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diff --git a/old/60064-0.txt b/old/60064-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ae3ee40..0000000 --- a/old/60064-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,17210 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Dorothea Beale of Cheltenham, by Elizabeth -Raikes - - -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: Dorothea Beale of Cheltenham - - -Author: Elizabeth Raikes - - - -Release Date: August 6, 2019 [eBook #60064] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHEA BEALE OF CHELTENHAM*** - - -E-text prepared by MWS and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -(http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 60064-h.htm or 60064-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/60064/60064-h/60064-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/60064/60064-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/dorotheabealeofc00raikiala - - - - - -DOROTHEA BEALE OF CHELTENHAM - - -[Illustration: _Photo. J. C. Hughes_ - -_Dorothea Beale_ - -_from the portrait by J. J. Shannon._] - - -DOROTHEA BEALE OF CHELTENHAM - -by - -ELIZABETH RAIKES - - -Illustrated - - - - - - -London -Archibald Constable -and Company Ltd. -1908 - -Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty - - - - -TO ‘HER CHILDREN’ - - - - -PREFACE - - -Miss Beale left ample materials for the history of her work. Not only -were all business documents, such as minutes of council meetings, -nomination papers, examination questions carefully preserved, she kept -also all letters which could be of any interest. She went further than -merely arranging materials for a future book. In 1900 she compiled a very -complete _History of the Ladies’ College_. Here she traced its origin, -growth, and expansion; here, too, she named most carefully all who by -earnest work and self-denial, by industry, talent, or generous gift, had -in any way contributed to its wellbeing and influence. She was anxious -that all faithful work should be known. - -But Miss Beale recognised that after her death there would be a demand -for something more. She was earnestly desirous that in any account which -might appear of herself, the work for which she lived should have the -first place. With her innate sensitiveness, she shrank from the thought -of a Life. It would not indeed be possible to write a life of Dorothea -Beale which was not also, fully and intimately, a Life of the Ladies’ -College, Cheltenham. Yet Miss Beale left some materials for the more -personal side of the book—many letters, diaries, and autobiographical -fragments. One paper opens thus: - - ‘In these days we all live in glass houses, and it seems - useless to say, Let nothing appear in print. The life of - the College, for which I have lived forty years, some - reminiscences of the state of things as regards education, - and some traces of the way in which the Potter has formed - the vessel for the service of the household, may perhaps be - allowed. It seems to me that the story of the inward life - may be helpful. I should relate only those things which, on - looking back over my long life, seem to have exercised a - formative influence upon my own character, and tended under - God’s Providence to fit me for the work which was given me to - do. The circumstances and ideals of my childhood, the family - influences, sometimes what seems a chance acquaintance, or even - a passing remark; these viewed from within might have had an - influence little dreamed of at the time.’ - -I have endeavoured in this book to follow Miss Beale’s own suggestions, -but also to give some faint idea of what she was to the many she inspired -and taught. In her _History of the Ladies’ College_ she left little -historical fact unmentioned: it is possible for another to show that she -was the real founder, the main builder. - -Many thanks are owing to those who kindly furnished me with letters -from Miss Beale. It was difficult to select from the very large number -received, and it was with much regret that many had to be excluded, lest -the book should become unwieldy. - -It remains but to add one word on my gratitude for the unfailing kindness -and generous help of those who have read this book in manuscript and -proof; to Mrs. Reynolds and Miss Bertha Synge; to Miss Helen Cunliffe who -undertook the somewhat wearisome task of deciphering the diaries, and, -lastly, to Miss Alice Andrews, whose name Miss Beale associated with mine -when she asked me to write a History of the College. - - ELIZABETH RAIKES. - -_June 2, 1908._ - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. CHILDHOOD 1 - - II. QUEEN’S COLLEGE 17 - - III. CASTERTON 36 - - IV. AN INTERVAL 60 - - V. CHELTENHAM 81 - - VI. EARLY HISTORY OF THE LADIES’ COLLEGE 108 - - VII. A ROYAL COMMISSION 134 - - VIII. ORGANISATION 158 - - IX. DE PROFUNDIS 179 - - X. THE GUILD 203 - - XI. ST. HILDA’S WORK 226 - - XII. TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL 254 - - XIII. PARERGA 286 - - XIV. HONOURS 312 - - XV. THE LAST TERM 349 - - XVI. LETTERS 371 - - INDEX 427 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - DOROTHEA BEALE. From the Portrait by J. J. Shannon, - A.R.A _Frontispiece_ - - CAROLINE FRANCES CORNWALLIS. From a Painting by - Herself _to face page_ 4 - - CAMBRAY HOUSE. From an Old Engraving ” 90 - - MISS DOROTHEA BEALE, 1859 ” 108 - - MR. T. HOUGHTON BRANCKER ” 120 - - THE LOWER HALL, LADIES’ COLLEGE, CHELTENHAM. - A Photograph by Miss Bertha Synge ” 216 - - S. HILDA’S HALL, OXFORD ” 238 - - LADIES’ COLLEGE AND GARDEN, 1908 ” 254 - - THE EMPRESS FREDERICK AT CHELTENHAM. From a - Photograph by Mr. Domenico Barnett ” 334 - - DOROTHEA BEALE, LL.D. ” 340 - - - - -CHAPTER I - -CHILDHOOD - - ‘Wisdom goeth about seeking them that are worthy of her, and in - their paths she appeareth graciously, and in every purpose she - meeteth them. - - ‘For her true beginning is desire of discipline; and the care - for discipline is love of her; and love of her is observance of - laws.’ - - _Wisdom of Solomon_, vi. 16, 17, 18. - - -Dorothea Beale was born on March 21, 1831. The story of her childhood and -youth forms a good illustration of the best education that girls of the -early Victorian time could obtain. It gives also a glimpse of the fears -and hopes, the silent struggles, the disappointments of many a girl who -strove to wrest, as from a grudging Fate, the opportunity to inform and -use her mind. As far as possible this story is told autobiographically. - -Miss Beale belonged to a Gloucestershire family. One ancestor, in the -early days of the manufacturing settlement in the Stroud Valley, married -a Miss Hyde, a relation of the Chancellor. She brought to her husband -Hyde Court, Chalford, where Miss Beale’s brother, Mr. Henry Beale, -now resides. Miss Beale’s own father, however, never lived there. His -parents, who married young, settled at Brownshill in Gloucestershire, and -here his father (Dorothea’s grandfather) died, leaving a widow aged only -twenty-four with three children, John, Miles, and Mary, to be brought -up on very slender means. Mrs. John Beale removed to Bath, where she -remained till the boys left school for Guy’s Hospital. Then she came to -live with them in Essex, where for a time they practised in partnership. -In 1824 Miles married Dorothea Margaret Complin, a lady of Huguenot -extraction; her grandfather had practised as a physician in Spital -Square, one of the original settlements of the French immigrants. - -In 1830 the young couple with three children came to live in St. Helen’s -parish, Bishopsgate, where a year later Dorothea, their fourth child and -third daughter, was born. She was baptized in the ancient church of St. -Helen’s on June 10, 1831. ‘Awoke early. Baptism Day. Read the service,’ -she wrote in her diary in 1891. - -The Complins were a family of wide connections. Mrs. Beale’s aunt, Mrs. -Cornwallis, wife of the Rev. William Cornwallis, rector of Wittersham, -Kent, was an active, benevolent woman with literary tastes and -occupations. She took a great interest in her two young nieces, Elizabeth -and Dorothea Margaret Complin, who at an early age lost their own mother, -her sister. The two little girls were sent to school at Ealing, where the -elder, Elizabeth, gained many prizes or ‘Rewards of Merit,’ as school -prizes were then called. After her sister’s marriage to Mr. Miles Beale, -Elizabeth Complin lived for some time with her clever aunt and cousin, -Mrs. Cornwallis and her daughter Caroline, sharing their interests and -studies. On the death of her brother’s wife she came to live in London. -There she was brought into immediate touch with her nieces, Dorothea -Beale and her sisters, whom she delighted to help and advise in their -reading, and who by her means became familiar with the aims and ideals of -the Cornwallises. These more distant relations, whose intellectual aims -and work Miss Beale always reckoned among the influences of her early -life, were themselves authors of no mean merit. ‘Mrs. Cornwallis wrote -several devotional books, and is said to have learned Hebrew in the first -instance to teach her grandson, James Trimmer. She wrote also for him a -series of papers on the canonical Scriptures, in four volumes. This was -published by subscription, as was the custom with expensive works in -those days. The Queen and a number of great people entered their names, -and with the profits Mrs. Cornwallis was able to build schools in her -husband’s parish.’[1] - -James Trimmer died when only twelve. His other grandmother was also -literary—Mrs. Sarah Trimmer, famous in her own day as the author of -nearly thirty volumes for the young. Her _Sacred History_ was the most -important of these, but perhaps the best known now is _The History of the -Robins_. - - ‘One story of his childhood,’ runs the autobiography, ‘was a - great favourite with us as children. His uncle had settled - to sell a pony of which James was very fond, and many were - the tears he shed. His grandmother (Mrs. Cornwallis) said, “I - think, James, that this life is a journey upwards; each time we - do right, or bear a sorrow patiently, we get up one step of the - ladder to Heaven.” So he dried his eyes and was quite cheerful - once more. Meanwhile, his uncle, seeing the boy’s sorrow, - cancelled the sale, and brought news to James that the pony was - his once more. Again to his surprise, James burst into tears, - and at length it was drawn from him that he feared now he would - have to come down from that step of the ladder. He was finally - consoled by some such doctrine as Browning has commended in the - words, “’Tis not what man does that exalts him, but what man - _would_ do.” All her pupils were not as responsive as James. - Once, after expending her eloquence on a plough-boy whom she - was preparing for confirmation, she said: “Now, are you not - glad that you have a soul?” to which she could only get the - reply, “I don’t care very little about it....” - - ‘Mr. Cornwallis was a scholar; he was a descendant of - Archbishop Cornwallis. I do not know any details of his - College career; but he taught his only unmarried daughter - Latin and Greek classics, and she gained such a rare facility - in understanding that he used to read the classics aloud to - her, and expect her to follow. He was a friend of Sismondi, - from whom Miss Cornwallis received an offer of marriage, - which she declined on the ground of great disparity of age. - Sismondi lent her afterwards his villa at Pisa, and my aunt, - her great friend, accompanied her there. A journey to Italy - for two ladies was a great undertaking, and many interesting - reminiscences used we to hear from my aunt. She there acquired - a good knowledge of Italian, by which we benefited later.’[2] - -In after years Miss Caroline Cornwallis moved to Maidstone, where she -exercised her many talents and versatile mind in varied occupations. -Miss Cornwallis not only studied Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, but such -questions of the day as criminal procedure; she also read philosophy. -She wrote besides articles for the _Westminster Review_ and _Fraser’s -Magazine_, several books in a series entitled ‘_Small Books on Great -Subjects_—edited by a few well-wishers to knowledge.’ The first was -_Philosophical Theories and Experience of a Pariah_. She said women were -regarded as pariahs, and were it known that the book was written by a -woman it would not be read.[3] Others of the series which she wrote -were some volumes entitled _A Brief View of Greek Philosophy_, and some -historical works, _The State of the World before the Introduction of -Christianity_. She also wrote a classical novel called _Pericles and -Aspasia_. Miss Cornwallis rejoiced in the fact that as a woman, though -unknown, she obtained for her writings the praise of ‘big-wigs.’ - - ‘“I long,” she wrote to a friend after one of her works had - received flattering notices in the _British Medical Journal_, - “to knock all the big-wigs together and say it was a woman that - did all this—a woman that laughed at you all and despised your - praise. And if, like Caligula’s wish, I could put all mankind - into one and leave you to say that in its ears when I am gone - quietly to my grave, I think it would be glorious. It is as - a woman, and not as the individual C.F.C., that I enjoy my - triumph; for, as regards my own proper self, I like to creep in - a corner and be quiet; but to raise my whole sex and with it - the world is an object worth fagging for. Heart and hand to the - work.”’ - -[Illustration: _Caroline Frances Cornwallis_ - -_From a painting by herself_] - -Miss Cornwallis reflects the thought of her day with regard to women’s -work. It was one of the tasks of her cousin, Dorothea Beale—whose -‘fagging’ in the next generation did so much for her own sex and the -world—to show that the best work is done when the question of what will -be said about it does not affect it one way or the other.[4] - -The authorship of the _Small Books_ was a well-kept secret. - - ‘We did not know who wrote the books till after her death, - though my aunt, who gave them to us, often stayed with her as - her amanuensis. Miss Cornwallis was a skilled handworker, too. - Before the Society for Home Arts existed she learned to bind - books for her library. She was no mean artist, and her portrait - of herself in her library is considered very successful. I - have heard how she fitted up a marionette theatre for the - amusement of friends. I did not know her personally; she died - when I was young; but the talk of her ability and knowledge, - and the association with my aunt, Elizabeth Complin, who - was her friend, had much to do with calling out my literary - ambition.’[5] - -The Beales were a very large family, with more than twenty years between -the eldest and youngest children; and all those things which make home -life at once precious in itself and valuable as a training for the -world’s work were theirs to a full extent: mutual love and toil and -suffering, the elder serving the younger, the little ones looking up to -the wise elder sisters, the constant practice of all those qualities -which are the law of a well-ordered religious home. Both parents from the -midst of their own absorbing personal occupations found time to lead out -the mental abilities of their children, by reading aloud to them, giving -verses of Scripture and poetry to be learned by heart, and finding time -to hear them repeated. The home atmosphere was serious and intellectual. -Dorothea said she owed much to the literary tastes of her parents. ‘I -shall never forget,’ she said, ‘how we learned to love Shakspere, through -my father’s reading to us, when we were quite young, selected portions. I -still remember the terror which, as a very small child, I felt as I heard -Portia pronounce the verdict. I thought Shylock had really gained the -day.[6] - -‘History and general literature we would read with our mother, and listen -with delight to her stories of the eventful era she had lived through.’ - -Miles Beale, like his wife, belonged to a family with cultivated tastes -and interests. Among his relations he could reckon the eminent geologist -and archæologist, William Symonds,[7] rector of Pendock, Gloucestershire, -whose daughter married Sir Joseph Hooker. In connection with his friend -the Rev. Charles Mackenzie, vicar of St. Helen’s, and others, Mr. Beale -joined a committee known as the Literary Society, of which he became -honorary secretary, for the institution of lectures in Crosby Hall. A -library and evening classes were also formed, and these became in time -the basis of the present City of London College for young men. He was -much helped by Miss Maria Hackett, well known for her diligent efforts -to rescue old endowments which, granted for girls’ education, had been -alienated to boys. Mr. Beale, who was fond of music, was also a prime -mover in getting up concerts of sacred music. ‘This made us acquainted -with some musicians, and amongst others with Mrs. Bartholomew and her -husband, the friend of Mendelssohn, who translated many of the German -songs. He was a most interesting and cultivated man, an artist and -dramatist.’[8] - -The growing children were often allowed to be present when their father’s -friends came, and thus silently heard much thoughtful and intellectual -conversation. They looked up to him as to one who expected them to care -for books and for matters of public moment, and he strove to interest -them in his own pursuits and reading, and to give them a taste for what -was really good. ‘“Blessed are the pure in heart”—poor Swift,’ he said -one day as he handled a volume of the great satirist. ‘That,’ said -Dorothea long after, ‘was the best literature lesson I ever received.’ -The daughter must have resembled her father both in literary taste and -zeal. This busy man, who found time to pursue so many interests, would -accuse himself of being ‘naturally idle.’ It may come as a surprise to -many who knew the strenuous life at Cheltenham to find this was a fault -of which the Principal constantly accused herself. - -One friend who was much with the Beales, often dining with them on -Sundays, was Charles Mackenzie, then headmaster of St. Olave’s Grammar -School, and successively vicar of St. Helen’s, Bishopsgate, and St. -Benet’s, Gracechurch Street, and prebendary of St. Paul’s. Dorothea felt -she owed much to his teaching; he prepared her for confirmation in 1847. -As children she and her brothers and sisters attended St. Helen’s. Again -to quote her autobiography: - - ‘To come to the nearer influences of my childhood. There was - the faith of my parents, the morning and evening prayer. There - was the Bible picture-book and the Sunday lessons. The church - we went to was an old one, St. Helen’s, and at the entrance - were the words, “This is none other than the House of God, and - this is the Gate of Heaven.” There were high pews, and the - service was almost a duet between clergyman and clerk, yet I - realised, even more than I ever have in the most beautiful - cathedral and perfect services, that the Lord was in that - place, even as Jacob realised in the desert what he had failed - to find at home. There was over the East window an oval coat - of arms with strange scrolls which seemed to have eyes, and - reclining on each side two life-sized golden angels. This thing - seemed to speak strangely to my spiritual consciousness. Our - clergyman must have read well. I remember how, as the story of - the Crucifixion was read, the church would grow dark, as it - seemed. There were no hymn-books, only a few hymns pasted on a - card, and generally we sang from Tate and Brady. I know nothing - of the substance of the sermons now, but I remember the emotion - they often called forth, and how I with difficulty restrained - my tears. There was a Tuesday evening service, at which I - suppose there were never a dozen present, but I found there - great help, and to be obliged to go elsewhere on that night was - a great privation. The hymns were a great power in my life. I - remember the joy with which I would sing, in my own room, Ken’s - Evening Hymn, and the awful joy of the Trinity hymn, “Holy, - holy, holy.” - - ‘The books that we read most on Sunday—for no secular book was - allowed—were Mant’s Bible with pictures, which were explained - by my mother, and a book of Martyrs with dreadful pictures; - Bunyan’s _Pilgrim’s Progress_, with the outline drawings, and - a number of tracts, such as Parley the Porter, and stories of - good and bad children. - - ‘An aunt, my godmother, lived with us, and was often my - friend in my childish troubles. I shall not speak much of - the governesses we had in succession, because they left but - little impression on my inner life, nor need I speak of all my - brothers and sisters, except so far as they come into my inner - life. The strongest influence was that of my sister Eliza. We - were constantly together. She had a very lively imagination, - and on most nights would tell me stories that she had invented. - Early in the mornings she would transform our bedroom into some - wild magic scene, and we would play at Alexander the Great, and - ride Pegasus on the foot of our four-post bedstead. I remember - now how Mangnall furnished her with mental pictures of heathen - gods, which were cut out in paper and painted. London children - had no outdoor games.’[9] - -The elder daughters were at first educated by daily governesses. Dorothea -said that among her earliest reminiscences about 1840 were those relating -to the choice of a governess. - - ‘My mother advertised and hundreds of answers were sent. She - began by eliminating all those in which bad spelling occurred - (a proceeding which as a spelling reformer I must now condemn), - next the wording and composition were criticised, and lastly a - few of the writers were interviewed and a selection was made. - But alas! an inspection of our exercise-books revealed so many - uncorrected faults, that a dismissal followed, and another - search resulted in the same way. I can remember only one really - clever and competent teacher; she had been educated in a good - French school and grounded us well in the language.’[10] - -Memory preserves the name—Miss Wright—of the lady who earned this word of -praise. When she left, the girls were sent to school. - - ‘It was a school,’ again to quote Miss Beale’s own account - of her education, ‘considered much above the average for - sound instruction; our mistresses were women who had read and - thought; they had taken pains to arrange various schemes of - knowledge; yet what miserable teaching we had in many subjects; - history was learned by committing to memory little manuals; - rules of arithmetic were taught, but the principles were never - explained. Instead of reading and learning the masterpieces of - literature, we repeated week by week the Lamentations of King - Hezekiah, the pretty but somewhat weak “Mother’s Picture” of - Cowper, and worse doggrel verses on the solar system.’[11] - -The arrangements were doubtless similar to those of the period in all -schools of the same kind, such as were described by Miss Beale in one of -her early articles on the Education of Girls. - - ‘I know one school,’ she wrote, ‘existing to the end of the - first half of the nineteenth century, in which the terms were - not less than £100 a year. The following was the arrangement of - hours: Rise at seven o’clock ... Lessons till eight; breakfast, - consisting of bread and butter, with extremely weak coffee; - lessons till twelve, luncheon, consisting of bread and butter, - or bread and jam, and “turns” till one o’clock. These “turns” - consisted in going thirty times post haste round and round the - garden; they could scarcely be accomplished unless the luncheon - were carried round in the hand and eaten _en route_. Lessons - from one o’clock until three forty-five. Dinner four o’clock, - and “turns” in fine weather immediately following, as after - luncheon. Lessons until eight, then tea, and bed at nine.’[12] - -The school was at Stratford, and it lent perhaps a personal reminiscence -to a favourite line of Chaucer’s _Prologue_, on which, in the literature -lessons at Cheltenham, Miss Beale never failed to dwell. - - ‘After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, - For Frensch of Parys was to hire unknowe.’ - -She always had a horror of schoolgirl French, and the practice at one -time so common of permitting no talk except in French. - - ‘Our thinking power was hindered from developing by intercourse - with one another, because we were required to speak in a tongue - in which we could indeed talk, but in which conversation was - impossible; and the language we spoke was one peculiar to - English boarding schools.’[13] - -Young as Dorothea was when she went to school, she was no doubt -distinguished there for her industry and ability, and certainly for her -conscientiousness. A little story of this remains. On one occasion she -fainted in church, and when some kindly hand removed her bonnet, she -revived, and clung to it desperately, because she would not have her -head uncovered in church. The weary rounds in the garden lingered in -the memory of those who performed them, and there were those who would -tell in after years how faithfully the little Dorothea would perform her -‘turns,’ while some girls were not above cheating a little. - -The school-days were not prolonged, for ‘fortunately,’ she says,— - - ‘Ill-health compelled me to leave at thirteen, and then began - a valuable time of education under the direction of myself, - during which I expended a great deal of energy in useless - directions, but gained more than I should have probably done at - any existing school; dreaming much, and seeking for a fuller - realisation of the great spiritual realities, which make one - feel that all knowledge is sacred. We had access to two large - libraries; one that of the London Institution, the other that - of Crosby Hall; besides which the Medical Book Club circulated - many books of general interest, which were read by all and - talked over at meal-times and in the evening, when my father - used often to read aloud to us. Novels rarely came our way, but - we found pasturage enough. We read a great deal of history: - the works of Froissart, Thierry, Thiers, Alison, Miller’s - _Philosophy of History_, Sir James Stephen’s books, Prescott’s, - Creasy’s stand out very distinctly to memory.’[14] - -The reading of a book named _Scientific Dialogues_ she counted also as -an era in her mental history. All the good reviews of the time, the -_Edinburgh_, _Quarterly_, and _Blackwood’s Magazine_, came in her way, -with books of travel and biographies. She made elaborate tables on all -sorts of subjects, some of which in neat handwriting may still be seen. -She had access to all Whately’s works, and worked up alone his _Logic and -Rhetoric_. - -This unwearied study was no accumulation of knowledge for its own -sake, it was the outcome of a true if youthful admiration for what -was noble and good. ‘I worshipped for years Isabella of Castile. Sir -James Stephen’s essay on George the Third filled my imagination with -magnificent visions; his Port Royalists were my ideal characters; -especially was Pascal a hero, I read and re-read his _Life and Provincial -Letters_.’[15] - -Pascal’s life perhaps breathed for her a spirit of emulation. ‘I borrowed -a Euclid, and without any help read the first six books, carefully -working through the whole of the fifth, as I did not know what was -usually done. It did not occur to me to ask my father for lessons in -such subjects.’[16] She also made some way with algebra, and calculated -for herself the distance to the moon. Much time, she owned, was wasted -by working alone. But the very difficulties proved a source of help, -showing her the value of knowledge acquired by effort and search, as -opposed to mere information received from another. In all her reading -she received both help and sympathy from her aunt, Elizabeth Complin, -who herself understood Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, had considerable taste -for mathematics, and was fond of philosophy. She was one of the first -subscribers to Mudie’s. The London Library was also a mine of wealth to -the young readers. - -Outside her home, the chief educational influence for Dorothea at this -period must have been the lectures of the Literary Institution at Crosby -Hall, and more especially the Gresham Lectures. She attended some of -these in company with a younger sister, who often grew weary and -hungry when Dorothea, after a long morning’s work, would stay to talk -abstrusely with a professor, or linger over a bookstall on the way home -to dinner. The professor was probably Mr. Pullen, of whose lectures on -astronomy she wrote that they ‘inspired a passionate desire to know -more of mathematics, and to understand all the processes described. I -obtained books on mechanics and spelt them out as well as I was able, but -was often baffled. The mysteries of the Calculus I pored over in vain -... not knowing that I lacked the knowledge which alone could make it -intelligible.’[17] - -Dorothea’s educational fortune proved itself to be better than that of -the Prioress, for in 1847 she was sent with two elder sisters, their -characters ‘ripe for observation,’ to Mrs. Bray’s fashionable school for -English girls in the Champs Elysées. This school, kept by English ladies, -was supposed to offer a good English education, as well as French. - - ‘Imagine our disgust,’ writes Miss Beale, ‘at being required - to read English history in Mrs. Trimmer, to learn by heart all - Murray’s grammar, to learn even lists of prepositions by heart, - in order that we might parse without the trouble of thinking. - I learned them with such anger that the list was burnt into - my brain, and I can say it now. The “Use of the Globes,” too, - we were taught, and very impertinent was I thought for asking - a reason for some of the tricks we were made to play with a - globe under the direction of Keith. We used indeed to read - collectively Robertson’s _Charles the Fifth_, i.e. it was read - aloud on dancing evenings. Each class went out in succession - for the dancing lesson; thus no one read the whole book, though - the school in its corporate capacity did. I felt oppressed with - the routine life; I, who had been able to moon, grub, alone for - hours, to live in a world of dreams and thoughts of my own, - was now put into a cage and had to walk round and round like a - squirrel. I felt thought was killed. Still, I know now that the - time was well spent. The mechanical order, the system of the - French school was worth seeing, worth living in, only not for - long.’[18] - -One personal glimpse we have of the sisters at school in a letter of Mr. -Beale’s to Dorothea: ‘I thought your last letter very nicely written; -tell Eliza so, though it did not apply to hers. She does not write -much, though in the right spirit too: but a genteel hand is of great -importance. I am aware it requires much practice.’ - -The old-fashioned word exactly describes the neat, fine, pointed -handwriting, which is preserved for us in two or three French -exercise-books of the time. This writing soon after began to suffer -from too much of the German character, and later still more from unduly -ambitious haste. There is also in existence a thin book of _dictées_ -signed _Dorothée_, belonging to this period. The teacher has written at -the foot of one or two of these, after the enumeration of a few omitted -commas and accents, a word surely inapt as bestowed on this pupil, -‘_Etourdie_.’ - -The school was brought to an untimely end by the Revolution of 1848, when -a mob surrounded the house demanding garden-tools as firearms. These were -not available, but Miss Bray faced the men and persuaded them to leave -quietly. Before this incident occurred Dorothea Beale and her sisters had -been fetched home by a brother, who did not, however, leave Paris without -taking them round the city to see as much as they could of the movements -of the Revolution. - -This return from school may be considered the close of childhood; for -Dorothea was now seventeen. A grave and quiet girl, so we learn from -one or two friends of her youth, with a sweet, earnest expression, and -deliberate speech; also with a sunshiny smile and a merry laugh on -occasion. She was remarkable even in a studious, sedentary family for her -love of reading and study. For her the fields of literature had taken -the place of those other fields and gardens now held to be a necessity -for the best development of children’s bodies and minds. But her life -in the less favourable surroundings of a great city was made bright by -‘the light that never was on sea or land, the consecration and the poet’s -dream.’ The joys of imagination and fancy, the delight of entering into -the thoughts of the great, were hers, and lifted her above what was small -and trivial. She knew also, and from babyhood seems to have known, a -stern side of life. An innate sense of duty, that guide she never failed -to observe, already hedged her steps, protecting her strong, eager spirit -from flights of ‘unchartered freedom,’ leading it through restraint and -self-denial towards a glorious liberty. - -There was plenty to do at home; younger sisters to be taught and -schoolboys’ lessons to be superintended. The boys were at Merchant -Taylors’ School, where the education was neither better nor worse than -in other public schools of the day. Such as it was, it gave Dorothea -a horror of the old-fashioned methods by which boys were taught Latin -and Euclid, without intelligence and without sympathy. It was one of -her tasks at this time to aid in the daily grind of this uninteresting -work. Mrs. Frederick Sewell, an old friend of the family, remembers the -boys going off to their lessons under the supervision of the clever -elder sister. Uncongenial as must have been to her the work of directing -boys already wearied with a long day at school, it was evidently done -in a spirit of dutifulness and high endeavour. In 1876, a brother, the -Reverend Edward Beale of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, Cowley, -wrote to her after what proved to be a final parting: ‘Our lives seem -wonderfully linked together, and I am more conscious every year how much -my life has been influenced by your early teaching. If I had followed -that way of _Duty_ I should have found the entrance less rugged to the -more excellent way.’ Nor was the task a wasted one for Dorothea herself. -She determined, she tells us, to follow her brothers’ lessons on her -own account as well as theirs, and thus was enabled to gain a thorough -knowledge of Latin grammar. - -The younger sisters remember the careful and regular teaching given them -by the elder ones, the quiet instructive games they were encouraged to -play with little pictures from Greek mythology, and the rewards bestowed -on industrious pupils. It is on record that Dorothea herself dressed a -doll for a little sister’s birthday. - -For she was by no means unequal to feminine pursuits. She could be what -is called _useful_ at home; the inevitable sock-darning which falls to a -girl’s portion in a family of many boys was not neglected; though carried -on simultaneously with the mental exercise of learning German verbs. -An exquisitely fine piece of tatting remains to testify to skilfulness -of fingers, as well as to the perseverance she more gladly devoted to -intellectual efforts. Such was the interleaved New Testament, a monument -of patient toil, into which she copied in very small writing whole -passages of comment from the Fathers and other writers. So full of work -was the home life that there can have been scarcely any leisure; but a -few so-called holidays were spent in rubbing brasses in the ancient city -churches. There was full occupation even for the strenuous spirit of -Dorothea Beale, in the interests and affairs of home, but a wider field -for her energies was to open with the gates of Queen’s College in 1848. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -QUEEN’S COLLEGE - - ‘Long shall the College live and grow, - When we three sleep in peace, - And scholars better far than we - Its glory shall increase.’ - - _Eliza Beale on the Jubilee of Queen’s College._ - - -Mr. Llewelyn Davis rightly said that the establishment of Queen’s -College was an epoch in women’s education. Like that of all really great -institutions, its development and growth were an outcome of the needs -of the time. But the movement which led up to it was ‘not from beneath -but from above. It was compassion in the hearts of a few good men which -moved them to help a forlorn class of solitary and ill-paid workers, that -seemed the immediate cause. A little band of men full of faith and good -works came to the help of a man whose influence was quiet but strong.’ -The good man of whom Miss Beale thus spoke was David Laing, who was vicar -of Holy Trinity Church, Kentish Town, from 1847 to 1858. Good he was, in -many senses of the word: a man of education, wide culture, and personal -force. He showed both large-hearted charity and wisdom in dealing with -the needs of those for whom it was his duty to care, and he was ready to -make any self-sacrifice required in carrying out his schemes for them. - -In 1843 he became Honorary Secretary of the Governesses’ Benevolent -Institution, a position he occupied till his death in 1860, and the -lamentable state of women’s education, particularly that of professing -teachers, was brought forcibly before him. The society, which had had -a kind of passive existence only for two or three years, began at once -under Mr. Laing to develop manifold activities. Within a year the work -of help for which it was primarily intended was in full swing, and its -scope of usefulness was enlarged by the establishment of a registry and a -scheme for granting diplomas to governesses. - -It was soon found to be a real difficulty to know the efficient teacher -from the mere pretender. For the lack of education is frequently seen in -an assumption of knowledge. In the days when women were required to teach -everything, a confession of ignorance on almost any subject was regarded -as a disgrace. The advance of true education is marked by the fact that -it is no longer necessary for a governess to pretend to knowledge she -does not possess. - -It was soon seen that if the registry for teachers was to be of any -value, some test must be established for the women it undertook to -recommend. The first efforts at examination revealed such depths of -ignorance, that the further necessity of instructing those who wished -to avail themselves of the society’s diplomas was perceived. This need -happily coalesced with the generous plan of Miss Murray, Maid of Honour -to the Queen. She seems first to have thought of a college for women, and -had already received donations of money towards such an object. These -she transferred to Mr. Laing, when in 1844 he entered into communication -with the Government respecting the establishment of a college. In 1847 -Queen Victoria graciously gave her permission for the adoption of the -title ‘Queen’s College,’ and a house in Harley Street, adjacent to that -occupied by the Governesses’ Benevolent Institution was taken. Mr. Laing -then called upon some of the Professors of King’s College to help him in -the work by giving lectures to governesses and others, and it was largely -owing to their talent and unwearied kindness that the College became -rapidly so successful. - -It should not, however, be thought that Queen’s College was destined -by its founders solely to help governesses, though in this direction -its usefulness was immediately seen. Miss Murray and Mr. Laing, like -Alfred Tennyson and others less immediately interested in the scheme, -looked beyond such direct results to the larger needs of women. The time -had come when it was recognised that marriage could not be the lot of -all,—that there might be purpose and interest in a woman’s life even -when she could not be married, and that to use marriage merely as an -escape from an empty impoverished existence was an act unworthy of a good -woman. Women were now willing to fit themselves for life independently -of marriage, and for this end were seeking intellectual development. -Therefore the founders of Queen’s College planned that the education -should be general, and not merely an initiation into a craft which a -governess might learn as if she were a member of a certain guild. For the -governess herself, it was surely best that she should be educated as if -she had interests in common with the rest of her sex, and for all women -it was needful that they should seek means to inform, occupy, and control -their own active minds and ‘wandering affections.’ Mr. Laing thought -with compassionate horror of the wasted lives of many women, of their -capabilities and sympathies which were meant to enrich the lives of -others, degraded by misuse or disuse into positively harmful activities. -After Queen’s College had been opened for some months he wrote, in words -which some will recognise as a favourite quotation of Miss Beale’s, ‘the -fate of some victim of a conventional marriage, or of a life of celibacy -ending in deranged health, is particularly sad and pitiful. Like the -daughters of Pandarus who, after being nurtured by the goddesses and fed -on honey and incense by the Graces, are snatched away by the Harpies, -“And doomed for all their loving eyes, To serve the Furies who hate -constantly.”’ - -Miles Beale was among those who shared such thoughts for women. It was -his aim to give his daughters every opportunity to cultivate their minds -and pursue any path of knowledge they should desire. Above all, he wished -that they should not regard marriage as a necessity. - -The inaugural lecture on the opening of Queen’s College was delivered -by the Rev. F. D. Maurice, the first Head of the College, on Wednesday, -March 29, 1848. As his inspiring but stern words fell upon the ears of -Dorothea Beale, we may well believe that the sense of vocation which -must early have grown for her out of her natural dutifulness, became -to her more clearly shaped. Certainly, in reading them now, we feel we -are tracing back to its source a stream of that thought with which she -herself in due time awed and inspired many a young teacher. ‘The vocation -of a teacher is an awful one; you cannot do her real good, she will do -others unspeakable harm if she is not aware of its usefulness. Merely -to supply her with necessaries, merely to assist her in procuring them -for herself ... is not fitting her for her work. You may but confirm -her in the notion that the training of an immortal spirit may be -just as lawfully undertaken in a case of emergency as that of selling -ribbands. How can you give a woman self-respect, how can you win for her -the respect of others, in whom such a notion or any modification of it -dwells? Your business is by all means to dispossess her of it; to make -her feel the greatness of her work, and yet to show her that it can be -honestly performed.’ - -The speaker went on to deal with the word ‘Accomplishments,’ a word which -at that time was supposed to cover the whole of a woman’s education; and -he pleaded that something more than finish, something substantial and -elementary was needed for those whose duty was ‘to watch closely the -first utterances of infancy, the first dawnings of intelligence;—how -thoughts spring into acts, how acts pass into habits. Surely they ought, -above all others, to feel that the truths which lie nearest to us are the -most wonderful ... that study is not worth much if it is not busy about -the roots of things.’ - -Again, with what responsive if silent joy must the girl who had toiled -alone at Euclid and Algebra have heard his encouraging words on -Mathematics, then held to be an unfeminine pursuit. ‘To regard numbers -with the kind of wonder with which a child regards them, to feel that -when we are learning the laws of number we are looking into the very laws -of the universe,—this makes the study of exceeding worth to the mind -and character; yet it does not create the least impatience of ordinary -occupations; ... on the contrary ... it helps us to know that nothing is -mean but what is false.’ - -The concluding thoughts of Mr. Maurice’s address must be familiar to -Cheltenham pupils: ‘The teacher in every department, if he does his duty, -will admonish his pupils that they are not to make fashion, or public -opinion, their rule ... that if these are their ends, they will not be -sincere in their work or do it well.... Colleges for men and women ... -exist to testify that opinion is not the God they ought to worship.’ We -can hardly realise, after nearly sixty years of the liberal education won -for us largely through this first concerted effort of earnest men and -women, the trembling joy and diffidence of those pupils,—some of them -mere girls, some already themselves engaged in the work of teaching,—who -formed the first classes in Harley Street. We have become so accustomed -to the new order of things then inaugurated, that their allusions to -Tennyson’s _Princess_, their fear of being regarded as _outré_ seem to -us almost self-conscious and unnecessary. Professor Maurice opened his -address with an apology for the word ‘College’; on another occasion he -spoke of the project as ‘equally extravagant if not equally imaginative -with that lately set forth by our great poet.’ Miss Wedgwood recalls -dismay under the ‘witless laughter roused by the mention of the College -after I had been its pupil for more than a year.’ - -Nor was this all. A more annoying opposition took shape in articles -in the _Quarterly_ in which the theological opinions of the lecturers -were attacked. The writer found fault in the first place on such points -as these: the early age of admission was likely to lead to desultory -education; the absence of proper framework and machinery, and the want of -proper authority were to be deplored; the low rate of payment might lead -governesses availing themselves of the classes to get by their means a -smattering of knowledge. He then proceeded to attack the professors for -a ‘sort of modified Pantheism and Latitudinarianism prevailing in their -so-called theology,’ adding that the lecturer on English Composition -distinguished himself above the rest of his company by the ‘Germanisms -embroidered on his prose.’ Mr. Laing took up a vigorous pen to answer -the _Quarterly_, and in defence of Maurice, Kingsley, and the rest, -exclaimed: ‘These men are doing a righteous and godly work in the face of -heaven and earth.’ - -It is a wonderful history. Remarkable, too, were the women and girls who -seized the advantages offered them, who were waiting almost literally for -the College doors to be opened. Mrs. Davenport, then Miss Sarah Woodman, -records with natural pride the fact that she was the first pupil. She was -quickly followed by Miss King, and we may be sure that the three Miss -Beales were not far behind them. - -Among the earliest pupils beside those already named, were Miss Buss, -Miss Frances Martin, Miss Jex-Blake, Miss Elizabeth Gilbert, and Miss -Adelaide Anne Procter, whose simple holland dress without ornament, bands -of dark hair, pale complexion, and regular features are noted for us by a -young fellow-student, Miss Wardell. And the teachers were worthy of the -pupils. Among the lecturers and examiners were the Rev. F. D. Maurice, -the Rev. E. H. Plumptre, afterwards Dean of Wells, the translator of -Dante, the Rev. Charles Kingsley, the Rev. R. C. Trench, then Dean of -Westminster, afterwards Archbishop of Dublin, John Hullah, W. Sterndale -Bennett, Dr. Brewer the historian, Professors Bernays and Brasseur. -These are well-known names, but there were many others almost forgotten -to-day, who were interesting and inspiring teachers. There were no -lady-teachers at first, but Miss Beale enumerates with grateful words a -staff of lady-visitors, ‘who undertook, of course gratuitously, the often -burdensome duty of chaperoning. Lady Stanley of Alderley, stately and -beautiful all her life, but especially then; Mrs. Wedgwood, the daughter -of Sir James Mackintosh, so clever and kind, whom everybody liked; -Miss Elizabeth Twining, Lady Monteagle, and Lady Page Wood were often -present; and a Mrs. Hayes, of whom I have lost sight, was one of the most -diligent. I never happened to meet Lady Canning, she went to India almost -immediately.’ - -Before tracing Miss Beale’s own connection with Queen’s, it is worth -while to read the following letters written to her by Miss Buss in 1889, -in which the working of the College, especially with regard to the -evening classes, is shown in a detailed and personal way: - - _January 13, 1889._ - - ‘Queen’s College was distinctly an outcome of the Governesses’ - Benevolent Institution. It was found that governesses living - in the Home in Harley Street were often very ignorant, and - Mr. Laing, a University man himself, asked some of the King’s - College professors to give some lectures to the ladies living - in the Home, so that they might be better informed when leaving - to take a situation. The professors responded, some lectures - were given, but it soon became evident that outsiders must be - admitted to help to pay expenses—so the College was opened in - 1848.... - - ‘Mr. Laing kept his original idea before him, and soon induced - some of the professors to give, free of charge, courses of - evening lectures to women actually engaged in teaching. I was - a member at the very outset, being the youngest woman then - attending the evening lectures. A very able man, Mr. Clark, - Principal of Battersea, gave a splendid course of Geography - lectures (of England, I think), Mr. Cock took Arithmetic, Mr. - Brewer, Latin translation—he was a first-rate teacher. Some - one else took Latin Grammar, Mr. Laing gave Scripture. The - first term I attended six nights a week, the second, four. F. - D. Maurice took Elizabethan Literature somewhat later; Trench - gave his lectures on English from his manuscript notes, and how - delightful they were! English Past and Present, etc. I do not - remember Kingsley, I was not introduced to him until many years - after. Nicolay gave Ancient History, and was not popular.... - - ‘Queen’s College began the Women’s Education Movement - undoubtedly, but it became conservative, and did not grow.... - There was a Rev. A. B. Strettel, who taught grammar well, but - only to the day-students, I think. Recalling the old days in - this way takes one back to one’s youth. Queen’s College opened - a new life to me, I mean intellectually. To come in contact - with the minds of such men was indeed delightful, and it was - a new experience to me and to most of the women who were - fortunate enough to become students.... Believe me, as always, - yours affectionately and admiringly, - - FRANCES M. BUSS.’ - -In reply to some questions from Miss Beale in answer to the above, Miss -Buss wrote again on January 17, 1889:— - - ‘The day classes were of course attended by girls and women - from outside. I attended the evening classes in 1849. Our - school was opened in 1850, and then as we began with sixty - girls, and ended the first quarter with eighty, I had not time - to attend and work as I had done before. Mr. Laing always - wanted to help women teachers, and he was strong enough to get - the King’s College men to teach governesses gratuitously in the - evening, each professor only attending one night in the week. - The men had plenty of work and pay for their day lectures. - The evening classes went on for some time, and were very well - attended by women, all of whom were teaching. Some of these - women (I among them) presented themselves for the irregularly - conducted examinations, for which certificates were offered. - Each professor did as he liked, he saw the candidate alone—at - any rate in my case it was so—told her to write answers to - questions set by him, asked a few _vivâ voce_ questions, and - then gave a certificate. No papers were printed, therefore no - one could know what line the examiner would take. I have three - of these certificates. Later, the examination became more - formal and more valuable; a sort of standard was created.’ - -Dorothea Beale was, as a matter of fact, strictly a pupil of Queen’s -College for an even shorter time than her great contemporary. But there -for the first time she obtained the object of her ambition—mathematical -training, given by Mr. Astley Cock. Of this she characteristically -remarked, ‘as the class was small I could go at my own pace. The work -was however elementary, and as I had read a good deal alone, I found -private lessons necessary.... I read with him privately Trigonometry, -Conics, and the Differential Calculus.’ After a time Miss Beale was asked -to help in teaching mathematics, and in 1849 was appointed the first -lady mathematical tutor. ‘I had the _entrée_ of any class I liked, being -tutor, and attended at various times—Latin, Greek, German, and Mental -Science.’ She speaks also of the delight she had ‘at the opening of a -Greek class by Professor Plumptre. The class, it is true, languished and -died in less than two years. For nearly a year it consisted of myself and -a friend, and most thoroughly did we enjoy reading Plato and Sophocles -under such a teacher.’ Miss Beale also much enjoyed an interesting German -literature class held by Dr. Bernays.[19] The formal reports of progress -made, of attendance, and even of good conduct at the classes may still -be seen. The attendance, it goes without saying, was always regular, the -conduct very good, and the progress most satisfactory. - -In 1854 Mr. Plumptre required help with the Latin tuition, and asked Miss -Beale to take a junior class. In the same year she was offered the post -of head teacher in the school under Miss Parry, from whom she says she -received ‘much kindness, and learned from her many valuable lessons; we -travelled abroad together during one long vacation.’ - -Queen’s College, both by the tuition it afforded, and the experience -it gave in teaching and managing classes, was an important factor in -Dorothea Beale’s training for her life’s work. There was a yet further -advantage in its certificates. Miss Beale and her sisters, like Miss -Buss and others engaged in the work of education, desired and obtained -from the College diplomas certifying their ability to teach. These were -obtained by examinations, which in the earliest days were conducted in -the manner described in Miss Buss’s letter already quoted. Miss Dorothea -Beale herself spoke with unmitigated pleasure of her first examination -conducted by Professor Maurice. ‘The _vivâ voce_ was a delightful -conversation; he led us on by his sympathetic manner and kindly -appreciation, so that we hardly remembered he was an examiner’; and she -says later, ‘I remember to this day what a pleasant hour we had of _vivâ -voce_; his wonderful power of intellectual sympathy came out, and made -us forget that we were being examined; he seemed to take pleasure in -following up our thoughts on the bearings of the history we had read, -so that it appeared we were holding a delightful conversation on the -subject. Again, in speaking of language, he wanted not merely formal -and conventional grammar, and showed such pleasure when a grammatical -definition was enlarged beyond the scope of ordinary school-books.’ - -It should be remembered that the examination which proved to be so -‘delightful’ was on the result of her own private reading encouraged -by home sympathy, and a few public lectures. The questions asked were -of wide scope; some were quite simple, almost superficial; others were -framed so as to draw upon intelligence or a reserve of knowledge. - -The educational certificates of sixty years ago, the first ever given, -have a great and touching interest for those who love to follow the -development of intellectual advance. The simple way in which the -advantages offered by the examinations held by the Committee of Queen’s -College are set forth speaks of effort and hope, unconnected with the -school routine and studied preparation made necessary by the large and -complicated system of the present day. Below the lists of Patrons, -Committee, and Lady Visitors, it is stated that the Committee is prepared -to give certificates in any of the following subjects: The knowledge of -Scripture; English Grammar and Literature; History, Ancient or Modern; -French, German, Italian, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, etc.; Music, Vocal or -Instrumental; Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry; Geography, Geology, Natural -Philosophy, Botany, etc.; Drawing, Painting in any style; Principles and -Methods of Teaching. To this truly magnificent offer,—infinite indeed -if any value is to be attributed to ‘etc.’—is attached the note: ‘As it -would be absurd to suppose that any governess could combine all these -varied subjects, the List is offered, that Parents may select those to -which they attach most importance; and may observe how the certificates -meet their wishes.’ - -Miss Dorothea Beale obtained six of these certificates, and four of the -later ones, granted under slightly different conditions. The first, dated -June 12, 1848, for English Literature and English Grammar, states that -the examiner, Professor Maurice, is of opinion that Miss Dorothea Beale -‘has shown much intelligence, and a very satisfactory acquaintance with -these subjects.’ The diploma bears also, as do the other certificates, -the signature of Mr. Laing, the Honorary Secretary, and of the Rev. C. F. -Nicolay, Deputy Chairman, and afterwards called Dean of Queen’s College. -Mr. Nicolay was also Librarian of King’s College. The next certificate, -for French, is only three days later in date, June 15, 1848. On this, -Professor Isidore Brasseur states that he considers Miss Dorothea Beale -‘well qualified to teach that language (which she speaks fluently, having -acquired it in France) theoretically and by practice.’ The two diplomas -gained in December of the same year are of even greater interest for her -pupils at Cheltenham. The first of these, dated December 11, 1848, and -signed by the Rev. Thomas Jackson, Principal of the Battersea Training -College, who had examined her in the Principles and Method of Teaching, -states that ‘she has paid praiseworthy attention to the subject, and -is likely to become an accomplished teacher.’ We note the office of -the examiner. Already then, in 1848, itself a mere infant, elementary -education was giving the lead in this important subject; for when at -last, after a long day of desultory and often unfruitful toil, those who -were the professed teachers of the rich sought to learn the meaning and -methods of their work, they found that they could only do so in England -from the teachers of the poor. - -The date of the next certificate, December 26, shows how much these -diplomas were dependent on voluntary and individual attention, and -opportunity on the part of the examiners. This, signed by Professor -Plumptre, states that in her knowledge of Holy Scripture, Miss Dorothea -Beale exhibits ‘a very intimate knowledge of its history and Scripture.’ -On January 16, of the following year, a certificate for Geography was -signed by Mr. Nicolay, who is of opinion that ‘she has studied the -subject carefully in its details, and that her knowledge in its various -branches is satisfactory.’ - -In November 1850 Miss Beale received from her mathematical tutor, the -Rev. T. Cock, a certificate of efficiency in Arithmetic, Geometry, -Algebra, and Trigonometry. He is of opinion that ‘she has acquired a -sound knowledge of the first principles of these four subjects, showing -considerable ingenuity in the application of them to examples and -problems; that she possesses the power of defining and distinguishing -with clearness and brevity, and that appreciation of mathematical -reasoning which, if further cultivated, will enable her to study with -success those treatises on Natural Philosophy which require a knowledge -of the exact sciences.’ - -In 1855, after the certificates had become classified, this diploma was -exchanged for a first-class certificate. And in the course of these later -years she received two other first-class certificates, one for Latin, and -one for German; and, for pianoforte playing, a second-class certificate, -signed by W. Sterndale Bennett. For this was required the performance -of the more important sonatas of Mozart (without accompaniments), the -early sonatas of Beethoven, the ‘Lieder ohne Worte’ of Mendelssohn, and -Cramer’s Studies. This must have been for Dorothea Beale a period of -happy and fruitful life and work, during which her interests enlarged -in many directions. The connection with Queen’s College brought much -congenial acquaintance, while at home she was working vigorously at -German and still following the classical work of her brothers. - -In 1851 Miss Beale’s family removed to 31 Finsbury Square, then a great -medical centre; thirty-one houses were occupied by medical men. There -were friends to share her aims and interests. Among these we specially -note Mrs. Blenkarne and Miss Elizabeth Alston. To the first of these -Dorothea confided her hopes and aims, and gained from her sympathy and -help, a boon she never forgot. The links of the friendship so begun ran -on throughout her life. Mrs. Blenkarne’s daughters and great nieces were -educated at Cheltenham. - -In Elizabeth Alston Dorothea had a friend of her own age—a friend who -survives to tell of the many happy hours the young girls spent together, -of the books they read and discussed, their philanthropic works, and -dreams of good. Dorothea, always fond of teaching, gladly instructed -her friends. Miss Alston learned from her to read St. Mark in Greek, -and in return taught her to sing. ‘We would linger long at the piano, -as I sought to make her convey by her singing the depth of meaning in -the words, “But the Lord is mindful of his own.” She told me it was a -revelation to her.’ - -As late as 1902 Miss Beale wrote to that friend of her youth: ‘I think -with gratitude of those lessons you gave me in singing; this, I believe, -has helped much to make me able to teach without fatigue. “In questa -tomba oscura” was fine for a chest voice. I suppose you are as much -interested in music as ever.’ And in 1903, with an allusion to those -designs on all knowledge which the friends had shared, she wrote: -‘Sanscrit is very fascinating; my Sanscrit studies were cut short by my -coming here.’ - -The vacations of this period were spent sometimes at watering-places like -Brighton, or Blackheath, where she would be in charge of the younger -members of the family. To this day is remembered her conscientious way -of taking them for a walk with her watch in her hand. Sometimes she went -to Germany or Switzerland, where she took every opportunity of studying -schools and methods of education. She was most happy in her work. The -actual teaching, apart from the subject, was in itself a delight. That -power of inspiration which she held should be one of the gifts a teacher -should earnestly covet, was already hers. This was felt not only by the -elder pupils, whose minds under her guidance opened to the interests -of Latin and mathematics. The children in the school knew it also. An -unexpected tribute from one of these once reached Miss Beale, when the -parent of a pupil wrote: ‘I have just learned from my little girl that -the Lady Principal of the Cheltenham Ladies’ College was my dear and -valued teacher of olden days, at Queen’s College.... I assure you I -have never ceased to cherish a warm affection for you, and I have never -forgotten your great kindness to me in Harley Street.’ In 1905, at the -time of the College jubilee, one who had been a child pupil of Miss -Beale’s wrote to her: ‘The few months during which I was under your -tuition more than fifty years ago were an epoch to me. Young as I was, -I ever afterwards judged teaching by the standard set by yours, and -very seldom indeed, I may truly say, has it been subsequently reached. -The fifty years that have since passed, full as they have been, have -never effaced the impression then received, both of your teaching and -of something more comprehensive than teaching, which contact with you -engendered, and which impels me to take this opportunity—late in the day -as it is—to express and to thank you for.... I had a most keen desire to -visit Cheltenham and the buildings and institutions which embody in so -grand a manner the impress which my childish mind received.’ - -There is also ample evidence that the professors and lady-visitors of the -College highly esteemed Miss Beale’s work there. ‘The flattering regard -in which you are held at Queen’s,’ wrote her father to her just after she -had left the College, are words fully justified by other letters which -exist. - -It is clear that this spring of work was full of hope and delight, as -well as of scrupulous effort. Dorothea Beale possessed at this time -a growing confidence in her own powers, educational ideals which were -slowly shaping themselves, and a consciousness of her fitness for the -work on which she was engaged. - -Then, at the end of 1856, the connection with Queen’s College came rather -abruptly to an end by Miss Beale’s own wish. She appears to have been -some time feeling that there was a tendency for the whole administration -of the College to get too much into the hands of one person; and that -there was consequently not enough scope for that womanly influence -which she felt to be so important where the education of young girls is -concerned. She returned to her work after the summer holiday of 1856—a -holiday spent in visiting Swiss and German schools—to find the power of -the lady-visitors more restricted than ever. In fact, she said, ‘the time -had come when it could be truly said, “the lady-visitors have no power.”’ -As she was not in a position to effect the changes she desired, she sent -in her resignation, and her friend and fellow-teacher, Miss Rowley, did -the same. The actual moment for doing this in November seems to have -been decided for Miss Beale by hearing she could obtain the post of -head-teacher at Casterton. - -Miss Beale’s connection with Queen’s College had been long and close, and -her gratitude to it was so great that she hoped to be allowed to resign -without explanation. This was during the headship of Dr. Plumptre. When -Miss Beale’s resignation reached him, he urged her to make the reasons -for it known, and his letter on the subject shows something of the -consideration in which she was held. - - ‘If there is an evil which cannot be remedied, are you right - in leaving those to whom the welfare of the College is very - dear to all the discomfort of feeling or imagining that there - is something amiss without giving them any clue to that which, - whatever it be, has been at all important enough to lead you - to resign? Are you right in exposing the College itself to the - consequence of the construction which will inevitably be put - upon your conduct—whether that construction be true or false? - I may form three or four conjectures as to the motives that - have led you to this decision—but it is all guess work—I think - the decision itself to be deplored. We shall lose an able - and earnest fellow-worker. You will lose a position of great - usefulness—you give up a work to which you have been called and - opportunities of doing good. I believe that these lamentable - results might have been avoided, but it is too late for this; - there is at any rate time for the openness which, I think, we - have a right to look for. - - ‘I will not end without thanking you for your consideration - in calling to tell me what you had done, and for all the - assistance you have given me in my College work.—I am, yours - most sincerely, - - E. H. PLUMPTRE.’ - -Miss Beale finally gave the desired explanation with full detail and this -preface:— - - ‘Before consenting to answer any questions, I think it right - that we should state that when we sent in our resignation, we - naturally supposed we should be allowed to do so without being - required to give any reasons. - - ‘It was only after several weeks of resistance that, at the - earnest appeal of Mr. Plumptre, who placed it before us as a - moral duty, that we at last reluctantly consented to speak to - him and to the Lady Visitors. From the course we adopted, I - think you will see we are prompted [solely] ... by a desire for - the good of a College in which we feel the warmest interest.’ - -The defects she deplored—pioneer mistakes she called them later—were -then enumerated in detail, and she dwelt especially on the hindrance to -education caused by so much authority being left to one individual, who -could not possibly be in a position to know the abilities and standard of -work of every pupil. Much harm, she pleaded, had been done - - ‘by withdrawing pupils from the school, compelling them - without my consent and contrary to the wishes of their parents - to attend College classes, although they are unable to spell - correctly and are ignorant of the first principles of grammar; - classes in which you know it is impossible to give that - individual attention required by children of twelve, who, owing - to the rank from which so many of our pupils are now derived, - are singularly deficient in mental training, and require to be - obliged in extra time to do work given them; to be trained, - watched, educated by ladies (who alone can understand, and - therefore truly educate) girls. My pupils in the school are not - removed by competent professors who understand the subjects - there taught. The instruction which is in itself good, and if - given four or five years later would be beneficial, has been - rendered useless.’ - -On learning Miss Beale’s reasons for leaving, and that her decision was -irrevocable, Mr. Plumptre wrote: ‘I wish to state at once that I believe -most thoroughly that what you have done has been done conscientiously -because it seemed to you—painful as it was—to be in the line of duty.’ -But before this letter reached her, Dorothea had accepted another post, -that of head-teacher in the Clergy Daughters’ School at Casterton. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -CASTERTON - - ‘O lift your natures up: - Embrace our aims.’ - - TENNYSON, _The Princess_, ii. - - -‘It was a year full of great suffering mingled with a peace which the -world cannot give.... I look on this as one of the most profitable years -of my life, but I could not long have borne the strain of work and -anxiety.’ - -Thus, long after, when in the distance of years the events of earlier -life could be seen in their relation to each other and to the future, -Miss Beale wrote of the year at Casterton. But she did not often -speak of it. To the end it gave her pain to go in thought over that -time of loneliness and strain. Even late in life, if she entered into -conversation about it, she would turn from the subject saying it -distressed her too much; ‘some other time she would try’ to speak of -it. But, none the less, she knew she had gained much at Casterton. She, -who was ever ready to learn from mistakes, from pain, from adverse -circumstances, gratefully acknowledged her debt to all that had shown her -the real difficulties of her vocation, and her own weakness, and which -had deepened her consciousness of the only source of strength. Some lives -are led so much at haphazard, that it really hardly appears to matter -whether at any given period they have taken one direction or another. In -the lives of those who, like Dorothea Beale, are always conscious of an -over-ruling and ordering Power, every year is not only known, but seen -to have its place. The very errors, nay failures, are sunk deep into -the foundations to become supports to the House of Life which, under -the direction of the Master Builder, is rendered more stately with each -added touch of Time. Hence, this year—not a successful one, as success is -generally reckoned—has its special interest. - -It was a year in which she learned much, not only about herself -individually, but of feminine human nature in general. Those matters -which she longed—and longed ineffectually at the time—to re-arrange in -the system and time-tables she found existing at Casterton, prepared -her for the organisation of the great school to which she was shortly -afterwards to be called. Daily contact with many, who were more or less -out of sympathy with her, must have been useful for one whose work was -largely to be in the direction of influence on women and girls of varying -natures and opinions. Doubtless the very loneliness of the position was -bracing to her sensitive nature. ‘Above all,’ she had written to Mr. -Plumptre when she accepted it, ‘it involves leaving home.’ She had seen -from the first how hard a trial this would be to her, but strength and -insight were won out of the suffering it cost. - -The manuscript account from which the opening words of this chapter are -taken, and which has been quoted before, was written many years ago. -As late as 1905 Miss Beale wrote to Canon Burton, the present vicar of -Casterton and chaplain to the school, that she felt she owed much to -it, and ‘in grateful remembrance of her connection with it’ founded a -scholarship from the school to Cheltenham. The first Casterton-Beale -scholar is now at the Ladies’ College. - -There were many reasons why Dorothea Beale could neither be happy nor -rightly appreciated at Casterton in 1857. She went at a difficult moment -when the school had not recovered from the relaxed discipline consequent -on the troubles of the year before. There had been a serious outbreak of -scarlet fever, the Lady Superintendent herself being one of the victims. -The head-teacher had left in September, and it was not convenient to -supply her place before the end of the half-year. The ‘School for -Clergymen’s Daughters’ is one, like many others, of which it is the -reverse of disparagement to say that its present is far above its past. -And it is permissible to think that if Miss Beale had found herself in -any other large boarding-school of the period, she would have encountered -many of the same difficulties and disappointments as those which beset -her life at Casterton. Of this school she wrote much later, describing -it as she felt it to be when she was there, that it was ‘in an unhealthy -state. There was a spirit of open irreligion and a spirit of defiance -very sad to witness; but the constant restraints, the monotonous life, -the want of healthy amusements were in a great measure answerable for -this.’[20] A strange tale this to us, who know of the walks and rambles, -the games and matches enjoyed by the girls of Casterton to-day. - -But the causes of her dissatisfaction were by no means due entirely -to the school, for the engagement seems to have been entered upon on -Miss Beale’s part without a real understanding of all that it involved. -Her father hints this when he writes, ‘perhaps we were to blame in not -learning more.’ She was engaged, not by the Lady Superintendent, but -by a member of the Committee, who probably did not explain matters so -fully as a woman might have done. The work was taken up in a moment of -impulse, as if she were glad of the opportunity it suggested of sending -in her resignation to Queen’s College, instead of waiting till Christmas, -as she had at first intended. Those who knew her best did not expect her -to be happy in it. Mr. Plumptre wrote: ‘I am glad to hear you have found -so important a work before you as that at Casterton. It may have altered -within the last few years, as otherwise I should not have thought its -tone, religious as well as social, likely to be congenial to you.’ - -She had never lived away from home for any length of time. The short -periods of school life had been shared with sisters. The north was an -unknown land with which the Beale family had no connection. She knew -nothing of country life. She would be entirely among strangers, and that -alone, for a shy and sensitive nature, is often a great trial, while -boarding-school life, such as existed at Casterton, was practically -unknown to her. The salary was smaller than what she had received at -Queen’s College. But in leaving Queen’s College she lost far more than -salary. There she had been a beloved teacher, a valued tutor whose -resignation was deplored; at Casterton she was simply a new governess. -Her judgment was surely at fault in thus hastily and almost impulsively -accepting such a post. Though she may have greeted the offer as guidance -in her difficulty about leaving Queen’s, she must have known that at -Casterton it would be impossible for her to work in accord with religious -opinions which were alien to her; also that in going so far she was -cutting off much that was congenial and delightful from her life—such as -home, friends, libraries, lectures. - -Though Mr. Beale obviously doubted if his daughter could be happy in the -atmosphere of Casterton, he did not fail to perceive the ideal side of -the work there. Appreciating the aims and generosity of the founders of -the school, he held that from the great advantages it offered, it ought -to become a national institution. She too went to her post there in -something of a missionary spirit. Her success with her classes, and with -pupils of different ages, justified her in feeling that she would be able -to introduce fresh and better methods, while the very fact that a teacher -of her individual experience had been chosen pointed to the belief that -the authorities were anxious to bring the school into line with the -advance of women’s education. - -Casterton is a small village, near Kirby Lonsdale, in Westmoreland, -where that county touches Lancashire and Yorkshire. Even to-day railway -communication is defective, and the country thinly populated, so that the -school in its isolated position is constrained to be as self-sufficing -as possible. The beauty of its surroundings may surely be reckoned among -its advantages, for it is placed amid lovely country within sight of -Ingleborough. Members of the school speak with delight of rambles over -the surrounding fells. Perhaps Miss Beale’s habit of thinking over her -lessons out of doors began here, for she afterwards told Miss Alston of -the long lonely walks she used to take at Casterton. - -This well-known school was founded in 1823 by Mr. Carus Wilson in order -to help the clergy of the Church of England, principally those of the -northern dioceses. Many of the clergy of the north were known to be -absolutely unable to provide any education for their children, who at -home led the simplest life with bare necessaries only. Several of these -were received, boarded, educated, and partially clothed free, and the -terms for all were ludicrously small. These facts should be remembered -when comment is made upon the régime at Casterton, or at Cowan Bridge, -where the school was originally placed, a position far less favourable -and healthy than its present one. - -It should also be remembered that Dorothea Beale had never herself known -what it was to be poor; she could hardly realise, for instance, the -comfort that might exist in the uniform school dress for children whose -parents were actually too poor to provide them with proper clothing. - -As an institution the school was destined not only to assist the poor -clergy, but, springing as it did from devoted religious effort, to save -souls and promote the highest kind of education. It was from the first -definitely associated with those ‘Calvinistic opinions’ on account of -which the Bishop of Chester had rejected its founder for ordination in -1814.[21] The dark horror of Calvinism, permitted doubtless as a scourge -after much open irreligion and careless living, was in mercy overruled -in countless instances for the conviction of sin, and generally to -prepare the way for a wider and more comprehending acceptance of the -grace which is in Christ Jesus. But its direct results on the education -of the young were disastrous indeed. Hearts, by its agency, were turned -to stone, or depressed into hopeless terror; worst of all, religious -forms, phraseology, even emotions were assumed by those who were prone to -self-deception, or over anxious to please. - -About 1845 Mr. Carus Wilson’s health broke down as a consequence of -his unsparing and strenuous labours, and the management of his schools -passed into the hands of others. In 1857 the Clergy Daughters’ School was -governed by a Committee of six clergymen, all personal friends of the -founder, men of good standing in the neighbourhood. Archdeacon Evans was -Chairman. This Committee sought to obtain the best teachers possible for -what was then—even more than now—an out-of-the-way place, as far as the -centres of education were concerned. They also aimed at fitting the girls -in the school to earn their own living. - -High testimonials were given to Miss Beale by the professors and -lady-visitors of Queen’s College, on her appointment as head-teacher -at Casterton. One from Prebendary Mackenzie is of special interest, as -it shows that in accepting the work she had not in any way identified -herself with the particular religious views then prevailing in the -institution. - - ‘WESTBOURNE COLLEGE, BAYSWATER ROAD, _November 1856_. - - ‘I am happy to be able to give very satisfactory replies to - your enquiries respecting Miss D. Beale. She is a young lady of - high moral and religious character, sober-minded and discreet. - Her parents have been careful to avoid party views, and I have - no doubt Miss Dorothea Beale is free from them. She certainly - is a most conscientious person, with a deep sense of her - religious responsibilities. I feel certain that her influence - will always be for good.’ - -Mr. Plumptre wrote to the Lady Superintendent:— - - ‘I am unwilling that (Miss Beale) should enter on her work - at Casterton without your hearing from me ... the high - opinion which I entertained both as to her attainments and - her conscientiousness in discharging any duties that may be - assigned her.... I am convinced that in receiving her at - Casterton you will gain a fellow-worker in whose zeal and - Christian principle you may place entire confidence.’ - -And Mr. Denton:— - - ‘I should esteem any institution fortunate that had her - services. She is a person of quiet, sincere piety, and an - intelligent Churchwoman.’ - -Dorothea Beale went to Casterton on the Epiphany, January 6, 1857. Her -diary of 1891 records the memory of this and of the Holy Eucharist at St. -Bartholomew’s at six o’clock, before her long day’s journey, a journey -which ended almost in terror, so alarming to this daughter of the City -were the ‘high, wild hills and rough, uneven ways’ which had to be -crossed between the railway station and the school. - -At first, as was natural, she seems to have thought she would like -her work. Mrs. Wedgwood, writing to her in February, says: ‘I felt so -much our loss in you that I could hardly join in the wishes of the -lady-visitors of Queen’s that you might find your new work pleasant. -However, I am truly glad now that you find your new home more agreeable -than you had been led to expect, and that you think the children are -happy, and times are unlike Jane Eyre.’ - -Very soon the strain of teaching the large number of subjects required -to be taught began to be felt. A less conscientious worker might have -entered lightly upon these at a period when only the most superficial -textbook knowledge was required; but to Dorothea Beale, to whom each -lesson meant much preparation and thought, they soon became a burden. -She said afterwards that the work left her no time for exercise or -recreation, and not enough for sleep. She found herself expected to -teach Scripture, arithmetic, mathematics, ancient, modern, and Church -history, physical and political geography, English literature, grammar -and composition, French, German, Latin, and Italian. Of the last she had -written when she accepted the post: ‘I do not know much of Italian, I -will, however, take lessons till Christmas.’ - -It was obviously impossible for one person to teach all these subjects -properly, and it is not surprising that Miss Beale soon wrote home that -she found the work hard; she does not seem to have complained of anything -else. She said, among other things, that she took eight Bible-classes -every week, two of which consisted of about fifty girls at a time. Her -father replied with the evident intention of bracing and cheering:— - - ‘Employment is a blessed state, it is to the body what sleep - is to the mind.... I cannot be sorry when I hear you are fully - employed. I am sure it will be usefully, and then by and bye - when the body and the mind alike have perished, and work and - sleep are no longer needed, but the soul shall burst into - existence, how shall we wonder at the willing slaves we have - been during our probation, for the meat which perishes. You see - I am thoughtful,—it is fit.... I feel I can bear your being - so far and so entirely away, with some philosophy, and I am - delighted that your letters bear the tone of contentment, and - that you have been taken notice of by people who seem disposed - to be kind to you.... You will see I have not a thing to - tell you, and I cannot now write any more about thick coming - fancies, but give an old man’s love to all your pupils, and may - they make their Fathers as happy as you do. God bless you, my - dear Dorothea.’ - -This letter was written in March 1857. Shortly after came another for her -birthday on the 21st, showing how much her absence from home was felt, -and that the parents were doubtful if she were in the right place. - - ‘God bless you and give you many happy birthdays. I fear the - present is not one of the most agreeable; it is spent at least - in the path of what you considered duty, and so will never be - looked back upon but with pleasure.... Do not, however, my - dear girl, think of remaining long in a position which may be - irksome to you, for thus I think it will hardly be profitable - to others, and indeed I question whether you would maintain - your health where the employment was so great and duty the only - stimulus to action. You have heard me often quote: “The hand’s - best sinew ever is the heart.”’ - -In May another letter is evidently called forth by some expression of a -longing to be at home, and perhaps by hints of difficulties from Dorothea. - - ‘_May 1857._ - - ‘I think I feel the weeks go more slowly than you do. I long - to see you again very much. I cannot get reconciled to your - position and feel satisfied that it is your place.... God bless - you, my dear girl, and blunt your feelings for the rubs of the - world, and quicken your vision for the beautiful and unseen of - the world above us.’ - -The last words show how well her father knew the sensitive nature hurt -even by trifles, and prone to take small matters too seriously. - -So the long half wore on, and we know, from some of the few who remain to -tell, that Miss Beale was making her mark at Casterton. There were many -there who could appreciate her careful work and inspiring lessons. Some -found especially valuable her accurate teaching of Latin and mathematics, -and the enormous pains she took to make her lessons intelligible to -the dullest; never content to let them merely accept a given fact or -explanation, but leading them on step by step to see and comprehend. -Her literature classes, again, led some into a new world of ideas and -thoughts, and they responded to the thrill of some noble and beautiful -line which would cause their teacher’s eyes to fill with tears as she -read. One, who was Miss Beale’s pupil in the first class at Casterton at -this time, speaks of it with extreme gratitude:— - - ‘I was seventeen, and had only had home teaching before. - Great was the delight to be taught by one whom you felt to be - complete mistress of any subject she undertook. I was a dunce - at Arithmetic and Euclid. She cut slips of paper to illustrate - the Pons Asinorum, etc., and with her aid I mastered the first - book of Euclid, which has always been useful to me. Latin - grammar we also learned from Miss Beale. She instilled strict - accuracy by making us write verbs and declensions from memory. - Out of class she showed us much friendliness, inviting us to - her room in the evening, when sometimes she would read aloud - to us, sometimes tell us about the students at Queen’s. It - interested us to hear of those not very young ones who wore - caps. Her appearance, as I remember it then, was charming. - Her figure was of medium height. The rather pale oval face, - high, broad forehead, large, expressive grey eyes, all showed - intellectual character. Her dress was remarkable in its - neatness. She wore black cashmere in the week, and a pretty, - mouse-coloured grey dress on Sundays.’ - -A little notebook remains to show how she prepared her lessons; how -little she was content with repetition acquired by rote. There are also -one or two little books of Scripture notes belonging to this time, -interesting as the first of an immense series, marking the beginning -of the work which was to be her great means of influence. One of these -is on the Book of Proverbs, a book she never read again with a class; -it was probably not her own choice at this time. The lessons she drew -from it were of the most practical nature for daily life, and contain -much teaching on true and false unworldliness. She had even then the -satisfaction of knowing that her Bible teaching was acceptable to many. -She wrote home: ‘Several of the first class make a practice of taking -notes and afterwards copy them out into a book. This I never tell them -to do, nor do I so far encourage it as to look at the notes after they -are written. In the lower part of the school I do not allow them to take -notes without special permission.’ - -Some notes on the Church services show traces of the pain she felt over -instances of irreverence which she had seen in the school. Those who -remember the almost awful silence in which Miss Beale’s Scripture lessons -at Cheltenham were given, how she wished it to signify the humility and -reverence of spirit necessary for those who would study God’s Word, can -understand how she must have suffered when she saw flippant and careless -behaviour at prayers and Bible classes. - -Amongst the numbers of children, many who had been comparatively untaught -before they were brought into this continual round of religious exercise, -it is not surprising to find that there were some who disliked the -appeal made to heart and conscience, and who found this strict sense of -reverence irksome. There was even one naughty girl who in these first -days refused to attend Miss Beale’s classes. - -It is clear that Miss Beale conveyed to her classes and to her -fellow-workers, that she had come to Casterton in a missionary spirit. -Though there were many who could appreciate her sacrifice in doing this, -it placed her at a disadvantage with others. She knew herself to be in -the forefront of women’s education, she knew that this school, for all -the excellent intention of the authorities, could not be abreast of the -movement; but she failed to realise, until she personally experienced it, -that a self-appointed guide is not always welcomed. - -In the summer holidays, which Miss Beale spent at home, it was noticed -that she was much depressed. The second half-year’s work began in August. -Doubtless she had talked over her difficulties, and her parents knew -that she might soon give up her work. Soon after her return she seems to -have written very strongly about things she would have liked to alter. -Especially was she troubled by the low tone prevailing, the want of -respect for authority, the mischief making and unhealthy friendships. -She found this important school through which pious intention and effort -strove to help the very poorest by protecting them from all dangerous -influences, by instilling definite religious opinions of a certain -type, by giving such an education as should be an effective means of -livelihood, very far from being the ideal college of her dreams. She -began to specify her dissatisfaction and to form ideas for radical -improvement. She thought its isolation against it, and that it was a -drawback to have only one class of girls; she felt there should have been -more communication with home,—some of the children did not even go home -for the holidays;—that the life was too monotonous and uniform. Above all -she deprecated a repressive system which had punishments but no prizes; -a system in which all the virtues were negative, the highest obtainable -being obedience to the ever-repeated ‘Thou shalt not.’ - -It was not possible for Dorothea Beale to see anything wrong, and to act -as if in any way consenting to it, by going on quietly with her own share -like one not called upon to take a leading part. She felt that steps -might be taken to improve some of the matters which distressed her, and -after efforts which seemed to her ineffectual, she sought an interview -with the Committee. Her father was kept fully informed of what she was -thinking and striving to do, as may be seen by the following extracts -from his letters to her:— - - ‘_1857._ - - ‘I think we must be content to wait, at any rate for the - present, and see if any good comes from your interview with the - Committee. You notice two points chiefly,—the low moral tone of - the school, and the absence of prizes. The want of sympathy and - love (the great source of woman’s influence in every condition - of life) was the prominent feature of the establishment in my - mind, after talking it over with you. But nothing can flourish - if love be not the ruling incentive, and this must be awakened - by the teacher and Principal showing that for it they sacrifice - any consideration of self. This I know my dear girl, you - entirely do, and you do it ineffectually, nay, perhaps worse - than uselessly, if you are not supported. But, as you have - gone so far, be not easily discouraged. Weigh the matter well - before this Christmas, and if you find no changes are made, the - same cold management continued, with the negation of confidence - in the pupils as instanced in the matter of letters, etc., - send in your resignation, and above all, state your reasons as - they bear upon the school, and upon yourself and the class you - represent. - - ‘I cannot contemplate your not coming up at Christmas. As we - grow older, each year makes us more desirous of the company of - those we love; perhaps because we feel how soon we shall part - with it altogether, perhaps because we are become more selfish, - but such is the fact.’ - -And again on the same subject:— - - ‘_September 2, 1857._ - - ‘I cannot think you would be right to say you sought to be - put into communication with the Committee because you heard - that they were not satisfied. Surely your application [to see - them] came first. I wrote because I thought the position and - designation of head-teacher to you implied responsibilities - in connection with the authorities; because you thought the - general moral tone of the school lower than it should be, and - the discipline to correct it defective; because your counsel - was not sought, or, if given, not much heeded. Perhaps we were - to blame in not learning more, that the head-teacher was only - an ordinary teacher at Casterton. But the world would [think it - more]; and your own experience of classes ought to enable you - to be a judge of what was reasonable to expect in the bearing - of pupils, both educational and general. I know your feelings, - not to quit hastily what you have chosen, and considered a - post of duty, and in writing upon the subject I try to put - out of the question my own feelings and those of your mother - to have you at home, or at least nearer home, and really to - view the matter from the same point of view as yourself. Your - remaining at Casterton is, I think, only to be entertained if - such changes in the management are made as are likely in your - view to raise the character of the establishment. I feel your - own education and standing are worthy of better things [than - the position] of an ordinary teacher at Casterton, and of a - better salary. But I cannot doubt if you fairly and without - hesitation state your objections and views, you will convince - some at least that you are acting independently and without - any personal feelings ... I am much as I was, anxious about - you all, conscious how little I can do, and praying that we - may all see clearly that the game of life, whoever may be the - players, is not one of chance or destiny; ... Write to me when - you can—Ever your affectionate father, - - MILES BEALE.’ - -It was unusual though not unknown for a teacher at Casterton to appeal to -the Committee, and the six gentlemen who composed it, were not very eager -to hear Miss Beale. They may have suspected personal motives, and some -of them, no doubt, mistrusted her religious principles. Miss Beale has -left notes of her interview, so interesting to us, as the first occasion -on which she tried to gain her own ends—always the best—from a body of -persons who were in the position of directors of education. It suggests a -contrast with the Cheltenham Council meetings of her last years, when her -lightest wish had weight. - -The way had been prepared for her by letters which had passed between the -chairman (Archdeacon Evans) and her father. In her first interview, which -was of a preliminary nature, she began by saying: ‘I wished before saying -anything, to know whether it was their wish to hear what I had to say, or -whether they would rather I did not speak. There was a hesitation. Then -Mr. Morewood, in rather a doubtful way said they were always willing. -I said I understood from the Committee last time, and the Chairman’s -letters to my father, that they wished it; then the others joined in with -“Oh yes, certainly.”’ After making her statements on the need for reform, -Miss Beale concluded by saying she should be happy to resign if the -Committee were dissatisfied. The reply was: ‘Oh no, certainly not.’ - -At a second interview, the Committee allowed her to put before them -her own suggestions for alterations. On this occasion Miss Beale began -with a testimony to what the Lady Superintendent had effected in the -school; then mentioned the prevailing faults which so much distressed -her, especially irreverence and unsuitable language; then boldly went on -to point out the details of the system which might easily be improved, -notably, that some prizes might be given, and that letters to and from -parents should not be supervised. She said:— - -‘I think an institution in which the government is entirely by -punishments not likely to produce the best moral effects. I think that -reports should be sent home more frequently than twice a year.’ On being -asked to give instances of disregard of religion, she mentioned one -or two in general terms, saying she should not think it right to give -individual examples. Mr. Rose replied by saying, ‘Unfortunately, such -things will occur in large schools; perhaps you came expecting to find -clergymen’s daughters better than others.’ Some discussion took place on -the subject of prizes, during which ‘occurred the very sapient remark -that we do hear of angels being punished, but not of their going up -higher, etc.... I afterwards explained what I meant by rewards, viz., -distinctions, privileges, and the opportunity of doing good ... and I -concluded by saying that unless I felt that the institution were doing -moral good I should not care to stay.’ - -The interview had been less disagreeable than she had anticipated; she -thought her complaint had had a fair hearing, and in spite of the strain -of work and the anxiety connected with it, she felt her efforts were not -wasted. - - ‘So many,’ she wrote home, ‘ask if they may come and speak - to me; more of them listen when I talk of religion, and come - privately to ask advice which I know they try to follow. I do - feel that I am of use.... I believe I ought to wait here until - either I feel it wrong to stay, or God calls me elsewhere. - He has given me much more strength than I had any reason - to expect. I shall look forward with greater longing for - Christmas; but do get me the papers I want as soon as you can. - I want to do as much as possible before I leave. - - ‘I wrote this last night; take care of it as well as the - Committee paper; I may want them. I have a headache to-day, and - I am afraid I show the effect. Do not tell Papa anything, if - you think it will worry him, but let me have some advice and - hear as often as you can.’ - -But discomfort almost inevitably succeeds complaint. There were fresh -interviews with the Committee; some of the matters which most tried her -in the school régime were naturally more acutely felt, as she herself -grew strained with both anxiety and work. The tone of her letters home -grew more sad as she began to see that after all she must give up her -post. She could not bear to relinquish work that she felt had been given -her to do; but she wrote:— - - ‘I do not see how it is possible to do much good. I may work - upon a few individuals, but the whole tone of the school is - unhealthy, and I never felt anything like the depression - arising from the constant jar upon one’s feelings caused by - seeing great girls constantly professing not to care about - religion.... It is next to impossible to bear rudeness and - hear so much evil-speaking about all set over them, and keep - up one’s spirits so as to be able to teach energetically; I - would not want to run away if I thought I could do much good - by staying, but I have come to the conclusion that it is time - to send in my resignation. I have gained valuable experience, - and do not think I have been useless; but under present - circumstances it does not seem possible to get on. - - ‘I was very glad of your nice long letter before, and if you - think I am right, should send in perhaps a slight summary of - the causes for it with my resignation as soon as I can. I am - glad to hear Mama is better.’ - -Miss Beale’s difficulties were no doubt aggravated by religious -questions. Her chief friend on the Committee, one who appreciated her -sense of duty and intellectual power, did not wish her to remain at the -school. He disliked her theological opinions. She seems hardly to have -realised this at the time, though her father may have done so, as can be -seen from the following letter:— - - ‘_November 8, 1857._ - - ‘Say, if you have an opportunity, as much of what you have - written to the Committee as will show them you sought the - situation at Casterton for the sake of the school. For this - I accepted for you—for this alone. Do not retain it without - sufficient authority to carry forward the minds and morals of - the pupils. You went there in a missionary spirit, I know, - as to a post of usefulness; and you have hitherto retained - it in the same spirit. Maintain this feeling, but assert it - with meekness. We shall all be rejoiced to find you are coming - home; but I dare not urge you beyond this. I was a party to the - compact by which your remuneration was arranged, and I felt no - difficulty in making any concession between what I felt was due - to the order of educated governesses which you represented, - and what the institution could afford to pay; but I would not - recommend you to compromise one iota of authority which may be - fit to carry forward the minds of your pupils, or of discipline - to enforce obedience. Your pupils are no longer children, and, - as the daughters of clergymen and intended to teach others, are - lights upon a hill, and in point of education, manners, and - morals, great charges indeed. I am witness, too, how roundly - and unequivocally you stated your religious principle.... - I mention this much because I think you have been treated - unfairly on this subject. If the denial of the doctrine of - regeneration by baptism were a _sine quâ non_ by the governess, - it ought to have been so stated. Mr. Mariner represented their - religious basis as far more broad. Doubtless the Committee - have a right to limit the assent of their teachers to such - points; and doing so, I cannot object to Mr. Shepheard’s voting - for your exclusion, neither do I see how they can accept - money from those who think differently from the Committee. - It is a question which has divided larger societies than at - Casterton ... and I can remember when it convulsed the Choral - Society.... You and I are both labouring to raise the status - and influence of the governess, and you will do it, first - by your attainments and education, and rectitude of conduct - under all circumstances, and I by bringing before those public - bodies interested in the matter, the influence and importance - of legislating for their protection and recognition. We may - neither of us live to see the changes which shall come, but - even in our limited spheres we are breaking ground, and you are - gaining whilst yet young most valuable experience. - - ‘ ... Above all things take care of your health.... I am quite - sure that you have a long course of usefulness before you. The - flattering regard in which you are held at Queen’s College, - and the constant means you always have in London of constantly - improving yourself, must teach you somewhat of your own value; - though I would not indeed presume upon it farther than to give - you confidence to act rightly. But good governesses are very - scarce, and are far better treated than they used to be, though - not as well as they deserve. - - ‘Casterton ought to be from the great advantages it offers, a - national institution; but it will not be so if its principles - are narrowed by anything like sectarian jealousy, or if its - standard of education be not high. But Casterton has not yet - been as fortunate as the good intentions of its founder would - seem to deserve. The time will come, I hope, when this and - kindred establishments will seek the visit and inspection of - examiners from the Board of Government, Inspectors of Schools, - and governesses.... I write to you when I begin _currente - calamo_, and could do so much longer upon a theme in which we - are both interested, and I fear I have given you no direction. - Fear nothing; be firm, but very gentle.’ - -The matter of the resignation seems to have been hanging on all through -the month of November. Miss Beale evidently wrote home again for advice, -for on the 26th she received another letter from her father:— - - ‘_November 26, 1857._ - - ‘Far from dissuading you from sending in your resignation, I - think it will be expected. We did not appeal to the Committee - that their attention should end in talk, but in giving you - support moral and professional. With less than this, it is - inconsistent with self-respect, or the duty you owe to the - children, to remain.... Now Christmas is approaching, and, as - matters remain as they were, certainly not improved,—I would - seek at once to be relieved. Do not suppose for a moment I - shall consider you are forsaking an appointment to which you - have been called, or in which time would afford you redress.... - Leave it then, and if nothing more congenial presents itself, - we can afford to wait our time, and let us try together if - we cannot carry forward, or at least make more widely known, - our views of what might be effected if your half of the human - family more extensively used that influence of which they are - all the dispensers, as men are of their power. This is indeed, - as Christ said to the woman of Samaria, “living water,” if - derived from Him, satisfying all thirst from its welling up - from within; and by its purity testing the value of everything - it is brought in contact with. You say you have learned much at - Casterton. What matters it if you have to wait for the Harvest - that we are sure “we shall reap if we faint not,” and gather - “fruit unto life eternal.” It is often in this world, indeed, - that “one soweth and another reapeth,” but though delayed the - seed is not lost.’ - -Before Miss Beale could formally send in her threatened resignation to -the Committee, she received the following letter from the Chairman:— - - ‘On your last interview with the Committee you implied an - intention of resigning in case certain alterations should not - be made by the Committee.... - - ‘The Committee are of opinion that under the circumstances it - would be better that your connection with the school should - cease after Christmas next, they paying you a quarter’s salary - in advance. - -It will readily be imagined that this summary step on the part of the -Committee caused great distress to one of Miss Beale’s sensitive nature. -Nor was it easy for her to see why the difficult part she had taken upon -herself for the good of the school should be misunderstood. At that -moment it must have seemed like a sentence of failure,— - - ‘For who can so forecast the years, - To find in loss a gain to match.’ - -Among the crowning successes of later life she recognised that the blow -had had its place in fashioning her life’s work. Her letter home on the -subject is not preserved, but the following is evidently an answer to -it:— - - ‘_December 1857._ - - ‘MY DEAR GIRL,—Be sure I have been with you in heart every day - and all day.... We shall all be delighted to have you at home. - I would not have you commit yourself to writing statements - on any account. You have given proof of the truth of your - assertion by offering and sending in your resignation, and - thus relinquishing your salary and the occupation of teaching - to which you had felt yourself called, because you could not - retain the one or follow the other conscientiously. Though you - have not accomplished all you sought, you have sowed seed which - will bear fruit; it may be for others’ benefit altogether; - but to doubt the ultimate result were a want of faith. Whilst - I object to writing, I think you owe it to yourself to seek - rather than shun an interview with Mr. Wilson. His countenance - of you I should consider very valuable.... Is not this again - an instance of the influence of women, ... the dispensers of - influence for good or evil? How important, then, to cultivate - that principle of rightly discerning. Do you remember the - apologue of Esdras? “The first wrote: Wine is the strongest. - The second wrote: The king is the strongest. The third wrote: - Women are strongest. But above all things Truth beareth away - the victory.” How irresistible, then, is truth, if urged by - the self-denial and patient perseverance of an enlightened - and Christian woman! It is very possible, my dear Dorothea, - that you have never been fairly represented or appreciated at - Casterton, and now you are called to rest content with the - consciousness of acting from right motives, secure that you - possess too the regard and love of all those who can value such - sacrifices as you have made of home, and ease, and peace for - others’ good. I write in great haste, but I will write as often - as you like until we see you.’ - -Thus was Dorothea cheered and supported from home. Encouragement came -from others also. On December 7, Mr. Plumptre wrote:— - - ‘I have been informed to-day that you are going to leave - Casterton at Christmas. I fear from this that you have not - found your work there so pleasant as you hoped. If there are - any particulars connected with your change of plan which you - would like to tell me, or anything as to your prospects for - the future, I need not say that I shall be glad to hear them. - Should you feel disposed to resume any part of your work at - Queen’s College? The place of Assistant is of course being - worthily occupied, and so far as I know not likely to be - vacant; but tutorships in Mathematics and other subjects might - probably be open.’ - -Mr. Shepheard, curate-in-charge of Casterton, and chaplain to the school, -wrote thus to Miss Beale on her leaving:— - - ‘It is natural that you should wish to have my testimony, and - right that I should give it you regarding the line of conduct - you have persevered in, and the difficult position in which you - have been placed, as well as regarding your general principles. - - ‘It is no more than your due that I should say to others what - I have said to yourself, that I think your conduct throughout - the painful circumstances of your connection with the Clergy - Daughters’ School has been such as to reflect the highest - honour upon yourself. You have only done your duty in boldly - expressing what you thought required correction in the school. - And if your faithful discharge of that duty has brought - discomfiture on yourself, you have the comfort of knowing that - it is no dishonour to suffer for well-doing. - - ‘I have the greatest pleasure in offering you my cordial esteem - and regard. And though there are points of religious doctrine, - and those not small nor secondary, on which we must agree to - differ, this cannot affect my opinion of the high principle and - conscientious conduct which you have manifested throughout your - stay at Casterton. - - ‘Of your abilities and acquirements I need not speak. They - are well known here, and can better be described by those who - have had the opportunity of witnessing and benefiting by them - personally, than by myself; and of such witnesses there are no - lack. - - ‘We shall always be glad to hear of your happiness, and hope to - retain your friendship when removed to a distance from us.—I - am, dear Miss Beale, very sincerely yours, - - H. SHEPHEARD (Incumbent).’ - -The letter shows, what was indeed true, that difficulties and differences -both in the Committee and the school were aggravated by bitterness on the -subject of religious opinions. This comes out still more clearly in a -correspondence Miss Beale kept up for a little time with Mrs. Shepheard, -who was a daughter of Mr. Carus Wilson, the aged founder of the school, -and at this time infirm and worn by the immense labours of his younger -days. - -The Bishop and Dean of Carlisle, being called upon to advise the -Committee, patiently heard evidence for eight hours. Mr. Carus Wilson -also decided to visit the school himself; but before he went north, Mrs. -Shepheard arranged an interview between him and Miss Beale, writing -to her: ‘Do not be afraid of my beloved father—tall, grey-headed, and -anxious, but clear and open as you please.’ A memorable meeting surely -this, of two who with widely differing methods were alike in high, -earnest aim and self-devotion. It took place in February, and in the same -month Mr. Wilson made one of his last visits to his old home and flock. -Mrs. Shepheard notes that ‘it is supposed that nine hundred were in this -little church last Sunday to hear my father!’ - -In the course of the year 1858 many changes were made in the management -of the Clergy Daughters’ School, and this chapter on Casterton may fitly -close with an extract from a letter written to Miss Beale by her friend, -Mrs. Greene, of Whittington Hall:— - - ‘ ... There was a little music yesterday evening at the Clergy - School, and Miss Vincent asked me to be present. I know your - kind heart will give interest to what goes on there, and so I - waited till it was over to tell you how it went off, etc.... I - assure you the performance was extremely good, and the girls’ - manners and appearance were those of young English Gentlewomen; - this I consider good praise. Miss Vincent appears to me the - very person to fill so important a post.... We spoke much of - you, she evidently appreciates you; and when the music was - over, I went to one or two of the ladies near, and asked, “Were - you acquainted with Miss Beale?” One came forward with a - beaming face and replied, “Oh, I know her well, and have heard - from her.” I replied, “So have I; and I shall write to her - to-morrow.” I do not know who my friend was, but perhaps you - will. - - ‘And now let me tell you how delighted I am you are so - comfortable; that you are doing much good I am equally sure.... - I hope we may sometimes meet. Would you even spare us a little - time here? If so, I would offer you a hearty welcome.’ - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -AN INTERVAL - - ‘O dignitosa coscienza e netto - Come t’e picciol fallo amaro morso.’ - - DANTE, _Purgatorio_, iii. - - -The early part of the year 1858 is the one period in the life of Dorothea -Beale when she could have been called really free. It was a time when -it became her part to choose what she would do; to wait for what was -suitable, to decide between conflicting claims. She came home depressed, -defeated, disappointed; but she had discovered her own weakness and real -strength; she had increased her knowledge of human nature through some -experience of a boarding-school and its Committee. She had learned for -one thing, that it would be best for herself and for the world that she -should be head of a school, and she submitted to wait for one. But in the -meantime other calls and needs besides that of education were heard and -considered. - -The fact of apparent failure in her recent position at Casterton might -have been taken as an indication that her energies should perhaps be -directed to a fresh field of action. She was not under the necessity -of earning her bread; she loved her home and had a circle of friends -and interests about her. Various kinds of good work for others appealed -to her, and her ability and gifts made it clear that she might have -succeeded in other walks of life than the one in which her steps were -finally directed. - -Though Dorothea had inherited, in a strong degree, her father’s antipathy -to a _mariage de convenance_, though she was far from regarding marriage -as the necessary completion of a woman’s life, she had not—at this time -at least—made any definite refusal of it. This is a subject to which -it will not be necessary to return in Miss Beale’s life, devoted as it -became to one great cause. But here, before her vocation had distinctly -declared itself, it is right to say that in the course of events she was -not only not without opportunities of marriage, she also gave it her -full consideration. Flippant scholars might echo the words of Punch, -‘How different from us, Miss Beale and Miss Buss!’ But in the sense in -which the words were intended, this was not true in either case. Suffice -it to say, that Dorothea Beale knew what it was to be admired, loved, -even for a short time engaged to be married. She knew also, among other -experiences, what it was to sacrifice a girlish romance because it was -right to put away vain regret; to forget the things that are behind, and -in this matter as in others, to use any sense of personal loss in such a -way that it strengthened her character. - -To pass from this subject, which, as it happens, does not appear to -have had any place in the short period which elapsed between Casterton -and Cheltenham, it is interesting to note what kinds of work Miss Beale -considered with a view to taking them up. - -Philanthropic occupations in the ordinary sense of the term she had had -but few. Her duties as a tutor at Queen’s College were first undertaken -when she was still eighteen, and up to then her time had been filled -with interests arising from her own education and that of her brothers. -Yet, while at Queen’s, busy as she was, she had made time to aid one -less fortunate than herself. In 1853 her friend Miss Alston consulted -her how best to help a clever boy brought up in a charity school. Miss -Beale volunteered to teach him Euclid and algebra, and for four months -gave him a lesson a week in each of these subjects. In that time he went -through the first four books of Euclid and part of the sixth. Miss Beale -enjoyed these lessons, for her pupil was keen and intelligent and took a -delight in working out things for himself. Doubtless he too responded to -the teaching of one whose method was ever to lead a pupil on to perceive -a truth before accepting it. When, after a time, he came under the -instruction of the headmaster of a public school, the latter remarked to -Miss Alston _à propos_ of Miss Beale’s teaching: ‘What a well-balanced -head your friend must have!’ - -She had never, however, been engaged in the Sunday School teaching -and visiting of the poor, such as was not infrequently undertaken -by thoughtful girls of her day. Her strong intellectual bent, her -well-defined sense of purpose possibly kept her from even good -occupations which might have seemed desultory. But one kind of work for -others seems actually to have been considered. This was in connection -with Mrs. Lancaster whom for some years Miss Beale had helped by -collecting money for the Church Penitentiary Association, and for a -Diocesan Home at Highgate. Mrs. Lancaster became in 1861 the founder -of St. Peter’s Sisterhood. She died in 1874. ‘She was,’ says one who -knew her, ‘a very remarkable woman, of great charm and cleverness, and -wholly devoted to the service of God.’ Her letters to Miss Beale at this -time show that she was at once drawn to her young helper, so active in -inspiring others to share in the good work, so punctual in her payments. - -It was work in which Miss Beale was interested all her life, to which she -gave largely, and which she ever promoted as far as her much filled time -and thought permitted. Mrs. Lancaster greeted her first sign of interest -with a warm welcome to the new worker. ‘Indeed, it was a great joy to me -to see another drawn in by the Good Shepherd to help in seeking His lost -sheep. May He bless and strengthen your will and power for the work.’ - -Dorothea appears to have been an assistant secretary, and to have -collected money from her sisters and friends for this object. It is -unnecessary, perhaps, to say that this money was always paid on the same -date of each year. - -After a time, when it seemed likely that Miss Beale would not remain at -Casterton, Mrs. Lancaster obviously hoped to find in her one who would -give up her life and talents to this cause. ‘I wish,’ she wrote, ‘for -the sake of poor Penitents that you were more free, for I fancy you are -a _real, steady, orderly doer_, and that is worth much in such a cause. -Still, you do what you can, and may well be grateful to help in any way. -Thank your sister too very much; it is very delightful to get young -interest.’ - -Then, when an occasion arrived on which it was absolutely necessary to -find a worker for the Highgate Home, she wrote: ‘_Are you sure_ that -you don’t know of a really good young lady not _over_ accomplished, and -she need know neither Greek nor Hindostanee, who would come and _live_ -at the Home, with a salary of £30 only, and _poor people’s_ diet?’ This -was followed by a still more practical suggestion: ‘Is there any chance -(I don’t like the word) of your liking to take the Headship of a large -Penitentiary to be worked by Sisters, but the whole under strict, honest, -English principles—more like Kaiserwerth than anything we have now?’ -Dorothea’s answer seems to have emboldened Mrs. Lancaster to make a -definite suggestion to her to come herself, either as a Sister or a lay -worker, and the following note from Mrs. Lancaster, written during the -summer holidays of the Casterton year, shows that the idea was to some -extent entertained. It is interesting also in the history of the work and -institution established by that lady. - - ‘As your mind does not altogether say “No” to my proposal at - once, I write a line to beg you not to _decide against_ the - thought of what I wrote to you about, without weighing very - seriously these considerations: - - ‘What is the highest work? - - ‘What constitutes a call to God’s service? - - ‘Is it lawful to give up a higher for a lower work? - - ‘If, when you have considered it well, you feel at all drawn - towards it, then will you write either to me or to the Rev. - John Oliver of St. Mary’s House of Mercy, Highgate, appointing - with him to see you (for the appointment is in his hands), - and he will not make it unless he is fully convinced that the - lady would work it on strictly English principles, and that - her _heart_ was given to God first. He is very earnest and - very honest, and all there seems most hopeful if regarded as a - beginning and a foundation, for at present there are only two - Sisters and one other lady at work. The house and grounds are - delightful, the Penitents in a good healthy state, and if but - a _wise_ lady is given to the work I should be very hopeful of - seeing _there_, _such_ a Sisterhood as we have talked about - but have not been privileged to see growing up in English - soil. Pray do consult your sister, or your parents, but please - confidentially, as I think we ought to do these _preliminaries_ - as quietly as possible. I have mentioned your name _quite_ in - confidence to Mr. Oliver, and I _do_ hope you will see him and - talk it out to _the bottom_ with him before you decide. I know - you will do what is better than all, ask for guidance that - cannot fail. - - ‘I do not think your parents would object, after allowing - you to go to Casterton and Queen’s College, because in point - of position, this is _now_ felt to be _all_ that a lady need - care about. I am so _very_ anxious about Highgate because it - seems so _hopeful_ as regards soundness of principle _now_, but - I will say no more excepting to beg you to remember that the - appointment does not _rest_ with me even if you felt you could - and would take it.—Ever yours affectionately and sincerely, - - ROSA: LANCASTER.’ - -It is probable that Mrs. Lancaster’s friendship and the glimpse of -Sisterhood life which she obtained by means of it deepened the sense -of vocation with which Miss Beale was prepared to take up the new work -for which she was waiting in 1858. It may also have had its influence -on outside matters such as dress, which we know, when engaged on her -work of teaching, was in early days especially very plain and simple. -Mrs. Lancaster was obviously a friend whom she revered, one to whom she -could speak of religious matters, and with whose devoted work among poor -women she fully sympathised; but the conventual side of it never really -appealed to her. - -Through Miss Twining, who began her work in 1850, Miss Beale became much -interested in the reform of workhouses, and the idea even passed through -her mind of seeking a position as matron in order to help to promote a -better state of affairs. We can only wonder what would have been wrought -had that great personality and unwearied diligence, that refusal to -accept anything but the best, been brought to bear on the Poor Law, on -Vestries, or Boards of Guardians. - -The education of girls of her own class was of far deeper interest to her -than any other work for women. She was trained for it, was conscious of -her own power and knowledge of what a school should be, and she decided -to wait till she could find a headship and carry out her own ideas. It -was not quite easy to find the post she wanted. As she put it herself, -‘They might say, “She could not get on at Queen’s, she could not get -on at Casterton”’; and it is obvious from her diary, that though she -was actually told as early as January 1858 of the possible vacancy at -Cheltenham, she tried for more than one school before she was elected -there in June. - -While she waited, she worked. There was plenty of home interest, a -pleasant circle of friends about her: she took her share in the life of -others, and yet led her own and accomplished a large amount in those few -months. During a part of this time she gave weekly lessons in mathematics -and Latin at Miss Elwall’s school at Barnes, a school which afterwards -became well known under Miss Eliza Beale, already in 1858 an assistant -teacher there. But the great occupation of these months was _The -Student’s Textbook of English and General History_. - -In point of time this important work was the third book produced by Miss -Beale, and a word on its first predecessor will not be out of place here. - -The little volume on the Deaconesses’ Institution at Kaiserwerth was the -outcome of a visit there during one of two summers passed in Germany for -the sake of studying schools and foreign methods of education. Miss Beale -stayed for a few days with the founder, Pastor Fliedner, and his wife, -and studied each department of work. She was specially pleased with the -Hospital and Sunday-school, of which she wrote with much appreciation: -‘I never was present at a lesson which seemed to give so much pleasure -to children and listeners, as well as to the teacher, who certainly -understood the art of drawing out children by means of questions.’ - -Germany, its schools and similar institutions, its literature and -language, even its handwriting, had a great attraction for Miss Beale. -She had a few German lessons at the Paris school and afterwards worked at -it alone, finally perfecting herself in the language by two long visits -to the country, when she stayed principally at Brunswick and Dresden. On -one occasion she resided for some time in a German family. In after years -she would talk of this time to the girls at Cheltenham, telling them how -she would make a point of conversing with the person she understood least -easily at any gathering, inquiring the meaning of any word she did not -know, to make use of it herself at the first opportunity. ‘And of course -I did not mind being laughed at a little,’ she would add with a smile. -Hence the praise that German ladies teaching at Cheltenham would accord -her knowledge of the language, saying that she never made a mistake -either in speaking or writing. She frequently made use of the German -character in writing her diary. - -The book on Kaiserwerth, written as it was for a special cause, has -naturally long since had its day, though on its appearance it was -accepted widely enough to justify the thought of a second edition. Mrs. -Lancaster was greatly interested by it, and showed it to the Bishop of -London,[22] who had just signed the Rule of the newly-founded Sisterhood. -Both Bishop Jackson and Dean Trench declined, in friendly letters, -dedications to themselves of a second edition, and none appears to have -been issued; possibly on account of difficulties suggested by Mrs. -Lancaster, who wished the scope of the book enlarged to embrace work -of a similar nature in England. In the event of this being done, she -begged Miss Beale to add a notice of the infant Community of St. Peter’s, -then in Broughton Square. To-day the book can scarcely be called extant, -but there is certainly one copy in England and one in Kaiserwerth. It -is interesting because it shows, like other writing of this time, the -continuity of Miss Beale’s ideas and thoughts. Her sowing had been -betimes and abundant, and she could already gather as she needed. She did -not give till she had the wherewithal, and though in her long years she -frequently sowed afresh—was ever disciple as well as teacher—she was an -early husbandman, a wise householder, able continuously and opportunely -to bring out things new and old. The simile of Jairus’s daughter, -occurring for the first time in the passage quoted below, was one she -often quoted in connection with that awakening of women’s energies it had -been her lot to share; and one she finally enshrined for her children in -the window placed in the College to the memory of Miss Buckoll in 1890. -And like much of her later work, the little book shows also how much her -religion went hand in hand with all her work for others. There was no -thought of the emancipation of women, no word of rights; she spoke only -of duties, of scope to do good; but even these were quite secondary to -the desire, the will to make the effort, the ear to hear the bidding -voice. Here is a passage to illustrate this: - - ‘It has occurred to me that a more detailed description than - that given six years ago by Miss Nightingale of an institution - in which she was herself trained, and which has since that - time many new features, might assist those who are considering - the best way of turning to account the wasted energy of our - country-women, of those whose highest happiness it would be to - be like Mary, Joanna, and Susannah, to follow Christ.... There - are many who, when they pray to God “to comfort and succour - all them who ... are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any - other adversity,” cannot be satisfied without giving a small - portion of their money, who tremble at the thought of being - numbered with the women who are at ease, with the careless - daughters. O that Christ would take us by the hand. He has but - to speak the word: “Daughter, I say unto thee, Arise”; and - we shall arise and minister to Him: then will the scorners - acknowledge we were only sleeping, and our souls will magnify - the Lord.’[23] - -Two other short extracts must be permitted: - - ‘I could not but contrast the aimless existence of many of my - own country-women, the dreary regions of the fashionable world, - with the wide field under cultivation by this band of Sisters, - who, by God’s blessing, penetrate year by year farther into - the wilderness, and rescue so many of their fellow-creatures - from evils more to be dreaded than famine, pestilence, and the - sword.’[24] - -Finally, the following passage tells how the strengthening thought of the -Communion of Saints, of which she spoke to Miss Gore on the last Sunday -of her life, was already beginning to be hers: - - ‘The happiness of a Deaconess does not arise from external - circumstances; it is a peace which the world cannot give. She - must be prepared to live away from the world, without any - society but that of a few sick persons and children, without - beautiful services; to believe, in the midst of unbelief and - sin, in the Holy Catholic Church and the Communion of Saints. - She must always be watching for her Lord’s coming, for in the - midst of the pestilence and near the field of battle is her - post.’[25] - -A second visit to Kaiserwerth, ten years later, gave Miss Beale great -pleasure. She was delighted with the work being done and the extension of -the small beginnings she had seen in 1856. In 1905, at Oeynhausen, she -met accidentally a Deaconess of Kaiserwerth, was much attracted by her, -and invited her to come and see her and talk to her of the institution, -and after her return to England exchanged letters with her. - -The _Textbook of History_ entailed a great deal of labour and study, -which must have been a boon to its writer at a time of depression and -uncertainty. Though the scheme of it was no doubt in her mind before she -left Casterton, and the book was probably begun in the summer holidays of -1857, it was not till after Christmas that she was free to devote herself -to it. Then she threw into the work every hour she could justly secure, -striving at the same time not to neglect family claims. The conditions -under which it was done were little short of heroic. In order to secure -freedom from interruption both for herself and her books of reference, -she chose for her study a large empty room, where she worked in the midst -of open volumes spread round her on the floor. It was winter, but she -was glad to avail herself of the difficulty of keeping up a daily fire -at the top of the old City house, in order to give less attraction to -any other members of the household to sit with her and take up time in -conversation. The empty grate by which she wrote lends significance to -an entry in the diary of March 1858: ‘Self-indulgence because of cold.’ -The self-denial and concentration of the writer bore early fruit, for -this book, a digest of world-wide histories, was published in August -1858, just after its author had come to Cheltenham. The production of -this textbook is an instance of the way in which Miss Beale would see -and seize an opportunity. There was a real need for such a work. In her -introduction she alludes to objections which could be raised to similar -books then in use, and which were stated in articles which appeared in -the _Times_ of January 1857. - -Miss Beale’s reference is doubtless to two letters headed ‘The -Corruption of Popular School Books.’ The first of these, by the noted Dr. -Cumming, appeared on January 17, and dealt with certain changes which had -been made, in a Romish direction, in a widely used textbook of English -history by Henry Ince. A new edition had lately appeared, professing -itself to be much extended and improved, in wide circulation, and -sanctioned by her Majesty’s Committee of the Council of Education. This -edition, pleaded the writer of the _Times_ letter, contained statements -which made it ‘unsuitable for use in Protestant schools.’ Those quoted, -_e.g._ that ‘Queen Elizabeth was a mistress in the art of dissembling,’ -do not seem very reprehensible, but enough savour of Papistry had been -introduced into the book to cause the Committee above-mentioned and the -Society of Arts to strike the book off their lists. Dorothea Beale was -quick to see and seize the opportunity thus afforded for a new textbook. - -The very large scope of the work, embracing as it does the whole -history of the world since the beginning of the Christian era, with the -history of England given in rather fuller detail than the rest, makes -it imperative that its hundred and seventy closely printed pages should -be rather dry. The _Textbook_ is intended for the teacher rather than -the pupil; highly useful in its arrangement of facts, and names, and -suggestions of ideas, but not in itself a complete lesson-book. Its -clearness and fulness are not more characteristic of the writer than the -dramatic instinct which led her to give such names, titles, and short -quotations as tend at once to fix a fact in the memory, and to conjure up -visions of the conditions under which such and such events took place. -Miss Beale had a remarkable quickness in seizing on the important matter -and stating it in a few telling words. It is interesting to take at -haphazard her history of any century, and mark what a wealth of interest -rather than of information is brought together in a few short pages to -stimulate the reader’s thirst for knowledge. But it is sufficient to -point out the titles chosen for the centuries, as showing what seemed to -her of greatest importance to the progress of mankind.[26] - -The book is completed with an account of the English Constitution and -some genealogical tables. It reached a seventh edition, but Miss Beale -was disinclined to bring it up to quite modern times, doubtless because -she felt there are now other books to cover the ground as well or better -than her own. Consequently the nineteenth century is left uncompleted. -The book, however, played a useful part at a time when the teaching of -history was very imperfect, and was well received by those who knew its -author. ‘The plan of the book,’ wrote Mr. Plumptre, ‘seems to me very -good, and I cannot doubt that you have carried into the details the same -painstaking accuracy with which we used to be familiar in your work with -us.’ - -Mr. Mackenzie, at the writer’s request, made an elaborate criticism, from -which it is enough to quote his ‘_chief_ complaint’: ‘Your unfairness to -your own sex, and your willingness to believe and repeat the calumnies -uttered against them by male writers, a fault to which the old monks were -especially prone; but they were not quite silent, as you are, upon the -virtues of the royal and noble Anglo-Saxon ladies, who did so much, even -in the darkest ages, towards educating and refining the barbarous people -by whom they were surrounded.’ - -Mr. Beale mentioned it more than once in his letters to the daughter in -whose talent he had such pride: ‘The success of your little book is -very encouraging. E. says they call it “Beale’s Ince.” ... I dined at -the Adams’ last week, a doctor’s party. Dr. Daldy was loud in praise of -the _Textbook_.’ And again, ‘Underneath D. Beale in my own copy I have -written “sed summa sequar festigia rerum.”’ And to the end it was a -source of satisfaction to the writer herself. ‘You could not have done so -well without my _Textbook_, could you?’ she said to an old pupil whose -Histories for Schools have been widely accepted. - -The third work of this period was a little book entitled -_Self-Examination_. This was chiefly designed for schools, and was edited -by Mr. Denton, the vicar of St. Bartholomew’s, Moor Lane. This book, -too, written when books of devotion were far less common than they are -now, and in order to supply a real need of schoolgirls, has been long -superseded by others, but in many cases the works for which it has been -put on one side are less thoughtful and penetrating. The questions and -meditations are arranged round the subjects of ‘My Duty towards God, and -my Duty towards my Neighbour,’ and with the comment of verses from the -Bible are presented in that tabular form which Miss Beale loved.[27] -The actual questions for self-examination are throughout slight and -few in proportion to what is suggested by the Scripture texts and the -meditations; the reason doubtless being to make the reader think for -herself. - -This little work brings us face to face with that religion which all her -life long was the motive power of Dorothea’s life. Deep religious feeling -was no phase nor change of thought which came to her with years or -experience. It was not wrought for her in the furnace of sorrow, though -many times there renewed and purified. It was so much the dominating -force of her mind and life, that, by which every day as every year she -was controlled and inspired, that it may be reverently regarded as a -special gift to one called to a great service. ‘I cannot,’ she wrote, -‘look back upon the time when God was not a present Friend. I would throw -myself on my knees in trouble, and He gave of His compassion. How (as a -child) I used to follow the service and wish it were possible to think of -what God was;—to think of Him as mere Light was the nearest approach.’ -And as an old woman—despite the love of friends, and her well-deserved -honours, often alone and sick and weary—she wrote, ‘The Lord is my -Light.’ But the religion of Dorothea Beale was far indeed from being a -mere succession of beautiful and comforting thoughts. It meant authority. -It involved all the difficulties of daily obedience, it meant the fatigue -of watching, the pains of battle, sometimes the humiliation of defeat. -Intense as was her feeling on religious subjects, it was never permitted -to go off in steam, as she would term it, but became at once a practical -matter for everyday life. Sorrow and regret for sin and mistakes passed -into fresh effort against them; the perception of a beautiful thought or -idea became a new motive for definite acts of charity and diligence. With -regard to such a religious life as hers, the mind dwelling habitually in -a region which is beyond controversy, it seems like a descent to a lower -plane to speak of religious _opinions_. Yet no approximately true history -of her can be related without reference to these. Even if there were no -record of it as there is, it is obvious that one at once so large-minded -and clear-headed, whose life displayed so much organisation and -arrangement, must have definitely faced the great problems of eternity, -must have listened to every appeal of Christianity, and with her own -eyes have looked up each avenue of thought which promised an approach -to Truth. And this she undoubtedly did. But in the knowledge of Divine -things, as in that which she would scarcely permit to be called secular, -her faithfulness and simple obedience to early teaching directed her mind -to certain religious duties and opinions from which she never parted: ‘If -any man will do His will he shall know of the doctrine,’ is a text she -was fond of quoting to her Scripture classes. She lived to realise it. -Very early and continuously she ruled her life by the commandments of the -Lord, and when storms arose, when winds and floods of doubt threatened -ruin, when she was herself ready to cry, ‘All is gone,’ the foundations -of the house of faith were yet secure, and thereon love rebuilt. - -And so it may be truly said that the framework of her personal religion -was in age what it had been in youth. She had her own distinctly outlined -path to which she had been guided early by such friends as her father -and Mr. Mackenzie. This has been sometimes lost sight of, possibly owing -to her deep sympathy and interest in matters of doubt and difficulty. -When any of her children turned to her in distress of this nature, she -felt, more than at any other time, the yearning of a mother’s heart, and -was fearful of saying any word or even of showing any opinion of her own -which might alarm or seal up confidence. Hence people of widely different -views wished to claim her as of their own way of thinking when often -she was not. She did not think it of paramount importance when speaking -to the unorthodox, or even to the agnostic, to state her own beliefs -precisely. She did not seek to proselytise but to help, to remove, as -far as power was given her, all hindrances to the light, to persuade -those who were in darkness still to obey. But she knew that she could not -make any _see_; she recognised faith as the gift of God. - -Miles Beale was a Churchman of the type known best by its nickname ‘High -and Dry.’ His daughters were still quite young when they found this -was a school to which not all the world belonged, and they began to -appreciate religious differences. They heard, between St. Helen’s and St. -Bartholomew’s, preachers of varying shades of thought. Mr. Mackenzie was -succeeded at St. Helen’s by an incumbent of evangelical views. Some of -Mr. Denton’s curates at St. Bartholomew’s went over to Rome; one became -Father Ignatius. - -Dorothea was only sixteen when her father wrote to her on the subject of -the Hampden-Gorham dispute, as of a matter she well understood and found -interesting. And this recalls the fact that religious controversy of -that day raged specially round the question of Baptismal Regeneration. -A letter written to the Council of the Ladies’ College after her -appointment[28] shows how clearly and concisely, and without reference -to books, Miss Beale could state her opinions. It deals with her views -of the Sacraments, marking her religious position at the time and -indeed to the end;—it was for her Prayer-book that she asked in the one -clear moment of the last unconsciousness. This letter contains a bare, -unemotional statement of belief, to which may well be added this: that -while she held firmly the doctrine of ‘Two only, as generally necessary -to salvation,’ the life of grace through the Sacraments was the power -by which she lived. She recognised herself as fortunate in her special -heritage of Christian thought, writing of it thus:— - - ‘It was a time of great religious revival: the bald services - of my childhood were beginning to develop into the musical - services of our own time.... The beautiful music of to-day - is not more dear to me than those plain services with often - grotesque accompaniments where I learned to see Heaven opened. - Miss Sewell’s writings, especially _The Experience of Life_, - helped me in early youth to work out the problems of my daily - life. Religion quickened the intellectual life, for Sacramental - teaching was to the leaders of that movement no narrow - dogmatism, but the discovery of the river of the water of - life flowing through the whole desert of human existence, and - making it rejoice and blossom as the rose, revealing a unity in - creation, a continuity in history, a glory in art, a purpose in - life, making life infinitely worth living.’[29] - -When quite young she began the practice of Sunday Communion, and many a -week day found her at the 6 A.M. celebration at St. Bartholomew’s Church. -From first to last her scanty diary records this service among the -leading facts of ordinary life. - -In the power thus gained she had ever before her the thought of -co-operation, of working out salvation, of putting on Christ by daily -dying to self by minute watchfulness, and in every sense of the word -painstaking diligence. At a time when the pulpits of Cheltenham were -ringing with statements which seemed to her to misrepresent the great -doctrine of the Atonement, she was speaking to her children of the true -nature of the Redeemer’s Blood, of the living stream flowing from the -Heart through all the members; she was seeking for herself and for them -the righteousness of Christ, not as a mere substitution, but as a real -attainment won by the union of a soul wholly surrendered to the workings -of the grace of God. - -This chapter may fitly close with a passage from the diary, which she -appears to have begun to keep for the first time this year, when she -was to some extent forced back upon herself, when she was making her -own scheme of daily work. Begun on Ash Wednesday, February 17, 1858, -it was continued intermittently at least to 1901, when the increasing -infirmities of age made all reading and writing difficult. Sometimes -dropped for many months, it was taken up again as if with the suggestion -of a sense of culpability for neglect. It was never full; never, so far -as outward events are concerned, of any great interest. Some of these, -indeed, as the writing of certain letters, the visits of certain friends, -or business engagements, are just mentioned and no more; doubtless for -the sake of reference only. It remains for us as a revelation of the -keen self-scrutiny with which she, who had to guide and warn others, was -daily searching her own soul. Very often for weeks there is no mention -of anything done, or seen, or thought as far as the matters of this -world are concerned; but she never failed to note what she regarded as -the real life, spiritual growth or the reverse, right or wrong conduct, -faithful or unfaithful performance of religious duties. This diary cannot -be ignored if a true presentment of Dorothea Beale is to be given. -Hence, intimate as it is, enough extracts as may display the persistent -effort of her life are inserted here. They are not consecutive, but -chosen as characteristic and interesting, and showing to some extent the -occupations of the period. Scanty traces indeed of what she was doing -and thinking, they are yet enough to show a little of the anxiety and -conflict of which she wrote in 1901 to Miss Margaret Richardson, in these -words: ‘Once I had an interval of work, and I thought perhaps God would -not give it me again—but after that interval He called me here. I think -now I can see better how I needed that time of comparative quiet and -solitude, and a time to think over my failures, and a time to be more -helpful to my family.’ - - EXTRACTS FROM DIARY OF 1858 - - ‘_February 17th._—Ash Wednesday. [To] S. M’s. [Applied] for - school at Holloway. Lip-service. Snappish. _Resolution._ [to - strive for more] humility, patience, charity. - - ‘_February 26th._—Miss Alston came. Idle [meditation] on peace. - To be less anxious. - - ‘_February 27th._—History for seven hours. Church. Some - idleness. - - ‘_March 5th._—Went to see Mr. Sankey about boy’s evening - school. To church. History. Many impatient answers to Mama. - - ‘_March 6th._—History. Aunt E. came. Cross at not getting my - own way. Some idleness. Impatient manner. - - ‘_March 7th_, Sunday.—Went to H. E. without prayer. Not a - devoted service. Morning prayer nothing but vain thoughts. At - evening Church. Very cross. - - ‘_April 14th._—History. Elizabeth. Called on Mrs. Blenkarne. - Dined at Chapter House. Idle. Indulgence in reading story at - my time for evening prayer. Unpunctual in morning. Thoughtless - about Mama. - - ‘_April 20th._—History, 16th Century. Felt terribly cross. O - grant me calmness. - - ‘_April 22nd._—Went about servants till 11.30. Wrote to Miss - Hyde. Still some tempest within. - - ‘_June 2nd._—Copying. Dinner party. Eliza at home. Worldly. - - ‘_June 3rd._—Headache. To Mrs. Northcote’s. [Wrote] preface. - - ‘_June 4th._—Saw Mrs. Barrett. Copied. Neglected prayer - greatly. Very worldly. - - ‘_June 7th._—Wrote letters. A terrible blank of worldliness. - Idle. - - ‘_June 9th._—Wrote to Miss Elwall. Letter from Cheltenham. M. - copied certificates. Worldly. Spoke angrily to A. - - ‘_June 10th._—Wrote to Cheltenham. Saxon Exhibition. Selfish - and worldly. - - ‘_June 13th._—S. Bartholomew’s twice. H. E. Inattentive twice. - Unkind thoughts and words. - - ‘_June 14th._—Letter to go to Cheltenham. - - ‘_June 16th._—Elected.’ - - - - -CHAPTER V - -CHELTENHAM - - ‘He builded better than he knew.’—EMERSON. - - -Dorothea Beale in age remembered that in youth she had planned ‘an -air-castle school, with a central quadrangle, cloisters and rooms over.’ - -To few is it given, as it was given to her, to realise so nearly the -dreams of youth, for few possess the sense of purpose and the indomitable -will which fell to her portion. But the college of her vision did not -come into being without a process of development so slow that for -some years progress could hardly be recorded, nor without infinite -disappointment even in matters which seemed at the time vital; not -without ceaseless effort, seen and unseen, on the part of the Lady -Principal. - -We have reached, in the twentieth century, a period in the history of -education in which schools may be said to be founded ready-made. A great -and fine ‘plant,’ opening ceremonies, royal patronage, appear necessities -from the beginning. The Ladies’ College, Cheltenham, was twenty years -old before it had a building of its own, its first stone was laid by -an unknown hand, its opening rite consisted of school prayers in the -ordinary way on a Monday morning, at 9 A.M., with the addition of a few -words rather nervously read by the Lady Principal. The college has never -had a patron, nor did it even have any specially distinguished visitor, -till the Empress Frederick came in 1897. - -The Ladies’ College did not originate with Miss Beale. She brought to it, -when it was but a weakling and like to perish, all her dreams and all her -energies. She made it emphatically her own; but its first inception was -with a small number of Cheltenham residents, notably with the Reverend H. -Walford Bellairs, then H.M. Inspector of Schools for Gloucestershire,[30] -and the Reverend C. A. Bromby,[31] Principal of the Training Colleges. -Its foundation was a continuation of work already begun in the town with -the opening of Cheltenham College, in 1843. This was one of the earliest -of the great nineteenth century public schools, and one of the very few -which has no ancient origin. A very slight glance at the history of the -town, which has produced two great colleges, will serve to show that -their work in its midst has been almost that of a quiet and beneficent -revolution. - -The mild air and fertile soil of the great plain below the Cotswold -Hills were recognised as early as the days of Edward the Confessor, when -Cheltenham was called upon to furnish a large amount of bread for the -royal kennels. For centuries only a little market town with a beautiful -Early Gothic church on the banks of an insignificant stream, it crept -out of obscurity in the pages of Ogilby who, in 1785, described it -as inhabited by people ‘much given to plant tobacco, though they are -suppressed by authority.’ - -Forty years after this the discovery of the medicinal properties of -its waters made the place attractive to those who could afford to take -the remedy, and in the later years of George the Third, it came to be -the ‘Queen of watering places.’ Details of the long royal visit of -1788 may be read in the pages of Fanny Burney and others. The King -would afterwards speak of Cheltenham and the Vale of Gloucester as ‘the -finest part of my kingdom that I have beheld.’ Other distinguished -visitors followed: the Prince Regent, who gave a ball; Charles James -Fox; Wellington, within a year of Waterloo; Louis Philippe and Marie -Amélie in their exile; and many others, among whom, as a boy, came Byron, -to wander, according to a continental biographer, ‘on the seashore at -Cheltenham!’ - -As late as 1870 there was in Cheltenham scarcely a house which did not -testify by its grandiose, pseudo-classic[32] architecture to the past -magnificence of a town which had striven to be worthy of a court. Even -to-day there are but few which do not follow the lines laid down by the -builders of the early years of the nineteenth century, a time at which -the town grew with mushroom speed. It was a period when population was -rapidly increasing all over the country; but in few places were the leaps -and bounds so marked as in Cheltenham, where in 1840, a census return was -tenfold larger than it had been in 1804. - -This rapid growth was due, less to the famous wells and pump-rooms than -to the reputation of its climate, and the absence of any great winter -severity, attractive to those who had lived in tropical countries. Hence -Cheltenham became a favourite residence for Anglo-Indians, military and -civil. The town grew perhaps a little less distinguished, but not less -gay and popular. The fashion in Cheltenham waters passed; kings and dukes -sought their ‘cure’ abroad; but it was possible to have balls and other -amusements without a Prince Regent, while the hunting season especially -became a time of festivity. And side by side with the lovers of pleasure, -who formed so large and sparkling a part of Cheltenham society, existed -those who took all life with deep, almost forbidding seriousness. - -To meet the needs of the rapidly growing population during the first -forty years of the nineteenth century, several churches were built -under the auspices of different persons. Church-building in the days of -proprietary sittings was a not unprofitable investment; there were also -liberal benefactors to support Mr. Close, who was incumbent of Cheltenham -for nearly thirty years, in his schemes for the welfare of his flock. - -Francis Close, a disciple of Charles Simeon, came to Cheltenham in 1824, -as curate-in-charge of Holy Trinity, a newly erected chapel-of-ease to -the parish church. The living of Cheltenham was already at that time -in the hands of Simeon, who had purchased it from its various patrons, -and presented it to the Reverend C. Jervis. On the death of Mr. Jervis, -Simeon appointed young Close to this important charge. From the first -Mr. Close was a very popular preacher. ‘It was,’ says an admirer, ‘a new -and interesting sight to see so singularly handsome a young man filled -with such religious zeal.’ A man of pronounced and narrow views, immense -activity and determination, combined with geniality and cheerfulness, he -sought to regulate the ways of society, and to some extent succeeded. He -ruled the town from the pulpit of the parish church as from a throne, -and earned, among those who loved him least, the name of the ‘Pope of -Cheltenham.’[33] He preached against racing, acting, dancing. But if, as -has been said, he established dinner-parties and destroyed the theatre, -he acted only with others of his school of thought. Those were the days -of eating and drinking, since some form of recreation was necessary, -and, moreover, abstinence had a suspiciously Roman look. They were days -when all forms of art, not that of the theatre alone, were regarded with -distrust. It is true that Mr. Close gave a lecture on ‘Literature and -the Fine Arts considered as Legitimate Pursuits of a Religious Man’; -he also preached a sermon entitled ‘The Restoration of Churches is the -Restoration of Popery,’ and he said to the head-mistress of a fashionable -boarding-school where dancing was included in the curriculum: ‘When Mrs. -Close wished my daughters taught dancing, I reminded her of her marriage -vow.’ - -Mr. Close’s energies took visible and permanent shape in the buildings -which arose during his long incumbency. Eight churches grew up around -the parish church, but that, alas! was not their model. Most of the -new ones displayed all the worst features of a debased style of church -architecture: a diminutive chancel, three-decker arrangements for parson -and clerk, high pews, with safe doors for the congregation. - -National schools were built, and training colleges founded, also under -the direction of Mr. Close, and he took his share in the institution of -the Proprietary College for Boys, in 1843. - -With the new churches came new clergy, among whom, the most popular -name at the time, was that of Archibald Boyd, vicar of Christchurch, a -very eloquent preacher who brought the little schoolroom in the hamlet -of Alstone, where he lectured on Sunday evenings, into rivalry with the -parish church. To-day, he is famous for having had as his curate, for -five years, the young Frederick Robertson, whose afternoon sermons at -Christchurch, in spite of the suspicion of unorthodoxy which early began -to attach itself to his name, drew many thoughtful hearers, such as the -Principal of Cheltenham College. - -The most leading mind at the time among the younger clergy was that of -Charles Henry Bromby, who became vicar of St. Paul’s in 1843. He was a -man of large mental gifts, and had special perception of the intellectual -needs of his day. The Working Men’s Club, which he established in -his parish, was among the very first in the country. All the great -educational institutions of Cheltenham are indebted to his outlook and -zeal. Joint-founder of Cheltenham College, and later, though he took no -public part and earned no name in the matter, of that for ‘Young Ladies -and Children,’ his most active interest and work was for the teaching -of the poor. He became first Principal of the Training Colleges[34] for -headmasters and mistresses of national schools, starting the work on wise -and secure lines, and rapidly bringing it to the front among that of -kindred institutions. - -Mr. Bellairs was actively as well as zealously associated with Mr. Bromby -in all the great schemes, by which Cheltenham, rich and poor, was to be -enlightened, and in the case of the Proprietary College for Ladies, it is -his name which comes to the front, and it was in his house that the first -meeting to draw up its constitution was held. - -There was every reason to hope that a high-class day-school for girls, -then almost unknown, might succeed in Cheltenham, where parents had had -a successful experience of such a school for their boys. Everywhere, -people, who cared about a good education for girls, found it difficult -to obtain even at great cost. Many liked to keep their children with -them; those who were indifferent would be glad to avail themselves of the -cheaper method of the day-school, provided it could be run on exclusive -lines. There had been for some years in the town, select boarding -schools, where a few day-scholars were received. The advantage over these -of a large public school, necessarily of a more permanent character than -a small private institution could be, was obvious. - -At the meeting in the house of Mr. Bellairs, on September 30, 1853, -a date which Miss Beale has noted as the birthday of the Ladies’ -College, there were present but three others. These were the Reverend -W. Dobson, Principal of Cheltenham College, the Reverend H. A. Holden, -Vice-Principal, and Dr. S. E. Comyn. One other gentleman should be named -among these early builders, namely, Mr. Nathaniel Hartland. Colonel -Fitzmaurice was also a member of the first council. - -The founders of this college and day-school for girls were anxious to -make it clear that their aim was to develop in the pupils character and -fitness for the duties of later life. Hence the first report states that -it was intended ‘to afford, on reasonable terms, an education based upon -religious principles which, preserving the modesty and gentleness of the -female character, should so far cultivate [a girl’s] intellectual powers -as to fit her for the discharge of those responsible duties which devolve -upon her as a wife, mother, mistress and friend, the natural companion -and helpmeet for man.’ In framing the constitutions Mr. Bellairs and his -colleagues had before their minds the successful College for Boys, and -adopted its rules with regard to religious instruction, and the social -rank of the pupils. - -The draft of the resolutions, made at the first meeting, may still be -read. Hardly less remarkable than the development of later days is the -permanent nature of the impress given to the College at its first start. -Some of the resolutions were:— - - ‘That an Institution for the daughters and young children of - Noblemen and Gentlemen be established in Cheltenham, and be - entitled the Cheltenham College for the education of young - Ladies and Children. - - ‘The College to be established by means of one hundred shares - of £10 each; the possessor of each share to have the power of - nominating a Pupil, and a vote at annual and special meetings. - - ... - - ‘That the management of the College for the ensuing year shall - be vested in the Founders, viz.... who for this purpose shall - be constituted the Committee of Management after the expiration - of the first year, exclusive of the Treasurer and Honorary - Secretary, who will be _ex officio_ members of the Board, they - being shareholders and members of the Church of England.... - - ‘That the College be under the direction of a Principal, a - Lady from whom the pupils will receive religious instruction - at appointed times in accordance with the doctrine and the - teaching of the Church of England.... - - ‘That at the end of each year the pupils be examined by - competent persons appointed by the Committee. - - ‘That the College shall consist of two departments, the Junior - for children of both sexes, admissible after five years of age, - the boys to be removed when they have attained their eighth - year. - - ‘The appointment of the Lady Principal and all subordinate - teachers and officers to be vested in the Committee.’ - -With few alterations these resolutions passed into the prospectus issued -to the public in November 1853, an exact copy of which will be found in -the appendix.[35] Experimental prospectuses, which never left the hands -of the Committee, exist to show how the founders formed and modified -their views for the College. It was proposed at one time to have a noble -patron and a visitor, besides the working Committee; but as Miss Beale -somewhat whimsically relates, this was found to be impracticable. ‘It was -thought that it would add to the prestige of the College, and diminish -the prejudice which then existed, to have a distinguished patron, and -so Lord de Saumerez, then resident in Cheltenham, was applied to, but -in vain. So there was no Patron.’[36] There was also no visitor until -1875, when Dr. Ellicott, then Bishop of Gloucester, kindly undertook the -charge. The difficulty of securing patronage was probably what caused -the Council, in virtue of one of their own rules, to invite Mr. Close to -accept the office of President, with a seat at the Board. At the same -time Mr. Bellairs was appointed Vice-President. - -In the first instance it was intended that the College should be confined -to day-scholars; then, in case this restriction should limit the scope -of the work and perhaps injure it financially, a sort of half-measure -was planned, and it was proposed to state that: ‘the Committee will -not interfere with any arrangements made by the Parents and Friends -of pupils for Boarding their Children, provided the numbers in any -given Boarding-House do not exceed six. Should Boarding-Houses ever be -opened offering accommodation to a greater number of pupils than six, -the Committee reserve to themselves the power of insisting upon and -conferring a License, before Children in such Boarding-Houses be allowed -the privilege of becoming Students in the College.’ - -As early as the 1st of November three ladies had been found to undertake -boarding-houses, and they were not restricted as to numbers. The -low terms of the boarding-houses (£40 a year including all expenses, -of course without the tuition fees) suggest that the ideas of the -liberal-minded Committee may have forestalled those of the future Lady -Principal, ever eager to help on those who deserved but could not afford -education. The tuition fees were on the same low scale; from six guineas -to twenty guineas, and including pianoforte lessons, class singing, -elementary drawing and needlework, besides English subjects and French. - -Shares had been taken up to the number of one hundred and fifty-seven, so -the Council had enough money at their disposal to justify the necessary -initial outlay. After an unsuccessful effort to obtain Lake House, -which its owner declined to let for the purposes of a school, Cambray -House, a fine old Georgian building with a beautiful garden, was taken -at a rent of £200 a year. Some hundreds of pounds were spent in making -this house suitable for its purpose, arranging a schoolroom (40 by 30 -feet), a system of heating, and so on, while a part of it was set aside -as a residence for the Lady Principal. The Committee appointed in this -capacity Mrs. Procter, widow of Colonel Procter, ‘a highly educated -officer,’ but her daughter Annie Procter, who was called Vice-Principal, -was the actual head of the College. ‘The former,’ ran the first report, -‘is possessed of that age and experience which are necessary for the -training of the young; the latter of that youth and vigour which are -necessary for teaching.’ A younger sister had the post of assistant -secretary, and several regular teachers and professors were also -appointed. - -[Illustration: _Cambray House._ - -_From an old engraving._] - -The College was actually opened on February 13, 1854, the pupils, -eighty-two in number, having been examined a week before that date. Thus -the inauguration ceremony was the actual beginning of work. When writing -her Jubilee history of the College, Miss Beale collected reminiscences -from some who were present on the opening day. Nothing more impressive -was forthcoming than a scrimmage of dogs in the cloak-room, the calling -over of names, followed by immediate sorting into classes already -arranged as a result of the examination, and that ‘various old gentlemen -promenaded about the first few days, and held conclaves in a Board-Room -on the right hand of the front door.’ The age of the pupils varied -considerably from that of tiny mites to that of grown-up girls. They were -arranged in different departments, the lowest being a kind of infant -school on raised benches. - -At first the numbers increased rapidly, and by the end of the year there -were one hundred and twenty pupils. But the fees were too low, and the -Committee soon had cause for anxiety over expenses. In the first year, -1854, more than £1300 was expended in regular salaries and in payments -to visiting teachers; the accounts in December showed a deficit of £400. -Matters improved but slowly in 1855, and in order to lessen expenses, -various changes were suggested, such as the substitution of German, which -the Vice-Principal could teach, for Latin, and an arrangement by which -the pianoforte should be taught on a class system. In the general meeting -of that year, it was resolved no longer to admit boys to the College, and -with them disappeared the whole of the infant department, not to reappear -till the Kindergarten was opened in 1882. - -This change led to a slight diminution of numbers, and the report -of the year 1856 (published in and dated February 1857), while it -embodied many words of praise from the examiners and showed a balance -of receipts above expenditure in the current expenses, yet breathed a -consciousness of many difficulties and obstacles to be overcome. It was -acknowledged that had it been desirable to purchase furniture for the -Lady Principal instead of paying her £25 a year for the use of her own, -it could not have been done from the funds in hand. ‘In conclusion,’ -said the Chairman, ‘your Council beg to express their thanks to those -parents who, during the past year, have continued to place confidence in -the College and its system. On their own part and on that of the Lady -Principal and the Vice-Principal, they desire to assure the public that -no efforts shall be wanting on their part to amend what may appear, on -mature consideration, to be defective.... They cannot depart from their -fundamental principle, which, as they stated, is soundness rather than -show; _magna est veritas et prævalebit_.’ - -Next year, 1857, the numbers crept down, first to ninety-three, then to -eighty-nine, and the capital account, which had never gone up, was little -above £400. Shares which should have been £10, were offered for half that -sum. The want of success was partly due to want of harmony between Miss -Procter and the Council on points of educational method. In May 1858, -when the numbers were again reduced, and the prospect of improvement very -small, the Procters resigned; also the ladies who took boarders one by -one gave up. So poor was the outlook for the College at this time that -the Council might have felt justified in abandoning the whole scheme. -Fortunately, however, those who possessed the foresight and courage, -which could still carry it on, were supported by the circumstance that -the lease of Cambray House had a couple more years to run. So it came to -pass that in May 1858, within a fortnight of Miss Procter’s resignation, -the Council advertised for a Lady Principal thus:— - - CHELTENHAM LADIES’ COLLEGE - - ‘A Vacancy having occurred in the Office of Lady Principal, - Candidates for the Appointment are requested to apply by letter - (with references) before the 1st of June, to J. P. Bell, Esq., - Hon. Sec., Cheltenham. - - ‘A well-educated and experienced Lady (between the ages of 35 - and 45) is desired, capable of conducting an Institution with - not less than 100 day-pupils. - - ‘A competent knowledge of German and French, and a good - acquaintance with general English Literature, Arithmetic, and - the common branches of female education, are expected. - - ‘Salary, upwards of £200 a year, with furnished apartments, and - other advantages. - - ‘No Testimonials to be sent until applied for, and no answers - will be returned except to Candidates apparently eligible.’ - -The shareholders requested a general meeting in order to receive an -explanation of the cause which led to the resignation of Miss Procter, -and this was convened for June 2. The Committee was occupied during the -fortnight which succeeded this in selecting and interviewing some of the -fifty candidates for the Headship, and Miss Beale was elected on June 13. -In July Miss Procter took her final leave in the following letter to Mr. -Hartland:— - - GLENDALE HOUSE, _July 28, 1858_. - - ‘MY DEAR SIR,—I thank you much for your kind letter enclosing - your cheque for £41, 10s. 6d. - - ‘I take this opportunity of sending you the keys of the - College. The house has been cleaned throughout. The Chimneys - have all been swept. - - ‘Some few stores,—nearly a ¼ cwt. of soap, some dip candles, - and two new scrubbing brushes,—are in a closet in the pantry. - - ‘The new zinc ventilator is in the press used for the drawing - materials. - - ‘Two cast-iron fenders, of mine, have been removed from two of - the class-rooms.—I remain, my dear Sir, yours very sincerely, - - S. ANNE PROCTER.’ - -Miss Beale heard of a vacancy on the staff of the Ladies’ College in -January 1858, when a Queen’s College friend, Miss Mulcaster, wrote her -a letter interesting for the glimpses it gives both of Casterton and -Cheltenham. - - ‘I am anxious,’ the letter ran, ‘that you should as soon as - possible receive this letter, which is the very earliest reply - in my power to make to yours.... I cannot feel very sorry on - your own account for your leaving Casterton, although I do - so at the manner of it.... I am very glad that you feel the - discipline and teaching have been useful to you. I do not - know that anything better could be desired for you than a - return to Queen’s, but I have something, or rather a _shadow_ - of something I wish you to know in case you are disappointed - there. I believe a place in the Ladies’ College at Cheltenham - is vacant, and if so it might suit you. Miss Procter the - Superintendent and many of the Committee are considered High - Church. Miss Brewer, I am sure, would be very much pleased to - hear from you, and I think would be disposed to facilitate your - appointment, if there is still a vacancy. She, being one of the - teachers, could answer any inquiries better than I. There is no - home provided for the teachers by the Committee, but they have - hitherto made private arrangements to live together. - - ‘Cheltenham, to my mind, presents unusual advantages as a place - of residence; combining those of town and country, and last but - not least those to be derived from Canon Boyd’s ministry and - dear Mr. Bromby’s. I could give you some introductions, but it - is too soon to talk of those things yet....’ - -Miss Beale must have answered this, and probably wrote at the same time -to Miss Brewer, whom she had known at Queen’s; but there are no further -letters existing on the subject. But she herself told in later life -that she declined to apply for the post as she had resolved to seek a -Headship. There is no mention of Cheltenham in the diary until May, but -it appears that other schools were either applied for or considered. On -February 17 we have ‘For school at Holloway.’ On February 18, ‘A letter -from a Greenwich school.’ This was perhaps visited on the 22nd, when the -diary mentions a journey to Greenwich; but it is not named again. On -March 2 we find ‘Mamma wrote to Mrs. Birch about school at Reigate.’ On -March 24, ‘Talked to Mr. Hyde about College at Camberwell.’ This possibly -appears again in the record of April 17: ‘Mary decides against Camberwell -scheme.’ - -A letter mentioned in Miss Beale’s diary as received from Cheltenham -on May 18 was doubtless in answer to her application, after the -advertisement had appeared, to inform her that she was accepted as -a candidate for the vacant Headship. The record of the next few -weeks, brief as it is, bears marks of the zeal and activity with -which everything possible was done to procure testimonials and the -recommendations of friends; while, at the same time, the work went on at -Barnes, and the sheets of the _Textbook_ were passing through the press. -The writer was obviously full of anxiety and hope, having perceived in -Cheltenham a promising sphere of work; but she did not relax the daily -spiritual combat to which we owe the existence of the diary. - -On receipt of a favourable answer she went at once to see Mr. Plumptre, -and wrote to Dr. Trench. After the Casterton experience it was necessary -to have further recommendations than those which she had taken there from -Queen’s College. Among the friends to whom she wrote was Mrs. Lancaster, -who replied by return:— - - ‘ENGLEMERE, _Whit. Tues., 1858_. - - ‘I am very sorry that you did not tell me about Cheltenham - before: I am one of the Proprietors! or Committee or something! - and my brother is Vice-Principal—indeed he almost established - it. I have now written to him telling him my thoughts as - to the maturity of your mind and judgment, and I hope it - may be successful. If you are not quite determined against - Penitentiary work there is a very nice thing for a Lady - Superintendent ... about which the Hon. and Rev. C. Harris - ... would give you full particulars.... It is worked by a - Committee, but the Lady Superintendent would be allowed to do - as she liked....’ - -In the course of the next fortnight many more letters were received. -Among them one from Miss Elwall of the Barnes School. She wrote:— - - ‘ ... You have succeeded in making subjects usually styled dry, - positively attractive, whilst your plan has been successful in - forming not merely superficial scholars even whilst producing - results in a remarkably short period. - - ‘Your gentleness of manner, patience, and lady-like deportment - are all that could be desired, and should you leave me I shall - feel the greatest regret at the termination of an engagement - which has been equally agreeable to myself and to my pupils.—I - am, dear Miss Beale, with much esteem, yours most sincerely, - - M. J. ELWALL.’ - -One from Mrs. Curling, the wife of Dr. Curling, an eminent physician and -her father’s friend, runs:— - - ‘39 GROSVENOR STREET, _June 12, 1858_. - - ‘ ... I shall be truly happy if any recommendation of mine - can promote your success. I have had the pleasure of knowing - you many years, and in your journeys with me abroad I have - had frequent opportunities of witnessing your tact and common - sense, as well as good temper, and believe you to possess - in addition the power of management essential for such an - appointment. I am sure that the College would be fortunate in - obtaining your assistance.’ - -Some friends wrote direct to the Cheltenham Council. The testimony -borne to Miss Beale’s high character is genuine and strong, if quaintly -expressed according to present-day notions in some of these. Mr. -Shepheard wrote:— - - ‘SILVERDALE, _June 1858_. - - ‘I have the greatest pleasure in expressing my high opinion of - Miss Beale’s character and attainments generally. Though she - holds opinions on the subject of sacramental grace entirely - opposed to my own, it is no more than her due that I should - say that her high sense of duty, and inflexible integrity of - principle, and conscientious following of the path of duty - without regard to consequences, have won my highest respect and - esteem. - - ‘The circumstances under which she left the Clergy Daughters’ - School in this place, were such, that I cannot speak of them in - detail, out of unwillingness to reflect on the conduct of the - authorities there, but I consider her dismissal by them to have - been highly honourable to herself. - - ‘As a Teacher, I have reason to believe that she is very highly - accomplished and has been very successful—though I say this - from general impressions only. - - H. SHEPHEARD, M.A. - - _Incumbent of Casterton, late Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, - and late Head Master of Cheam School, Surrey._’ - -and Miss Reynolds privately approached Mr. Bellairs:— - - ‘TRINITY TERRACE, CHELTENHAM. - - ‘A friend has asked me whether I can do anything to advance the - interests of Miss Beale.... - - ‘Miss Beale is not personally known to me, but from all I have - heard she is a very conscientious and hard-working person, - as well as one whose attainments are very high in most and I - believe _all_ of the departments necessary for the successful - discharge of so important an office. Whether her talents for - government correspond with her educational skill, and her _very - high religious and moral character_, I know not; but I have - been anxious to fulfil her wish in drawing your attention to - her application, which she feared might be overlooked as one - among many. - -The most interesting of this series of letters is one from Miss Alston -to Mrs. Lancaster. This, through Mr. Bellairs, undoubtedly helped to -influence the Council, whose members were wise enough to seek for -character as much as attainment in the new Head. Others had dwelt on Miss -Beale’s talent and power and single-hearted devotion to her calling; Miss -Alston could also speak of her life and value at home. - - ‘DONNINGTON RECTORY, _June 12, 1858_. - - ‘ ... I heard from Miss Beale this morning that the Cheltenham - College had written for her testimonials. I hope she may - obtain the appointment she desires, it seems one for which - she is so well qualified. Of her power of teaching others, - and making them delight in their studies, there is no doubt. - But you do not know her as I do, in her home and daily life; - there all look up to her and seek her counsel. Our friendship - commenced when we were eighteen; since that time I have not - only profited, I trust, by the instruction she has given me in - the pursuit of various studies, but I have always consulted - her on all my plans, where the welfare of others has been - concerned, and have found her counsel full of common sense - and kind consideration for the feelings of those we desired - to help or instruct. She is good-tempered and has plenty of - tact, but shows instantly her dislike to anything untrue in - word or act. Forgive this long letter, but I thought you might - have some influence, and I am much interested for my friend, - and at the same time feel that I should rather place any one I - loved under her than with any one else I have met. With kind - regards,—Believe me yours very sincerely, - - ELIZA ANN ALSTON.’ - -On June 14 came a letter summoning Miss Beale to Cheltenham. Her diary -does not tell us where she stayed, or give any particulars of the -interviews she had with the Council as a body, or with individuals. It -records her election on the 16th, and the fact that Mr. Bellairs came -to breakfast on the 17th. On the same day she saw Mr. Hartland and Dr. -Comyn. By the single word ‘dress,’ which concludes her meagre entries of -what were such momentous events for her, hangs a little tale of personal -need supplied by the kind thought of a sister who willingly lent a blue -silk gown for the would-be Lady Principal to wear at her first interview -with her Council. Absorption in the _Textbook_ and kindred subjects had -precluded care of the writer’s wardrobe, and when this important moment -came, it was felt that neither the simple black nor the mouse-coloured -grey was equal to the occasion. The conscientious care of the borrowed -plumes is still remembered. - -On June 18 she returned from Cheltenham, full of hope, to write -innumerable letters—stamps, under their ancient name of ‘heads,’ -became almost a daily entrance in the diary, which sometimes served as -account-book;—to finish the lessons at Barnes, for the school year had -not yet ended; and to correct the proofs of the _Textbook_, with the -satisfaction of feeling that she had in it something that would help in -the formation of her teachers-to-be. She received many congratulations. -Some letters were kept; Mr. Shepheard’s is given, as it bears upon a -subject which was about to cause fresh trouble. - - ‘SILVERDALE, _June 24, 1858_. - - ‘ ... I must tell you how pleased I am on your account - personally, at your success—and the triumph of justice in your - case over unfairness and tyranny. My pleasure would be indeed - great, if I had any hope that you might be led to reconsider - those opinions on sacramental grace which have formed the only - subject of division in opinion between us. The longer I live - the more I am convinced of their danger as containing in fact - the germ of all popery; and subverting the very nature and - essence of vital godliness, by substituting the _form_ for the - _reality_, the outward _act_ for the inward spiritual power and - operation. - - ‘I wish you would read Mr. Litton’s book, _The Church of - Christ_, on that subject; it is unanswerable. - - ‘What is exactly the name and nature of your College?—Very - sincerely yours with all kindest regards, - - H. SHEPHEARD.’ - -There were also through these weeks a good many interchanged visits on -matters both of business and pleasure. The name of Miss Vincent occurs -twice among others mentioned in the diary. This is the lady who in August -of 1858 became Lady Superintendent at Casterton, and remained there till -1888, when she died there in harness at the age of seventy-five. - -Dorothea Beale was not, however, destined to take possession of her -kingdom without a conflict. The old religious dispute was handed on from -Casterton, for Mr. Shepheard, with one other whose name does not appear, -felt he could not but mention the points he held to be ‘dangerous’ in -her religious beliefs. And there was certainly still another letter to -discourage the Council, from M. Mariette to Mr. Penrice Bell, questioning -Miss Beale’s suitability for the post of Head Mistress on the ground that -she was not sympathetic in manner. This appears to have been disregarded, -but the partisans of Dean Close felt bound to consider the accusation of -High Church opinions. Miss Beale first learned of the opposition which -had arisen to her appointment on July 12, in the following letter from -Mr. Bell:— - - ‘_July 10, 1858._ - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—Letters have been put into my hand to-day - which cause me much anxiety, and before consulting the Council - upon the subject, I think it best to communicate with you, - begging an immediate reply in the same spirit of unreserve and - candour and frankness as that in which I now write. - - ‘When here I took pains to impress upon your mind the fact - that the Council could not in justice to those whom they - represent accept a Lady Principal who holds High Church views - or sympathises with them; and that they had rejected most - satisfactory testimonials from one of the candidates solely - on the ground of her professing doctrinal views of that - character. I was thus explicit with you in order to prevent - any misunderstanding upon this most important question, but - nothing fell from your lips to lead me to suppose you were - open to an objection of that nature. I forbore from motives of - delicacy (and probably the other members of the Council did the - same), to press this subject upon you in the shape of direct - enquiry, feeling sure you would not conceal your real views - if they were indeed such as I plainly stated to be opposed - to those entertained by the founders of the institution. The - letters are marked “Private,” so I am not at liberty to name - the writers, but I will quote the material portions; and I may - remark that both gentlemen speak in the highest terms of your - qualifications in general. - - ‘“She, Miss Beale, is very High Church to say the least, and - holds ultra views of Baptismal Regeneration.” ... “She has - also a serious and deep religious feeling, and a self-denying - character. _But_ she is decidedly High Church. Her opinions - on the vital and critical question of sacramental grace - are altogether those of the High Church or Tractarian - School—assuming the _opus operatum_ of the Sacraments to - convey, of necessity and in all cases, the inward grace of - which that Sacrament is the sign.” - - ‘“It is right to add that Miss Beale avows her belief in the - _Bible_ as the rule of faith.” - - ‘Now you have undoubtedly full right to entertain such opinions - as in your conscience you believe to be true, but at the same - time you are (and were) bound in honour of good faith, on such - occasion as the offering of yourself for the important position - to which you have been recently appointed, to _avow_ your - opinions openly and distinctly; especially when made acquainted - with the views of those responsible for your selection. - - ‘If it be the fact that you do hold opinions such as are - attributed to you, it is clear that you will not only inflict - serious injury on the Institution, but also on yourself, by - assuming the office—for if you hold us to the appointment the - Council would and must, I imagine, at once give you the three - months’ notice (or salary equivalent), and cancel it at the - earliest period, publishing their reasons for so extraordinary - a step. If, however, you are misrepresented, I shall heartily - rejoice on every account, but I beg of you, _by return of - post_, to favour me with a definite reply to the two questions - I feel it now my duty to put to you:— - - ‘1st. Do you or do you not hold the doctrine of the _opus - operatum_ in the Sacrament of Baptism? - - ‘2nd. Do you or not sympathise with and are attached to the - principles of the High Church party?—Believe me to remain, - yours very truly, - - J. PENRICE BELL, _Hon. Sec._ - - ‘_PS._—I think it better not to print the Prospectus until the - present difficulty is settled in some way.’ - -This letter, which must have come as a bolt from the blue, was a blow, -but not of a crushing nature to one whose energies were ever braced -by conflict. Miss Beale wrote at once to Mr. Bellairs to tell him what -had happened, and to Mr. Bell in answer to his attack. Both letters are -given, as they clearly state her religious position. To Mr. Bellairs she -wrote:— - - ‘31 FINSBURY SQUARE, _July 12_. - - ‘ ... Although our acquaintance has been very short, owing - to the kindness with which you received me, I cannot help - considering you in some measure as a friend, and feeling that - you will understand me: perhaps, also, your office both as - Clergyman and Vice-President of the Cheltenham Ladies’ College - gives me some right to trouble you upon this occasion. - - ‘I received this morning a note from Mr. Bell, accusing me - of want of candour in not speaking of my religious views, - although they were in no way alluded to by the Council, and - telling me he has been informed that my opinions are those of - the Tractarian School. Now, as I have never seen more than a - few pages of the “Tracts,” I cannot positively contradict such - a statement. I have explained somewhat at large to him what - are my opinions; I will not repeat them to you, as you will - no doubt see the letter. That my views differ considerably - from those of the ultra-evangelical party, of which Mr. Carus - Wilson is one of the leaders, and the _Record_ the accredited - organ, I freely acknowledge; but I think them those of a - moderate member of the English Church, and on seeing your - name as Vice-President, I concluded the Ladies’ College was - not identified with any exclusive party. I have endeavoured - to be perfectly candid, for I could not undertake so great a - work without the hope of God’s blessing. Should my own letter - not be considered decisive evidence against me, perhaps you - would think it worth while to write to Mrs. Lancaster or Mrs. - Greene (with whom I think you said you were acquainted). With - both of them I have spoken freely on religious subjects, and - they would tell you whether they believed my opinions to be - extreme. As nothing is farther from my wishes than to deceive - the Council, I forward to you by this post two books, which I - have published without my name—not because I was ashamed of - expressing what I thought right, but because one naturally - shrinks from exposing without necessity one’s inner religious - life. I feel this more especially with regard to the smaller - book, which I must therefore ask you not to mention to others. - I send them to you, because they may assist you in coming to a - right conclusion, whether for or against my retaining the post - to which I have been appointed, and I think the Council will be - in a great measure guided by your decision.’ - -To Mr. Penrice Bell:— - - ‘31 FINSBURY SQUARE, _July 12, 1858_. - - ‘On looking at the Prospectus of the Casterton School, - I saw on the Committee the names of those who professed - ultra-evangelical views; I therefore felt it my duty distinctly - to explain, before accepting the appointment, wherein my - opinions differed from those which I knew them to hold. It - was _after_ I had made that statement that I was appointed. - On looking at the papers of the Cheltenham College, I found - the name of Mr. Close in conjunction with that of Mr. Bellairs - and others. From this and what I had heard privately I was led - to conclude that you were not identified with any particular - party in the Church; that your views were not more exclusive - than those of the Educational Committee of Queen’s College, - who had expressed themselves satisfied with my teaching. I - also placed in your hands a testimonial from the Professor of - Theology there; my opinion was still further strengthened by - your accepting the recommendation of the Dean of Westminster - and including the Liturgy of the Church of England amongst the - subjects taught. - - ‘Believing myself to hold moderate, certainly not ultra, views - I did not feel myself open to the charge brought against me - after my appointment. I think you will remember the subject of - religion was in no way alluded to before. - - ‘Having thus, I hope, justified myself from any accusation of - want of candour, I proceed to answer your questions as briefly - as I can. - - ‘If you understand by the _opus operatum_ “efficacy” of - Baptism,—that all who are baptized are therefore saved (a - doctrine which Mr. Shepheard assured me was held by some), I - explicitly state that I do not hold that doctrine. I believe - Baptism to be “an outward and visible sign of an inward and - spiritual grace given unto us” (Catechism); to be the appointed - means for admitting members into the Church of Christ, - according to St. Paul’s teaching that “Christ gave Himself for - the Church that He might save it and cleanse it by the washing - of water by the word” (Eph. v. 26); that “according to His - mercy we are saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing - of the Holy Ghost” (Tit. iii. 5); that we are therein made - “members of Christ” and adopted “children of God”; but when I - use the word “regeneration” I do not understand that spoken - of by St. John when he says, “he that is born of God cannot - sin,” but that gift of life without which we are unable even - to _think_ any good thing; a gift which the Bishop solemnly - declares to have been already received by those who come to - be confirmed (Confirmation Service), but which requires daily - renewal, a gift which we may lose by grieving God’s Holy - Spirit by neglecting the means of grace, by hiding our Lord’s - treasure. And this teaching I hold because I find it in the - Bible, which I acknowledge with the sixth article to be our - only rule of faith—because it seems to me the basis of St. - Paul’s teaching (1 Cor. iii.; 2 Cor. vi. 10)—and it makes our - responsibilities higher and deeper if we acknowledge with - the Apostle in the language which he used to the whole of - the Corinthian Church, that we are “the temples of the Holy - Ghost.” I feel that any partial views which tell us of God’s - grace being given to some and not to others are contrary to the - whole tenor of Scripture. Your second question again cannot be - categorically answered, since it has never been defined what - are the opinions of the High Church party; I would say that I - differ from some who assume that title....[37] I think no one - could entertain a greater dread than I of those Romish opinions - entertained by some “who went out from us, but were not of - us”; indeed during the last six months I have been engaged in - preparing an English History for the use of schools, _because_ - Ince’s _Outlines_ (a book used in your College) inculcates - Romish doctrines. - - ‘In conclusion, I must apologize for the unmethodical way in - which I have expressed myself, as I am writing in great haste - to catch the next post, and I have thought it right to reply to - you without consulting any person or book, except the Bible and - Prayer Book. I have endeavoured to be perfectly candid;—should - the Council decide that my views are so unsound that I am unfit - to occupy the position to which I have been appointed, I shall - trust that they will allow me to make as public a statement of - my opinions as they are obliged to make of my dismissal, for - I shall feel that after this no person of moderate views will - trust me, and my own conscience would not allow me to work with - the extreme party in either high or low church.’ - -The diary of these two days gives a hint of the anxiety Miss Beale -underwent when the attack was made upon her, and before she could receive -answers to her own letters:— - - ‘_July 12._—Mr. B(ell)’s letter about H(igh) Church from - Cheltenham, and my answer. Some vanity. (Prayer) for - resignation. - - ‘_July 13._—Sent proofs to Cheltenham. Dined at the Curlings. - Dr. Clarke very agreeable. Felt angry with Mr. Shepheard.’ - -Mr. Bell’s reply to Miss Beale’s letter suggests that the difficulty -before the Council was less directly one of religious principle than that -of working a school where certain precise opinions were not professed. - - ‘_July 13, 1858._ - - ‘MY DEAR MISS BEALE,—I have to-day laid your reply before Mr. - Hartland and Dr. Comyn, the only two of my colleagues now here, - and we have no fault to find with its tenor, which is explicit - enough. Whether or not the fact of your holding the opinions - thus avowed will lead to difficulties hereafter, we cannot - say. If you feel conscientiously bound in and out of class to - make known and inculcate your distinctive views of doctrine - according to your interpretation of scripture and of our - Liturgy and Articles, then it is easy to foresee the result. - If, however (as I hope), you regard it of primary importance - in the instruction of the children to inculcate love to God - and His Son, and charity (in its manifold phases and with its - relative duties), towards our fellows—treating as of far minor - importance the doctrinal points about which good men differ so - widely,—then I should not anticipate any active opposition from - those to whom your peculiar opinions may be known. - - ‘The gentleman (a resident clergyman of some influence) to - whom the two quoted letters were addressed, is now absent for - a few days; and it remains to be seen whether his scruples and - objections are, if not removed, at least rendered quiescent - by your reply. If he should withdraw his children, and make - known the grounds of doing so, the effect would undoubtedly be - prejudicial to the College, and the experiment of conducting it - under your auspices might be futile. Much may depend on what - answer you can conscientiously make to this question:— - - Holding the opinions you have expressed, should you consider - it a duty and feel it incumbent on you to inculcate them in - your Divinity instruction to the pupils? - - If you could favour me by a few lines by _return_ of post (as I - leave before post hour on Friday morning) on this point, which - I can annex to your letter of to-day, I could see my colleagues - on the subject once more, and arrange what shall be done in my - absence.—Yours truly, - - J. PENRICE BELL, _Hon. Sec._’ - -Among Miss Beale’s papers exists an undated and much erased note, which -appears to be her answer to the above. It begins with the remark: ‘I am -glad to find the Council has not decided that I am so great a heretic -as from your first letter I feared they would’; and it closes with the -statement: ‘I quite feel it to be a Christian duty, if it be possible -to live peaceably with all men, not giving heed to those things which -minister questions rather than godly edifying, but I am sure you will -feel I should be unworthy of your confidence could I through any fear of -consequences resort to the least untruthfulness.’ Meanwhile Mr. Bellairs -also wrote:— - - ‘ ... Mr. Bell’s letter was, I imagine, of a private character, - as I had heard nothing of the subject of it before the arrival - of your note of to-day. - - ‘So far as I am concerned, my impression is that we of the - Council have nothing to do _now_ with your private Theological - opinions, whatever they are, unless they are so extreme as - would damage the College (and within tolerably wide limits, - I individually am very indifferent on the matter). I trust - you have good sense and propriety sufficient to induce you - to avoid all teaching which would in any degree disturb the - character which the College ought, in my opinion, to maintain: - viz. a place of learning in which all members of the Church - of England may receive religious instruction in an honest and - straightforward way, according to the teaching of the Bible and - the formularies of the Church, without extreme interpretation - one way or the other. I shall probably hear more of this matter - when I see Mr. Bell.’ - -The storm was over. Though individuals of quite opposing views would, -later on, occasionally cavil at points in Miss Beale’s method of -teaching Scripture, she never really experienced further trouble on this -ground. There are many, like the unknown lady to whose ‘High Church’ -opinions the Council took objection, who would have felt they could not -work in the spirit of compromise implied in the letters of Mr. Bell and -Mr. Bellairs. There are some who might have agreed to do so, and in -terror of offending, would have shirked the difficult task of religious -instruction to the point of making it a lifeless thing. Miss Beale -undertook it with her eyes open, and in spite, or possibly because of the -hindrances in the way, her Scripture lessons became the very pivot of her -teaching. - -The diary again is very characteristic at this point. The anxiety of mind -caused by her trouble was not permitted to excuse ill-temper. ‘July 4. -Letter from Cheltenham. Neglect of prayer. Several times rude.’ This was -the day which practically settled the fate of the Ladies’ College, and -was the greatest visible landmark in Miss Beale’s life. In the ensuing -fortnight, the last she spent at home, though there is an entry for -every day, the name of Cheltenham does not occur. Two visits from Miss -Brewer, who had been re-appointed to the Cheltenham staff with the title -of Vice-Principal, ‘shopping,’ and ‘turning out,’ suggest preparations. -There is no entry of the day on which she went, but from deduction it was -August 4, and in the company of her mother. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -EARLY HISTORY OF THE LADIES’ COLLEGE - - ‘Old fables are not all a lie - Which tell of wondrous birth; - Of Titan children, Father Sky, - And wondrous Mother Earth. - - Earth-born, my sister, thou art still - A daughter of the sky; - Oh, climb for ever up the hill - Of thy divinity. - - ... - - For cause and end of all thy strife, - And unrest as thou art— - Still stings thee to a higher life - The Father at thy heart.’ - - GEORGE MACDONALD, _To my Sister, - on her Twenty-first Birthday_. - - -Cambray House, which was Miss Beale’s home for fifteen years, is one of -the finest buildings erected in the period when Cheltenham was being laid -out with a view to royal visits. The Duke of Wellington himself stayed -there in 1823. - -[Illustration: _Miss Dorothea Beale_ - -_1859._] - -The garden, mentioned in the early College reports as the ‘pleasure -grounds,’ was a special delight to Miss Beale. In 1858 it was still -untouched, and had many beautiful trees; one, a standard apricot tree, -was—happy omen! covered with golden fruit in that first autumn of -her life at Cheltenham. The house itself was beginning to change its -character of family residence to that of a building adapted for school -purposes, and before very long even the rooms given up for the use of the -Principal and the Vice-Principal were encroached upon. Nor were those -rooms furnished in character with the stately outside of the house. -‘The second-hand furniture procured would not have delighted people of -æsthetic taste. Curtains were dispensed with as far as possible, and it -was questioned whether a carving-knife was required by the Principal -in her furnished apartments.’[38] To such domestic details Miss Beale -was indifferent, but it must have been less easy to practise an economy -which limited the extension of her work. ‘The teaching staff was reduced -as low as possible, and the Principal and Vice-Principal gave up their -half-holiday to chaperone those who took lessons from masters. The -Principal taught all the English subjects to Classes I. and II., besides -giving weekly lessons in Holy Scripture throughout the College.’ - -So long as the chief task of the Lady Principal was to prevent the -College losing further ground, so long as her time and thought outside -school hours were absorbed by anxiety over every pupil who came and went, -still more over those who failed to come, there could be no rapid process -of development. But it would have been impossible for Miss Beale to take -up an existing educational work without at once making her individual -mark upon it, and from the first the school felt the grasp of her able -hand. At Casterton she had longed at once to change, to reform. At -Cheltenham remodelling rather than revolution was her aim—fulfilment and -wise development. - -To understand the way in which she gave fresh life, and gradually -refashioned the methods she found, it is necessary to go back to the -prehistoric days before her arrival in 1858. There is little record of -the educational system and teaching of that period, but it is certain -that both were liberal and thorough, free from narrowness and petty -tyranny, in advance of those existing in the ordinary boarding-school -of the day. The curriculum, it is noteworthy, was arranged with a view -to developing the mind and character. Latin was taught at first ‘very -thoroughly,’ and the change by which after the first year it was replaced -by German, which the Lady Principal could teach, was a question of -economy, not of conciliation of parents who might think dead languages -useless subjects of study. In making the substitution it was hoped, -so runs the report of 1856, that instruction in German ‘might be made -equally instrumental with that in the Latin language for conveying an -accurate, exact, and logical knowledge of the principles of general -Grammar. In this impression (your Council) find ... that they have not -been mistaken.’ - -This attitude with regard to German was no new idea to Miss Beale, -and she pursued the aims of the founders when she made the language a -necessary subject of study for all pupils above the lower classes. Latin -she discouraged, except in the case of those who were near the top of the -College, maintaining that girls of seventeen and eighteen could learn in -a few months as much Latin as would absorb the greater part of a boy’s -whole time at school. - -On the question of music the founders had shown themselves out of -sympathy with the fashionable practice of a day when every ‘young lady’ -was expected to perform on the piano, every governess to teach it. They -conceded so far as to include music in the regular curriculum, but the -expense of providing the requisite number of teachers and pianos for so -many pupils was heavy. To meet this a system of class instruction was -devised, by which the teacher gave a lesson to four pupils at once, the -same piece being performed simultaneously on the treble and bass of two -pianos. Whether such an arrangement was conducive to the production of -good music or the formation of taste may be doubted. It suggests, indeed, -a certain irony in those who hit upon a scheme that might just satisfy a -foolish popular demand, assured that any who really cared for music would -not grudge payment to the good teachers provided for the extra classes. -The music difficulty occupies some space in the early reports which, -in somewhat stilted and solemn fashion, set forth new ideals for the -education of the ‘fairer sex.’ The following is quoted from the report of -February 1856:— - - ‘Your Council cannot refrain from stating their belief that - as long as the singular and extraordinary notion continues - to prevail in the minds of those forming the upper classes - of English Society, that dexterity of fingering on a single - instrument is _the_ most important part of female education, - against, it might have been thought, not only the suggestions - of common sense, but the practical lessons of later life, so - long will the time required to be given for attaining even - a low amount of proficiency in this sleight of hand, most - seriously interfere with progress in all education and mental - cultivation worthy of the name. - - ‘How far the acknowledged deficiency of many of the fairer - sex in logical qualities and reasoning powers is due to this - strange delusion, it is not for your Council to discuss; but - they are not without hopes that the time may not be far distant - when they will be supported in an arrangement which will - place instrumental music altogether among the extra subjects, - and leave them and the teachers free to elevate and improve, - morally and intellectually, the condition of the female mind, - unembarrassed by so unessential an accomplishment.’ - -These remarks were followed in 1857 by others:— - - ‘Your Council have nothing to add to or retract from what - was said upon this subject in that Report: but, while they - believe that the instruction in this so-called accomplishment - is as efficient within these walls as it is capable, under all - circumstances, of being made, they must repeat their regret - that so vast a portion of valuable time should be sacrificed, - in the earlier years of almost every Englishwoman who hopes - to become a wife and mother, to that which is confessedly of - no value in an intellectual point of view; and can, by no - possibility, be of service to her in either of these two most - important, and generally much coveted capacities.’ - -The College had opened with a goodly array of teachers of -‘accomplishments,’ as it was hoped thus to attract bye-students. These -were gradually dismissed, and it cannot have added to the reputation -of the school that some of the best-known masters, such as M. Théodore -Colson, were considered too expensive. When the new Principal came there -were only two teachers of music, one of whom was Mrs. Lloyd, mother of -the great singer. Of this lady’s skill and loyalty Miss Beale always -spoke with affectionate remembrance. The Lady Principal gained her -support in a reform instituted very early in her reign, when separate -piano lessons were again introduced, and the class system, disliked by -Miss Beale on other than musical grounds, was swept away. She could -not permit an arrangement which withdrew four pupils at once from the -ordinary work of the school; through which important lessons were lost, -and ‘collisions between class and music teachers made frequent.’ That -the Council allowed such a change to be made is a testimony to their -confidence in the new Principal. The immediate result was disastrous to -the funds, and continued to be so until Mr. Brancker introduced his new -financial scheme in 1860. - -The founders of the College were not men to be content with knowledge -obtained from epitomes; Miss Procter, also, was earnest and devoted -in her work, and took trouble to teach by means of lectures; but only -dictated notes were given, and these were not corrected. Her lessons were -evidently interesting:— - - ‘We worked hard, and the teaching was very thorough. I have - no doubt many of the pupils beside myself would willingly own - the great debt of gratitude they owe to Miss Procter; not so - much, perhaps, for what she taught, as for the way in which - she educated us by developing and enlarging our minds. She - possessed a good library, and we were often sent for books - of reference, and shown the bearings of the subject we were - studying. Physical geography was taught by Miss Brewer, who - always carefully prepared her lessons. M. Tiesset made our - French lessons delightful, even the grammar was a pleasure, and - he seemed to enjoy teaching us as much as we did being taught - by him.’ - -So wrote Mrs. Coulson (_née_ Hartland) for Miss Beale’s _History of the -Ladies’ College_, and another old pupil added:— - - ‘We had interesting lectures on Ancient History in general, - and Greek History and Literature, from Miss Procter.... M. - Tiesset and his sister taught French very well indeed, and I - especially remember a chart of irregular verbs, M. Tiesset’s - own arrangement, which, I believe, was a valuable help.’ - -Greek history was a favourite subject with Miss Procter, who neglected -for it the teaching of any other. Miss Beale, fresh from her _Textbook_, -at once began English and general history with her young first class. -Regardless of the additional labour it brought her, she also taught the -children to take notes, which she corrected for them. She gave weekly -examinations on the subjects studied, thus affording opportunity for -English composition. - -No science nor mathematics were taught in the early days. Miss Beale -would have liked to introduce Euclid at once, but says, ‘Had I done so, I -might have been the death of the College, so I had to wait for the tide. -I began my innovations with the introduction of scientific teaching, and -under the name of physical geography I was able to teach a good deal. -This subject was unobjectionable, as few boys learned geography.’ - -In one particular Miss Beale found the authorities of her new school -striving to be abreast with the times. It was a rule of the constitution -that the pupils should be examined annually, and each year a graduate of -Oxford or Cambridge had undertaken the task. The first examiner (in 1853) -was Mr. Nicolay, then Dean of Queen’s College, Harley Street. In the -succeeding years a College master or some other local scholar conducted -the examination and sent in a report to the Council. - -The few specimens left of those early examination questions, even without -the answers, mark a tide-line now interesting to trace. - -At first the review of all knowledge was comprehended in twelve very -simple questions, the most difficult mathematical calculation set before -the first class being, ‘The Price of 3 ozs. of tea at 4s. 4d. per lb.’ -The paper concluded thus:— - - ‘11. Write out that part of your duty towards your neighbour - which explains the fifth commandment, and prove each assertion - from Scripture. - - ‘12. Write out the following sentence in large text, and small - hand, as specimens of your handwriting: - - ‘Integrity of understanding, and nicety of discernment, were - not allotted. - - ‘(Attach to this paper specimens of your needlework and of your - drawing).’ - -To the true teacher the interest of her work lies, beyond and above all -subjects and methods, in the child. No tale, alas! nor letter remains -to show what Miss Beale thought of her children when she first came -among them. In one respect there must have been disappointment. Miss -Procter had opened a rival school, which had drawn off the elder pupils; -consequently the first class consisted of girls of thirteen and fourteen. -But fortunately there are some of those same children who can recall -the first impression made upon themselves by the new Principal, as she -appeared on August 19, 1858. Mrs. Mace, a daughter of the late Bishop -Bromby, was among these. She writes:— - - ‘I well remember Miss Beale’s first appearance at College, - and how I and three or four special friends, who were already - there ... felt fiercely loyal to the former rule, and told - each other we knew exactly what the new Principal would be - like, “thin, tall, spectacled, and old-maidy.” I can see her - now as she appeared in reality,—the slight, young figure, the - very gentle, gliding movements, the quiet face with its look - of intense thoughtfulness and utter absence of all poor and - common stress and turmoil, the intellectual brow, the wonderful - eyes with their calm outlook and their expression of inner - vision. You may be sure it was not long before the captious - thirteen-year-olds were changed into warm admirers. - - ‘I do not think her quiet dignity, her strength and - personality, her power of influence, could at any time of - her strenuous and successful life have been greater or more - impressive. We were few in number then, and, of course, saw - more of her than was possible for later pupils. - - ‘I never remember her raising her voice, scolding us, being - satirical or impatient with dulness or inattention. She was not - satirical even when a small girl, on being asked what criticism - might be passed on Milton’s treatment of _Paradise Lost_, - ventured the audacious suggestion that the poet was “verbose.”’ - -Small instances of the new Principal’s own powers of observation and use -of outside facts stand out through the mists of time; for instance, - - ‘an afternoon when she visited the needlework room and found - me being most justly blamed for inefficiency. In kindly tones - she said to the shy and clumsy culprit, “You ought to sew well, - for your mother has such beautiful long fingers,” and somehow - I felt comforted and encouraged. Then there was a day when I - summoned up courage to go and tell her that I had been guilty - of some small disobedience, as well as others who had been - detected and punished. She seized the opportunity of impressing - upon me that as I was (though only fourteen) a teacher in my - father’s Sunday-school,—a fact of which I did not know she was - aware,—I must surely see that obedience to rule was necessary. - I can still hear the low, earnest tones in which she made her - appeal to my sense of justice and right.’ - -The incident suggests a laxer state of discipline than was ever known -after. Assuredly on this point Miss Beale found a good deal to do. Some -of the ‘young ladies’ treated the good-natured French master as their -brothers at Cheltenham College might have done. There is a story, too, of -a convenient cupboard at the end of the schoolroom, large enough for a -quiet game or gossip, and of the consternation produced on a little knot -of girls who thought they had assembled unobserved, when the door was -quietly opened upon them by the Lady Principal herself. - -In the matter of discipline, as of tuition, Miss Beale appears to -have worked on lines already laid down. Perhaps she kept before her -mind counsel which she later gave to a pupil who left Cheltenham to -be head of a Foundation School: ‘Remember the school belongs to the -governors, not to you.’ But we are equally certain that she would not -have worked on any lines which she did not approve. She found no system -of rules and penalties. She did not wish to introduce one; but she -made real and abiding, in a manner hardly credited by those outside, -the rule introduced by Miss Procter, by which no pupil might speak -to another without leave. With regard to this rule, which at once -taught self-control and produced order, the ‘quietness which minimises -irritability,’ it may be further remarked that in a place and time of -‘exclusive’ views, the College could hardly have existed without it. -The rule, kept, in itself prevented any pupil from making friends for -the first time in College; at any rate, it enabled her not to do so. -There was, however, when Miss Beale first came, a good deal of speaking -without leave. This disobedience with other irregularities she gradually -overcame, not by an overawing personality alone, but with the ‘quiet’ -ways and the word in season of which more than one old pupil speaks. - -Tracing in sequence the history of Miss Beale’s first two years, when -the College, though in the eyes of the world slowly perishing, was -really sinking strong foundations, the Report of 1859 stands out with -its commendation of the new Lady Principal. ‘Of Miss Beale herself it -may suffice to remark, that to varied and extensive knowledge in all -branches of Education, and skill in imparting it, she unites a manner -and disposition which at once command the respect and win the affection -of her Pupils, and renders it pleasant to your Council to maintain that -frequent personal communication with her which is greatly conducive to -the wellbeing of the Institution.’ Beyond this there is little definite -to record, save the steady half-yearly diminution in the number of -pupils and of the balance at the bank, and the consequent retrenchments, -implying fresh burden and effort for the small teaching staff. - -In her _History of the College_, Miss Beale dismissed as with a smile the -tale of her early struggles, when each quarter it seemed less likely that -the school could live, till in the last half-year of 1859 there were only -sixty-five pupils and but a few pounds in the bank. But she admitted that -perhaps only a barrister sitting in his chambers, and waiting in vain for -briefs, could sympathise with the anxiety of that time, when upon one or -two pupils more or less depended the very existence of the College. The -story she tells of recalling pupils, sent from the door by a servant who -said she was at dinner, shows her unwearying zeal: ‘I sent her to fetch -them back, saying, I am never at dinner.’ No pupil was lost for want of -watchfulness. None could give notice without her knowing the reason, and -in many cases getting the notice recalled. The problem was to live on, -working in a way the public had not learned to appreciate. Those were -days when nervous strain was little known and scarcely feared. School -hours were long; the time-table of the College then involved morning and -afternoon school for most days in the week. To one who sought ever to -instruct with freshness and zeal, and to take trouble to make her pupils -think for themselves, the work of teaching twice a day through the long -half-years would now be counted an undue effort and strain. In addition -to this, Dorothea Beale took upon herself, as if it were her own personal -need (and she made it so), the daily fretting anxiety of making the -College pay. This she never really threw off, though in the last years -of established success it became somewhat modified. The economic strain -was relaxed when Mr. Brancker’s able hand was laid upon the finances; the -labour of teaching was lightened when the hours were changed, and when -with gradually improving fortunes more and better teachers were engaged. -Doubtless she might have taken advantage of these improvements to give -herself more ease of body and mind. But she cared for no reward, save the -‘wages of going on.’ Her eager, nobly ambitious nature responded but too -quickly to the claims of the College, so with each step made certain, -there was ever immediately before her another to be fought for and won. -It were hardly possible to say too much in praise of the enthusiastic -self-sacrifice which made the College what it is; but some of the results -of the early strife with fortune were to be deplored. It left her too -conscious of the place of the institution in the public eye; it made it -hard for her to justify a more generous expenditure than was possible at -first. - -The improved discipline, the invigorating teaching, even the efforts -of the new Principal herself, failed to attract pupils, and when in -1860 the lease of Cambray House expired, no one was willing to take the -responsibility of renewing it. - -Forty years later, when looking back on that time of gloom, Miss Beale -wrote: ‘How often I was full of discouragement. It was not so much the -want of money as the want of ideals which depressed me. If I went into -society I heard it said, “What is the good of education for our girls? -They have not to earn their living.” Those who spoke did not see that -for women as for men it is a sin to bury the talents God has given; they -seemed not to know that the baptismal right was the same for girls as for -boys, alike enrolled in the army of light, soldiers of Jesus Christ. - -‘But helpers were sent with a faith and courage greater than mine.’ - -First among these was Mr. J. Houghton Brancker, who, already a member -of the Council, became at the moment of deepest need, auditor of the -accounts, and brought to the service of the College his great knowledge -of business and enthusiastic interest in education. Mr. Brancker had come -to live in Cheltenham for the sake of his daughters, in the year that -Miss Beale became Principal. He was churchwarden to Mr. Bromby, whose -liberal views he shared. Mr. Brancker had more than zeal and interest; -he could think out a plan and pursue it. He spared no effort or trouble -where a good end was to be obtained. When he became financier of the -College he gave it ‘a large share of his time, and as a paid secretary -could not be afforded, he undertook all duties gratuitously.’ He made -out a new scheme by which the ordinary fees were lowered, but music and -drawing became extras. It was too great a venture to renew the lease of -Cambray House; but the owner of the house consented to take the College -on as a yearly tenant. The new scheme of payment helped at once to bring -improvement, the number of pupils went up, and Mr. Brancker went so far -as to order ‘seven new benches, three of them with backs.’ - -[Illustration: _Mr. T. Houghton Brancker_] - -This act of extravagance was followed almost immediately by an -enlargement of the schoolroom, making it seventy feet long. Mr. Brancker -proved that this additional space was really a financial economy; for -with it all the pupils could be contained in one room, and the necessity -of increasing the staff was deferred. As an alternative to the extension -he breathed the suggestion, for the first time probably in the history of -the College, of a new building, a building of its own, should a suitable -site be obtained. In his letter on this subject to Mr. Hartland, the -‘young ladies’ for the first time appear as ‘children.’ Mr. Brancker’s -dream was destined to be deferred for ten years; but was borne in mind -by those whom it most concerned. It may be thought he was premature even -in the enlargement, in spending at once the small profit made out of the -increasing number of pupils. But he did not aim at making a fortune for -the College. From the first it was proposed that the shareholders should -reap no financial profit, and Mr. Brancker wished it to be evident that -every penny was needed for the improvement of the work: hence, it was no -part of his plan to have a balance in hand. His effort was to keep up the -prestige of the College in every way, and in order to do this he limited -the number of shares issued to the actual number of pupils, in order that -they might not be advertised for sale at a lower price than that at which -they were purchased. - -In three years from the time at which Mr. Brancker became auditor, he -was able to write: ‘February 1863. We promised assets over £1000, they -are £1076. We promised a money balance of over £200, and it is £356. -So I think the shareholders may have confidence in their Chancellor of -the Exchequer. We may well be proud of the result, but we are _deeply_ -indebted to Miss Beale’s exertions for it, and I am glad her remuneration -(by capitation fees) is so much increased.’ - -By 1864 all pressing anxiety for the existence of the College was over. -With its one hundred and thirty pupils it was practically full. A -regularly constituted boarding-house was opened. Here the day-pupils, -whose parents were leaving Cheltenham, could be taken, and thus another -cause of diminution in the number of pupils was put an end to. Undivided -attention and care could now be given to the work. - -In February a change which greatly told on this was made, a change which -now seems to have been only wise and reasonable, but which was at the -time regarded as extraordinary and revolutionary. Longer morning hours -were substituted for morning and afternoon school each day, Thursday -afternoons being set apart for dancing and needlework. Possibly Miss -Beale anticipated the outcry that would be raised; for she asked the -mother of one of the pupils, one likely to be opposed to the change, to -be with her at the Council meeting at which it was determined, ostensibly -because she herself dreaded the meeting, but doubtless in order that a -representative of the parents might hear the subject fully discussed. No -notice of the change was sent to the shareholders, parents and guardians -received an intimation scarcely a week before it took place. Before that -week was over, stormy articles appeared in the local papers, notices of -removal were sent in, and a memorial from the shareholders and others -caused Mr. Brancker hastily to summon another Council meeting, and to -write to Mr. Hartland, ‘May I specially beg that you will attend ... as -I consider the vital interests and the future prospects of the College -are at stake.’ Mr. Brancker and Miss Beale recognised that now or never -the battle must be won. Either the College authorities must rule, or the -local papers and popular clamour. - -The objections of the memorialists were that the change was a _coup -d’état_; that four hours’ continuous study was too much for the children; -that the governesses were idle in wanting a half-holiday every afternoon. -But the real ground of dislike was doubtless that parents shirked the -responsibility of looking after their children in the afternoons, -and preferred schoolroom arrangements which would provide them with -occupation during the whole day. - -The Council replied in a circular to the parents that they would limit -the experiment to a period of two months, after which they would act -upon the opinion of the parents; and should the new plan be adopted, the -quarter’s fees should be returned to those who wished to remove their -children. The advantages of the change were then set forth. - -It had been made to meet the objections raised to physical and mental -effort following immediately upon a hurried meal; to the young ladies -passing constantly through the streets, to the trouble of sending -servants, the exertion of so much walking, the time wasted in dressing -and undressing, and to many others. - -Medical men, among whom were Dr. Barlow and Dr. Gull,[39] were asked -for their opinions; these were uniformly favourable to the change. The -long morning hours were lightened by the introduction of calisthenics, -drawing, and needlework, and it was arranged that certain teachers -should attend the College every afternoon to supervise the preparation -of lessons when the parents desired it. When a general meeting on the -subject took place at the end of the specified two months, only eight -voted for the old system. ‘It was found,’ says Miss Beale, ‘that more -work was done in less time, for attention was closer ... teachers and -children had been able to get some afternoon exercise.’ - -What was then thought so extraordinary has since become the order of the -day for girls’ schools. In this matter Cheltenham led the way, a similar -change was made by Miss Buss in 1865, and when the hours of the Girls’ -Public Day School Company were arranged in 1873, it was on the plan of -putting all regular studies into the morning hours. - -At the end of Miss Beale’s first six years the College was in a much -improved condition. There were ten classes, where she had found six. -The notable changes on the staff, which was now larger, were that Miss -Brewer had left to open a school for little boys in Brighton, and Miss -Anna Beale and the Miss Eatons had joined. Increased prosperity, and -above all an older first class, enabled Miss Beale to introduce some of -the subjects which at first were thought to be too unacceptable to be -safe. There was, of course, opposition from those who were constantly -repeating that ‘girls would be turned into boys by studying the same -subjects.’ What, it was asked by some parents, do girls want with Euclid -or advanced arithmetic? There were, however, a few who understood Miss -Beale’s aims, and she was ever grateful for the support they gave her. - -The method of annual examinations was gradually improved. When there was -so little money available, local examiners, some of whom had no claim -to the position, were chosen. Miss Beale records her conviction that a -German examiner, who was at the time teaching in a local school, was a -waiter from some hotel who had come to England out of the season. One -English examiner recommended that history should be taught backwards. -This was then regarded as an astounding proposition. Mr. Brancker fully -sympathised with Miss Beale’s wish to improve the standard by obtaining -examiners from one of the universities, and obtained permission from -the Council to seek them himself in Oxford. The result was that for -two or three years Mr. Sidney Owen undertook the principal part of the -annual examination. His name was the first of a long list of men notable -for scholarly achievement or educational progress, who in later years -conducted these examinations at Cheltenham. In his first report Mr. Owen -said much for the moral characteristics revealed by the intellectual work -it was his business to survey. He concludes a very favourable judgment by -saying he must not omit to mention that there were particular instances -of remarkable excellence of which the College may justly be proud. Some -of the papers he said, ‘would do credit to any Institution and gain high -marks in any public examination.... May the College long give the lie to -the miserable and pernicious fancy that accomplishments ought to be the -staple of a lady’s education, and that her reason is not designed by the -Almighty to be highly cultivated.’ But he thought the papers too long. -Mr. Owen was indeed the very first adventurer into that flood of response -which examination questions cause to flow from uncontrolled feminine -pens. Mr. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) was in 1863 the first university -examiner in arithmetic and mathematics. - -This year was a fruitful one to Miss Beale for yet another reason. It was -the year of the completion of her _Chart_. Always interested in history, -ideally and practically, she had as early as the Queen’s College days -adopted a French scheme by which the learning of dates was to be simple -and easy, and the connections of history, the bearing of facts and events -upon each other, were to be seen at a glance. She now perfected and -brought it into use. The plan was based on the assumption that a fact is -more readily grasped through the eye, than by the ear. By means of large -squares, which were to represent centuries, enclosing smaller ones, which -should denote years, the whole coloured in different shades according to -the different ruling dominions and dynasties, a complete outline of the -history of a country was to appear on one page. The reckoning was made -by which ninety-nine was counted as the last year of a century, with the -result that in the year 1900 the chart found itself somewhat discredited. -But this method of counting, of course, in no way interfered with the -system. In learning dates at the College, great stress was laid upon -having a chart open before the student, so that she might grow familiar -with its look, and become able to call up the knowledge of any special -event by remembering the position of a dot in a certain square. There -were those to say with Canon Francis Holland, founder of the Church of -England High Schools in London, ‘Why was I born before such aids were -given to the understanding?’ Whether this system was indeed the royal -road Miss Beale had planned for her pupils may well be questioned; -but the _Chart_ had at any rate the value of a simple _vade mecum_ of -chronology, introducing every girl at College to the minimum of facts she -should know in the history of the world. - -The _Chart_ drew for its author a last kind word of recognition from an -old friend, when Mr. Mackenzie wrote:— - - ‘WESTBOURNE COLLEGE, 1863. - - ‘ ... I am proud to think that I had any part, however humble, - in directing your mind to the Tabular style of teaching; and I - am gratified to find that one of whom I had so early formed a - favourable opinion, has proved to be so able a worker in the - great cause of Education. - - ‘I hope that you and your sisters, as well as my Godson, quite - understand that I entertain for you all the feelings of an old - friend, who values you on your own account as well as for the - sake of both your Parents.—Believe me to be always your sincere - Friend, - - C. MACKENZIE.’ - -So, in the best sense the College grew. Not in outward prosperity alone, -in teaching power, in class rooms; but within. The invisible fabric of -mind, and will, and heart, co-ordinated by one great idea, was slowly -being raised. The ‘aborigines,’ as those who were girls of the Cambray -House time call themselves, even insist that at no time of her career was -Miss Beale’s personal influence so direct as then, when teaching so many -subjects herself, and in small classes, she came personally in contact -with nearly all the older pupils. All classes had their place and desks -in the long hall; but the lowest division had a separate schoolroom as -soon as funds justified it, and the rooms of the house, even on occasion -those appointed to the Principal, were used as classrooms. Miss Beale -did not often teach in the large hall. The young ones were cleared out -of their division room when she gave a big lecture; a small class, such -as one for German translation, would be taken in her drawing-room. There -came a moment when even her bedroom was invaded. Those small classes -of mathematics or German were more especially the ones which endeared -teacher and pupils to each other. There was always enough personal awe -and inspiration about the Lady Principal to ensure a well-prepared lesson -from really interested pupils, and often beyond the lesson there would -be delightful talk. _Iphigenie in Tauris_ recalls many thoughts beyond -German translation, and the verbal exercise itself was deprived of every -vestige of dulness by her great interest in the growth and development of -words. No noble thought, no fine simile was allowed to pass unnoticed; -other poems were compared, or perhaps a passage would be given to be -translated into English verse. In the mere suggestion of this, what hope -and encouragement lay for many who hardly liked to own their pleasure in -such an attempt, or who had found earlier efforts of the kind thwarted by -criticism too bracing for beginners! It may indeed be thought that Miss -Beale had always an unwarranted admiration for the verse-making of her -pupils. If in this she sometimes offended the cause of pure literature, -her attitude towards it was yet surely the right one for a teacher. - -This must indeed have been one of the happiest periods of her work, when -she first came into near touch with the children she had seen grow up -about her, and felt herself able to give impetus and training to growing -aspirations and developing thought, when her sympathy was constantly -appealed to in the way in which she could best give it. - - ‘It is my peculiar privilege to have spent all my College - career in her class, to go through years of her special - personal teaching. In later days, when the College assumed - larger dimensions, such an experience must have been rare; - to those who could claim it, it meant a potent influence for - life. How vividly can I recall her sitting on her little - dais, scanning the long school-room and discovering anything - amiss at the far end of it; or making a tour of inspection to - the various classes with a smiling countenance that banished - terror.’ - -So writes one old pupil of that time. Another speaks of that deep -tenderness which she ever felt, but often concealed, and was not afraid -of showing in a case of special need. - - ‘When I was almost a child at College I lost my mother, and - shall never forget Miss Beale’s tender sympathy and help. She - took such interest in my preparation for Confirmation, and - brought me herself to my first Communion,—just she and I alone; - a day I shall always remember. All through my girlhood she was - a kind and ready adviser, and continued her interest throughout - my married life. One always felt whatever happened to one, Now - I must tell Miss Beale.’ - -It is sad to know that Miss Beale was often depressed in that hopeful -spring-time of the College by the tongues of gossip and slander. She had -so profound a horror of petty talk about other people’s business, that -she possibly exaggerated the importance of carelessly repeated and untrue -reports. She mentions the local gossip from which the College had to -suffer. - - ‘Tales were handed about that it was impossible to trace. It - was said that accomplishments were neglected, that the pupils - played on dumb pianos. Persons who did not exist, and others - who would never have been admitted, were said to attend the - College. News was sent out to Canada that the cattle plague - was prevailing, and the report was half believed. The mere - circulation of absurd falsehoods is, however, often enough to - decide a mother to place her daughter elsewhere; sometimes no - falsehood at all, a contemptuous tone is enough. Such things - can only be met by silence and steady and unobtrusive work. - Perhaps one is better off without the children of those who - accept their rule of life from Mrs. Grundy. Certainly such - opposition and persecution prove an excellent tonic, and - I personally feel grateful for it, though it was a bitter - draught. We had to remember that the interests of some were - injured by the establishment of the College; the wish being - father to the thought, people would sometimes believe what they - said.’ - -Matters reached a climax when an absolutely untrue statement concerning -cruelty to animals was set on foot about Mrs. Fraser, who had opened a -boarding-house in connection with the College. The real gravity of the -report lay in the circumstance that some in the College had listened to -it, and it was necessary to address the teachers on the subject. It was a -painful task, but bravely faced by the Lady Principal, who said: - - ‘Now I have nothing to do to judge them that are without. We - must cheerfully bear evil-speaking. But if it come from within, - the matter is for that reason a serious one; for this reason I - feel it must be traced up to its source.... I feel I can appeal - to you as lovers of truth, as those who feel that no advantages - of education, of health, or any other, can compensate for the - disadvantage which would arise to any children who lived in an - atmosphere of evil-speaking, lying, and slandering.’ - -Thus grasped, the nettle ceased to sting. It was perhaps a small incident -scarcely worth noting. But Miss Beale remembered it as one which caused -great discomfort at the time, and it had far-reaching consequences. Her -power then was more limited than in after years. She learned through this -difficulty the need for more liberty to act independently of the Council -in the internal management of the College. In her efforts to get the -evil rooted out from their midst, she nearly exceeded her powers. This, -doubtless, taught her to prosecute her reforms more warily. Above all, -it may be believed that she gained a fresh access of that self-control -so necessary to all governors. For it is only in fiction that difficulty -can be overcome by a sudden word or action; in real life work has to be -carried on despite the obstacle;—growth takes place under pressure. - -Outside the work of the College there is not a great deal to relate about -Miss Beale’s life at this period. Her holidays were sometimes spent in -visits to her family. - -After the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. John Beale, Hyde Court, the old family -house came into the possession of Miss Beale’s mother, who had been left -a widow in 1862. In 1868 Mrs. Beale came with two daughters to reside at -Hyde Court until her death in 1881. There the Lady Principal often went -in the holidays, finding pleasure in the beautiful surroundings. An old -pupil tells of the delights of a visit to her there,—of Mrs. Beale, whom -her daughter Dorothea greatly resembled, calm and majestic looking, of -the glorious view from the windows of the room appropriated to Miss Beale -and her large correspondence. - -A good part of the holidays even then was spent in Cheltenham, but there -were some visits abroad. One year Miss Beale accompanied her brother -Edward, then recovering from illness, to the Black Forest. On another -occasion she went with her sister to Chamounix, and enjoyed the mountain -walks. In 1864 she spent some time at Zürich. More than once she went -to Paris. This continental travel was by no means for recreation and -refreshment only. It nearly always implied visits to schools, where -fresh and foreign methods were studied. No opportunity of gaining new -ideas was ever neglected, for Miss Beale could not understand ever -living apart from her work. In the holidays, as in school-time, she was -still working, though in a different way. In Cheltenham itself there -was little time or opportunity for recreation. Society, as the word is -generally understood, had little to say to the new head-mistress, whose -insignificant figure and plain dress did not provoke much interest. Her -absence of small talk, her quiet intellectual face, her reputation as -a clever woman, her connection with Queen’s College, all represented -something unwonted and new. She had received no welcome from the -religious world of Cheltenham, whose leaders, Mr. Close and Mr. Boyd, -though one of them had accepted a seat on the Council, remained aloof -from the interests of the Ladies’ College, perhaps sharing the prejudice -still prevalent against any departure from the beaten track of women’s -education. - -It was of little moment to Miss Beale to find herself unsought by -society, for she seldom cared to spend an evening from her work. She -could not understand the position, which some have thought it wise to -take up, that it is good for a school to have its head seen in society. -She held it to be best for a school that its head should give herself -unremittingly to her work,—disastrous to the welfare of any pupils for -their teacher to sacrifice to social engagements the time she ought to -give to the preparation of lessons. The friends of that early time were a -few thoughtful people who were interested like herself in education. - -On first coming to Cheltenham Miss Beale, to please Miss Brewer, she -said, attended Christchurch, but she soon left this for St. Philip’s -and St. James’ at Leckhampton, and for St. Paul’s. Both these churches -were less obviously in the possession of wealthy seat-holders than the -churches in the town. To St. Philip’s she went at that time when she -‘wanted to be quiet,’ taking up a position near the door. All the middle -of that church was then occupied by charity children and the poor, but -there were in the rich part of the congregation many whose names have -interest from one cause or another. - -The incumbent of St. Philip’s, the Rev. A. E. Riddle, was a man of much -learning. He had been Bampton Lecturer in 1832, and was the author of a -well-known Latin Dictionary and other books. Miss Beale felt at home in -his great library, and visits to Mrs. Riddle at Tudor Lodge were among -the few recreations. Mr. Riddle died in 1859, and for the next few years -she seems to have regularly attended St. Paul’s or Holy Trinity churches. -She found real friends in the parsonage-house at St. Paul’s, but the -immediate tie was soon broken, for in 1864 Mr. Bromby was made Bishop of -Tasmania. - -The claims of relationship and early friendship were not forgotten, -but there was little time for letter-writing beyond the ever-growing -correspondence connected with work. Mr. Beale wrote playfully of his -daughter’s growing absorption:— - - ‘You always write as if you were at the top of your speed, - and this is not good. I doubt not you have a great deal to - occupy your time and your attention, but pray do not be always - in a hurry, you will inevitably break down if you are so—you - will lose in power what you gain in speed, as certainly as in - mechanics; and with greater danger to the regularity of the - machine.... I am really fearful to take up your time.... I - daresay now you are scrambling through my note without that - respect to which the writer and the subject are entitled. But - pray remember that to neglect (the care of your health) is the - worst economy in the world.... - - ‘I will now release you, but I was unwilling quite to lose - your correspondence, though do not write to me until you have a - little patient leisure.’ - -Thus, in difficulty and obscurity, the life-work of Dorothea Beale was -begun. But hers was a light which could not long be hid. Each year it -burned more surely and shone further afield. By 1864, when the Endowed -Schools’ Inquiry Commission was instituted, she was known as a successful -head-mistress whose views and methods were worth hearing. With Miss Buss -and others she was asked to give evidence. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -A ROYAL COMMISSION - - ‘I learnt the royal genealogies - Of Oviedo, the internal laws - Of the Burmese Empire,—by how many feet - Mount Chimborazo outsoars Teneriffe, - What navigable river joins itself - To Lara, and what census of the year five - Was taken at Klagenfurt.... - I learnt much music, ... - fine sleights of hand - And unimagined fingering.’ - - E. B. BROWNING, _Aurora Leigh_. - - -This volume, which memorialises one great name in one field of women’s -work, is not the place in which to dwell upon the details of that work in -other departments. But it may be remarked in passing that the educational -movement itself was but a part—an essential part—of a larger one. It -seemed, Miss Beale often said in speaking of this time, that women, like -the damsel of old, heard the Voice of the Master penetrating the slumber -of death, bidding them Arise. And they obeyed. They arose in many and -various ways to minister to Him. - -The first sign of this awakening was publicly seen in 1844, when Dr. -Pusey engaged several leading laymen, among whom was Mr. Gladstone, -to help him in the foundation of an Anglican Sisterhood. Two or three -Orders date from before the opening of Queen’s College in 1848; those -at Clewer and Wantage followed soon after. The devotion of Florence -Nightingale and her little band in 1854 led many to follow her example, -and the reform of nursing steadily if slowly followed. In 1866, before -the reports of the Schools’ Inquiry were published, Dr. Elizabeth -Blackwell took an M.D. degree in Switzerland, and Miss Garrett began to -study for one in London. The desire for better teaching and training was -widespread. The establishment of the Cheltenham Ladies’ College was a -part of a larger movement which was affecting the whole country. Sixteen -years had passed since the opening of Queen’s College had unsealed the -fountain of knowledge for women. Immediately after, in 1849, a college -had been established on undenominational lines. This was Bedford College, -which found a liberal donor in Mr. Reid, and among its first teachers -counted Francis Newman, De Morgan, and Dr. Carpenter. These led the way. -Then in 1850 the great school which will for ever be associated with the -name of Frances Mary Buss was opened in Camden Road, its enterprising -head-mistress having there removed the private school she had carried -on successfully for some years, to develop it on the lines of a public -school, under the enlightened supervision of Mr. Laing. Cheltenham -followed four years later, and these two, for many years the only public -schools for girls in the country, may be considered the direct offspring -of Queen’s College. - -The general condition of girls’ education remained unimproved some years -longer. Yet amid the thousands of private schools where worthless or -poor teaching prevailed, there were a few which had come into the hands -of capable women who had been inspired by the noble ideals of those -who led the religious and intellectual thought of the day. The name of -Elizabeth Sewell is representative of these; but for the most part they -lived and died unknown, because their work was of less public moment -than that of the great leaders. Yet, in an account of women’s education -it seems ungracious to name only the well known, however great, and to -pass unnoticed the wise virgins, less prominent but not less faithful, -whose lamps shone and were replenished through the night. In her death, -as in her work on earth, Dorothea Beale was not alone. Miss Sewell, aged -ninety, passed but a few weeks before her, and very shortly after two -other unknown fellow-workers, who had not laboured in vain. The _Times_ -of January 1907 told of Miss Piper, the founder and head of Laleham. Of -Miss Piper it could be said, that at a time when the instruction given -to girls was of a formal character, ‘she set herself to make her pupils -think, to stimulate interest, to enforce thoroughness.’ These were the -very points on which the Schools’ Commission found girls’ education -defective. A fortnight later died Emily Milner, who was for fifty years -head of St. Mary’s School at Brighton, to which she devoted all her small -income. She taught with marvellous energy and freshness, inspiring her -pupils themselves to be zealous and persevering, and keeping them in -touch with all that was best in the rapid advance and change of modern -education. But such head-mistresses were rare. The Commissioners seldom -found either thoroughness or freshness in the schools they inspected. - -The Schools’ Inquiry Commission was instituted in 1864, a year in which -John Ruskin, in a lecture at Manchester, made a passionate appeal to rich -women to claim their right to serve—and reign. His cry did not reach -a larger public until, eight years later, the lecture was published -under the title ‘Of Queens’ Gardens’ in _Sesame and Lilies_. Like the -simultaneous discovery of some great star, by watchers strange to one -another and half a continent apart, the movement for enlarging the -scope of women’s work was furthered by men of divers ways and methods, -heralded by visionaries like Tennyson and Ruskin, marshalled into -deliberate order by high-hearted officials like the Secretary of the -Governesses’ Benevolent Society and the School Inspector Joshua Fitch. -Possibly no Assistant Commissioner, as he drew up his report, recalled -the ringing words of Ruskin. But though the medium varies to the stretch -of difference between the inspiration of a great poem and the deliberate -statements of a blue-book, we recognise the same force behind both, and -see both alike to be channels for one great stream of tendency. The -conclusions drawn from the report, the resulting effects seen in new -schools and organised public examinations, miss nothing of their special -value if regarded in connection with such words as these:— - - ‘Let a girl’s education be as serious as a boy’s. You bring up - your girls as if they were meant for side-board ornaments, and - then complain of their frivolity. Give them the same advantages - that you give their brothers ... teach _them_, also, that - courage and truth are the pillars of their being.... There is - hardly a girl’s school in this Christian Kingdom where the - children’s courage and sincerity would be thought of half - so much importance as their way of coming in at a door.... - And give them, lastly, not only noble teachings, but noble - teachers.’[40] - -The Schools’ Inquiry Commission was instituted to examine into the -existing state of education above the elementary grade, and to report -on measures needed for its improvement, having special regard to all -endowments applicable, or which could rightly be made applicable, -thereto. By the instance of Miss Emily Davies, girls’ schools were -included in the inquiry. Among the Commissioners was Lord Lyttelton, -who was regarded by those who wished to improve women’s education as a -friend to girls. He had manfully asserted their right to a share of the -endowments, and of women to a share in the management of girls’ schools. -Sir Stafford Northcote, Dr. Temple, and Mr. Forster were also members of -the Commission. Among the Assistant Commissioners, whose business it was -to visit and report upon schools, were such well-known names as those of -T. H. Green, J. G. Fitch, and J. Bryce. - -No schools outside the eight selected districts were visited, but the -Principals of some beyond their limit were requested to give evidence -before the Commissioners in London. In the year 1868-9 reports and -evidence were gradually issued in a series of twenty large blue-books. Of -these volumes about nineteen-twentieths related to the education of boys -and general questions, and about one-twentieth to the education of girls -alone. - -Miss Beale hailed the Commission as a means of bringing the thousand -inefficiencies of girls’ education to the light. She took advantage -of it in an address she gave in 1865 at Bristol, at a meeting of that -now extinct body, the Social Science Congress, when she pleaded that, -for boys and girls alike, education should be planned with the view of -developing character. Her argument was none the less weighty because so -carefully guarded:— - - ‘Let me say at once that I desire to institute no comparison - between the mental abilities of boys and girls, but simply to - say what seems to be the right means of training girls, so that - they may best perform that subordinate part in the world to - which, I believe, they have been called. - - ‘First, then, I think that the education of girls has too - often been made showy, rather than real and useful; that - accomplishments have been made the main thing, because these - would, it was thought, enable a girl to shine and attract, - while those branches of study especially calculated to form the - judgment, to cultivate the understanding, and to discipline the - character (which would fit her to perform the duties of life) - have been neglected; and thus, while temporary pleasure and - profit have been sought, the great moral ends of education have - been too often lost sight of. - - ‘To the poorer classes the toil and struggle of their daily - life do, to some extent, afford an education which gives - earnestness, and strength, and reality; and if we would not - have the daughters of the higher classes idle and frivolous, - they too must be taught to appreciate the value of work. We - must endeavour to give them, while young, such habits, studies, - and occupations as will brace the mind, improve the taste, and - develop the moral character. They must learn, not for the sake - of display, but from motives of duty. They must not choose the - easy and agreeable, and neglect what is dull and uninviting. - They must not expect to speak languages without mastering the - rudiments; nor require to be finished in a year or two, but - impatiently refuse to labour at a foundation.’ - -These words were pioneers of the Commissioners’ reports, in which they -find a literal echo. The reports, with her own evidence and that of -other ladies interested in education, were by Miss Beale preserved for -posterity. She perceived instinctively that if they were not brought -into general circulation all would soon be forgotten, much never known -at all. With that stern sense of economy which caused her never to waste -an opportunity or a scrap of material, she took the task upon herself. -She obtained permission to republish the matter relating to girls’ -schools in a single volume, for which she wrote a preface. In this she -dealt with the evidence of the Commissioners, discussing at some length -the questions of examinations and overwork. But she sought chiefly, -as she had already done a few years before in an article in _Fraser’s -Magazine_,[41] to show the need of real study for women, the advantage -to be gained for character and mind from such subjects as history and -literature. - -The general report of the Commissioners on Girls’ Education forms the -first chapter of Miss Beale’s blue-book. It opened with a quotation -to the effect that an educated mother is of even more importance than -an educated father. Miss Beale may have thought this an exaggerated -statement; but she must have welcomed and republished it with some -satisfaction. She was for ever having it dinned into her ears, by those -who opposed all serious study for their daughters, that girls should be -educated to be wives and mothers. Mrs. Grey showed the real fallacy of -the statement, in a paper which was the direct result of the republished -reports, when she pointed out that girls were not being educated to _be_ -wives, but to _get_ husbands. A happy marriage Mrs. Grey held to be ‘the -_summum bonum_ of a woman’s life ... not an object to be striven for, -but to be received as the supreme grace of fate when the right time and -the right person come.’[42] With Miss Beale and Miss Emily Davies she -deprecated the education which is designed from the first to fit and -prepare for a special position in life. She would have women and men -alike, working men, tradesmen, men of fortune educated as human beings, -not technically instructed for some special walk in life. In eloquent -words she pictured the ideal for which she and others like-minded -were striving, and were seeking to attain by the practical method -of enlightening public opinion, founding schools, asking for public -examinations. She wrote:— - - ‘The true meaning of the word education is not instruction.... - It is intellectual, moral, and physical development, the - development of a sound mind in a sound body, the training of - reason to form just judgments, the disciplining of the will and - affections to obey the supreme law of duty, the kindling and - strengthening of the love of knowledge, of beauty, of goodness, - till they become governing motives of action.’ - -Mrs. Grey’s conclusions were the same as those of the Commissioners, -who complained that there was no demand for the education of girls, the -cause of the indifference being that low idea which regards only the -money value of education, and estimates it solely as a means of getting -on. Girls were taught with a view to increasing their attractiveness -before marriage, rather than with that of increasing their happiness and -usefulness after. This was the general cause of dissatisfaction, but -there were many details. - -One and all complained that, with the exception of quite a few schools, -the education of girls in the middle classes was much worse than that -existing in the elementary schools of the day. This was of course -specially the case in subjects like arithmetic, and arose greatly from -the mistaken notion that they were of no use to girls. The Commissioners -were unanimous in condemning the prevailing method of instruction by -means of such books as _Mangnall’s Questions_ and the like, termed by -Mr. Bryce ‘the noxious brood of catechisms.’ Of this, be it said, Miss -Mangnall’s famous work, which bears witness to its author’s well-stored -mind, and which reached nearly a hundred editions, was the best. The -‘Questions’ demanded indeed the knowledge of such useless facts as the -number of houses burned in the Great Fire of London; but there were in -use, in the numerous small private schools of the period, cheaper and -more stupid books, in which the information was not merely useless, -but even defied common sense. A small catechism on ‘Science,’ entitled -‘Why and Because,’ concluded a long list of inept questions with: -‘Why do pensioners and aged cottagers put their teapots on the hob to -draw?’ In some books, facts of varying nature—of history, geography, -grammar, etc.—were all jumbled together. It is not surprising that girls -instructed by the parrot-like, inconsequent methods of such lesson-books, -passed from school with no love of reading. - -The Commissioners complained further, that though French and music were -held to be the most important subjects to which a girl should devote -herself, they were nearly always very badly taught. They spoke of time -wasted at the piano; they calculated the thousands of hours given to -music which was not worth hearing at the last. They gave instances of -ludicrous mistakes in French, which no effort of visiting masters could -improve into anything like a real knowledge of the language, because -rudimentary grammar had never been mastered. They spoke of drawing taught -with an equal disregard of thoroughness, and with still more disastrous -result. ‘The common practice of masters touching up their pupils’ -performances for exhibition at home fosters a habit of dishonesty, -and that too prevalent tendency running through the whole of female -education, the tendency to care more for appearance than reality, to seem -rather than to be.’[43] - -Some spoke of the absence of healthy interests, of the need for games, -a need which appealed but little to Miss Beale, in whose own youth play -was marked by its absence only. Many urged the necessity for founding in -every town public schools similar to boys’ grammar schools, where girls -could obtain a sound education, without accomplishments, at a low cost. - -These reports embody a number of facts concerning a state of things -now happily passed away. Hundreds of small private schools might have -read their doom in them, for the establishment of many public schools, -endowed and otherwise, soon followed the inquiry. We see the poor sham -education, with its wrong notions of the beautiful and the best, vanish -without a regret. Yet, since all human effort has its worth and place, -is it possible and fair to say one word above its grave? Was there no -genuine wish to give pleasure pleading in the miserable pieces of the -boarding-school young lady, and even in the painful drawings which -the master’s touch failed to make tolerable? They testify at least to -something out of the work-a-day sphere, to the desire for the ‘something -afar,’ often the first step to a truer vision. Precious years of girlhood -spent on the vain effort to attain accomplishments speak of some dim -perception of the refinement and uplifting which men look for in women. -Ill-devised, badly attempted, poorly carried out, the thought of giving -delight was not only mercenary in aim; behind it was some consciousness -of a real human need. The educators of women to-day should know better -than to despise its pleading, however imperfectly expressed. ‘May I not -have _one_ ornamental one?’ said a brother when a third sister was about -to devote herself to obtaining certificates for mathematics. - -Nine ladies, including Miss Emily Davies, Miss Buss, and Miss Beale, -were asked to give evidence before the Commission. Miss Beale’s, which -was taken in 1865, is of double interest, at once touching the state of -girls’ education in general, and the advance being made in the Ladies’ -College, Cheltenham. She took with her a hundred entrance examination -papers arranged in order for inspection. Actuated perhaps by the -marvellous carefulness which lost nothing, and seeing a use even in what -would often be considered waste papers, as well as by the definite aim of -preserving a record of progress, she had kept all the answers written by -her pupils to entrance examination questions. With the College papers, -she showed also some written by children in one of the national schools -at Cheltenham, in order that the Commissioners might make a comparison -for themselves. - -On being questioned, Miss Beale explained in detail the whole system of -the College, interesting the Commissioners in the method of teaching -Euclid, one which at some points antedated by many years the present -teaching of geometry in the public schools, and which has lately been -adopted by the universities. At a time when schoolboys were learning -Euclid by heart, Miss Beale was teaching it to girls by a method of -explanation which they had to follow and finally reproduce without any -learning by rote. - -With regard to the teaching of Holy Scripture she said, ‘Each class -teacher takes her own class, and that, I think, very important’; but on -this subject little was said. - -On the question of discipline and moral difficulties she explained that -the government of the College was chiefly by personal influence, and that -her plan was to make use of very simple means, such as changing the seat -of a child who was suspected of being dishonest in her work. ‘It is a -small thing, but it indicates want of trust, and it is by small things we -govern.’ Such discipline obviously appeared slight to Dr. Storrar, who -asked on hearing it, ‘Perhaps girls are more sensitive than boys in such -matters?’ ‘I will not attempt to decide,’ replied Miss Beale, ‘but my -opinion is that they are not.’ - -Asked her opinion on a system of examination, Miss Beale recommended -a general Board for the examination of teachers, to be founded with -national sanction, and an inspection of the schools under the management -of those who had passed the examination. ‘There is one other point,’ she -added: ‘the cause might be helped on by the establishment of a model -school for the training of teachers; I hardly know how such would work.’ - -The evidence of the Commission, published in 1868, produced a great -impression on Mrs. William Grey and her sister, Miss Shireff. Under -their able leadership there was formed, in 1871, ‘The National Union -for Improving the Education of Women,’ for the purpose of organising -effort and helping to create a sounder public opinion with regard to -education itself. The work of this society led two years later to the -foundation of the Girls’ Public Day-School Company. By this agency, which -was commercial as well as educational, High Schools were established -in most of the important towns of England. There followed the numerous -independent efforts and companies which have covered the country with -a network of secondary schools for girls. In 1872, Miss Buss giving -up her private property in her very successful school, by an act of -self-sacrifice and generosity made it a public school by placing it in -trust. A lower school was also established in Camden Town under the same -management. - -Miss Emily Davies also found her work aided by the Commission. She was -largely instrumental in the opening of Local Examinations to girls. The -foundation of the first women’s college at a university was laid by her -when, in 1873, the college she had opened at Hitchin four years earlier -was removed to Cambridge, where it became known as Girton. This step -was perhaps even less of a venture, though more startling to the public -mind, than the first beginning at Hitchin. Of this Miss Maria Hackett had -written to Miss Beale:— - - ‘The proposed Foundation of a College for the Superior - Education of Women is another most important measure in the - same direction. I had much correspondence about twenty years - ago, with your dear father, Mr. Mackenzie, and Mr. Storrs, on - the subject, but I did not venture upon so extensive a scheme.’ - -Public examinations for girls necessarily followed the work of the -Commission, the opening of women’s colleges, and the establishment of -public schools for girls. Head-mistresses were called upon to face all -the difficulties and drawbacks of these, as well as to accept their -advantages, and in some cases also to incur odium, as they worked with -measures which they knew to be not in themselves the best, but only -the best attainable. Miss Beale had her own vision of what a public -examination for girls should be. She had said at Bristol in 1865 that -parents - - ‘are afraid of popular outcry, afraid that their children - should take a low place, forgetting that (if the examination be - conducted without any of the improper excitement of publicity), - it is also a test and means of moral training, since those who - work from the right motives simply do their best and are not - overanxious about results. I do not desire that there should be - a system of competitive examinations, but a general testing of - the work done, and if this cannot be responded to in a quiet, - lady-like manner, it does not speak well for the moral training - of the school.’ - -She had also said:— - - ‘I do not think the plan for admitting girls to the same - examination with boys in the University local examinations a - wise one; the subjects seem to me in many respects unsuited for - girls, and such an examination as the one proposed is likely - to further a spirit of rivalry most undesirable. I should - much regret that the desire of distinction should be made in - any degree a prime motive, for we should ever remember that - moral training is the end, education the means. The habits of - obedience to duty, of self-restraint, which the process of - acquiring knowledge induces, the humility which a thoughtful - and comprehensive study of the great works in literature and - science tends to produce, these we would specially cultivate in - a woman, that she may wear the true woman’s ornament of a meek - and quiet spirit. As for the pretentiousness and conceit which - are associated with the name of “blue-stocking,” and which some - people fancy to be the result of education, they are only an - evidence of shallowness and vulgarity; we meet with the same - thing in the dogmatic conceit of the so-called “self-educated - man,” who has picked up learning, but has not had the benefit - of a systematic training and a liberal education.’ - -The formal admission of girls to the Cambridge Local Examinations took -place in 1865, though they had been informally accepted as candidates as -early as 1863. Miss Beale did not accept the examination at Cheltenham, -mainly because its arrangements did not fall in with those of the College -year; but she closely observed its working, noted each set of questions -and reports, recognising that with these examinations new impetus had -been given to the progress of education. She wrote and spoke on the -subject, holding it to be the duty of the teacher to seek to guide this -movement, which must increasingly affect girls’ schools. - -The following extract from one of her papers is chosen because of its -bearing on the larger and still unanswered question of university -degrees:— - - ‘Examiners must be prepared not to domineer but to learn that - the art is yet in its infancy, and their knowledge of what - girls can or ought to do is at present very slight. They must - be ready to admit the possibility of a teacher knowing better - than his judges. The latter are sometimes tempted to exclaim, - _Quis custodiat ipsos custodes?_ If the school curriculum and - the examinations are so far out of harmony that a large amount - of special preparation is required, either the curriculum is - at fault or the examination an evil.... I know that some make - a great point of having the actual University examinations - opened, because a mere “women’s examination” is spoken of - contemptuously. I believe that in trying to avoid this, we - should encounter greater evils, and that the wish is connected - with a misplaced reverence which many women entertain for the - learning of a “pass man.”’ - -After some years of consideration a decision was practically forced upon -Miss Beale. She must choose for her clever girls either to pass a public -examination which she thought more suited for men, or to fall behind -in a path which was surely leading in the right direction. She did not -hesitate, but saw that on this, as on many occasions, it must be her part -to labour to remove obstructions, to overcome obstacles. - -In her interview with the Commissioners, on being asked if she would -approve of the establishment of a special examination for ladies up to -the standard of attainment of the London matriculation, she had replied, -‘Certainly,’ but advocated that it should be made possible for women to -take German instead of Greek. This examination, she agreed, might be -taken as a measure, though the measure might not be filled with the same -subjects as for men. She was soon called upon to act in this matter, for -in 1869 it was opened to women, and the University of Cambridge also -instituted an examination for women over eighteen years of age. - -Miss Beale accepted both for the College, but for some years there was -no regular organisation of work for those who were taking the Cambridge -examination. This was partly due to the higher limit of age. It was -then thought extraordinary that girls should stay at school after they -were eighteen. It was difficult to persuade many to do so. Some were -‘wanted at home,’ some wished to ‘come out’; those who were intending to -be teachers thought they should be already earning. Then the absorbing -work for the London examination made it difficult to arrange for much of -a wholly different character. Consequently, at first, the older pupils -and the young teachers who sought to pass the Cambridge examination had -to look after themselves a good deal. Miss Beale would certainly not -consider this a drawback. They had the additional advantage of lectures -from herself on literature and history. - -The ‘London’ must have seemed better worth while for many reasons. It -might prove a first step to a definite degree. The degree examinations -were not opened till ten years later, and might not have followed at all -had zeal and courage not been shown by women over the matriculation. -Again, the matriculation certificate enabled men to offer themselves as -candidates for further examination with a view to certain careers, such -as the medical profession. This would hold good for women. For it had the -real advantage of being a recognised standard, while a certificate for an -examination arranged specially for women would be like ‘foreign coin.’ - -One cannot too much admire the qualities which bore teacher and pupils -up that steep initial step of the London examination; for steep it was. -At that time it demanded a certain knowledge of subjects which were -generally regarded as the prerogative of men. Hardly any of the girls who -hoped to pass in them had, when they began their special preparation six -terms before the examination, learned any Latin, chemistry, geometry, -algebra, or natural philosophy—this last being a term which embraced -some acquaintance with optics, statics, dynamics, and hydrostatics. -Little more than the rudiments of these new subjects had to be mastered, -for the examination at that time required ‘a collection of minima, a -smattering of everything, enforced with Procrustean rigour on Philistine -lines.’ Primarily designed for boys with a grammar-school education, the -Latin paper included some knowledge of Horace. It is scarcely necessary -to say that disappointment as well as hope was woven into the strand -of these brave beginnings. Many failed. Some who were not really equal -to the work were persuaded to enter. Some who passed, complained that -they could not retain knowledge which had been acquired too rapidly -and not assimilated. Not avowedly, not ever consciously to herself—her -sense of responsibility for the individual was too great for that, and -she reckoned the training of value even if there were no success at the -end—but in actual fact, the failures were accepted by Dorothea Beale as a -necessary complement of victory to be. - - ‘Let the victors when they come, - When the forts of folly fall, - Find thy body by the wall!’ - -All the weakness of the position was known to her. And she showed not -only courage and daring, but patience and humility still harder to -practise. On one occasion, after a specially difficult Latin paper, -which had proved too much for many examinees, she wrote to another -head-mistress whose disappointment was as keen as her own:— - - ‘The more I reflect, the more I think any protest unadvisable. - No doubt some have passed (even in Class I.) in former years, - who were worse in Latin than one at least who has failed this - time. But then there are many things that may be urged. - Perhaps the good have not done themselves justice, and the bad - more than justice. Besides, I cannot myself, even in looking - over one set of papers, unless I correct all at a sitting, mark - them fairly even to my own mind; how much more difficult it - must be when the examiners change, and the papers come in after - a year’s interval. We, by submitting ourselves to examination, - pledge ourselves in some sort to be content. It will never do, - in my opinion, to impugn the justice of a University, and I - really think they will do justice. Any expression of discontent - would tend to throw back the granting of degrees. I believe - the unification is more likely to take place soon, if we are - patient. Remember, too, the decision has not been that of one - individual examiner, but has been in some sort confirmed by the - Senate. - - ‘My impression is that the papers will be very carefully set - next year, and that we must bear our disappointment this year - as well as we can. I am very sorry you feel it so much. Your - candidates have done so well in other subjects, that if they - should try again next year, you might be certain of a large - measure of success, and _then_ a protest, or any remarks from - us would tell so much more. I certainly do not mean to send in - a large number, but I am pledged to a few, and to those who - failed, if they like to go in again.’ - -This conclusion showed special insight, willingness to bear, and -readiness to learn; for the Latin paper was a far more real test of -knowledge than any of the others. To have complained of it might have -been to acknowledge inferiority which did not seek improvement. And -looking back, it may be seen that the failures and mistakes were not of -much moment. The real importance and the real triumph lay with the aim -and effort. Miss Beale early foresaw what has been literally fulfilled. - -‘It is clear,’ she said, ‘that it will before long be impossible in -England, as it is now on the Continent, for any one to obtain employment -as a teacher without some such attestation,’ _i.e._ as a certificate. -If she could help it, Miss Beale would not let girls who were intending -to teach, pass from her without one; she persuaded the pupil, she -reasoned with the parent, she frequently mastered both; she silently -bore contradiction and misconception. She refused to be thwarted by any -obstacle, much as she might wish to change it—such as the time of year at -which it was held, the difficulty of sending candidates to London, or by -any hesitation on her own part. She might write to a newspaper, ‘it is to -some extent an open question what education is most suitable for girls,’ -but she inspired her class to prepare for ‘the London’ with zealous -drudgery and in the power of self-denial, as the best they could do to -fit themselves for work. - -Yet the College list of successes was from the first good. In 1869, -the first year of examination, eight in all England went in for the -matriculation examination, and six failed. The only candidate from -Cheltenham passed. This was Miss Susan Wood. In the next year, of the -three who passed from Cheltenham one was the famous Greek scholar, Miss -Jane Harrison, another bore the name—so dear to its generation—of Marian -Belcher. - -There was plenty of criticism. There were many to repeat the old -complaint that women were being unfitted for their proper duties. It was -Miss Beale’s delight to show that those who did well in examinations -could also excel in domestic duties. She would tell how one successful -candidate of the London examination proved first a helpful sister, then a -devoted wife and mother. She would show with pride a letter she received -from one of whose ability and success she had great reason to be proud, -signed ‘Yours in flour and dripping.’ - -It may be mentioned here that there is a home distinction connected with -the Ladies’ College, Cheltenham. In 1868 it was resolved at an annual -general meeting that pupils who reached a certain specified standard in -the College examinations, and whose general conduct was approved, should -be entitled to receive certificates. The first certificates under this -resolution were awarded in 1869 to four pupils. In 1875 it was resolved -at a Council meeting that those who obtained the College certificate -should be entitled Associates of the Ladies’ College, Cheltenham. These -associates are, with the consent of the Lady Principal, allowed to attend -any ordinary classes of the College without the payment of fees. - -Following hard upon the introduction of public examinations for girls -came the cry of overwork. There was some reason in it; but it was -much, very much due to timidity and want of knowledge, as well as to -exaggeration. It is not necessary to repeat here the evidence which -Miss Beale began to collect even before she was a teacher herself, -and to which she was ever adding, to the effect that idleness and -_ennui_ have more and sadder victims than even misdirected energy and -overwork. A healthy prejudice against an empty, self-centred life is -steadily growing. The movement which its followers have named Christian -Science—also that which is preferably called Faith Healing—daily bring -to light instances of self-destruction caused by the slothful mind and -unruled will. None the less, the cry of overwork was not an empty one. -When first girls began to work for examinations, it was not known how -much or how little they could do. Miss Beale’s own opinions upon this, -as put before the Commission, were quite tentative. Clever teachers did -not always allow for slower-moving brains than their own. Nor was the -difference of temperament sufficiently observed and considered. The eager -and artistic mind would feel strain and fatigue where one less delicately -balanced might toil unwearied. It was not recognised how willing girls -are to be pressed, how eager they are to please, how unreasonable they -often are in their own arrangements for work, or how easy it is for them -to fall into the insincerity of making protracted hours of reading take -the place of concentrated mental effort. Head-mistresses and others who -had mastered difficulties alone, and who still carefully prepared every -lesson they gave, in spite of the pressure of daily affairs, had to learn -to reckon with these drawbacks. Examinations when first introduced must -from their very novelty have been a great anxiety to both teachers and -pupils. The best way of working for them and of resting before them had -to be discovered by experience. The pressure was less obvious with those -actually first in the field, as they would naturally be all of good -ability. The danger began when girls of smaller brain-power and equal -ambition, but ignorant of their limitations, dared to follow. - -Complaints of overwork came often from homes where there was little -cultivation or regard for the things of the mind. Girls who could -produce, in what they called their ‘notes of lectures,’ statements -concerning ‘_heroic cutlets_’[44] and ‘_Lincoln’s hotel_’[45] had not, -it may be well understood, much intellectual background. Yet the wholly -unfounded complaints of the parents of such pupils would receive public -attention that was little deserved. There were others, whose parents -would have had them play a pretty part in home life in the afternoon and -evening, but who naturally did not find enough time for lessons unless -they sat up late or slurred them over. As it was never Miss Beale’s -intention that day-pupils should consider themselves to be anything but -‘in the schoolroom,’ the home work was not arranged to allow time for -more than the necessary walk or recreation. - -The question of overwork is one that still agitates the scholastic -world. The real difficulty, at Cheltenham as elsewhere, is not with the -schoolgirl whose life is under supervision, but with the young teachers -and the elder pupils who have the management of their own time and -health, and have not yet learned their own limitations, or acquired a due -measure of self-control. - -During the early period of the history of the College, Miss Beale came in -contact with minds and ideas outside her own school, chiefly by means of -the Schools’ Inquiry Commission, and the matter of public examinations. -Those who wished had the opportunity of learning her views through her -magazine articles and the pamphlets which she began at this time to -publish. The most notable of these was ‘The Address to Parents.’ Much of -this valuable little paper—one which in her early years as head-mistress -made Miss Beale’s ideas widely known among those who cared for real -education—had been anticipated in her address to the Social Science -Congress in 1865. Then she pleaded the cause of day-schools, urging for -them that they offered a training which did not separate children from -the influence of home. - - ‘Of course when children are educated at home, and an anxious - mother daily sees and suffers from her children’s faults of - temper and disposition, she will be tempted to think that she - had better give up the training into other hands, and send them - away. Doubtless this is sometimes wise, often unavoidable; but - how frequently without necessity is the burden of parental - responsibility temporarily cast aside, only to press with - tenfold weight in later years. How many parents have learned - bitterly to regret that they removed a daughter from the - divinely appointed influences of home, and severed by long - separation those bonds of affection which might have checked - the young in the hour of temptation, and been the support and - comfort of their own declining years.’ - -In 1869, in another address to the same Society, Miss Beale unfolded for -the first time her ideas of the help which should be given to girls who -were in need of education they could not afford, more especially to those -who wished to prepare for a life of teaching. ‘I propose,’ she said, ‘the -foundation of a new Benevolent Society, which shall be distinguished from -other societies by its rigid adherence to the principle of giving nothing -away.’ Instead of gifts, she suggested yearly loans of money, for the use -of which an exact account and report of work done should be rendered. -This Society has never been founded, but the work Dorothea Beale wished -it should do was carried on by herself, quietly and thriftily, but with -ever-widening operations, to the day of her death. - -At one other point did Miss Beale at this period touch opinion outside -her own sphere. This was by writing for the Kensington Society,—a little -semi-educational association which during its short life included many -names of women who were in their day leaders in philanthropic work and -thought. The topics on which its members wrote or deliberated were such -as these:— - - 17 CUNNINGHAM PLACE, LONDON, N.W., - _November 15, 1865_. - - _The Kensington Society._ - - 1. What are the limitations within which it is desirable to - exercise personal influence? - - 2. What are the evils attendant upon philanthropic efforts - among the poor, and how may they be avoided? - - 3. How does the cultivation of artistic taste affect the - wellbeing of society? - -Meanwhile the general work of the Ladies’ College, Cheltenham, was going -on quietly and steadily, developing in every best way. The valuable time -of the Principal was no longer taken up with the superintendence of -lessons and chaperoning music pupils. A larger and gradually improving -staff enabled her to arrange her own work so that it might be of the -greatest service to the College. But her increasing interest in education -at large, her ever-growing sense of having a special place in a large -movement, were never allowed to distract her mind from the work of the -hour. Rather, she used them as an inspiration for daily drudgery. - -The preparation of lessons, the minute and careful correction of notes of -lectures,—monotonous work which demands a continuous strain of attention, -went on week by week. By means of this quiet, diligent toil she and -her fellow-workers were building the real College, of which the fine -structure whose first edition was opened in 1873 is but a sign and a -symbol. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -ORGANISATION - - ‘Shepherds of the people had need know the Calendar of Tempests - in the State; which are commonly greatest when things grow to - equality, as natural tempests about the equinoctia.’—BACON. - - - ‘With no feeling of exultation should we meet to-day, my - children. Those of us who have long laboured at the work - are indeed grateful that we have been permitted to see its - accomplishment, but we are also deeply sensible that every - increase of influence means an increase of responsibility;—that - he who had five talents was required to bring other five. - With larger numbers there is a stronger sense that we are a - collective power for good or evil. And shall we doubt which is - stronger? We dare not be so faithless. There is such a mighty - prevailing power in the spirit of earnest devotion, that when - only two or three are gathered together in His Name, for work - as well as for prayer, His power is felt. What a power might we - be for good if we were His disciples _indeed_. - - ‘Some say our school is Church-like. I am glad, for Churches - are built to remind us that God is not far away, but very - near to us, and this is the thought which should keep us from - evil and fill us with gladness. May His Presence be seen in - this house, seen in the lives and hearts of His children: May - they remember that they, too, form one spiritual building. - As each stone stands here in its appointed place, resting on - one stone, supporting others; so are we a little community, a - spiritual building; each is placed in her own niche, each has - her appointed place, appointed by the Spiritual Architect; each - is needful for the perfection of His design. - - ‘May we ever form part of that spiritual building, whose - foundations are laid in faith and obedience. “Whoso heareth - these sayings of mine and doeth them, he is like a man who - laid the foundation and digged deep, and built his house upon - a rock.” St. John wished for one of his converts that he - might “prosper even as his soul prospered.” Let us desire only - such prosperity. Let us ask for true wisdom, for lowliness of - heart, that we may esteem others better than ourselves. Let - us ask, above all, for that most excellent gift of charity, - without which all else is as sounding brass, or a tinkling - cymbal. Something of this spirit of love for one another does - live among us, as we see by those who have come to join their - prayers with ours to-day. I would ask them not to forget us - afterwards, but to remember us when they return to their homes; - and I would fain hope that this bond will last through coming - years, and that the College, though transplanted to a new - place, will always be to you “_the old College_.”’ - -In these words the Lady Principal addressed her staff, pupils, and a -small sprinkling of friends on the first morning of assembling in the new -building which, begun in January of previous year, was thus opened on -March 17, 1873. As the school hours ended on Saturday the 15th, a simple -order had been given to take home all the books, and to bring them to the -new College at the usual time on Monday. In the course of the afternoon -all desks and portable fittings were moved and arranged in order for -work. The appointment of places in the new hall was, so far as can be -remembered, a matter of a few minutes only, so quiet and free from fuss -was all College organisation. There was certainly not half an hour of -the ordinary lesson time lost. Yet it was a change which made an undying -impression. The quietness with which it came was wholly in accordance -with the spirit of the school. The regular work, undisturbed even for an -hour by the totally new surroundings, spoke emphatically of the response -of duty to every fresh inspiration and larger freedom. - -And how beautiful those new surroundings seemed to the hundred and fifty -girls who were privileged to experience the change from the square, -unadorned rooms of Cambray House. Two churches at that time, one with -its high, fine spire, another with its lavish decoration, were all -that the town could show of the Gothic Renaissance which followed the -teachings of Ruskin and Morris. The Ladies’ College was early among -non-ecclesiastical buildings of this type. To some it may have seemed -florid, but not to the eyes of youth and hope, which took delight in -the pierced and patterned stone, the flowers in the coloured glass, the -arch of the windows, the unusual design of the lecture-rooms. These -caused teachers and pupils to ignore for the most part the undoubted -chilliness of the new rooms, and the ‘currents of air,’ about which some -parents wrote complaining letters, for at that time people were even -more afraid of draughts than they are to-day. It is worth mentioning, as -characteristic of Miss Beale’s mind, that she forgot very soon the exact -date of entrance into the new College; though when reminded of it each -year by her own birthday, or by the approach of spring and Lady Day, she -would on some suitable March morning say a few words at prayers: ‘It is -—— years to-day since we entered,’ etc. - -In 1873 the building was but begun. It is a question if Miss Beale -herself dreamed of all that was to follow. There was as yet no house for -the Lady Principal, and for a year, while it was being built, she lived -with Mrs. Fraser, who had one of the three boarding-houses then existing. -The house completed in 1874, there followed in 1875 the first enlargement -of the College, the two hundred and twenty pupils for whom it was first -designed having rapidly become three hundred. At this time a second large -hall and more classrooms were added. In seven years the College had -doubled its numbers; hence in 1882 were built the art and music wings and -the kindergarten rooms, to be followed almost immediately by science -rooms and laboratories. After this the sound of the hammer was not heard -for nearly four years; but it is one which has a resounding echo in the -memories of College life. There were a few peaceful half-hours when it -was stopped for Scripture lessons, at all other times it was but a too -persistent reminder of prosperity and growth. A memory also abides of -crowded doorways and passages, overfull lecture-rooms, and a continual -looking forward to the increased accommodation which each new enlargement -would give. - -This constant expansion as funds permitted was entirely after Miss -Beale’s heart. In 1891 she wrote to Miss Arnold:— - - ‘Yes, I do hope you will build, a good building is the best - investment for money, if you have it. Let it be done gradually, - as ours was. Plan for more than you can do at first, and build - only what you can afford at the time. Don’t beg: it is much - better to earn one’s living.’ - -Strange as it may appear, the building of a fit home for the College had -not taken place without opposition. Miss Beale relates in her _History_ -that after the site for it had been purchased, the annual general meeting -of proprietors in 1871 voted by a majority interested in the Cambray -property that it should be re-sold. Dr. Jex-Blake, the Principal of the -Cheltenham College, and a member of the Ladies’ College Council, came to -the rescue, and in a special meeting of the same year spoke earnestly in -support of the plan for building. ‘Teachers so able and energetic and -successful have a right to the greatest consideration, and the very best -arrangements for teaching. A Ladies’ College so distinguished, second -to none in England, has a right to every advantage that can be secured -for it, a right to be lodged in a building of its own, a building -perfect in its internal arrangements, and outwardly of some architectural -attractiveness; one that should be a College, and should look like a -College. It is quite right to say, “Let well alone,” but that does not -involve letting _ill_ alone. The College has achieved brilliant success, -but that was not due to its having been cramped for room; and when no -longer cramped, its success will be greater.’ The resolution of the -earlier meeting was rescinded by fifty-nine votes to nine, and two months -later a contract was accepted for building from Mr. John Middleton’s -design. The site, for which £800 was given, was a part of the old Well -Walk where, between their glasses, George the Third and other famous -water-drinkers had once taken their daily constitutional. - -In the matter of the building, Miss Beale had a struggle to get her -bold and comprehensive ideas carried out, but eventually she won the -day. It was hard for her, at the very moment when she seemed about to -realise her dreams for the expansion of the work of the College, to -receive orders which she felt to be new limitations. She had constantly -to explain her reasons and requirements to those who had a deep interest -in the welfare of the school, but who had not also the knowledge needed -for arrangements which Miss Beale felt and intended should be in the -hands of the Principal alone. The following letter which she wrote to a -member of the Council suggests some of her difficulties, and also her -method of skilfully and apparently accidentally stating the inconvenience -or disaster which would ensue if another arrangement than her own were -adopted:— - - ‘I have drawn up a ground-plan and tables, by the help of which - I hope I may succeed in making clear to you the impossibility - of conducting the College without the use of four class-rooms. - I have never in the slightest degree departed from my original - intention. Time-tables, classes, teachers, furniture, and - building were all arranged to harmonise. It never occurred - to me that any one would wish to interfere in the internal - management, as it had never been done during the fifteen years - I have been here. Great, therefore, was my surprise to receive - a letter saying,—“I have had strict injunctions not to have - desks put back into room 2.” If it is thought well to reduce - the number of pupils, it can be done after Midsummer but not - now, and to give up two class-rooms we must reduce our numbers - not by twenty, but by fifty, _i.e._ by two whole classes. Our - Hall is only ten feet longer than that in Cambray, and we then - had the use of four class-rooms and one supplementary room, - besides that assigned to Drawing and Callisthenics. With fifty - additional pupils we cannot do with less, even though the - class-rooms are larger. It is not impossible to teach a class - sitting on chairs, I should not, therefore, insist on having - desks, but they will certainly be much more convenient, and - much more sightly; chairs will always look untidy. The desks I - have match the furniture, the room was built to fit them, for - examinations. I am therefore unwilling to have them sold for - nothing. It is certainly necessary for the well-being of the - College that the internal arrangements should be in the hands - of one person; if this is not done, I can only foresee the - occurrence of such disasters as we are familiar with, when the - Head Master of a public school is interfered with by those who - cannot see the daily working, and know all the complications.’ - -The new building was not the only cause of difference. The Lady -Principal, with her advanced ideas on women’s examinations, her desire -to help teachers, to increase the number of the pupils, seemed to some -members of the Council to be pushing the work into other fields than -those for which it was intended when first the Proprietary College for -Ladies was founded. ‘Local interest,’ a term not ominous of good in the -ears of great educators, demanded a good day-school for the daughters -of gentlemen, and nothing more. Some felt that, in the pursuit of -mathematical and scientific attainments for which special teachers and -classrooms were required, accomplishments such as drawing and painting -would be neglected. Some, who had watched the growth of the infant -College, and looked upon it almost as their own, interfered in small -ways, as in the arrangements of seats and rooms. The gossip mentioned -already was at its height during the first year in the new College, and -Miss Beale thought that it might have been prevented or much minimised -had all connected followed her counsel of perfection by being superior to -town talk. - -More than all she felt the need of a larger outlook. The Council -should in her view include some members whose personal acquaintance -with the College and the needs of the town would give them a special -interest in it; but she desired to unite with these men and women of -intellectual power and large views whose experience would rank them among -educationists. And for the management of the boarding-houses, which were -now becoming each year a more important element in the College life, -opinion which could be untouched by local prejudices was needed. - -Some of the anxieties of this time were expressed by Miss Beale in a -paper which she may have thought of reading to the Council. It began -thus:— - - ‘Until we moved into the new College a year ago, I had been - singularly free from interference. The lesson learned when - Miss Procter resigned and our College was nearly wrecked, - had not been forgotten. Besides, we were poor, so there was - little to quarrel about. With the removal to Bays Hill our - real difficulties began. I had drawn the ground-plan with the - greatest regard to economy of space. I was told the porch must - not be used for entrance, and I was obliged to show we could - not do without it.... Then I was asked to do with two instead - of four or five lecture-rooms, and so on. I was obliged to - prepare elaborate documents with ground-plans, etc., ere I - could get leave to use the space provided, and without which - the College could not be carried on.’ - -There were perhaps others who cared for the College, who realised no -less strongly than Miss Beale the advantage it would be to bring on to -the Council those who were less interested in it as a local institution -than as one of educational value for the country at large, but it was she -who undoubtedly took the lead in the steps made to this end. In this she -showed courage, for even those members of the Council who best understood -her views hesitated to support them, fearing an abrupt change which would -do more harm than good. They wrote to caution her:— - - ‘You must not expect men of Mr. Lowe’s mark to work on the - C.L.C. Council; and you must not expect to see all go as - you would wish at the meeting. You will find no member of - Council but myself anxious to increase the powers of the Lady - Principal, and probably they will not be much increased. And - if you secure the majority of Council being non-local, which - will be hard to secure, you will not secure their attendance at - meetings held out of London. - - ‘And to get a satisfactory List to propose to Shareholders will - be hard, for the best-known men in England will not join; and - those who will join will not command votes largely; and so I - advise moderation. I did my best at this last Council meeting - to prepare the way for a “bloodless revolution” or quiet - transition ... and I have seen Mr. Verrall. He is very friendly - to you and to the College, and is a man of very good judgment - as well as energy, and you are safe in talking or writing to - him. For myself I feel less and less inclined to advise strong - measures; and I do not see my way to getting the College on - as broad a basis as I think it should stand on.... I advise - you to think well and long before you get into an inextricable - difficulty; and I think you will find your best friend and best - support in one who for fifteen years (or nearly) has given much - time and thought to the College, Mr. Brancker. - - ‘At the last Council meeting you showed great wisdom in - accepting the adverse Resolution with equanimity.’ - -Differences of this kind pointed to a change of administration. As early -as 1865, in her address at Bristol, Miss Beale had pointed out the -difficulties besetting a school organised on the lines of Cheltenham:— - - ‘The machinery of proprietary colleges is somewhat complicated, - and it is liable to get out of order. Thus, for example, if - the shareholders agitate when a measure does not at once - commend itself to their judgment, they may interfere with the - efficiency, and endanger the existence of the institution. - Secondly, none must attempt to carry out reforms in education, - unless they have faith enough in their own system to work on - quietly for a time, in the face of popular opposition, and - unless they have a capital to fall back upon.’ - -Union for the general good—a single purpose in Principal, Council, -shareholders alike—this alone could prevent all serious and hindering -differences of opinion among them. It was for this union Miss Beale was -specially striving now. Her paper to the Council went on thus:— - - ‘ ... I should like this and other matters fixed, not in - reference to my personal wishes, but according to what the - most experienced persons think best. I shall see the Heads of - all the principal Girls’ Schools probably when I am in London, - and probably also an Endowed Schools’ Committee, and I shall - learn from Mrs. William Grey what has been done at the Board - of the Girls’ Day School Company; perhaps this may modify my - views. Meanwhile I enclose a few suggestions I sent to Mr. - Verrall.... I feel very strongly with you that if the College - is at all to go on doing good work, it must not be governed - by local members, and that it is a matter of the greatest - importance that we should have upon our Board men of experience - and judgment in educational matters. I would not keep more than - two or three members of the present Council. It should be made - a rule that no person who derives pecuniary profit, either - directly or indirectly, should be a member of it. The point on - which I feel most strongly just now is that the Principal must - be able to select her fellow-workers, to appoint and dismiss.’ - -There is also an interesting letter to Mr. Verrall on the subject of her -authority:— - - ‘Of course, you are more likely than I am to know what is best - in matters of government, still I think it may be well to - express, as clearly as I can, what I feel in reference to the - subject of my authority. - - ‘It does not seem to me as if things would be likely to go - on long without revolutions in an institution governed by - two irresponsible powers. The authority of an irresponsible - Principal must of course be checked in _some way_, if not by - constitutional means, then by a Russian system. It may be that - the Czarina has been trying to carry out some good reforms, - but if her plans differ from those of the Councillors, there - is an end of them. Our present Councillors are now afraid of - being in their turn made an end of by a shareholders’ meeting, - but if the constitution, as I understood it, were carried, - the shareholders would be powerless, and the Council might, - for mere personal dislike, get rid of a Principal who opposed - what was wrong. Of course, it will not do for a Committee - to interfere with the Principal’s choice of teachers, and - there will be anarchy unless she has the power of dismissal; - but virtually there will always be a power of appeal to the - Committee inasmuch as they _would_, if partisans of any - official, dismiss the Principal to reinstate her.’ - -Many members of the College Council desired change and enlargement. One -wrote: ‘I cannot think it right to leave Miss Beale or any other Lady -Principal to the mercies of a purely local Council ... for I think with -such a Council no good Lady Principal could long agree.’ - -Among those whom Miss Beale consulted at this crisis, and from whom she -received sympathy, were Dr. Jex-Blake, then head-master of Rugby, and Sir -Joshua Fitch, who later on became a member of the Council. - -The desired reform was brought about in 1875, when at a general meeting -in March the relative powers of the proprietors, Council, and Principal -were more clearly defined and the number of the governing body -increased. The Council then elected consisted of the following:— - - LIFE MEMBERS - - The Right Hon. Earl Granville, K.G., D.C.L., F.R.S., Chancellor - of the University of London. - - The Right Hon. Lord Lyttelton. - - The Right Hon. Sir Edward Ryan, M.A., F.R.S. - - J. Storrar, Esq., M.D., Chairman of Convocation of the - University of London. - - The Rev. H. Walford Bellairs, Rector of Nuneaton. - - The Rev. Canon Barry, Principal of King’s College, London. - - Miss Buss, Principal of the North London Collegiate School for - Girls. - - W. Dunn, Esq., Cheltenham. - - H. Verrall, Esq., Brighton. - - T. Marriott, Esq., Victoria Street, Westminster. - - S. S. Johnson, Esq., Nottingham. - - ORDINARY MEMBERS - - The Rev. Herbert Kynaston, Principal of the Cheltenham College. - - The Rev. W. Wilberforce Gedge, Malvern Wells. - - The Rev. Dr. Morton Brown, Cheltenham. - - E. T. Wilson, Esq., M.B. (Oxon.), Cheltenham. - - General M’Causland, Cheltenham. - - F. D. Longe, Esq., Cheltenham. - - John Middleton, Esq., Cheltenham. - - T. Morley Rooke, Esq., M.D. (London), Cheltenham. - - Miss Mary Gurney, London. - - Miss Lucy March Phillipps, Cheltenham. - - Mrs. James Owen, Cheltenham. - - Miss Catherine Winkworth, Clifton. - -Much was gained by this remodelling, but the period of uneasy development -was not yet over. One annual meeting which discussed the constitution -of the College appears in private notes made by the Principal for her -_History_ as ‘Bear Garden.’ Reorganisation was seen to be essential. -The College, founded in 1853 as a voluntary association, had by 1880 -grown far beyond the calculations of its founders. Besides the school -buildings and the Lady Principal’s house, it possessed Fauconberg House -and the sanatorium at Leckhampton. To give it a safe legal foundation it -was therefore registered ‘with limited liability’ under the Companies’ -Acts of 1862 and 1867, without the addition of the word ‘limited’ to its -name. New regulations concerning the holding of shares and property—the -appointment of officers—were also made. - - ‘The Shareholders formally renounced all interest on their - shares, and on January 31, 1880, the College was duly - incorporated. On May 1 of the same year, the Lady Principal and - other officials were formally re-elected. - - ‘The new Constitution provided for a Governing Body of - twenty-four Members, of whom eighteen, namely twelve men and - six women, were to be Members elected by the Shareholders, - and the remaining six Representative Members, each holding - office for six years. The six Representative Members were to be - appointed by: (1) The Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol; (2) The - Hebdomadal Council of the University of Oxford; (3) The Council - of the Senate of the University of Cambridge; (4) The Senate of - the University of London; (5) The Lady Principal; and (6) The - Teachers. - -Miss Beale did not often speak of the difficulties which necessarily -she had to meet, as one called upon to direct the development of a -great institution. But she had counsel and sympathy for those who were -similarly placed. Miss Buss wrote thus to Miss Ridley of help she -obtained from her:— - - ‘I had a long and grave talk to Miss Beale, who counsels fight, - but not on any personal ground. She says, “Resign, if there is - interference with the mistress’ liberty of action. That is a - public question, and one of public interest.” She was so good - and loving; she was so tender; and she is so wise and calm. She - told me some of her own worries, and said that sometimes she - quivered in every nerve at her own Council meetings. People - came in and asked for information, involving hours of work for - no result; ignored all that had been done, and talked as if - they alone had done everything and knew everything. She urged - me to try and be _im_personal, so to speak; to remember that - these and similar difficulties would always occur where there - are several people. She said that _women_ were always accused - of being _too personal_, and harm was done by giving a handle - to such an assertion.’[46] - -The first efforts of the new Council to grapple with their task -revealed that one source of difficulty lay in the government of the -boarding-houses. The early founders had foreseen this when, in their -first prospectus, they announced that they would not be responsible for -any houses. Experience, however, soon showed that by this policy, grave -dangers were at the same time incurred. Into Miss Beale’s early struggle -for pupils the question of boarding-houses scarcely entered, though -for the want of them she often had sadly to witness the loss of good -pupils to the College. There were among the day-pupils many children of -Anglo-Indians in England for a time. On the return of these parents to -India, they were forced to make boarding arrangements for the children -left behind. It was not till 1864 that the first regularly constituted -boarding-house was opened under Miss Caines. This was at 24 Lansdown -Place, now joined to No. 25, and known as St. Helen’s. In 1870 Miss -Caines removed to Fauconberg House, the first property purchased by the -College. - -It was only through actual experience that the position of the -boarding-house and its head could be defined. In point of fact, this -situation had to grow and develop according to the requirements of -the College, which as formerly had to constitute precedents and make -experiments. It is but seldom that the details of any great scheme can -be arranged beforehand with deliberate judgment, that all difficulties -can be foreseen, and occasions of conflict avoided. They are more -often worked out by single-minded intention which can endure through -small errors and trifling disputes. The Lady Principal’s position was -rendered more difficult by the tacit opposition of ‘local interest’ to -the extension of boarding-house accommodation. The very existence of the -College had been for many years precarious. Few people in Cheltenham -wished it to become anything more than a suitable day-school for the -sisters of boys at the College. Consequently a lady who took boarders was -regarded with no special favour, and her actions were very often severely -criticised. - -In the difficult work of forming and increasing boarding-houses, mistakes -were made by many. Miss Beale’s own belief in others, her habit of -accepting people at their own estimate, of believing they were what she -wished them to be, of judging character from her wide experience of books -rather than from that of life, sometimes led her astray in her choice -of fellow-workers. She who in her lonely position often felt the need -of sympathy, to which she was ever responsive, was anxious to give it, -even where she could not understand. This made her slow to bring about -a change, lest sufficient opportunity for amendment had not been given. -On the other hand, sometimes she could see that a change should be made -promptly, but as she could not act alone a dangerous delay would ensue. - -At first the position of a head of a boarding-house was little defined, -and it was hard sometimes for a clever, well-intentioned woman, anxious -to do the best for the children in her care, not to regard the work of -the house as primary, that of the College as secondary only. One lady, -who was extremely capable and interested in her work, was ambitious to -make her boarding-house a complete institution in itself, rather than an -integral part of the College. Many of the girls in her charge came as -her own relations or friends; she chose to adopt the position that it -was right for her to decide whether they should be taught at her house -or sent to College, and she denied the right of any one to interfere in -her management. She also claimed the right to take another house for -herself and her own children, where she could receive and entertain her -friends. As soon as Miss Beale’s eyes were opened to the danger of such -independent action, she did not hesitate a moment on the right course to -be pursued with regard to the boarding-house management. She perceived -that in this matter, as in the work of the school, there was no standing -ground between obedience and independence. ‘I am so sorry for Miss -Beale,’ wrote Mrs. William Grey to Miss Buss, ‘and so glad our Council -determined to have nothing to do with Boarding-Houses. I cannot help -thinking that the wisest course for the Cheltenham Council would be to -wash their hands of them, only reserving to themselves, as we have, the -right to refuse pupils from a house they disapprove of. There seems to me -no tolerable alternative between this and the hostelry system.’ - -It may be safely said that never, even in moments of worst annoyance, -did Miss Beale ever propose to ‘wash her hands’ of the boarding-houses. -She felt they should be ‘organically related’ to the College life, a -part of it which she could not do without, one which had in it great -possibilities for extending and strengthening the influence of the -College teaching, one which, neglected, must be an infinite source -of difficulty, by which the standard of the corporate life might be -lowered, and its best work hindered. - -So she persisted, lending her whole mind and strength to help in the -evolution of a system which should be fair to individuals and the best -for the College as a body. In 1890, after she had won her point, she -wrote to Miss Arnold, then head-mistress of the Truro High School, who -had consulted her on the subject:— - - ‘I think I told you that after many years, I have prevailed on - our Council to take the whole risk of the boarding-houses,—the - pecuniary risk is of course very great, and in case of war - or sudden depression, I don’t exactly see how we should meet - it, but one must have risks, and we find the moral risks of - not taking pecuniary ones so great that we decided for the - latter—and indeed we had to pay pretty considerable sums in - law expenses and to get rid of unjust claims too. We could not - _prove_ that these ladies had not lost money, if they said they - had—and if they were bad managers they did perhaps lose—and an - outcry was raised that we ruined poor ladies!’ - -But the difficulties to be encountered on the way to this consummation -were by no means slight, and involved great personal anxiety and pain. It -was especially hard to her that she should be known by her own pupils to -be in opposition to any who had been set over them. It was hard to feel -that many with their partial knowledge of facts must misunderstand her, -or childishly attribute her actions to commonplace motives of jealousy -and love of power. Some part of these difficulties became fully public -in 1882, when the College was involved in a libel case, and a lawsuit -which was settled by arbitration. Exoneration from all blame followed in -both instances. In the arbitration case the judgment was delivered by -Mr. Justice Charles, and placed in a sealed envelope with the injunction -that either party might open it on payment of £350. The Council did not -think it necessary to pay this money. Eventually those who had brought -the action against the College did so, to find that the judgment had been -pronounced against them on every count. It was a victory for the College -and the Principal, but it had not been achieved without great toil and -suffering on Miss Beale’s part. She dreaded the cross-examination with -all the nervousness of a sensitive nature. Speaking of it afterwards, and -of all it had cost her, she ever associated with the pain the remembrance -of the immense help and sympathy she had received from her friend Mrs. -James Owen, then a member of the Council, and would say, ‘Mrs. Owen -said I should not be scorched in the fire.’ She was also upborne by -the loyalty of her fellow-workers, both teachers and boarding-house -mistresses, who signed a joint expression of their sympathy with her in -her time of anxiety. Miss Buss gave more than words of sympathy, she was -present herself in the arbitration-room when the case was tried. When it -was over she wrote to her friend to this effect: ‘Yesterday I made the -personal acquaintance of Miss ——. I fell in love with her because she is -so intensely loyal to Cheltenham and to “dear Miss Beale.” I think if you -could have heard her talk, unknown to her, you would have felt that the -severe trial you have had to go through was more than compensated for by -the love and loyalty it has called out to you and the College.’ - -The increase in the number of the boarding-houses, with their slightly -different characteristics, brought an obvious advantage to the College. -It led the way to still cheaper houses, and to the promotion of that -work so dear always to Miss Beale, helping poor students and training -teachers. Never heartily sympathetic with what is generally called -charitable work, afraid of seeing money given without a really -equivalent return in usefulness and good work, there was one appeal to -which she never turned a deaf ear. Probably she never knew any case of a -girl honestly trying to improve herself, and failing in the effort for -want of means, without trying to help her. Her usual plan was to advance -money, which she found was almost invariably returned to her in the -course of time. She would, wherever it seemed right, ask for its return -on the ground that it might be of use to others, and because she was ever -careful to make those she helped recognise that the possession of money -is a stewardship only. But it was offered and lent and sometimes given -in such a way that there should be no personal feeling of obligation -and debt. ‘There is a loan fund,’ she would say when there occurred a -question of the removal of a promising pupil from the College on the -score of expense. And hardly any one ever heard her say more than this of -the large system of help which she initiated and to a very great extent -sustained alone. Some of the boarding-house mistresses generously took -one girl free, or for very low terms, but the work was quietly done, -known only to few. - -The establishment of scholarships did not fit into Miss Beale’s -educational schemes. She was not wholly opposed to them. One, in 1870, -was accepted for the College, when Colonel Pearce bestowed a gift of -£1000 to found the Pearce Scholarship for the daughter of an army -officer, and Miss Beale in the last year of her life established one for -Casterton. But she had a great horror of a system by which one school or -college could buy promising pupils from others, and she held that it was -hard on earnest students who were not naturally quick to see assistance -given only to ability. ‘I have refused,’ she said at a later period, -‘all scholarships except one, the chief condition of which is poverty. -Three scholarships have been offered unasked, and an endowment for two -prizes, which would have formed a good advertisement, every year, but I -have refused all.’ - -As the College grew, Miss Beale felt more and more the need of a house -where those who were trying to train themselves to be teachers could -board inexpensively, and in 1876 was made that beginning which, as she -said, was ‘full of blessing to the College, and of much use beyond its -bounds.’ This was before the Maria Grey Training College was opened, -and when there was no institution at all in which women could receive -definite preparation for becoming teachers in secondary schools. - -Miss Mary Margaretta Newman, member of a family which had shown itself -sympathetic and interested in Miss Beale’s work from the first, offered -to take a furnished house for a small number of students, to give her -services, and contribute besides £75 a year towards expenses. Miss Newman -had seen, whilst helping Miss Selwyn in her school at Sandwell, how much -some such assistance was needed; how many girls of good social standing -were struggling to obtain the training necessary to fit them to earn -their living as teachers. She therefore provided a home for a few, and -by her quiet, gentle influence supplemented the College work, and won -the affections of her household. ‘What we felt most was the simplicity -with which she gave so much. She seemed unconscious that she was doing -anything remarkable in going to live in a small house, with one servant, -and undertaking all the labour such an economy implied.’[47] - -Miss Newman’s work went on for scarcely a year, for at the end of 1877, -after a very short illness, aggravated by the burden she had willingly -laid upon herself, she died, leaving the work but just begun indeed, -yet full of promise, and rendered by her sacrifice and death a sacred -charge to the College and the Lady Principal. So indeed Miss Beale felt -it to be, and in after years she would remember the life given in the -cause she herself had so much at heart, and would write in her diary on -December 31: ‘I think of Miss Newman’s death. Shall I not follow her -example?’ Then for the first time Miss Beale, who had always maintained -and acted on the principle that the College should earn its own living, -asked for money to buy and furnish a suitable house for girls who could -not afford the terms of the boarding-houses. She could not bear to refuse -the many applications she received from those who were too poor to -help themselves. About £1200 was immediately collected, one half being -contributed by the College staff. - -The work thus begun extended so rapidly that in little more than five -years it was seen to be necessary that it should have a building of -its own, and the trustees who had the management of the funds decided -to build a residential College. This was opened under the name of St. -Hilda’s in 1885. - -The first ten years in the new buildings were a time of larger -development for the College than any other in its history. Miss Beale’s -own active life was also more full, and not less anxious, than it had -ever been. There was never again a time of depression such as the year -1871 had been, when the College seemed to be almost losing ground, when -in the whole course of the year only three fresh pupils entered. But -the rapid increase on every hand of new, good, cheap schools naturally -fed her anxiety at a period when she had to justify to the Council her -constant demand for more classrooms, music-rooms, halls, laboratories. -She saw the immense importance of keeping ahead in these things. Other -schools had endowments or guaranteed capital, the College could only -increase and improve its plant out of the fees paid by the pupils. The -Lady Principal did not wish it otherwise; but the constant remembrance -of this made her very careful in expenditure, and ever desirous that all -individual interest should be lost to sight in regard for the common -welfare. There was something sharper than anxiety to bear over the -boarding-house difficulties and the reconstitution of the Council. So -much patience was needed, so much judgment in decisions, in avoiding -mistakes, in retrieving them when made, that time and thought might well -have been occupied with the care of actualities alone. - -Yet it will not be surprising to some to know that it was just in these -years that her inner life also became more full and more active, and that -she was called upon to go through mental crises of great moment. The -habit of prayer, difficult to maintain in a busy life, was strengthened -by attendance at Retreats; a practice begun in 1877 to be continued -yearly. Reading of every kind, with the exception of fiction, was -diligently kept up, and thought was never more active. - -The intellectual and spiritual struggles of this time permanently -affected Miss Beale’s work and teaching. They cannot be passed over. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -DE PROFUNDIS - - ‘Es sind die, so viel erlitten - Trübsal, Schmerzen, Angst, und Noth, - Im Gebet auch oft gestritten - Mit dem hochgelobten Gott.’ - - THEODOR SCHENK. - - -Dorothea Beale—largely owing to her sensitive nature and high ideals—had -had her full share of the sufferings and disappointments of youth. And -when she had gained the experience and habits of more mature years, -when she had schooled herself to bear, when her position was assured, -when she was free to associate largely with those most sympathetic to -her, her zeal for the best ever caused a pressing sense of effort and -strain. Certain commonplace troubles she had not known, as, for example, -the want of money—a need which in fact she never experienced, and never -really understood in others. And on the whole her health had been good. -She regarded it as one of her first duties to consider this, and except -for the fact that she had an inherent indifference to the character of -the food she ate, the duty was not neglected. But in 1878 she was called -upon to go through a period of weakness and anxiety which limited her -powers for the time. In spite of her great self-control she was obliged -to relax a little, to take more rest, while the effort to preserve that -self-control made her seem, to some who knew nothing of it, hard and -unsympathetic. Very little indeed did she say of what she went through -at this time, because she thought it best for others that she should be -reserved and silent on the subject. The College and Miss Beale seemed to -have a stability which could not be touched or changed, and she knew the -value of this characteristic to her work. Probably no one in the College, -and hardly any one outside it, perhaps none except her sisters and Miss -Clarke, knew how near she was at this time to an absolute breakdown. The -diary, still persistently kept, continued to be little more than a record -of struggle against particular faults; yet here, from an occasional word -and expression, the weariness and anxiety of the time may be gauged. - -The year opened for Miss Beale with a special renewal of effort. Canon -Body’s addresses at a Retreat she attended in Warrington Crescent in -the first days of January were full of inspiration to her. This meant -actively fresh effort, keener self-scrutiny, more watchfulness. ‘I -remember,’ she wrote on January 24, the opening day of College, ‘I -remember with grief the many neglects of the past. Forsake me not, -neither reward me after my deserts.’ - -The next few weeks show a pathetic struggle against a growing sense of -weakness. At first she blamed herself if duty was neglected, then as -she knew herself to be ill, still felt that more might have been done, -refusing to take sickness as an excuse. There are many living who were -at College at this period, and to them the picture of this effort and -suffering going on in the background of all that then seemed unfailingly -vital and positive must have a double interest,—increasing tenderness for -the memory of her who for their sakes was bearing a daily burden of pain, -encouraging to fresh zeal by showing what a brave spirit may do even in -weakness and depression. A few extracts to show this follow:— - - ‘Jan. 26. Nothing of real work done since school, and but - little in the morning. - - ” 31. Inattentive. Spoke unkindly without cause. Irritable. - - Feb. 3. Did not do best for literature class. Felt feeble and - did not try as I ought. - - ” 9. [There] ought to be more industry in writing for - Saturday lectures. The night cometh. - - ” 11. I grieve for the stupid lesson I gave Division III., - because not well prepared. - - ” 14. Still great waste of time. How much have I to - learn in this little time of life left to me. - - ” 15. Too much depressed, feeling I _can’t_. Perhaps more - variety and exercise wanted. Certainly more trust - and energy. - - ” 16. More than one hour wasted in idle thoughts, 5-6 A.M., - and yet I have work for others which I ought to - have thought of, and lessons. I deserve to be left - without help. _Evening._ Not much matter or order - in lessons. Tired and discontented with self. Neglect - of books. More trust and energy wanted. - - ” 26. I have idled away precious time, neglected individual - work. Because my own will is weak, I could - not strengthen [another]. - - ” 27. In bed all day. There are duties still undone, - though I see death near. - - ” 28. Not in College. Much time wasted and [I was] - disobedient to the voice of duty. - - March 1. Still great waste of energy in idle thoughts. Talk - of zeal but no religious work done to-day, though - there are so many individuals I am ever putting off. - - ” 2. Omitted teachers’ class, which with less of idle - thoughts I might have done. - - ” 5. Too exhausted to do much. Give me true contrition - for the past. - - ” 6. Time not well used in afternoon. Letter to Miss - Clarke. - - ” 14. Was ill last night. Almost no individual work. - - ” 15. A little more work for my children to-day. I thank - Thee for some help. May I consecrate time and - energies to Thee. - - ” 17. Have not prayed well for to-morrow—was tired, - but did waste some time. Not attentive enough at - Church.... Surely to-day’s negligence might - humble me! - - ” 18. Rose thirty-five minutes late through carelessness. - - ” 19. Back to College. Shall I patiently resign my work - as soon as He bids? - - ” 20. Evening examination shortened because delayed. - It was not necessary, though I am idle. Ordered - away. Thy will be done. - - ” 21. Sent to Hyde. Forty-seven. (This was her birthday.) - For the grievous neglect of past time enter - not into judgment. Sanctify the future! - - ” 22. Make me ever more constant to resign to Thee - my will. - - ” 23. More ill, so tried to be idle, but did what thought - I could. Vain thoughts of self-pity. - - ” 24. No Church. Have wasted time. Great inattention - at prayer. - - ” 25. Talking, and therefore late, at least half an hour. - Miss Belcher came. - - ” 27. George came. Was ill most of afternoon. Did - nothing. - - ” 28. I thank Thee for hopes of more work. Make me - more restful and faithful. Power of prayer fails. - Grant me the spirit of holy fear. - - April 2. Back at Cheltenham. - - ” 3. I ought to have specially husbanded strength. - - ” 5. Tried, but not successfully, with my Confirmation - children. Feeling too ill to do well. Thy will be - done. - - ” 7. Holy Eucharist. Ill at night. The Lord thy - refuge, and underneath the everlasting arms. - - ” 8. Better class. Was helped. - - ” 13. Not punctual because sleepless. Read Mr. Hinton’s - _Life_ and was helped by it. Confirmation at Christchurch. - _Summary_ [of the term]. Time wasted, idle prayer, - boasting. Intercessions [neglected] because too selfish. - - ” 16. Came to Hyde [for the holidays].’ - -So ended a term of great anxiety. One medical opinion, doubtless referred -to in her diary of March 20, was of such a nature, that Miss Beale -thought she must resign her work at once. At Hyde her sisters persuaded -her to rest and to see another doctor, who took a more hopeful view, -which was wholly justified by her gradual return to health. - -Among the few who knew of this sorrow was the old pupil and friend, -Miss Margaret Clarke. To her Miss Beale wrote from Hyde before she had -received the second medical opinion, and the reply shows, far more than -the diary can tell us, how deep was the gloom which hung over her way at -this time. It might well have been written three years later, when Miss -Beale was called upon to undergo greater suffering than any bodily pain -alone can give, and suggests to those who read it now, that the darkness -of that later time was shadowing her spirit even as early as this. The -interest of it is the greater because it shows another who like Dorothea -Beale, while faithful to her work, unsparing in care and thought for her -children, had been called upon personally to know spiritual anguish. Such -suffering, such loss, such deeper realisation of Divine love as are read -in this letter are surely the portion of those who, having given much and -helped many, are called to some further work of sympathy, needing perhaps -‘heart’s blood.’ - - ‘MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,—Your letter touches me so nearly, and - calls out such true sympathy, that I cannot help yielding - myself to the impulse to answer you, as one who, by her own - experience, knows the pain and suffering you are now passing - through. Last year at this time I was in it, and possibly just - where you are now, where my complete faith in all that was most - dear to me was tested; yes, tested and sifted, till all human - longings and cravings, even those the most lawful, were laid - low; God Himself seemed to draw near, and strip the soul of all - it prized, and was proud of, asking one thing after another - of it, and last of all the heart, whole and unshared, until, - when Good Friday came, it could sympathise with the Crucified, - as it had never done before. Not that all that had not been - done before as I believed, but this was in a way deeper, more - searching than the soul had yet realised. I do not know if I - am making myself clear to you, for it is difficult to put it - into words. It was the unlearning human wisdom, and the getting - ready to be “a little child,” to learn Divine Wisdom, in the - school of the Kingdom of the Incarnate Word. - - ‘And then, when all was yielded, at least in will, then came a - desolation time, which none but those who have passed through - it can know—a living death, as it were; the soul having just - power to cling to the Invisible Cross, and say the Creed, as a - witness perhaps more to itself, that faith was alive, than to - God as an act of faith in Him. I never slept, (I was for) whole - nights awake, (the) brain always at work trying to solve the - difficult problems of God’s wisdom, and circumstances in my own - life, and to find out what _was_ right, what _was_ His Will. At - last I was given a simple faith _blindly_ to give myself to God - for whatever He wished for me. To let go reasonings and what - I thought, etc., and say just as a little child “Our Father” - with intention for what He willed. I did not know what it might - be, but He knew, and I would trust Him, and then I went on to - (think of) that seventeenth chapter of St. John, and claimed - my share in the benefits of that prayer, in the answer that is - ever coming to each separate member of Christ’s Body all along - the years since it was prayed. - - ‘And so, gradually, the passage was made into a nearer region, - a nearer relationship to God, if I may so express myself. But - I must not go on writing in this way. I can only tell you that - what was then only a trembling venture of Faith has become a - substantial reality in the life of the soul; the whole being, - body, soul and spirit being penetrated by it, and the whole of - life transformed by the “sunshine” which makes itself felt, - even through stray clouds, which must come sometimes, and there - is rest and peace in the soul—divine peace. - - ‘Forgive me, dear Miss Beale, for writing in a way I scarcely - ever do to any one. - - ‘I know how impossible it will be for you to rest, but do try - to do so, as long as you can.’ - -After the Easter holidays Miss Beale was much better in health, and -though her work through the summer was carried on with a good deal of -strain and weariness, she was able to do it as fully as usual. The summer -holidays were spent partly at Hyde Court with her mother, and partly at -Cheltenham, and by the end of them she was much rested and again able -to take the walks she enjoyed. The opening day of the autumn term was -September 17. ‘Help me not to disgrace my profession!’ she exclaimed in -her diary of that day. - -Two years after this date Hyde Court ceased to be the regular holiday -home, for in November 1881 Mrs. Beale died. In one of her later letters -to her ‘Principal’ daughter she had written: ‘I hunger to see you, my -darling. You have been so good to me always, your reward will come.’ -Such words of praise are dear indeed when the lips that spoke them are -cold. They were treasured by Miss Beale. But in this bereavement, as in -all times when made conscious of the shadow of death, specially of her -own, she tried to face the mystery with clear-sighted gaze, to realise -sincerely the impression it was meant to produce. She would not let -expressions of comfort and hope, which she welcomed and accepted to the -full, or any brightness brought by the kindness of the living, hide for -her the penitential aspect of death. - -The following fragmentary thoughts seem to come from the very chamber of -death, and were written on the day of the month which was to be the date -of her own death, twenty-five years later:— - - ‘_November 9, 1881._ - - ‘At first death seemed, as I looked at that pale face, simply - terrible—how could I die? This morning I went again and touched - the cold hand, and gazed into the face, so calm and wax-like. - She who had rejoiced over my birth fifty years ago was now - perhaps watching me. Does the spirit linger round its earthly - tabernacle for a while? The memory of old times came back—not - only the love and unselfishness, but the harshness too, the - faults, the sins, I find in myself—surely she feels it now as - the light shines on her. Does she not see herself more as God - sees her? For every sinful word we shall give account. Surely - this sorrow is a purifying fire, and the words are true, if we - would judge ourselves here we shall not be judged. - - ‘Here, where we have partaken together of His Body and Blood, - I kneel near that empty tabernacle—but a spiritual Presence is - with us—purifying us both and drawing us nearer to Him in Whom - living and dead are one. - - ‘Bless and purify our spirits, O Lord, with the dew of Thy - grace, make us gentler and holier. Through the veil we seem to - see Thee nearer. Longing, praying that we may not, as the rich - man, have to feel the burning shame for our unloving spirit, - now that we see His love, His tender, searching eye. - - ‘It becomes to me a sacred chapel, I can scarcely bear to part. - The room is fragrant with the gifts of tender flowers from - loving friends, and there is a peace here abiding in the sense - of God’s continued, loving, healing discipline. “I change not!”’ - -During these years outside interests multiplied. New friendships were -formed; some old ones were strengthened. The College Magazine, the first -definite link forged with old pupils, was begun in 1880. Miss Beale made -more acquaintances outside the College. In London she met many who shared -her educational interests. In Cheltenham she attended, and often read -and spoke at, a small literary gathering called the Society of Friends, -which met from time to time at different houses. The diary becomes full -of reference to Mrs. Middleton and Mrs. Owen. Through Mrs. Middleton -she came to know Mr. Wilkinson’s[48] great evangelistic work in his -fashionable London parish. She often went to hear him preach, read his -books, and showed them to others. Mrs. Owen introduced her to the _Life_ -and philosophy of James Hinton, which made a very deep impression. At -Mr. Owen’s house she met many earnest social workers and thinkers. Among -these was Miss Ellice Hopkins, whose devoted work revived in tenfold -force her early pity for those who need to be ‘found.’ The increasing -vigour of the College life and work was ever bringing in new ideas. Men -who were making their mark as thinkers and teachers of their own special -subjects often came to lecture. Among the most enthralled listeners to -the eloquence of Professor William Knight, to the marvellous fairy-tales -of science told by Professor Barrett, was the Lady Principal herself. -Teachers and educationists of widely different views came to see the work -of the school, often to find that the successful head-mistress who was -able to show them so much was willing and eager to learn from them, and -to see matters from their standpoint. Meanwhile she was reading as widely -and eagerly as ever. - -It was a time when long-accepted opinions were unsettled for many, by new -scientific theories, or by a greater sensitiveness to the mystery of pain -and the apparent indifference of a part of the so-called religious world -in presence of the deepest wrongs and suffering. Dorothea Beale had to -take her part in the special difficulties of her own day. The battle has -been shifted to another ground for this generation, which scarcely knows -what resistance was made, what suffering was endured by some heroic souls -in the last, and at what a price a larger spiritual consciousness was -bought. - -The contact with so many minds, the widening circle of acquaintance with -workers of different views and methods, and especially the appeal for -aid in religious perplexity constantly made by those who came under her -influence, doubtless helped to precipitate that sorrow, which, though in -its acutest phase of short duration, was the sharpest trial Miss Beale -was ever called upon to experience; one on which she never ceased to look -back with horror. She who had said that she ‘could truly take to herself -the words of Faber,’[49] who had been from earliest childhood conscious -of a protecting Presence, and had even then ‘found prayer a joy,’ now in -late middle life felt herself, as it were, cast out. At an age when the -inexperienced questionings of youth were over, when she hoped to find -faith and hope strengthened by knowledge, it seemed for a moment as if -they had died down altogether. - - ‘Nel mezzo cammin di nostra vita - Mi ritrovai per una selva oscura - Che la diritta via era smarrita.’ - -To write of it is to turn a page of soul-history so intimate, and for a -moment so painful, that it may well be thought it should be passed over -in silence. But to omit it would not be wholly faithful to the memory -of one who wished certainly that this story of her inner life should be -known to all who could be helped by it. To tell it, moreover, is to use -her own words, for she wrote of it herself, more than once or twice. -She felt, when she looked back on it afterwards, that she was obliged -to go through this time of suffering in order that she might be better -fitted to do the work given her, in order that others who had lost faith -and hope might be helped to regain them, by knowing how she herself had -passed from destruction and despair to hope and rebuilding. - -The diary of this whole period is more than ever indicative of inward -strife and unrest from which she would not by her own will escape to any -comfort other than the highest. Among the entries, which are for the most -part self-analytical and depressed, it is curious to find this: ‘Letter -from —— Some vanity perhaps in the refusal.’ - -It was an offer of marriage from an old friend. - -Once or twice there is a hint of coming sorrow before she was -conscious what its nature would be. Once, when marking the anniversary -of a friend’s death, she noted herself as ‘perplexed with the -Incomprehensible.’ On June 27, 1881, a year before the darkness closed -in, she wrote: ‘A great dread of coming sorrow, as of a calvary before -me. If some bitter cup is to be poured out, Thy will be done. Only -forsake me not! _Salvator Mundi!_’ - -The new year (of 1882) opened as usual with renewed self-dedication; but -she mentions that she came back to Cheltenham on January 14, after the -annual Retreat, ‘very broken.’ Though a persistent effort to keep up -her religious rule was maintained, the clear shining of faith was much -clouded. One who went to her for help at that time writes of it thus:— - - ‘I went to her in sore trouble at the beginning of 1882, in one - of the overwhelming griefs of extreme youth, when the whole - aspect of life has suddenly changed from a lovely rose-garden - ... to a hideous waste. The very things which made it lovely - seemed to be shining and horrible shams, with undreamed-of - treachery and horror lurking behind everything. It was the - culminating disillusionment to turn to her who had been such - a tower of patient strength all through school-life, and find - _nothing_, no help, no comfort, no explanation, no hope to - give! Yet while there were many at that time whom I could not - endure to see, or do with because of the feeling of betrayal - all round, there was never that with her. It never dawned on my - _mind_ for a moment that she was herself in the horrible mire, - but I understood, I suppose, in my heart. I felt sorry for her - and loved her better than ever before, and I never understood - till now the reason of the tender intimacy of that time, which - lay under the apparent disappointment of finding no help or - comfort where I had made sure of it.’ - -This powerlessness to help those who turned to her in their spiritual -need made more poignant the sense of loss to one who loved to give -freely as a mother to her children. ‘Then others came,’ she wrote -afterwards of this time, ‘and one felt like the starving mother who saw -the babe at her empty breast. I had no simple truths, no milk of the word -to give them that they might grow thereby.’ - -A letter to a friend mentions books which had a destructive effect as -read at this time. It was not Miss Beale’s habit deliberately to read a -book which was likely to disturb or weaken faith. To an old pupil who -once wrote to her of Strauss’s book, _The Old Faith and the New_, she had -replied:— - - ‘_September 1873._ - - ‘I feel sorry you have read Strauss, but, of course, if you - felt it your duty to do so, you _were_ right. Still, I do not - think one is bound to read everything, any more than one is to - listen to all that can be said against all one’s friends. I - mean a person might be ever so good, yet if we were constantly - to listen to insinuations against them, if we were frequently - _with_ those who disbelieved in their goodness, and looked - contemptuous when we trusted, a most well-founded confidence - might result in doubt and distrust. I think we should act in - religious matters as we ought in a case of friendship—refuse - to hear insinuations, but ask for the grounds, arguments—not - let our mind be biassed against our will and better judgment. I - believe with many that these doubts are “spectres of the cave,” - that if we have courage to face them, we shall see them fade - away. But then we must be very much in earnest, spend time and - labour and much thought upon this, as upon other subjects, and - pray for the spirit of truth. I have not read Strauss, I know - the general line of his arguments, but as you say he gives none - here, I need not get the book to meet them.’ - -Now, in this period of doubt and anxiety, books by any whom Miss Beale -thought to be earnest seekers for truth, whether they were orthodox or -not, were freely read. - -The sense of loss and discomfort seems to have grown gradually all the -year. ‘Poor lesson because depressed,’ she notes on a day in February. -A fortnight later in church she was ‘wrestling like Jacob; Tell me Thy -Name.’ Palm Sunday, however, brought some peace. ‘I think I touched His -garment’s hem.’ Each day in that Holy Week she was at an early service -before school hours began, and on Easter Day wrote: ‘This Lent has been -blessed.’ In Easter week she notes that she finished reading Jukes’s _New -Man_, ‘a beautiful book.’ - -But before the holidays were over there was ‘a dread of coming sorrow,’ -a renewed feeling of deadness and want of devotion, only ‘passive -following the inward guide.’ ‘Much troubled this morning,’ she wrote -on Whit-Sunday, and the need for a ‘new life-pulse’ grew larger as the -summer term wore on. Yet she persisted in striving to keep her devotional -rules, and for her apparent want of zeal blamed only herself. At the -end of that busy term, so full of work and interests and anxieties, she -wrote: ‘Be with me in the holidays. I fear them.’ - -Of the suffering of that time she afterwards wrote fully, tracing the -steps by which she was gradually led to think that the historical -evidence on which she thought her faith rested was of no value. An -extract from one account is given:— - - ‘Even if historical evidence were there, it could not be for - all. And was it there? - - ‘No, [only] fragments by nobodies, inconsistent versions. If - God gave a perfect Man, He could not be for an age, but for all - time, and how if His life passed, and we have no writing, only - untrustworthy accounts? Surely, then, the life was worthless - which God did not care to save for us. He stored up coal and - light, our physical life, but He cared not to preserve Jesus, - the spiritual life, He who had been called the Light of the - world. Then it must be a delusion that He was, and God has - deceived us, and we were deceived. The Pharisees were right in - testing His claims. They watched Him on the Cross and there - bade Him cry to the God Whom He had claimed as Father,—and He - cried as the fabled prophet of old, Eli! Eli! and God disowned - Him, and the words followed which proved that He was forsaken, - that the thirst of soul was unappeased and His life was indeed - over. And so the darkness gathered round the Cross, ever - darkening as I listened to the cry. Was God indeed mocking our - hopes? The old pagan vision rose before me. The symbols of - the Christ were confounded with grotesque forms. I could not - utter the Creeds of the Church. Yet strange to say I yet clung - to a consciousness of a Father of the visible. In my troubled - dreams, which haunted me day and night, I still seemed to feel - there was a God, though no voice was heard for me among the - trees of the garden.[50] - - ‘I said I will not give up my trust in God, I must reconstruct. - I will not, as some who have lost faith in Christ and the - eternal, give away the trust in a Father. This I thought - would survive without, but with that (my faith in Christ) - went all belief in the existence of any other. As I listened - to the voice of creation unharmonised by the interpretation - of generous love proceeding from the soul, it seemed simply - horrible: the martyr slowly consuming in the fire, God looking - on, refusing to interfere with natural causes. I had seen this - before, but, as in that beautiful parable of the Septuagint, I - had seen God was with him, and the joy overpowered the pain, - and the true life was purified, and they thanked God in the - fires. Now I saw no immortal hope, no resurrection; all was - dark horror and amazement. No; could I keep belief in a God who - had deceived mankind? Should I trust Him, pray “to Him”?[51] - - ‘For months I read and thought of nothing else; whenever the - pressing claims of work left me for a moment, I felt the light - was gone from my life. Sometimes a deeper sympathy filled - me,—as I seemed like a gladiator standing with my fellows. - _Morituri te salutant._ But generally I felt myself growing - hardened by the want of power to find sympathy in my sorrow, - nor could I pray. I did not often, and when I did, it was one - cry—“Why, why hast Thou left us, O God—without answer to our - cries? Why hast Thou uttered no word of consolation to all the - groans of earth? If Thou hast not heard Jesus, none of us need - pray.” He trusted in God that He would deliver Him, and was - forsaken, and men have waited through the ages, as a little - child would wait, shut up in prison by some cruel father, and - would not at first believe that he was to be starved to death. - And at last they realised that God for them was not,—only the - prison-house He had built, in which they passed away their - lives, in which, like a starving man, they dreamed of palaces - and feasts, the delusions of their fevered brain. - - ‘How that old passage came home to one’s fevered soul,—“the - desert shall blossom as the rose”—as the thought of one’s old - Christian faith came back. What would one not give, I thought, - to believe it true once more! For that lighted up the whole - world, then there were living waters, consolation in every - sorrow, a well-spring of divine sympathy, inexhaustible,—wells - from which one could drink for ever, and pour out of one’s - abundance. - - ‘Sometimes one did look up to the parched heavens, and though - no rain fell, each time there was a little refreshing dew, - as if God were answering when one let Him speak, instead of - running into desert places, crying with Io, forsaken and - maddened by a cruel God. Sometimes the words came then, “I will - see you again.” - - ‘But the vision of green pasture, of waters that would quench - the parching thirst of the desert, it seemed a mirage,—and no - good Shepherd waded out to me in my desert. Sometimes I found - other wanderers, who asked of me the waters, and this seemed to - fill my heart with deeper anguish; like Hagar, I could die in - the wilderness, but I could not see my child die. So I tried to - escape, but I could not, and I was obliged to lift my eyes to - Heaven for their sakes. I did not tell them that what I took - for mirage was real,—I did not try to turn stones into bread, - I could only tell them of what I felt must be the creed of - Goethe, that creation is the garment of God, and these shores - of earth could not be all; there must be something true and - substantial behind the phenomenal. The philosophy of St. John - interpreted by Browning, the consciousness of love in my own - nature, bore witness to the greater love of God. The Spirit - within bore witness that there was a Father of spiritual life, - and therefore that a divine sonship was possible for us. And as - in our desolation we looked up together, it seemed as if the - old truth _was_ coming back to us, but in a new way. Jesus had - taught it, only we had not seen it before.... If we felt the - witness of the Spirit prompting us to cry, Abba Father, and if - there was a Father, this prompting must come from Him. And so - I listened once more for this Voice. And I was not left alone - in the desert, as I waited in my first grief. God sent to me - messengers when I had lain down there in the stupefaction of - spiritual sleep. They offered me angels’ food. I watered it - with tears, but I took it,—I ate it, whilst praying that God - would take away my life,—take it, lest I should tempt others - into the stony desert. Yes, I, who had refused to take others - to the Lord’s Table, because they were faint and hungry, and - in the highways of the world,—I, who had thought it profane, - thought now that my mere hunger gave me a right to come. If He - was indeed there, He might fill the empty cruse with oil. He - might hear me as I said, “We have no wine.” And I remembered as - I dared to come in my unbelief, the words I had been taught, - of the hungry being filled. I thought I had once been of the - mighty and rich, now I knew I was weak and hungry, so I came. - But I saw not the Master, only a stranger whom I knew not, for - my eyes were holden, and I did not recognise Him. - - ‘Oh how often did I pine for death, not but that I could have - taken the suffering. I thought that was possible, if I could - have borne it alone. The grief was to feel that I should - lead others away, whether I spoke or was silent. This only - was right, never to say an untrue word, to teach what truth - I had. But I was pledged like a clergyman. Still I did not - yet know what I thought. I might read a little, for if I must - find Christ was dead, I hoped, begged, God would take my life, - that others might not die through me. With what joy did I see - sickness come, and what disappointment there was when it was - not unto death. - - ‘Sometimes I thought I would take some spiritual opiate,—think - no more, but try to kill self into a state in which probability - should content me. But I could not work nor pray by such - means. And if I could content myself by a sedative, could I my - children? No; I must go on till I could feel the truth of those - words ever recurring to me, “And dying rise, and rising with - Him, raise His brethren, ransomed by His own dear life.” - - ‘In darkness, I thought, “He descended into hell,” and I felt I - would not rise unless I could bring my children too with me. - - ‘What was the state of thought [at that time]? One could only - look and read and see amongst the most intellectual the loss of - hold on Christianity, and with those who believed, one felt it - had been as with oneself, the belief would not bear the strain - that would come; the tints were put on, were not our life - through assimilation.’[52] - -Probably those to whom Miss Beale turned at first realised little of the -distress that prompted her questions. - - ‘I said, “Surely there must be some one who can help where I am - too weak and ignorant,” so I went to a distinguished [teacher] - whom I thought so able and strong, and his concluding words - sounded like a knell. “Nothing can be done.”’[53] - -The darkest hour came during the early days of August when staying with -friends, from whom she vainly hoped to conceal her sorrow. - - ‘At first I was silent, but as I could only weep day and night, - I was obliged to tell them.... They kept me when I could not - pay other visits. Whilst wondering at my misery they tried to - help me by getting [books].’[54] - -It was perhaps some relief—as of one who faces the worst—to note in her -diary each fresh incoming wave of sorrowful thought. - - ‘_1882, August 6, Sunday._ At church. A nice sermon on the - parable of the Unjust Steward. Talk of Newman’s books. J. said - A. had some. I, thinking of J. H. N., asked to borrow. [The - book] proved to be by the brother, F. Newman. - - ‘_Monday, August 7._ Read some [of F. Newman’s book]. Pitied - him much. - - ‘_Tuesday, August 8._ 6 A.M.-8, read more. Miserable. After - breakfast walked alone. No letter. Could not go to dinner. - Terrible neuralgia. Wept nearly all day. - - ‘_Wednesday, August 9._ Awake at 4 A.M. Not up to breakfast. - Decided must write [my resignation]. All is dark. “Such clouds - of nameless sorrow cross, All night before my darkened eyes.” - The light has gone out of the heavens. Why [does] God leave us - without one word, His children orphans? Can He have left us to - delusions? Tears are my meat day and night. I cannot live an - untrue life. If Jesus be what I once believed Him, He would not - wish it. “Every one that is of the truth heareth My Voice.” - Tried to pray harder. Woke [as] in a dreary pine forest with - beautiful ferns. Felt there must be a presence behind them. - Then the trouble revived once more. - - ‘_Thursday, August 10._ Wrote my resignation. May my children - never know this sorrow. Christian teaching spiritualised, as I - have seen it, is the holiest and purest. Their souls need not - be orphaned as mine. [I] cannot stay [with them]. I could not - play the hypocrite, I should hate myself. Without Christ, I - should not be what I was. If I could attempt to go on, which I - could not for a moment contemplate since it is untrue, think if - I were found out, the moral blow for my children. They would - think I had been false when teaching them my deepest faith,—the - joy of my life,—that which made all the suffering bearable, and - all gladness double, the love of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom - I would suffer the loss of all things if I might win Christ and - be found in Him. - - ‘O Lord, Thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived.’ - -The immediate sequel to the story of these few days was told in a letter -to a friend:— - - ‘_August 1882._ - - ‘I was engaged to attend a religious conference at the end of - a week. I did not quite like to give it up, for there might - _possibly_ be some hope of help, though I felt there was - none. My friends begged me to go,—there was just a chance. I - went,—but almost turned back after I had started, for I was so - broken down I could not restrain my tears, and I was ashamed to - be seen. Well, I met there [some] men of powerful mind, leaders - of thought in their different departments, who had gone through - periods of darkness, but had waited for the dawn, and now they - believed.... After two days I told my grief to a sympathising - friend, who was surprised at my wretchedness, and her calm - faith gave me a little calmness too. So the day before we were - to leave I ventured to tell all my trouble to the clergyman - who had invited me. I think I may dare to say that my faith - has come back—not as it was before, but more spiritual; once - more I can say the Creed, and I think I shall be able to teach - again....’ - -The ‘religious conference’ was at Stoke, a little village in Shropshire, -where the rector, the Rev. Rowland Corbet, was in the habit of gathering -some who were earnestly studying the difficult questions of the day. -Miss Beale wrote of these gatherings in the letter already quoted:— - - ‘There are only about twelve staying in the house. No one is - put out of the synagogue for not seeing the truth, and they are - not afraid to ask questions, but none are invited who are not - supposed to be seeking for the light.’ - -That a door to the light was at this conference quickly opened for Miss -Beale may be seen in the letters she wrote, on her return to Cheltenham -after it was over, to the friends who had helped her so much:— - - ‘_August 19, 1882._ - - ‘DEAR MR. CORBET,—I could not say one word of thanks this - morning: I think you understood. - - ‘It is good for us tempest-tossed people to see the restful - faith of the veterans who come to help us. Certainly the old - ship in which I have somehow sailed upon the waves for so many - years is a wreck. I must try to believe He will set my feet - upon a rock. - - ‘Yesterday things began to get clearer: your kind and patient - explanations of the alphabet of the spiritual made me follow - the discussion better afterwards, and I felt I could begin - again to join in the Church’s Creed with a deeper meaning than - before. I suppose one can’t expect to come out of the grave at - once,—but how different is this Saturday from last, it seems - as if some æon had gone by. I don’t know yet what I think, - except that I believe I shall see the light and rise and always - remain, yours very gratefully, - - D. BEALE.’ - -To Mrs. Russell Gurney:— - - ‘_August 27, 1882._ - - ‘DEAR MRS. RUSSELL GURNEY,—I have had such a happy Sunday,—I - can hardly believe it is the same earth that seemed to me - so dead the week before, when I could not go to Church, but - wandered about quite desolate. - - ‘Three weeks ago, if any one had spoken, as I am doing now, I - should have thought it superstitious, and I don’t think it will - be well either for myself or others to speak much of it now, - only to one who, like you, understands—and who helped to take - off the “grave-clothes.” - - ‘I want to use my limbs first, to get back to my old work now, - and see if there is really a new life; I want to see if I can - help some for whom I could do nothing before. - - ‘I am with delightful people. Mr. Webb is just a living picture - of Chaucer’s Good Parson and well known in the scientific - world: his special field is astronomy. He showed us a wonderful - gas-nebula on Saturday night. He quite believes in spiritual - manifestations, and seems to think with Professor Barrett about - the ether. - - ‘I have to thank you much, dear Mrs. Gurney, for your sympathy. - It was such a help to me to be able to speak to you. I meant to - say nothing to _any one_, but I could not help it. The story - of your own vision helped me, as it was something like my own: - it is so much what Browning describes at the end of “Saul,” - when David has realised the Divine love, and feels the living - pulse beating in all nature. Everybody helped me in some way, - but especially Mr. Corbet’s teaching, which seems wonderfully - beautiful. - - ‘I dare say it was the same last year; but different to me, - because I was comparatively satisfied then, not poor and needy - (as I came this time), and therefore ready to understand. - - ‘“I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice”: my text - for to-day.’ - -She felt like one set free from prison, but the newly recovered liberty -was used with caution. ‘You will like to know,’ she wrote to a friend -in the following year, ‘that the fitful gleams of sunlight, which used -to come after the dark night, have become now something like a steady -shining. I was able to get a few quiet days at Christmas, and then first -I began to feel that I should be able to give thanks for this terrible -experience, and the thankfulness has grown ever since.’ - -As she said, the thankfulness grew. But in the very heart of the fire she -had felt no regret, known no complaining. She was willing to suffer, if -by that means she might help the more. On August 15, just a week after -the day she always remembered as ‘Tuesday the 8th,’ she wrote of one -whose calling in life was to teach others: ‘You say he has been reading -sceptical books; I want him to go on doing so. He must know how deep the -questions go, or he will be fighting windmills, as I have done.’ - -It will be asked by what steps the ascent was made, and what the -height from which the new spiritual horizons were discerned; what was -the train of thought which brought back the possibility of saying the -Church’s Creed? The mental process, if it can be disentangled from -an exercise which engaged all the faculties of soul and spirit, was -probably that suggested in the words of Amiel: ‘Chacun ne comprend que -ce qu’il retrouve en soi.’ But the research and the retrieval were not -simply individual and within, they involved the scrutiny of widespread -religious instincts, cravings and needs. They were aided above all by -the contemplation of martyr deaths and martyr lives, which in their -continuous and abiding witness to the faith are seen to constitute a -claim to authority. - -Miss Beale herself strove to show how the doubting spirit was silenced by -an answer of faith, in a little paper called ‘Building,’ which is dated -September 8. Here she wrote:— - - ‘Sweep away external proofs, we must believe in a God and in - His love. - - ‘We see He speaks to His children through the wondrous language - of Nature, drawing them to His Heart and teaching ever new - trust through it. - - ‘He shows His Father Heart in the love of the human, - ignorant,—for the child. - - ‘In all ages He has made man feel His Presence in the heart and - yearn after Him. - - ‘There is a long witness down the ages that to those who long - for His Presence and follow holiness, He gives the great reward - of His conscious sympathy, speaking in their hearts, so that - they know it is His Voice. In different ages, in different - ways, as men need the language they understand. - - ‘To Abraham and the prophets, to Socrates, to Buddha teaching - the Karma, to Moses the divine writing,—to saints who sought - Him in later times. - - ‘Why impeach the testimony of Christendom as to the - Resurrection, if it is what we must believe in, if it is just - the good news for which the world was then dying? We know Paul - and John believed it, and men believed them then; and the - miracle of the Christian Church which is before our eyes, and - the teaching of the Christ is found to be the food of the soul, - and in prayer as men drink it in, they hand on Sacramental - life, which is its own witness. We want that! - - ‘We can believe that for some inscrutable reason the Eternal - educates His children in time. - - ‘Perhaps we have to go through these depths of blankness that - we may not bottle up the spiritual to one time or church or - country, but believe God is really eternal, omnipresent; that - He does dwell with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, - and who trembles at His Presence felt in the darkness. We have - to learn to see the Spirit of Christ dwelling in each man, - regenerating him to the true and higher life. - - ‘We have to see it is God’s method to work through the - man,—therefore the treasure is in earthen vessels,—the light is - dimmed by the medium. But if it were given whole and complete - by angels, the moral nature could no more be drawn out than the - intellect could have been, had God revealed the kalendars and - Kepler’s Laws. - - ‘So through the Man Christ Jesus, Who emptied Himself ere He - could speak to man, Who, as His wondrous teaching, life and - resurrection testify, stood in some different relation to God - than other men, God has spoken to the whole world.’ - -Another paper of this period, entitled ‘Of my Religious Opinions,’ -concludes thus:— - - ‘Yes, it was this. The consciousness of a universal life of - God in man which lifted me up once more to see God in Christ, - to see the New Man coming to the birth in all for whom Christ - lived, and the whole world existed that this might be, that the - whole being of the creature might be lifted into responsive - sympathy with a sympathetic Father, and those followers of - Christ Who was ever preaching the religion of Humanity were to - lift the imperfect yet real Church of Christ to a higher life. - Upon a world which seemed dead, which no prophet staff could - restore, they were to stretch themselves, heart to heart, their - own warm palpitating life was to rouse, and the power of love - could raise the dead. We must learn that old lesson that no - creature is common or unclean. We must enter as never before - into the full meaning of the Name by which God was known to - Abraham—I AM,—the Eternal. Ours has been a God of time, He is - the Living God, lighting every man that cometh into the world. - But here, light is struggling with darkness. There shall be no - night there in that day dawn beyond the tomb. - - ‘Have you not been taught that the written word is imperfect - without the heavenly interpretation, and does not your own - experience confirm this, and the history of the records of the - Christ bear it out? Enough we have as a foundation, but we must - build thereon, or there will be no home for our soul. This is - the method of God, revealing to us that we can only _help_ one - another. God must _teach_ us all. They shall be all taught of - God, here and hereafter. - - ‘Here the phenomenal and the imperfect is the only possible - revelation to man, but through these he is being educated for - the real, the actual. He will one day know God.’ - -The writer of these words might indeed have sung, ‘Thou hast set my feet -in a large room.’ But the daily journal shows no trace of exultation, -far less of relaxing watchfulness. It is surely impossible to exaggerate -the importance of the jealous care with which devotional rules were -guarded. More than all the high thoughts and noble imaginings with which -she was so wonderfully gifted, this lifelong obedience came to her aid -in the great crisis. Habits of prayer, daily acts of self-sacrifice and -self-consecration, had been maintained even when their meaning seemed to -be clouded. When sight was restored, when a greater sense of spaciousness -came into her life, they were there to protect her in the newly found -liberty. The tale of them remains to show that the doubts of this dark -year were akin to that thirst for God which in all ages has been the -portion of the saints. - -May it not be said that they were the outcome of a passionate desire to -help; that this descent into darkness as of the grave was necessary to -one who yearned to give herself utterly to aid others to find the way to -the light? ‘Can ye drink indeed?’ was asked of those who willed to share -the divine work and joy, and in all times it has been given to a few to -be brought through suffering into that region of consciousness in which -they are made ‘able.’ - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE GUILD - - ‘We have a picture which gives the ideal of a College—the - Golden Staircase—whence each should go forth into the great - world carrying some beautiful instrument with which to utter - the music which is in her heart.’—D. BEALE, Guild Address, 1894. - - -Miss Beale’s circle of influence definitely widened beyond the College -itself in 1880 when the first number of the Magazine appeared. It opened -with a characteristic introduction from the Lady Principal, who up to her -death remained the editor. - -The Magazine was started, said Miss Beale, in order that past and -present members of the College might enrich each other by interchange -of thoughts. Mere information concerning the temporary doings of one’s -friends was a secondary consideration, the value of which was, however, -fortunately seen by sub-editors and others. A column of births, deaths, -and marriages became established in the Magazine as early as the second -number. This naturally in time developed in interest. The obituary column -came to include all who had the slightest connection with the College; -newspaper accounts of those who were in any way distinguished were also -added. - -In 1887 the first Chronicle of passing events belonging to the College -and its old members was inserted, though the space for it was grudgingly -afforded by the editor, who could not bear to limit her space for the -budding ideas she loved to foster. Soon, however, she came to value what -was practically a contemporary history of the College, and as her pride -in her old pupils increased with years, it became a great pleasure to -notice all their doings in varied walks of life. Engaged in philanthropic -work, in literature, in art or society, they were all of interest to her, -and not among the least dear were those whose homes lay in foreign parts, -those closely connected with the diplomatic service and the growth of the -British Empire.[55] The Chronicle was a portion of the Magazine sure of -finding readers, but there was no page more welcome to all than the brief -but pithy preface in which the editor named the chief contents, touched -on some matter of note to the readers, or urged forward the lagging -subscriber. - -As the College interest widened with the ever-increasing number of old -pupils, the Chronicle became too limited a record to stand alone. When -the Magazine was about seventeen years old ‘Parerga’ appeared for the -first time, telling of activities which lay outside the immediate scope -of College work, yet were due in part to the influence of the Alma Mater, -to ‘the spiritual force, the higher volition and action.’ Miss Beale, -who found in the Magazine a strong link with her large scattered family, -also in later years freely printed letters she received from various -members abroad. She did not care much for articles on travel, writing on -one occasion that she received too many descriptions, and would like in -their place to have more records of observation in the fields of natural -history and other sciences. But she treasured letters, and showed them -widely. Indeed, it was sometimes startling for the writer of a private -letter to Miss Beale to find whole extracts published in the Magazine for -all the world to see. - -Almost from the beginning there were reviews of books. These were -generally written by the editor. There were also notices of books by old -pupils. Of these Miss Beale was proud, and she never failed to mention -them, often reprinting portions of reviews by the press; but she would -not review them herself, saying, ‘Books by old pupils claim our _notice_; -we must leave criticism to those less interested in the writers.’ - -Fortunately Miss Beale was not content with merely reviewing and editing. -Many a number of the Magazine contained a long contribution from herself, -such as an article reprinted from another periodical, an address given -at a gathering of old pupils, or at some more general meeting. The first -two editions of the _History of the College_ were also printed here. Of -her articles which were not of special College interest, the most notable -were those upon Browning. One of these, written in spring 1890, shortly -after the poet’s death, contains a brief clear statement of the value of -his philosophy. The other writers of the Magazine have been chiefly old -pupils, some of whose names, as, for example, those of Jane Harrison, -Beatrice Harraden, Bertha Synge, May Sinclair, are known in wider -fields of literature. But any who made a sincere effort were welcomed, -encouraged, and—edited. Present pupils have rarely written, but of late -an attempt has been made to secure more contributions from these. Members -of the Council, and others connected with the College by the ties of -friendship or work, frequently helped the Magazine with papers or -verses. For years every number was enriched with a poem or article from -the pen of Mrs. James Owen, that friend whose keen intellectual interests -and strong sympathy were put so largely at Miss Beale’s service when this -literary venture was first made. - -To find contributors Miss Beale went even beyond the outer circle of the -College. ‘We always hope to have some good writing in our Magazine, thus -to maintain a high standard,’ she had said at the beginning. She liked -to gain the notice of those who were eminent in literature or science -for this dearly loved literary child, and as occasion brought her in -contact with any who were distinguished for the things she appreciated -she would send them the Magazine, often asking for a paper. Letters -from people of widely differing thought and position, acknowledging the -receipt of the Magazine, are now in the College archives. They vary in -warmth and interest. The late Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol wrote in -1889: ‘However busy I may be, I always find time to read portions of -[the Magazine], and I am always thankful to recognise not merely the -cultivated, but the wise and—what we men specially value—the womanly -tone that characterises it. I read with much interest your article on -the Sorbonne gathering.’ Bishop Westcott in 1890 wrote, on receiving -the number containing Miss Beale’s ‘In Memoriam’ article on Browning: -‘May I confess that when the copy of the Ladies’ College Magazine -came this morning with the letters, my correspondence was at once -interrupted? I felt constrained to read your words on Browning, just and -wise and helpful and suggestive.’ Some notes are little more than the -acknowledgment of a polite friend who had ‘already cut the pages.’ The -request for contributions was not always granted; sometimes it was won -by a little importunity. It brought about rather an amusing incident with -Mr. Ruskin, whose letters on the subject and on some of Miss Beale’s own -Magazine articles are too characteristic to be omitted. - -Miss Beale sent him the number containing her paper on ‘Britomart.’ He -replied at once:— - - ‘_March 12, 1887._ - - ‘Have you not yet to add to your Britomart, at p. 219, - due justification of Feminine—may we not rather call it - Disguise—than Lie? And, for myself, may I say that I think - Britomart should have sung to the Red Knight, not he to - Britomart.—Ever faithfully yours, - - J. RUSKIN.’ - -Five days later he wrote:— - - ‘But I much more than like your essay on Britomart. - - ‘I am most thankful to have found the head of a Girls’ College - able to do such a piece of work, and having such convictions - and aspirations, and can only assure you how glad I shall be to - find myself capable of aiding you in anything.... I trespass - no further on you to-day, but have something to say concerning - ball-play as a Britomartian exercise, before saying which, - however, I will inquire of the Librarian what _ground_ spaces - the College commands, being so limited in its bookshelves.—And - believe me, ever your faithful servt., - - JOHN RUSKIN.’ - -Miss Beale replied to this by sending her paper on ‘Lear,’ to which came -this response:— - - ‘_March 22, 1887._ - - ‘I am entirely glad to hear of the Oxford plan, which seems - faultless, and am most happy to get the King Lear, though I - hope you have never learned as much of human life as to be - able to read him as you can Britomart. What I want to know is - whether Cordelia was ever so little in love—with _any_ body, - except her Father.’ - -Two days later came the following:— - - ‘_March 24, 1887._ - - ‘I have been reading your Lear with very great interest. It is - one of the subtlest and truest pieces of Shakespeare criticism - I ever saw, but just as I guessed—misses the key note. You - never enter on the question what it is that drives Lear mad! - And throughout you fall into the fault which women nearly - always commit if they don’t err on the other side,—of always - talking of love as if it had nothing to do with sex.... I - am extremely glad to note your interest in and knowledge of - music.—Ever faithfully and respectfully yours, - - J. RUSKIN.’ - -After this letter there was a pause in a correspondence which had been -kept up pretty briskly on various subjects. In June, however, Miss Beale -wrote again,—the purport of her letter may be gathered from the answer. - - ‘_June 8, 1887._ - - ‘I never have been ill this year; the reports you heard or saw - in papers were variously malicious or interested. But I have - been busy, in very painful or sorrowful business—at Oxford or - at home—nor even in the usual tenor of spring occupation could - I have answered rightly the different questions you sent me. - Especially, I could not tell you anything of your paper on - Lear, because I think women should never write on Shakespeare, - or Homer, or Æschylus, or Dante, or any of the greater powers - in literature. Spenser, or Chaucer, or Molière, or any of the - second and third order of classics—but not the leaders. And you - really had missed much more in Lear than I should like to tell - you. - - ‘I really thought I had given the College my books—but if I - haven’t, I won’t—not even if you set the Librarian to ask me; - for it does seem to me such a shame that a girl can always give - her dentist a guinea for an hour’s work, and her physician for - an opinion; and she can’t give me one for what has cost me half - my life to learn, and will help her till the end of hers to - know. - - ‘Please go on with your book exactly as you like to have it. - I have neither mind nor time for reading just now.—Ever most - truly yrs., - - J. RUSKIN.’ - -Mr. Ruskin permitted the reprint of a few extracts from his own writings -in the Magazine, on which his criticism as a whole was not very -encouraging. One of his letters, indeed, called forth a protest from Miss -Beale, to which he replied thus:— - - ‘_June 15, 1887._ - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—I am grieved very deeply to have written - what I did of your dear friend’s verses. If you knew how full - my own life has been of sorrow, how every day of it begins - with a death-knell, you would bear with me in what I will yet - venture to say to you as the head of a noble school of woman’s - thought, that no personal feelings should ever be allowed to - influence you in what you permit your scholars either to read - or to publish.’ - -And again a few days later:— - - ‘BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE, _June 19, 1887_. - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—So many thanks, and again and again I ask - your pardon for the pain I gave you. I had no idea of the kind - of person you were, I thought you were merely clever and proud. - - ‘These substituted verses are lovely.—Ever gratefully (1) yrs., - - ‘J. R. - - ‘(1) I mean, for the way you have borne with my letters. You - will not think it was because I did not like my own work to - have the other with it that I spoke as I did.’ - -Mr. Shorthouse also once contributed to the Magazine, sending a little -story called ‘An Apologue.’ - -The work entailed by the Magazine was, on the whole, pleasant and -interesting to its editor. But she was grieved sometimes if she thought -old pupils did not appreciate it, or if contributions fell short. It was -not always easy to get enough articles of the kind she desired, and the -difficulty was increased by the severe censorship she exercised. ‘About -one hour wasted in fretting over Magazine,’ runs the diary of April 2, -1891. - -The Magazine was not without its faults. ‘How bad the best of us!’ -says _Punch_, according to Ruskin. But it had the conspicuous merit -of offering encouragement to young writers, of promoting a spirit of -unity, and fostering sympathetic interest among those whose lives were -necessarily far apart. ‘We hope,’ Miss Beale had said in her first -preface, ‘that the papers on work may be helpful in suggesting ways of -usefulness.’[56] This hope was practically realised. How far the young -writers profited by each other’s thoughts can be less easily gauged; -but doubtless some learned at least one lesson the Magazine was meant -to teach, that if they intended to work, they ‘must not shrink from the -hardest and most fruitful work, i.e. _thinking_.’[57] - -Miss Beale’s influence was again extended in manifold and ever-developing -ways when, in 1883, the first meeting of former pupils was held in the -College. - -At this date the number of regular pupils was five hundred. Only six -years before a proposal had been made to limit the numbers to three -hundred, but each year saw an increase, and a consequent addition to the -ranks of those who carried the influence of the College into the larger -world outside. - -It had been felt for some time by the Principal and others to whom the -College was dear, that an association of old pupils should be formed, but -of what nature and name could not be determined without a representative -meeting. A suitable occasion for this presented itself in 1883, which -was a sort of Jubilee year for the College, Miss Beale having then been -its Principal for twenty-five years. Many old pupils expressed a wish -to mark the great occasion by a personal gift to Miss Beale; she, as -was to be expected, asked that it might be given to her ‘husband,’ the -College. It was a moment of almost unsullied prosperity, as could be -seen by the buildings which were constantly growing more stately and -suitable. In the previous year they had been much enlarged, and the -whole College life benefited by the addition of the Music and Art wing. -The old music-rooms were little better than cupboards, the new ones -contained light, air, and space, as well as the necessary pianoforte. The -first drawing-room was but an insufficient classroom, in which a cast of -any size could not be placed. The new studio was spacious and properly -lighted. Both additions at this period spoke of Miss Beale’s method in -educational development, also of the order in which her own full mental -life unfolded. First she would have the exact, the severe, the discipline -of grammar and rule, then the expansion of beauty in thought and symbol. - -And the gift of the old pupils could not have been better chosen. It -took the form of an organ for what was then the largest hall, the First -Division Room. Here the daily prayers of the three divisions took place. -Sir Walter Parratt settled the specifications for the organ, which was -placed above the Lady Principal’s dais. - -The choir, which up to this time had been dependent on the aid of a -harmonium, was augmented and improved, and the daily music at the school -prayers became a feature of College life in which Miss Beale took -delight. Occasionally her directions to the choir were embarrassing. She -liked music to be very _piano_, and required a great deal of expression -to bring out the full meaning of the words sung. - -Mr. Ruskin was also momentarily interested by it. He was as suggestive -and dogmatic on the subject as on any other that he touched. Once he -wrote to Miss Beale, ‘All music properly so called is of the Celestial -Spheres. It aids and gives law to Joy, or it ennobles and comforts -Sorrow.’ On hearing of the organ and ‘girl-organist,’ he hoped ‘to be -able to work out some old plans with her,’ and unfolded them thus:— - - ‘I think _you_ may be willing to help _me_ in the plan chiefly - for the last four or five years in my mind, of getting a - girls’ choral service well organised in a college chapel. The - most beautiful service I have ever heard in any church of any - country is that of the Convent of the Trinità at Rome, entirely - sung by the sisters, unseen; and quite my primary idea in girl - education—peasant or princess, is to get the voice perfectly - trained in the simplest music of noblest schools. Finding your - organist is a girl, and that she is interested in the book on - Plain Chant I sent her, it seems to me my time has come, and I - am going to write to Miss Lefevre at Somerville, Miss Gladstone - at Newnham, and Miss Welch at Girton, to beg them to consider - with you what steps they could take to this end. If _you_ could - begin by giving enough time for the training of the younger - girls, I think I could, with that foundation, press for a more - advanced action in the matter at Cambridge and Oxford.’ - -Miss Beale obviously replied to this with some questions about the -training of the choir, for Mr. Ruskin’s next and rapidly following letter -closes thus:— - - ‘As for the choir, nothing is necessary but a due attention - to girls’ singing, as well as their dancing. It ought to - be as great a shame for a girl not to be able to sing, up - to the faculty of her voice, might I say, as to speak bad - grammar. You could never rival the Trinità di Monte, but could - always command the chanting of the psalms with sweetness and - clearness, and a graceful Te Deum and Magnificat.’ - -Besides the organ, Miss Beale’s wedding gifts included the first light of -a stained-glass window above the new grand staircase. This was drawn by -Miss Thompson, and executed by Clayton and Bell. Miss Beale herself chose -the subject for the whole—a series of scenes from her beloved story of -‘Britomart.’ - -Over and above the opening of the new buildings, and the installation of -the wedding gifts, there was in the early part of the summer term some -excitement and much pleasant sense of preparation for the gathering of -old pupils fixed for the 6th and 7th of July. - -Then, into the midst of the glad anticipation, came as with transcendent -suddenness Mrs. Owen’s death on June 19. Hers was indeed - - ‘a spirit that went forth - And left upon the mountain-tops of death - A light that made them lovely.’ - -But for many the happiness of the coming meeting was marred, most of all -for her in whose honour it had been largely arranged. Miss Beale made no -change, but went through all the proceedings as they had been planned, -dwelling never for a moment on her sense of bereavement and loss, but -speaking calmly even in public of the life that had passed out of sight. - -The first meeting, on the evening of July 6, was a conversazione in -the Upper or Second Division Hall. An unexpectedly large number of old -pupils were present, and on the next day at the ordinary College prayers -Miss Beale gave what was practically the first Guild address. Though -made on an occasion of so much personal interest and gratification to -herself, this address was remarkable not only for the piercing insight -with which she ever penetrated below what was apparent or obvious, but -also for what, for want of a better word, must be called its soberness. -Touched, emotional as the speaker always was, keenly alive to the sense -of union and communion with all lives that in the highest sense had come -in contact with her own, happy in recognising the College to be a step -by which souls might ascend out of mere material interests, marking with -joy its noble work in the progress of the ‘higher education’ of women, -she chastened all excess of feeling by the calm sincerity with which she -could contemplate ‘Even in the green, the faded tree.’ ‘Schools too,’ she -said, ‘like the members of which they are composed, have their period -of growth, manhood, and decay. Some tell us the first is over for us, -and that we, too, have settled down into vigorous manhood. I am not so -sure that we have quite done with growth, even in the outside body; but -however that may be, I trust there is that among us, which is not even -like the most substantial building, not like the outward form, liable to -decay and death.’ - -Thus quietly she spoke, marking for all that heard her that there was no -commonplace elation or poor ambition in her thoughts and feelings for -her school. On this really momentous occasion for the College, when its -members as a whole were summoned to catch a glimpse of all it could be -of help and blessing in a far larger world than its own, the Principal -spoke less of work accomplished than of growth, and ‘the silent witness -of a beautiful life as a power to bless.’ She said less about the gifts -with which the College had been enriched, than of some visible sacraments -of Nature with which these gifts should bring them into touch. She dwelt -specially on the great meanings of music. ‘In the Psalm of Life each is -necessary to the perfection of that glorious music, which we shall hear -and understand when the discords of earth have been resolved.’ - -In conclusion Miss Beale sketched the possibility of an association of -old pupils, such as already existed in some boys’ schools, and was not -wholly unknown among girls. ‘When I read of meetings of old Etonians, -Rugbeians, Marlburians, and of works undertaken by them in common, and -know how strong is the tie of affection which binds many of our old -pupils to their Alma Mater, I have often wished there were some means of -uniting us into an association.’ She named also the uses and aims of such -an association. It is needless to say that though its members strive to -bear in mind the objects their Principal and President put before them, -rules, precisely to embody them, could not be framed. - - ‘Members should consider themselves united together to help - in sustaining, especially in distant countries, as high an - intellectual and social standard as possible, first amongst - those of their own class. Thus reading societies, mutual - improvement societies, libraries, etc., would be helped on - by them. They would bear in mind the College motto, “Let no - man think or maintain that a man can search too far or be too - well studied in the Book of God’s Word, or in the Book of - God’s Works; but rather let men endeavour an endless progress - and proficiency in both; only let men beware that they apply - both to charity and not to grovelling; to use and not to - ostentation.”[58] Some articles of their creed would be—(_a_) - that influence radiates from a centre, and hence it is a duty - all through life to continue one’s own education; (_b_) that - the nearer we stand in intellectual and social position, - the stronger are our ties to any, and the greater are our - duties; (_c_) that the worst thing one can do with any talent - one possesses is to bury it. Rules would have to be framed - concerning admission.’ - -Miss Beale added that secretaries to the proposed association had already -been appointed: Mrs. Ashley Smith for the general work and organisation, -Miss Flora Ker as local secretary. This announcement of her appointment -to what proved to be a very strenuous work was the first suggestion that -Mrs. Smith received that she should even undertake it. In an article in -the next Magazine Miss Beale unfolded her plan more fully, suggesting a -few rules. She proposed further that the badge of the association should -be a little brooch engraved with a figure of her beloved Britomart. - -The idea of a guild of old pupils was eagerly received, and a committee -at once formed to deal with its organisation. In all these arrangements -Miss Beale showed great strength of mind and self-control in being able -to stand aside and let others work out the details of the scheme, even -submitting her own judgment to that of the younger ones, whom she thought -called upon to do the work. Yet she was in a true sense President of the -Guild, guiding and directing where she would not command. Indeed, this -ever-growing society which multiplied interests for her was largely her -own inception, at a time when her special work, the College, was also -increasing rapidly. The power of mind which could keep the right hold on -both is certainly rare. - -The first committee consisted of associates of the College and a few -other old pupils. Meetings were held to draw up the organisation of the -new society, and this was made known at large in a delightful article -by Mrs. Ashley Smith in the Magazine for spring 1884. In this the -writer adventured far enough into the future to be able to suggest the -possibility, at no very distant date, of some corporate work, ‘such as -is done by many boys’ schools,’ but in 1884 the time for this had not -arrived for Cheltenham girls. - -[Illustration: _The Lower Hall, Ladies’ College Cheltenham_ - -_from a photograph by Miss Bertha Synge._] - -The second large gathering of old pupils, which took place on July 8 -and 9, 1884, is always reckoned as the first meeting of the Guild, the -association being on that occasion formally founded under the name of -‘The Guild of the Cheltenham Ladies’ College.’ It is interesting to -note that what then seemed a large gathering really included less than -eighty former pupils of the College; ten years later, at the fourth Guild -meeting, there were nearly five hundred, and the number has increased -ever since. The daisy was chosen as an emblem for the Guild: its choice -and its significance were explained by the President in her address on -Saturday, July 9. In a second address at this time, given after the -candidates for Guild membership had received their ‘Masonic sign,’ Miss -Beale dwelt chiefly on the practical questions arising out of the -existence of the new association. She spoke of the difficulty of decision -among the many opinions which must necessarily exist in a large college; -she hoped that ‘whatever decision might finally be arrived at, all would -cheerfully submit to it, and if their own individual tastes were not in -every case gratified, would find their satisfaction in giving up their -own wishes for the sake of the majority. She herself had had to submit, -she hoped cheerfully, to an adverse vote.’ The rules were then read. Of -these it is sufficient to say here that they made it difficult for any -one whose life was spent in a mere pleasure-seeking spirit to be a member -of the Guild. The rules were accepted for two years, and two courses of -study were suggested for junior members. - -In the year following these meetings, Mrs. Ashley Smith wrote an article -for the Magazine on the reports received from various members and on the -general working of the Guild, which by the end of 1885 numbered nearly -two hundred members. This is now an old story, nor is there anything -specially remarkable in the many details of work in Sunday-schools and -coffee-clubs. Yet even at the time when the Guild, compared with its -present self, looked little more than ‘seven maids with seven mops,’ the -tale of individual work done shows that already much quiet persistent -effort was being made by Miss Beale’s old girls. This association, -founded on principles rather than rules, was indicative of its origin in -a mind which habitually dwelt rather on _being_ than _doing_. The small -beginning, the gradual steady growth, the outcome of ideals and thoughts, -were consistent with the whole of the College history. And to re-read the -story of the foundation of the Guild is to remember once more how many -quiet, unobtrusive, untiring workers have helped to make that history. -In especial, the immense work and patience of the secretaries can -perhaps never be adequately recognised: the labour of merely reading and -tabulating the reports was considerable. - - ‘The General Secretary,’ wrote Mrs. Ashley Smith on one - occasion, ‘on receiving the reports enters under more than - sixty different headings the occupations of all the Guild - members. It will be easily understood that the task of reducing - to order and collating a chaotic mass of miscellaneous - information on all subjects, from the keeping of poultry to the - study of Hebrew, from making the beds to organising institutes, - is not a very simple affair, and that therefore an immense - saving of time and trouble is effected when the proper form is - used, and it does not become necessary to wade through a letter - full of apologies and exculpatory remarks, before one can - arrive at the gist of the report.’ - -On another occasion, after enumerating the different charitable and -self-improving societies to which Guild members belonged, she said: - - ‘It almost gives one a headache to read this long list - of occupations; and when at the end, hoping for a little - breathing space, we come to an “odd minute society,” it - puts the finishing touch to the bewildering sensation - of restless activity, and one begins to wish for a - “Sit-down-in-peace-and-calm-yourself Society.”’ - -The reports, a matter of obligation to the junior members of the -Guild, were often looked over by the President, who would surprise the -secretaries by her detailed knowledge of the home surroundings and -characters of girls whom she hardly knew by sight. ‘What is so-and-so -doing now?’ she would ask, and on being told, would say, ‘She ought to -be doing more,’ or ‘less,’ and perhaps make some other criticism. Not -less surprising was her memory of former discussions. ‘She never forgot,’ -writes Mrs. Griffith, ‘what had been said. Sometimes she began again, -continuing the conversation just where we left off, after a three months’ -interval.’ - -The secretaries were also impressed by the way in which the President -held herself bound by its smallest rules. Miss Helen Mugliston, who -succeeded Mrs. Griffith as General Secretary in 1898, said Miss Beale -was ‘perfect to work under. Having given you the task, she gave also her -absolute trust and support throughout the whole of it.’ - -The second meeting of the Guild was held in June 1886, lasting from a -Friday evening to the following Tuesday morning. The President’s opening -address dealt with work and duty. This year, for the first time, the -Guild was also addressed by an outside speaker, the Dean of Gloucester. -Mrs. Ashley Smith, in summing up her impressions of the gatherings of -this year, rejoiced in the interest the members took in the proceedings. -‘We cannot,’ she added, ‘certainly be accused of a servile unanimity -in opinions or in the expression of them; but I hope we are united in -underlying principles.’ - -It was not until two years later that the sense of fellowship was -strengthened, and the individual desires to help others directed by the -resolve to organise a corporate work, a work in which not only all Guild -members might help according to their opportunities, but in which also -all old pupils and others connected with the College might be invited to -join. This was formally proposed at the Guild meeting of 1888, and an -idea as to what shape it might take was thrown out in a paper then read, -which told for the first time something of what Miss Beale had done by -means of the Loan Fund. - -To say that Miss Beale wished the corporate work to be of such a nature -as to carry on that which she had long been doing for impecunious -students, but feebly expresses what was really an earnest desire and -hope. The claim she had upon the Guild, the importance that must attach -to her lightest wish, was recognised; and yet,—yet, many felt that there -were stronger reasons still why another kind of work should be chosen. -Consequently no decision could be made at once, and those who had heard -and discussed the paper parted after merely voting that the Guild -‘should undertake some corporate work.’ Among so many workers there were -necessarily many ideas; the question was too important to be hastily -decided, and it was resolved to give time for suggestions to be made -and considered before anything final was done. The Committee appointed -to consider these reduced them to three schemes of work, on which all -members were asked to vote. These were:— - - 1. A scheme for educating at College a few pupils who were - worthy of education, but unable to pay the fees. - - 2. A scheme for taking over an elementary school in order to - work it through teachers who had been trained in College. - - 3. The third scheme, which was carried, was submitted to the - Guild in these words: ‘That the corporate fund be devoted to - starting and supporting a mission in one of our large towns, - the place to be decided by the votes of the Guild Members.’ - -It was but natural that President and members should have different ideas -on such an occasion. Dorothea Beale, who had never ceased to hear and -obey the call she had received as a girl to help women, and with them the -race, by means of improved education, longed to see those she had taught -and trained freely sharing with others the very same advantages they had -received. The difficulties which beset her own youth were still fresh in -her mind. The need for good teachers still existed. She had seen the work -she wanted the Guild to take up in operation for years, knew that it did -not pauperise, that it blessed giver and receiver, and was increasingly -fruitful, like good seed in good ground. On the other hand, she had a -profound suspicion of much charitable work of the day, thinking that -‘it will quickly perish because it does not aim at developing energy, -inward power. To do for others what they ought to do for themselves is -to degrade them in the order of creation.’[59] She could far more easily -bear to see people suffering from hunger and nakedness than from loss of -will power and sense of responsibility. This was partly, perhaps, because -she did not know nor in the least realise the miseries and difficulties -of extreme poverty. - -Miss Beale’s misgivings about the East End work were probably never quite -set at rest. Writing to Mrs. Charles Robinson in 1899, she said: ‘I shall -perhaps sleep two nights at St. Hilda’s East. I feel the whole question -of Settlements most difficult. It was undertaken against my judgment, and -yet the guidance all the way seems to point to its being right. Sisters -and Deaconesses are much better for this work, yet there are some whom we -can enlist who will never join and could not join “Orders.”’ - -The Guild members who had been trained by their head not always -acquiescingly to ‘do the next thing,’ but to think out questions, to plan -carefully for the best if hardest, belonged to a new generation and had -received another call. They saw how greatly educated women were needed to -deal with charity organisation, with labour problems, with the children -of the poor in schools and workhouses. Many of them were already at work -for these. They felt, too, that they should take their part in helping to -rouse others to study and work for the poor. On the other hand, they saw -the need for cheap, good girls’ education to be one which was lessening -every year. They had never felt it themselves, had had no struggle for -training under pressure of adverse circumstances. Finally, they must -have known that it was work which Miss Beale would not fail to carry on, -meeting every necessity which was brought to her personal notice. - -On May 6, 1889, a general meeting of the Guild was held in London to -consider further the lines on which the adopted scheme should be carried -out. It was decided that the Guild Settlement should be made in London, -in the parish of St. John’s, Bethnal Green, described by its vicar, the -Rev. G. Bromby, who warmly welcomed the Cheltenham workers, as a ‘typical -East End parish of the better sort.’ - -At this meeting the President introduced the subject by saying: - - ‘I trust we shall be able to try to win harmony out of notes - not altogether concordant. Some of us come with a feeling of - disappointment that the scheme we desired has been rejected;—I - am one of these. I not only accept my defeat, I feel sure that - you have sought guidance of that inward oracle which must ever - be our supreme ruler, you have done what conscience bade, and - so it is right. As regards my own scheme, I only allude to it - to say, that having now to continue it single-handed, I cannot - help you as much as I could wish, and I just refer to it to-day - in the hope that you will remember it when I am no longer here.’ - -In these few words only did Miss Beale at the time announce her own -disappointment and anxiety. There was much more she might have said, -which she did in effect say in an early draft of her speech, which she -fortunately did not destroy. Here her misgivings show themselves plainly. -They were due to her foresight and judgment, yet it is likely that in -some ways the untried workers, whom she feared were lightly taking upon -themselves responsibilities to which they might prove unequal, really -knew more than herself of the scope and details of the actual task before -them. - -This is what Miss Beale wrote but did not say:— - - ‘It is no use concealing from you, for I could not, that I am - greatly disappointed. But when I have said that, I have done; - I accept the defeat. Others whose schemes have equally been - rejected are suffering, thinking, perhaps, it is hard they have - been met with so little sympathy. If they do not think well to - join in this, no one will blame them, I hope, but will believe - that they refuse because they ought not to give except as - conscience requires, but let them give or spend in the best way - they can all they would have bestowed on the Guild scheme of - their heart’s choice. - - ‘This matter has brought before me many things which seem to - show that our organisation needs some more distinct ideal. - Like some “Topsy,” it could say in its infancy, “’spects I - growed!” But when it undertakes to do something on its own - account, then questions of power and how much power it should - exercise, the questions of law and liberty which need to be - faced, and which we shall, I trust, grow stronger and wiser in - facing,—these have come before me with painful strength because - as your President I had to face them. I was strongly opposed - to the London scheme; I felt we were far too young, both in - the age of the majority of our members, and also in the age of - our organisation, to undertake such a great scheme. I had the - strongest dislike to fashions in philanthropy, and especially - is it most undesirable to familiarise the young with lives led - in the slums of heathen London. Only those whose faith has had - years to grow strong seem called to such work. - - ‘I could not see the Head whom I could trust with its - management, and such a centre of work could not be ruled - by several equal Heads, or by a committee with almost no - experience and but little _individual_ responsibility. The - whole thing seemed to me a mistake, and my heart sank as I - thought of myself as President over our Guild, working what - seemed an impossible scheme. Yet it is one of the first - principles of education to let children who are not grounded - properly make mistakes and so learn where they fail.’ - -Much happened to reconcile Miss Beale to the Settlement scheme. Miss -Catherine Newman, as her sister had done ten years before in aid of -poor students, volunteered to undertake the management of the work -gratuitously, and to pay her own expenses. Miss Newman was an old College -pupil and a member of the Guild. She was also a trained nurse, with -long experience of work among the poor. Miss Newman’s offer and the -appeal of her old friend, Mr. Bromby, had weight with Miss Beale. She -felt less anxious about the efforts of her ‘children’ if safe-guarded -by the experience of those she knew and trusted. Miss Newman could also -sympathise with Miss Beale’s own disappointment and anxiety, while -she was confident of her large-mindedness in this matter. This may be -gathered from a letter she wrote to her in the course of the proceedings -at this time:— - - ‘ ... It is very good of you to set aside your own wishes and - to throw yourself into this scheme. I have thought many times - since the corporate work was talked about, that the freedom - both teachers and old pupils felt in proposing schemes of work - spoke volumes for their confidence in your generosity. Several - members of the Guild who felt drawn towards the mission scheme - said to me, “If I thought Miss Beale would wish me to vote - for the Loan Fund because it was her scheme I would do so, - but I believe that she would prefer that we should think for - ourselves and vote for the scheme which most commends itself to - us individually.” This confidence in your generosity and sense - of justice struck me greatly; they knew you too well to fear - for an instant that you might resent their taking a different - line, and I felt sure from all I had ever known or seen of you - that their confidence was not misplaced. Had you been able to - unfold your scheme to them the result might have been very - different, but of course it is too late now. If we were to - renounce the idea of the Home for workers in the East-end, the - elementary school would certainly take its place, and I am sure - that you have realised ere now that it would be unjust both to - the workers and the parish in which the Settlement is made to - make it a temporary thing. Either it must be the corporate work - of the Guild or it must be given up altogether,—at least so - it seems to me. We could not expect enthusiasm either to work - or support if it might be withdrawn at any moment. As regards - your scheme, dear Miss Beale, I am truly sorry that it had - not really a fair chance from the accident of its not being - ripe yet for publicity. Two years hence might have been soon - enough, yet I need not remind you that the “corporate work” was - suggested by _yourself_. I am not afraid to say, however, that - your scheme is sure of support and success, and this I trust - while your powers are still unimpaired; but if, unfortunately, - your strength should oblige you to limit your useful labour - before it is fairly launched, I have every confidence that your - friends and “children” would look upon it as a sacred legacy, - which it would be their pride and pleasure to inherit from you.’ - -At the very moment that the Cheltenham Settlement was about to be opened -in Bethnal Green, the ladies of Oxford were prepared to start one in the -same district. For the convenience of both, an arrangement was made by -which the two sets of workers could live together for a time, under one -head, Miss Newman, until the resources of each, and the work they were -called upon to do, were better known. Mayfield House, close to St. John’s -Church, was therefore taken and formally opened as a Ladies’ Settlement -(at that time the second in London), on October 26, 1889. Four years -later, as suddenly as her sister at Jersey House, Miss Newman died at her -post. ‘What can one feel,’ wrote a friend to Miss Beale, ‘except that her -death seems to seal the whole life with the heroism of _service_.’ - -This trouble was the first link in a chain of circumstances which led, -in the course of three or four years, to the removal of the Settlement -to Shoreditch, where it became an important branch of that work to which -Miss Beale gave the title of St. Hilda’s. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -ST. HILDA’S WORK - - ‘Thy kindred with the great of old.’ - - TENNYSON, _In Memoriam_, lxxiv. - - -Those who had often the advantage of hearing Miss Beale speak, either -in general addresses to present or past pupils, or in the more regular -course of literature lessons, soon learned that there were certain heroic -names which had for her an almost romantic fascination. Among those of -great women who influenced her imagination are specially to be remembered -St. Hilda, St. Catherine of Siena, la Mère Angélique, Mme. Guyon. Of -these the most dominant, the most inspiring was that of the great -Northumbrian abbess, known to those whom she taught and ruled by the name -of ‘Mother,’ not by virtue of her office, but on account of her signal -piety and grace.[60] Hilda, the earnest student who ‘had been diligently -instructed by learned men, who so loved order that she immediately began -to reduce all things to a regular system.’ Hilda, the patron of the first -English religious poet, ‘who obliged those under her to attend much to -the reading of the Holy Scriptures; who taught the strict observance of -justice and other virtues, particularly of peace and charity.’[61] This -great Hilda and her work were to Dorothea Beale not merely romantic -names, they were an ideal, an inspiration. And when the due time came, -though for the sake of Miss Newman she hesitated for a moment over the -alternative title of St. Margaret’s Hall, the name of St. Hilda was the -one she chose to grace her own foundations. There are, possibly, members -of the Ladies’ College who felt a pang of envy when the Students’ House -became St. Hilda’s College. They could have borne to exchange the prim -early Victorian title bestowed by the godfathers of 1856 for this more -inspiring name. There is, however, consolation in the thought that the -Ladies’ College is still free to adopt the name of its second founder. - -St. Hilda’s Hall, as it was at first called, was formally opened on -November 27, 1886; but its real building was a much longer process, even -if dated only from Miss Margaret Newman’s death at the close of 1877. -Miss Beale thought much and anxiously how she could best lay out the -money which she and her staff and some friends had given in order that -Miss Newman’s work might be carried on and enlarged. She advised with a -few who cared for education and for the College. Among those who helped -and counselled were Miss Soames, who subscribed largely to St. Hilda’s, -and Mr. Brancker, some of whose letters on the subject remain. If there -seems now to be little that is original in the suggestions and plans -discussed by Miss Beale and Mr. Brancker, it is because they were to a -great extent pioneers, and among the first to bring about a real system -for attaining the educational objects they had at heart. In 1878 Mr. -Brancker wrote:— - - ‘The object you advocate is a very desirable one, and one I - have longed for many a time as an adjunct of the Ladies’ - College—but while we were struggling upwards I could never see - an opportune time to advocate my ideas on the subject. The - means you suggest are very undesirable, to my mind at least, as - partaking too much of the “charitable object” idea to commend - themselves to me. - - ‘So necessary do I consider the future training of those who - in their turns have to teach that for the present I should be - inclined to treat every case on its own merits; as there may - be many who may be anxious to get their education on such easy - terms and yet have not the very least idea of imparting that - knowledge to others, and in such cases the object you seek is - not attained. - - ‘My idea, which is perhaps a crude one, would be that the - capabilities of each pupil as regards teaching should be - tested, and if she showed suitable powers she should be drafted - into one of the boarding-houses, or if thought better into a - separate house; that the fees of the College in her case be - remitted, and that the expense of her board be paid all or - in part by the College. That for this she should engage to - become a regular teacher; that the College should have the - first claim on her services, and that she should pass all - the necessary examinations appointed by the College. If in a - boarding-house she might assist in keeping order and authority, - not as a governess but as an elder pupil,—not as a spy but by - moral power, keep her position, something like a præpostor in - a public school; a great deal of evil might then be prevented - by being nipped in the bud. Should she eventually wish to take - a College degree she should be assisted by the College if she - remained with them or under their control. My great object - would be to get ladies to accept such a position, as there - must be many who would come within the rules of the College - as to position who would be very glad to have such a vocation - in prospect, and the College ought to be in a position now, - unless the funds have been unnecessarily squandered, to afford - to assist such cases in the hope that in the future they would - help it. - - ‘Such are my rough ideas on the subject, as I do not believe in - the isolation of those who want a practical knowledge of human - nature to enable them to become teachers worth their salt.’ - -In a second letter on the same subject Mr. Brancker said:— - - ‘I _quite_ understand what you feel about this matter relating - to the governess of the future, and it was only my fear that - you might be unwittingly getting into troubled waters that - induced me to write you at once about it. It is a _very_ - difficult question to solve, and one that wants a good deal - more thought so that no mistake may be made. My plan is to - take up the idea of a “pupil teacher” in Government Schools, - and from that form some plan for the education of those who - aspire to be the teachers of the future. I should then carry - out the idea I have always entertained of giving a preference - to our own pupils, and working them up to our standard. I - have always regretted that we missed Bessie Calrow, as she - was a born teacher and would have delighted in the work. It - seems to me that as you do not take these pupils until they - are seventeen, you have a great chance among your own pupils, - and would certainly know their own character better than any - stranger; therefore, to any one who had passed through the - College—could pass the necessary examination, and was willing - to be such pupil teacher—I would pay the College fees and half - the boarding-house expenses, or all if you like, and would give - her a fair trial, and if at the end of twelve months, or longer - as might be thought desirable, it was not satisfactory to all - parties, let her depart and no harm would be done. This is a - far better and more dignified position than being educated by - _charity_; and the person enjoying it would lose nothing of her - dignity, if it was not even added to by the position. If the - plan is to do any good it must be grafted on to the College, - and I for one should be very sorry to see that obliged to go to - the public for any funds it requires to do good. I would make - the pupils sign nothing on my plan, my hold upon them would be - their association with the College. I can quite understand the - difficulties raised by the boarding-houses about new pupils at - that age, but with old ones that difficulty is at once removed; - as, like the præpostors, they would have certain privileges, - but at the same time they must submit to the discipline of the - house. My plan may be, and no doubt is very crude, but these - are the lines I should start from and feel my way tentatively, - so as not to destroy the independence of the individual. Look - where you get the best masters of public schools:—The man who - succeeds is a scholar and very likely Fellow of his College; - he may have been Bible-clerk, sizar, or undergraduate, and so - has worked his way upwards and obtained his position from hard - work, thus adding to his dignity and power of teaching. And I - should follow as much as possible in these tracks.’ - -Eventually the ideas expressed in these letters were carried out in -the arrangement of St. Hilda’s, which became not only a home for pupils -who could not afford the normal boarding fees, but also a residence for -senior students who needed more liberty than they could have in the other -houses. By this means the house was put on a self-supporting basis. Miss -Beale could have borne with no other. The Loan Fund, up to this time, -had been the means of assisting over a hundred students. Miss Beale now -asked a few personal friends to support it, pointing out that such a -means of help was far better than any system of scholarships, which she -never ceased to dislike, and against which she continually spoke and -wrote. Her chief objections to scholarships have been already noted.[62] -She was moreover opposed to the principle of material giving involved -in the system. She only cared, at any time, to give what would embrace -and ennoble character. She thought it best that people should pay for -advantages received, thought they would value them more, thought it made -girls more careful and self-denying when first the management of money -came into their own hands, to feel that it was not their own to do as -they pleased with. A mere gift seemed to her like a dead thing compared -with the money which, lent and returned and then lent to others, was -thus used over and over again. Yet the want of response to appeals for -the Loan Fund must have been partly due to a difference of opinion on -its method rather than to want of sympathy with Miss Beale’s aims. There -are many who feel an objection to saddling with a loan a young teacher -starting on her work, or who recognise that an unpaid loan may help to -lower the standard in money affairs, and on that account shrink from -giving help in this way. There are few indeed who could lend money -so successfully as Miss Beale could, because there are few who could -so successfully command repayment. Of the first £500 advanced by the -Loan Fund, £495 was repaid in a very few years. The pressure she would -exercise for repayment sometimes led to the wrong notion that she cared -for money for its own sake. She had at all times great skill in wringing -the utmost use out of a sum of money to promote those ends for which -she lived; but in the ordinary commonplace sense she was indifferent to -money and the things for which it is usually exchanged. Her own personal -life was as bare of luxury when she was a rich woman as it was when -her capital was reckoned in hundreds only. But she did care deeply for -character, and anxiously avoided all forms of easy generosity which might -injure those she sought to help. - -For several years before a turf was cut for St. Hilda’s College, Miss -Beale was, as she would herself have expressed it, building it: student -teachers were being trained in the College, and in 1881 one of these -passed the Cambridge Examination in the Theory and Practice of Education. -Gradually she gathered an increasing body of students in a separate -house—a house which was as unlike as any could possibly be to the -beautiful home which was shortly to be opened. She waited year after year -for money with which to build without interrupting the work she had begun -in assisted education, and for the reasons named made no public appeal -for it. It was enough, she maintained, to state the real needs—to show -the value of a work by the way it was done—and thus let it make its own -appeal for support. She had a horror of _plant_ which might be a mere -empty shell, or which in its establishment might become a diversion of -energy from spiritual work. She felt this especially in the matter of -church building, as may be seen in the following extract from a letter: -‘What I disapproved of was the amount of begging for the Cathedral. I do -not disapprove of _it_, but I think you know what I felt. However, the -Bishop will do all he can to make it a strong spiritual centre. I can -never get over the feeling of spiritual destitution at one very beautiful -cathedral.’ It was also, perhaps less consciously, a principle not to -take money except from those who were willing for her to carry out her -own ideas. She wrote to one friend in 1888:— - - ‘As regards our Students’ Home, I have given up the idea of - a public meeting. It seemed not right to refuse the offer - at first. But I shall go on with the work, and I doubt not - the money will come. There is such a great need for training - teachers. If we had a meeting things might be said and money be - given in a way which would pledge us, or be thought to pledge - us, and now we shall be free.’ - -And again in 1884 to one who helped her Oxford scheme:— - - ‘I grieve over that Protestant spirit which forbids people - to read books, to associate with people, who do not think - precisely in their way. Is this done in Science? No; we put - various theories before the student and show _why_ we accept - them. But we don’t ever want to impose our beliefs; so I want - not to impose mine in religion, but to bring the learner to - the “fountain of living water.” Any transferred opinion is - without root, and cannot endure the storm. Teachers must, if - they are to help, gain the sympathy they need by entering into - the religious modes of seeing and feeling of many different - souls. I think in a University town they would come in contact - with various influences, and in a house like St. Hilda’s I - should want thoughtful people who have gone through some of the - experience of life,—old teachers to help the young. There is a - little more of my dream, but I am quite content to wait. If it - be God’s will that such a house should grow up, the way will - be pointed out. I felt I could not say all this to you when we - meet, and I have got to care that you should not misunderstand - me.’ - -As the time to begin the actual erection of the house drew near she had -no exultation over the fulfilment of a dream. Yet in the beginning of -August 1885, surrounded by young teachers from her own and other schools -drawn together for a Retreat and a brief educational conference, her mind -was naturally full of that dream. Some few of her own thoughts about it -she wrote down; such as the following, with their characteristic heading:— - - ‘_Sunday, Aug. 2, 1885_—on St. Hilda’s. Some thoughts at church. - - ‘God fulfils Himself in many ways. Lest one good custom should - corrupt the world. - - ‘How often have we seen endowments thus rendered injurious, not - helpful. So it is with many of the institutions around us. Can - we hope better things from this one? No, we can only hope for - it not a perfection but a temporary usefulness. “He, after he - had served his generation according to the will of God, fell - on sleep”;—so it is with men, so with institutions, they need - not a body but a spirit. As long as the spirit lives the body - is the instrument of all good works. When the spirit dies, the - body becomes the source of disease and corruption. For this - reason I have cared more to awaken the spirit than to gather - funds and build first. The spirit will, I hope, shape the body. - - ‘Now what we want is a body of women whose one desire is to - consecrate themselves to the ministry of teaching. - - ‘“Get work in this world. - - ‘Be sure ’tis better than what you work to get.” - - ‘Ye are the salt of the earth,—light of the world, said the - Lord to the teachers He sent forth.’ - -The first stone of St. Hilda’s College was quietly laid by Canon Medd -(one of the trustees and a member of the Ladies’ College Council) in -1884. The opening, which took place on November 27, 1885, was far more -dignified than that its illustrious parent had known in 1856. - -‘The ceremony of opening the institution,’ so ran the account in the -Cheltenham _Examiner_, ‘which was performed by the Bishop of the diocese, -took place at three o’clock, and was attended by a large and influential -company, who assembled in the study, a spacious—but on this occasion -none too spacious—apartment on the ground floor.’ Among those present -were the Dean of Winchester,[63] then Chairman of the College Council, -who conducted the short service, the late Bishop of Ely, and many of the -clergy of the town, besides the friends and benefactors of St. Hilda’s. -On entering the study the eye was caught at once by the words which -Miss Beale quoted so often that they seemed like the motto of her work: -‘Knowledge puffeth up, but charity buildeth up.’ Here, in this ‘Godly -Place,’ as he called the house, the Bishop of Gloucester, who since 1875 -had been both nominally and actually Visitor of the Ladies’ College, gave -an address full of sympathy for the ideals of the founder. - -Thus the first resident Training College for teachers, other than -elementary, was planned, and built, and opened. In order to make its -position more permanent it was constituted into a separate College with -a Council of its own. In 1886 a statue of St. Hilda was presented and -placed in the hall. On unveiling it, Miss Beale spoke of the Saint’s -life, and especially of her work as a teacher. She concluded with a -thought, the deeper for the personal touch in it, of memory of what -she had had to bear in the past, and indeed in later years also, of -misconception and misrepresentation. - - ‘Shall I touch in conclusion upon the mythical elements in St. - Hilda’s story? Myths are truths expressed in poetry. You see - the ammonite at her feet, one of the serpents that she, like - St. Patrick, is fabled to have turned into stone. There may - have been, once, at Whitby, serpents who, with the poisoned - tooth of calumny and evil-speaking, wounded and slew. I think - she turned them into stone with her look of sorrow. We have not - represented the wild geese, whom she is said to have destroyed - because they wasted her lands. I half believe that story too; I - feel sure that all these disappeared from her abbey lands, but - perhaps they were turned into swans.’ - -St. Hilda’s College was scarcely built and opened before it was necessary -to enlarge it by adding a new wing. It was not until this had been done -that Miss Beale felt free to devote herself to another foundation, which -also was to bear the name of the sainted Abbess. - -As early as the year 1882 Miss Beale, attracted by the increasing -facilities offered to women by the elder universities, had purchased -three acres of land in north Oxford. These she retained for building -uses should the right moment or a definite reason for such a purpose -occur. But no one showed much sympathy with the scheme, there was no -offer of money, and for long much of her own capital was absorbed in St. -Hilda’s, Cheltenham. Impulsive to a fault as she often was, Miss Beale -could school herself to wait. After five years came an opportunity of -purchasing a ready-made college in Dr. Child’s beautiful house on the -Cherwell. It seemed well to accept this, and begin there the new house of -education. - -There were many reasons why Miss Beale allowed so long a time to elapse -between her purpose and her act. Her own ideas and her aims for her Hall -at Oxford shaped themselves but gradually. Somerville College[64] and -Lady Margaret Hall were still in their first youth. Miss Beale’s scheme -seemed uncalled for where there were already so many workers for the -cause of women’s education in the field. Her educational experience -had been different from that of those whose minds had developed among -university surroundings; her methods were unacademic, unconventional. -Consequently there were some to warn her as she prepared to take her new -step: ‘The University may easily receive a shock from which it will take -long to recover.’ - -It may well be asked even now, as it was often asked at the time, why -Miss Beale wanted to come to Oxford at all, and particularly while she -was uncertain of the value of University Examinations for women. But -she valued even more than the certificate gained by taking schools -the atmosphere of Oxford. She saw that the students of St. Hilda’s, -Cheltenham, missed this. When she founded that institution she had -written of it, that she hoped it ‘would be a Hall similar to the Halls -at Oxford and Cambridge.’ Now she felt the need of what only the older -universities could give. She hoped her new house might become a place of -intellectual enlargement and refreshment such as Oxford could best supply -to some who had already begun their work of teaching, and who needed new -thoughts and inspiration, more time for thought, a higher intellectual -standard. She thought that a year at Oxford could supply that feature in -education which is sometimes more developed at home. - - ‘I have often felt ... that a year in which they should be - allowed to expatiate in intellectual pastures in a way that - we older women used to do before examinations for women - existed, would be of great value. And they can do this best - in some University town, where they can have libraries and - museums and such lectures and private help as they most - require—both hearing and asking questions, rather than being - asked and answering.... Many could take one year who could - not take three.... The students of St. Hilda’s (Oxford) - will have the same opportunities of attending lectures and - offering themselves for examinations as at the other Ladies’ - Colleges—but we should not press examination upon any who can - do better work without. Of course we must be assured that those - who come to us will work seriously.’ - -Yet these reasons were secondary. The purchase of three acres of ground -at Oxford was a definite result of her own suffering of mind in 1882. As -she emerged from that she at once began to build in vision a house where -teachers should be established in the faith, where they should learn to -feel that their calling was not to do mere journeyman work, but to deal -with the deep problems of life. - -Finally, it may be added that, whether conscious of it or not, she could -not keep herself out of the great movement which was enabling women -to share with men many of the incomparable advantages of University -life, she had also her own conception of what University life might do -for women, and by means of a College at Oxford for her own College at -Cheltenham. For Cheltenham the connection would be of great value. Seeing -all that might be won by a well-placed move, she planned that move, -waited, then made it at the right moment. ‘I bewail your news,’ wrote -an Oxford friend to whom she communicated the fact that St. Hilda’s was -about to be opened, ‘and disclaim all responsibility for your mistake.’ -Miss Beale opened her Hall and begged the students to accept the words -_Non frustra vixi_ as their motto, that being the thought which the -ammonite at the feet of St. Hilda’s statue now suggested to her. - -In October 1893 seven students took up their residence at St. Hilda’s. -Mrs. Burrows, who had had a College boarding-house at Cheltenham, came to -be head of the new Hall, assisted by her daughter, who had been a student -at Lady Margaret Hall. The house was formally but quietly opened on -November 6 by the Bishop of the diocese, Dr. Stubbs, who placed himself -at Miss Beale’s disposal for all arrangements. ‘I will keep,’ he wrote, -‘November 6 free for Miss Beale, but she must let me hear what, when, and -how what is to be done’; and to Miss Beale, ‘You do not want me to bring -robes on the 6th, do you? A line to reassure me would be grateful.’ - -On the occasion of the opening, after the little service conducted by the -Dean of Winchester, the Bishop of Oxford spoke a few ‘grave and weighty -words’ on the duty of ‘self-culture of the whole mind, soul, and spirit.’ -The Dean, who thanked him for his address, said that ‘the new venture of -the Cheltenham Ladies’ College was by no means so ambitious as the Bishop -seemed to think.’ He spoke of the way in which it might prepare women -to be of real service in their generation, and added: ‘One cannot think -of this opening day for the Oxford St. Hilda’s without strong emotions -of gratitude and hope. This is the crown and highest result of all that -work for women’s education which has been carried on under Miss Beale’s -wise rule at Cheltenham these many years past; the College, with its -varieties of activity, and its eight hundred students, justly claims to -be represented here in the home of highest education.’ - -[Illustration: _Photo. W. H. Rogers_ - -_S. Hilda’s Hall, Oxford._] - -Among the friends gathered for this opening ceremony was the founder of -the Ladies’ College, Cheltenham, Canon Bellairs. He welcomed this house -in Oxford, though he would have named it differently. - - ‘I am very glad to hear,’ he had written a month before, ‘that - you are starting what will no doubt become a veritable College. - You should christen it at once. St. Clare would be appropriate. - She founded an Order, and your College will be the foundation - of an order. I do hope the G. W. R. will alter its time-table - to suit your convenience. It would do so if it had as high an - opinion of your excellence as the Father of your College, and - your Pupils and all that know you have. Fancy, thirty-five - years since we first met! What a period for evolution.... I - should like very much to have a chat with you to see where you - are now.’ - -After five years, St. Hilda’s, Oxford, was recognised by the Association -for the Education of Women in Oxford as St. Hilda’s Hall. Miss Beale -finally, in 1900, connected it with St. Hilda’s, Cheltenham, by -presenting it to the Association of that College. - -That Miss Beale was fully alive to changes that must come in the course -of time to such an institution as St. Hilda’s Hall, and could be content -to see her own personal wishes set aside in everything that did not -affect the essential life of the place, is clear from the following -letter to Mrs. Wells in January 1903:— - - ‘Thanks for your nice letter and the suggestions. I think - with you that the giving of scholarships will have to be - reconsidered, and some clear rules made. I am, however, no less - strongly opposed to the modern slave trade than before, and - should be much grieved if we entered upon it. I see you would - limit the giving to those who need help. Of course I see that - I can no longer have the freedom I had in choosing scholars - when the house was mine, and I alone was responsible for all - expenses, and Mrs. Hay allowed me to dispose of her gifts, but - I do hope we shall go on somewhat the same lines. - - ‘1. That we shall not ask for money. - - ‘2. That we shall not advertise in order to get scholars. - - ‘3. That we shall not pledge ourselves to choose merely by - intellectual pre-eminence. - - ‘4. I think we are justified in giving the preference to - Cheltenham girls. - - ‘Might we not say that a scholarship should be offered on - certain fixed conditions to certain girls, say to associates - and to those who, not having been long enough to gain this, - should have taken a high rank in the Cambridge room.’ - -The year marked by this crown and result of labour was saddened by the -death of Miss Catherine Newman at Mayfield House. It was a death which -caused not only personal sorrow, but extreme perplexity and loss to all -connected with the Mission. They found themselves at the end of four -years’ trial of their scheme without a head, with a scattered band of -workers, and an insanitary house. No one felt the sorrow of it all more -than Miss Beale; no one was more courageous in meeting it. The necessary, -difficult, and toilsome work which was the result of the crisis did not -indeed fall to her share, but to that of some members of the committee -on whom the responsibility specially pressed. But such difficulties to -be met, such a death for a cause, were exactly what roused Miss Beale to -feel the worth of it as she had never done before. - -A small untiring sub-committee was formed, with Mrs. Batten as secretary, -to re-arrange the work. The cost of efficient drainage operations was -so heavy that at first it seemed better to seek a new house for the -Settlement than to undertake such a great expense. A long search in the -neighbourhood for such a house proved fruitless. It therefore became a -question whether the Guild members should move their work from the place -they had deliberately chosen at a large general meeting, or go to the -expense required for making Mayfield House fit for habitation. However, -an appeal to the surveyor resulted in the cost of the drainage work -being thrown upon the landlord, who consequently made harder terms for -his tenants. The question whether to stay or go came before the Guild in -1894, and a vote for continuing the work at Mayfield House was passed -by a large majority. After an interval of some months the house was -re-opened under a new Lady Warden, Miss Corbett,—no Cheltenham worker -having been found to undertake it. - -In her first report Miss Corbett was able to show a full complement of -workers. There was no falling off, but in less than two years it became -evident that a more complete change must be made. The Oxford workers, who -by a temporary arrangement lived at first in Mayfield House, had now a -prosperous Settlement of their own—St. Margaret’s—in the very same square -as Mayfield House. This Settlement of the Ladies’ Branch of the Oxford -House could not well be in any other neighbourhood. It was seen to be -ludicrous that two large communities of women workers should concentrate -their energies on one small corner of the vast field of London work. -Added to this, the high rent and rates of Mayfield House pointed to the -need of a change, and at the Guild meeting of 1896 it was definitely -proposed to move either to East Ham or Lambeth. Finally, however, -Shoreditch was chosen, a district having sore needs, and near enough to -Bethnal Green to enable those members of the Settlement engaged there in -Board School management, charity organisation, and other extra parochial -work still to carry it on. - -Then came the question of a house. There was none. It was clearly -necessary to build, but for so large an undertaking the reserve fund was -insufficient. Miss Beale, always averse to begging for money, refused to -make any definite appeal for charity, but as a happy inspiration, the -idea came to her that the Guild should meet the difficulty with the same -kind of means used by Mrs. Grey in starting high schools in 1874. This -idea took shape in February 1897. Miss Verrall, who had been Treasurer -of the Settlement from the beginning, sent out notices to members of the -Guild to inquire whether shares for £3000 would be taken up, and a ready -response was given, all the shares being quickly appropriated within -a fortnight. This, which seems to be a mere business transaction, was -really a great deal more. It was rather a channel for interest and help -which had been so far unable to force their way freely. The money was -subscribed in the form of debenture stock at three per cent., repayable -at the end of eighty years. £3800 was subscribed within a fortnight by -310 subscribers. A large part came from women to whom the sacrifice of -control or recovery of the capital made it practically a gift. To most -the yearly-paid few shillings of interest meant little in comparison -with a few pounds available for immediate expenditure. Of the money -subscribed, over £400 has now been released by gift from the holders. -Other holders have authorised the Council of St. Hilda’s East to retain -their interest. This brings in about £30 a year. The transaction was a -fine example of Miss Beale’s use of this world’s goods, as means to great -ends, and a fine instance of the response she could command from those -she had led to her own point of view. Generous aid came also from Mr. -Dutton, whose sister was an old Cheltonian,[65] and who undertook all -the legal business gratuitously; also from the honorary architect, Mr. -Philip Day, the husband of an old pupil, who volunteered his services for -the new house. The workers found temporary quarters during the building, -which took less than a year; and on April 26, 1898, the house was opened -by Dr. Creighton, the Bishop of London, under the name of St. Hilda’s, -Shoreditch. For Miss Beale remained faithful to the name and all the -ideas it implied for her. On the letter of a friend who wrote, ‘Could -not the new house be called Cheltenham House or some such, binding it to -the College? It would be better than a picturesque saint’—she wrote, ‘I -disagree.’ Mrs. Reynolds, an old pupil, became head of the Settlement -during the busy time of furnishing and organisation of work in a new -centre. A year later she was succeeded by another old pupil, Miss Bruce, -the present Lady Warden, who had worked in the Settlement from the first. -Since that time the house has twice been enlarged. The growth of the -Settlement, as its beginning had been, was marked by the loss through -death of an enthusiastic worker when Mrs. Moyle, who was for a time its -secretary, died in July 1899. - -As the permanence of the Settlement became assured, and the interest -of both past and present pupils increased, being augmented by the -organisation of shares, and by the formation of St. Hilda’s Association, -Miss Beale’s own interest in the work grew. She regarded St. Hilda’s East -less as a centre of help for the poor than as a place of training for -workers. In this aspect it appealed to her as rightly an integral part of -the work of the College. In the year 1898, which she said might be called -for the College an _annus mirabilis_, she was able to point to the three -institutions bearing the name of St. Hilda, each firmly established, -flourishing, and full of promise of future usefulness. - - ‘This year St. Hilda’s, enlarged from six to sixty students, is - full and free from debt. - - ‘This year the link with the University of Oxford, so early - formed, has been made permanent by St. Hilda’s, Oxford, - becoming a Hall of the University. - - ‘Above all, this year St. Hilda’s East has been built by the - spontaneous co-operation of past and present girls, and this - has specially cheered us, that those who have left us for other - spheres, the Heads of other great Schools, still stretch out - their hands to us, work with us in the Guild and the Mission, - and the old ties are not broken.’ - -But the three great institutions bearing the name of St. Hilda by no -means included all that thought-training work which was what Miss Beale -specially associated with it. - -The existence of St. Hilda’s College at Cheltenham made it convenient, -if not imperative, to find exercise for the energy there inspired and -directed, and to supply classes for practice. To keep this stream of -energy within her own guidance for a longer period than the time of -training involved, it was necessary to have scope for it at hand. Even -the great and growing College was not large enough to employ all the -workers it trained, and the Principal was ever alive to the necessity -of having a certain number of teachers from outside, bringing with them -fresh ideas and methods. - -The Kindergarten was the first addition to the Ladies’ College proper -to need such young helpers as Miss Beale now had at her disposal. It -began, like Miss Beale’s other creations, without a local habitation of -its own in 1876. The College, owing to the quick perception of its Lady -Principal, who was sensitive to each fresh tendency in education, was -one of the first schools in England to avail itself of the Kindergarten -mistresses trained by Madame Michaelis, who began her work in her own -house at Croydon as early as 1874. - -Miss Beale at once secured a mistress, and on her arrival a number of -little boys and girls were immediately found to constitute a Kindergarten -in Miss Beale’s own drawing-room. ‘The’ drawing-room, as she always -called it, did not well bear out its title. As a baby-class room it -looked well. Morris’s daisy and columbine paper, then a new thing, was -on the walls, to suggest the thought, which was probably correct, that -in first choosing it Miss Beale had already an intention of beginning a -Kindergarten, though she did not find it advisable to mention it then to -the Council. Some of the younger teachers in College helped a little with -this baby-class. The system and organisation, the carefully trained head, -all seemed rather alarming in those days when Froebelian ideas and German -methods were little known in England. - -As early as 1876 there were twenty-five children in the Kindergarten, for -which a classroom had to be found in the College. In 1881 Miss Welldon -came to Cheltenham as head of the Kindergarten. Hers was one of the first -appointments made by the Croydon Kindergarten Company, which had been -founded in 1876, with Madame Michaelis as Principal. - -In 1882 the new room, purposely built and fitted for a Kindergarten, -was opened. It was much enlarged in 1887. But soon again more scope was -needed for the large number of students who now flocked to Cheltenham. -Miss Beale could not bear to let one of these escape her. She recognised -their needs, she saw their possible value. There were then very -few places in England where they could be trained; the demand for -Kindergarten mistresses daily increased. The immediate difficulty was -met in 1889 by the establishment of a Kindergarten school in connection -with St. Stephen’s Church in Cheltenham, supported by the vicar of the -parish and a few voluntary contributors. This was staffed by Kindergarten -students of the Ladies’ College. Fifty-seven children actually appeared -in the school the first day, and the numbers rapidly increased in spite -of the fact that each child paid twopence weekly. Five years later -College students penetrated into a still poorer school at Naunton, a -hamlet adjoining the town of Cheltenham. In 1896 the infant school of -the parish of Holy Trinity in the town invited teachers from the College. - -In 1889 Cambray House was offered for sale. Miss Beale, who had a strong -lingering affection for this first home of her school, had with regret -seen it ‘alienated to barbarian boys,’ the trees cut down, and the garden -turned into an asphalted playground. The building was well fitted for -the school purposes for which it had been adapted and long used. There -was enough space in the part which had not been altered, and which was -not wanted for a day-school, to be utilised as a boarding-house. Miss -Beale seized the chance she saw of opening a school which should serve -the double purpose of taking overflow pupils or others for whom, for -many reasons, the Ladies’ College was not suited, and of affording an -opening under her own eye for some of the teachers she was training. The -rules for admission, discipline, etc., were identical with those of the -College. By this time, too, she saw the use of the racquet-courts and -tennis-grounds. It was a great satisfaction to get back this house. She -wrote of it to Miss Arnold:— - - ‘I dare not take any extra fatigue, as I have so much on my - hands—I must try to be alone for a while. I have just bought - back the old Cambray House in which I began thirty-one years - ago. I want a second Miss Wilderspin, I have got to put it in - order and furnish by May.... I heard Canon Body at All Saints, - Margaret Street, last Friday. It was a very good sermon, and - seemed to fit in well with the thoughts that came to me, as - I had just got my offer for Cambray accepted, rather to my - surprise.’ - -In 1895 Cambray was enlarged at a cost of about £2000, and in October -1897 Miss Beale, by deed of gift, made over the property to the Ladies’ -College, though it was arranged that she should still continue there -the school and boarding-house. Miss Beale marked this return of Cambray -House, ‘enlarged and alive again with girls,’ into the possession of the -College, as another notable event of the _annus mirabilis_. - -Cambray House, on its acquisition by the College through the gift -of Miss Beale, was leased to her for a nominal rent; the school and -boarding-house being carried on as a private venture until 1906, when -their existence was recognised in the College prospectus for the first -time. Miss Beale spent another £2000 out of her own income upon additions -and improvements after she had made over the house to the College. This -was a large sum, but even from a financial point of view by no means -wasted. In five years the profits of school and boarding-house amounted -to £1000, for which Miss Beale planned further fruitful use. - -Cambray School, or, to give it its true title, Cheltenham Ladies’ College -School, and Cambray boarding-house, which took pupils belonging to both -the new school and the College, was not the only undertaking for which -Miss Beale made herself personally responsible. She also started, and -placed in a good financial position, two cheap boarding-houses, St. -Helen’s and St. Austin’s, and in course of time presented them to the -College. Her position in regard to all these institutions was surely -very unusual, not to say unique. The foundation of a school of over one -hundred pupils, and of houses containing the same number of boarders, -would be a respectable life’s work for many a woman. This work appears -to have been only one of the many occupations Miss Beale found for -the little leisure left her by the cares of the great College and its -ever-multiplying interests. - -It was perhaps primarily interest in young teachers which led Miss Beale -to join a movement made in 1897 to induce ladies to take up work in -elementary schools. Miss Beale was present at a large meeting held that -year in Westminster Town Hall, when the need and importance of this work -were set forth in speeches by the Bishop of Stepney,[66] Sir Joshua -Fitch, and others. As a result a Government Training Department was at -once formed at the Ladies’ College, and work began with seven students, -who in the same year were encouraged by addresses from Sir H. E. Oakeley, -H.M.I., and Sir Joshua Fitch. The field of practice for these students -was found in All Saints’ Schools, where there were four departments -all supplied with the best apparatus. Other schools in the town were -also glad at different times to receive these teachers. Miss Beale -became much interested in the work, and proposed to build a practising -school of her own for the elementary department of the College, engaged -a head-mistress, and bought land for building. Then in 1901 came the -regulations for local education committees, which would have put Miss -Beale’s school under local control. She therefore gave up the idea of -building and sold her land. Later regulations made her find it impossible -to continue the elementary work on the lines she wished. The Government -demands proved a fetter to one who felt she should be free to work -towards her ideal. To her mind the real progress of elementary education -in the country depended, not on the ‘introduction of new subjects of -instruction, which must impose new and burdensome labour on teachers -and children. It should be gained by the better training of teachers, -by the adoption of better methods, by a wiser economy of time, and by -showing teachers how to put more knowledge, more skill, more thought, -more love, and more enthusiasm into their work.’ The legislation of -1901 made her feel that ‘My Lords’ did not recognise these principles as -all-important; that they undervalued such an effort as she was making at -Cheltenham; that they were unjust to voluntary schools. She felt as if -she were playing an unfair game, and declined any longer to help forward -a movement of which she could not see the goal. It may be marked also -that she could never feel full sympathy for _free_ education. From this -time she again limited herself to training secondary teachers. Conditions -which made elementary training the one serious work which Miss Beale took -up only to abandon it, are indeed to be regretted. The magnificent plant, -the fine opportunities for learning and practising, such as the Ladies’ -College could supply, above all the large-minded teaching, the sense of -real education which the Lady Principal would give, were thus lost to a -cause which affects the wellbeing of the whole nation. - -The Secondary Training Department became a recognised division of the -College in 1885. So high a value did Miss Beale put upon this that she -wrote of the work of the mistress in whose charge it was, as ‘only second -in importance to that of the Head.’ - -St. Hilda’s work, using the term which Miss Beale herself would have -used, meant much more than teaching definite subjects and preparing for -examinations: it meant inspiration and the leading out of minds. It -demanded unlimited devotion to a cause. It is probable that Miss Beale -had for long cherished, and had only gradually relinquished a hope, -though she never formed any definite plan, of seeing arise out of her -work for education a body of women willing to form a teaching order. -Opposed to sisterhood schools as she was, chiefly because her ideal of -education was so high and apart, that she could not bear to see it -receive in any way a secondary place, she recognised the immense value -that some kind of rule would have, if voluntarily imposed _for the sake -of education_. In other words, while she did not like to see people -taking up teachers’ work because they were Sisters, she would have liked -to see those she inspired and trained voluntarily take upon themselves -some of the restrictions of a Sister’s life because they were teachers. -The thought may have come to her first when, in 1856 and 1858, Mrs. -Lancaster pressed her to undertake penitentiary work under rule. It -was this which led to the severity of her dress and grave demeanour at -Casterton, this which was echoed in a half-expressed wish that her staff -at Cheltenham should wear black. When, after long years of waiting, it -became her part to train women for the work of education, the aim of -inducing them to adopt a separate devoted life, with or without visible -signs of it, was ever before her. - -Now that St. Hilda’s work may be witnessed in the three great -institutions bearing this name, it is of no common interest to trace Miss -Beale’s own plan for its development. The plan itself and the noble ideal -behind it are not more remarkable than the ability with which she waited, -resigned her individual fancy, and became an agent rather than an author. -The following extract (_circa_ 1884) states her first design:— - - ‘It is thought that a protest in act is specially needed in - these days, now that teachers are so highly paid, and that an - association of teachers who should be ready to take up any work - required, whether it was paid or not, would be able to carry on - work more effectively and continuously than an unorganised body - of women. - - ‘It is proposed, therefore, that after three years,—ten of - those who agree in this general principle should unite together - as members of the Society of St. Hilda,—that they should pay, - if young, into the funds of the Society whatever they earn - from that time (but keeping complete control over any invested - property), the Society providing them a fixed salary, a home - when disengaged or out of health, but holding a right to send - them out to any work which seems needed. The community may, if - two-thirds agree, reject any member on returning to her what - she has paid in, minus a fair sum for her maintenance. A member - may withdraw with half any calculated surplus of earnings over - expenditure, on giving one year’s notice. Some members might - reside permanently and assist in various ways as writers and - editors. - - ‘It is proposed that the members contributing the money should - form the governing body,—elect a Superior,—that the votes - should be in proportion to the money contributed. That all the - money should, after paying maintenance, be expended, after - leaving a moderate reserve fund, on providing some charitable - work, and that the members should, at the will of the Superior, - be assigned to any post she may think fit. - - ‘The work should be primarily teaching or assisting in some way - in educational work amongst rich or poor, specially religious - teaching, to which, it is hoped, some members will chiefly - devote themselves, _e.g._ by lectures, by corresponding with - those who need advice or help in religious matters, opening the - house to receive as visitors any who need a time of quiet and - retreat doing mission work at home and abroad. There should be - only a very simple rule to be signed by the workers. Prayer at - morning, evening, and midday; and such special rules as seem - desirable. A holiday in proportion to the character of the - work. The dress should be simple, but not conspicuous, and some - badge should be worn by the members.’ - -In this connection it is interesting to read this extract from a letter -written to a teacher who was unsettled as to her vocation, and was -contemplating entering a sisterhood:— - - ‘_April 89._ - - ‘I was much interested in your letter. I feel strongly that - when in God’s Providence we have been trained for one work, - we should not lightly turn to another. As you say, there is - more scope in a large sisterhood. Miss —— is very happy at - Clewer. Still, I think the rules of an ordinary sisterhood are - difficult to combine with the life of a teacher. I cannot help - thinking that out of the Society of the Holy Name may grow up - a somewhat freer teaching sisterhood.... I hold strongly that - there ought to be some women, whose energies should be devoted - to sending out young teachers, with a true sense of their - vocation. You have gifts as a teacher; you ought not, it seems - to me, to bury them....’ - -Among the women whose saintly lives were a source of inspiration to -Dorothea Beale, there was one whose acquaintance (so to speak) she did -not make until herself in mature life. None the less did the name of Mary -Astell become a thought of encouragement and hope to one whose heart -was ever fresh. When in 1890, after various unsuccessful experiments, -a properly managed house was opened for the regular teachers in the -College, Miss Beale named it Astell House, after the lady who, in the -reign of Anne, put forth ‘a plan of a College for the higher education -of woman, which should be at the same time a religious house. The ladies -were to spend some time in study as well as prayer, Mrs. Astell holding -that they had as much right as men to improve their minds.... Their -special work was to be the education of girls of the higher class, and -also, if their means would admit, of the daughters of poor gentlemen, -who must otherwise remain untaught.... Mrs. Astell’s scheme aroused -considerable interest, and an unnamed lady (supposed to be the Queen) -was ready to give £10,000 for the foundation of such an institution; -but Bishop Burnet, who seems to have been consulted in the matter, put -an end to the plan, saying it would be too much like a nunnery.’ Miss -Beale certainly wanted a nunnery no more than did the timorous Bishop. As -time went on she cared less for the outward shape the spirit she strove -to foster might adopt; but she grew more and more earnest and active in -seeking to influence young teachers to become serious and high-minded -and self-sacrificing. The Quiet Days, which were instituted chiefly to -this end, affected many wholly outside the College. They are therefore -better mentioned in connection with those other interests which, to -borrow her own nomenclature in the Magazine, may be included under the -title of ‘Parerga.’ - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL - - ‘Languor is not in your heart, - Weakness is not in your word, - Weariness not on your brow.’ - - M. ARNOLD, ‘Rugby Chapel.’ - - -A true history of the Cheltenham Ladies’ College would not be merely a -faithful record of dated events, of building, enlargement, expansion, of -the introduction of examinations, of distinctions gained; it must also -suggest, if only in outline, the working of the spirit which informed the -whole, that by which it grew and became, in spite of its size and the -different elements it embraced, homogeneous in itself and full of force. - -[Illustration: _Photo. G. H. Martyn & Sons._ - -_Ladies’ College and Garden 1908._] - -That she was but one worker among many, that she was only part of an -‘order’ which must be temporary, were facts ever before Miss Beale’s -eyes. Those who remember their school-days at Cheltenham with love -and gratitude think not only of the Principal, but of many others, -some of whom passed out of sight before her, some of whom are still -faithfully carrying out the ideas she inspired, but whose influence, -like her own, left an abiding impression. One spirit, one aim, an equal -strenuous effort were what she strove before all things to gain for her -fellow-labourers, and did undoubtedly to a marvellous extent produce -throughout the College. Though Miss Beale did occasionally make mistakes -in her choice of workers, expecting too much, or perhaps taking too much -for granted, this was very rarely the case where class-teachers were -concerned. These, who had the responsibility of forming character as well -as of giving instruction, were always teachers whom she thoroughly knew -and trusted, and had generally trained herself. By these, the thought and -inspiration of the Head were handed on. But beyond this, all who passed -through the College, even if they did not have the opportunity of knowing -Miss Beale personally, came in contact with her in one way or another. -Even the youngest heard her Scripture lessons; all the pupils in Division -I. had their marks read by her, and thus came individually before her. -Those who were confirmed while at school were brought into closer touch -with her, and many through some incident in their school career, or -through peculiar circumstances of home life, learned to know her as a -friend. The highest class in College, and the pupils who were hopefully -named B.A.’s, saw a good deal of her even to the end. And from first to -last in her long headship, it was possible for any child, big or little, -in any part of the College, to know the Principal,—by herself taking -notice of her. Miss Beale’s fastidious honesty, which led her to dread -even the least appearance of stealing hearts away from home, largely held -her back from making personal friends among the girls still at College. -‘Yearned to be loved,’ she wrote once in her diary; but consistently -brought to her work a special gift of self-sacrifice in never seeking -affection for herself personally. She had, moreover, a horror of the -unhealthy attachments which are often a source of danger in girls’ -schools. In this connection may be read one of her many letters to Miss -Clara Arnold:[67]— - - ‘Yes, you are right, that does point to a fatal error. If we - make our children lean on us (broken reeds), they will not - stand long. If they make an idol of any human being, when the - idol is broken their faith goes too. We must try to bid them - fly upwards into the sunlight; they must not tumble about on - the ground like those poor birds whose wings are clipped. They - must look up, not to us, but with us, to our common Lord. What - miserable, weak, sickly creatures many women are, who must - always have a Pope. The children should give you respect and - esteem, and you can give them sympathy and affection too, and - as they are children they may have a helping hand, but make - them give up, if possible, sentimental worship. They must not - do right for love of you, but because it is right. - - ‘How fight against this? Well, tell the children some of these - things, and talk it over with Miss —— and the other teachers. - There must be harmony of action. I speak strongly, because I - have seen this spirit eat away the higher life of one large - school. I have such a dread of its getting in here. - - ‘I know there must be a certain amount of hero-worship in the - young. They need help from parents and teacher, but we must - train them out of dependence. This sort of thing, too, leads - to injustice to those who are not worshipped. They are “puffed - up _for_ one, against another.” They waste time and strength - in day-dreams about their idol. When a little older they are - always fancying themselves in love, because they have got used - to an excitement of feeling. - - ‘I feel inclined to say I wish I could help you more; always - ask me if you think I can. But I advise you chiefly to make - this a subject of prayer. I say daily that Collect for - Whitsunday, about a “right judgment in all things.” Then I - think I should see where the evil is most apparent, not speak - to the whole class but to some few. Very likely, if you try - to prevent this wrong worship, you will create an antagonism - which will give you much trouble; such affection easily turns - to hatred.... This sort of thing does make homes so unhappy - because the wife takes “tiffs.” Try earnestly to brace them, my - dear child.’ - -Miss Beale’s own shyness also stood in the way of her personal intimacy -with her pupils. She liked to be met more than half-way. She liked the -birthday-book brought to her to sign,[68] the rare wild-flower found and -gathered for her, the little note of sympathy or inquiry or thanks. A -hundred reasons would keep most girls back from taking the simple steps -which would have led them early to find a friend in Miss Beale. While -they were reverencing in silence and at a distance there would come along -some bright thing of quick perception, accustomed to society and to be -welcome everywhere, untroubled by self-consciousness, who would approach -the throne with no ‘unaccustomed awe,’ but stand, and chat, and smile, -and be obviously acceptable to the lonely sovereign. ‘You know, A.,’ she -said once to an old girl, ‘it was your freedom from shyness with me that -first drew me to you.’ And, as a matter of fact, Miss Beale was really -the most accessible of sovereigns. She longed to know all her children, -and to help each personally. It was only a girl whose career was very -short or wholly uneventful, and led in the lower classes of the school, -who could remain wholly unacquainted with her. Even then, it would be -found that the ten minutes’ individual talk which the Principal had with -each as she left the College finally, impressed itself on the mind of the -hearer. Her sympathies were ever most readily drawn out by those likely -in after years to exercise influence—in some prominent, possibly Imperial -position, or as teachers. - -At all times a silent, strong, unconscious impression was produced upon -most by Miss Beale’s rare absence from her post, her minute attention -to her own share of the work of the College, her obvious self-devotion. -‘I can’t picture the College without her, she always seemed to be -everywhere,’ one wrote after her death. Another said, ‘Although she might -never speak to you, still the fact that she was not there on any day -always made the College feel strange and empty.’ - -Her memory for all who had passed through the College was simply -extraordinary. A married pupil, visiting Cheltenham after many years’ -interval, writes of her amazement at finding that Miss Beale could tell -her of every girl she had been with in class, and in many cases by whom -she had sat, whom she had liked, and so on. Another, who was for two -years at the College, only spoke twice to the Principal during that -period, and left without the least idea that Miss Beale could know her -as an individual. Two years after leaving the first great sorrow of -her life came, in the death of her class-teacher, Miss Aitken. ‘That -friendship,’ she writes, ‘had never degenerated into any foolish or -selfish attachment. I still count it as one of the strongest motives of -my life.’ In the deep grief over her friend’s death came a letter from -Miss Beale: ‘Just the fact that she remembered and understood was like a -revelation. It was through that that I first realised the possibility of -the individual love and care of God.’ - -Naturally, it was in the earliest days, when the first class was small -and Miss Beale taught many subjects herself, that an intimate tie between -the head and the pupil was most easily formed. But Miss Beale’s wonderful -freshness of mind and heart enabled her to continue not only the old -friendships so made, but yearly to make new ones. She had a wonderful -way, too, of maintaining friendship. A girl might pass through the school -knowing her but a little, but loyalty to College fostered by the Guild -meetings would each year bring her into closer touch with the Principal. -‘I hope we may meet again,’ she wrote in 1876 to one who had had a deep -love and reverence for her, but not much more than a slight acquaintance -with her in College. Twenty years after, when events drew them together -again, a close mutual friendship which greatly brightened Miss Beale’s -declining years grew out of the seed sown so long before. - -Miss Beale herself held that the influence of the Principal on the school -should be through the teachers. ‘She can do more with five hundred if she -has a staff thoroughly in sympathy with her than if she brought direct -personal influence to bear upon a school of a hundred. “If you want a -thing done, do not do it yourself,” should be the motto of a ruler for -everyday use. Act through others, educate them thereby to independence, -and reserve your strength for things that none but a Head can do.’ - -In teaching, Miss Beale’s definite aim was to inspire. She sought but -little to inform, but much to kindle a thirst for knowledge, a love -of good and beautiful things, and to awaken thinking power. This she -undoubtedly did, though the process was slow; working itself out quietly -in the mind and character of those she taught, in nobler views of life, -more refined appreciations, improved sense of proportion. When there was -a question of preparation for examination, or of the definite knowledge -such as was required in mathematical subjects, it was necessary to -supplement the lessons of the Principal. Yet her teaching of the exact -sciences was hardly less illuminative than of those which make a more -direct appeal to the imagination. She would interest the class in a -mathematical problem, induce the mind to work, leave it at the end of a -lesson impressed and roused, but at the same time not clear about the -subject she had been putting before it. Then afterwards the explanation -up to which she had been leading would often come like a flash to the -puzzling brain. - -Naturally the teaching of history was a great opportunity to one who -could so clothe her subject with life. In this she was more than merely -picturesque and vivid, she would allow her own delighted interest to show -itself. Who that heard them could forget her lectures on the reign of -George the Third, in which she and her whole class were transported to -the old Parliament House, listening, it might be, to the younger Pitt’s -maiden speech, or to some stirring debate between him and his rival, -hearing the applause, the dissentient murmurs, even a joke under the -breath of some listener? She would lead up to a climax with dramatic -force. With what astonishment did her audience hear, as if it were a -startling piece of political news of their own day, of the Coalition -Ministry![69] - -The study of history has now become organised and scientific. Miss -Beale’s own methods were out of date long before her death; she ceased -indeed to teach the subject herself about 1874, but she never lost the -enthusiasm with which she first entered upon it. As an example she was -always anxious that those who were lecturing on history should adopt the -views she considered just about certain personages. Once, when the Tudor -period was being studied in the College, she summoned the teachers, as -the school hours ended at one o’clock, into a classroom to hear what she -believed to be the truth about Cranmer—with a few words making a terrible -picture of time-serving and cowardice. On the other hand, she was always -anxious that what was great in Elizabeth should be recognised; that every -possible excuse should be made for her faults. - -But if Miss Beale’s methods of teaching history have been to some extent -superseded, it should be remembered that she was among the first to -insist on the importance of general history. Though assured of the value -of detailed and special knowledge, she was not content to let one period -stand alone unlinked with its context. She would not cut off the history -of England as a thing by itself, but showed its place in the stream of -time, in the lives of the nations. So almost every class was obliged to -learn something of outline and general history, and here it was that the -_Chart_ and _Textbook_ played so important a part. - -Miss Beale’s English literature lessons may, more than any others she -gave, be described as _sui generis_. ‘Miss Beale gives literature lessons -of a peculiar kind,’ was the appreciation of a new pupil who had studied -the subject before coming to Cheltenham. Her literature lesson, indeed, -had many functions. The subject became the vehicle of much teaching -that it was not convenient to give in a Bible lesson. She sought to -interest her class in books, in reading, in noble thoughts, in fine -prose and poetry. But this was by no means all. She sought primarily -to give views of life, conduct, and character such as would enable her -hearers to go from school into a larger world, already prepared to know -what to find. Under the names of friend and friendship much was said -which might apply equally to the choice of a husband and to marriage. -Knowledge of character, she would often say, is so important for women. -Hence she liked, if possible, once a year to read and lecture upon one -of Shakspere’s great plays to the first class. Though ever fresh and -interesting, and herself as interested as ever in these readings, though -the lectures were constantly brightened and enriched by new books and -thoughts brought to bear upon them, there was very little variation -in the treatment of the main theme. At certain crises in the story, -over certain characters, hearers of long standing knew what to expect. -Ophelia, to take an instance, was for all the generations of girls who -read _Hamlet_ at Cheltenham the woman who failed a man because she -could not dare to be true. A matter like this was vital to Miss Beale. -Could any class-teacher in the College have represented Ophelia in any -other light, the Lady Principal would have spared no pains to point out -the error of the treatment, both to her and to those she had misled. -Desdemona, again, was always marked as the wife who not unnaturally -roused the suspicions of a jealous-minded husband, because he knew that -in marrying him she had deceived her father. The misery that may follow a -secret wilful marriage was always hinted at when this story was told. - -But there were other and less weighty considerations than influence and -marriage in these lectures. They supplied opportunity for suggestions on -simple affairs such as the choice of books, ways of spending time and -money, manners, conversation, and the like. Often questions of the day, -politics in a very general sense, and social problems were led up to. - -Miss Beale might be unacademic to a fault in these lectures, but she -had that power of inspiration which made every poem she prized, every -character she admired, live immortally for those who heard her speak -of them. The actual reading—specially of poetry—was a delight to both -reader and hearers. Miss Beale had a strong dramatic instinct, a keen -enjoyment of poetry and the right use of words. She had also a wonderful -voice, which she managed well, and though always quiet and restrained in -manner carried her audience with her unweariedly. The literature lesson -was long, specially in the early days when, owing to short distances -and small numbers, no time was occupied by arrangements for prayers. For -thirty or forty minutes corrected notes were returned and criticised, -then the lecture proper would begin and go on for a full hour. Sometimes -the whole time, an hour and a half, was taken up by the lecture. It was -certainly very unusual for any one to find it too long. - -A further interest in these lectures lay in an effort to make them -language lessons. As a matter of fact, though much interested in language -herself, Miss Beale did little more than inspire a wish to study it -further. Perhaps this was her aim in touching upon it at all. She would -often bring to her lesson a table of Grimm’s Law, explain it very -rapidly, and appear to expect that it should be as rapidly remembered. - -Miss Beale’s literature was by no means confined to Shakspere’s plays. -All the greatest and many lesser works in the English tongue were taken -in their turn. But she would seldom take the works of any whose thought -seemed to her inferior; would have little, for instance, to do with -Dryden and Pope. Style in itself had no attraction, and the growth of -literary form, unless accompanied by the development of noble thought, -was of little interest. No subject, perhaps, was more after her own -choice than the poems of Spenser. She would dwell with unfailing delight -on the complicated allegories of the _Faëry Queene_, or on the Hymns to -‘Heavenly Love’ and ‘Heavenly Beauty.’ Nor was a school year ever allowed -to pass without her introducing the higher classes in the College to some -of Browning’s works. How many must have learned to know his greater short -poems by hearing her read them.[70] - -But the subject with which the name of Dorothea Beale as a teacher will -ever be associated is that of Holy Scripture. For this her greatest force -was reserved. This was the soul of her work, as any who listened to her -lessons with a hearing ear, or who marked the deep reverence prevailing -in her class, could not fail to observe. Trammelled she was in many ways, -at first by the narrowness which had almost prevented her coming to -Cheltenham; increasingly, as time went on, by the numbers of her hearers -who held opposing views on religion or who had no views at all; much -always by her own dread of ‘offending’ or of hindering an earnest seeker -for truth by a positive assertion. These causes made it inevitable that -her teaching should seem to many vague or insufficient, since she could -not bear to miss putting herself beside those who were as babes, unable -to venture a step into the untried. An old pupil has well described this -attitude:— - - ‘She did not go very much into every sort of detail, but I - wonder what use can be made of doctrinal details by people - whose general scheme of things is one into which they don’t - fit? and that, I suppose, is the trouble of most people who - are puzzled by such things at all. Whereas Miss Beale, in - anticipation of this difficulty, always seemed to me to set - forth a spiritual construction of the universe, into which no - spiritual truth learned afterwards could possibly fail to fit, - supposing it to be a truth in very deed. I do not see how any - teacher can possibly do a greater work; though I do not say for - a moment that she did no more.’ - -Certainly in the weekly lesson to the whole First Division of the school -she did a great deal more. Another old pupil may be quoted here:— - - ‘Speaking for myself, I can say without hesitation that it was - from her that I learned the truth of the sacramental life. - One thing she said to me, and she repeated it with emphasis - at the time of my Confirmation, is as fresh in my mind to-day - as the day she said it. Again, I can say for myself, and my - reading has been fairly wide, that her influence has been - entirely against any weakening of faith. Knowing something at - least of her character and intellectual power, it was natural - to feel that where she was steadfast one need not be afraid. - More than that, her direct teaching by its sympathetic insight - into the deepest aspects of life was always, and always will be - inspiring. If it is true that there was something vague in her - utterances, I believe it was because she had reached a plane of - thought where the words which have become the current thought - of everyday life are inadequate forms of expression.’ - -If, in order to seek some erring spirit, Miss Beale did at times seem -to neglect others, it must be remembered that in teaching the Bible, -more than at any other time, she really took up the humble position of -simply bringing her hearers to think and listen for themselves. This -was the intention which lay below the reverent behaviour exacted from a -Scripture class. By means of this she strove to impress the importance to -the hearer of being still, ready, attentive, free from selfish or idle -thought. She prepared not only the lesson, but also herself to give it, -with a devotion and self-denial which she never allowed to become relaxed -by pressing business, age, or infirmity. - -Not only was Friday evening strictly kept for the final preparation -of the lesson, but the ordinary details of school business attended -to before prayers were put aside on the day it was given. No one in -the College would have thought on those days of speaking to Miss Beale -beforehand except on some urgent matter. Writing to a young teacher in -1880, she said: ‘I used to prepare my lessons on my knees, (don’t say -this to others). You would find it a help, I think, to do this sometimes.’ - -This earnestness and diligence were shared by many of the class-teachers. -In a short account of Miss Belcher, which appeared in the College -Magazine of 1898, Miss Beale said: ‘Only those who knew her intimately -were aware of the long study and extreme pains she took with her -Scripture lessons. Every Friday at Cheltenham we used to meet and go over -the Saturday lesson together.’ - -The annual midsummer examination was no mere test of knowledge gained, -but, like the weekly notes, a real exercise of thought. In this matter -Miss Beale received the full sympathy and co-operation of the Rev. E. -Worsley, who for many years examined the upper classes of the College in -Scripture.[71] - -The subject of Miss Beale’s Scripture lessons was generally a Gospel -or an Epistle. Occasionally she would take the book of Genesis, from -which she would draw much instruction on Sin, Freewill, Faith. Perhaps -her favourite subject was the Gospel of St. John. Remembering the -Saturday class, the awe with which she would speak of the Logos, or with -passionate devotion follow the sublime teaching of the later chapters of -that book, the glowing ardour with which she would heap up fact and proof -concerning the Resurrection, occur at once to the memory. - -Letters to old pupils who had become teachers in other schools show Miss -Beale’s reasons for dwelling on certain points. To Miss Wolseley Lewis, -head-mistress of the Graham Street Church High School, she wrote in 1897 -concerning 1 Cor. vii.:— - - ‘Yes—I have taken it. There is no need to insist on every - word. In reading one’s Bible some things are not suitable for - children, but the teaching of those chapters regarding the - sacredness of the body is extremely valuable. Robertson on - Corinthians is very helpful. - - ‘I will see if I can find my notes, they would be useful to - you; but you need not be afraid to take it, you will like it.’ - -And again in January 1898 on the same subject:— - - ‘I have looked in vain for my notes on Corinthians. I think - Robertson will give you much useful help in working out the - more difficult chapters. It is very important with elder girls - not to leave out the teaching which comes naturally out of the - Epistle, on the sacredness of marriage, and the responsibility - of choice,—on the certain promises that if we ask guidance - it will be given. The example of Abraham in choosing a wife - for his son may be cited,—the necessity of waiting for - guidance,—praying for light until it comes, when we are called - on to decide the most important question of our whole lives. - One may insist on the duty of being so equipped that we can - earn our own living, and not be tempted into the disgrace of - a mercenary marriage. One may just touch upon the detestable - teaching of some modern works, that our affections and acts are - beyond our control. I feel sure you will find you can do much - to help girls thus.’ - -To Miss Arnold at Truro she wrote:— - - ‘As regards Acts: I should say not; because one is so much - drawn aside to history and geography; but one may work in - Epistles, etc., if there is an examination required. I made up - my mind I would not take it again.’ - -And again, in 1891, on the use of Scripture teaching:— - - ‘I think what we should do is to make it come home to the - children in their daily life as a clergyman hardly can. We know - their faults and temptations. I often take the baptismal vow. I - really can’t find time to write much, and it is so impossible - to suggest much. I am sure you will find things easier when you - begin.’ - -The immense detail of the teaching, following as it did the innumerable -suggestions that one text might give, was sometimes confusing to a -new class. A term’s lessons might be occupied with a few verses only. -Then there is no doubt that Miss Beale’s large way of thinking and -comprehensive form of expression was difficult to follow. This did not -lessen with age. New pupils, particularly of late years, were often -filled with despair at the prospect of having to write out the lessons. -Many felt the Sunday work it involved to be a strain. This was less the -case at first, when perhaps intellectual interests had more undisputed -sway. The life in College, as in other spheres, has become more full and -offers fewer spaces for uninterrupted thought. Sometimes a whisper that -her Scripture lessons were too difficult reached the Lady Principal. It -grieved her, but she never quite believed it. She wrote of it to Miss -Arnold:— - - ‘I like you to tell me what is said, but then I do not like to - know more.... There are others much older to whom I address - myself, and I see they do enter more and more as the year goes - on, and I am teaching more now for the future. I do think I - fortify some more for the trials of their future life than I - did when you were here. Those who cannot follow, ought to be - put into a class where the teaching is less difficult. They - do not say this, I hope, about my Monday lessons, only the - Saturday....’ - -The patient correction and explanation of the pupils’ essays on the -lessons was not the least part of the Scripture work. How full, -elaborate, and diligent this correction was will not readily be -understood by any who do not know the Cheltenham system. But though Miss -Beale wrote a great deal in the girls’ books, her corrections were often -framed on the Socratic method so much prized by her. To take an example. -A vague use of the word _infinitely_ has written against it, ‘Do you -mean from eternity?’ ‘The _universe_,’ writes one pupil lightly, to have -the word underlined and with ‘_Meaning_’ written above it. And she had -a wonderful eye for thought and effort. No writer, however poor, whose -work showed signs of these was discouraged. One writes of this:— - - ‘I have one of my old Scripture books, and on looking it over, - for the first time for many years, I am most struck by her - power of seeing good in the very crude attempts of a girl of - sixteen. It seems to me marvellous that she, with her great - intellect, could have put herself on our level, so as to see - when we had _thought_, and to encourage us with the “s” and “g” - that we valued so highly. I am afraid I used to look out more - for the “g’s” than for the comments and corrections that showed - how much pains she took _herself_ with each attempt of ours.’ - -A good deal of enthusiastic drudgery was needed for the corrector of -twenty or thirty Scripture books every week. Even Miss Beale found it -hard at times, and would write:— - - ‘Much idle time again. At 10 P.M. Thursday not touched a - correction. Thus unfaithful while I am so much helped.’ - -And:— - - ‘Tired, but terribly negligent. Put off books in a really - unpardonable way, and felt irritable at work.’ - -In dealing with individual character, faults, and weakness Miss Beale -showed no common tact, and often surpassing astuteness. To begin with, -she was herself so well disciplined, so well attuned to the highest -thought of work for others, that probably she did not even feel irritated -by the errors and mistakes of her children. Certainly she never showed -annoyance. It is impossible even to think of her being satirical or -sarcastic either in teaching or in dealing with faults of manner or -character. She would have considered it unpardonable in an under-teacher -to be so, almost as reprehensible as to treat or speak of a child as -stupid. She had indeed a special love for ‘ugly ducklings,’ in whom she -would frequently perceive and draw out a latent swanhood. - -Some things—such as what she termed the ‘petty larceny of her time’ by -those who prolonged an interview by aimless small talk—did irritate her; -but she would no more have been annoyed by the shortcomings of a child -than a doctor would be at the illness of a patient. Though able to adapt -herself spontaneously to individual characteristics, she had certain -distinct lines along which she worked. Dealing with ordinary childish -faults she would make no appeal on high religious grounds, used no set -or stock phrases. Always, in big and little things, she would show the -child some ground for expecting right action from her, pointing out -something probably connected with her home which, a legitimate source -of satisfaction, should be also a spur to do well. Or she would treat a -rebellious act in such a way as to rob it of all its delight. An amusing -instance of this was told by a writer in the _Guardian_ of November 21, -1906: ‘On one occasion a very clever student, with an unruly temper, -refused, because some one had annoyed her, to eat her breakfast on the -day of an important examination. Her form mistress begged Miss Beale to -persuade the girl to have at least some milk. She was sent to Miss Beale, -and was greatly startled by—“I hear you are fasting to-day; for a temper -like yours it is probably a wise discipline.” Nothing more was said, but -the girl did not refuse her luncheon.’ Such homœopathic treatment was -sometimes also applied to idleness, a rare fault in a schoolgirl. It was, -in ancient days, occasionally known in the Third Division at Cheltenham. -Quite rarely, in consequence, a little girl would be allowed to do -nothing but sit still all the morning. No one had a chance of showing -obstinacy. It was a relief to more than one young teacher to be told that -‘You must never let a child have the satisfaction of holding out against -you.’ If such a thing did occur, there was no contest, no opposition of -superior power on the part of a teacher; a few, very few words from the -Lady Principal would make the child see the futility and silliness of her -attitude. - -A moral delinquency was, however, met with the very greatest seriousness. -Parents were sometimes surprised at the extraordinary pains Miss Beale -would take to obtain the confession of such a fault as copying a lesson. -The slightest suspicion of dishonesty was always followed up at once, but -the act was never brought home to the offender until there was positive -proof. Then the way would be made easy for her, the lie prevented by -something like this: ‘My child, I am sure you have too good a conscience -to rest with such a thing as this upon it.’ Conviction and confession -of a fault made it immediately possible to show how it came about, -how it might be prevented in the future. Especially in the matter of -untruthfulness Miss Beale would trace the outside fault to its source, -showing it to be a symptom of some corrupting force within, cowardice, -vanity, or idleness. In this connection it is well worth while to read -her remarkable little paper on Truth.[72] - -One tale of her discrimination may well be told. A class-teacher received -some anonymous letters which she took to Miss Beale, naming the girl she -took to be the writer. Some days passed. The teacher thought the matter -forgotten, when one morning Miss Beale said to her, ‘Send —— to me. I can -see by her face this morning that she will tell me all.’ Miss Beale was -not disappointed either in the confession or its effects. - -No one could reprove like Miss Beale. Her grief, her admonition were -expressed not only with so much sympathy, but with such an absolute -impersonal sense of rightness and justice, that it was impossible to -resent them. ‘Nothing is more touching,’ she wrote in 1898, ‘than the -penitence of children, when they find that we have seen the good which is -hidden, and not only the evil that comes forth; that we know, not only -what is done, but what is resisted.’[73] Any who had so failed became a -special care. ‘We try,’ she wrote once, ‘to make her feel there is no -anger at all, but sympathy and an anxious watchfulness which will, we -hope, make her more watchful over herself.’ - -To break the rule of silence was always regarded as a great fault. A -careless pupil, conscious of breaking it only once or twice, would be -surprised to find in her term’s report, ‘Disobedient to rule.’ - -A girl whose influence was seen to be a source of evil—a single act or -conversation might be enough to prove it—was instantly removed. Careful -as Miss Beale was to let no pupil go who might by any possibility be -induced to stay, she never hesitated a moment in a case of this kind. The -extreme seriousness with which she regarded this may be gathered from the -following letter to a head-mistress:— - - ‘This is grievous. How is it that girls were allowed to go - out by themselves? I wonder, too, that Miss —— did not _see_ - there was something wrong. No girls can act thus without some - unnatural excitement. Then are there no prefects in the house? - no elder girls to be relied on?—no confidential servant? I - don’t see how you can keep _any_ one of the three, but perhaps - there are degrees of guilt. It was so different at ——. A girl - began to _talk_ as she ought not—the younger girls told the - seniors, the seniors came to ——; she told me, and within two - hours the girl had left the house. There ought to be such - confidence between the seniors and the head of the house, and - constant vigilance over the girls’ characters and _insight_. I - always feel that a school is at the mercy of one naughty girl, - and we must never relax our vigilance. It is sad to think that - they have degraded women in the eyes of all that know it.’ - -Such instances are stated, not because it was continually the part of -the Principal and her staff to deal with iniquity. On the contrary, -the order and conduct of the school were singularly good,—the sense of -duty, fostered by a call to exercise it rather than by precept, was -unusually high. One means by which this was maintained was the constant -collaboration of the parents. In all matters Miss Beale tried to take -them with her, encouraged them to come to her, to talk over the children, -spoke to the children about them, wrote to them on special matters, tried -to get them to understand her aims. Her letters, too, show what pains she -took to bring about a real co-operation. On one occasion no less than ten -letters passed between Principal, parent, and class-teacher on so simple -a matter as a child returning in the afternoon, according to a school -rule, to do a lesson over again. Miss Beale won the child to see and do -what was right, but she also wrote to the mother:— - - ‘I fear you have led your child to think there is a question to - be settled now as to which is the supreme authority. Of course, - if this is so, it is much to be deplored; it is something like - a conflict between father and mother before their child. We - so earnestly wish that the home and school should be one in - spirit. If this cannot be, it is best, as I have already said, - that the child should be placed in another school.’ - -One letter to a parent on a matter of the same kind ended with this -postscript: ‘Sometimes we cannot, and sometimes we ought not, to keep a -promise made under a wrong impression. Consider Herod’s case.’ - -Parents who did not send their children back on the right day, or who -kept them at home for insufficient reason, always heard from her. She -would write thus: - -‘Had I known how difficult it would be for —— to return, I should have -advised her remaining here for her holiday’; or, ‘I know things are not -considered so serious at a girls’ school as at a boys’ school, but no boy -would be received back, I am sure, at one of our great public schools who -had been absent without the leave of the Head-master.’ - -On the other hand, Miss Beale was always most anxious to support the -authority and dignity of the parent. Once, when this seemed not to have -been done by a teacher, she wrote: ‘She saw when I pointed it out how -very wrong it was even to hint to a child that I thought her mother in -the wrong.’ ‘She was never tired,’ ran a notice by an old pupil after her -death, ‘of impressing upon the girls that home must come first in their -affections. It was indeed pathetic to hear her speak, as she did almost -weekly in her addresses to the assembled divisions, of the beauty of the -relation of a child to its parents.’ - -It is impossible to do more than refer to the many letters which show the -confidence and gratitude of the College parents, but, as an example, one -from a father who held high official rank, on his daughter’s passing an -examination in 1877, may be quoted, with its good wishes which were so -entirely realised:— - - ‘Excuse my sending you one line of sincere thanks for your - valuable (and inestimable, I may call it) friendship towards my - dear daughter. - - ‘We were immensely pleased at her success, which we attribute - entirely to the love of work instilled into her by your system - at College generally, as well as by your personal influence. - You not only obtain the respect and the devoted love and - loyalty of your girls, but through them the admiration of their - parents and all those who take an interest in their careers. I - am sure few persons in the army of teachers are more highly - esteemed than yourself, few for whom more hearty prayers are - offered for a long, long life of usefulness. - - ‘We feel so proud of our [girl’s] success. With every good - wish for the health and prosperity both of yourself and your - glorious College,’ etc. - -Lastly and supremely, it was through Miss Beale’s own personal influence -upon her teachers, her clearly defined example always before them, that -the spirit of the College came to be what it was. She had the gift of -inspiration in that rare degree which makes actual direction of less -value. She did not neglect details; she would indicate minor matters -deserving of attention which others would overlook; she often quoted -at a teachers’ meeting the example of the great general who, on taking -over a command, first paid attention to the boots of his men. But it was -never necessary for her to harp upon little things, or to go personally -to see if her wishes had been carried out. One, who had had some years’ -experience in teaching before she arrived at Cheltenham as a student, -spoke with something like rapture of the College organisation as it -appeared to her coming fresh from other places of education. - - ‘If I had a spare hour in the morning, it was useless to - try and concentrate my thoughts on any study, I was simply - fascinated by the superior attraction of watching Miss Beale’s - government of her little kingdom. No monarch ever had more - absolute sway over his subjects; all the threads responded to - her lightest touch.... - - ‘The College, as Miss Beale made it, was an organism, the - product of inner forces needing constant renewal of vitality, - not a vast machine, working without friction for the production - of clever women. - - ‘Then, for the first time, my soul conceived the possibility - of a beneficent Spirit watching over the general good, and yet - caring for the needs of the humblest individual. Thus she, - who so loved to point out that outward things are sacramental - exponents of the invisible, became herself a channel through - which I realised things unseen.’ - -This influence was not gained through the more ordinary ways of intimacy. -In one sense Miss Beale saw very little of her teachers, some, as the -staff became very large, she hardly knew at all, though naturally with a -few of the older ones she became more really intimate. There were also -a few special instances of close friendship. Notably may be mentioned -that of Miss Martha Brown, who came to Cheltenham about 1873, no longer -young or strong. Her actual work in the College lasted but a short time, -for her health soon failed altogether, though a keen mind, occupied and -interested by a true love of knowledge and desire to impart it, kept her -up for a year or so, until she was forced to resign herself to her last -illness. For more than a year she remained in Miss Beale’s house, Miss -Beale herself sometimes sharing with Miss Gore the task of nursing and -caring for her in every way, holding it, indeed, a privilege to wait -upon one whose spirit so soared above her circumstances,—she was poor as -well as hopelessly ill,—one who, regarding the mysteries of science as -a lesson-book given to man by God, did not weary in her study of them -even when near the gates of death. Miss Brown is often mentioned in Miss -Beale’s diary, and later her name occurs frequently among those who had -passed beyond the veil, and whom Miss Beale specially loved to honour at -a Guild meeting. - -With regard to the greater number of the staff, though it is to be feared -that her dislike of spending trifling sums of money stood in the way -of even small hospitalities, this can have been but a secondary reason -why she did not see more of them. It was a principle with her to spend -time on recreation only so far as would help work; it was a principle to -use the short interviews which alone were possible among large numbers -in the most economical way; finally, it was a principle that influence -may be stronger and better for detachment from everyday occasions. To -spend time on small talk would only fritter away good influence. Yet, -in thinking of this, there must occur to the memory of some, at least, -that she had a kind of dread of the word influence, as implying something -personal, that she thought it dangerous to try to establish a sphere of -influence, that she never consciously tried to acquire it. Once when a -petition was put forward against the suffrage for women, Miss Beale, who -declined to sign it, said that one reason urged upon her for doing so -seemed so poor, namely, that the vote would impair the influence of women -with men. - -One aim, a common self-devotion in all was what she desired. To further -it meetings of the staff were constantly held, when she would speak -serious words which would burn themselves into the soul of many a -young teacher. Her intense earnestness impressed, her tremendous claim -was irresistible. Nothing for self! all for those committed to your -care,—your whole life arranged so as best to further your work! This -was the claim she made, and to this she found response. Individually -she helped much by a quiet word now and then, by a little unexpected -note, sometimes by a long letter. One young teacher, who was apt to -become excited in the enjoyment of her work, was surprised one morning -to receive in the midst of it a little note, which, when deciphered, -ran, ‘My dear child, try to work quietly. We must not let good feeling -go off in steam.’ Those who were long at Cheltenham could tell of many -such instances of watchful kindness; letters to those who left to work -elsewhere are full of it. She had a wonderfully keen perception for -reality of intention and earnestness in work, and was quick to encourage -any who showed these qualities. One who was long on the staff at -Cheltenham has written thus of the help she received from the Principal -when she first went:— - - ‘I often think of the days when I first began to teach, just - a beginner. How Miss Beale encouraged and inspired one. - I remember when she came in to one of my early geography - lessons, an atrociously bad one, she spoke so kindly to me - afterwards about it, and suggested that I should give up the - subject for a time and study it before I taught it again. - Later, she showed me a book with new ideas on the teaching of - geography, and asked if I would try again. I did, and it became - my special subject whilst I was at College, all through her - kindly encouragement and help. She was always so delightfully - sympathetic about one’s family and friends too, and she never - forgot one’s home circumstances.’ - -When it was necessary to find fault or alter an arrangement Miss Beale -never shrank from doing what she believed to be for the good of the -whole, even at the cost of personal convenience. But she was always -careful not to reprove except in such a way as to leave an absolute -sense of justice. There was no sting in her rebuke. And she could own -herself wrong. She had no foolish fear about giving herself away. One -member of the staff could tell of long and repeated application for an -arrangement which she knew to be right, but which Miss Beale absolutely -and bluntly refused. At last it was granted. Miss Beale herself came and -stood patiently watching the removal of desks, etc., involved. It took at -least an hour. When she had seen it finished, she said: ‘I see you were -right in insisting on this.’ ‘She has given in, and I could die for her!’ -exclaimed the teacher, as she reported the incident to another concerned -in it. - -It has often been said that the College teachers were overworked. It -would be truer, perhaps, to state that too many chose to overwork, and -that it was easy to do so. Miss Beale, who taught, read, wrote so much, -interviewed people, conducted any amount of College business, and yet -found time to write upon Browning or the Fourth Dimension, was unable -rightly to estimate how little a young woman of average intelligence can -do. She had to learn it by actual experience of cases, and she tried to -learn it. She was always anxious to readjust a burden, took infinite -trouble to do so, but did not always realise the weakness of many a -willing horse, or the want of common-sense, which will make people -heap up tasks or work without plan. She never wanted to play herself, -could not understand that any one should seriously wish to do so; she -therefore regarded such a thing as the teachers’ tennis-ground as quite -superfluous.[74] Nor could she understand why any should wish to live -out of sight of the place of their work. Even in the summer holidays -she frequently chose the Sanatorium for a residence. Her own house was -gradually absorbed by the College buildings, until it became almost -as shut from the outer world as the women’s apartments in an oriental -establishment, with no proper air and light of its own, only such as -was derived from the surrounding corridors of the beloved College. Miss -Beale preferred it should be so. Yet this attitude was but the defect -of the great qualities by which she was enabled to make a complete -self-surrender, and to call upon others to do the same ‘for the work’s -sake.’ The only teachers who really felt ill-used or misunderstood, and -who perhaps had some genuine ground for their complaint, were those -who were unwilling to take trouble over fresh methods and subjects, -or who were unable to rise to the high standard put before them, -innocently thinking that the profession of a school-mistress was just -an interesting occupation, or a means of earning a livelihood. Yet the -practical side had its place. It was to Miss Beale’s foresight and -initiative that the Pension Fund was in the first instance due. - -Miss Beale’s letters to Miss Clara Arnold, with whom she had a close -correspondence from the time Miss Arnold left the College to become a -teacher until her death in March 1906, show at once her ideal, and her -close individual care for her own child. Some of the most interesting are -quoted here:— - - ‘May God bless you and prosper your work. You look to me too - eager,—will you understand my word? Try to feel more what I was - saying to-day, that work is not ours but God’s, and so we may - look up peacefully, trustingly, committing our work to Him. If - we try to serve Him in sincerity, He will perfect that which - is lacking. Are not those chapters in Ezekiel comforting, when - we feel our shortcomings, and that we sometimes lead children - wrongly? Because the shepherds made them to err—“I myself will - be their shepherd.”’ - - * * * * * - - ‘_June 1881._ - - ‘I wish I could help you, my dear child. I have copied out for - you parts of an address given to teachers some years ago by Mr. - Body.[75] I took notes of it and send some to you. You must not - let your spiritual life die down, you must get oil to burn in - the lamp of your being: that spirit of grace and life and light - of the soul. Such times of dryness do seem to be sent at times - to try our faith; whether we serve God for His gifts and the - joys of religion, but often they are the result of disobedience - to the Voice of the Spirit. “Because I called and ye refused,” - etc. Some unfaithfulness to what we knew to be right, some - self-indulgent ways, some sloth. Sometimes there is a sin - unknown, and God would make us search it out; sometimes hidden - like Achan’s piece of gold, it causes us to turn our backs on - our enemies. We have to find out and acknowledge the sin. - - ‘I don’t understand about your Sundays. I find I need so - much that quiet day. I think you should _resist_ making it a - _social_ day, as friends expect,—have a good portion alone for - prayer and study—for the study of rather deep books. “Build - yourselves up, beloved, in your most holy faith.” Take portions - of the Bible and work them out with good commentaries, above - all with prayerful study. - - ‘Do you intercede enough? If our prayers become selfish they - lose life. Remember the cruse of oil. - - ‘I wonder if you could sometimes go to St. Peter’s, Eaton - Square, to a Bible class, which Mr. Wilkinson holds generally - once a fortnight on Fridays after afternoon service. I should - like you to see him; but I care for his teaching on Sundays - less than on week-days. It is a fashionable congregation and - the church crowded, still I wish you would go, because he seems - to feel the presence of a living God more than almost any one I - have heard. - - ‘Do you go to Church now or to the Brethren’s services? To me - the Church services and seasons, and especially the silent - half-hour while others are communicating, is full of teaching. - “I will come to them and make them to sit down to meat and will - serve them.” Do you know the “Imitation”? If not, let me send - you a copy. Perhaps God speaks to _you_ better in other ways. - - ‘Have you let opportunities slip of helping others? Now see if - there is some one to whom you might give a cup of cold water. - Thank God for such an opportunity, and ask Him to refresh your - own soul and He will, but you must be patient. Not at first - does He answer. Partly this dryness is to teach you humility - and sympathy. - - ‘I would recommend you to be sympathetic in spite of it. Make - some definite rule for devotion and _keep_ to it. - - ‘Be particular about _time_, one may waste so much in mere - talk; have some rule and respect it. - - ‘Take a little time at mid-day for prayer. Then if you don’t - feel right, just go on quietly and untroubled, trying to _do_ - as well as you can. - - ‘Read some daily portion on your knees and look up in faith. He - “feedeth the young ravens that call upon Him.” - -To one who wrote that she found the character of the county in which her -school was placed ‘detestable.’ - - ‘I am most sorry about your finding the —— character - “detestable.” If you have seemed called to work there, you must - be intended to love them, to see what is good in them first, - then what needs correction. I dare say their good qualities are - just complementary to yours, just what you want. - - ‘How does your Bishop feel about the flock over which the Great - Shepherd has made him overseer? and how does the Great Shepherd - Himself feel towards our detestable characters? - -Many letters to young teachers dealt with the care of health, which was -always impressed as a sacred duty upon girls and teachers alike. Body and -mind should be kept fit for duty. Hence social engagements which would -make it imperative to sit up late at night should be cut off as far as -possible. Holidays should be spent in such a way as to gain complete -freshness and rest and where there was no risk of infection, not even of -taking cold. - -Here is one to Miss Arnold:— - - ‘I am so vexed to hear about this chronic headache. Remember it - is one of your duties to God, Who has given you work, to keep - yourself fit, so you must use every means. I dare say a tonic - _would_ do you good. - - ‘Take warning too by —— and do not put too great a spiritual - strain upon your soul; the body is to have rest and not too - great excitement. There have been times of weakness when I have - not dared to let myself feel,—not at church or I should have - broken down. You are not as weak as that, I hope. I believe you - ought to do less in the holidays.’ - -Again, a month later she wrote:— - - ‘But I often think that you drive your _poor_ body too hard; - if we do that, we have to carry “the ass” instead of the ass - carrying us, and then we break down under the burden.’ - -Here is a letter to another head-mistress:— - - ‘I do wish you would take a real rest and holiday. I feel sure - it would be more economical in the end. You have led two lives, - and for awhile I want you to lead none, go to sleep.... Those - whom you have inspired will carry on your work, and then I hope - you will come back with fresh energy to take up not all, but a - part of the work you have done.’ - -Miss Beale could also enter into the feelings of exhaustion and -depression which follow some special trial connected with work. But the -sympathy she showed was ever bracing, as may be seen in the following -extracts from letters:— - - ‘I feel anxious about you, but don’t know what can be done, - and think that the school must suffer if you let these private - troubles occupy your field of vision.’ - - * * * * * - - ‘I am grieved that you are feeling so exhausted. If your post - is clearly at Truro, if you have no call to leave it, then you - must brace yourself again, and the work _will_ be done all - right, whether in joy or sorrow. If God has given it you, He - will give the strength to do it. We are inclined to lie like - the impotent man thinking “I can’t.” Directly we hear Christ’s - voice—we can! but it may be this body which you starved and - ill-treated and worked so hard—“the ass,” as St. Francis, I - think, called it, has been overdriven.’ - -There were many teachers who heard from Miss Beale just at the moment -when they seemed to need help. A few words of encouragement would come at -such times as the beginning of new work. To one she wrote always for the -opening day of the term. Two such letters follow:— - - ‘_January 18, 1897._ - - ‘I am thinking of you on this your opening day, and this text - seemed given me for you. “Be strong, and He shall comfort - (strengthen, _i.e._) thine heart, and put thou thy trust in the - Lord.” - - ‘Try, my child, to live more this year for your children, and - to enter, as you are doing, more into the thought that to save - our lives we must lose them.’ - - * * * * * - - ‘_September 18, 1899._ - - ‘I have been thinking about you, and supposed you would begin - to-morrow. - - ‘What a glorious Epistle for this week. May you be strengthened - with might by the Spirit, and be filled with all the fulness of - God. His power does work in it, above all that we ask or think. - - ‘The prayer in “Great Souls” speaks specially of those worn - down by sickness. I am sorry you feel weak, but the heat has - tried every one, and I think you will revive when your children - gather round you. - - ‘Perhaps this sort of class will be better for you, and I think - you are suited for it, because you are sympathetic, and will - encourage those who feel themselves backward or not clever, to - use the powers they have, to do what they can. May our Lord - bless and comfort and guide you, my dear child.’ - -The College was not an easy place to leave. Miss Beale was proud of the -number of head-mistresses she sent out, but she grudged parting with her -best teachers. And there were many who, like Miss Belcher,[76] sacrificed -their own interests to that of the College. - -The following is a characteristic letter on the subject:— - - ‘_February 1894._ - - ‘Miss Wolseley Lewis, who has been here nineteen years as pupil - and teacher, who is B.A., gold medallist, all round, a charming - character, good churchwoman, excellent influence, has come to - ask me for a testimonial! I wish I could write she is horrid! - - ‘I am losing Miss Edmonds, another gold medallist, and so good - all round, because she wants to be M.D. and missionary. I think - it is cruel to take people at this time of year. Is there any - chance of Canon Holland waiting?’ - -But when Miss Wolseley Lewis went to Graham Street, she wrote to her:— - - ‘You have been much in my thoughts this last Sunday. The sorrow - of this year[77] seems to have drawn us nearer, and it is hard - to part with you; but I feel you have been called to this work, - and I am in the depths of my heart glad. May you in some degree - realise the life of the ideal woman, through the indwelling of - the Holy Ghost.’ - -‘I have known her,’ wrote a head-mistress after the death of Miss Beale, -‘for thirty-six years now, and she has been the truest and most valued -of friends to me. How we who are head-mistresses of smaller schools will -miss her advice and help it is difficult to express.’ - -And Miss Beale could be most generous in parting with her best even in -obedience to the claims of ordinary life, claims which she did not find -it easy always to recognise. The following letter gives an example of -this:— - - ‘There can be only one answer under the circumstances,—you - feel you could not return, and I should feel as you do in your - place. It is a great blow to me, for we have learned to feel - such trust in one another, and one cannot trust these young - teachers to every one.... I shall miss from my staff one whom - I had learned to regard as a dear and faithful friend and - fellow-worker.’ - -Many more extracts might be made from Miss Beale’s letters to show her -care for teachers and her supreme interest in all that concerned their -welfare, but in many cases they suffer by separation from their context. -Therefore, from the large mass of correspondence left, a certain number -of letters dealing with various subjects have been selected to form a -chapter by themselves. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -PARERGA - - ‘All the great mystics have been energetic and influential, and - their business capacity is specially noted in a curiously large - number of cases.’ - - INGE, _Bampton Lectures_, Preface vii. - - -One outcome of Miss Beale’s time of personal spiritual distress, one -which bore directly on what she considered as St. Hilda’s work, was an -arrangement made for the first time in 1884 for devotional meetings -for teachers at the end of the summer term. After 1885, when a second -gathering took place, they were held alternately with the biennial Guild -meetings. Like much of Miss Beale’s work, these Quiet Days, as they were -called, resulted rather from a definite idea than from a formal plan. -Their arrangement and character appear to have been due to the occurrence -of certain conditions and circumstances while Miss Beale was forming a -decision to help others who might be suffering as she herself had done. -Plans for this help began to pass through her mind as early as the summer -of 1882, while she was herself, as she would have expressed it, ‘in the -fire.’ In July 1882 she wrote to a friend:— - - ‘_July 25, 1882._ - - ‘What occurred to me was this—that something of a more definite - Retreat might be held for teachers during the vacation. Mr. - Wilkinson had at Christmas some Quiet Days which were very - valuable and helpful. Still these were not quite like a regular - Retreat:—because very few who went were able to be really quiet - in London lodgings, and so could not get the absolute silence - and repose which make a Retreat valuable.... Most of the - regular Retreats are too general to give teachers the _special_ - help, and many are so distinctly High Church, that one could - not venture to recommend young teachers to go.... I _can’t_ - accept the decision “nothing can be done”; theories of distress - which reach me as the old light seems to go out, and the dark - waves close in, are too distressing. We cannot administer “a - universal pill”; but we can to some extent support and comfort - those who are passing through the darkness; one can out of - one’s own experience tell them that the stars will shine out - once more; one can teach some few simple lessons of faith and - patience and hope; one can show that there are _a priori_ and - _a posteriori_ grounds for the faith we hold,—though mysteries - unfathomable remain in every department of thought; and in such - a meeting, personal help and advice might be given to meet - special individual difficulties. It is here that the Christian - Evidence Society fails. Teachers have not time for _much_ - reading and there are masses of books, many of them containing - very little matter and plenty of words and arguments, which are - useless for our special difficulties. Of course Retreats are - not simply for such intellectual treatment of doubts, and one - would look for a quickening of faith by the special services - and united prayers. So I thought it might seem good to hold - some sort of Retreat in Oxford next year.’ - -It was not till the beginning of 1883 while attending a Retreat in -Warrington Crescent—a time to which she often recurred as of much help -and strengthening—that Miss Beale was able definitely to consider what -might be done. There were friends to whom she could turn, who took -trouble to help her by thinking over the matter from her point of view. -Among these may specially be mentioned the late Archbishop of Canterbury -and Mrs. Benson, the late Bishop of St. Andrews, and Canon Body. To Mrs. -Benson she wrote:— - - ‘_Epiphany, 1883._ - - ‘Whilst others were rejoicing at the recent appointment I - have been conscious of a mixed feeling, for the Archbishop of - Canterbury will not be able to do what the Bishop of Truro had - half promised, in the way of helping by some kind of Retreat, - teachers who have difficulties of belief. Mr. Wilkinson has - also been unable to give us the Quiet Days for which we had - hoped. So some Head Mistresses, who were in Retreat, and felt - the great need, asked for special prayers for teachers in - Colleges and High Schools, and that some way might be found to - help them. Mr. Body responded very heartily to our request, and - desired us to make it the subject of our special petition each - week during the year. Afterwards in conversation, he spoke of - the valuable help you had been able to give, and this has set - me thinking whether we could not ask you to make your knowledge - and experience more widely useful. - - ‘Our main difficulty would be to meet the doubts of those who - have them, without suggesting doubts to those who have not been - called to encounter this trial. - - ‘It has occurred to me, that perhaps there might be something - on the model of the Guild for the Sick, combining the principle - of the “Instruction by Correspondence” classes. - - ‘ ... Perhaps you may think me intruding—my acquaintance with - you is so slight—and unpractical, but the need is great and - immediate, and I think you will feel this too. I have gained - such painful experience, both from within and without, of the - misery of those who have once seen and then lost the sight - of the invisible; those who have left, especially those who - become teachers, often turn to me for help, which I feel so - incompetent to give, and which I have not time to do properly. - One is writing to me now, who is in a school in which there are - sixteen teachers, ten of whom have given up all outward sign of - the religious life. I long to be able to refer those who need - guidance to some who are able to help them. Every other trial - can be borne, but this is utter misery. - - ‘ ... It is not enough to preach sermons, and print books, as - well might we furnish a treatise on Arithmetic to a child whose - sum is wrong; we must find out and show why it is wrong. The - Church did not make its way by such means at first, at least - not without daily discussions “in the school of one Tyrannus.” - Of course I do not overlook that some of the difficulties of - belief are moral, but these could be met by the means I suggest. - - ‘I think it is _very_ important that members should be able to - enquire anonymously; come “by night” as it were, and should be - assured that no one would try to find out the name.’ - -To Canon Body, who had sent her a letter full of sympathy and interest, -she wrote:— - - ‘I am so glad you wrote thus freely, for it has made me - understand better how much you can feel for those in this - deepest sorrow, and yet have a sure and certain hope that they - will rise out of that Hades. It is, as you say, most cheering - to find movements of the same kind in different places. If - there is a spiritual tide, the waters can only be lifted by - extra mundane force.’ - -Gradually the plan shaped itself. For a time Miss Beale hoped to be able -to arrange at Oxford a Retreat followed by a conference, with lectures -and discussions on theological subjects. This proved to be impracticable. -Then she sought to carry out the plan at Cheltenham. She was advised -to limit herself to two or three days of quiet study and devotion with -addresses. She would not, however, relinquish the idea of some kind of -conference. The scheme stated in the following extract from a letter was -very much what was actually carried out:— - - ‘I hope the archbishop will be so good as to ask some one to - give the addresses in the Quiet Days.... I should be there and - a few of my friends, head mistresses, and we should make our - subsequent lessons harmonise with the previous instruction, - so that there should be unity. I do not mean to give lessons - on _methods_ of teaching in the ordinary mechanical sense; - but on our vocation and the moral aspects of our work, and - then I thought we could get some one to give Bible lessons - on the books set by Oxford and Cambridge, some one who knows - the difference between dead and living teaching. We must have - enough to occupy those who come for the whole month, though I - expect only a few of those who come will remain so long. There - will, I find, be a large proportion of earnest teachers who - will be able to help and strengthen the weak.’ - -The Rev. V. H. Stanton[78] kindly acceded to Miss Beale’s request to give -the addresses at the three Quiet Days which opened the conference in -1884. In the following year Canon Mason did this. It is noticeable that -on almost every occasion the conductor of this Retreat for teachers was -drawn from the ranks of Cambridge. The reason for this Miss Beale often -explained, as in the following letter written as late as April 1904:— - - ‘I have had nearly all the book you sent read to me; there - are some beautiful thoughts, but I don’t feel quite at home - in the general atmosphere. It is difficult to describe, but - I remember when Archbishop Benson was choosing a Conductor - for our Retreat, he said one day, he would rather choose from - the Cambridge school of thought. I asked him what was the - difference between Cambridge and Oxford, and he said, “The - latter began with the thought of sin, the former with the - thought of the Divine Life in man.” - - ‘Some day when we meet I may be able to make clearer what I - mean.’ - -Mr. Stanton’s earnest sympathetic addresses were greatly valued by those -who were present in 1884. Not less prized was the generous kindness of -the Lady Principal in the weeks which followed the Retreat. Miss Beale -not only gave frequent addresses on various subjects, continuing in some -the line of thought begun on the Quiet Days, she was also constantly at -the service of any member of the party for discussion or counsel. - -‘I expected certainly to see something of you,’ one who had been present -wrote afterwards to her, ‘but that you would constitute yourself the -mother of the party, be with us at meals, and do so very much for our -improvement and entertainment was quite undreamt of. Indeed, we were all -touched by it. I think those quiet days at the beginning gave a special -tone of earnestness to the gathering.’ - -Mrs. Soulsby wrote of the ‘help and comfort you gave to me and so many -others by arranging that Retreat. I have never been present at anything -so calculated to do steady and lasting good.’ - -And many spoke of the ‘sense of fellowship’ which had been gained by -meeting so many with like aims and interests; they told how they were -going back to work with ‘new hope for the future,’ or with ‘many new -lights and helpful suggestions to aid’ them. Some said the work of -teaching had been represented to them in a new light, some that the -conference helped them to a new start. One told how she was ‘in danger -of making shipwreck when your wise counsel saved me.’ Another said: ‘One -thing struck me very much, the fellow-feeling and anxiety to help that -teachers who have been at Cheltenham have for each other.’ - -More than a hundred teachers, many of them belonging to Cheltenham, were -present for the first days of the conference in 1884. Some twenty outside -teachers remained for the whole month. The time was long enough to foster -real intimacy. A great deal of time and thought had been devoted to -arrangements beforehand, in order that all might get the utmost benefit -from the time. In this Miss Beale received much willing co-operation from -her own staff, and Miss Caines lent Fauconberg House and her servants. -Miss Beale was specially anxious that during the Quiet Days all should -have the opportunity of keeping well the silence which was observed. -Those who had no rooms of their own had little sitting-rooms assigned -them in the College, the music-rooms being available for this purpose. -That part of the Cheltenham world which still regarded Miss Beale with -suspicion and to whom a Retreat appeared, even as late as 1884, to be a -dangerous High Church innovation, raised a cry of alarm. The music-rooms -had been turned into cells! It is not known what the word implied to -those who made the outcry, and it was soon silenced, but it caused a -little annoyance at the time. - -The month passed in teaching and helping, though gladly given out of her -own holidays, was an undoubted physical strain to Miss Beale. She wrote -to Mrs. Benson:— - - ‘I wish I had never said I would try to write a paper for - Thursday at the Health Exhibition. I do not like to leave even - for a day, as one ought to go on trying to help those who - remain. We do feel so grateful for all the time and thought you - and the Archbishop have been good enough to give us, especially - in the selection of Mr. Stanton. For myself, I should never - have had the courage to go on; (one gets nervous)....’ - -And she was tired. The last entry in her diary for that month is this:— - - ‘_August 27._—End of month at Fauconberg. Last address not - good, and result of neglect.’ - -Yet Miss Beale probably felt such a strain far less than any other -head-mistress would have done, so absorbingly interesting to her was this -kind of work. She always looked back with great pleasure on that time. -She treasured the letters she received afterwards from those who had been -present, dated from it lasting friendships made with some who had come -from other schools, and felt it had drawn her nearer to some of her own -teachers. - -Miss Beale’s outside interests were concerned, as was natural, chiefly -with education. With every educational movement made during the last -fifty years in the direction of progress she became to some extent -associated. She presided at the first meeting of head-mistresses held -in 1874 at Myra Lodge, when the Association for Head-mistresses was -founded with Miss Buss as president. ‘I see,’ said Miss Beale of this -meeting in 1906, ‘it is recorded that I presided. My recollections -are only of lying in great pain on the sofa and taking only a feeble -part in the discussion. I little thought that I should be allowed to -address a conference which more than thirty years after numbers over two -hundred and thirty members.... At our first meeting certain principles -were asserted which tended to settle some difficult questions.’ Miss -Beale here doubtless refers to the very first resolution passed by this -aristocratic body, which was to the effect that no school can work -satisfactorily unless the head-mistress be entirely responsible for its -internal management. Miss Ridley, in writing of Miss Buss,[79] (to ‘whose -insight and foresight,’ said Miss Beale, ‘the founding of the Association -was entirely due,’) has shown that the passing of this resolution was in -itself almost a _raison d’être_ for the Association. For the rightful -position of a head-mistress was not recognised without some difficulty -and controversy. The governing bodies of girls’ schools could not at -first be selected on the ground of interest and experience in educational -matters. Another resolution passed on that occasion was to the effect -that an examination to test the power of teachers is desirable. - -On the death of Miss Buss, in 1895, Miss Beale became president until -1897, when her term of office expired. She never sought re-election, her -increasing deafness making it difficult for her to conduct meetings. She -thought a great deal of the importance of the Association and of the -discussions which took place at its meetings, and strove in every way to -render them not only earnest but fair-minded. ‘I hope,’ she said on one -occasion, ‘that our assemblies will not become such as the discussions -in Parliament, merely formal, every one having taken a side before and -being unmoved by anything said.’ Miss Beale several times read papers to -the Association, and in later years the deferential welcome she received -from its members was very noticeable. Her last address, given on the -request of the Association in June 1906, only a few months before her -death, may be regarded as her farewell to the educational world. - -When the Association for Assistant Mistresses was formed, Miss Beale -regarded it at first with some anxiety. She feared the clash of interests -and promotion of suspicion between a head and her staff. Later, when she -understood the work of the Association, she received it into favour, and -on one occasion addressed a meeting of the western branch at St. Hilda’s. -Members of the Association were welcomed, and sometimes spent the morning -at College when they came over for branch meetings. Miss Beale, too, -was always willing to let those of her staff who belonged to the A.A.M. -Committee go up to London to attend meetings in term time, and was -pleased when it fell to Miss Lumby, as President of the Association, to -give evidence together with Mrs. Withiel, before the Bryce Commission in -1895. - -The Teachers’ Guild, founded by Miss Buss in 1883, met with warm support -from the head-mistresses of the Association. A branch was started at -Cheltenham in the following year, and a paper by Miss Beale read, she -herself being indisposed at the time. She used her influence with her own -teachers to join the Guild, and frequently addressed the branch meetings -on such subjects as the Value of Examinations. In the Froebel Society she -was also much interested and subscribed to it regularly. When the Church -Schools’ Company was founded in 1883, Miss Beale became at once a member -of the Council. She was proud that the College supplied head-mistresses -to both the Graham Street and Baker Street Schools. - -The hopefulness no increase of years or disappointment could abate, the -open mind ever quick to receive what was good and original from those -younger and less experienced than herself, were seen in the way Miss -Beale greeted the work of the Child-Study Association. - -With her consent Miss Louch, then a member of the College staff, -proceeded to America in 1894 to attend a course of lectures by Dr. -Stanley Hall on child-study. On her return the Association was formed in -Edinburgh, and in the same year a branch was started in Cheltenham, with -Miss Beale as local president. Before her death she was president of the -whole Association, and presided over the conference held in Cheltenham -in 1906, the year of her death. When the _Paidologist_, the organ of the -Child-Study Association, was started, Miss Beale contributed largely -to the guarantee fund, and for five years was a member of the Magazine -Committee. She promoted the work of the Association by trying to get the -College staff, boarding-house mistresses, and parents of pupils to join -and assist in it. - -Miss Beale was among those consulted by Miss Mason when, in 1888, she -definitely sought to give the Parents’ Educational Union, which had had -a successful year’s work in Bradford, a national name and character. The -work of the society appealed greatly to Miss Beale, and the Cheltenham -branch was one of the earliest founded. Her name appears among those of -the vice-presidents in 1892. - -To pass beyond the limits of the work in which, from the fact of her -position, the Lady Principal of Cheltenham was called upon to take -a part, it may be noticed that she was always much interested in -Sunday-school teaching, and wrote many articles upon it. Several of these -have been printed. Her interest was caused largely by the numbers of old -pupils who took up this work, and who came to her for advice about it, -as well as to the congenial nature of religious instruction. Dissatisfied -with the methods or want of method prevailing in many Sunday-schools, -she had a high ideal of the work for the sake both of teacher and -children, and was always ready with sympathy and suggestion. To an old -pupil engaged on a paper intended to point out some existing ills in -Sunday-schools she wrote in 1880:— - - ‘I should say begin with all the good done—the necessity for - them at the time, etc. Then speak of the evils, and with - each sort suggest a remedy, and admit that the evils are not - universal. Try to put it in rather a different shape, and I - think it would do good in overthrowing some self-complacency. - Especially is it an evil when quite raw girls—some ignorant - girls such as we have at College—pretend to teach. Children - accustomed to proper teaching of course fidget. I should have - been a little rebel myself, if I had had to hear the wretched - stuff that some children do at Sunday School. But it does, when - done properly, draw classes together.’ - -Institutions and societies designed to help the poor of Cheltenham -came of course before Miss Beale’s notice. She never, however, allowed -herself to be drawn from the pressing requirements of her own work, so -as to become acquainted with the details of that which, to some extent, -grows up round every church. She was, indeed, on principle, chary in her -support of this, maintaining that in a town there was generally great -waste of funds and labours, owing to the lack of combination. She wrote -as early as 1881 in reference to Cheltenham:— - - ‘I am so anxious that we should all work in the direction - pointed out by our Rural Dean, get all Church people to work - together as one, for works which cannot or ought not to be - merely parochial, and in all charitable work, wherever it - is possible, to get all, whether Church or not, to join in - opposing all forms of evil.... I think we should take works - in order of importance. I may be wrong, but I have regretted - the erection of Church steeples when there was other work that - seemed to me of more importance [left unsupported]. I think - the increase of offertories in churches, good as it is in many - ways, has tended to hinder united work in the town. I do not - know whether there ever could be a sort of Council for the - administration of at least part of the funds so collected; - but it does seem as if the present plan gave too much to some - districts and too little to others, and left some institutions - which have a claim upon all, with scarcely any support, because - what is everybody’s business is nobody’s.... The laity have - very little influence in the distribution of money collected - in churches, which tends always to become a larger proportion - of what is given away, so that much of the power to organise - united work must rest with the clergy. And _living_ forces, - which are enormously more important than money, are wasted by - “congregationalism.” Could there not be some larger association - of Church workers from which some sort of administrative - council might select persons suitable for any special work? - Could not work sometimes be done collectively, instead of each - clergyman doing it separately for his own congregation? I do - hope that more and more, in one work after another, we may - unite our forces, and if once people can be induced to look - into the evils which exist at their very doors, they will be - moved to work with one heart and mind to remove what is a - disgrace to our town.’ - -Among the institutions of Cheltenham, for which Miss Beale specially -claimed the need of united action, was the Working Men’s College. -She herself on one occasion read a paper there, her subject being -‘Self-support and Self-government from the point of view, not of the -individual, but of the College.’ The paper, simple and direct, shows how -Miss Beale could throw herself into the minds of those she addressed, -appealing to all that was best in them, while at the same time putting -her own thoughts into them. It embodies her favourite theories of the -danger of helping people through gifts:— - - ‘I do not think there are many belonging to this College - who could not pay a few shillings annually. Self-denial adds - value to energy.... Everybody does not agree with me. Some - think you will misunderstand,—think we do not want help. I do - not think you will, to judge by my own feelings. I like to be - independent. You look at the Ladies’ College and say, “You have - got all you want.” But time was when we were very poor, so poor - that our Council said, ... we will have but another year’s - trial and then shut up. We never said we would beg people to - help us: we would make it self-supporting, or it should die.... - I feel certain if you working-men were to say, We will take - the management ourselves, and it shall be a success, that it - would be, and I think that if other people manage and pay for - it, that some of the strongest and most independent would stand - aloof.... I am quite sure that our College would not have been - what it is if we had had money to fall back upon. I might - myself have left the helm and gone to sit quietly in the cabin - while the vessel drifted on to the rocks.’ - -Among Miss Beale’s papers there exists a very simple address entitled, -‘Is Death the End?’ She intended to read it at a little mission-room, -maintained in a very poor street by her friends, Mr. and Mrs. James Owen. -The subject was one which had taken strong hold of her fancy at the time. -Some one had discovered a dragon-fly emerging from its chrysalis on a -water-lily in the little pond which then existed in the Fauconberg House -garden adjoining the College grounds. It was taken to Miss Beale, who -saw enacted before her own eyes a living parable of resurrection-life. -Her childlike delight in this came out in almost every Scripture lesson -she gave that summer. The pond was watched for chrysalids; they were -taken into the classrooms for the children to see the creatures creep -out of their tombs, lie soft and sleepy for a little, then sail away -on new-found wings. This true story of the dragon-fly and all it could -teach of life, through death, Miss Beale longed to tell to Mrs. Owen’s -poor friends. She wrote it carefully, and had little illustrations made; -but the lecture was never given. ‘Mrs. Owen would not let me,’ she said -sadly, ‘but I think I could have interested them in the dragon-fly.’ But -Mrs. Owen was probably right, since the audience for whom the paper was -intended was such as Miss Beale knew only in the pages of Browning’s -_Christmas Eve_. - -In the work of the Church abroad, in the needs and claims of heathen -peoples governed by England, in the various problems which arise out of -these vast considerations, Miss Beale was interested only in a secondary -way. That is to say, when they came before her in the work of her own -pupils, when her girls turned to her for sympathy and help, then she -would consider them enough to be able to form some definite opinion, and -to give sound advice. The teachings of Hindoo religions and philosophy, -and the progress of Christianity in India, came before her as matters -of real interest in 1883, when Pundita Ramabai was sent by the Wantage -Sisters to study at the College. Miss Beale received her with the utmost -warmth and friendship. She made every possible arrangement for her health -and protection: she not only put at her disposal every advantage the -College could offer, but gave up a large portion of her own valuable time -in order to help her personally. She welcomed Ramabai’s long letters on -religious questions and difficulties, answering them at equal length. -She obtained introductions and arranged interviews for her with many -whom she thought could help her. Ramabai’s ‘appetite for philosophy’ -(to quote Miss Beale), her enthusiasm and unsparing devotion to the -cause of her unhappy sisters in India, touched her deeply, and when -the Home for Widows was established at Poona,[80] Miss Beale became a -large and regular subscriber to it. Among her papers there is one which -was perhaps sent to India, or was perhaps just one of those written -expressions of some thought which had seized and filled her mind. It was -evidently intended to be an appeal against the cruelty which made such -homes for widows necessary:— - - ‘My heart,’ it runs, ‘is stirred by sorrow and pity for those - suffering widows of India; but there are some whom I pity - more,—those who inflict the sorrows on them, since it is far - better to suffer than to do wrong.... But what grieves me, - too, is the thought of the waste of all that wonderful amount - of energy and life which God has given your country-women in - order to bless others. If the men of India believe in God’s - goodness and wisdom, as I think they must, even though they - may not trust Him, they must think He has not made all those - widows to be a burden and misery to themselves and others, but - to do good work. What mistakes people make when they think that - they are wiser than God.... I look forward to the future and - rejoice and think that as India grows wiser with that wisdom - which trusts the infinitely wise and good God, Whom we worship, - she will send out her clever and good women, who are now - crushed by sorrow and unkindness, into the rich harvest-fields - of the world, will cheer them on in their work for others, - and they will become a blessing; surely that is the only joy - of a woman’s heart.... Not this only, there will be many who - will gladly give up all thought of the happiness of wife or - of mother, in its limited sense, and go forth to live for - others.... I can remember when Old Maid was a term of contempt - in England, but it is not so now; you have seen me and sixty - old maids working together happy and content, and if I could - send out a hundred women where I can now send one, I should not - have too many, so constant are the demands for “old maids,” - as you would call them,—for teachers, nurses, missionaries, - and all sorts of good work.... India will some time feel all - that her wasted women’s life can do. God will put it into the - hearts of men and of the happy women, who are sometimes hard - on the unhappy, to set these women free to do all that is in - their heart, and other good women will teach them to use their - precious gift of liberty as in God’s sight.’ - -Ramabai undoubtedly made Miss Beale realise the need for definite -Christian teaching in India. Here is an interesting extract from a letter -on this subject:— - - ‘_1884._ - - ‘Rama Bai is very learned and thoughtful, and says how - powerless most missionaries are, for want of the knowledge of - native philosophy and religion.... I thought that the native - religions were feeding the higher life, but it seems not so - now; but the state is much the same as in Greece and Rome just - before the Christian era. She spoke much as Plato does in - the _Republic_ about the character of the gods in the Indian - poetry, and felt the wonderful power of the perfect Example, - and the inward Grace to follow it.’ - -On hearing of Miss Beale’s death Ramabai wrote: ‘It is over twenty-one -years since I saw Miss Beale for the last time. But her sacred memory -is quite fresh, and I seem to hear her pray and give Bible instruction. -Her love and influence, her words of encouragement and her prayers on my -behalf, have helped me much in my life and work.’ - -In South Africa, a school at Bloemfontein, still more one at Grahamstown, -became of interest at Cheltenham through the influence of Miss Strong, -who prepared herself to work in them by some periods of time at the -College. Many teachers at the Diocesan School, Grahamstown, were drawn -from Cheltenham, and its association of old pupils was for a time -affiliated with the Guild. Other old pupils went to India, China, Japan. -As the number of Cheltenham missionaries increased, the importance and -needs of their work became impressed more and more on some members of -the Guild. In 1878 Miss Beale, whose own interest in foreign missions -grew steadily in later years, allowed the formation of a Missionary Study -Circle within the Guild.[81] This is the only special work other than -that of the London Settlement she ever sanctioned, and this one was much -safeguarded. When the _Occasional Leaflet_, the organ of this circle, was -first published, she made it a condition that there should be no begging -for money, nor even a definite urging of the claims of foreign mission -work. She feared girls might be drawn by the attraction of distant and -more heroic-seeming activities to neglect duty at home. And, as the -present editor of the _Leaflet_ has remarked, ‘She hardly realised how -careful societies are in selecting and training would-be missionaries.’ - -On one occasion Miss Beale, by the request of the late Bishop of -Grahamstown,[82] actually addressed a small missionary meeting. She began -by saying:— - - ‘I have been asked to speak to you a few words to-day, and - I have consented on condition that I should not advocate a - cause. It is sometimes said, “Will you not collect money or - bring forward such an institution?” and I say “No! my duty is - to give principles, and to leave the definite application.” - And if the carrying out of the principles deprives of helpers - myself and the work that is nearest to my heart I am content, - and so I am sure the Bishop is.’ She continued, ‘I admit there - is sometimes a call to go abroad for those who want to serve - Christ, and lack resolution to be cut off from home ties. We - cannot so easily forget we are soldiers if we go out to an - enemy’s country. We read in history of brave people who failed - in war because when they had won a battle they could not be - kept together; but disappeared into their own homes, and had to - be got together again on the next emergency. So, I think some - who feel themselves weak do well to join some army bound for - foreign parts. They can’t run away on the first repulse, or - give up when tired;—and the raw recruit comes back a veteran - from his foreign campaign, able to lead the volunteers who - have to be trained at home. Not only does a foreign campaign - help us to break the bondage of self-indulgent habits, but - it unites us too. There is nothing like going away from home - and facing a common foe to unite us to those from whom we - were severed. A neighbour whom we scarcely knew in Cheltenham - is a friend at once in China or Africa. In the presence of - unbelief Christians who are separated feel their differences - in minor matters, matters of taste and feelings rather than - of principle, to be insignificant;—and unite in the great - battle against sin. Whilst, on the other hand, they feel the - immense power, the great need of faith, living and real, to - sustain them when the props of Society, of Church Services, - of sympathetic friends are taken away;—they have to dig down - to the rock.... In any case the battle must not begin without - training and discipline. Useless women, because undisciplined - in thought, in will, in action, what havoc they make! Having - a name to live, yet dead;—these bring in confusion. Those - who have not learned obedience, those who want credit for - themselves, or excitement, never help to win victory.’ - -There was one matter outside her own proper sphere of activity in which -Miss Beale was never sparing of money or personal trouble. This was -the work to which Mrs. Lancaster had first drawn her in her youth, the -rescue and protection of women. It became, as life went on, specially -linked with the memory of that other friend, of whom she loved to think -as Britomart, rescuing her sister from the fire. When Mrs. Owen died, it -was felt instinctively that her work for others must and should continue. -There seemed no memorial so fit as a Home for Friendless Girls for one -whose chosen task it had been to seek the lost piece of silver. Miss -Beale translated, as it were, all her poetical thoughts, all her most -tender memories into active co-operation, taking the chair at committees, -addressing meetings, making known the needs of the Home, finding workers -for it. - -Miss Beale herself had learned much since 1856. As time went on she felt -less inclined to seek remedies for evil than to prevent its beginning; -she looked more to causes than to resulting facts. When in 1885 Mrs. -William Grey made an appeal for help in organising some definite movement -among the mothers of England against the sins which create the necessity -for rescue, Miss Beale responded warmly, urging her to come forward -herself to lead it. - - ‘LADIES’ COLLEGE, CHELTENHAM, _August 5, 1885_. - - ‘DEAR MRS. GREY,—Your beautiful letter was sent me by an old - pupil, who with her husband, Mr. Mitchell, is one of the most - earnest workers in the cause. The labours they have gone - through patiently and quietly for years are immense. - - ‘Well: it seems to me that we ought to have a Union, as large - as the one you established, and which did such wonderful work - before; but this time for—shall I say shepherding those who - have no proper protectors, and my thoughts turn to you to - lead in this also. (1) Because I am sure that the work you - have done has alone made it possible to hope that we may roll - back this flood of corruption instead of being submerged by - it; the improvement in education has shown what women can do, - and won for the time a respect from men, which they had not - before. These large schools have taught them to work together - organically, and the solid studies have strengthened them in - every way. (2) Because you have such faith—I remember how - strong it was when mine failed. (3) Because you would be able - to unite people of various creeds and classes and ranks in this - great national work—people would trust your delicacy and your - judgment, and you would emphasise the patriotic grounds. I - never forget your speech at Bristol, and your words about our - “dear, dear country.” You can _both_ stir the heart, and guide - the judgment. I think that perhaps God has restored your health - that you may lead once more. - - ‘Dim visions float before my mind of an Union of Women which - should embrace and work with the existing organisations, such - as the Girls’ Friendly, the Metropolitan Association, and the - Christian Young Women,—which should welcome help from all; for - what are sectarian distinctions in the presence of such evils? - “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ” join—and those - too who, not naming His name, live according to His life.... - - ‘Women band themselves together to go out to nurse in the - armies—once that was thought impossible.... _Perhaps_ I am - talking of what is impracticable. It is hard to keep calm - enough to see clearly, when such visions hover before one. - It is so important to keep calm, that one may neither be - paralysed, nor make fantastic strokes instead of striking - truly; and therefore I want you to think and guide. - - ‘I am sure we teachers must not let ourselves be diverted - from _our_ proper work, of inspiring and setting others to - work—indirectly, not directly, can we act. I often have to stop - earnest teachers, who would break themselves down, and say—“If - you want a thing done, don’t do it yourself.” But we do need - more and more not to think of the mere giving of knowledge, but - of lifting through education the girls’ characters; giving them - proper ideas of marriage and what it ought to be: we should - abolish all the frivolities of the marriage ceremonial. Would - we had more weddings like that I attended yesterday of one of - our teachers. I had never before been present at one which - had really satisfied me, and there were crowds of poor people - belonging to the “unwashed” amongst whom she had laboured, - who behaved as fashionable congregations do not, and who must - have gone away with a deeper sense of the meaning of a true - marriage. We need, I think, a marriage reform association as - much as a funeral reform. I am afraid my letter is a little - incoherent. I am in bed with headache, after a somewhat - exhausting week. We have had a teachers’ meeting again this - year, beginning with some Quiet Days, and addresses to teachers - by Canon Mason, whom the Archbishop of Canterbury kindly asked. - I think we all thoroughly enjoyed these and our after meetings, - and our country excursions and social gatherings. - - ‘Miss Helen Gladstone was with us, and Ramabai, with teachers - from all parts. - - ‘Give my love to dear Miss Shireff. I don’t know what she will - say to my urging work on you.’ - -Mrs. Grey did not decline the task thus sent back to her, so far as she -was able to do it by writing. She was then living abroad in enfeebled -health, but her passionate words touched many in England, and a movement -which received the name of the Women’s League was set on foot in the -usual routine way with committees and meetings. Miss Beale attended one -or two of these, but does not appear to have been quite happy at them. -She was necessarily hampered by the fact that the name of the College -ought not to be associated with this special work. She felt also that -she had not sufficiently studied the subject, nor knew enough about the -organisation of societies other than educational, to be able to make -suggestions before others of wide experience. On one occasion, when a -difference of opinion arose about admission to the League, she felt she -had not spoken as decisively as she should, and she wrote afterwards to -Mrs. Grey: ‘I enclose the two circulars; but please do not question me. -It seemed impertinent to speak when there were four or five Bishops’ -wives present, and I doubt my judgment. I have given all my thought to -other forms of organisation, and I live so much out of the world.’ And to -the lady with whom she had specially differed she wrote thus:— - - ‘I have been trying to think how it was possible for you to - misunderstand me, as I saw you did on Saturday. I thought you - knew me too well to think I _could_ wish any one to conceal - their colours. I was _very_ tired, and I see I did not make - myself clear. May I try now? - - ‘There are two parties who call themselves Agnostics: there - are those who reject the Christian moral law, and teach a - truly abominable doctrine; with such one could have absolutely - _nothing_ to do; no league _we_ could ever join could include - these, for they are our enemies. - - ‘There are others, who hold _all_ that Christ has taught us, - who would fully accept the Christian moral law, as the one and - only rule. I know some of these; their whole heart is with us; - they do the work of Christ, for they go into the wilderness and - find those wounded and stripped by thieves, and bring them to - our inn, and bid us take care of them. - - ‘I am sure our Lord will one day place such on His right hand, - though they may question, “Lord, when saw we Thee?” I would not - separate from them, lest I should be parted from Him Whose love - is certainly working in them, tho’ their “eyes are holden” that - they know Him not. - - ‘I know still that we cannot join them, _so_ as to do the - _same_ work, and they know it too. They gather in, they go into - the highways and hedges; they leave the inner work to those who - are actually disciples. One I know has just now got the care of - two neglected portionless girls, and sent them to good Church - schools.... - - ‘I shall be deeply grieved, if in a crisis of such danger, we - show the enemy that we are so divided that we cannot welcome as - allies those who are doing Christ’s work, and acknowledging the - perfection of His teaching, because we cannot understand their - difficulties in accepting the doctrines _we_ hold sacred. We - shall not “water down” our teaching, nor would they wish us to - do so. We shall not give up prayer, because we do not impose - special rules.’ - -Another letter of this period (March 1886) to Mrs. Grey shows Miss -Beale’s calm judgment as well as her sympathy in the difficult work of -the League:— - - ‘ ... I am disappointed to find that some, even of mature age, - seem to think it right to shut their eyes.... Of course one - would be glad that such subjects as this should not be brought - up without necessity, and I suppose that many of us have grown - up without a notion that some of the crimes alluded to in - your paper were possible. It does darken the whole world and - sadden the lives of the young to know that such wickedness is - possible; it may destroy their faith in God, to know it before - their moral constitution has attained its full vigour, and - plunge them into pessimism: one cannot help wishing to conceal - these loathsome visions from those we love. I do not go with - Miss Ellice Hopkins in her wish that the young should be very - early warned. It seems to me that there is a parallel between - that and our action in cases of bodily disease: one who looked - on passively is sickened and made ill;—the nurse or surgeon - bent on healing does not suffer. - - ‘And I do feel that there is a great danger in bringing before - the mind temptations which are connected with the bodily - organisation. A nervous excitement seems to be produced, - something of the nature of hysteria, and there is a sort of - criminal fascination such as those feel who throw themselves - from heights: the judgment seems utterly in abeyance. The same - thought seems expressed in the story of Medusa. - - ‘For this reason I do feel a little hesitation in giving - countenance to the indefinite extension of Blue-ribbon armies, - necessary and beneficent as they are in cases where there - is strong temptation, or persons are moved to work actively - against intemperance; and I would rather that the campaign - should be one of missionaries, so to speak, of those who have - bound themselves to some active work in the cause. I think - that such great evils might arise from the terrible mistakes - which might be committed by those who undertook the ostracism - without having a fair chance of arriving at a correct judgment. - It is so easy to stab to death the character of an innocent - man; the devil may steal as well as buy a man’s shadow; he may - sell as well as buy.... - - ‘So what seems to me best would be to have a small band of wise - and calm leaders; and not to invite a general public to give - any pledge, only trust to the working of such leaven as these - would form. - - ‘Some of the points to which they direct attention should be - the abolition of the frivolities of the marriage ceremony.... - - ‘As regards material measures, I would still urge the formation - of a body of women-policemen, who could safely do work which - could not be done by men-policemen or clergymen. These should - undertake to watch over registries for women, shops where women - work, to establish labour registers themselves, and take care - that women were not paid starvation wages; to enter (under - protection) suspected houses; to watch railway stations and - ships, etc. etc. - - ‘So you see, dear Mrs. Grey, tho’ my heart is altogether with - you, my judgment does not quite go with the recommendations. I - do not fear your misunderstanding me, because we are so truly - one, and can only differ about the best modes of work....’ - -As time went on Miss Beale’s continued sympathy with this particular -work was evidenced in larger subscriptions to the National Vigilance -Association, to which she also left a legacy. The letters of the last -years show her interest in it, and that her horror of a worldly marriage -was as great as ever. She wrote to Miss Ellice Hopkins in 1903:— - - ‘I meant that marriage without the spiritual ideal was - intolerable, but the body is transfigured; there is a - “metamorphosis,” as the New Testament insists so often; but the - Scripture teaching is so different from the mere sentimental. I - don’t like the tendency of _Lady Rose’s Daughter_. I dislike, - of course, much of Sarah Grand, but the end of the _Heavenly - Twins_ does bring before people the horrors of such a marriage - as the Bishop’s wife promotes. It is a long and ever-renewed - struggle with these wicked laws.... It is sad to see that this - new Education Act is shutting out women, and making the hope - of the suffrage less. Here the Town Council and the County - Council both asked me to nominate a woman—and four of our staff - here have been asked to be managers of schools—but of course - two or three women will be able to do very little.’ - -Cheltenham pupils who in course of time took up the cause of the poor -and degraded, found the greatest sympathy and help from Miss Beale. She -was always specially ready with sympathy for those who were engaged in -an unpopular struggle for good. Among them may be specially mentioned -Miss Annette Bear, whose labours in 1894 were instrumental in getting -a clause dealing with children employed on the stage added to the Act, -afterwards known as the Children’s Charter, and who after her marriage -worked successfully for the women’s vote in Australia. A short account of -Annette Bear Crawford appeared in the College Magazines for 1899 and 1900. - -To an old pupil trying to help her unhappy sisters in Africa she wrote: -‘I must tell you how glad I was to see your name on the Ladies’ National -List, and to hear from yourself on the subject. I am so rejoiced when my -old girls take up this trying question. Only refined and educated women -can handle it successfully.’ She also begged her not to be discouraged -by failure, ‘but remember the real thing to aim at is the Suffrage. -Without the vote you may cut off one evil to find it coming up again in a -worse form, and often, but for the personal discipline, might as well be -knocking your head against a stone wall.’ - -As time went on this question of the vote for women seemed more and more -important to Miss Beale. She became a Vice-President of the Central -Society for Women’s Suffrage, besides being a regular subscriber. - -Naturally, Miss Beale hoped for reform by means of the cultivation of -the mind. Much evil she considered came from want of proper interests and -from deficient knowledge of life, such as even good reading could to some -extent supply. ‘Give them literature lessons,’ she said to an old pupil -who had a large class of intelligent Yorkshire factory girls. A letter to -another worker shows in what way she hoped women school managers might -help to hinder the spread of corruption. It has the additional interest -of suggesting a measure akin to one lately adopted by the educational -authorities in some counties:— - - ‘_(circa) 1889._ - - ‘Perhaps I ought not to say much; my own vineyard I must keep. - It does seem to me that both men and women who are wanting to - mend things ought to take municipal offices and all sorts of - legal and government work. - - ‘Schools ought to be able to keep children longer and gradually - reduce school time, and could not one get a law that children - without employment should be at school? They must have in - clerical language a “title” to leave school control by showing - their parents are able to look after them or that they have an - employer. This wholesale feeding does seem a serious matter, as - weakening the sense of parental responsibility. I do hope we - shall not go in for pauperising in Bethnal Green. I feel sure - we shall not under Miss Newman.... - - ‘The monstrous evil is, however, hydra-headed, and one’s - courage sometimes sinks; but there is, no doubt, a much higher - public opinion than there was.’ - -Miss Beale’s pity for the helpless was not confined to women. She felt -deeply the needs of discharged prisoners, and more than once sent -donations of money to one of her old girls who was in a position to help -them. She also supported Miss Agnes Weston’s work for sailors. - -Another class whose needs she fully recognised was that of poor gentle -people. Impoverished Irish ladies, governesses, and others, she was -always anxious to help, and frequently maintained the duty which richer -members of their own class owed to them. Those who asked her aid for -these often found her unexpectedly generous. It has been shown how much -she undertook, both in money payment and trouble, for girls who could not -afford an education befitting their position. Outside this, indeed, her -interests may have been held to have been comparatively few; but when she -did permit herself to study the problems of her day, she made it evident -that the force of mind and will which she concentrated on her own work -could also have effected great results in other fields of labour. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -HONOURS - - ‘He deserved well of his country.’ - - -‘Shall we try to deserve more rather than to win more?’ said Miss Beale -when she quoted the phrase of the Roman senate, which heads this chapter, -to some children—not of Cheltenham—who were to receive prizes. It well -expresses her feeling about rewards. They should grow out of the work; -should be some fresh privilege of service. Hence her indifference to -prizes in the College. They were given on a percentage of marks obtained -in the midsummer examinations. They were announced when the marks of the -classes were read to them on the first morning of the next term, but -they were never presented: they had to be fetched by the individuals who -earned them from the secretary’s room. - - ‘I was opposed,’ she wrote on one occasion, ‘to this custom. I - did not think it necessary to make pupils work, they seemed as - earnest and painstaking before prizes were given as since. I - felt it was better they should work from a love of knowledge or - a simple sense of duty, but the Council took another view, and - as there is much to be said on their side of the question, I - yielded. - - ‘In life, prizes must be to a great extent the reward of - thoughtful industry, and it seems to me that on the one hand - we may thereby teach the children to put success at its true - value, and point out to them that it is at the bar of our own - conscience alone that we must stand approved or condemned; - that on the other hand they may learn to bear disappointment - patiently. I do not find that prizes create any feelings of - jealousy or ill-will, nor can I blame a child who looks forward - with pleasure to carrying home to her parents this proof that - she has tried to do as they would have her. It appears to me - a matter of less importance than is usually supposed, and in - any case can affect only a few pupils at the head of a class. - Stimulants to exertion, however, are rarely needed. There are - very few who are not interested and earnest in their work, and - our difficulty is more frequently to check too great zeal, and - to insist on the observation of those limits we place to the - time devoted to study than to demand more.’ - -The high ideal of _deserving_ rather than _gaining_ was what Miss Beale -set before herself as true wealth to be desired. So she was careful, when -the management of large public funds and a much increased personal income -came to her, to remain as frugal, as poor as ever. It was not merely that -she liked simplicity. Her simplicity of life was a deliberate intention. -There was a personal note in the fervour with which she would read the -words of Abraham to the king of Sodom: ‘I will not take from a thread -even to a shoe-latchet, ... lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram -rich.’ No monk was ever more faithful to his chosen bride of Poverty than -Miss Beale remained with her large income and successful investments. She -was consistent also in preferring for those she loved a simple personal -life, which would leave mind and time free for thought and the needs of -others. - -When first Miss Beale went to Cheltenham she adopted a very simple mode -of living, such as she thought would sufficiently meet her needs, and -she never changed it. At the age of seventy she would even help to lay -her own table for the frugal midday meal, if the general servant had -been delayed by household work in the morning. She would walk to the -station to save a cab fare, and invariably chose the simplest means of -conveyance unless on a matter of urgency. It is true she became rather -grander in dress as years went on. ‘What did I wear,’ she wrote to Miss -Brown about 1876, after some function she had attended, ‘“velvet and -ostrich feathers?” Well, what could I wear but my felt bonnet and old -velvet cloak and old black serge? I looked quite smart enough.’ Kind -friends there were who liked to see the Lady Principal beautifully -dressed, and who were allowed in later life to guide her into velvet and -ostrich feathers. She submitted for the sake of the College, for whose -good she would cheerfully have worn either sackcloth or cloth of gold! - -For the sake of the College, still more for the sake of that work for -women and the race which the College represented, Miss Beale gladly -greeted honours. That they had anything to do with herself personally, -she was not even aware. Her work did indeed receive recognition far and -wide from those who prized education, and who regarded it from various -points of view. - -Among the first to honour it with special notice and a substantial, even -magnificent gift, was John Ruskin, when in 1885 he presented to the -College two beautiful and valuable manuscripts—one, of the four Gospels, -in Greek, written in the eleventh century; another (_Antiphonarium -Romanum_) of the thirteenth century. He gave also a collection of printed -books. These were the occasion of an interesting series of letters from -Mr. Ruskin to Miss Beale. Some of them are printed here. - - ‘BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE, _February 10, 1882_. - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—I have to ask your pardon for never having - replied to your former letter; but it came when I was already - over-wrought and threatened with illness, and it gave me more - to think of than it was possible then to review. - - ‘I am now, however, most seriously bent on understanding the - principles and knowing some of the results of modern girl - education.... - - ‘A very few lines would enable me to become of some use to - you—in my own fields of work—and without moving from my fields - of rest. - - ‘I have the deepest respect for Mr. Shields’ work, nevertheless - it is out of my _way_; and such drawing models as I may send - you would be altogether different in feeling. - - ‘But the first thing I want to know is what kind of library - or schoolroom you have, for quiet separate reading, and what - standard books the College possesses in Lexicons, works on - natural history, and classic literature, and what place Latin - and Italian have in your code of studies.—Ever faithfully yours, - - J. RUSKIN.’ - - * * * * * - - ‘BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE, _February 18, 1887_. - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—I can only thank you to-day for the most - interesting parcel, which gives me an idea of the College and - its branches, admitting every degree of enthusiasm in its - Principal. - - ‘ ... but for the moment, entirely puzzling to me, as I neither - want to confuse the strict College work with that of Ruskin - societies, nor the elementary and general teaching with that of - artists’ studios, or of general papers in your Magazine. - - ‘And when I give you books I should like them to be accessible - to the classes in general. I can’t scatter them among the - boarding-houses or give them only to the senior students at St. - Hilda’s. You can surely put up some shelves for me in a corner - of some generally inhabited room, and put them under the care - of an official librarian. It seems to me the office might be - given for a term at a time to any girl who cared to take it, - involving also the curatorship of any drawings, casts of coins, - or the like, which I could at times lend or present to you. - - ‘In the meantime, will you let me have a list of the classes, - with the books used in them, and times of required attendance. - - ‘Dr. Watson has trusted me for the present to arrange the work - for his daughter, without reference to any competitive honours - or testing examinations. I wish to keep her well at her music, - French, and if she cares for it, elementary drawing, with - beginning of Latin and the first making out of classic history. - What I chiefly need to know is the method of instruction in - the music and drawing classes. (Do your seniors touch Greek at - all?) - - ‘I have just been reading an excellent paper by Miss _Sophia_ - Beale on Art instruction, in which, however, the general sense - and truth of the author’s views are prevented from taking a - practical form by her falling into the scarcely in our time - avoidable error of supposing that accuracy of drawing can only - be taught by the figure. - - ‘The figure can never be drawn accurately unless life is given - to the task. But a triangle, an arch, a cinquefoil, and a wild - rose are within the reach of ordinary girlhood’s observation - and delineation, to ordinary girlhood’s extreme profit.—Believe - me, dear Madam, your faithful servant, - - JOHN RUSKIN.’ - - * * * * * - - ‘BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE, _March 3, 1887_. - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—I shall be most thankful if you can find - anything in my books that the girls will like to have in the - Magazine: the ivied trunks were sent in no high spiritual but - lowly practical intent, simply as the sort of models which you - can’t cut and bring in for yourselves, and which, once drawn - real size, will teach more than all my talking. - - ‘I think her librarian cares will be ever so good for my wild - flower, and am looking out more fine books for her to-day, - chiefly a perfect edit, of Scott’s poetry and Heyne’s beautiful - _Virgil_. - - ‘I am wholly with you in liking Greek better than Latin, but - only as added to Latin by clever girls. The entire history of - the Catholic Church being in Latin, and half the language of - Europe derived from it, I would make every girl who passed - through any course of literature begin with understanding her - Pater Noster and Te Deum. - - ‘But I have put a lovely edition of _Hesiod_ aside for next - dispatch to the wild librarian. - - ‘I don’t quite know what the “Kyrle” Society means, but imagine - I have stores of things they could put to use.—Ever faithfully - yours, - - J. RUSKIN. - - ‘Enclosed may be a pretty little gift to any of your good - girls.’ - - * * * * * - - ‘BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE, _March 7, 1887_. - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—I have put the little volume of poems into my - near bookcase at the back of my arm-chair. They look really - very nice, and show an extremely high tone in the school. - - ‘I am going to send you with the Pindar, a beautiful 13th - cent. MS., with the Gregorian notes all written to the old - Latin songs. I think the College will be proud of it, and your - organist interested by it. - - ‘I shall be delighted to see whatever the teachers care to send - me. I have been languid and stupid this spring, or should have - written something for the drawing classes before now.—Ever - faithfully and respectfully yours, - - J. RUSKIN.’ - - * * * * * - - ‘BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE, _March 11, 1887_. - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—There is no way of enlarging those Kate - sketches: they were calculated for the little confusion - caused by their smallness, and are not well drawn enough for - magnifying. - - ‘I will send you some prettier ones for framing. I am very - glad the books have come safe. The grace and dignity of the - engravings in Heyne are of great educational value, and the two - MSS. are extremely good of the kind. They cost, curiously, the - same price each, £100 or £105,—I forget which. - - ‘The wild librarian sends me an extremely bad account of - herself to-day. I have sent her a beautifully impressive and - didactic answer, which she ought to show you.—Ever faithfully - yours, - - J. RUSKIN. - - ‘I have sent your organist a Magister for himself. I am so glad - he likes it. I couldn’t make out his initials, or would have - put his name in it; people ought always to sign in print. - - A.B.C. So and So.’ - - * * * * * - - ‘BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE, _March 12, 1887_. - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—I send you two books to-day with real - pleasure. The old book of towns containing images of the - things that once were, in spite of their stiffness, liker the - realities now lost than any wooden efforts at restoration, - while the Arabian book is a type of all the subtle and faithful - skill of France can do at its present best. - - ‘I call it the _faithful_ skill of France. There is no nation - has ever produced such honest work in love of its subjects, - not in vanity, as the _Desc. de l’Egypte_ and the illustrated - beautiful books of modern times. The great Cuvier series is - degraded by its filthy anatomies, but in mere engraving and - colours stands alone. But I am going to send you some birds, - also matchless, as I can’t send you the Cuvier for its horror. - - ‘The English book on the Dee, with its rotten paper and vulgar - woodcuts, illustrates our English meanness in comparison, but - has its poor use too....’ - - * * * * * - - ‘BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE, _March 14, 1887_. - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—There is not the least need of this flame - of gratitude. I am only too glad to find a place where I can - send books likely to be permanently useful to English girls. I - am sending three more to-day, which I think likely to be far - more serviceable than those finer ones, containing as they do, - quantities of sound historical information given in a simple - and graceful way on subjects which every Christian girl should - have knowledge of, while I suppose not one in fifty ever hears - any truth about them. They are nice collegiate books too, to - look at. - - ‘I am mightily pleased too at your having a girl-organist, and - hope to work out some old plans with her.—Ever most truly yours, - - J. RUSKIN.’ - - * * * * * - - ‘BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE, _March 24_. - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—These candlesticks are lovely, but a little - too loose and catchy to be quite good design. The fillets of - the bases should be bars, and branch into the foliage, not be - entangled in it. But I am heartily glad to see such work. - - ‘The glass for the MSS. will be excellent,—but only the lazuli - and gold will stand sunlight—all colours of time fade in full - light. But there’s no harm in a little fading of the Greek - Evangelists, or the musical notes on a single page. - - ‘That Norway Bishops’ book will be a lovely companion to the - Old Geography. - - ‘You needn’t mind who is or isn’t in association with you. - - ‘You have plenty of power alone—and inventiveness enough to - boot.—Ever affectly. yrs., - - J. R.’ - -Mr. Ruskin’s munificent gifts did not stand alone. Almost every number -of the Magazine chronicled some present to the College, some book or -picture, scientific apparatus or specimen. Special mention should be -made of Dr. Wright’s collection of fossils which formed the foundation -for a museum, and of the grant of flint instruments and many animals -obtained through Sir William Flower from the British Museum. - -The distinctions which came to both Principal and College in the later -years of Miss Beale’s headship were very numerous and came from widely -differing sources. The College gained gold medals for educational -exhibits at the Paris Exhibitions of 1889 and 1900. - -The name of Dorothea Beale became known abroad as that of one who had -a real interest in education for its own sake and who had no exclusive -or insular views. The warm welcome she would extend to educationists of -every kind and tongue, the care with which she would personally answer -letters of inquiry, the high tone of her addresses at public gatherings, -her pamphlets and articles made the name of Cheltenham respected afar. -To this may be added the freshness and openness of mind with which she -would lend attention to new methods. She always took them seriously, -however empirical they might appear,—considered them, tried them if they -seemed hopeful, persevered in them if they were proved to be effective, -abandoned them if they were inferior to methods already in use. There -were many examples of this. Once, for instance, in the eighties, she -heard of a method of teaching reading and of preserving discipline which -had been evolved by Mrs. Fielden, a clever lady who had established a -good elementary school in a Yorkshire manufacturing village. Miss Beale -sent an old pupil who lived in the neighbourhood to visit the school, -watch its working, and send her full details of the management. After -receiving her report, she obtained the loan of one of Mrs. Fielden’s -teachers for a week, and had the system introduced by her into the -schoolroom of the Third (Junior) Division. It lived but a short time. -Miss Nixon, head-mistress of the division, found it mechanical, and it -was abandoned. - -In Miss Beale’s last term, in September 1906, Mrs. Arthur Somervell’s -_Rhythmical Mathematics_ came to her notice. She not only wrote to the -author ‘The book is beautiful and the method very suggestive,’ but within -a few days introduced it to the teachers whom it concerned and had its -principles explained to a class of little children. - -Foreign pupils were always welcomed at the College, and made to feel -at home. When first it was suggested that some Siamese girls should be -received there, Miss Beale wrote eagerly to secure them, and always -took the greatest interest in their work. The foreign teachers found -her sympathetic and interested, able to understand and allow for their -different training and points of view. With some it was not merely a -case of mutual esteem. There were those who found she welcomed their -friendship and returned it with kindred affection and confidence. - -In the summer term of 1889 several foreign educationists came to -Cheltenham. Mrs. E. H. Monroe was sent by the Government of the United -States, and Signora Zampini Salazaro by the Italian Government, to study -English schools and methods. Madame Garnier-Gentilhomme, Officier de -l’Instruction Publique, spent a week with Miss Beale. These visits were -perhaps not unconnected with the International Congresses of Education -which met in Paris in August. These Miss Beale attended, and herself -wrote an account of them in the Magazine of autumn 1889, from which some -brief extracts are made. - - ‘I cannot sufficiently regret that so few English took part - in the most interesting International Congress of Secondary - and Superior Instruction which has just concluded in Paris. - It was an assembly such as one can scarcely hope to see in - a life-time. One had an opportunity of hearing not only the - leading educational authorities of France, who are doing a - great work for their country, but distinguished men from all - parts of the world.’ - -After enumerating the representatives present from different countries, -she continues:— - - ‘From England, the near neighbour of France, came the - Honourable Lyulph Stanley, member of the School Board, but not - one person having official rank as a member of the Education - Department, not one representative of a university. There was - one Professor from Edinburgh, the Secretary of the College of - Science from Dublin, Mr. Widgery, of University College School, - the Editor of the _Schoolmaster_, Miss Buss with one of her - staff, Miss Beale of Cheltenham with four, and two private - governesses. - - ‘ ... The first step was to add to the Committee a number of - foreign members; eighteen were chosen, amongst whom were Mr. - Stanley and myself. Then, after arranging the order of the day, - we separated and formed ourselves into sections, each person - selecting the question which interested him most. In each - section a President and Vice-Presidents and a reporter were - elected. I was chosen a Vice-President of Section IV.[83] ... - - ‘I was told that we were to speak our own language, as was the - case at the Congress held at the Health Exhibition in London. - However, the general wish was at last complied with, that we - should all produce our thoughts in more or less foreign French, - and it was nearly always intelligible. - - ‘ ... One question (“The methods best adapted for the Secondary - Instruction of girls, specially as regards Modern Languages - and Science”) gave rise to a good deal of warm discussion. - We were surprised to find that less than two hours in a week - were given to a modern language in French schools for girls. - The importance of beginning very early was not generally - recognised. The English, specially Mr. Widgery and Miss Beale, - contributed a great deal to this part of the discussion, - insisting much on a truly scientific gymnastic of sound as - opposed to the haphazard mode of teaching pronunciation.’ - -The Misses Andrews who accompanied Miss Beale on this occasion were -impressed by the way she was received and heard. Her deafness did not -prevent her taking a part in the discussion, and speaking as she did in -a foreign tongue, she yet dominated her large international audience. -She showed extraordinary indifference to her own comfort. Miss Alice -Andrews remembers, for instance, a luncheon in the neighbourhood of the -Sorbonne, at a little restaurant to which they had been guided by some -acquaintance. Miss Beale and Miss Buss found themselves in the midst of -artists and students, some of whom carried on pronounced flirtations with -the waitress girls. Miss Beale sat calmly writing her speech for the next -meeting, indifferent to her déjeûner and unconscious of her surroundings. - -The Congress of Secondary and Superior Instruction was followed by a -Congress of Primary Teachers, for which Miss Beale was induced to stay. -One day she addressed it:— - - ‘I said a few words on the work of teachers in enlarging the - sympathies and diminishing prejudice and enabling us therefore - to understand one another better. - - ‘It is the seen, the material, about which nations quarrel; it - is the unseen, that which belongs to the intellect, the spirit, - which unites us in a generous emulation, in which all are - gainers, for in such contests all may obtain the prize.’ - -Greatly pleased as Miss Beale was with much she saw, she quickly -perceived that she could not work herself with such a system as prevailed -in France. ‘I do not wish to see secondary education in England subject -in any way to a Government department, or secondary schools in England -assimilated to primary.’ - -All the intervals of the Congress were filled with visits to various -educational institutions and interviews with leading educationists. There -was a visit to Fontenay-aux-Roses, to a deaf school, to a primary school -and kindergarten, to the Musée Pédagogique. There were also some visits -less of the nature of business. Once, at least, they went by invitation -to the Théâtre Français, where they witnessed a representation of the -_Femmes Savantes_. There were also many receptions. Miss Alice Andrews -wrote:— - - ‘We had two evenings at the Ministère de l’Instruction - Publique, just for the members of the Congresses. These were - more like our Guild meetings; no amusement was provided, but - the members found it for themselves in walking about and - conversing; and so did we, for by the end we had made many - acquaintances and a few friends, and there we met some of - those who, in the day, had been seated on platforms and had - interested us by their eloquence. On the last evening there was - a dinner-party of about fifty persons, at which the principal - foreign members of the Congress were entertained. To this Miss - Beale was invited, and placed at table on the right hand of the - minister.’[84] - -It was a great happiness to Miss Beale to see so much good work going on, -and to meet so many who really cared for the cause for which she lived. - - ‘Many were the promises of visits; we left Paris with a - higher idea of the great work that France is accomplishing, - and grateful for the generous hospitality with which we were - welcomed, and allowed to see all that is being done by those - who are directing education in France.’ - -The immediate result to the College of this Congress of 1889 was an -honour for its Principal when Miss Beale was made Officier d’Académie. -In the following year a meeting of the ‘Société des Professeurs de -Langues Vivantes’ met at Cheltenham. Miss Beale was elected a member of -this Society, by means of which many French students came to Cheltenham. -After her death a little article upon Miss Beale appeared in _Les Langues -Modernes_, the monthly organ of this Society. It rightly acknowledged -the welcome and the constant kindness that foreign students always -received from her. - - ‘Il faudrait un volume pour analyser sa vie et son œuvre. - Les Anglais l’avaient bien comprise, parce qu’elle résumait - au plus haut point les qualités de leur race. Les étrangères - ont pu admirer son esprit d’initiative, son énergie et son - enthousiasme communicatif. Les jeunes filles françaises qui - ont eu la bonne fortune d’étudier à Cheltenham, lui étaient - particulièrement reconnaissantes de la sympathie large qu’elle - leur témoignait. La vivacité et la spontanéité françaises, - que les Anglais confondent volontiers avec la légèreté et - l’insouciance, étaient des qualités qu’elle prisait beaucoup. - La bienveillance pour nous se traduisait en actes. Dans ce - collège aristocratique où les frais d’études étaient assez - considérables, où l’on n’admettait que les jeunes filles - appartenant à un milieu social élevé, Miss Beale réduisait - volontiers les frais d’études des Françaises, et facilitait - leurs relations avec des familles anglaises distinguées. - - ‘Elle eut pour plusieurs de mes compatriotes et moi des - attentions qui nous allèrent au cœur. Quand nous la - rencontrions dans les couloirs avec son petit bonnet blanc - de douairière, ou quand elle nous invitait au thé dans son - home, elles s’informait de nos études, corrigeant elle-même - dans la conversation nos phrases défectueuses, nous parlant - avec sympathie de notre pays, et nous rappelant le souvenir - agréable qu’elle avait gardé de Paris, où elle était venue - passer quelques mois dans sa jeunesse, en vue de compléter son - instruction.’ - -A further result was the permission granted by the French Government for -the admission of students from the College to Fontenay-aux-Roses. This -permission was much prized by Miss Beale, who was comforted by it for -delays which had occurred in the opening of St. Hilda’s, Oxford. - -Another recognition of her work for education came to Miss Beale in 1896, -when Durham University conferred upon her the distinction of Tutor in -Letters. The widespread influence of that work was emphasised by her -election in 1898 as a Corresponding Member of the National Education -Association, U.S.A. In her letter acknowledging this honour Miss Beale -said: ‘We receive much inspiration from the States, and possess in our -Library a large number of valuable works from Americans on Philosophy and -Education.’ She was specially attached to the writings of Dr. Harris. - -The contrasts existing between girls’ education as it was in 1865 and -thirty years later must have been brought very forcibly before Miss -Beale when, in 1894, she was again asked to give evidence before a Royal -Commission. The chairman of this was Mr. Bryce, who had himself inspected -and reported for the Taunton Commission of 1864-7. The composition of -this later body marked the advance that had been made. Of its seventeen -members three were women. Well might Miss Beale say that the changes she -had witnessed were ‘inconceivably great.’ Her own position was changed. -On the first occasion she had merely been the able representative of a -little known and rather despised class of workers. On the second she came -as one of the recognised leaders of a band whose work was becoming yearly -more valuable and more important. - -Miss Beale was first questioned on the co-operation and co-relation of -different schools in one neighbourhood. She expressed herself in favour -of the co-operation of teachers, not of unity in governing bodies, -‘because one governing body is rather apt to generalise and say that -everything that is suitable for boys should be done for girls.’ She -was also careful to say that there must be a supreme authority in each -school. One point of special interest to-day is the discussion which took -place on the teaching of the classics to girls. Miss Beale, as has been -shown, was never in favour of teaching either Latin or Greek to young -girls, and she maintained her objections on this occasion. She thought -it a mistake to begin Greek at the age of eleven or twelve, though she -admitted that it was easier to learn than Latin. ‘But children,’ she -said, ‘do not enter into the delicacies and refinements of the Greek -language, ... and they get tired of it.... I do not think the most -intelligent teacher could make a child like the intricacies of grammar -early.’[85] - -Miss Beale does not seem to have mentioned one reason why she would -not teach Latin early until, in 1898, she wrote in _Work and Play_: ‘I -feel strongly that Latin should, however, properly come after German, -specially for girls. There is a pestilential atmosphere in the Campania, -and one needs to have one’s moral fibre braced by the poetry of the -Hebrews and of England and Germany, if one would remain unaffected by -writings saturated with heathen thought.’ - -Other points discussed were the training of teachers, a subject on -which Miss Beale had much to say. She insisted on the advantages of -associating training colleges with large schools: ‘If students get simply -lectures, and ideas which they have not an opportunity of carrying into -practice, they become unpractical, and they have to learn the practical -parts of their profession when they become teachers.’ The question of -scholarships was introduced; Miss Beale enunciated her theory that they -should be given irrespective of place. It ought not to be possible for -one institution to buy up scholars from another. She admitted that she -would like to make necessity a condition of holding a scholarship. ‘Would -not that,’ asked Dr. Fairbairn, I carry with it to a large extent what -one may term a social distinction,—even a stigma in certain cases?’ ‘I -think,’ was the reply, ‘if people are ashamed of being poor, they ought -to be ashamed of being ashamed of it.’ - -Some points there were on which the Commissioners desired enlightenment -from Miss Beale’s experience, but got little help. One of these was by -what means a passage might be effected from primary to secondary schools -and the universities. Miss Beale, who disliked free education, had in -1895 even less sympathy with elementary teaching than she had a few -years later, when she undertook to train students for it. The indication -she gave the Commission was a suggestion that to meet the needs of the -prize pupils of the elementary schools, it would be best to found higher -schools of the same class, as she maintained that, owing largely to the -influences of their homes, children coming from primary schools could not -profit by the kind of education existing in secondary schools as they are. - -Three or four times the chairman also sought to obtain an opinion from -her on the difference between boys and girls, but was always met by some -such answer as, ‘I do not profess to say much about boys.’ - -It was an excellent thing that Miss Beale was asked by Messrs. Longmans, -Green and Co. to put forth her own original ideas, and state something of -her long experience concerning education, in the volume which appeared -in 1898 under the title _Work and Play in Girls’ Schools_. Designed -primarily for the enlightenment of the generation which first received -it, the book will remain as an historical record of methods actually in -use at the Ladies’ College. - -With the two last sections of this work Miss Beale had nothing to do: -that on the ‘Moral Side of Education’ was written by Miss Soulsby, -the concluding chapter on the ‘Cultivation of the Body’ was from the -pen of Miss Dove. Yet it is worthy of notice that both these able and -original-minded head-mistresses were for a time teachers at Cheltenham. -Miss Beale felt that Miss Soulsby’s chapter should have been first in the -book; but as her own section is so very much the longest, and as it would -have been impossible to her to treat of education from the intellectual -side only and apart from its bearing on character, there is nothing to be -regretted in the arrangement. One of Miss Beale’s chapters is, moreover, -devoted to the question of Philosophy and Religion. - -A letter she wrote to Miss Strong on this subject is interesting:— - - ‘_January 1897._ - - ‘I have ventured to accept Mr. Longmans’ proposal. I am afraid - it is rather rash, and I hope I shall find that he gives me - the Midsummer holidays. This is what he puts in his programme. - “Order of importance. Cultivation of the body, cultivation - of the moral character, cultivation of the mind,” and so he - arranges the subjects in that order. You see what I have said, - it makes me so vexed to hear people say, “Of course health is - the first thing,” when I know they mean to put pleasure before - duty. In order of _importance_, of course, Miss Soulsby is - first.’ - -This book, the most important of Miss Beale’s mature age—she was verging -on sixty when it was published—was written with all the enthusiasm of -youth. The hopefulness and freshness of a young teacher, heightened -rather than restrained by the experience of years, glow on every page. -Nor is the idealism of the student missing. Notice specially for this -the passage on astronomy on page 254:[86] ‘Thus [is] the mathematical -passion awakened; surely most of us can remember the first time that our -soul really ascended into the seventh heaven.’ The chapter entitled -Psychological Order of Study,’ in which this passage occurs, is perhaps -the most suggestive in the book, which abounds in the results of ripened -thought and knowledge. But that on the ‘Relation of School to Home’ was -most impressive to those who did not already know the writer’s views on -the subject. In ‘A Few Practical Precepts’ occur one or two phrases which -might well pass into scholastic proverbs, as for instance this: ‘It is a -worse fault to teach below than above the powers of a child.’ - -Miss Beale did not write the whole of that part of the book for which -she made herself responsible. Some parts were given to specialists upon -the College staff, in order that all the subjects might be treated with -expert knowledge. - -Miss Beale’s own life during this later period naturally became more -social than ever before. She attended many public functions, and was -brought constantly into touch with those who shared her high intellectual -aims or literary work. Among these was Dr. Jowett, to whom she felt she -owed a special debt for his translation of the _Republic_. A day came at -last, in 1893, when, as a witty friend said, she and the Master lunched -together, ‘with Plato as an unobtrusive third.’ - -In 1894, accompanied by Miss Draper, she made another visit to Paris, -to be present at the wedding of Lady Victoria Blackwood and Mr. W. L. -Plunket. She greatly enjoyed the experience, especially Lord Dufferin’s -friendliness. - - ‘Lord Dufferin proposed to send a young man to take us out - in the morning, and show us something of Paris. I rather - wondered that we grey-haired ladies should require an escort, - but of course accepted, and we were awaiting our young man in - the salon of the Hôtel Normandie when, to our surprise and - pleasure, we heard Lord Dufferin’s own voice in the hall. - Though he had to be present at the civil wedding at twelve - o’clock, he most kindly found time to take us up the Heights of - Montmartre. We had much interesting conversation on the way.’ - -The diary which Miss Beale still kept carefully, though briefly, gives a -glimpse of this fuller outside life, but remains faithful to its early -character as a record of thought and aspiration. A few extracts from the -last years are given. - - 1893. - - ‘_Jan._ 15. Retreat at Brondesbury. Canon Body 9th to 13th. - - ” 22. Last Sunday of Epiphany.... Perfect revelation of - God’s character only possible to man in Christ. - Arise, shine! Magi faithful to what was given.... - - ” 24. More earnestness in work needed. Unnecessary - speaking of others’ faults. - - ” 31. Again a quarter of an hour wasted.... - - _Feb._ 2. Edward died.[87] Presentation in the Temple. - - ” 14. Friendless Girls’ meeting. - - _Mar._ 31. All Saints. Mr. Illingworth. - - _May_ 10. In London. Degree Day. Radley. - - ” 11. Ascension Day. H. C. Radley. At Cowley - House. Froude’s Lecture. Lunch at Balliol. - - ” 12. Text. “In Him was Life and the Life was the - Light.” - - ” 14. Mrs. Russell Gurney lunched. - - _June_ 7-10. Royal Society. Staying with the Samuelsons. - - ” 19. Grandchildren’s party. Twenty-three present. - Five absent. - - ” 24. Council. Baker Street. Queen’s College. Greek - Play. - - ” 25. At Miss Clarke’s. - - ” 26. Oxford. Home. - - _Dec._ (31?). Was at Sudeley for Christmas. - - 1896. - - _April_ 21. Cambridge Conference.[88] Stayed at the [Vice-] - Chancellor’s.[89] - - _May_ 3. Pressed in spirit. “I stand at the door and knock.” - Read Bishop French’s Life. - - ” 6. Girls came back. - - ” 7. First day. Full of self. - - ” 13. Slept at Bethnal Green. - - 1897. - - _Feb_. 9. Bishop came. - - ” 10. Miss Clarke died. - - ” 15. Went to funeral. “He giveth grace for grace.” As we - spend, more pours in, the water level is kept up. - “He that watereth shall be watered also himself.” - - ” 25. Telegram to say £3000 subscribed by the Guild - [for St. Hilda’s East]. - - 1898. - - _Jan._ 8. Council. - - ” 14. After reading to-day [I thought] ... the smallest - living thing can stir tides of the boundless ocean, - the atom move the infinite. - - ” 23. H. C., St. Philip’s. Woman touched garment. - Sermon and lesson, to be healed of that weakness - which is undermining spiritual strength, not by - thinking, but by touching Jesus Christ. - - _Sept._ 13. Had a very refreshing holiday. (1) Lord Farrer’s; - (2) Lodgings; (3) Miss Bidder’s; (4) Bonchurch; - (5) Forest; (6) Woodchester. - - ” 9. Studio looks well and all rooms. - - ” 23. Opened. - - ” 25. H. C. Fresh resolutions against spirit of indolence.’ - -The year 1895, which opened sadly with the death of Miss Buss, was marked -by wide extensions of the Cheltenham College work. The playground was now -in daily use. A triumph of the athletic tendency of the age, it was also -an emphatic mark of Miss Beale’s acceptance of new ideas. To the end she -could not quite understand why it was wanted, but she saw it had to be, -and even grew proud of it in its way. - -In 1895 the old Cheltenham theatre, which the College had purchased a -few years before, was razed to the ground, and the erection of a new, -fine building in its place, as an integral part of the College buildings, -was begun. This was an immense hall,[90] capable of holding nearly two -thousand people, and possessed of remarkable acoustic qualities. It was -fitted up with a large stage and everything necessary for the acting -which had already become a feature of the Guild meetings. The Guild plays -grew to be Miss Beale’s recreation in her old age. It was an immense -pleasure to see the stories and poems she had prized all her life made -living on the stage. She had a keen dramatic sense, and delighted in -watching rehearsals and personally coaching some of the individual -actors. She was interested even in getting details of dress as correct as -possible, and in the schemes of colour, objecting to a predominance of -red, a colour she always disliked. The Guild plays were of course chosen, -like the subjects of her literature lessons, with a view to elevate -rather than to entertain. Three performances specially stand out in the -memory: _Comus_, in 1896, with its exquisite dancing and dressing; that -of _Griselda_, in 1904; and the last of all, with its prophetic note of -farewell, _Hatshepset_, in 1906. Probably _Griselda_ most of all appealed -to Miss Beale, who gave an interpretation all her own to Chaucer’s tale. -She saw in it a spiritual allegory of God’s dealings with the soul, and -she set it forth in a beautiful little introduction to the story. Years -before it had been proposed that Sir Edwin Arnold’s _Griselda_ should be -taken for the College play. She wrote very strongly against it to Miss -Wolseley Lewis:— - - ‘I am sure none of you would be able to bear the modernised - dramatised Griselda if you learned it. It is like painting - the face of an unearthly mediæval saint and clothing her with - garments which show the human form. In the Griselda of Chaucer - there is nothing of the vulgar love-making of the “merchant.” - The love of the “markis” comes as a gift from heaven. - - ‘Then that scene in which she ministers to his pleasure - by music; it is all such a low kind of ministry. Whereas - in the original, hers is just the worship of perfect - _faith_,—obedience to his _will_, because she will not question - it.... The whole thing jars on me.... The quiet, grave “markis” - (of Chaucer) may be a type of Him who tries us to confirm our - faith, but this human “marquis” is of the earth earthy, and - cannot stand for a spiritual type. It reminds me of the passage - in which Ruskin comments on the attitude of the Prophets in - “The Transfiguration.”[91] Do you remember it in _Modern - Painters_? - - ‘There! enough! I wish it might be _Comus_, or _The Princess_ - or _Alcestis_ would not cost so much trouble as something - new,—but better nothing than something not really high. - - ‘There, I don’t want to dictate or to say you shall not do - what you wish, but I hope you won’t wish this _Griselda_.... I - do think we should like _Comus_, and we might have such good - music.’ - -In the early part of 1895 Miss Beale was more than usually active and -well. In the Easter holidays she paid a long-promised visit to Miss -Mason’s House of Education at Ambleside. Here she gave a lecture to the -students on Geometry. The visit was a great pleasure, she was in full -sympathy with Miss Mason’s work, and she enjoyed meeting Miss Arnold -at Fox Howe, and many friends and pupils. In June she was present at a -performance of the _Alcestis_ at Bradfield College; she also went again -to the Royal Society conversazione. - -The active enjoyment of this summer received a check at the term-holiday, -when, while walking on Leckhampton Hill, Miss Beale slipped and broke her -leg. The period of forced inaction which followed was generally held to -be good for her, and she was well enough to be carried into the College -for the addresses of the Quiet Days at the end of the term. She was -unable, however, to be present at the Oxford summer meeting in August. -The paper she had written for this on the Professional Education of -Teachers was read by Mr. Worsley. - -A school which has neither prize-giving nor speech-day does not easily -obtain very highly distinguished visitors. It was not till 1897 that the -College was honoured by the presence of Royalty. In that year the Empress -Frederick of Germany proposed a visit. Her interest in education led -her to wish to see the classes at work in their usual conditions. She -therefore went with Miss Beale from one room to another while the actual -teaching was going on. A few days after her visit Miss Beale received the -following letter from Major-General Russell, who was at that time member -for Cheltenham:— - - FRANKFORT, GERMANY, _August 13, 1897_. - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—Yesterday I had the honour of lunching with - the Empress Frederick at Cronberg. As soon as I arrived there - she called me on one side, and begged that I would convey to - you the pleasure and satisfaction that she had derived from - her visit to the Ladies’ College at Cheltenham. She begged me - to tell you that she was much gratified by what she saw of the - arrangements, and what she learned of the system of education - pursued there. She was much impressed by the happiness and - contentment which appeared to be universal among the pupils, - and also with the strict and excellent discipline which she - hears and remarked you maintain both among the instructors and - the students themselves. - - ‘She added that she fully appreciates the great work that you - have accomplished in the interest of education, as well as the - personal sacrifice and self-devotion which you have consecrated - to the task. - - ‘I need not say how much pleasure it has afforded me to be the - medium of conveying to you Her Imperial Majesty’s gracious - message, and, I remain, yours sincerely, - - FRANK S. RUSSELL.’ - -Two years later the Princess Henry of Battenberg came to unveil a marble -bust of Queen Victoria, the work of Countess Feodora Gleichen, which had -been presented to the College. - -[Illustration: _The Empress Frederick at Cheltenham_ - -_from a photograph by Mr. Domenico Barnett_] - -Among Miss Beale’s triumphs of this period should surely be mentioned -her mastery of the tricycle at the age of sixty-seven. It became a great -delight to her. She used it chiefly in the early morning—often very -early—when the streets were empty. ‘The men in the milk-carts know me -and keep out of my way,’ she would say. She greatly enjoyed the fresh air -and complete solitude gained with so little effort. - -In 1898 England received a severe visitation of small-pox. No town in -the country suffered more than Gloucester, where for long it raged among -the unvaccinated, and even devoted nurses and doctors fell victims. It -was five times introduced into Cheltenham, but owing, Miss Beale was -pleased to hint in the Magazine, to the healthiness of the climate and -the good sanitation of the town, it never got a hold there. Cheltenham -largely owed its immunity to the exertions of the Lady Principal, who -insisted on revaccination where it was necessary for every one connected -with the College. This meant not only teachers, pupils, servants, but -all who had to do with any College girl in any capacity—all in the homes -of the day-pupils—all in the shops which served the boarding-houses—the -whole railway staff at the different stations. The College custom was too -good to lose, and she carried her point. Such a drastic measure had its -comic side, as was perceived by the saucy butcher-boy who shouted to a -boarding-house cook, ‘I must know if you are vaccinated before I deliver -this meat.’ - -Among the College victims was a girl within a few weeks of an important -examination. The daughter of an anti-vaccinator, she had of course never -been ‘done,’ and the father telegraphed that he would not permit it. -A married sister staying in the town urged the College authorities to -act on their own responsibility; but that Miss Beale would not do. The -girl made another appeal to her father; but a cab was actually at the -door to take her to the station, when his answer arrived in the second -telegram—‘May do as she pleases.’ This modified permission saved the -situation. - -Miss Beale’s determined and successful action in this matter was -doubtless remembered when, in 1901, the Mayor and Corporation resolved to -bestow upon her the freedom of the borough. This was ceremonially done on -October 28, the Town Council, Governing Body of the College, and a large -number of Miss Beale’s friends being present. - -‘The honour,’ said the Mayor (Mr. Norman) in his preliminary address to -the Council, ‘is given with discrimination, and somewhat rarely. We in -Cheltenham, during the thirty years of our corporate life, have only -conferred it in two instances.... I am charged to-day with the proposing -of a resolution which will add a third to that number. The resolution is -in these terms:— - - “That, in recognition of the great work she has done for the - education of women in England, and especially of the unique - position to which under her direction the Cheltenham Ladies’ - College has attained among the educational institutions of the - country, Miss Dorothea Beale be, in pursuance and exercise of - the provisions of the Honorary Freedom of Boroughs’ Act, 1885, - admitted to the honorary freedom of this borough.” - -‘When I first approached Miss Beale on this subject, I did not know -whether any lady had before been admitted a freeman of the borough. But -from the wording of the Act of Parliament I was quite sure that the term -“freeman” in the section quoted was used in a generic sense, and that -ladies were as eligible as men to the honour which we propose to confer -upon Miss Beale. I was therefore prepared to create a precedent, if -necessary. But since then I have learned that at least in one case, that -of Baroness Burdett Coutts, this honour has been conferred upon a lady.’ - -In her reply Miss Beale said:— - - ‘ ... In some places those who should work together stand - opposed; elsewhere we have heard of fights between town - and gown; at some seats of learning women have been denied - titles that they have earned. In Cheltenham we have a happy - conciliation of opposites.... You Municipal authorities - recognise that; you care not only for pure water and open - spaces and cleanliness, but for the Free Library and Science - Schools and Art Galleries and healthy recreations; and we - school authorities cannot but make the body healthier by mental - discipline, by the sunshine of truth, by inspiring the young - with high aspirations, and so lifting them out of the rudeness - which is the outward sign of selfishness. I look upon to-day’s - ceremony as a sign of our faith for the individual and for the - community, health in its largest sense, _mens sana in corpore - sano_, is to be realised only by the harmonious working of the - inward and outward law. To invite a woman to be a Freeman of - a Town is, I venture to believe, an expression of the thought - that not the individual but the family, with its twofold life, - is the true unit and type of the state, that social and civil - and national prosperity depend on the communion of labour, and - that the ideal commonwealth is realised only in proportion as - the dream of one of our poets is fulfilled, and men and women - - “Walk this world - Yoked in all exercise of noble ends.” - - ‘ ... Formerly we had no women Guardians, but one who is called - in her own town “the Guardian Angel”[92] visited us and won all - hearts, and then there were elected two ladies, who have been - re-elected ever since, who by their insight and gentleness and - wisdom have destroyed the last vestige of prejudice. - - ‘ ... Mrs. Owen was also a link between the Ladies’ College - and the Cheltenham College, that elder brother, under whose - protection alone our College could have grown up. It is a - strange thing that women are threatened with exclusion from the - projected Educational Authority; women, who are born to the - care of children, who are so much needed to hold the outposts - in our educational army, which are being deserted by men. - Visions I have of a closer union between all the schools of our - town.... Cheltenham, too, has made progress intellectually. A - Literary Institution died a natural death shortly after I came; - it was, I hope, only a case of _post hoc_. In my early days the - provision of books was scanty indeed. I tried to get Tennyson’s - last poem in one of the principal shops of the Promenade. I was - told, “We never have had any poetic effusions in our library, - and I do not think we shall begin now.” There was no Permanent - Library, and a Free Library was impossible and unthought of, - and in our own College I was fain to be content with a grant of - £5 for books. But more than all the material and intellectual - progress has been the raising of public opinion regarding the - moral law. Much there is still to deplore, much to amend, and - we long to see more efforts made to promote temperance, but I - am sure that the higher education of women, the opening to them - of larger opportunities of usefulness, has helped to lift many - above the unsatisfying pleasures of a frivolous life, and won - for them the respect which is always a blessing both to “him - that gives and him that takes.” We have, indeed, reason to - thank God and take courage.’ - -In the same year Miss Beale was co-opted a member of the Advisory Board -of the University of London. - -The recognition by the town was from every point of view a triumph and -an honour. The year in which it took place and the preceding one were -marked by large extension of boarding-house property and many other -signs of wealth. But for Miss Beale herself it can have been no time of -great gladness. Though her vitality was as great as ever, her health was -less good, her deafness much increasing, her sight impaired. Constantly -she was called upon to part by death from some old and valued friend -or fellow-worker. In January she shared the general mourning for Queen -Victoria. In March 1901 Miss Caines died; a month later the beloved -sister Eliza and Canon Hutchinson, of whom Miss Beale spoke as a friend -and pastor of many years, were buried on the same day. Miss Beale turned -from her sister’s grave to write last words to be read after her own -death should she be called away while still head of the College. She also -revised her will and wrote directions concerning her personal belongings -and her funeral. - -But if the road to the Dark Tower grew lonely,[93] it was greatly -brightened by the love of those she had taught, inspired, and helped. No -parent was ever more closely encompassed by the love of children. There -were those at Cheltenham who thought for her, waited on her, read to -her—no light task—those who, should she desire it, were ever at her beck -and call. Some of these were on the College Council. One, in particular, -Miss Flora Ker, who lived at Cheltenham, was always at hand, making the -interests of the College and little attentions to Miss Beale the first -duty of her day. Another, who had become head of a boarding-house, -thought of her daily needs to the smallest details. A third habitually -accompanied her on the visits which became so great an enjoyment in these -later years, and on the frequent business journeys to London, making -them easy by many little thoughtful arrangements. Miss Beale would seem -unconscious of these at the moment, but she deeply valued the thought -and the loving service of which she availed herself to the full. The -Chairman and different members of the Council showed also much personal -consideration for the Principal. Nor could she travel anywhere without -finding ‘old girls’ ready to welcome and make much of her in every way. -In these things she had indeed ‘all that should accompany old age.’ - -In 1902 came a crowning honour for the Ladies’ College when its Principal -was offered the LL.D. by the Edinburgh University, in recognition of her -services to education. Miss Beale was simply and unfeignedly delighted -with this acknowledgment of the worth of women’s work. Her loyal staff -seized the occasion to give her a personal sense of satisfaction also. -They presented her with her robes, which were made as costly and -beautiful as possible. A journey to Scotland was a great adventure to -Miss Beale, but the occasion warranted the effort. As usual, all the -arrangements were left in the hands of Miss Alice Andrews, who with -others of the College staff accompanied the Principal. It was examination -week at Cheltenham, or such a flight of teachers would not have been -possible. The degree was conferred on April 11 in the M’Ewan Hall of -Edinburgh University. Others who received it on the same occasion were -Lord Alverstone, Mr. Asquith, Mr. Austin Dobson, Sir John Batty Tuke, and -Dr. Rücker.[94] Only once before had the University conferred this degree -on a woman, viz. on Miss Ormerod, in recognition of her great services to -agriculture. - -[Illustration: _Photo. G. H. Martyn & Sons_ - -_Dorothea Beale, LL.D._] - -Sir Ludovic Grant, Dean of the Faculty of Law, thus summed up Miss -Beale’s claim to a national recognition:— - - ‘No feature of the national progress during the last fifty - years is more remarkable than the revolution which has - transformed our girls’ schools from occidental zenanas into - centres of healthy activity. In the great crusade which has - been crowned with this most desirable consummation, the - foremost champion was the cultured and intrepid lady who - guides the destinies of the Ladies’ College, Cheltenham. It - was largely due to Miss Beale’s indomitable advocacy, on - platform and on paper, that the barriers of parental prejudice - were broken down, that the ancient idols venerated by a - former generation—Mangnall, Pinnock, and Lindley Murray—were - shattered, and that barren catechism and lifeless epitome - were compelled to give place to fructifying studies, and the - futile promenade to invigorating recreations. I need not - remind you that Miss Beale’s apostolic ardour is equalled by - her administrative abilities. When she went to Cheltenham her - pupils were counted by tens; to-day they are to be counted by - hundreds, and the institution in respect of organisation and - educational efficiency will bear comparison with the best of - the great English public schools. Among the collateral benefits - resulting from the great movement for the higher education - of women, in which Miss Beale has played so conspicuous a - part, not the least important is the power which the Scotch - Universities have obtained of conferring their honorary degrees - upon women, and therefore it is with no ordinary satisfaction - that the University of Edinburgh now exercises this power by - begging Miss Beale’s acceptance of an honour which has been - brought within the reach of her sex largely through her own - endeavours.’ - -Her account of the ceremony is best read in her own letter to the -Vice-Principal:— - - ‘_April 12, 1902._ - - ‘Just a few lines while waiting for breakfast. We start at - eleven for Glasgow, and I am in the midst of the agonies of - packing. - - ‘Yesterday was a long day. We started at 9.20, as it is a - long drive to the M’Ewan Hall. In the voting-room we met - our Chairman and various distinguished professors—Laurie, - Saintsbury, Professor Rücker—of the people I knew; but the - most important of all was the beadle. In a little while our - names were called, and one had to step into place. First came - the Doctors of Divinity. There were six LL.D.’s, headed by - the Lord Chief-Justice, who was followed by Mr. Asquith, whom - I followed in every subsequent procession.... Arrived at the - hall, we sat as it were in the front row below the stage in - our hall. There were central steps, opposite which sat the - Vice-Chancellor or Vice-Principal. Each went up and stood with - his back to the audience whilst the leader of his faculty - expatiated on his claims to the honours; he looked like a - person being reprimanded. Then the beadle invested him with the - hood, the V.-P. put the cap over his head, he wrote his name - in a book, and then seated himself with other exalted persons - on the platform. Various speeches followed, but none were made - to ordinary graduates. Music played, no sticks or umbrellas - were allowed, and no cries such as the savages utter at English - Universities; the only amusement was to fly paper from the - galleries; some seems to have been made into windmills, they - flew rather well. Then procession again to the voting-room, - where I was first to claim my box; there was nothing to - compare with my shabby things—cardboard most of them, but I am - persuaded that my robes were far superior to any other. Ask - those who saw them from a distance. - - ‘Well, we next proceeded to church, and St. Giles’ looked most - beautiful. The sermon I did not hear, but am assured that - was because the preacher had an Aberdeen accent. One thing I - omitted. Just after I had taken the degree, as I was seated on - the platform, came a porter with a telegram for me. I opened - it and found congratulations from the Kindergarten. Please - tell them how smartly it arrived at the right moment. The - others kindly sent arrived at the hotel, and I found them on my - return; please thank the senders. - - ‘After church some nice Miss Stevensons carried us off. They - have a beautiful house and a splendid view of the heights,—one - is Chairman of the School Board. They are always at work. Then - we came back and were visited by various old girls.’ - -At Glasgow Miss Beale stayed with a married pupil, and found herself in -the midst of ‘old girls,’ who made much of her. From Glasgow she wrote a -second letter, to be read to the assembled College before the dispersion -for the holidays:— - - ‘_April 16, 1902._ - - ‘We are often in spirit in Cheltenham, and I must send a few - last words, to wish you all very happy holidays. - - ‘We are very busy. The first thing we visited was the Queen - Margaret Settlement, which is something like our St. Hilda’s. - It is a very large place, and a school for invalid children - was being held. Miss Bruce came down to the opening. On Monday - a large number of distinguished people were invited to meet - us, and yesterday afternoon we had a party of about thirty - Cheltonians. In the evening we dined with Professor and Mrs. - George Adam Smith. I sat next to Professor Henry Jones, who - has written a book on Browning, and on the other side was the - Rector, Dr. Story. He has kindly promised to take us over the - University this morning. There are about three hundred girls - studying here,[95] and they have a charming Miss Galloway; - she is as fond of Glasgow University as I am of our College. - To-morrow we are to go over the Cathedral. - - ‘I think we shall come back refreshed and with some new ideas. - - ‘I am glad to hear all is going on well.’ - -From Mrs. Osborne in Glasgow Miss Beale went on to stay with other old -pupils in Scotland, coming afterwards to Newcastle, where she was asked -to launch a ship. Her ignorance of use and wont under conditions fairly -well known to most people came out when she attired herself for this -event in well-looped-up dress and indiarubber shoes. Much as she disliked -adventure, she was prepared to march into the Tyne if the glory of the -Ladies’ College demanded it. However, she much enjoyed the ceremony -that actually took place,—the drive to the docks, the description she -received of the vessel, the bouquet of roses presented to her in honour -of St. George’s Day. Her diary at this point becomes crowded with facts -concerning steamers and dock labourers. From Newcastle Miss Beale went to -Durham, where she stayed with the Dean; then to York. Wherever she went -there were schools to visit, and perhaps address, ‘old girls’ to see. A -night in London ended the wanderings, and she came home well and happy -to enter in her diary: ‘Arrived to the hour, exactly three weeks after -starting, having spent the night in nine different places, and feeling -quite refreshed by meeting with so much kindness, and so many charming -old girls.’ - -The year which had so bright a spring brought but a sorry autumn for -Miss Beale. In October 1902 she was—an unheard-of thing—obliged to -leave Cheltenham for her health, and went to Bath, accompanied by Miss -Berridge, for several weeks. Her sight was a special anxiety, and during -this time she was not allowed to write or read. A letter from Miss -Berridge to Miss Sturge gives a glimpse of the life at Bath:— - - ‘_October 1902._ - - ‘We brought with us Adam Smith’s work on the _Minor Prophets_, - and also Jane Austen’s _Persuasion_. At first we stuck to the - _Prophets_, but at last Jane got a hearing, and since then - she has utterly ousted the _Prophets_. It has been rather - amusing to note how many excellent reasons there were for - giving Jane the preference. Miss Beale was—tired—or sleepy—or - not very well, and could not attend to anything that required - thought—or it was near lunch—or tea—or supper-time, and - therefore it was not worth while, etc. etc., and I think she - has really liked the story very much. Please tell Miss Alice - Andrews,—it is her book, and Miss Beale at first refused to - bring it, but thought _I_ might do so, as it might amuse me. - The result of the experiment is that we are now going to read - some of Scott’s, beginning with _The Antiquary_. Miss Beale is - very much better, though of course far from being her former - energetic self. But we have still more than a fortnight before - us, and if she makes as much progress in that time as she has - done in the fortnight just gone, we may be very well satisfied. - - ‘Bath is a very pretty place, but, of course, I have not seen - much of it. Miss Beale is now able to take short walks; to-day - she went to Milsom Street. - - ‘I have written such multitudes of letters that I really do not - know to whom they have all been.’ - -Miss Beale was able to return to work before the end of the term. She -seemed in most ways as vigorous as ever. A doctor, whom she consulted -about her deafness in 1903, told her she had the pulse of a woman of -forty. But she became more and more careful about her health. Her summer -holidays were spent at Oeynhausen, where she followed a ‘Kur.’ There she -took with her always some friend who devoted herself to the care of Miss -Beale, and at the same time was a congenial companion, reading aloud to -her, or listening while Miss Beale read. On one occasion Miss Amy Giles -went, on another Fräulein Grzywacz. The life at the baths was carefully -planned even to minutes. Miss Beale liked to have her morning letters -before the early walk, which the daily régime demanded. While waiting for -the postman, even watching his appearance along the street, she would -have some deep book read aloud to her, able to give her whole attention. -‘The postman is just here, Miss Beale,’ Fräulein Grzywacz would say, as -she finished a chapter. ‘He is still ten doors off, you can read another -paragraph,’ would be the reply. - -In 1902 a determined and successful effort was made to get a worthy -portrait of Miss Beale. Early in the College history a picture, which -bore but a faint resemblance to the original and was wholly unworthy of -her, had been painted, and at a Council meeting in 1873 it was ‘resolved -that it be placed (veiled) over the door of the Council room, as most in -accordance with the wishes of the donors.’ In 1889 the Council itself -approached Miss Beale on the subject of a portrait, Sir Samuel Johnson, -then chairman, writing to her:— - - ‘_February 25, 1889._ - - ‘You cannot, you must not leave the College without something - that will identify it with the Founder. Fancy what unavailing - attempts will be made some day to supply the want! and the - blame which will attach to us for not having left something - behind worthy of such a woman! Think again, and do not let your - feelings stand in the way of a plain duty.’ - -On the envelope containing this letter Miss Beale wrote in pencil the -characteristic note: ‘Miss Stirling might make a clay or terra-cotta.’ -A modelling class had recently been opened in the College under Miss -Stirling; Miss Beale was much interested in it and anxious to encourage -it. - -The wish of the Council took the form of a resolution to which Miss Beale -replied:— - - ‘_June 1889._ - - ‘I certainly have a very great objection to the thought of my - portrait being placed in the Ladies’ College during my life. - When our Guild asked me to allow this last year I refused. - - ‘Secondly, I should _much_ regret the diversion of funds which - are so much needed for improvements in the College, and for the - extension of work in many directions; whether that money is - contributed from public or private sources. - - ‘Lastly, I believe that putting myself forward in this way - would be a real hindrance to my work, as it would give a false - impression regarding the share I have been allowed to take in - helping on the growth of this College. - - ‘I thought of getting Miss Stirling, who models portraits, to - take one in clay, this would be executed in stone by Mr. Martyn - at small cost, and would answer all historical purposes. I have - a variety of photos, too.’ - -Later, she consented to give a few sittings to Mrs. Lea Merritt, for -whose work she had a great admiration. The approach of the College -Jubilee made a new moment for appealing to her again on this subject, -and at the Guild meeting of 1902 she was presented with the following -address, composed by Miss Amy Lumby and signed by a large number of old -pupils:— - - ‘DEAR MISS BEALE,—We, the undersigned, your “children,” once - in learning and always in affection, approach you with a very - earnest wish. There is not one amongst us who does not look - back with loving delight to the time when she saw your face - daily, and learnt from your lips what things were best worth - learning. - - ‘The face we can never forget, but we should like to be able - to have it constantly before us in such a form as shall call - up again the spirit of those happy bygone days. There exists - as yet no counterfeit presentment of our “School-mother” - which does this; only a great artist can accomplish the task - worthily; and so we beg, and beg most earnestly that, for our - sake and for the sake of those who come after us, you will - consent to let a portrait of yourself be painted by such an - one, and will accept it for the College in commemoration of the - Jubilee.’ - -Miss Beale was much touched by this appeal. She received it in eloquent -silence, but at the last gathering before the Guild members separated her -reply was read aloud by Miss Ker:— - - ‘I am touched by the kind wish of the Guild conveyed to me in - the resolution of yesterday. I am afraid a third attempt would - be no more successful than the preceding. The unbiassed artist - represents his subject as she is, not as she seems to be to - those who are good enough to overlook her defects, and love her - in spite of them. Still, if it is really wished that another - attempt should be made, I will willingly sit once more.’ - -The work was entrusted to Mr. J. J. Shannon, R.A., who had proved -his ability for the task by the portraits of Miss Clough and Miss -Wordsworth. No effort was spared by the painter to realise Miss Beale -at her best,[96] and she gave a good deal of time to sittings, which -were employed also in listening to reading aloud. Dr. Illingworth’s -_Personality Human and Divine_, a very favourite work of hers, was often -chosen. Sometimes this work was displaced by _Lorna Doone_, which Miss -Beale said ‘amused the painter.’ The Lady Principal was painted in her -LL.D. robes, but also in her familiar head-dress, _son petit bonnet de -douairière_. She is represented as looking up with the glance well known -to those who had watched her when she lectured. The attitude, which is as -much that of disciple as teacher, was fitly chosen. - -The portrait was formally presented by the Duchess of Bedford on November -8, 1904, and with it an illuminated book containing the names of the -donors. Miss Beale in her reply said:— - - ‘You have all come here moved by loyalty to your College. - Loyalty is not a personal matter.... Tribute was due not to - Tiberius but to Caesar; so you wanted a portrait of a Lady - Principal—not of the person but of the representative,—and the - Principal has a great advantage over the person in that the - former lasts on when the latter passes away; loyalty outlasts - life:—so I look on your gift as a page of College history. But - not only have you brought a present for the College. I find - also a beautiful book for my own personal self, not my official - self, a record of affection from my children, which warms my - heart, and makes me long to be more worthy of it. - - ‘But if the affection of those we love is an energising power, - it produces a moral tension, not unmingled with fear.... He who - recorded the names in the ancient church wrote: “Let us fear - lest we also come short.” But as I have said, the Principal - does not die. Like the Lama she is re-incarnated. In her, if - the body dies, the _esprit de corps_ survives, and I look - forward to the time when another shall reign in my stead, ... - and a procession of rulers greater than their ancestors ... - shall see developments which we cannot foresee.’ - -For various reasons it was necessary to postpone the College Jubilee -celebrations until May 1905. On this occasion a bust of Miss Beale was -presented to the College by some admirers of her work who were not -connected with it. A large new wing built for science teaching was opened -by Lord Londonderry, then President of the Board of Education; and there -were many distinguished guests. Two memorable speeches were made on -this great occasion. One by the Chairman of the Council, Dr. Magrath, -Provost of Queen’s College, Oxford, who made a brief but very sympathetic -retrospect of the past history of the Ladies’ College. The other was from -Mrs. Bryant, Head-mistress of the North London Collegiate School. She, -as was fitting, looked forward to the future, and foreshadowed a large -development of the work so well begun and established at Cheltenham. This -Jubilee Day was the only public commemoration the Ladies’ College ever -had. It was fitting that there should be one great public acknowledgment -of Miss Beale’s work before the day came when she must leave it to the -guidance of another. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE LAST TERM - - ‘And, when the day was done, relieved at once.’ - - BROWNING, _How it strikes a Contemporary_. - - -At the beginning of the year 1905 Miss Beale sought to induce Bishop -Ellicott, who had then resigned his see of Gloucester, to continue to -visit the Ladies’ College, Cheltenham, as he had done for upwards of -thirty years. He declined on the ground of ill-health, saying, ‘Among the -many things that I regret being unable to attend to, I regret none more -than the addresses to the bright-eyed attentive hearers I always secured -at the College. But all things must have an end.’ This was written but a -few months before the Bishop’s death. - -Miss Beale, happily for her active spirit, was not thus summoned to -retire from work owing to age or feeble health. She had expressed more -than once the wish that she might die in harness, and her letters since -1900 had frequently breathed the wonder that she should still last on, -and up to the summer of 1906 there was nothing to suggest that the end -was really drawing near. - -The last Christmas holidays were happy. Miss Beale made a round of -visits. At Lindfield she stayed with Miss Keyl, an old Gloucestershire -friend, in London with Mrs. Tallents, an old pupil. Lastly, having been -joined by Miss Alice Andrews, she went for a few days to Miss Wedgwood, -whose sister, Lady Farrer, was also staying with her. Miss Beale greatly -enjoyed her time with these old friends whom she had first known as -pupils at Queen’s College. She was singularly active. ‘I dare say you -would like to do just one thing each day,’ said one hostess to her, -little realising the vitality which would carry her on through a long -series of events such as would tire out most younger people. - -The spring passed with little special incident, but for Miss Beale it was -saddened by the death of Mrs. Charles Robinson in March. - -In the Easter holidays Miss Beale much enjoyed a visit to Miss Mellish, -Head-mistress of the Ladies’ College, Guernsey. Here she made many new -acquaintances, took drives, saw places of interest, and kept an account -of all in her diary. But the draft of a letter to some friend during this -visit shows, that in spite of her courageous spirit, she felt her own -term of work in this world to be practically over. - - ‘GUERNSEY, _April 1906_. - - ‘I arrived here yesterday. I am staying with a very nice old - girl who is Head-mistress of the College here. I have long - wished to see this beautiful island where I have many friends. - I have one of our staff with me who is a geologist, and is - enjoying rambles. I don’t go about now without some one, a - “lady-in-waiting,” to take care of me. - - ‘The revolutionary changes make one anxious, the Bill to - legalise “peaceful persuasion” especially. Perhaps the German - conquest may change all. That a contest must come there seems - no doubt, but it is better not to prophesy till after the - event.... - - ‘There are problems enough for our successors on this planet. I - wonder what we shall find to do,—what battles to fight when we - pass out of sight.... I don’t think we shall want only _rest_.’ - -In the summer, having at first declined the invitation, Miss Beale -was persuaded to address the Head-mistresses’ Conference, which met -on June 8 and 9 at the Clapham High School. In spite of the deafness, -which made her dread committee meetings, she took her share in the -discussions. Speaking on a resolution concerning the suffrage she said: -‘The underpayment of women went to the heart of all as a crying evil, and -made every one earnest about the extension of the suffrage.’ She also -in a later discussion expressed her emphatic disapproval of afternoon -compulsory school, and related the history of the change made at -Cheltenham in 1864. - -The address to the assembled head-mistresses on the following morning, -Miss Beale’s last public utterance, may well find a place here. Full of -the tenderest regard for the past, appreciating as no younger worker -could the ideals and conflicts of her own generation, that utterance -showed a front of marvellous courage and hope to the anxieties of the -present and future. - - ‘I feel a sorrowful pride as I remember some of the Heads of - the great Schools, who have passed out of sight, but whose - works follow them. We were happy in our founder:[97] with such - a leader one felt ashamed of any evil spirit of competition: - she always wanted to impart any good gift and introduce - improved methods of teaching: to recommend new books, and to - propose arrangements for the better organisation of schools, - for the training of teachers, for extending the sphere of - women’s work, for relieving them of the pressure of anxiety - about old age: these things occupied her thoughts while she was - still herself bearing the burden of financial responsibility, - and generously caring for those bound to her by strong ties of - family affection.... It was the celestial light which shone - inwardly that irradiated her outward life. Of external work - she undertook perhaps more than she ought to have done. She - was on the Governing Body of the Church Schools Company, a - member of our Governing Body, and of that of several other - schools. She spared no pains in labouring for others, always - sympathising and sustaining, fighting for the best good. Above - all, actuating her, and enabling her to go on bravely, was that - optimism which came from the belief that God had given her - this work to do, and that His Spirit would sustain her. Most - gracefully did she descend from her throne when the end came. I - shall not forget our last interview, when she playfully alluded - to the fact that she had now to become again as a little child, - to obey where she had ruled, and she was content to pass on the - work into the hands of one so able, so beloved, so trusted as - Mrs. Bryant. - - ‘Another early member was Miss Benson, the first Head-mistress - of the Girls’ Public Day Schools Company’s School at Oxford, - and afterwards, for a few months, at Bedford; she was a burning - and a shining light, unsparing in her demands upon herself and - others;—she might have been called Zelotes. - - ‘Of her successor, our own beloved Miss Belcher, it is hard - for me to speak. She was the soul of honour. I remember - one day she and her friend[98] came to me and said one of - them would like to apply for a good post, at a time when - head-mistress-ships did not abound. I said, “I think I ought - to tell you that events are impending which may shake our - College to its foundations.” Some would have said, “Let us - seek another shelter.” Their answer was, “We shall not apply.” - Sometimes one thinks that if she could have had a less onerous - work than the rule over the great school at Bedford, which - left but little leisure for exercise, she might be at work - now. But we will put aside “Might-have-beens,” as we see how - her spirit lives in her school. One of the Bedford Council - thought when a salary of over £1000 was offered, there would - be many applications—thought we might send a second Head as - her successor, but not one of our staff would apply, for Miss - Belcher had chosen. - - ‘This year has taken from us one of my best-beloved pupils, the - late Head-mistress of Truro High School, afterwards the wife of - Canon Charles Robinson; all who knew her regarded her as indeed - a saint. - - ‘I may not speak of the living—none are happy till their - death—but it is a joy to me (now the most ancient grandmother - of all) to see with intimate knowledge the good work being - done by those whom I have learned to know as friends and - fellow-workers. Specially close ties bind me to those - Head-mistresses whom we ourselves have sent forth. Of these in - the Association there are now twenty presiding over important - schools, and ten who are no longer Heads, not to name many who - for various reasons do not belong to our Association. - - ‘To turn to less personal matters, we who belong to Secondary - Schools have been happy in escaping the troubles which beset - those schools which receive Government grants. So far, - Secondary Schools have been allowed some individuality. I - think we may give thanks for the liberty of “prophesying,” - that we have hitherto enjoyed. I rather dread the result of - the absorption into Trusts of the great School Companies. “Wha - dare meddle wi’ me?” has been the cry of some of us, and the - prickles have protected the flower. - - ‘Then we have escaped payment by results, and interference from - inspectors, some of whom are able to see the body but not the - soul which moves it. - - ‘The present troubles bring us into closer sympathy with those - who have been enduring what seemed to us an Egyptian bondage, - but who were doing grand work in disciplining and drilling the - masses. Many of those who are now to take up the management of - Council schools are now brought into closer relation with ours. - - ‘ ... And now what is the main issue before us? When the - Secondary Schools are absorbed into the national system, and - orders are issued to us from the Education Department, shall - we be told that we also are to give only secular instruction, - and forbidden to give definite teaching regarding the creeds - and ritual which express the truths by which we live;—shall - we be forbidden to ask any questions about the fitness of the - teachers whom we wish to appoint? These are matters which seem - to press for answers. - - ‘Only a few thoughts can I throw out to-day on this subject. - First, it seems inconceivable that there should be any such - limitations of the realms of knowledge as is implied in the - word “secular.” Man’s thoughts cannot be shut in by space or - time, he must seek the real beneath the phenomenal, he must - search for the ultimate; more than any earthly or secular - good he desires to know and live for the things which belong - to an eternal world,—the true, the beautiful, the good. - All literature, all history, attests this. Whence then the - discordant cries, some demanding secular teaching only, others - fearing it? - - ‘I think we are confused sometimes, because we do not - remember or recognise sufficiently that there are two ways - of approaching the subject of religious teaching and of all - subjects of thought. Take for an illustration the subject now - occupying the scientific world. Can we retain the conception - of the atom as formulated in the last century? Is matter an - aggregate of impenetrable, indivisible nodules, or is an atom - merely a centre of force? Have we nothing that we should call - solid, only vortices? Is solidity a flux of ions? These are - all matters on which the wisest may differ, but there are - certain fundamental facts on which all are agreed—the fact - that there must be one all-embracing medium through which - relations are realised. So in the world of spirit, the fact - is indisputable that we are conscious of forces affecting us - and on which we individually react, indisputable that we can - interpret facts of sensation, and this necessitates a belief - in the correspondence of our mind with one all-embracing - spirit; it seems impossible to doubt that in interpreting - the universe we are corresponding with and holding communion - with an infinite mind revealed in Nature, and we repeat - with inner conviction the first article of our Creed—“God - created,”—we pass on to the second half—“God created man in - His own image,” and so we go on to speak of other articles of - faith. Philosophy, which has so large a place in the Bible - teaching and which is always based on the facts of our inner - consciousness and our moral sense, ought, I believe, to have - a larger space in our teaching, but we should endeavour more - to build on foundations which cannot be shaken. The mystery of - our own being, the distinction of the “I” and the “Me,” the - facts of conscience, the συνείδησις which lifts us out of the - mere individual or animal, and speaks of the relation of the - true self to the eternal, the kingdom of righteousness,—the - evolution of human thought through the ages,—leads on to the - faith that man is indeed the child of God, that His Spirit is - inspiring us. - - ‘What seem to us present troubles are perhaps intended to - make us dig deeper in the field wherein the great treasure - of spiritual truth is hidden, so that we may say with fuller - conscious conviction, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”—“is - within you.”’ - -On her way to Paddington after the Head-mistresses’ Conference, the cab -which contained Miss Beale and Miss Andrews was run into by another, a -shaft shattering the window beside Miss Beale. - -She did not realise her danger or that her shawl was full of bits of -broken glass. The accident is alluded to in the letter she afterwards -wrote to Mrs. Woodhouse, whose guest she had been at Clapham. - - ‘I am so glad I was able to be present. It was a most - interesting meeting; and very glad to see your beautiful - school.... - - ‘Lord Aberdeen [once] complimented me on not suffering from - “train fever”; I am afraid I seemed to do so at lunch. It was - well that we allowed a little spare time to be run into. One - needs to allow for motors!’ - -It was the year of the Guild meetings. A very large number of old -pupils, larger than ever before, came to Cheltenham in June, for every -year saw additions to the roll of members and no falling off among the -elder ones, who felt each time might be the last occasion on which the -beloved Principal would preside. The subject chosen for the play was the -very unusual one of a story from Egyptian history. No pains were spared -to render it truthfully; Dr. Budge was consulted, the Book of the Dead -studied; Miss Beale herself gave a lecture on the history of Egypt, a -subject she had never worked up before. The story of the great queen -whose life was given up to her country, ordered wholly for their good, -with no private interests; whose marriage was an act of sacrifice; who -ruled her people with large-minded beneficence, and under whom they -prospered; who finally, as age came upon her, resigned for their sake, -seemed strangely appropriate for the close of Miss Beale’s long work for -Cheltenham. The very remoteness of the story, its gravity, the absence -from it of such didacticism as abounded in Miss Beale’s interpretation -of Britomart and Griselda, made it all the more forcible. It was in no -way premeditated. Miss Beale herself said she did not much care for it, -as it contained so little spiritual teaching. But as the curtain fell -upon Hatshepset’s resignation and death, the crowded audiences of past -and present pupils palpably realised that for them the inevitable change -awaiting the College had been, if unconsciously, foreshadowed. - -The Guild arrangements, which generally included an address from Miss -Beale on Saturday morning and a closing one on Monday from some speaker -invited for the purpose, were altered in 1906 to suit the convenience -of the Bishop of Stepney. The earlier address was given by the Bishop -after the College prayers, which Miss Beale herself read as usual. His -subject was the work of St. Hilda’s East and the needs of East London. -He held his hearers enthralled as he spoke to them of those other girls -and women whom they were meant to help. But even more striking than the -strong words of the young Bishop was the sight of the frail and aged form -of her, so long their teacher and inspirer, to whom most of those present -were consciously and deeply indebted for much that was best in their -lives. Miss Beale, with the familiar smile which marked her enthusiastic -approval, stood the whole time close to the Bishop, straining to hear -every word, her eye alert to trace the effect of what he was saying -on his audience. Many who saw her thus saw her for the last time, as -they had to leave Cheltenham when the morning Guild meetings were over. -Miss Beale herself left before the end, unequal to the long strain they -involved. - -On Sunday the usual admission of new members took place. On Monday Miss -Beale addressed the Guild for the last time. It was not unnatural that -she should speak on this occasion as one who looked back on the changes -and progress of fifty years. Miss Beale conveyed to her hearers the -suggestion that it was not with unmixed satisfaction that she surveyed -matters from this standpoint. In the midst of advantages, such as the -last generation could not know, their eyes opened to the needs of others, -needs they could supply, many women remained not serious, not devoted. -She appealed for more earnestness in all, that there might be none -wearing the Guild badge who should not be able to use the motto of St. -Hilda’s, Oxford: _Non frustra vixi_. - -So passed this great gathering of friends. It was only afterwards that it -came to be known that below her joyous affectionate welcome, her ready -sympathy and quick memory for her children and their concerns, lay a deep -reason for personal anxiety, that she was beginning to suspect herself -to be the victim of a serious malady. Only once was there a sign of -uneasiness, when she seemed much distressed not to have seen again an old -pupil and Guild member, Dr. Aldrich-Blake, who had been obliged to leave -Cheltenham without saying good-bye to her. - -The summer holidays were again spent at Oeynhausen. She wrote in the -course of them that she was deriving benefit from the treatment, but -certainly it was far less effective than before. Nor did she give herself -a chance of throwing off the cares of work. In the ordinary sense of the -word, indeed, Miss Beale could never rest, and though physically less -strong her brain seemed inexhaustibly active. She corrected the Magazine -proofs, engaged new teachers, and wrote many letters to the College -secretary, going as usual into all kinds of details about arrangements -for new pupils. Nor did she even rest from study. She wrote to Cheltenham -for a table of German genders; while from Mr. Worsley she asked the -Scripture examination papers, which he had as usual undertaken. Her -letter shows this continued activity of mind:— - - ‘_September 12, 1906._ - - ‘Thanks for your note. I think I should like to have all the - papers; we can better show the girls where they have failed to - enter into the full meaning. I looked at mine, and thought they - had kept to very outside things. - - ‘Have you seen Montague Owen’s record of the Sewell family? - It is privately printed, but I can lend you my copy. They - certainly were a wonderful and original people. Now Elizabeth - is gone at the age of ninety-one. You were, I think, at Radley. - - ‘We re-open next week with one hundred and fifty new pupils to - fill our vacancies.’ - -She was glad to get back to Cheltenham, but those who knew her best saw -that it was only by a stern effort of will that she nerved herself to -begin her work in the ordinary way. They began to hope that she might not -much longer be called upon to make what was visibly a tremendous effort. -Nothing was left undone. - -School began on September 22. Miss Beale, as usual on the first day of -term, gave a short address after prayers to the assembled teachers and -children. She spoke, as often before, of the parable of the Talents, but -mainly of the joy of the Lord—the joy and reward of being fellow-workers -with God. Strangely fitting did her words afterwards seem for the last -time she addressed the College as a body. - -In the month which followed only a few saw signs of the weakness and -illness which had really begun. She had undertaken the usual courses of -lectures, and missed none. The College numbers were very large, the life -as full and vigorous as ever. There was even a new department started for -the first time that term, in the arrangement—the revolution of Time’s -wheel having been made—of courses of lessons in cookery. - -On October 16 the annual Council meeting was held in London. In order -to spare herself fatigue, Miss Beale did not as usual accompany Miss -Alice Andrews to the Oxford meeting on the previous evening, but went -up alone from Cheltenham the next morning. It meant a long day and an -early start, earlier than ever before, as the time of departure had been -altered. This Miss Beale only learned the same morning, but with her -habit of being ready long beforehand she was able to catch the train. -This, by the new arrangement, did not wait for the Oxford train by which -Miss Andrews went up. Consequently, when Miss Andrews arrived at the -Paddington Hotel, Miss Beale had already gone to see her doctor, Miss -Aldrich-Blake. Probably she preferred to make this visit alone. - -To Miss Aldrich-Blake she owned that she was tired, that she felt her -much impaired hearing and sight to be a hindrance to work; but she -made light of the malady which was her real and undefined dread. Miss -Aldrich-Blake, however, advised an immediate operation, in spite of the -annual general meeting fixed for November 16,[99] on account of which -Miss Beale wished to put it off for the present. On leaving the doctor’s -house Miss Beale went on alone to keep one or two appointments. At the -Council meeting in the afternoon she showed no fatigue, but read her -report with animation. Miss Andrews then joined her for St. Hilda’s -committee meeting. They left this meeting in time to catch the afternoon -train back to Cheltenham. Miss Beale generally slept for part of this -journey; that day she was wakeful and tired, but she said nothing then to -Miss Andrews of what the doctor had told her. She did, however, shortly -tell Miss Rowand, who persuaded her to see Dr. Cardew. He confirmed Dr. -Aldrich-Blake’s opinion, and Miss Beale then made up her mind to enter a -nursing home, hard by the College, on Monday, October 22. During these -intervening days she went on with her usual work, and silently made -preparation for what might be a final parting from it. On Sunday, which -she spent alone but for a visit from Fräulein Grzywacz, she wrote a large -number of letters. One was to the Vice-Principal, Miss Sturge:— - - ‘I have been feeling very unwell since my return from Germany, - and two doctors whom I have consulted say I must have a few - weeks away. I am sorry to throw any of my work on others, but - I thought the week in which our half-term holiday comes my - absence would be less felt. Also, as the Bishop gives five - lectures, these would take the place of mine on Saturdays.... I - thought some one who has taught the Fairy Queen could take [my - literature lesson]. The doctor who knows me best fixed three - weeks as the date of my return.’ - -One to Miss Gore:— - - ‘I have not told any one but Miss Rowand the reason why I - shall have to be absent, perhaps for a few weeks—perhaps for - ever—from my beloved College. I want you to come and stay in - the house till we see which way things will go. I hope you will - manage to come, and that you will put on a cheerful countenance - and not let any one suspect that there is so serious a cause - for my absence. I am very grateful for having been allowed - to do so many years of work, very grateful for the loyal - and affectionate support of my colleagues and our Council, - specially the Chairman. I think I feel content whichever way - things may be ordered for me by Him who doth not willingly - afflict, but chastens for our profit.—Yours affectionately, - - D. BEALE.’ - -On Monday, October 22, Miss Beale read prayers as usual, choosing a hymn -by Miss Fermi from the collection of school hymns she herself had made:— - - ‘All the way our Father leadeth, - Whether dark or bright.’ - -After prayers she gave her last Scripture lesson—the usual Monday lesson -to the assembled First Division. The subject was the Healing of the Body, -in connection with thoughts suggested by St. Luke’s Day, and the Gospel -for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity. It was a remarkable lesson. One -who had not been present said that, when she entered the Hall after it -was over, people were talking of Miss Beale’s wonderful Scripture lesson. -In it she dwelt, as often before, on the duty of the care of health; and -yet it was not to be the first consideration. She showed why sickness of -the body is often for our profit. Then, having touched on wrong teachings -about the body, as, for instance, those of Buddhism, she showed that the -Incarnation brought unity of the whole being, at-one-ment of body, soul, -and spirit. She concluded with the words: ‘The Body of our Lord Jesus -Christ preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life.’ - -After the lesson Miss Beale read the weekly class marks, as usual on -Mondays. In the course of the morning she discussed a paper she had -written, for the American National Educational Association, with Miss -Alice Andrews. Miss Andrews told her that a member of the staff had lost -her mother, and during the day Miss Beale wrote a note of sympathy. In -a second interview that morning Miss Beale told Miss Andrews that the -doctor had told her she must lie up for some weeks. ‘But I am not going -away, I shall be amongst you all.’ - -Miss Sturge noticed that Miss Beale lingered in the Hall when school was -over, as if unwilling to leave. She seemed pathetically anxious to leave -nothing undone. Finally, after discussing several small matters, she -said, ‘Good-bye; I hope to come back in three weeks, and you can just -say I am resting. I will not tell you where, and then if you are asked -you will not know.’ Then she added wistfully, ‘Perhaps I may never come -back.’ On that afternoon, accompanied by Miss Rowand, she went to the -nursing home. - -The operation took place next day. Miss Beale found it hard just at -first to reconcile herself to the position of patient, and the absolute -obedience and dependence it involved. But in the charge of Miss Lane and -her staff she was surrounded with loving care, to which she was most -responsive, once pointing out to a friend the nurse who was standing by -as ‘the one who spoils me so.’ Miss Gore and Miss Rowand saw her from -time to time. The mid-term holiday was approaching, and she spoke of -arrangements for it, and begged Miss Rowand to send her party for their -usual expedition in charge of the house-governesses, and to remain at -home herself. - -Up to the morning of Sunday the 28th all seemed to go well. Very early -that day she seemed ill, and wandering in mind, getting up and saying she -must go to early service. In the afternoon she was quiet and calm, and -saw one or two friends. To Miss Gore she spoke of the coming All Saints’ -Day, saying how much the Communion of Saints meant to her. - -On this day also, by the hand of Miss Lane—but she signed it herself—she -wrote a last letter to Miss Amy Giles[100]:— - - ‘I went up to a Council Meeting, and afterwards consulted Dr. - Aldrich-Blake. I had had my suspicions for some time, and she - at once confirmed them. I went on to Paddington, as we had a - meeting of our Council, and returned at three o’clock. Then - after a few days we decided to enter a Home, and here I am.... - They say I am going on very well, but I had to leave my work. - My doctor says I can come back probably at the end of three - weeks, which I am anxious to do, as I have a General Meeting - (annual) on the 16th November. I am very contented, and the - Head of the Home takes great care of me. The only people I - allow to know are Miss Rowand and Miss Gore, who are coming - to see me to-day. I have had a not very cheerful Sunday, and - I wonder whether I shall get right, sometimes I hope not. I - wonder if we shall meet again. I hope some day. I need not say - how dear you are to me. We have lost many friends this last - year. At least, I ought not to say that, they have passed out - of sight. I think you have not heard that both Mr. and Mrs. - Rix, who came to our first Retreat, have passed away within the - month, so those three friends have met once more.[101] ... I - have been talking to the Head of this Home, who is very anxious - to have a Home for six ladies, I have promised her £100. What - do you think of a site? I know your father built one in the - Isle of Wight, but it is an expensive place. There, I don’t - think I have any more to say.—Yours very affectionately, - - DOROTHEA BEALE.’ - -On Monday came the change for the worse; nervous prostration, from which -she never rallied, although one day there seemed a gleam of hope, and -during the brief improvement she dictated to Miss Lane, at the doctor’s -request, some details of the days before the operation:— - - ‘On Tuesday (the 16th October) I went up to London hurriedly - at 6.37, full of the thought of what was before me. I went - straight to Dr. Aldrich-Blake, an old pupil. She condemned me. - Then I saw, as I had arranged, a new attendant. I looked into - shops and felt giddy, and went on to the place of meeting, - where I saw two others, and lastly several friends, and those - who were to dine together to attend the meeting of our Council, - and next a meeting of our St. Hilda’s Council, and then came - down to Cheltenham, thinking of course of what I should do. The - following Tuesday you know I decided and you arranged for the - operator to come from Birmingham, and you can report further. - I gave all my lessons as usual, and corrected all my exercises - until the evening of Monday. Whatever my work was I did it. - My last lesson was on Monday morning. I had planned to give a - Confirmation lesson on Tuesday, but this the doctor forbade.’ - -Once after this she recognised the doctor. Once she asked for her -Prayer-book and spectacles, but before they could be brought she had -lapsed again into unconsciousness. When her sister addressed her by -name, she turned her head, but did not open her eyes. Then on November -8 appeared more alarming bulletins, and on the 9th the fatal notice, -‘Miss Beale is sinking.’ ‘We went through the morning,’ says Miss Sturge, -‘feeling like Elisha. “Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy -master from thy head to-day? Yea, I know it, hold ye your peace.”’ - -Not in Cheltenham only, but far and wide her children were praying for -her; watching for news, remembering and repeating to each other things -she had said. It was stormy weather, and more than one thought of -Wordsworth’s lines—lines which she had often read to her class—written -when he was expecting to hear of the death of Charles James Fox:— - - ‘A power is passing from the earth - To breathless Nature’s dark abyss.’ - -Miss Beale died on Friday, November 9, at 12.15, during College hours. It -was thought best that the girls should hear of her death before leaving. -When all were assembled in the Princess Hall the Vice-Principal said: - -‘It has pleased God to take from us our beloved Principal.’ In a few -words she told the history of the last few days, and then said: ‘We feel -that it is what she would have desired,—no long waiting in suffering or -helplessness, but to go home straight from her work with her splendid -powers scarcely impaired. - - “Nothing is here for tears, nothing to wail - Or knock the breast; no weakness, no contempt, - Dispraise, or blame; nothing but well and fair, - And what may quiet us in a death so noble.” - -‘“The readiness is all.” Let us bear our grief with calmness and dignity. -We know that it would be her wish that work should go on as usual.... We -believe that love lasts on, and that the noble work she did for fifty -years has done much for England and for womanhood, and that not only we -who have been blessed by her gracious presence, but generations also to -come shall reap the fruit of her toil, and rise up and call her blessed. -Let us pray.’ Then followed a thanksgiving, adapted from the form of -memorial service issued by authority in January 1901 after the death of -Queen Victoria. - -Of the days immediately following Miss Beale’s death, Miss Sturge wrote: -‘Many of the staff and elder pupils were privileged to see the beloved -form as it lay in the peace and majesty of death. Though not one of the -thousand workers at College can have been unconscious of the mighty -change that had come for all, the work went on as usual, and the College -was closed only on November 16, the day of the funeral.’ - -The paper which Miss Beale intended should be read at College prayers on -her death was not found at the time. This was well. She certainly had not -weighed what the effect of her words, written with calm deliberate detail -years before, would be if read to assembled numbers at the very moment of -shock and loss. - -In this paper she first explained the directions she had left in her will -about the funeral:— - - ‘First let me say I have put in my will two things, which have - to do with the disposal of this perishable body. - - ‘(1) I desire that it should be cremated. It seems so wrong to - place in the ground the disease germs which may injure others, - when they could be destroyed. No feeling of sentiment should - hinder our doing what is reasonable or right. - - ‘(2) I have asked, and I hope my wish may be respected by all, - that no flowers should be bought for my funeral. They are - beautiful emblems, and if any could gather a few wild flowers - or bring a few from their own gardens, it would be good, but - I should not like any wholesale destruction, any waste of - life, even with wild flowers, and it seems to me quite wrong - to spend large sums in decking a grave, when there is so much - to be done for the living. If the present pupils and teachers - were to give only sixpence each it would come to about £30, and - if we take in old pupils and friends, and those who give much - more, I fear a large sum would be wasted, which, wisely spent, - would not perish like cut flowers, but bear real fruit. Still, - flowers are all beautiful things, and gifts of our Father to - teach and cheer us: they are patterns of things in the heavens, - and flowers speak to us of ἀνάστασις, rising. I often said to - you I do not like the word resurrection because it means rising - again, and gives the impression that the body that rises is the - same that was buried; whereas St. Paul has taught that we sow - not that body that shall be.’ - -But this was only a preface. She spoke chiefly of rising through death to -fuller and higher life,—of the purification which all who would see God -must desire. Finally she asked:— - - ‘Shall I pray for my children who are now on earth, for this - College which I have loved, and which has, I dare hope, been a - means of blessing to some? Has it through my fault hidden the - spiritual instead of revealing it, like the trees of Paradise? - Will you see that the sunshine of Heaven, the love and holiness - which can dwell only in souls, may light up the school-rooms - and boarding-houses, and kindle hearts and send forth many - light-bearers? And will you ask sometimes for me that I may be - purified of the evil that obscured the heavenly light that yet - burned feebly within the earthly pitcher? May He send you a - worthier teacher! May you, above all things, hear the Voice of - Him who stands at the door and knocks, may you open your eyes - to the Blessed Spirit, the Paraclete!’ - -On Monday, November 12, the body was cremated at Perry Barr, the Reverend -Dr. Magrath reading the committal service. Next day came the offer -from the Dean and Chapter of Gloucester of ‘a tomb in the Cathedral to -Dorothea Beale,’ and on the 16th the funeral took place. Everything -that could lend dignity and honour to the occasion was done. Those who -were present can never forget the impression of that day. The sombre -beauty of the Cathedral in the November rain, the music, the well-ordered -procession, the crowds, produced a sense of fitness for an occasion which -was not merely one of grief. Rather was it an act of solemn thanksgiving -for the long, faithful labours ended, an act of resignation through the -heart and will of thousands of the life which had blessed them, to the -continuous love of a merciful Creator. Many were there who held high -position, in educational or municipal life, many friends and parents of -pupils, many former teachers, and of course the whole staff. But the -crowd which filled the great nave from end to end was made up for the -most part of pupils past and present. Eight hundred girls still at the -College came voluntarily, walking in grave silence in pairs from the -station to the Cathedral. Only a small proportion of this crowd could -be present in the Lady Chapel for the latter part of the service, but -all when it was over filed quietly past the open grave surrounded by its -home-made wreaths of flowers and laurel. - -Meanwhile, in Cheltenham, those who were unable to come to Gloucester -filled St. Matthew’s Church, where a service was held simultaneously with -that in the Cathedral. At St. Paul’s Cathedral at the same time the dome -was filled for a memorial service, which included a short address from -the Bishop of Stepney. An old pupil present wrote of this:— - - ‘A memorial service in St. Paul’s Cathedral is an honour - accorded to very few women, and befitting but very few. But to - the great throng assembled in the wide spaces of the dome on - November 16, there was a profound sense of congruity in this - mourning for a woman whose real distinction was described on - that occasion by the Bishop of Stepney when he called Miss - Beale “great.” - - ‘Miss Beale’s greatness—that indefinable, unmistakable, - inestimable quality so rare in her sex—gave her a right to be - commemorated there, at the very heart of the world of the - living, in presence of the memorials of the nation’s mighty - dead. Listening to the mysterious, hope-inspiring sentences, - and to the lesson from 1 Corinthians xv., so often chosen - by her at College prayers, it seemed that but a very slight - veil divided us from that eager, unquenchable, quickening - spirit, then exploring the “vasty halls of Death.” And the - reverberating thunders of the “Dead March in Saul” have an - appropriateness for every strenuous life. Effort in growth and - development, conflict with difficulties, the surmounting of - obstacles, were certainly of the very essence of Miss Beale’s - nature.’ - -Services were also held at Bowdon Parish Church and at Sunderland. At -Bakewell, on the Sunday after she died, thanks were offered for the life -and work of Dorothea Beale. - -There was widespread appreciation both spoken and written of Miss Beale’s -life and work, with barely a discordant note. Many of the notices[102] -gave a really striking impression both of herself and of what she had -done for the cause of education. Apart from that work she did not care to -be known; it is but an obvious truth that its greatness was dependent on -the greatness of her character. - -A number of old Cheltenham pupils were once asked what they considered -the special result of the teaching they had received at the College. -Their replies were to the most part to the effect that they had learned -the worth of the strenuous life. They would perhaps have been nearer -a complete statement of the truth had they said ‘an idea of Duty.’ -For it was surely this—a consciousness of responsibility, a sense of -stewardship, some perception of the ‘thanks and use’[103] owing for -each excellence that had been lent out to them—which was brought home -by the teaching, both of word and life, of Dorothea Beale to all, -even the youngest and least clever, who came within the circle of her -influence. Through such knowledge of duty Miss Beale’s own idea of the -‘strenuous life’ might be perceived. Among the words most often on her -lips, especially when speaking to teachers, were such as vivifying, -energising, quickening, inspiration. She did not hesitate to say that to -her all forms of life were a manifestation of God. Work was to her mind -a privilege,—the active will, a Divine gift,—slothfulness was death. It -was the defect of a great quality that she sometimes hasted overmuch, -that she found it hard to wait in trifling matters, that she seemed even -to exaggerate the importance of the College. She was not spared—she -would not have asked to be spared—the inevitable sacrifice demanded of -all genius, of all lives devoted to a cause. It was the sign of her -self-consecration that in any great emergency, before any important -decision, she was calm and full of patience. It should be remembered -also that each generation has its own mission. To that of Dorothea Beale -belonged especially the duty of crying to the careless daughters of -England, ‘Rise up ye women that are at ease.’ To another it may be given -to serve by waiting. - -What, it is often asked, was the secret of her really marvellous -influence? Personal magnetism she undoubtedly possessed, and that of a -rare and abiding quality, a quick eye to perceive, and a touch which -could evoke the best even in the most unlikely. But her influence and -power for good came surely as much from what she would not do as from -what she actually did for her children. Her strength lay in what she -would herself call ‘passive activity.’ It was her claim not to teach -them so much as to lead them to the One Teacher, to bring them into -such relationship with Him that they could hear His Voice. For that -inner Voice which must at all costs be obeyed she bade them listen, with -pure and undefiled conscience,—the ear of the soul. Thus each who tried -to follow her teaching left the College not merely as a devoted pupil -of Miss Beale, possibly even indifferent to her, but with a clearer -consciousness of the ‘Light that lighteth every man,’ and the paramount -necessity of walking in it. - -Was the strenuous life all they learned at Cheltenham? It was doubtless -not easy to tell the whole. The strength and greatness of their Head lay -not alone in devising and carrying out important and detailed work. It -lay also—though this was less readily seen—in an unwearied watchfulness -of affection, in a sympathy never estranged, in active thoughtfulness, in -a memory for all that was hopeful and fair in the lives and characters -which came under her care. Remembering these, there comes ultimately to -the mind the thought of how little she really cared for human judgment, -just or unjust; how she would say that there was but one Voice to listen -for, one word of approval worth earning, since the Lord Himself had said -about a woman’s work, ‘She hath done what she could.’ - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -LETTERS - - ‘The living record of your memory.’ - - SHAKSPERE, _Sonnet_ lv. - - -Miss Beale enjoyed both receiving and writing letters. She kept a very -large number, especially of those from old pupils. A letter which told of -help or inspiration gained through the life at College would be put away, -labelled in her own peculiar and favourite abbreviated way: ‘Sent 2 chēr -me.’ She was a very ready and at times a very voluminous correspondent. -She attended to all her letters herself, and answered all to which she -intended to reply, not merely by return of post, but often the moment she -received them. If her answer was of some importance she would keep it -by her for a time, and often rewrite it before finally sending it. Her -papers include a very large number of drafts and copies of letters which -she sent. The chief part of her correspondence was done before the school -hours began each morning, and she generally came to her place at 9 A.M. -with her morning letters already answered. Where she found she could help -by means of letters she would spare no pains nor time over them. - -Perhaps Mrs. Charles Robinson received more than any one else. In 1878 -Mrs. Robinson, then Miss Arnold, left Cheltenham to become a teacher -at the Dulwich High School. She was at that time in a state of great -religious perplexity; dissatisfied with the teaching of the Plymouth -Brethren, among whom she had been brought up, unable to accept that of -the Church, she would not attend the services of either. During this -time of gloom Miss Beale wrote every week to Miss Arnold a letter she -might receive on Sunday morning, and all her life remained a constant -correspondent. It is fitting that this chapter of letters should begin -with some of those written to the ‘best-beloved child.’[104] - -To Miss Arnold:— - - ‘_July 1880._ - - ‘It seems to me you have failed in trying to keep the first - commandment, and so of course in the others. “Thou shalt - worship the Lord Thy God and Him _only_ shalt Thou serve.” You - see it is not _when_ we feel inclined; _when_ we can realise - His presence, _when_ we have plenty of spare time. - - ‘Then in your life and work has it not been that you have - thought more of pleasing others, of doing work, of being so - laborious, so useful, etc. etc., instead of serving Him, too - much of being well thought of yourself. This often leads to - greed of work: we do not say: “Lord, what wouldst Thou have me - to do?” but, “I want to do this or that.” - - ‘Then as regards your public worship. Do not you think, if you - told your father that you felt Church services more helpful, he - would be less grieved that you should go to Church than go in - deadness. He chose the Brethren because he felt his religious - life quickened with them; would he not wish you to act in the - same spirit? Could you not frankly talk it over with him?’ - -In 1881 Miss Beale wrote to urge Miss Arnold to attend some addresses Mr. -Wilkinson was about to give:— - - ‘You will make some effort and some sacrifices, if necessary, - to come, will you not, my dear child? Even the love of Miss —— - for which you should give thanks, is a danger too, lest you - should learn to look at yourself with the indulgence that we - give to those we love, and do not see clearly the faults and - failings. Mr. Wilkinson does help to show how much ground there - is for humility.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_1882._ - - ‘Your letter grieves me very much, just as the painful illness - of one I love would; because you have to go through it; but it - is right, if you go through it rightly, seeking the truth. Only - one cannot in a letter, nor in a little while, nor off-hand - deal with these difficulties. As in every science, thought, and - earnest labour, and aspiration, and desire are necessary if we - would find truth; so in religion, the knowledge of absolute - wisdom and goodness, which transcends all we can know, there - must be a deep devotion to truth, which spares no pains in the - search. - - ‘Will you begin with a simple and clear book first,—I noticed - it in the last Magazine,—by Godet. It is translated by Canon - Lyttelton. I think it shows conclusively the fact of our Lord’s - resurrection, and with that goes the testimony of miracles, - not as wonders but as signs. When you have got thus far, you - will find, I trust, the repulsion to the supernatural element - diminished, if it exists in you. Don’t _ever_ let yourself - say, “We can’t know.” We can know enough to believe and trust - in God’s goodness, and one must go on seeking by _prayer_, - _thought_, _obedience_, very, very patiently, and then through - eternity one will draw nearer and nearer. - - ‘As regards your conception of inspiration, I think it requires - correction; claims have been made for the Bible which it never - made for itself. Holy men spake as they were moved by the Holy - Spirit; but the _literal dictation_ of every word we are not - taught. - - ‘But I cannot attempt to answer piecemeal. I have gone through - all these questionings, but I think my faith strengthens - from year to year,—if I dare say so. So that it seems to - me marvellous that any one can fail to _feel_ the divine, - underlying all the superficial, the phenomenal which men verily - call realities. Do you remember how Browning makes Lazarus - feel “marvel that they too see not with his opened eyes!” That - objection to the Israelites destroying the Canaanites seems to - me so frightfully superficial. Are there not evils far worse - than death? Would it not be enormously preferable to die than - to live as many do? What should we say if we could see beyond - the grave? We judge knowing only one side of the grave. And - if God saw well that these people should die at once, would - it not be part perhaps of the education of a nation chosen - to do a particular work, that God should make them burn with - indignation against the detestable, unspeakable, moral evils, - and make them the executioners of His justice? It would not - degrade them to do this, if they did it as a judge condemns - the guilty, with no personal hatred. We cannot sit in judgment - thus. In the world’s history we see God ever employing men to - do the work He has to do. There may be necessities for this, - of which we know nothing; I mean in the nature of things: - certainly there is good as regards the moral training of men. - - ‘Go on wishing and praying and seeking all your life, never - saying anything which you do not believe, and then the God of - truth will hear you as you say, “Open Thou mine eyes, that I - may see the wondrous things of Thy law.” “Lighten our darkness, - we beseech Thee!” _Feeling_ must come in, as the Brethren - rightly say. We must love, and desire, and know Him to be our - Father; we must trust Him. We can’t understand even an earthly - friend without trust, but we must use the powers He has given - us, we dare not bury them. We shall have to wait for the - solution of much hereafter; but we shall grow in grace and in - the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour. - - ‘My poor child, would I could help you more, but God will - help you. “Though He tarry, wait.” Use the means natural and - supernatural. Tell me from time to time how you are getting on, - and I will try to put you on a _course_ of reading.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_1882._ - - ‘My poor child, I do indeed feel for you in your loneliness, - but remember him whose eyes were opened spiritually and he was - _therefore_ cast out of the synagogue,—but Jesus found him. Do - not fear that because the disciples call down fire that the - Lord will [send it]. “Come unto Me all that are heavy-laden,” - He says to us now as then. To those who are “without guile,” - _i.e._ sincerely seeking truth, He still promises that they - shall see greater things than they have ever done.... No; we - cannot and we would not believe that He who is infinitely - wiser than man can be less good. He is not a Pharaoh to bid us - make bricks without straw. He does not tell us to do what we - cannot and then punish us for not doing it. “She hath done - what she could” was the sentence of the Lord when others found - fault. God is love, and if _we_ pity and long to draw to our - hands any suffering child of earth, must not He? If we pity - those who suffer in a _less_ degree, must not He those who are - suffering the sorrow greatest of all, the loss in any degree of - His presence, of that faith which makes all things possible? - Go on, my poor child, looking up to Him, and trusting in His - utter love who will not leave us, not when we cry, “Depart from - me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” It is hard sometimes to - believe we are not wrong, when we see the disciples, those who - really want to do right, acting so differently from the way in - which He acted. But we know that in all ages some of the most - unchristian things have been done by those who thought they - were doing God’s will. - - ‘I do not think from what you tell me that you can go on at - the Meeting. If your father wishes it you might for a while - abstain from going to church; but if so, let the time you would - have spent in public worship be passed in private prayer and - studying; just looking up with childlike spirit to the Father, - feeling His presence, His love. - - ‘I do not think you should, however, absent yourself long from - communion with some body of believers. All Scripture and our - spiritual experience is against this. If you decide for St. - Peter’s, I think I can tell you of a friend’s house where you - would be welcome most Sundays; and we must have you among us - for the Quiet Days at Christmas. - - ‘You know I do not want to proselytise; if with the Brethren - you had found spiritual nourishment, I would have had you rest - there; but now you are starving it is different, like that poor - dove who found no rest for the sole of her feet, you need to be - taken into an ark. - - ‘I do not want you to be dependent on man, but it is the order - of God’s providence that He sends disciples to lead others to - Him, and so we are to help one another. And you have a period - of trouble before you, outward and inward, until you are able - to stand upon the rock once more. Trust God if you should have - to walk through that dark valley where you cannot see Him. Each - trial will one day result in joy,—the joy of being able to help - other troubled souls especially. He descended into Hades, He - rose again! I shall remember you in prayer, and I shall ask - prayers for you at St. Peter’s, of course without their knowing - the least who you are, but that you are suffering and in - darkness. Be patient and I think your father’s heart will come - back.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_1882._ - - ‘Now, my dear child, do not fret about this trial. Just try to - look up and wait. I believe your father’s heart will come back. - You see he has obeyed his opinions before, and truth is like - the sun which ever rises higher upon our earthly day, and does - not sink as the natural sun. We need sometimes to remember the - words, “Call no man your father upon earth.” I mean that there - is the all-embracing Fatherhood, in which we see all earthly - relations: we do not, must not, cast those off, but they must - be swallowed up in the greater. Write to me whenever you feel - it would comfort you, I will try to help you, until you feel - again that you need not outward help.... One feels more and - more how slowly one learns and how infinite is God’s truth; how - one need’s patience and deep humility, and utter faith in Him - who is the Light.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_January 1883._ - - ‘My poor child, you must not grieve thus. Since God loves your - father, He is giving to him only that discipline, whatever - it be that is necessary. Yes, believe this, even though - the suffering has come through you, for we must believe it - _universally_. I do not say you will not suffer for it, or that - there may not have been some wrong in it on your part. But - if, as you know, he does wish you to know and serve God more - perfectly, then through this God is leading him on to know and - serve Him better, and you must trust God to know _what_ He is - about. You _must_ go on for your own sake (and for the sake of - the children God has given you), seeking for light.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_January 1883._ - - ‘I always feel as if I must write by return. Your letters draw - out my heart to you so. I am glad you went and felt the love - shining in on you. - - ‘Now, as regards the _a priori_ argument; it is just the - fundamental thing. Did you read my Browning paper? See, it is - just _the_ thought that comes out in “Saul.” We, if we love - ourselves, we _must_ believe in God’s love. He must be better - if He is greater in every other way; it cannot be that we excel - Him in the power of love, which is the highest gift of all. We - can’t think that He does not care for His children, that He has - left them orphans. - - ‘I think one can see too that He in whom dwelt the Divine - Spirit without measure, yet who was truly man, and who - therefore grew as man in insight as we do, felt that utter - faith grow, tower up, as that intense love, that utter - self-devotion which He felt within, _told_ Him of His oneness - with God; as He prayed that we might be one, even as He was one - with the Father. - - ‘And He, trusting the Father, knew He could _not_ be deceived - by that Father; and we knowing Him, know He could not deceive - us.... So I come _a priori_ to belief in the story of that - Life, and when I get to it by inward reasons, I am able first - to look at the outward [reasons], which to many are enough - without the inward, but are not to me. It was in this way too - Kant got back to belief in Christianity. I read it was the - moral law within which taught him, and all St. John’s teaching - seems to me to be that we must feel the Spirit within ere we - can recognise the Christ without. But then He does give freely - of His Spirit,—if we seek, we shall find. He knocks at the door - of man’s heart, “If _any one_ will hear He will come in.” - - ‘My child, do remember those comforting words, “If ye were - blind ye should have _no sin_, but now ye say, we see; - therefore your sin remaineth.” So blindness is no sin in - itself, if is lazy, conceited ignorance that is sin. - - ‘I wish you could be in the House of Rest from Friday to - Monday, and have all Saturday of the Quiet Days. I wish you - could have one talk with Mr. Wilkinson before he leaves.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_January 1883._ - - ‘It does seem to me such a strange idea that our service should - be acceptable to God in proportion to its difficulty. It is - really at bottom the same thing that makes people torture - themselves. It lies at the root of that idea regarding the - Sabbath, which our Lord condemned so strongly. He came to make - us know better the Father’s heart. Surely He loves to make it - easy to His children to draw near. “I will allure her into the - wilderness and will speak comfortably unto her.” Under the old - dispensation He appointed a solemn ritual, and why did St. Paul - exhort us to use psalms and hymns but that by the joy of music - our hearts may be loosened from their deadness, and then we can - trust them whither we will. It seems to me of course that our - service is much more in conformity with the apostolic model - handed down, and with allusions in the Bible. But I do not want - to dispute about that. God has left us free. If your father - says, “I wish you to go to the meeting,” you should, supposing - you think it not wrong, obey. But I don’t believe he would, if - you told him you went merely in obedience to his wishes; that - you felt it did not help your spiritual life. - - ‘If it is finally decided that you go to St. Peter’s, I should - like to ask Mr. Wilkinson to see you, and I would tell him some - of your difficulties; he is so wise. - - ‘I have been thinking much these holidays about the many who - like yourself are full of difficulties and questions. One thing - some of us are going to do, and I want you to join: make each - week special prayers for the teachers in Colleges and High - Schools,—(you will specially remember me), and ask that some - means may be found of helping them.... - - ‘Need you dwell upon that question of eternal death? Could you - not say, “Father, I see not yet what Thou doest, but I trust - Thee?” If the death of any of His creatures whom He loves is - _inevitable_, then it does not make us believe Him unloving, we - know how He yearns to serve us.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_March 1883._ - - ‘I do not mean either to say that the carelessness of a time in - which you did see and were able to realise divine things was - _nothing_ to do with the present trial. Who can judge another? - I begged him not to be unhappy if your religious life took - another form.... - - ‘Yes, I was so glad to see your father. I feel I know him much - better, and perhaps he knows me better. - - ‘I quite understand his strong language about the Church, only - those evils are not inherent in it, but in our sinful nature, - and similar ones appear even among the Brethren. The unreality - does not depend upon the amount of ritual....’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_April 1883._ - - ‘I have very much enjoyed Professor Edward Caird’s _Hegel_. - It is 3s. 6d., published by Blackwood. I am not quite sure it - would help you, but think it would. I want you to get deeper, - and to be very patient until God shows you more light. He - is showing it to you, only until you and I are able to see - more clearly He must wait. You have not suffered so much for - nothing, but I trust you may one day help others. If you get - Westcott on the Resurrection, read the end first on Positivism, - there is much in it that is so Christian, and much in what is - called Christianity which St. Paul would have called carnal. - All that about the Lord’s glorified Body in St. John and St. - Paul speak to us of a spirit glorified and no longer bound in - any space, but a life-giving power, real, substantial.... - - ‘Poor George Eliot. She had a passionate nature, and she came - into circumstances so sad. Her life is a great sorrow to those - who feel that her teaching was in some way noble, though in - others it was really weakening. He who knows all will judge - her: “Whose mercy endureth for ever.” She was a long way above - Lewes. If you come across Hutton’s Essays you ought to read - them. I always get a good bit of reading in the holidays that - demands thought....’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_May 1883._ - - ‘I am glad you find the work comforting again, and that God - has sent you help through some one else. Don’t fret and look - forward to next holidays, you don’t know yet how full of - blessing they may be. Just remember it is a command, “Be not - anxious for to-morrow,” and so we can obey. I remember once - that thought that I must stay seemed the only thing to save me - from breaking down, and so failing to do as I ought the work - God had given me. See that it is a sin to fret and be anxious - about your father’s health, or your future relations to home, - or anything. We have to do our best, and then trust to Him “who - ordereth all things according to the counsel of His Will.” - - ‘Then as regards past sins. It seems to me that it enervates - you to dwell upon them as you are doing. I may be wrong, but it - seems to me that the sense of guiltiness in the past makes you - afraid of God, as you ought not to be. If a child were ever so - naughty to you, did ever so many wrong things to you, would it - shut her out from your love? You know it would not; you would - sorrow over her, and seek to do her good. Only her continuing - naughty, continuing to hate and distrust you, could _prevent_ - your doing her good. “Ye are not straitened in God, but in your - own heart.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to - forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us.” We can’t think of Him - not forgiving us, without thinking of Him as less good than - He is, and He is infinitely good. Of course this does not mean - that He will not give us due discipline for our past failures, - in order that we may be healed of the sins which caused them; - but then we are glad of this, it is only a sign of His love for - us. - - ‘We should confess to Him because He is judge, _i.e._ He - separates and enables us to discern, distinguish the good from - the evil in us, and separate. One whom I have often quoted to - you said, “I forbid you to look at your sins except at the foot - of the Cross.” Do you do this sometimes? The consciousness - of guilt would be hardening without the consciousness of the - abounding love. This purifies. I wonder if I have met your - thought....’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_May 1883._ - - ‘You say you don’t know what to pray for. I think, perhaps, - you are praying too exclusively for yourself. Ask for God’s - grace, and power to respond. Intercede much for your children, - your relations, your father, teachers and friends, and any one - whom God gives you the means of helping. Especially at Holy - Communion pray for the Church and all who are separated by - darkness from one another, and put yourself quietly in God’s - Hands. Some of our collects help me; one Mr. Wilkinson was so - fond of: “Who knowest our necessities before we ask,” etc. - etc.: do you know it? I think of Him then as coming to us all - in Holy Communion, and from His own Hands giving us the pledges - of His love, to make us know He is giving us His own glorified - Life; the Life of God in such a way that we can receive - it,—emptying Himself in Christ of that glory which we can’t - know: the Absolute Being, the Infinite we cannot conceive. We - must trust His word ... and this faith makes us strong, saves - us from sickness, delivers us from the power of sin; yes, - though we fall again and again, enables us to arise. - - ‘I so want you not to have that crushing fear, which, I may be - wrong, but I think, you sometimes feel of God. He must be so - sorry, if we don’t understand Him and feel like that.... “I - fell at His feet as dead, and He laid His hand on me, saying, - _Fear_ not.” Think of this and of the parting words, “Peace be - unto you.”’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_July 1883._ - - ‘ ... You will have heard of our great loss, and yet I ought - not to call it so,—in dear Mrs. Owen. It is good to have known - her, and one feels what it is to live and work in the hearts of - others, seeing such a life and death. I will tell you more of - what she has taught [me] when you come.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_July 1883._ - - ‘My dear child, I will certainly ask for both of you to come. - Yes, it is a naughty letter. You must love not only with pity, - but with a stretching forth to sympathise. What if we feel - ourselves better than another, because the Spirit has stirred - the once cold depths of our soul, and so there is some light. - Is it not because there has been so little that souls near us - have remained cold? Can we ever glance at their faults without - shame in thinking we are responsible for so much? How we shall - long to make them some amends, how gladly we shall bear any - punishment, or even harshness, if we can through this show our - yearning love, alleviate our self-reproval! We cannot feel - we are better. Our Church service does at least try to keep - us humble by our repeated confessions, especially at Holy - Communion.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘So very glad you have had a happy time. God is good in giving - us playgrounds as well as workrooms; we want both, and in - both He shines on us, and is glad in our gladness as well as - afflicted in our afflictions....’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_October 1885._ - - ‘I object to your sentence, that you would rather your father - thought what was not true, than that he should think what is - certainly the truth, viz. that he has been in some way to - blame. Also to that “I cannot bear this sorrow to fall on - him.” We have simply to do the right, and believe that God - knows what He is about, when He lets pain come upon us for our - mistakes; pains us, yes, “shatters us,” that we may know the - truth better. How many a parent or teacher tries to spare a - child _pain_, and wrongly. You will not, of course, _willingly_ - pain any, much less the father whom you love so much, but - you have both of you simply to speak the truth and do what - conscience bids you.... Say frankly and firmly what you _feel_ - you _must_ do, and then drop the subject.... You remind me of - those good Christians who beg us not to hang a man, “_lest_ - he should fall into the hands of God.” God can care for people - whether alive or dead, but I believe your father would really - suffer less, and be worried less, by a simple straightforward - course of conduct. You are thinking of self too much, thinking - _yourself_ of _too_ much importance when you say, “I am only - thinking of the sorrow that threatens him and how I can bear - it.” Perhaps God is leading him to truer views of the Father.’ - -The following letter, written in August 1888, refers to Miss Arnold’s -appointment as Head-mistress of the Truro High School:— - -To the same:— - - ‘_August 1888._ - - ‘Do not trouble yourself about whatever you _ought_ to have - done _now_. It is done, and you thought it right, so it was - right. I think of your Bishop saying in his quiet way, “I do - the best I can, and then I just leave it.” I dare say the Lakes - will refresh you. It is “heart-rending,” I doubt not. I wept - all the day that I left Queen’s, but it was well. We are having - a delightful time.... - - ‘Now I must stop my 15th letter. I had to get up at 5 A.M., the - days are so full.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_September 1888._ - - ‘I think you are beginning to-day, at least you are a good - deal in my thoughts, and you will want a lot of wisdom. It is - a comfort to remember, “If any man lack wisdom let him ask of - God, who giveth to all men liberally.” I am so glad you have - Miss ——. It is a great thing to have a few who work for love - only.... - - ‘Don’t be hasty in making changes, and don’t take to caps!’ - -To the same:— - - ‘Be sure the rooms will brighten when you have prayed some - sunshine into them. It is terrible to have such a lot of - servants! - - ‘Miss Buss gets her girls to help adorn. - - ‘I am glad we open on St. Matthew’s Day.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_August 1888._ - - ‘Miss H. and Miss E. wanted me to advise your going out - socially a little. I said I thought there were as yet - difficulties, as a Head-mistress cannot choose; that I thought - for the first term it might be best to abstain; then you can - look round you and judge better. They did not think there were - many who would ask you, that those who would were nice, and it - would be better for you not to be quite shut up. What do you - think of saying you will go out not more than once a week? You - have had so active a life; and intercourse with other people, - and varied interests are good for school teachers. Also they - think for the school it is good. I merely tell you this, I said - I could not judge for you. - - ‘I hope you will not be led by anything I said to speak, if - you do not think it is quite best, or indeed to do anything. I - cannot judge, and if I could, the responsibility is yours, and - I should grieve if I misled you. - - ‘I am so glad you feel refreshed. It is our general meeting; I - shall be glad when it is over. - - ‘All best wishes, dear child, for you and yours, the children - whom God has given you.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_October 1888._ - - ‘“Be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” I should not - answer people who lay snares, we have a good example of this to - guide us. - - ‘It is so absurd of people to expect one to make up one’s mind - on all subjects. We can no more judge of many questions of - foreign or domestic policy than we can about the steering of a - ship. But we can of questions of morality and cruelty. - - ‘Mrs. Grey’s new book, _Last Words to Girls_, is so grand. I - hope it will be useful.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_October 1888._ - - ‘We must put things in the ideal way. Religiosity is the death - of religion, the grave-clothes which keep the living soul bound - in the sepulchre; which you have to help to loosen that it may - come forth at Christ’s word. - - ‘No, I don’t know the Bishop at all personally. I think if he - will let you consult him, you will find his judgment a great - help, but after all the responsibility rests on you, you can’t - put it on any one.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_July 1889._ - - ‘We have, I should think, quite full numbers now. I have not - got the lists, but we have at least seventy new pupils; it is - strange. - - ‘I am better, have managed to be in College every day, by means - of spending the end in bed. I hope I shall pick up, for work is - a tonic.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_February 1889._ - - ‘I am so thankful God gives me any words to help you, my dear - child. I think, however, it was that passage I sent you from - Canon Body’s notes, was it not, that really helped you, not - what I said myself?’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_January 1890._ - - ‘It was nice to see you. Be sure that nothing would be worse - for you than to have no worries, to have all speak well of you. - Besides the more you need wisdom the more you will ask and seek - it, and the more it will come for your needs. - - ‘And it is only by patience under our trials that you can bear - witness to her and others of the spirit that is in you.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_August 1890._ - - ‘I shall not, I expect, see you. I do not go to Oxford till - Saturday, and leave on Monday. I hope you will not be made - ill at Ammergau; I mean to keep as quiet as I can. I have - already begun a good read; all Lotze’s book on Religion, _The - Children of Gibeon_, part of Stanley, a good deal of Green’s - philosophical works, and _Lux Mundi_, and endless magazines.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_August 1890._ - - ‘Thanks for your very interesting letter. I think I should - have felt as you did. I once went to something of the kind in - Switzerland, and liked some of the early scenes, but after the - Agony in the Garden I felt I could see no more, and came out.... - - ‘I have had such cheering letters lately. One from a girl whom - I thought the most tiresome I ever knew, about thirty-four - years ago. She has been writing and saying how sorry she is, - and wants to send her niece to be under me: “after many days - thou shalt find it.”’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_November 1890._ - - ‘All good wishes for “more life and fuller.” Don’t trouble - about not _feeling_. Remember the Lord’s words to those - unfeeling disciples who went to sleep during His agony: “The - spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” There is winter as - well as spring or summer in our spiritual life. “Die Blume - verblüht, die Frucht muss treiben.” You complain of the outward - excitement of others, yet you want inward excitement. See how - in the _Imitatio_ one finds the same sort of feeling. I foresaw - some reaction; there have been times during the last few years, - during which you have been overstrained, and now you want a - period of hybernation, I believe. You will, of course, go on - doing just the same, as if you felt and saw, and you will - believe in the Presence, and do your best.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_June 1891._ - - ‘Don’t fret about what “they say,” not even listen, except to - learn. I dare say they are right, and have sides of truth that - we have not. In Tara there are beggars who go about saying: - “What God gives, I will take”; each of us can only do that. - - ‘I am glad you have got advice; you have been too careless - with this marvellous body, so complicated and needing to be - well-treated. You have driven it on, like some poor ass, with - sticks! Now you must be a little kind to it or it will stand - still and kick.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_February 1892._ - - ‘Your Bishop came last Wednesday, and I spoke to him for the - first time in my life, after having known him for so many - years. He seemed so bright, and I hope the removal of the load - of responsibility will restore him, and he will be able to take - up some less heavy work. He cannot but do good where-ever he - is: it is wonderful what a spiritual power he is felt to be. - He did just manage to see us before we broke up, but only in a - hurried way; then he lunched with me, and when all were gone he - gave me his blessing, which made me feel worse and better. Do - you understand? - - ‘I am so glad you are feeling cheered about the school. Don’t - you think it is right to be content with prosperity as well as - with adversity?... - - ‘Yes, I read _The Wages of Sin_ when it was coming out, a thing - I seldom do, but I was much struck with its power. The author - is a daughter of Kingsley. I don’t feel inclined to read Mrs. - Ward’s new book.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_June 1892._ - - ‘ ... I am enjoying my work. I was on the top of Battledown - before 7 A.M. to-day. It is the best time for a walk....’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_July 1892._ - - ‘Our new building is to begin, and I am miserable at having to - turn out of my house, which is to be pulled down.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_August 1892._ - - ‘I think this state is partly reaction; do not bustle about - it, but take rest. The excitement of last year is, I fancy, - likely to lead to this; our spiritual faculties need rest after - overfatigue, so seek repose, “O rest in the Lord.” Read, too, - some lighter literature. Farrer’s story of Nero’s time I should - like you to read. It shows what Christianity has done. I had - a restful time at our Sanatorium after I had got out of my - house, and now I have had a very pleasant week with my sisters - at Woodchester. I really think it would be good for you one - day to make your headquarters at Leckhampton. The country is - so lovely, the air bracing, and there are all sorts of nice - excursions by train and omnibus, to most lovely places, and - there is such variety.... - - ‘Be not anxious. Let me recommend you, as a diversion, to learn - shorthand. I find it very good. Script phonography, it is an - easy system, you could teach yourself. I am taking lessons; it - is much liked.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_January 1893._ - - ‘ ... We began to-day. I dare say I shall feel better when - we are once more immersed. We are about the same in numbers, - but there is a great deal of illness about, and we are half - thinking of having a whooping-cough class, under a separate - teacher, for Division III.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_June 1893._ - - ‘I have had a great pleasure lately. Mrs. Russell Gurney - has been spending six weeks here. You must get her _Dante’s - Pilgrim’s Progress_, just brought out, you will enjoy it; I - have given a copy to Mrs. Rix. Mr. Alfred Gurney came to stay - with her, and he has sent me his _Parsifal_, a little book of - about eighty pages; it is beautiful too. - - ‘I should like you to read (in part) Mrs. Booth’s _Life_. It is - very interesting, and I am quite surprised at the clearness and - truth of her teaching. She seems never to have joined a party, - but always looked for truth, and hates the God of Calvin and - the doctrine “of assurance,” and the idea that Christ could be - good _for us_ and we need not be good. Her utter devotion is - beautiful. I have not finished it, and I can’t see how the work - was carried on after the person “was saved.”’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_August 1894._ - - ‘I am so glad you are feeling somewhat refreshed. You really - _must_ forget “the things that are behind”—the bad things as - well as the good, or the heart “would fail in looking back.” - And if no other way opens, and you are both called to go back - to Truro, you will be able. “I can do all things,” and the - sorrows for both of you will be like the mist which, though it - came up from the face of the ground, yet watered Paradise and - made it fruitful. Does not all consciousness of sin and failure - bring us nearer not only to Him in Whom alone is strength, but - to our brothers and sisters in sympathy and compassion. We are - touched with the feeling of their infirmities. - - ‘So, my dear child (I feel inclined to say children, for this - has made me feel nearer to your friend), “lift up the hands - that hang down and the feeble knees, lest that which is weak - be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed” by your - sorrows—your wounds too. - - ‘I have had a very pleasant but exhausting time since we met. - I spent a fortnight at Oxford, attending both Oxford Extension - and British Association. We heard a good deal about social and - economic problems. Mr. Sydney Webb and Dr. Rein of Jena, who - trains men as teachers, gave some nice lectures. Miss Louch - is come back, having had a delightful time at the Educational - Congress at the Clarke University, under the Presidency of - Dr. Stanley Hall. She says she has learned a great deal.... - I think our Training Department has as many if not more than - any College there is, in spite of not having received any of - the thousands that have been given to them—or, shall I say, - because of it? I am sure it is good to have to pay one’s way. - I believe our Universities would do better work if they had - nothing. “Then welcome each rebuff.” - - ‘We had many parties at St. Hilda’s, and everybody admired the - house. The girls enjoy the boat very much; I hope there will be - no accidents. It is a very safe one, but one is always nervous - about the water.... - - ‘I am pleased with the Higher Cambridge List ... and I am glad - that we manage to keep up our lists, _because_ we do not buy - up our neighbours’ girls, and try not to make examinations the - end. Glad your girl has done so well. - - ‘I am working hard at the Magazine and my Reports to the - Council, and trying to rest a little after my Oxford labours. - On Tuesday I hope to go to the hills near Stroud. - - ‘I must lend you some day _Streets and Lanes_, by the late Miss - Benson. The Archbishop has sent me a copy. - - ‘May God bless and comfort your hearts, my dear children, and - make this light affliction, which is but for a moment, work out - an eternal good.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘AMBLESIDE, _May 1895_. - - ‘ ... The lakes are more beautiful and lovable than I had - imagined. There is a singular charm in the hills round - Ambleside, they ripple like the sea. - - ‘You must not “feel” while you are so weak, just lie, as - it were, in the sepulchre, and then come out as Browning’s - Lazarus.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_July 1897._ - - ‘I got home from London late last night, and it troubled me, - and you were much in my mind when I went to church; and in the - service it seemed to me that it must be your energies were - to be used to the full, and yet your married life, to which - you have now been called, does in some degree restrain you. - Hitherto I have thought you wanted, like an electric eel, to - recuperate; you have gone through too much lately. To-day, it - seemed to me as if you should still speak, but in writing; you - have the power of writing well. I think I speak better than I - write; I don’t know how you speak, but you can write. Now see - if speaking is not to be your work whether writing is. How I - feel I need solitude, and can’t write for want of it; but you - have solitude enough to enable you to write. A little later, - as I waited for a message, which sometimes comes at the quiet - times, the words came: “I became dumb, and opened not my mouth, - for it was Thy doing.” I thought it was to be sent on to you, - so there it is; not with your mouth, but with your hand, and - perhaps to a larger audience. I think the solitude of the cycle - will help you too....’ - -There was one friend and old pupil, a writer for whose philosophical -and poetical work in particular Miss Beale had a great admiration, who -received many letters from her. A few extracts from these are given. To -Miss ——:— - - ‘_December 1886._ - - ‘I don’t think you will get any food in Spinoza. You say, may - we not adopt Agnosticism and say of these problems honestly, “I - will give it up”? But you _cannot_. We may try to, but it is - not _human_ to be content to be caged in by this little world - of time and space. That restless discontent reaching out to - wider knowledge, to the infinite, is surely its own witness. - If not, Man, the crown of all things on earth, is the only - irrational creature upon it. You will not be able to give up - philosophy. - - ‘I quite agree that we are not to be allowed here so to “make - up our minds.” That spirit ever open to receive more light, is - what our Master spoke of as the childlike spirit. - - ‘Have you seen a little sixpenny book by Armstrong of Leeds? - He is a Unitarian, so I do not agree with the end; but all - the early chapters on the Belief in God are very good, and I - think you would like it. There are also some very satisfactory - sermons by Professor Momerie on the existence of the soul. - I read a great deal of philosophy when I get time. Have you - read Martineau’s _Types of Ethical History_? If not, do. Also - Green’s _Prolegomena to Ethics_. Last summer I read Lotze’s - _Microcosmus_, but I should recommend the two others rather. - - ‘I wish you entered more than I think you do into Browning’s - thoughts. He has, it seems to me, so clearly set forth the main - basis of Faith, not systematically, but recurrently. - - ‘We must work out these matters for ourselves; but rest - we cannot. You cannot in the presence of your brother’s - suffering—you cannot in the presence of death say: “I care not - to lift the veil, or ever to know whether there is a curtain - behind which we pass or a dark abyss.” - - ‘Indeed, dear child, I do feel for you. When you are freer, you - must come and see me, and we will talk over things. I shall - not think you wicked, but believe that you do want to know - God, and that He is sorry for you, because you do care, but - cannot see.... It is only the contemptuous, what I may call the - omniscient Agnostic, that I do not want to have anything to do - with; those who _sneer_ at the most pathetic aspirations and - hopes. The reverent and yet sorrowful doubt which yet longs for - dawn, shall one day be blest by the sunrise, here or hereafter.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_January 5, 1887._ - - ‘MY DEAR CHILD,—No; I don’t mind your saying anything that is - in your heart. - - ‘As regards knowledge. We use this word, it seems, in different - senses. It is not at all identical with “to form a conception - of”: _e.g._ I cannot form a conception of what gravitation or - electricity is, but I _know_ each in a sense. These are names - for something without which the kosmos as it is could not be. - Or I might perhaps illustrate better by saying I can form no - _conception_ of the Universe, no _complete_ conception, and - yet from my isolated spot I look up and say, _it is_. Of what - _can_ we form a complete conception? Not of the “flower in the - crannied wall.” - - ‘Any other explanation of the facts of the Universe seems to - me incredible, except one, viz., that it is the utterance - of supreme Wisdom and Love, and that it is adapted to the - intelligence of finite beings. The Unity of law tells us there - is _one_ God, the Creator and Ruler. As regards the hypothesis - of order coming out of chance atoms—the myth of a primæval - chaos—can any one entertain it? _Ex nihil nihil_; the order we - see in evolution must have existed with the original atoms, if - such were the basis of created life. - - ‘No, I do not think it your _fault_, but the fault of Spinoza’s - system that it cannot give you satisfaction. It is a revival, - only in another form, too, of the old Greek thought of Zeus, - over whom there was another God, Fate. So Spinoza’s and the - Greek Supreme were not Supreme. - - ‘Of course I can do nothing in a letter but suggest lines of - thought and lines of reading. After Armstrong, I should most - like you to take either Green’s _Prolegomena_ or Martineau’s - _Types_, and read both several times. Green will help you to - see the unity underlying all possibility of knowledge. - - ‘It is perhaps more than anything the harmony of the Threefold - Unity which helps me to realise the conception of the divine - which Jesus uttered most clearly. - - ‘One sees the absolute physical unity, each atom forming part - of the complete whole, and standing in vital relation to the - whole. - - ‘One sees all knowledge as real, only when it takes its place - as in (can I say part of?) the Universal thought. One can see - things only when one sees all in God. But one sees that this - which we have separated off as physical nature, is yet the - means and the condition of the intellectual too; for Light, - which is necessary to vital processes, is the means by which - the Universal thought is revealed to our intelligence, by which - God touches, as it were, from without and awakens, and causes - truly to live, our intellectual being. - - ‘Thirdly, each—the physical, the intellectual—are felt by us - to be the means to the highest of all, the perfection of the - moral nature. Without this, goodness, power, and intellect - would be worthless or horrible; and as the material can only be - translated into the conception by the intellectual, so we feel - that the moral alone can interpret the intellectual. - - ‘That the full solution is not ours must seem natural to us, - who know ourselves to be shut in by space and time. But I am - sure that men will not long remain blind to other facts, as - they have been to some extent in this generation, owing to the - scientific sudden growth of our day. - - ‘The facts of conscience are to me quite inexplicable on - any other hypothesis than that of One who is supremely good - speaking to His children, not through “eye or ear,” but - directly. There is the unity of consciousness which makes - memory possible, and moral judgment possible; and yet there - is a secondary consciousness, the “categorical imperative,” - the ideal goodness, ever revealing to man a higher and - better. What if the conscience has never—I should say Except - in One—received the perfect vision of goodness? This is only - to say that the receiver is limited and imperfect, not that - the perfect spiritual sun is not, or rather I should say the - universal light, for the sun is a localisation of that which - is invisible; is saturating through infinite space. Words ever - fail. - - ‘I know that endless questions are still unanswered, but this - seems to me to be a real knowledge, which is consistent and - which gives peace, that all other theories are inconsistent, - and that the highest, the moral being is starved upon them.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_January 27, 1892._ - - ‘ ... The Bishop of Gloucester was here to-day, and began - talking about your Goethe, which he praised; he is a good - judge. I thought you would like to know. Would you send him the - book, and say I have asked you; he will tell people about it. - He reads philosophy too, and specially advises _Lotze_.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘Written from SUDELEY CASTLE, (probably) _December 1893_. - - ‘I fetched your Magazine from the Post Office about five - o’clock, and I have just read it through. I must express to you - how delighted I am with it. It is so clear, so well written, it - gets to the centre of things. I have seen nothing you have done - at all to compare with it. I must get the number. I think I - shall take in the Magazine, it looks good throughout. A friend - takes the philosophical review and lends it to me. I might - take this and lend it to her. I have a paper in hand against - an article in that, but I fear I shall not be able to polish - it off. You must have had days, _weeks_, of quiet thought to - write this. This makes me want you still more to go to Oxford, - and get to know Caird. Did I tell you I lunched with Jowett - _tête-à-tête_ not long before his death? - - ‘You must come and see me if I can’t come to you....’ - - ‘PS.—If you lend it to other friends, ascertain about the - postage.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_November 1895._ - - ‘ ... I am sending you a little book on _Psychology_ by a young - teacher and writer. I wish she had shown me the MS. or the - proof. If you feel inclined to look at it, and give her a few - written criticisms I should be glad. We want so much common - language in all these subjects, words are used so differently; - _e.g._ “conception” is not generally used as she does. - Intuition is another which we must fix the meaning of, for - each book one reads. _Real_, _reason_, etc., want defining. A - dictionary of philosophical terms should be made by some people - authorised to establish an Eirenicon.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_? 1896._ - - ‘No; I am sure you _ought not_ to give anything. I am sorry - even that the notice was sent you. Perhaps, however, you may - know some one or ones who may have money that they want to put - out in some way for the Master’s service, and might think this - a right way. We shall not get on if the Guild has to produce - funds unasked. I don’t want _any one_ to be asked, but they - might be shown a paper.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_January 1897._ - - ‘ ... I find I read _Not made in Germany_ without knowing it - was yours. It is prettily written, but I don’t consider such - things worthy of you, and the variations on that _one_ tune - are so very numerous. I wish we, like the Greeks, had things - written which turned on other problems. These things are very - well as a diversion. I wonder what is the subject of the novel. - - ‘One of our teachers has been translating a book of Herbart’s. - I have sent for his introduction to philosophy. I will tell you - if I think it would do for what I want; something giving the - fundamental questions which come before beginners. Herbart is - much read now, but he is difficult to translate, and the people - who have tried have not been very successful; I wonder if you - have read any of him. - - ‘I send a letter of introduction to Miss Swanwick, I suppose - you know her translations and writings. I think she is only - second to Mrs. Browning, and she is charming, and young still. - When I last saw her, the friend of so many distinguished - people, her memory was wonderful. Tennyson had one of her books - open upon his table during the last days.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘(Date uncertain.) - - ‘ ... Herbart is a power. I have not got the book yet. You - really must not let yourself be diverted altogether from - philosophy. You have not thought and suffered so much for - nothing, and though your philosophy will come out in most - things, even in stories, you _must_ give it us sometimes - “neat.” You remind me of Darwin’s earth-worms; you have - had to burrow and work underground, and you have turned up - some fruitful soil. Well, the Spirit which led you into the - wilderness will bring you out of it, and anoint you to tell - some good tidings.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_July 4, 1898._ - - ‘ ... I am glad to hear you have come to a satisfactory - agreement with Blackwood. It is an advantage to have a leading - publisher. Now as regards the sonnet. I don’t feel as if - anything could make the Eros of later Greek religion pure. He - and Aphrodite have fallen from heaven, and I cannot think of - them at the same time with the Sufferer on Calvary—so it rather - jars on my feelings. - - ‘I know there is behind the myth the thought of love, of one - who is the offspring of truth and purity, of perfect beauty. - But love, associated with Eros as we know him, is not love.... - - ‘I am feeling wonderfully well; the body responds to the - spirit, and is refreshed too by the sympathy of my dear - children.’ - -Miss Beale’s correspondence with her ‘children’ frequently concerned -spiritual and mental difficulties of various kinds. One or two of the -letters she wrote on such questions follow. - -To one in religious doubt:— - - ‘(Undated.) - - ‘ ... How I wish some one abler and better than I could help - you now, but as God has given you to me, and something of a - mother’s heart with my children, I must try. - - ‘First: I would resolve to take some fixed time each day, say - ten minutes on first rising, just to plume one’s feathers for - some short flights above the earth. - - ‘Secondly: I would think of some of the blessings and thank God - for them. - - ‘Thirdly: Then I would plead for light; “Show me Thy glory; - but I would ask in humility, being content to wait till the - third or even the fourth watch.” I would ask, “Show me the - Father and it sufficeth; let me know Thy love, if I cannot - bear Thy glory.” And I would utter _the prayer_ not only in - aspiration in spoken words, or only in feeling (which is the - music of prayer), but I would utter it in act, by reading in - a childlike spirit some Scripture—climbing as it were the - Delectable Mountains with the shepherds, and trying to make out - something through their glasses. Ask that same Spirit, which - has taught the spirit of man, and which I believe taught you - specially,—not for your own, but for the Church’s sake, to show - to you spiritual truths. - - ‘Fourthly: Then I would see if there was some selfishness, some - “Evil Eye” preventing my seeing, and ask deliverance from any - besetting sin. - - ‘Fifthly: I would ask God to let me offer some sacrifice, - permit me to join with Him, to hold communion with Him in - blessing another, and try to look for some to whom I might give - some cup of refreshment, some way of entering into His joy, and - of crucifying self. - - ‘Sixthly: I would place myself under such influences as have - lifted the souls of others. I would join in common worship as - much as possible in our prayers here and at Church. - - ‘Seventhly: I would receive the teaching of Jesus, and through - the bread and wine of earth ask God to feed me with the - Heavenly Manna. - - ‘Will you, my child, try some of these ways, and not be soon - weary? In _due_ season you will reap, if you faint not. - - ‘Perhaps you will soon find some ways more suited to yourself - than some of those I have suggested; but you asked me. I - will try to get a beautiful prayer I have heard asking for - light. It may be that the answer will be a baptism of fire;—a - heaping coals of fire on our heads, and thus purifying us from - evil. I would say earnestly, compel yourself (though often - unwillingly), to look up to the Father, as the noblest souls - have done in all ages, whether Christian or not. You must catch - some beams of heavenly light, and see, as St. Stephen did, that - man may be glorified to stand at the Right Hand of God, and to - share with Him in carrying out His purposes of love. I think - you will be led on to see the Father revealed in the Son; to me - He is the Way, and it seems His words are true for us now: “No - man cometh _unto_ the Father (cometh near so as to see and know - Him) but by Me.” - - ‘May the Good Shepherd lead you to green pastures and the still - waters of comfort.’ - -To one who found danger and unreality in forms and ceremonies, and who -wrote: ‘I feel I am cutting myself off from you in writing like this.’ -She replied:— - - ‘_PS._—Nothing will cut you off from me. I thought I had given - no rules, only such suggestions as a heathen philosopher might - have followed. I wrote my letter hastily; I should like to see - what I said. - - ‘Your letter gave me pain, which was partly selfish, to find I - was too ignorant to help you. We must have a little talk some - day.’ - -To one who had written that she had to fight hard against pessimism -caused by much unaccountable and apparently needless suffering. She -answered:— - - ‘_November 10, 1895._ - - ‘I think our faith in God, as in any person, rests more on what - He is than what He does.... - - ‘Now I come to the conclusion:— - - ‘(1) That in Nature is revealed an intelligence whose limits - we cannot see; One, _i.e._ infinitely wise and mighty. (2) In - good men we see benevolence, the earnest desire to bless up to - the limits of their power. In the Christ we see this without - any limit of selfishness, and we say, If Man, the Son, is thus - loving, then the Father is love. “No man knoweth the Father, - but the Son.” We can approach God, so as to know the character - of God, only thus, it seems to me. You have here the argument - of Saul (Browning). Then when you allege against the witness - of the heart, the facts of Nature, I answer that however - inexplicable by us these facts are, this witness for God, which - comes from within, cannot be overthrown. - - ‘Nor, indeed, does that fact of animals preying on one another - trouble me much. Death to them, _i.e._ the stopping of the - activities of life suddenly, whilst they are in full vigour, - seems better than the gradual decay of sickness. There is with - them no anticipation and no joy in cruelty. - - ‘The facts of moral evil, those are what seem to overwhelm - one at times. There are children born into such terrible - surroundings, we say. There again we can see a little way up - into the darkness, and trust. We do see that the redemption of - the lost is often effected by the knowledge that others suffer - through their sin.... - - ‘Do we not know enough of our interests and God’s infinite - wisdom to make us trust God for the universal good? Men must be - left to work out the consequences of evil, to bear them, and - learn it is God’s purpose for them to rise out of the darkness - into increasing love of His holy will. At length regenerated - humanity will so enter into sympathy with the Spirit of God - mediated through the indwelling Christ, that things in Heaven - and earth will be recapitulated in Him the Head, and will - become intelligently and lovingly obedient to that will. The - cost of suffering is as nothing compared with the infinite - good. I can only sketch the outline of my faith.’ - -The letter which follows was written to a pupil who, while she was at -school, did not personally know Miss Beale very well. A talk at a Guild -meeting eleven years after she left revealed to Miss Beale’s penetrating -eye some distress caused by disillusionment and disappointment. A -fortnight afterwards she wrote:— - - ‘_July 1898._ - - ‘I have so often thought of our interrupted conversation, and - must take a bit of my first Saturday evening to write a line. - - ‘You were feeling, I judge, somewhat as Wordsworth did when - he wrote the _Ode on Immortality._ This is, I think, how the - matter stands. When we are young, we think that perfection, - _i.e._ the ideal, can be found on earth—we set up, perhaps, - some earthly idol, and endow it with every excellence. Then - we find that we have been in a measure mistaken. What shall - we do? Doubtless there does then come upon us the shadow of - a great darkness, as we find how much evil there is, and - we are tempted to believe the lying word of Satan, that - the kingdoms of the world are his. Shall we then lower our - ideal, say we will conform to that which is, or believe the - heavenly proclamation—“the kingdoms of this world are become - the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ”—and work on to - make this as true as we can for our own souls, and for those - near us? We see that the ideals cannot be realised on earth, - because this is a place of discipline. Many make a worldly - marriage because they give up their ideal, and conform to what - is, instead of ever striving to bring about what ought to - be—nothing can make that right. But on the other hand we must - be content to be the companions of those who, like ourselves, - are “compassed about with infirmities,” to arm them for the - fight with evil, and to love those who are not perfect, as - Britomart did the Red Cross Knight. What I want you all to - keep before you is that one day the ideal will be realised, as - the Bible and our own hearts assure us, and to join the army - of light and go right on, confident of eventual victory. You - have, my dear child, a somewhat heavy burden of responsibility - for your age, and you miss the sustaining hand, but you must - not look down, but up! Take our first Cambridge Room motto: - - “As the soar falcon, so I strive to fly, - In contemplation of the immortal sky.” - - There we may look for the realisation of our earthly - endeavours, as Abt Vogler teaches. I wonder if you read - Browning. I wish you had a Browning Society.—With much - sympathy, ...’ - -To one who had written of the ‘Intolerance of Church people’:— - - ‘_July 1884._ - - ‘ ... But it does seem to me quite impossible in education - to leave religion an open question, _i.e._, to teach without - hypothesis. How could we unite into one coherent whole the - teaching of optics, unless we presuppose the undulatory theory? - Or the facts of astronomy without the theory of gravitation? - Yet both may be, and are questioned. For some philosophical - theory must underlie all things, and no one can, it seems to - me, teach history, or geography, or science without it. We who - believe in Christian philosophy, and feel that it alone makes - the universe intelligible, and life worth living for ourselves - or others; who think that it is the power needed to give life - to the world, and to deliver us from evil and all the misery - which oppresses us, naturally desire with all the energy of - our being to teach it, and we most of us would not let little - differences hinder our working with those who acknowledge the - immeasurable blessings of Christ’s teaching. Here I found - dissenters wishing that the teaching of our College should - be Church; because they said there must be some basis; that - they would rather let their children hear sometimes what they - disagreed with, and judge for themselves, than that there - should be no definite teaching. They thought our Church was on - the whole the most liberal. - - ‘I am so grieved, dear friend, that any of us should bring - disgrace on our Teacher by our faults, but when we do what our - Master, the Truth, disapproved, the blame should not rest on - Him. It would not be just to you if we called a child who was - in your class and loved you, by your name when she told a lie. - Nor should you say, “See what Christians do,” when they sin - against Christ. _In so far_ as they are untruthful they are - un-Christian. - - ‘Then, had you not, even as you admit, condemned utterly those - whose conduct admitted of a more favourable interpretation? - We are not utterly truthful, unless we do more than act up - to our convictions, unless we do our utmost to make those - convictions as near the truth as we are able. And do you know - I felt so disappointed after talking to you the other day, - because it seemed to me as if you had not cared to search - into the depths of things, as if you were content to float - about instead of searching for the rock beneath the flood. - Our apprehension of the truth regarding the goodness of God, - and His purpose for us, and our duty to our Father and to one - another, seems to me the priceless pearl. I found you had not - read what I thought you would have read, the works in which the - ages have indeed drawn for us pictures of those who wrestled - with God in the darkness and cried—“Tell me Thy Name.” And now - you disappoint me again, as some other of my dear Agnostic - friends. They seem wanting in the tenderness of those who ever - look up to Jesus Christ, and therefore learn to feel in the - light of His example. This our miserable failure, the habitual - self-examination and definite confession of sin, helps us to. - There, I have told you what is in my heart. The former on - thinking over our conversation I meant to say, because I love - you. The latter, (the want of sympathy,) I did not know of. I - wonder if you will misunderstand me now,—perhaps,—but I have - felt you did not before.’ - -The following was written to a former student, who after a time of great -religious privilege had been assailed by special temptation:— - - ‘_August 1888._ - - ‘MY DEAR FRIEND,—I am grieved that you have suffered so much, - and yet it was not sent you in vain. It was to correct faults - in yourself, and to help you in your vocation to correct those - in others. You did not, I feel sure, yield to the wrong, but - fought against it, and temptation is not sin. - - ‘I have been thinking what you could read. Do you know - Froebel’s own works? I think some of these (which are not light - reading) would be nice for you on your travels. I like always a - book that is suitable for a little reading and much thinking. - He is so bathed in the spirit of love, so deeply Christian and - so full of the spirit of liberty. When you come home you must - come and pay us a visit,—that and Rosmini I should like you to - read. I have asked Miss Gore to send you one of my photos, in - case you care to have it, when we go home.—With deep sympathy, - yours most sincerely, - - D. BEALE.’ - -Among the letters are many to old pupils on the deaths of relations or -friends. The next was written to Miss Alice Owen, now Mrs. Mark Collet, -on the anniversary of her mother’s death:— - - ‘_June 1891._ - - ‘This was a birthday eight years ago into a world of larger - scope than this, and I feel as if her spirit were still - watching over those she loved on earth.... - - ‘Surely the tides of eternal love, flowing in upon our narrow - lives, will make us all of one spirit, sorrowing and rejoicing - with one another, instead of judging, because we feel, as she - taught in that beautiful parable, that we are one. - - ‘May our Lord give you an ever larger measure of His own love.’ - -The next letter refers to the death of Mrs. Russell Gurney:— - - ‘_October 1896._ - - ‘I got a letter from Orme Square this morning. Our beloved - friend entered into rest yesterday. I think of the glad meeting - of those who were kindred souls on earth. I had also a note - from Addington saying how thankful Mrs. Benson is, and happy in - spite of her loss.’ - -Several other letters of a kindred nature follow. - -To Miss Giles, on the death of her father:— - - ‘_April 1871._ - - ‘Still in one way we who are old suffer less from parting. To - us the time seems so short, ere we may hope to meet once more - where are no more partings or tears.’ - -To Miss Susan Wood, on the death of her mother:— - - ‘_May 1880._ - - ‘I need not tell you I have felt much for you. One could not - have wished the suffering prolonged, and yet one does not feel - the loss less. Happily, one seems generally to forget, when all - is over, the last painful incidents of the sickness, and to - remember the past years. Few have had a more devoted mother. - How proud she was of your successes! How old it makes us feel - when we take our place in the front rank of the army of life; - may we be able to say, when we too are struck down, “I have - fought a good fight.” May God bless your work, my dear child, - to the everlasting weal of those whom He has given you.’ - -To Miss Frances Crawley, afterwards Mrs. Wells:— - - ‘_July 1881._ - - ‘I must write you one line of sympathy in this great sorrow. I - know how much you loved your dear father, and had longed for - this visit, and now there will be a great blank. You will not - think now “How glad he will be if I do well.” But on the other - hand, my dear child, you will feel you must be more than ever - to your mother. You children will be all to her now. Besides, - God never takes but He also gives—only we often miss the gift - because we don’t look for it. He will help you to know Him - better as your Father, partly because you will think of your - own father as near Him, for where our treasure is, there our - hearts are also. You will think more of pleasing Him, and so - preparing to meet those who have loved you and loved God, where - there will be no more death for ever.’ - -To an old pupil, on the death of her father:— - - ‘_November 9, 1896._ - - ‘MY DEAR CHILD,—This is indeed a blessed death for one so good - as your father; you must give thanks for him. - - ‘There is no service I think so strengthening as the burial; - may you be comforted and strengthened for the battle of life - by a clearer vision of that unseen host which is ever near, - though “our eyes are holden that we see them not” through want - of faith. Soon must we join their ranks. Shall we join in their - psalms of thanksgiving?’ - -To Miss Strong, on the death of Miss Margaret Clarke:— - - ‘_February 3, 1897._ - - ‘Indeed I am grieved; she has been a power for good, and has - sent out some grand workers, and I shall miss her greatly. I am - thankful I was with her at Christmas. - - ‘One feels sure “her works will follow her,” and He who gave - her power will raise up others. It is, so far as one can see, - too heavy a burden for Kate alone. Her memory will be a power, - her life was so wonderfully guided, and one feels sure she has - work to do beyond, for which the training of earth will have - prepared her.’ - -To Miss Rowand, on the death of her mother:— - - ‘_June 1901._ - - ‘It is grievous for you and those who loved that dear and - noble, simple-minded woman, for her goodness gave unity to her - life. Now the alabaster box is broken, only the fragrance of - the life remains. She has been spared the living death such as - I have seen, when the soul finds in the body a tomb. She is - released and doubtless carries on ministries of love with your - noble father and beloved brother. - - ‘I have just seen Fräulein, whose only sister has just passed - away. - - ‘How little the sorrows of earth will seem to us as we look - back, I think; even as many which even here issue in blessing. - We realise that all things do indeed “work together for good to - them that love God,” and I know that through this fresh sorrow - the fire will burn up more and more of the earthly, so that the - spirit may shine forth more brightly “to give light to all that - are in the house.”—Yours with deep sympathy and affection.’ - -To Miss Caines, just before her death:— - - ‘_March 1901._ - - ‘MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,—We can only pray now that if it be God’s - will you may be spared to the many who love you, and to whom - you have been a blessing during these many years of faithful - service. But if the Master should come and call for you, then - He will go with you through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. - His Rod and Staff which stay your tottering steps will comfort - you, and He will bring you forth to the light. - - ‘We must say for you and for ourselves;—“Jesus, I trust Thee.” - We do believe that what the world calls Death is birth into a - brighter world. - - ‘May we all meet again where sorrow and sighing are no - more.—With much love, your very affectionate.’ - -To a friend, on the death of Miss Caines:— - - ‘This morning my dear friend passed away, full of peace and - content to go. The children have been all that we could wish, - full of sympathy, but quietly impressed and very sorrowful. - We do not wish them to leave, but to learn to look calmly on - death, and hopefully up to Him Who has taught His servants to - triumph over death.... - - ‘The loss to me is more than I can say. God’s will be done.’ - -The next letter is to Mrs. Cooper,[105] a much-loved old pupil, who in -1902 lost a son, a promising young artist, and seven months later her -husband through death:— - - ‘_June 1903._ - - ‘I am sending you such a nice sermon by our good bishop, which - I think you will like. I quite agree with you that one ought - not to seek intercourse through mediums. I would never join - the Psychical Society. It was _right_ to enquire as these - scientific men have done, but the inexperienced are almost sure - to be taken in by such, and it seems to me that we ought not to - try to draw aside the veil but wait until God’s herald bids us - enter. - - ‘I think you must expect to feel the sense of loss becoming - greater, but then you will get to feel how short is the time of - mourning on earth, and to ascend in heart and mind—and so to - be above the storms and clouds of earth—even as the lark—and - yet with him to hover over the earthly home, “that nest which - you can drop into at will,—Those quivering limbs comprest.” - You will want to speak to and help others with the comfort - wherewith you are comforted of God.... - - ‘It is nice to look back on that time forty years ago. I - remember your confessions to me then. Well, you have not been - forsaken, nor left to beg your bread.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_October 1903._ - - ‘I have just heard of this fresh trouble. Surely you must be - intended to do some work for others specially needing heart’s - blood.—This paper was put into my hands just as I heard of your - fresh disappointment and anxiety.’ - -To the Misses Hibbert Ware, on the death of their sister:— - - ‘_March 1905._ - - ‘Indeed one ought only to give thanks for her. I think of her - looking down on us all at peace having escaped from the long - enduring pain associated with this earthly body, and springing - up like the lark into the larger heaven. - - ‘Well, we must wait to understand these things which it has - not entered into the heart of man to conceive in all their - joyful reality, though in some measure they are revealed here - to saintly souls which have been made partakers of Christ’s - sufferings.’ - -To Mrs. Mace, on the death of her husband:— - - ‘_May 1906._ - - ‘Only to-day did I hear of the death of Mr. Mace.... It did - seem grievous after his suffering with so much courage and - hope the operation. One can only give thanks now that the soul - has escaped from “the body of humiliation,” through which - it has risen to the spiritual life. I don’t like the word - resurrection, ἀνάστασις does not suggest that the soul has put - on its old clothing, after being delivered from the body of - corruption. You must be glad that he is free.’ - -Miss Beale wrote several letters, from which extracts are given, to Miss -Belcher during her last illness. - -The following was written after the Head-mistresses’ Conference on -October 8 and 9 at Oxford in 1898:— - - ‘_October 1898._ - - ‘MY DEAR FRIEND,—I got home last night. Everybody was asking - and thinking about you and missing you so much. I hoped for a - line this morning; Susan will doubtless write to-day. I brought - back Agnes Body for the Sunday here. The text in my birthday - book for to-day is: “I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail - not.” I know this prayer is fulfilled for you. How I long to - have some real talk with you now; but I think even in the body - there is communion, and still more out of the body. It seems - to me as if Miss Carter must be with you. Your love and care - for her was returned in blessings on your own life, and through - you on others. Miss Strong looks ill. She has been staying with - her Bishop; that will strengthen her. That good Miss Day of - Westminster was there, and sweet Mrs. Woodhouse of Sheffield. - - ‘I feel sure the Conference will do good, there were so many - good women there;—only we missed _one_.’ - -A day or two later she wrote:— - - ‘MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,—I feel somewhat cheered by Susan’s letter - to-night. Each morning I have so many enquiries, “Have you - heard?” Susan is good in writing. Here are three letters from - some staying at St. Hilda’s, where we were always thinking of - you.... - - ‘Just two years on the 11th, since the Archbishop fell asleep. - I wonder if he looks down at the school, and its first - Head-mistress too. Shall we see and be able in some measure to - “succour” those on earth? May the peace of God which passeth - all understanding be with you.’ - -The next alludes to a proposed visit of Miss Beale to Miss Belcher:— - - ‘_St. Luke’s Day._ - - ‘DEAR FRIEND,—I am so looking forward to Friday. I thought - of you so much on this the Physician’s day, as we sang that - beautiful hymn and Psalm xxx.; and our window told of the - raising of the daughter by the Healer. My own life seems to me - almost a resurrection, I must hope that you too may be raised - up to do work on earth, ere you go to a higher sphere.’ - -After this visit Miss Belcher wrote:— - - ‘MY DEAR FRIEND,—The strength and comfort of your visit has - been with me ever since, and far from its doing me any harm it - has done me untold good. May God bless you for having imparted - to me so richly of the “comfort wherewith you yourself have - been comforted of God.” I do so trust you were not over-tired; - hope to hear from some one to-morrow. - - ‘Will you call me Marian in our private letters? I have never - liked being only Miss Belcher, and since the close communion - and rich gift of yesterday, I feel I should like it.’ - -Miss Beale’s reply was:— - - ‘_October 23, 1898._ - - ‘DEAREST MARIAN,—It is good to hear that you were none the - worse for my visit, and that our Lord put into my mouth some - words of comfort. I shall hope to hear about Dr. Broadbent. I - had a nice note from Susan. All here were so glad to get news - of you direct.... - - ‘I wonder if you know Fechner’s little book; there is one - chapter I like much, from which I am sending you some extracts.’ - -The next letter was written after an operation Miss Belcher had -undergone:— - - ‘ ... I lingered this morning, and the postman brought me - Susan’s cheerful letter, just as I was starting, and I was able - to make the service specially a Eucharist on your account. - What a wonderful epistle; it is one to feed on. It tells - how suffering strengthens the inner man, and enlarges one’s - sympathies and makes us know the love of God. And the Gospel - tells of renewed life after going down nearly to the grave. - You and I can give thanks for both; may St. Paul’s wish be - accomplished in us.’ - -Miss Belcher replied:— - - ‘_Sunday Evening._ - - ‘MY DEAR MISS BEALE,—My first few lines written by myself must - be to you. All through last week the Epistle and your words - about it have been such a help. It was just like one of your - Scripture lessons every day all to myself. I am still going on - so well, but of course it must take time, and I am not out of - the wood. Still, as you said, all is well and will be well. - Thank you so much for Lilla’s letter. I am so sorry she is not - well, and Lucy Soulsby too. I am so rejoiced to hear you are - so well and vigorous, and that College is overflowing. How - wonderful it all is, and so inspiring. - - ‘I had begun Archbishop Benson’s _St. Cyprian_ and your book - before the operation, but have been too weak to read since. I - hope to begin to-morrow. If you have read anything lately you - think I should like, will you tell me the names? It must not - be philosophy. I hope to have the best papers of the Church - Congress read to me....’ - -Shortly after this Miss Belcher wrote herself on an anticipated visit -from another physician:— - - ‘MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,— ... Dr. Robson of Leeds comes to-morrow. - I know you will pray that the “right judgment” will be given. - It is thought he will operate, but not certain. Please let - Eliza and Susan Draper know. I cannot forget all I owe to - you, my friend and guide, of so many years. We have a private - celebration to-morrow at eight, but you will not get this in - time to think of us.—Ever your loving and grateful friend, - - ‘M. BELCHER. - - ‘You shall hear as soon as possible.’ - - * * * * * - - ‘_Dearest Marian_,—I have heard from Susan.... Of course we - can’t understand, and we only know that all is well. I thought - of you so much at prayers this morning. I read the Lesson - instead of the Epistle. “The souls of the righteous are in the - hands of God, and there shall no torment touch them.” We missed - your accustomed visit on the term holiday yesterday.’ - - * * * * * - - ‘_First Sunday in Advent, 1898._ - - ‘MY VERY DEAR MARIAN,—We were all so full of hope at first, - and are much disappointed that relief has not come, but that - you are still stretched upon the cross. “No chastening for the - present seemeth to be joyous but grievous, yet at such times - one can just _think_ of the ‘Mystery of Pain,’ and realise - that each sufferer does in uniting his will with God’s in some - measure, ‘fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of - Christ ... for His body’s sake.’” I think perhaps you may be - suffering specially for one, that her faith may be once more - awakened. Every sufferer thus “lifted up” does in a measure - draw the hearts of others to Him through whom we are able to - reveal the power of faith.... I said to Miss Drummond, “I dare - say you would not have been spared any of the suffering”; she - answered so heartily, “not one half-hour.” We see now what a - wonderful work she did among the College boys, and it must be - that your suffering is a part of the work God has given you to - do for the school, and that you, too, will be enabled to say - “not one half-hour,” when the darkness passes away, and the - true light shines into the things of earth, and we know as we - are known. I know that suffering so _claims_ the attention, but - one can only know and believe, not feel it; but it is much to - live by faith. Faith is the illuminating power through which - alone we truly know. Was not Miss Carter’s suffering felt by - you to be mediatorial too, and you are her successor. I shall - try to spend a few days with Miss Martin at Christmas. - - ‘To-day the Jairus window comes before me; the thought of the - Lord sending away all those who pressed round the maiden, that - she might know the advent of Him who is the Lord and Giver of - life.’ - -The following is the last letter Miss Beale wrote to Miss Belcher:— - - ‘_December 5, 1898._ - - ‘MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,—I have tried to write several times, - but tore up what I wrote. Susan is good in telling me about - you, and at times my heart sinks, when I think of all you are - suffering, though there do seem to me to be some hopeful - signs.... Well, we ought not, I suppose, to wish, we are so - sure that “in all our afflictions He is afflicted,” and “the - angel of His presence saves us,” and makes our souls strong to - bear and our “light affliction is but for a moment.” - - ‘I dare say this term has seemed to you unending. I think when - the strain of thinking about school is taken off, you will feel - stronger. I hope to go to Kilburn from January 5 to the 9th; - there we shall think much about you. I am just writing about - St. Hilda’s East.... Things seem going on well, I think I shall - stay there after the Retreat, and try to get more into touch.’ - -Enclosed in this letter were some verses from Ken’s ‘Midnight Hymn,’ with -the words, ‘I thought you might like this if awake at night.’ - -After Miss Belcher’s death on December 15, 1898, Miss Beale wrote to Miss -Strong: ‘Three of my noble-hearted friends gone so lately—Miss Buss, Miss -Clarke, and Marian Belcher. The road to the Dark Tower gets lonely, but -we look beyond.’ - -A few letters on general subjects are given. The first of these was -written to Miss Susan Wood, in 1897, in reply to an inquiry about women -teachers:— - - ‘I should not like to say I would have none but women teachers. - I consider a combination good, better than either men or women - only. Still, if a woman is equal in knowledge and ability, I - consider she generally teaches better than a man. If all women - are ultimately forced to go to the University, the higher - teaching will be taken out of their hands, or else women will - teach there.’ - -The following extract, from a letter to Miss Sturge in October 1902, -deals with the developments of the College:— - - ‘The numbers enable us to have an aggregate of schools and to - have virtually about seven who might have and ought—Headships - elsewhere, had they not an independent sphere of their own. - - ‘Lastly, are you right in saying that an inspiring personality - can be taken away? The inspiration is not from any person - who can pass away; we are but the earthen vessels; the light - persists and is given just so long as it is needed, to any one - who has to give light. The inspiration for the Headship will be - given to my successor in turn.... - - ‘I do hope God may allow me to go on longer, and it is a - comfort to feel that you are glad I should. - - ‘As regards the growing size of the College. I may add in - addition to what I have said, that I have never wished - independently to add to the size merely, and that in each - development I have felt I was obliged to go on, though often - I dreaded it; _e.g._ the training of teachers could not be - refused when Miss Newman offered. Then the Kindergarten grew - up, and the elementary teachers was really forced on one. It - is unprofitable in money (the Elementary School Department), - and a great strain on me, but I feel we have to do this special - work. In fact, it is not our work, but we are set here by the - great Captain, and I trust we are taking our share in advancing - somewhat the kingdom of truth and righteousness. I cannot see - that in this erection of buildings, or in any other way, we are - acting from self, but under direction. I have not yet read the - comments on the buildings, but wanted to reply to the letter at - once.’ - -The following was written to Bishop Fraser of Manchester, who had -publicly referred with approbation to the saying of Thucydides, that -‘that woman was most to be admired who was least spoken of whether for -good or evil’:— - - ‘_December 1878._ - - ‘MY LORD,—We owe to you so much for education work that I - cannot but feel sorry you should by your recent quotation - from Thucydides place before women a standard lower than the - highest. I felt bound to protest against it, when a few days - later I read a paper before the Social Science Congress in my - own schoolroom. - - ‘Will the excuse be received from us: “I was afraid of being - spoken of for good, and so I hid my talent in a napkin?” Must - we not expect that our work will be measured, as was that of - another woman by the words, “She hath done what she could?” I - venture to enclose a few lines from an article of mine, signed - “A Utopian,” in a Fraser[106] of 1866. It was provoked by the - same quotation from Thucydides in a _Quarterly_ of that year.—I - am, my Lord, yours with sincere respect and esteem, - - D. BEALE.’ - -To Mrs. Ashley Smith, at that date Miss Lucy Hall, a relation of Bishop -Fraser’s, on the same subject:— - - ‘_December 12, 1878._ - - ‘DEAR LUCY,—I was glad to hear you thought you could be of - use in the Board School. Could you not teach the boys some - mathematics? If you could, I will send you an amusing book - about Euclid. - - ‘I have asked Miss Gore to send you a copy of what I wrote to - the Bishop. I think he should have got his secretary just to - send me a line. I did not do it in a perky spirit, but I felt - bound to protest, and having protested, I thought I should - rather say to him, why. Many women do leave undone the things - they ought to do, because they shrink from coming forward. I - have done so myself. If he would preach that we should do what - we ought in God’s sight, and never trouble our heads about what - people say, when our conscience speaks, it would be better. - Perhaps he will think twice before he again quotes that, and if - so, I shall be satisfied. I would not care, if he were not so - good and clever that people listen to what he says. He is, too, - not conventional, yet he says what may promote a wrong kind of - conventionality. I have since seen such a nice bit of a sermon - about the idle lives that women lead; so if you do see him, I - should like you to ask him about this too. - - ‘You must let me know when you really get to work as manager.’ - -To Miss Laurie, after reading _Pasteur’s Life_:— - - ‘_1902._ - - ‘I want to have a general conference about organising our - Science work better; we are using razors for stone-cutting. - I should like a great deal of the correcting taken from the - “Professoriate,” and young specialists entrusted with work - under superintendence. Talk with M. Reid and A. Johnson. We - ought to let our superior minds “expatiate,” and let me have a - few notes, as I can’t talk much now. We might bring up a body - of inspirers as well as workers. Pasteur’s life has specially - excited me to ask what more we could do. The teachers ought to - read more of the lives of discoverers, _e.g._ Lodge (though - that is too slight, _History of Matter_, etc. etc.). - - ‘If there are disadvantages in the London changes, at least I - hope we shall get more liberty; let us try to find “a soul of - goodness in things evil.” - - ‘What a beautiful character is Pasteur’s. I find it quite a - Sunday book.’ - -To Miss Nixon, on Henry George’s _Progress and Poverty_:— - - ‘_April 1884._ - - ‘I am sorry to have given you pain, but I do hope you will read - the writings of those who understand political economy better - than we do. I think if you had read about the evils which - preceded the abolition of the old Poor Law, you would have seen - why I cannot approve Mr. George’s plans, and not thought that - I desire less than you do that these miseries of the people - should be lessened. It is so important for us teachers to try - to get right views about history; to pray by our acts that we - may have “a right judgment in all things.” - - ‘It is more pathetic than anything to see people led by false - hopes to follow wandering fires to their destruction; and - such, I am sure, are some of the new lights. The history of - the Crusades and the French Revolution ought not to have been - written in vain for us. There are three articles that I think - you ought to read,—the Duke of Argyle’s, Mr. Herbert Spencer’s, - and Mr. Brodrick’s, in the last _Nineteenth Century_ and - _Contemporary_. - - ‘Reforms I _earnestly_ desire on laws of succession, land - transfer, etc. etc., but I am sure that no external bettering - of conditions can do good without this is the outcome of right - principles, and that people can be raised only by raising the - moral standard of all. Perhaps we may have time to talk some - day. - -To Mr. Coates after a lecture he had given at Cheltenham:— - - ‘_July 1888._ - - ‘DEAR MR. COATES,— ... What I especially regretted was that the - lecture raised a number of questions to which it furnished no - answers, but seemed to me to suggest erroneous ones; words were - used which were not defined. - - ‘(1) Persecution; (2) Official dignity; (3) Rights of the - individual in relation to the community. - - ‘(1) Now as regards persecution, you said people could not, if - they were in earnest, help persecuting. That was equivalent - to the assertion that persecution was right; but you did not - say what you understood by persecution. Everything depends on - that to girls accustomed to associate persecution with bodily - torture. I think what you said would suggest wrong ideas. I - can’t agree with your general proposition, but of course I may - be wrong. - - ‘(2) “A Dog in Office” is to me a different being from one who - has not been appointed to the charge. He feels it, and I feel - it. He respects himself more, and by his “investiture,” though - it be only by a costermonger, he becomes capable of acts of - which he would otherwise have been incapable, and his bearing, - in combination with his legitimate title derived from the owner - of the barrow, obtains recognition from all the street curs. - - ‘I may, of course, be superstitious, but I do regard a - consecrated king, a President elected deliberately by a great - nation, a man solemnly set apart to serve a church, as in some - sense different from others. It seems to me that this is a - matter of some importance in these days, when the sacredness of - human relationships is called in question. I think we teachers - cannot feel too strongly the duty of doing for thought what - the feudal lords did for material forces in erecting bulwarks - or breakwaters against the floods of undisciplined opinions in - question, passion clothed in rags of thought. We want, like the - old alchemists, to make the indeterminate clouds of smoke like - actual forms. - - ‘I do not think you and I really differ, but I suppose the - fact of my having a little kingdom has aggravated my sense of - responsibility, and I can’t help always regarding teaching - as purposeful. I hold in abhorrence the maxim “Art for Art’s - sake.” I _always_ want it to have a purifying influence on the - character. I believe you do the same, only you are afraid of - “preaching.” - - ‘You will be saying, “I wish some one else shared my aversion,” - so I will spare you No. 3. I hope you will not misunderstand - me.’ - -To Mrs. Rix:— - - ‘_January 1891._ - - ‘It is always an anxious thing when people of different nations - marry.... - - ‘I hope your good husband will not desert his post. I feel - sure these scientific things were given us to prevent our - feeling crushed by the weight of the “unintelligible world” - of philosophy, and the atonement of science and philosophy is - the work of our age—through nature we have to go to find the - spiritual Christ. Poor Mr. Lant Carpenter. I wonder if it was - the Sphinx who killed him.’ - -To Sir Joshua Fitch, after the death of Miss Buss:— - - ‘_July (?) 1897._ - - ‘I have been thinking what I could write to you about Miss - Buss. I don’t think I could send you anything that would help - in an article, or say much more than I have in the Guardian. I - am spoken of as her life-long friend, but I did not know her - until long after I came to Cheltenham, a little before you - joined our Council. It is said in many papers that I attended - with her the evening classes at Queen’s College. I never did. - She assisted at the evolution which transformed our governing - body from a local Committee to what it is now, and by getting - an enlarged Council we were saved from dying of atrophy.... - - ‘From that time we were intimately associated in educational - movements, and I ever felt that she was utterly to be trusted - never to think,—much less to do anything but what was true, - straightforward, unselfish. She was deeply, unostentatiously - religious, lived in the spirit of prayer, and had the love of - God in its twofold sense ever guiding her thought and actions. - Often have we knelt together, at her request, the last thing at - night and said together the Veni Creator. - - ‘If I spoke the other day of troubles with the governing - bodies—it was not from anything definite that she said to me; - but she has often, to allay my impatience, repeated what one of - her Governors said: “Do you think we come here to register your - decrees?” She received it as a deserved reproof, though, of - course, she must have known what was best for the school, and - never desired her selfish good,—only that of the School. - - ‘The large view she took of the general outlook for the growing - up teachers struck me much. The provision for the future, the - opening of new occupations, the health and bodily development. - Her gymnasium, I think, she herself built and gave to the - school.... She had a lady doctor to examine the girls, weigh - them, etc., etc. - - ‘The formation of the Head-mistresses’ Association was entirely - due to her. The first meeting, and, I think, the second was - held at Myra Lodge. She was very anxious about the “Teachers’ - Guild.” - - ‘I sat with her on the Council of the Church Schools’ Company, - and was surprised at the amount of time and thought she gave - to it. With such solicitude she used to say, “My dear, we must - help these young Head-mistresses.” Whenever any school-mistress - got into difficulties she was of such sympathy and help. - - ‘Then she tried so much to help her old girls, to promote the - love of reading in her staff, to call out their helpfulness in - many ways. That exhibition of things made that cost nothing, - was a very original idea, and taught economy by an object - lesson.... - - ‘The ways in which she used to help poor girls were hardly - known to any one; clothes she used to get sent to them, and she - had friends to whom she could mention cases where money help - was needed and get it. Then she was not one to give up because - she could not influence people by what were _for her_ the - highest motives; but appealed to the best _in them_, would give - ethics when she could not give religion, and when she spoke of - wrong, it was with a sorrow which covered the indignation. - - ‘There was a real solicitude, in spite of her many occupations, - to help all teachers. She would get books to send round to - other schools to help them, and never seemed to think of any - being rivals, but rather fellow-workers. - - ‘But you must know most of what I am saying, for you knew her - well, and she specially loved your wife. I am only writing what - comes to my mind to do what I can; but you see I have so few - definite facts, and I knew her only when she was full-grown in - character and her work established. - - ‘I think, having a Boarding House as well as a School was a - mistake, and she felt it so at last. It was impossible for her - to attend to it much herself; and I think she should not have - rushed off on foreign tours at Christmas. - - ‘Finally, perhaps, I may say that she was, it seemed to me, - always pained and surprised at wrong in others, and expectant - of good, and able to see the latent good underlying the - apparent evil. She had the charity that hopeth all things. - - ‘Her generosity in money matters was very great, especially - to her family. She used to speak with such joy and pride of - the battles her brother fought in Shoreditch, and her brave - sister-in-law, and great was her affection for her nephew. - - ‘Forgive my incoherence please, and take the will for the deed.’ - -Miss Beale wrote but little about herself, but in her correspondence with -an intimate friend, she would give glimpses of her own personal life, -even of her doings, as well as of her thought and reading. Her letters to -Miss Amy Giles are the most interesting from this point of view, covering -as they do the last period of her life. Some extracts from these are -given:— - - ‘_July 6, 1897._ - - ‘DEAR AMY,—I wonder what you will do now that you have quite - lost your beloved mother. I was talking with Miss Sewell about - you, and said I wished you could come and spend a week here.... - If you came the week after next, perhaps you would like to stay - for our Quiet Days at the end.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_August 15, 1897._ - - ‘I have kept your letter so long, hoping I might see my way - to pay you a visit, which I should so very much like to do, - but I am afraid the prospect is a diminishing one. It was a - great pleasure to renew my acquaintance with one whom I had - loved as a pupil, and to find we had grown even nearer during - the intervening years. It would, too, be a pleasure to see - Miss Sewell, for whom I have so great an admiration. I will - not altogether give up hopes, but I am much afraid it will be - impossible. The work for Longmans is to fill two hundred pages. - I get ordinarily a hundred and fifty letters a week on College - business, and now that we are beginning this Elementary work, - there is a Head to be found, prospectuses to be drawn up, the - Education Office to be consulted, etc., and also the Magazine - to be edited, and some few people I must see.... - - ‘There are many things one has to deny one’s self “for the - work’s sake,” but it is worth while. I cannot be too thankful - for being allowed to do it.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_August 25, 1898._ - - ‘My sister has come home on purpose, and I am spending a week - with her on the hills; my niece helping to copy the MS.’ - -In the summer holidays of 1898 Miss Beale stayed with Miss Giles at -Bonchurch. They afterwards visited Marlborough College and Savernake -Forest together, parting at Marlborough station. Miss Beale wrote after -this to Miss Giles:— - - ‘_August 28, 1898._ - - ‘I will own that after you were gone all things seemed - colder.... The doctor thought me wonderfully well, and my ears - much better than usual after so long an absence. He says I can - go to-morrow, and highly approves of cycling if I can do it.... - May the spiritual sun ever rise for you, my dear child, more - and more until the perfect day.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_September 7, 1898._ - - ‘I had some bicycle lessons at Woodchester, but all united in - recommending tricycling instead for me.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_October 1898._ - - ‘That cycling is wonderful, I am so much better.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_November 13, 1898._ - - ‘Miss Belcher is still very ill, but yesterday brought me a - gleam of hope. Thanks to you I am wonderfully well. I have - cycled two mornings as far as our Sanatorium, and got back - about 8 A.M. ... I think this renewed life must mean that there - is some more work for me to do, or that I want strength to bear - some coming trials.... - - ‘We have been getting some lectures from Mr. de Sélincourt, - also a son-in-law. We like him very much.... Next Saturday I - have to attend six meetings. I had to go to London lately, and - spent a night at St. Hilda’s East; it looks so nice, and seems - going on so well.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_November 29, 1898._ - - ‘I am glad you have seen the Chapel of the Ascension. Mr. - Shields is far the best interpreter I have ever seen of Bible - thoughts in pictures.... Thanks to you I am wonderfully strong - this term.... I have joined the Aristotelian Society. I shall - almost never, perhaps _never_ be able to attend the meetings, - but I shall get papers.... Miss Belcher is still battling with - the disease. Sometimes we hope, and then we fear we may lose - her, but to gain time is much.’ - -To the same. Written when there was some idea of Miss Giles living -abroad:— - - ‘_May 14, 1899._ - - ‘I don’t like the idea of your being uprooted from England.... - It is different to go for a time, but it seems to me that most - English people who live abroad have their lives comparatively - wasted.’ - -To the same. After alluding to the death of Mrs. Moyle:— - - ‘_July 16, 1899._ - - ‘It seems so wonderful that I should be alive, and see so many - dear children pass away.’ - -To the same. Speaking of the South African War:— - - ‘_December 26, 1899._ - - ‘It is indeed a sad time, and I don’t see how it is to end; - surely we as a nation have to pass through the fire.... I think - all the advantages we women have had this last half century - were to prepare us for some terrible trials. Shall we be able - to look up and lift up our heads above this earth, and know - that salvation draweth nigh? I think you will understand me.’ - -To the same. Also about the South African War:— - - ‘_February 10, 1900._ - - ‘It is difficult to keep up one’s active powers with this - nightmare: one is so sure that all suffering is intended to be - purifying, and so we must glorify God in the fires. War does - seem to be waged in a more humane spirit than ever before, that - is one comfort, and there are many others.’ - -To the same. Miss Giles had sent a paper for the Magazine:— - - ‘_September 1900._ - - ‘I feel sure I shall not accept Guinevere as a subject for our - magazine. I am not fond of the Idylls.’ - -To the same. On recovering from bronchitis:— - - ‘_1903._ - - ‘Thanks for your kind offer, but I must not ask any one to stay - this term; I must reserve every bit of strength for the work.’ - -To the same. Towards the end of the Easter holidays, when she had been -confined to her room with a bronchial attack:— - - ‘I have been reading a very pretty book, _The House of Quiet_. - Now I have Herbert Spencer’s _Autobiography_, which I am not - reading, but a friend picks out bits for me. I have been going - over again some old friends, _Dr. Jekyl_, _Cecilia de Noel_, - etc.’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_June 1905._ - - ‘I had a very enjoyable visit to Winchester to the annual - meeting of head-mistresses, and last week I dined at the - Clothworkers’, my first experience of a City company’s dinner. - There were many interesting people.’ - -In the summer holidays of 1905 Miss Giles accompanied Miss Beale to -Oeynhausen. The two following letters concern the preparation made for -this visit to the German baths. - - ‘_July 1905._ - - ‘Have you quite made up your mind not to come to the Quiet - Days?... remember you will have a period of spiritual - starvation as regards church-going.... - - ‘I mean to take as little as possible ... we do no visiting ... - a few books I must have. If you come, you could write out your - notes of addresses and read them to me, as I am not likely to - hear them.... We have had twelve concerts, and I was present at - most of them. I have not yet signed a report, and have taken - leave of only some of the _about_ one hundred and twenty who - will leave. - - ‘I thought of taking Illingworth’s _Personality_,—and perhaps - _Lux Mundi_, if you do not know it well; also some _Hamlet_ - books: but I shall take chiefly light books, in a material - sense.’ - -On returning from Germany Miss Beale went to Hyde Court for her niece’s -wedding, and wrote on arrival to Miss Giles. - - ‘_September 1905._ - - ‘Lena looks lovely!’ - -A letter followed describing the wedding, and concluding thus:— - - ‘The country is looking lovely—even in the rain; but the - swallows are flying about in great excitement. I think they - must be departing at once. I wonder how long I shall be - privileged to go on working before I too migrate. I do hope I - may be able to work on to the end....’ - -To the same:— - - ‘_September 1905._ - - ‘I had nightmare last night about war in India. Russia is quite - ready to turn her armies into Afghanistan, and she is allowed - to keep all ready in Manchuria. Well, one can only hope that - still out of the strife will come soul evolution.’ - -In September 1905 Miss Beale’s letters speak of exhaustion, but others -wrote of her that she was busy, full of energy, and ‘does not seem to -tire.’ - -To the same. Speaking of her visit to London in the Christmas holidays:— - - ‘_January 15, 1906._ - - ‘One afternoon I spent with Mrs. Benson, and Miss Benson lent - me the book recounting her digging up of the Temple of Mut. - Arthur Benson too was there, and Miss Tait and Mrs. Henry - Sidgwick. - - ‘What a revolution we have! If we had stood still things might - have been as they are in Russia. One could not be satisfied - with the late government, but one dreads violent changes; it is - well there are a few strong men in the Ministry. Mr. Balfour - deserves his fate for not bringing in a re-distribution Bill, - and for tyrannising—but one feels sorry for him too. - - ‘_PS._—Think of us on Tuesday’ (the opening day of term), ‘I - feel so weak.’ - -The weakness to which Miss Beale alluded was destined to continue, but -amid the decay of natural health long-rooted hopes grew strong and -blossomed afresh. But a few weeks before her own death she wrote to a -friend who had recently lost her mother:— - - ‘You will miss your beloved mother, but it is well. I suppose - none of us desire to live after our faculties fail.... I am - feeling old age is creeping on.... Well, we shall soon all - meet—Behind the veil, behind the veil!’ - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] MS. Autobiography.—D. Beale. - -[2] MS. autobiography. - -[3] ‘Have you seen Miss Cornwallis’ _Letters_? A very remarkable -woman, though a little uncomfortable to herself and others, and a -little too audacious now and then. She wrote these _Small Books on -Great Subjects_ which were much thought of at the time, and always -considered a man’s work.’—_Letters of Dr. John Brown_, CLXXXIV., -‘To Lady Airlie.’ (Adam Black, 1906.) - -[4] See chap. xv., Letter to the Bishop of Manchester. - -[5] William Cornwallis Harris, Major H.E.I.C., was also a cousin -of Mr. Beale’s. Major Harris saw service in India, shot big game -in the heart of Africa, was sent in charge of a mission to Shoa in -Abyssinia, returning after arranging a commercial treaty. For this -he was knighted. He died in India in 1848, aged 41. - -[6] MS. autobiography written about 1895. - -[7] Author of _Malvern Chase_ and other works. - -[8] MS. autobiography. - -[9] MS. autobiography. - -[10] _Ibid._ - -[11] MS. autobiography. - -[12] On the Education of Girls.—_Fraser’s Magazine_, October 1866. - -[13] MS. autobiography. - -[14] MS. autobiography. - -[15] MS. autobiography. - -[16] _Ibid._ - -[17] MS. autobiography. - -[18] _Ibid._ - -[19] See Appendix A. - -[20] _Nineteenth Century_, April 1888. - -[21] Mr. Carus Wilson was ordained the following year by the -Archbishop of Canterbury. - -[22] Bishop Jackson. - -[23] _Kaiserwerth Deaconesses._ By a Lady. - -[24] _Ibid._ - -[25] _Ibid._ - -[26] See Appendix B. - -[27] See Appendix C. - -[28] See chap. v. - -[29] _Nineteenth Century_, 1888. - -[30] Mr. Bellairs was subsequently Vicar of Nuneaton, and Hon. -Canon of Worcester. - -[31] Afterwards first Bishop of Tasmania. - -[32] ‘Cheltenham is Attica in architecture and Bœotia in -understanding.’—_Gentleman’s Magazine_, 1828. - -[33] ‘Cheltenham: a polka, parson-worshipping place of which -Francis Close is Pope, besides pumps and pump-rooms, chalybeates, -quadrilles, and one of the prettiest counties of Britain.’—A. -TENNYSON, Letter, 1845. - -[34] These were among the first in the country. - -[35] See Appendix D. - -[36] _History of Ladies’ College_, p. 12. - -[37] These marks of omission occur in the copy of Miss Beale’s -letter left among her papers. - -[38] _History of the Ladies’ College_, p. 22. - -[39] Afterwards Sir Thomas Barlow and Sir William Gull. - -[40] ‘Of Queens’ Gardens,’ _Sesame and Lilies_, J. Ruskin. - -[41] See p. 11. - -[42] On the Education of Women. A Paper read by Mr. William Grey at -the meeting of the Society of Arts, May 31, 1871. - -[43] Mrs. Grey. - -[44] Heroic couplets. - -[45] Lincoln’s Inn. - -[46] _Francis Mary Buss and Her Work for Education_, A. E. Ridley, -p. 242. - -[47] _History of the Ladies’ College._ - -[48] The Rev. G. H. Wilkinson, D.D., then Vicar of St. Peter’s, -Eaton Square. At his death, Bishop of St. Andrews and Primus of the -Scottish Church. - -[49] _Poems_, F. W. Faber. - -[50] ‘In Retreat, 1883.’ - -[51] ‘Building.’ - -[52] ‘In Retreat, 1883.’ - -[53] Letter to a friend. - -[54] _Ibid._ - -[55] In every embassy in Europe, in many Government houses in our -colonies, and in several courts of Asia, wives and mothers are -living who have drawn their earliest principles from the ideal -teachings of Dorothea Beale.—_Court Journal_, November 24, 1906. - -[56] First preface. - -[57] _Ibid._ - -[58] Bacon’s _Advancement of Learning_. - -[59] Guild Address, 1888. - -[60] See Bishop Lightfoot’s ‘Sermon on St. Hilda,’ _C.L.C. Mag._, -Spring 1886. - -[61] See Miss Beale’s paper, ‘St. Hilda’s,’ _C.L.C. Mag._, Autumn -1886. - -[62] Chap. VIII. - -[63] Dr. Kitchin, now Dean of Durham. - -[64] Then Somerville Hall. - -[65] Mrs. C. T. Mitchell, who has from the first been connected -with the Guild work. - -[66] Now Bishop of London. - -[67] Afterwards Mrs. Charles Robinson. - -[68] Even such an act as this had nothing personal in it. ‘Once,’ -writes an old girl, ‘I asked Miss Beale to sign a photograph on -the last afternoon of the term. She said her hand was tired with -shaking hands, and asked if next term would do. When I said it was -a Christmas present for Mother, and I wanted to give it complete, -she at once sat down and signed it.’ - -[69] Compare with this Miss Beale’s remarks on history as an -educational subject, _Work and Play_, p. 114. - -[70] Miss Beale published some of her lectures on literature in -1902 in the volume entitled, _Literary Studies of Poems New and -Old_: G. Bell and Sons. - -[71] So much did Miss Beale dislike a formal study of the Bible, -that when first the Oxford Local Examinations were taken in the -College, she induced the parents of pupils entering for them to -sign a conscience clause to the effect that they did not wish their -children to take a Scripture examination. The amount set for study -was afterwards lessened, and could therefore be more thoroughly -taught. Thus her objections were minimised. - -[72] _Relation of Home to School Life, No. II., Truth._ - -[73] _Work and Play in Girls’ Schools._ - -[74] She spoke of tennis as ‘playing archery.’ - -[75] At Miss Clarke’s school in the Christmas holidays of 1877, the -first Retreat Miss Beale attended. - -[76] See chap. xv. - -[77] Death of Miss Newman at Mayfield House. - -[78] Now Ely Professor of Divinity at Cambridge, and Canon of Ely. - -[79] _Frances Mary Buss and her Work for Education._ - -[80] Now at Mukti, Poona District. - -[81] Its objects are: a systematic study of mission work in all -lands; formation of closer links with those old College girls who -are now missionaries. - -[82] Bishop Webb. - -[83] In this section the methods best adapted for the secondary -instruction of girls, specially as regards Modern Languages and -Science, were discussed. - -[84] M. Fallières, then Ministre de l’Instruction publique. - -[85] It is interesting to compare this opinion with those expressed -in the last Head-masters’ Conference (December 1907) by the -Head-masters of Eton and Winchester, who were in the minority which -would have lessened the amount of scholarship Greek required from -boys of thirteen and fourteen. - -[86] The marvels of astronomy had always a special fascination for -Miss Beale. When the Leonid meteors were expected on one night in -1898 the Chief Constable, Admiral Christian, by her wish instructed -the police as soon as they appeared to ring up Miss Beale, and she -was to pull the alarm-bell to rouse the girls. - -[87] The news reached Miss Beale two days later. See Appendix E. - -[88] On Secondary Education. - -[89] Charles Smith, M.A., Master of Sidney Sussex College. - -[90] Designed by Mr. E. R. Robson, F.S.A. - -[91] Raphael. - -[92] Mrs. James Owen. - -[93] Letter to Miss Strong. - -[94] Now Sir Arthur Rücker. - -[95] Queen Margaret’s College. - -[96] He was surreptitiously introduced into the gallery of the Hall -while Miss Beale was giving a lesson. - -[97] Miss Buss. - -[98] Miss Gretton. - -[99] This proved to be the date of her funeral. - -[100] See Letters. - -[101] The allusion is to Mrs. Charles Robinson. - -[102] See Appendix F. - -[103] - - ‘Nature never lends - The smallest scruple of her excellence, - But, like a thrifty goddess, she determines - Herself ... - Both thanks and use.’—_Measure for Measure._ - -A favourite quotation of Miss Beale’s. - -[104] After Mrs. Robinson’s death in 1906, Miss Beale wrote to -Canon Robinson, ‘I think I may say that Clara was the best beloved -of all my children.’ - -[105] F. Du Pré. - -[106] _Fraser’s Magazine_, October 1866. - - - - -APPENDIX A, Page 28. - - -A lady who attended Dr. Bernays’ German classes with Miss Beale has -interesting recollections of her. She remembers her as in appearance -‘very fair and slight and interesting looking,’ with a quiet dignity and -attraction about her which gave her an influence; one remarkable instance -of this may be told. - -Dorothea and Anna Beale were once absent from the German class on its -first meeting for a new term. Dr. Bernays said they should read _Faust_, -and accordingly all the pupils brought copies of _Faust_ to the next -class. When all were seated, Dorothea stood up and said quietly and -respectfully that she thought _Faust_ objectionable reading for young -girls, and suggested some other book. Dr. Bernays looked just a little -annoyed, but listened quite kindly. He said it was a pity the books had -been bought, but put it to the class what should be done. Such was Miss -Beale’s influence that all decided to submit to her judgment. - - - - -APPENDIX B, Page 74. - -TITLES OF CHAPTERS IN MISS BEALE’S _TEXTBOOK_ 1858. - - - A.D. FIRST CENTURY.—Christianity. - ” SECOND ” Good Emperors. - ” THIRD ” Barbarian Invasions. - ” FOURTH ” Establishment of Christianity in the - Roman Empire. - ” FIFTH ” Fall of the Roman Empire. - ” SIXTH ” Struggles of the Eastern Emperors with - the Barbarian Kings. - ” SEVENTH ” Saracens. - ” EIGHTH ” Charlemagne. - ” NINTH ” Northmen. - ” TENTH ” Cities increase in importance. - ” ELEVENTH ” Hildebrand. - ” TWELFTH ” Crusades. - ” THIRTEENTH ” The Age of the Schoolmen. - ” FOURTEENTH ” The Middle Classes increase in importance. - ” FIFTEENTH ” Invention of Printing. - ” SIXTEENTH ” Reformation. - ” SEVENTEENTH ” Religious Wars. - ” EIGHTEENTH ” Struggles for Political Liberty. - - - - -APPENDIX C, Page 75. - -A PAGE OF MISS BEALE’S _SELF-EXAMINATION_ 1858. - - - Have I been | The ungodly borroweth | Most of the forms of - always careful to | and payeth not | injustice come under the - return anything | again.—_Ps._ xxxvii. | head of sins of the tongue; - borrowed? | 21. | _e.g._, ascribing false - | | motives, evil-speaking, - | The spoil of the | &c. Cheapening, making - | poor is in your houses. | bargains, is generally - | What mean ye that ye | injustice. Also, delaying - | grind the faces of the | to pay what you owe—you - | poor.—_Is._ iii. 15. | may deceive yourself, - | | so far as to think - | Woe unto him that | that you are only anxious - | buildeth his house by | to be economical, that - | unrighteousness, and | you may have more to give - | his chambers by | away; but will it not be an - | wrong; that useth his | insult to God to offer Him - | neighbours’ service | part of your unjust gain? - | without wages, and | It is much more charitable - | giveth him not for his | to pay justly, than to - | work.—_Is._ xvii. 13. | give; but there is not so - | | much chance of praise. - | I will be a swift | - | witness against them | - | that oppress the | - | hireling in his | - | wages.—_Mal._ iii. 5. | - | | - | Say not unto thy | - | neighbour go, and | - | come again, and | - | to-morrow I will give, | - | when thou hast it by | - | thee.—_Prov._ iii. 28. | - | | - Have I indulged | Whatsoever thy | Do not leave yourself time - my body | hand findeth to do, do | to think about anything it - by idleness, not | it with all thy | is your duty to do. - rising when I | might.—_Eph._ x. 9. | - ought, taking | | Idleness, by delaying, - unnecessary rest? | Be not slothful in | conquers; stop to parley - | business.—_Rom._ | and you have lost the day. - | xii. 11. | It is a great help in - | | getting up, or beginning - Wasting time | Early in the morning | any occupation, to have - with unprofitable | will I direct my | some signal, and then never - or idle talking, | prayer unto Thee, and | allow yourself one second - or reading? | will look up.—_Ps._ | after. Be careful to make - | | some fixed arrangement - Allowing idle | Rising a great while | of your time, as far as - thoughts to run | before day, He departed | possible; at any rate, - on unchecked? | into a solitary | put in as many landmarks - | place, and there | as you can in the day; but - Refusing prompt | prayed.—_S. Matt._ | do not praise yourself - and cheerful | i. 35. | for your conscientious - obedience because | | arrangement of your time, - unwilling to | | or you will find, in a few - give up some | | days, that you have become - interesting | | quite unpunctual. - occupation? | | - - - - -APPENDIX D, p. 90 - -PROSPECTUS OF THE CHELTENHAM COLLEGE FOR YOUNG LADIES - -NOVEMBER 1, 1853 - - - PROSPECTUS - - OF - - THE CHELTENHAM COLLEGE INSTITUTION - - FOR - - THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG LADIES - - AND OF - - CHILDREN UNDER EIGHT YEARS OF AGE; - - Cambray House. - -Committee: - - REV. H. W. BELLAIRS, M.A., one of H.M.’s Inspectors of Schools, - _3, Priory Parade_. - - REV. W. DOBSON, M.A., Principal of the Cheltenham College, _2, - Sandford Place_. - - REV. H. A. HOLDEN, M.A., Vice Principal of the Cheltenham - College, Fellow and late Assistant Tutor of Trinity College, - Cambridge, _The Queen’s Hotel_. - - LIEUT.-COL. FITZMAURICE, K.H., _14, Royal Crescent_. - - S. E. COMYN, ESQ., M.D., _4, Berkeley Place_. - - NATH. HARTLAND, ESQ., _The Oaklands, Charlton Kings_. - -Honorary Secretary: - - REV. HUBERT A. HOLDEN, M.A. - -Treasurer: - - NATHANIEL HARTLAND, ESQ. - -The COMMITTEE are now able to publish a detailed Prospectus of the Course -and Arrangements of this Institution, with the Hours and Terms for the -various Departments and Classes. - -The management of the educational Working of the College, which it is -proposed to open after the ensuing Christmas Vacation, will be committed -to a LADY PRINCIPAL to be assisted by Teachers and Professors, appointed -by the Committee. - -FEES, PAYABLE HALF YEARLY IN ADVANCE. - -The Pupils of the Institution will be arranged in FOUR DIVISIONS, -according to attainments; and the terms will be regulated according to -the following scale:— - - FOR THE FIRST DIVISION 12 _Guineas for the Half Yearly Session_. - FOR THE SECOND DIVISION 9 _Guineas_ ” ” - FOR THE THIRD DIVISION 6 _Guineas_ ” ” - FOR THE FOURTH DIVISION 4 _Guineas_ ” ” - -Children will be admitted after the completion of their Fourth year; but -Boys must be withdrawn on the completion of their Seventh year. - -REGULAR COURSE OF STUDY: - - HOLY SCRIPTURE AND THE LITURGY OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, - The PRINCIPLES OF GRAMMAR and the Elements of LATIN, - ARITHMETIC, - CALISTHENIC EXERCISES, - DRAWING, - FRENCH, - GEOGRAPHY, - HISTORY, - MUSIC, - NEEDLEWORK. - -EXTRA AND BYE COURSE OF STUDY: - - GERMAN, - ITALIAN, - DANCING. - -For Pupils desirous of availing themselves of _extra_ Lessons in MUSIC -and DRAWING from Professors attached to the College, extra Classes will -be formed and extra charges made. - -EXTRA OR BYE STUDENTS. - -Students, not engaged in the Regular Routine of the College Course, will -be at liberty to attend the Bye Course of Study and also the _extra_ -Classes in MUSIC and DRAWING. Such Students may be nominated upon either -Ordinary or Bye Shares (issued at £10 each), and will be required to pay -a Fee of _Two Guineas_ a year to the College, exclusive of the Fee to the -Professor. - -HOURS OF ATTENDANCE. - -MORNING.—From a Quarter past Nine to a Quarter past Twelve. - -AFTERNOON.—From Half-past Two to Half-past Four. - -(_Wednesday and Saturday Half Holidays._) - -Children under Seven Years of Age will attend in the Mornings only. - -_Members of Classes for Religious Instruction under the Parochial Clergy, -will be excused attendance at the College on Monday Afternoons._ - -BOARDING HOUSES - -for the reception of Pupils will be opened, with the sanction of the -Committee, in the immediate neighbourhood of CAMBRAY HOUSE, under the -Superintendence of the following Ladies:—Mrs. MURGEAUD, _7, Oriel -Terrace_; Miss ATKINSON, _of Kingsbridge, Devon._; Mrs. TREW, _of -Stoneham House, Bath Road_. - -The Charge for Boarders is £35 per annum. Extras: Washing £4, 4s.; Seat -in Church £1, 1s. - -A few of the Fifty £20 Shares remain to be disposed of; application for -which should be made to the Hon. Secretary. The Proprietors of such -Shares will have the option of nominating either one Regular or two Bye -Students. - -Several Teachers and Professors have been appointed, the announcement of -whose names is deferred for the present, till the list is complete. - -_November 1, 1853._ - - - - -APPENDIX E, Page 332. - -EDWARD BEALE. - - -The Reverend Edward Beale, a member of the Society of St. John the -Evangelist, Cowley, died at Mazagon, Bombay Presidency, on February 3, -1894. He was a younger brother to whom Miss Beale was much attached. -His early promise of a brilliant career was cut short by severe illness -while he was still an undergraduate at Oxford. For years he was wholly -incapacitated, but on recovering partial health he received deacon’s -orders, and before joining St. John’s Society, worked for a time at -Warminster. Here he gave the addresses afterwards published under the -title of _The Mind of Christ_. - -From Cowley Mr. Beale was sent to the Society’s Mission in Bombay. He was -much beloved and looked up to by those among whom he worked. At the time -of his death (which occurred after a very short illness) he was engaged -to read a paper at the coming Diocesan Conference on ‘The Necessity of -Faith in the Church as the Fullest Possible Manifestation of the Life of -God in Creation.’ His funeral was attended by a crowd of the poorest poor. - -The following lines in her brother Edward’s handwriting, found among Miss -Beale’s papers, seem to be undoubtedly original, and to tell the history -of his consecrated life:— - -INDIA—WRITTEN IN ILLNESS, 1884. - - Once I was wont to prize - Glance from approving eyes, - And sun myself too fondly in their light. - Too eager to entwine - The flowers about Love’s shrine - With pulses throbbing with a wild delight. - And one who loved me said, - With voice of boding dread, - ‘Oh child, these hopes will fade, these flowers will die, - And what will then remain - To ease the long, slow pain, - Unless your heart be lifted up on high? - ... - Once when I heard a name - Of high heroic fame, - Of lives of lasting influence for good, - I felt my heart on fire - With one long vague desire - To join the ranks of those who have withstood. - But now I do not ask - For such heroic task, - My heart is all too faint to stand the glare, - My eyes too weak to see - The path laid out for me, - I only wait and feel that One is there. - ... - One, at whose blessed feet - I lie in silence sweet - Perhaps unheeded as the world goes by, - There only lying still - Waiting to know His Will, - Till He shall bend on me His gracious eye. - Then in that glorious gleam - Shall every earthborn dream, - Darkness, delusion, doubt all flee away: - Truth shall be brought to light, - Faith shall be lost in sight, - In the clear shining of the perfect day! - - - - -APPENDIX F, Page 368. - - -The following notice by an old pupil, now a head-mistress, appeared in -the _Times_ of November 17:— - - ‘Miss Beale’s personality made itself everywhere strongly felt, - but most of all in her own school. Even in later days, when - she could come in contact with a very small minority of the - 1000 under her care, her absence was felt by all as a loss of - moral support, almost a lessening of tension. Strenuousness was - a dominant note of the tone she inspired by the force of her - own vitality, and, to use a favourite word of her own, she was - always “energizing” the school. And it told. “I am sending my - girl to Cheltenham,” said one, “because I find that those who - have been there do their work—paid or unpaid—with thoroughness - and attention to detail,” and others paid the same testimony to - the training. This thoroughness was eminently characteristic of - Miss Beale’s own work. To the end she prepared her lessons with - the same care she would have asked from the merest beginner in - teaching. Her correspondence was unlimited, and an astonishing - amount of it was written in her own hand. She superintended - every detail of the building which she loved—which was indeed - her hobby. While allowing her subordinates much scope and - encouraging suggestion, she kept the threads of the intricate - organisation in her own hands. Her physical energy was - only second to her force of will, though her “spirit” was - pathetically shown in latter days by her refusal to accept the - limitations set by failing health. “We have talked for three - minutes about my health,” she said to one who saw her after a - serious illness, “let us speak of something more interesting.” - And, though she had lost the sight of one eye, and was so - deaf that listening to others reading must have been a strain - rather than a pleasure, she still continued to read every book - of importance as it appeared. Her intellectual vigour was - fresh to the end, and her keen interest in every new branch of - learning unimpaired. She would plunge on a railway journey into - a discussion of the last book on psychology, or demonstrate - the latest method of teaching shorthand. She was astonishingly - young in thought, always “up to date,” and often in advance of - the general progress. - - ‘Her personal influence, though strong, and in some cases - almost overpowering, was peculiarly free from any weakening - element. She did not encourage demonstration, and, though - in later years she allowed her tenderness more play, the - atmosphere about her was always bracing. Perhaps she was - more in touch with the strong than the weak. She had little - understanding of, or sympathy with any form of frivolity, still - less of flippancy. She made decisions herself on principles - always, and she expected the same from others. Very often - she induced it by her mere expectation, and so made the weak - strong. It was this partly which made so many come to her for - the advice which was given at the cost of any amount of time - or trouble to any “old girl.” And, though she never sought, - or perhaps enjoyed, popularity in the ordinary sense of the - word, many who had feared her in their school-days, grew - afterwards to love her as well as to admire her, and often to - depend on her. She had a great reverence for the conscience - of each with whom she dealt. She brought up her “children” to - think for themselves, and, though naturally disappointed when - they differed from her, she always acknowledged their right to - hold their own opinions. She was incapable of pettiness, and - nothing could exceed her generosity in owning herself mistaken. - Indeed she loved a fair fight, and greatly appreciated an - honourable opponent, and she welcomed as fellow-workers those - of very different views from herself, and had, indeed, the most - wonderful power of discovering worth in all. - - ‘Much of her outward success was due, no doubt, to her shrewd - business capacity—her physique, her intellectual strength, her - single-minded absorption in the cause of education, and its - concrete embodiment in her own school. But the real success, - her power of inspiring others, was due to her greatness of - character. The Guild meetings, at which there was often an - attendance of some hundreds of old girls, were the source of - inspiration to many. “I come back feeling a poor thing, but - knowing that great things are possible,” was the feeling of - many, if not expressed in these words. And this was due, not to - her organising power, nor even to her freshness of thought, but - to her spiritual genius. She was a seer, perhaps, rather than - a prophet, for, though of original mind, she found accurate - expression of thought difficult. “I never understood Miss - Beale’s Scripture lessons,” said an old pupil, “they were so - vague; but I always felt a bigness of thought about them, and - sometimes the meaning of things she said begins to dawn on me - now.” Her religious life was not expressed formally; but it was - beyond all doubt a real force and the source of her strength. - The feeling was there and was intense. Years after she could - not speak without tears of a time of doubt and uncertainty. She - was rapt in prayer, and at times fervent to passion. It was - with absolute reality that she taught that the important thing - was to know and do the will of God, and it is this above all - else which is causing thousands of her children to “rise up and - call her blessed.”’ - -The following extract is from a notice in the _Guardian_ of November 21, -1906:— - - DOROTHEA BEALE. IN THANKFUL REMEMBRANCE. - - ‘Miss Beale is dead. To many of us who loved and reverenced - her, death seems the wrong word to use, she looked forward with - such loving hopefulness to the great time of direct revelation, - that one would rather (following Dr. Pusey’s practice) call her - deathday her last and greatest birthday. Much has been said and - written of her work—comparatively little of her personality. As - one who was honoured by her friendship for over thirty years, I - would ask for a little space in which to describe her. Her most - marked characteristic was her profound reverence for truth. - If truth hurt her, none the less did she accept it loyally. - This sanctified her scholarship. Her generous gratitude to all - who in any way helped her evidenced her large-heartedness. - Especially did she remember her father’s indirect, unconscious - teaching.... - - ‘Among the most treasured memories of the present writer are - those of certain Sunday afternoons spent at Cheltenham with - Miss Beale, her great friend, Miss Buss, and another friend - who has also entered into rest. After saying the Veni Creator - together we talked with perfect openness of those things we - most loved and dreaded. This close personal communion with - such personalities as those of our two great leaders was - at once a privilege and a responsibility. Mention has been - made elsewhere of Miss Beale’s reading at College prayers. - Even more penetratingly beautiful was her reading on some of - those afternoons. In a time of great trouble she read to us - Kingsley’s _St. Maura_. And the pathos with which she lingered - on the words, “Who ever found the Cross a pleasant bed?” made, - at least on one of her hearers, an indelible impression. - - ‘Perhaps the words which most adequately describe her whole - life are, “I have set God always before me.” She has been, and - still is, to those who knew her, a true Dorothea—the gift of - God.’ - - E. T. DAY. - - - - -INDEX - - - Address to Parents, 155. - - Aitken, Miss V., 258. - - Aldrich-Blake, Dr., 357, 362, 363. - - Alston, Miss, 30, 40, 62, 79, 97, 98. - - Alverstone, Lord, 340. - - Ambleside, 333, 388. - - Andrews, Miss A., 322, 323, 340, 344, 354, 358, 359, 361. - - Angélique, La Mère, 226. - - Arnold, Miss C., 161, 173, 246, 267, 268, 280, 282, 283, 372-389. - - Asquith, Mr., 340, 341. - - Assistant Mistresses’ Association, 294. - - Astell, Mrs., 252. - - Austin’s, St. (boarding-house), 247. - - Autobiography, Miss Beale’s, 3-13. - - - Balliol College, 330. - - Barlow, Sir T., 123. - - Barnes, 66, 95, 96, 99. - - Barrett, Mrs., 79. - - —— Professor, 187, 198. - - Barry, Canon, 168. - - Bartholomew, Mrs., 7. - - Bath, 343. - - Batten, Mrs., 240. - - Battenberg, Princess Henry of, 334. - - Beale, Anna, 123. - - —— Dorothea, childhood, 1-9; - schools, 9-14; - home life, 15, 16, 60-66; - Queen’s College, 20-35; - Principal of Cheltenham Ladies’ College, 98, 115; - as teacher, 43, 45, 127, 254-275; - early difficulties, 128; - Blue-book, 138; - as principal, 276-285; - religious faith, 73-89, 187-202, 264, 268; - honours, 319, 323, 324, 336, 339; - letters, 150, 161, 162, 164, 192, 196, 197, 221, 239, 246, 251, - 255, 266, 267, 268, 272, 273, 280-285, 287-290, 292, 296, 304-310, - 314, 328, 332, 341, 342, 350, 357, 371-419. - - Beale, Edward, 15, 130, Appendix E. - - —— Eliza, 8, 13, 66, 79, 338. - - —— Henry, 1. - - —— Miles, 1, 2, 6, 7, 20, 38, 39, 44, 45, 48, 49, 50, 53, 54, 56, 74, - 76, 132. - - —— Mrs., 2, 95, 107, 130. - - Bedford College, 135. - - —— Duchess of, 347. - - —— High School, 352. - - Belcher, Miss, 152, 182, 265, 284, 352, 404-408, 416. - - Bell, Mr., J.P., 95, 100, 102, 107. - - Bellairs, Canon, 82, 86, 89, 97, 98, 102-107, 168, 238. - - Bennett, W. Sterndale, 23, 30. - - Benson, Archbishop, 287, 290, 388. - - —— Mrs., 287, 292, 400, 419. - - —— Miss, 352. - - Bernays, Professor, 23, Appendix A. - - Berridge, Miss, 343. - - Bidder, Miss, 343. - - Blackwell, Dr. Elizabeth, 135. - - Blackwood, Lady Victoria, 329. - - Blenkarne, Mrs., 30, 79. - - Bloemfontein, 301. - - Boarding-houses, 89, 170-175. - - Body, Canon, 182, 249, 289, 291, 330, 386. - - Bonchurch, 331, 415. - - Boyd, Dean, 85, 94, 131. - - Bradfield, 333. - - Brancker, Mr. J. H., 112, 120-124, 165, 227, 228. - - Brasseur, Professor, 23, 28. - - Bray, Mrs., 13. - - Brewer, Professor, 23, 24. - - —— Miss, 94, 107, 113, 123, 131. - - Bromby, Bishop, 82, 86, 94, 115, 119, 132. - - —— Rev. G., 222, 224. - - Brown, Miss M., 276, 314. - - —— Dr. Morton, 168. - - Bruce, Miss, 243, 342. - - Bryant, Mrs., 348. - - Bryce, Sir J., 141, 325. - - —— Commission, 294, 325. - - Buckoll, Miss, 68. - - Budge, Professor, 355. - - Burdett-Coutts, Baroness, 336. - - Burney, Fanny, 83. - - Burrows, Mrs., 237. - - Burton, Canon, 37. - - Buss, Miss, 23, 24, 25, 27, 61, 123, 133, 135, 143, 145, 168, 169, - 172, 174, 292, 293, 321, 323, 331, 382, 408. - - - Caines, Miss, 170, 291, 338, 402. - - Caird, Dr. Edward, 378, 392. - - Cambray House, 90, 92, 108, 126. - - —— —— School, 246, 247. - - Cambridge, 330. - - Cardew, Dr., 359. - - Carpenter, Dr., 135. - - —— Mr. Lant, 413. - - Carter, Miss, 404, 407. - - Casterton, 33, 35, 36-61, 63, 66, 100, 175. - - Catherine, St., of Siena, 226. - - Charles, Mr. Justice, 173. - - _Chart_, the, 126, 261. - - Cheltenham, 66, 81, 82, 291, 337. - - —— College, 86. - - Child-Study Association, 295. - - Child, Dr., 235. - - Church Schools’ Company, 294. - - Clark, Rev. S., 24. - - Clarke, Miss Margaret, 180, 183, 282, 330, 331, 401, 408. - - Clewer, 134, 251. - - Close, Dean, 84, 85, 89, 100, 103, 131. - - Clough, Miss, 347. - - Coates, Mr., 411, 412. - - Cock, Rev. T. A., 24, 26, 29. - - Collet, Mrs. Mark, 400. - - Colson, M. Théodore, 112. - - Complin, Dorothea M. See Mrs. Beale. - - —— Elizabeth, 2, 5. - - Compton, Bishop, Lord Alwyne, 234. - - Comyn, Dr. S. E., 87, 98, 105. - - Cooper, Mrs., 403. - - Corbet, Rev. R., 196, 197. - - Corbett, Miss, 241. - - Cornwallis, Archbishop, 3. - - Cornwallis, Caroline F., 2, 4, 5. - - —— Mrs., 2, 3. - - —— Rev., 2, 3. - - Coulson, Mrs., 113. - - Council, Ladies’ College, 163, 168. - - Cowan Bridge, 41. - - Cowley House, 330. - - Crawford, Annette Bear, 309. - - Creighton, Bishop, 242. - - Crosby Hall, 6, 11, 12. - - Curling, Dr. and Mrs., 96, 105. - - - Daldy, Dr., 73. - - Davenport, Mrs., 23. - - Davies, Miss E., 137, 140, 143, 145. - - Davis, Rev. L., 17. - - Day, Miss E., 404, Appendix F. - - —— Mr. Philip, 242. - - Degree, Edinburgh University, 339. - - De Morgan, Mr., 135. - - Denton, Rev. W., 42, 73, 76. - - Diary, Miss Beale’s, 70, 79, 105, 107, 181, 185, 189, 191, 195, 233, - 255, 292, 330. - - Dobson, Rev. W., 87. - - —— Mr. Austin, 340. - - Dove, Miss, 327. - - Draper, Miss, 329. - - Drummond, Miss, 407. - - Dufferin, Lord, 329. - - Dunn, Mr. W., 168. - - Durham, 343. - - —— University, 324. - - - Eaton, Miss, 123. - - Edinburgh, 339, 341. - - Edmonds, Miss, 284. - - Eliot, George, 379. - - Ellicott, Bishop, 89, 169, 206, 234, 349, 392. - - Elwall, Miss, 66, 79, 96. - - Endowed Schools’ Commission, 133, 136-145. - - Evans, Archdeacon, 42, 50. - - Examinations, 114, 124, 146, 153, 231. - - - Fairbairn, Dr., 326. - - Fallières, M., 323. - - Fauconberg House, 169, 170, 291. - - Fermi, Miss, 360. - - Fielden, Mrs., 319. - - Fitch, Sir Joshua, 137, 138, 167, 284, 413. - - Fitzmaurice, Colonel, 87. - - Fliedner, Pastor, 66. - - Flower, Sir William, 319. - - Fontenay-aux-Roses, 322, 324. - - Forster, Mr., 138. - - Frankfort, 334. - - Fraser, Bishop, 409. - - —— Mrs., 129, 160. - - Frederick, the Empress, 81, 333. - - Freedom of Cheltenham, 336. - - French, Bishop, 330. - - Froebel Society, 294. - - - Galloway, Miss, 342. - - Garnier-Gentilhomme, Mme., 320. - - Garrett, Miss, 135. - - Gedge, Rev. W. W., 168. - - George III., 82. - - Gilbert, Miss E., 23. - - Giles, Miss A., 344, 415-419. - - Girls’ Public Day-School Company, 123, 145, 166. - - Girton, 146. - - Gladstone, Mr., 134. - - —— Miss H., 305. - - Gleichen, Countess F., 334. - - Gloucester, 335, 367. - - —— Dean of, 219, 366. - - Gore, Miss, 360, 362, 399, 410. - - Governesses’ Benevolent Institution, 18, 19. - - Grahamstown, 301. - - Grant, Sir Ludovic, 340. - - Granville, Lord, 168. - - Green, Mr. T. H., 138. - - Greene, Mrs., 58, 102. - - Gresham Lectures, 12. - - Gretton, Miss, 352. - - Grey, Mrs. William, 140, 141, 145, 166, 172, 241, 304, 308, 383. - - Griffith, Mrs., 218. - - Grzywacz, Fräulein, 344, 360. - - Guernsey, 350. - - Guild, the, 213-221. - - —— —— Plays, 332, 355. - - —— —— Settlement, 221-225. - - Gull, Sir William, 123. - - Gurney, Mrs. Russell, 197, 198, 330, 387, 400. - - —— Rev. Alfred, 387. - - —— Miss M., 168. - - Guyon, Mme., 226. - - - Hackett, Miss Maria, 7, 146. - - Hall, Dr. Stanley, 295. - - Harraden, Miss B., 205. - - Harris, Dr., 325. - - —— Hon. and Rev. C., 95. - - Harrison, Miss J., 152, 205. - - Hartland, Mr. N., 87, 93-95, 105, 120, 122. - - Hay, Mrs., 239. - - Hayes, Mrs., 24. - - Head-mistresses’ Association, 292, 293. - - —— Conference, 351, 404, 418. - - Helen’s, St., Church, Bishopsgate, 2, 8. - - —— —— (boarding-house), 170, 247. - - Hibbert-Ware, the Misses, 403. - - Hilda, St., 226, 234. - - Hilda’s, St., Association, 243. - - —— —— College, Cheltenham, 177, 227, 231, 235. - - —— —— East, 242, 331, 342, 356. - - —— —— Hall, Oxford, 235-240, 324, 388. - - —— —— Work, 243, 250, 251, 252. - - Hinton, James, 182, 186. - - History of the Ladies’ College, 205. - - Hitchin, 146. - - Holden, Rev. H. A., 87. - - Holland, Canon Francis, 125, 284. - - Hopkins, Miss Ellice, 186, 307, 308. - - House of Education, 333. - - Hullah, Mr. John, 23. - - Hutchinson, Canon, 338. - - Hyde Court, 1, 130, 182, 183, 185, 418. - - - Illingworth, Rev. Dr., 330, 347. - - Ince, H., _Outlines_, 71, 73, 104. - - International Congress of Education, 320. - - - Jackson, Bishop, 67. - - —— Rev. T., 69. - - Jervis, Rev. C., 84. - - Jex-Blake, Dean, 161, 167. - - —— Miss, 23. - - Johnson, Miss A., 410. - - —— Sir S., 345. - - Jowett, Dr., 329, 392. - - Jubilee of Ladies’ College, 348. - - - Kaiserwerth, 64, 66-69. - - Kensington Society, 156. - - Ker, Miss F., 215, 239, 346. - - Keyl, Miss, 349. - - Kindergarten, 91, 244-246, 248. - - King, Miss, 23. - - Kingsley, Rev. C., 23, 24. - - Kirby Lonsdale, 40. - - Kitchin, Dean, 234, 238. - - Knight, Professor, 187. - - Kynaston, Canon, 168. - - - Ladies’ College, 81, 82, 86, 109-130, 135, 157; - new buildings, 158-163; - constitution, 167, 169; - extensions, organ, etc., 211, 212; - Princess Hall, 331; - science wing, 348. - - Lady Margaret Hall, 235, 237. - - Laing, Rev. D., 17, 20, 23, 24, 25, 28, 135. - - Lancaster, Mrs., 62-65, 67, 95, 97, 102, 250, 303. - - Lane, Miss, 362. - - Laurie, Miss, 410. - - —— Professor, 341. - - Leckhampton, 169, 333, 386. - - Lewis, Miss Wolseley, 266, 284, 332. - - Lloyd, Mrs., 112. - - Loan Fund, 230, 231. - - London, Bishop of, 248. - - —— Institution, 11. - - —— University, 338. - - Londonderry, Lord, 348. - - Longe, Mr. F. D., 168. - - Louch, Miss, 295, 387. - - Lowe, Mr., 165. - - Lumby, Miss A., 294, 346. - - Lyttelton, Lord, 168. - - - M’Causland, General, 168. - - Mace, Mrs., 115, 404. - - Mackenzie, Prebendary, 6, 7, 42, 72, 76, 126, 146. - - Mackintosh, Sir J., 24. - - Magazine, Ladies’ College, 186, 203-210. - - Magrath, Rev. Dr., 348, 366. - - Manchester, 136. - - _Mangnall’s Questions_, 141, 340. - - Margaret’s, St., Bethnal Green, 241. - - Maria Grey Training College, 176. - - Marlborough, 416. - - Marriott, Mr. T., 168. - - Martin, Miss, 23, 407. - - Mason, Canon, 290, 305. - - Mason, Miss C., 295, 333. - - Maurice, Professor F. D., 20-24, 27, 28. - - Mayfield House, 225, 240, 241. - - Medd, Canon, 233. - - Mellish, Miss, 350. - - Merchant Taylors’ School, 15. - - Merritt, Mrs. Lea, 346. - - Michaelis, Mme., 245. - - Middleton, Mr. J., 162, 168. - - —— Mrs., 186. - - Milner, Miss E., 136. - - Missionary Study Circle, 301. - - Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, 304. - - Monroe, Mrs. E. H., 320. - - Monteagle, Lady, 24. - - Moyle, Mrs., 243, 419. - - Mugliston, Miss H., 219. - - Mulcaster, Miss, 94. - - Murray, Miss, 18, 19. - - Music-teaching, 110-112. - - - National Education Association, U.S.A., 324. - - —— Vigilance Association, 308. - - Newcastle, 342. - - Newman, Miss C., 223, 224, 240, 310. - - —— Miss M., 176, 177, 227, 411. - - —— Francis, 195. - - —— J. H., 195. - - Nicolay, Rev. C. F., 25, 28, 114. - - Nightingale, Miss F., 67, 135. - - Nixon, Miss, 320, 411. - - Norman, Mr., 336. - - Northcote, Sir S., 138. - - - Oakeley, Sir H. E., 248. - - Oeynhausen, 69, 344, 357. - - Officier d’Académie, 323. - - Oliver, Rev. J., 64. - - Ormerod, Miss, 340. - - Osborne, Mrs., 342. - - Overwork, 153, 278. - - Owen, Mrs. J., 168, 174, 186, 206, 213, 298, 299, 303. - - —— Mr. S., 124, 125. - - - _Paidologist, The_, 295. - - Parents’ Educational Union, 295. - - Paris, 320, 329. - - Parratt, Sir W., 211. - - Parry, Miss, 26. - - Pearce, Colonel, 175. - - Phillipps, Miss L. March, 168. - - Piper, Miss, 136. - - Plumptre, Dean, 23, 26, 29, 33, 34, 35, 37, 39, 42, 56, 57, 72, 95. - - Plunket, Mr. W. L., 329. - - Procter, Mrs., 90, 92. - - —— Miss, 90, 92, 93, 94, 113, 115, 116, 164. - - —— Adelaide, 23. - - Pullen, Professor, 12. - - Pusey, Dr., 134. - - - Queen’s College, 19-35, 131, 135. - - - Radley, 330. - - Ramabai, Pundita, 299, 300, 301, 305. - - Reid, Mr., 135. - - —— Miss M., 410. - - Rein, Dr., 387. - - Retreats, 286-291. - - Reynolds, Mrs., 243. - - —— Miss, 97. - - Richardson, Miss M., 78. - - Riddle, Rev. A. E., 132. - - Ridley, Miss A., 169, 293. - - Rix, Mr. and Mrs., 363. - - Robertson, Rev. F., 86. - - Robinson, Mrs. C., 221, 255, 352. See Miss C. Arnold. - - Rooke, Mr. T. M., 168. - - Rowand, Miss, 359, 361, 362, 402. - - Rowley, Miss, 33. - - Rücker, Sir A., 340, 341. - - Ruskin, Mr., 136, 137; - letters, 207-212, 314-318. - - Russell, Major-General, 334. - - Ryan, Sir E., 168. - - - Saintsbury, Professor, 341. - - Salazaro, Signora Zampini, 320. - - Samuelson, Lady, 320. - - Saumerez, Lord de, 89. - - Scholarships, 175, 176, 230, 239. - - _Self-Examination Questions_, 73, Appendix C. - - Sélincourt, Mr. de, 416. - - Selwyn, Miss, 176. - - Sewell, Miss E., 135, 136, 358, 415. - - —— Mrs., 15. - - Shannon, Mr. J. J., 347. - - Shepheard, Rev. H., 53, 57, 58, 96, 99, 103, 105. - - —— Mrs., 58. - - Shields, Mr. F., 315, 416. - - Shireff, Miss, 145, 305. - - Shorthouse, Mr. S., 209. - - Simeon, Rev. C., 84. - - Sinclair, Miss M., 205. - - Smith, Mrs. Ashley, 215-218, 411. - - —— Rev. Charles, 330. - - —— Professor G. A., 342. - - Soames, Miss, 227. - - Social Science Congress, 138, 146, 147, 155, 156, 166, 409. - - Somervell, Mrs. A., 320. - - Somerville College, 235. - - Soulsby, Mrs., 290. - - —— Miss, 327, 328. - - Stanley, Lady, of Alderley, 24. - - —— Hon. Lyulph, 321. - - Stanton, Rev. V. H., 289, 290, 292. - - Stepney, Bishop of, 356, 367. - - Stevenson, the Misses, 342. - - Stirling, Miss, 345, 346. - - Stoke, 190. - - Storrar, Dr., 144, 168. - - Storrs, Mr., 146. - - Story, Dr., 342. - - Strettel, Rev. A. B., 25. - - Strong, Miss L., 301, 328, 338, 401, 404, 408. - - Stroud, 1, 388. - - Stubbs, Bishop, 238. - - Sturge, Miss, 360, 361, 365, 408. - - Sudeley Castle, 392. - - Swanwick, Miss A., 393. - - Symonds. Rev. W., 6. - - Synge, Miss B., 205. - - - Tait, Miss, 419. - - Tallents, Mrs., 349. - - Teachers’ Guild, 294. - - Temple, Bishop, 138. - - Tennyson, Alfred, 19, 137. - - _Textbook of General History_, 66, 70, 73, 95, 99, 104, 261, - Appendix B. - - Thompson, Miss, 212. - - Tiesset, M. and Mademoiselle, 113. - - Training of Teachers, 29, 86, 151, 176, 228, 229, 231, 246, 249, 277, - 289, 409. - - Trench, Dean, 23, 24, 67, 95. - - Trimmer, James, 3. - - —— Sarah, 3. - - Tuke, Sir John Batty, 340. - - Twining, Miss, 24, 65. - - - Vaccination, 335. - - Verrall, Mr. H., 165, 167, 168. - - —— Miss A., 241. - - Victoria, Queen, 334, 338, 367. - - Vincent, Miss, 58, 99. - - - Wantage, 13, 299. - - Wardell, Miss, 23. - - Webb, Bishop, 302. - - —— Mr. S., 387. - - Wedgwood, Mrs., 25, 43. - - —— Miss, 22, 350. - - Welldon, Miss, 245. - - Wellington, Duke of, 83, 108. - - Wells, Mrs., 239, 403. - - Westcott, Bishop, 206. - - Weston, Miss Agnes, 310. - - Widgery, Mr., 321. - - Wilderspin, Miss, 246. - - Wilkinson, Bishop, 186, 281, 286, 374, 377, 378, 380, 382, 383, 385. - - Wilson, Rev. C., 40, 41, 58, 102. - - —— Mr. E. T., 168. - - Winkworth, Miss C., 168. - - Withiel, Mrs., 294. - - Wood, Lady Page, 24. - - —— Miss S., 152, 400, 408. - - Woodchester, 331, 338. - - Woodhouse, Mrs., 354, 404. - - Wordsworth, Miss, 347. - - _Work and Play_, 326-329. - - Working Men’s College, Cheltenham, 297. - - Worsley, Rev. E., 335, 357. - - Wright, Dr., 319. - - - York, 343. - - -Printed by T. and A. 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