Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-08-09
LEARNED WOMEN.

us is representatives III tue
the two Tudor princesses, afterwards
Queens Mary and Elizabeth, ana IN the
queen of the hour, the unfortunate Lady
Jane Grey. Contemporary, as a stu
dent, with Lady Jane, was Anne, Coun-
tess of Pembroke, who read Pindar
with Roger Ascham. To about the
same age belong Mary, Countess of
Arundel, Lady Luuley, aud Mary,
Duchess of Norfolk, all of whom made
various translstions from Greek into
Latin and English. But the accom-
plished ladies of that age were not al.
ways of high birth or station. A Lon
don citizens daughter, in the days Of
Henry vIII., was noted for her knowl-
edge of languages and for other attain
ments. In this reign, Sir Thomas
Moore, by example and authority, rec
commended liberal culture for the minds
Of girls us well as boys. In his Utopia,
or imaginary model community, he sup
poses the women to be taught all the
secrets of agriculture as well as the
men, while they are exempted from the
rougher work. All kinds Of haudicraft
flourish in Utopia, and are followed by
both sexes alike. We think it quite IN
advance on the past that the American
and British artisan should give a part
of his evenings TO the Mechanics lnsti-
tute; but Utopia is far ahead Of US, for
there Moore makes'the laborers, both
women as well as men, to rise before
dawn TO attend two or three lectures,
as a whet to the occupations Of the
day. The women are even accustomed
to military exercises and discipline, so
that, in time of war, they may not be
quite useless. Our own great war has
shown the wonderful extent and range
of women's usefulness, without their
having borne arms.
What Moore's views really were Of
the studies and pursuits fit for women
may be learned from his practice in his
own household. His three daughters,
Margaret, Elizabeth and Cecilia, and
his adopted daughter, another Margaret,
were placed under the same tutors, and
instructed from the same books ~ his
son John. The requirements of all
these young ladies were certainly re-
markable for the age in which they
lived, and those of the eldest daughter
would have been remarkable in any
age. They all wrote verses and themes
in Latin, and studied logic. Margaret
was not ouly a Greek and Latin scholar,
but also a diligeut reader Of philosophy
aud theology. Among her other per-
formsnces was q translation Of Eusebius'
Ecclesiastical History from Greek into
Latin. She also composed sundry dis
COURSES and declarations, both in Latin
and English.
Queen Mary was early placed under
the care of her mother, Catherine of
Arragon, herself a woman of undoubted
capacity, and described by Erasmus as
emineutly learned. Mary was an apt
scholar, aud when only twelve years of
age could write Latin correctly. 10
course of time she also learned Spanish,
French and Italian. Foremost on the
lis, Of learned women Of that century is
Lady Jane Gray. At fifteen she was
learning Hebrew, and could write Greek;
at sixteen she corresponded with Bullin-
ger in Latin, at least equal to his own;
but the matter of her letters is more
striking than the language, and speaks
more for her brain than the tiattery
of admiring courtiers. Queen Eliza
beth is famed for her deep and
various learning. She was endowed
by nature with q remarkable ap-
titude for acquiring languages-wss
learned in history and versed in diVinity.
As q girl, she was taught the physical
theories of the day. Poetry and music
were cultivated by her-the latter With
no little success. Nor did she neglect
smaller matters +; for her fingers were
nimble and cunning in embroidery
and her handwriting, like that of Lady
Jane Gray, was considered e%minently
beautiful. Under this learned queen,
study became fashionable at court, even
among the giddiest maids Of honor.
Besides Greek and Latin, the ladies of
the royal train applied themselves to
French. Spanish and Italian nor were
they left in ignorance of homelier ac-
complishments, such as needle work and
spinning silk, and when at home they
were ready to supply the table with
dainty dishes of their own deyising.
Macsuley, in his essay on Lord b.
con, while describing the accomplish
meuts of the women last named, makes
a long depression from his subject in
argument against the idea that the
learned women of that time were really
superior, in general literary culture, to
the majority of English ladies of the
present age. But Mrs. Browning-her-
self q splendid scholar-replied very
couclusively to Macauley, and renewed
the honors to the lady-linsuists of the
Sixteenth Century.
Women are naturally better linguists
than msn-more apt to learn and more
competent to retain a knowledge of q
foreign language--for obvious reasons,
embraced in many ar old and undis-
puted adage.
HARPrR's NosrHLY.-This splendid
magazine for August is for sale at
Chubbuck & Phelsn's, Gold Hill Post
Office, with all the latest pictorials and
other publications.