while to discuss the early part of the letter, as - the second paragraph sufficiently disposes of the first. After saying - that women are ‘sexually, constitutionally, and mentally unfitted for - hard and incessant toil,’ Dr. Bennet goes on to propose to make over - to them as their sole share of the medical profession what he himself - well describes as its ‘most arduous, most wearing and most - unremunerative duties.’ In the last adjective seems to lie the whole - suitability of the division of labour according to the writer’s view. - He evidently thinks that women’s capabilities are nicely graduated to - fit _half-guinea_ or _guinea_ midwifery cases,‘ and that all patients - paying a larger sum of necessity need the superior powers of the - ‘_male_ mind of the Caucasian race.’ Let whatever is well paid be left - to the man; then chivalrously abandon the ‘badly remunerated’ work to - the women. This is the genuine view of a trades-unionist. It is well - for once to see it candidly stated. As I trust the majority of medical - men would be ashamed of avowing such a principle, and as I am sure it - would be indignantly disallowed by the general public, I do not care - to say more on this point. - - But when Dr. Bennet proceeds to dogmatise about what he calls our - claim to ‘mental equality,’ he comes to a different and much more - important question. I for one do not care in the least either to claim - or disown such equality, nor do I see that it is at all essential to - the real question at issue. Allow me to state in a few words the - position that I and, as I believe, most of my fellow-students take. We - say to the authorities of the medical profession,—‘State clearly what - attainments you consider necessary for a medical practitioner; fix - your standard where you please, but define it plainly; put no - obstacles in our way; either afford us access to the ordinary means of - medical education, or do not exact that we shall use your special - methods; in either case subject us ultimately to exactly the ordinary - examinations and tests, and, if we fail to acquit ourselves as well as - your average students, reject us; if, on the contrary, in spite of all - difficulties, we reach your standard, and fulfil all your - requirements, the question of ‘mental equality’ is practically - settled, so far as it concerns our case; give us then the ordinary - medical licence or diploma, and leave the question of our ultimate - success or failure in practice to be decided by ourselves and the - public.’ This is our position, and I appeal, not to the chivalry, but - to the justice of the medical profession, to show us that it is - untenable, or else to concede it at once. - - I am, Sir, your obedient servant, - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE. - - - Edinburgh, June 21st.”[68] - -Footnote 68: - - _Lancet_, July 9, 1870. - -Nothing conciliatory here: no appeal for help for “the wee bit thing,”— -the appeal that some men in those days used to find so disarming: -nothing even in the spirit of the “Now remember, Daddy dear,” of those -delightful controversial letters of her girlhood. It is a fair field and -no favour with a vengeance now. - -Possibly she might have shortened the battle if she had adopted a more -conciliatory attitude. One might say the same of many of the martyrs. -Had she done so, it would have meant a smaller battle,—a victory far -more limited in its results. If a new move is being effectively made, it -is almost always overdone. That is in the scheme of things. If there -were not faults on both sides, there would be no dramatic action,—no -“story”; and the world would go on its sleepy way, and pay no attention. -“Individuals, feeling strongly, while on the one hand they are -incidentally faulty in mode or language, are still peculiarly -_effective_.... The very faults of an individual excite attention; he -loses, but his cause (if good, and he powerful-minded) gains. This is -the way of things; we promote truth by a self-sacrifice.” - - * * * * * - -Here then were the opposing forces, duly ranged against each other. One -can almost imagine the move and countermove that were bound to ensue. -And we must not forget the element furnished by the great mass of the -students—though there were “individuals” here, too, of course—on the -look out for mischief and fun, rejoicing in a row, ready “to follow a -beck” as that wise Heron Watson had said. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - THE RIOT AT SURGEONS’ HALL - - -S. J.-B.’s medical experience in America had consisted mainly of -practical hospital work, and that chiefly in connection with the special -diseases of women. She had done a little dissecting in a rough and ready -way, and the privilege of what she then considered “real teaching” had -just been put within her reach when she was called home by the illness -of her father. She had this advantage, however, over her fellow- -students,—she knew that the “horrors” of the dissecting-room have only -to be faced in a spirit of serious intention in order to be dispelled. -She knew by experience that one _must_ pull oneself together in the -first instance for fear of doing irreparable damage to the dainty -structures that lie almost as cunningly hidden in surrounding tissue as -the future statue lies in the block of marble; and she knew that, little -by little, the privilege of laying bare that marvellous “handiwork” -becomes so enthralling as to make the earnest student oblivious to -everything else. - -The Anatomy Class began formally in November, but the rooms were open -and teachers present from the beginning of October, for those who cared -to attend; so the women had the advantage of meeting in the first -instance only the keener of the students, or at least those who were -working with a special object in view. The women would gladly have had a -separate room, had this been available, but in their quiet corner they -worked away steadily, forgetful of all beyond. And everything went well. -Never, the lecturer said, had better work been done in his class-rooms. - -Meanwhile influential friends were doing what in them lay to forward the -interests of the women in other quarters; for it must be remembered -that, as matriculated students of the University they ought not to have -been _compelled_ to study in Extra-Mural classes, and indeed it was only -a limited number of such classes that would be accepted for the -University degree. On October 28th a motion was brought forward in the -General Council of the University in favour of affording farther -facilities to the lady students. The motion was met by a direct -negative, Professor Christison asserting in the course of his speech -that Her Majesty Queen Victoria had expressed her concurrence in the -views that had been put forth on a previous occasion by Dr. Laycock and -himself. If there was any truth in this, one can only speculate as to -the form in which the story had reached Her Majesty’s ears,—certainly -not through the medium of a leading article in the _Times_. What weight -her reported opinion may have carried it is impossible to say, but, in -any case, when put to the vote, the negative was carried by 47 to 46. - -(“Well, try again next year!” says S. J.-B.) - -In reading the whole story, one is struck over and over again by the -narrowness of the majority by which things were turned. Great is the -responsibility of the weak and cowardly, the lazy and double-minded,—the -“unstable” who call themselves impartial. - -At this stage, wisely or not, the women were advised to apply for -permission to work in the wards of the Royal Infirmary. This was the -only hospital in Edinburgh large enough to fulfil the requirements of -the General Medical Council for registration as a medical practitioner, -and the women were entitled to the privilege in virtue of their -Matriculation tickets. They knew that some of the doctors were in their -favour. Here are two of the “thumb-nail sketches” from the diary: - - “Saturday, Oct. 29th. Dr. Watson,—most friendly. Only too happy to - have us as pupils. Could not anticipate difficulty about Infirmary, - etc.... - - Dr. Littlejohn foresaw the ruin of his son by women doctors, but - ‘would drink the bitter cup to its dregs,’ and vote for us.” - -Their request, however, was met by a curt refusal. - - “Monday, October 31st. Refused us dead. - - Gordon says, ‘Try a written memorial!’ Wood says he believes their - charter compels them to admit all medical students. - - Qui vivra verra.” - -It is obvious that they had approached the very stronghold of the enemy. -Might is right and possession nine points of the law. The matter lay in -the hands of a body of Managers who were obviously judging the case as -represented to them by the medical party in power; so now the duty fell -upon the women of explaining their position as far as possible to those -in whose hands the decision lay. - - “Friday, Nov. 4th. Just put down this day’s work for a specimen! - Studying and canvassing at once,— - - 8.45. Started for Surgeons’ Hall. - - 9-10. Tutorial class, bones. - - 10-11. Surgery lecture. - - 11-1. Dissecting. - - 1-2. Anatomy Lecture. - - 2.10 Reached home and found a letter from Mr. Blyth (Manager) telling - me to meet him at 2 p.m.!! Got there (after bolting beef-tea and wine) - at 2.45. Talked at him for nearly an hour with good results, I - believe. Got back home 3.40. Bolted some food, and went - - 4 p.m. Demonstration exam. Didn’t know the Acromion but got 13/20 - marks. - - Home to dinner. - - 7 p.m. Started on round of calls. - - Home at 10 p.m. Not tired,—oh, dear no!” - - “I _don’t_ like you to be a perpetual battering ram,” writes Miss Du - Pre, “for I suppose battering rams do wear out after a good many - sieges; but still I thoroughly like and admire your ‘never say die’ - feeling, and it _is_ a fight with something worth fighting for to be - got at the end, which is a great thing. - - If only I could be with you!” - -One must read the following letters, which were laid before the -subsequent meetings of the Board, in order to realize how strong and -sane the position of the women was: - - “November 5, 1870. - - MY LORD AND GENTLEMEN,—As lecturers in the Edinburgh Medical School we - beg most respectfully to approach your honourable Board, on behalf of - the eight female students of this school whom, we understand, you - object to admit to the practice of the Royal Infirmary. On their - behalf we beg to state:— - - 1. That they are regularly registered students of medicine in this - school. - - 2. That they are at present attending, along with the other students, - our courses of anatomy, practical anatomy, demonstrations of anatomy, - and systematic surgery, in the school at Surgeons’ Hall. - - 3. That as teachers of anatomy and surgery respectively, we find no - difficulty in conducting our courses to such mixed classes composed of - male and female students sitting together on the same benches; and - that the presence of those eight female students has not led us to - alter or modify our course of instruction in any way. - - 4. That the presence of the female students, so far from diminishing - the numbers entering our classes, we find both the attendance and the - actual numbers already enrolled are larger than in previous sessions. - - 5. That in our experience in these mixed classes the demeanour of the - students is more orderly and quiet, and their application to study - more diligent and earnest, than during former sessions when male - students alone were present. - - 6. That, in our opinion, if practical bedside instruction in the - examination and treatment of cases is withheld from the female pupils - by the refusal to them of access as medical students to the practice - of the Infirmary, we must regard the value of any systematic surgical - course thus rendered devoid of daily practical illustration, as - infinitely less than the same course attended by male pupils, who have - the additional advantage of the hospital instruction under the same - teacher. - - 7. That the surgical instruction, being deprived of its practical - aspect by the exclusion of the female pupils from the Infirmary, and - therefore from the wards of their systematic surgical teacher, the - knowledge of these female students may very reasonably be expected to - suffer, not only in class-room examinations, but in their capacity to - practise their profession in after life. - - 8. That our experience of mixed classes leads us to the conviction - that the attendance of the female students at the ordinary hospital - visit, along with the male students, cannot certainly be more - objectionable to the male students and the male patients than the - presence of the ward nurses, or to the female patients than the - presence of the male students. - - 9. That the class of society to which these eight female students - belong, together with the reserve of manner, and the serious and - reverent spirit in which they devote themselves to the study of - medicine, make it impossible that any impropriety could arise out of - their attendance upon the wards as regards either patients or male - pupils. - - In conclusion, we trust that your honourable Board may see fit, on - considering these statements, to resolve not to exclude these female - students from the practice of, at all events, those physicians and - surgeons who do not object to their presence at the ordinary visit - along with the other students. - - Such an absolute exclusion of female pupils from the wards of the - Royal Infirmary as such a decision of your honourable Board would - determine, we could not but regard as an act of practical injustice to - pupils who, having been admitted to the study of the medical - profession, must have their further progress in their studies barred - if hospital attendance is refused them.—We are, my Lord and Gentlemen, - your obedient servants, - - P. D. HANDYSIDE, - PATRICK HERON WATSON.” - -The second letter was a petition signed by the lady students, the famous -“Septem contra Edinam,” as they were called, enclosing _Paper A_ and -_Paper B_. It may be well to give the names of the gallant seven once -for all: Sophia Jex-Blake, Mary Edith Pechey (Mrs. Pechey Phipson), -Isabel Thorne, Matilda Chaplin (Mrs. Ayrton), Helen Evans (Mrs. Russel), -Mary Anderson (Mrs. Marshall), Emily Bovell (Mrs. Sturge). - - “November 5, 1870. - - _Paper A._—We, the undersigned physicians and surgeons of the Royal - Infirmary desire to signify our willingness to allow female students - of medicine to attend the practice of our wards, and to express our - opinion that such attendance would in no way interfere with the full - discharge of our duties towards our patients and other students. - - J. HUGHES BENNETT, - GEORGE W. BALFOUR, - PATRICK HERON WATSON.” - - In _paper B_, two other medical men expressed their readiness, if - suitable arrangements could be made, to teach the female students in - the wards separately. - - “15 Buccleuch Place, Nov. 13, 1870. - - MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,—To prevent any possible misconception, I beg - leave, in the name of my fellow-students and myself, to state - distinctly that, while urgently requesting your honourable Board to - issue to us the ordinary students’ tickets for the Infirmary (as they - alone will ‘qualify’ for graduation), we have, in the event of their - being granted, no intention whatever of attending in the wards of - those physicians and surgeons who object to our presence there, both - as a matter of courtesy, and because we shall be already provided with - sufficient means of instruction in attending the wards of those - gentlemen who have expressed their perfect willingness to receive us.— - I beg, my Lord and Gentlemen, to subscribe myself your obedient - servant, - - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE. - - To the Honourable the Managers of the Royal Infirmary.” - -Now the managers of the Infirmary were worthy folk as human nature goes, -“several” of them, says S.J.-B., known to the women as “just and -liberal-minded men,” so it is not surprising that a majority were -sufficiently moved by these arguments to desire that the request of the -women be granted. On the ground of want of notice, however, the party in -power got the matter deferred for a week. - -And now, clearly, the moment had come when every effort must be made to -turn the women out altogether. If they carried their point at the next -meeting, all might well be lost. - -It was at this juncture that, for the first time, some of the students -began to make themselves unpleasant, “shutting doors in our faces, -ostentatiously crowding into the seats we usually occupied, bursting -into horse laughs and howls when we approached,—as if a conspiracy had -been formed to make our position as uncomfortable as might be.” A -students’ petition against the admission of women to the Infirmary was -handed about, and 500 students signed it. - -So the majority gained their point, and the party in power won an easy -victory. - -“Follow it up,” said someone. “Don’t stop there. While you are at it, -why not get rid of the women altogether?”[69] - -Footnote 69: - - This is a neutral and harmless paraphrase of the arguments some of the - professors actually used in talking to the students, but one does not - want to perpetuate the memory of words used in an angry conflict. - -It was not a surprising suggestion; the presence of the women was making -some people very uncomfortable; but those who made the suggestion must -have had a pretty good idea of how the students would proceed to carry -it out, and what class of student would take the lead. - -For a day or two a feeble and cowardly effort was made to obstruct the -entrance of women into the class-room, but S. J.-B., followed by her -companions, simply failed to see the students who half-heartedly stood -in her way, and walked through them. - -And then came about the “riot at Surgeons’ Hall”, of which so much has -since been said, and of which Charles Reade made picturesque use in his -novel, _The Woman Hater_. - -In order to get a plain, unvarnished account of what took place, we -cannot do better than quote the _Courant_[70] (the only Edinburgh -morning paper which was unfavourable to the women) and the very brief -record in S. J.-B.’s diary: - - “A disturbance of a very unbecoming nature took place yesterday - afternoon in front of the Royal College of Surgeons, caused by the - entrance of the lady ‘medicals’ to the class-rooms. However ungallant - it may appear, there is no doubt that many of the students look upon - the admission of the ladies to the classes with no friendly eye; but, - unfortunately for their own credit, some have adopted a very - undignified mode of signifying their displeasure. Shortly before four - o’clock, the hour when the ladies arrive at the College, nearly two - hundred students assembled in front of the gate leading to the - building. As may be readily supposed, there was no lack of animation - amongst the students; and, with other popular melodies, ‘The Whale’ - and ‘John Brown’s Body’ were sung with more spirit than good taste by - at least a hundred voices. Such a noisy demonstration speedily - attracted a large crowd, and greatly interfered with the public - traffic. Shortly before four o’clock those on the outlook descried the - approach of the ladies, and immediately their appearance was greeted - with a howl which might have made those who are supposed to be - possessed of more temerity, quail, but it seemingly had no effect upon - the ladies, for they most unconcernedly advanced towards the gate, the - students opening up their ranks to allow them to pass. On reaching the - gate it was closed in their face. Amidst the derisive laughter which - followed this very questionable action, it must be said to their - credit that a number of students cried ‘shame.’ In a short time the - janitor succeeded in opening one leaf of the gate, and the ladies were - admitted to the precincts, but not before some of them had been - considerably jostled. - - The anatomical class-room to which they proceeded was crowded to the - door, and, in consequence of the noise and interruption, Dr. Handyside - found it utterly impossible to begin his demonstrations. With much - difficulty, he singled out those students belonging to his class, and, - turning the others out of the room, he was about to proceed, when the - pet sheep which grazes at the College was introduced to the room, a - student jocularly remarking that it would be a good subject for - anatomical purposes. Poor ‘Mailie’ was kept a prisoner, and the - lecturer was allowed to proceed.” - -Footnote 70: - - The _Courant_, Nov. 19, 1870. - -“Let it remain,” Dr. Handyside had said, “it has more sense than those -who sent it here.” - - “When the class broke up, a number of the students seemed determined - to accompany the ladies home; but the result was that several of them - were apprehended by the police.” - -The writer of the diary naturally saw things from a different point of -view: - - “Friday, 18th. On getting in sight of S(urgeons’) H(all), found mob of - students and mixed multitude. - - Had to go down to P.O. and to Houlden’s for Mrs. Evans [a most - characteristic touch this! in later life S. J.-B. often spoke of - herself as ‘a sheep dog grown old.’] Then crossed road, ... Mrs. - T[horne] and I in front, then Mrs. K[ingsley] and others. - - Reaching pavement, way cleft for us by one or two, till gate reached - and clashed in our face, by smokers inside. I placidly leant on it - outside, mid cries of ‘Shame,’ ‘Let them in,’ etc., till Sanderson - sprang forward and forced it open and in we went,—Mrs. K. not, [she] - remaining outside to hear ‘very bad language, in which I didn’t join.’ - (To S. M. M.’s great amusement.) - - Then we went in and had demonstration,—some rushed in after us. - - Dr. Handyside went out and remonstrated, etc. Then sheep introduced. - - We passed rather good examination. Then at end H. asked if we would go - out by back door. ‘Oh, no,’ I said, ‘I am sure there are enough - gentlemen here to prevent any harm to us.’ And so we went, Hoggan and - Sanderson pioneering,—S. M. M. said she got hit,—Wilson came up and - took Mrs. K.’s arm (to our momentary fright), then we proceeded home, - escorted by - - a. gallant cavaliers, - b. police, - c. general mob, - d. all boys and girls of the town. - - “Monday, 21st. Had warning of a ‘more serious demonstration’, so - Wilson swore in the Irish Brigade. I asked Professor Wilson about it, - and he requested Turner to keep his class till past five,—they were - let out at 4.45![71] - -Footnote 71: - - One hopes this fact was incorrectly reported; it has never been - contradicted. Possibly the Professor was annoyed at being asked to - effect that by force which could safely be confided to the - gentlemanly feeling of his students. - - However, it being rainy, there was almost no crowd. - - “Tuesday 22nd.... The Irish Brigade filed in to demonstration, and - then escorted us home,—some 30 or 40 in all. One woman hissed. W. as - we came to crossing regretted it ‘hadn’t been swept,’ etc.—otherwise - all quiet. The O’Halloran squired E. P., called her ‘ma belle,’ - declared ‘a loife wasn’t much, but all the Irishmen would lay down - theirs before we came to harm,’ etc. - - And in the passage, the same mighty chief shook my hand nearly off, - vowing the pleasure it would give him and his to be any service to us, - etc., etc. - - They gave us a great cheer when they got to the door. - - In the crowd B. heard,—‘You know they’d never do it if they could get - married.’ ‘Eh, you‘re wrong there, there are some very good-looking - ones among them.‘ ‘Eh, now, see the students escorting them home,— - isn’t it pretty?’ - - And O‘Halloran’s troubles with his men. ‘For God’s sake, look after - X.! It’s his first night out, and he’ll be wanting to distinguish - himself,—he’ll be hitting a policeman!’ - - Altogether great ‘demonstration in favour,’ as _Daily Review_ says. - - “Wednesday, 23rd. Same escort, though little necessary.” - -The Wilson who swore in the Irish Brigade, has, of course, no connection -with Professor Wilson. He was a student, and remained throughout life a -loyal supporter of the cause.[72] His letter, written on the Sunday -following the riot, is interesting: - - “DEAR MISS PECHEY,—I wish to warn you, and, through you, your friends, - that you are to be mobbed again on Monday. A regular conspiracy has - been, I fear, set on foot for that purpose. I wish you to tell your - friends that, although the projected demonstration against you on - Monday is intended to be much more serious than the one on Friday, and - to frighten you all away, you need not in the least fear it. I have - made what I hope to be efficient arrangements for your protection. I - have passed the word round amongst a lot of my friends—not wholly - inexperienced in the kind of work—and you will be all right. - - I had a meeting with my friend, Micky O’Halloran who is leader of a - formidable band, known in College as the ‘Irish Brigade,’ and he has - consented to tell off a detachment of his set for duty on Monday. - Micky was the formidable hero with the big red moustache who stood by - us on Friday and whose presence with us rather disappointed the - rioters who, I think, calculated on the aid both of himself and his - set. I have taken care of _that_, and I believe the mere demonstration - of the fact that you have men on your side able and willing to protect - you, will deter the mob from even an attempt at a row. - - They are a cowardly lot, nearly all very young, and I don’t think they - have even one amongst them, who has had experience of the days when - street-rioting was one of the accomplishments Edinburgh students were - acquainted with, so they are not likely to be very troublesome. I - believe they’ll ‘cave in’ if you only show a brave front. I have - considerable influence also with the Highlanders in College, and - expect to get a good deal of help from them, when I pass the word - round tomorrow. - - May I venture to hint my belief that the real cause of the riots is - the way some of the professors run you down in their lectures. They - never lose a chance of stirring up hatred against you. For all I know - they may have more knowledge of the riotous conspiracy than most - people fancy. However, as I tell you, you and your friends need not - fear, as far as Monday is concerned. You will be taken good care of. - - Yours faithfully, - ROBERT WILSON. - - P.S. I would have sent this communication through Mrs. Kingsley, but - as I have no chance of seeing her tomorrow, and as you are her friend, - I send it to you.” - -Footnote 72: - - In January, 1886, Mr. Robert Wilson had an article, “Æsculapia - Victrix,” in the _Fortnightly Review_. - -Mr. Henry Kingsley was at this time editor of the _Daily Review_, and -almost as redoubtable a champion of the cause as Alexander Russel -himself. Of Mrs. Henry Kingsley’s loyalty it is impossible to speak in -exaggerated terms. In the drawing-room, in the columns of a newspaper, -and on the platform, she was equally ready to defend a fighting cause, -and to correct the numerous misapprehensions that sprang up in -connection with it. She attended the scientific classes without any idea -of qualifying as a doctor, mainly for the purpose of identifying herself -with the movement, and with people who had her wholehearted sympathy and -admiration. - -The news of the “Riot” went forth over the whole world, and the -indignation roused by the matter of the Hope Scholarship was as nothing -compared to that called forth by this escapade. “We trust the -authorities of the medical school at Edinburgh will visit exemplary -chastisement on the cowardly cads—we have no milder name for them—who -could so conduct themselves towards the ladies who paid them the -compliment of supposing they could act like gentlemen. Edinburgh has -ceased to be so attractive as she was as a centre of education.” This -was a fair specimen of the indignant criticism called forth, and one is -glad to record that none were more prompt to disown the delinquents than -the more reputable of the students themselves. Some few papers, even of -some standing, espoused the cause of the rioters; and, in order to do -this, it was perhaps almost necessary to represent the women and their -doings in a way that disgusted all decent-minded men,—“a brutality,” -said the _Spectator_, with reference to a given article, “of which a -costermonger quarrelling with a fishwife would be ashamed.”[73] - -Footnote 73: - - _Spectator_, December 3, 1870. - -Some of us can imagine, too, the style of anonymous letter which the -women received, and such letters were rather terrible to the women of -those days. - - “‘Well!—we are about in the deepest waters now,—that’s one comfort,’ - says S. J.-B.” - - “‘What _do_ you think your constitution is made of that it will stand - such overwork?’ writes Miss Du Pre at this time. ‘You will be a real - martyr to the cause, if you don’t take care. Yet I know you never - needlessly use up one atom of strength, so I get a fearful idea of - what the amount of work must be. I _do_ wish you could just sit down - to your lessons quietly as the men students can. - - The two newspaper articles made me nicely angry! I think the —— is the - lowest, but, when you get to such a depth it is not easy to measure - degrees of lowness. I should think such attacks must make you feel as - if all people on the other side were low and mean and wicked,—don’t - they? It’s always so hard to believe that one’s opponents may be good - and honest and even sensible; but when any of them write such letters - as those, I think it must be well nigh impossible.’” - -A new Act came into operation at this time, and all the Managers of the -Royal Infirmary had to retire from the Board unless re-elected. Now was -the time to get in members favourable to the admission of the women, if -this could be done. One can imagine the canvassing that took place on -both sides. - -Here are some characteristic “thumb-nails” from the diary: - - “Littlejohn at Police Court,—very uncomfortable talk; he so very - candid and honest, but believing he ought to vote against us in - Infirmary, because ‘by hook or by crook’ they’d got up such a spirit - among the students (L. was ‘ashamed of his sex’) that he was afraid - persistence would injure the School. - - M.,—£1000 subscriber. Quiet, simple, not narrow or hard,—only not - interested previously. Said he ‘must think of it now,’ though his - prejudices were against women doctors. I showed him that that was only - a detail,—the question of justice lay beyond. - - L. R.,—Had nothing to do with it, etc.,—but thought it all improper. - - ‘The young men in female wards?’... ‘Oh, it was _their_ business’!!” - -At the Annual Meeting of Contributors on January 2nd, 1871, the hall at -the Council Chambers was crowded long before the advertised hour, though -that hour was one o’clock. Proceedings began with a hot dispute among -the civic magnates as to the propriety of adjourning to the High Church -(St. Giles’ Cathedral) which would seat a larger number of people,—the -representative of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners declaring that the -Police Court would be a more suitable place, but allowing himself to be -over-ruled on a point of law by Mr. Duncan M‘Laren, M.P. for Edinburgh. -By the time the move to the church had been effected, everyone was -“rubbed up the wrong way,” and there was a good deal of squabbling and -noisy interruption before the main question at issue came on at all. - -The Lord Provost himself proposed the election of six men known to be in -favour of the women students, and an amended list was proposed by one of -the Infirmary Medical Staff. Warm language was used on both sides, and -interruptions were frequent. This was the atmosphere in which S. J.-B.— -in the capacity of a subscriber—asked leave to speak.[74] - -Footnote 74: - - Someone has pointed out that she was the first woman to speak in St. - Giles’ Church since Jenny Geddes threw her stool at the minister. - -She was, as has been said, one of the finest women speakers of her time; -but, even in her maturity, she was wont to suffer beforehand from an -access of nervousness, of which, happily, no trace was obvious when the -crucial moment arrived. What she must have suffered on this first -occasion in Edinburgh we can imagine. We know that she was over-worked -and tired, and that her honest resentment had been raised to the highest -pitch by the way in which some of those in authority were inciting the -students to make trouble. It was deliberately said later by certain -grave and responsible Edinburgh citizens that she had suffered -“unexampled provocation.” She wished the contributors to know the real -truth of the situation, and she was resolved that the presence of her -adversaries should not deter her from giving a plain, unvarnished -account of what had taken place. She had realized the danger of failing -from cowardice; but, in her inexperience, she had not realized the -danger of going to the other extreme: and that was what she did. Part of -her speech might quite justly be described as a direct personal attack -on one or two individuals. - -She spoke well, of course, but she owed her gift to Nature, in no way to -Art: and she was confronted by those—double her age and more—who had -learned the full value of outward calmness and urbanity in debate. - -She had many friends in that church, and most of them must have suffered -acutely: not because they did not agree with her, but because they did. -Some whose allegiance was of little value, or who had come with “an open -mind,” probably went over to the enemy. One is almost surprised to hear -that it was only by the usual narrow majority—94 to 88 in this instance— -that her cause was defeated. - -And yet, perhaps, one ought not to be surprised: for courage and honesty -make their own appeal; and the sore heart-burnings of generous adherents -are a fire in which great things are kindled. - -Of course hostile papers jeered. The _Church Review_ went out of its way -to take up the matter. As it began by severely criticising on literary -grounds the speaker’s use of the words “realize” and “emanate,” one -wonders that it ever came to the end of its indictment at all.[75] - -Footnote 75: - - At a later date (1872) the _Church Review_ became definitely friendly. - -We quote the part of the speech that was destined to lead to farther -proceedings:[76] - - “I want to point out that it was certain of these same men, who had - (so to speak) pledged themselves from the first to defeat our hopes of - education and render all our efforts abortive—who, sitting in their - places on the Infirmary Board, took advantage of the almost - irresponsible power with which they were temporarily invested, to - thwart and nullify our efforts. I believe that a majority of the - managers desired to act justly in this matter; but the presence of - those bitter partisans, and the overwhelming influence of every kind - brought to bear by them, prevailed to carry the day—to refuse us not - only admission on the ordinary terms, but also to refuse us every - opportunity which could answer our purpose. I know of the noble - protests made against this injury by some of the most respected and - most learned members of the Board, but all their efforts were in vain, - because strings were pulled and weapons brought into play of which - they either did not know or could not expose the character. Till then, - during a period of five weeks, the conduct of the students with whom - we had been associated in Surgeons’ Hall, in the most trying of all - our studies, that of Practical Anatomy, had been quiet, respectful, - and in every way inoffensive. They had evidently accepted our presence - there, in earnest silent work, as a matter of course, and Dr. - Handyside, in answer to a question of mine after the speeches at the - meeting of the General Council, assured me that, in the course of some - twenty sessions, he had never had a month of such quiet earnest work - as since we entered his rooms. But at a certain meeting of the - managers when our memorial was presented, a majority of those present - were, I understand, in favour of immediately admitting us to the - Infirmary. The minority alleged want of due notice of the question, - and succeeded in obtaining an adjournment. - - What means were used in the interim I cannot say, or what influence - was brought to bear; but I do know that from that day the conduct of - the students was utterly changed, that those who had hitherto been - quiet and courteous became impertinent and offensive; and at last came - the day of that disgraceful riot, when the college gates were shut in - our faces and our little band bespattered with mud from head to foot. - (“Shame.”) It is true that other students who were too manly to dance - as puppets on such ignoble strings, came indignantly to our rescue, - that by them the gates were wrenched open and we protected in our - return to our homes. But none the less it was evident that some new - influence (wholly distinct from any intrinsic facts) had been at work. - I will not say that the rioters were acting under orders, but neither - can I disbelieve what I was told by indignant gentlemen in the medical - class—that this disgraceful scene would never have happened, nor would - the petition have been got up at the same time, had it not been - clearly understood that our opponents needed a weapon at the Infirmary - Board. This I do know, that the riot was not wholly or mainly due to - the students at Surgeons’ Hall. I know that Dr. Christison’s class - assistant was one of the leading rioters—(hisses and order)—and the - foul language he used could only be excused on the supposition I heard - that he was intoxicated. I do not say that Dr. Christison knew of or - sanctioned his presence, but I do say that I think he would not have - been there, had he thought the doctor would have strongly objected to - his presence. - - _Dr. Christison_—‘I must again appeal to you, my Lord. I think the - language used regarding my assistant is language that no one is - entitled to use at such an assembly as this—(hear)—where a gentleman - is not here to defend himself, and to say whether it be true or not. I - do not know whether it is true or not, but I do know my assistant is a - thorough gentleman, otherwise he never would have been my assistant; - and I appeal to you again, my Lord, whether language such as this is - to be allowed in the mouth of any person. I am perfectly sure there is - not one gentleman in the whole assembly who would have used such - language in regard to an absentee.’ - - _Miss Jex-Blake_—‘If Dr. Christison prefers——’ - - _Dr. Christison_—‘I wish nothing but that this foul language shall be - put an end to.’ - - _The Lord Provost_—‘I do not know what the foul language is. She - merely said that in her opinion——’ - - _Dr. Christison_—‘In her opinion the gentleman was intoxicated.’ - - _Miss Jex-Blake_—‘I did not say he was intoxicated. I said I was told - he was.’ - - _The Lord Provost_—‘Withdraw the word “intoxicated.”’ - - _Miss Jex-Blake_—‘I said it was the only excuse for his conduct. If - Dr. Christison prefers that I should say he used the language when - sober, I will withdraw the other supposition’ (laughter).” - -Footnote 76: - - _Scotsman_, January 3, 1871. - -The _Pall Mall_,[77] chuckling sympathetically over this and another -repartee, wisely concluded: - - “It is sincerely to be hoped that these unhappy little differences - will soon come to an end. It cannot be to the advantage of anyone that - lady students should be pelted with mud, or that they should use the - power of retaliation displayed by their champion at the Royal - Infirmary meeting on Monday.” - -Footnote 77: - - January 5, 1871. - -So the conflict deepened, and it would have been small wonder if all but -the very brave had taken fright. - -But Edinburgh did contain some very brave people besides the women -students. - -At the meeting on January 2nd, the Revd. Professor Charteris had been -ruled out of order in some matter, but, at the earliest opportunity he -returned to his point, and brought forward a motion, expressing the -desire of the contributors that immediate arrangement should be made for -the admission of the ladies to the Infirmary. This motion, seconded by -Sir James Coxe, M.D., was lost by a small majority. - -Several things happened at that meeting, however, which were of more -value to the cause than a formal victory would have been: - -A petition was read, signed by 956 women of Edinburgh, expressing “our -great interest in the issues involved, and our earnest hope that full -facilities for hospital study will be afforded by the Managers to all -women who desire to enter the Medical Profession.” - -More important still was the appearance of Mrs. Nichol, a well-known and -most gracious elderly lady, endowed with the very fragrance of early -Victorian womanhood, who came forward to ask a question,—“not,” she -said, “in the interests of the lady students, but on behalf of those -women who looked forward to see what kind of men were they who were to -be the sole medical attendants of the next generation, if women doctors -were not allowed.” - - “If the students studying at present in the Infirmary cannot - contemplate with equanimity the presence of ladies as fellow-students, - how is it possible that they can possess either the scientific spirit, - or the personal purity of mind, which alone could justify their - presence in the female wards during the most delicate operations on, - and examinations of, female patients.” - -Yes, there were very brave people in Edinburgh besides the women -students. - -This question was received with “laughter, hisses and applause,” and no -one ventured on a reply. No one except the rougher of the students who -were assembled in the gallery on the look-out for a lark. They howled -their appreciation of the question; but it was only when S. J.-B. rose -to speak—and of course she had to pay the penalty of having rashly -described them as “puppets”—that they really let themselves go,—shouting -and yelling and pelting her with peas. - -“Well,” said Professor Blackie, “ye can now say ye’ve fought with beasts -at Ephesus.” - -As a matter of fact she had not meant to speak again, but one of the -professors had left her no alternative. In the course of a long speech -he had asserted that, in consequence of mixed education, a college in -America “had become so degraded that a woman who respected herself -shrank from the contamination, and preferred to renounce the benefit of -years of study rather than don the academic robe of one of its -graduates.” - -“Name the college,” said S. J.-B., and other voices took up the cry of -“Name!” - - “He spoke on authority.” (A voice—“What authority?”) “On the authority - of Miss Blake herself, who ... when asked why she had not pursued her - studies instead of coming here, told him that the character of female - medical students in America had so deteriorated that she could not - consent to stay.” - -It cannot be easy to speak when one has awaited one’s opportunity -through a storm of hooting and pea-throwing; but now indeed S. J.-B.’s -fine courage and truthfulness shone out like the sun: - - “She wished merely to give an absolute, unqualified denial to - Professor X.’s statement respecting her. She never made the statement - he asserted she had made. During her whole visit to America she had - never spent one whole session in any medical college whatever.... It - was true she had studied two years in a woman’s hospital, and every - day’s experience there had made her long more and more to see women in - charge of their own sex—(Great interruption and cries of ‘Order’)—and - it was her experience in that hospital and her knowledge of the ladies - connected with it [One can almost hear her inward cry, ‘Oh, Lucy!’] - that made her devote her life to getting medical education for herself - and also for other women.... Some of the friends she was proudest of - were women doctors in America who had been educated there entirely, - and in regard to whom she scarcely knew any equals and certainly no - superiors.” - -It was only in answer to repeated calls that Professor X. rose and said, -“He was sure there was not an individual in that meeting who would not -give him credit for having given what he believed to be the correct -version of what occurred according to his recollection two years ago— -(Hisses and cheers)—between Miss Jex-Blake and himself. If he had -misconceived what had been said, or if his memory had failed him and he -had stated what was not correct, he begged to apologise, as it was -purely unintentional.” (Applause and hisses.) - -A somewhat disappointing outcome this, of a long course of training in -scientific exactness. - -It was now that the Professor of Moral Philosophy (Calderwood) rose, -profoundly stirred beneath the calm and judicial demeanour that seldom -failed him, and pointed out that Professor X., while speaking to the -amendment “that the question (of the women students) be left to the -unbiassed decision of the Managers,” had voluntarily given them a fair -average specimen of an unbiassed opinion! - -There are worse adversaries, in fact, than the honest beasts at Ephesus. - -A sore heart lay behind that jest of Professor Blackie’s if one may -judge by the following letter: - - “24 Hill Street, - Edinburgh. - 20th January, 1871. - - MY DEAR MISS BLAKE, - - It is of no consequence to you, my poor sympathy with you all at - present, and my utter horror of the conduct of your enemies; but I - wish to tell you how saddened my husband was by all he saw and heard - at the Infirmary meeting last week. He sat at tea-time shading his - eyes, and saying quietly from time to time, ‘I am ashamed of my sex.’ - I never saw him so hurt before. I am sure the unmanly and indecent - conduct of these poor ill-led young men, and the untruthfulness of - their leaders will ultimately do you good. If men lose our respect and - confidence, let them look to themselves. Your admirable letters must - do great good. - - Pardon this intrusion, and believe me always your true friend, - - E. H. S. BLACKIE.” - -No less welcome, we may be sure, was this: - - Huntly Lodge, - Monday Evening. - - MY DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I am feeling inexpressibly for you and your friends this - evening, and cannot resist the inclination that has come over me to - tell you how deeply grateful everyone who has the welfare of the next - generation at heart must feel to you who are so nobly fighting the - battle which must soon be gained—the _results_ of which will bear - _precious fruit_, I fully believe, long, long after even your heads - are laid in the grave. - - You and the struggle you are carrying on remind me so forcibly of the - contest which the band of women in America so nobly waged with the - demon of Slavery. Your struggle will end much sooner, I trust, than - did theirs, but, whilst sympathising with you, I cannot help feeling - that the discussion is doing so much to educate people’s minds, that - it is better for the cause than if you had met with no opposition; and - in the end it may be better for you also, for by the time you are - ready to practise, persons will have become accustomed to the idea and - ready for you. - - Meanwhile tell us if there is aught we outsiders can do for you, and - believe me, with love to dear Miss Pechey, - - Your affectionate, - E. P. NICHOL. - - I am sure you will like to know that I don’t feel a bit the worse for - this day’s work. - - You will excuse haste and some little weariness.” - -Once more we are tempted to quote from a delightful budget: - - “13 Sussex Square, - Brighton, - Jan. 19th. 1871. - - MY DEAR SOPHY, - - One line to wish you many happy returns of the 21st, and most of - them quieter than this birthday seems likely to be. - - I feel sure you will carry your point eventually, and should recommend - you to stick to Edinburgh where you have already so very nearly won. - - It must be very harassing at times, and need a great deal of patience: - for half the enemy seem wily and half seem roughs. - - The speech you last made, when the gallery ought to have been earlier - cleared of its noisy occupants, seemed to me excellent: and I thought - Maclaren showed great judgment in dealing with the adversary that same - day. I should not be drawn much into newspaper correspondence, if I - were you; and I doubt if ... was worth powder and shot. But he may be, - from personal or local reasons unknown to me. - - I feel no doubt whatever of the ultimate victory, but the delay is - very fatiguing to the combatant.... Take it easy, and don’t let the - enemy make you angry. They are sure to try. - - Your affectionate brother, - T. W. J.-B.” - -Very soon, too, a long letter arrived from women in London,—“to the Lady -Students in Edinburgh: - - “DEAR LADY STUDENTS, - - Let us entreat you to persevere—” and so on. - -Here then were both parties firmly entrenched, with no prospect of an -end to the combat; but that fire in the hearts of generous adherents was -burning steadily. The Lord Provost declined to accept his defeat. He -proceeded to call a meeting of citizens, and in a very short time a -committee was formed to share a burden that had become far too heavy for -the shoulders of a handful of women. The list of sympathizers grew like -a snowball, attracting many of the most honoured names in the country, -till it became a rallying cry for weaker folk the wide world over. One -can best describe the significance of all this in S. J.-B.’s own words, -written some fifteen years later: - - “To the Committee thus inaugurated, we owe a debt of gratitude which I - hardly know how to describe adequately. From that time forward to the - close of our battle in Edinburgh, they stood by us with a fidelity and - chivalrous readiness to help which was never marred by officiousness - or needless interference. In a very short time they lifted from our - shoulders the whole burden of pecuniary risk and responsibility, and, - by personal and public help of every kind, made it possible for us to - continue the struggle in which, without such aid, we should have been - hopelessly outnumbered. Where so many gave us such invaluable - assistance, it is almost invidious to single out any for special - thanks; and yet I cannot refrain from putting on record our extreme - debt of gratitude to three men, of whom two have already passed away - from among us, viz., the Lord Provost of Edinburgh (William Law), who - gave us continually the support of his official countenance and - assistance; Mr. Alexander Russel, Editor of the _Scotsman_, whose - advocacy was literally beyond all price in those days, when our one - hope and our great difficulty was to get the real truth laid fully and - fearlessly before the public; and our still invaluable friend, - Professor Masson, whose championship of the weak and oppressed was - then, and always has been, worthy of the noblest days of chivalry.” - - - - - CHAPTER IX - THE ACTION FOR LIBEL - - -It is not to be supposed, however, that the dark days were at an end. -Far from it. The next act in the drama was an action for libel brought -against S. J.-B. by Professor Christison’s assistant. - -Of course she took the lawyer’s letter smiling, but it must have seemed -well-nigh the last straw, for she was sorely overstrained by the public -meetings and all the criticism they called forth; and her entire -Christmas holiday had been spent in calling on Infirmary managers. These -were naturally of all sorts, from the big bustling prosperous brewer to -the refined gentlewoman of equally restricted outlook; and the strain of -adaptation to such divers personalities must have been very great. - -Even on Christmas Day[78] (a Sunday!) she had been at the _Scotsman_ -office, arranging with the Editor for the alteration and publication of -various entries on the following day. Things were not made easier by the -fact that a heavy fall of snow had been followed by alternating spells -of slush and ice. All the other students had gone out of town, and in -many ways it would have been better all round if she had gone too. But -her supporters simply could not get on without her. She might on -occasion be difficult and trying, expecting more of people than they -were prepared to give; but no one else could even compare with her in -knowledge of all the facts and arguments that might at any moment be -called for by the emergencies of a big public controversy. There was no -need for professors, editors and others to charge their memories with -endless _minutiae_ when S. J.-B. was at hand, clear and concise, as a -book of handy reference. - -Footnote 78: - - “God bless the Massons,” writes Mrs. Jex-Blake, “for cheering my - darling on Christmas Day.” - -Life was too full this year for the accustomed backward survey at -midnight on December 31st; there was no quotation of “May the New Year -cherish—” This is the entry: - - “Less utterly hopeless tonight,—only _so_ tired. E. P. just back, - bless her!” - -Well, in any case, here was the lawyer’s letter, and it just had to be -faced. There is no reference to it in the diary till long after—indeed, -except as a register of facts that have now lost all interest, the diary -becomes almost non-existent—but, in a day or two, the news was all over -the country. It was more than could be expected of human nature that -some of the women students should not have felt aggrieved that the -situation had been complicated by their leader’s impulsiveness. On the -whole they were loyal, especially the three first recruits, Mrs. Thorne, -Mrs. Evans, and “E. P.,—bless her!” - -But, as ever, faithful friends gathered round, and, if the postman’s -visit had become a thing to be dreaded, he also brought much good cheer. -Here is a letter from the wife of a leading minister of religion: - - “DEAR MRS. EVANS, - - The opposition have ‘crowned the edifice’ by bringing that - action of Damages against Miss Jex-Blake,—how unspeakably low and - unmanly it all is. I never knew before that saying a man was drunk was - actionable; if it is we must be very careful how we speak even of our - nearest and dearest. I think a subscription ought to be set on foot at - once to pay Miss Jex-Blake’s expenses, and I shall be delighted to - contribute my mite.” - -One can only quote one or two out of many: - - “The Athenaeum, - Jan. 23, 1871. - - MY DEAR SOPHY, - - I will gladly pay half expenses of your action for libel brought - by Dr. Christison’s assistant. - - I think it vital that you should have the best legal assistance, and - win. Be careful, and don’t let them ‘draw’ you into indiscretions that - are most forgiveable morally, but damaging to the cause practically. - - I don’t the least want to lecture you or assume the Mentor. I only - want you to win all along the line. - - Your aff. brother, - T. W. J.-B.” - -The next is written in a clear and clerkly hand: - - “Miss Jex-Blake, Ph.D. - Edinburgh. - - Kinbuck, 7 February, 1871. - - MADAM, - - We the undersigned desire to express our most sincere sympathy - with your cause and earnest hopes for your success. - - I am, Your obedient Servants,—” - -Follows a list of four names, apparently of young business men. One -wonders which of them conceived the bold idea of the “Ph.D.” How gladly -they would have made it “M.D.” if they could! - -The letter was addressed to “Miss Jex-Blake, Royal Infirmary, -Edinburgh,” and is grimly endorsed, “Not for Royal Infirmary.” - -One more letter we are tempted to quote with very mingled feelings: - - “19 Inverleith Row, - Edinburgh. - 27 January 1871. - - MY DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I see that Mr. C. has raised an action against you. If you have - not already fixed on a counsel to defend you, will you allow me to - propose that you should employ my son-in-law, Mr. Trayner. I propose - this, not for his advantage but your own, as I am quite sure from the - great interest he would take in your case, and also that I know you - would find in him, not only an able advocate, but a kind friend, that - you would have no cause to regret the choice. - - Believe me, dear Miss Jex-Blake, - Very truly yours, - MARGARET WYLD.” - -From another source one learns that Mr. Trayner [now Lord Trayner], if -employed, would have done the work without fee, from sheer sympathy with -the cause. - -The pity of it! One cannot help feeling how differently things might -have gone, if S. J.-B. had availed herself of this suggestion. “The best -legal advice” is an expression capable of varied interpretation, and of -course S. J.-B.—young and inexperienced—was guided by her solicitors. It -is possible, too, of course, that the advice was good. - -Young and inexperienced she was in matters of this kind,—full of hope -that she, who had nothing to hide and everything to gain from full -publicity, would see herself substantially justified in an open court of -law. - -On the whole, public opinion was against her. All sorts of stories were -rife, many of them entirely false, some with just that grain of truth -that makes a lie so deadly. When the Winter Session came to an end in -March, the President of the College of Physicians and the President of -the College of Surgeons both announced that they would not preside at -the prize-giving if lady students were to be present and to receive -their prizes on this occasion. - -On the other hand S. J.-B. was, of course, much sought after by -outsiders who admired her talent and courage. In April she was urged by -the leading women suffragists of the day to speak at a Suffrage meeting -in London, and, after consulting Professor Masson and other friends in -Edinburgh as to the probable effect on her own “Cause,” she agreed. - - “Darling,” writes her sorely-tried Mother, “speaking at a public - meeting will be anything but restful. You positively require rest to - go on with the real work and worrying work before you. May you be - guided aright.” - -The speech took place, however, and was a great success. Her “pathetic -voice” and clear exposition of the argument deduced from her own trying -experience are referred to repeatedly. This was her first public -association with a cause of which, throughout life, she was one of the -sanest and most practical exponents. - -It was in the course of this visit to London, too, that she made the -acquaintance of Mr. (afterwards Sir James) Stansfeld, whose influence -was to prove so priceless in the farther development of the movement. - -Meanwhile the law ran its slow and expensive course. - - “Monday, May 22nd.... White Millar wants to know if I will say C. - ‘wasn’t drunk’ if he on his side allows that I ‘had been told so.’ - - I don’t want to be too obstinately pugnacious, but I hate the idea of - giving a handle to people to say I ‘ate my words’. Calderwood wisely - says it should be a _sine qua non_ that the public should know the - overture came from them, and I should like also to make C. own he was - ‘Foremost among the rioters’. - - “Tuesday May 23rd. I have just accepted Lord Advocate at fee of £200, - so now it shall go on unless they pay costs.... - - “May 26th, Friday 10 p.m. ‘Where the wicked cease from troubling and - the weary are at rest.’ - - _How_ inclined one feels to turn one’s face to the wall and say with - Elijah, ‘Lord, take away my life, I am not better than my fathers’. - - The obstinate lying of these students in preference to giving any - information possibly useful to us;—the constant hisses and rudeness - even in the streets,—J’s insolent civility, especially to Miss B.,— - those two scamps shouting ‘Whore’ after S. M. M., as she crossed the - George Square Gardens yesterday evening, etc. - - Oh, dear, I hope Tuesday at least will end one worry satisfactorily. I - think it must clear me morally at any rate!—and yet I have that - nervous quiver through me as when one wakes with nightmare. I wonder - if any such hysterical wretch ever had to do such work as mine! - - And yet what good friends and helpers! Gilbert’s ever ready kindness, - Wilson’s hearty interest, ‘Well, if you lose on Tuesday, even you will - not be more vexed than I shall’.” - -The case came on for trial on May 31st. On the morning of the day, S. -J.-B. received the following letter from her Mother: - - “God’s protection and blessing be with you, my own precious child. I - will not harass and plague you by writing further than to assure you I - am in spirit present with you. - - Your loving, - M. E. J.-B. - - I am quite well, and picturing how calm and collected you are, and how - _many many_ are thinking of you with friendly thoughts.” - -The case lasted two days. It was reported verbally in the _Scotsman_ and -other daily papers. “Throughout the day the Court-room was densely -crowded, many ladies being among the audience.” For many, of course, -this was the first opportunity of seeing these amazing women, and for -some time the provincial and weekly papers ran riot in impressions of -this kind: - - “Mrs. Thorne succeeded as witness, and the assembled public thought it - very hard that she should be neither odd nor eccentric. Why was she - married? She was a medical student and ought not to be married. - Sedate, quiet and ladylike-looking, and dressed in an unobtrusive - fashion, and yet fairly within the pale of orthodoxy, Mrs. Thorne - confused the minds of many.” - - “Miss Pechey was the sole remaining witness, and created a good deal - of fresh interest. A tall figure and a classically shaped head with - dark hair, are generally supposed to be the attributes of young ladies - who keep to their ‘sphere.’ That female medical students should dare - to be good-looking, dare to be married, dare to be dressed in good - taste, is, of course, an unpardonable crime.” - - “Great interest of course was manifested in [Miss Jex-Blake’s] - appearance in the witness box. Plainly dressed in black, with white - round her neck and wrists, she presented the appearance of a tall and - well formed, handsome and determined woman, with dark hair and eyes. - She was perfectly cool and collected, and her manner was a great - contrast to the nervousness of Dr. Christison and the ‘smartness’ of - Dr. Bell.” - -So much for the “hysterical wretch”! - -In truth the women had learned their lesson. There was no bitter, -impulsive speaking now. They said what they meant to say, and they said -it well and with restraint. “These customers _are_ composed!” a man in -the back of the Court was heard to exclaim. - -As has been said, S. J.-B. had everything to gain from publicity, from a -full exposure of the facts. The worst she had done had been to state her -case in public without fear of persons, without much tact and -discretion, though with no exaggeration of the actual truth. The public -had already passed judgment on her. She was now on her defence, desirous -only of asking her opponents, under cross-examination, to deny the truth -of what she had said. - -But the law of libel is an intricate and parlous thing. S. J.-B. had -been told by several people of standing—including her teacher and his -assistant—that Professor Christison’s assistant had been a ringleader in -the riot; but she did not know of her own knowledge that he had been so. - - “I wished,” she says, “to plead the substantial truth of my statement; - but, being, of course, ignorant of Scotch law, I was overruled by my - Counsel, among whom was the Lord Advocate of Scotland (Young), on the - ground that I could not _personally_ prove the truth of what I had - said, as indeed I did not know the young man by sight, and it would be - held an aggravation of the injury to plead ‘Veritas’ in a matter which - was, after all, only one of hearsay. I was assured that, if the case - came to trial, abundant opportunity would be given to prove the young - man’s real conduct in the matter.” - -This opportunity, however, was relentlessly withheld. - -The case for the defence was one to rejoice the heart of a brilliant -counsel, being full of technical opportunity,—and to a brilliant counsel -it fell. So entirely did Mr. Shand (afterwards Lord Shand) rely on his -own bow and spear to win the day,—and it must be admitted that there was -nothing else to rely on—that he dared to risk the conclusions which must -inevitably be drawn from his omission to call the pursuer as a witness -on his own side; he dared to provoke a laugh by saying that Mr. C. “was -not so fond of public appearances as the defendant.” He laid down in his -opening statement the law that must govern the case, and with dogged -tenacity, he brought the Judge and everyone else in Court to heel. Lord -Mure, as it chanced, was easily led. The choice of a Judge in Scotland -lies with the pursuer, and in any case it might not have been easy to -find one in those days who had a prejudice in favour of women doctors. - -One is glad to know that the protagonist appeared “cool and collected” -to the indifferent observer, but she must have been on the rack much of -the time, for the “substantial truth and right” for which she longed, -got no chance at all, or rather they saved their lives only by losing -them, so to speak; and that is one of time’s revenges that youth cannot -foresee. - -The full report of the case appeared in the _Scotsman_ of May 31st and -June 1st. The following extracts are taken mainly from the Edinburgh -_Evening Courant_, because they are slightly abbreviated, and because -they appeared in a paper unfriendly to the cause of the women. - - “There could be no doubt,” said the advocate for the pursuer, “that, - however injurious the arguments she used might be, if they were - justified by facts, it was perfectly open to Miss Jex-Blake to - maintain that her statements were true, and to take what is called an - ‘issue in justification,’ for the purpose of establishing upon her own - issue, as counter to the present one, what she said. But she had not - chosen to do that: it was not pretended that the statements were true; - and therefore the only question the jury had to try was, practically, - whether those statements were to the pursuer’s loss, injury, and - damage.[79]” - -Footnote 79: - - _Scotsman_, May 31, 1871. - -This argument, fair enough as coming from an advocate, represents to all -intents and purposes, the attitude adopted by the Judge. The case -positively bristled with arguments, but the humblest appearance of a -really relevant fact brought Mr. Shand to his feet with a taboo. - - “Thomas Sanderson deponed in answer to Mr. M‘Laren—I am a student of - medicine and last winter I attended Dr. Laycock’s class. On the 18th - November I was at the gate leading to Surgeons’ Hall. There was a - large crowd of students and a larger crowd of other people at the - gate. The students were both inside and outside the gate. The majority - were University students. I assisted the ladies to pass through the - College gate. I was pulled about a little by the students. The - students were hooting, and oaths and offensive expressions were used. - - Among the students inside the gate did you recognize Mr. C.? - - Mr. Shand (to witness)—Don’t answer that question. - - Lord Mure sustained the objection. - - Mr. M‘Laren—Did you see Mr. C. at any time on the 18th November? - - Witness—Yes. - - Where did you see him?—At the Surgeons’ Hall. - - At what time of the day did you see him?—A few minutes after four - o’clock. - - How was Mr. C. conducting himself? - - Lord Mure disallowed the question. - - E. C. C., examined by the Lord Advocate, deponed—I am the pursuer in - this action. I was twenty-one years of age last August. - - You remember the riot at Surgeons’ Hall on the 18th of November?—I do. - - Where were you? - - Mr. Shand objected to this question. His Lordship had already ruled - that no evidence could be led as to whether the witness took part in - these proceedings; and it seemed as if the Lord Advocate was - attempting to evade his Lordship’s decision. - - Lord Mure said this was a general question and he allowed it to be put - to the witness. - - The Lord Advocate—Where were you at the time? Witness—At what time? - - At the time of the riot?—I was at the College of Surgeons during part - of the time. - - When did you go there?—Three o’clock. - - When did the riot begin? Shortly after four. - - What were you doing between three and four?—I was in the class for - practising physic. - - When did it come out?—A few minutes before four. - - Was there a mob of students at the gate? - - Mr. Shand—Your lordship will understand that I am objecting to all - these questions. - - The Lord Advocate—Were you present during the whole of the riot? - - Mr. Shand—I object to that question. - - Lord Mure sustained the objection.” - -In addressing the jury, Mr. Shand said, - - “A slander had been committed and was unrepented, and only by a - verdict from the jury could the calumny be wiped off. A nominal sum, - however, would be an injury instead of an assistance. Excessive - damages[80] he did not ask, but only such a reasonable sum as would - mark their sense of the injury inflicted on the pursuer by the - statements made in his absence.” - -Footnote 80: - - The amount claimed—£1000—was only specified when the case came into - Court, having been inadvertently omitted from the issue. - -The Lord Advocate’s summing up was humorous in the extreme, and called -forth peals of laughter at the pursuer’s expense; indeed in the end he -almost went so far as to produce a counter-wave of sympathy for the -victim of his brilliant raillery. But, indeed, nothing could be made of -the case as it stood. - -In the final summing-up, Lord Mure said: - - “He had not allowed any evidence to prove that the pursuer had been a - leader in the riot, because, according to his view of the authorities - on the subject, it was incompetent to allow such evidence in the - absence of an issue of justification. The jury had heard the evidence - of Dr. Christison and others as to the injury which a man’s character - was calculated to sustain from such a statement as had been made use - of by the defender; and it was for the jury to judge whether that - charge was one which was likely, without retractation or apology, to - injure the pursuer’s character. - - The jury retired at five o’clock, and at half-past six they returned - to Court, and gave a unanimous verdict in favour of the pursuer, - assessing the damages at a farthing.”[81] - -Footnote 81: - - Edinburgh _Evening Courant_, June 1, 1871. - -On the following day a leading article in the _Glasgow Herald_ made the -following comment: - - “Miss Blake has not pled or proved the substantial truth of her - accusations. She has preferred to challenge Mr. C. to prove their - falsehood. We are altogether unable to understand why he should not - have accepted the challenge, and why he omitted to deny the charges - levelled against him. We cannot see how he could have expected a jury - to give him substantial damages for his injured reputation when he - refused to allow any enquiry into the circumstances in which he stood. - The witnesses who were present on the occasion of the riot were not - allowed to say whether they saw Mr. C. present at the riot, whether he - took part in it, or what he said or did on the occasion if he was - present. Miss Jex-Blake is accordingly very properly fined one - farthing for her rash and libellous statements, and the public is left - to wonder for what earthly reason Mr. C. brought his action. It has - only one compensation for the loss of time involved in reading the - evidence in a trial which has established nothing. Miss Jex-Blake has - completely vindicated the title of her sex to aspire to the highest - honours not merely in medicine but in law. She has shown herself a - perfect mistress of the art of self defence. In no cricket field this - season have there been so many dangerous balls admirably stopped, and - so many badly bowled ones dexterously played. If the witness and the - counsel could have interchanged positions, the change might possibly - have had considerable effect upon the fortunes of Mr. C.”[82] - -Footnote 82: - - “Of course, as you know, I daresay,” writes Professor Jack to S. J.-B. - about this time, “all the articles that appear in the _Herald_ are - mine, and especially the good ones.” - -But the end was not yet. It was still possible for the Bench to make S. -J.-B. responsible for the entire costs of the case, and in due time she -was called upon to pay—in addition to the farthing damages—a bill of -£915 11s. 1d. - -Let it be recorded at once that her brother promptly redeemed his -promise, and sent a cheque for half the amount. - -As soon as the decision of the Court was made known, one of the jurymen -expressed his feelings in a letter to the _Scotsman_: - - “Edinburgh, July 1871. - - SIR,—As one of the jurymen before whom this case was tried, I am - extremely disappointed to observe from the papers that the Court have - found the pursuer entitled to his expenses. - - I have been anxiously looking forward to the determination of the - case, in the hope that the verdict of the jury would be so applied as - to receive the effect which they intended by it. - - The jury were of the opinion that the pursuer should have submitted - some evidence to them of his non-participation in the disgraceful - riot, of which Miss Jex-Blake had so much reason to complain, to have - entitled him to a verdict; and they would have made some - representation to the presiding Judge on the subject had it been - possible to do so. - - After retiring, the first thing done was to appoint a foreman. This - gentleman turned out to be in favour of a verdict for the defender. - With the view of ascertaining the mind of the rest of the jury, he - asked us individually to write down on pieces of paper whether we were - for ‘libel’ or ‘no libel’. The result was an equal division—six for - finding that there was a libel, and six for no libel. This was done a - second time with the same result. In this predicament, and after - considerable discussion as to the amount of damages, in the course of - which I don’t think a larger sum than one shilling was even mentioned, - even by those who thought there had been a libel, it was proposed to - ask the Court whether the foreman had a casting-vote. This was done, - and the Clerk came back and told us he had not. We then asked the - Clerk whether we were entitled to find for the pursuer without giving - any damages, and he told us we were not. Shortly after, we again sent - for the Clerk, and enquired whether a farthing of damages would carry - expenses against the defender. He stood a while, and said there was - some new Act which provided that a farthing of damages would not carry - expenses. - - He went out to consult the Judge; but, having got this information - from him, we agreed upon our verdict, and rung the bell for the macer - at once. I had no doubt of the soundness of the Clerk’s opinion, and - in that belief I concurred in the verdict finding the pursuer entitled - to one farthing of damages. I certainly would not have done so, had I - for a moment anticipated the result which has happened. I think the - case a very hard one for the defender, more especially when, but for - the opinion given by the Clerk, the verdict might have been in her - favour. I think it is due to her that the public should be informed of - the circumstances under which the verdict was given, for it seems a - very illogical result to affirm that the pursuer had suffered no - damage by the alleged slander, or, at least damage of only one - farthing, and at the same time to compel the defender to pay a large - sum for expenses, especially when the origin of the whole matter was a - riot in which the ladies were so badly used.—I am, etc. - - A JURYMAN.” - -This letter was followed by one from a lawyer: - - “Edinburgh, July 12, 1871. - - SIR,—I am not surprised at the letter in your publication of to-day, - of a ‘A Juryman’ in the above case. The Clerk of Court was _in - substance_ correct in his statement to the jury that by a recent Act - of Parliament the pursuer in an action of damages is not entitled to - expenses if the verdict is for less than £5, but he was wrong in not - at the same time informing them of the discretion still left to the - Court.... - - But the thing that strikes me most forcibly in the juryman’s statement - is how came it that a Clerk of Court was allowed to speak to the jury - at all on such a matter. The public are indebted to the juryman for - making this known, because it at once explains what was intended by - the verdict. I do not think in the circumstances the verdict is worth - anything, and I would strongly advise Miss Jex-Blake to appeal the - case, and have the verdict set aside on the ground either of the - Clerk’s interference, or that the decision of the Judges is wrong. - Certainly the decision on the matter of expenses is very - unsatisfactory to the legal profession, especially as it was given - without the usual statement of the grounds of judgment. - - I am, etc., - A LAWYER.” - -It remained for Miss Pechey to give her views on the practical outcome -of the case. Poor little Hope Scholar! She had travelled far since the -days when she had refused to “appeal” because she was better employed in -listening to the nightingales. - - “Edinburgh, July 13th. - - SIR,—I see that a juryman has written to you to say how very ill the - recent decision as to the costs agrees with the intentions of the - jury, and a lawyer has made clear how extraordinary it is in point of - law. Will you allow me to say a few words, from personal experience, - on the practical results? - - The medical students of Edinburgh have received a hint by which some - of them seem well inclined to profit. They have been told pretty - plainly that it is possible that there should be a riot got up for the - express purpose of insulting women, for one of the very women insulted - to be accused of libel when she complains of such conduct, and then - for the insulters to escape scot-free, and the complainer to be - mulcted in expenses. In fact the moral seems to be that, unless a - woman is willing to be saddled with costs to the amount of several - hundred pounds, she had better resolve to submit to every kind of - insult, without even allowing herself to mention the facts. - - I say that some of the students appear to have taken the hint so - given; for to this I must think is due the treatment received by - myself and some of my friends if we happen to meet students on our way - home in the evening. It will possibly strike some people as - sufficiently extraordinary that a knot of young men should find - pleasure in following a woman through the streets, and should take - advantage of her being alone to shout after her all the foulest - epithets in their voluminous vocabulary of abuse; yet such is the - case. I am quite aware that it would be useless to represent to those - students the injury they do to the University and to the medical - profession in the eyes of the public, because neither of these - considerations would weigh with them for a moment; but it may make - some impression on them to be told that the effect of their conduct is - really such as they would least desire. Dr. Christison is reported to - have said during his examination in Court, that he considered the riot - of November to be ‘a great misfortune,’ and from his point of view he - was undoubtedly right. If the wish of these students is to bar our - progress, and frighten us from the prosecution of the work we have - taken in hand, I venture to say never was a greater mistake made. Each - fresh insult is an additional incentive to finish the work begun. I - began the study of medicine merely from personal motives; now I am - also impelled by the desire to remove women from the care of such - young ruffians. I am quite aware that respectable students will say, - and say truly, that these are the dregs of the profession, and that - they will never take a high place as respectable practitioners. Such - is doubtless the case; but what then? Simply that, instead of having - the medical charge of ladies with rich husbands and fathers, to whom, - from self-interest, they would be respectful, they will have the - treatment of unprotected servants and shop-girls. I should be very - sorry to see any poor girl under the care (!) of such men as those, - for instance, who the other night followed me through the street, - using medical terms to make the disgusting purport of their language - more intelligible to me. When a man can put his scientific knowledge - to such degraded use, it seems to me he cannot sink much lower. - - How far the recent decisions are calculated to arrest or discourage - such conduct, I leave the public to judge.—I am, etc. - - MARY EDITH PECHEY.” - -One is glad to note that the _Lancet_ now took fire: - - “Common candour must compel any unprejudiced person to admit that the - fight has been pursued by the orthodox party _per fas et nefas_, and - that the ill-advised conduct of grave and learned seniors in the - profession has offered only too plausible an excuse to the heated - blood of younger partisans to indulge in coarse excesses.” - -It would be wrong to make too much of this ebullition of wickedness from -the hearts of “ill-led” boys; but we must not forget that the women were -scarcely more than girls, unable to view these things as calmly as we -view them now; and all these experiences went to make them the thing -they became. - -For the iron entered into their souls. - -Thirty years later one of their number—a married woman and a physician -of standing—was heard to say that on her occasional visits to Edinburgh, -she would make a détour of miles rather than pass the gates of Surgeons’ -Hall. - -“Would you _really_?” said S. J.-B. - - - - - CHAPTER X - SOME FRIENDSHIPS AND HOLIDAYS - - -Of course S. J.-B. was not allowed to pay one penny of her expenses. The -amount was subscribed, and more than subscribed, by sympathizers all -over the United Kingdom in the course of a few weeks; and her brother’s -cheque was duly returned. It would almost seem as if nothing had done so -much to excite public interest and fellow-feeling as that unfortunate -speech and the lawsuit to which it led. The very names of those who -undertook to receive subscriptions gave a striking indication of the -challenge of popular sympathy.[83] - -Footnote 83: - - Mrs. Hill Burton, Rev. Professor Calderwood, Treasurer Colston, J. R. - Findlay, Esq., David Greig, Esq., Mrs. Hope of Drylaw, Miss Agnes - M‘Laren, Mrs. Nichol, Admiral Sir W. Ramsay, K.C.B., Miss L. - Stevenson, and R. S. Wyld, Esq. - -There was no lack of criticism and condemnation, of course; the move and -countermove went on; but hundreds of letters poured in, bearing witness, -not only to the width, but to the depth, of the feeling called forth. -Miss Frances Power Cobbe’s impulsive beginning,—“I want words to express -my indignation,—” was typical of many. Harriet Martineau, too, was a -subscriber and a cordial sympathizer.[84] - -Footnote 84: - - “If you, as the honoured and trusted representative of us working - women, are insulted for us all, the grosser the insult, the more - secure you must be of sympathy and gratitude from increasing - multitudes of individuals, and of the adoption of our cause as a - practical aim by the best part of society in our day.” - -A number of subscriptions were returned after the full amount was -raised, and many people expressed their disappointment at hearing of the -fund only through the announcement that it was closed. “I wish it would -open again,” wrote the Revd. Professor Charteris, “even if it were only -a little chink.” - -Here are two very different letters that one is glad to put on record: - - “Inverness, Aug. 3/71. - - DEAR MISS STEVENSON,[85] - - Assuredly _no man_ could calmly read Miss Jex-Blake’s case, out of or - in Court. And, could I do so publicly, I would cast from me with - _loathing_ all my once valued connexions with the Edinr. Colleges of - Physicians and Surgeons; to show my utter disgust at (with a few - honourable exceptions) their unmanly brutal conduct towards Miss Blake - and her friends. - - On the 9th (D.V.) I shall be in Edinburgh, when I shall call for or - write to you. On that day, I hope to get some help from absent friends - to add to the mite of - - Yours faithfully, - J. MACKENZIE, M.D.” - -Footnote 85: - - Miss Louisa Stevenson and Mrs. Henry Kingsley had kindly undertaken to - be Hon. Treasurers of the fund. - - “33 Richmond Place, - Edinburgh, 24th Aug. 1871. - - MADAM, - - I beg to enclose a P.O.O. for eight shillings. This small sum is - subscribed by a few working men in aid of the fund for defraying the - Law expences so unjustly thrust upon Miss Jex-Blake for simply - speaking the truth in her own defence in a Straightforward Manner. - They deeply sympathise with this lady in the noble struggle she is - making for Womens right to a liberal education and remunerative - employment. May she be of good cheer, of good courage, and continue - steadfast unto the end. - - I am, Madam, - Your obedient Servant, - JAMES GRAY. - - P.S. If this subscription be advertised please put it, A few working - men—8s. It is payable at the Nicholson Street Post Office. - - Miss A. M‘Laren.” - -There was almost always an element of comic relief, too, about these -tragic and moving situations. The following letter was one of those -which provided it in this case: - - “58 Altom Street, - Blackburn, 15 Aug./71. - - MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - DEAR MADAM, - - Although a complete stranger to you I have long been familiar - with your name, and also with your efforts to open the Edinburgh - University to Ladies. I understand that you have been in America, you - will therefore be familiar with many of the Colleges and Universities - there. My wife who is in full practice here has studied Medicine in - the Hygeio-Therapeutic Medical College and has obtained her M.D. - Degree from the same College. As I am able to influence the Degree of - M.D. to either Ladies or Gentlemen who are able to satisfy me as to - their fitness to practise Medicine, I thought I would communicate with - you, as probably an American degree would answer your purpose until it - is possible to procure one from an English or Scotch University. - - After all, it is not the degree but the ability of a Medical - practitioner that should be appreciated....” - -Truly: but the law has something to say about the signing of death -certificates, the registration of lunatics, the recovery of fees, and -other incidental details. More strawberry jam labels! - -The cheque, for over £1000, was presented to S. J.-B. at a public -meeting, when there was a large gathering of influential citizens, the -faithful Lord Provost occupying the chair. When all expenses were fully -paid, a balance remained of over £100, which S. J.-B. asked leave to add -to an already existing “nest-egg” for the purpose of founding a future -hospital for women officered by women. - -The immediate struggle with the University was not made any easier, -however, though the “Cause” was gaining ground by strides all over the -rest of the world. The _Scotsman_ continued to give a wholesome lead to -the press: indeed no woman gained scholastic or other honours anywhere -without having her name and achievement duly registered with an implicit -_Verb. sap._ at the end of the paragraph. - -One is glad to record, too, that one or two delightful holidays relieved -the strain of this year’s work. Mrs. Thorne was proving herself a most -valuable representative, not comparably so well versed as S. J.-B. in -all the _minutiae_ of the conflict, but certainly less exacting and -easier to work with. - -Considering the stem from which she sprang—a Tory family of landed -gentry—S. J.-B. as prophetess had a surprising amount of honour in her -own house. Her conservative old friend, Lady Waldegrave, had written a -quite touching letter of appreciation in April of this year; and her -Norfolk uncle and aunt, the Revd. Thomas and Mrs. Gunton actually -subscribed to the cause and allowed their names to be put on her -Committee, though Mrs. Gunton had postponed reading the papers bearing -on the subject for some time, from fear that she and her husband would -be constrained to refuse. - -“How ANY WOMAN can have a desire for the Medical Profession is indeed -WONDERFUL,” she writes, “but of course only very talented ones could go -through the stiff examinations that are required.” - -She remarks too, with complacence, that men doctors will be kept up to -the mark when they have to compete against women. - -In some remote part of Norfolk, Mrs. Jex-Blake gave her name in a shop, -whereupon “a lady stepped forward and said what good work you were -doing, but, if we were English, we must think very ill of the _Scotch_. -I said No, you had received far more kindness than unkindness, having -had a great many real and warm friends.” - -This incident leads one to note that the present year, 1871, saw the -ripening into lifelong friendship of S. J.-B.’s acquaintance with Miss -Agnes M‘Laren, daughter of the Member for Edinburgh,—a lady who adds one -more to the gallery of truly noble women with whom we are brought into -contact when reviewing S. J.-B.’s life. At the time of “the Edinburgh -Fight,” Miss M‘Laren was engaged in Suffrage work with Miss Taylour, -acting as Hon. Secretary to the Association (with no paid subordinate to -do the drudgery), travelling on occasion all over Scotland in serious -propagation of her principles.[86] She was perhaps the most public- -spirited member of a public-spirited family, for the reason that in her -the strong purpose, shrewd judgment and liberal sympathies that -characterized all, were combined with an instinctive aloofness and even -shyness, with a spirit almost of quietism, with a real old-world grace -of womanhood. - -Footnote 86: - - It is interesting to note that at this time almost all public-spirited - women thought the suffrage would be granted before the right to a - medical education. They had so nearly got it more than once! “You will - accomplish nothing,” S. J-B. was sometimes told, “until we get the - vote.” And one is grimly amused to find her expressing a serious fear - that the suffrage may be granted before she has had an opportunity of - hearing her friend, Miss M‘Laren, speak in support of it. She need - have entertained no undue apprehension on this score. - -She was hailed with something like reverence by the work-worn, hard- -driven students at 15 Buccleuch Place, and almost from the first they -spoke of her among themselves as “St. Agnes,” a name to which she -characteristically took exception as soon as it reached her ears. - - “DEAR MISS M‘LAREN,” writes S. J.-B. in this connection,— - - “You can’t seriously suppose that anybody in this house,—least of all - that I,—should really laugh at you!—though I don’t doubt that you are - a great deal too humble-minded to understand in the least the sort of - light in which most of us working women do regard you. However we’ll - keep our pet name for you to ourselves if you don’t like it.” - -And again a few weeks later: - - “15 Buccleuch Place, - Edinburgh. June 7th. - - DEAR MISS M‘LAREN, - - Though we all miss you here almost daily, I am unselfish enough - to be heartily glad that you are going to Germany. I am sure the - change of air and scene must do you good, and the chestnut trees at - Heidelberg must be simply lovely now. - - When you get to the top and sit and look down at the valley of the - Neckar, you may picture me (as a lonely English teacher at Mannheim) - going over there on Sundays to church, and climbing to that brow to - enjoy the setting sun and the infinite peacefulness and beauty of the - whole scene. - - I only _wish_ I could be there with you!—If you stay at all at - Mannheim, do go and see my old school, the ‘Grossherzogliches - Institut’—I think they will still remember my name there,—and I should - like so much to hear news of them. They would be electrified to hear - of me as a doctor. - - I finished up by having scarlet fever there, and shocked them all by - refusing to submit to the stupid old German regimen of starvation and - shut windows!... - - I do most heartily wish you a pleasant journey and great rest and - refreshment in it. Do you know that when I got your letter such a - longing came over me to see the Rhine again that for a moment I almost - thought of asking if you would take me with you, but five minutes - reflection showed me how wrong and foolish it would be for me to leave - home just now in the midst of term, and with these ‘appeals’ still - undecided, and with my petition to the Senatus coming on! But it _was_ - a huge temptation all the same!” - -This brings us back to the diary: - - “Monday June 5th. The trial over at last. ‘Farthing damages’ - satisfactory, I suppose. - - But I so weary! If I could but get a month’s real rest! I wake feeling - driven,—I get through nothing all day, and I lie down tired out at - night. - - Wednesday, June 7th. Sur ces entrefaites (as my present neighbours - would say) came a letter from St. Agnes saying she was to go to - Heidelberg on Saturday for three weeks. Instantly—Why shouldn’t I go - with her, quoth the Infantine. - - Fifty reasons, quoth the Estimable,—law, money, study, Senatus, etc., - etc. - - Telling Pussy[87] of the temptation overcome, came a proposal to - ‘treat Resolution,’ urged by her, E.P., and even Mrs. Thorne. - -Footnote 87: - - The name by which Miss Louisa Stevenson was affectionately known in - the little circle. - - Millar [lawyer] said I could be spared. - - So Thursday went to London with L. and F. Stevenson,... Good journey. - Slept at Hampstead. - - Sunday 11th. Morning Stopford Brooke, St. James Chapel, York Street. - Stood till sermon, then pulpit stairs.... - -It might almost have been predicted that S. J.-B. would not pass through -Paris in a time of peace. The visit was destined to prove exciting -enough. She just dashes down a few polyglot jottings in her diary to -serve as stepping-stones for memory later on: - - Tuesday 13th. Reached Paris about 6.30. No cabs, no apparent chance of - any. At length in streets 2-seated fiacre, drove to [Hotel] - Folkestone, was deposited, C. M‘L.[88] returning for others. - -Footnote 88: - - Mr. Charles M‘Laren (now Lord Aberconway) and Mr. Walter M‘Laren - were of the party. - - Friday 16th. Writing all above (from 7th. onwards) by open window of - Hotel F.—rain falling on market outside. They not back from - Versailles, where gone in hope of hearing Assemblé, etc. - - Wednesday. After long trudge found ‘voiture de grande remise’ 4 frs. - the hour, drove by Luxembourg, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, etc. (Not - allowed to lift written scrap from street from heap of ruins by side - of Palais de Justice.) Great order and quiet everywhere and civility. - - Pantheon dinted with ‘obus’. Hotel de Ville gutted, (with all - registers, etc.)—Tuileries, and Palais de Justice Ditto. Ministère de - Finances even more utterly in ruins, and houses here and there,—e.g. - in Rue Royale by Madeleine and elsewhere. - - Hotel de Clugny incendie but unhurt. All along streets notice holes to - cellars stopped up with plaster for fear of petroleum. - - Thursday. Drove by Champs Elysées, to Champ de Mars, Porte de Neuilly - (where such destruction from bombs, etc., vault of railway crashed - in,—trees in splinters, etc.) Then by Quaies, into Place de Carrousel - between Tuileries and Louvre to Bastille Column and (through bad parts - of town ...) to Père la Chaise, with its horrible trenches filled with - hundreds of bodies and soaked black with petroleum (clothes, etc., - burnt over them?). - - Then that ghastly corner where 250 and 140 (‘4, 5 femmes,’) were shot - ‘en pleine vigueur’ crying ‘Vive la République!’ as a keen young - fossier told with evident sympathy, he having had to stand by,—see the - firing, and bury the results. - - Today Friday, 16th. The Petit Moniteur gives a horrible circular (torn - down last night in the Rue Rochechouard) inciting ‘Travailleurs from - every country to join against priests, soldiers and tyrants, and - succeed, or nous nous ensevelirons sous les ruines de Paris!’ - - Fancy crying for fresh bloodshed when steeped in it to the lips now! - - Some Frenchwomen at table curiously indignant at our small care about - English ‘communists’,—quite unable to understand how the solidarity of - national sentiment made such as these late events impossible in - England, and then, when I mildly said so, shooting at me:—‘Pourtant, - la Révolution où on a tué votre roi!’!!” - - “Monday 20th. Went to Versailles to see the Chambre;—unpunctual - sitting, I only present during some minutes of debate. Given ticket in - ‘D’ by President Grévy. - - 6.30. Left Paris via Dieppe. 8 hours roughish sea. - - Tuesday. Brighton.” - -So there was no Heidelberg after all,—no sitting on the brow of the hill -to look down on the valley of the Neckar, and recall _ces jours heureux -où nous étions si misérables_. We are not told why S.J.-B.’s holiday was -cut so short: perhaps railway communication was broken for the moment, -and it proved impossible to proceed: but in any case it may be that the -intense and unexpected picture of carnage and strife served to take her -more completely out of herself and her worries than the more peaceful -experience she would have chosen. - -Moreover a real holiday was in store that Autumn, a holiday brightened -by a visit from Dr. Lucy Sewall. How much this meant to her one gathers -from the following letter, written about this date: - - “MY DARLING, - - I am so sorry for your loss of poor little Scamper,—I have got a - splendid big ‘Collie’ for you here,—the handsomest I ever saw,—if you - can take him back with you. If, that is, you _must_ go back; but, oh, - Lucy, I do _so_ wish you would stay with us here for a few years. - - People are getting wild for women doctors here,—and you might make - almost any income, and do quite incalculable good by living here for - the next five years. - - We have eleven women studying here now, and absolutely no one to give - them [adequate] uterine teaching! - - This morning I had a quite spontaneous offer of £200 to help found a - Women’s Hospital here, and I believe that in a week I could get ten - times that amount promised. - - You should organize everything exactly as you liked, and, republican - wretch as you are, you would be a sort of Queen among us,—and, what - you would care for much more, would do quite infinite good to - everybody concerned,—ladies, poor women, students, and all. - - However, you shan’t be bothered or worried. I think the strongest - argument of all will be when you see for yourself how sorely we need - you. - - I shall not make any definite plans for you till after you come. If - you like to stay quietly in Scotland all the time, we will do so, or I - will go with you to Zurich or Paris or anywhere you like.... Send me - early word of the steamer by which you expect to come, and, if at all - possible, I will meet you at Liverpool.... - - I send you another copy of my Suffrage speech, and hope you have - received the newspapers about the trial. - - Your very aff. - S. L. J.-B. - - Turk has put on mourning for Scamper,—crape round his left arm, as - they do in the army. He evidently quite understands, for he doesn’t - try to get it off....” - -The reader will not need to be told that S. J.-B. went out on the tender -to meet her friend at Liverpool,—“after awful rush previous day with -Surgeons’ Hall, leader, etc.” - -Dr. Sewall’s choice of a holiday, happily, was a quiet time, mainly in -Perthshire; but, straight from Liverpool, the two fellow-workers went to -Shipley to see Mrs. Unwin, whose health had been failing for some time. - -The friendship between S. J.-B. and her fellow student had never -flagged. S. J.-B. had paid repeated visits to the Yorkshire home, where -husband and wife vied with each other in the warmth of their welcome, -and where both had proved most loyal advocates and upholders of the new -Cause. More than once when a petition was being got ready for Parliament -on the subject of the medical education of women, Mrs. Unwin had proved -herself a keen and successful canvasser for signatures in her -neighbourhood, throwing into the scale that weight of personal -popularity which is so important a factor in the achievement of any aim. -She had even paid a visit to the beehive at 15 Buccleuch Place, to be -made much of by the workers, and to be not a little impressed by the -sight of such divers and strenuous activities. - -And now she was ill, and S. J.-B. was perfectly sure that, if anyone -could bring healing, it was “the little doctor.” - -Fresh courage they brought indeed, a little fresh lease of life in which -the sufferer recovered strength and proved a renewed source of comfort -to husband and children before she was called hence out of their sight; -but healing in this world was not to be. _Dis aliter visum._ - - * * * * * - -In other respects the holiday was a refreshing one. It included -attendance at a meeting of the British Association—great joy for Dr. -Sewall—and a stay at an old Perthshire farmhouse, which, to many other -attractions in S. J.-B.’s eyes, added the crowning one of a ghost,—a -ghost which was visible to the dogs, and abundantly audible to herself -and Miss Du Pre, though it failed subsequently to make any impression on -the representatives of the Society for Psychical Research. - -From the farmhouse as a centre they made delightful excursions, the germ -of many subsequent driving-tours in Perthshire, and it was on this -occasion that the roadside inn at Fortingal was discovered, with its -restful surroundings, cosy interior, and omelettes that constituted a -positive object in life to the healthy holiday-maker! - -After a farewell visit to Mrs. Unwin, Dr. Sewall sailed for Boston in -September, parting from S. J.-B. on the tender at Liverpool. Her “log” -was a lengthy one, full of wise observations and reflection, and every -word of it was written for S. J.-B.... - - “MY DEAR ONE, - - ... I have been thinking last night that if you and I could ever - practise together, we ought to do better than either alone, for you - have many qualities in which I am wanting. I think if we were - together, you would write a valuable book, and so give the world a - higher idea of women doctors. I know I shall never succeed in writing - a good book by myself. - - It hardly seems worth while to make you read all my fancies, but it - seems to bring you nearer to me while I am writing, and the days are - so long and lonely here.” - - “When I lie awake nights and think of you wanting me to help you in - Edinburgh, it seems to me as if I must break off from all my ties, and - come back to you at once; but then my New England conscience wakes up - and tells me that my life must be duty and not pleasure, and I try to - be contented with doing the work that God gives me, and trust that - when I am really at work it will be all right. - - I do hope that you are having a nice quiet time with Miss Du Pre, and - getting rested.” - - “It is just a week now since I said Goodbye to you, but it seems - almost like a month to me. Last night for the first time since I left, - I dreamed of having patients instead of dreaming of you.” - - - - - CHAPTER XI - THE QUESTION OF PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATION - - -Apart from the ghost—which was a pure joy, though a very exciting one—S. -J.-B.’s holiday was broken in upon by very disturbing rumours. - -It was whispered by some of those who might have been supposed to know, -that—notwithstanding the paragraphs that still stood in the _University -Calendar_ (see p. 260)—an effort would be made to prevent any new women -candidates from undergoing the Preliminary Examination, and from -matriculating. Worse than this, it was hinted that a similar effort -would be made to prevent the women who had been studying for that -express purpose for two years, from presenting themselves for the First -Professional Examination. - -There were positive difficulties apart from these vague rumours. In a -previous chapter we saw that the President of the Royal College of -Physicians and the President of the Royal College of Surgeons had -refused to preside at the prize-giving “if lady students were to be -present and to receive their prizes on that occasion.” This announcement -was followed by a decision on the part of the lecturers at Surgeons’ -Hall “to rescind the permission given last summer to those lecturers who -desired to admit ladies to their classes,”—“it being, however, -understood that the prohibition should not extend to the instructions by -Dr. Keiller [in Midwifery] and others, of women who were not registered -students of medicine.” - -It was still open to the women, of course, to get Extra-Mural lecturers -to teach them elsewhere, if rooms could be found and the necessary -arrangements made; but, as regarded the original students, an automatic -deadlock arose at this point of which certain Professors unhappily -elected to avail themselves: - -By the rules of the University only four classes might be taken from -Extra-Mural (non-professorial) teachers, and the original students had -already taken these four. Professor Christison’s class was one of those -that came next in turn, and it would, perhaps, have been expecting too -much of human nature that he should have chosen this moment in which to -lay down his arms. In any case, he refused point blank. - -In this dilemma, the women appealed to the Senatus,—(1) to appoint -special University lecturers (assistants to the Professors or others) -whose payment the women would guarantee; or (2) alternatively, to relax, -in the case of the women, the ordinary regulations, so that they might -take an increased number of Extra-Mural classes. - -Counsel’s opinion was taken by the Senatus as to the powers of the -University in this respect, and, an opinion adverse to the wishes of the -women having been received, the Senatus decided by a majority of one to -take no action in the matter. - -Promptly S. J.-B. and her Committee submitted the facts to other counsel -(the Lord Advocate and Sheriff Fraser) and received the opinion (1) that -it was quite competent to the University authorities to make any -necessary provision for the completion of the ladies’ education: and (2) -that the Medical Faculty were bound to admit the ladies to professional -examination on the subjects in which they were already qualified to -pass. - -This latter point was included with special reference to the incredible -rumours referred to above. - -As the day of the examinations drew near and nothing happened, the -leaders among the women began to feel reassured. The following letters, -however, show how well-founded their fears were: - - “Private. - - Oct. 2. 71. - - MY DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I shall be at the Senatus any day you like, unless prevented by - something of which I have no present prospect. - - I was glad to hear, from my wife, ... that Mr. Fraser has given you a - favourable opinion. His view that the Professors are _bound_ to teach - all persons who present Matriculation tickets to them, is what I have - always held, and I believe often expressed to you. In the same way I - should say, they are bound to examine them. What you must do now, - then, I fancy, is to present your Mat: tickets and class fees and - _demand_ class tickets, and present your Certificates, etc., and - _demand_ Examination, and, on either or both being refused, claim a - legal remedy. If possible you ought to go to the Court of Session and - not to the University Court; and to the 2nd Division, if you have to - go beyond the Lord Ordinary. Moncrieff will be much influenced by - Fraser’s opinion, whereas Inglis will be influenced, if at all, in the - wrong direction. As Chancellor, however, I should think he would - himself decline to sit as a Judge in a case which may come before him - in the former capacity. - - With kind regards from Mrs. Lorimer, believe me, - - Yours very truly, - J. LORIMER.” - - “16 Charlotte Square, - Edinburgh. - Friday, Oct. 13th. 1871. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - ... I should very much like to see the legal opinion you have - obtained upon the point of legal responsibility as incurred by the - University Court in their pragmatic sanction of the lady students - matriculating and passing their preliminary examination. - - A legal opinion depends so entirely upon the manner in which the - matter is laid before counsel, and usually leaves so many loopholes - for escape unperceived by a non-professional eye, that I am always - jealous of such opinions unless the interpretation thereof is given by - someone of good common sense and legal experience.... - - I shall be at home tomorrow (Saturday) evening at 7.40 p.m. when it - will give me the greatest pleasure to see you, if that will suit your - convenience. - - Is it true that Mrs. de Lacy Evans is engaged to Mr. Russel of the - Scotsman?!!! - - Most faithfully yours, - PATRICK HERON WATSON.” - -Here is a significant little letter, too, from the Secretary to the -University: - - “Inveresk. Oct. 13. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I have instructed Mr. Gilbert[89] to receive the money [for the First - Professional Examn.] and give the customary acknowledgments, so that - you may be all right with the Dean. - - I am bound to call a meeting of Senatus upon a requisition signed by 3 - Professors. Secure a day likely to suit your friends. Saturday is not - a good day generally, and on Friday 2 or 3 are coming down here to - dine,—at least they are asked to do so. - - How would Thursday or Monday do? - - Yours truly, - JOHN WILSON.” - -Footnote 89: - - Clerk of the University. - -That afternoon, we are told, there was a “furious row” in the Medical -Faculty, and a day or two later each of the women candidates for the -First Professional Examination received a copy of the following letter: - - “University of Edinburgh, - October 14th, 1871. - - MADAM, - - I am instructed by the Medical Faculty to inform you that your - name and your fees have been received in error by the Clerk of the - University as a candidate for the first professional examination - during the present month, but that the Faculty cannot receive you for - such examination without the sanction of the Senatus Academicus. - - I am, Madam, - Your obedient servant, - J. H. BALFOUR, - Dean of the Medical Faculty.” - -Two days later S. J.-B. received the following letter with reference to -the Preliminary Examination: - - “University of Edinburgh, Oct. 16. 1871. - - MADAM, - - I am desired by the Dean of the Medical Faculty to inform you - that he has been interdicted by the Faculty from giving examination - papers to ladies on the 17th and 18th curt. - - Kindly communicate this fact to the ladies whose names you some time - ago handed in to me for this examination. - - I am, etc., - THOMAS GILBERT.” - -It will be noticed that the letter was dated on the day previous to that -on which the examination was to take place. Three ladies had come—or -were on their way—from various parts of the kingdom to submit to it. If -they were not allowed to enter, they would be thrown back in their -professional studies for a whole year. - -Most women—and men—would have sat down under this blow. S. J.-B. went -straight to her solicitor and took him with her to see the advocate (Mr. -Fraser). The following is a copy of the letter that was sent by them to -the Dean of the Medical Faculty: - - “Chambers, 8 Bank Street, - Edinburgh. Oct. 16th. 1871. - - DEAR SIR, - - We have been instructed to obtain the opinion of counsel with - reference to the legality of your refusal to admit ladies to the - Preliminary Examination in Arts, which will take place tomorrow. - - We beg now to enclose the memorial submitted, and the opinion given - thereon by Mr. Patrick Fraser, for your perusal, and request that you - will, at your earliest convenience, return them to us. - - We beg to point out that you are individually responsible if the - refusal is persisted in, and that we have been instructed, in that - case, to raise actions for damages against you at the instance of each - of the memorialists. You will also observe that the instructions of - the Medical Faculty, being in themselves illegal, will be no defence - against such actions. - - We trust that you will, in these circumstances, reconsider the matter, - and see fit to retract the refusal, and prevent the necessity of - further proceedings. - - We are, etc., - MILLAR, ALLARDICE & ROBSON, W.S. - - Professor Balfour, M.D., - Dean of the Medical Faculty.” - -There was no loss of time in receiving the reply: - - “University of Edinburgh, Oct. 16th., 1871.[90] - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I have received the legal notice from your solicitor. Under - these circumstances I shall not take the responsibility of refusing - the ladies admission to the preliminary examination as heretofore. But - I must inform you that I admit them provisionally until the matter is - decided by the proper authorities, and without prejudice as regards - myself. - - I am, etc., - J. H. BALFOUR.” - -Footnote 90: - - The dates of these three letters are correctly given. They were all - delivered by hand. - -So the ladies were duly examined in the ordinary course. - -On applying for Matriculation tickets, however, they were informed by -the clerk that the Principal of the University had written him word -that, in consequence of representations made to him by Professor -Christison, no ladies were at present to be allowed to matriculate. “Of -course,” said a friendly professor, “the Principal had no more authority -to issue this decree than had the janitor.” - -In this case, fortunately, there was time to call a meeting of Senatus, -as referred to by Professor Wilson above (letter of October 13), and the -necessary requisition was signed by Professors Crum Brown, Tait, and -Liston. - - [Diary.] “Tuesday 17th. Preliminary examination all right,—Mundy, - Dahms, and Miller. Dr. Alex. Wood takes Motion in General Council. - - Thursday, 19th. Leader written yesterday, in proof today. I, oh, so - tired! Settled about motions in Senatus. Med. Fac. want Lord - Advocate’s opinion,—seem shaking in their shoes. - - Ah, we _will_ win,—but the price!” - -Poor little Despotic Emperor! Where was her Sackermena? - - “It may be that the gulphs will bear us down, - It may be we shall reach the happy isles....” - - “How these worries must increase the difficulties of study in the case - of each one of you;” wrote a faithful friend, the Dowager Countess of - Buchan, next day. “But then the certainty of success _somehow_, as the - dear Newman used to say, when he meant that there were benedictions in - the air; and that you will surely have worked out the greatest - possible benefit for womankind for all generations, even if - hostilities are prolonged, must be a support now and an abundant - recompense, I hope, for all your toils when they are happily - concluded.” - -About the same time another “honourable woman” was writing: - - “SIR, - - I venture to trouble you with a post office Order for £2,— - payable from me to yourself,—as my small contribution to the Fund - needed by the General Committee for securing a Complete Medical - Education for Women in Edinburgh. - - The question is so important, and the Lady-students have manifested so - fine a spirit and temper under the harassing trials, that a large - proportion of their countrymen will, I trust, feel the obligation of - sustaining them during their conflict with jealousies and prejudices - which will scarcely be credited by a future generation. - - Permit me to offer you my thanks for the service you render to a good - cause by managing the financial concerns of the movement, and believe - me, Sir, with much respect. - - Yours, - HARRIET MARTINEAU. - - W. L. Reid, Esq.” - -At the Senatus meeting on Oct. 21st., the question of admitting women to -the First Professional Examination was discussed, and the Medical -Faculty was instructed to examine them. It is interesting to know that -all the candidates passed. - -But S. J.-B. was not one of them. All her strength was being spent in -carving out the way. - -It was matter for congratulation, of course, that the schemes of the -enemy had been foiled; but the friends of the women in the University -were now more anxious than ever to raise the whole question on to a -level above these harassing obstacles. At a meeting of the University -Council Dr. Alexander Wood moved that “the University is bound in honour -and justice to render it possible for these women who have already -commenced their studies, to complete them.” - -“This,” said the _Lancet_, “is precisely the ground we have always taken -up about the matter; and we hope the General Council of the University -will, by the adoption of Dr. Alexander Wood’s motion, put an end to the -controversy which has redounded so little to the credit of that school.” - -Dr. Wood made a brave and telling little speech, and was ably seconded -by Mr. Alexander Nicolson. In moving the amendment, Professor Turner, -with great shrewdness, quoted S. J.-B.’s letter to the Dean of the -Medical Faculty of two years before (see p. 235), a letter which, at a -superficial glance, looked like the weakest point in her case—the letter -in which she had signified her willingness “to withdraw my application -altogether if, after due and sufficient trial, it should be found -impracticable to grant me a continuance of the favour which I now -request”; and of course no one present knew enough of the facts to -reply. It was only after Dr. Wood’s motion had been lost by 107 votes to -97, that S. J.-B. had an opportunity of pointing out—in the hospitable -columns of the _Scotsman_—that the letter quoted had reference only to -the tentative proposal that she, alone and without matriculation, should -attend Professor Balfour’s and Professor Allman’s summer courses. This -proposal the University had refused, “deferring the whole question till -a permanent plan could be arranged and formally sanctioned by all the -necessary authorities,—which was finally accomplished after eight months -of consideration and delay.” - -This is one instance—out of hundreds—of S. J.-B.’s extraordinary ability -to refute statements that _looked true_, that _might have been true_, -that _were nearly true_,—by a precise quotation of facts. It was an -ability that made for her more enemies than friends as life went on. Let -it be noted, too, that, but for the generosity of the press, she never -could have corrected such statements at all. - - “To sum up the whole matter in one word,” she wrote, “I will venture - to say, that, instead of the daily trials of the past two years and - the apparent deadlock at which we have now arrived, we should have - found nothing but smooth paths for our feet, and no difficulties from - either students or professors, had Dr. Christison but kept to the - promise he voluntarily made to me at the close of my single interview— - of two minutes—with him 2 years ago—‘I shall vote against you, but I - shall take no measures to oppose you.’” - -Once more the _Lancet_ made dignified protest: - - “The Edinburgh school has come badly out of its imbroglio with the - lady students. The motion of Dr. Alexander Wood, to which we made - reference last week, was negatived by a majority of ten. As we then - pointed out, the issue before the General Council was neither more nor - less than this,—to keep faith with the female students whom the - University had allowed to proceed two years in their medical - curriculum. The Council was not asked to commit itself in the - slightest degree to any opinion, favourable or unfavourable, to the - admission of ladies to a medical career. It had only to concede, in - common courtesy, not to say common fairness, the right to which the - best legal advice had clearly shown the female students to be - entitled,—the right to carry on the studies they had been allowed to - prosecute half way towards graduation. Will it be believed? An - amendment postponing the settlement of the difficulty till it had been - duly considered by the authorities of the University, was put and - carried; as if there was any more room for ‘consideration’ in the - matter! Thus Edinburgh stands convicted of having acted unfairly - towards seven ladies, whom she first accepted as pupils, and then - stopped half-way in their career.”[91] - -Footnote 91: - - _Lancet_, November 4, 1871. - -Move and countermove follow with bewildering rapidity at this time. -Within a fortnight Professor Muirhead is urging the Senatus to rescind -the regulations for the admission of women to the University, reserving -the rights of those already entered; and this is passed by a majority of -one,—14 to 13. - -Eighteen Professors, however, rose up in wrath to protest against this -decision, and—as only fifteen, out of a total of thirty-five, could be -got to support it,—the regulations of Nov. 1869, were confirmed by the -University Court, and everything was left _in statu quo_![92] - -Footnote 92: - - “The Court find it inexpedient at present to rescind the said - resolutions and regulations, and therefore decline to give effect to - the decision of the Senatus. The Court must not be understood as - indicating by this deliverance any opinion as to the claims of women - to proceed to graduation, or as to the power of the University to - confer on women degrees in the Faculty of Medicine.” Commd. by - direction of the University Court. J. Christison, W.S., Sec. - - * * * * * - -Meanwhile—in addition to classes for the seniors—arrangements had to be -made for the three new students who had entered. It was probably in -connection with these that S. J.-B. received the following letter: - - “17 Drummond Place, - December 23rd. /71. - - DEAR MADAM, - - As you will probably be aware before you receive this, I have - been utterly unsuccessful in my attempts to bring my Colleague to my - own way of looking at the matter in question. - - I may mention to you that my own impression, derived from various - conversations with several of the most prominent of your opponents, is - that they would have but little objection to give you, or at least to - make arrangements for giving you, the instruction you seek—_provided_ - it were sought as a favor and not claimed as a right—in other words I - think many of them are anxious to avoid making what might be called a - precedent. This I give you confidentially and merely as an impression, - but I have little doubt of its being at least nearly a correct one. - - Believe me, dear Madam, - Yours truly, - P. G. TAIT.” - -This was the letter of a wise man, and it might, perhaps, have been -better for the cause in the immediate future if S. J.-B. had acted on -the advice it contained. Her reply is not forthcoming, but we know quite -well that she was not prepared to run the risk involved in acting on the -advice. Two women had already secured registration “by a postern gate,” -and that was not her aim. She longed—no one more—to write M.D. after her -name; but she would, as a matter of course, have foregone that right -forever, if, by so doing, she could have opened the gate for all. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - THE ROYAL INFIRMARY - - -A year previously to the date we have reached, Robert Louis Stevenson -had written in a letter to his cousin: - - “You will probably know how nicely woman’s rights were received by - some of my fellow students the other day. The female medicals were - hooted, hissed and jostled till the police interfered. My views are - very neutral. I quite believe that Miss Jex-Blake and the rest of our - fellow studentesses are the first of a noble army, pioneers, - Columbuses and all that sort of thing. But at the same time, Miss Jex- - Blake is playing for the esteem of posterity. Soit, I give her - posterity, but I won’t marry either her, or her fellows. Let posterity - marry them. If posterity gets hold of this letter I shall probably be - burnt in effigy by some Royal Female College of Surgeons of the - future.” - -It was many years before this letter was brought to S. J.-B.’s notice, -and when it was, she received it with a hearty laugh of genuine -appreciation. She enjoyed R. L. S. much more than he enjoyed her, but -she had never had the smallest wish to marry him! - -He was entirely wrong, moreover, in the assumption that the women -students would have to wait for posterity to marry them. This very -autumn of 1871—to the profound sorrow and discomfiture of many upholders -of the movement—saw the engagement of no less than three of them. Mrs. -Evans’ engagement has been already noted in a letter from Dr. Patrick -Heron Watson. In a characteristic passage, we learn how the news of it -came to S. J.-B.’s ears: - - “After my business over with R., I rose to go. - - ‘Oh, sit down a minute. So your class is thinning?’ [Miss Anderson had - been married a month before]. - - ‘Yes,’ quoth I dolorously. ‘We’ve lost one.’ - - ‘And I hear you’re going to lose another!’ - - ‘Oh, no,’ protestingly. ‘I hope not.’ - - ‘But I think so.’ - - ‘Do you? Well, have you heard who?’ - - ‘Mrs. Evans.’ - - ‘Oh, no,—I don’t believe it.’ - - ‘Well, she told me so herself.’ - - ‘_Did_ she?—and who on earth to?’ - - R. got red up to top of bald crown. ‘Have you no idea?’ - - ‘No,’ (a fib by this time). - - ‘Really no idea?’ - - ‘How should I?’ - - ‘Well,—she asked _me_ to tell you about it,—does that give you an - idea?’ - - ‘_Mr. R.!_—you don’t mean to say it’s you?’ - - Great redness, and ‘Yes, I do.’ - - ‘Well!!!—I hope your treachery will go between you and your sleep!’ - - ‘Now don’t you be hard upon her! Will you go and see her?’ - - ‘No, certainly not. The most she can expect is that I don’t send a - policeman after her.’ - - ‘And brand her with D?’ - - ‘Yes. You may tell her I won’t do that,—and that’s the utmost she can - expect!’ - - And leaving,—‘Well, I think you’re an uncommonly lucky man, but I hope - your conscience will prevent your sleeping!’” - -This was all very well, but the blow was a severe one, especially as -Miss Chaplin was married—to Professor Ayrton—a month or two later. - - “I do hope you and Miss Pechey will remain firm to the end,” writes - Miss M‘Laren plaintively, “for really three marriages within six - months is quite alarming.” - -How many times Miss Pechey was urged to forsake the good fight one -cannot even roughly conjecture. Certainly very often.[93] - -Footnote 93: - - The following scrap has been inadvertently preserved. There is not - even any certain indication to whom it is addressed: - - “When I came into the Anatomical room and saw you sitting there - dissecting, I was overpowered,—utterly conquered. When I spoke to you - and you looked up at me to answer, the look you gave me was the coup - de mort!—I determined then in my own mind to seek you for my wife.... - - But to see you as you were then with your superlative beauty, working - so bravely, so sensibly,—all fashion, frivolity and folly cast aside,— - was to me so new, so strange and so admirable a sight, that on - considering and re-considering it, I don’t wonder at myself for - flinging aside ordinary prudence to make a snatch at a jewel of such - unusual brilliancy.” - - It is almost disappointing to reflect that the recipient of this - tribute was not equally prepared to “fling aside ordinary prudence.” - -There was no time, however, to weep over fallen comrades. One must just -give them decent burial, so to speak, and pass on. From this time forth -the work in hand must take a two-fold direction: - -1. The struggle in Edinburgh must be carried on with unabated energy, as -if success were a matter of course. - -2. Every enquiry must be made, with the utmost secrecy and discretion, -as to a more hopeful solution of the problem elsewhere. - -The following letters indicate some of the influences at work: - - “13 Sussex Square, - Brighton. - 1. November. - - DARLING, - - You must not think I don’t sympathize with you, but I am so - vexed and perplexed really I don’t know what to say. I always hope you - can see the next step in a clearer and brighter light than I do, and,— - you are sure you have my best wishes. I am rather uneasy about you, - being sure you must be worn and harassed, and can hardly know what to - do next. - - I am very glad the examinations were successfully passed.... - - Your loving, - M. E. J.-B.” - - “Trinity College, - Cambridge, - Oct. 18. 1871. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - Mr. Sidgwick has shown me in “the Scotsman” a notice to the - effect that they are attempting to exclude you from paying the fees at - Edinburgh. - - Are they making a final effort to reject you? Will it be successful? - If so, have you any plan of action. - - Please let us know, for Mr. Sidgwick and I have been consulting - together, and have made up our minds that we will try all that we can - now for your admission to this university, and we are ready to begin, - if you feel that this is your best place to turn to, and if you need - it. Let us know then. - - We feel quite sure of ultimate success here in the matter of full - admission of women to the whole benefits of the university. - - Still we do not know how distant ‘Ultimate’ may be. We are not - _sanguine_ of success at present in your cause. Still we think it - worth while trying, if it would materially help you. - - I am, - Yours truly, - JAMES STUART.” - -So there were very brave people in Cambridge as well as in Edinburgh: -for Mr. Stuart as well as Mr. Sidgwick knew all about that unfortunate -speech and the lawsuit to which it led. S. J.-B. had scrupulously sent -them the records; and, as a matter of fact, Mr. Sidgwick had been one of -the many distinguished people who subscribed to the Fund for defraying -the expenses of the lawsuit. - -If only the struggle had ended here: if only the University had -consented to give the women the little ledge they coveted on its -precipitous wall: or, failing that, if some young, enlightened -university had said, “Come to us!”—the story would be in all ways a -pleasanter one to tell. But that is not how things happen in life. -Removal to another university at this stage would simply have meant -beginning the fight all over again; and Edinburgh—blundering old -Edinburgh—was so kind, so homelike, with its great army of friends, many -of them convinced that victory lay within sight, that the inducement to -stay in spite of all was great. The very next turn of the wheel might -revolutionize all things. - -Meanwhile the protagonist had been on the strain for nearly three years, -and she was growing very weary of the struggle: she was losing a little -of the verve that had carried her on hitherto. The incessant canvassing, -organizing and writing had developed her inherent business capacity to -the last point, and was making her a little intolerant of unbusinesslike -ways in other people. It was more difficult than formerly in journalism -and in verbal argument to show herself all things to all men as she had -done so finely in those first calls on the Professors. But she had not -the smallest idea of giving in: like a strong man lost in the snow, she -was conscious mainly of a resolute determination to keep going on -somehow. - -“Your cause is sure to win,” Dr. Guthrie said to her about this time; -“but a cause may be won at the cost of a life.” - -“I know,” she replied, “I am prepared to give it mine.” - -But she did not mean to die if she could help it until the work was -done. - -In any case the next move was fairly clear. The Annual Meeting of -Contributors to the Royal Infirmary was coming round once more, and -again the election turned on the question of the admission of the women -to the wards. S. J.-B. went doggedly on with her canvassing, but the -outer public was getting a little bored with the whole subject, and she -herself had no longer the attraction of freshness and novelty. In those -days perseverance was not reckoned a special virtue in a woman, and -persistence was a positive vice. She received one nasty snub (conveyed -through the office-boy) from one who had been almost a friend, and, in -order to understand what this meant to her, we must remember that family -tradition was strong in her still. Pelted with peas or pursued by a mud- -throwing mob, she never for a moment forgot that she was, in her own -way, _grande dame_. And now she was too tired to brush the little insult -off. “I was fool enough to go out with eyes so full of tears that I -doubted being fit for my next call.” - -But the moral thews and sinews were in fine fighting form, and the -ideals of youth were as fresh as ever. The very words of the old -inspiring quotations rose to her mind. How surprised the old managers -would have been if they had heard them! They thought it was only that -weary question of Miss Jex-Blake and the Infirmary. - -Kindly folk were many, however, and every now and then she met an -unexpected tribute of appreciation or respect; and sufficient votes were -gained to make the dreary proceeding worth while.[94] - -Footnote 94: - - It was at this Christmas season that Miss Miranda Hill sent to her old - friend, in the form of a brooch, a “winged Victory,”—meaning, she - said, “many things,”—“the victory of a stedfast noble purpose over - outward obstacles, of love over time.” - -Sometimes she would return from these missions to find herself called -out to a slum maternity case undertaken through the mediation of a -friendly doctor. Then,— - - “Home after 10 p.m. Then to write leader for Monday. Done about 12.15. - Then to relight fire and get warm,—then bed!” - - “Sunday, [Dec.] 31st. Wrote paragraphs and finished article. Went down - to Scotsman Office.... - - Oh, dear, I hope the things will be in right tomorrow,—and oh, _how_ I - hope we may win! - - We have 296 votes more or less promised. _We ought._ - - Now,—‘ring out the old, ring in the new’—Ah, that it may be so in some - things,—‘Ring out the care that frets the mind’[95]—Ring in quiet and - peace and liberty,—‘leave to toil’.” - -Footnote 95: - - “Ring out the grief that saps the mind,” is Tennyson’s line. S. J.- - B.’s version needs no explanation. - -Next day the great meeting took place, and this time a large hall had -been taken for the purpose. - -As before, six candidates were proposed by those in power, and six by -those in favour of the women. The task of the latter was made easier by -the fact that the suggestion of mixed classes had been given up some two -or three months before, the Committee for Securing a Complete Medical -Education for Women in Edinburgh having undertaken to guarantee the -payment of teachers, and to provide suitable rooms and accommodation for -the classes, if the University should find this latter an insoluble -problem. - -Professor Christison pointed out incidentally that 80 beds at £40 a bed -would be one item in the reckoning. - -When the votes were counted there were: - - For the Women, 177 - For the Powers, 168 - -“The result was received with great cheering and waving of handkerchiefs -from the ladies’ party.” - -Professor Masson then proceeded to move: - - “That henceforward all registered students of Medicine shall be - admitted to the educational advantages of the Infirmary without - distinction of sex,—all details of arrangements, however, being left - to the discretion of the managers.” - -The hostile party raised an objection to this on the ground of want of -adequate notice—though Professor Masson had, as a matter of fact, -advertised it in the public papers as required—and, through an -indescribable hubbub, the proposer stood his ground, ably supported by -Professor Calderwood and by Mr. M‘Laren, M.P. When it became clear that -they were going to carry their point, the opposing party rose and left -the hall almost _en masse_; and it was then that Dr. Guthrie made what -proved to be his last public speech, in support of Professor Masson’s -motion. At the close of his peroration, with a wave of his hand towards -the door through which the great retreat had taken place, he concluded -with the lines S. J.-B. had quoted in her diary the night before, - - “Ring out the old, ring in the new, ... - Ring out the false, ring in the true!” - -The motion was then put to the meeting and carried unanimously. - -“I, oh _so_ tired!” says S. J.-B.,—“hearing voices round me in a sort of -swoon.” - -Her letter-bag for the next few days was enough to put new life into -anyone. - - “24 Hill Street, - Edinburgh. - - “My dear Miss Blake, and all your brave sisterhood, Three cheers for - you and one cheer more! My husband has just come back and told me of - your victory. - - May this be an augury of future success in every direction. - - Ever very truly yours, - E. H. S. BLACKIE.” - -A lawyer who had strenuously opposed the idea of mixed classes writes, - - “For your sake, I shall make my first charity this year £5 _to the - Infirmary_.” - -And no one was more enthusiastic than the young man who was demonstrator -of Anatomy at the time of the riot: - - “It would be almost a mockery to wish you all a Happy New Year after - such success. It is enough to turn one’s head, but only, I suppose, - the heads which hammered on so hard in defeat, or rather repulse, are - not to be turned with victory.” - -It would have been almost a mockery, certainly, though not in the sense -he meant. - - “Sunday, Jan. 7th. Hear that the doctors are going about getting their - patients to sign papers,—exact tenor unknown.” - -True enough, here were already the first mutterings of a fresh storm, -and indeed, most people must have been rather uneasy at so terrifying a -victory. - - “Dear Miss Jex-Blake,” writes Dr. Heron Watson on January 5th, “See to - it that there is a full representation on behalf of the ladies on - Monday week at the adjourned meeting, as I expect foul play!...” - -And another lawyer writes: - - “DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I don’t know whether you are taking any means to secure a muster - of your friends at the Infirmary meeting on Monday week; but I think - it would be worth while to do so. I am afraid our opponents may - attempt a surprise for the purpose of rescinding the Statute passed at - last meeting as to the admission of Lady Students. I have not heard - that they have any such plan on foot; but as no notice requires to be - given of any such motion, they may not improbably try it, trusting to - our being off our guard. - - Yours truly, - WILLIAM ROBSON.” - -A fortnight after the Annual Meeting, the Contributors met to hear the -result of a scrutiny of the votes, and it was then that the following -unexpected issue—quite distinct, of course, from the immediate object of -the scrutiny—was thrust upon them: - -On the side of the women had voted, - - 28 firms, - 31 ladies, - 7 doctors. - -On the side of the powers, - - 14 firms, - 2 ladies, - 37 doctors. - -It was now claimed that the votes of firms were incompetent, at the -majority really lay on the other side. - - “It mattered nothing,” said the _Scotsman_,[96] “that firms had voted - ever since the Infirmary was founded; that contributors qualified only - as members of firms had, as has now been ascertained, sat over and - over again on the Board of Management, and on the Committee of - Contributors. It was of equally slight importance that the firms whom - it was now sought to disqualify had been among the most generous - benefactors of the charity, and that, with the imminent prospect - before them of great pecuniary necessity, it would probably be - impossible, without their aid, to carry out even the plans for the new - building. The firms had voted in favour of the ladies, and the firms - must go, if at least the law would (as it probably will not) bear out - the medical men in their reckless endeavour to expel them.” - -Footnote 96: - - January 29, 1872. - -An appeal to law, however, is a slow affair, and on this occasion there -was obviously no inducement for the law to bestir itself unduly. It was -not till July 23rd that Lord Jerviswoode pronounced the votes of firms -to be perfectly valid. - -The case was appealed to a higher court, where it did not come on for -trial till the end of October: it was then again postponed and judgment -was not given till December. - - “Dec. 7th. Saturday. Judgment from Second Division in our favour on - all points.” - -The Annual Meeting was now once more at hand, however, when new managers -might be elected who were unfriendly to the women. Needless to say the -woman’s party lost no time. A Contributors’ meeting was called for -December 16th, and another for December 23rd, when a vote was passed -admitting the women to the Infirmary on condition that their visits were -to be separate from those of the men, and that they were to go only to -those wards where their presence was invited by the physicians. - -So at last they got their tickets, and began an attendance which was to -“qualify” for graduation. - -“Qualify” in the technical sense; assuredly not in any other. What the -girl graduate of the present day would say to such qualification, one -need scarcely ask. Here is S. J.-B.’s account of it: - - “Dr. Balfour gave us a separate hour in his wards three times a week, - and such chances of practical study as could be arranged from time to - time. Dr. Watson’s very large practice, as the most eminent surgeon in - Scotland, made it impossible for him, at whatever inconvenience, to - repeat his visit in this manner, and our enemies would have gained - their point, had he not, with a kindness which I find myself even now - quite unable to acknowledge duly, given up for the two whole winter - sessions his Sunday mornings (his one day of rest) to our instruction, - while steadily refusing to accept any fees whatever for this great - sacrifice of his time and strength. Few more chivalrous acts were ever - done, and I only hope he found his reward in the lifelong gratitude of - a dozen women, who were not at that time too much accustomed to such - kindness and courtesy as his.” - -To the end of her life, S. J.-B. looked upon these two men as “the -shadow of a great rock in a weary land,” and another name she would have -added with (in one sense) even better reason—that of Dr. Peel Ritchie, -who, a strong Conservative, absolutely and avowedly at that time without -sympathy for the “cause,” from a sheer sense of fair play, gave up his -class of men at the Royal Dispensary in order to teach a class of women -instead. - - * * * * * - -Of course S. J.-B. was a “celebrity” by this time. Here is an amusing -letter from a distinguished man who had been asked to meet her and her -friends at dinner: - - [Letter undated.] - - “MY DEAR EDITOR, - - Wae’s me that I am engaged on Saturday! If I could on any decent - pretence get off I would do it _aftsoons_, for apart from the pleasure - of meeting yourself and Mrs. R., I would like fine to meet the other - ladies in such company, especially _some_ of them. I won’t say which! - - But I accepted an invitation the other day from —— to meet a Mr. —— a - very nice Irishman that’s working at our Celtic MSS., and I promised - to show the Milesian the way. So though I would go far for the sake of - the ladies and of you, I feel that it would be rather too flagrant a - breach of faith to tell old —— that I have another engagement which I - had _forgotten_. I wish he or his wife would take some harmless - disease for a day or two and put off their dinner. - - I needn’t say that I appreciate immensely the distinction of being - asked as the one man in Edinburgh worthy of admission to that select - company! It’s equal to the Cross of the Legion of Honour and a great - deal better. There’s something in the idea too that piques the - imagination. It’s as if—but far better—a favoured mortal got a special - card per Ganymede, to sup quietly in Olympus with Mr. and Mrs. Jupiter - and the Misses Minerva, Diana and Urania: or like being asked by a - Flamen and his wife to meet three of the Vestal Virgins over a jar of - Falernian; or again like an invitation from the grand Lama to have a - little jollification with a few Buddhist lady abbesses in the - innermost shrine of the great temple at Lassa, or from a chief of - Carbonari to take a glass and pipe with Mazzini, Garibaldi, etc. - There’s no end of the things it suggests. - - As to your unworthy fears, fie upon them! You are more to be envied - than the Sultan, the Pope or Brigham Young. - - Hoping to have a chance some other time of doing homage to the - Trinity, and to have the pleasure soon of calling upon Mrs. Russel. - - I rest, - Ever Yours, - ——.” - -And her fame—or notoriety—extended to the most unexpected classes of -society. “Miss Jex-Blake had that house last year,” the driver of a -Highland coach would say, pointing with his whip in the direction of the -farm where she had stayed. Her name occurred repeatedly in that year’s -pantomime, and Harlequin and Columbine had called to ask if she had any -objection to this,—an incident which she always recalled with amusement -and appreciation. The main reference, as it happened, was quite -complimentary. A game was played on the stage in which various Edinburgh -dignitaries were the cards; but “Miss Jex-Blake” took the trick. - -Her dislike of publicity was great, but she had long since hardened -herself to endure it in so far as was necessary for her work’s sake. -Beyond that she drew the line absolutely. The press rang with her name -for a few years, but she steadily refused to be interviewed. It was -nothing to her that the public had not the smallest idea of the more -human side of her character. “Nothing,” she wrote in response to many -requests, “would induce her to consent to the sale of her photograph.” -Her holidays were spent in absolute retirement, and intimate friends -will never forget how, on the first day in the country, the words would -rise to her lips,— - - “The pulse of dew upon the grass kept his within its number, - And silent shadows from the trees refreshed him like a slumber.” - -A memorandum of this period directs that, in case of her death, the -funeral shall be as simple and inexpensive as possible, and that the -headstone—if headstone there be—shall bear only her name, the dates, and -the words,—“Then are they glad because they be quiet.” - - “Partly you see, I am so tired,” she had written half to herself and - half to Miss Du Pre in February,—“not physically or even mentally - exactly. I could come up to any given exertion of either kind for the - time being; but my whole nature is strained and wearied. I can get up - energy for nothing,—can but just get through the day’s work in the day - and long for rest! - - ‘Hades must rest us for ages, - Ere we can glory see.’ - - No, my glory _is_ rest!... - - How strange lives are! Miss Anderson’s husband—married Oct. 5th (?), - died on Monday, November 12th,—love enough to change a life for, and - it,—no, not _it_, the marriage,—ends in 4 months!” - -It was about this time that her friend Mrs. Unwin died. Up to the last -she had followed the Edinburgh campaign with intense interest and -sympathy. S. J.-B. had promised that, whatever the claims of her work -might be, she would pay a last visit to the Yorkshire home in case of -“utter need”; but Mrs. Unwin refused to make this plea. Resolutely she -bore her own cross: and, with a last message of “deepest love and -regard,” she passed away. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - THE ACTION AGAINST THE SENATUS - - - “MADAM, - - ... I never read or heard of such a hard case as yours—and so - peculiar. It might be worth while to seek the advice of a Solicitor— - who would consult counsel—to find out whether you and your - disappointed friends have no case at Law. I would (if it be possible) - just like to know what the Court of Session would have to say, - touching—not only the arbitrariness, but the gross injustice, if not - absolute illegality, of the whole affair. You matriculate—get through - with about half of your classes—great loss of time—money— - disappointment—even exasperation or half ruin—all incurred: and are - then summarily brought to—made to fairly stick—and yet no legal - remedy! I can’t believe it. I would try and find out,—but yet, it is - an awful prospect. The length of time, and expense that would have to - be borne, ere any decision could be come to. You seem to me like one - who took a leap, without _seeing from the_ first,[97] where the leap - was to land you. For surely, had you foreseen all this,—you never - would have set foot in Edinburgh.... - -Footnote 97: - - “Believe and venture! as for pledges, - The gods give none.” - - The tide is coming in and nothing can retard it,—nothing worth - speaking of. And these views will be realised and acted upon some day. - Depend upon it. - - The day will come when women will sit cheek by jowl with men through a - six months’ course of Anatomy, Physiology, Midwifery, etc., etc., - right cheerfully, and neither jeering nor sneering there—nor winks nor - any other impertinences—singularly misplaced and out of time—if - certain important personages could only see matters rightly. Yes, and - walk the Hospitals—surgical and medical—and the lying-in Hospital - also, the Eye Infirmary, the Cancer one and the Consumptive one, and - the Lock into the bargain. And then all these important obstructives - will be dead, buried, rotten—forgotten—and their writings selling at - three halfpence per lb.” - -The above is quoted from the letter of a complete stranger,—the so- -called “man in the street” apparently, and is a sample of many that came -pouring in upon S. J.-B. during those troublous years. “Has the -University any _right_ to act like this?” friends kept asking -constantly; and we know that more than one of the Professors had advised -an appeal to a Court of Law. - -Towards the close of 1871, S. J.-B. seems to have consulted her brother -on the subject, drawing from him the following letters: - - “The College, - Cheltenham. - Nov. 18. 1871. - - MY DEAR SOPHY, - - I do not think you can gain anything by sueing the Professors or - by going to Law with the University in any other shape. - - It may be too late now to persuade, but it would be at all times - hopeless to compel, a great University to open its doors to ladies. - - I return the Queries and Opinions: and should distrust legal opinions - that advised further law-suits. - - It is most provoking, and your treatment has been unjust: but it comes - to my mind to this, When they persecute you in one city, flee ye to - another. - - You can make better use of your time by getting University instruction - elsewhere, than by throwing legal pebbles at the University gates of - Auld Reekie: and life being short you had better gather up the net - result of your Scotch experience, and go to Zürich or Paris, or - wherever your own knowledge and judgment lead you. - - I am exceedingly sorry for you; but I see nothing else to be done, so - far as I understand the facts. - - It is very tantalizing that the majorities have always been so narrow: - and that there has been so much to justify sanguine friends in their - advice. - - I shall be glad to hear your decision, and both Hetty and I are very - sorry for you. - - Your affect. brother, - T. W. J.-B.” - - “The College, - Cheltenham, - Nov. 21. 1871. - - MY DEAR SOPHY, - - There is more to be said for legal action than I knew of: for I - thought Paris or Zürich degree was legal qualification in England: - though of course to go abroad for degree is objectionable in several - ways, and the language must slightly increase the difficulties. - - Still there is nothing to be said for legal action unless it is likely - to succeed: and of that your Scotch lawyers are the best judges: - though their expectations hitherto have been more sanguine than - accurate in your case. - - I am sorry I cannot be of much use, and very sorry the Trades Union is - so strong and so well organized. - - It must be very annoying, and is certainly a horrible waste of time: - but half of most people’s time is spent in untying the foolish knots - of blind opponents. - - Hetty joins in love. - - Your affect. brother, - T. W. J.-B.” - - “13 Sussex Square, - Brighton. - Jan. 21. 1872. - - MY DEAR SOPHY, - - One line to wish you many happy returns of the day, and to tell - you that all is going on very well here.... - - We were very glad that you crept into such a haven of rest as Mrs. - Nichol has to offer you: and I am quite sure the strain of so much - fighting and organizing must be very great. - - It seems hardly possible that you should get on with your own Medical - education while there is so much polemical business on hand; but if - you carry the point for all women, it will be cheaply bought at the - sacrifice of two or three years of individual training in books and - bones.” - -“When they persecute you in one city, flee ye to another.” - -This was advice which S. J.-B. had always kept well in mind, though not -with regard to Paris and Zürich; and enquiries as to other British -Universities had been diligently prosecuted. St. Andrews was the one -that most naturally suggested itself, “as a comparatively rural -University, without male students of medicine, and yet with the power to -grant degrees.” It is true that the Medical Curriculum at St. Andrews -was—and is—very incomplete; but the deficiency might be made good by -some teaching-school unable—or unwilling—to grant degrees. Professor -Lewis Campbell and Mrs. Campbell had taken a deep interest in the -project of making their University the Alma Mater of the women students; -S. J.-B. had visited them at St. Andrews in the autumn of 1871, with -Miss Massingberd Mundy[98]; and there are a number of cordial letters -witnessing to the genuine desire of both the Professor and his wife for -the success of the scheme. - -Footnote 98: - - Miss Massingberd Mundy was one of the junior students who did not go - on to graduation, but her gaiety and humour made her a real - acquisition to the little circle in the trying days. - -Their enthusiasm was not typical of the University, however, though -Principal Tulloch “seemed friendly in a vague way”; and all hope in this -direction had, for the moment, to be given up. - -Meanwhile S. J.-B., on behalf of herself and her fellow-students, had -made a final appeal to the University Court of Edinburgh to provide them -with the means of completing their education, and she had also forwarded -to them a farther legal opinion from the Lord Advocate and Sheriff -Fraser to the effect that the University authorities had full power to -permit the matriculation of women in 1869; that the resolutions then -passed amounted to a permission to women to “_study Medicine_” in the -University, and that therefore the women concerned were entitled to -demand the means of doing so; and finally, that if such means were -persistently refused, the legal mode of redress lay in an Action of -Declarator. - -On January 8th the University Court resolved that it was not in their -power to comply with the requirements of the women as regarded teaching: -the whole question, they said, had been “complicated by the introduction -of the subject of graduation, which is not essential to the completion -of a medical or other education”: if the ladies would altogether give up -the question of graduation, and be content with certificates of -proficiency, the Court would try to meet their views. - - “They forgot,” says S. J.-B., “that though a degree is ‘not essential’ - to a medical education, it _is_ absolutely indispensable to any - practical use of it,—that is to any lawful practice of the medical - profession.” - -She offered, however, to waive the question of graduation,—pending an -authoritative decision as to the powers and duties of the University,—if -arrangements might meanwhile be made for the women to continue their -education. To this the Court agreed. Farther correspondence, however, -elicited the fact that the Court had no intention of coming to any -decision with regard to its own powers, and that it did not mean to take -any active steps in the matter. - - “On the other hand,” says S. J.-B., “we had no less authority than - that of the Lord Advocate of Scotland for believing that we were - absolutely entitled to what we had so humbly solicited, and that a - Court of Law would quietly award to us what seemed unattainable by any - other means; we had the very widely spread and daily increasing - sympathy of the community at large, and received constant offers of - help from friends of every kind.... Under these circumstances we did - the one thing that remained for us to do, we brought an Action of - Declarator against the Senatus of the University,—praying to have it - declared that the Senatus was bound, in some way or other, to enable - us to complete our education and to proceed to the medical degree - which would entitle us to take place on the Medical Register among the - legally-qualified practitioners of medicine.” - -Of course the news of this daring step was forthwith noised abroad, and -S. J.-B. received a protesting letter from Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, -urging her not to waste on an uncertain lawsuit, money that might be so -much more profitably spent in some other way. - -The following is S. J.-B.’s reply: - - “DEAR DR. BLACKWELL, - - I suppose rumour very seldom does report things correctly, so I - do not wonder that you have been misinformed about the action which we - are on the point of bringing against the Senatus. It is not one for - breach of promise (what fun _Punch_ would make of it if it were!) but - simply an Action of Declarator whereby we pray one of the Judges of - Session to declare that the Senatus is bound to complete our - education, according to the decided opinion given by the Lord Advocate - of Scotland. - - In the brief space of a letter it would be impossible for me to submit - to you all the facts and grounds on which our intention is based, tho’ - I should be glad to explain them in detail if you were on the spot, - but you will be glad to hear that not only are the whole of the - students here of the same mind as myself on this point, but our - determination is strengthened by the advice and concurrence of some of - the wisest heads in Edinburgh, including those of friendly Professors. - I hope therefore that you will believe that, though you find a - difficulty at a distance from the field of action in concurring in our - present step, you would probably do so if all the facts of the case - were as thoroughly before you as they are before us and our - counsellors. - - It is just because I find that London friends are so little au courant - of the facts that I am hoping to give an explanatory lecture when in - town next month, and I need not say how doubly glad I shall be to give - every explanation and information to you to whom [all] of us medical - women owe so much gratitude and respect as our pioneer and forerunner. - - Believe me, - Yours truly, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -Now that there was something definite to be done, S. J.-B. was in her -element once more and the following letters make it very clear that her -“counsellors” were working _con amore_. - - “University Club, - Edinburgh. - 18 March, 72. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - Under the dread of bringing disgrace on the whole masculine - race, I applied myself today during all the time I could command to - the framing of the great Summons, and I brought it up to a point at - which I think nothing of importance remains to be added except the - historical statement and the pleas in law, both of which you may take - for granted will be made right. If I can get them done this evening - I’ll send them to you. - - I thought as you were in a hurry to see the thing I had better let you - have what I had done at once, and so I took it to White Millar and - left it with him to send you. There must be a distinction drawn - between you and the other ladies who are ready for the first - professional exam., and the others who are not. So you will please - note on the margin of the M.S. who those are that occupy these - respective positions and the exact stage at which the less advanced - ones have arrived. I must also have the dates and exact terms of the - several resolutions and letters referred to in the last article, so as - to make the chronological statement complete and accurate. I would - like before the thing is finally adjusted to consult all the available - sources of information on the subject of graduation and the original - constitution of the University, and also I think if Bologna was our - model, as seems to be taken for granted, that it would be worth while - to communicate with some one there, such as the Secretary of the - Senatus, if they have one, or the Librarian, to get authoritative - statistics on the subject. - - I have not heard from the Dean of Faculty yet in reply to my inquiry - on the point of professional punctilio involved in my undertaking the - case, but another eminent legal friend whose advice I highly value - thinks on the whole that I ought _not_ to undertake it. This did not - prevent me, however, from doing the Summons! Meantime you needn’t - mention that I am doing it, in case of my not going on with the case, - which might lead to unfavourable remarks, if it were supposed that I - had begun and afterwards backed out of it. I’ll be very sorry to do - so, if that is the Dean’s opinion. - - Believe me, - Yours very truly, - ALEX. NICOLSON.” - -Apparently the decision of the Dean was adverse to Mr. Nicolson, for the -case was taken up, and very ably argued, by Sheriff Fraser and Mr. -M‘Laren (afterwards Lord M‘Laren), who had been junior counsel in the -libel case. - - “I am quite certain,” writes Mr. Fraser to S. J.-B., “that upon a more - thorough investigation it will be found that women did attend the - Universities and graduated.... When you are up in London just now - perhaps you would refer to some of the books in the British Museum, - mentioned by Watts, which are not in the Advocates’ Library. You need - not trouble yourself with the University of Edinburgh, as I have gone - over the whole Records of the Council and of the Professors since the - institution of the University, and I cannot find a single case of a - woman being a student. The same I fear will be the result of an - examination of the records of the other universities. This was - natural, for, until recently, both the law and the social customs of - Scotland, like those of other barbarous countries, regarded women as - nothing else but domestic drudges and field hands.” - -It was useless, of course, to suggest the British Museum. S. J.-B. had -long since exhausted that mine. And she had no great faith in the -information to be derived from correspondence with foreign secretaries -and librarians. She had worked that vein too. It still remained to send -an emissary to examine the archives of the Italian Universities at first -hand, and this was what she now resolved to do. Someone had commended to -her interest about this time an able and well-educated young lady whose -health was causing her friends some anxiety, and, after watching and -tending her for some time S. J.-B. despatched her on the mission, duly -armed with the following _dossier_: - - “1. At each University get access, if possible, to the official - archives and lists of students, and make a complete list of every - woman who studied there, with date, Faculty, and other particulars. - - 2. If you cannot get access yourself, get the lists made by some - official, and, if possible, compare it with originals or other - authorities. - - 3. If possible get the Secretary or Librarian, or some Professor to - attest the list with his signature, as truly extracted from the - records. - - 4. Pay any necessary fees, having as far as possible arranged for - these beforehand. - - 5. Make copies in one book of every list obtained, of name and address - of each person making or attesting such lists, and of all additional - information likely to be of value. - - 6. Send off attested lists to me in registered letters as soon as - obtained, marking in your M.S. book the exact duplicate in case of - loss and sending a separate letter to Miss P. to announce dispatch. - - 7. Do not let your own M.S. book out of your hands for any purpose. - - 8. Send all lists on foolscap and not on foreign paper.” - -The ambassador seems to have carried through her mission most -efficiently, and an imposing array of names was the result. At any rate -_that_ vein was now worked out. - -In the meantime “the great Summons” was duly delivered, and on March -27th the Senatus met to consider what action they should take with -regard to it. We get the following informal account of what took place -from Miss Pechey: - - “I could not get particulars of the Senatus meeting ... till too late - to write last night, but it appears that it was first moved to defend - the action; then Fleeming Jenkin proposed that an attempt should be - made to have an amicable lawsuit. This was negatived by 17 to 10, and - then the other motion _not_ to defend the action being put against the - first, was negatived by 22 to 5. Many of our friends voted to defend,— - Wilson amongst others. He says he feels sure that the thing will never - be fairly settled without a legal decision. I saw him today in his - office. He is very anxious you should get some member to ask a - question when the Parliamentary grant is being arranged.[99] He told - me the enemy were dreadfully angry at the suit, from which he - concluded that our Summons is well drawn up.” - - “This was the great argument for assenting to the corporate defence,” - writes Professor Masson, “i.e. that the Senatus could not possibly let - judgment go by default, which would yield all your demands (compulsion - of Professors, etc.) and yet not really settle the thing, inasmuch as - the Professors or anyone might afterwards reopen the whole judgment. - On the same ground it is that friends don’t seem to want to stir - individually. They say the defence is corporately by the Senatus and - everybody will understand that, and hence that individual secession is - superfluous. Tait, however, said he would consult his lawyer, and - Craufurd and Jenkin meditated something of the same.” - -Footnote 99: - - S. J.-B. appealed to Sir Robert Anstruther; and there is a - businesslike note from Lady Anstruther, asking for a very brief - summary of all the main events,—just the thing that only S. J.-B. - could supply. - - The matter was brought forward in Aug. 1872, on Sir Robert - Anstruther’s behalf, by Sir D. Wedderburn, see below. - -On the other hand, six members of the Senatus—anxious though they well -might be to have the weary question settled one way or the other—simply -could not allow the resolution to pass without protest, and the -following minute is duly recorded in the books of the University: - - “We dissent from and protest against the resolution of the Senatus of - March 27, 1872, to undertake the defence of the action. This we do for - the following reasons:—(1.) Because we see no just cause for opposing - the admission of women to the study and practice of medicine; but, on - the contrary, consider that women who have honourably marked out such - a course of life for themselves, ought to be forwarded and aided in - their laudable endeavour as much as possible, by all who have the - means, and especially by those having authority in any University or - other institution for education; (2.) Because, in particular, we feel - such aid and encouragement, rather than opposition and discouragement, - to be due from us to those women who have enrolled themselves in the - University of Edinburgh, and we entirely concur, with respect to them, - in the desire expressed by Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, the Rector of - the University, that they should obtain what they ask—namely, a - complete medical education, crowned by a degree; (3.) Because we have - seen no sufficient reason to doubt the legal and constitutional powers - of our University to make arrangements that would be perfectly - adequate for the purpose, and we consider the public questioning of - such powers, in present circumstances, by the University itself, or - any of its component bodies, unnecessary, impolitic, and capable of - being construed as a surrender of permanent rights and privileges of - the University, in order to evade a temporary difficulty; (4.) - Because, without pronouncing an opinion on the question now raised, as - to the legal rights which the pursuers have acquired by matriculation - in the University, admission already to certain examinations, or - otherwise, to demand from the University continued medical instruction - and the degree on due qualification, we yet believe that they have - thereby, and by the general tenor of the proceedings, both of the - Senatus and of the University Court in their case hitherto, acquired a - moral right, and created a public expectation, which the University is - bound to meet by the full exercise of its powers in their behalf, even - should it be with some trouble; (5.) Because, with these convictions, - and notwithstanding our utmost respect for those of our colleagues - from whom we may have the misfortune to differ on the subject, we - should individually feel ashamed of appearing as defenders in such an - action, and should account any such public appearance by us in the - character of opponents to women desiring to enter an honoured and - useful profession, a matter to our discredit.” - -The following are the names of the six[100] Professors who felt bound -thus to stand out against the arguments of their colleagues. - -Footnote 100: - - In addition to these six, Professor Fleeming Jenkin and Professor - Cosmo Innes removed their names from the list of defenders. - - John Hughes Bennett, M.D., Professor of the Institutes of Medicine, - - David Masson, M.A., Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature, - - Henry Calderwood, LL.D., Professor of Moral Philosophy, - - James Lorimer, M.A., Professor of Public Law, - - Archibald H. Charteris, D.D., Professor of Biblical Criticism and - Biblical Antiquities, - - William Ballantyne Hodgson, LL.D.,[101] Professor of Political - Economy. - -Footnote 101: - - Professor Hodgson was a recent addition to the professorial staff, and - a great asset to the women’s cause. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - THE LORD ORDINARY’S JUDGMENT - - - “Did you advertise your lecture in the _Lancet_? I expect you will - have a lot of blackguardly doctors there in consequence. Don’t have - any libel cases, and don’t be hard on the students. They’re very bad, - but they’re not so bad as the Professors.[102] I know you are very - busy writing and so on, and that there would be plenty of copying for - me to do if only I were at hand. Don’t you want me to bully and be - bullied by? - - How I wish I could be in the gallery to make faces at you and throw - peas!” - -Footnote 102: - - As a matter of fact a number of students came—unasked—to serve as - stewards. - -An admirable and characteristic letter, this, from Miss Pechey. Was a -bracing message of warning and sympathy to a senior and chum ever more -tactfully and lightly delivered? - -On April 25th, after some days in the country, S. J.-B. went to London -and was met by Miss Du Pre and Miss M‘Laren, who “heard and finally -polished up the lecture,” which was delivered the following day at St. -George’s Hall in the presence of a large and curiously assorted -audience. The Earl of Shaftesbury, who occupied the chair, was supported -by Professor Lewis Campbell, Rev. Dr. Martineau, Mrs. Garrett Anderson, -Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the Dowager Countess of Buchan, and other well- -known folk, and among the general public were a number of girlhood’s -friends, including Miss Ada Benson, Miss Miranda Hill, and many “modern -women,”—with a sprinkling of Norfolk cousins. In the course of his - -address the Chairman made a shrewd remark, of which time has proved the -truth: - - “The argument that women were not wanted in the medical profession - struck him as very singular. He was old enough to remember when - railways and electric telegraphs were not wanted for the simple reason - that they were not known. When they became known and tried, we could - not do without them, and in all probability it would be the same with - reference to ladies in the medical profession.” - -In many ways the lecture was a success, and it was largely quoted and -referred to in the press; but, for the ordinary hearer, it was -overloaded with statistics, and—with a view to that ever-possible action -for libel—the lecturer kept herself too well in hand. It is amusing to -find _The Christian World_ hinting a regret that she “had not really -worked herself up into a passion” in narrating the injustice and -vexations to which she had been exposed. - -On the other hand, Mrs. Priscilla Bright M‘Laren, an unbiassed expert, -expressed the wish that the lecture should be delivered throughout the -length and breadth of the land. The publication of a pamphlet, she said, -would not have the same effect, because most people never have their -sympathies thoroughly roused unless they come face to face with the -person who has been persecuted. “If you could be seen and _heard_” she -wrote, “you would produce a wonderful effect in favour of the cause you -have at heart.” - -S. J.-B. had serious thoughts of carrying out this suggestion, but—in -the interests of her own health—one is glad to record that wiser -counsels prevailed. - - “Thank you _very, very_ much, darling, for your telegram,” writes Mrs. - Jex-Blake, the day after the lecture. “I thought if you knew how - anxious I had been the last few hours, you would send one, but I did - not at all expect it.” - - “I have not known where to direct to keep adding my rejoicing at the - many accounts of the success of your lecture. Well, I am very very - glad for you and with you, and I pray things may somehow take a fresh - start. How very nice of some medical students to come and officiate. I - wish Professor Masson could have been there.” - - “I am very glad to think of you as once more snug at home and I hope - with less work in view and some anxieties abated.... I am very glad - indeed you have given up going about lecturing.... Tom, too, thinks - you very wise to give it up: he was struck with your looking so worn, - and very vexed to see you so.” - -It is interesting to note that S. J.-B. had taken an invalid friend home -with her to recruit! At the same time she is writing to a protégée: - - “I have seen Dr. Blackwell, and think she is rather disposed to give - you the work.... I think you should go in your bonnet, and look sage, - and not seem too eager for the work, and put a good price on - yourself,—say £2 a week, or, oh, you would accept £40 for the 6 - months, etc. And be very confident you can do it all, if she asks you - to call on her.” - -This is really the most worldly letter that S. J.-B. ever wrote! - - * * * * * - -In all these later happenings, one misses the name of Mrs. Butler, who -had stood by S. J.-B. so enthusiastically in the day of small things. As -a matter of fact, Mrs. Butler was now fully embarked on her own heroic -campaign, and both Mrs. Garrett Anderson and S. J.-B. had failed to give -her their support. Thinking differently from each other on many points, -characterised indeed by a fundamentally different way of looking at -life, the two medical women alike realized the complications of modern -civilization too profoundly to add the stupendous question that occupied -Mrs. Butler to a programme that was already involved and difficult -enough. Mrs. Butler felt their attitude keenly, and it was evidently -with mingled feelings that she received a letter from Miss Pechey about -this time, asking the privilege of adding her name and that of Canon -Butler to the ever-growing Committee. - - “My dear Miss Pechey,” she writes, “You are welcome to use my own and - my husband’s names if you think they will do your cause _any good_. We - cannot conceive that they would, and, on that ground alone, we should - be as glad that you should not use them. It had better be left to Miss - Jex-Blake’s judgment. - - “All the world knows that we are on opposite sides on one of the most - vital questions of the day, and that the Medical ladies have no - sympathy with the efforts being made to get rid of the scandal of a - great State system of legalised Prostitution, and therefore it appears - to Mr. Butler and me an inconsistency that our names should appear in - any such adverse connexion, deeply as we desire the prosperity and - success of the medical woman movement....” - - “Dear Mrs. Butler,” writes S. J.-B. in reply,—“As Miss Pechey tells me - that you leave me to decide whether or no to place on our Committee - your name and Mr. Butler’s, I write to say that I shall most gladly - avail myself of your permission so to use your names. - - I am glad to say that our Committee is made up of over a thousand - friends who not only differ widely on the point to which you refer, - but among whom differences no doubt exist on almost every other - question, social, political and religious. - - As we cannot hope that even the most conscientious among us will - always agree on matters of judgment, I am sure that the only wise rule - is to keep each question distinct by itself, and to welcome for it the - support of all who care for its success, whether or no they agree on - other points. - - With kind regards to Mr. Butler, believe me, - - Yours truly, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -The breach was never quite healed. When people care more for great -causes than for personal pleasure and satisfaction, the loss of a friend -must sometimes be taken as part of the day’s work. _Sunt lachrymae -rerum._ - -Meanwhile the work of propaganda was going on steadily, and, as S. J.-B. -had given up the idea of lecturing in the great towns, she proceeded, as -the next best thing, to publish her lecture, in conjunction with her -historical researches on the subject of Medical Women, in the form of a -small volume. - -Just as she was seeing this through the press, news came of the illness -of her Mother, who was visiting the cousins at Bylaugh Park. - - “June 17. - - DARLING MOTHER, - - I am _very_ sorry to hear that you have had such an attack - again. I should be really unhappy if I did not believe and trust in - you that you would telegraph for me if you at all wished for me, or if - you felt really seriously ill. Am I right in so trusting you? - - I am sure they will take all the care they can of you, and I hope you - will be good and wise enough to eat all you can, broth at first, and - then as much meat and vegetables as possible—and lots of - strawberries!—are they ripe yet at Bylaugh? - - You know that I am doing Dispensary work now, and have several - patients of all kinds to look after, but I envy the doctor that has my - old lady instead of me. - - If you decide against going to Wales, suppose you come up here - straight from Norfolk, and we have a quiet month quite alone - together?—somewhere in the Highlands—if I have to give up Brighton. - - Of course I shall send you your _own_ copy of my new book myself, but - Miss Pechey will send any quantity more that you may order for giving - away, etc. - - How good of dear old Auntie to write! - - Yours lovingly, - SOPH.” - -The illness, however, rapidly assumed a dangerous character, and S. J.- -B. was telegraphed for next day. - - “Luckily was up,” she says [she had been ill herself], “and received - the telegram by 9.50 a.m. Got things packed and off by 10.25 train. - Thunder and lightning whole way up. Reached Peterbro about 6.30,—Lynn - 9.15. Got a carriage and drove to Swaffham ...—thence to Bylaugh, - arriving at 2.45 a.m. Crept up to Mother’s room,—she, ‘My darling!’— - She had been nervous and restless, but slept, holding my hand. - - Oh, the horror of seeing her all shrunk together in bed, hardly - articulate,—I thought dying. - - And had been very nearly....” - -As usual when life was doing its worst, there follow a few blank pages -in the diary,—pages that were to be filled in some day! “I am so glad,” -wrote Miss Jane Cubitt from Fritton,—Miss Cubitt was the “sensible -cousin” of the childhood, who could do equations—“I am so glad that you -have arrived at Bylaugh. I feel now that all that can be done will be -done.” And fortunately on this occasion recovery came more rapidly than -the doctors had thought possible. - -S. J.-B. returned to Edinburgh on the 8th July, not a moment too soon. -She was called out to a case the evening of her arrival—having travelled -north by day—and she proceeded forthwith to finish seeing her book -through the press. Law business, too, was urgently claiming her return. -On Wednesday, the 17th July, the historic lawsuit came on before Lord -Gifford. - -It must be understood that this lawsuit, though of almost infinite -importance to the women, was in no way a dramatic affair like the last. -In the nature of the case it afforded no sensations to provincial -papers. An Action of Declarator is “for a decree defining and declaring -the right of the pursuer,”[103] and the evidence in Court was given by -Counsel only. - -Footnote 103: - - See S. J.-B.’s letter to Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, pp. 356-7. - -The women repeated in effect the requests they had so often made to the -University, viz. that the Professors should either receive them as -members of their classes, or else appoint (or recognize) other lecturers -who would. The defence consisted substantially of two pleas: 1. that all -parties are not called (see below); and 2. that the Senatus has not the -power to do what it is asked to do; in other words, (_a_) that the -University existed for men only, and, (_b_) that the University -authorities in making this experiment, had never intended to admit women -to _graduation_. If they did so intend, the intention was _ultra vires_; -and indeed they probably went beyond their powers when in 1869 they -framed regulations admitting women to share their privileges at all. - -The hearing of the case lasted two days, and it was fully reported in -the Scottish daily papers of July 18th and 19th. Much of it, of course, -consisted of sheer technical detail that has long since lost interest, -but Lord Gifford’s judgment—delivered eight or nine days after the -hearing of Counsel—was characterized by a grip of the whole situation -and enlivened by a warmth of human interest that make it a landmark in -the history, not only of medical women, but of the whole Feminist -movement. If he allowed his sympathy with the pursuers to appear rather -too clearly, this was surely a fault that, in view of all the -circumstances, may well be reckoned to him for righteousness. The gist -of the judgment is contained in the following sentences: - - “The Lord Ordinary finds that, according to the existing constitution - and regulations of the said University of Edinburgh, the pursuers are - entitled to be admitted to the study of medicine in the said - University, and that they are entitled to all the rights and - privileges of lawful students in the said University, subject only to - the conditions specified and contained in the said regulations of 12th - November 1869: Finds that the pursuers, on completing the prescribed - studies, and on compliance with all the existing regulations of the - University preliminary to degrees, are entitled to proceed to - examination for degrees in manner prescribed by the regulations of the - University of Edinburgh.” - -In the “Note,” the Lord Ordinary discusses the case in detail: - - “It is not easy to over-estimate the importance of the questions - involved in the present action. The decision may affect, in various - ways, not only the interests of the pursuers, and of all who are - similarly situated, but also the future welfare of the University, and - indirectly the well-being of the community at large who are interested - in securing the services of thoroughly educated and accomplished - medical practitioners. - - The Lord Ordinary has endeavoured to approach the consideration of the - questions dispassionately, and free from all prejudices or - prepossessions. He has also endeavoured to keep in view that his - functions are merely judicial and not legislative, and that his duty - is simply to declare and apply the law as it at present stands, and in - no way to endeavour to amend it, however strong his convictions of - what the law ought to be.... - - The importance of the question to the present pursuers, and to all - ladies who, like them, may contemplate the practice of medicine as a - profession, lies in this, that, by the provisions of the Medical Act - of 1858 no one is entitled to be registered as a medical practitioner - without possessing a medical degree from one or other of the - universities of the United Kingdom, or a licence equivalent thereto - from certain established medical bodies mentioned in the Act. A - foreign or colonial degree is not available, and does not entitle to - registration unless the holder thereof has been in practice in Great - Britain previous to October 1858. Unless the pursuers, therefore, - succeed in obtaining degrees, they will be practically excluded from - the profession of medicine, for they are not in a position to demand - licences from any of the authorised medical bodies, and it can - scarcely be expected that they will prosecute their medical studies - merely in order to be hereafter classed with empirics, herbalists or - medical botanists, or with those who, in common language, are - denominated quacks. Without legal registration under the Medical Act - of 1858, the pursuers would be denied all right to recover fees; they - would be incapable of holding any medical appointment; and they would - be subject to very serious penalties if they so much as attempted to - assume the name or title of medical practitioners. - - It is a fact, whatever may be its effect in law, that no University in - Great Britain has ever yet granted a degree to a lady. The Medical - Register of Great Britain only contains the name of two female - practitioners—Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell and Dr. Garrett Anderson. Dr. - Blackwell obtained her degree in America, and, being in practice in - Great Britain before 1858, she obtained registration in virtue of the - exception in the Act. Dr. Garrett Anderson obtained a licence from the - Apothecaries’ Hall, London, and is registered as such; but, since her - admission, regulations have been made which prevent any other lady - from hereafter obtaining a licence from the Apothecaries’ Hall. - Accordingly the course pursued by Dr. Blackwell and Dr. Anderson is - not open to any of the pursuers, and their only hope of being allowed - to practise medicine in Great Britain rests upon their being able to - obtain a degree from one or other of the Universities. - - _Practically, therefore, the questions are now raised for the first - time, Can a lady obtain a medical degree? and, Is any lady to be - allowed to practise in Great Britain?_” - -The Lord Ordinary then discussed the case for the defenders, point by -point: The first plea in law was the technical plea that “all parties -are not called,” or, in other words, that the action should have been -brought, not against the Senatus and Chancellor, but against the -University as a whole. - -This question, said the Lord Ordinary, should have been raised before -the record was closed, and settled _in limine_. As a matter of fact, -however, it was of little moment, as the Senatus and Chancellor were the -only parties complained of,—it being assumed that the University as a -whole was ready and willing to do its duty as soon as such duty was -clearly defined. The Chancellor, indeed, had expressed this willingness -so far as he individually was concerned, and, strictly speaking, he need -not have been called as a party. - -From the principle on which this preliminary plea was repelled, it -followed that there was in the present action no attempt to impugn in -the slightest degree the existing constitution of the University. Its -existing regulations and ordinances must be taken as right, and the -Senatus must simply be called upon to give effect to these as they -stood. - -The Lord Ordinary proceeded to make one or two observations of a general -nature. He was clearly of opinion that, by the law of Scotland, there -was no inherent illegality in women prosecuting the science of medicine, -using the word in its largest sense, or in their engaging in the -practice of medicine as a profession.... Indeed some branches of the -profession were peculiarly appropriate to women and peculiarly -inappropriate to men. For instance, in obstetric practice and in -numerous diseases of women, a male practitioner was singularly out of -place, and nothing but the deadening effect of habit would ever -reconcile the community to that anomaly both in name and in reality, “a -man-midwife.” - -Keeping these preliminary observations in view, the Lord Ordinary -proceeded to consider the constitution and regulations of the University -of Edinburgh so far as they related to women: - -I. It had been broadly maintained by the Counsel for the Senatus, in a -very powerful and able speech, that the University of Edinburgh was -founded and existed for males alone. - -If this proposition were well founded, there was, of course, an end of -the whole case. The Lord Ordinary, however, had felt himself quite -unable to affirm this proposition, but had come ultimately, without any -hesitation at all, to the conclusion that there was no foundation for -this first and general contention of the defenders. - -_a._ The charter gave no countenance to this supposition. The masculine -noun or pronoun was used merely in conformity with ordinary brevity and -simplicity of expression. - -_b._ The fact that the Universities of Scotland were founded to a great -extent upon the model of Bologna, etc., seemed to show that—as women -were admitted to the Italian Universities—there could have been no -original intention to exclude them from those founded in Scotland. - -_c._ It was true that there was no recorded instance of a woman having -taken her degree in Scotland, and this was an argument of some weight, -perhaps considerable weight. If, however, the women had the right -originally, that right would not be lost by the mere fact of non-usage. -The right in their case was _res merae facultatis_, like a man’s right -to build upon his own ground,—a right that is not lost though no -building be erected for hundreds or thousands of years. To extinguish -such a right there must be a contrary usage—a possession inconsistent -with the exercise of the right—and that did not exist in the present -case. - -_d._ If there was no express exclusion of women and nothing necessarily -leading to their exclusion, it seemed fair to fall back upon the -inherent legality and appropriateness of the study and practice of -medicine by women, and to infer that a medical school founded in the -University could not have as one of its conditions the exclusion of the -female sex. - -_e._ Passing from such general considerations, the Lord Ordinary -considered it quite conclusive of the whole question that, by -regulations lawfully enacted by competent and sufficient authority, -provision had actually been made for the admission of women to the study -of medicine in the University of Edinburgh, and that actually detailed -regulations had been made regulating their studies and examinations. - -II. The Lord Ordinary was of opinion that the “regulations for the -education of women in Medicine in the University” of Edinburgh, enacted -by the University Court of 10th November, 1869, and approved of by the -Chancellor on 12th November, 1869, were valid and binding in every -respect, and formed an integral part of the constitution and regulations -of the University as it at present existed. At the debate it was felt on -both sides that these regulations formed almost the turning-point in the -case, and the counsel for the Senatus, sorely pressed by them, had -boldly challenged their legality, maintained that they were _ultra -vires_ of the University Court to enact, and had asked the Lord Ordinary -to treat them as a nullity. Here again the Lord Ordinary thought the -position taken by the Senatus was absolutely untenable. - -The regulations in question were solemnly, after much discussion, after -long consideration, and after due communication with the whole governing -bodies of the University, enacted by the University Court, a body which -had very large and almost legislative powers. The regulations were -enacted with all the required statutory requisites. “Due communication” -was had with the Senatus. The matter was submitted to and was duly -considered by the University Council, and the regulations received the -final sanction and approval of the Chancellor. The Senatus, the -University Court and the University Council had all the benefit of the -very highest legal skill and experience. Most eminent lawyers were -members of all these bodies; and the Chancellor who put the seal of his -approbation and sanction to the regulations held with universal -acceptance the very highest judicial office in Scotland.... So satisfied -had the Senatus been of the validity of the regulations, that they had -actually applied to the enacting power—that is, to the University Court— -to rescind them. The University Court had refused to rescind the -regulations and they still stood part of the law of the University. - -III. The Lord Ordinary was of opinion that the pursuers were entitled in -substance to the declaratory decree which they demanded in the present -action.... - -The right to medical graduation was really at the foundation of the -whole of the present dispute. If the ladies had been content to study as -mere amateurs—as mere dilettanti—it rather appeared that no question -would ever have been raised. But their demand for degrees, and the -announcement of their intention to practise as physicians, had aroused a -jealousy which the Lord Ordinary was very unwillingly obliged to -characterize as unworthy, and hence this strife. - -The Lord Ordinary was of opinion, without any doubt at all that the -proposal to withhold from successful or fully accomplished female -students the regular degrees, and to give them instead mere certificates -of proficiency was incompetent as well as unjust. The proposal was not -unnaturally stigmatized by the pursuers as “a mere mockery.” - -IV. All this, of course, had reference to the declaratory conclusions. -Beyond that the Lord Ordinary could give no help. The first petitory -conclusion asked that the Professors be directed to admit women to their -ordinary classes; but this, as Lord Gifford pointed out, was more than -the Senatus had power to do, and the University Court could only do it -by altering regulations which the present judgment had assumed to be -right. The University Court, however, had undoubted power to recognize -extra-academical teachers; and—as teachers of unquestionable standing -and ability were ready to give the pursuers instruction in separate -classes—as, moreover, the University had only been held back by a doubt -as to its own powers—the Lord Ordinary hoped that this solution would -terminate the unfortunate controversy which had raged so long. - - * * * * * - -S. J.-B. records the result very briefly in her diary: - - “Friday, July 26th. Lord Gifford’s judgment. Affirms declaratory - conclusions, i.e. full rights,—denies petitory conclusions, i.e. says - action so framed that he could not make order on Senatus. - - Gloria tibi, Domine! - - Substantially the whole cause won for all women, I believe. - - His note too good to be easily set aside. _May_ be fresh delay—hardly - defeat.” - -In any case it was a great and inspiring judgment,—almost enough to -atone to S. J.-B. at the moment for all she had come through; for it -must not be forgotten that the epoch-making enactments of November 1869, -on which almost everything turned, had been won by her own bow and -spear, practically before any other woman student had appeared upon the -scene.[104] Well might she cry, “Gloria tibi, Domine!” - -Footnote 104: - - See p. 260. - -And within a few days a great pæan of rejoicing rang out over the land,— -rejoicing that was to spread over the whole civilized world. Once more -the postman was a delightful visitant. Indeed, as one reads the letters, -one is fain to retract the dictum that this lawsuit was in any way -devoid of dramatic interest. - -The telegraph boy came first, with a characteristic message from Mrs. -Kingsley: - - “A thousand congratulations. How is R.C.” - - “Eileanach, - Inverness. - July 31/72. - - DEAR MISS BLAKE, - - A paragraph in the _Daily Telegraph_ of the 30th made me - surprise sitters-by, by exclaiming ‘Thank God,’... - - It is almost too good news to be true, although those not versed in - legal quibbles felt that your claim was both legal and equitable, and - _must_, in due time, be conceded. Yet, I would thankfully learn that - the case is ended, and that there is to be no appeal to keep it open - longer. - - I mean to be in Edinr. (Cockburn Hotel) on the 8th August, and will - that day try to see and congratulate you on the blessed determination - you have shown, all along, not to be put down by mere brute, unmanly - force, but to compel justice to be done. - - I am grieved that this should have cost you and your friends such - shameful trouble and expense, but know, that this loss to you, will be - the cause of myriads of dear women thanking God for having won a - victory that will do more for their welfare and happiness, temporal - and spiritual, than is now perceived but by a very few.... - - May God be with you and your friends, and speedily fill the land with - true women like you, so that no woman may need to keep secret for an - instant a single pain, because she can only tell it to men. - - Very sincerely yours, - J. MACKENZIE, M.D., - Provost.” - - “Wednesday, July 31. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - Will you allow me to add my hearty congratulations to those with - which I doubt not you are now being overwhelmed, on the success of - your brave and patient conflict with prejudice and injustice? I think - the question is now practically settled. - - Thanks for your kind letter. I am very glad you liked St. Andrews. - Believe me with much respect, - - Yours very sincerely, - A. K. H. BOYD.” - -The letter that follows is from one who was to become an invaluable -champion. - - “16 Wimpole Street. - July 27. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - Allow me to congratulate you most heartily on the decision of - Lord Gifford, which establishes the rights of the lady students at - Edinburgh. - - I will do what I can to get your interesting little book noticed in - the _Lancet_. - - I do hope that the Conservative party in the profession will now have - the sense to give way with a good grace. - - Believe me, dear Miss Jex-Blake, - Yours very truly, - FRANCIS ED. ANSTIE.” - -The next is in the shaky handwriting of an invalid: - - “MY DARLING, - - I was so delighted to have your letter with the grand news. I - had not dared expect anything so good. From my heart I thank God and - rejoice. I feel so comfortably well, no aches or pains whatever. May - God bless and prosper my darling. - - YOUR LOVING MOTHER. - - Shall I give a copy to Nurse of _the_ book when we part?” - - “Riffelberg. - July 30th. 1872. - - MY DEAR SOPHY, - - I am delighted to see in _Times_ of 27th, just arrived, that - Lord Gifford has given a judgment entirely in favour of yourself and - the other lady students. I congratulate you heartily and only hope it - is final. - - I am here 8,400 ft. above the sea, having found it impossible to get - fresh in England, ... - - I hope your legal perils are over; and, though one has regretted that - so much legal work prevented your own medical start, it has been well - worth all you have gone through, or yet may go through, to open the - Profession thoroughly to women. - - As soon as you have completed your training, you have in my opinion - nothing but success before you: and, within 12 months of settling in - London as a properly qualified Physician, you will find it easy to - make £2000 a year, and impossible to avoid doing a very large amount - of good in making it.... - - Your affectionate brother, - T. W. J.-B.” - -It was on the occasion of this visit to Switzerland that Mr. Jex-Blake -made the acquaintance of Miss Agnes M‘Laren—on the top of the Eggishorn! -It chanced one day that he ran down from the summit to assist a fragile -little lady up the last steep climb, and, in the course of subsequent -conversation, lent her a guide-book, in which, to her great surprise, -she found the familiar name of Jex-Blake. - -So the Eggishorn heard all about it. - -Yes, friends were kind, and more than kind; but, as before, the “man in -the street” rejoices one’s heart: - - “Glasgow. 30th July, 1872. - - DEAR LADY, - - I beg respectfully to convey my sincere thanks to you for the - gallant stand which you have made against those parties whom I may - term Medical Monopolists, and to express my delight at the success - which have attended your efforts. - - Your address and ability in thwarting the selfish purposes of said - parties have endeared you to every liberty loving individual in the - civilised world, and I sincerely hope you will long be spared to - benefit suffering humanity by your experience and knowledge—knowledge - which you have pursued under such tremendous difficulties, but the - possession of which cannot fail eventually to raise you to the very - pinacle of your profession. - - I am, - Yours very respectfully, ...” - -The following lines, written and sent to S. J.-B. a few months later by -a well-known Edinburgh citizen, may be taken as a sample of much clever -and spirited doggerel on both sides of the question: - - “I do rejoice, Miss Jex, - The gods have heard your Prex, - To vindicate your Sex, - By passing a new Lex, - Though that does sadly vex - Professor C., senex, - Who plays the part of Rex, - But may become an Ex, - Because he won’t annex - The females to his Grex.” - - - - - CHAPTER XV - PAYING THE PRICE - - -All through that autumn S. J.-B’s mind must have been simply seething -with the manifold interests that claimed her attention. - - “If anybody ever deserved a rest, you do,” writes Miss Stevenson, “and - I most earnestly hope you will take a thorough one. I do not think - _any of us_ are able fully to realize the importance of Lord Gifford’s - decision to all men and women in all time coming.” - - “I am truly glad that something is definitely settled at last,” writes - Miss Bovell from Paris, “and not least for _your_ sake. I do trust you - may have much less worry in future, though I fear the ‘separate - classes’ will still prove a source of trouble. Perhaps some time hence - the British Medical Profession, as well as the British Public, may be - sufficiently advanced to throw aside the unscientific scruples which - happily appear to have no existence here.... - - I suppose you will be going in for your Professional in October? I - wish you all possible honours. I trust your mind is now sufficiently - at ease for you to work at books, but you will take a holiday in the - country first, will you not?” - -The difficulty of arranging classes was so great that a good many of the -students had scattered for the summer months. Mrs. Chaplin Ayrton, as -well as Miss Bovell, was in Paris; Miss Massingberd Mundy and Miss Dahms -had gone to Dr. Lucy Sewall at Boston, and Miss Pechey was working at -the Lying-in Hospital in Endell Street. - - “Oh, Lucy, I’m so tired of it all!” S. J.-B. had written to her friend - a month or two before this. “When those children went to you a - fortnight ago, I did so wish I could have gone and been rested and - nursed for a few months! - - But I’m sure you will see how utterly without choice I am,—that I - _must_ stay at my post as long as I can stand. - - But I am getting more and more doubtful whether I myself shall ever - finish my education. I think when once the fight is won, I shall creep - away into some wood and lie and sleep for a year. - - However all that is beside the question.” - -A letter from Miss Pechey—written in September—takes a sterner tone than -is her wont. After reporting about her work at Endell Street, she goes -on: - - “You have never told me how you are getting on with your exam. - subjects; such silence is very ominous, and I’m afraid you haven’t - been doing anything at them. You really must, if you intend to go up - in October, for it is by no means child’s play getting up three such - different subjects, and it would be simply _awful_ if you went up and - didn’t pass....” - -Here the writer has obviously dried the ink, and sat looking at the -space that remained, appalled, we may suppose, by the contingency she -has called up. - -“Don’t you like me to lecture you?” she concludes finally, and passes on -to another subject. - -There certainly were not many people who dared to ‘lecture’ S. J.-B. The -mingled love and fear with which her juniors (and not her juniors only) -regarded her scarcely comes out in the correspondence, though one gets -more than a glimpse of it in the following letter from one of the two -who went to Boston, the humourist and _enfant gâtée_ of the little -circle: - - “DEAR MISS PECHEY, - - I write to you for several reasons, the one chiefly worth - mentioning being that I want you to give some messages to Miss Jex- - Blake, as, however busy you are, you are not likely to be so busy as - she is, and therefore a letter is less waste of time to you. I believe - though at the bottom of my heart that my real reason is that I am, - even away from her, frightened of her. See how deep the feeling is. - (The writer proceeds to relate a perfectly fantastic dream.) - - Miss Jex-Blake, as you know, has written to Dr. Sewall, advising me to - stay in Boston this winter; the Dr. is so good as to say she will keep - me with her, and I am quite willing to stay, so unless my father and - mother object, that is settled.... - - What joyful news that lawsuit news has been. I have had letters of - rejoicing from many folks, but I declare I am chiefly glad for Miss - Jex-Blake’s sake, and I hope now she sees some prospect of a quiet - winter. Of course there is still much to do, but she has put a great - piece of the road behind her. Is it not so? And I assure you the - general question was becoming lost to sight by me in the particular - one of her success and rest. - - If Miss Jex-Blake comments on my hand, tell her I do write my copies, - I do remember her rules, and only fall into this style when a little - tired as at present.... - - I have seen now Dr. Sewall use forceps three times, and it is - impossible to see anything prettier.... She uses any sort of - instrument beautifully. I should like to see her conduct some large - operation. I think well-done surgery is fascinating, and I never saw - anyone handle an instrument so easily and so securely. I should feel - safe whatever she was going to do to me or mine....” - -Of course S. J.-B. saw the letter,—though the dream was a most audacious -one—and it made her quite homesick for the old Boston life. - - “DEAREST LUCY,” she writes, - - “It is just a year since we parted, and I do so want to see you - again. Miss —— makes me quite envious with her descriptions of her - happiness in Boston and of the goodness of ‘my doctor.’ Will you come - over with her in the spring?... - - I am just going to set hard to work for 5 weeks in preparation for my - 1st Professional Exam., which comes off about October 22nd. It would - never do for _me_ to be plucked! In fact I shall not go in unless I - feel pretty well prepared when the time comes. Please thank Miss Call - for her note to me, and tell her I wish she could have come to - Edinburgh.” - -She did set to work hard, but events could scarcely be called -propitious. On the strength of Lord Gifford’s judgment, she was renting -a small house to serve as a medical school, arranging for the winter’s -course of teaching; and, especially, trying to get an Anatomy lecturer -recognized by a body of men, who—rightly or wrongly—did not mean to -recognize him. Meanwhile editors showed themselves increasingly glad to -get her work—journalistic work—not only on subjects connected with her -special struggle, but about anything that called forth her gift for -clear and incisive writing: and all the money she could earn in this way -was not only welcome, but actually needed to keep things going. Although -she was extraordinarily economical, as we have seen, her generosity and -her large and businesslike way of dealing with things always gave the -impression of larger means than she possessed; and many appealed to her -for help who would have been amazed to learn how narrow her margin was. - - “I am glad of both your articles,” writes Mr. Russel about this time, - “but the _beginnings_ of both are de trop. - - If I see a topic you would care to handle, I shall be prompt to let - you know.” - - “I am much obliged by your MS., which will duly appear as a leader - tomorrow,” writes another editor. - -Her book, too, was exciting no small interest, and the consequent -letters, enquiries and reviews[105]—very lengthy reviews in some cases— -were a preoccupation in themselves. Any day might bring the opening up -of a new vista. - -Footnote 105: - - The following is a fair average specimen of the cordiality with which - the book was received:—“So convincing is the argument, so obvious the - conclusions to which it leads up, that one fairly wonders, after - putting down the essay in which they are enforced, how it should have - come to pass in this nineteenth century that it should be necessary - for any such essay to be written.”—_Liverpool Mercury._ - - “Sept, 11th. - - DARLING MOTHER, - - I have but a moment to send you a piece of news that I know will - be very welcome, viz, that A Scotchman resident in India called on me - last night, asked how matters were progressing, said the battle was - being gallantly fought, and departed after stating mildly that he - would send us ‘a thousand pounds at once and more if needed,’ that the - fight might not fail for want of money! The money is worth a great - deal, but the moral effect is almost more, as the man is an absolute - stranger and cares simply for the principle. - - Probably now we shall get a lot more. - - Yours lovingly, - SOPH. - - His name is Walter Thomson, he had just read my book. (Not a bad 2s. - 6d. worth, was it?)” - -It is impossible to exaggerate the reverence—“respect” is too weak a -word—with which S. J.-B. throughout life treated the money that came to -her in this way. It was infinitely more precious to her than possessions -of her own: and the amount of the donation made no difference. If it was -not to be used immediately, it was invested with the greatest care and -forethought; every penny was strictly accounted for; and no farthing -expended on administration, or on any kind of work involved (railway -journeys and so forth), was allowed to come out of the fund itself. -There never were any “working expenses.” All that was done for love. - -More gifts on this scale did not follow forthwith, but her lecture and -the book that followed it were bringing in a return that was worth even -more. They were arousing interest among men who might be able to assist -the cause in a bigger way than had yet suggested itself. - - “I wonder,” writes Miss Wolstenholme, “whether you are aware how - deeply interested Mr. Stansfeld is in your question, and how warmly - disposed to help you by legislation or in any other way.”[106] - -Footnote 106: - - Mr. Stansfeld was President of the Local Government Board. - -There follow a number of suggestions as to the amendment of the Medical -Act of 1858. - - * * * * * - -Meanwhile the University had appealed to the Inner House against Lord -Gifford’s judgment, and—after hanging fire for long months—the case at -this juncture became imminent. - -It was in the midst of all this that preparation for the professional -examination went on. - -Of course the task ought not to have been a formidable one. S. J.-B. had -done excellent class-work in the subjects required, and they had been -simmering in her mind for years; but everyone who has watched the career -of many students knows that that man stands the best chance of -acquitting himself well who, having got his subject up, goes in for the -examination straightway, before the natural process of selection and -assimilation in his own mind emphasizes this item and discards that, as -the case may be. The knowledge one wants for an examination is not the -knowledge that becomes one’s working equipment for life. - -The “last straw” for S. J.-B. was the distressing illness of a very dear -friend in the course of those five precious weeks, and finally we come -without surprise to the following entry in the diary: - - “Sunday, Oct. 6th. Rather out of heart. I can’t get courage or sense - for the Organic Chemistry, and must leave it till E. P. comes; and the - Botany seems so desperately voluminous! My head seems tired,—I _can’t_ - make it work more than an hour or so at a time,... But somehow my - fatalism makes me think I _shall_ get through, when E. P. comes and - quiets me,—she comes Thursday, 10th.” - - “Oct. 11th. I’ve had such bother about Anatomy rooms, etc., and shall - have to organize about Fund, etc. - - Things seem to _crowd_ on me so. And other people get such nice long - holidays!—oh, dear! Well, as Robertson says, everything has its - price.... - - Then H. [the Anatomy teacher]. The Court refused him flat on Monday, - on ground of ‘no evidence of qualification’! He on Tuesday is to send - in his diplomas and other testimonials, and I have to get them copied - and printed, etc. - - My own Botany stuck fast,—I nervous and shaky again,—feeling strength - go out of me drop by drop. - - If only the 22nd were _well_ over! - - E. P. came back yesterday, dear child,—so loving and good.” - -At this point S. J.-B. breaks off to record the—very indifferent— -achievements of the new students in their preliminary examination! - - “Oct. 22nd. Professional Exam.... Did good paper in Nat. Hist.,—fair - in Chemistry, poor in Botany. Went down to Falkirk to sleep.[107] - - “Oct. 23rd. Came up for Practical Chemistry Exam. White Millar met me - and worried me for [law] papers. Head dazed,—Crum Brown let me up [? - off] till another day.” - -Footnote 107: - - To visit the friend who had been ill. - -Well, there is no use in “spinning out the agony.” S. J.-B. was rejected -in her examination. With a mental endowment obviously far above the -average in either sex, she found herself, after all these years of -study,—so far as any practical result was concerned—absolutely at the -foot of the ladder. She had nothing whatever to show for her work: she -had failed in a test that almost any schoolboy can pass,—and the eye of -the civilized world was upon her. - -There is no denying that it was bad to bear, and the tragic part of the -matter was that she could not bring herself to believe that—in the -subject of Natural History at all events—her paper had been fairly -treated. So many petty difficulties had been thrown in her way all -along, so little magnanimity had been shown her by some of those in -authority, that her fighting instinct rose almost automatically to the -encounter. What could this be but simply one effort more on the part of -the enemy to defeat her _per omne fas et nefas_?[108] - -Footnote 108: - - See extract from _Lancet_, p. 319. - -About this time Professor Huxley seems to have expressed to some mutual -friend his sympathy with the women students; he had refused—quite -definitely, but with obvious regret—to come to their assistance by -examining their proposed Anatomy lecturer[109] when the University of -Edinburgh refused to do so; and Miss Pechey now took upon herself the -difficult task of asking his opinion upon the Natural History paper. It -was a great venture from every point of view, and certainly shows how -confident S. J.-B. was in her view of the case. - -Footnote 109: - - See _Huxley’s Life_, i. 387. - -“_Vor den Wissenden sich stellen_—” is an admirable motto, but the -standard of examination in Natural History in Edinburgh at that time was -certainly not the standard demanded by London now, and many a creditable -Edinburgh student of those days might have cause to congratulate himself -that he was not examined by Huxley. - - “He was very kind about it,” writes Miss Pechey, “and I had a long - talk with him. He thought it would be difficult for H. to get anyone - to examine him, as even Ellis would not like to constitute himself an - examiner. I think he has rather altered his idea of the honesty, etc., - of the Edinr. Professors, but he said such conduct was inexplicable to - him. However, although I expect he thought I’ was giving him a one- - sided statement, I think he considers us the aggrieved party. - - At first he would not look at the papers, but when he had asked me - about them, he said he would look over the Natural History, and - although he was very kind about it, his verdict was unfavourable. Of - course I have no doubt that they would have passed a _man_ on your - paper, but still you must have them extra good before you can make any - fuss about it.... - - I hope you won’t worry yourself about the papers, as I hope we shall - have plenty of leisure so that we can go over the subjects again in a - proper way: it would have been a wonder if you could have passed in - the midst of all that worry.... God bless you, darling.” - -As we know S. J.-B. had more worries on hand than the sore question of -her examination papers. The Appeal in the famous case of Miss Jex-Blake -_v._ the Senatus was really before the Court of Session now, and she was -“up till past 12 revising the proofs” for the daily papers. - - “Sunday, Nov. 3rd. Word from E. P. (who went to London Wednesday) that - Huxley didn’t approve my Nat. Hist. paper. So fight for ‘pluck’ given - up. - - Poor Nelly O’B. lost her father a few weeks ago.” - -Apparently she wrote to report progress to her brother the same day. - - “The College, - Cheltenham. Nov. 4. 1872. - - MY DEAR SOPHY, - - You have come to the right decision without a doubt. Probably - they were sharp upon you, but to _prove_ injustice in an examiner is a - hopeless task. They are evidently very bitter, and apparently not - scrupulous; but to my mind that was not the point; for, in writing to - you[110] I had only to consider what was the wise course for you; and - it seemed to be exactly what I advised and what you have done. - - I am very sorry, and so is Hetty, for the mishap and the loss of time: - but you can turn it to benefit: and all’s well that ends well, as your - cause will end certainly. - - Your affectionate brother, - T. W. J.-B.” - -Footnote 110: - - The previous letter has not been found. - - “The Elms. - Monday, 4th November. - - MY PRECIOUS DARLING, - - I am not all surprised, and so glad to hear that there is - another opportunity in April. I had said I had no doubt they would - floor you if they could. Your mind and time have been so engrossed - that you cannot be very angry with yourself. I quite think I have felt - for you more than you have for yourself....” - - [The dear old Mother, with the sword in her heart!] - - “I am getting on so nicely here. I hope you will not have any lawyers - to consult with about other pressing matters, nor articles to write - when you take up study for April. I shall like to know when you begin - (probably not till February) that I may ask help where it is promised - to be given. I hope my darling has a little breathing time now, and - will take every care of herself, as I will of her baby. - - Ever your loving Mummy, - MARIA EMILY JEX-BLAKE. - - It is best for me to write little.” - -[Illustration: - - _Henry J. Wells 1862_ - _Emery Walker ph. sc._ - _Maria Emily Jex-Blake_ - _from a drawing in chalks by H. T. Wells R.A. 1862_ -] - -Meanwhile enquiries poured in on every side. The following paragraph -appeared in a well-known Weekly: - - “The question of the admission of Women to medical degrees in - Edinburgh University has been rather unexpectedly solved, at least for - the present. Miss Jex-Blake, a foremost champion of the movement, has - actually been ‘plucked’ in her examination and sent back to complete - her scientific studies.” - -This paragraph was cut out and sent to S. J.-B. by other papers and by -many individuals as well, with a request for an explanation, or, as they -graciously put it, “for the means of authoritatively contradicting it.” - - * * * * * - -Norfolk cousins who had been mildly loyal and sympathetic at a distance, -were roused to positive incredulity. The delightful Sarah of the -girlhood reverts to the old affection and the old playful names: - - “Wimbledon. - Dec. 14th. - - DEAR OLD MAN, - - I want you to write and tell me all about yourself, and why you - did not pass your examinations. There must be a reason why you did - not. I want you to tell me, for I hear all sorts of things, and want - to know the truth. Send me a Scotch paper about you, for I never see - anything in the English papers for or against you—only facts [!]... - - Write to me like a good man. - - Ever your affectionate, - S[ARAH] J.-B.” - -Yes, things were pretty black. So black that one is not in the least -surprised to hear that at this time Miss M‘Laren decided to throw in her -lot with the women students. Retiring and delicate though she was, the -following letter written on one of her propagandist Suffrage tours, is -evidence that she brought sufficient moral grit to the new life: - - “Strachie, [?] Argyllshire. - Nov. 10th. 1872. - - I wish so much that you could have joined us yesterday by balloon, so - as to have had this delicious day in the country,—besides the pleasure - of being together. The pure air would have refreshed you very much,— - and it is so lovely. Yesterday it rained in torrents.... I was so glad - you were not with us, for I found I had promised more than I could - perform,—only a pleasant drive of two hours! Imagine our horror when - we found that the steamer advertised to sail from Helensburgh to - Dunoon was broken down and could not go,—and we were told that it - would be impossible for us to manage the journey. Of course we _had_ - to find out a way to go, and it was to drive 3 miles, then to ferry, - then to drive 4 miles, then to catch a steamer, then to have the 2 - hours’ drive originally expected! ... and only to reach this at 7—half - an hour after hour of meeting! - - It was out of the question to put meeting off, for there was no - telegraph, and the people had come 6, 8, or 9 miles. They knew - something must have happened to delay us, and waited patiently. We had - to hurry to the meeting, and found a large schoolhouse crowded with - people, and some half dozen dogs, and dimly lighted by 8 candles! It - was _so_ funny! And they were so enthusiastic.... - - I have been thinking a great deal about joining you, and the - conclusion I have come to is to tell Papa and Mama that I would like - to _try_ to study if they would give their consent. - - If I felt I had a vocation for medicine, it would make me bolder, but - you know that I cannot honestly plead that. On the contrary I have - very grave doubts of my capacity for it, especially for the - preliminary years of study, and they might very probably prove to be - lost years.... - - No, the attractions to me would be a definite sphere, and an - independent one, and being associated with you in work of any kind. - - It would be a great happiness to me to be with you, and to believe - that I was a help to you however small. - - But then, I cannot but believe that you must before long have the - greater help of having Miss Du Pre with you, and, in the meantime, - till she can come, you may be sure I will be as much as possible with - you.” - -A delightful correspondence ensued between Miss M‘Laren and Miss Du Pre, -who knew each other but slightly: - - “As you cannot be with Sophy,” writes Miss M‘Laren, “I would like very - much to be with her, for she does really deserve all the help she can - get when she has so much to do.... It would, as you know, be a great - happiness to me to be with her, but I would not mind for myself at - all. If you could only be with her, I would be quite happy not to be, - feeling that it was not right for me to risk making family discomfort, - just for myself. What do you honestly think? I would not of course - think of troubling you about my concerns except as they concern - Sophy.” - - “All my instincts are against causing family sorrow and trouble,” - writes Miss Du Pre in reply. “... but I cannot but think that in your - case the trouble would not be permanent. - - I think myself that studying new and difficult sciences and trying to - help Sophy at the same time would be more than your strength would - stand,—at least I know I could not do it myself. Though, on the other - hand, it might be still more difficult to study at home where all - sorts of family habits and calls upon one’s time make it so hard to do - anything thoroughly. - - I believe, if I were you, I would try to wear away by degrees the - opposition of my parents, perhaps by going to help Sophy for a month - or so, and then coming home again, being willing in the meantime to be - present at any dinner party when they particularly needed my help, - etc. I do think that people hate a plan so much less when the thought - of it is no longer new and startling to them.... I cannot express to - you how glad I shall be if you can see it to be right to go to Sophy, - for I think your presence and help are exactly what she needs and - needs sorely too. But you must not think that I _only_ care about it - for her sake, for it would be a great pleasure to me to think that you - were enjoying her company and friendship.” - -Of course Miss M‘Laren carried her point, and, if she never quite -succeeded in persuading herself of her “vocation,” she left a large -_clientèle_ of patients in no doubt at all upon the subject. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - END OF THE BATTLE IN EDINBURGH - - -The year 1873 is not one of the most dramatic in the history, but no -other has a more impressive record of work done, of resolute -determination to try every door, and to _keep on trying_. - -It was becoming increasingly clear that—whatever the immediate issue of -the lawsuit might be—a wider appeal must be made. Even S. J.-B. began to -see that “no decision in our favour can give us the good will of the -Medical Faculty”; and Mr. Stansfeld’s warm and appreciative interest in -the question seemed to open a new door of hope. From this time forward -the recurrence of his fine clear handwriting in the correspondence -(brief though his letters are) is a constant reminder of how “Providence -rescues and saves His elect inheritance” as “the dear Newman” would have -said, though in another connection. - -Mr. Stansfeld knew Professor Masson well, and probably began his -acquaintance with S. J.-B. in no ignorance of her _défauts_,—the -_défauts_ that made so many timorous; but, like Masson, he was a strong -man; like Masson he thought Carlyle was right in holding that “on the -whole we make too much of faults”; and to the end of the long history he -rejoiced wholeheartedly in the magnificent acumen and strength of Sophia -Jex-Blake. - -S. J.-B. had made his acquaintance at the time of her lecture, and now, -after some little correspondence, she saw him again, and received his -introduction to some of his colleagues. - -We quote from diary: - - “Dec. 10th [1872] To London. At Cordery’s till 13th. - - 11th Wednesday. Saw Stansfeld at Whitehall. Then Simon, who, though - not very sanguine as to value of women doctors, is quite clear they - must have a chance. Suggests that the Colleges _could_ not refuse to - examine us. Lord Ripon also kindly,—quite inclined to make Medical Act - as dependent as possible on Registration. Lowe marvellously civil. - Very glad to see me, was quite clear it was a case for legislation. If - we lost the lawsuit, he would consult with Stansfeld, and do all he - could. - - Tuesday, 17th. (Dear old man’s birthday,—would have been 82!) To - Yaxham. Mother fairly well. - - For next 10 days stayed much in bed, read _Gil Blas_, etc., in utter - dearth of books. Worried by letters and telegrams from Edinburgh. - - Thursday 26th. Started back for Edinburgh. Carriage to myself whole - way. Arrived - - Friday 6 a.m. Slept an hour or two. Then 4 hours’ cab and canvassing; - and so on for next week.” - - “Monday, Jan. 6th. 1873. Infirmary meeting. We apparently beaten by - 279 to 271—pending scrutiny. Turner and Lister waved hats and - hurrahed!” - - “Feb. 10th. The piety of the Infirmary Managers actually obliged them - to turn us out of Sunday visit, at least ‘for the present.’ Cowan[111] - delightfully indignant for once at ‘breach of faith’. - - Feb. 16th. He went to Infirmary during Sunday visit; and went away, - telling Mrs. Thorne oracularly that ‘he had seen quite enough for his - purpose’. - - Feb. 17th. Monday. He made a tremendous row at Managers’ Meeting. Said - that the previous day he had visited the wards and ‘had never seen a - more truly Christian, more truly Sabbatic sight, than the ladies at - the sick-beds.’ By 10 to 6 votes in again.” - -Footnote 111: - - Lord Provost. - -Such were the ups and downs of daily life. - - * * * * * - -The question was raised at this time of having one or more women on the -School Board, and S. J.-B. took up the matter enthusiastically. It was -useless to remind her that she had more than enough on her hands -already. Here was a matter in which she really could serve. And a great -occasion it proved. Even those who were children at the time have not -forgotten the wild excitement in Edinburgh over that election, and the -lift given to the whole woman movement when the two lady candidates—Miss -Phoebe Blyth and Miss Flora Stevenson—appeared on the list second only -to the Roman Catholic priest, who had, of course, all the suffrages of -the faithful. - -“You and Miss Blake must have half killed yourselves in getting a -Committee with such names as you have,” Miss Blyth had written. - -“If you and Miss M‘Laren had not gone in so strongly for my interests,” -wrote Miss Stevenson, “I should have found myself _very_ much lower.” - -So perhaps it was worth while, for the place taken by the women on the -list was a weapon of good fighting force for the future. - -It was a helpful distraction too for S. J.-B. herself, and at that -moment the constant pressure of unsatisfactory difficulties and worries— -some few of these latter, of course, created by herself—was very -wearisome. Always something trying to do, and never anything to show for -it,—that was the record of her life at the time. Here is a heart cry -such as one seldom gets from her now: - - “Sunday, May 18th.—Oh, dear!—for some brightness and freshness and - pleasure to break the long grey wait and work!—Nothing’s wrong,—I’m - fairly well, and by no means unhappy. I’ve the real essentials of - happiness,—love and work,—but the fruition of both seems so far away! - - And I want 3 or 4 days of bright sunshine,—rides and drives, ices and - champagne!—easy luxurious life for a few days’ change. - - Ah, well! Some day I hope to have just such a bright easy home or nest - somewhere—and to find brain and body workers to take to it for the 3 - or 4 days’ rest and change! How one needs to _experience_ needs in - order to understand them!” - -There are some perhaps who will read this entry with no little feeling -when they remember how, long years after, she realized this ideal in the -home of her retirement, Windydene.[112] - -Footnote 112: - - “... And now a flood of memories of sweet Windydene brings tears to my - eyes. No fear there of rowdy ricsha coolies in a narrow alley - quarrelling over the right of way—nor rattle of carriages with their - annoying official bell ‘Clear the way’ up to 2 a.m.—but just silent - peace. My heaven will certainly have to be silence for a space. But - Windydene contains ... and the Doctor, and I remember talks over the - drawing-room fire, and those incomparable evenings in the Doctor’s - Study, and as these thoughts make one both weepy and sentimental, I - had better stop.” _Extract from a letter from Dr. Lillie Saville, - Tientsin, Jan. 7th, 1911._ - -But the saving sense of humour was never less than dormant. She seldom -has time to quote jokes in the diary now, but here is the very next -entry: - - “May 23rd. From Life of Barham. Dr. Thos. Hume charged 7s. 6d. instead - of 5s. for death notice, because of ‘universally beloved and deeply - regretted.’ To surly clerk,—'Congratulate yourself, Sir, that this is - an expense to which your Executors will never be put!’” - -The mood was not quite evanescent, however, for the anxious Mother reads -it between the lines: - - “13 Sussex Square, - 28 May. - - DARLING, - - I fear you were very weary when you wrote; Mother’s heart is - constantly with her little one, and yearning for some little word of - her health or her interests. Though I don’t want to be selfish and - have her write _often_,—when she does write she must mention herself - and how she is getting on. - - H. [a former maid] is paying me a little visit. She looks very poorly - and she jumped at my offer to come here for a week.... She asked about - you, and I lent her your book. She wishes enough there were a lady - doctor for her to consult. - - Ever your loving Mummy, - M. E. J.-B.” - -One is glad to know that the women students were having a course of -lectures on Medical Jurisprudence from Dr. (afterwards Sir Henry) -Littlejohn that term,—with all the delightful excursions, topographical -and mental, which that course involved. No one who has had the privilege -of the same experience can regard the history of that summer as a trial -without compensation. - - * * * * * - -Meanwhile the lawsuit was dragging its weary course. One cannot be -surprised that the University should have appealed against Lord -Gifford’s decision. If appeal be made to law at all, one must get the -last word of the law,—especially if, in the last resort, public funds -are available to pay for it. There were still lurking possibilities in -that little word “vir,” and it might yet be shown that the University -had done an illegal thing when it admitted the women in the first -instance. If that proved to be so—and it was the _crux_ of the whole -case—the University (so it was argued) must be held excused from all -responsibility towards the women students themselves. - - * * * * * - -But, if one refrains from blaming the University, one cannot -sufficiently admire the behaviour of the women students as a whole -during those trying days of uncertainty. While the younger members of -the little band were pursuing their education where and how they could, -the seniors were striving on every hand to find some open door or to -unlock one that was closed. Birmingham was at least discussed, with its -possibilities; St. Andrews, Durham, and the various centres in Ireland -were visited and worked diplomatically, and for a time not without -apparent prospect of success. It is pathetic to go through the endless -reams of correspondence—vital once with hopes and fears—that was -destined to end, for the moment at least, in nothing. - -In June S. J.-B. and Miss M‘Laren went on a mission to Newcastle, and -they had scarcely left Edinburgh before Miss Pechey, who had just -returned, sent the following report: - - “15 Buccleuch Place, - Edinburgh. - June 17th. 1873. - - DARLING SOPH, - - I was going to write to you yesterday, but was overcome with - sleep, the result, I suppose, of getting up at 5 o’clock. Last night - Millar sent a copy of the Consulted Lords’ Opinion with a note to say - that the case would be put on this week, and that the proceedings - would occupy only a few minutes—merely formal. He is to let me know - when it comes on. Ormidale, Mure, Mackenzie and Shand are dead against - us, contending that the Court had no power to make the regulations. - Deas, Ardmillan, Jerviswoode and Gifford only in favour of the - regulations holding good and our right to graduation,—but _not_ a word - as to the regulations being enforced, and we are still left at the - mercy of the individual professors. - - ‘That being the case, this coloured individual will take to the - woods.’ We must look either to Newcastle or St. Andrews. My only care - now about the decision of the other judges is with regard to the - expenses.... - - I hope the Newcastle people are behaving well.” - -Individually they were behaving well of course, and individually the -applicants saw them. Two of S. J.-B.’s drafted petitions have been -preserved: - - “Station Hotel, - Newcastle. June 19th. 1873. - - GENTLEMEN, - - Relying on the liberality with which the College of Science of - the University of Durham has been thrown open to women, I venture to - request that you will pursue a similar liberal policy with reference - to your College of Medicine, and will admit to it those women who are - desirous to enter the medical profession, and for whose education - absolutely no provision exists at this moment in Great Britain. - - If it is thought desirable that separate classes should be established - in any of the subjects of medical education, I am prepared to - guarantee for such classes the payment of whatever minimum fee may be - fixed by you, and I am further in a position to state that, if your - College is thrown open, at least fifteen women will at once enrol - themselves as students. - - I have the honour to be, Gentlemen, - - Yours obedly, - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE.” - - “June 23rd. 1873. - - DEAR SIR, - - As I understand that some of the Medical Professors feel a - difficulty in arranging for the education of women, while others are - quite ready to do so, I venture to suggest whether it would not be - possible to admit ladies tentatively for a single term to the classes - of such teachers as are prepared to receive them, pending a final - decision of the whole question. - - I think I mentioned to you that those among us who have studied - longest, have attended all the classes required for the Durham - licence, except those of Midwifery, Materia Medica and Therapeutics, - and that if these classes could be given in the winter session they - might present themselves for the April examination. After the - experience of such a tentative session, it might with greater - certainty be decided whether or not permanent arrangements could be - made. - - Indeed, even if it should be thought impossible to make any such - partial arrangement for instruction, it might be a matter for - consideration whether the Medical Council (in conjunction with the - Durham authorities) might not agree to _examine_ women with a view to - the licence, if they presented certificates of having attended all the - necessary classes, and if they paid the fees for one session at - Newcastle, even without attending classes there, in case such - attendance should be found impracticable. - - Commending the whole question to the most favourable consideration of - yourself and your colleagues, I remain, - - Yours obedly, - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE.” - -At least she and Miss M‘Laren were not kept waiting long in suspense. On -the very same day the answer was despatched: - - “University of Durham College of Medicine, - Newcastle on Tyne. - June 23rd. 1873. - - DEAR MISS BLAKE, - - I am requested to forward you a copy of a resolution passed - unanimously at an extraordinary meeting of members held today. - - ‘That the members of this College, at an extraordinary meeting, having - considered the question of opening the Classes of the College for the - education of women, decide that they cannot consent to the application - made, either as to education or as to Examination for Licences and - Degrees.’ - - I am, - Yours very truly, - W. C. M. ARNISON, M.D., - _Secretary_.” - -St. Andrews seemed more hopeful. Professor Campbell, as we know, was -more than favourable; so was Professor Baynes; there is a thoroughly -encouraging letter from Principal Tulloch at this time as to the -prospects; and Professor Birrell wrote “in a friendly spirit to the -cause which has been ennobled by the rare spirit with which you and your -friends have fought a hard fight in its defence.” - -One wonders whether he had the faintest idea _how_ hard the fight had -been. - -In any case opposition proved too strong, and nothing was done at St. -Andrews. - -One must remember that the full equipment of the medical side of the -University was a big financial undertaking; and, although the women were -prepared to bear their share, they were naturally unwilling to do this -without some pledge that they would not be left stranded in the first -emergency. Moreover, they were anxious not to lose time, and above all -things St. Andrews was unwilling to be hurried. - -Dr. King Chambers urged the women to get their classes somehow—anyhow, -and then to “practise boldly as unregistered practitioners who are ready -to submit to examination when called upon.” - -A heroic piece of advice all round. One hopes the unregistered -practitioners would be allowed breathing space “when called upon” to -refresh their recollection—for instance—of the preparations of opium! - -Meanwhile Mrs. Thorne was working hard to arrange classes in Edinburgh, -and—failing the University degree—to secure for women the Licence of the -Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons—a privilege which was actually -granted some dozen years later. She and others were also enquiring about -the possibilities of the Apothecaries’ Society of London and the -Apothecaries’ Hall of Ireland, and, with a view to this, S. J.-B. went -the length of securing a legal apprenticeship to her old friend and -teacher, Mr. Salzmann of Brighton, who was most anxious to help her if -he could. In fact no stone was left unturned. - -The women students were really so restrained, so admirable, through all -this, that it is a positive relief to come upon the following outburst -some months later from Miss Pechey: - - “Langham, Colchester, - October 12th. 1873. - - MY DARLING SOPH, - - Since I saw you I have indeed suffered many things of many - physicians, and my temper is no better but rather worse. It is, - however, gradually working down to its normal again. If I could only - have spoken my mind when they talked their conceited bosh about their - infinite superiority, and said,—‘Do you know what a poor fool you are - making of yourself?’—it wouldn’t have been so hard; but to sit still, - smiling benignantly, when men, commonplace enough, goodness knows, in - everything but their uncommon stupidity, boasted of their mental - capacity!—it was no wonder that, having to bottle it all up, while I - mused the fire burned. They are so like the fools that David had to - contend with that I can’t help quoting him.” - - After reporting progress, she goes on: “Still I would not have Mrs. - Thorne stop in her arrangements for classes in Edinburgh, as I think - we have no chance, the influence of the medical men being so much - against us. - - Yes, I am curious. I wonder what it is. Perhaps another hopdog? The - other died this morning,—poor thing, it had had to go too long without - food, and even fresh hops did not revive it. - - Please give my love to Scrap.... - - I will telegraph to you when I hear from S. - - Yours lovingly, - EDITH.” - -Meanwhile the great decision of the Edinburgh Lords had been formally -given. The Lord Justice-General, being Chancellor of the University, -gave no judgment, but the Lord Justice-Clerk and four others, including -all the remaining judges of the First Division were in favour of the -women students. The seven remaining judges, including Lord Mure and Lord -Shand, were against the women students; so the case was lost by the -usual “narrow majority.” - -The adverse judgment was based mainly on the opinion that the University -Court had, in 1869, done an illegal thing in admitting women to the -University at all, and on this ground the authorities were held excused -from all responsibility towards the women themselves. - -As we look back on the episode after all these years, the point that -stands out is the brave and luminous judgment of the Lord Justice-Clerk, -of which the following is, from our point of view, the most interesting -passage: - - “To deny the women students the degree which was essential to their - entering the profession, and with a view to which they had studied, on - the pretext—for it was no better—that no such end was ever - contemplated, was entirely unjust and unwarranted; and that all the - more that all the evils said to be connected with the admission of - females to the University attached only to the study which was - permitted, while the honour could injure no one, and was only valuable - as the passport to the medical profession, with which, as a body, the - defenders had no concern. That this question of graduation, from - whatever cause, was in reality the sole matter in dispute, was - sufficiently evident from the pleading of the defenders themselves. No - doubt they devoted a large portion of their argument to prove that - women never had been, and never ought to be, admitted to University - study; but in the sequel they disclosed with sufficient frankness that - if the pursuers would have contented themselves with mere certificates - of proficiency, and would have abandoned their claim for graduation, - they might possibly have fared better. This alternative implied - university study, and, therefore, as graduation was the cardinal point - in the case, his opinion was that, on completing the curriculum as - matriculated students, the pursuers were entitled by the existing - rules of the University to be admitted to graduation, and, indeed, he - had found little of argument addressed to prove the contrary. This, in - his opinion, was sufficient for the decision of this case. It was, - however, maintained by the defenders that the University Court had no - power to pass these regulations; they said that by the constitution of - the University no woman could be admitted either for study or for - graduation, and that the regulations and all that has followed upon - them were therefore a mere nullity, and could receive no effect. He - thought this answer entirely irrelevant. Questions might no doubt - arise between the superior and subordinate powers in the University as - to the legality of the former’s orders, and these might legitimately - be called in question. But, when a student had entered the University, - and had duly conformed to the rules on the faith of which he entered, - it would be no defence on the part of the Senatus to his claim to - graduate that the rules under which he had been admitted were liable - to legal objection. The duty of the Senatus was to obey the _de facto_ - law of the University, and any other principle would be not only - subversive of academical discipline, but would lead to the greatest - injustice, as he thought was the case here. The matriculation of the - student created an implied contract between him and the University - authorities that, if he complied with the existing rules, they would - confer the benefits in the hope of which he resorted to the - University. They could not, after the student had performed his part - of the engagement, refuse to fulfil theirs, on the ground that the - contract was made under rules which it was beyond the power of their - academical superiors to make. They could not compel the student, as a - condition of his graduation, to take upon himself the defence of the - laws of the University; his sole duty was to obey them, and if their - lawfulness was disputed, that must be done in a question with those - who made them, not with the student who trusted to them.” - -The women students were ordered to pay the expenses of the appeal: and -thus ended the hard fought “Battle in Edinburgh.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - THE QUESTION IN PARLIAMENT - - -How far S. J.-B. was depressed in mind and body by the events of that -wearing fight, we can fairly guess. But nothing had happened to disturb -in the smallest degree her faith,—her philosophy of life. She never -doubted that she was fighting the battle of the Lord; but—greatly though -she hoped, sure though she felt of final victory for her cause—she was -always, in the background of her being, absolutely prepared for the -defeat of any one of her plans. In the thick of the combat, she seemed -so engrossed that comrades and onlookers were wont to say,—“Defeat will -kill her,” but this was a complete misunderstanding of her attitude. The -moment defeat came, it was accepted as simply the will of God, though it -well might be that God still meant her to try again. - -In the occasional great affairs of later life it was positively -startling to contrast her apparent inability to recognize another side -to the question at issue with her instant acceptance of an adverse -decision when it came. But for the vital record we now possess of her -youth, most people would have had no clue. She was not ordinarily taken -for a religious woman; but it is simply true that the watchword of her -life—passively and actively—was _Fiat voluntas tua_. - -She was one of those who pray; but she would have thought it wrong to -pray for the success of a definite scheme, for the life of a friend, -even—in the hour of her greatest need—for the renewal of a broken -friendship. - -And indeed there was always some comfort at hand, quite apart from the -highest philosophy. To the end of her life the words were often on her -lips, “You see we had such _excellent friends_”; and though some few -adherents were estranged because they thought the battle was being -fought too pugnaciously, others became increasingly impressed by the -extraordinary constancy shown by the fighters, and, in particular, by -the protagonist’s rare and individual type of unworldliness, an -unworldliness which, just because it was individual, often made life -rather difficult for her supporters. - -Here is a letter from one of the Edinburgh professors, who in the early -days had begged S. J.-B. not to speak harshly of an Alma Mater of which -she would yet be proud, and who, later, had congratulated her on a book -which “tells a very sad and disgraceful story, and tells it clearly and -temperately and effectively,—all the more effectively because your -justifiable indignation is kept well within bounds”: - - “Edinburgh, 21 Oct. 1873. - - DEAR MADAM, - - I send you herein a cheque for five pounds towards the law - expenses of the lady medical students in the recent trial. - - If I had the misfortune to be a member of the University Court, I - should think myself bound in honour to pay my individual proportion of - the whole expense incurred by these ladies in consequence of their - supposing that this learned Court knew the extent of its own powers. - Horace’s words, ‘_Delirant reges, plectuntur Achivi_,’ may in this - case be rendered, ‘The University Court blundered, and the Ladies are - mulcted in the costs.’ If any sense of justice is still extant in this - country, the result must be, not only the payment of these costs by - public subscription, but a more than ever energetic agitation for the - overthrow of male monopoly in the medical profession. - - Yours most truly, - W. B. HODGSON. - - Miss Stevenson.” - -Immediately after the legal decision had been given, the _Spectator_ -took up the question in an article “Women’s Wrongs at Edinburgh,” of -which the following sentences give the gist: - - “To canvass the legality of the judgment itself is alike beyond the - present writer’s competency and his wish, though it may be permitted - to remark that the best known names are found in the minority, and - that the reasonings on the other side, while turning on a very narrow - principle, are exceedingly discursive and inconsequent. - - ... The Senate included some staunch friends of the lady students, and - about an equal number of resolute opponents, but the indifferent - majority who swayed the action of the body appears to have had no aim - except to hush up a troublesome affair. Their policy was to do all - they could to oblige the applicants, meanwhile trusting to the chapter - of accidents to escape the difficulties that might come after.” - -This was shrewd and true. - -Within a few days a long and exhaustive review of the position and its -possibilities, from the pen of Mrs. Garrett Anderson, appeared in the -_Times_, in the course of which the writer urged that the time was not -ripe for the medical education of women in Great Britain, and that “in -no way could women better serve the cause we desire to promote than by -going to Paris to study medicine, and returning here as soon as might be -to practise it.” “Never,” she said, “was there a case in which the truth -of the adage, ‘Solvitur ambulando,’ was more likely to make itself -felt.” [In the spirit of Professor Hodgson’s translation of Horace, one -may say, in fact, that “the difficulty might be solved by crossing the -Channel.”] - -Of course S. J.-B. did not agree with her, and she wrote a detailed -reply[113] which Jupiter supported with a leading utterance in his own -name. He was not enthusiastic about women doctors at all, but in this -particular difference of opinion he gave his vote for the “equally -deserving, but hitherto less fortunate aspirant to the position of a -legally qualified practitioner.”[114] - -Footnote 113: - - Appendix E. - -Footnote 114: - - “In this case, as in most others, those who say they want a thing must - put their own shoulders to the wheel in order to obtain it, and must - be prepared to back the soundness of their opinions. If only twenty - women annually could be added to the ranks of the medical profession - in this country, the expediency of the addition would be speedily - removed from the domain of controversy, and the expression, ‘Solvitur - ambulando,’ which Mrs, Anderson calls an adage, would be applicable to - the case.” - - _Times_, August 23rd, 1873. - -S. J.-B. knew more of the hidden springs than anyone, and she did not -consider that the time had come to give in. She who had borne the brunt -of so many disappointments was still full of hope. She wanted her own -country to give her this thing. Above all she felt that “so long as no -means of education are provided at home, only a very small number of -women will ever seek admission to the profession.” - -“This last consideration,” she says, “was to me conclusive.” - -“I greatly admire your letter to Mrs. G. Anderson,” wrote Professor -Hodgson, “and I am truly glad to see that you are not so despondent as I -am. The passive power of resistance on the part of those who hold a -position is terribly difficult to overcome. It is not mere _inertia_; -that would be bad enough. Ultimate success I do not at all despair of, -but individual life is short and the journey is long and arduous.” - -Both _Times_ and _Spectator_ spoke severely of the behaviour of the -University, and on September 1st an _apologia_ appeared from the pen of -the Principal. It was just the letter one might have expected from an -able, urbane, scholarly gentleman; he scanned the whole history “as we -do our own poetry, laying stress on the right syllables and passing -lightly over a halting foot.” It would have been a fine and conclusive -defence,—if Jupiter had not allowed a poor overworked medical student to -answer it. The two letters represent two conflicting schools of -historians, the one sweeping, picturesque, probable: the other definite, -statistical, true. The former is certainly the easier to read. The -correspondence is so essentially typical of many of the “disputes” S. -J.-B. had with others in the course of her life that it is given in full -in the appendix.[115] - -Footnote 115: - - Appendix F. - -“I have seen the Venerable Principal’s letter,” wrote a distinguished -lawyer from Uig, “for even in these uttermost parts of the earth the -_Scotsman_ has reached me, and I need not say what I thought of it. I -read also with great satisfaction your thorough demolition of the -learned and venerable and inaccurate gentleman, and the _Scotsman’s_ -excellent punching of his head.” - -S. J.-B. spent part of that summer holiday visiting Norfolk cousins, and -she took the opportunity to read a paper on her special subject at the -Social Science Congress at Norwich, under the auspices of her friend, -Professor Hodgson, who was President of the Education Section.[116] Here -she made two friendships of great value,—one with Miss Louisa Hubbard, -whose sister, Lady Rendel, had been S. J.-B.’s schoolfellow; the other, -even more memorable, with Miss Pauline Irby, who was just entering upon -her heroic and self-sacrificing life work in Bosnia. In October S. J.-B. -returned to Edinburgh to clinch the arrangements Mrs. Thorne was making -for the winter session. - -Footnote 116: - - Lord Houghton was President of the Congress. In a letter to his wife, - dated October 3rd, 1873, he says, “Miss Jex-Blake and Mrs. Grey both - spoke capitally.” Lord Houghton’s _Life_, vol. ii. p. 281. - -It is one more instance of the extraordinary, dogged perseverance of -those women that during that winter session the lectures were delivered -to women as before by Edinburgh Extra-Mural lecturers, the subjects -being Materia Medica, Pathology and Midwifery. S. J.-B. attended these -lectures when she could, and took honours in all of them; but she was -already in correspondence with Dr. Anstie and others as to the -possibility of opening some school for women in the larger and more -impersonal milieu of London. As a matter of fact, the whole centre of -interest had changed. The question was now potentially before -Parliament,—not indeed as a question of practical politics to be decided -by the rank and file, but as a matter for private discussion by a few -men of courage and vision. - -“It was necessary,” wrote Mr. Stansfeld in reviewing the history three -years later,[117] “to appeal to a yet higher tribunal. Such appeal might -have been made on the question of law to the House of Lords; but that -would have meant further indefinite delay and further heavy expense, and -then, if the result were favourable, a probable refusal of the -university to act on their ascertained powers. It was necessary to -_secure_ the admission of women to medical study and practice, and not -merely to ascertain that one out of nineteen examining bodies could -admit them if it liked. Miss Jex-Blake and her friends determined to -widen their appeal, to base it on the ground of right, and to address it -to Parliament and to public opinion.” - -Footnote 117: - - “Medical Women,” by the Right Hon. James Stansfeld, M.P., _Nineteenth - Century_, July, 1877. - -As early as August 1872 Sir David Wedderburn (on behalf of Sir Robert -Anstruther) had moved that the vote for the Scottish Universities should -be reduced by the amount of the salaries of the Edinburgh Medical -Professors. He explained that the motion was brought forward in order to -lay before the House the course followed by the authorities of the -University of Edinburgh, but that, in view of the fact that the Lord -Ordinary, had, a few days before, given a judgment in favour of the -ladies, he hoped the University would accept the decision as final and -as indicating to them their duties in the matter; and he would therefore -refrain from pressing the motion to a division. - -When the University appealed against the Lord Ordinary’s decision, and -got it reversed on appeal, Sir David Wedderburn, on July 29th, 1873, -gave notice that he would, early in the following session, bring in a -Bill to grant to the Scottish Universities the power they were now -supposed not to possess, to educate women in medicine and to grant to -them the ordinary medical degrees. - -It was highly desirable, of course, to secure Government support for -this Bill, and in October we find S. J.-B. in correspondence with the -Home Secretary. There is a long letter marked “Private” in which Mr. -Lowe (Lord Sherbrooke) expresses his view of the matter, and asks her to -let him know what course she proposes to follow. Shortly after, we get -the following: - - “Secretary of State, - Home Department. - Oct. 13. 1874. - - MY DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I have done what I can to forward your views. I should think you - would be met by the same legal difficulty in Ireland as in Scotland. - But though it may not be very agreeable to my constituents I should - have no objection if this were the only obstacle to introduce an - enabling Bill giving all Universities the power if they please to - confer medical degrees or indeed any other degrees on women. - - Believe me, - Very truly yours, - ROBERT LOWE.” - -Clearly she was eager to follow up the opening, for ten days later he -writes again: - - “I am afraid I cannot commit the Government to introducing the Bill - without consulting them. I will do so at the Cabinets which will take - place next month and tell you the result.”[118] - - “The matter has been discussed to-day,” writes Mr. Stansfeld on Dec. - 1st, “but nothing is settled; I apprehend difference of opinion.... - - I should advise personal communication with members of the Government - before January Cabinets. A concise but complete and temperate - statement in favour of legislation would, I think, be useful.” - -Footnote 118: - - Mr. Lowe’s advocacy was strengthened by a fine memorial presented to - him at this time by 471 graduates of the University of London, praying - that the benefits of the University should be extended to women. This - memorial was secured through the exertions of Dr. Alfred Shewen. - -So, early in January, S. J.-B. went up to London to interview ministers -and others. - - “Jan. 7th. Wednesday. Mr. Lowe, 4 p.m. Very cordial and courteous. - Would certainly bring in a Bill if his colleagues allowed him,—very - doubtful if they would,—if not, would help Wedderburn all he could, - ‘and I can do a great deal.’ - - Thought Enabling Bill more hopeful than compelling Medical Boards to - examine.” - - “Jan. 10th. Saturday. In morning at Museum, looking up Charters of - Colleges, etc. - - 2 p.m. Sir J. Lubbock. Pleasant and friendly,—non-committal rather. - Would talk with Wedderburn,—‘generally agreed with him.’ - - At 4 p.m. Stansfeld. Friendly as ever. Thought Selborne’s opinion most - important.” - -After a few days spent with Mrs. Jex-Blake at Brighton the tale -proceeds: - - “Tuesday, 20th. At 1 p.m. saw Lord Aberdare,—quite friendly,—‘should - heartily support Bill.’ Was quite willing that Bill should come from - his office, by Forster. - - 2 p.m. Grant Duff, friendly but not encouraging as to his power to - help with Cabinet. - - Wednesday 21st. Saw Thos. Hughes, 10 a.m. Very friendly. Would speak - to Forster, etc.... - - Thursday 22nd. Breakfasted with the Russell Gurneys. Very friendly. He - quite ready to put his name on back of Wedderburn’s Bill. On the whole - encouraged to get special Exam. and practise in spite of Act, if no - legislation to be got.[119] - - 11 a.m. Lady Selborne—‘knew nothing about’ our question,—laughed at - the idea of my seeing the Chancellor—but listened fairly to what I had - to say,—seemed impressed by the facts and by the attention of the - other ministers,—promised to report fairly what I had said. - - Not specially courteous or gracious, but I think honest.” - - “8.30 p.m. express from King’s Cross to Edinburgh. - - Friday 23rd. Illuminations, etc., for Duke of Edinburgh’s wedding day. - - Saturday, 24th. Dissolution! What next?” - -Footnote 119: - - “I was very much troubled by your last letter,” wrote Dr. Sewall a - month later, “for the idea of your beginning to practise without a - diploma seems to me such a mistake. It appears to me that by - practising illegally in that way, you will be giving up all you have - been fighting for, and will be opening a way that some women who have - not studied thoroughly may use; and there will be no way of your - showing the public the difference between your qualifications.” - -It was only too true. The time of reaction had come after a long period -of reforming energy under Mr. Gladstone, and now—failing to find an -adequate rallying cry for his party—he dissolved Parliament and appealed -to the country. In the confusion of the moment the Home Secretary did -not forget the women students. - - “MY DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I am sorry to say that in the present state of things it is - quite impossible for me to bring in a Bill on your subject or indeed - on any other. I don’t think you will find much difficulty in getting a - man. - - I congratulate you on your brother’s appointment.[120] - - Very truly yours, - R. LOWE.” - -Footnote 120: - - To the Headmastership of Rugby. - -This was followed on February 10th by a letter from Mr. Stansfeld: - - “DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - The Conservatives will certainly come in and for a long time. I should - have thought that Russell Gurney might not improbably now be placed - upon the Bench. I don’t suppose that a political appointment would - suit him; unless it were that of Speaker and I have not heard his name - mentioned for it. - - I think you can’t do better than ask him, saying at the same time that - you cannot but see that the coming political change may make it out of - his power to comply. - - It is all very extraordinary and mortifying. - - Yours truly, - J. STANSFELD.” - -The suggested letter was roughly drafted forthwith: - - “To Russell Gurney. - - Will you forgive me if, at such a busy and engrossing time, I venture - to trouble you about our comparatively small affairs, very important - as they are to us. - - You are, of course, aware that Sir David Wedderburn is no longer in - Parliament,[121] and I suppose it is quite certain that the present - Government must go out, so that Mr. Lowe cannot at least introduce the - Bill as Home Secretary, and thus on both hands our prospects are at an - end. - - I venture, however, to rely on the kind interest you expressed in our - cause, and to ask you whether it would be possible for you to induce - the Conservative Government to take it up, or, if not, whether we - might hope for your personal help still farther in the matter,—if you - do not take office, as I hear you may. I think Mr. Lowe would be - willing to help us as a private member, and it occurred to me as - possible that you and he might take up the Bill jointly so as to - conciliate both sides of the House. - - I am personally very ignorant of political matters, and of what could - and what could not be done. I shall feel it the greatest possible - favour if you will kindly tell me how far you can help us in this - matter, and will give me any advice on the subject which may occur to - you. It is of extreme importance to us that the Bill should, if passed - at all, be passed as soon as possible, as it will at any rate be - difficult enough to make arrangements in time for next winter’s - session, and we can ill afford to lose another year. - - I trust that you will at least excuse me for thus troubling you. - - Yours truly obliged, - S. J.-B.” - -Footnote 121: - - Sir David Wedderburn did not offer himself for re-election. - -A most gracious answer to this arrived without loss of time: - - “Queen’s Hotel, Hastings, - 13th. Feb. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - Although politically opposed to Sir D. Wedderburn, yet for your - sake and for that of the cause which he so faithfully supported I can - sincerely regret the loss of his seat. - - I really do not know what course to advise you to pursue. My absence - from Parliament during nearly the whole of the two last Sessions makes - it more difficult for me than it would have otherwise have been. - - I should think that it would scarcely be possible to get the new - Government as a Government to take up the measure. Coming in at the - time they do they will be sure to take up as few measures as possible. - If a Bill is brought in by Mr. Lowe or anyone else I would not only - support it but use any little influence I may have with the Ministry - to induce them not to oppose it. - - The state of my health is such that I cannot undertake to take charge - of the Bill. I have come here in order to get a little rest before the - Meeting of Parliament and I am under positive orders from my doctor to - avoid all extra work. - - I fear indeed that during the next Session I am likely to be a - somewhat useless member. - - I shall always be ready to consult with you, though at present I - confess that I do not see my way. - - Believe me, - Very sincerely yours, - RUSSELL GURNEY.” - -It was characteristic of the vicissitudes of S. J.-B.’s life at the time -that within a few days of receiving this letter she had a telegram from -Mrs. Jex-Blake’s physician at Brighton: “Your Mother is very poorly. I -should like you to come.” - -This was delivered at 8 p.m., and it is needless to say that she started -by the night train. A fortnight of anxious nursing followed; but her -affairs were not forgotten: - - “Local Government Board, - Whitehall. Feb. 24. 74. - - DEAR MASSON, - - I have heard, of course, also from Miss Jex-Blake. I won’t say - ‘No’ at any rate at present. - - First I will see Lowe and ascertain his mind; and then I should like - to see if someone more acceptable to Dizzy cannot be found. I think - one must look around one first in the new Parliament, before deciding. - - Is not the Bill you propose simply one enabling Universities to grant - Degrees to women; or what else do you propose? - - Whether it is good or bad I should tell you that the wirepulling and - newspaper doctors _hate me_. - - Yours ever, - J. STANSFELD.” - - “Feb. 25th. 74. - - DEAR MASSON, - - I have seen Lowe about your proposed Bill. - - He is ‘heartily’ for it, but thinks that he and I had better support - and not originate. Just now, he says, whatever we do will probably be - considered wrong, as the tide is against us, and for this reason none - of these Bills should be _introduced_ by any of us ex-cabinet - ministers. Moreover if any of them are to pass they must be made as - little unacceptable as possible to Dizzy & Co., which means that they - had better be proposed and seconded by men on either side of the - House—one on one side and one on the other—but not by us. - - I must say that the more I think of it the more I find this reasoning - sound. And I am prepared to _advise_ therefore that you should not ask - either Lowe or me. - - As to myself there is another special reason, to which I have already - referred, why it might be more prudent not to choose me, viz. that - ‘the doctors’ hate me; and tho’ I can’t see exactly how that fact - might operate, it might at least be admitted that it might operate - unfavourably, and that therefore it would be safer to look elsewhere. - - I won’t write to Miss Jex-Blake yet, but will wait to hear from you - what you think. - - Of course I would willingly support and help. - - Yours ever, - J. STANSFELD.” - - “10, Regent Terrace, Edinr. - Feb. 26, 1874. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I have had two letters from Mr. Stansfeld, which I enclose. The - second, you will see, is less favourable than the first, though not - absolutely conclusive. In reply I have expressed my belief that the - second objection—that about his relation to the ‘doctors’—can matter - little, inasmuch as we can’t expect anyone who takes up the cause to - be a darling of the doctors or to remain one[122]; but on the other - objection I have not felt able to say much against the experienced - instinct of Mr. Lowe and himself. On the one side there may be a good - deal in their feeling that for an ex-minister of the Gladstone Cabinet - to move the Bill may move Disraeli to criticism, if not to opposition; - on the other it seems essential that the lead should be taken by an - eminent and faithful man. You will weigh the whole matter in London - and consult. - - I daresay it will be best not to publish the Memorial to Disraeli till - the receipt of it is acknowledged. I have all the renewed - signatures[123] now except the Edinburgh ones; and these, I hope, will - be completed today or tomorrow. - - Yours very truly, - DAVID MASSON.” - -Footnote 122: - - We must never forget that a minority of doctors had been helpful all - along. Years before this a petition to Parliament in favour of the - women had been signed by nearly two hundred. - -Footnote 123: - - The Memorial had been originally addressed to Gladstone. - - “Stoke Lodge, - Hyde Park Gate, W. - Feb. 28. 74. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I could see you either on Monday or Tuesday afternoon. But - where? For the Local Government Board knows me no more. - - I shall be working at the Athenaeum on Monday afternoon, and could - therefore easily call on you anywhere in town. - - I could see you _here_ on the Tuesday and could make any time - convenient, but the morning would be most so. - - Pray let me know. - - I enclose Mr. Lowe’s and Mr. Russell Gurney’s notes. You have heard - from Masson, I presume. I wrote after seeing Lowe. But I will postpone - telling you of our interview till we meet. - - Yours truly, - J. STANSFELD.” - -A sharp little illness made it difficult for Mr. Stansfeld to pursue the -matter for a week or two, but finally we get the following: - - “15 Gt. Stanhope Street, W. - March 21. - - DEAR STANSFELD, - - I am quite ready to take up the case of the women students if a - good Bill can be framed, and I shall have to see you on Monday at the - House. - - Ever yours, - W. COWPER TEMPLE.” - - [Telegram] “March 23rd. Cowper Temple, Great Stanhope Street to Miss - Jex-Blake, 15 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh. - - Can you tell me a lawyer who knows the subject and will frame the Bill - or advise about it.” - -This was apparently followed by a letter, for, at the earliest possible -moment on March 24th, S. J.-B. sent down a note by hand to her -solicitor: - - “DEAR MR. MILLAR, - - An eminent M.P. has undertaken to bring in an Enabling Bill to - _enable_ Universities to educate and graduate women on the same terms - as men, and I have just got a letter asking me to send up a draft of - such Bill. As you are the best authority on such matters I should like - to see you at once about it, and should be extremely glad if you could - sketch out a draft beforehand, as time is of the greatest moment. - - Could I see you if I called between 12.30 and 1 p.m.? - - Yrs. truly, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -The Draft Bill seems to have been posted that afternoon, and the -following day another telegram arrived: - - “March 25th. Rt. Hon. Stansfeld, London, to Miss Jex-Blake, 15 - Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh. - - I have seen Mr. Cowper Temple and we advise you to come and see him.” - -So of course S. J.-B. travelled up to London next day. - - [Diary] “March 26th. Summoned up to London about Cowper Temple’s Bill. - He very kind, plenty of good will.... Stansfeld admirable. Gurney do., - only from health inactive. Lowe, Gallio-like.” - -A day or two later S. J.-B. dined with the Cowper Temples and details -were threshed out. - - “I am so glad,” writes Miss M‘Laren, “that you have succeeded so well, - and find Mr. Cowper Temple such a nice man and energetic besides,—and - trust all may go well. I am not afraid of opposition at all, but what - I do fear is that at this late season it may not get through.” - - “Broadlands. - April 15. - - To Miss Jex-Blake: - - ... Mr. Ewing consented when I explained the Bill to him, and - his name with that of Mr. Gurney and Dr. Cameron are on the back of - the Bill. I am not very sanguine of success if a serious opposition - should be manifested, but I have hopes that the moderation of the - measure may have the effect of not calling forth the latent antagonism - that exists against the cause. - - But whether the Bill passes or not, it must advance the cause, for at - least we shall have a good debate on the subject. - - I talked to Sir W. Maxwell when I first thought of undertaking a Bill - and I found that he took the view that in his representative position - as Rector of Edinburgh University he ought not to take a part in a - question in which there is so much difference of opinion and warmth of - feeling. I have fixed Friday 24th for the second reading, but am not - at all sure that it can come on that evening as there will be many - questions before it. - - I return to London tomorrow. - - Yours—[illegibly], - W. C. TEMPLE. - - The names on the back of the Bill are - - Mr. Cowper Temple, - Mr. Russell Gurney, - Mr. Orr Ewing, - Dr. Cameron.” - -There was much discussion as to the desirability of keeping quiet about -the Bill, and allowing it to slip through, if possible, without arousing -all the energies of the opposition. - - “10 Regent Terrace, - Edinburgh. - April 1, 1874. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - Best thanks for your letter. From what it says and from what I - had heard before to the same effect from Miss M‘Laren, I have not the - least doubt of the practical wisdom of the limitation of the Bill to - the Scottish Universities. The difficulty of taking such differently- - constituted Universities along in the Bill has struck me so far; but I - had not thought of the special difficulty that might arise from - jealousy of the divided powers of the University of London. But, while - _our_ Bill goes on alone, there is no reason why the other - universities should not be _moving_, each for itself, and all such - movement would help ours. - - I am not so sure of the policy of _silence_ about our Bill. Miss - M‘Laren will have told you that Dr. Lyon Playfair has alarmed our - people here by informing them of it, and asking their opinion. There - is a Committee on watch with power to call a Senatus meeting when the - Bill is perfectly known. Possibly, when they see it, they may feel - inclined to do nothing, seeing that it only legitimises the power the - University thought it possessed when it passed the regulations; but no - one can tell. All that Dr. L. P. wanted was advice for himself; and - nothing, even of that kind, can be done collectively, except by - Senatus—as the Committee is for observation only. Still the matter is - public; and _individuals_ may be at work. Also the fact and drift of - the Bill have been mentioned in the newspapers, e.g. by the London - correspondent of the Glasgow _Mail_. If, in these circumstances, you - are of opinion that the memorial to Mr. Disraeli may be published, - please return my copy with the signatures; and I will send it to our - _three_ papers here—where perhaps it ought to appear first. But you - will, of course, act with the advice of Mr. Cowper Temple and others; - and I won’t publish till you give the word. Anyhow it might be best to - return the memorial to me. A telegraph from you would then tell me to - publish any day—if not immediately. - - Yours very truly, - DAVID MASSON.” - - “April 15, 1874. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - After reading today the _Scotsman’s_ report of the introduction - of the Bill, and observing how quietly and cautiously it seems to be - framed (‘to remove doubts as to the powers’ etc.)[124] I have thought - it better not at once to publish the memorial. If there is any - possibility that the Bill will be let through without opposition, our - memorial, as more strongly expressed, might interfere with this. At - all events I have thought it most prudent not to be in a hurry, but to - wait a day or two till we see how Mr. C. T.’s Bill is received among - the probable enemies. Very likely they will move against it somehow,— - secretly if not publicly; and, if we find this, then our memorial - ought to come out as a contribution to the argument. You will perhaps - hear how Dr. Lyon Playfair and Mr. Gordon act in London: I will - observe here. Perhaps I am prudent in excess; but, once the memorial - is out, it is past recall. - - Yours very truly, - DAVID MASSON.” - -Footnote 124: - - “A Bill to Remove Doubts as to the Powers of the Universities of - Scotland to admit Women as Students, and to grant Degrees to Women.” - - “83 Belgrave Road, S.W. - 16th April, 1874. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - The bill has been introduced by Mr. Cowper Temple, and my name - is one of those on its back. If it could be smuggled through it would - of course save a great deal of time and trouble, but I am afraid it is - of no use to think of that. The moment it is published the bill will - be telegraphed to all the Scotch papers, and every professor in every - university, and almost every medical man throughout Scotland, will - perceive its drift. Moreover you must remember that the Lord Advocate - is member for Glasgow and Aberdeen University, and will have to keep - his constituents well posted up in everything affecting their - interests. If I see anything concerning the measure in the Scotch - papers, I shall forward it to you, and meanwhile remain - - Yours very sincerely, - CHARLES CAMERON. - - Miss Jex-Blake.” - -So the glove was thrown down, and, as Dr. Cameron had predicted, the -news of it was instantly flashed from Dan to Beersheba. In a very short -time 65 petitions in favour of the Bill were presented to Parliament, -three of these being from the Town Councils of Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and -Linlithgow. There was also one from the City of Edinburgh, and one from -16,000 women. The most important, perhaps, was from twenty-six -Professors of Scottish Universities, including eight (out of fourteen) -Professors of the University of St. Andrews,—among them the Rev. -Principal Tulloch,—and thirteen Professors of the University of -Edinburgh. If Glasgow was poorly represented in number, the women had -all the more reason to be proud of the weight of the two names,—John and -Edward Caird. There was also a petition from those Edinburgh lecturers -who had actually taught the women. - -Against the Bill there were four petitions: - - 1. From the University Court of Edinburgh. - - 2. From the Senatus of Edinburgh University. - - 3. From the Medical Faculty of the Senatus (probably identical with - 2). - - 4. From the University of Glasgow. - -The second reading of the Bill was fixed for April 24th, but at the -urgent request of Dr. Lyon Playfair, member for the University of -Edinburgh, it was postponed to a later date (“in order that his -University might have time to consider the subject”!) when the pressure -of business made it impossible to secure any day: or, as Miss M‘Laren -had predicted, it failed to “get through.” And so the whole question was -practically shelved for another year. - -There was an interesting debate on the motion, however, on June 12th, -1874, when able speeches were made by Mr. Cowper Temple, Mr. Stansfeld -and others,—the two members for Edinburgh (Town and Gown) providing an -almost dramatic contrast. - -Mr. M‘Laren (Town), hard-headed, shrewd man of business, bluntly -declared that “if it were a question to be decided by the intelligent -inhabitants of Edinburgh, nine-tenths would vote in its favour.... If -two or three of the professors would only take a voyage round the world, -the whole question would be satisfactorily settled before they returned. -(Laughter.) Where the male students paid three or four guineas for each -class, the ladies paid eight or ten guineas, so that money was no -obstacle. There was no difficulty, in fact, except want of will, and -that arose from medical prejudice,—at least that was the opinion of the -great majority of the people in Edinburgh.” - -Dr. Lyon Playfair (Gown), scholar, courtier, man-of-the-world, had a -harder task. Even _Punch_ was moved to sympathy with him “as one in a -perplexity between his constituents and his convictions.” - - * * * * * - -In any case the whole question had entered on a new phase, there was -fresh enthusiasm for the cause, and, on the other hand, those who had -looked upon the idea of women doctors as an amusing absurdity, were -roused to perturbation and alarm. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - THE LONDON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE FOR WOMEN - - -It is a terrible thing for a hasty, impulsive, faulty human being to be -placed as S. J.-B. was at this time, in a difficult position—on a -slippery ridge, as it were—in the eye of the whole world. It has been -said before that few people ventured to “lecture” her: she liked to hear -the truth, and, when her friends were prepared to risk all, she took -their faithful dealing magnanimously, often nobly: but somehow she made -adverse criticism very difficult. It was said of her that she would have -made an excellent advocate,—she had so keen an eye for the strong points -of her own position and the weak points of those of her adversaries; and -it is only fair to say that, in conversation with her, many people might -well be simply carried away. In a sort of _esprit d’escalier_—or -_jugement d’escalier_—they might see the other side of the question, and -sometimes they wrote a qualifying letter to say so; but we know how few -people are prepared in life to take that amount of trouble in a matter -that does not intimately concern themselves. It is so much easier to -sympathize with those who confide to us their troubles and difficulties, -and then to vent our _jugement d’escalier_ on the man we meet in the -street below. In the course of her life S. J.-B. got more than her share -of that kind of sympathy. - -We have seen that, in the matter of her examination the year before, she -did not admit the justice of her rejection. She was supported in this -attitude by the opinion of three or four lecturers and examiners in the -subjects for which she had entered, who had read her papers and had -cordially pronounced them—in writing—to be up to or above the pass -standard. Hundreds of people had, of course, expressed to her their -belief that she had not been fairly treated, and their sympathy had -steadily intensified the impression in her own mind. She would have -accepted Huxley’s verdict loyally, if _all_ the papers handed in at that -examination could have been submitted to him. No one who reads one paper -only can possibly say—except by an exercise of faith in his fellow -creatures—whether worse papers have been accepted and better rejected, -or no. It would have been strange indeed if Huxley had not had that -amount of faith in his colleagues. - -From the moment of Dr. (afterwards Sir Wyville) Thomson’s appointment to -the Chair of Biology, S. J.-B. had dreaded him as an examiner, on the -ground that he was altogether adverse to the women. “You will receive no -insolence from _him_,” Professor Tait had written to her in 1871, “but I -fear that is all I can say, though it _is something_.” And previously, -“although he is not in your favour, he is not a man to take any mean or -unfair advantage.” - -She ought, of course, to have accepted this judgment once for all as -that of a just man, but from the time of her examination the conviction -that she had been unfairly treated never wavered, though the whole -matter was, she thought, a thing of the past forever. - -In a great controversy, however, nothing may ever be safely assumed to -be a thing of the past. It seems to be buried forever, but it lies at -the mercy of any chance turn of the spade. - -And this brings us back to the point where Dr. Lyon Playfair, “in a -perplexity between his constituents and his convictions”—those -constituents meaning to all intents and purposes the “two or three -Professors” for whom the Member for Edinburgh had recommended a voyage -round the world as a means of solving the whole difficulty—Dr. Lyon -Playfair had so availed himself of the machinery of Parliament as to -shelve the whole question indefinitely. - -One quite realizes that by this time it was war to the knife on both -sides, and one refrains from unduly criticising either; but it is S. J.- -B. whose life we are considering, and there can be no doubt that for -her—overworked and overstrained as she was—the situation was very hard -to bear. - -And now the discussion in Parliament, literally bringing the question -“into the range of practical politics,” had stirred up all the latent -objection to the idea of women doctors, and had brought every weapon -into play. One can dimly conjecture the number and variety of assaults -that must have been made on the leading newspapers, and it is small -wonder if some of them were sorely unsettled, so much so that “the -pulpit spake pure Canterbury in the morning and Geneva in the -afternoon.” - -Even the _Times_ began to talk of “all the delicacies and best charms” -of woman’s nature, and took occasion to say in a leading article, “It is -a little amusing, indeed, that one of the Ladies who had rendered -herself most conspicuous, should after all have failed under the test of -examination.” The writer did not add—perhaps he had not been informed— -that three of the fellow-students of that conspicuous Lady had -successfully passed the examination in question in a previous year; but -the playful taunt—if taunt it was—was more than the generous spirit of -one of those successful candidates could stand. She wrote an impulsive -letter, mentioning S. J.-B. by name, and explaining that it was -“devotion to our cause which led to her failure,” that “she had borne -the brunt of the battle, and had spared her fellow-students all the -harass and worry of the struggle, and had thus enabled them to enjoy the -leisure requisite for passing their examinations.” - -Of course the writer should have consulted S. J.-B. before sending this -letter to the _Times_, but apparently it never occurred to her that the -defence might not be acceptable to the one defended. In any case, the -letter came upon S. J.-B. like a thunderbolt, and she committed the -great and crowning mistake of her life,—she wrote a letter to the -_Times_, implying in effect that in the matter of the examination, she -did not believe she had been fairly treated. - -It was quite a temperate letter from her point of view, but—as her -brother had said—she was throwing pebbles at a fortress, and, what was -worse, throwing them under the gaze of the whole civilized world. - -If Professor Crum Brown had done the Women’s Cause a service by denying -to Miss Pechey the name and privileges of Hope Scholar, S. J.-B. had now -repaid that service to him and his colleagues, full measure, pressed -down, shaken together and running over. - -Under the mighty Ægis of the University of Edinburgh, the examiners -replied, and Professor Huxley himself entered the controversy in defence -of his friend, Dr. Wyville Thomson, who was away on the “Challenger” -Expedition at the time. - -Miss Pechey was only restrained by prudent friends from publishing a -generous letter in which she expressed her conviction that, if Professor -Huxley had examined the Edinburgh students, 90 per cent. of them would -have failed, and she added a paragraph which shows at least how -differently a great institution may look when regarded from two -different points of view: - - “It is really amusing to those who know anything of the constitution - of the University to find [the Examiners] gravely suggesting that [S. - J.-B.] could have appealed to the Medical Faculty, the Senatus, and - the University Court. The names have an imposing sound, but, when one - comes to consider, the Medical Faculty resolves itself into the - medical examiners, the Senatus (at that time of the year, before the - arts professors had returned for the winter) into the Medical Faculty, - whilst the University Court is in reality the mouthpiece of one member - who I fear would turn a deaf ear to any appeal from Miss Jex-Blake.” - -Well, there it was! If the cause could have been killed, this mistake -might probably have killed it. If S. J.-B. could have been crushed, this -mistake would have crushed her. But the cause was intensely vital, and -S. J.-B. was tough. - -One falls back once more on Newman’s brave and comforting words: - - “The very faults of an individual excite attention—he loses, but his - cause (if good, and he powerful-minded) gains—this is the way of - things, we promote truth by a self-sacrifice.” - -S. J.-B. was just starting on her holiday when the correspondence took -place, and, although Miss Stevenson and Mrs. Thorne both wrote to tell -her of the “irreparable” damage it had done, most of her friends and -supporters were disposed to let her enjoy her holiday—if she could—in -peace. - -So, in the silence and repose of a sojourn in Perthshire, she laid her -future plans. - - * * * * * - -As early as December 6th, 1873, Dr. Anstie had written to her: - - “DEAR MADAM, - - I am afraid I do not see my way to any practical plan at - present. - - “At Westminster it is quite possible that my colleagues would consent - to _separate_ classes. But the fatal objection is want of space; and I - could not, I feel sure, persuade them to try the experiment of mixed - classes. - - I fear there is no way, except by the ladies raising money enough to - found a school for themselves. In _that_ case I, and I think others, - would be willing to go out of our way to afford them _teaching_. But - the difficulties about clinical teaching seem very great. - - I will talk the matter over with my colleague, Mr. Cowell, and write - to you again....” - - “16 Wimpole Street, - Dec. 12th. - - DEAR MADAM, - - Three or four days of complete prostration with influenza have - prevented me from finding time to talk with Mr. Cowell. - - But as regards the Westminster Hospital School I think it very - unlikely that any proposition would be entertained with regard to - surrendering our position as teachers of _male_ students.... - - I think (so far as I can at present judge) that your best course would - be to take some premises in London, and build a thoroughly good - school, fit for first-class teaching of the theoretical courses. I - believe if that were done you would get teachers. And with that solid - evidence of sincerity and energy in your work I believe the hospitals, - or some of them, would give way and grant you hospital practice. - - But this is only my first crude idea. Believe me, - - Yours very faithfully, - FRANCIS ED. ANSTIE.” - -It is impossible to over-estimate the whole-heartedness with which Dr. -Anstie took up the cause. There are numerous letters in which he records -the various advances and checks which he experienced in the course of -his advocacy. For a time he had hopes of inducing his own School to -admit women, but the matter got wind, and an adverse medical paper -raised all that latent opposition with which the pioneers were becoming -so familiar. From this point of view the discussion in Parliament did, -for the moment, as much harm as good, and finally we find Dr. Anstie -writing: - - “16 Wimpole Street, - July 2. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - For the moment we are thoroughly defeated, and it may be well to - rest on our oars for a little time. You will probably have heard of - the rejection by the Senate of U. L. of the proposition about degrees, - and I wrote to tell you that I also found it was impossible to induce - my colleagues at Westminster to open a female department of the - School. - - I think there is nothing for it now but to make up your minds to form - a school for yourselves. Were that once done I do not think there - would be any very great difficulty in obtaining clinical instruction - and in becoming recognized by some of the corporations. - - I am sorry to have had no better luck as your champion. But there is - no doubt just now for some reason or other, a strong current of - adverse opinion. As I said before I think you and the other ladies - should take counsel with your friends, and (without renewal of the - discussion in public) should set to work upon the scheme of a school. - - I feel little doubt that, if you could show the positive evidence of - energy and resource afforded by the establishment of a separate school - in London, you would get both sympathy and teaching help. - - Believe me, - Yours sincerely, - F. E. ANSTIE.” - -Mr. Norton, too, of St. Mary’s Hospital, assured S. J.-B. that “a -thoroughly good school might be organised, apart from the existing -schools, but with friendly lecturers gathered from any or all of them.” -This suggestion obviated the very real difficulty of getting fresh -lecturers “recognised.” - -Mrs. Anderson still thought the time was not ripe: Mrs. Thorne was in -Paris[125]: the other students were scattered far and wide for the -holidays. From every point of view it seemed imperative that the winter -session should be secured: so, with the help of the two men mentioned -above and of Dr. King Chambers, S. J.-B. simply did the work herself. - -Footnote 125: - - Mrs. Thorne on her return tried to dissuade S. J.-B. from making the - attempt; but, on finding how much had been done, she gladly coöperated - in raising funds. - -The record is brief enough,—there has been no entry in the diary since -June 23rd: no reference to the _Times_ controversy at all: - - “August 11th. Tuesday. To London, in one day [from Perthshire]. To - Hampstead. Rested one day. - - August 13th. Thursday. To Anstie and Norton. Both encouraging and - helpful.” - -Follows another of those sheaves of blank pages which always indicate -intense activity or preoccupation; and her book, _Medical Women_, just -touches on “an almost incredible amount of search, enquiry and -disappointment”; there are various stray lists of lecturers, possible, -probable and certain; and then we proceed without farther entry to: - - “Sept. 15th. Actually signed lease and got possession of 30 - Henrietta[126] Street. Rigged up some kind of beds and slept there - that night,—Alice coming from Wales to help me.” - -Footnote 126: - - The name was afterwards changed to Handel Street, and then to Hunter - Street. - -Here there is a footnote: - - “Miss Irby also came for a night one day this month,—grand, quiet, - strong.” - -Another blank page or two, and then: - - “Oct. 9th. Friday. Entered into 32 Bernard Street,[127] Mother and - all. (She nearly extinguished by mattress!) - - Oct. 12th. Monday. Opening of London School of Medicine for Women.” - -Footnote 127: - - The house S. J.-B. had taken as her private residence. - -There is no farther entry till 1875. We owe to a stranger, however, the -following pleasant description of the School as it was then: - - “For the early existence of an institution like this School of - Medicine no more appropriate home could in all probability be found - within the wide area of London than the curious old house in Henrietta - Street. In a central position, within easy reach of museums and - libraries, but retired from the bustle of noisy thoroughfares, a range - of spacious rooms stretches a long front towards the green sward of an - old-fashioned garden. Apartments admirably adapted for the purpose of - lecture halls ‘give,’ as the Americans say, from underneath a broad - verandah on this pleasant outlook. Cosy in winter, cool in summer, and - undisturbed by the sounds of external life always, these rooms should - be highly favourable to philosophic contemplation. In the upper story— - there is only one above the ground-floor—are several smaller - apartments suitable for museums and reading-rooms.”—_Daily News_, - March 13, 1877. - -How deep was the impression made upon Miss Irby by that brief visit we -gather from a letter written twenty years later (on July 5th, 1894): - - “I was on the point of writing to you after the prize-giving at the - London School of Medicine for Women. A visit to those premises always - recalls to me those few days with you when you stood there alone in - almost bare walls, establishing the fort. You would wish nothing - better than that the School should go on as it is going on, friends - and foes being drawn into it. But I always _burn_ with the - recollection of your first days there.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - THE RUSSELL GURNEY ENABLING ACT - - -It was at this stage that Mrs. Anderson’s help was so invaluable to the -great venture. She had an assured position—social and professional—in -the metropolis; and her name carried the weight that belongs to a sane -and shrewd and able personality. It is impossible to over-estimate the -good she had done to “the Cause” by simply showing that a woman _can be -a reliable and successful practitioner_. She had founded a small -hospital for women; but she still thought that the time for the creation -of a good medical school for women had not come,—that it would have been -better to wait till public opinion was more distinctly in favour of -women doctors: and she would have fostered the growth of public opinion -by encouraging women to obtain foreign degrees, and to practise in -England as unregistered physicians and surgeons. - -She was strengthened in this position by the fact that S. J.-B. was not -the Founder she would have chosen: she judged the Edinburgh campaign by -its net result as regarded the immediate object at which it had aimed, -and, so far as Edinburgh University was concerned, that net result was -failure. There were those, moreover, who assured her, not without a -measure of truth, that Miss Jex-Blake’s impulsiveness (“want of -judgment,” “want of temper,” she told S. J.-B.) had done great harm in -Edinburgh. She and her informants alike failed, perhaps, at the moment -to realize how that same impulsiveness (mistakes and all) had formed the -picturesque element that made the popular appeal,—how that same -impulsiveness had roused and had borne the brunt of the latent -opposition which must have manifested itself sooner or later under the -wisest management. - -There is abundant contemporary evidence to this effect. Dr. Mary Putnam -Jacobi wrote from America: - - “You have fortunately been able to interest a much larger and better - class of people than have ever bestirred themselves in the matter - here. The list of governors of your School is quite imposing. You at - least have had the advantage attaching to a conspicuous battle with - real and dignified forces engaged on each side; whereas here,—this - question, as so many others, has rather dribbled into the sand.” - -Miss Pechey, too, after delivering a lecture in Yorkshire a year later, -wrote: - - “I couldn’t conclude without saying that all we had done towards - opening up the medical profession to women was due mainly to Miss Jex- - Blake, who had got all the abuse because she had done all the work,—in - fact all along she had done the work of three women or (with a grin at - the phalanx of men behind)—of ten men! This brought down the house.” - -“Mrs. Garrett Anderson is a fine instance of an individual success,” -said one of the physicians who assisted the movement in those early -days; “but Miss Jex-Blake fights the battle, not for herself, but for -all.” - -Of course an individual success cannot but assist a movement of the kind -quite as surely as any other contribution. - -One thing the two pioneers had in common,—a fine honesty and -truthfulness: much plain speaking passed between them: and, if it had -been possible for two such different natures to see things eye to eye, -no want of candour or breadth of view on either side would have -prevented it. Here is a sample of their correspondence: - - “Hampstead. - 21st August, 1874. - - DEAR MRS. ANDERSON, - - If I kept a record of all the people who bring me cock and bull - stories about you, and assure me that you are “greatly injuring the - cause,” I might fill as many pages with quotations as you have - patience to read, but, beyond defending you on a good many occasions, - I have never thought it needful to take much notice of such incidents, - still less to retail them to you. - - Nor do I much care to know whether or no certain anonymous individuals - have confided to you that they lay at my door what you call “the - failure at Edinburgh,”—inasmuch as the only people really competent to - judge of that point are my fellow-workers and fellow-students, such as - Professor Masson, Professor Bennett, Miss Stevenson, Mrs. Thorne, Miss - Pechey, Dr. Watson, and Dr. Balfour, and I do not fancy that it is - from any of these that you have heard the comments in question. - - It can, as I say, serve no purpose whatever to go into this sort of - gossip which is very rarely indeed founded on any knowledge of facts; - but, quite apart from any such discussion, I am more than willing to - say that if, in the opinion of a majority of those who are organizing - this new school, my name appears likely to injure its chances of - success, I will cheerfully stand aside, and let Mrs. Thorne and Miss - Pechey carry out the almost completed plans. - - So much for your second objection [to joining the Council of the - School] which I have taken first, because I feel that the other is for - your own consideration and Dr. Anstie’s, and that it is needless for - me to say anything on the point. - - In conclusion let me say that I never said it ‘did not signify’ - whether you joined the Council (though I _did_ say that I believed the - School was already tolerably secure of ultimate success.) I think it - of very great importance, both for your credit and ours, that there - should, as you say, be no appearance of split in the camp, and I - should greatly prefer that your name should appear on the Council with - Dr. Blackwell’s and those of the medical men who are helping us. - - Believe me, - Yours truly, - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE.” - -So Mrs. Anderson joined the Council, taking no part in the daily life -and work of the School, but bringing to the new venture excellent -qualities in which S. J.-B. was lacking, among them the valuable gift -for bearing in mind who are the people worth conciliating,—the people -with whom one simply must not quarrel. - -S. J.-B., on the other hand, brought an amount of practical capacity and -experience which the reader can estimate for himself. We have seen what -she expected—and got—from her solicitor in the matter of the draft of a -Parliamentary Bill: it is not to be supposed that she was less -successful with printers, nor with plumbers, carpenters and others. She -knew exactly how quickly a proof might be expected in an emergency, and -she knew what the printing ought to cost. If there was anything about -the printed page that struck the eye as “odd,” she had her finger on the -technical defect in a moment, and saw that it was put right. She loved -drawing up specifications for tanks, etc., and making her drawing to -scale: carpentry was an unfailing joy,—nuts, bolts, staples, screws were -as familiar to her as were bourgeois, pica, leads, and other mysteries -of the printer’s craft. “I like working for the Doctor,” an Edinburgh -joiner said in later years, “she knows what she wants, and she knows -when it is well done”; but of course it was only a competent and -conscientious workman who could rise to this view of the case. -Fortunately life provides a good many of these: when S. J.-B. met one, -she valued him as he deserved. - -Recalling the early days of the School at a meeting of the Governing -Body more than twenty years later, Mr. Norton said: - - “Miss Jex-Blake had come to him in 1874 after leaving Edinburgh, and - he had then expressed the opinion that if funds were raised and a - school established of which all the teachers were recognized by the - Examining Boards,—the Apothecaries’ Society would be obliged to admit - its students to examination. By the middle of October Miss Jex-Blake - had succeeded in obtaining £1300 and in renting 30 Handel Street for - the purposes of a School of Medicine for Women. It was her great - energy which succeeded in so promptly carrying out the work of - starting the School.” - - “Mrs. Anderson said she recollected that in those early days she had - been timid and had considered the time had not yet arrived for - establishing a separate School of Medicine for Women. To organize a - School on the slender sum of money raised by Miss Jex-Blake required - great optimism....” - -So it did. It required much more than optimism. It required a unique -capacity for directing and supervising every atom of work done, a unique -capacity for getting a full and fair penny’s worth out of every penny, a -unique capacity for finding workers who would put their shoulder to the -wheel, and do things for love. Chief of these workers always was -herself. - -After the first Prize-giving Miss M‘Laren writes: - - “L[ouisa] S[tevenson] and I have just been saying that no one but you - could have done all that work on Wednesday. But indeed there is almost - nothing that you don’t do better than everyone else.” - -Few even of S. J.-B.’s opponents would have denied that this was true. -In everything connected with Board and Business meetings she was an -expert. To say one had been trained under her was for many years an -invaluable testimonial among those who knew. Her enthusiasm was combined -with a clear-sighted grasp of every detail of the situation. Repeatedly -one finds Cabinet Ministers and other busy people saying,—“I won’t look -at the documents till you come and give me the thread,” “I can’t begin -to write the paper till you come and talk me into it,” or words to that -effect. - -Valuable qualities these: but not necessarily the qualities that create -the pleasantest possible atmosphere for those who have been in the habit -of slipping through life easily. There must have been a good many then -as later who would have been glad on occasion to deal with someone a -little less business-like. - -In any case the thing was launched, Mr. Norton accepted the office of -Dean[128]; there was a staff of able lecturers; and twenty-three -students joined during the first year. Mrs. Anderson and others brought -much needed financial help; Lord Shaftesbury distributed the prizes at -the end of the first winter session; and Lord Aberdare presided at the -first meeting of the Governing Body. So far all went well. - -Footnote 128: - - To the great loss of the medical women—as to many besides—Dr. Anstie - died suddenly on September 12th. - -Many were the congratulations from Edinburgh and St. Andrews, mingled -naturally with regrets that the little social centre at 15 Buccleuch -Place seemed permanently broken up. Professor Lewis Campbell and -Principal Tulloch were sure the situation as regarded their University -had been greatly simplified by the creation of a good School; and Dr. G. -W. Balfour wrote: - - “I only regret that you will be so far beyond my reach that it will be - impossible for me to coöperate actively in your future education,— - though I shall always be very glad to do anything I can for you.” - -This was one of the rare blank cheques on futurity that are destined to -be redeemed to the last farthing. - -Professor Masson, too, was keen as ever. - - “10 Regent Terrace, Edinr. - Oct. 23, 1874. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I had purposed when in London to give myself the pleasure of a - visit to the new premises, and to hear from yourself all about the - school and its prospects; but I was up on the business of some - researches, and had to spend my days, almost to the last, at the - British Museum or Record Office. One day I had a glimpse of you in a - cab passing the British Museum gate, but too fast and too far off to - be stopped. Mrs. Masson who is to be in London for a few days more - will certainly make her way to Henrietta Street. - - I was very glad indeed to hear of so much success in organizing the - new School, and glad also to hear several medical men I met in London - speak of it not only approvingly on their own account, but also with a - kind of conviction that it would settle matters. Are there not several - rocks ahead however? And what about the Apothecaries and their - disposition? May they not be acted upon by those opponents in the - profession whose opposition is now likely to take the form of - permitting women to qualify themselves under a different title to that - given to men. The conservatives of the University of London Senate - will probably promote this current of opinion. - - With best regards to all Edinburgh friends with you, - - Believe me, - Yours very truly, - DAVID MASSON.” - -Dr. Masson had put his finger precisely on the difficulty. It was still -necessary to secure two indispensable conditions of success,—1. -Qualifying Hospital Instruction, and 2. Recognition by some Examining -Board. It is clear that even Mr. Norton had no idea when he first -espoused the cause how great this double difficulty would prove. -Application was made to every one of the nineteen Examining Boards, and -to every one application was made in vain. The Hospitals proved equally -obdurate. “Why should _this_ University be the _corpus vile_?” Dr. Lyon -Playfair had asked in Parliament the year before: and this very human -and comprehensible cry was doubtless echoed by every Examining Body in -the land. - -S. J.-B. was determined not to let the public forget the question, and -in March 1875 she had an article in the _Fortnightly_, which Mr. Morley -(now Lord Morley) had accepted very cordially. - -“It will give me the most entire satisfaction,” he wrote, “to join the -Governing Body of the New School of Medicine for Women, and I shall not -grudge whatever time may be necessary for taking part in its -proceedings. I thank you for your invitation.” - -Once more the hopes of the women centred in Parliament. On March 3rd, -1875, Mr. Cowper Temple again brought forward his Enabling Bill, and a -long debate ensued, but the Bill was lost by 196 votes to 153. On March -25th he returned to the charge with a Bill to permit the registration of -the degrees of the Universities of France, Berlin, Leipzig, Berne and -Zurich, where such degrees were held by women. This was simply an -extension of a concession in the Medical Act of 1858, by which any -persons in practice in England with foreign degrees _at that date_ were -allowed to register. It was found impossible, however, to obtain the -support of Government to this measure, and no day could be secured for a -second reading, so the matter was again deferred. - -It was not to be expected that the students would go on indefinitely -taking theoretical classes that led to nothing, and the future was -beginning to look dark when at last a step forward was made. - -Mr. Stansfeld, Mr. Cowper Temple, and Mr. Russell Gurney were all the -kind of friends with whom one would go tiger-hunting, and no one of the -three showed any intention of backing out. On the 16th of June, in -answer to a question of Mr. Stansfeld’s, Lord Sandon admitted in the -name of the Government that the subject of the medical education of -women, only very lately submitted to Government, demanded their -consideration; and he undertook that it should be carefully considered -by the Government during the recess, so that they should be enabled to -express definite views with regard to legislation upon it in the next -session. - -In the meantime Mr. Simon, in the name of the President of the Privy -Council, had addressed a letter to the President of the General Medical -Council requesting the observations of that Council on Mr. Cowper -Temple’s Bill, and indeed on the whole subject of the admission of women -to the medical profession. - -The General Medical Council took up the question at last in all -seriousness, and the discussion lasted three days, during which many -remarkable things were said on both sides. Finally a report was adopted -and presented to the Privy Council to the effect that, - - “The Medical Council are of opinion that the study and practice of - Medicine and Surgery, instead of affording a field of exertion well - fitted for women, do on the contrary, present special difficulties - which cannot be safely disregarded; but the Council are not prepared - to say that women ought to be excluded from the profession.” - -In the autumn of 1875 a fresh hope was raised, owing to a really -brilliant suggestion of Mr. Simon’s. He bethought himself that those -doctors who wished the women to have a different qualification from that -of men might be willing to allow them to enter for the Licence in -Midwifery of the College of Surgeons. Now this Midwifery Licence, -strangely enough, was a regular qualification, involving the same -medical curriculum as the M.R.C.S., and entitling those who held it to -put their names on the Medical Register, and to practise legally with -full rights as doctors. There was no reason why those women who had a -complete set of certificates from Edinburgh should not go in for it at -once, and forthwith become qualified general practitioners. It was not a -very dignified way of entering the profession, but it did seem to be a -way. - - “Thursday, Nov. 11th. Today saw Simon again. He thinks they would - admit us for Midwifery Licence with present certificates,—not for - M.R.C.S.—though expressly same [certificates] required in Regulations. - Better to get on the Register _anyhow_ it seems to me? - - Only, could it choke off anything better? Hardly. If told that was - open and refused, half our case gone. Besides any _existing_ Exam. - better than a special one. - - Shall ask K[ing] Ch[ambers] tomorrow. - - Nov. 12th. Homme propose! K[ing] Ch[ambers] out of town.... - - To see Sir J. Paget tomorrow. - - Bertie[129] been here today. Quite agrees, get anything you can,—ask - for more by and bye. - - In fact one’s position would be far stronger after one’s certificates - had been accepted for the one,—when identical are required for the - other. Ah, well! Qui vivra verra—many things!... - - Saturday, Nov. 13th. Sir J. Paget this morning,—with Dr. A. He very - kind and courteous, infinitely more of a gentleman than most. - - He decidedly of opinion that we could not get admitted to the - M.R.C.S., but probably might to the L.M. He at least evidently thought - we ought, and thought most of the Council would think so too. They - meet apparently on Dec. 14th, and he advises us to send in application - before that, and then, if granted, we can be examined by end of - December. - - Fancy an Exam. in Midwifery _only_ putting one on the Register!... - - Tuesday, 16th. Saw Sir James Paget again at his request. He thinks we - had better not apply before the meeting, but give application to - Critchett to present, if desirable at the time.... - - Wednesday 17th. Saw Critchett. Most friendly and wholehearted—willing - to raise the question of M.R.C.S. if we liked, but I advised one step - first, then leverage for next.... - - Chambers not quite satisfied about L.M. but thinks it on the whole - best for the cause (‘perhaps not for yourselves,’) to take it if we - can.” - -Footnote 129: - - Miss Bertha Cordery, now Mrs. S. R. Gardiner. - -So those three brave women, Mrs. Thorne, Miss Pechey and S. J.-B. -proceeded to rub up their Midwifery, and meanwhile the authorities of -the College took the opinion of counsel as to their legal power to grant -or refuse the application. If no one else prospered by that long and -wearing struggle, certainly the lawyers did! On this occasion they -earned their salt by declaring “that the College had power to admit -women under its supplemental charter, and could be compelled by legal -process so to examine and grant certificates, ... that the Medical Act -clearly considered a holder of such certificates a licentiate in -midwifery, and as such entitled to register.” - - “Friday, 21st. Jan. My 36th birthday. Just half my life since I began - independently. So curious to look back on cogitations of 18th - birthday! But even then I had a presentiment of ‘sunshine and storm.’ - - It seems as if this year was really to gain (tho’ in rather mesquin - shape) what I have been fighting for in England for 7 years— - Registration. - - College of Surgeons on 7th Jan. decided on advice of their counsel, - Mr. Beaver, that they could not exclude women from the licence in - Midwifery,—so we three seniors have sent in our certificates, etc.— - given to Critchett on application on Dec. 4th,—presented by him on - Jan. 7th.” - -On March 17th, the women were told that their certificates had been -accepted, but, on the public announcement of this fact, the whole board -of examiners resigned. In relating the circumstances a year later, Mr. -Stansfeld wrote that “since then there had been no examiners and no -examination.” - - “Perhaps after all it is as well,” wrote Miss Pechey from Birmingham, - where she now held a post at the Women’s Hospital under Mr. Lawson - Tait,—“perhaps after all it is as well, as it gives us a stronger case - for Parliament, and that licence would have been a sorry thing to - practise upon....” - -After suggesting a great scheme of a new “National University,” she -concludes,— - - “I suppose you can’t think of any way in which I could earn some - money? I am beginning to wonder what I shall do when I leave here: I - can’t begin to practise till I have had more midwifery. - - * * * * * - - “I have only one other resource to suggest now this College of - Surgeons has failed, viz., that I should go over to Ireland, take that - Licence in Midwifery and then try to force the Registrar to register - it,—if he would not do so at once, by legal measures. _Qu’en pensez- - vous?_ - - Yours aff. - E. P.” - -This is simply quoted to show the state—not indeed of despair, but of -desperation, which these gallant women had reached. One can sympathize -with this _cri du coeur_ from S. J.-B.’s diary: - - “Here comes Miss Irby’s note this morning,—wanting a hospital for the - wounded at Serajevo.... Oh, dear, how I should love to go! It would - probably be just the making of me as a surgeon,—and I have such a sort - of wild feeling of wanting to ‘break out,’—of having been sair hadden - doun by many bubbly jocks,—by the constant fighting, by Mother’s - frequent illnesses, etc., etc. I feel as if it would be an intense - relief to break right away into half savage parts and do hard rough - work—and breathe! - - And then how nice it would be with Miss Irby.... I want to get away - from mental strain and excitement,—to bodily hard work. - - And what magnificent practice it would be!” - - * * * * * - - “U. D. P. against Serbian idea. Thinks my Mother would die in my - absence and I never forgive myself. - - Also I should hurt ‘the cause’ by doctoring men. - - I doubt both propositions, but can’t disprove either. - - My brain is in a sort of dull ‘waiting’ condition,—‘quo Deus vocat.’ - Well, isn’t that best? Yes, if _thoroughly_ honest. - - I suppose the constant worry and constant thwarting have made me - almost wild to break away for a bit. I feel somehow as if my mind were - all strained, and this better than anything would give it back its - tone.” - -Miss Irby’s idea came to nothing for lack of funds, but in any case, of -course, S. J.-B. could not have gone. It was she who held in her hands -all the parliamentary threads, and she was looking anxiously for some -practical outcome from Lord Sandon’s promise of the year before. On -January 14th, however, Mr. Cowper Temple wrote: - - “DEAR MISS BLAKE, - - The Government are not prepared to tell me whether they will - introduce any Bill next session on the subject of the medical - registration of women, and therefore it will be necessary for me to - bring in my Bill again at the commencement of the session....” - -S. J.-B. thought it worth while, however, to remind the Government -tactfully of their promise, and she had learned by bitter experience to -keep every possible iron in the fire. So a deputation from the London -School of Medicine for Women, headed by Lord Aberdare, and including -herself and Mrs. Anderson, waited on the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, -Lord President of the Privy Council. The mission was ably voiced by Lord -Aberdare, Mr. Stansfeld, and Mr. Forsyth, M.P., Q.C., whose name now -appeared on the back of Mr. Cowper Temple’s Bill; but, although -courteously received, the deputation elicited no farther encouragement. - -In these circumstances, Mr. Cowper Temple again introduced his “Foreign -Degrees” Bill, but fortune did not favour him in the matter of the -ballot for dates, and, in the meantime, S. J.-B. writes in her diary: - - “Saturday, May 13th. Saw Russell Gurney [who was now Recorder of - London]. Found Government had intimated to him that he should bring in - Bill _enabling_ all nineteen bodies,—to be shown to General Medical - Council on 24th. - - _If_ this passes! - - Might graduate at Edinburgh after all.” - -On the 5th of July Mr. Cowper Temple’s Bill came on for second reading, -but was withdrawn after debate upon a statement from Lord Sandon that -the Government were prepared to support the Recorder’s Bill. Even then -anxiety was by no means at an end, for the Government were not prepared -to make the Bill their own and find a day for it, and any persistent -opposition would have been almost necessarily fatal to its passing at so -late a time. One can picture the surprise with which S. J.-B. received -the following letter: - - “8 Palace Gardens, W. - 21 July, [1876]. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I saw Lord Shaftesbury yesterday and he intends to give notice - on Monday to move the second reading on Tuesday. - - The third reading will probably follow in a day or two. - - All that we shall then have to wait for will be the Royal Assent. - - Always sincerely yours, - RUSSELL GURNEY.” - -On August 12th the Bill became law. Henceforth no University nor -Examining Board could be in any doubt at all as to its own powers. Those -mysterious depths were at least no longer “an uncharted sea.” - -On August 7th Miss Pechey writes: - - “Has our Bill received the Royal Assent? If so, I suppose Mrs. Thorne - and I might apply any time to Edinburgh, though I don’t suppose she - would consent to say what I intend to. I mean simply to ask them - whether now they have the power, they intend honourably to fulfil the - contract they made with me in 1869. It does not matter to me when I - send in the question, as we can’t be examined, I believe, till next - April. Isn’t it so? But of course we had better not apply till the - Arts Professors are back. - - Ever yours affect. - E. P.” - -Edinburgh, however, did not prove encouraging even to its own -matriculated students, so Miss Pechey—accompanied by Miss Shove—went to -Ireland in September to see what could be effected there. She was very -cordially received, though many with whom she had to deal were quite -unaware of the existence of the all-important Baby Act; and one can -imagine the joy with which, after much labour, she wrote to report that -both the Queen’s University and the King’s and Queen’s College of -Physicians had consented to examine women, subject only to their -complying with the ordinary regulations. “Miss Pechey has done wonders,” -wrote Mrs. Thorne. - -The University regulations required attendance at four courses of -lectures in one of the Queen’s Colleges (at Cork, Belfast and Galway), -and four professors at Galway agreed to deliver these; but, owing -mainly—as happened so often!—to the opposition of one influential man, -the Council of the College interposed and vetoed the arrangement. - -Fortunately the Irish College made no difficulties, and to that body -belongs the credit of being the first to grant to women—and above all, -to _these_ women—the long-deferred privilege of Registration. “I cannot -realize,” wrote Mrs. Thorne to S. J.-B. a few weeks later, “that an -examining body is absolutely open to us.” “You have been the mainspring -of the seven years’ struggle, and to you we are all deeply indebted for -the result.” - - * * * * * - -Before passing on, we must record one pleasant distraction which that -summer had afforded in the appearance of Mr. Charles Reade on the scene, -deeply interested in “the fight,” and very anxious to obtain materials -for his _Woman Hater_. There are numerous letters from him to S. J.-B., -asking information about this happening and that: and he spent many -mornings at her house, studying the archives. The novel achieved no -small success by running its course in _Blackwood’s Magazine_, within -the very gates, so to speak, of the enemy’s citadel. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - AT LAST - - - - -While all this business was pending, Miss M‘Laren, rendered incredulous -by her long family experience of parliamentary life, that a Bill -introduced so late could really pass—had written glowing descriptions of -the advantages offered by Berne, and Miss Pechey had almost resolved to -go there for the M.D. As the regulations of the Irish College were -exacting in the matter of hospital work, she resolved to carry out this -intention in any case as a preliminary measure. - - “I shall be very glad,” she writes, “of another _good_ winter’s - hospital. I hope you will join me in this, so that we may keep - together. I think I should send in the Berne degree here [in Ireland] - when I had got it.” - -The two friends were most desirous that Mrs. Thorne should join them on -this expedition for old sake’s sake; but family claims made this -impossible. - -Well, it was something to break away, even thus far, and be mere -students again. For the moment S. J.-B. and Miss Pechey may almost be -said to have been resting on their oars. Nothing more arduous was -required of them than preparation for professional examination! - -It was on Wednesday, November 1st, that, accompanied by Miss Clark (now -Dr. Annie Clark), they entered Switzerland, a white world, as it -chanced, for snow had already fallen. The diary begins again almost from -the moment of arrival: - - “Excellent déjeuner [at Bernerhof] 12.30. Then I lay down. E. P. and - A. C. went out exploring. Wonderful energy of youth!” - -They all proceeded at once to interview professors (Professor Masson had -sent a delightful introduction), and forthwith began to attend lectures -and cliniques, and to complete the theses which had been begun in -England. S. J.-B. took as her subject Puerperal Fever, she having -unhappily experienced an outbreak of that disease at Boston. The thesis -was clear and exhaustive at the time, but of little permanent value, as -the infective nature of the fever was not yet recognized, and treatment -everywhere was mainly on a wrong scent. - -She suffered terribly from neuralgia, the result of past and present -strain, and work proceeded with difficulty. On December 20th Miss Pechey -and Miss Clark went home for Christmas. - -The diary has been brief and painful reading, but the writer revives -just in time: - - “Tuesday [Dec.] 26th. Nearly seven hours’ work. Splendidly well. - Accepted for examination Jan. 10th. - - Thursday 28th. Slept splendidly. For first time for weeks without - anodyne. - - Wednesday. N. Schultz called. Very nice. To walk with me before exam. - next Wednesday. Rather made me nervous with her pity. - - Friday.... Letter from U. D. P., begging me not to hurry—‘if I fail it - can’t be kept secret.’ Are they all in league to shake my nerves? - - Saturday [Jan.] 6th. E. P. still in London. Glorious day. - - Tuesday 9th. From 5 a.m. rather nervous—got better in day—and did 9 - hours’ work. Good head all through—thank God! - - 10 p.m. How very happy or very wretched I shall be this time tomorrow! - I really feel as if I ought to be able to pass as far as knowledge - goes,—tho’ not brilliantly,—but I am in despair about Langhans, and in - less degree about others.—Still they will surely manage not to pluck - me for mere want of German! Yesterday I felt almost as if I should - fail, tonight I hope I shan’t, but with trembling.... - - Eh, dear, if I succeed, how I shall (half) laugh at past funk!—if I - fail, I feel as if I need never laugh again. (And yet, played patience - half an hour just now rather than be beat—‘ill to beat’ not a bad - motto!) And, if I’m not beat,—fancy this being my last night without - M.D.! - - Wed. 10th. Nothing from E. P. or A. C. Wonder if latter has come. - - Very curious my sort of duplex feeling, (_a_) If I could only feel - sure of passing, I should pass,—i.e. not being nervous. (_b_) _If_ I - felt sure—I should be sure to fail, (superstition!) A sort of unworthy - Setebos feeling, I think. - - Undertake for me! - - * * * * * - - And He has! Thank God! Every exam. fairly creditable, which is worth - twice a scratch. - - Now to see how much better an M.D. sleeps than other people!” - - “13th Jan. - Brighton. - - MY DARLING, - - Words cannot express my thankfulness at your success, and - release from anxiety. I did not fear because I did not see why they - should be unjust, but I am more than glad that it is settled. - - I ought to have scolded you some days ago for more grapes. I am very - forgetful, and I really sleep so well that I do not require them. - - Well, dear, I am quite unsettled with the good news. Hoping to meet so - soon, and with great congratulations from Tom, and Hetty, and Carry, - and more love than a letter will take, ever your loving Mother, - - MARIA EMILY JEX-BLAKE. - - I heartily echo your ‘Thank God.’ I am so thankful I cannot settle.” - -A few weeks later Miss Pechey and Miss Clark also passed the -examination. - - “You will like to hear,” writes Miss Pechey, “that Professor Hidber - told Miss Clark that the Professors were much pleased with your exam. - and said it was evident that you had studied well. It is more - satisfactory, I think, to hear it indirectly like that than if they - had told you so. - - Miss Clark says she is very glad you answered better than I did. So am - I: I only wish I had answered better for the credit of my - countrywomen.” - -It still remained to get on the English Register through the newly -opened portal of the Irish College. S. J.-B. and Miss Pechey spent some -time in London, reading and attending the Brompton Hospital, where Dr. -Symes Thompson proved very helpful. - -There is a sheaf of blank pages in the diary, and then: - - “_Sunday, May 6th. Rugby._ - - ‘One fight more,—the worst and the last!’ Oh, dear, if I pass this - Exam. I shall deserve all I may get if I ever go in for another! - - Since Nov. 1st.,—indeed one might say since September 1st,—hardly a - day of rest and respite, but brain worked at highest pressure—often - when almost a blank. - - Now it is over and ‘waiting for the verdict.’ - - Off tonight for Dublin with E. P. Dr. A[tkins] also to join. ‘Omne - ignotum pro magnifico.’ The various tests loom vague and large. - Diagnosis at bedside,—horrible,—though enormously helped by Brompton - experience. Recognition of drugs and things under microscope. 4 - written exams. 2 hrs. oral, etc., etc. - - I feel as if I really had fairly mastered my subjects and must know - more than the average medical practitioner just fledged,—not to say - have more sense. - - But the stake is so enormous. A pluck would be so perfectly awful - after all antecedents. - - But in spite of my work, my brain is wonderfully well and clear.” - - “_Monday, May 7th. 9.45 p.m._ Books closed after 4½ hours’ reading and - examination,—not to be opened probably till all is over! - - Be the fates propitious,—as I really think they ought, ... I the most - comfortable of the three. ‘Where angels fear...?’ No,—I rather think - on the principle of ‘While the child, etc.’ - - I’ve done my utmost,—and results are God’s.” - -One is thankful to record that results were safe in His hands (as indeed -S. J.-B. would have said they must have been whatever the examiners had -decided). Two or three days later the three women, with a number of men, -were solemnly summoned to the Board Room,—“repeated declaration after -Registrar, then signed book, and Dr. Hayden, as Vice-President, took the -hand of each and ‘admitted’ us!” - - “Oh, dear, after long travail, good repose!” - - “All dreadfully overwrought and tired. E. P. and I came to fisticuffs - over Mrs. A.’s Memorial to London University. Pair of fools!” - -A characteristic telegram went off at once to Mrs. Jex-Blake: - - “Success just declared for all three of us.” - -And within an hour this was followed up by a letter: - - “... We are all so happy! The Exam. has been pretty stiff. - - Yours lovingly, - S. L. J. B. M. D. L. K. Q. C. P. I.” - -The waiting Mother sends a mere scrap by return: - - “I don’t know how to be thankful enough that all is so well thro’. - Nothing will seem a trouble now. God bless you, - - Ever your loving Mother. - - _All_ going well with Pony, Turk, me, etc.” - -And on the heels of this all the other congratulations pour in. “If I -could I would ring the bells from Bow to Beersheba,” writes a friend and -patient. - -One almost feels that, if the bells had known the whole story, they -would have rung of their own accord. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - THE ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL - - -The friendly reader will feel, without doubt, that the year 1876-77 had -done something to justify its passage, so far as the women were -concerned, but the year 1876-77 was giving more than this. S. J.-B.’s -main ideal, “Not me but us,” remained to be realized. The fundamental -requisite, training in a large General Hospital, was no longer -practically attainable in Great Britain. A handful of women had scaled -the coveted height by means of steps cut, as it were, in ice that melted -behind them. It remained to prepare a permanent way for those who were -following on. And the year 1876-77 was destined to give this too. - -Mrs. Anderson and others had been endeavouring to obtain admission for -women students to some of the wards of the London Hospital, and for a -time their efforts had seemed likely to prove successful. They ended in -the failure to which all the patient workers were becoming so -accustomed, but meanwhile “that which was for”—the women—“was -gravitating towards them.” - -Before the end of 1876 Mr. Stansfeld had written: - - “_Private._ - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I will bear the London University in mind as soon as I see - anybody.... - - I met Mrs. Garrett Anderson at dinner the other day; she did not seem - to have much hope or plan about the School in any way. - - I have however something to tell you that I think you will be rather - pleased to hear. Mrs. Stansfeld and I went to Clapham today to call on - the Hopgoods, with whom we had become friendly at Whitby: and Mr. - Hopgood is Chairman of the Board of the Grays Inn Lane Hospital. We - found them both _with us_, but strange to the question. - - I am to send Mr. Hopgood something to read, and he is to consider - whether anything is possible there; he _does not appear to be in awe - of the staff_. - - Just as I had begun to talk the Editor of the Contemporary Review [? - Nineteenth Century] came in and listened and then expressed general - sympathy in a timid way, but asked me if I would write him a paper - shewing a practical way and outcome; and I undertook at once to do so. - - The paper I can manage though I am glad to think I shall be likely to - see you before I send it; but in dealing with Mr. Hopgood I very much - wish you were here.... What time in January shall you be back, - probably time enough for us to act together in the matter. - - Yours truly, - J. STANSFELD.” - -In subsequent letters Mr. Stansfeld writes: - - “Jan. 5th. 77. I shall not consult anyone if I can avoid it. I think - you and I have the best chance of managing it alone.” - - “Jan. 13. 77. I congratulate you seriously and sincerely; it was time - to get that particular anxiety off your mind, and to be M.D. at all - events.... - - I will defer what I may have to say till we meet; but we’ll win and no - mistake.” - - “Stoke Lodge, - Hyde Park Gate, W. - Thursday evening. - [Feb. 9th. 77.] - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I have your letter, but feel a little doubtful about seeing Dr. - Chambers until after Sunday when I am to see Mr. Hopgood. - - You may judge of what that interview should be, how hopeful and how - critical, by his letter just received, which I copy on the other side. - - I think that you ought to be with me on Sunday if possible. I see - there are plenty of trains. - - We might be with him say at 3 p.m. If you would come here and lunch at - 1.30 I would drive you down. - - Pray telegraph reply tomorrow that I may write and let him know. - - Yours truly, - J. STANSFELD.” - -Follows the copy of Mr. Hopgood’s letter: - - “I shall be at home all Sunday and glad to see you.... We dine at 5. - - I see my way so far clear that on receiving a formal application from - your Association it shall be without delay submitted to our Weekly - Board,—and I think they will forthwith summon a special meeting of the - Committee of Management, whose _decision will be final for the current - year_! My wish may be father to the thought, but I think that if you - can make some such proposition as that we talked of we have a good - prospect of success. - - My wife feels such a deep interest in the success of the movement that - she wished me to say that if you think it desirable to form a - guarantee fund, her name may be put down as a subscriber or guarantor - to the extent of £100.” - -There is no record of that interesting and critical Sunday, but all -seems to have gone as Mr. Stansfeld would have wished, for a week or two -later Mr. Hopgood writes to S. J.-B.,—“I heartily wish that every -success may attend this movement,—if so I know to whom it will be -chiefly due.” - - * * * * * - -During S. J.-B.’s preoccupations the School had been in other hands. - -On March 13th Mr. Stansfeld writes, - - “DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - Have you noticed the article in the Daily News of today on the - London School of M. It is not written in our interest,—you are not - mentioned and I not much; but there is a list of names rather new to - me, omitting, however, Lord Aberdare, a true friend.[130] - - It looks as if tomorrow were pretty certain. - - Yours truly, - J. STANSFELD.” - -Footnote 130: - - A very true friend was Lord Aberdare. Here is a delightful letter - written a few months later: - - “Glen Tulchan, Advie, N.B. - June 23. 1877. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE,—I yield to your request—an annual subscription of - £10. 10s. for 5 years, including the present—but with the same - _Caveat_ which St. Peter made to Pope Gregory when he prayed that that - virtuous heathen Trajan might be admitted into Paradise viz ‘that you - make no more such requests.’ For I find extreme difficulty in refusing - applications for so good a work, and my ‘engagements’ are heavy. By - this post I must send a reluctant refusal to the hardworking promoter - of an excellent work. - - Ever sincerely Yours, - ABERDARE.” - -Close on the heels of this letter came a telegram: - - “Mar. 15th. Right Hon. J. Stansfeld, London, to Miss Jex-Blake 13 - Sussex Square, Brighton, - - London Free Hospital have unanimously accepted my proposal. Come - before ten o’clock Saturday. I go out half past ten.” - -Once more there was great rejoicing, and Mr. Stansfeld forwards to S. -J.-B. a cordial letter from Mrs. Anderson: - - “March 19. 77. - - DEAR MR. STANSFELD, - - As I was not able to join in the cheer which I am glad to hear - was given for you at the School on Saturday, will you please accept my - very heartiest thanks for your grand success at Gray’s Inn Road. We - all owe more to you than to anyone. I do not imagine there will be any - difficulty about the £700 a year for five years. I shall hope to be - able to contribute £50 a year as my share. - - Yours very truly and gratefully, - E. G. ANDERSON.” - -One thing more that wonderful year had given. Miss Edith Shove, who had -accompanied Miss Pechey on the mission to Ireland, had made formal -application to the University of London for admission to medical -examination and degree. In February Mr. Smith Osier moved in the Senate -that her request should be granted, and the motion was carried by 14 -votes to 7. The majority consisted of the Chancellor (Lord Granville), -Vice-Chancellor (Sir John Lubbock, M.P.), Lord Kimberley, Dr. Billing, -Mr. Fitch, Sir William Gull, Mr. Heywood, Mr. Hutton, The Master of the -Rolls (Right Hon. Sir G. Jessel), Right Hon. R. Lowe, M.P., Mr. Osler, -Sir James Paget,[131] Lord Arthur Russell and Dr. William Smith. The -minority consisted of Lord Cardwell, the Dean of Lincoln, Mr. Goldsmid, -Sir William Jenner, Dr. Quain, Dr. Sharpey and Dr. Storrar. - -Footnote 131: - - The following interesting letter shows that Sir James Paget’s attitude - at this time was not that of a partisan but of a just man: - - “1, Harewood Place, - Hanover Square, W. - Feb 26. 1877. - - DEAR MR. STANSFELD, - - I intend to go, if possible, to the Meeting of the University - Senate on Wednesday that I may vote against hindering the entrance of - Women into the Medical Profession. I think them sadly mistaken in - wishing for it, but I see no sufficient grounds on which they can - justly or usefully be excluded. - - Believe me most truly yours, - JAMES PAGET. - - The Rt. Honble. James Stansfeld, M.P.” - -S. J.-B. received the intelligence in the following note from Dr. -Archibald Billing, the father of the profession, who had taken his own -degree at Oxford in 1818: - - “34 Park Lane, - 1/3/77. - - “DEAR FRIEND, - - All right. I was at my post and gave my opinion rather freely. - We had a majority about two to one, but you shall have the minutes as - soon as printed. Some of the medicos rather recanted. - - Yours sincerely, - A. BILLING.”[132] - -Footnote 132: - - This letter may probably have been written to Mr. Stansfeld. - -One last storm was raised in Convocation about the action of the Senate, -on the ground that it dealt with the Faculty of Medicine only, but this -final obstruction only proved the truth of Mr. Stansfeld’s wise dictum -that when the hour for reform has come all that opponents can do is to -widen its character or to precipitate its advent. On January 14th, 1878, -a new Charter admitting women to _all_ degrees was laid by the Senate -before Convocation, and was carried by a majority of 241 to 132. - - * * * * * - -So much good that year had brought—that _annus mirabilis_ 1877—one must -not be surprised if it brought some evil also. And, to S. J.-B. -personally, it dealt one heavy blow. The School, as her Mother said, was -her living child. She had conceived it, brought it forth, tended it, -fought for it,—done most of the daily work it involved, with the help of -a lady secretary she herself had trained. Until she was a qualified -doctor, however, she did not wish her name to appear either on the -Council or on the Governing Body. In all the early papers it occurs only -as Trustee. - -But she had always looked forward to her registration as something that -would initiate a new order of things. That platform gained, and the dust -of the struggle and fight left behind, she expected to take officially, -as Honorary Secretary, the position she had filled hitherto without any -recognition at all. Up till now she had been constantly harassed, -driven,—striving for something that always receded when it seemed within -her grasp. No wonder if she had often been hasty, high-handed, -difficult. Now all that, so she thought, was past. We recall the dreams -and ideals of her youth,—how she had longed to organize some fine new -school for girls, of which, conceivably, she might be worthy to be the -head. - - “I am beginning to hope, Mother! If I only suffer enough—and I don’t - believe mine will ever be a smooth or easy life—I may yet be fit to - _be_ the head for which I am looking so earnestly.” - -We have seen with what searchings of heart she laid aside this ideal for -the long struggle of her medical career; but from first to last she -never laid aside the sympathetic interest in her colleagues and juniors -which was perhaps the most striking characteristic of her professional -life. Is it strange if she now looked forward to a realization of the -whole dream ? - -In any case that realization was not to be. Her enforced absences in the -matter of her examination had given people a chance to do without her. -We have seen that they had not always found her particularly easy to -work with. “You wouldn’t let me muddle, and you wouldn’t let me dawdle, -and how _could_ I be happy?” one of her “daughters” used to cry in the -radiant success of later years: and although it would not be fair to -generalize this into a solution of the whole difficulty, it goes a long -way to account for it. There were those who were thankful that things -should be done a little less efficiently and more easily,—thankful to -have a little more say in matters for which they felt themselves -partially responsible. There were those who looked forward with sinking -of heart to the time when S. J.-B. would return and really take up the -reins. - -We have seen repeatedly that she never realized the strain of -“difficulty” in her own nature, and she always had a cohort of loyal -supporters; but she must have heard—or guessed—something of what was -going on, for she wrote to Mr. Stansfeld that the task of being Honorary -Secretary was too onerous to be undertaken except at the unanimous wish -of those concerned. Perhaps Mrs. Thorne—Dr. Atkins—Mrs. Anderson—would -care to undertake the task? Probably she knew for a fact that the two -first named would refuse it; and it must have seemed impossible that -Mrs. Anderson—overwhelmed as she was with other work—would entertain the -suggestion. - -S. J.-B. was still in Ireland when the question came up. Mrs. Thorne -proposed S. J.-B. as Honorary Secretary, and someone else proposed Mrs. -Anderson, both nominations being duly seconded. - -Mrs. Anderson was in a difficult position, and said so frankly. She did -not wish to take an unfair advantage over her colleague; but if it was -to be for the good of the School—? - -Mr. Stansfeld and the Dean (Mr. Norton, who was always S. J.-B.’s -staunch supporter) were somewhat at a loss, and so no doubt were others; -it was not an easy situation for anybody. After some talk the meeting -was adjourned. Everything pointed to Mrs. Anderson’s election. - -But, when it came to the point, this was more than S. J.-B. could stand. -Many lesser people would have accepted the situation gracefully, -concealing any heartburning they might have felt, but this was just what -S. J.-B. could not do. It was partly a personal question, of course. -With every desire and effort to be fair, Mrs. Anderson had always looked -at S. J.-B.’s life and work through the wrong end of the telescope, so -to speak, and it is not easy to appreciate fully the people who make no -secret of the fact that they take that view of us. - -But the personal question was not all. We remember how warmly S. J.-B. -had spoken of her colleague in the old days, as “running where I -crawl,”—how she had triumphed in every stage of her colleague’s success. -She honestly felt that Mrs. Anderson was already too fully occupied to -undertake so big a job,—felt that, humanly speaking, Mrs. Anderson -_could_ only lend her name, and do the work by proxy. - -And even that does not exhaust the subject. The truth is that S. J.-B., -to the day of her death and with all her faults, was an incorrigible -idealist; and Mrs. Anderson, rich though she was in excellent qualities, -seemed to her to be lacking in certain capabilities of insight and -imagination which outweighed everything else. - -“Put me utterly aside if need be!” she had cried in the self-surrender -of her adolescence. - -And now she was taken at her word. But it was not easy to see the “need -be.” For a time it was blotted out by the bitter experience of personal -opposition. - -It was a painful situation all round, but like so many painful -situations, it called forth something fine. Mrs. Thorne was _persona -grata_ with all parties, and finally Mrs. Thorne stepped into the breach -and allowed herself to be elected Honorary Secretary of the School. - -“About the best possible,” wrote S. J.-B. in her diary, “with her -excellent sense and perfect temper. So much better than I.” - -It involved a definite sacrifice, for, although Mrs. Thorne had taken -all her classes with distinction, she had only passed one professional -examination; and she was not one of those who are content to scrape -through. She had aimed at a London degree, and had even talked of taking -her whole course over again in order to fulfil every requirement. Dr. -Sewall had long since singled her out as “_the_ doctor” in potentiality -among the English medical women. - -Already family claims had made her pause. This new claim, combined with -the others, proved more than she could withstand. She cast aside her own -ambitions, and made the success of the School her main object in life. - - * * * * * - - “Sweet Sackermena and her isles! - See how many yards and miles - It takes to walk round Sackermena.” - -A breezy way this of paraphrasing the more familiar passage: - - “Tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem.” - -But what one really wants to express is,—See the amount of work, the -number of people it took to achieve this one bit of human evolution! -Even the many names in this book are culled from a great multitude. - -It was S. J.-B. who opened the subject boldly up, and forced the whole -world to discuss it. It was she who—in the eye of the whole world—led -the Edinburgh fight to its unforeseen sequel in Parliament and in the -opening of the London School. - -Miss Pechey was a loyal and stimulating comrade throughout, disarming -opponents by the personal charm, intelligence and humour which -eventually opened the Irish College and gained the actual concession of -the right of registration. - -Mrs. Thorne contributed a fine undercurrent of stability. It was not her -way to write picturesque letters that lend themselves to quotation, but -it was mainly owing to her that the London School became a lasting and -conspicuous success.[133] - -Footnote 133: - - In later years, as Dean, Mrs. Anderson did much for the enlargement - and development of the School. - -_Pari passu_ with all this, as we have seen, and antecedently to any of -it,—Mrs. Anderson was quietly showing the English world that a woman can -be a reliable and successful doctor. - -Fine records all four, and surely no less fine was the brave, wise, -unwearying championship of Professor Masson and Sir James Stansfeld, -without whom—humanly speaking—nothing could have been achieved at all. - -Sir James Stansfeld would not have allowed us to draw the line there. In -an able sketch of the whole movement up to 1877, in the _Nineteenth -Century_, he concludes his survey with the following significant words: - - “One thing more remains to record. These pages will, I think, have - presented to the reader’s mind evidence of a tough and persistent and - continuous struggle. Such struggles do not persist and succeed, - according to my experience, without the accompanying fact, the - continuous thread, as it were, of one constant purpose and dominant - will. Dr. Sophia Jex-Blake has made that greatest of all contributions - to the end attained. I do not say that she has been the ultimate cause - of success. The ultimate cause has been simply this, that the time was - at hand. It is one of the lessons of the history of progress that when - the time for a reform has come you cannot resist it, though, if you - make the attempt, what you may do is to widen its character or - precipitate its advent. Opponents, when the time has come, are not - merely dragged at the chariot wheels of progress—they help to turn - them. The strongest force, whichever way it seems to work, does most - to aid. The forces of greatest concentration here have been, in my - view, on the one hand the Edinburgh University led by Sir Robert - Christison, on the other the women claimants led by Dr. Sophia Jex- - Blake. Defeated at Edinburgh, she carried her appeal to the highest - court, that most able to decide and to redress, the High Court of - Parliament representing the Nation itself. The result we see at last. - Those who hail it as the answer which they sought have both to thank, - in senses and proportions which they may for themselves decide.”[134] - -Footnote 134: - - _Nineteenth Century_, July 1877. - -It would be easy to close on this note, but it is on the earlier part of -Sir James Stansfeld’s conclusion that one prefers to dwell. A tough and -persistent struggle is indeed recorded in these pages—it was only on -working through the vast mass of original documents that the present -writer formed the faintest conception how tough and persistent that -struggle had been—and yet what will strike the reader most is that it -was emphatically _not_ a “one man fight.” S. J.-B. never said “I” in -connection with it. “You see we were so splendidly helped,” was her -almost invariable comment on looking back. - -And she _was_ splendidly helped. Not only by her fellow-students, by -friendly professors, by the Editor of the _Scotsman_, and by those who -would fain have been her patients. All that one was prepared to find. -The amazing thing is the way in which—when all of these were almost -paralyzed by the strength of the opposition (yes, and by her mistakes)— -_help came from somewhere_. It might be the working-man, sending her a -shilling to represent his sympathy, or the statesman in a London club, -throwing down his newspaper with the determination that that woman -should be baited no longer. In any case help came. - -Truly, as Sir James Stansfeld said, the time was at hand. - -And Newman is perfectly right when he says that, if the individual be -powerful-minded and the cause good, the mistakes actually help. They -increase the talk, increase the interest, help to make the picture that -appeals to the popular imagination, till what has seemed to be the -eccentric action of a single individual spreads out in waves that -envelop the whole earth. - -Writing exactly forty years after the events just narrated—at a moment -when women doctors are proving so vital an asset to the nation and to -humanity at large—one realizes the difference it would have made to the -whole world if Sophia Jex-Blake had been content to qualify abroad and -to slip on to the Medical Register somehow, instead of throwing the -gates wide open for all who were to follow her. - -Reference has been made above to her love of poetry, and of all her -poems there was none she was wont to recite more solemnly than Kipling’s -_Explorer_: - - “Yes, your ‘Never-never country’—yes, your ‘edge of cultivation’ - And ‘no sense in going further’—till I crossed the range to see. - - God forgive me! No, _I_ didn’t. It’s God’s present to our nation. - Anybody might have found it but—His Whisper came to Me!” - - - - - _PART III_ - - My fame is in the hands of others. I have weighed in a nice and - scrupulous balance whether it is better to serve men or to be praised - by them, and I prefer the former. - - SYDENHAM. - (Quoted in S. J.-B.’s commonplace book.) - - Have I named one single river? Have I claimed one single acre? Have I - kept one single nugget—(barring samples)? No, not I. - - KIPLING. - - Your goodness must have some edge to it,—else it is none. - - EMERSON. - - - - - CHAPTER I - EARLY DAYS IN PRACTICE - - -The dramatic days were over. The task that now lay before S. J.-B. was -to pick up all that remained of herself after the conflict, and settle -down to practice. It is a solemn moment in the history of any doctor -when he or she deliberately takes in hand the issues of life and death: -mistakes can no more be avoided in this than in any other walk of life, -and yet the consequences here are so much more _apparently_ important. - -And if it is a solemn moment for any man or woman, it was surely not -less so for her who for years had been a city set on a hill. In the -course of the long struggle youth had quite slipped away; her best -energies were spent; her nervous system was overstrained beyond the -possibility of complete recuperation. If George Eliot could say with -some truth that she began _Romola_ as a young woman and ended it an old -one, how much more might S. J.-B. have said this of her education in -medicine. Perhaps the coward in her would gladly now have shunned the -conflict altogether. - -Small say was allowed to that coward at any time, and at this juncture -few even of S. J.-B.’s friends realized that—as regarded output of -energy—she had already done a life’s work. No one would have been -surprised if she had died a few years before, in the stress of the -fight; but the human memory is short, and, as she had survived, almost -everyone now looked upon the toil of the last ten years as simply the -introduction to the volume. She was now expected to show how great a -success a woman doctor can be. - -First came the anxious question where to settle, and, while she -meditated on this, she was making good, at Brompton and wherever she -could find an entry,[135] the deficiencies in her hospital education. - -Footnote 135: - - We hear of her visiting the Middlesex, Moorfields, the Royal Free, the - Cancer, and the Children’s Hospitals. - -Her original plan had been to settle in London, to foster the School she -had founded, and at the same time to be within easy reach of her -Mother,—the Mother for whom she would at any moment in her life have -thrown up every hope and plan that guided her. - -There is no doubt that this would have been in most respects the ideal -arrangement. There is room for everyone in London. In those days it was -absolutely essential for a woman doctor to settle in a town large enough -to allow for the overwhelming proportion of patients who declined to -take their lives in their hands, so to speak, by trusting one of their -own sex. Even if the patient herself was willing to lean her whole -weight on an untried plank, husbands and mothers stood in the way. -Indeed there were girls who reckoned it the prime luxury involved in -earning their own living that they became free to employ the doctor of -their choice—a woman. - -It is true that patients—and still more their male relatives—were -readier to trust S. J.-B. than they would have been to trust most other -women. Her inherent motherliness was not weakened by any aggressive -femininity; but on the other hand it is not to be supposed that she was -any less alarming than she had been as a student. No doctor ever -inspired greater enthusiasm and devotion than she did, but it was on the -whole the few to whom she appealed. Her vein of tenderness lay too deep -for the casual eye to see; and many were afraid of the occasional high- -handed imperious ways and the disregard of what people were likely to -say. - -“It was like being lifted on a comet’s tail,” writes a patient to whom -she had been called in an emergency in March 1878, “when you came in, -strong and swift, with your eagle wings, getting over distances in a -third of the time other people take to do it.” - -This is admirable, and describes what many felt, but although being -lifted on a comet’s tail is exactly what many patients want, the -treatment is not universally applicable. - -London, then, would probably have supplied S. J.-B. with a larger -practice than she could have worked; many friends, and particularly her -brother, were keenly anxious that she should settle there; Mr. Norton -always regretted her departure; but, now that the School had been taken -out of her hands, it seemed inadvisable that she should remain as a -looker-on. The difficulty was to find another place big and -representative enough: she dreaded the great midland towns. After much -consultation, she decided on the last place on earth she might have been -expected to choose,—on Edinburgh. - -It was partly the bracing climate, partly the beautiful drives, partly -the many friends who had stood by her so gallantly, that led to this -spirited decision, but on the whole it was a mistake. The smoke of the -conflict was still hot, and some of those who had admired her most had -admired her for qualities which were not what they sought in a -physician. - -Moreover, she was the last person on earth to play up to the -expectations of the community in which she lived. The Edinburgh of those -days was a more conventional place than Edinburgh is now, and doctors -above all were expected to conform to a particular standard. There was a -general impression that piety paid and that an interest in missions was -a great help to success in practice. - -“You never will succeed unless you conform to these usages,” said a -friend: “You might have Edinburgh at your feet if you would go to church -regularly and show yourself a religious woman,” said another. - -It is needless to say that these were not the arguments to use with S. -J.-B. Never, moreover, since the far-off school-days in which she had -given a highly-valued shilling to “the Jews” had she taken any interest -in missions. That vein in her was worked out, or transmuted into -something else. The more she read of the old religions—and she did read— -the more she found in them to admire and respect,—the more it seemed to -her that they were the fitting medium for the training of the people to -whom they had been given. It must be frankly admitted too that she -continued to see such questions in the atmosphere of the particular -Evangelical school in which she had been brought up; in recognizing the -evolution of the individual—of herself as an individual—she failed to -recognize the evolution of the medium; and her life was so full of -active beneficent interests as to leave scant time for the consideration -of questions that did not at first sight appeal to her,—that did not -seem to be her job. - -In the Edinburgh, too, of those days, the ordinary people who “counted” -were the people who liked things done “just so.” It disturbed their -sense of the fitting, for instance, that S. J.-B. should pay -professional visits, driving herself in a pony phaeton. Altogether she -was too big, too untrammeled for the post. What was wanted was the woman -who is a credit to any cause she may adopt. There are plenty of them -now-a-days. - -Finally, S. J.-B. realized from the first that, with her limited -physical resources, she could not combine a social with a professional -life. Hospitality is a poor word to describe the manner in which her -door stood open to the few she loved, to those whom she thought she -could help, to all in whom she recognized any sort of spiritual kinship; -but from ordinary social engagements she stood aloof. She refused -invitations to dinner,[136] or made excuse to leave so early that she -might better, perhaps, not have gone; she declined to be lionised in any -way; and she was apt to snub those whom she suspected of wishing to know -her from motives of curiosity. - -Footnote 136: - - For the same reason she went but seldom to the theatre, unless an - actor whom she greatly admired visited Edinburgh. When Henry Irving - was there she would go as often as three times a week, and usually - take a little party of friends. Louis XI. was, in her opinion, his - masterpiece. For Miss Terry she had, like all the rest of the world, a - great admiration. Of Ristori she used to speak almost with bated - breath. - -We must not forget how different she could be from all this,—how -radiant, how sympathetic, how full of humour and fun. “What a comfort it -is,” writes a patient at this time, “to see your dear supporting face!” -“You always come as Hercules did to Alcestis,” writes another. “Emily -and I have often spoken of your ‘How are you?’ being like his, ‘I am -here to help.’” - -Nor am I working up to the avowal that she was a professional failure: -she was not: in many ways she was a great success. But if Edinburgh—like -Cousin Ellie of old—could have made “even a slight alteration” in her, -she might almost indeed have had the town at her feet. - - * * * * * - -She took the house 4 Manor Place, and in June 1878 she put her plate on -the door and began. Three months later she started a small dispensary. -Her professional isolation was great: Dr. Pechey was at Leeds; the other -medical women were in London or farther afield. A doctor in the early -days is sorely handicapped if he cannot discuss difficult cases and -questions with his contemporaries and seniors. S. J.-B. never had, -except for a few days at a time, the daily chit-chat—what students call -the “shop”—that is so helpful; but she was not allowed to suffer. Dr. -Heron Watson, Dr. George Balfour, and Dr. Angus Macdonald supported her -with a chivalrous loyalty of which it is difficult to write calmly even -now. They encouraged her to appeal to them at any time: they put the -whole wealth of their learning and experience at her disposal; and—what -was not a matter of course in those days—there was not a single question -in all the complicated domain of medicine which they would not discuss -with her as frankly as if she had been a man. It must be borne in mind -that in her own special subject, the diseases of women, her equipment -was all that could be desired. It was not for nothing that she had -worked for two years under Dr. Sewall at Boston. If adequate training -had been available, she might have made a great gynæcological surgeon, -for she had great calmness and presence of mind in an emergency, and her -hands, though full of character, were small and deft. Dr. Sewall always -regretted the waste of her potentiality in this respect. - -The following extracts are from letters written during the first few -months of practice: - -To her Mother, - - “MY DARLING, - - I know you will be pleased to hear that I yesterday received - fees which just completed my first £50,—earned in Edinburgh in less - than three months,—and that in what they call the “empty” season. And - what pleases me still better is that everyone of my patients has done - well. Several have left my hands practically recovered, and those who - are still there are all going on satisfactorily. And as among them - were two cases to which I was called when the patient was described as - ‘dying’ (and both got well) I think I may very well be content. I have - had 23 patients (nearly 100 visits) at my private house, and about as - many more at my Dispensary, which has only been open a fortnight; so I - don’t think there is much doubt about the ‘demand’ nor about my - prospects.” - -To Dr. King Chambers, - - “I feel I am learning a great deal from the large variety of practice - here. You will see from the enclosed paper that I have the help and - support of four[137] of the best medical men in Edinburgh, and they - are all excessively kind in giving me advice and help as often as I - want it. No one ever had better friends and I doubt if anyone ever - liked a profession better than I like mine. - - I find that each of my cases involves so much reading and thinking - that I am almost anxious they should not multiply too fast.” - -Footnote 137: - - The three mentioned above, together with Dr. Peel Ritchie. In later - years, of course, she would have added to the list,—notably the names - of Dr. (Sir Thomas) Clouston and Mr. C. W. Cathcart. - -To Dr. (now Sir Thomas) Barlow to whom she had commended a young -colleague, - - “March 24th. [1879.] - - DEAR SIR, - - I thank you very much for the kind response to my note which - reached me this morning. I feel sure that you will find Miss K. - grateful for your kindness and most anxious to benefit by it. I have - had repeated cause myself in my own Dispensary work to be thankful for - the various lessons I learned from you and Dr. Lee. - - Thank you also for the kind interest you express in my personal - success, which indeed is all that I could desire. I have about 25 or - 30 patients at the Dispensary every day that it is opened, and I also - have a much larger private practice than is usual at so early a date. - I have not yet been established here in practice quite 9 months, and I - find that I have already had about 400 visits to or from private - patients, which I think you will allow shows the ‘demand’ is a real - one. - - As you refer to the ‘general question of lady doctors’ you must allow - me to say that I am quite sure it would have your support, from at any - rate one point of view, if you had the least idea of the amount of - preventible suffering which women bear with rather than consult men in - special cases.... - - Now I do not care for a moment to argue whether this feeling is right - or wrong; ... if the feeling exists it should be distinctly recognized - as an element in the question; and I am quite sure that you would be - one of the very first to desire that every possible remedy should be - brought to such needless suffering. - - In the same way I never care to argue at all about the relative - capabilities of men and women. I mean to try to do my own work up to - the very best of my power, and that is all that really concerns me. I - cannot imagine any work nobler or more perfectly fascinating, than - that of medicine, and I am very thankful to be allowed ever so small a - share in it.” - -To Mrs. Henry Kingsley, - - “I have full as much work at my Dispensary as I can manage, indeed I - am pretty well used up on those days, but I always enjoy them. - - I am just going to begin a course of lectures which I hope may be - successful. - - It is hard work altogether, but nothing to the old worries.” - -Hard work indeed it was, especially when one bears in mind that she was -urged at times to undertake confinements at a very considerable -distance,—as far off as Yorkshire. Moreover, being a woman, she had of -course the cares of housekeeping, and S. J.-B. always took her -housekeeping very seriously.[138] She was herself a good cook and an -excellent manager, and her staff were expected to carry out her methods -and principles loyally. If they happened to be lazy and unprincipled, or -even easy-going, their tenure of office was likely to be brief. Her -comfortable home—in common with all the other gifts of the gods—meant -nothing to her unless she could share it. How heartfelt was her -hospitality may be gathered from the following letters: - - “August 15th. [? 1878.] - - DEAR MISS IRBY, - - Welcome home again! I saw in yesterday’s paper that you had - reached England, and was going to write when your letter came. I shall - be delighted to see you again! I expect to be here all autumn and - winter (with the exception of a few days) and shall be only too glad - to have you whenever you like best to come. Only do manage to give me - at least a week, and let me know which time suits you best as soon as - possible, so that I may make my plans suit yours. - - Several people are most anxious to meet you, so I will ask them to - dinner, etc., when you fix a time; but I hope you won’t accept - invitations much (you are sure to have dozens) as I do want you to get - a little rest while with me, and I want to take you drives about - Edinburgh,—the country is so lovely. I shall tell everybody you will - be too tired to go out much. - - Would you like a public meeting here? I daresay it would help, though - most residents are away at this season. - - Yours affectionately, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -Footnote 138: - - The invaluable Alice had retired from service to join a sister in - Wales. She and her mistress continued to correspond till the end. - - “June 16th. [1879.] - - DEAR MRS. THORNE, - - I hear that your two girls are coming to Morton next week. Don’t - you think it would be very wrong to let them travel so far all alone? - Don’t you think it is clearly your duty to come and stay a week or two - with me when you arrive? I should like so very much to see you again - at something like leisure, and also to show you my Dispensary and all - and sundry I am doing here. _So_ many Edinbro’ friends would like to - see you! _Do_ try to come if only for a week or two! - - I remember that the ‘wonderful woman’ went to London and back for 24 - hours once, so she can’t mind travelling! In haste - - Yours sincerely, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - - “June 18th. - - DEAR MRS. THORNE, - - I shall be really _delighted_ if you will come down with your - girls and spend a week or two with me while they are at Morton. You - and I have never had any really quiet time together since our student - days, and I cannot tell you how much I should enjoy some talks with - you, and how glad I should be of your advice about lots of things in - my Dispensary and otherwise. Dr. Sewall you know always said you were - _the_ doctor among us, and I quite believe it. I wish so very often - that I could ask you about things.” - -To a colleague in London she writes a month or two later: - - “Your thanking me so much for a very moderate amount of good nature - shown to Miss X., makes me wonder how you _expect_ one to behave to - people who are ill and poor. I am sure you yourself act upon the ‘aux - plus déshérités le plus amour’ principle? Seriously I have done very - little for her beyond what I should have done for anybody more or less - in her position, except perhaps half a dozen drives and dinners which - I promised ‘pour l’amour de vos beaux yeux' before I saw her. - - I am afraid you must think me a very ungrateful person in my turn, for - I don’t _say_ a quarter as much about your various kindnesses to me - and my friends.” - -She always had a word of brave and wise advice for colleagues who -appealed to her: - - “I am inclined to think you had better send Miss Z. off to Australia. - I am sure Miss Du Pre will gladly do her part if you write to her - about it. She is now at ‘Surbiton, S.W.,’—no farther address required. - - I think you are _quite_ wrong to think you will ‘not forgive yourself’ - if the plan does not succeed. I have long ago come to the conclusion - that ‘efforts are ours, results are God’s,’—and, if you don’t like - that phraseology, you can paraphrase it as you like, so long as you - acquiesce in my conclusion that we are _not_ to blame or worry - ourselves if things go wrong when we have done our best. - - How I wish we could sit by that upstairs window and have a chat over - it all!” - - * * * * * - - “No, life isn’t a bit of a failure, and you wouldn’t think so if we - could get ten days’ holiday together up in the highlands!—don’t I wish - we could!—for I am very tired too. - - I’ve got to go off to Yorkshire in a few days to attend ——’s - patient.... - - My coachman got drunk last week, and I turned him off at an hour’s - notice, and had to see to the stable myself for a day or two!—My whole - household has been upside down, and in the midst of it my dear old - Turk died last week, but quite quietly and without pain. I have a new - page, and a new cook, and a new groom,[139] and am going to have a new - housemaid,—don’t you pity me?—Still I say ‘Life is good,’—Can you have - better testimony?” - -Footnote 139: - - In place of the “coachman”; she never had both. - -Her advice on occasion could be fairly drastic: - - “Yes,—I know about Miss W. _Why_ do you _let_ her stay 1½ hours with - you? At the end of five minutes I should take out my watch and say,— - ‘Now I have just ten minutes more for you,—is there anything you want - to say?’ That’s the way to treat those sort of folks. _I_ am not ‘too - good for this world.’” - -Here is a rather amusing answer to a question from Dr. Pechey,—“Why do -you recommend Vermouth?” - - “DEAR EDIE, - - I sent off my two cards to you too hurriedly to answer about - ‘Vermouth’!—but now let me say at my leisure that I never heard - anything more beautifully illustrative of the way stories are - ‘evolved.’ - - The one and only occasion when I made acquaintance with Vermouth was - when one day, during a hurried call at Mrs. Nichol’s, the dear old - lady in Mr. F.’s presence, offered me some Vermouth as something new - she had got, and insisted on my tasting it,—which I did, and said I - thought it ‘very nice,’ as in duty bound! Neither before nor - afterwards have I either seen or heard of it! It really _is_ nice, I - think,—in the orange bitters line,—but further I know nothing about - it, and certainly never recommended it in my life—nor expect to. - - My professional life is, I find, largely a crusade against tea and - alcohol, so certainly I am not likely to preach up new liqueurs—if - this is one.” - -To Dr. Sewall she writes, - - “Oct. 8th. [1879.] ... I have a very charming little brougham, which - my Mother gave me; and a beautiful horse, quiet as a lamb and strong - as a bull, from Miss Du Pre. Altogether it is an extremely smart turn- - out, and I should like so much to show it to you! I hope I shall this - summer. You _must_ come then if possible,—it is so hard to be apart so - many years! - - I am so sorry my Father’s carriage is worn out. That little gift was - such a pleasure to him and almost the last thing he did. I think the - letter in which he told me he had paid the money to my bankers was the - very last I had from him—dear old man!... - - Dr. King Chambers gave the inaugural address at our School this year, - I moved the vote of thanks to him,[140] as it was my one day in - London. I will try to send you a report.” - -Footnote 140: - - This was probably _not_ the occasion of which she writes in her - diary,—“S. J.-B. made very nice speech in moving vote of thanks,—only - forgot to thank much!” - -Later she writes, - - “I have rather a sore heart today, for dear old Turk has just died in - my arms.... He seemed about as usual today, but rose from where he was - by the kitchen fire, walked into the scullery and fell over. They - fetched me, and he gave just two gasps in my arms and died. It seems a - bit of one’s life gone, when he had been in it for 13 years!—and a - Boston bit too.” - - “Nov. 29th. 1879.... We are in great excitement here with the visit of - Gladstone to Edinburgh,[141] and his speeches. I send you two papers - today, to show you how he alludes in one speech to the sympathy of - women with his cause,—I have written a short letter in today’s - _Scotsman_ asking if it would not be better that they should be able - legitimately to express that sympathy through the Suffrage.... How I - hope and trust to see you here next year!” - -Footnote 141: - - This was the celebrated visit to contest the County of Midlothian,—a - “triumphal procession”! - -Apparently Miss Pechey did not think Gladstone’s appreciation of women -sufficiently adequate to be worth acknowledging, for a few days later S. -J.-B. writes to her, - - “I like Gladstone much better than you do, or I shouldn’t have written - as in the _Scotsman_, but no doubt he is wrong about women,—his wife’s - fault however, I fancy. Miss Irby went to stay with them for a day or - two last year, and I know he admires her hugely,—perhaps she may be a - means of grace to him.” - -It was about this time that the opinions of a number of representative -women were collected on the subject of the Suffrage. S. J.-B. at first -declined to respond, but, on Miss Irby’s remonstrance she wrote the -following lines, which are quoted here because they represent fairly the -calm and decided attitude she took upon the subject throughout life: - - “If I correctly understand the British Constitution, one of its - fundamental principles is that Taxation and Representation should go - together, and that every person taxed should have a voice in the - election of those by whom taxes are imposed. If this is a wrong - principle, it should be exchanged as soon as possible for some other, - so that we may know what is the real basis of representation in this - country; if it is a right principle, it must admit of general - application, and I am unable to see that the sex of the tax-paying - householder should enter into the question at all. - - The argument respecting the ‘virtual representation’ of women under - the present system seems to me especially worthless, as it can be - answered alternatively thus:—If women as a sex have exactly the same - interests as men, their votes can do no harm, and indeed will not - affect the ultimate result; if they have interests more or less - divergent from men, it is obviously essential that such interests - should be directly represented in the councils of the nation. My own - belief is that in the highest sense, the interests of the two sexes - are identical, and that the noblest and most enlightened men and women - will always feel them to be so; and, in that case, a country must - surely be most politically healthy where all phases of thought and - experience find legitimate expression in the selection of its - parliamentary representatives.” - -As regards the medical education of women S. J.-B. never for one moment -lost interest in the movement as a whole. If her hand was no longer on -the helm, she never deserted her post on the bridge. A new Medical Bill -was on the _tapis_ at this time,—a Bill which—very rightly—made it -essential that all doctors should hold a qualification in both medicine -and surgery. As, however, no College of Surgeons would examine women -(who nevertheless had gone through the required surgical _training_), -this Bill would have had the result of placing women on a different and -inferior footing to men as doctors, and the hard-won steps that had -seemed to be cut in the solid rock would have melted away once more. - -The General Medical Council, in its suggested amendments to the Bill, -proposed to establish a special Board for the examination of women, and -to admit them in the end to a separate register! It was the old -“strawberry jam labels” over again. Moreover in order to conform with -the requirements of this Board a woman must be in a position to assert -that she had received _no part of her education_ along with men,—a -requirement that at once ruled out all the women who were enjoying the -great privilege of studying at the University of Paris. - -So there was small encouragement even now to relax that keen look-out on -the bridge. - -In Dr. Heron Watson, who was at that time President of the Edinburgh -Royal College of Surgeons, S. J.-B. had a keen and sympathetic adviser, -and with his approval she wrote to her former supporters, Mr. Stansfeld, -Lord Aberdare, Lord Ripon and others, begging them to keep a watchful -eye on the interests of the women. Early in the spring of 1878 she had -urged Mrs. Anderson to write to two or three of the London daily -newspapers on the subject, while she herself undertook two or three -more; and on April 19th she writes again: - - “DEAR MRS. ANDERSON,—It occurs to me that it would be well for the 8 - registered women to send up a distinct protest against the new Medical - Bill to strengthen the hands of our friends in both Houses. - - I have made a rough draft of what I should propose, and enclose a copy - to you, while also forwarding one to Mr. Stansfeld. Before doing - anything further I shall wait to hear what you and he think about it, - and whether you have any alterations to propose. - - If the plan is adopted, can you tell me how we can get Dr. Blackwell’s - signature? There is no great hurry, as the petition need not be - presented for three or four weeks. - - Yours truly, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -To Mrs. Thorne she writes some months later, - - “I had a long talk with Dr. Watson yesterday, and he tells me the - Government is likely to drop the Medical Bill for this session. I - shall be rather sorry if they do. - - If they do _not_, I hope you will make a point of ‘keeping the run’ of - every proposed amendment, and of watching very carefully how each may - affect women. I should look out very sharp if I were in London, but - here it is impossible to do so with sufficient efficiency and - promptitude; so please don’t let anything slip. The matter is almost - more important than School affairs, and even friendly M.P.’s are too - busy to be trusted and often they don’t see the bearing of phrases. - Mr. Stansfeld, Mr. Cowper Temple or Dr. Cameron, could any of them get - papers for you, but they need reminding.” - -Amid these manifold interests life ran its course in the early years of -practice. The happiest times were those when Miss Du Pre came to stay -with her friend, and it was the dream of S. J.-B.’s life that these -visits might develop into constant companionship. No one who was not a -doctor ever took a more sympathetic interest in medical questions than -did Miss Du Pre: her advice in difficult social and professional -problems was invaluable; and then there was her delightful sense of fun! -“The only witty friend I ever had,” S. J.-B. says about this time. And, -added to all was her sheer goodness and interest in the poor. - - “32 at Dispensary,” writes S. J.-B. in her diary. “One or two so - hungry and forlorn that they went to my heart. Oh, dear, if only J. - [Miss Du Pre] were here to do her half of the work! - - No motto of mine that over the Venice monastery, ‘O solitudo, sola - beatitudo!’” - -It is needless to say that Miss Du Pre’s visits were as long and as -frequent as the many other claims in her life made possible, and in her -absence she entered as of old into every detail of her friend’s life. - -Of course this friendship could not but take in great measure the place -of the old enthusiasm for Octavia Hill, though the latter never died. - -In May 1877 someone had told S. J.-B. of the “terrible trouble” Miss -Hill was in. “Oh, dear,” she cried in her diary, “I’m ashamed of the -first sort of thrill of triumph that she should know how it hurts!”[142] - -Footnote 142: - - It was not till later—not perhaps till she saw that regrettable number - of _Fors Clavigera_ that S. J.-B. had any clear idea what the trouble - was. - - “My life is full and complete again,” she writes in April 1878, “if - somewhat greyer for all the past pain; and, if I can have J., the - former things may abide in shadow till the day of restitution of all - things. I can’t but believe that _some_ day, some _where_, I shall - learn what it all meant,—even now one sees in some measure ‘why it - could not be otherwise.’ - - It is at any rate a grand thing that, over and through all, each has - kept on at her work and done yeoman service.” - - “Dear L. E. S. turned the tide, gave me back the beginning of strength - and life, physical and mental, and since then for the last 12 years I - have stumbled steadily onwards,—gaining in strength and calm and - hope,—till at length I can feel a wholesome life of my own—quite - independent of the old pain,—with a very dear hand in mine, and with a - grand life of work and struggle against disease before me.” - -On the last night of that year she writes: - - “‘Tarry thou the Lord’s leisure,’ ... ‘and He shall strengthen thy - heart.’... - - I believe profoundly in the ‘that He might be able to succour’. One - does learn through pain what one never learns without,—and, hard as it - is to _feel_ it, I suppose one knows the ‘power of ministration’—the - ‘Lo, I come’ _is_ higher and more than even the personal happiness. - - So—take and use Thy work. - - What is the use of _talking_ about presenting ourselves a ‘living - sacrifice,’—and then moaning over pain,—wanting to ‘freeze on a warm - night’! - - Oh, dear!—one’s own littleness. - - Well, God teach and guide us all.” - -A few weeks later she comes to the end of the volume, and writes in a -sunnier vein: - - “Yet surely,—‘hitherto He has helped us’—Look at beginning of this - book,—or stronger still look back some 17 years and see how the light - has arisen out of darkness,—and shall it not grow and grow. - - I fully believe ‘God is very merciful to those who suffer _young’_. - How much harder the other way. - - And much to be thankful for in health. No neuralgia,—very great return - of brain power.... - - Who can look forward?—who dare plan? - - Domine dirige nos!” - - - - - CHAPTER II - LAST ILLNESS OF MRS. JEX-BLAKE - - - - -So far S. J.-B.’s success in Edinburgh had been on the whole greater -than most of her friends had anticipated. The experiment could never -have been made, had not Mrs. Jex-Blake agreed to spend her winters in -Edinburgh. S. J.-B. was a good deal blamed by other members of the -family for urging this arrangement; but it must be borne in mind that -although Mrs. Jex-Blake was in fairly good general health, she was -subject to sudden alarming attacks of illness which had repeatedly -brought her daughter hundreds of miles in hot haste to the sick bed, -regardless of the studies, or the still more important affairs she was -leaving behind. - -Modern methods would have grappled with the illness at its source long -before the patient had reached her present age, and a radical cure might -have restored her to perfect health: as it was she lay under a sword of -Damocles, and was regarded as a more delicate woman than she really was. - -It was impossible for S. J.-B. to embark on medical practice under these -conditions; so the Sussex Square house was given up, and the old lady— -who elected to have her own _ménage_—divided her time between her -daughter in Edinburgh and her son at Rugby. - -“You have always been different to me from my other children,” she said -to S. J.-B.; and, if she spoke with a consciousness of the sword in her -heart, the words were mainly a tribute to her younger daughter’s -untiring devotion, and remained in later days the source of comfort they -were meant to be. - -Towards the end of April 1881 Mrs. Jex-Blake went south, leaving her -daughter more reluctantly than usual. It was only those who knew S. J.- -B. very intimately who were at all aware of the effort it sometimes cost -her to get through each “day’s darg,” and to keep a bright face turned -to her patients and a brave face to the world at large. She was more -tired than usual at the end of that winter, and Mrs. Jex-Blake was well -aware of this. - -The usual series of love letters passed between Mother and daughter: - - “Eastfield, - April 30th. [1881]. - - OWN DARLING, - - I am really well, but feel only half of myself without you. I am - _very_ good,—I sleep well, eat well—_two_ hot dinners a day,—but, as I - was very tired, keep my room, it is so much easier to be quiet there. - Florence quite mothers me.... - - You may be sure Dobbs is most attentive—and backs anything she advises - with the - - _Dr.’s wishes_....” - - “4 Manor Place, - Edinburgh. - May 1st. - - ... Many thanks for your dear little letters, but you mustn’t scribble - too much to anybody!—Such sweet leaves in today’s note! - - Yes, my darling, I miss my dear old lady _very_ much, but we are both - going to be very good, and get quite strong for our reunion in - September. I shall be very grateful to you if you keep up your ‘two - hot dinners’ honestly, and all the rest of it.... It breaks my heart - to find you run down as I do year after year when I come to fetch you - back again. - - I don’t know exactly when Ursula comes, but you will hear from her. - - Dr. M‘Laren is back,[143] and so vexed to have missed saying - ‘Goodbye’! - - Yours lovingly, - SOPH.” - -Footnote 143: - - Dr. Agnes M‘Laren had taken the house adjoining S. J.-B.’s. - -Towards the end of June Mrs. Jex-Blake was less well, but the doctor who -attended her saw no cause for anxiety. On the 28th, however, alarming -indications of the old enemy showed themselves suddenly, and he -telegraphed to S. J.-B. to come immediately. There was one more rush -south “on eagle’s wings,” but fortunately this time S. J.-B. had the -companionship of Miss Du Pre, with whom she reached Rugby at 2 a.m. - -The patient had been given up by the doctor and by all, and even S. J.- -B., when she saw her, thought she was dying; but she fought for the -precious life with every fibre of her being, refusing to own defeat and -absolutely regardless of her own health. For ten days and nights she -scarcely left the room. The doctor in attendance was only too glad that -she should have a free hand, and after a few days they sent for Dr. King -Chambers, in whose skill S. J.-B. had almost unlimited faith. His visit -proved reassuring. - - “Her life hung so evenly on the balance when I left,” he wrote next - day, “that I was obliged to acknowledge to myself that my trust in her - recovery was a sanguine one. Please one line about her, and, if it is - a favourable one, I shall answer it by a little advice to yourself, - which you will in that case be in a condition to take.” - -On July 7th all looked well, and S. J.-B. felt the wonderful supporting -power of hope, but, on the following day, there was a sudden turn for -the worse, and at half past six in the evening, the patient passed -quietly away. - - * * * * * - -The event is recorded in the diary by a great sheaf of blank pages, with -a pathetic notice from the _Times_ in the middle of them. - -That is all, but constantly for a year, intermittently for many years, -the diary recurs to the old longings and regrets, the gropings and -questionings, the heart-searching and tears, that have followed every -great bereavement. The reader of the preceding pages will not need to be -told that S. J.-B. drank the cup to the dregs. - -There were not a few who had lost in Mrs. Jex-Blake their dearest -friend, but everyone’s first thought was of her younger daughter. - -“I do hope,” writes that wise Heron Watson, “that you are not overborne -by over much sorrow.” - -“No human being loses what I do in her,” S. J.-B. wrote to her friend, -James Cordery, and this was perfectly true. No one had loved her Mother -as she had; no one else had the same cause; and no one else had the same -appalling capacity for suffering. - -It is interesting to note that of many beautiful letters of sympathy -there is not one that strikes the reader as more truly comprehending -than does Mrs. Anderson’s: - - “4 Upper Berkeley Street, W. - July 13th, 1881. - - DEAR MISS JEX-BLAKE, - - I have seen with very great regret the notice of your sorrow. - - Knowing as I do how very close and tender was the tie between you and - your Mother and also what a fine and ennobling influence she must have - been to all within her range I am very full of sympathy for you. It is - always very sad to break away from the past by losing one of these - main links with it, but in your case there is very much to increase - your sense of this. You have not (as so many others unhappily allow - themselves to do) outlived the tenderness of the relationship. I hope - that after a time it will be a comfort to you to remember this and to - recal how happy she was in having so much affection from you. - - I was very sorry to find I had written on business last Sunday at such - a time. - - Yours very truly, - E. G. ANDERSON.” - -S. J.-B.’s own letters are calm and restrained, of course. To her -assistant in Edinburgh she writes, - - “July 11th. - - ... Thanks for your kind note, and [your Mother’s] kind - thoughtfulness. - - But nothing would grieve me more than needlessly to part a Mother and - daughter who still have each other, and I beg her to remain with you - at least as arranged until the end of this month during which time I - shall almost certainly remain here and try to get rested. - - It was a hard battle,—it was bitter to fail just when we seemed - winning, but I believe it was her wish to go. On Thursday I heard her - murmur quietly, ‘Oh, Father, I pray Thee take me home,’—and now all is - peace. - - Yours sincerely, - S. J.-B.” - -About the work in Edinburgh S. J.-B. had no anxiety at all. It was her -way, when she trusted people, to trust them whole-heartedly, and she had -absolute confidence in the assistant who had worked with her for more -than a year. Well, indeed, she might, for she was extraordinarily -fortunate in that gallant-hearted and faithful young helper, whose only -fault seems to have been that she threw herself too completely, too -conscientiously, into everything she undertook,—her chief’s work and -interests, together with her own studies and laboratory -experiments.[144] S. J.-B. never realised what a responsibility her very -trust was to one wholly worthy of it. - -Footnote 144: - - She was working at the solubility of fats, and the ether fumes were - supposed to have proved insidiously poisonous. - -In any case the double burden on the young shoulders proved too great, -and there was a sudden and tragic breakdown ending in death. - -One wonders how S. J.-B. bore the double shock. She had fancied herself -“girt with the girdle of him who has nought,” when the second blow fell. -She always said herself that she never could have won through but for -Miss Du Pre, who simply carried her off to quiet places and tended her -and brought her gradually back to the possibility of beginning again. - -The practice in Edinburgh was given up for the time. There was nothing -else to be done. Miss Ellaby took up the threads and finished them off -as well as a stranger might; but there was no medical woman free to -remain and fill the niche. It was hard on the practice. - - * * * * * - -In later years S. J.-B. met Mr. Frederick Myers, and she was induced by -her impression of him to read his _Human Personality and its Survival of -Bodily Death_, when it appeared some time later. She was deeply -interested in the book, and her mind was open on the subject always; but -she “tried the spirits” severely. “No human being,” she said one day in -the course of an earnest talk, “could strive to come into touch with one -gone before more earnestly than I tried to come into touch with my -Mother. I used to lie awake at night concentrating every faculty on the -effort. But I got no response.” - -Her diary became her great outlet again in those dark days, in some -places almost, as of old, a very cento of beautiful or poignant thoughts -from the treasure-house of her memory; but that was never the side she -turned to the world, though intimate friends got glimpses of it that -startled them. One guessed it too from her anxiety to spare others the -pain she had suffered herself. - -“Don’t you ever go through the farce, dear, of thinking you haven’t been -good to me,” she said to a friend years after this; and, although -throughout life she often spoke hastily and over-sharply, she never -spoke a word that might poison the night-watches for those she left -behind. Coventry Patmore’s terrible poem[145] could never have been -inspired by her. - -Footnote 145: - - “Poor Child.” - -To one of her nieces she writes: - - “Sept. 2nd, 1881. - - DEAR ——, - - I found the enclosed treasured among Grandmamma’s most valued - papers, and I am sure you will like to have it back and to see how she - kept and cared for it through so many years.... - - I think all your life it will be a pleasure to you remember how much - you added to her happiness and helped to take care of her during the - last few years. She always said you were ‘a little mother’ to her. - - Your affec. aunt, - S. J.-B.” - - - - - CHAPTER III - PATIENTS AND FRIENDS - - -It was hard to go back to the house in Manor Place, so full of -associations, and, as soon as might be, S. J.-B. and Miss Du Pre removed -to Bruntsfield Lodge, a roomy, rambling old house[146] with a shady, -high-walled garden, standing high on the south side of Edinburgh, -overlooking Bruntsfield Links. The sunny rooms and the possibility of -stepping out into quiet greenness were worth a fortune to the strained -nerves and over-active brain. - -Footnote 146: - - This house is now the picturesque nucleus of the Edinburgh Hospital - for Women and Children. - - “You will be glad to hear that I am much stronger,” S. J.-B. writes to - Dr. Sewall in September 1883, “and am sleeping excellently. I have - just begun also to take short rides, and I do not think they tire me - too much.” - -Here then she began the life of comparative seclusion and active -beneficence which was to last for sixteen years. The keynote of her -existence was sharing, taking others with her, and the joy of sharing -this comfortable house and garden was very great. - -Miss Du Pre’s absence is the occasion for some playful letters written -quite in a patriarchal spirit: - - “August 25th. [1883.] - - ... _I_ have had an addition to my family as well as Mrs. B.,—though - it isn’t yet in the _Times_ first column,—viz. a delightfully comic - small dog, white with one black eye, whom I have christened Toby, and - whom I bought from the Home for Lost Dogs for the large sum of 2s. 6d. - The police take stray dogs there, and if no one claims them, or buys - them, they are killed; so this little fellow has escaped by the skin - of his teeth, in virtue of his supposed excellences in the cat-chasing - line![147] Has cottoned up to me most amusingly—followed me about all - day, and whined at the door when shut out.... - - The two boys are delighted, of course,—especially A., who declares Mr. - Toby to be the moral of a dog for whom his late master ‘wouldn’t take - £100.’ Nice profit wouldn’t it be if I clear £99. 17s. 6d.! - - Lest the household should be too full, I have sent off a member,—viz., - White Angel, to grass for a week at Currie,—H. being so overjoyed at - being let ride him out that cook declared he ‘couldn’t eat his lunch‘! - He walked back (6 miles) in 1¾ hr., not bad, was it? - - Miss A. is coming tonight,—Mrs. J. went this afternoon. By the bye on - Thursday she asked me to ‘see Baby for a minute,’ and I found the - child white and out of sorts, rather feverish, etc., and overjoyed - Mrs. J. by prescribing ‘a little Bruntsfield’. So she has been out - here for 2 days, tumbling in the hay and delighting Ann’s heart. She - is so fond of children. - - I also sent Mrs. S. off to Brackenrigg yesterday, as I decided she did - want a change before beginning a winter’s work. The fare was 17s. 4d., - and I gave her the rest of £4, which will pay everything for 10 days, - with 5s. or 6s. to spare. I haven’t heard from her yet, but I am sure - she will be in the seventh heaven. - - Probably she will see Miss Anthony there,—she went the previous - day.... - - I think it _was very_ good of you to ask for the Baring votes!...” - -Footnote 147: - - S. J.-B. made great friends with the birds in her garden, and cats - were accordingly taboo. - - “Sept. 4th. - - ... Mrs. S. lunched here today, and says she feels infinitely - better for the change,—things no longer worry her in the same way. She - tells me that the red-room gentleman was back,[148]—and that being - confined to bed one day, he evidently heard Miss Anthony haranguing on - Women’s Rights in the next room,—and Mrs. W. told them that he had - asked ‘when those two ladies were going,—for he heard enough to know - they were men-haters, and _he_ was a woman hater!” - -Footnote 148: - - S. J.-B. and Miss Du Pre had visited the same hotel that summer. - - “Sept. 9th. - - I’ve had another addition to my family,—_not_ a permanent one this - time! A. J. was very anxious not to catch scarlet fever so as to be - thrown back for his examinations, etc., and so I have taken him in for - a few days, and given him ——’s room upstairs. (Do you think W. is in - any danger?) He seems a very nice lad, but by no means strong. He is - so very pleased with the quiet,—he says he can sleep _so_ much better. - Now a lad of his age ought to be able to sleep in any row!” - - “Sept. 13th. - - ... The grapes are getting on famously, some will be ripe - within a week I think, but they will be rather small this year.” - - “Sept. 23rd. - - You needn’t have asked so meekly for ‘2 or 3 grapes’. We - have cut none yet, but when they first began to colour, the most - forward bunch was dubbed ‘Miss Du Pre’s,’—and for the last 10 days - the household might be seen every morning with upturned chins - gazing to see ‘if Miss Du Pre’s bunch is ready’,—H. going up the - ladder and hanging in all sorts of odd positions to look at it all - round. - - The combined wisdom has decided to cut it tomorrow—in spite of a - red berry or two which won’t get right,—so probably you will get - it on Wednesday morning by P.P. Be sure to tell me how it - travels.” - -The first few months in the new house were a time of comparative -leisure, and S. J.-B.’s friends received letters less telegraphic in -their succinctness than they afterwards tended to become. The -following is to Mrs. Brander, who (when Miss Isobel Bain) had -accompanied S. J.-B. to America: - - “Sept. 26th. [1883.] - - DEAREST BEL, - - I wish you could peep in and see my new house now that it is - fairly in order. I think the quiet and airiness will be of very - great value to me. I have felt much better since I came here.... - - You have so often wished for good medical women in India that you - must now be pleased to have your wish granted. I don’t know if you - know Mrs. Scharlieb who is just entering on practice at Madras, - but, if you don’t, I wish you would go and call on her, and give - my card. I do not know her personally, but I have corresponded - with her, and respect her much for the gallant way in which she - got her education, first at Madras and then coming to England to - perfect herself. She passed the very difficult examinations of the - University of London (M.B. and B.S.) with great distinction, and - won the gold medal in Obstetrics from the whole University.... - - Have you heard also that Dr. Edith Pechey is going to settle at - Bombay? She has been invited to do so by a committee of native - gentlemen, who guarantee her an income and find her a hospital.... - - I am very sorry to lose her from England, but very glad to have so - admirable a representative in India. She always wins golden - opinions and does such excellent work. I do hope the Government - will do something for her. I have just written to Lord Ripon about - her. - - You know I suppose that Mr. Fawcett has appointed a medical woman - (Miss Shove) as medical officer to the women post office clerks, - with £350 a year. It is an immense step in public opinion. - - I am getting on very well here, but I begin to feel I am getting - old. My hair is so grey!... - - Dear old Mrs. Brander came to see me the other day, looking as - nice as ever, ... I think I care more and more for old people’s - happiness as compared to young, though the world is hard enough - for them too sometimes,—and hardest of all I sometimes think for - the middle-aged folks who have outlived the spring and energy of - youth and not reached the calm of age. How much pain one sees in - the world! - - I hope _your_ life is getting easier and happier every year, dear - child. Tell me all about yourself some day.... - - Yours affectionately, - S. J.-B.” - -She was planning a new edition of her book, _Medical Women_, at this -time, and she wrote to Mr. Osler to ask for statistics as to the -percentage of women, as compared with men, who had so far passed the -examinations of the University of London. In reply to his -information she writes: - - “Feb. 3rd. 1884. - - DEAR MR. OSLER, - - I can hardly express strongly enough how grateful I am both to you - and to Mr. Milman, for the very valuable tables of numbers sent - me.... - - Please do not doubt for a moment that I quite agree with you that - it is unfair to compare ‘picked women’ (i.e. really in earnest) - and ‘unpicked men’. I have said so repeatedly. But you must - remember that a _very_ few years ago I had a very hard fight to - get it admitted as a possibility that _some_ women _might_ do as - good work as men. In ‘Visits to American Schools’ (published 1867) - I wrote with at least sufficient diffidence,—‘Whether most women - would be capable of the amount of study required, for instance, - for one of our University degrees, I really do not know,’ etc. My - one contention has been all along,—‘Give a fair field and _try_’— - and no one can exaggerate the gratitude that all women ought to - feel to the University of London for giving that field. - - At the same time, while quite conceding that ‘percentages’ need - correction by certain considerations on the men’s side,—youth, - want of choice, etc.,—you must not forget that women are quite as - much weighted in other ways,—e.g. by the greater reluctance of - parents to spend money on their education, and the more - inconsiderate claims made on their time, etc., at home, inferior - early teaching, etc., so that after all one set of difficulties go - far to balance another. - - From a medical point of view my chief anxiety now is how women are - going to stand the strain; I am _very_ much afraid of seeing the - movement discredited by the breakdown in health of girls who begin - too young, or with inadequate physical stamina, or who try to - ‘burn the candle at both ends’ by combining society or home duties - with serious study. - - However, I must not trespass longer on your time and kind - patience, and with repeated thanks, I remain, - - Yours very gratefully, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -This subject of the education of girls had been brought prominently -before her mind by the breakdown of a rarely gifted young friend. S. -J.-B. had some great talks on the subject with Miss Buss and others, -and she wrote to various papers about the danger of over-pressure. -“The headmistresses have a difficult problem before them,” she says, -“but it has got to be faced.” - -As a matter of fact the problem was destined to be solved abundantly -in due course by the development of games and physical culture -generally,—all that side of life for the lack of which she herself -had suffered so terribly. - -She was specially interested, of course, in the daughters of her old -friends, and, of these, Hermione Unwin and Katie Ballantyne held a -special place in her regard. To the former she writes: - - “July 29th. 1884. - - MY DEAR HERMIE, - - Thank you for sending me your examination papers. I am very - glad that you passed so successfully. What now interests me most - is to know to what use all this work is to be turned, for after - all knowledge is noblest when it becomes an instrument of work - beyond itself. Have you any tastes or wishes, or any thought of - any special kind of work? - - I daresay that after all this study the best thing you can do is - to rest on your oars for six months or a year, but during that - time I hope you will be thinking in what way you can turn yourself - to best account. There is so much that needs doing in the world, - and it is such a privilege to help in the doing of it. I hope you - will write and tell me when you have any definite thoughts on the - subject. - - I have already had my holiday for this year, having spent June in - driving about (with the white pony) in the Perthshire highlands - with my friend, Miss Du Pre. I think there is hardly any kind of - holiday that rests one so much. You should persuade your Father to - take you all in a waggonette, a long drive into Scotland or to the - English Lakes. If you should decide on Scotland, I should hope to - find this house used as a stopping-place. I think I could take you - all in pretty comfortably. - - Remember me very kindly to Mr. Unwin, and believe me - - Yours very truly, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -Here is an interesting letter to an old friend whose husband’s -distinguished career separated her for the time from a dearly-loved -daughter: - - “I much enjoyed seeing her for the flying visit which was all she - vouchsafed me, and I am _delighted_ to see how very much she is - improved,—very much more healthy in mind and body all round.... - - She amused me much by plunging headlong into some theological - difficulties,—which reminded me of how she (aged 6!) used to - harass you about the Trinity. Her great trouble seems to be that - she can’t feel sure the world is governed by a beneficent and - omnipotent God,—she thinks there is so much pain in it which - wouldn’t be allowed unless God either _didn’t wish_ to help it, or - _couldn’t_ help it. That has never been my difficulty,—I have - always had such a devout belief in the possible blessing of pain,— - - ‘Because all noblest things are born - In agony.’ - - Do you remember Miss Cobbe’s hymn? - - However she asked me if _I_ felt sure the world was governed, - etc., and I said frankly that I hadn’t absolutely made up my - mind,—that it seemed to me we had very small means of being ‘sure’ - of anything,—but that I thought, if there was a Ruler both good - and all powerful, it was at least perfectly conceivable that He - might allow all the pain, etc., partly because the very theory of - free will involved possibilities of evil with its consequences - which not even Omnipotence could avert, and partly because He - might see that pain was at any given moment the very best thing - for the person who suffered it. - - Then she went off to,—Did I think it _possible_ that any Being - could follow out the lives of millions of creatures at once, - etc.,—to which I said that certainly I couldn’t conceive how it - should be possible; but neither could I conceive many other things - that yet we knew to be scientific truths,—e.g. that our whole - earth could be swallowed up in one of the ‘spots’ of the sun, and - not fill up the spot, and that that very sun is only a unit in a - myriad of worlds whose immensities simply reduce us to silence. - - However I didn’t mean to inflict a réchauffé of all this upon you, - though I think you will like to know how the child’s mind is - working. Let it work!—being in a wholesome atmosphere of love and - labour, she will learn all sorts of practical replies to - theoretical difficulties, and come to no harm.” - -Interesting, as bearing on the above, is another letter written to -someone else about the same time: - - “It is a double principle with me never to bring forward - theological questions, and never to seek to change the opinions of - anyone who is satisfied with his or her own; and on the other hand - to be always ready to say exactly what I think myself about any - given point to any intelligent person who cares to ask me the - question, and to say frankly where I feel that I know nothing. I - do not think anyone can possibly be more conscious than I of the - immense vastness and difficulty of questions that the general - public answer glibly offhand, and of my own utter incompetency to - decide in the abstract ‘what is truth’. Practically I think one is - generally able to see one’s own duty day by day, and probably - Browning is right— - - ‘... more is not reserved - To man, with soul just nerved - To act tomorrow what he learns today.’ - - Beyond that, I suppose that all that any of us can do is to be - very chary of either asserting or denying, but to strive to keep - our whole souls open to every ray of light we can get, and hope - some day to learn everything that it is needful for us to know. - Personally I am always getting to feel that opinions matter less - and less, and motives and feelings more and more. - - Excuse this long dissertation and believe me, - - Yours sincerely, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -In December 1885 she writes to Miss Du Pre: - - “Yes, we shall miss poor old X. sadly. It does seem pathetic, - doesn’t it?—and yet don’t you think it is something to be taken - away just when you _have_ attained your highest ambition?... The - first thing I thought,—as it almost always is,—was, I wonder what - he thinks now that he ‘knows what Rhamses knows’. It always does - strike me so very curiously when someone who has never, I suppose, - thought half as much as I about the mysteries of life and death, - goes in in front of me,—if there is any ‘going in’. I thought it - so very strongly about Vanderbilt. How _will_ he get on where - everything isn’t reckoned as on the Stock Exchange?” - -Although the new house was certainly not in a central position, S. -J.-B.’s practice steadily grew. As the first woman doctor in -Scotland, she had, as she had told Sir Thomas Barlow, numerous cases -that had long gone untreated, and she was the recipient of many a -pent-up confidence. The Edinburgh that criticized her would have -been surprised if it had known some of the secrets that lay, so -safely, in her keeping. She was often called upon to be a Mother -Confessor, and, although she always declared that “one profession is -enough for one person,” her practice was by no means so rigid in -this respect as was her theory. Many strange problems were discussed -in that quiet consulting-room, with its book-lined walls and green -spaces outside. To the end of life her impulsiveness led her into -mistakes for which she had to suffer, but her advice to others was -extraordinarily sane and good. Yet the idealist in her never slept. -“I took Colani from the shelf,” she says on one occasion, “and read, -‘Cast _thyself_ down,—for the devil can suggest; compel can he -never.’” - -She was often asked, too, to take a resident patient who wished to -have her own suite of rooms and sometimes her own attendant. More -than one of these patients became personal friends. - -She of course received high fees for cases of this kind, but she -often had resident patients who paid no fees at all. Some governess -who could not get well in dreary lodgings would be simply wrapped up -in blankets and carried off in the brougham—or was it on a comet’s -tail?—a messenger having been sent up to the house,—“Have blue room -ready in half-an-hour. Am bringing patient.”[149] - -Footnote 149: - - “Ah,” said an old servant in later years. “We did see life in that - house!” - - “I wonder,” writes a patient at this time, “if you have any idea - how pleasant it is to be lifted on somebody’s shoulders and - carried away from the shadows of your own life into the brightness - of theirs. No I do not think you can have; you do not seem to have - dwelt in the shadows.” - -And another writes, - - “I know you will believe me when I say that I have rarely, if - ever, been so _supremely_ happy as during the past few weeks. The - feeling of peace and comfort was so delicious, and I only wish I - could prove myself just a little worthy of all I have enjoyed.” - -We have seen how on one occasion she took in a lad who could not -afford to risk incurring the infection of scarlet fever. On another -occasion, when visiting a patient, she was asked to see a boy of -ten, who had unluckily fallen ill while paying a short visit to the -house. His hostess did not understand boys, and he was having an -uncomfortable time. His plight roused all the boy—and there was -plenty of it—in S. J.-B. She carried him off, mothered him, took him -for drives when she could, got him well, and apparently made him -happy. At all events, when the time came to say Goodbye, he flung -his arms round her neck and kissed her! - -There are some men who are born with an instinctive knowledge of the -right thing to do in unusual circumstances. - -Most useful was the comet’s tail in cases where some overworked -brain was on the point of a breakdown, where a worry was developing -into an _idée fixe_, and threatening to drive the patient mad. S. -J.-B. would carry the patient off, regardless of possible -developments more disconcerting even than an outbreak of scarlet -fever in her house, tend her, feed her up, make her sleep, -sympathize with her, bully her, laugh at her, till the patient was -ready to fall into line and laugh at herself. Some of these “cures” -were extraordinarily rapid and complete, and there is no record of a -single failure. - -[Illustration: - - _from a photograph by M. G. T._ _Emery Walker ph.sc._ - _Sophia Jex-Blake_ -] - -She never heard of any over-weighted woman or child without asking -herself whether she could lift the burden. - - “DEAR CARRY,”—she writes to her sister about this time—“... I - don’t like the idea of our teacher looking ‘pale and anxious’,—do - you know if she has any special troubles?—or is likely to be short - of money? Has she relations with whom she spends her holidays? or - is she at Bettws now?—When do the holidays begin and end? What pay - has she now?—Has it been raised lately?—What is her name and - nation? - - A sad number of questions, but very short replies will suffice. - - Your aff. sister, - S. J.-B.” - -It was partly because she had so many guests of this kind that she -made it an absolute rule that none of her servants were to receive -gratuities from visitors,—a rule that some of the visitors disliked -extremely, and even refused to submit to. Such cases sometimes led -to an amusing breeze of correspondence of which the following is a -sample: - - “SIR, - - Well acquainted as I am with your many and great iniquities, - I confess that I did _not_ expect you wantonly to abuse our humble - hospitality by deliberately inciting our household to rebellion - against constituted authority as distinctly announced to you by - written warning on the mantel-piece.[150] Manifold as are the - notorious vices of the Conservative mind, I _had_ supposed it to - have some slight reverence for law, national or domestic. In - future I shall know better. - - Sir, the humble but incorruptible member of my household whose - integrity you sought to corrupt, begs me to re-inclose to you the - accompanying lucre (2s. 6d.), of whose history you so falsely - pretended yourself ignorant, and as I see no reason why I should - be impoverished in consequence of your evil doings, _I_ request - you to repay me on your return from the continent the commission - charged by H.M. Government (viz. ½d.) upon the enclosed - remittance. - - I am Sir, - Yours more in sorrow than in anger, - S. J.-B.” - -Footnote 150: - - “_On est prié de ne rien donner aux domestiqúes._” - -The postal order was indignantly returned, with a request to do what -she liked with it, so she at once sent it to the London Society for -Women’s Suffrage, directing the secretary to forward the receipt to -her refractory Conservative guest! - -Notwithstanding this, and other differences of opinion, he paid many -more visits to her house, and for the future contrived usually, at -least, to elude her vigilance. - -She used to consult him in all sorts of legal difficulties, and he -replied with unfailing patience. - - “DEAR JAMES,”—she wrote on one occasion,—“I want to make a - codicil, leaving some money to ..., the income to her for life,— - the capital between her daughters. Will you please tell me the - simplest words in which I can do this?” - -In sending a rough draft, he inserted the words,—“if only one such -daughter.” - - “Of course I can put in ‘if only one such daughter,’ if you like,” - she replied, “but at present there are seven!” - -The initial mistake, of course, was hers, and it was a kind of -mistake that was very unusual with her. - -Her correspondence was very large,—so large that she never had time -to write a “proper letter about ‘Shakespeare and the musical -glasses’,” as she would have said. To her most intimate friends she -wrote with spontaneous charm,—letters circumstantial, tender, -nonsensical, as the case might be. “Do you _ever_ write any letters -that would look well in your memoir?” asks Miss Du Pre. “I begin to -be anxious about that book. It seems to me that it will be so -fearfully dull,—unless your diaries ... prove to be amusing.” - -On the other hand, strangers consulted her about manifold schemes -and perplexities, and she always asked herself how she could help. - -“Dear Madam,” wrote one of these, “As you sit alone in the evening -with the curtains drawn, imagine that a woman steals into your room, -_hunted to death by men_. I am that woman....” - -Even this sensational beginning did not put S. J.-B. off, and it was -weeks before she allowed herself to be persuaded—by Dr. Pechey and -Miss Du Pre—that the case was one for Dr. Clouston rather than for -her. - - * * * * * - -But it was in her Dispensary, with working women and girls, that one -saw her, perhaps, at her best. She was so vital, so sympathetic, yet -so full of humour and common sense that the regular provident -patients were devoted to her. They knew there was nothing to be -gained by arguing. “Well, I must just take my scolding,” they would -say resignedly. So keenly did she sympathize with their difficulty -in following out her directions in their own homes that in 1885 she -added a few beds to the Dispensary, and thus formed the nucleus of -the Edinburgh Hospital for Women and Children, which has since grown -to great things and has been honoured by a visit from the Queen. - -Where the case was serious, and the remedy lay in the husband’s -hands, S. J.-B. always took the bull by the horns. “Ask him to come -and have a little talk with me,” she would say breezily. “Tell him I -can see him at such and such hours.” And he would come! - -She was admirably fitted for work of this kind. No woman was ever -more strictly fair. An injured husband was no less—and no more—sure -of her sympathy than was an injured wife. - -And, of course, it was the old and feeble who at once found the -radiant side of her. - - “The thanks and blessings of old J. G.—85—bring a rush of tears,— - ‘Ah, somebody be good to my old lady!’ - - And yet I suppose she may be ‘old’ no longer, but young and strong - and bright, and sorry for _my_ weakness and weariness,— - - ‘waits on the hills of Paradise - For her children’s coming feet.’” - -She seldom rose quite above this sense of effort and weariness, -though few would have guessed it. “I always get so much good from -being with you,” writes Lady Jenkinson,—“body and soul—especially -soul.... I wish _you_ would ’fess when you feel downcast.” - -In her inmost circle, of course, she did ’fess, pretty often. “Not -strong enough for the place, John,” she used often to quote -whimsically from _Punch_. And here is an interesting bit of heresy -in a letter to Dr. Sewall— - - “I don’t at all agree by the bye with your theory that ‘there is - nothing like work for producing real happiness.’ I don’t find that - it has even any tendency to produce it, though of course one - _must_ work if one is able. ‘Otherwise she drops at once below the - dignity of man,’—so says Aurora Leigh. - - To quote Mrs. Browning again,—‘What’s the best thing in the - world?—Something _out of it_ I think.’” - -The reader will not need to be told that the poetry of her nature -had not been crushed out by that long fight. Far from it. All -through the strenuous days she had been supported by the very poems -she had repeated by the fireside in Sussex Square, but the store had -grown till her repertory must have been nearly unique. To many -passages from the Psalms and Isaiah, George Herbert, Trench, Alford -and others, she had added a harvest from Whittier, Emerson, Lowell -and divers less known American poets. She loved her Tennyson and -Browning too—_Abt Vogler_ and _Rabbi Ben Ezra_—but indeed the -“poetry book-case” included a very catholic range, from Macaulay’s -_Lays_ to Swinburne and Christina Rossetti, with a corner for Jean -Ingelow and for Mrs. Hamilton King. We have seen the store she set -in her youth on some of Sadie’s Poems. No one who has ever heard it -will forget how the “pathetic voice” would repeat: - - “Is it so, O Christ in Heaven, that the highest suffer most? - That the strongest wander farthest, and more hopelessly are lost? - That the mark of rank in nature is capacity for pain, - And the anguish of the singer makes the sweetness of the strain?— - ‘I have many things to tell you, but ye cannot bear them now.‘” - -or again, - - “No, no, by all the martyrs, and the dear dead Christ; - By the long bright roll of those whom joy enticed - With her myriad blandishments, but could not win. - Who would fight for victory, but would not sin. - - By these our elder brothers who have gone before, - And have left their trail of light upon our shore. - We can see the glory of a seeming shame, - We can feel the fulness of an empty name.” - -It was recitations like this that formed the nucleus of the -“incomparable evenings in the Doctor’s Study” to which Dr. Lillie -Saville referred (see pp. 390-1, footnote). When life was not too -exacting—and sometimes when it was—such evenings were very frequent, -and they were a great refreshment after the burden and heat of the -day. - - * * * * * - -She derived much relaxation, too, from the best of the unceasing -current that flows through the circulating libraries. Her brief -criticisms of books are often interesting. She was disappointed in -George Eliot’s _Life_, because the long series of letters was not -sufficiently welded together by narrative. Of the Carlyles she -agreed with Mrs. Oliphant that “there was a great deal of love on -both sides,—with very raw nerves.” Of two books she confessed to -Miss Du Pre that she “sobbed over them like a baby,”—one was _Laetus -Sorte Mea_, the other _The Little Pilgrim in the Unseen_. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - PUBLIC LIFE - - -It is not to be supposed that the “cataracts and breaks” were a -thing of the past. There were many who found S. J.-B. a delightful -person to work with, but even they had no difficulty in seeing how -it was that others had a different experience. - -“But the Doctor is _nearly always right_,” said one of her -assistants in later years, “when she differs from other people.” And -this was perfectly true. She _was_ nearly always right; but the few -times she was wrong were sufficient in many quarters to give the dog -the proverbial “bad name.” - -Moreover, one must frankly admit that her rightness was often too -uncompromising, too business-like, too far in advance of what other -people could be expected to agree with, too inconsiderate of -ordinary human frailty. “You treat other people like pawns,” Miss Du -Pre used to tell her, but, although she quoted the remark, she never -seemed really to grasp it. - -During the first few years of her life at Bruntsfield Lodge she took -a great interest in local women’s questions. She was a moving spirit -in the organization of one or two large suffrage meetings, and in -the laborious propagandism and canvassing involved in the election -of women as poor law guardians. Evidence of the thoroughness of her -work persists to this day; but it was not always appreciated by the -Edinburgh ladies who coöperated with her. They thought her so big -and masterful that nobody else got a chance. It was just as well -that her own special work absorbed her more and more. In 1884 she -had written for Macmillan (at the instigation of her friend Mrs. S. -R. Gardiner) a useful little book on _The Care of Infants_, which -was warmly received by the profession and by a considerable public, -and she was steadily taking notes for a second edition of her -_Medical Women_, which should bring the narrative down to the date -of publication. - -Public affairs, too, demanded their share of interest. That weary -Medical Bill kept cropping up at intervals, and S. J.-B. was often -appealed to privately by members of parliament and others for -information and advice. They were well aware, of course, that her -main interest was to safeguard the rights and privileges of women, -but they also knew something of her mental acumen and thoroughness -of method. Moreover, she was unconnected with any of the great -vested interests which constituted the great stumbling block in the -way of any Bill. There is a telegram extant addressed to her by the -President of the Edinburgh College of Physicians who had gone up to -London to watch the debate,—“Please wire Mr. Stansfeld to be sure to -be here in time to secure dropping of bill proposed.” - -Towards the end of 1884, the Edinburgh Extra-Mural School made an -effort towards incorporation, and memorialized the Privy Council to -grant them a Charter. S. J.-B. was anxious to take advantage of this -opportunity to raise again the question of the admission of women to -medical education in Scotland, especially as, by this time, the -various missionary bodies were quite alive to the importance of the -subject. - -“The Free Church are also willing to move,” she writes to Mr. -Stansfeld on November 20th, “and they wish to memorialize the Privy -Council direct, and to request that any Charter granted may _not -exclude_ women, but make it at least optional for the College to -admit them. To my intense amusement the request has just come to me -that I will ‘draft’ such a memorial, but I have not the remotest -idea how even to address the Privy Council!” - -It was not only the Free Church that asked her help. The lecturers, -mindful of her power of enlisting the sympathy of statesmen in the -past, also begged her to use her influence in high quarters, and, -through the National Association, to present a petition to the Privy -Council. Mr. Stansfeld was helpful as ever, advising her to -interview Lord Carlingford, from whom she had a gracious reception. -“But the primary condition must be,” she writes to Dr. Littlejohn, -“that the Charter distinctly commits the College to the admission of -women on equal terms. If this is not approved, the whole thing falls -to the ground.” - -The reader of the foregoing chapters might not unnaturally be -prepared to hear that the College was duly incorporated, and that -the women were left in the lurch; but it was the unexpected that -happened. The effort of the Extra-Mural School to achieve -incorporation failed, but the examining bodies for which the School -existed, the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, decided a few -months later to admit women. We may reasonably suppose that the -renewed discussion of the whole question had not been in vain, but, -so far as S. J.-B. was concerned, it was a case of the seed cast -into the ground, which springs and grows up “he knoweth not how.” On -March 17th, 1885, she writes to Dr. Pechey: - - “Meanwhile I have two splendid pieces of news to send you, if they - have not yet reached you,—viz. (1) The Irish College of Surgeons - has not only opened all its examinations, and even its - fellowships, to women, but also all the classes in its School,— - making separate arrangements for Practical Anatomy only. (2) More - wonderful still, the Scottish Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons - of Edinburgh and Glasgow (now combined to give one ‘Triple - Qualification’) have decided _without a division_ to throw open - all their examinations to women. I am exceedingly surprised, for - though I heard an application had been made, I thought there was - little hope of success, and took no trouble about it. However, so - it is, and I hope to have classes opened in the Extra-Mural School - (and perhaps in connection with St. Andrews) next winter. Somebody - has left St. Andrews (subject to a life interest) a legacy of - £50,000 on condition of admitting women. So you see all round - ‘Pigs is looking up.’ - - Mrs. Russel was here for a few days a fortnight ago, and is as - nice as ever.” - -This great advance gave a fresh impetus and point to the publication -of _Medical Women_,[151] which was duly achieved a few months later. -It called forth a great sheaf of congratulatory letters from those -who remembered the old days. - -Footnote 151: - - _Medical Women_, by Sophia Jex-Blake, M.D. Oliphant, Anderson & - Ferrier. The book has long been out of print, but, as a storehouse - of facts, it is largely drawn upon by all writers on the subject, - including the author of the present volume. - - “Of course,” wrote Dr. King Chambers, “future generations will - think it necessary to season your arguments with the traditionary - grain of salt; but the facts are so clearly and calmly stated that - they will be accepted absolutely. As to the character of the - movement itself, the future must give it.” - - “I am glad I was always a steady, if humble, adherent to the side - of justice before its cause was popular,” wrote Professor - Charteris. “I hope that you will long and increasingly enjoy the - position that you had such a hard fight to win. You got all the - buffets for many a day.” - -And Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell: - - “I am sorry that we have lost you from London. We much need that - combination of unselfish activity and wise combination of - practical qualities which we find in no other of the leaders of - the movement.” - - “What a change,” says Dr. Heron Watson, “has come over the spirit - of the Medical Corporation since the story of your efforts in the - cause first appeared.” - -And this—finally—is from a generous letter from the Revd. William -Pechey: - - “If Edith is entitled to the praise of having borne, as you say, - ‘an excellent part’ in the movement you narrate, she would, I am - sure, be the first to join me in saying that you alone can fairly - say: ‘_Quorum maxima pars fui._’” - -But the mention of Dr. Pechey’s name reminds one of a delightful -letter she forwarded from her little friend Rukhmabai (now Dr. -Rukhmabai) who, needless to say, was _not_ one of those who -remembered the old days. - - “Girgaum, - “23rd June, 1886. - - MY DEAR MISS PECHEY, - - I herewith return ... one of your books (The Roman Singer), - with many thanks. I looked it all over just enough to know the - purport of the story, which I found contains nothing but mere - _love_ matters. - - I shall return the other book (Medical Women) in a few days. It is - so very interesting to me that I don’t like to drop a single word - of it while reading. It gives me a great comfort as I see the - _truth_ won the victory at last, though you had to suffer so much - even in a country like Europe. I would never have believed if some - common person were to tell me, that the people there were so - against to allow women to study medicine.... - - Yours affectionately, - RUKHMABAI.” - -S. J.-B. was interested too at this time in the development of a -volume for the publication of which she had been responsible in the -first instance,—that most useful gazetteer, _The Englishwoman’s Year -Book_,—the success of which has unhappily never been comparable to -its merits: and she continued to advise and help the first editor, -her friend, Miss Louisa Hubbard. - -In 1886 she was asked to deliver one of a series of Health Lectures -in Edinburgh, and of course she consented gladly,—her special -lecture being addressed to women only. The lectures were free, and -the lecturers unpaid. - -When arrangements were far advanced, she found that the Committee -proposed to charge one shilling for admittance to her lecture, and -she promptly rebelled. She wanted all her Dispensary patients and -all their friends to come and hear what she had to say, and the -charge seemed to her to do away with more than half the good of her -lecture. It was represented to her that a charge was also to be made -for the corresponding lecture to men only, but she did not consider -the cases identical. In any case the men’s lecture was no affair of -her’s. - -Mrs. Trayner (afterwards Lady Trayner) was an important person on -that committee, and she and Lord Trayner had a great respect and -cordial regard for S. J.-B. They understood her, and they wanted -other people to understand her too. They were most anxious that she -should waive her objection to the shilling charge, partly and -especially because she was coöperating in the matter of the Health -Lectures with men doctors, and they—the Trayners—wanted her to show -herself gracious and conciliatory. - -S. J.-B.’s reply to Mrs. Trayner’s letter is characteristic of her -attitude at that time: - - “Pray thank Lord Trayner warmly for his kind interest in me and - the medical women generally. I think, however, that he somewhat - over-estimates the importance of what the men doctors may think - one way or the other. You and he will remember that all that we - have gained has been gained in the teeth of nearly all of them, - and if they have failed to hinder me hitherto, they are certainly - powerless to hurt me now.... I am willing enough to shake hands - with them if they wish it, but you must remember that it is I and - not they who have the old sores to forgive.... - - I am sure you will understand that I say this merely because I - want you to understand that my position is probably one of the - most independent in Edinburgh,—I want nothing from anybody and I - fear nothing from anybody. I mean to do in this, and larger - matters, what seems to me right, to the best of my lights, and I - have long ago learned while doing so to leave consequences to take - care of themselves. - - With hearty thanks for your kindness, believe me, - - Yours very truly, - S. JEX-BLAKE. - - Pray excuse this hasty line, written at the end of a long day’s - work.” - -If this seems written in an ungracious and reprehensible spirit, the -reader must bear in mind the fire the writer had come through. And -after all what is it but a somewhat pagan rendering of St. Paul’s -“From henceforth let no man trouble me....” - -In any case the Trayners were not of the kind to take offence. Their -interest in S. J.-B. and her work remained unbroken. Lady Trayner -visited the Dispensary more than once and took on as a regular -pensioner a brave old patient with a disfigured face, who appealed -to her sympathies more than most. - -The lecture was free, and proved a great success. - - “You will like to know,” writes S. J.-B. to Miss Irby, “that my - lecture went off very well, the hall (which holds nearly 2000) was - crammed to the doors and stairways, and I lectured from slight - notes, much better, Ursula says, than if I had read a lecture. - - I have already had 4 new patients in consequence.” - -It now remained for women to avail themselves _de facto_ of their -admission _de jure_ to the Royal Colleges. “I trust,” wrote S. J.-B. -in a letter to the _Times_, announcing the fresh step gained, “I -trust that classes will now within a few months be re-opened in -Edinburgh. With a view to definite arrangements for the ensuing -winter session, I shall be very glad to receive the names of any -ladies desiring to study in Scotland.” A few days later she wrote to -the secretary of the Extra-Mural School, who happened to be an old -ally. - - “Bruntsfield Lodge, - March 17. [1886]. - - DEAR DR. MACADAM, - - I have already had nearly a dozen letters from ladies - wishing to study Medicine in Scotland, so it is clear that the - demand is real and considerable. - - Can you give me any printed statement about the classes, etc., in - the Extra Mural School?... Of course I know that if separate - classes were required much greater expense must be involved, but I - sincerely hope that most of the lecturers may be willing to admit - women in the ordinary way. If so, I believe that a considerable - number would join the classes next winter. If you would kindly let - me have a list of the Lecturers, and would tell me when the next - meeting is to be, I might (if you thought it desirable) see some - of them before the meeting. I wish very much that the matter could - be favourably decided next month, as this would give us time to - make arrangements, and get up a good class, etc. - - Would it not be well for you before the meeting to get an official - letter from the Registrar of the Irish College of Surgeons stating - that women are admitted to all the ordinary classes (except - Practical Anatomy) at Dublin? - - To turn to another subject,—can you tell me the chemical nature of - the fluid contained in “Fire-Extinguishing Grenades,” etc. Are - they really reliable? - - Yours very truly, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -It is clear from this that she had not the smallest intention nor -wish to found a separate School of Medicine for Women; but her hopes -as regarded the lecturers were doomed to disappointment. On the -whole they showed themselves enlightened and helpful, but they -declined to admit women to their ordinary classes. - -They were quite willing—some of them—to lecture to women separately, -but one could not expect first-rate men in rising practice to devote -an hour or more of precious time daily without more adequate -remuneration than the fees of the first handful of women students -were likely to represent. There must, of course, be a sufficient -guarantee to make the undertaking worth their while, and the -students were assuredly not in a position to provide that guarantee; -so S. J.-B. made herself responsible for it at once. - -For the first year the women attended separate lectures at one of -the men’s schools, but it soon became obvious that separate -premises, in which students could study and dissect, and change -their dress, and generally make themselves at home, were, if not -absolutely necessary, at least highly desirable. - -Now it happened that, in the days of the old struggle, in a moment -perhaps when hope ran high, S. J.-B., Miss Louisa Stevenson and Miss -Du Pre had bought the famous old premises in Surgeon Square, which -had been a medical school for generations. Here Robert Knox had -lectured to his students, and the place had thrilling and sinister -associations with Burke and Hare. When all hope of education in -Edinburgh seemed finally blighted, these premises had been let to -various tenants, but S. J.-B. had never lost sight of the -possibility that they might some day be used again for their -original purpose. - -So now the old place was repaired and cleaned and painted and -heated,—under the personal supervision of S. J.-B. and one or two -friends, at small cost as regards money, but with lavish expenditure -of brains and good will. - -It was necessary, too, that hospital instruction should be provided, -and to this end, S. J.-B. approached the authorities at Leith. - - “The very large number of students at the Edinburgh Infirmary,” - she wrote to Dr. Struthers, “make it almost impossible that women - should there get opportunities of study, and (as there is no other - suitable hospital of sufficient size in Edinburgh) I am anxious to - ascertain whether the Directors of the Leith Hospital would - entertain the idea of admitting them to opportunities of clinical - study in their wards. - - If so, I should be glad to make any arrangement as to fees that - may be desired by the Directors; or if they preferred it would at - once guarantee fees to the amount of 200 guineas yearly.” - -Her application was warmly supported by Mr. R. Somerville, and -others of the Directors, and after a long series of letters and -interviews, the negotiation was completed. - - “Every night I am quite as tired as is safe,” she wrote to Miss - Irby, who had begged for a postcard, “and yet every day I have to - omit half a dozen things that cry out to be done. However I _do - not mean_ to break down again, so I simply do what I can and leave - the rest.” - -Little by little the School became more of a corporate thing. A -resident secretary was necessary, of course, so S. J.-B. hit on a -likely person[152] and trained her. Caretakers (man and wife) were -found to look after the premises. A library was provided, and, as -soon as might be, anatomical and Materia Medica museums. No one who -has not lived through the founding of a medical school can form the -faintest idea how much it means. S. J.-B. had been over the ground -before, and may be supposed to have realized what she was -undertaking. - -Footnote 152: - - S. J.-B. never had a more loyal and devoted helper than the first - secretary of the School, Miss Janet Black. - -She had Dr. Balfour’s help from the first, and a tower of strength -he proved: by degrees a committee was formed: but from first to last -the responsibility rested to all intents and purposes on her -shoulders. - -The position, too, on which the whole thing rested was curious. The -School was not recognized as such. Each lecturer was recognized -individually. At any moment any lecturer in the Extra-Mural School -was free to open a rival class and cut the ground from under S. J.- -B.’s feet. - -The new venture, moreover, had all the disadvantages inherent in a -new creation. It had no senior students, none even, at first, who -had gone through the wholesome discipline of the modern High School: -it had no tradition. By the sheer necessities of the case, S. J.-B. -was compelled to be senior student,—to be tradition. - -For ten or more years the School did excellent work, but the -instability of its foundation proved too great. Whether the “lion- -hearted”[153] pioneer, with her extraordinary bent for arranging -detail, could in any case have made a success of the venture, under -such difficult conditions, when the heroic days of initiation were -over, it is impossible to say. The reader will not need to be told— -S. J.-B.’s bitterest opponent never denied—that she put into the -venture infinitely more labour and sympathy and affection and brains -than she need have done,—and there were those among the students who -came near to appreciating these qualities as they deserved. But of -course there were others—as at Mannheim of old—with whom a cheaper -personality would better have served the turn. - -Footnote 153: - - The adjective is applied to her by Charles Reade in _The Woman - Hater_. - -For a year or two everyone was happy and contented, and then the -crash of temperaments came. There is no need to tell the story in -detail. Some of those concerned were young, and some were foolish, -and there are some concerning whom one’s lips are sealed. The -original difficulty was complicated by side issues that never could -be fully threshed out. The actual story seems interminable, and -sometimes insignificant enough, but the principle underlying it is -of the real essence of tragedy. Enough to say that at the end of a -year or two, S. J.-B. found herself confronted with a form of -opposition which no one in authority would cheerfully have gone to -meet,—a form of opposition peculiarly trying to one of her -temperament. Supreme tact might have weathered the storm,—and it -must always be remembered that, on many occasions in life, in this -connection and in others,—she evidenced a tact that was all but -supreme. In any case she failed here. Opposition classes were -started in due course on a cheaper basis, classes in which the -central controlling power was purely nominal. There was endless -propaganda; some sort of organization was got together: everybody -who had a grudge against S. J.-B. remembered it now; her faults, -mistakes and deficiencies—particularly her want of enthusiasm for -missions—came back relentlessly upon her head: and she found herself -(as Thring has said of “every consistent worker on principle”), “put -in the position of opposing what she had always worked for, and her -opponents posing as the workers.” Professor Masson and Miss Louisa -Stevenson, both of whom had considered the founding of a Scottish -School at this moment premature, wrote to her in grim amusement at -some of the names which now appeared in support of the cause. - -Let it be conceded for all the concession is worth, that in a sense -S. J.-B. brought the difficulty upon herself. Once again something -was required of her which a smaller person could have given, but -which she could not give. The tragic element lay in this that she -never saw where she was at fault. She was conscious of an honest -purpose and of unwearying unselfish endeavour. What more could one -ask? So many people succeed who give much less than this! She even -yielded on a good many points—when yielding was too late. - -What strikes one most on looking back is the extraordinary loyalty -with which most of the students rallied round her when the split -came. - -When one of the lecturers (who had striven, like so many others, -to make “even a slight alteration” in her) congratulated her on -the “brains” she had retained in the School, she responded -characteristically: - -“_And_ the heart.” - -“And the heart,” he agreed. - -Some of the lecturers were even finer. “The terms you name are quite -satisfactory,” wrote Dr. Aitken when things were at quite their -worst, and S. J.-B. could no longer guarantee an adequate emolument. -“I would take your students without fee of any kind before I would -see you beat, so you need not let the matter give you any concern.” - -And Dr. (now Professor) A. J. Thomson, when he heard she was leaving -Edinburgh, wrote: - - “I have always felt, if I may dare to say so, that your part has - been like that of a general who won a great battle and then rode - away, leaving the achievement with the ungrateful. Happily you - know how many of us are neither ungrateful nor ignorant.” - -But finest of all was the effect on S. J.-B. herself. She fought on, -of course,—that was in the nature of her,—and loyal supporters were -many;[154] but, although the long struggle to keep the better School -going,—to get it improved, endowed, affiliated to the University of -St. Andrews,—absolutely wore her out, she never became embittered -and she never really lost her buoyancy. When Queen Margaret College -opened a medical side in 1890, one might have thought it was the -last straw, especially as it meant the removal of eight of her -students whose homes were in or near Glasgow, but in this case her -loss meant the progress of the cause, and she rejoiced in it -wholeheartedly. It was delightful to see the happy terms on which -she and Miss Galloway worked in sympathy until and beyond the final -closing of the Edinburgh School. - -Footnote 154: - - The Marquis of Bute and Sir Colin Scott Moncrieff (Under Secretary - for Scotland) are among the best-known names in the company of - those who did their best to help her. - -So she always retained her gallant front. If she thought sometimes -of “that weary School” she never spoke so: she always saw in it the -ideal of what it was going to be. Success was always just round the -corner so to speak, all but within reach; but success, in the form -in which she looked for it, never came. - -Success there was, of course, “not its semblance, but itself.” -Honest work always means success. The brief life of that School was -the seed-time of much fine work that would otherwise never have been -done. Its students have acquitted themselves nobly in many parts of -the world. And on the principle that “he who watereth shall himself -be watered,” it did much for S. J.-B. It gave her a little band of -juniors who in some measure understood her, who responded to her -ideals, who were proud to assist her and to reckon themselves her -disciples. The interest she took in them individually was amazing. -No trouble was too great that would forward their interests in any -way. As the years went on, she seemed to forget herself altogether -in their successes. She lived anew in their lives. Her whole nature -grew and mellowed, though it could not change. And one is glad to -record that never again to the end of life did she suffer the weeks -and months of loneliness that had darkened the early days of her -professional career. - - - - - CHAPTER V - RE-OPENING OF EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY TO WOMEN - - -It seemed better in the previous chapter to explain at once that, -after a brief run of prosperity, the history of the Edinburgh School -of Medicine for Women was chequered by a long fight against heavy -odds; but no one who visited the stirring bee-hive at Surgeon Square -would have guessed at the struggle that underlay its cheerful -aspect. And, fortunately, there were many strands in S. J.-B.’s life -besides the struggle for her School. In a doctor’s experience there -must always be much to interest and cheer, and S. J.-B.’s range was -wider than that of the ordinary doctor. Editors were no less glad of -her work than of old. In the autumn of 1887, she wrote to the Editor -of the _Nineteenth Century_, offering him a paper on Medical Women -which should supplement the one contributed by Mr. Stansfeld ten -years before. Mr. Knowles replied immediately that he would be -delighted to receive such a paper from her, and “the sooner the -better.” The article duly appeared in November of that year. - -At her little hospital she had a series of residents, some from the -London School and some from her own, whom one can fairly describe as -picked women,—keen and competent and loyal; and she enjoyed and -appreciated these as they deserved. More and more, too, people -sought her opinion and advice on every subject of real human -interest. One doctor—a complete stranger—even wrote from far wilds -to ask whether there was any lady studying in her School who she -thought was likely to make him a suitable wife. He was coming home, -but his leave was short, and he would be glad if she would save time -by paving the way for him as far as possible. I am afraid the -students never even heard of this opportunity! - -How far she was from discouraging a true marriage may be gathered -from the following letter to one of her former residents for whom -she had designs in the way of more ambitious work, and who wrote in -some trepidation to confess that she was engaged to be married: - - “May 30, 1895. - - DEAR MISS ——, - - I was very glad to get your letter of March 10th, and very - much interested in all your news. I may set your mind at rest by - saying at once that I am not going to scold you about your - engagement. I hold most strongly that ‘Love should still be Lord - of all,’ and that if two good people love each other heartily in - the right way, they ought to marry under almost all circumstances. - I don’t believe in vows of celibacy for medical women any more - than for any one else. Women are women before they are doctors. - - At the same time I am afraid you are rather sanguine in hoping - that you will be of more use in your profession married than - single. It is not the husbands that are the obstacles to practice, - but the babies. If a woman becomes a mother, I certainly think - nothing outside her home can have, or ought to have, so much claim - upon her as her children. - - However I think it constantly happens that we plan out one kind of - life for ourselves, and then that another is shaped out for us, - and we must believe, if we believe in a God at all, that the - wisdom that decides for us is greater than our own. - - So long as we act up to our highest light, I think we need not - trouble ourselves about results.... - - With all good wishes, believe me, - - Yours sincerely, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -That this was no new attitude on her part we learn from a letter -written many years before to Miss Bertha Cordery. “You are quite -right in thinking that I do not by any means as a matter of course -congratulate people on their marriage, but when you say that ‘having -met, no other result was possible,’ I think you express the essence -of a good marriage with the terseness worthy of the distinguished -historian.[155]” - -Footnote 155: - - The “distinguished historian” of course refers to Miss Cordery - herself. - -This seems the best place to say one word about the special interest -S. J.-B. took in her Hindu students. The first of these, Annie -Jagannadham, was a young woman of such fine and finished character -that her early death, soon after her return to her native land, was -a matter for infinite regret, but scarcely for surprise. When she -qualified as a doctor, S. J.-B. wrote to the _Spectator_ to point -out the desirability of sending back Hindu women educated in England -to minister to their own countrywomen; and her letter called forth a -gratifying response from Mr. James Cropper of Ellergreen (who had -been interested in S. J.-B.’s first application to the University of -Edinburgh many years before) offering to found a scholarship for -Hindu women at her school. This was accordingly done, and a series -of Hindu students was the result. Differing from each other in many -respects, they were alike in one thing, and that was a real gift for -understanding and appreciating their Dean. They seemed to find the -Mother side of her by a sort of instinct. - - “I cannot tell you,” wrote one who had failed in an examination - abroad, “how much your kind letter comforted me. When I was happy - I wrote to other people; but when I was in distress I wrote to you - and was soothed, for failure did not seem so hard when you were - satisfied with my work.” - -When Rukhmabai came to Edinburgh for her Final Professional -Examination, she was S. J.-B.’s guest, and a strong mutual -admiration and friendship was the result. - - * * * * * - -In accepting the chairmanship of the School, Dr. Balfour had made it -almost a stipulation that S. J.-B. should personally undertake the -teaching of Midwifery, and, in consequence of this, she was the -first woman to be recognized as a lecturer in the Extra-Mural -School. As a matter of fact, her special technical training was -necessarily out of date. Dr. Balfour probably looked upon Midwifery -mainly as a subject that successful physicians leave behind them, -and did not realize that greater strides had been made in the -teaching of this subject than in any other. However, S. J.-B. was a -born teacher, as we know: she worked hard: and she had the able -coöperation of the late Dr. Milne Murray, whose attitude towards her -in this connection was one more of the splendid loyalties bound up -in the story of her life. - -And one cannot talk of loyalty without recalling a characteristic -letter from Dr. Pechey, written when she received the news of S. J.- -B.’s appointment: - - “Hip Hip Hooray!! - Hip Hip Hooray!!! - Hip Hip Hooray!!!!! - - In the very place where we were stoned and beaten 18 years ago. - Well, I am glad to have lived to see the day. Just when your paper - came, I was feeling life a burden. - - Do you think they would let me lecture on something—Shakespeare or - the musical glasses—when I come home _if_ ever I do. When you want - an assistant let me know. - - I don’t know when I have felt so pleased and elated and especially - that it should happen to _you_, it is so appropriate. Isn’t Mrs. - Thorne very pleased and everybody else?... - - Dear Sophy, I _am_ so pleased, more than if some one had left me a - million of money, though I do have to look hard at every anna now - before letting it go!” - - “Thanks for your very hearty congratulations,” S. J.-B. wrote in - reply,—“... Selfishly, I regret it very much, for I have no idea - how to find either the time or the strength (or knowledge) for the - course, but I suppose I must just do the best I can. - - Of course if you were here you could have the pick of the - lecturerships in the School, and after one precedent, they - couldn’t refuse to recognize you: but the pay would hardly keep - your Highness in hairpins.” - -The idea of having her old friend in Edinburgh dwelt in her mind -nevertheless, and some time later—in May 1890—she wrote: - - “By the bye if you do decide to leave India next year, and if it - could possibly be made to fit in with Mr. Phipson’s plans,[156] I - wish with all my heart that you could see your way to come and - settle in Edinburgh, and take up with your splendid energy the - very wide field in Scotland that is almost ripe to harvest. My - strength is about spent, and besides you have elements of social - success that I never should have. You are far more of a woman of - the world and a far more able diplomatist. My Hospital will never - develop in my tired hands, but I believe you might make a splendid - thing of it; and at the same time I believe you would have a - capital west-end practice almost immediately, and of course a - lectureship if you cared to have it. Think this idea over - thoroughly before you decide against it. - - Yours sincerely, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -Footnote 156: - - Dr. Edith Pechey had married Mr. H. M. Phipson of Bombay. - -The feeling that her time of work was drawing to an end was -intensified by the news of the death of her friend, Dr. Lucy Sewall. -This was the last heavy bereavement she had to face, and she took it -hard. To her friend, Mrs. Brander, her “eldest daughter,” she had -written a month or two before the above correspondence with Dr. -Pechey: - - “Feb. 27. 1890. - - DEAREST BEL, - - For the second time I have to send you terribly bad news. My - dear friend, Dr. Sewall, has been as you know in bad health for - the last 4 or 5 years, and last month she was seized with a very - severe attack of bronchitis, from which she never regained - strength, and she passed away ‘very peacefully’ on Feb. 13th. - - Though I have seen so little of her for some years back, it is a - great blow to me,—the greatest I have felt since 1881. - - _How_ I hope that she is again with the mother and father she - loved so very dearly. Indeed she has never really rallied, I - believe, from her father’s death (at 90) a year ago. - - A whiter sweeter soul never lived, and her memory ‘smells sweet - and blossoms in the dust.’ - - I cannot write more today, but I could not let you hear it from - anyone else. - - I hope you got the little book I sent you at Christmas. I could - not write but it carried much affection to you. - - Yours affectionately, - S. J.-B.” - -For the _Englishwoman’s Review_ she wrote an account of this “strong -and gentle soul,” quoting the lines Whittier had written about her -ancestor. “I enclose the whole verse about Judge Sewall,” she says -to the Editor, “in case you have room for it. It might almost word -for word have been written of his far-away descendant. - - ‘Walks the Judge of the Great Assize, - Samuel Sewall, the good and wise. - His face with lines of firmness wrought, - He wears the look of a man unbought, - Who swears to his hurt and changes not; - Yet touched and softened nevertheless - With the grace of Christian gentleness, - The face that a child would climb to kiss! - True and tender and brave and just, - That man might honour and woman trust.’” - -S. J.-B.’s hands might be tired, but the eye on the bridge was as -keen as ever. She had been aiming from the first at some sort of -reinforcement from St. Andrews, and in 1888 Lord Lothian’s Bill had -seemed to open a new door of hope. - - “May 10th. [1888.] - - DEAR MR. STANSFELD, - - The Bill of which I wrote is the ‘Universities (Scotland) - Bill,’ which has been introduced in the House of Lords by Lord - Lothian. I believe it has not yet come down to your House, but I - am very anxious, when it does so, that attention should be - directed to the clauses about women and about ‘affiliation of - Colleges,’ which latter might solve our problem, e.g. if our - Edinburgh School were affiliated to St. Andrews. - - I shall be most grateful if you will talk about it beforehand with - members likely to be interested, and if possible speak on it also. - - Yours always gratefully, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -The previous day she had written, - - “May 9th. - - DEAR LORD ABERDARE, - - I am extremely obliged for your very kind letter, and shall - be _most_ grateful if you can make Lord Lothian’s acquaintance, - interest him in our subject, and introduce me to him. I am very - anxious to secure his favourable attention, and that of the - Commission, and I am sure that your introduction would give me the - best possible chance. I am most anxious not to lose the present - opportunity to bring our needs to the front. - - With renewed thanks, - Yours very truly, - S. JEX-BLAKE.” - -When the Bill was passed and Commissioners appointed, she laid -before them a memorial in support of the desired aims, and in June -1891 she was summoned to give evidence in person. On June 28th she -wrote to Miss Du Pre: - - “I had to appear before the University Commissioners last - Wednesday, and if possible I will send you a proof of my - examination. It was very satisfactory, as the Chairman (Lord - Kinnear) said they were satisfied that it was desirable and - necessary to give medical degrees to women in Scotland.” - -To another friend she had written a week earlier, - - “By the bye you will like to see the enclosed proof of my evidence - last week before the Universities Commission. Miss E.-L. made me - tell my class about it next day, and they clapped warmly; and - then, after the lecture, as I was going out, they gave me another - round. I stopped and said,—‘Oh, is that for Univ. Commission?’ - ‘For _you_, Doctor!’ shouted Miss Moorhead.” - -The whole matter, as is usual with such things, ran a leisurely -course, for on April 27th, 1892, she writes again, - - “... I had one very amusing experience on Monday. The Scottish - Universities Commission has been issuing some ‘Ordinances’ to - which serious objections are taken, and among others a flaw has - been found in the Women’s Ordinance, which we want to have - remedied. All the objecting bodies were to meet together, so Dr. - Balfour and I were summoned by enclosed solemn document to appear - to represent our School, and it _was_ amusing to find myself an - invited delegate, at whose entrance the Chairman rose and came - forward with outstretched hand, in the awful University Court - Room, where our case had over and over again been tried by a - hostile authority, and lost, without an opportunity for a word in - our own defence. - - Sir Robert Christison looked down from the wall, and it made me - almost chuckle to think what _he_ would have said! - - Sic transit! _How_ the world moves! - - I have just heard this morning of a legacy of £100 for our - Hospital, and probably something for the School though (from vague - wording) that is less certain.” - -At this time the great hope—as so often in the past—lay in the -direction of the University of St. Andrews, but the hope proved -illusory once more. In reading the history, one feels again and -again as if St. Andrews University had been surrounded by some -strange magic circle, for it happened on numberless occasions that -when everything seemed settled, and every difficulty had been -laboriously overcome, some unsuspected link in the chain gave way, -and endless exertion was rendered null and void. So it seems to have -happened now, for in June 1894 we find S. J.-B. writing again to -Miss Du Pre: - - “I have been desperately busy this week, chiefly at the University - or with University people, as circumstances have led to my very - suddenly applying to have our School recognized by the [Edinburgh] - University Court, which really seems possible, Calderwood and - Watson both being members of it. The story is a long one, arising - out of complications at St. Andrews. - - I enclose a copy of my Memorial,—please return it. It comes up - tomorrow before the Court. - - Watson said so very kindly that he hoped it would pass, if only - that I might have rest from my long labours,—wasn’t it sweet of - him? A quarter of a century _is_ a long time!” - -So the old warrior gathered herself together once more and made a -last appeal to the University Court of her own Alma Mater to grant -to other women the privilege that could never now be her own. She -reminded them that in 1869 the same Court had conceded the principle -of admitting women to graduation in medicine, that that principle -had never been disallowed by them, and that the problem of its -practical accomplishment had been under the consideration of the -Court ever since. - -It cannot be said that hope ran high even now. It had always been a -saying among Scottish students that Edinburgh would be the last -stronghold to yield; but the tide everywhere was on the turn. After -full consideration of the subject, the Court rose nobly to the -spirit of the resolution passed by their predecessors in 1869, and -in October 1894 made public their determination to admit women -forthwith to graduation in medicine. - - * * * * * - -The National Association for Promoting the Medical Education of -Women, which had done such excellent service after its foundation in -1871, had for some years ceased to exist; “At the present time many -of its members had passed away, and others were widely scattered, -but it seemed desirable to those women who had always been members -of it, and who were still resident in Edinburgh, that some -congratulation should be offered by them to Dr. Jex-Blake, for the -great victory that had been achieved by her in the opening of the -degrees of the University of Edinburgh to women after a struggle -extending over exactly five-and-twenty years.”[157] So on Saturday, -November 3rd, 1894, these honourable women met together and -presented the following address: - - “We, the undersigned, women members of the original National - Association for the Medical Education of Women, resident at this - time in Edinburgh, desire to offer to you our warm and hearty - congratulations on the brilliant success you have achieved in - securing the opening of the Edinburgh University medical - examinations and degrees to women students. We know that it was - largely due to your great ability and knowledge that the enabling - Bill of 1876 was passed, which put it into the power, if they so - willed, of each of the nineteen examining bodies of the United - Kingdom to admit women to qualifying examinations, and which was - the foundation of the success on which we congratulate you to-day. - Many who worked with and under you in the old days have passed - away. We who are left take this opportunity of expressing to you - our appreciation of the great sacrifice you have made of time, and - strength, and money, to win for younger women in their own country - a complete medical education crowned by a degree. To have done - this in Edinburgh we regard as a success of which you may be - justly proud. (_Signed_)—Elizabeth Pease Nichol, Anne H. - Calderwood, Grant A. Millar, Flora C. Stevenson, Phœbe Blyth, - Sarah E. Siddons Mair, Emily Hodgson, Charlotte Geddes, Agnes - Craig, Anne B. Foster, Hannah Lorimer, M. G. Paton, Priscilla - Bright M‘Laren, Elizabeth Stuart Blackie, Elisa Carlile Stevenson, - Mina Kunz, C. M. Charteris, Margaret Wyld, Eliza Wigham, Jessie M. - Wellstood, Euphemia Millar, Eliza Scott Kirkland, Maggie A. Rose, - Augusta G. Wyld, Helen Brown, A. A. Skelton, C. M. Edington, A. - Edington, Amelia R. Hill, Mary Burton, Louisa Stevenson.—_9th - October, 1894._” - -Footnote 157: - - The quotation is from Miss Louisa Stevenson’s speech in presenting - the address. - -Before leaving the subject of S. J.-B.’s active life in Edinburgh, -it may be well to sum up some of her main characteristics as a -doctor and as a citizen, though to a great extent these have already -become evident. - -First, was her great deftness in any kind of manipulation. It was -interesting to see her outshine in this respect so many of the trig -and dainty women who at one time or another, worked under her. - -Second, was her readiness in emergency. The grass never grew under -her feet. It is on record that she had finished some minor operation -before her anaesthetist knew that she had begun. An amusing instance -of her readiness occurs in a chance episode with her carriage- -builder. It was not unusual for her to have little rubs with this -man. He and his subordinates had difficulty in living up to her -ideas of punctuality, and no doubt they considered her a bit of a -nuisance. - -One day she called to remonstrate about something and found “the -Governor” in great distress from a splinter of steel which had -become imbedded in his eye. - -“I’ll take it out for you,” she said, and, turning to the men, -added, “Bring a chair.” - -The chair was placed by her direction in the best light obtainable, -_i.e._ on the gallery surrounding the carriage yard, in full view of -the men and horses below. She made the patient sit down, and, -standing behind him, produced a surgical needle from her instrument -case and with its curved convex edge deftly removed the splinter. - -It was all done in the twinkling of an eye. Very simple, but very -characteristic. - -And it would have been awkward if she had failed. - -Third, was her refusal to let a patient die. No doctor wishes to -lose a case, but with S. J.-B. it was a matter of definite personal -struggle. - -One day in the comparatively early days of practice, she came in -very late to lunch, having been urgently detained with a private -patient. She was anxious about a case in her little hospital—a -surgical case which had developed medical complications—and she sent -a messenger down for news. - - “Just sinking,” was the pencilled reply from the resident. “Dr. —— - and Dr. —— [the consultants] have been here, and have given her - up. We have ceased to worry her with food.” - -“_Ceased to worry her with food!_” One saw the summer lightnings on -S. J.-B.’s forehead. “Tell Charles to bring the brougham round -immediately.” Within half an hour the beef-tea was being -administered by her own hand; and there was no more talk of “not -worrying the patient with food.” She was worried until she not only -rallied, but got her foot on to the ladder of a slow and sure -recovery, a recovery that meant just everything to the husband and -children who were anxiously awaiting the mother’s return to the -little home. - -As a neighbour and citizen S. J.-B. had certain outstanding -_qualités_, which, with their corresponding _défauts_, have never -tended to make the possessor of them universally popular. She -considered it a public duty to uphold as far as lay in one person’s -power the general standard of proper behaviour and efficiency in the -community. She had no use for sluggards and shirkers. “Here’s the -Doctor,—mind yersel’!” a cabman was heard to say when he and a -gossiping mate had allowed their vehicles to sprawl right across the -highroad just as the familiar pony-chaise came in sight. No postal -service ever deteriorated in her vicinity. If lesser officials -failed to listen, she appealed to the Postmaster-General, and she -accomplished many minor reforms by which her neighbours profited as -much as she did herself. Assuredly she was no grumbler, but she -considered that those who make it their aim to slip smoothly through -life, leaving to others all the irksome work of protesting, are—to -say the least—acting an unheroic part. She agreed that all things -come to him who waits,—and come through the exertions of those who -have not been content merely to wait. The callow upstart official -was apt to fare badly at her hands, but if the official happened to -be an elderly woman at—say—some isolated country post office, one -saw S. J.-B. at her best. She would steer the way gently and -patiently through some simple transaction that seemed involved -enough in those wilds; and, if she was met by a flash of interest -and intelligence, her appreciation was great. “Why we’ll make you -Postmaster-General!” she has been heard to say, leaving a beaming -face behind her as she gathered up the reins and drove away,—a -visitant indeed from another world. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - DRIVING TOURS. ANIMAL FRIENDS - - - - -All through the years of work and conflict, S. J.-B. had looked -forward to her “Sabbatical year,” when, with a clear conscience, she -could retire from active life, and share with others the rest and -seclusion she longed for. As early as 1892 she had written to a -cousin in New Zealand about a visit from her brother, who had been -examining at Fettes: - - “Today he is gone south again. His life at Wells must be very - quiet and restful after the hard work of Rugby. - - I am beginning to think that I must soon wind up my work and rest. - I have worked about as hard as anybody could for more than thirty - years, and I think I have almost done my share. There are young - people coming up now to do the medical work,—we have about 130 - women on the British Register,—in 1865 when I began to work there - was only _one_!” - -Some months later she seems to have written in the same vein to the -old aunt in Norfolk, for Mrs. Gunton replies in a holograph letter -of four beautifully-written pages: - - “You must not talk of being tired with your occupation at - _present_. Consider what a _chicken_ you are! On the 11th of - November I was 93.” - -How difficult to find any ground of comparison between those two -lives, grown on the same stock, the one of 52 and the other of 93! - - * * * * * - -The opening of the University degrees to women cleared the ground a -good deal, but there were still three great difficulties in the way -of retirement. The first was the Hospital. S. J.-B. was aware, as -she had written to Dr. Pechey that it “never would develop in her -tired hands,” but before passing it over to her juniors, she was -anxious to use her name and influence for all they were worth in the -way of raising money to constitute a small endowment, and justify -building, or at least a removal to larger premises. “The one thing -that I do long for still,” she wrote, “is to see a thoroughly good -Women’s Hospital officered by women established in Edinburgh.” - -On the whole it was hard work. She wrote many letters in vain, but, -little by little, she gathered a few thousands: and there were, as -usual, some pleasant surprises by the way. Her old friend, Mrs. -Arthur, when asked for £100, promptly responded with a cheque for -£500, and some of those who gave little gave with a few words of -gratitude and appreciation that lifted the gift quite out of the -region of shillings and pounds. - -A greater obstacle, perhaps, than the Hospital was the sheer -difficulty of winding up and getting away. S. J.-B. had begun life -as an early Victorian girl with an exceptionally strong hereditary -tendency to store and treasure all sorts of things great and small. -Almost in the twinkling of an eye she became a modern woman with a -correspondence that ran to dozens—sometimes hundreds—of letters in a -day,—a modern woman with no leisure at all for the always -distasteful work of weeding out and destroying. She was always -giving, but she never seemed to give away the things of which she -would be well rid. Moreover she always did things on a massive, -great-spirited scale. If a number of copies of any document were -wanted, it was better to get it printed,—and, if you were getting it -printed, it was safer and cheaper to get 500 or 1000 copies while -the type was up. You never knew how important that particular -document might become. If any article was nearly worn out, buy a new -one by all means,—but keep the old one too in case the new one -should break down. - -And so it came about that in her roomy old house, with its spacious -attics and cellars, things were stored and stacked and forgotten -until their volume was almost incredible to those who had not seen -it. - -And finally there was the great question where to settle. She never -lost her love for Edinburgh, and she was often tempted to choose a -house on the outskirts. On the other hand, she had always dreamed of -growing figs and peaches on a sunny south wall in her beloved native -county of Sussex: and how was she to find just the right house in -Sussex? So the time slipped away, and she had one illness after -another, and it often seemed to those nearest her as if the -Sabbatical year would be spent on the other Side of the River. - -She took holidays more and more frequently, however, and rejoiced -increasingly in the work of those who took her place. “My -daughters,” “my girls,” “my young doctors,”—how proudly she used to -say it! Her face the day five of them were “capped” at the -University was a thing to be seen. And if she was an absolutely un- -self-sparing worker, she knew better than most how to make holiday; -indeed her holidays were as characteristic as everything else she -did and was. She hated publicity, hated the noise and bustle of -trains, so a driving-tour was her ideal of happiness and -refreshment. Her chaise had been specially built for the purpose, -with space in front of the dash-board to accommodate two small -valises, abundant room under the seats, and other incidental -conveniences that one only discovered by degrees. Little by little -she had made a fine art of her preparations. The list of compact -necessaries was always at hand, and the so-called “work-box” alone -contained in a condensed form resources for emergencies of all -descriptions. The groom had his own kit behind, and woe betide him -if his tools were not at hand when a shoe came loose or a nut needed -screwing up. - -The strain of packing was apt to be considerable for everyone -concerned, and it lasted for the first mile or two of the journey. -Then gradually it melted away. She would draw a deep breath and give -herself up to the delightful sense of freedom. “Oh, isn’t it good to -be away!” “It seemed yesterday as if we never should get off.” - -She always elected to go for the first night or two, if possible, to -an inn she knew. She asked so little, but it had to be just the -particular little that she wanted. No “much” could take the place of -that. - -“Thank you, that is very nice,” she would say breezily, after -surveying the rooms in some unknown inn where she hoped to stay for -more than a night. “Now will you open the windows, and give us both -some more towels and one or two little tables, and take away the -ornaments in the sitting-room. We want room for our books.” - -Sometimes the people were aghast, but much, much more often they -entered into the spirit of the thing and gave her just what she -wanted. She had a great knack of carrying them with her. She was so -easy-going in most ways, “because of course,” as she used to -explain, “one is not responsible for inn servants as one is for -one’s own.” And some few inns became to her a real haven of refuge,— -Rumbling Bridge, under old Mrs. Macara; Fortingal, in the old days, -under Mr. and Mrs. Menzies; and—above all latterly—(under Mrs. -Beattie), her beloved Gordon Arms at Yarrow where she and Miss Du -Pre had perforce taken refuge one day in a storm, little thinking -what a sanctuary it was often to prove. - - “Yarrow, with all its snows and storms, has answered splendidly - for both of us,” she writes to Miss Du Pre in April 1896, “and we - shall return on Saturday much refreshed and strengthened. I have - been walking a good deal as well as driving. There seems something - specially restful about this country,—and this inn is as good as - old Fortingal, in rather a different way.” - -The showy inn where one got no real comforts and where the cooking -was bad, was of course the object of her special detestation. - -Many times she drove all over Perthshire; she went as far north as -Loch Maree, and, on one occasion at least, she drove all the way -from Brighton to Edinburgh arriving, by the way, to find a patient -on the door-step, and that patient a dowager countess! As a rule the -horse and chaise were put on the train from Carlisle to Rugby. - -And the woods and hills seemed the very home of her spirit. More -than anything else they brought the poetry to her lips,—Whittier’s -_My Psalm_ very frequently in later years,—she did so love those -“robes of praise”—and his _Autograph_ too,— - - “Hater of din and riot, - He lived in days unquiet—” - -But always most frequently of all, perhaps, Mrs. Browning’s -couplet,— - - “The pulse of dew upon the grass kept his within its number, - And silent shadows from the trees refreshed him like a slumber.” - -Of course there were hardships to be faced too,—as one reckoned -hardships in those days! Often the rain came down in sheets when one -was half way across a shelterless mountain pass; or one drove -unexpectedly into deeper and deeper snow till it even happened that -the groom had to borrow a spade from a neighbouring cottage, and dig -a way out of the drift. Not infrequently night came on before a -suitable inn had been found,—for it is by no means every country inn -that has stabling,—let alone a lock-up coach-house,—and one drove -mile after mile with a tired horse and diminishing hopes. - -In all such minor emergencies the indomitable spirit rose to meet -the occasion. One well nigh forgot the ageing woman and saw only the -gallant-hearted boy. She loved driving across a ford, though in some -of the Highland rivers it is highly desirable, if not necessary, to -know the lie of the ground beneath, and to choose just the right -détour or zig-zag. - -In the neighbourhood of Woking one day when the floods were out, she -stopped to ask the way, and was informed that the route she proposed -to take was under water and dangerous. It would have been awkward to -change plans at that stage, so S. J.-B. drove on, though the water -gradually rose above the axles. - -Presently a meek voice was heard from the groom behind. “He said it -was dangerous.” But S. J.-B. did not hear. - -She was never foolhardy, but she did love the off-chance of an -adventure, and there would have been danger often if her nerve had -given way, or if she had not had a thorough understanding with her -horse. In the moment of emergency one saw what excellent comrades -they were. She knew how to get the last ounce of pluck and endurance -out of him in case of need. - -It was all made up to him when the strain was over! That hot mash on -reaching the inn was the first thing thought of, and on a trying day -there was always a snack of some sort for the groom before the inn -was reached, so that the thought of his own supper might not bulk -_too_ largely in his general view of life and duty. - -She was the friend of all her horses, and was never happy with one -that failed to respond. Blinkers and bearing-reins were an -abomination to her. She even objected to brass, and refused to use -the smart be-crested harness that came to her from her father’s -stable. - -Her first favourite was White Angel, a pony. Professor Wilson had -helped her to choose him for a driving-tour in her student days. She -hired him several times and finally bought him. When she was at -Berne for her degree, he lived in her Mother’s stable at Brighton. -“Angel and Turk send their duty,” Mrs. Jex-Blake used to write. -“Master Turk says, ‘Very dull Christmas without Missis. He don’t -think much of Switzerland.’” - -White Angel was badly named,—he was a lovable creature, but far more -of a sprite than an angel. There was never any harm in his mischief, -and she used to recount his pranks with the greatest delight. Above -all things he hated to be beaten. Going up Corstorphine Hill, he -would not allow even a pair of horses to pass him. He would allow -them to come close up, and then he would throw up his heels and race -to the top as if the chaise had been a nut-shell. And she enjoyed -his spirit far too much to check him. - -He continued this practice up to a period of life when most -creatures place comfort above such expensive luxuries; but there -came a time when he had to give in. Then, as he heard younger hoofs -gaining on him, he would turn his head with great dignity and look -the other way, refusing to see that he was being outdone. - -Very early in the days of practice, Blackbird came to reinforce him, -replacing a smarter, more troublesome horse whom S. J.-B. passed on -to Dr. Pechey: and on the whole Blackbird was her dearest horse -friend. He was such a gentleman, so willing to coöperate with her, -and if necessary to exert himself only too much on those occasional -long days in the Highlands. She never could see that he was growing -old and ceasing to be a credit to her,—indeed she seldom could see -that of anything she had cared for. No flower that had brightened -her writing-table was allowed to spend its last hour on an ash-heap. -So Blackbird remained king of the stable, doing an occasional easy -job, till the remonstrances of S. J.-B.’s friends prevailed against -even that, and he was lent to a farmer friend to fill an easy place -in the country. - -Everyone meant well and kindly, but the farmer lent him after a time -to a less soft-hearted dairyman, and one day when S. J.-B. went out -to visit her old friend, she found him rheumatic and broken-kneed -and lean. She said scarcely a word, but asked to be left with him in -the stable. She had taken out a feed of beans, Blackbird’s special -weakness, and she gave him the feeding-bag herself,—then put her -arms round his neck and sobbed. - -A day or two later Blackbird went to whatever place is reserved for -such good and faithful friends. - -There was Austral, too, the favourite of her later years,—a -gentleman in every sense of the word,—his father and mother both in -the Australian stud-book. The father was Oxford, the mother -Uproarious, and the colt had been cleverly named Undergraduate. It -was S. J.-B. who changed his name: she probably thought it -inappropriate to a horse of eight or nine years; and indeed it was a -word that for her was too full of associations. - -No other animal came anywhere near horses in her estimation. Cats -she disliked. In the old student days she had gone to see Miss -Pechey at the home of the lady whose children were fortunate enough -to have her for their governess. In the course of dinner, a spoiled -and cherished family cat leapt gently on to the table, coming -between S. J.-B. and the person to whom she was talking. Without -stopping to think, S. J.-B. put out her arm and brushed the cat on -to the floor. - -When, some thirty years later, she was recalling how she had -wondered whether so pretty a girl as Miss Pechey _could_ have nerve -enough to study medicine, and how she had been informed by one who -knew that the pretty girl was “calm as an ox,” Mrs. Pechey Phipson -grimly intervened,—“I assure you I was anything but calm when you -swept that cat on to the floor!” - -S. J.-B. laughed. And her laugh was a thing to hear,—especially when -the old jokes and the old stories were recalled,—a hearty musical -laugh that brought such wholesome tears to her eyes, and that would -not allow her face to set into really tragic lines. - -But there is something more to be said about her dislike to cats. -After lunch at Bruntsfield Lodge, it was her custom to gather up the -bits of bread that were left and take them out to the lawn to feed -the birds. She loved to see the creatures flying towards her the -moment she appeared, and no cat was ever tolerated in the grounds. - -One evening in early summer, when she came in from her work to a -high-walled garden all shimmering with promise, a half-grown kitten -stood in the way. “Shoo!” said S. J.-B. “Go away! Who allowed that -cat to be here?” - -Everyone trembled,—except the little intruder. It looked S. J.-B. -full in the face, and held its ground. - -Of course it was turned out, but a few days later she saw it in the -same place, leaping at a moth in the sunshine. And that time nothing -was said. - -And a few days later still, when she had passed beyond the garden -into the house, the kitten walked forward to meet her. This really -was too much; but when she protested, the kitten simply looked in -her face and smiled. - -So it was allowed to remain under due restrictions, until one night -S. J.-B. was awakened by a loud sneeze. She struck a light, and -there, on the shoulder of the sofa at the foot of her bed, calmly -reposing on a big woollen shawl, with its eyes fixed on her in -gentle protest against the open window, was the kitten. - -It was simply uncanny. Of course it was only a kitten, but to S. J.- -B. it was always more. “It must have known me in a previous -incarnation,” she said. So she called it Karma, and before many days -were over it was a favoured and lovable member of the household, -taking all sorts of liberties in the most attractive way, and even -lying unforbidden on her lap. “Li’l cat!” she used to say -affectionately. - -There is one more animal friend worth recalling, though pedigree and -admirers he had none,—the Nameless Dog at Bordighera. - -S. J.-B. had gone to Bordighera in the winter of 1897-98 with a -friend who had been ill, and greatly did she enjoy the almost -unfailing sunshine. She seldom made acquaintances under such -conditions, but two delightful Irish ladies proved irresistible, and -a pleasant _partie carrée_ was the result. Every day S. J.-B. used -to walk with one or other of her friends through the unlovely main -street and sit for hours on the rocks at the Cap, watching the waves -tumbling about on that fine bit of coast. - -One day, in passing through the somewhat squalid town, she was -stopped by a brawl among a few dogs,—a poor half-starved pariah was -being set upon and robbed of some morsel it had contrived to pick -up. Never was a more unwholesome-looking object than that dog,—with -a coat utterly out of condition,—wounds in every stage of refusal to -heal,—and an eye so mauled and battered that only a sanguine -prognosis could have associated it with the idea of any special -function in the future. The poor wretch showed no fight, but slunk -away as soon as its tormentors would let it go,—a pitiful craven, -utterly beaten in the struggle for life. - -Next day it was seen again, slinking about in some bye-way, afraid -of everyone who came near. Of course S. J.-B. had a crust in her -pocket, and of course the dog got that crust, in spite of rivals and -in spite of its own groundless fears. Next day it was looking out, -and from that day the crust never failed. Little by little the -natural vitality of the creature began to gain ground; he became -something like a dog, and able to hold his own. His wounds healed, -and he soon could forage a bit for himself; but he never forgot to -look out for S. J.-B., and he never refused her crust. He began to -walk with her to the Cap, and to lie at a respectful distance till -she was ready to go home. - -One day when she was confined to the house, he appeared on the steps -of the hotel. The waiter of course gave him a greeting that in -former times would have driven him well on the road to San Remo; but -now he held his ground. “What on earth does he want?” said the man. -“Oh,” said one of the others, “it’s Miss Blake’s dog.” At that -moment S. J.-B. came downstairs to _déjeuner_. She fetched him half -her roll from the dining-room, and the waiters might grumble as they -pleased. - -From that time the dog formally constituted himself her body-guard, -and quite a creditable body-guard he was, with two good keen eyes -always on the look-out, and a coat worth wearing. He had positively -acquired a “presence.” He waited for her every day at the hotel -gate, and he walked proudly in front of her to the Cap. No other dog -dared to come near. No beggar ventured to molest. The very purveyors -of inlaid jewellery had to keep their distance. - -At last—just before she left the Riviera—the Nameless Dog secured a -large bit of strongly smelling fish. There would have been a free -fight for it in the early days, but no other dog disputed his -possession of it now. He can’t have been overfed, poor fellow, even -then; but he brought his coveted trophy to S. J.-B. in triumph, and -laid it at her feet. - -I am afraid he missed her horribly, and of course she could not -explain to him and say Goodbye,—as no doubt she did to Blackbird. -But she left behind a creature able to stand on his own legs, and -show a brave face to the world: I am not sure that she didn’t leave -behind the germ of a soul. - -And, while this little story is scrupulously true, it tells in a -humble parable many episodes in the life of S. J.-B. that were known -to very few. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - THE SABBATICAL YEAR - - -It was that winter at Bordighera that gave her strength and energy -for the final uprooting. The autumn of 1898-99 was spent on a -driving tour of 1100 miles through the S.E. counties of England in -search of a suitable house. She set about the search in her usual -business-like way,—pasting into a book all the likely houses from -the agents’ lists, rejecting at a sweep all within ten miles of -London, all above or below a certain price and acreage, all that -fell short of the desired level above the sea, all that were in a -town, or that advertised their proximity to a railway station. The -tour was then planned to include as many as possible of those that -remained. - -There were a few unusual disqualifications. One house that attracted -her belonged to the Rector of the parish, who refused to let to a -Roman Catholic or a dissenter, and, although S. J.-B. was neither, -she did not wish to be subjected to any test. Another house—more -strangely still—was only to be let to someone who would carry on the -evangelistic meetings in an out-building. “What if I were to take -the house and preach Buddhism?” she said. - -Finally she decided on the house which she afterwards named -Windydene, near the village of Mark Cross, on the Forest Ridge of -Sussex, some five or six miles south of Tunbridge Wells. “It is -neither a new or an old house,” she wrote to her friend, Miss -Keily,—“built probably some 50 years ago,—very comfortable and airy, -and with pleasant garden and shrubberies, a good kitchen garden -(much neglected of late) and about 8 acres for pasture and hay.” - -Having put various negotiations and alterations in train, she -returned to Edinburgh for the final winding-up. - -And there was much in those last months that lingered pleasantly in -her memory. In June 1898 the British Medical Association had met in -Edinburgh, and S. J.-B., like most other doctors, had kept open -house. Some thirty medical women were present at the meeting, and, -before it broke up, Dr. Jane Walker organized a dinner under the -presidency of the old Edinburgh pioneer. Mrs. Garrett Anderson and -Mrs. Scharlieb were among the guests. As always, S. J.-B. spoke very -happily, and a number of those present got for the first time -something like a just impression of her personality. - -Early in 1899 a Farewell Reception was given in her honour by the -Committee of her Hospital, and some happy inspiration made the -occasion not only a social success, but a gathering of unique -interest. The majority of the large company were in evening dress, -but the Dispensary patients were encouraged to look upon the -Reception as their affair too, and they came in what dress they had. -Moreover, it was no mere “meeting,” it was a real “party,” with -refreshments galore in a side room, and no compulsion to listen to -more speeches than one was in a mood for. The Marchioness of Bute, -President of the Hospital, who was ill, was represented by one of -the Vice-Presidents, Lady Helen Munro Ferguson. Lady Victoria -Campbell made a point of being present, as did the Countess of -Moray, and many patients, colleagues and allies of all sorts. - -It was Professor Masson who moved the resolution of the evening: - - “That this company, remembering all that has been done by Dr. Jex- - Blake so preëminently for the medical education of women, and for - the opening up of the medical profession to women, both here and - elsewhere, take this opportunity of congratulating her on the - present evidence of the success everywhere of the cause which owes - so much to her powerful initiation and persevering advocacy; and - regrets that the occasion should also be one of farewell.” - -Dr. Balfour felt inclined, he said, to quote the words of the old -song: - - “Dost thou remember, comrade old and hoary, - The days we fought and conquered side by side - On fields of battle, famous now in story?” - -He indicated apologetically that the words were not wholly -appropriate, but S. J.-B. speedily set his mind at rest on that -score. She felt old and hoary enough. - -Dr. Peel Ritchie recalled how he had begun to help the women -students simply from love of fair play, with no enthusiasm at all -for the cause, but how he had been gradually worked up to a warmer -feeling and interest; and Dr. (afterwards Sir John) Sibbald -confessed that he had taken no part in the old conflict at all; but -acknowledged gladly that his original dislike to the whole thing had -gradually given way as he had watched the life of the protagonist, -with increasing admiration, appreciation and....” - -At that fine silence he left it. - -A bouquet of roses was presented by Dr. Jessie Macgregor, one of the -most brilliant of S. J.-B.’s students; and a basket of flowers by -Winifred Beilby, daughter of a lady who had been a member of -Committee for many years, and a patient from the first. - -Yes, it was a great send-off, and S. J.-B. was simple-hearted enough -to enjoy it all like a child. - -There were other tokens of recognition too,—among them a -presentation from a great number of women doctors, and another from -the Dispensary patients. - - * * * * * - -There is no doubt that Dr. Sibbald voiced the opinion of many in his -tribute to S. J.-B. For years she had lived among the Edinburgh -people, driving about in her quiet brougham or unpretentious pony- -chaise, and retiring to the high-walled garden. In a way they could -not but get to know her. They might like or dislike her, but she -went on her way, doing her work absolutely without ostentation, -welcoming publicity when it seemed likely to forward her aims or the -welfare of the community, shunning it absolutely as a matter of -private taste. - -With most of these whose opinion was worth having, opposition and -dislike were simply worn down. She was impulsive, she made mistakes -and would do so to the end of her life: her naturally hasty temper -and imperious disposition had been chastened indeed, but the -chastening fire had been far too fierce to produce perfection. She -held out at times about trifles,—failed to see that they _were_ -trifles—and at times she terrified people more than she knew. Above -all she cared nothing for the praise and blame of any but those whom -she respected or loved. Of her indeed it might be said that she -heard the beat of a different drummer. But there was another side to -the picture after all. Many of those who regretted and criticised -details were yet forced to bow before the big transparent honesty, -the fine unflinching consistency, of her life. - - “Yes, it was simply greatness. - There was nothing else I could say, - I had hedged my path more straitly, - But [hers] was the kinglier way.” - - * * * * * - -It remains only to give some picture of S. J.-B.’s life in -retirement. Dr. Clouston had shaken his head when he heard what she -proposed to do. It was a great risk to give up a life packed with -work and interest for one of leisure. - -“I am not going to be idle,” she had said. “I am going to farm.” - -“Then you’ll lose a lot of money.” - -“I can’t lose much on ten acres.” - -“_Ah!_” He seemed to indicate that ten acres was not enough; but as -a matter of fact S. J.-B. reaped now all the advantage of that love -of detail which had so often proved a snare. “Windydene” had been -unoccupied and more or less neglected for some time, so there was -abundant scope for an enterprising “Squire.” And the situation was -as choice as even the county of Sussex can provide. From the terrace -one looked right across to the South Downs, and even Fairlight was -supposed to be visible on a clear day. The garden had been ideally -planned on ground that fell away rather steeply to the south. It had -spacious lawns cunningly planted, some of the trees being of real -value and beauty. - -Beyond the lawns were shady paths and all sort of unexpected -openings and surprises; and beyond these again were the meadows -hedged with blackberries, and carpeted in spring with cowslip and -ladies’ smock. From the meadows one passed through to the woods, and -so to the whole billowy stretch of the Weald, with its varied -foliage, its blue lights and chasing shadows, its lakes of white -mist in the still summer mornings. - -S. J.-B. had seen the place first in November. She actually took -possession in May, when the red chestnuts were in bloom and the -woods full of bluebells. - -“‘The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places’,” she said, “‘I -have a goodly heritage’;” and the words were constantly on her lips -till the end. Kipling’s “Sussex by the Sea” might have been written -for her, so gratefully did she take possession of it. - - “Each to his choice, and I rejoice - The lot has fallen to me - In a fair ground—in a fair ground— - Yea, Sussex by the sea!” - -Her first care was to institute a fruit garden, building a south -wall and planting vines, figs, peaches, nectarines and apricots. In -the course of a few years her strawberries in particular had -acquired quite a reputation. - -She started a dairy too, and supervised it herself. It was a real -joy to her to have cows in the paddock and to produce her own cream -and butter. The hay-making and the harvest supper were great events -in the year. - -But long before she had got as far as this—before the house was more -than tolerably straight after the great flitting—she was inviting -guests to share the joys of the spring and summer. All through the -later years of her life she had the intimate daily companionship she -prized so generously, but her doors stood open always as of old. -“Windydene is a Mecca,” one of the younger medical women said, and -there were those to whom it was a Mecca and something more. From S. -J.-B.’s old fellow-students down to some unknown girl graduate, they -came from all parts of the world. We have seen what Dr. Lillie -Saville thought of life at Windydene, and indeed Lady Jenkinson’s -“soul and body, especially soul” often finds an echo. A woman doctor -who met S. J.-B. first at that British Medical Association dinner in -Edinburgh writes years later: - - “Thinking it over, I see that the best new influence that came - into my life during the last seven years was the Doctor’s young - fresh interest, her enthusiasm, her breadth of mind, her spiritual - force and faith, and her strong original wisdom.” - -But it was not only women doctors who came. Literary folk were -guests too, and, above all, the old friends, whatever they had -chanced to become. Miss Du Pre, Lady Jenkinson, Miss Catharine -Eliott-Lockhart, Miss E. Cordery, Mrs. Gardiner, Mr. James Cordery, -Mr. Phipson and Dr. Pechey Phipson, Mrs. (Dr.) Mears, and many -others. The arrival of Dr. Agnes M‘Laren from her season’s practice -on the Riviera was one of the events of the early summer; she always -came by Newhaven and so to Crowborough, where S. J.-B. faithfully -awaited her. A still earlier event in the year was the arrival of -Miss Caroline Jex-Blake, “when the primroses were out,” and her joy -in the meadows and woods was a thing that only those who knew her -could conceive. - -Little enough entertainment in the ordinary sense was offered to the -guests at any time. Breakfast in bed was an unfailing institution -for tired workers, and most of the guests were tired workers. There -was fruit and cream to heart’s content and beyond it; there were -long leisurely drives uphill and down dale through that beautiful -country,[158]—plenty of chess for those who were worthy of chess,— -unforgettable evenings round the study fire; and at all other times— -stated meals apart—an almost unlimited choice of books,—and liberty -to do as one pleased. - -Footnote 158: - - “I took her to see the pixies,” writes S. J.-B. to a friend, in - June, “I don’t think she did see any, but she greatly enjoyed the - woods, etc.” - - * * * * * - -S. J.-B. used to say that her one extravagance at Windydene was -journals and books. She had always been a book buyer, and books were -more essential than ever now. New shelves had to be put up every -year or so. Her collection of recent novels alone induced a well- -known publisher to say that she ought to have a testimonial from -authors and publishers. There was a certain amount of practical -benevolence in this. In Edinburgh she had often said that an -important part of her treatment of patients was the lending of -suitable novels, and at Windydene she often had twenty or thirty -books out at a time. Her taste was catholic in the extreme, but she -specially appreciated among others _Peter Ibbetson_, _San Celestino_ -and _Out of Due Time_; and—like so many distinguished people—she -keenly enjoyed detective stories, especially for reading in the -watches of the night. - -She had lost none of her love of poetry. The “poetry book-case” had -an honoured place as of old; but, as she sat in her big chair by the -fire, she had a revolving stand filled with special favourites -within reach of her right hand, and, on her left (in the angle of -the chimney-piece) a tiny set of shelves brought from the -corresponding nook in her Edinburgh consulting room, contained her -Mother’s Bible and a few other chosen friends. - -But the range of her purchases during those later years was very -wide: almost at random one recalls Blomefield’s _Norfolk_, all -Father Tyrrell’s works, a whole library of books on social -problems,—industry, poverty, labour, etc.—and a fine copy of _The -Book of the Dead_. - -She retained her old interest in what one may call the polemics of -religion, and this was intensified by a delightful and unexpected -friendship of those later days. - -She had not been many weeks in Mark Cross before some mutual friend -suggested that she might care to know the Roman Catholic priest—a -man, as it chanced, of scholarship and culture—following up the -suggestion with the loan of a book which the priest had published -some years before.[159] A few days later S. J.-B. wrote the -following letter: - - “June 15th [1899]. - - DEAR SIR, - - I have been reading your book on Reunion with very great - sympathy and admiration; and, if you care to call on an elderly - woman who is not of your creed, I should be very glad to have the - honour of making your acquaintance. - - I expect to be at home tomorrow afternoon, or could fix any day - except Monday, next week, if more convenient to you. - - Yours truly, - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE, M.D. - - Rev. Father Duggan.” - -Footnote 159: - - _Steps towards Reunion._ The book had been put on the Index - Expurgatorius. - -It did not strike the looker-on as a specially likely combination, -but it was the unlikely thing that happened. The Revd. Father Duggan -became one of the most welcome guests at Windydene. He and his dog, -Caesar, used to drop in almost every Sunday afternoon for -strawberries on the lawn or tea round the study fire. I don’t -pretend that Caesar took any interest in the strawberries—possible -rabbits were a more absorbing subject—but he did enjoy his bowl of -tea, especially when a lump of sugar remained at the bottom as a -_bonne bouche_. He was the centre of interest when his turn came, -and, when the anticipated “crunch” was heard, the general laugh of -sympathy never failed. They were just happy children together,—the -Dog, the Reverend Father and the old Pioneer, and now the world is -the poorer for the loss of all three. - -There were great talks on those Sunday afternoons; it was no -uncommon thing to see three versions of the Bible and half a dozen -volumes of the _Encyclopaedia_ lying about at the end to witness to -the interest of the discussion. There was much borrowing and lending -of books,—and no obvious change of view on the part of anyone except -in the direction of increased tolerance and brotherly kindness. A -very simple anecdote will give as good an idea as any of the nature -of the friendship. - -Father Duggan had been the lender of Canon Cheyne’s _Commentary on -the Psalms_, which he had just reviewed for a daily paper. - - “I won’t pretend that I read the whole of it,” said S. J.-B. in - returning the volumes. “In fact”—with a sparkle of mischief,—“I - noticed when it came that only about a quarter of the leaves were - cut.” - - “Yes,” he admitted tranquilly. “I did think of cutting a few more - before sending it up to you,—but I didn’t.” - - “_Ah, no!_” she said. “You were an honest man.” - -She was on excellent terms, too, with the local doctors: they looked -forward to a chat when they met her in the country lanes, and, if, -when she left Edinburgh, there had been any hatchet left to bury, -their boyish camaraderie would soon have compelled her to bury it. -“I confess I had a prejudice against women doctors,” one of them -said after her death, “but she disarmed me completely.” - -The life at Windydene was not unbroken. The clay soil in that wooded -garden was not conducive to the health of a rheumatic person like S. -J.-B., so several brief winters were spent at various places on the -Riviera, and one in Portugal, mainly in the Sacred Forest at -Bussaco. At Carqueiranne in Provence one of the editors of the -_Matin_ was a fellow guest, and he proved another unexpected -comrade. It must have been a matter of some surprise to him to meet -in that unlikely place, an elderly English gentlewoman with a grasp -of the range of European politics and a facility for discussing it -in excellent French. - -It was at Carqueiranne that she and the intimate friend of those -days met Mr. Frederic Myers and Professor William James, and here -too there was a pleasant _partie carrée_ for some days with -Professor and Mrs. Gardiner who were on a cycling tour in the south -of France. Professor Gardiner had several times been S. J.-B.’s -guest in Edinburgh, when his researches brought him north to inspect -some unique document among the archives there, and it was a pleasant -change to meet when both were in purely holiday mood. - -In the late Autumn of 1909—in spite of increasing physical -disqualifications—she made a last driving tour to her beloved -Yarrow. - - * * * * * - -It is needless to say that she never lost her interest in the -happenings of the world. She had latterly a profound distrust of -Germany, and was an eager reader of the articles on this subject in -the _National Review_. _The Riddle of the Sands_ was a novel that -she helped to circulate widely. Her name appeared pretty frequently -in the correspondence columns of the _Times_, sometimes in -connection with Woman Suffrage, more often in unavailing protest -against the endless “joy-riding”—degenerating into the sheer -lawlessness of the “road-hog”—that was making the loveliest English -lanes a nightmare of dust and danger. - -It was to the _Times_, too, that she sent her last tribute to the -most heroic of her Edinburgh friends in the old days of the “fight.” - - “SIR,—It seems impossible to let the grave close over the mortal - remains of Professor Masson without one word of heartfelt - gratitude from those whom he befriended so nobly in 1869 and the - following years. Our struggle with the University was hard enough - as it was, but without his help and that of half a dozen other men - it would have been impracticable. I feel that it is really quite - impossible to do justice to the chivalry, the unselfishness, the - constant readiness to espouse the unpopular cause, and to fight in - its foremost ranks, which characterized Professor Masson, and it - would take far too much of your space to say even a fraction of - what could be said of the aid he gave us in that great battle. - - But I beg you at least to allow me to say that those so deeply - indebted to him will never forget him, but hold his memory in love - and reverence as long as they live. - - Yours obediently, - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE. - - Windydene, Mark Cross, Sussex, Oct. 10 [1907].” - -The suffrage movement was always near her heart, though she never -grew restless or impatient over the long delay. She never approved -of tax-resistance, and militant methods made her uneasy, though she -admitted that they had given the cause a prominence that nothing -else could have done. Looking back in 1879 on her own fight she had -been able to say, “We seemed led all the way; certainly our aim was -straight at the end [before us], but ‘highly and holily’ too. I -never minded dirt of others’ throwing, but I don’t think I ever -smirched my own conscience.” It was in her favour that the Editor of -the _Spectator_ broke through his stern rule of excluding all -letters advocating the extension of the franchise to women. “Our -respect for so eminent a lady makes it a pleasure to publish Dr. -Sophia Jex-Blake’s letter.” - -It was this question of the suffrage, too, as we shall see, that -brought her for the last time into touch with Octavia Hill. - -S. J.-B.’s outer circle had never suspected her of being -“religious,” and even by the fireside she spoke less perhaps, rather -than more, on the subject as time went on; but the old quotations -kept flashing up to witness to the fire beneath. She was always -profoundly interested in any genuine profession of faith, any real -conversion or perversion. Several of her friends joined the Church -of Rome in those later years, and she was one to whom they always -felt the need of justifying themselves. They felt sure of an -underlying sympathy, however she might disapprove. Often, of course, -she declined to take the matter too seriously. To an old student she -wrote: - - “I am not at all shocked at your Sunday programme, but I must say - I am amused at your going to a dissenting chapel.” - -And again: - - “I don’t trouble myself much about who goes ‘over to Rome’ and who - does not. After all for each one,—‘To his own Master he stands or - falls,’ and what we must ask of each is to act to the best of his - lights. - - But I think ‘subterfuging’ implies dim lights.” - -Her own attitude grew steadily simpler, enriching the vital elements -of her Mother’s creed with the wisdom and experience of her own -life. As time went on she disliked increasingly to be classed with -those whose attitude towards religion is one of indifference. Even -before she left Edinburgh she had written to an old school friend, -in acknowledgement of a book by another schoolfellow: - - “To speak plainly then it strikes me as crude and superficial,—as - the work of a person who has caught up passwords rather than of - one who has struggled through the conflict of thought personally. - It reminds me forcibly of the old proverb, ‘Qui pauca considerat - facile pronuntiat.’ The deeper we go into problems, whether social - or religious, the less possible it seems to me to pronounce about - them offhand. - - In theology you would, I suppose, rank me among the Agnostics, as - I feel very strongly how little we _know_ on such subjects, and - that the truly scientific aspect of mind is one of suspension of - judgment; but I have no sympathy at all with C.’s attacks on - Christianity and the alleged motives of its advocates, and still - less with her estimate of the character of Christ. - - The programme of Socialism strikes me (so far as I understand it) - as unworkable, because it ignores a great many of the facts of - human nature; and I am sure you are right in thinking that the - true path of progress lies in gradual improvement, and gradual - removal of unjust restrictions, rather than in sudden violence and - revolution.” - -To a much more intimate friend she had written about the same time: - - “Yes, I think —— is what I should call an Agnostic, but perhaps - you from lordly heights of orthodoxy don’t appreciate that that - differs ‘toto caelo’ from an atheist; and that it is one of the - most offensive of errors,—and one frequently made from culpable - carelessness,—to substitute the one for the other.” - -Her appreciation of the Bible increased—and it had always been an -exceptional appreciation;—but there are two quotations that stand -out in one’s memory as belonging to her in a special sense. She -always appropriated to herself with great fervour the prayer of -Agur:—“Two things have I required of thee...: Remove far from me -vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with -food convenient for me; lest I be full and deny thee, and say, Who -is the Lord? or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my -God in vain.” - -And more than once, after quoting the words from Isaiah:—“Thus saith -the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; -I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a -contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and -to revive the heart of the contrite ones,” she added almost under -her breath, - -“I am not sure that that is not the finest thing in the whole -Bible.” - -But while she was one of those to whom the Old Testament makes -perhaps a special appeal, it was not by accident that at the time of -her death, and for years previously, the words were fixed above the -mantelpiece, both in her study and in her bedroom,—“Bear ye one -another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” - - * * * * * - -Some years before leaving Edinburgh, S. J.-B. had a heart attack -which caused Dr. Balfour grave uneasiness, and, although she rallied -in the course of a week, similar attacks kept recurring at -considerable intervals. On one occasion at Windydene she was -unconscious for several hours, and finally “came out of blackness” -to ask with great calmness, “Well, what do you suppose has -happened?” - -Within a week of this attack she started for the Riviera. - -It is probable that she never fully realized the seriousness of -these cardiac signs and symptoms; but, in one way or another, death -knocked at her door pretty frequently during those later years. - -In 1901-2, she suffered from a mysterious and anomalous “growth,” -for which a leading London surgeon refused to operate on the ground -that she was a bad subject. She was not sorry for the refusal, but -the enemy grew with appalling rapidity, and it became increasingly -clear that something would have to be done. All through the period -of uncertainty she went on with her life absolutely as usual. “I did -wake up one night in a horror of great darkness,” she confessed, -“wondering what was going to happen; but very soon Whittier’s words -came into my mind: - - “I know not what the future hath - Of marvel or surprise, - Assured alone that life and death - His mercy underlies.... - - I know not where His islands lift - Their fronded palms in air; - I only know I cannot drift - Beyond His love and care.” - -And then I just turned over on the other side and went to sleep -again.” - -“How thankful we should be,” she said on another occasion, “that we -don’t know what is before us. Life is hard enough, it would be much -harder if we knew.” - -When a friend remarked on her courage, she said,—and this was a -remark repeated many times before the end of her life,—“No, no. I -have been brave sometimes in my life, but not now. There is nothing -to be brave about now.” - -In response one day to a warmer expression of admiration, she almost -cried out in protest,—“_Oh!_ ... God be merciful to me a sinner. -That is what one feels more and more.” Then, after a pause: - - “‘Suffice it if—my good and ill unreckoned, - And both forgiven through Thy abounding grace— - I find myself by hands familiar beckoned - Unto my fitting place.’” - -Another day she said, “My life here will not be much longer, but I -feel that I have not reached the end. I have learnt a great deal, -and I have a great deal still to learn. Unless one has absolutely -_refused_ to learn, one must get the chance to learn more.” - -Her friend quoted Thring. “My creed is life. Blessed is life the -King, etc.” - -“Ah,” she said, “I don’t know that it will be _better_ than this -life, but it will give us the chance to learn fresh things.” - -It was on that occasion that she looked death in the face while -still in full possession of her powers—“‘I laid me down with a -will,’” she said—; but for the moment the sacrifice was not required -of her. When the malady reached a point at which surgical -interference was at worst a necessary palliative, she proposed to -ask two of her own old students to come and undertake an operation. -It was represented to her that it was scarcely fair to put so great -a responsibility on them,[160] so she wrote to her friend, Mr. -Cathcart of Edinburgh, asking him to come and undertake the case. He -came at once, of course, and the operation proved a triumphant -success.[161] - -Footnote 160: - - At that time very few women had come into the front rank as - surgeons. - -Footnote 161: - - Her old fellow student, Dr. Annie Clark, who had graduated with - her at Berne, came from Birmingham to give the anaesthetic. - -So life was given back to her just as she had laid it down, and the -remaining years were in some respects the happiest and most peaceful -she had known. She renewed her youth, though in truth she had never -grown old, and lived more than ever in the life of her “girls.” She -had always said, “Not me, but us.” Now more and more the “us” came -into the centre of her scheme of life. Perhaps her last ambition was -that some British University should give her its honorary degree, -but her friends only realized this when she had already laid the -ambition down. “I shall never have a University hood,” she said once -or twice quite simply. All the more she enjoyed the glories of the -young women doctors who were coming on. She listened to their -accounts of what they had learned and of what they had done with an -admiration that was nothing short of poignant in its simplicity. Her -own share in the whole thing simply dropped out. At most she would -say when some gifted visitor was gone, “Wonderful the work she is -doing! Well, I did help a little bit once upon a time, didn’t I?” - -It was when one of her old girls seemed face to face for the first -time with that most bitter disappointment in a doctor’s experience,— -the loss of a patient for whose life one has fought with repeated -recrudescence of hope in the teeth of despair,—that S. J.-B. wrote -one of her last letters: - - “Windydene, - 7 p.m. March 19th. 1911. - - DEAR CHILD, - - I _am_ so sorry for you, and I think of you so much! It is - an experience that has to come to all of us who live in our work,— - and we must believe ‘we shall see in heaven why it could not be - otherwise.’ - - Meanwhile ‘the Healer by Gennesaret shall walk thy rounds with - thee.’ - - When it is all over,—for I suppose that is now the end,—I think - you should come down here for a few perfectly quiet days. We shall - be so glad to have you. - - Yours sincerely, - S. J.-B.” - -There was, of course, one visitor whom she would fain have welcomed -to her “pleasant places.” She had followed Octavia Hill’s life with -unfailing interest, and had subscribed to the Derwentwater scheme, -and to other of Miss Hill’s beneficent works. In July or August 1910 -a letter opposing the extension of the suffrage to women appeared in -the _Times_ above the signature of Octavia Hill. S. J.-B. replied to -the letter, regretting that Miss Hill should have “given the support -of her honoured name” to the negative side of the controversy. The -_Times_ did not often refuse a communication from S. J.-B., but on -this occasion her letter was not inserted. Perhaps the trifling -episode called up memories too insistent to be stilled, for a day or -two later she wrote to her old friend: - - “August 5th. 1910. - Windydene, Mark Cross, Sussex. - - DEAR, - - I wrote enclosed mainly as an answer to yours in the - _Times_, and as it has been sent back to me, crowded out, I send - it to you,—to show you another old woman’s point of view. - - I am rheumatic and lame now, and cannot go about much, but I wish - you would come down and spend two or three days with me here on - the Sussex hills, and we would thrash out this Suffrage question— - surely one of us ought to be able to convince the other! - - And I _should_ like to see you again! - - Yours sincerely, - S. JEX-BLAKE. - - I grieved greatly with you in your loss in June.”[162] - -Footnote 162: - - Miss Miranda Hill died in June 1910. - -Miss Octavia Hill had allowed herself no “sabbatical year,” and she -was flagging in harness. Her life had been spent in unremitting -service of her fellow men. She answered her old friend’s letter, but -she could not respond. One has no difficulty in understanding her -attitude now. A conventional meeting would have been useless, and -anything else would have involved a greater upheaval than most -people are willing to face as life goes on. - -And it well may be that she had acted wisely all along. As Mrs. Jex- -Blake had said many years before with that strange _pre_vision that -is given sometimes to the pure in heart,—“God has two great works,— -one for her, one for you.” - -Those two great works could never have been combined. - -And, indeed, no one with a disposition like S. J.-B.’s can go -through life without losing friends. She might have said with St. -Teresa,—“For one thing, the devil sometimes fills me with such a -harsh and cruel temper; such a spirit of anger and hostility at some -people, that I could eat them up and annihilate them.” But, as in -the case of St. Teresa, the obverse side of the medal was a capacity -for loving that can seldom have been surpassed in our human nature. -“Went not my heart with thee...?” she used to say: and it did,—not -only with those nearest to her, but with all who appealed to her -mother-heart. The comforting letter was written, in spite of all -fatigue and inconvenience, at the earliest possible moment: the box -of flowers, the grapes, the wine, the cheque, the open hospitable -doors,—all seemed messengers waiting for their turn, like the swift- -heeled servants of the Fairy Queen. - -No appeal ever came to her that she ignored. The Charity -Organisation Society was familiar with her name; and great sometimes -was her disappointment when those she wanted to help were pronounced -hopeless or unworthy. Nothing that she loved ever grew old. Her -friends, her horses,—even the purely material things to which she -was attached—grew more beautiful in her eyes as their market value -decreased. She always parted deliberately with the flowers that had -stood by her hand. No one was ever allowed to throw them away as a -matter of routine, and often she would raise them to her lips before -putting them in the fire. - -St. Teresa’s love no doubt was a more transcendent thing. It was her -lot to live in an age of faith. S. J.-B. often quoted Whittier’s -_Autograph_: - - “If of the Law’s stone table, - To hold he scarce was able - The first great precept fast, - He kept for man the last. - - Through mortal lapse and dulness - What lacks the Eternal Fulness, - If still our weakness can - Love Him in loving man?” - -There are those of whom Teresa herself said: - - “They may have more merit in His eyes than their more favoured - neighbours, because their obedience and their faith and their love - have cost them more. Their Lord deals with them as with strong and - valiant men, appointing them travail and trouble here, that they - may fight for Him the good fight of faith, and only come in for - the prize at the end.” - -No portrait gives any adequate idea of Sophia Jex-Blake. Someone who -saw her first in 1886 writes: - - “Although too stout in figure, she had a fine commanding presence, - and one was struck at once by the exceeding _comeliness_ of her - face. It was strong, wise and benevolent, capable of an - extraordinary range of expression. The brow was ideally shaped, - broad and serene in repose, though always liable to the summer - lightnings that one half admired, half dreaded. Her hair was - growing white, but the eyebrows remained black till the end, and - the eyes, both by nature and by the long discipline of life, were - extraordinarily fine and expressive.” - -It was twenty years later than this that a girl friend said,—“She -has the look of one ‘following fearlessly’.” Throughout life, the -tendency to sadness of expression was wholly contradicted by her -smile; her eyes very readily bubbled over with merriment; as some -reporter had said in the days of the fight, “With those dimples she -must be good-natured.” When an old servant was shown the final -portrait in this volume, she said, “But I want her to look up at me -and laugh as she used to do!” - - * * * * * - -One does not wish to dwell on the history of the last few months. -From the physical point of view it is a familiar story. One by one -every medicament lost its efficacy: the failing heart ceased to -invigorate one organ after another. But the strong and disciplined -will held the shattered tabernacle together. Sometimes acute -symptoms forced her to stay in bed for a day or two, but she always -struggled on to her feet again at the earliest possible moment and -went for the daily drive through her beloved lanes and woods. True -that towards the end she noticed these less and less,—drowsed most -of the way; but, if there was occasion to rouse herself and speak to -anyone, she did so almost as of old. - -“The worst of lying awake at night,” she used to say whimsically, -“is that one realizes all the mistakes one has made in one’s life.” -It was not even _lying_ awake sometimes: it was a weary sitting up -or lying down as each position in turn became intolerable. And -often, after only three minutes’ unconsciousness, she would exclaim -in something like the old happy voice, “I have had such a lovely -sleep!” - -Almost to the last day she repeated bits of her favourite poems and -psalms,—and nothing gave her so much pleasure as to plan holidays -for those who still had a day’s work before them. She was infinitely -mindful of those who tended her. Almost her last words were,—“Now do -go and have a good rest.” - -And so the end came,—suddenly but not unexpectedly. She sat down one -day more tired than usual—it was the 7th January, 1912—stretched -herself back, and rendered up her soul to God who gave it. - - * * * * * - -A great wave of feeling arose in the village and round about when it -was known that the familiar figure of the old warrior would no more -be seen in her Sussex lanes. Perplexed at first, her neighbours of -all classes had come in a measure to understand her, to be proud of -her,—some of them to love her. With one or two, indeed, she had -formed a warm and intimate friendship. There was every token of -respectful sympathy and mourning when the little procession made its -way to Rotherfield Church.[163] - -Footnote 163: - - By a strange coincidence she lies within a few yards of her old - friend and champion, Sir James Stansfeld. See Appendix G. - -And that wave of feeling went out over the whole world. Messages and -tributes of appreciation and regret poured steadily in. The most -beautiful and adequate was the paragraph in the _Pall Mall Gazette_: - - “The woman as Happy Warrior has passed away with the death in her - Sussex home of Sophia Jex-Blake. There is scarcely an attribute of - the great figure in Wordsworth’s poem which she did not possess, - with the crowning added happiness of seeing her fame as a noble - and successful pioneer in a great movement finally established. - She it was, more than anyone else, who compelled the gates of the - medical profession to be opened to women. Through years of - hostility and obloquy she never lost heart in her Cause; and, - meeting violence with reason and coarseness with dignity, she won - at last. Her longest and bitterest fight was with the University - of Edinburgh; and, later, when Parliament had recognized the right - of women to be doctors, it was in that city that she practised for - twenty-one years. Since the death of Florence Nightingale no woman - has died of whom more truly may it be written, _Bene actæ vitæ - recordatio jucundissima est_. - -But the reader may find a special propriety in a very simple -resolution passed a few days later in an Over Seas dominion: - - “That the members of the University Women’s Club of Toronto do - place on record their deep sense of the great influence and noble - life of Dr. Sophia Jex-Blake. Now that her distinguished career - has closed, they feel that she was the helper of all University - women,—and they love her for many reasons.” - -THE END - - - - - APPENDIX A - PEDIGREE OF THE JEX-BLAKE FAMILY - - -S. J.-B.’s father was one of the Blakes of Bunwell, Scottow, etc., -in the county of Norfolk. - -A family of Blakes settled at Bunwell in 1620. It is said -traditionally that they came from Somersetshire and were descended -from the same family as Robert Blake, the great Admiral of the -Commonwealth, being probably a branch of the original family of the -Blaks, Blaaks or Blakes of Pinnels in the parish of Cawne or Calne, -Co. Wilts., there seated as early, at least, as 1400. These families -bore the same arms with slight differences, namely, argent a chevron -between three garbs sable. Crest, on a chapeau gules turned up -ermine, a martlet argent. - -In the chancel of Bunwell Church, near the altar rails, is a -tombstone with the following inscription: - - Under this Stone lyeth the Body of Mr John Blake - He dyed the 21 of August 1686 being sixtie 4 - Yeares of age and upwards. - -Above this legend are the arms of Blake as above: on the chevron a -fleur-de-lis for difference. - -From this gentleman is descended in direct line all the present -family through his fourth son, Robert Blake, who settled at Scottow -about 1680, marrying Margaret, eldest daughter of William Durrant of -Scottow Hall. Their son, Thomas Blake of Scottow, born November 7th, -1689, married Elizabeth, daughter of John Jex, Esq. of Lowestoft, -and the grandson of these last, William Blake of Swanton Abbots, in -the Commission of the Peace, and Deputy Lieutenant for Norfolk, -having inherited the chief part of the Jex property, obtained on his -petition by Royal Licence on August 17th, 1837, that he and his -descendants should assume and use the surname Jex in addition to and -before that of Blake, and also bear the arms of Jex quarterly, in -the second quarter, with those of Blake.[164] - -Footnote 164: - - See _The London Gazette_, Friday, August 25, 1837. - - - - - APPENDIX B - “WORDS FOR THE WAY.”[165]—No. 2. REST - - “There remaineth a Rest for the people of God.”—HEB. IV. 9. - -Footnote 165: - - The authors have sought to supply a want, more or less widely - felt, of simple Tracts, which, while endeavouring to set forth the - deepest truths of Christianity, shall avoid the phraseology of - certain schools, as jarring on the minds of many. - - - Those who see any degree of successful effort in the Tracts - already published are invited to assist in obtaining for them, and - others of the series, such a circulation as may best ensure their - usefulness. - -What is the thing that you wish for most in the world? - -I cannot hear your answers to my question, and I do not suppose that -everyone to whom it is addressed would answer it in the same way; -but I must try and fancy to myself what you would be most likely to -say. And first I suppose that each of you would be likely to wish -for that of which he has most felt the need. - -Some of you, perhaps, who are very poor, would say, “Money.” Well, -money is a very good thing, and, if we know how to use it rightly, a -great blessing for which to thank God when He gives it to us; but -you might have money, and yet be far from happy—yet have a great -many of your deepest wants unsatisfied. And very many of those who -have most money would be the first to tell you that this is the -case; and I am sure that with very little of it, it is possible to -be very happy if we have some other things. - -I hardly think that money is what we should wish for most. - -Those of you who are very ill, and who are constantly suffering pain -that seems to be always coming freshly upon you, would perhaps say, -“Health.” Well, that too is a very good and great gift of God’s, and -those of us who have it should thank Him very much for it, and pity -heartily and helpfully those who have it not. But I think that with -even this blessing, there may be very great wants left; and I -believe that it is possible to be very blessed without it. I do not -think that Health satisfies the deepest want of our nature. - -And some of you perhaps, who have felt how sad it is to be ignorant -of many things that it would be so good to know, and who are longing -to learn more about God and His great and wonderful works, might say -that “Knowledge” was the gift which of all others you desire. - -Some again who have felt how sad it is to stand all alone in this -great world, every part of which God has made so dependent on the -rest,—who long for some heart to lean upon in all life’s troubles, -some hand to help to cut a way through them, will say that “Love” is -the greatest blessing that it seems to them possible to receive. - -I have no doubt that if I were really talking to you, or, still -better, could see the thoughts of your hearts, I should be told of -many wants which you earnestly desire to have satisfied,—wants, some -of them belonging to the lower and some of them to the higher part -of that wonderful nature which God has given to us all. - -And now perhaps you would like to hear _my_ answer to this question -I have been asking of you, “What is the thing we most want?” It -seems to me that there is one blessing which sums up in itself—which -seems to imply or to contain—almost all others, and which, if we go -deeply enough into it, does really satisfy all the great wants of -our nature. This is REST. - -Now let us think what Rest is: and see whether if you had that, you -would have the deepest part of all your wants satisfied. - -You said you wanted Money? Well, was not the comfort which you -thought money could give you, just that freedom from care and -anxiety which we call Rest?—was it not really for this, and not for -the money itself, you longed? - -And you wanted Health? Is it not just because health would give you -rest from pain and from continual weariness that it seems to you the -best of all things? Does not Health for you really mean Rest? - -And is it not because there is something that you are always longing -to know and understand that you desire so much to have Knowledge? Is -not your wish for it founded on the feeling that God gave you a mind -and understanding which can only be satisfied by learning and -knowing. Do you not really desire knowledge that your intellect may -have some firm standing ground?—that it too may have Rest? - -And most of all do not you who long for Love, long for it because -you feel that to have some one beside you to feel for you and help -you, to pray with and work with you through all the labours of this -life, is the nearest approach to Rest that we can have on earth, -except that deepest Rest which comes through feeling the constant -nearness of Him who loves most of all, who “will never leave thee -nor forsake thee” (Heb. xiii. 5). If then we can but look forward to -Rest, are we not sure of having _all_ that we need? - -And it is just this that is promised to us in the text we read at -the beginning, “There remaineth a Rest for the people of God.” God -knows so well all our wants, and knows so well what will best supply -them, that all through the Bible you will find beautiful promises -about Rest. Let us look at a few of them. Job in the midst of his -great troubles speaks of the future life as that “where the weary -are at Rest” (Job. iii. 17). The prophet Jeremiah promises to those -who will hear God’s will and seek to do it, that they “shall find -Rest for their souls” (Jer. vi. 16). Our Lord Jesus Christ knew well -about this deepest want in our nature when He spoke that most -beautiful of invitations to all who heard Him on earth, and to all -who read His words now, “Come unto me all ye that labour and are -heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and -learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find -Rest unto your souls” (Matt. xi. 28, 29). - -And the whole argument of the chapter from which the text we are -talking about is taken, is this, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a -promise being left us of entering into His Rest, any of us should -seem to come short of it” (Heb. iv. 1). - -But now let us ask what is implied or meant by those last words -about “coming short of it?” What is meant by our Lord’s telling -people that they must “take His yoke upon them” and be “meek and -lowly of heart” if they would find Rest? What is meant when Rest is -promised specially to the “people of God”? - -Now, if we believe that God loves us as He does, quite infinitely— -more than we can even understand—we may be quite sure that He will -always give us every good thing that He can—that He will never put -any limit to His promises if He can help it—that He would like to -give Rest and all other good things to everyone if it were possible. - -We must never doubt for one moment God’s willingness to give us all -good things, and to do all for us that it is possible for love to -do. Remember what Christ says about that, “If ye then, being evil, -know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall -your Father which is in heaven know how to give good things to them -that ask Him (Matt. vii. 11). And again, “I say not that I will pray -the Father for you; for the Father himself loveth you” (John xvi. -26, 27). And St. Paul tells us that “He that spared not His own Son, -but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely -give us all things?” (Rom. viii. 32). - -So you see that we may be quite sure that if we do not get this -great blessing, Rest, it will not be because God is not willing to -give it to us. - -But there are certain great principles, which we call laws, which -govern God’s world, which are of the very nature of God’s own being, -and the more we come to know and realize about these laws, the more -we shall find them to be the most wonderfully good and beautiful and -blessed ones which could be imagined, and see in every one of them -some great and glorious provision for the best possible things, -which could not come without them. - -Now you know God made man in His own image (Gen. i. 27), and, though -man afterwards broke that beautiful image and lost the perfect -likeness that God had given him to Himself—(as we are told in -Eccles. vii. 29, “God made man upright; but they have sought out -many inventions”)—still man is so deep a partaker of God’s nature, -that the truest and deepest part of him is that which is like God -and akin to Him, so that St. Paul tells us, “In God we live, and -move, and have our being ... for we are also his offspring” (Acts -xvii. 28). Now just because our whole blessedness, and our only hope -of returning at last to the perfect image in which God made us, lies -in our trying to get nearer and nearer to God, and to become more -and more like Him, so that our Lord Jesus bids us “Be perfect, even -as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt. v. 48)—just -because of this, I say, one of the great and merciful laws of God is -that none of us shall ever find any true happiness apart from -goodness; and no one can hope for Rest who does not seek it in the -way of striving to do God’s will. Some one has said that the true -Rest of the soul is attained only when God’s will is our will. So we -are told by Isaiah, that “There is no peace, saith my God, for the -wicked” (Isa. lvii. 21). - -And “the wicked” do not mean those only who do great and shameful -sins, which seem very terrible even to us, but all who do not strive -in everything to do God’s will. Let us look a little more closely at -what this will of God’s is. - -We are told in the Old Testament what it is. Look at Isaiah i. 16, -17, “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of thy doing from -before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, -relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” -And again, look at Micah vi. 8, “He hath showed thee, O man, what is -good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and -to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” - -And when we come to the New Testament, we find Our Lord Jesus Christ -telling men who those are whom God blesses—what it is to do God’s -will: - - “Blessed are the poor in spirit. - Blessed are the meek. - Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. - Blessed are the merciful. - Blessed are the pure in heart. - Blessed are the peacemakers.” (See Matt. v.) - -And while He says that that man only “shall enter into the kingdom -of heaven,” who “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” -(Matt. vii. 21), He explains that will to be, “Thou shalt love the -Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all -thy strength; and thy neighbour as thyself.... This do and thou -shalt live” (Luke x. 27, 28). So that if that Rest seems to us a -great and glorious thing to attain, we must seek it in God’s way; we -must try to do God’s will here, that we may rest in perfect harmony -and agreement with that will hereafter. - -Is it not a wonderful and beautiful thing that God loves us _so_ -much that He will not _let_ us be otherwise than good?—that He will -not cease to remind us by constant unhappiness and restlessness that -we are not fulfilling our highest end, till we strive day by day to -come nearer to Him; so that at last, in that great happy day of -Rest, there will be no more striving; for “we shall be like Him, for -we shall see Him as He is.” - -Would you like to hear once more those words, which I daresay you -know so well, and which tell us better than any others have ever -done, _what_ that Rest shall be, and how it shall satisfy all our -wants at last, as “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard.” - -Let us turn to the Revelation of St. John, and hear the description -he gives of those who have entered into Rest: “They shall hunger no -more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, -nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall -feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and -God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” “Behold the -tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they -shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be -their God.... And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor -crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things -are passed away.” “And there shall be no night there; and they need -no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them -light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” “Blessed are they -that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of -life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Rev. vii. -16, 17; xxi. 3, 4; xxii. 5, 14). - - - - - APPENDIX C - CONCLUSIONS FROM “A VISIT TO AMERICAN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES” - - -“The two features of American education which strike an Englishman -as characteristic, are, the union of all classes in the same schools -and of both sexes in the same colleges; the first being nearly -universal throughout the Northern States; the second still -exceptional, and as regards public opinion, still on probation. - -I. That no disadvantages attend the system of mingling all classes -in school can hardly, I suppose, be maintained, though it may be -thought that the advantages greatly preponderate.... So far as -distinctions and consequent separations of rank depend on merely -external circumstances, such as wealth and position, I do not -believe that we gain much by observing them; but when they rest on -real differences of culture and refinement, the case becomes -different, and it does not seem good policy to risk certain loss to -one class, without being sure of securing a more than proportionate -gain to another. In short it seems to me that, if we can mingle -different classes of children in such proportions and under such -conditions as to ensure that the higher standard shall prevail over -the lower, and the tone of all be raised to that of the foremost -few, the measure must be an altogether good one: and I am sure that -to some extent and under some restrictions this may be done: but if -once the inferior standard of refinement is allowed to predominate, -the lower dragging down the higher rather than being raised by it, I -fear that no results gained can pay for the loss accruing. - -II. With regard to the joint education of the sexes, it seems to be -pretty clearly established that, in America at least, this system -can prosper for years without any markedly evil effects as to the -morals and manners of the fellow-students, and the evidence of most -professors and teachers goes strongly to show that, on the contrary, -the mutual influence exerted is usually very beneficial. - -It seems also to be proved that at least a considerable number of -women can undertake and successfully complete the same course of -study that is usual for men, and that without more apparent -detriment to their health than students of the other sex. - -The general issue divides itself into three practical questions: -(_a_) whether men and women shall pursue the same course of study; -(_b_) whether they shall continue it to the same point; and (_c_) -whether their studies, if identical, shall be pursued together.... - -(_a_) If there is no fundamental education answering to the needs of -common humanity, and, therefore, equally necessary both for men and -women,—it follows that the difference of sex is more radical and -more essential than is the common humanity that underlies it.... -Women have, I think, from the earliest times, suffered from the fact -of men’s pretensions to ‘evolve out of their moral consciousness the -idea of’ a woman,—which idea has not by any means always happened to -correspond with the facts that might, perhaps, afford a surer -guide.... It might perhaps be shown that those who, starting with -their ‘evolved idea’ of a woman, deny that the same education may -safely be given to each sex because of the vast essential -differences of nature, are in point of fact more incredulous of the -reality of that difference than those who hold the opposite -views.... The naturalist will not fear to lay meat and hay before -horses and lions, cows and tigers, for neither will the lion be -seduced by the offer of hay, nor will the horse and cow lose their -distinctive characteristics because they both partake of it..... - -I do not by any means intend to say that I desire to see the -education of all women made identical with that at present given to -men. It must first be proved that that education is, in truth, the -best and most desirable for the human being, before we can wish to -make it universal. But I do say that what is ultimately decided by -the wisdom of ages to be the best possible form of culture for one -human nature, must be so for another, for our common humanity lies -deeper in all, and is more essential in each, than any differences. - -I do not believe that women are to be ‘educated to be wives and -mothers’ in any sense in which it is not equally imperative to -educate boys to be husbands and fathers. I believe that each human -being, developed to his or her best and utmost, will most perfectly -fulfil the duties that God may appoint in each case, and if teachers -and parents have ever before their eyes the aim of making good, -true, and sensible women, I do not fear but they will also train the -best wives and mothers.... - -(_b_) I confess that I have been surprised in America to find how -much study young women do seem able to accomplish without material -injury, but I do not know how much allowance to make for possible -differences of national constitution.... My own belief, founded -mainly on observation of English girls, is, that in quickness of -intellect they in no way fall behind their brothers, and that during -one or two hours’ study of any subject they would be quite able to -keep up with them, but that after a certain time their physical -powers flag,—sooner perhaps than those of boys,—and that a long -continued strain is apt to be injurious to them. I state this -opinion with great diffidence, however, for many of my fellow- -teachers and friends assert the contrary.... - -Above all, be the limits of study what they may, let whatever is -done be done _thoroughly_, so that the only too well deserved -reproach of superficiality and incompleteness may at length be -removed from our system of female education. Work half done is not -merely unsatisfactory, it is absolutely injurious to the moral and -mental health of the worker; and I believe it is better to omit any -and every study altogether, than to allow a pupil to skim over it so -as to gather together a string of words thereto relating, with no -solid meaning or knowledge lying beneath. - -(_c_) The third question,—whether men and women shall pursue their -studies together,—I do not much care to discuss, for I am by no -means sure of having sufficient data whereon to rest any opinion, -and moreover it seems to me not vital to the general issue. So long -as men and women can each obtain an absolutely good education, it -does not appear very material whether they get it in company or -not,—not material, that is, as regards the education, whatever may -be the case as to the social results. - -But one thing does seem to me important, viz. that not merely a -similar but an identical standard should exist for all, whether it -be the many or the few who avail themselves of it. This fixed -standard does exist for men, being represented by the examinations -and degrees of the Universities, and that the same facilities should -be thrown open to women does seem to me vitally important. I have -already said that I should not care to see all women aim at so high -a mark; nor do I believe that, for many years, a large number would -present themselves for examination. But that those who do, by -earnest study, attain to the prescribed standard, should be excluded -from recognition of the fact, seems to be manifestly unjust and -wrong. Universities hold, I suppose, in some sense a national trust, -and that trust involves all possible aid to the cause of education -throughout the land.” - - - - - APPENDIX D - THE EDINBURGH EXTRA-MURAL SCHOOL - - -The Edinburgh Extra-Mural classes are medical classes conducted by -fully qualified and authorized lecturers other than the University -professors. They prepare students primarily for the examinations of -the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, but their -certificates are, as a matter of fact, accepted by many examining -bodies. The history of the association of these classes with the -University is—briefly—as follows: - -In 1840 Professor Syme begged the Town Council of Edinburgh, who -were then the recognized patrons of the University, to order the -recognition of extra-mural classes, an argument for the innovation -being “that one of the professors was so comparatively inefficient -that many students, after paying his fee and obtaining his -certificate of attendance, went to learn his subject elsewhere.” In -1842 the Town Council ordained that _four_ Extra-Mural classes -should be allowed to count for graduation,—the classes to be chosen -by each student at his discretion. The Medical Faculty of the -University refused to consent to this except on the condition that -any student taking such classes should have a year added to his -curriculum. The Town Council refused this condition, and the -Senatus, supporting the Medical Faculty, referred the matter to the -Court of Law. In 1850 judgment was given against the Senatus; they -appealed to the Inner House, but the judgment was confirmed in 1852. -An appeal was taken to the House of Lords, but again in 1854 the -Town Council gained the day. In 1855 the regulations came into -operation and have ever since remained in force. - - - - - APPENDIX E - LETTER TO THE _TIMES_ IN REPLY TO MRS. GARRETT ANDERSON - - -“TO THE EDITOR OF THE _Times_. - -SIR,—I have only just seen the letter from Dr. Garrett Anderson -which you published on the 5th inst., and I venture to beg that you -will allow me to point out my reasons for thinking she has selected -the very worst of all the alternatives suggested, when she advises -Englishwomen to go abroad for medical education. - -In the first place, I think that Dr. Anderson assumes greatly too -much in supposing that all the Scotch Universities are permanently -closed to women by the recent decision, especially when notice has -already been given in Parliament that a Scotch member will, at the -beginning of next Session, bring in a Bill to enable those -Universities both to teach and examine female students. Even if no -such Bill were announced, it would, I suppose, be open to every -Scotch University at this moment to obtain the necessary powers -merely by application for the sanction of the Queen in Council, as -it was repeatedly stated, both by the defenders in the late suit and -by those Judges who gave decisions in their favour, that it was -merely the absence of Royal authority for recent changes which -rendered those changes illegal. I think there is very good ground to -hope that this course may be taken by one or more of the other -Universities, even if Edinburgh is content to rest quietly under the -imputations on her good faith which can hardly be effaced in any -other way. - -Even if the Scotch Universities are left out of the question, those -of Cambridge and London may well be expected to move in a matter -like the present; or it would hardly seem unreasonable to hope that -some of the surplus revenues in Ireland might be applied in one way -or other to the solution of the present difficulty. - -I think, moreover, that Mrs. Anderson concedes very much more than -has yet been proved when she states that the examining bodies, such -as the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, ‘have the power to -refuse to admit women to their examinations and qualifications.’ -That they have the will to do so may, I fear, only be too probable, -but it is at least a very open question whether such power does lie -in their hands. I have been assured on very good authority that this -is not the case, and at any rate I believe no decision to that -effect has ever been given by a Court of Law. Certainly the _primâ -facie_ assumption would be the other way. The Medical Act of 1858 in -no way excludes women from the profession, and two women are -actually registered under its provisions. It is, therefore, hardly -credible, that when all candidates are by the Act required to submit -to certain examinations, the Examining Boards should at their option -be able to turn away all applicants who are not of the male sex, no -mention of any such power being contained in the Act itself; nor, I -think, need we assume even a desire to exclude women on the part of -all the Examining Boards until application has been made to each -individually; and this has never, so far as I am aware, been done at -present. - -I trust, therefore, that I have shown that Mrs. Anderson’s advice -that all Englishwomen desiring to study medicine should at once -expatriate themselves is premature in the extreme; I hope further to -show that it is moreover radically erroneous in principle. Even if -it should ultimately be proved (as is at present by no means the -case) that women cannot obtain official examination in this country, -and therefore cannot enter their names on the Register, it would -still, I think, be very far from certain that their best plan was to -seek such examination abroad, seeing that after having spent years -of labour and much money they would, as regards legal recognition, -be exactly as far as ever from gaining their end. Mrs. Anderson says -that they would at least obtain ‘what is denied them in their own -country, a first-class medical education.’ If it were true that such -an education could not be got without going abroad, there would, no -doubt, be much force in this argument, but I submit that this is not -the case. Without stopping to consider the alternatives brought -forward by your correspondent herself—the establishment of a new -school for women or the purchase of one of the existing hospital -schools—either of which seems to me infinitely preferable, Mrs. -Anderson quite overlooks the fact that at this moment medical -classes of first-rate quality can be obtained in Edinburgh in the -Extra-Mural school (many of whose lecturers stand much higher than -the University professors in public estimation),[166] and that with -very little trouble a complete curriculum of medical study could be -there arranged, without altering any of the existing conditions of -affairs. The doors of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary have also been -thrown open to women, though under some restrictions, and excellent -clinical instruction is given to them there by two of the best and -most popular teachers in the city. Can any one doubt that when so -much has been secured, and when every year promises increased -facilities, it is infinitely better that Englishwomen should study -medicine under the direction of their own countrymen, in their own -language, and amid the social and hygienic conditions which will -occur in their own future practice, rather than in a foreign land, -from lecturers who teach in a strange language and in hospitals -where all the arrangements and theories vary from those of this -country, and where even the types of disease may be so far modified -as greatly to lessen the value of the instruction for those who -intend to practise medicine in Great Britain? - -Footnote 166: - - S. J.-B. was thinking mainly of Dr. Heron Watson and Dr. G. W. - Balfour. - -In point of fact, the question of medical education in this country -may be already considered solved, even if we grant the necessity of -attending lectures on every subject in the medical curriculum. It -is, however, worth remark that many of the very first men in the -profession are becoming more and more strongly in favour of free -trade in study—_i.e._, of allowing every student to obtain his -knowledge as he pleases, whether from books or from lectures, -requiring only final evidence of satisfactory results. It may be -that on investigation the present system will be found to rest -rather on the ‘vested interests’ of teachers than on the needs of -students, and, if so, the question of medical education for women -will be still further simplified. At present, however, it is not -needful to argue that question. I have shown that provision for the -education of women after the present fashion is to a great extent -already made, and that, for purposes of instruction at least, it is -quite unnecessary for them to expatriate themselves. - -With regard to examination, the case seems to me equally clear. No -foreign diploma or degree is at present acknowledged as qualifying -for registration in this country, and though it may be well for -those who covet such ornamental honours to go through the -examinations requisite to obtain them, I cannot see any ground on -which it would be worth the while of most Englishwomen to live for -years abroad to arrive at a result so eminently unpractical. We live -under English law, and to English law we must conform, so far as -lies in our power; if we are arbitrarily precluded from such -compliance it is to the English Government that we must look for a -remedy. I can imagine few things that would please our opponents -better than to see one Englishwoman after another driven out of her -own country to obtain medical education abroad, both because they -know that, on her return after years of labour, she can claim no -legal recognition whatever, and because they are equally certain -that, so long as no means of education are provided at home, only a -very small number of women will ever seek admission to the -profession. I do not say that a woman may not be justified in going -abroad for education if her circumstances make it imperative that -she should as soon as possible enter upon medical practice; but I do -say, and I most firmly believe, that every woman who consents to be -thus exiled does more harm than can easily be calculated to the -general cause of medical women in this country, and postpones -indefinitely, so far as in her lies, the final and satisfactory -solution of the whole question. - -It is not an easy thing to remember at all times that - - ‘They also serve who only stand and wait’; - -but I do believe profoundly that at this moment the very best -service we can do to the cause in which we are all interested is to -make use of every opportunity open to us in this country to qualify -ourselves as thoroughly as possible for the profession we have -chosen, and then (refusing resolutely to be driven into byways or -unauthorized measures) to demand, quietly but firmly, that provision -for our ultimate recognition as medical practitioners which we have -a right to expect at the hands of the Legislature. Mrs. Anderson -seems to think it hopeless that the present Parliament should -‘promote the interests of an unrepresented class,’ but it must be -remembered that one of the very strongest arguments against granting -the franchise to women has always been that their substantial -interests are and will be provided for by the existing Government, -and a case like the present will certainly afford a crucial test of -the truth of these assertions. If they be true, we cannot doubt that -Parliament will in its next Session make full provision for a case -of such almost unexampled hardship; and if, on the other hand, this -be not done, the argument above referred to can hardly be again -brought forward when the suffrage for women shall again be claimed. - -Let me, therefore, conclude, as I began, by protesting as strongly -as lies in my power against this idea of sending abroad every -Englishwoman who wishes to study medicine; let me entreat all such -women to join the class already formed in Edinburgh, the great -majority of whose members are thoroughly of one mind with me in this -matter, and who, having counted the cost, are, like myself, -thoroughly resolved to ‘fight it out on this line,’ and neither to -be driven out of our own country for education nor to be induced to -cease to make every effort in our power to obtain from the -Legislature that measure of justice which we imperatively need, and -which is, in point of fact, substantially implied in the provisions -of the Medical Act of 1858. - - I am, Sir, yours obediently, - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE. - -15, Buccleuch-place, Edinburgh. Aug. 8.” - - - - - APPENDIX F - LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL OF EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY, AND S. J.-B.’S - REPLY - - - LADY STUDENTS AT EDINBURGH - - TO THE EDITOR OF THE _Times_. - -SIR,—In your article on the medical education of women, under date -the 23rd inst., you give utterance to reproaches against the -University of Edinburgh, which appear to me to be undeserved, and -which I feel sure you would not have admitted had the full -circumstances of the case been before you. May I be allowed as -briefly as possible to indicate what seems to me to be a correct -view of those circumstances? You say: - -“It was next thought that an opening for female medical students -might be found or made at the University of Edinburgh, and a few -were for a time actually received there. The Professors, however, -were greatly divided upon the question, and those who were opposed -to the necessary concessions threw every possible difficulty in the -way of those who wished to make them. After much quarrelling and -litigation, and after transactions which reflected very little -credit on the University, a legal decision adverse to the ladies was -finally given by a bare majority of Scottish Judges, and will remain -binding unless carried by appeal to the House of Lords. Under these -circumstances the ladies were placed in a position of great hardship -and difficulty.” - -I acknowledge and regret the hardship and difficulty of the position -in which the ladies referred to have been placed; but this is owing -to the state of the law of the land as interpreted by the Court of -Session, and not to any discreditable transactions on the part of -the University. I admit the manifestation, during the history of -this question, of a partisan feeling both for and against the -medical ladies, to some extent within the University itself, but far -more in the outside public of Edinburgh; but I confidently assert -that the main body of the Professors were not partisans on either -side, and that the general feeling was a desire to give facilities -for medical study to women, so far as this could be done -consistently with the maintenance of academical good order. Again, -it must be remembered that the Professors do not constitute or -govern the University. The governing body is the University Court, -consisting of eight members (of whom only one is a Professor), -headed at present by Sir William Stirling Maxwell, as rector. I -utterly deny the appearance of any unworthy feeling in the way in -which this Court dealt with the questions relating to female medical -education which came before it. - -The University was solicited in 1869 to admit ladies, as an -experiment, to the lectures of Medical Professors. There was a -certain amount of opposition to this request, but the feeling of the -majority in each of the constitutive bodies of the University was in -favour of conceding under necessary restrictions what was asked. In -one of the debates on the subject it was indeed suggested that such -a concession should not be made without clearly ascertaining -beforehand whether we had the power of ultimately conferring degrees -upon women, should it be found on experiment that they succeeded in -completing their medical curriculum and in passing the examinations. -But such a delay was deprecated by the supporters of the -application; it was urged that such an inquiry would be premature, -as what was asked for the present was only that trial might be made -of ladies in the capacity of medical students. I need hardly point -out that these representations were dictated by the policy of -“getting in the thin end of the wedge.” And far better for all -parties, more prudent, and more consistent with the dignity of the -University, would it have been, had we resisted this policy, and -refused to take any step before endeavouring to ascertain our powers -in respect of the graduation of women. But the University Court -yielded to an impulse of liberality, and proceeded at once to frame -regulations forbidding mixed classes, but permitting any professor -of medicine to hold separate classes for the medical instruction of -women. The applicants appeared satisfied with what was done for -them; and I must say that it would then have been in their power to -ascertain beforehand how many of the Professors were prepared to -institute classes for them. The ladies must not now throw on the -University all the blame of their disappointment, for they were not -without sufficient warning that only a limited number of such -classes, far short of a full curriculum, would be provided for them. -The regulations said not a word of graduation or of a full course of -study; they were merely permissive, and, as had been requested, -tentative. But the ladies preferred to enter at once upon such -lectures as they could get, trusting, apparently, to the chapter of -accidents. To several of the Medical Professors it would have been -impossible to open full course lectures for ladies, in addition to -their ordinary duties. Some had already on hand the teaching of more -than 300 students, not only by lectures, but also by daily -demonstrations for many hours in the laboratory or dissecting-room. -Others had extensive and important medical practice to attend to, -being sought out by patients from all parts of the country. -Altogether three of the Medical Professors opened classes for -ladies, and of these one has had his health seriously broken down by -the labour, and the two others have both declared that the burden of -such extra duty was more than they could continue to bear. - -Under these circumstances, the medical ladies applied that -substitutes might be appointed to lecture to them in the place of -such Professors as might be unable, or unwilling, to give them -instruction. Now, for the first time, the University determined to -seek legal advice. An impartial statement of the case was drawn up -and submitted to the Solicitor-General for Scotland, with the -question whether such measures as the ladies now asked were within -the competency of the University? The opinion of the Solicitor- -General was very strongly given, and went even beyond the exact -point inquired on; it was to the effect that any step tending -towards the graduation of women would be beyond the powers of the -University. This opinion paralyzed the action of the University. The -University Court informed the ladies, on further application from -them, that it was debarred by this opinion from promoting their -graduation until the legality of such graduation could be -established, but it offered to make, in the meantime, arrangements -for their full medical instruction, and it was suggested to the -friends of the ladies that an amicable suit should be instituted -with a view of ascertaining the law. These offers were rejected, and -a suit was brought by the ladies against the Chancellor and -Professors of the University, which has terminated, thus far, in a -judgment that it is not within the powers of the University to -confer a degree upon a woman. - -This, Sir, is in brief the history of an unhappy affair, in which -the University certainly made the mistake of consenting to an -experimental arrangement which was strongly urged upon them, and for -this it has been most severely punished. But I doubt if there is -anything in what has occurred which can be called a “transaction -reflecting little credit on the University,” with one exception— -namely, that on one occasion some of the students misbehaved -themselves and insulted the medical ladies. But I must say that this -lamentable occurrence was occasioned by those ladies having -transgressed the regulations of the University Court, and having -joined a mixed class in anatomy under an extra academical lecturer. -This outraged the feeling or prejudices of the students. - -In conclusion, Sir, I sincerely sympathize in the earnest appeal -made by Miss Jex-Blake, in the very able letter which forms the -subject of your article, to the Legislature to take up the -consideration of the medical education of women. It is a subject -well worthy the attention of the Legislature, and one which can only -be properly dealt with, as a general social subject, by the -Legislature. Whether or not an University is a suitable institution -for the medical instruction and examination of women is a wide -question on which I will not venture to enter. But, however this be -decided, all other Universities of the United Kingdom must share in -the decision of the University of Edinburgh, and this University -will loyally bear her part in carrying out whatever Parliament may -ordain as expedient. In the meantime, under considerable obloquy, -she can at all events claim to have contributed something in the way -of experience to the elucidation of the question. - - I am, Sir, your most obedient servant, - A. GRANT, _Principal_. - -_August 27._ - - TO THE EDITOR OF THE _Times_. - -SIR,—As Sir Alexander Grant, as representative of the University of -Edinburgh, has thought fit to lay before your readers a statement -respecting that University and its lady students which is, to use -the mildest term, imperfect in the extreme, I trust to your justice -to allow me to supplement his narrative with such additional facts -as he has not thought it desirable to make public. - -Sir Alexander states that in 1869 the University was “solicited to -admit ladies as an experiment to the lectures of the medical -professors,” and further on speaks of the regulations as being, “as -was requested, tentative.” He implies that all that followed was in -compliance with this request, the claim to graduation being -altogether an afterthought on the part of the ladies. Now, the real -fact is that in March, 1869, I personally did request admission to -medical lectures on these terms, but though the application was -granted by the Senatus it was refused by the University Court on the -express ground of the inexpediency of making any such “temporary -arrangement in the interest of one lady.” About three months later -four other ladies joined me in making a new and altogether different -application—viz., that the University “would sanction the -matriculation of women as medical students, and their admission to -the usual examinations, on the understanding that separate classes -be formed for their instruction.” At the same time (June 21, 1869) I -addressed a formal letter to the Lord Rector of the University -urging the same proposal, and asking that, if separate classes could -be formed, women should be “allowed to matriculate in the usual way, -and to undergo the ordinary examinations, with a view to obtain -medical degrees in due course.” - -Our new proposal was successively submitted to all the different -authorities of the University, and received the assent of all—viz., -of the Medical Faculty, the _Senatus Academicus_, the University -Court, the University Council, and the Chancellor—and, after five -months of consultation and consideration, regulations were, in -November, 1869, framed and issued “for the education of women in -medicine in the University,” these regulations being henceforth -incorporated in the official University Calendar. The first of these -regulations states that “women shall be admitted to the study of -medicine in the University”; in the fourth regulation exceptional -provision is made for “women not intending to study medicine -professionally”; and the sixth regulation ordains that “all women -attending such classes shall be subject to all the regulations now -or at any time in force in the University as to the matriculation of -students, their attendance on classes, examination, or otherwise.” - -As the decision by which a bare majority of the Scotch Judges -absolved the University of Edinburgh from all responsibility towards -its matriculated lady students rests on the assumption that the -University Court exceeded its legal powers in passing the above -regulations, it may be worth while to state that the University -Court comprised at that time the then Lord Advocate of Scotland (who -is now Lord Justice Clerk), and also the previous Lord Advocate, Mr. -Gordon, and that the regulations in question were confirmed by the -Chancellor, who happens to be, as Lord Justice General of Scotland, -the highest legal authority in the country. It is certainly a -tolerably striking instance of the “glorious uncertainty of the -law,” that the two highest Judges in the land should concur in an -action which is subsequently declared by a majority of their -brethren to be illegal. - -Sir Alexander further goes on to suggest that we might have -ascertained beforehand how many of the Professors would be willing -to hold separate classes for our benefit. The answer to this is -twofold. In the first place, no less than four of the medical -Professors have been changed since my first application was made, -and in every case the change has, as regards our interests, been -for the worse. One of those Professors whose loss we have most to -deplore is Sir James Simpson, whose generous liberality made him -always ready to espouse the weaker cause, and whose strong sense -of justice would have made him always our strenuous supporter in -the councils of the University. Had he been spared, it is, indeed, -more than possible that the whole history of the past four years -would have been different. On these losses it was impossible for -us to calculate; nor could we (before we learnt the full -bitterness of professional rancour) have foreseen that those -Professors who were themselves unable or unwilling to teach us -would absolutely refuse their assent to every one of the -alternative measures by which others might have been enabled to -give us the necessary instructions. It is hardly necessary to -allude to your correspondent’s rather apocryphal statement that -the stupendous labour of giving two lectures a day (which is -habitually undergone by Professors in the Arts Faculty) has ruined -the health of one medical Professor and seriously endangered that -of two more. Suffice it to say that these facts are, to say the -least of it, quite new to me, and that, did space permit, I think -a very different version of the circumstances might be given. - -As Sir Alexander has thought fit to refer to the students’ riot in -November, 1871 (though to my mind it is very far from the most -discreditable episode in this history), I think it right distinctly -to deny the interpretation he puts upon the event. It is true that -the riot did occur while we were attending an extra-mural class of -anatomy (we having utterly failed to obtain a private class, though -we had offered a fee of a hundred and fifty guineas for one), but -the rioters were, with few exceptions, not our fellow-students at -all, but a mob of University students who had been summoned together -by a missive circulated in the University class-rooms. The real -truth was that the riot was deliberately got up simply and solely in -the hope of frightening certain friendly infirmary managers from -admitting us to their wards, and perhaps also of frightening us by -showers of foul words and of street mud from pursuing our studies -any further. Fortunately, the chivalrous device was not permanently -successful in either direction. - -I pass on, however, to notice the statements made respecting the -recent lawsuit and the events immediately preceding it. Sir -Alexander says that when the University “for the first time sought -legal advice” the authorities obtained an opinion adverse to the -ladies’ claims from the Solicitor-General. As that opinion has never -been published, there is no opportunity for its discussion; but Sir -Alexander appears entirely to forget the fact that an opinion to the -exactly contrary effect was delivered by the Lord Advocate of -Scotland, who takes official precedence of the Solicitor-General, -and that that opinion was not only submitted to the University -Court, but published more than once in the newspapers and elsewhere. -In that opinion the Lord Advocate stated distinctly that he believed -the University to be not only able, but distinctly bound, to -complete the education of those ladies whom it had invited to -matriculate, and that all necessary arrangements for that purpose -could legally be made. It will thus be seen that the above opinions -at any rate neutralized each other, and that, had the University -willed it otherwise, it certainly need not have been “paralyzed” by -one of them. - -It is further stated that the University Court informed the ladies -that, by the opinion above referred to, “it was debarred from -promoting their graduation until the legality of such graduation -could be established, but it offered to make, in the meantime, -arrangements for their full medical instruction”; and, further, that -such offer was rejected by the ladies. Both these statements, Sir, I -distinctly deny. I have at this moment the whole correspondence -before me, and I fail utterly to find in it any such offer as that -alleged. The only thing that in any degree gives colour to Sir -Alexander’s assertion is a passage occurring in a Minute of the -University Court of January 8, 1872, which is as follows: - -“The Court are of opinion that the question under reference has been -complicated by the introduction of the subject of graduation, which -is not essential to the completion of a medical or other -education.... If the applicants in the present case would be content -to seek the examination of women by the University for certificates -of proficiency in medicine, instead of University degrees, the Court -believe that arrangements for accomplishing this object would fall -within the scope of the powers given to them by section 12 of the -Universities (Scotland) Act. The Court would be willing to consider -any such arrangements which might be submitted to them.” - -On receiving a copy of this Minute I pointed out that certificates -of proficiency, not being recognized by the Medical Act of 1858, -would be quite useless to us; but added that, “As the main -difficulty before your honourable Court seems to be that regarding -graduation, with which we are not immediately concerned at this -moment, we are quite willing to rest our claims to ultimate -graduation on the facts as they stand up to the present date, and in -case your honourable Court will now make arrangements whereby we can -continue our education, we will undertake not to draw any arguments -in favour of our right to graduation from such future arrangements, -so that they may at least be made without prejudice to the present -legal position of the University.” - -In answer to this letter I was informed that “If the names of extra- -academical teachers of the required medical subjects be submitted by -yourself or by the Senatus, the Court will be prepared to consider -the respective fitness of the persons so named to be authorized to -hold medical classes for women who have in this or former sessions -been matriculated students of the University, and also the -conditions and regulations under which such classes should be held.” - -I, of course, replied that we would willingly prepare and submit -such a list (though your readers will notice that this simply -amounted to all the arrangements being thrown upon us students, and -not in any degree made by the Court), but requested first to be -assured that, “though you at present give us no pledge respecting -our ultimate graduation, it is your intention to consider the -proposed extra-mural courses as ‘qualifying’ for graduation, if it -is subsequently determined that the University has the power of -granting degrees to women.” In reply I was informed that the Court -would do nothing of the kind; that we might, if we pleased, take all -the trouble and expense of finding teachers, and might “submit” -their names to the Court, but that in no case would the Court take -any measures for making their teaching of any practical use to us -from a University point of view. Your readers will therefore judge -of what value was the boon that we are alleged to have rejected—I -had almost said the trap that we were fortunate enough to have -escaped! - -I am sorry to have paused so long over this point, but the assertion -of your correspondent was so amazing that it seemed essential that -the real facts should be laid before the public. I should be only -too glad if your space would allow you to publish the whole -correspondence, of which I forward a copy for your own perusal. -Should any of your readers desire, however, to ascertain more of the -facts, they will find the correspondence fully given in the notes to -a little book called _Medical Women_, published last year by -Oliphant & Co., of Edinburgh, to which also I may refer for a -detailed account of the whole struggle of the first three years at -Edinburgh. - -I notice that Sir Alexander Grant thinks it well to omit the fact -that, when we were at last driven to assert our rights in a court of -law (and I may remark that no proposal for an “amicable suit” was -ever made to me or to any of my fellow-students by the University -authorities, and therefore none was ever “rejected” by us), an -unhesitating decision in our favour was given by the Lord Ordinary, -before whom the case was tried, his Lordship also finding the -Senatus liable for three-fourths of our expenses. The University -refused, however, to accept this verdict, and appealed the case to -the Inner House, where they at length succeeded in obtaining a -judgment in their favour from a bare majority of the Lords of -Session, the whole costs being in this case thrown upon us. Perhaps -you will kindly allow me, however, to quote the following passage -from the judgment of the Lord Justice Clerk, who adhered to the -decision of the Lord Ordinary, and who had himself been Rector of -the University when we were admitted as students.[167] ... I may -mention that an abstract of the whole recent lawsuit has been -published as a sixpenny pamphlet, and may be obtained from Mr. -Elliott, 67 Princes Street, Edinburgh. - -Apologizing for so large a trespass on your space, - - I remain, yours obediently, - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE. - -Footnote 167: - - The passage has already been quoted, pp. 396-7. - - - - - APPENDIX G - PERMANENT MEMORIALS OF SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE - - -In St. Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh,—a brass tablet placed by the -Very Rev. T. W. Jex-Blake: - - “Sacred to the Memory of Sophia Jex-Blake, M.D., by whose - energy, courage, self-sacrifice and perseverance the Science - of Medicine and the Art of Healing were opened to Women in - Scotland.” - -In the Edinburgh Hospital for Women and Children, placed by the -Committee and friends,—a medallion of cast bronze mounted on a slab -of verde-antique marble: on the medallion, surrounded by a wreath of -laurel, the family crest and motto: - - Bene praeparatum pectus. - -And below this the inscription: - - “In affectionate remembrance of Sophia Jex-Blake, Founder of - this Hospital, to whose large courage, insight and constancy - the admission of Women to the Profession of Medicine in this - Country is mainly due.” - -On the family monument at Ovingdean, near Brighton: - - SOPHIA LOUISA, - YOUNGEST CHILD OF THOMAS JEX-BLAKE, - AND MARIA EMILY, HIS WIFE. - DOCTOR OF MEDICINE, - FOUNDER IN 1874 OF THE LONDON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE FOR WOMEN, - AND IN 1888 OF A SIMILAR SCHOOL IN EDINBURGH, - WHERE SHE ALSO FOUNDED A HOSPITAL FOR - WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN 1886. - - “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” - -In Rotherfield Churchyard, where her body was laid,—a grey granite -cross, bearing the words: - - SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE, M.D. - BORN 21ST JANUARY, 1840. - DIED 7TH JANUARY 1912. - - “Then are they glad because they are at rest, and so He - bringeth them unto the haven where they would be.” - - - - - INDEX - - - Aberdare, Lord, 404, 427, 433, 443 (footnote), 466, 507. - - Aberdeen University, 226, 413. - - Act, Russell Gurney Enabling. _See_ Table of Contents. - - Action of Declarator, Part II. Chap. XIII. - - _Advocate_, The Boston, 191. - - _Aids to Faith_, 108, 109. - - Aitken, Dr., 500. - - “A. K. H. B.” _See_ Rev. A. K. H. Boyd. - - “Alice,” 88, 105, 106, 107, 168, 185, 204, 205, 207, 230, 258, 421, - 461. - - Allman, Professor, 257, 258, 276, 337. - - Amberley, Viscountess, 279. - - America, Life in. _See_ Table of Contents. - - Anderson, M.D., Mrs. Garrett (Miss Elizabeth Garrett), 117, 118, - 119, 120, 155, 187, 200, 205, 232, 233, 279, 362, 364, 368, 369, - 400, 401, 420, 423, 424, 425, 426, 433, 441, 444 (letter from), - 447, 449, 466, 467, 473 (letter from), 524. - - Anderson, Miss Mary D. _See_ Mrs. Marshall, M.D. - - Andrews, Miss Amelia, 56, 57. - - Anstie, Dr. F. E., 402, 421, 425, 427; - letters from: 374, 419, 420. - - Anthony, Miss, 477. - - Anstruther, Sir Robert, 360, 403. - Lady, 360. - - Atlantic House, 193, 194. - - Antioch (at Yellow Springs in Ohio), 168. - - Apothecaries’ Hall of Ireland, 395. - Society of London, 395. - - Ardmillan, Lord, 392. - - Arthur of Barshaw, Mrs., 514. - - _Athenaeum_, The, 188. - - Atkins, Dr. Louisa, 431, 439, 447. - - Ayrton, M.D., Mrs. Chaplin, 263, 289, 336, 341, 377. - - _A Visit to some American Schools and Colleges_, Part I. Chap. - XIII., 188, 228, 479. - - B., Miss, 12, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 36. - - Bain, Miss Isabel (Mrs. James Brander), 159, 160, 172, 478, 506. - - Balfour, Dr. G. W., 289, 349, 425, 427, 459, 498, 504, 508, 525. - Professor J. H., 118, 228-9, 235, 237, 240, 241, 248, 258, 272, - 276, 333, 334, 336, 337, 358. - - Ballantyne, Mrs. _See_ Lady Jenkinson. - Miss K., 480. - - Barker, Dr. Annie, 279. - - Barlow, Sir Thomas, 460, 483. - - Baynes, Professor, 394. - - Beaconsfield, Lord. _See_ Disraeli. - - Beattie, Mrs., 516. - - Bedford College, 107. - - Begbie, James, 107, 117, 118, 229, 233, 239, 240. - - Beilby, Lady, 525. - Miss Winifred (Mrs. Frederick Soddy), 525. - - Bell, Dr., 311. - - Bellevue Hospital, 199. - - Bennet, Dr. Henry, 280-1 (letter from). - - Bennett, Professor Hughes, 236, 237, 241, 258, 273, 279, 289, 361, - 425. - - Benson, Miss Ada, 62, 63, 84, 362. - Henry, 62. - - Bernerhof, 436. - - Berne University, 436. - - Bettws-y-Coed, 45, 60, 86-7, 120, 127, 198, 485. - - Biblical Criticism, S. J.-B.’s views on, 142-4. - - Billing, Dr. A. (father of the profession), 444, 445. - - Birmingham University, 392. - - Birrell, Professor, 394. - - Black, Miss Janet, 498. - - Blackie, Professor J. S., 239, 241, 301, 302, 303. - Mrs., 239, 510; - letters from: 302-3, 346. - - Blackwell, Dr. Elizabeth, 199, 200, 204, 205, 207, 264 (letter - from), 267, 356-7 (letter from S. J.-B.), 362, 364, 367, 368, - 369, 425, 493. - Dr. Emily, 199, 204, 205, 206, 233. - - _Blackwood’s Magazine_, 435. - - Blake-Humfrey, family, 59, 60. - Mr. Robert, 59. - - Blyth, Miss Phoebe, 107, 239, 390, 510. - - Bologna University, 221, 239, 240, 241, 358, 370. - - Bonney, Dr., 220, 221. - - Bordighera, 521-3. - - Bosnia, Miss Irby’s work in, 402. - - Boston _Daily Advertiser_, 190. - - Boucherett, Miss, 91. - - Bovell, Dr. Emily (Mrs. Sturge), 279, 377. - - Boyd, Rev. A. K. H., 374. - - Brander, Mrs., 479. - Mrs. James. _See_ Miss Isabel Bain. - - British Medical Association, 524, 528. - - _British Medical Journal_, 233, 259, 270, 271. - - British Museum, 239, 240, 358. - - Brompton Hospital, 438, 439, 456. - - Brontë, Charlotte, 133, 139, 237. - - Brown, Professor Crum, 268, 269, 270, 273, 335, 382, 418. - Mrs. Helen, 510. - Rev. Olympia, 178. - - Brown-Séquard, Professor, 191. - - Buchan, Dowager Countess of, 335, 362. - - Burke and Hare, 497. - - Burn Murdoch, Mr. John, 118, 229. - - Burn Murdoch, Mrs., 106, 110, 112, 118-9, 133, 151, 229, 240, 262. - - Burton, Miss Mary, 510. - - Buss, Miss, 480. - - Bussaco, The Sacred Forest of, 531. - - Bute, The Marquis of, 500. - Marchioness of, 524. - - Butler, Rev. Canon, 364, 365. - Mrs. Josephine, 218, 219, 221, 223, 256, 266; - letters from: 226, 253-4, 364-5. - - Cabot, Dr., 224, 247. - - Caird, Professor Edward, 413. - Rev. John, Principal, 413. - - Calderwood, Rev. Professor, 239, 273, 302, 310, 320, 346, 361, 509. - Mrs., 510. - - Call, Dr. Emma, 199, 379. - - Cambridge University, 219, 220, 221, 224-5, 226, 342-3. - - Cameron, M.P., Dr., 410, 411, 412-3 (letter from), 467. - - Campbell, Professor Lewis, 354, 355, 362, 394, 427. - Mrs., 354, 355. - Lady Victoria, 524. - - Cancer Hospital, The, 456. - - Candlish, Rev. Dr., 109. - - Cardwell, Lord, 445. - - _Care of Infants, The_, 491. - - Carlingford, Lord, 492. - - Carlyle, Thomas, 161. - - Cathcart, F.R.C.S., Mr. C. W., 460 (footnote), 536. - - Chambers, Dr. King, 255, 256 (letter from), 395, 421, 430, 431, - 442, 460, 464, 472, 493. - William, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, 244. - - Chaplain, S. J.-B. as, 173, 174, 175, 176-7. - - Chaplin, Miss. _See_ Mrs. Chaplin Ayrton, M.D. - - Charteris, Rev. Professor, 273, 300, 321, 361, 493. - - Children’s Hospital, 456. - - _Christian World_, The, 363. - - Christison, Professor, Sir Robert, 229, 235, 236, 237, 240, 241, - 242, 245, 249, 258, 273, 286, 299, 311, 315, 318, 331, 335, 337, - 345, 418, 449, 508. - - ——’s Assistant, 299, 306, 307, 308, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315. - - _Church Review_, The, 298 (and footnote). - - _Cives Academiae Edinensis_, 264. - - Clark, Dr. Ann, 436, 437, 438, 536 (footnote). - - Clouston, Dr. (Sir Thomas), 460, 486, 526. - - Cobbe, Miss Frances Power, 152 (letter from), 158, 171, 178, 243, - 266, 320. - - Colenso, Bishop, 141, 142, 145, 146. - - Colston, Treasurer, 320. - - Commune, The, 326. - - _Contemporary Review_, The, 442. - - Cordery, Miss Bertha. _See_ Mrs. S. R. Gardiner. - Miss Emma, 66, 153, 155, 528. - Miss Henrietta. _See_ Mrs. T. W. Jex-Blake. - James, 66, 473, 528. - Family, 66, 83, 252, 389, 421. - - _Courant_, The Edinburgh, 291. - Evening, 312, 315. - - Cowan, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, 389. - - Cowell, Dr., 419. - - Cowper Temple, M.P., W. (Lord Mount Temple), 409 (letter and - telegram from), 410-411 (letter from), 412, 414, 429, 430, 433, - 434, 467. - - Coxe, M.D., Sir James, 300. - - Craig, Miss Agnes, 510. - - Craik, Mrs., 55. - - Craufurd, Professor, 241, 258, 273, 360. - - Critchett, F.R.C.S., George, 431, 432. - - Crocker, Miss, 163. - - Cropper, James, 504. - - Crudelius, Mrs., 106. - - Cubitt, Miss Henrietta (Mrs. Orr), 106. - Miss Jane, 37, 38, 366. - Maria Emily. _See_ Mrs. Jex-Blake. - Mrs. P., 151. - Thomas of Honing Hall, 2. - family, 59. - - Dahms, Dr. Anna, 335, 377. - - _Daily News_, The, 421-2, 443. - - _Daily Review_, The Edinburgh, 119, 236, 263, 293, 294. - - Davies, Miss Emily, 118, 219. - - Deas, Lord, 392. - - De Dreux, Miss, 107, 108, 124. - - Degrees, American, 189, 190, 322. - - Derby, Hasket, 192. - - Dimock, Dr. Susan, 190 (and footnote), 191. - - Disraeli, Benjamin, 407, 408, 409, 412. - - Dispenser, S. J.-B. as, 173. - - Dispensary, S. J.-B.’s, 459, 460, 461, 462, 468, 486, 487, 495, - 494. - - Driving Tours, Part III. Chap. VI. - - Dublin University, 226. - - Duggan, Rev. Father, 529-30. - - Dunham, Great, 59, 63. - - Du Pre, Miss Ursula, 221-3, 229, 230 (and footnote), 242, 247, 252, - 262, 279, 287, 295 (letter), 328, 329, 351, 362, 386-7 (letter), - 433, 437, 463, 464, 467, 468, 471, 472, 476-8 (letters to), 481, - 482, 486, 489, 490, 495, 497, 507, 509 (letter to), 516, 528. - - Durham University, 392-4. - - Edinburgh Extra-Mural School, 276-9, 285, 286, 330, 331, 491, 492, - 496. Appendix D. - - Edinburgh, First visit to, Part I. Chap. IX. - - Edinburgh Hospital for Women and Children, 476 (footnote), 487. - - Edinburgh Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, 309, 330, 395, - 491, 492. - - Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. _See_ Table of Contents. - - Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women, 496-502, 504, 507, 508. - - Edinburgh University. _See_ Table of Contents. - - Edington, Mrs., 510. - Miss, 510. - - Eggishorn, The, 375. - - Ellaby, Dr. Charlotte, 474. - - Eliott-Lockhart, Miss C. H., 508, 528. - - Emerson, Edith, 166. - Edward, 166. - Ellen, 166. - R. W., 161, 161-2 (letter from), 166-7. - Mrs., 166-7. - - Employment of Women, Society for the, 81. - - Enabling Bill (Cowper Temple, _i.e._ Bill “to remove doubts”), 403, - 404, 410; (Russell Gurney), 434. - - _Englishwoman’s Year Book_, 494. - - “Englishwomen’s Educational Union,” 125, 127. - - _Essays and Reviews_, 109. - - Evans, Mrs. De Lacy. _See_ Mrs. Russel. - Miss M. J. (Mrs. Heath), 60, 70, 73, 82, 151. - family, 59, 61. - - Fawcett, Rt. Hon. Henry, 479. - - Findlay, J. R., 233, 262, 320. - - Fitch, J., 464. - - Foreign Degrees Bill, 429, 433. - - Forsyth, —, Q.C., M.P., 433. - - Forster, Rt. Hon. W. E., 404. - - Fortingal, 516. - - Foster, Mrs. A. B., 510. - - _Fortnightly Review_, The, 293, 429. - - Fraser, Professor Alexander, 234, 240. - - Fraser, Sherriff Patrick, 33, 332, 334, 335, 358. - - Galloway, LL.D., Miss Janet, 501. - - Gamgee, Dr. Arthur, 278. - - Gardiner, Professor S. R., 531. - Mrs., 66, 431, 490, 503, 528, 531. - - Garrett, Miss Elizabeth. _See_ Mrs. Garrett Anderson. - - Gaskell, Mrs., 154. - - Geddes, Mrs., 510. - - George Eliot, 455. - - Gifford, Lord Ordinary, Chap. XIV. _passim_, 377, 379, 381, 391, - 392, 403. - - Gilbert, Thomas, 310, 332, 333. - - Gladstone, Rt. Hon. W. E., 405, 409, 465. - - _Glasgow Herald_, The, 315. - - _Glasgow Mail_, 412. - - Glasgow University, 221, 226, 246, 413. - - Glencorse, Lord. _See_ Inglis. - - Gordon (Lord Advocate), 249, 287, 412. - - Goschen, G. J. (First Viscount), 252. - - Göttingen, 124-6, 132. - - Gover, Mrs., 27. - - Grand Ducal Institute, 126-8, Chap. XI. _passim_. - - Grant, Sir Alexander, 235, 241, 244, 247, 249, 250, 252, 258, 279, - 335, 401, Appendix F. - Lady, 235, 236. - - Granville, Earl, 444. - - Greig, David, 320. - - Grévy, President, 325. - - Grote, George, 47. - - _Guardian_, The, 158, 274. - - Gull, Sir William, 444. - - Gunton, Rev. Thomas, 323. - Mrs., 323, 513. - - Gurney, Mr. Russell, 405, 406, 407 (letter from), 409, 410, 411, - 429, 434. - - Guthrie, Rev. Dr., 109, 344, 346. - - Handyside, Dr. P. D., 278, 279, 285, 287-9 (letter from), 291, 292, - 298. - - Harris, Miss Mary, 90, 101. - - Hayden, Dr., 439. - - Harvard University, 168, 171, 191, 192, 195, 196, 199, 204, 206, - 239. - - Heath, Mrs. _See_ Miss M. J. Evans. - - Heaton, Miss Martha (Mrs. Hilhouse), 84. - - Henderson, Professor, 235, 237. - - Heywood, Mr., 444. - - Hidber, Professor, 438. - - Hill, Miss Miranda, 90, 101, 105, 125, 344, 362. - Miss Octavia, 84-94, 96, 98, 99, 101, 108, 110, 112, 116, 125, - 133, 181, 199, 238, 258, 266, 468, 538. - - Hill, Mrs., 87, 89, 92. - - Hill, Mrs. A. R., 510. - Dr., President of Harvard, 168, 171, 190-1. - - Hill Burton, Mrs., 320. - - Hillsdale College, 168, 171. - - Hoare, Miss Elizabeth, 161. - - Hodgson, Professor William B., 361, 399 (letter from), 400, 401, - 402. - Mrs., 510. - - Hoggan, Dr., 292, 346. - - Holmes, Dr. Oliver Wendell, 191. - - Honing Hall, 2, 60, 151. - - Hope, Dr., 269. - - Hope Scholarship, 269, 295, 317, 418. - - Hope of Drylaw, Mrs., 320. - - Hopgood, James, 442, 443. - Mrs., 442. - - Houghton, Lord, 402. - - Hughes, Miss. _See_ “Alice.” - - Hughes, Thomas, 405. - - Humphry, M.D., Sir George, 220. - - Huxley, T. H., 383, 384, 416, 418. - - Hubbard, Miss Louisa, 402, 494. - - Hutton, R. H., 444. - - Inglis, Chancellor, Lord Glencorse, Lord Justice General of - Scotland, 240, 260, 269, 332, 396. - - Innes, Professor Cosmo, 239, 240, 361. - - Irby, Miss Pauline, 402, 421, 422, 432, 433, 461-2, 465, 495, 498. - - “Irish Brigade,” 292, 293, 294. - - Irish University, 435. - - Irving, Sir Henry, 458. - - Jack, Professor, 315. - - Jagannadham, Dr. Annie, 504. - - James, Professor William, 531. - - _Jane Eyre_, 108, 111, 113. - - Jenkin, Professor Fleeming, 239, 241, 271 (letter from), 359, 360, - 361. - - Jenkinson, Lady (Mrs. Ballantyne), 151, 159, 180, 229, 247, 258, - 481, 487, 528. - - Jenner, Sir William, 445. - - Jenny Geddes, 297 (footnote). - - Jerviswoode, Lord, 348, 392. - - Jessel, Rt. Hon. Sir G., 444. - - Jex-Blake, Thomas, 1-17, 20, 21, 28, 29, 30, 37, 41, 45, 48, 50, - 52, 59, 63, 66, 67, 74, 88, 91, 108, 122, 140, 146, 148, 150, - 158, 159, 160, 177, 194, 202, 203, 205, 207, 208, 213, 283, 389, - 464. - Letters from: 15, 26, 30, 35-6, 39-41, 67-8, 70-1, 72, 79, 88-9, - 112, 185-6, 252-3, 385-6. - Letters to: 19, 20, 22-3, 36-7, 68-70, 71-2. - - Jex-Blake, Mrs., 1, 2, 3, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 28, 29, - 31, 32, 37, 39, 42, 50, 51, 52, 54, 56, 58, 59, 65, 66, 70, 74, - 81, 82, 85, 88, 91, 93, 96, 108, 110, 111, 113, 120, 124, 135, - 137, 139, 140, 147, 148, 158, 168, 180, 182, 185, 187, 201, 208, - 213, 214, 217, 219, 224, 226, 237, 238, 239, 255, 265, 267, 279, - 306, 310, 323, 365, 366, 389, 391, 407, 421, 423, 439, 445, 456, - 470, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, 518. - Letters from: 4-5, 13-4, 15, 16, 25, 30, 35, 41, 43, 44, 45, 73, - 89, 111, 112, 113, 121, 134, 137, 138, 139-40, 145-6, 159-60, - 185, 279, 309, 310, 342, 363, 375, 384-5, 391, 438, 440, 471. - Letters to: 5, 6, 19, 24, 47, 48, 81, 86-7, 97-8, 114-5, 121, - 121-4, 129-30, 131, 141-5, 163, 164-6, 172-5, 176-7, 184, 193- - 4, 194-5, 197-8, 200-1, 203, 204-7, 365-6, 380, 459-60, 471. - - Jex-Blake, Very Rev. T. W., 1, 4, 14, 16, 28, 45, 66, 69, 71, 185, - 202, 208, 219, 229, 240, 316, 320, 405, 417, 438, 457, 513. - Letters from: 169-70, 266-7, 303-4, 307-8, 353-4, 375, 384. - Letters to: 4, 170-1. - - Jex-Blake, Mrs. T. W. (Miss H. Cordery), 49, 66, 171, 185, 353, - 354, 384, 438. - - Jex-Blake family, 171, 185. - - Jex-Blake, Miss C. A., 1, 3, 4, 9, 13, 14, 15, 28, 29, 38, 39, 43, - 56, 60, 85, 87, 106, 119, 158, 177, 194, 198, 207, 214, 438, - 528. - Letters from: 43-4. - Letters to: 176, 484-5. - - Jex-Blake, Elinor (Mrs. Miles), 44, 58, 60, 61, 73, 75, 82-83, 110, - 113, 156, 459. - Ferrier, 58, 59, 73. - Miss Kate (Mrs. Forde), 44. - Miss Sarah (Mrs. Brown), 42, 59, 60, 61, 73, 82, 385. - William, of Swanton Abbots, 2. - - Jowett, Professor Benjamin, 235. - - ‘Juryman, A,’ 316-7 (letter from). - - Keiller, Dr., 279, 330. - - Keily, Miss S. E., 523. - - Kelland, Professor, 239, 258. - - Kimberley, Lord, 444. - - King’s and Queen’s College of Physicians, Ireland, 435, 436, 438. - - Kingsley, Charles, 63. - Henry, 294. - Mrs. Henry, 292, 294, 321, 373, 461. - - Kinnear, Lord, 508. - - Kirkland, Miss E. S., 510. - - Knowles, James, 502. - - Knox, Dr. Robert, 497. - - Kunz, Madame, 510. - - _Lancet_, The, 280, 282, 283, 319, 336, 337, 362, 383. - - Laurence, Samuel, 76, 187, 205. - - Law (Lord Provost of Edinburgh), 296, 299, 304, 305, 322. - - “Lawyer, A” (letter from), 317. - - Laycock, Professor, 236, 237, 241, 248, 259, 273, 286, 313. - - Lectureship on Midwifery (S. J.-B.’s), 504. - - Lee, Dr., 460. - - Leith Hospital, 479. - - Lister, Professor (Lord), 273, 389. - - Liston, Professor, 258, 335. - - Littlejohn, Dr. (Sir Henry), 286, 296, 336, 337, 362, 383. - - Liveing, Professor, 220. - - _Liverpool Mercury_, The, 380. - - London Hospital, 441. - - —— School of Medicine for Women, 421-2, 429, 433, 443, 445, 449, - 464, 502. - - —— University, The, 117, 219, 441, 444, 445, 448, 456, 479. - - Lorimer, Professor, 239, 240, 241, 258, 361. - Letters from: 249-50, 331-2. - - Lorimer, Mrs., 239, 250, 251, 332. - - Loring, —, 195. - - Lothian, Marquis of, 507. - - Lowe, M.P., Rt. Hon. Robert (Viscount Sherbrooke), 507. - - Lubbock, Sir John, 404, 444. - - Macadam, Dr. Stevenson, 495. - - Macara, Mrs., 516. - - Macdonald, Dr. Angus, 459. - - McDougall, Dr. Mary, 537. - - Macgregor, Dr. Jessie, 525. - - Mackenzie, Dr. J., letters from: 321, 373-4. - - Maclagan, Professor Sir Douglas, 237. - - M‘Laren, Dr. Agnes, 320, 321, 323, 324 (letter from), 325, 341, - 362, 375, 385, 386 (letter from), 387, 390, 392, 394, 410, 413, - 426, 471, 528. - Duncan, M.P., 296, 304, 346, 414, 416. - Mrs. Priscilla Bright, 363, 510. - - Macmillan and Co., 168, 187, 188, 253, 491. - - Macmillan, Mr. Alexander (letter from), 218. - - M‘Pherson, Professor, 239, 258. - - Mair, Miss S. E. S., 510. - - Manchester, Projected Ladies’ College, 152-6, 200. - - Mann, Mrs. Horace, 166. - - Mannheim, Part I. Chap. XI., 324, 499. - - Marshall, M.D., Mrs. Mary, 289, 319, 340, 351. - - Martineau, Harriet, 320, 335 (letter from). - James, 216, 362. - - Massachusetts General Hospital, 191, 192, 196. - Eye and Ear Infirmary, 191, 192. - - Massingberd Mundy, Miss, 292, 335, 377, 378-9 (letter from). - - Masson, Professor David, 106, 221, 226, 228, 231, 234, 239, 241, - 243, 245, 250, 258, 264, 270, 272, 273, 274, 305, 309, 345, 346, - 360, 361, 363, 388, 407, 411, 425, 428, 437, 449, 499, 524. - Letters from: 228-9, 247-9, 273, 408, 409, 411-12. - - Masson, Mrs., 263 (letter from), 428. - - Masson family, 306. - - Matriculation (First) of women in Edinburgh University, 264. - - Maurice, Frederick Denison, 63, 66, 70, 110, 203. - - _Medical Women_, 223, 224, 265, 380, 402, 421, 479, 491, 492, 493. - - Medicine as a career, 182, 183, 184, 187. - - Menzies, Mr. and Mrs., 516. - - Ministry, thoughts of, 177, 182. - - Middlesex Hospital, 456. - - Mitchell, Miss Maria, 163. - - Millar, Mrs., 510. - - Millar, Mrs. Grant, 510. - White, 310, 325, 334, 357, 382, 392, 410. - - Milne Murray, Dr., 504. - - Monck Mason, Miss Dora. _See_ Mrs. Burn Murdoch. - - Moore, Dr., 52. - - Moorfields Hospital, 456. - - Moorhead, Dr. Alice (Mrs. Langwill), 508. - - Moncrieff, Lord Advocate (Lord Justice Clerk), 244, 250, 252, 332, - 396, 413. - - Moray, The Countess of, 524. - - Morse, Rev. T. C. D., letter from, 132, 153, 156, 158. - - Mount Temple, Lord. _See_ Cowper Temple. - - Muirhead, Professor, 239, 240, 241, 248, 338. - - Munro Ferguson, Lady Helen, 524. - - Mure, Lord, 313, 314, 392, 396. - - Music, 138. - - Myers, Frederick, 474. - - “National Association,” 335, 345, 491, 509. - - New England Hospital for Women and Children, 162, 165, 172, 188, - 189, 197, 206, 285. - - New York Infirmary, 204. - - Newman, Professor, 223 (letter from), 223. - - Niagara, 167, 168. - - Nichol, Mrs., 300, 303 (letter from), 320, 354, 464, 510. - - Nicholson, Dr. Alleyne, 276-7 (letter from). - - Nicolson, Alexander, 249, 273, 336 (letter from), 357-8. - - _Nineteenth Century, The_, 402, 442, 449, 502. - - Norton, Arthur, 256, 420, 421, 426, 428, 447, 457. - - Oakeley, Professor Sir Herbert, 240. - - Oberlin College, 168, 171. - - O’Halloran, The, 293, 294. - - Ormidale, Lord, 392. - - Orr, General (Captain), 106. - - Orr, Mrs. (Miss Henrietta Cubitt), 106. - - Orr, Miss Margaret, 106, 110, 229, 230. - - Orr Ewing, —, M.P., 410, 411. - - Osler, Smith, 444, 479-80. - - Padua University, 241. - - Paget, Sir James, 431, 444. - - Palaus, Fräulein von (Baroness), 127, 130, 133, 134, 136, 137, 144, - 147, 148. - - _Pall Mall, The_, 195, 300. - - Palmer, Sir Roundell (Lord Selborne), 241. - - Paris University, 228, 229, 235, 239, 279, 353, 354, 377, 400. - - Paton, Miss M. G., 510. - - Peabody, Miss, 161, 166. - - Pechey, Dr. Edith (Mrs. Pechey Phipson), 254, 256, 257, 262, 267, - 269, 270, 271, 272, 274, 275, 289, 293, 303, 307, 311, 325, 336, - 341, 364, 365, 366, 377, 378, 382, 384, 418, 424, 425, 431, 432, - 434, 435, 436, 437, 438, 439, 444, 449, 459, 464, 465, 478, 486, - 492, 493, 505, 514, 518, 519, 528. - Letters from: 317-9, 359-60, 362, 383. - - Pechey, Rev. William, 275, 279, 493. - - Peel Ritchie, Dr., 460, 525. - - Phin, Rev. Dr., 249, 260. - - Phipson, H. M., 505, 528. - - Playfair, Professor (Sir Lyon), 237, 240, 241, 250, 251, 411, 412, - 413, 414, 416, 428. - Letters from: 241-2. - - Plumptre, E. H. (Dean of Wells), 63, 64, 69, 113, 150, 152, 155. - - Portal, Miss Lucy (letter from), 26-7. - - Provosts (Lord) of Edinburgh: - Chambers, 244. - Law, 296, 299, 304, 305. - Cowan, 389. - - Professional Examination, 330. - - Puerperal Fever, S. J.-B.’s thesis on, 437. - - Pulsford, Rev. Dr., 109, 110, 112, 145. - - _Punch_, 44, 275, 356, 414, 487. - - Putnam-Jacobi, Dr. M., 224, 424. - - Quain, Dr., 445. - - Queen Margaret College, 501. - - Queen Mary, H.M., 487. - - Queen Victoria, H.M., 138, 259, 286. - - Rainy, Rev. Principal, 109. - - Raleigh, Rev. Dr., 160. - - Ramsay, Admiral, Sir William, 320. - - Raymond, Dr., 166. - - Reade, Charles, 291, 435, 498. - - Recorder of London. _See_ Gurney, Russell. - - Reid, W. L., 336. - - Rendel, Lady, 402. - - Richmond and Gordon, Duke of, 433. - - Richter, Dr. Otto, 376. - - Riot at Surgeons’ Hall, Part II. Chap. VIII. - - Ripon, Marquis of, 389, 466, 479. - - Ristori, 458. - - Robson, W., 334, 347. - - _Robertson’s Sermons_, 139, 142, 230, 382. - - Rogers, Professor, 164, 195. - Mrs., 162, 178. - - Rose, Mrs. Hugh, 510. - - Royal Free Hospital, 442, 444, 456. - - Royal Infirmary, 286, 287, 288, 296, 298, 299, 300, 308, 340, Chap. - XII. _passim_. - - Rukhmabai, Dr., letter from, 493, 504. - - Rumbling Bridge Hotel, 516. - - Russel, Alexander, 233, 294, 305, 332, 340, 349, 380. - Mrs. (Mrs. de Lacy Evans), 236, 243, 263, 289, 292, 307, 332, - 340, 341, 349, 492. - - Russell, Lord Arthur, 444. - - Sackermena, 6-10, 18, 50, 120, 335, 447. - - _Sadie’s Poems_, 230, 242, 488. - - St. Andrews University, 119, 221, 225, 226, 354, 392, 394, 395, - 413, 417, 492, 507, 508, 509. - - St. Giles’ Cathedral, 296, 297. - - St. Louis College, 168, 171. - - St. Mary’s Hospital, 255, 256. - - Salamanca University, 241. - - Salzmann, Dr., 215, 256, 395. - - Sanders, Professor, 273. - - Sanderson, Dr., 292, 313. - - Sandon, Viscount, 429, 433, 434. - - Saville, Dr. Lillie, (letter from) 390, 488, 528. - - Scharlieb, Mrs., 478, 524. - - Schoolfellow’s criticisms of S. J.-B., 33-4. - - School Board (Edinburgh), 389. - - Schultz, Fräulein, 437. - - _Scotsman_, The, 119, 233, 234, 249, 253, 262, 275, 298, 305, 306, - 310, 312, 313, 316, 322, 337, 342, 348, 401, 412, 450, 465. - - Scott, Dr. Sam., 148. - - Scott Moncrieff, Sir Colin, 500. - - Selborne, Lord (Sir Roundell Palmer), 241, 404, 434. - Lady, 405. - - Serajevo, 432, 435. - - Sewall, Dr. Lucy, 161, 162, 163, 165, 172, 173, 174, 176, 177, 181, - 182, 183, 187, 193, 197, 198, 201, 202, 205, 206, 215, 229, 230, - 237, 238, 302, 327, 328, 329, 377, 378, 379, 448, 459, 462, 468, - 476, 506. - Letters from: 162, 175, 186, 215, 405. - Letters to: 16 (footnote), 199, 213, 214-5, 216, 219, 221, 224, - 232-3, 246, 255, 259, 267, 327, 377-8, 379, 464, 487. - - Sewall, Hon. Samuel, 162, 177, 205, 259, 506. - - _Sewall, The Prophecy of Samuel_ (_1697_), 162, 506-7. - - Shaftesbury, Earl of, 363, 427, 434. - - Shairp, Professor, 226. - - Shandwick Place University Classes for Women, 106. - - Sherbrooke, Viscount. _See_ Lowe, Rt. Hon. Robert. - - Shewen, Dr. Alfred, 404. - - Shove, Dr. Edith, 435, 444, 479. - - Sibbald, Dr. (Sir John), 525. - - Sidgwick, Professor Henry, 226, 245, 342, 343. - Letters from: 219, 221, 245, 225-6. - - Simon, J., 389, 429, 430. - - Simpson, Sir James, 221, 233 (footnote), 234, 237. - - Skelton, Mrs., 510. - - Slaves and Slavery, 168, 171, 182 (footnote). - - Sleighing, 197. - - Smith, Professor Piazzi, 240. - Southwood, Dr., 96. - Dr. William, 444. - - Social Science Congress, 402. - - Society of Apothecaries, 232, 255. - - Society for Employment of Women, 81. - - Soddy, Mrs. Frederick. _See_ Beilby, Miss Winifred. - - Somerville, Mr. Robert, 498. - - Spence, Professor, 236, 237, 258, 498. - - _Spectator_, The, 270, 274, 295, 399, 401, 504. - - Stansfeld, Rt. Hon. Sir James, 274, 309, 381, 388, 389, 402, 404, - 406, 410, 414, 429, 432, 433, 444, 445, 446, 449, 491, 502. - Letters from, 407-8, 409, 441-2, 443, 507. - - Stansfeld, Mrs. Caroline, 441. - - _Stationer_, The, 188. - - Stevenson, Miss Flora, 320, 325. - Miss Louisa, 325, 390, 510. - R. L., 340 (letter from). - Professor, 240, 258. - - Stirling Maxwell, Sir William, 360, 411. - - Storar, Dr., 445. - - Struthers, Dr., 497. - Professor, 273. - - Stuart, M.P., James, 225, 226, 343. - Letter from, 342-3. - - Suffrage, Woman, 309, 323, 327, 465, 485. - - Syme, Professor, 258, 274, 295, 399, 401, 504. - - Symes Thompson, Dr., 438. - - Tait, Professor, 239, 240, 241, 258, 270, 273, 279, 335, 360, 416. - Letter from, 338-9. - - Tait, Lawson, 432. - - Taylor, Mrs., 59. - Mrs. Peter, 161. - - Taylour, Miss, 323. - - Teaching, Comparison of English and American, 169, 170. - - Teed, Mrs., 13, 17, 18, 35, 46, 48, 53, 55, 69, 71, 133. - Miss, 13, 16, 46, 175. - - Temple, Miss, 185. - - Tennyson, Alfred, 63, 345. - - Terry, Miss Ellen, 458. - - Thackeray, S. J.-B.’s likeness to, 76. - - Thomson, Professor A. J., 500. - Walter, 380. - Sir Wyville, 416, 418. - - Thorne, Mrs. Isabel, 256, 260, 268, 289, 292, 307, 311, 322, 325, - 336. 389, 395, 396, 402, 418, 420, 425, 431, 434, 435, 436, 447, - 448, 449, 462, 467, 505. - Letter from, 253. - - Thornton, Mrs., 77. - - _Times_, The, 108, 270, 273, 286, 375, 400, 401, 417, 421, 472, - 495. - - Trayner, Lord, 308, 494, 495. - Mrs. (Lady), 494, 495. - - Trench, R. C. (Archbishop), 63, 64, 216. - - Tulloch, Principal, 119, 355, 413, 427. - - Turner, Professor (Sir William), 235, 237, 241, 247, 248, 258, 273, - 293, 336, 389. - - Tutorship (mathematical), 67-73. - - Tweedie, Mrs. Alec., 63 (footnote). - - Tyng, Dr., 166. - - Tytler, Professor, 239. - - Unitarianism, 109, 153, 154, 179, 180 (footnote). - - University. _See_ Aberdeen, Bologna, Cambridge, etc. - - Universities Commission, 508. - - Universities (Scotland) Bill, 507. - - Unwin, Miss Hermione, 480-1. - - Unwin, Mrs. S. P., 84, 124, 202, 328, 329, 351. - Letters to, 100, 130-1, 149-50, 156-8, 167-8, 184. - Letters from, 186. - - Unwin, S. P., 158, 481. - Letter from, 186. - - _Villette_, 126 (and footnote). - - Waldegrave, Dowager Countess, 373. - - Walker, Miss, 279. - Miss Lucy. _See_ Mrs. Unwin. - Dr. Jane, 524. - - Watson, Dr. (Sir Patrick Heron), 278, 284, 286, 340, 349, 425, 459, - 466, 467, 472, 493, 509. - Letters from, 287-9, 332. - - Wedderburn, Sir David, 360, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407. - - Welstood, Mrs., 510. - - Weisse, Herr Heinrich, 107. - - Westminster Hospital, 419. - - Wigham, Miss Eliza, 510. - - Wilberforce, William, 182. - - Williams, Mrs., 63. - Mrs. Agnes. _See_ Miss Woodhouse. - - Wilson, Professor John, 239, 240, 258, 272, 273, 292, 293, 310, - 332-3, 335, 359. - - Wilson, Mr. Robert, 292, 293 (and footnote). - Letter from, 293-4. - - Windydene, 390, Part iii. Chap. vii. - - Wolstenholme, Miss. _See_ Mrs. Wolstenholme Elmy. - - _Woman Hater, The_, 291, 435, 498. - - Women’s Medical College, New York, 204, 206. - - Women, Society for Employment of, 81. - - _Women’s Work and Women’s Culture_, 221, 223, 224, 243, 253, 266. - - Wood, Dr. Alexander, 287, 335, 336, 337. - - Woodhouse, Miss Agnes (Mrs. Williams), 64, 65, 70, 74, 78, 83, 107. - - _Words for the Way_, 158. - - “Working men, A few,” 321. - - Wyld, A. G., 510. - - Wyld, Mrs. Margaret, 510. - Letter from, 308. - - Wyld, R. S., 320. - - - Yarrow, 516. - - Young, Lord Advocate, 310, 312, 313, 313, 331, 335, 356, 413. - - Zurich University, 190, 235, 239, 278, 279, 353, 354. - - - GLASGOW: PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS BY ROBERT MACLEHOSE AND CO. - LTD. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - MACMILLAN’S NEW BOOKS - -=Recollections.= By VISCOUNT MORLEY, O.M. 2 vols. 8vo. 25s. net. - -=Pitt.= By LORD ROSEBERY. A Library Edition. 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Edited by THOMAS HUMPHRY WARD, M.A., Vol. V. - LATER 19TH CENTURY. Crown 8vo. 8s. 6d. - -=Six Women and the Invasion.= By GABRIELLE and MARGUERITE YERTA. - With Preface by Mrs. HUMPHRY WARD. Crown 8vo. 6s. net. - -=British Campaigns in Flanders.= By the Hon. J. W. FORTESCUE, author - of “The History of the British Army,” etc. With Maps. Extra - Crown 8vo. 8s. 6d. net. - - This volume consists of chapters selected from Mr. Fortescue’s - “History of the British Army.” - -=The Case for Compulsory Military Service.= By G. G. COULTON, author - of “The Main Illusions of Pacificism.” Extra Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. - net. - - LONDON: MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Footnotes - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note - - The author most commonly abbreviates her subject’s name as ‘S. - J.-B.’, but frequently neglects to punctuate it consistently. - These lapses have been corrected, with no further notice here. - Likewise, lapses in punctuation of the Index have been silently - rectified. - - Other errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been - corrected, and are noted here. - - The many nested quotations result in some inconsistencies in - punctuation, resulting in missing or seemingly superfluous - quotation marks. Corrections were made if the voice or context - seems to warrant them, and otherwise are simply noted below. The - quoted passages typically begin and end with double quotation - marks, but interior paragraphs do not follow the convention of - opening each with a quotation. - - On p. 255, a misprint seems to have disrupted the word ‘about’ - as ‘a bo’. The correction makes sense, but is speculative. - - In the Index, in the first column of p. 583, the entry for Mr. - Robert Somerville is missing a page reference. The sole - reference to Mr. Somerville occurred on p. 498, and that has - been added to the text. - - The entry for ‘Miss Wolstenholme’ refers the reader to ‘Mrs. - Wolstenholme Elmy’; however, the Index contains no such entry. - Elizabeth Wolstenholme-Elmy was an English suffragist and - writer, who is referred to twice in the text on pp. 284 and 381. - - The entry for ‘A Visit to Some American Schools and Colleges’ - mistakenly refers the reader to Part I. Chapter XXIII. This has - been corrected to Chapter XIII. - - The references are to the page and line in the original. Those - with three numbers refer to the line within the designated note - on that page. A prefix of ‘i’ indicates that this is an index - page, and that the second number refers to the column on that - page. - - 21.7 “Now for a word about the ‘bowing,’[”] he says Added. - - 21.8 [‘/“]It is of _no_ importance in itself, Replaced. - - 24.26 and may be long i[s/n] showing fruit Replaced. - - 57.10 ‘Yes, ma’am ma’am[.]’ Added. - - 58.28 did not much admire me, I guess, that Added. - night.[”] - - 60.17 unless you want to see it.[’] Added. - - 63.7 ‘Which faith except..., etc.’[”] Added. - - 63.21 [“]M. brought me an invite Added. - - 74.32 Feb. 11, 1865![”] Added. - - 97.21 makest me to dwell in safety.[’]” Added. - - 101.39 and have felt most solemnly[,/.] Replaced. - - 107.3 I was so annoyed[./,]—it seemed so silly Replaced. - - 111.40 May 9th. [“]We do well to struggle Added. - - 115.3 for which I am looking so earnestly....[’] Removed. - - 119.20 Yours affectly, S. L. J.-B.[”] Added. - - 119.32 It’s so weak, it can’t do harm that way.[’] Added. - - 131.33.2 she writes in her diary[!/:] Replaced. - - 135.16 and here, perhaps, the answer.[’]” Added. - - 138.4 the girls’ progress,[”] ought to comfort me Removed. - there, - - 145.33 by the doubt and co[m/n]tempt Replaced. - - 154.35.6 I keep such company.[’/”] Replaced. - - 157.18 when I am next in the North.[”] Added. - - 164.26 we got on grandly....[”] Added. - - 167.6 all connection of time and place.[”] Added. - - 167.18 not a bad church, will it be?[”] Added. - - 167.38 so wonderfully, bewitchingly, grandly _sic_ - [beautifully] as this. - - 174.35 [“]Dec. 15th. I have just begun Added. - - 180.17 if not of the conquerors.[”] Added. - - 180.32 Well done America and L. E. S.!—bless her.[”] Added. - - 181.40 to run close to practical atheism....[”] Added. - - 191.41 C. E. BROWN-S[E/É]QUARD. Replaced. - - 192.10 [“]Dr. A. ‘not afraid of responsibility Added. - - 203.43 with the old Mother.[”] Added. - - 205.16 Wasn’t I right?...[”] Added. - - 205.39 you can read and forward respect[t]ively Removed. - - 234.41 if poss[s]ible before Simpson goes. Removed. - - 243.15 of what things we have need.’[”] Removed. - - 246.37 [“]I am so glad that you are prospering so Removed. - well - - 255.25 and told him I was studyi[m/n]g Medicine Replaced. - - 255.39 spend some money [a bo/about] it Speculation. - - 256.6 and to University Court July 5th.[”] Added. - - 257.39 let me not prejudge what is best.[’] Added. - - 258.17 [“/‘]Unlucky to say so!’ Replaced. - - 260.30 the resolution of the Un[vei/ive]rsity Court Transposed. - - 260.32 by the Chancellor on November 12th[,/.] Replaced. - - 289.35 PA[RT/TR]ICK HERON WATSON. Transposed. - - 293.20 he’ll be hitting a policeman![’] Added. - - 321.27 the noble strug[g]le she is making Added. - - 333.41 thrown back in their profess[s]ional studies Removed. - - 335.8 time to call a mee[e]ting. Removed. - - 341.27 your conscience will prevent your Added. - sleeping!’[”] - - 374.25 Thanks for your kind letter[.] Added. - - 376.9 of your prof[f]ession Removed. - - 379.19 [“]It is just a year since we parted Added. - - 383.30 although I [I ]expect he thought Removed. - - 448.14 [“]So much better than I.” Removed. - - 449.7 the personal charm, intelligen[e/c]e and Replaced. - humour - - 464.2 [‘/“]Why do you recommend Vermouth?” Replaced. - - 469.16 to those who suffer _young_[’] Added. - - 509.29 to admit women forthwith to graduation in Added. - medicine[.] - - 511.29 [“]Dr. —— and Dr. —— [the consultants] have Added. - been here - - 514.6 a removal to larger premises[,/.] Replaced. - - 546.15 specially to the “people of God[.”/”?] Replaced. - - i566.1.51 Brown-S[e/é]quard, Professor, 191. Replaced. - - i568.2.28 (Mrs. Hil[l]house) was giving him Removed. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of Sophia Jex-Blake, by -Margaret Georgina Todd - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE OF SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE *** - -***** This file should be named 54215-0.txt or 54215-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/2/1/54215/ - -Produced by KD Weeks, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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