The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-05-03 00:00:00

"HONOURS" FOR WOMEN AT OXFORD.

The final vote as to admitting women to some of
the " honour " examinations in the University of
Oxford was taken on Tuesday afternoon in Convoca-
tion. The Sheldonian Theatre was crowded to over-
flowing, a large number of ladies being present. it
was at first decided not to allow undergraduates to be
present, but they mustered in such strong force and
clamoured so loudly that the order had to be annulled.
When the doors were opened they cheered heartily,
and speedily occupied the gallery. The Vice-Chan-
cellor, the Master of Balliol, presided, and amongst
those present were Mr. Robt. Browning (the poet), the
Bishop of Chester (who on taking his seat met with a
hearty reception), Sir John Conroy, Lord Lymingtou,
Lord Beauchamp, Canon Gregory, Canon Liddon,
Dean Goulburn, the head masters of Rugby, Marl-
borough and Wellington, the President of Trinity
College, the Dean of Chichester (who on entering the
area was received with mingled cheers and hisses),
ctc., &c. Masters of Arts came from all parts of
England, and the theatre presented a very animated
appearunce. • •• .
The Vice-Chancellor opened convocation in the
usual manner, and the statute was then submitted to
the House, when there were loud cries of " rlacet "
and " non-placet," and a great deal of excitement
prevailed. It was generally expected that some short
speeches would be delivered by the chief supporters
and opponents of the proposal, but, instead of this
happening, the voting was immediately proceeded
with, the undergraduates in the meantime expressing
their approval or disapproval of men and things in
general. The tellers were for " placets," the senior
proctor, the Rev. W. M. Pope, and the Rev. 11. 0.
Daniels, and for the " non-placets" the junior
proctor, Mr. Courtney, and Mr. Pappillow.
The voting took about three-quarters of an hour,
and some time before it was finished there was no
difficulty in seeing that the " placets" were successful.
Whilst the proctors were ascertaining the number of
votes which had been recorded, an undergraduate
called out that they should "count them on their
fingers ; " another inquired if they were "mathema-
tical scholars ; " whilst a third suggested that one of
the ladies should be asked to do it for them.

The voting was declared to be as under: " Placets,"
464; non-placets, 321. The result was received with
loud and continued cheering and slight hissing.

The Times in a leader says: The friends of what
is known as "The Higher Education of Women"
have won a decisive victory at Oxford, as we expected
they would, and as we think they were fully entitled
to do. The statute framed for the purpose of admit-
ting women to certain of the examinations provided
for undergraduates was submitted to Convocation and
carried by the very largo majority of 464 to 321.
Such a result is obviously final. Convocation, or the
great body of registered graduates, has emphatically
given its approval to a statute twice accepted by Con-
gregation or the body of resident graduates,
by much smaller majorities. The women have
thus obtained, by a sanction far more au-
thoritative than could have been given by
any vote of the residents only, the concession de-
manded on their behalf. If the only obstacle to the
success of women's education in Oxford lay in the
failure of the certificate hitherto awarded by the
delegates to obtain due recognition in public estima-
tion, that obstacle is now finally removed. Hence-
forth women will be tested by the same standards as
men in the studies which they pursue in common,
and they will enjoy at Oxford, as they already enjoy
at Cambridge, at Edinburgh, at the University of
London, and elsewhere, a fair field and no favour.
This is a result which, in our judgment, it was worth
some effort and even some sacrifice to obtain.
Oxford has not moved hastily in the matter. It
has hitherto reluctantly followed in the wake
of other universities in the country in pro-
viding for women's education. It has proceeded
cautiously, tentatively, and hesitatingly. It has
t iootn prepared
e lomurieed
r
attempted, for reasons not without theoretical
weight and practical cogency, to enforce a bifurcation
in the education of the sexes. That attempt has
practically failed. Women found that they could get
elsewhere an education which suited them better and
a stamp of approval more easily recognised by their
wduasca
n
teoin ipelaoTye te r
the
direction
ctio n therefore,of
women's Oxford
e
and, as all Oxford men are bound to think, in less
competent hands, it had no alternative but to frame
its system in accordance with current demands. These
and the like considerations have prevailed, after a
thorough and patient discussion of the merits of the
question on both sides, with a large majority of Con-
vocation, and the decision recorded at Oxford brings
the controversy to an end. Henceforth, at Oxford
as elsewhere, women will be entitled to measure thent.
selves withmen and to be estimated by the result of tht
comparison,