CAMBRIDGE AND DEGREES FOR WOMEN.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9737, 27 May 1897, Page 4

CAMBRIDGE AND DEGREES FOR WOMEN.

Almost simultaneously with the publication in Chrisfcchurch of a long list o£ degrees and honours in arts, medicine, law and music conferred on women by the New Zealand University comes the news from England that a proposal in the Cambridge Senate to grant degrees to women was not merely recsived with disrespectful uproar and badinage, bat was rejected by a majority of 1000 votes.- Had the proposals ,been sweeping in their character, or such as to introduce any serious change in University life or University Government, their rejection would at least have been intelligible. But the proposals which the Cambridge Senate so emphatically rejected were extremely moderate in their scope. In our University women are on an absolutely identical footing with men ,* they sit for the same examinations, attain the same degrees, and acquire the same share in the government of the University and the direction of. its politics. Female franchise was long recog nised in out University before ifc was extended to politics. The Cambridge proposals, - kow&ver, contemplated -nofcTiirtgr so arev<>ltX'fcloxKK£y_ ;.*""_TJbi.»" Syn^iiisißßiMtßiptesirißis

question merely recommended that " the title of the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with the right of proceeding to the title of the degree of Master of should be open to woman or- similar to, those in the case of men entitle them k» an honour ds- j g^ree. ,. It farther proposed that the THrions lionorary DooHorates etioulfl l>e conlerrecl -upon women who have earned the distinction by original contributions to science or letters. The adoption of this xecomin^adfttrion ■would probably have mefc the*wishes of the mere moderate among the party urgitig reform. Women are already allowed to sifc for these examinations, and they obtain certificates setting forth the degree of their success. But they find that for professional purposes these certificate? are not of equal value with diplomas. Graduates Of similar attainments from other seats of learning have an advantage "in the market" in being able to affix ther" magic "letters"' their names. Inasmuch therefore as fche recommendations of the syjadioate would, if piaaed, the " economic disability 'Ipfcthe " girl" they would the most substantial part of their present grievance. On what solid grounds these very modest proposals have been thud rejected with Eoorn and contumely it would be difficult to discover. .Their adoption would not mean the intrusion of any new element into University life. Women are already there, and whether they leave at the end of their course armed with a certificate merely or a full diploma can have very little bearing on their influence for good or ill while there. Nor can it be said that the innovation would promote an undesirable influx of giddy young ladies without serious academic aims; beqause it 'will be noted that the pass degree without honours is still withheld from them and they are aot Admitted to any of the faculties except arts. One could very well understand that a proposal to admit women to full membership of the University, and such a participation in the administration of its academic affairs as is accorded to men, might be regarded as too large a step in advance at once for an old world University to take. But the present proposals did not pretend to go to such lengths; they merely meant the admission of women to & limited class of honour degrees, without conferring upon them any privileges of academic franchise or altering their position while resident in the University in any particular. Oxford, it will be remembered, last year adopted a very firm attitude of to "the monstrous regiment of women; , ' from "England's other eye," fche younger University, a less obstinate resistance might have been... expected. i But apparently Cambridge is not likely Ito take any step in this matter that will throw the attitude of its sister University into painful contrast.