my discovery of england-第12章

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The　excellence　of　Oxford；　then；　as　I　see　it；　lies　in　the　peculiar　vagueness　of　the　organisation　of　its　work。　It　starts　from　the　assumption　that　the　professor　is　a　really　learned　man　whose　sole　interest　lies　in　his　own　sphere：　and　that　a　student；　or　at　least　the　only　student　with　whom　the　university　cares　to　reckon　seriously；　is　a　young　man　who　desires　to　know。　This　is　an　ancient　mediaeval　attitude　long　since　buried　in　more　up…to…date　places　under　successive　strata　of　compulsory　education；　state　teaching；　the　democratisation　of　knowledge　and　the　substitution　of　the　shadow　for　the　substance；　and　the　casket　for　the　gem。　No　doubt；　in　newer　places　the　thing　has　got　to　be　so。　Higher　education　in　America　flourishes　chiefly　as　a　qualification　for　entrance　into　a　money…making　profession；　and　not　as　a　thing　in　itself。　But　in　Oxford　one　can　still　see　the　surviving　outline　of　a　nobler　type　of　structure　and　a　higher　inspiration。

I　do　not　mean　to　say；　however；　that　my　judgment　of　Oxford　is　one　undiluted　stream　of　praise。　In　one　respect　at　least　I　think　that　Oxford　has　fallen　away　from　the　high　ideals　of　the　Middle　Ages。　I　refer　to　the　fact　that　it　admits　women　students　to　its　studies。　In　the　Middle　Ages　women　were　regarded　with　a　peculiar　chivalry　long　since　lost。　It　was　taken　for　granted　that　their　brains　were　too　delicately　poised　to　allow　them　to　learn　anything。　It　was　presumed　that　their　minds　were　so　exquisitely　hung　that　intellectual　effort　might　disturb　them。　The　present　age　has　gone　to　the　other　extreme：　and　this　is　seen　nowhere　more　than　in　the　crowding　of　women　into　colleges　originally　designed　for　men。　Oxford；　I　regret　to　find；　has　not　stood　out　against　this　change。

To　a　profound　scholar　like　myself；　the　presence　of　these　young　women；　many　of　them　most　attractive；　flittering　up　and　down　the　streets　of　Oxford　in　their　caps　and　gowns；　is　very　distressing。

Who　is　to　blame　for　this　and　how　they　first　got　in　I　do　not　know。　But　I　understand　that　they　first　of　all　built　a　private　college　of　their　own　close　to　Oxford；　and　then　edged　themselves　in　foot　by　foot。　If　this　is　so　they　only　followed　up　the　precedent　of　the　recognised　method　in　use　in　America。　When　an　American　college　is　established；　the　women　go　and　build　a　college　of　their　own　overlooking　the　grounds。　Then　they　put　on　becoming　caps　and　gowns　and　stand　and　look　over　the　fence　at　the　college　athletics。　The　male　undergraduates；　who　were　originally　and　by　nature　a　hardy　lot；　were　not　easily　disturbed。　But　inevitably　some　of　the　senior　trustees　fell　in　love　with　the　first　year　girls　and　became　convinced　that　coeducation　was　a　noble　cause。　American　statistics　show　that　between　1880　and　1900　the　number　of　trustees　and　senior　professors　who　married　girl　undergraduates　or　who　wanted　to　do　so　reached　a　percentage　of；I　forget　the　exact　percentage；　it　was　either　a　hundred　or　a　little　over。

I　don't　know　just　what　happened　at　Oxford　but　presumably　something　of　the　sort　took　place。　In　any　case　the　women　are　now　all　over　the　place。　They　attend　the　college　lectures；　they　row　in　a　boat；　and　they　perambulate　the　High　Street。　They　are　even　offering　a　serious　competition　against　the　men。　Last　year　they　carried　off　the　ping…pong　championship　and　took　the　chancellor's　prize　for　needlework；　while　in　music；　cooking　and　millinery　the　men　are　said　to　be　nowhere。

There　is　no　doubt　that　unless　Oxford　puts　the　women　out　while　there　is　yet　time；　they　will　overrun　the　whole　university。　What　this　means　to　the　progress　of　learning　few　can　tell　and　those　who　know　are　afraid　to　say。

Cambridge　University；　I　am　glad　to　see；　still　sets　its　face　sternly　against　this　innovation。　I　am　reluctant　to　count　any　superiority　in　the　University　of　Cambridge。　Having　twice　visited　Oxford；　having　made　the　place　a　subject　of　profound　study　for　many　hours　at　a　time；　having　twice　addressed　its　undergraduates；　and　having　stayed　at　the　Mitre　Hotel；　I　consider　myself　an　Oxford　man。　But　I　must　admit　that　Cambridge　has　chosen　the　wiser　part。

Last　autumn；　while　I　was　in　London　on　my　voyage　of　discovery；　a　vote　was　taken　at　Cambridge　to　see　if　the　women　who　have　already　a　private　college　nearby；　should　be　admitted　to　the　university。　They　were　triumphantly　shut　out；　and　as　a　fit　and　proper　sign　of　enthusiasm　the　undergraduates　went　over　in　a　body　and　knocked　down　the　gates　of　the　women's　college。　I　know　that　it　is　a　terrible　thing　to　say　that　any　one　approved　of　this。　All　the　London　papers　came　out　with　headings　that　read；ARE　OUR　UNDERGRADUATES　TURNING　INTO　BABOONS？　and　so　on。　The　Manchester　Guardian　draped　its　pages　in　black　and　even　the　London　Morning　Post　was　afraid　to　take　bold　ground　in　the　matter。　But　I　do　know　also　that　there　was　a　great　deal　of　secret　chuckling　and　jubilation　in　the　London　clubs。　Nothing　was　expressed　openly。　The　men　of　England　have　been　too　terrorised　by　the　women　for　that。

But　in　safe　corners　of　the　club；　out　of　earshot　of　the　waiters　and　away　from　casual　strangers；　little　groups　of　elderly　men　chuckled　quietly　together。　〃Knocked　down　their　gates；　eh？〃　said　the　wicked　old　men　to　one　another；　and　then　whispered　guiltily　behind　an　uplifted　hand；　〃Serve　'em　right。〃　Nobody　dared　to　say　anything　outside。　If　they　had　some　one　would　have　got　up　and　asked　a　question　in　the　House　of　Commons。　When　this　is　done　all　England　falls　flat　upon　its　face。

But　for　my　part　when　I　heard　of　the　Cambridge　vote；　I　felt　as　Lord　Chatham　did　when　he　said　in　parliament；　〃Sir；　I　rejoice　that　America　has　resisted。〃　For　I　have　long　harboured　views　of　my　own　upon　the　higher　education　of　women。　In　these　days；　however；　it　requires　no　little　hardihood　to　utter　a　single　word　of　criticism　against　it。　It　is　like　throwing　half　a　brick　through　the　glass　roof　of　a　conservatory。　It　is　bound　to　make　trouble。　Let　me　hasten；　therefore；　to　say　that　I　believe　most　heartily　in　the　higher　education　of　women；　in　fact；　the　higher　the　better。　The　only　question　to　my　mind　is：　What　is　〃higher　education〃　and　how　do　you　get　it？　With　which　goes　the　secondary　enquiry；　What　is　a　woman　and　is　she　just　the　same　as　a　man？　I　know　that　it　sounds　a　terrible　thing　to　say　in　these　days；　but　I　don't　believe　she　is。

Let　me　say　also　that　when　I　speak　of　coeducation　I　speak　of　what　I　know。　I　was　coeducated　myself　some　thirty…five　years　ago；　at　the　very　beginning　of　the　thing。　I　learned　my　Greek　alongside　of　a　bevy　of　beauty　on　the　opposite　benches　that　mashed　up　the　irregular　verbs　for　us　very　badly。　Incidentally；　those　girls　are　all　married　long　since；　and　all　the　Greek　they　know　now　you　could　put　under　a　thimble。　But　of　that　presently。

I　have　had　further　experience　as　well。　I　spent　three　years　in　the　graduate　school　of　Chicago；　where　coeducational　girls　were　as　thick　as　autumn　leaves；　and　some　thicker。　And　as　a　college　professor　at　McGill　University　in　Montreal；　I　have　taught　mingled　classes　of　men　and　women　for　twenty　years。

On　the　basis　of　which　experience　I　say　with　assurance　that　the　thing　is　a　mistake　and　has　nothing　to　recommend　it　but　its　relative　cheapness。　Let　me　emphasise　this　last　point　and　have　done　with　it。　Coeducation　is　of　course　a　great　economy。　　To　teach　ten　men　and　ten　women　in　a　single　class　of　twenty　costs　only　half　as　much　as　to　teach　two　classes。　Where　economy　must　rule；　then；　the　thing　has　got　to　be。　But　where　the　discussion　turns　not　on　what　is　cheapest；　but　on　what　is　best；　then　the　case　is　entirely　different。

The　fundamental　trouble　is　that　men　and　women　are　different　creatures；　with　different　minds　and　different　aptitudes　and　different　paths　in　life。　There　is　no　need　to　raise　here　the　question　of　which　is　superior　and　which　is　inferior　（though　I　think；　the　Lord　help　me；　I　know　the　answer　to　that　too）。　The　point　lies　in　the　fact　that　they　are　different。

But　the　mad　passion　for　equality　has　masked　this　obvious　fact。　When　women　began　to　demand；　quite　rightly；　a　share　in　higher　education；　they　took　for　granted　that　they　wanted　the　same　curriculum　as　the　men。　They　never　stopped　to　ask　whether　their　aptitudes　were　not　in　various　directions　higher　and　better　than　those　of　the　men；　and　whether　it　might　not　be　better　for　their　sex　to　cultivate　the　things　which　were　best　suited　to　their　minds。　Let　me　be　more　explicit。　In　all　tha