New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-19
MISS CLOUGH OF NEWMAN.
ADVANCED
OLD-FASHIONED
WOMAN"
AN

and % nreservc a record Of her character anu
aims for the graduates Of the college when that
excellent woman helped 10 create. iheSe o'
fects Miss Blanche Clough undoubtedly ach'e''''
but she does 1t in a singuary uhshA4u' -"
graceful and confused fashion. She furnishes
mass OF unlmportant detail which oDscures he'
story: and she quotes from her aunts gThSh
diary page after page OF wel-meanine' youth
full twaddle which should never have attained
IN tho dignity OF print Miss Clough was the
last nerson 10 wish to see il thus enshrined
Americans who knew and admired arthur
Hugh Clough during his short period OF WORK III
this country should feel some interest In the lie
OF his sister. whose idol he was ana III "H'''
mental development he was the chlel ldc'oi
They were friends as well as brother ana sls'ei'
and the value Of this companionshp was sho"H
throughout Miss Clough's career 80 lar as We
can learn from this memoir she was euuca'eu
entirely by her mother and this favorite pro'hef'
She was still a young girl when she began u
teach and to work among the children OF 'he
moor IN Liverpool; and some stress of fortune
as well az natural inclination presently pusAeo
her into the path which to lead to the foun-
dalton OF the syrtem Of university training TOT
women and the establishment Of Newman COL
lepe AS a teacher We are told, she was eXtraor-
d,narily wanting in method but was stimulat-
ing and inspiring force; while her ingenuity. her
memory her persistence and almost reckless ex-
penditure of her own time and trouble. made her
an uncommony successful organizer Ihe
North Of England Council was an association
created principally by herr to devise ana carry
out plans for improvement In the education OF
girls; and her work. while connected with this
association led to her later work at Cambridge
An exceedingly valuable part of the counciIs
achievements was In providing for lectures III
the associated towns. to be given by university
men, While the plans had TO be modified after
some experiments 1t the starting OF these
lectures that was the real foundation Of the
higher education OF women in England. The
story of the establishment Of the system and
Of Newman the house of residence for women
students, is a pleasant one. 1t is record Of
remarkable generosity and Of personal sacrifice.
especially in Cambridge "A number Of people
SAYS Miss Blanche Cough. subscribed small
sums. and a few rich people showed splendid
munifcence but what is especially noticeable
in the earlier subscription lists Is the fact
there r-"orded that very considerable sums
200 FOO or f100-were repeatedly given by per-
sons who were certainly not rich And Cam
bridge men not only gave money. they gave their
time freely The lecturers gave their teaching
for quite inadequate remuneration, and often
for none at oil Men whose days were already
filled with work attended at meetings of com
mittees and councils, gave thought and atten-
ton to details Of organization and showed real
interest and desire TO help the women students
in every possible way"
As the first principal of Newman Miss Cloush
was particularly anxious that the college should
show that n woman's desire for education and
even the possession of ii did not involve any de-
parture from recognized customs and conven-
tions. She talked much to her young charges
about the necessity Of respecting the conven-
tons that one Of the girls suggested that Newn-
ham should take az its crest Mrs. Grundy ram
pant and two Newman students oouchant Her
care in this respect doubtless had much to do
with the liberation not to say heartiness, with
which the cause to which she was devoted was
eventually accepted. Her appearance. we
are told was unmpeachably feminine. and her
timid hestating manner dispelled all idea Of
the capable woman" who is object Of antip
athy to many. She managed college affairs
with rare energy. resource and unselhshness;
there was no obstacle apparently which the
slender gentle. addressed and ungraceful Eng
lish woman could not conquer Yet she had lit
tie command Of language, was unmethodical In
thought. sometimes to the point of incoherence,
and was not in the least learned. Her great sue
cess in her work bears triumphant testimony to
dom. of kind heart and unylelding devotion to a
single aim Not in any sense she New
Woman and she succe eded in avertng from
Newman at least the prOphesied tendency Of
university education ito make women hard and
inhuman." she generous in her perception
Of other peoples points Of view, and with her
students gently persuasive rather than impera-
tive Her niece tells some amusing stories Of
her ways:
At a debate student noted for throwing
bombs in conversation advocated knickerbock-
for women as much cleaner and tidier
mode Of dress. Miss Cl)ugh listened with face
Of horror A few days later this reformer came
TO her dressed in a long, handsome cloak. Miss
Clough took hold Of IT, What a nice cloak
you've got, my dear" and then In low, conf
Dental tone. Much nicer than knickerbockers'
She used the word manage" frequently, gen
orally In the sense OF contrivc. succeed In bring
ing about. and implying abstcntion from all vio-
lence and often in the most cOmiCal connection.
She is said. for instance, to have commonly
asked her neighbors at breakfast If they could
manage to pass her the bread. And there is
tradition that in the early days when she had
been demonstrating with one or other of the stu
dents or even Only discussing plans. she would
end ungrammatcally but expressively with the
general appeal for caution and fOrbearance-"f
you could manage not"
This attempt to express many things regard
less Of grammar appears in another story OF
early times at Newrham. on one occasion she
was sending out invitations for a discreet ana
modest garden party. She wanted few people
20 play tennis but she did not wish TO do any
thing so 1efnite and daring as give a tennis
party The result Of these mixed feelings was
that she was discovered writing In the corner or
the cards TO be scIt TO certain selected people
the phrase IF you could bring . racquet"
Her remarks were often amusing. too. because
they left much unsaid and expressed 80
much by implication. and this and the Unusual
turn Of the phrases caused her sayings to be
repeated all over the college. and led one stu
dent to say that a day always dull In
which one had not exchanged some words with
her / went once with her TO stay for Few
days with some people whom we had neither
OF US met before. Ny first impressions were
AooI liz 10 Crall nnAI q