“that human beings, whether male or female, come into the world not merely to ‘get a living,’ but to live; that the life they live depends largely on what they know and care about, upon the breadth of their intellectual sympathy, upon their love of truth, upon their power of influencing and inspiring other minds; and that, for these reasons, mental culture stands in just as close relation to the needs of a woman’s career in the world as to that of a man—all these are propositions which, if not self-evident, are at least seen in a clearer light by the people of our generation than by their predecessors.”—j. g. fitch.
“the thing that vexes me is the entirely ignoring miss emily davies, to whose hard work it may fairly be said the whole movement is due. she memorialized the endowed schools commission to include girls in their inquiries; she bore the brunt of the fight about getting the cambridge local examinations open, and she called girton into existence.”
so wrote miss buss to dr. j. g. fitch, in 1879, when roused to protest against some statements in a book entitled, “girls and colleges for women,” which appeared at that date, and especially to protest against what invariably roused her deepest ire—the failure to give honour where honour was due. of her it might always be said that she fulfilled the lovely law of christian life, “in honour preferring one another.” as miss davies says, in reference to the passage just quoted, “it was like miss buss, so full as she was of 253generosity, to be eager in protest against what she regarded as a slight to another, not herself.”
constantly recurrent, in speech and in writing, do we find testimony of the value attached by miss buss to the university local examinations, of which she was among the first to make use.
it was in consequence of the exertions of miss davies, assisted by miss bostock, of bedford college, and a small band of steady supporters, that, in 1863, girls were, for the first time, and in an informal way, allowed to try the examination papers set for boys.[17]
17. extract from the first circular—
“a committee of ladies and gentlemen interested in female education have made arrangements for holding examinations of girls in connection with the university of cambridge, commencing december 14. prizes and certificates of proficiency will be awarded by the committee, following the recommendations of the examiners.
“the examinations will be conducted in accordance with the regulations of the cambridge local examination, but in a private manner and under the superintendence of the ladies of the committee.
“the committee included the names of miss bostock, miss isa craig, russell gurney, esq., g. w. hastings, esq., james heywood, esq., dr. hodgson, mrs. manning, mrs. hensleigh wedgwood, mr. h. r. tomkinson, esq., with lady goldsmid as treasurer, and miss emily davies as hon. sec. the same committee worked for girton college, with the addition of lady stanley of alderley, lady augusta stanley, miss shirreff, mrs. russell gurney, miss ponsonby, miss rich, miss f. metcalfe, mr. bryce, mr. roby, and mr. gorst.”
it was not then known if they were even capable of the necessary mental effort. the result, however, proved so satisfactory that the next year saw the formation of a “london centre for girls,” of which miss davies was honorary secretary until girton took up her time, when she was succeeded by mrs. wm. burbury.
to the first irregular examination in 1863 miss buss sent in 25 girls out of the total of 80. much to her surprise, ten of her pupils failed in arithmetic, with the result that she so reorganized her system of 254teaching that henceforth few of her girls failed in that subject.
between the years 1871 and 1892 no less than 1496 pupils passed in the cambridge local examinations, of whom 494 took honours.
there is an amusing letter to miss davies just before the examination of 1865, which shows how these things looked thirty years ago—
“12, camden street, dec. 5, 1865.
“my dear miss davies,
“pray excuse my not answering your note till now. i am literally ‘over head and ears’ in work. there is so much to look after just now.
“those dreadful cambridge examiners! their digestion would certainly be impaired if they only knew how indignant i am with them. why, the time hitherto allowed for an examination is an ‘insult’ to us; but now they have added ‘injury,’ by curtailing the time for english subjects—english, too! the subject in which a girl might hope to pass with credit! but we must endure it, as we can’t cure it.
“no doubt you are blissfully ignorant of the change. you are not an unfortunate school-mistress, with a reputation to maintain!
“and our girls! we sometimes think they have taken leave of their senses. either we have taken up too much, or they are hopelessly stupid. i almost fear the former.
“is the cambridge exam. to take place at that room in conduit street? and, please let the unhappy victims have plenty of paper before the bell rings. and i hope miss craig or miss bostock, or some one, will be there to help you in distributing the examination papers, wherever there is any english going on, for even one minute is worth something when the time is so limited.
“i hope this is not asking too much; it is for all, at any rate....
“believe me,
“‘genuinely and heartily’ yours,
“my dear miss davies,
“frances m. buss.
“i mean to worry, worry, worry for a carte de visite of you. if you do not give way, then i shall worry, worry, worry mrs. davies.”
255in the same letter miss buss says—
“i am half-inclined to think of trying inspection next year on our own account; the expense would, however, be one consideration, but the experiment would be worth trying.”
in 1864, miss buss had been inspected by mr. fearon, on behalf of the schools inquiry commission, and her account of it to her sister is very characteristic. that the inspector did not share her own estimate of her girls is proved by the place given to her school, and by the invitation to appear before the commissioners in 1865.
“camden street, june 24, 1864.
“mr. fearon is such a nice man! i like him much (as i said to miss begbie, i have taken to liking people lately: economics, i suppose). he knows what he is about; is quick without being abrupt; and most certainly taught me a good deal. it was really wonderful to see how rapidly he arrived at an estimate. the morning was spent in getting information out of me about the history, birth, growth, management, income, etc., of the school.
“he went, however, to calisthenics, and also through all the rooms, counting those who were present, and comparing them with the registers. after lunch, he examined the upper third in arithmetic, dictation, reading, geography, requesting miss —— to give a history lesson before him.
“the children did the wildest things! i could have annihilated them over and over again. one young monkey said the ‘artic’ ocean was in some ridiculous place. he said, ‘what?’ she answered, ‘artic.’ he said, ‘spell it!’ to which, with the most graceful complaisance, she said ‘a-r-t-i-c.’ was she not a wretch? miss ——’s lesson was horrible—she dropped a few h’s, and asked foolish questions, which produced equally absurd answers. for instance, she asked some question about the death of rufus, to which the reply was, ‘oh, they carried him away in a dustcart!’ ‘william the conqueror left the holy land to robert.’ when corrected, the children said, ‘oh, well, it was canaan.’
“they were restless and fidgety, did not obey orders; and, in fact, were as dreadful as they could be. if the first class do not acquit themselves relatively better, our report will be a queer one. i have made an appeal to them.
256“the inspection has produced the pleasing result that our children are not near the average of the same age in a national school. no grant under the revised code would be given to us. charming, is it not? in spelling, for instance, the national school children are allowed only an average of one mistake in a class. our little ones made eight and a half each instead of one each. in arithmetic, the standard is half a mistake, and ours made two and a half. the copy-books were reported as bad; everything was bad! but i do not mind, provided the elder girls come out well.”
the next experience does not seem to have been much happier, for on july 7 she says—
“i could not write yesterday. there were so many callers, and the fact is that, since the inspection of yesterday, i have collapsed, bodily and mentally!
“the heat, too, is dreadful, and i am quite overdone with it. the whole of last evening and this morning, except for an hour, i lay half unconscious on the bed or sofa, incapable of reading, thinking, or sleeping. i am in a state of tears whenever i think of wednesday. i do not say the girls have not done well. in comparison, probably, with others, very well; but they did not do their best.
“in a really easy arithmetic paper, not one, or only one, touched the decimals. in history, they sat doing nothing for twenty minutes, although there was a question, ‘the dates of following battles.’ actually, not one girl in my division attempted to give the least account of the battle, or result, or anything about it but the bare date, which, of course, in half the cases, would be wrong; because in our examinations, they said, it was of no use to do more than the absolute answer to the question. is it not cruel to me, after my life has been given to the work?”
a letter dated 1869, five years later, shows how miss buss must have profited by the experience of this inspection, for she writes in very good spirits of the results of the cambridge local examinations—
“all our girls have passed except one. six of miss metcalfe’s have passed, one with second class, and one with third class honours. my list is good. esther greatbatch has first class, and 257two have third class. of seniors, two have third class; so we have five honours. three of the girls are distinguished in religious knowledge. on the whole we have done well.”
in 1876, after another inspection, the tone changes again, and we find, in comparing 1864 with 1876, that the times have changed also. miss buss thus writes to me, during the inspection, which seems to have been enlivened by suppers, in which the girls showed off their domestic accomplishments, everything, including bread, being made by their own hands—
“you cannot imagine how much the inspection puts on me. luckily, we like our examiner very much indeed, and that lightens our work. shall i say this, after seeing his report? he must find fault—that is the business of inspectors—their raison d’être. if he finds defects, the existence of which i do not suspect, i shall not mind so much, because that will be a case of living and learning. but i am conceited enough to think that i could be an inspector myself! we had a fine supper last night, cooked by the lady-cooks! they were so happy! ella will tell you all about it some time.”
that particular report does not happen to be before me, but there is a letter from one of h.m. inspectors of schools, written to miss buss, in 1887, which may stand as representative—
“i had the pleasure of visiting the north london collegiate school last week, under the able guidance of miss dillys davies. i was very sorry not to see you, so that i might express to you how delighted i was with all i saw. i have seen no better appointed school. i have long considered your school—judged by results—as the best girls’ school in england, but i had never seen the admirable rooms and apparatus.
“i have often named the school to lady-friends, but i find that there is still, alas! a terrible blindness as to what constitutes true education, and the unfortunate girls are sent to be finished in the usual orthodox way in the usually indifferent establishments.
258“permit me to add one more congratulation (to the thousands you must have already received) in appreciation of the noble work you are doing.”
the advance was strikingly rapid. in 1863, it was not even known whether girls were able to undertake the work required for the cambridge local examinations. even in 1876, miss buss writes thus of the results, which had not quite satisfied the honorary secretary of her centre, as compared with those of the year before—
“but please remember that last year the senior cambridge girls formed the highest class; this year there are thirty-two girls in a higher division, studying for the london university matriculation. our girls have this year, in the greater number of cases, gone up at sixteen, instead of seventeen, and that makes a difference. we shall send up twelve or fourteen for the matriculation in may. sara burstall, two terms only from camden school, and my scholar, gets half the ￡12 prize offered to the best senior girls. mr. browne wrote to me to say so. i ought to be content.”
for some years miss buss sent her pupils to the first london centre at burlington house, where miss davies was very much struck by the way in which she—who had done so much to forward the movement—took her place simply and quietly among the others, whose part had been merely to accept what had been done for them.
but when the school in camden road had acquired rooms large enough to meet the cambridge requirements, miss buss considered it would be well to form a new centre, and asked me to undertake the correspondence involved. miss davies writes in reply to my first note—
“your suggestion of a centre for north london strikes me as an admirable one. i should like to have a cordon of centres all round london, and we seem now to be making a beginning to it. 259would it be possible to have also a st. john’s wood centre? we found last year that bayswater was of no use to st. john’s wood. whether this district would produce enough candidates to support a centre of its own i do not know.... i am so glad you are taking up this matter so energetically and judiciously.”
in july, 1872, miss buss sent me a list of ladies who had agreed to act as the committee of the regent’s park centre. when we remember that the duties included attendance for the honorary secretary from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m., for three or four days out of the six, and that two or more ladies of the committee must be present whenever an examination is going on, it will be seen that this meant work. this first list met with warm approval from the rev. g. f. browne, at cambridge, as showing the interest taken in the then new movement by persons known in the educational world. we find here the names of mrs. charlton bastian, mrs. fox bourne, miss orme, mrs. percy bunting, mrs. j. g. fitch, mrs. hales, mrs. henry morley, and mrs. williamson. mrs. avery, miss sarah ward andrews, miss agnes jones, miss swan, and myself completed the first list. my sister, miss j. t. ridley, was appointed honorary secretary, and remained in this post till 1894, when she was succeeded by miss hester armstead, who had been a most successful candidate in both junior and senior examinations, before distinguishing herself in the cambridge classical tripos.
the number of candidates increased so rapidly that, in 1873, it was necessary to arrange an islington centre to take the north london pupils, and, in 1874, to open the st. john’s wood and hampstead centre, of which miss swan became the able honorary secretary for over twenty years. if we could have foreseen such results, the name of regent’s park centre would never have 260been given to the original centre, which would have been known, from the first—as what it so soon became—the centre for the pupils of miss buss’ schools only.
there is a letter from miss buss, in reference to the one difficulty which ever occurred at this centre, which has interest in showing her on both sides: the gracious and the severe. a girl had broken the rules, and was, therefore, condemned to forfeit her examination, the honorary secretary pleading in vain against this fiat—
“just a line, dear jeanie, to express to you, on my own part and that of the teachers in the cambridge forms, my and their hearty thanks for all the work you have done for us this week. everything has gone admirably, and my share of the work was never less burdensome. indeed, i have had nothing to do with the cambridge work except look on!
“do not think me a monster, but, of all the hard lessons i have had to learn, none has been so hard as the one which makes me, for the moment, not only refuse sympathy, but actually speak harshly—if there is a stronger word i would use it. in the years to come, i hope many a woman will thank me in her heart for behaving harshly to her in her girlhood, in all matters of tears or want of self-control, and so putting before her another ideal: that of the woman strong to bear, to endure, to suffer, rather than that of the weak woman always ready to give way at the least difficulty. afterwards i always reason out the whole matter; but it is always afterwards; never at the time.
“my love to you, annie, and your father.
“always yours affectionately,
“frances m. buss.”
the following note to miss buss from one of the examiners of the regent’s park centre shows how much she had to do with the decision to print the girls’ names, as the boys’ names had always been printed; a step then regarded as a rather alarming innovation:—
261“march 2, 1874.
“i have had some conversation with the other members of the local examinations syndicate, and i think i am warranted in expressing an opinion that if the subject of the printing of the girls’ names in the published lists were again brought before the syndicate by a representation signed by influential local secretaries and others who are interested in the question, it would meet with a different solution than it has done heretofore, thanks to the remarks you have made to me of your own experience.
“i told mr. browne in our last conversation that i thought the best way to bring the matter before us again would be for me to write to you, and give you an intimation of the present feeling, and you would know through whom to move.”
in the same spirit in which she had entered into the cambridge local examinations did miss buss throw herself into the larger work which soon engrossed miss davies, viz. the development of girton college. the members of the kensington society were the first supporters of this movement, one of the leaders being mrs. manning, who, with miss davies and mr. sedley taylor, and mr. tomkinson, took part in the first meeting of a committee, on december 5, 1867, to consider “a proposed college for women.”
in 1869 a house was taken at hitchin, where five students were received, mrs. manning acting for the first three months as lady principal. she was succeeded, for the next year, by miss emily shirreff, who relates that a proposition to go as missionary to fiji would at that time have caused less amazement to her friends than this venture into untried ways. miss davies herself was the first head at girton.
the effort to obtain the ￡13,000 required for the new buildings was, like all other early efforts of the kind, a work of courage and patience. the first ￡1000 was given by madame bodichon, and the same sum by miss e. a. manning, while ￡8000 had been collected by 262the committee. one of the things hard to bear by those who had made it possible to take such a step was the foundation of the new holloway college, with magnificent buildings for which there were then no students, whilst girton was still struggling for the merely necessary accommodation needed for its students actually in residence.
occupied as she was with the same effort to obtain funds for her own schools, miss buss could not give much pecuniary help. but she did help very largely by her influence, being always and everywhere an able propagandist of the new ideas.
side by side with the girton movement went another which began with a set of lectures started by the cambridge ladies’ association, in january, 1870, to enable women-students to take advantage of the instruction offered by trinity college. for the accommodation of ladies attending these lectures a house in cambridge was taken by mr. sidgwick, miss clough being placed at the head of it. this beginning, known as merton hall, developed rapidly into the present newnham college, with its now fine building, possessing the advantage over girton—which is distant three miles out of cambridge—of being within easy access to all the advantages of the university.
the work at newnham differs from that at girton in offering a special examination for women, under the authorization of the university and with certificates, but not demanding the same work from women that was imperative for men.
from the first, miss davies and her friends—miss buss being very firm on this point—had steadily resisted every offer that made a separation between men and women. they demanded for women the very same curriculum as that expected from men. the trend 263of public opinion has on the whole been in this direction during the later progress of the movement, and although several difficult questions are still to be solved, few now doubt that in the beginning it was expedient to make the demand in the form in which it was made.
miss buss made frequent visits to girton and to newnham, having a succession of pupils there. i remember her enjoyment, as well as my own, as she took me to see them for the first time, when we lunched at girton with miss bernard, and afterwards had tea with miss clough, at newnham; in both colleges being shown about by old pupils, delighted to show their pretty rooms to their dear friend.
the present head of girton writes, now that these visits are of the past—
“it is not merely the thought of what, with her great abilities and vast stores of experience, she might still have accomplished, if she had been spared in health and strength till old age overtook her, but the feeling that the world and her friends are so much poorer by the loss of one of the best and truest women that ever lived, that fills me with regret. as you know, it has been my privilege to count her among my staunchest friends, and i feel that to me, at least, one unfailing source of sympathy and support is lost now that she is gone. there are others who can tell better than i can what her help meant to the college in early days. i know well how much it has owed to her in later times, and in how many ways we shall miss her now.”
miss helen gladstone gives another side of the work—
“i sincerely wish that i could show my respect and affection for miss buss by attending either or both services to-morrow; but i am too far off to make it possible. i most truly lament her death, and i feel most grateful to her for her splendid work for not merely education, but church education. it was in connection with such work that i knew her best, and gained the privilege of forming a friendship with her.”
264i have been favoured by mr. menzies with an interesting account of an experiment of great importance in the early days of the university movement, in which miss buss took an active part. when miss davies first propounded her scheme to the school-mistresses’ association, it was regarded by most of the members as a thing impossible. mrs. menzies, one of the members, was known to have been educated by her father, dr. king, on the same lines as his boy-pupils. her classmates, as men, won university honours, while mrs. menzies went on with her studies at home with so much success that in after life she was able to act as a classical “coach” to young men preparing for the university.
her opinion of the subject of the university career for girls was naturally of weight; and she was asked to answer these two important questions—
“(1) could girls, beginning their classical studies at fourteen or fifteen years of age, be able to hold their ground when placed in competition with young men who had begun the same studies in their eighth or ninth year? (2) would it be necessary to alter the entire system of teaching in girls’ schools, so as to make classics the dominant study from the age at which boys usually began?”
as mrs. menzies was unacquainted with everything connected with girls’ schools, she was unable to give any definite opinion. she had taught latin and greek to a few ladies, but these had always been above the schoolgirl age.
here miss buss’ practical turn of mind came to the rescue. she first proposed that mrs. menzies should take a senior class in the north london school, and make the experiment; and when she found that mrs. menzies was unable to give the time required for going 265to camden town, she then chartered an omnibus, and sent the pupils to the teacher.
we hear that, at first, the size of the class rather alarmed mrs. menzies, but—
“she soon felt at ease with girls so sympathetic, earnest, and intelligent. she determined to keep them to latin exclusively, and see how far she could carry them on in the limited time, without strain. long before the end of the term, she came to the conclusion that girls, trained as these had been, could easily, by the time they were admissible to the university, be perfectly able to pass the preliminary examination, and do as well as the freshmen who usually go up for it. she was of opinion that the time given by boys to athletics lost them the advantage which their six or seven years’ earlier start might otherwise have given them.”
mr. menzies concludes—
“this important experiment, which the foresight and management of miss buss made possible, showed the school-mistresses that these pupils could obtain the advantage of university training without any alteration of their studies up to fourteen or fifteen years of age. in consequence, such of the school-mistresses who had hesitated about miss davies’ university scheme, were reconciled to it, and, in course of time, approved of it.”
in february, 1873, there is a report in the union journal of the first examination for the mathematical tripos, held at cambridge, in connection with girton college. miss s. woodhead was examined, by the official examiners, in their private capacity, and they reported on her papers according to the university standards. the marks assigned would have placed miss woodhead among the senior optimes, i.e. in the second class of mathematical honours. in april, 1873, miss cook and miss lumsden took what would have been second- and third-class honours.
at the usual convocation of the university of london, held on may 12, 1874, dr. storrar presiding, it was moved by the rev. septimus buss, and finally 266resolved, “that, in the opinion of convocation, it is desirable that women should be permitted to take degrees in the university of london.”
this resolution was warmly supported by that unfailing friend of the higher education of women, dr. j. g. fitch, who stood his ground against the not less warm opposition, headed by dr. quain, who, referring to mrs. somerville, asked “if the university was to go for a new charter just to further the ambition of a few exceptional women?” dr. gibson, also in opposition, urged that a woman could not take up a university course without detracting from her other powers, for, as woman was differently organized, it was necessary to give her a different education; and he asked “if the university was to direct its work by general wants, or by exceptional wants—the wants of a few masculine women?”
from the fact that many of miss buss’ pupils were resident in london, it followed that most of them were likely to avail themselves of the facilities of the london university, even apart from the fact that london was the first to grant degrees, an event of great excitement to all women, of which miss buss writes in 1878—
“the great thing of last week is the opening of the examinations and degrees of london university to women! an immense concession, and one which must be followed in time by the older universities.
“it is just fifteen years ago since the agitation began about opening the local examinations, and now, i suppose, the cause is won along the whole line.”
in a “note on the origin and history of the university of london” (university calendar), we find this record—
“the experiment of offering encouragement for women to pursue a course of academic education, was at first tried under 267limitations which somewhat impeded its success. under the powers given in the charter of 1867, women were not rendered admissible to the ordinary examinations, but two forms of certificate were offered to female students—the one general, and the other of higher proficiency. in the scheme for both examinations, prominence was given to those subjects which it was presumed that women and their teachers would prefer. but the number availing themselves of this privilege was small, and the privilege itself was not highly valued. moreover, it was found that the chief distinctions attained by women in these examinations were not gained in the special subjects, but in the classical languages and in science. it was urged by the teachers that women did not desire a scheme of instruction exclusively devised for their use, but would prefer to have access to the ordinary degrees and honours, and to be subject to the same tests of qualification which were imposed on other students.
“after much discussion, the senate and convocation agreed to accept from the crown, in 1878, a supplemental charter, making every degree, honour, and prize awarded by the university accessible to students of both sexes on perfectly equal terms. the university of london was thus the first academical body in the united kingdom to admit women as candidates for degrees. the record of the results which have followed this measure will be found in the statistical tables and in the honours and distinctions which have since been won by female candidates.”
on the point of granting degrees, on the same terms for women as for men, miss buss was always most decided. she endeavoured to carry the head-mistresses’ association with her in presenting a memorial to the university authorities, but in this she failed, as is shown in the following letter to miss davies—
“myra lodge, july 24, 1877.
“my dear miss davies,
“it was so impossible to agree at our committee yesterday that we gave up the idea of sending a memorial from the head-mistresses’ association.
“at the committee, only five would vote for the degree on absolutely equal terms, and eight were against it. of the absent 268members five wrote against it, so there would have been a large majority against.
“each mistress can sign the memorial she prefers. so, i suppose, ‘we,’ that is, my colleagues and i, had better sign your memorial.
“i heard, for the first time, that men from the affiliated colleges—nottingham, for example—could get a degree without the little-go, and with only two years’ residence. this, if correct, does modify things a little. i heard, also, that dr. sidgwick would vote for the degree being given on the same terms as now, i.e. i suppose, on girton and newnham lines.
“yours always truly,
“frances m. buss.
“my young people were delighted with their visit to girton.”
in a letter to dr. fitch, dated july 24, 1879, miss buss thus expresses her satisfaction with the success of the efforts in this direction—
“dear mr. fitch,
“many thanks for your kind note, which gave me great pleasure. i am glad to know that our friends are satisfied with the result of their exertions on our behalf so far.
“the fight was hard. i wonder how the women will do in the b.a. and b.sc. examinations.
“cheltenham has done as well as usual. nine candidates out of ten passed in this last matriculation examination.
“we are exceptionally fortunate this year, but our success is largely owing to my accomplished and brilliant young fellow-worker, mrs. bryant, who is as good and charming as she is clever.
“i thank you most heartily for your congratulations, dear mr. fitch.
“believe me,
“yours always truly,
“frances m. buss.
“to j. g. fitch, esq., m.a.”
in 1881, mrs. grey writes to miss buss from naples, on the receipt of the cambridge calendar—
269“this scheme seems as good as we could expect, and embracing all the most important points so contended for. on the whole, when i recollect the indifference, and sometimes the contemptuous opposition that one met with, even when i first read a paper on the subject, some six years ago, i think the progress has been unexpectedly rapid; and it will be indefinitely accelerated when the universities (or cambridge alone) have published their scheme.”
it is only by carefully contrasting the state of girls’ education in 1863 with what, in 1895, is accepted as the natural order of things, that we can estimate duly the value of the work done by the leaders in this movement, amongst whom prominent places must be assigned to emily davies and frances mary buss.
we have a pleasant little glimpse of the relations that existed between the two friends in a note found among miss buss’ most treasured possessions, with a piece of needlework, marked in her writing, as “worked by miss davies.”
“8, harewood square, dec. 20, 1890.
“dear miss buss,
“i am sending you, in a separate packet, marked, ‘to await return,’ in case you have already left town, a chair-back, which i have had great pleasure in working for you. will you accept it as a small token of affection and good will? i have thought much of you while putting in the stitches, and of the high and noble qualities which i have had so many opportunities of observing during our long and unbroken friendship.
“all christmas blessings to you and yours.
“ever yours sincerely,
“emily davies.”
as a summing-up of miss buss’ attitude with regard to this great question, i am indebted to mrs. bryant for the following remarks which embody the results of many a consultation between the head and her 270sympathetic colleague, whose own career is so strikingly illustrative of the whole question:—
“in the earlier years of the cambridge colleges, miss buss was one of the most ardent supporters of the attempt to win for women admission to the opportunities and recognition of the older universities. the part she took was the very useful one of supplying students trained in her school, few of whom would probably have gone on to a college career but for the stimulus of her advice and encouragement. times have greatly changed since then. at that time there was a small band of women bent on carrying out an ideal which is now partly fulfilled, and very widely accepted, and there were a few girls, growing into womanhood, with the eager thirst for knowledge that defies obstacles. these latter were the first cambridge students. but the great mass of social feeling was hostile, or at the best contentedly acquiescent in the existing state of affairs. it was for the conversion of this conservatively acquiescent, but not hostile, feeling, that missionary effort was needed, and miss buss, among her girls and their parents, was the most ardent and convincing of missionaries. she would captivate intellectually, and persuade morally, the girl whom she saw as destined for the higher intellectual things, and she would educate or persuade the parents to take her view, or at any rate, give it a trial. as a matter of course, we now ask of an elder girl in school what she intends to do in her after-career, and the majority of girls, or their parents, have some idea, or are trying to form one. but in the early seventies it was not so, and miss buss created ideals of the future for individuals out of little more than her perception of their capabilities.
“with regard to the difference of ideal end between the two cambridge colleges, miss buss, with her usual balance and moderation, held that the greater liberty, as regards time of residence and studies, allowed at newnham, was very serviceable to a large class of students, especially at the beginning, whose circumstances and opportunities did not allow that they should completely carry out the regular university conditions. but she had, nevertheless, no doubt at all that the full university course, and the university degree as its recognition, was the end to be achieved by all who could achieve it. if the university were in need of reform, if more liberty should be allowed as regards greek in particular, then, it seemed to her, that question should be fought out for both sexes alike, since there was no peculiar reason why 271women specially should abstain from the classics. but, to her mind, the over-balancing consideration was that the principle of equality in the race for such intellectual privileges as could be won, should be broadly asserted in the most emphatic way—‘a fair fight, and no favour,’ as she often said. she made no assumption about the extent of the average woman’s powers, but she smiled over the à priori views, once so common, which settled beforehand what their tastes should be—for literature, for botany, perhaps, for modern languages, certainly not for mathematics. so her sympathies, regarding the ultimate end to be attained, leaned to the system of girton college, which fulfilled all the university conditions, and, pending the grant by the university of degrees, stamped each girton student with a mark equivalent to graduation in all respects. the unlimited liberty of choice allowed to the women students at oxford was, to her, a great stumbling-block. ‘it is impossible to follow the variety of the oxford course in all its windings,’ she would say; ‘or to make out clearly what an oxford woman has done.’ and there can be no doubt that the oxford women who have done the best courses do suffer seriously in the practical world by the very indefinite character of the general stamp they wear. this, indeed, has come to be an important argument in favour of the grant of the oxford degree to the fully qualified women.
“in these latter years, however, she, like others, felt that there was hope of great things, educationally, in the development of thought among the younger generation at oxford. how deeply interested she was in the conference on secondary education at oxford! it was a great disappointment to her that on account of illness she could not be present. telling her all about it afterwards was part of the conference to me.
“as regards the stumbling-block of compulsory greek, it may be worth while to say a word here which should tend to dispel the fear that the requirement of greek at the universities will make greek a necessary class-subject in the first-grade schools. it has not had this effect so far, i believe, in any of the schools supplying students to girton. only the small band of girls destined for a university course make it a study. in our practice at the north london collegiate school, it is alternative with french, as latin is with german; and it always comes late in the course. we see, however, that it is taught well, very well, when it comes.
“on may 15, 1878, on the occasion of the presentation of degrees at the university of london, the chancellor, lord granville 272made the great announcement that henceforth women should be eligible for all the degrees and honours of the university. i was with miss buss in the gallery; it was a thrilling moment. the concession was unexpected, and it was so perfectly complete. there were no reservations in it, no locked doors, no exclusion from rights in the government of the university, or from eligibility for any of its posts. the time for experiment was over, and the test had been approved; the time for half-measures was over too. there never was a concession more freely or more graciously made, and with a largeness of wisdom and sympathy which cannot be honoured too much.
“at the same time, it was announced that the university would institute a diploma for teachers, and thus another much-desired end was also fulfilled. ‘i care for that almost as much,’ she said. but the prime interest centred in the grant of the degrees. how overjoyed she was! ‘what will you do?’ she said to me. ‘i will learn latin,’ i said; ‘matriculate in january, and go on for the doctor of science degree in philosophy.’
“in later years we did not sit in the gallery, however late we came, but in the front row. she never failed to come, not even last year, when, indeed, she found the effort trying. it was such a pleasure to her, year by year, to see the number of girl-graduates grow; and she rejoiced as much in the success of others as in that of her own flock. it was characteristic of her selflessness, her magnanimity, that, instead of presenting her distinguished pupils herself, she handed over to me from the first that honourable duty. ‘she liked it better so,’ she said. but thus it was in all things: wherever there was honour, she put me forward to share it. for herself she sought nothing.”
