The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-20

From "a Woman Hater'' in Harper's Magazine
A WOman's Battle.
lCONCLUDED.l

human subject-alive and dead. The Uni
versity Court knew that very well when it
matriculated US. and therefore 1t provided
for our instruction by promising us separate
classes.
Backed by this public pledge, we waited
on the University Professor of Anatomy to
arrange our fees for a separate lecture. He
fatty refused to instruct US separately for
love or money, or to permit his assistants.
That meant the union sees way to put you
in cleft stick and cheat you out of your de-
gree, in spite of the pledge the University
has given you in spite of your fees, and of
your time given to study ia reliance on the
PROMISE
This was heavy blow. But there was an
extramural establishment called Surgeons
Hall, and the University formally recognized
all the lecturers in this Hall; so we applied to
those lecturers, and they were shocked at the
illiberalty of the University professors, and
admitted us at once to mixed classes We
attended with the male students lectures on
anatomy and surgery, and of all the an ici-
pated evils, not one took place, Sir.
The objection to mixed classes proved to be
idle words; yet the old-fashioned minds OPP
posed to US shut their eyes and went on rea-
soning a priori, and proving that the evils
which they saw did not arise, must arise
should the experiment of mixed classes,
which was then succeeding, ever be tried,
To qualify us for examination, we now
needed but one thing more-hospital prac
tice. The infrmary is supported not so much
by the University as the town. We applied
therefore with some confidence for the per-
mission usually conceded to medical students.
The managers refused us the town infirmary.
Then we applied to the subscribers. They
not belonging to trades-union, declared in
our favor, and intimated plainly that they
would turn out the illiberal managers at the
next election of managers.
But by this time the war was hot and gen.
eral, and hard blows dealt on both sides. It
was artfully suppressed by our enemies in the
profession and in the press that we had
begged hard for the separate class which had
been promised us in anatomy, and permission
to attend, by ourselves, a limited number of
wards in the infirmary; and on this falsehood
by suppression worse calumnies were built.
shall tell you what we really were, and
what foul mouth and pens insinuated we
must be.
Two accomplished women had joined us,
and we were now the seven wise virgins of a
halfcivilized nation, and, If / know black
from while, we were seven OF its brightest
ornaments. We were seven ladies' who
wished to be doctresses, especially devoted to
our own sex; seven good students who went
on our knees to the University for those sep.
arate classes in anatomy and clinical surgery
which the University was bound in honor to
supply us; but, our prayer rejected, said to
the University: We'll, use your own discre-
ton about separate or mixed classes; but for
your own credit and that of human nature,
do not williully tie hangman's moose to
throttle the weak and deserving, and don't
cheat seven poor, Woodworking, meritoriCus
women, your own matriculated students, out
of our entrance fees, which lie to this day in
the University Golfers, out of the exception
ally heavy fees we have paid to your profess
sors, out of all the fruit of cur hard stady,
out of our diplomas, and our bread. Solve
the knot your own way. We will submit to
mixed classes, or any thing except profession
al destruction
In this spirit our lion-hearted leader wrote
the letter Of an uninjured dove, and said
there were great many more wards in the
inirmary than any male student could or did
attend; we would be content to divide the
matter thus: the male students to have the
monopoly of two thirds, we to have the bare
right of admission to one-third. By this the
male students (if ANY, who had a sincere OBJ.
lection to study the sick and witness opera.
tions in our company could never be troubled
with as, and we, though less favored than the
male students, could just manage to qualify
1OI budb puDllC CAdLnludtlOA WHICH, Was W
prove whether we could make able phyicians
or not.
Sir, this gentle proposal was rejected with
rude scorn, and in aggressive terms. Such is
the spirit Of a trades-union.
Having now shown you what we were,
will now show you what our enemies, declin-
ing to observe our conduct, though it was
very public, suggested we must be. Seven
shameless women who pursued medicine as
handle for sexuality; who went into the dis
secting room to dissect males, and into the
hospital to crowd round the male patient,
and who demanded mixed classes, that we
might have male companions in those studies
which every feminine woman would avoid al
together.
This keynote struck, the public was re-
galed with burst OF hypocrisy such as Moli-
ere never had the luck to witness, or, oh !!
what comedy he would have written!
The immodest sex taking advantage of Mo-
Heres decease without heirs of his brains, set
to work in public to teach the modest sex
modesty.
In the conduct of this pleasant paradox,
the Representatives, the sex which has much
courage and little modesty we're TWO profess
sors who conducted the paradox so judi
ciously that the London press reprimanded
them for their foul insinuations-and num-
per of young men called medical students.
Now the medical student surpasses most
young men In looseness of life and indecency
of mind and speech.
The representatives of womanhood to be
instructed in modesty by these animals, old
and young, were seven prudes. whose minds
were devoted to study and honorable ambi-
ton. These women are as much above the
average ofstheir sex in feminine reserve and
independence of the male sex as they were
in intellect.
The average girl, who throughout this dis
cussion was all of sudden pulled as a lilly,
because she ceased to be observed, can attend
to nothing If man is by; she can't work,
she can't play, she is 20 eaten up with sexu-
atty. The frivolous soul can just play GRO
quet with females; but enter man upon the
scene, and she can hardly be got to take her
turn in the only thing she has really given
her mind to. We were angels compared with
this paltry creature; and she was the stand
ing butt of public censure until it was found
that an imaginary picture of her could be
made the handle for insulting her betters.
Against these seven prudes, decent do
tards and their foul-mouthed allies flung out
insinuations which did escape public censure;
and.the medical students declared their mod
esty was shocked at our intrusion into anato
my and surgery, and petitioned against US.
Some of the Press were deceived by this for
time. and hurtaient duec les loups.
took up one day my favorite weekly, in
which nearly every writer seems to be
scholar, and was RECALLED with such items as
this:
1t appears that girls are to associate with
boys as medical students, in order that
when they become women they may be able
to speak to men with entire plainness upon
all the subjects of DOCTORS daily practice.
In plain words, the aspirants to medicine
and surgery desire to rid themselves and eff
fectually Of that modesty which nature
has planted in women And then the writer
concludes: we beg to suggest that there
are other places besides dissecting-rooms and
hospitals where those ladies may relieve
themselves of the modesty which they find so
troublesome. But fathers naturally object
to this being done at their sons EXPENSE"
"Infamousv' cried Wizard. "One COM
fort-no man ever penned that. That is
some old woman writing down you young
ones"
II don't know" said Rhoda. ct have
met so many womanish men in this business.
All know is, that my cheeks burned, and
for once in the fight scalding tears ran down
them. 1t was as if friend had spat upon
me.
What chimera What a monstrous mis-
Interpretation of pure minds by minds i'm
pure To us the dissecting-room was tenn
pie, and the dead an awe, revolving to all our
IyyNtt y, L.