A Woman-Hater [84]
the heart's ease as _Viola tricolor;_ and the daisy as _Bellis perennis_--_Syngenesia superflua."_
"Well," said Vizard, "I think the individual names can only hurt the jaws and other organs of speech. But the classification! Is the mild luster of science to be cast over the natural disposition of young women toward _Polyandria monogynia?_ Is trigamy to be identified in their sweet souls with floral innocence, and their victims sitting by?"
"Such classifications are puerile and fanciful," said Miss Gale; "but, for that very reason, they don't infect _animals_ with trigamy. Novels are much more likely to do that."
"Especially ladies' novels," suggested Vizard, meekly.
"Some," suggested the accurate Rhoda. "But the sexes will never lose either morals or delicacy through courses of botany endured together. It will not hurt young ladies a bit to tell them in the presence of young gentlemen that a cabbage is a thalamifioral exogen, and its stamens are tetradynamous; nor that the mushroom, _Psalliata campestris,_ and the toad-stool, _Myoena campestris,_ are confounded by this science in one class, _Cryptogamia._ It will not even hurt them to be told that the properties of the _Arum maculatum_ are little known, but that the males are crowded round the center of the spadix, and the females seated at the base."
Said Vizard, pompously, "The pulpit and the tea-table are centers of similar phenomena. Now I think of it, the pulpit is a very fair calyx, but the tea-table is sadly squat."
"Yes, sir. But, more than that, not one of these pedants who growled at promiscuous botany has once objected to promiscuous dancing, not even with the gentleman's arm round the lady's waist, which the custom of centuries cannot render decent. Yet the professors of delicacy connive, and the Mother Geese sit smirking at the wall. Oh, world of hypocrites and humbugs!"
"I am afraid you are an upsetter general," said Vizard. "But you are abominably sincere; and all this is a curious chapter of human nature. Pray proceed."
Miss Gale nodded gravely, and resumed.
"So much public ridicule fell on the union for this, and the blind flunkyism which could believe the queen had meddled in the detail, that the professors melted under it, and threw open botany and natural history to us, with other collateral sciences.
"Then came the great fight, which is not ended yet.
"To qualify for medicine and pass the stiff examination, by which the public is very properly protected, you must be versed in anatomy and clinical surgery. Books and lectures do not suffice for this, without the human subject--alive and dead. The university court knew that very well when it matriculated us, and therefore it 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 flatly refused to instruct us separately for love or money, or to permit his assistants. That meant, 'The union sees a way to put you in a cleft stick and cheat you out of your degree, in spite of the pledge the university has given you; in spite of your fees, and of your time given to study in reliance on the promise.'
"This was a 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 illiberality of the university professors, and admitted us at once to mixed classes. We attended lectures with the male students on anatomy and surgery, and _of all the anticipated evils, not one took place, sir._
"The objections to mixed classes proved to be idle words; yet the old-fashioned minds opposed to us shut their eyes and went on reasoning _'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 he tried.
"To qualify us for examination we now needed but one thing more--hospital practice. The infirmary is supported
"Well," said Vizard, "I think the individual names can only hurt the jaws and other organs of speech. But the classification! Is the mild luster of science to be cast over the natural disposition of young women toward _Polyandria monogynia?_ Is trigamy to be identified in their sweet souls with floral innocence, and their victims sitting by?"
"Such classifications are puerile and fanciful," said Miss Gale; "but, for that very reason, they don't infect _animals_ with trigamy. Novels are much more likely to do that."
"Especially ladies' novels," suggested Vizard, meekly.
"Some," suggested the accurate Rhoda. "But the sexes will never lose either morals or delicacy through courses of botany endured together. It will not hurt young ladies a bit to tell them in the presence of young gentlemen that a cabbage is a thalamifioral exogen, and its stamens are tetradynamous; nor that the mushroom, _Psalliata campestris,_ and the toad-stool, _Myoena campestris,_ are confounded by this science in one class, _Cryptogamia._ It will not even hurt them to be told that the properties of the _Arum maculatum_ are little known, but that the males are crowded round the center of the spadix, and the females seated at the base."
Said Vizard, pompously, "The pulpit and the tea-table are centers of similar phenomena. Now I think of it, the pulpit is a very fair calyx, but the tea-table is sadly squat."
"Yes, sir. But, more than that, not one of these pedants who growled at promiscuous botany has once objected to promiscuous dancing, not even with the gentleman's arm round the lady's waist, which the custom of centuries cannot render decent. Yet the professors of delicacy connive, and the Mother Geese sit smirking at the wall. Oh, world of hypocrites and humbugs!"
"I am afraid you are an upsetter general," said Vizard. "But you are abominably sincere; and all this is a curious chapter of human nature. Pray proceed."
Miss Gale nodded gravely, and resumed.
"So much public ridicule fell on the union for this, and the blind flunkyism which could believe the queen had meddled in the detail, that the professors melted under it, and threw open botany and natural history to us, with other collateral sciences.
"Then came the great fight, which is not ended yet.
"To qualify for medicine and pass the stiff examination, by which the public is very properly protected, you must be versed in anatomy and clinical surgery. Books and lectures do not suffice for this, without the human subject--alive and dead. The university court knew that very well when it matriculated us, and therefore it 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 flatly refused to instruct us separately for love or money, or to permit his assistants. That meant, 'The union sees a way to put you in a cleft stick and cheat you out of your degree, in spite of the pledge the university has given you; in spite of your fees, and of your time given to study in reliance on the promise.'
"This was a 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 illiberality of the university professors, and admitted us at once to mixed classes. We attended lectures with the male students on anatomy and surgery, and _of all the anticipated evils, not one took place, sir._
"The objections to mixed classes proved to be idle words; yet the old-fashioned minds opposed to us shut their eyes and went on reasoning _'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 he tried.
"To qualify us for examination we now needed but one thing more--hospital practice. The infirmary is supported