The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-08-12
ENoLAND's GRADUATE HEROINE.
Hiss Ada Maria Jano Elizabeth johnson
ard What She Accomplished.

y nut brown maid, with cheeks &c
red as roses and q mass of dark hai1
almost toe heavy for the shapely head
that is Miss Ada Maria Jane Elizabeth
johnson, the heroine of the day, the
| young lady who stands alone III the first
division of the first class in the second
part Of the Cambridge mathematical
tripos. Truly she is ''sweet girl grad
nate" (without the degree), this youth
ful mathematician who has ''beaten all
the men," as she sits high UP in her lit
tie room in Old hall reading her letters
and still aglow from an exciting game
of her favorite pastime, tennis From
the tree tops, deep below in the lovely
| grounds of Newnham, comes the MARBLE
of blackbird. The air is sweet with
the scent of many roses on the small
table in tho center OF the room at which
Miss johnson sits, lingering her con-
| gratulatory letters and kilograms. A
bow of magnificent oriental peoples
blooms in the corner, striking contrast
| to their airy, fairy cousins-a vase full
of Iceland peoples. dainty and delicate,
of deep orange and pale lemon tints
and of silyery white Perhaps all these
decorations are tributes, too, to the sue
cessful girl student, as are the letters and
the kilograms.
She bears the burden Of her splendid
success cheerfully, and as she sits there
blushing, and blushing again, there is
absolutely nothing about Miss johnson
that suggests the grave and ponderous
and formidable scholar, q vision of
whom may appear to the inward eye Of
the outsider, p" reading about the sta
dious Newnham girl who has "beaten
all the men" and demonstrated once
again the fact, which needs good deal
of demonstrating in certain quarters,
that a woman, too, may 'stand and
work" as well as a man and yet remain
untainted by the particular faint Of the
"shrieking sisterhood.
She is eager enough to talk about her
hall, her college and about the gener-
Gus way in which her fellow students
have shared with her tho joy at her sue
cess Indeed they had dance on the
Tuesday evening in honor Of the girl
who beat all the men," But when it
comes to talking about herself then
Miss johnson has only smilingly, and
with the prettiest, because unconscious,
bashfulness, to confess that "there is
nothing at all to say"
But there is, after all, and what there
is to say is well worth knowing were
it only for the sake of encouraging 9TH
er struggling girls who have no special
educational advantages to go on I'M
daunted, for this fair wrangler has had
none of the Especial advantages by
means of which ambitious parents have
sometimes succeeded in bringing about
a certain amount of success to their SONS
and daughters. There has been no cram
ming, no private coaching, "no moth
ing except a good, sound elementary
education. There are no board schools
at Cambridge but their equivalents, the
SO called higher grade schools, are there,
and ct one Of these in Park street, Cam
bridge, Miss Johnson laid the founda-
lion of her present success. Even as a
child she was fond of mathematics and
after she left school she continued her
favorite stndy, mostly alone, but not
without some desultory teaching. For
the last two years she has been at Nc.vn-
ham, and last year she took the first
part of the mathematical tripos, stand
ing in rank between the fifth and sixth
wranglers.
Thus mathematics have never had any
terror for Miss Johnson-in fact, she
has handled her problems" with much
the same ease as that with which, as a
member Of the Newman Tennis club,
she handles her racket. But this year
slight doubt disturbed her serenity
with regard to the result of the exami-
nations, for when the great day arrived
it happened that Miss johnson, though
there is absolutely nothing of the pale
and haggard student about her, was moi
in her usual good health, but run
down." and therefore not quite at her
best
Hence she awaited the "list' with
nothing but the most modest expecta-
lions. And then ON the Tuesday it
came out, to the joy of all Newnham,
and in the evening the girls daiiced-
the fair mathematician and all the rest
danced for joy that one of them, and
one of the most girlish ones to boot. had |
fought SO successfully. Now playtime
has come. Today all the big boxes and
trunks that lined the long corridors Of |
the halls yesterday afternoon have gone
off in all directions. Newman is holt
daying and Miss johnson, among the
rest, is thinking of pleasures only, for
the present Tennis and walking are the |
forms of play in which she delights and
now she has actually cc.ne to think Of |
cycling. Such is the latter day lady
wrangler, reveling in games, young.
spirited, glowing with strong health,
and not afraid Of problems, be they con-
nected with Euclid or with what the |
French call oyolisme. Westminster
Budget.
Bank of ENGLAND Women Clerks.