CURRENT TOPICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6499, 31 May 1899, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

I Last month, a farewell re- I* • (•' a-^ vionkkku ceptioa. was given by the- * ' [■ lady v Marchioness, oi Bute mnd L |>. doctor. others interested in the . i \k management ot the Eclih- y I'jburgh Hospital and Dispensary for* \. Woman and.; Ohildrom to Dc Sophia.. J. Jex-Blake. This lady was one of the first- ; ['.advocates of ±l\e.admiisibn of women to- the v '(medical profession*, zmdi liadv ta face the full. i-; : Woexofthe.sl;orm..of-QEposL4iQn. tbat met. i k\ha proposal. In Edinburgh she was ho, ated peas, but she has.. , llived to see the triumph oi the cause of w Inch $ she was a fearless and consistent cham] >ion. '>To-day the -.degrees, of. the, four Scottish Uni- . - diversities are open. to women, and womei 1 cam . also get medical instruction at Dublin. . Bel- . i'ifast.'cork, Galway, Newcastle aud Cf irdiff.. , ■Miss- Blake first applied,, without _s_ iccess,. ! vto the. London. University in 1869 for enroW 'Lnient as. a medical student. She thei i went •!%o Edinburgh, and, along with foui • otheK,-. ' -women students, was. allowed to mat riculate /at the opening Of the. winter session :' m 1865L. ■|lhe University did. not receive the ,m with, 'jspen arms,, but managed to tolera te them 'W a. year, until .one- of their num ber won '_\k Hope scholarship,, which was ref used her land given to a student lower down , the list. obstacles W-eze. thrown in t heir w® . ?srat,they peraevered.until they we. ;e blocked.. lihj. the difficulty. .oLgatting the t« idling and,, hospital practice required for graduation. '■■■They raised.-an..a.«.tiDni against # ne "Univefc. in' the Court of Session in : 1872, when. ,Lord..GifiEord-.affirmed. their rig lit to conir ' jplete their, studies,, and also th- eir right, to. graduation. .when they had dor ie so. This. ; decision was upset, on appeal 1 ,o the Inner House j by a bare majority, the whole Bench . of the Scottish, judge* in 1873 decided, .tliat. the act of the University in ac hnitting the ladieain 1869was illegaL The women, >wbo, ' noAv numbai'ed. ten',, were fount 1 liable in ex : ; penses to. .the amount of £900 , which,..how? ever, was subscribed, by tbe ] public. Miss. Blake, and her friends, at once removed . to London and founded, the L»f idon School of Medicine- .for '.Women." Tb .eir cause, was. meanwhile, being ma in Parlianieut, and jn,1876 an...Enabling B ill was ..passed, making it clear. that all. ihei lical examining bodiesr.bad the .pojvez to. e. icamine women. Next year, Dr JexJilake ac d several. others passed tbe examination. <a£ 1 Aie Irish College of Physicians, and wetce: „: placed on the National. Medical. Basuiter. . Dr Blake... returned io Eduxburg,}.. im 13 78, and .opened. * dispensary. for., woman; mi d children- in a poor.iparish... This. tnstii_u.t ion. has been .vary popiabr^witli^^vonien,. k_ spite of .the.. fast tha.tui .gum! I. .fee: ia obaunged for..,medidnej, whilte-.both advice, and. not .dicine may be. .obtained free. . from, disjaens a lies in.. charge:, of 'mobA.doctors,.. In SBB6vl>!.- Blake founded-JJiu. Edinburgh of. Mediciue for Women, of -"hieh tiU.now. sh__ has been de.aii... &hf. hr_....now . i^feed. to, her county, home, in Svusex,., amid.. roaay tokens. of respect and g-^ilw.ill...

I T__e facility vn£h _, wSialii j i-rom.,. Ek^iiish jyinceg „ beeamet i BWTisKi.i&j. faneigners oannot —u wniyr' . germjmj,. gnatifying to tlse. Britishj ; ! people. A jew years ago:vtli»' : tUivQ: .o_i-,.-_t_ldni£axig-_ } by 3ticcee^is@.t«ii tOh» rand Diicbjy af Saxe^burg^fttlwij, ojo. me deatb,iof hos. uncle, Huke Ernest-, tmn.--i;|orine(l..hijnsfil£ from aiitiEnglish. -priaae. ia- j hto a German priiicelingjy Now.-..- a.-, more j of tWEoynJLfam%, the ! |)uke ef.Coiuiaught, f.-jj about., to fallawr his |rother's. example. 'H_e_ recanfe-j deatla of .. prince;. L^lfced of :_JiJjnbur._^ > „sos_; 1 of the -. has m^de the -.Dyke. •->£ Con- "■ fraught, heiir to the Gs_nnan 'Sixj-nd Duchy, ':■ he luus decided fto accijpt.. tl^e succession, '■in\pnaererice tryrenoun(dng..at:vtiii favour. . 91" hissson, as he might hicje vdonsi Whatt fever may- be the oeosons wbi.-b. have in- • flitonced. Mm, lus decision is generally rel gretted; im the Oufc ; Cou.jfe^r r . where his [ pc^fcaa% is gre;%:«pi,.j?.reeetEi_g, accord- \ jng to., some autliifcrities, . i&at «f his eldest brotheir, the Prinse of WMses.-. It is underi stood] also, that ife was tl_e Queen's favourite ' i»as-a_icdiild, and jfijlias be-*av<st{.i_fcd that, after L - he ; lia-A grown 0&, middflg,;". ljfe% her Majesty I tea-id-' of him, ' ; <He liaj.*,:neve_? given me a -.. |iSoment's unenianess." • .No. higher compli--1 |moufc could be- paid ijj.., z\nj man. Tbe [ jm&e's character, indfe&'d;. & evidently such jtiiart. he has gained ;.rasf,eafe even in quarters ■ iin which hi_ Royal..; blirth would not count ■ jffcr veiy mivgh. ' Aqr^bgsfeh Radical news, \_ !B*per, comqienting^i. Ijfe recent action, re- .; jmarked: "*All;wb# :I . law been brough*; in-. ; jto contacts with ta%> Etake of Connaught . Ihave recog,nised : life. s sinsple-minded straight* .. forwardness and . geatle courtesy, his > thorougly abnega^n: of self, his modesty*. » his desire to les*ik auol liis aptiimde. in ( learnings his dislike, eff forms. and ceremonies, for thai'i. own sa&e-, and his wish to bring ; up hiSjchildrem.a** i£ they were thft-off spring--1 of a oonntry sao-^iij& _ a house in the shi3.es. Thesft are _\jßs&l._t_i._ not so common, nowui^ . days, iu august?, circles that we can affiorct ; to mwitempll%tet. thsssr removal ££om amongst us. without rp.gi.et," " Yet," tfe-JQUEenli m question added, "-we cannot think titafe _,e Ulike .and.-iiifiltos of Connaught aitdi -hear children, broug&i up, as iti were, ih : the jsimplicitjcr of. ..a par_on.,se, will be-, long {among va. ___d when they go, there will , depart, not omiy the msst gentjo. of the ' Queen's.- sons,, but a srjiial inttuenca that has mndo' foi.- simplicity and uprightness, and therefore. fe_r good." Moreo^ecj. the Duke of C'+nna«gJit *.<*aF, an able officer. Though not .usotdSer hy natiyral instiatet > he worked as "4pi«d' as any * staff-college man to master tho. ilitrjjrate dotaib of the: military profession, and he gairjid the success which always rewards-, intelligent, honest, earnest effort. He is as. popular in the army as lie .te in private life; and ie is stated on good ■ authority that it was settled a few months I ago. that he should succeed Lord Roberts as commander of the forces in Ireland next year. It is 'now considered improbable that lie will doi so ; and it is to bo regretted that, soowev or later, his services will be tiansferi«ji. to a foreign Power. 1

nankind than these, ' for -they have shown ;hemselves to possess manyrof'-the i.liigher itteibutes of human r laturei;-.'. Ahdllustravion of the liigher qual ities -of .-the Japanese, uid .one especially grab ifying.to Englishmen, ivas recently recorded, in the,." Japan Mail." For. nearily thirty yeai :s the._inhabitants of 1 village on the islam i of .Hiroshima have tended with reverential care .the lonely grave of Briton who died in.that ifar-off land, rhis touching incident was.brougbt to light by Qaptain Connor, of t he Japan Mail Steamsbip Company^ who, c >n..a visit to Hiroshima,, noticed the carefi iHv-kept grave. The British Consul at Kobe then.made inquiries, wbich elicited a quaint but affecting report from, the Japanese aut horities. This document states that, in 1 868, „ H.M.S. Sylvia was proceeding on a -; voyage L through the Inland. Sea when an ofl icer oh. board, named Lake, fell ill,, and was landed, on. the island of Hiroshima. In aft sw. days he .died, and Captain St John buri. .d. . 'his_ remains in ground, belonging to tl ae temple of Ikwoji, above Enoura shrine, i md, . pairing set up a wooden cross to mark the grave, departed. '/Several years afterwa rds/'.the report proceeds, "when tliis im mumeht had almost |ecayed. from, tbe effec ts of .wind and rain, ffrost. and anew, Awabi irL-Joiiwan, Superior 'F. .Ikwoji, and others s aid ._ . Truly it would be too sad if the grave; of our.aolitary guest iffom afar, who has bej come. a. spirit in a ,?tijin^ land„ were suff( r.ed.to pass out of all Thereupo. n Teraaraki Kaemon, bead of a village comj .any, and other sympathisers such as- Oka ' Ryohaku, set on foot aschame for the erect ion pf._a .stone monu"mont, and, tbe shore-fc »lk all with one accord lending tlieir help, tl ie work was finally brought to completion . This was in 1871. Since fehem nearly thirty winteas have passed, during which time the islanders have not neglected to take good..qace_._of the tomb. In particular, from tho I.Ofcb. to the 16th day of the 7th month, oM. sty la^. there are still persons found who every year clean and ■'sweep the grave, and, oaring np flowers and incense, mourn for. . and console the .spirit of the dead." "WSSia the grave of 'the dead officer, one is tempted to ask, have ; been tended with such c .c_jee bad be been v'buried in a colony of his own countrymen ? ■ Have the last resting-place? .of the brave -British soldiers and sjailoraHwho fell in defence of the colonists of New Zealand im :the long Maori wars .-received anything approaching the attention.: bestowed by tbeJapanese villagers on, v thet. sepulchre of a. ; stranger and foreigner.? •_