The Express.
London, England, 1862-06-11 00:00:00

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE PRO-

NOTION OF SOCIAL SCIENCE.

Mlns Fames P. COMM read • paper yesterday oa
" Feuds Education, and bow it would be affected
by University Examinations." After alluding to the
special wants of women at this time, and the ad-
vantages which an improved education would give
them, Miss Cobbs controverted the popular ides
that • cultivated woman was likely to be • lees good
wife end mother than as ignorant use, or that, as Sydaey
Smith mid, "a woman's love for her children depended on
her ignorance of Greek, and she would be likely to desert
an infant for • quadratic equation." Two of the noblest
instances of woman's home virtue, and grommet Odd •
thropio devotion, ware Mary Somerville and Mary Car-
penter, the one the head of all her eel in science, and the
other learned enough to have taught Bonier and Virgil at
eighteen. A classical education did not make a woman
masculine. It was se absurd to teach • girl
French because • boy learned Latin, as to
make her eat mutton became the boy ate
beef. The assimilation of mantel and bodily food
both suited the natural constitution. A wound's mind in
made by the Creator wholly different from that of a man,
and in everything she dose, art, learning, or philanthropic
labour, these differences axes oat. She works not like •
man, from without, by force at will and legislative power,
bat from within, by persuading and inspiring. To educate
a;r2an to the utmost is only more sad more to educe her
w limes ; to make her more, sot lees, a woman. A sound
and solid education is even more needful for her than for a
Man, her natural quickness leading her to shallowdes and
hastiness of conclusions. University examinations, which
have long been admitted to be so useful for men, can hardly
prove less so for women. That of Loudon, is particular,
oleo special facilities for their admission, and we
may hope that the late revelation of half the
Senate to reject them will ere long be recon-
sidered. London University will sinurolly suffer no
derogation from following the codes of the schools of Alex •
inch* where liypatia held the first chair of philosophy
thee existing in the world ; and in that of the Univemity
of Padua, where woven taught and leaned beside G=
Tetrarch, and Columbus. In conclusion, Hiss Cobb.
both men and comes to pat aside the prejudices which the
obaoxicans and ludicrous ideas attached to that popular agree"
the strong-minded female, brought upon all sighted' com-
pacted with the claims of women. In the old times at
chivalry, to help • woman in distress was deemed the high-
est honour for the bravest ',height. Aware* it is not fees
ea
honour now to aid the whole sex to rise to a better and
nobler life, and to develop more perfectly—bemuse more
freely did fully, that form outward which Cod has also
male in His own image—a divine arid holy thing. The con-
demo' Of the paper was followed by the heartiest applause.
The Peasiossr—l may deed. I suppose, that dela-
'natio. sea wish that we bad the power of 000ferring de-
pees—(bear, hail—and if we had, 1 should be most
happy to propose that Miss Cobbe receive from us the
degree of ILA.—(cheers and laughter)—mistress of the art
• distmaiMg • subject with mooed reed with infinite
peer, sad with perfect propriety. (Hear, bear.) Oe one
point may I should wish to make an observatios, and that
is to maim the statement of Miss Cobbe, adi to the pos.
dbility of the union of the most perfect domestic
virtues with the highest istellectnal cultivation. I
cannot venture, with so many ladies present, to open • dis-
cussion oa the subject. (laughter. I should be to
baulk any lady—naughter)—but hope what he
mid has been so full and ' sego guff will
accept it as • perfect addenda of their ore. (Hear, bear.)
The Rev. A.. J. Main followed with a very able,
praatied, sad argumentative paper, "Oa the saddling
Me of a spice
dweb is i ofstit on
tad Wi *meg National Sohoohnesters."
pes, terms ea tie soda
based white J. • eon pissed es the maim of
the esbeelleaster, and vmmceeed their dela 10 Ow sp-
pastellist of echool-inspeetors, tram which they are at
present ant only studiously excluded, but that exclusion
is eves *Med by the Commissions of Ednostion: them-