The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-03-20

Some Women We Ought to Know,
The woman who does things seems
to belong so essentially to the pres
ent day that it is something of a sur
prise to find that four hundred and
more years ago women were quietly
going about engaged In work for the
public good, quite in the same spirit
that they are doing II to-day. AS a
rule. we are apt to think of the women
of ages past as entirely occupied in
household affairs, at any rate as not
having the opportunity TO go outside
their home life or to act independ-
emily of father or husband in the con-
dutc of affairs. But every now and
then something crops up to show that
this is not SO, that in the centuries
that are gone there were many wo-
men who did valiant work for some
cause dear to their hearts. as do the
progressive women of to-day.
In the hundred or more stained
glass windows that are being placed
in the cathedral at Liverpool In honor
of noted women the work of many
such women Is being brought to light.
The names of some are scare
known to the world at large. though
, the influence pf their work has gone
on growing and growing and helping
to make the world better. 1t is In
teresting to look into the lives of these
women, to study how they wrought
in times so adverse to womens eff
forts. For If women find it difficult
now to gain a hearing, what must
it have been in those days when a
woman stepped out from her heaven
ordained domain to make her voice
heard in the worlds affairs.
One of the women thus being hon
ored Is Lady Margaret Beaufort. And
she is not being honored by reason
Of her title or position. but because
of the work she did For she took a
hand In farthering the eause of edu-
cation, and this, too. Is something of
education We look upon as something
of modern movement.
Lady Margaret was Countess of
Richmond and Derby. daughter and
heiress of John Beaufort, the grand
son Of John of Gaunt. A life OF lux
ury was hers had she wanted it, and
since back in the fifteenth century
there were no colleges for women,
no suffrage platforms to entice. no
economic Independence TO be assert
ed, it might be thought she would
have lived the pleasure-seeking HE
of the court circles into which she was
more serious matters or lie.
But she didn't. She made over to
her son such rights as were hers TO
the crown and then gave her life to
works of charity and piety, doing
much to further the cause OF educa-
ton, In 1909 she founded two per
petuai lectures at two universities.
These still exist under the name OF
the Margaret Professorships. She
gave to Cambridge perpetual en-
dowment for a public preacher. she
also founded in Dorsetshire perpet-
ual school for the teaching OF gram
mar. But her greatest work was the
founding Of the Colleges OF Christ ana
of St. John at Cambridge in 1905 ana
1908.
Rather big work for woman to
do for the cause OF education, Tour
hundred years ago, wasn't II IN 'ie
work that was done for ,educatlon IN
the early times we do not often as
sociate women. We always think Oh
men as laboring to increase It's sphere.
But women then as now were work
ing for it, and it Is commenoapie
deed that their efforts are being tnus
recognized and honored in this pup
i,c way in the cathedral at Liver
nooI For this window Is not to Lazy
Marvaret Beaufort alone. but to all
,,atroresses of learning. 1t is in mem
nrv of all who have helped. anu IL
Nj, he an inspiration to others to
lend a hand.
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