When we three sleep in peace,
And scholars better far than we
Its glory shall increase.’
Mr. Llewelyn Davis rightly said that the establishment of Queen’s College was an epoch2 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 compassion3 in the hearts of a few good men which moved them to help a forlorn class of solitary4 and ill-paid workers, that seemed the immediate5 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 spoke6 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 dealing7 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[18] Governesses’ Benevolent8 Institution, a position he occupied till his death in 1860, and the lamentable9 state of women’s education, particularly that of professing10 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 mere11 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 confession12 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 coalesced14 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[19] the adoption15 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 destined16 by its founders17 solely18 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 impoverished19 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 initiation21 into a craft which a governess might learn as if she were a member of a certain guild22. 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 compassionate23 horror of the wasted lives of many women, of their capabilities24 and sympathies which were meant to[20] enrich the lives of others, degraded by misuse25 or disuse into positively26 harmful activities. After Queen’s College had been opened for some months he wrote, in words which some will recognise as a favourite quotation27 of Miss Beale’s, ‘the fate of some victim of a conventional marriage, or of a life of celibacy28 ending in deranged29 health, is particularly sad and pitiful. Like the daughters of Pandarus who, after being nurtured30 by the goddesses and fed on honey and incense31 by the Graces, are snatched away by the Harpies, “And doomed32 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 inaugural33 lecture on the opening of Queen’s College was delivered by the Rev13. 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 vocation34 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 awed35 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 procuring36 them for herself ... is not fitting her for her work. You may but confirm her in the notion that the training of an immortal37 spirit may be[21] just as lawfully38 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 modification40 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 utterances41 of infancy42, 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 toiled44 alone at Euclid and Algebra45 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 impatience46 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 admonish47 his pupils that they are not to make fashion, or public opinion, their rule ... that if these are their ends, they[22] 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 allusions48 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 extravagant50 if not equally imaginative with that lately set forth51 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 opposition52 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 desultory53 education; the absence of proper framework and machinery54, and the want of proper authority were to be deplored55; 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 prevailing56 in their so-called theology,’ adding that the lecturer on English Composition distinguished57 himself above the rest of his company by the ‘Germanisms embroidered[23] 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. Remarkable58, too, were the women and girls who seized the advantages offered them, who were waiting almost literally59 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 ornament60, bands of dark hair, pale complexion61, and regular features are noted62 for us by a young fellow-student, Miss Wardell. And the teachers were worthy20 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. Trench63, then Dean of Westminster, afterwards Archbishop of Dublin, John Hullah, W. Sterndale Bennett, Dr. Brewer64 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 enumerates65 with grateful words a staff of lady-visitors, ‘who undertook, of course gratuitously66, the often burdensome duty of chaperoning. Lady Stanley of Alderley, stately and beautiful all her life, but especially then;[24] 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 diligent68. 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 detailed69 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 Scripture70. 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 delightful71 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....
[25]
‘Queen’s College began the Women’s Education Movement undoubtedly72, 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 viva 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, strictly73 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[26] 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 privately74 Trigonometry, Conics, and the Differential Calculus75.’ 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, languished76 and died in less than two years. For nearly a year it consisted of myself and a friend, and most thoroughly77 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[27] Buss and others engaged in the work of education, desired and obtained from the College diplomas certifying78 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 viva voce was a delightful conversation; he led us on by his sympathetic manner and kindly79 appreciation80, 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 viva 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 touching81 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,[28] 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, Vocal82 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 varied83 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[29] ‘well qualified84 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 accomplished85 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 toil43, those who were the professed86 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,[30] showing considerable ingenuity87 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 treatises88 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 sonatas89 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 specially67 note Mrs. Blenkarne and Miss Elizabeth Alston. To the first of these Dorothea confided90 her hopes and aims, and gained from her sympathy and help, a boon91 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[31] 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 gratitude92 of those lessons you gave me in singing; this, I believe, has helped much to make me able to teach without fatigue93. “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 allusion49 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 conscientious94 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 covet95, was already hers. This was felt not only by the elder pupils, whose minds under her guidance opened to[32] 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 effaced96 the impression then received, both of your teaching and of something more comprehensive than teaching, which contact with you engendered97, and which impels98 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 embody99 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 esteemed100 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 fully39 justified101 by other letters which exist.
It is clear that this spring of work was full of hope and delight, as well as of scrupulous102 effort. Dorothea[33] Beale possessed103 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 abruptly104 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 decided105 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[34] dear to all the discomfort106 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 inevitably107 be put upon your conduct—whether that construction be true or false? I may form three or four conjectures108 as to the motives109 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 enumerated110 in detail, and she dwelt especially on the hindrance111 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
[35]
‘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 derived112, are singularly deficient113 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 conscientiously114 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 Clergy115 Daughters’ School at Casterton.
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jubilee
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| n.周年纪念；欢乐 | |
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epoch
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compassion
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solitary
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immediate
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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dealing
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benevolent
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lamentable
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professing
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| 声称( profess的现在分词 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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coalesced
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| v.联合，合并( coalesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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adoption
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| n.采用，采纳，通过；收养 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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founders
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| n.创始人( founder的名词复数 ) | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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impoverished
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| adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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initiation
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| n.开始 | |
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guild
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| n.行会，同业公会，协会 | |
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compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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capabilities
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| n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力 | |
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25
misuse
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| n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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celibacy
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| n.独身(主义) | |
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29
deranged
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| adj.疯狂的 | |
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nurtured
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| 养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长 | |
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31
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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32
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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inaugural
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| adj.就职的；n.就职典礼 | |
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vocation
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| n.职业，行业 | |
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awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
procuring
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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lawfully
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| adv.守法地，合法地；合理地 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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modification
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| n.修改，改进，缓和，减轻 | |
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41
utterances
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| n.发声( utterance的名词复数 )；说话方式；语调；言论 | |
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42
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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43
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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algebra
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| n.代数学 | |
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46
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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47
admonish
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| v.训戒；警告；劝告 | |
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allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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50
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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51
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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desultory
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| adj.散漫的，无方法的 | |
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54
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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deplored
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| v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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60
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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63
trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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64
brewer
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| n. 啤酒制造者 | |
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enumerates
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| v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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gratuitously
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| 平白 | |
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67
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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68
diligent
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| adj.勤勉的，勤奋的 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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71
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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72
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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73
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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74
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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75
calculus
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| n.微积分；结石 | |
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76
languished
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| 长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 )； 受折磨； 变得（越来越）衰弱； 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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certifying
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| （尤指书面）证明( certify的现在分词 )； 发证书给…； 证明（某人）患有精神病； 颁发（或授予）专业合格证书 | |
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79
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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81
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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82
vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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84
qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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85
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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86
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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88
treatises
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| n.专题著作，专题论文，专著( treatise的名词复数 ) | |
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sonatas
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| n.奏鸣曲( sonata的名词复数 ) | |
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confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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91
boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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92
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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93
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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95
covet
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| vt.垂涎；贪图(尤指属于他人的东西) | |
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96
effaced
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| v.擦掉( efface的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；超越；使黯然失色 | |
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97
engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
impels
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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99
embody
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| vt.具体表达，使具体化；包含，收录 | |
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100
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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101
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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102
scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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103
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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104
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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105
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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106
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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107
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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108
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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109
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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110
enumerated
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| v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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111
hindrance
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| n.妨碍，障碍 | |
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112
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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113
deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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114
conscientiously
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| adv.凭良心地；认真地，负责尽职地；老老实实 | |
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115
clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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