The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-10

he knew, but he also knew that his views
were not popular. Nelly Peels enthusi-
asm had split her gloves, for naturally,
being an English girl of the nineteenth
century, she went with the orator heart
and soul
"Why didn't you clapT' she whispered
reproachfully to the Professor, who was
sitting quietly by her side with an alb
stract expression on his face.
II don't quite see my way" he said,
hesitatingly; ''our friend goes too far.
He is quite right in all his structures on
our schools, but l confess the idea of
young girls pushing their way at Uni
versity is very strange and repulsive to
me. l have different ideal of woman"
"What does that matter" exclaimed
Nelly, impetuously. w think that it is
very mean of you not to second your
friend; and see! there is the Marehesa
fdgeting in her chair, and oh that
odious Spazzagalera is standing up over
them and trying to catch the Presidents
eye. Do please speak. You must
speak"
The Professor hesitated, twisted about
uneasily on his seat. He wished to sup
port his friend, and Spazzagalera would
certainly be offensive as we'll as hostile.
Should he? should he notY Hadn't he
better wait till the advocate had had his
sayY He himself knew so little of the
question in hand; but then he was also
unprejudiced. So his mind swayed like
a pendulum. Nelly gave him tiny
push and repeated:
"Do speakw
That stopped his waverings How
could he refuse her request7 He got up,
and moved step or so nearer the plat
form. The lecturer saw him and gave
him an encouraging nod. The President
saw him. Spazzagalera saw him and
stood up also. Then our poor hero felt
committed to speech; an impulse of
courage seized him.
"Signor Presidente" he began, and his
voice sounded to him like the far echo of
some one else's voice.
professor Marcotti will address the
meeting" exclaimed the President, in a
tone of great relief-for dead silence is
hardly an encouraging beginning to any
discussion.
Our hero was in for it now; 80, to gain
time he plunged into few compliments
on the speech just delivered, alluded to
his own incompetence for scientific treat
ment of the subject, acknowledging the
justice of his friends remarks, but de-
INJURED to his conclusions. 1t must be
confessed that the Professor foundered
a good deal during this partof hisspeech,
and he felt that he Was treating the mat
ter very unscienti6cally. Was it neces-
sary, he said, for girls to be exposed to
the ordeal through which the boys had to
passl Was it advisable to give them a
University training? Could they not be
thoroughly educated within the shelter
of their own homes? He doubted the
result of the system advocated by his
esteemed friend. Might it not unduly
harden the sex, and would not premature
contact with the world blur the delicate
charm which was woman's special at
tribute? Here sudden burst Of clapping
interrupted the Professor, and he was
thoroughly disconnected on seeing the
Marchesa's withered palms in active mo-
ton. What did she know of delicate
charm? he said to himself, feeling that
he had been all wrong if he had won her
appreciation. He longed to sit down and
hold his tongue, but it was evidently ex-
pected that he should 60 on speaking;
so he went on blindly, and, before be
realized what he was doing, found him
self describing his conception of the ideal
woman. "My ideal woman" he said,
"should have a ready wit, balanced
mind, an even temper; she should be
beautiful-all ideals are beautiful-yet
of the order of beauty that strikes all
beholders; rather that of a delicate
floweret half-hidden by its leaves. She
should possess all home virtues, be ten
der daughter, loving sister. Not averse
to domestic duties, she should perform
them with tranquil ease, without letting
her mind be absorbed by them excepting
at the time of performance. She should
rule her household with firm but gentle
sway, and when all the machinery was
in order, the hustle of the morning hours
at an end, be able to find employment
in her Dante, her Petrarch, or the best
literature of other lands. Neither would
his ideal woman confne her interest to
literature alone. She would also ap-
preciate the allurements Of science; and
it seemed to him that there were several
branches, botany and entomology, for in
stance, for which the delicate acumen of
thefemale intellect was specially adapted.
1t was fact that in one foreign country
at least-he alluded to England-it
would be difficult to find household
where some one member did not take an
intelligent interest in science, while in all
there was love of reading which in
Italy it would be vain to seek. Yet these
were results obtainable by judicious
education Then, as to his friends ad-
vocacy of classical studies, it seemed to
him that while opinion was SO divided
on the relative superiority of classical
and scientific education, it would scarce
ly be wise to make study of the classics
imperative upon women. Any modern
language studied with scientific precision
mould aoryo oc,olIy u,alI nc a ,.oo,toI