WOMEN'S LEARNING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5394, 1 March 1879, Page 6

WOMEN'S LEARNING.

J TO TIIE EDITOR, J Sir, —It is to be feared that Mrs. Shayle George is at once too orthodox and too i heterodox to be a trusted champion of either party. Shfl rightly demands that woman J shall be woman in all she says and does, and f yet her letter of the 22nd iust. evidences a J lamentable want of faith in her sex, or she • would know that the really good are good i under all circumstances: hence, that the E true woman cannot il forget herself," nor so i much as desire to "assume the position of • tho man," and that to treat her as a reasonJ able and responsible being will make her the more, not the less modest and retiring. And further, had Mrs. George patiently followed her premises to their logical conclusions, they would have landed her where she would probably rather not have found herself. For instance, she would give girls the ' same (which, by the way, admits of no " wise and just limits") —" the same educa- ; tional privileges as boys " —that is, a coms plete moral, intellectnal, and physical development; in other words, qualify them for public life. And as many women have naturally a decided talent for i business, which many men have not, : they (tho women) being free, and force of intellect alone shall be their open sesame to freedom, will create for themselves a legitimate .sphere of activity in industry aud the arts and sciences. Taking, at the same i time, an interest wide as the world, in human progress, they will embody th* spirit of Christianity in their relations with men, • aud briug a reforming and refining influence to bear in every walk of life. And since intelligence rule-, and will do so more aud more a3 education advances, incompetency must yield to capability ; hence, women are xceedingly likely to become "doctors, lawyers," &c. Dreadful I That man is physically stronger than woman, no one disputes ; aud if all men were equally clever and all women equally stupid, women's mental inferiority would be clearly established, —as it is already, in my opiuion, if she really is his inferior "in inventive and creative power." Ic is strange that Mrs. George should condescend to use the, in various forms, oft-iterated question, "What are woman's mental achievements?" To which the answer may be fairly given,—they are great, considering the educational disadvantages, as compared with man, uuder which she has laboured. But, bo they great or small, is Mrs. George, or, iudeed, aoyoue else, prepared to prove that " uot one of tbe great inventions of the world have sprung from a woman's braiu." Inventors are rare even among men, and who does not know that the many thoughts of the many minds are needed to give practical expression to one aiuglo invention. Were woman's inventive powers of the highest order, the thou-saud-and-one disabilities she has been made to endure, have hitherto so crippled her energies and iutellect as to make it simply impossible that she should give effect to an invention. She can, at best, but suggest, for what, iudeed, can she know of the simplest laws of mechanic* and kindred subjects ?— and perhaps to study them, in order to test her powers, she would require, in Mrs. i George's estimation, to "forget herself" — 4i degrade herself." How unreasoning and 1 unreasonable we sometimes arc. Happily some of the foremost minds in all ages have gratefully acknowledged their indebtedness to woman as the inspircr of their every noble achievement. But orthodoxy believes only what it sees. It is to be hoped that Mr. Edger will set Mrs. George right in reference to tho Spartans. Surely, if they "cared not for at all," it was because they loved something better. They valued wisdom, well thought-out principles that form the character, above knowledge. Down to this hour Spaitan is tho synonym of all that is manly aud enduring, and true courage must bo moral aud intelligent, indeed, the Spartan character will, we believe, live on when this poor, limp, nineteenth century character of ours will have sunk in deserved oblivion. There must have been great intellectual vigour iu such a people, however much they may have despised mere learning. It is to be regretted that Mrs, George should have suggested that the Edger family are " exceptionably. gifted." They are exceptionally conscientious without doubt, and cooscientioudoess ia more closely related to geiiius than the public are prepared to admit; but it is my liim conviction that given the same training, and the same conscientious* Hess (conscientiousness can be acquired, it grows) tens of thousands of our girls would be all that they (the Edgers) are, and that some would even them. And, in my opinion, there is scarcely a woman under 70 years of age who would not bo better in health, and happier iu mind, if she would but set herself zo work right earnestly for her own and others' mental improvement, 1 and leave her neighbours' affairs alone.—l am, &c., Never Despair.