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diff --git a/old/60820-0.txt b/old/60820-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b1f89f7..0000000 --- a/old/60820-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,16928 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Frances Mary Buss, by Annie E. Ridley - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Frances Mary Buss - and her work for education - -Author: Annie E. Ridley - -Release Date: December 1, 2019 [EBook #60820] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRANCES MARY BUSS *** - - - - -Produced by WS, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - - FRANCES MARY BUSS - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - Photo. by Russell and Sons. - Yours always [** Illegible] - Frances M. Buss -] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - FRANCES MARY BUSS - - AND HER WORK FOR EDUCATION - - - - - BY - - ANNIE E. RIDLEY - - - - - “We work in hope” - THE SCHOOL MOTTO - - - - - WITH PORTRAITS AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS - - - - - LONDON - LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO. - AND NEW YORK - 1895 - - All rights reserved - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - PREFACE - - -In a life written by a friend for friends there must of necessity be -more of the intimacy of private friendship than in a record written -dispassionately for an unknown public. The world in general knows -Frances Mary Buss as a public worker—capable, energetic, successful. By -her friends she was loved as one of the most womanly of women—true, and -tender, and loyal. Her work, to which all women of this generation owe -so much, must assume prominence in the story of her life; but what is -most desired is to show her as she was to her friends. - -My warmest thanks are here offered to all who have so freely and so -kindly helped me in this labour of love: first, to Miss Buss’ own family -and personal friends, and to old pupils; to Mrs. Bryant, D.Sc., and the -members of the staff in both schools; and, for many valuable educational -details, to Miss Emily Davies, Miss Beale, Mrs. William Grey, Miss -Shirreff, Miss Mary Gurney, Miss Agnes J. Ward, Miss Hughes, and Dr. and -Mrs. Fitch. - - A. E. R. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - INTRODUCTORY—THEN AND NOW 1 - - - BOOK I. - - EARLY LIFE. - - I. CHILDHOOD 25 - II. GIRLHOOD 41 - III. INFLUENCE 58 - IV. HELPFULNESS 73 - - - BOOK II. - - PUBLIC WORK. - - I. TRANSITION 87 - - II. “WE WORK IN HOPE” 103 - - III. “THE SISTERS OF THE BOYS” 117 - - IV. TIMELY HELP 131 - - V. TRIUMPH 146 - - VI. WITH HER FELLOW-WORKERS 166 - - VII. LIFE AT MYRA LODGE 181 - - VIII. EARLY EDUCATIONAL IDEALS 200 - - IX. PRACTICAL WORK 215 - - X. THE HEAD-MISTRESSES’ 231 - ASSOCIATION - - XI. UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FOR WOMEN 252 - - XII. TRAINING COLLEGES FOR TEACHERS 273 - - XIII. GENERAL INTERESTS 287 - - - BOOK III. - - LATER YEARS. - - I. IN THE HOLIDAYS 309 - II. ROME 321 - III. SOCIAL LIFE 336 - IV. FRIENDSHIPS 349 - V. REST 366 - VI. “AND HER WORKS DO FOLLOW HER” 379 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - - FRANCES M. BUSS Frontispiece - - FRANCES M. BUSS IN 1860 AND 1872 87 - - THE LOWER SCHOOL 131 - - THE GREAT HALL, NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE 162 - SCHOOL FOR GIRLS - - THE GYMNASIUM, NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE 200 - SCHOOL FOR GIRLS - - NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 214 - - MISS BUSS AND DR. SOPHIE BRYANT 273 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ERRATA. - - - Page 1, line 2, for “July 29” read “July 18.” - Page 29, line 12, for “lighted” read “lifted.” - Page 39, line 25, for “to play” read “for play.” - Page 111, line 27, for “lady on” read “lady in.” - - - - - ● Transcriber’s Note: - ○ These corrections have been applied to this electronic version of - the book—Oct. 25, 2019. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - INTRODUCTORY. - - THEN AND NOW. - - “Educate women, and you educate the teachers of men; if the - child is father to the man, the woman forms the man in educating - the child. The cause of female education is then, even in the - most selfish sense, the cause of mankind at large.”—C. G. - NICOLAY. - - -Gracious speech can seldom have been more truthful than when the Prince -of Wales said, on July 18, 1879, that few of their many public functions -had afforded the Princess and himself more gratification than the -opening of the great hall, given by the Clothworkers’ Company to the -North London Collegiate School for Girls, a ceremony putting the final -touch to the work of so many years. - -It would not be easy to find a more attractive sight than this spacious -building, filled with its five hundred happy young girls, either on -“Founder’s Day,” when, decked in the school flower, we see them in that -April mood in which - - - “The heart with rapture fills, - And dances with the daffodils;” - - -or when, on Prize-day, in the glory of summer roses, their jubilant -young voices ring out in the favourite school-song, as, with fearless -and confident eyes, they look “Forty years on!” while their elders, -looking back down that long vista, think of the difference they can -remember between _Then_ and _Now_. - -It was in this hall, on the prize-day of 1892, that the chairman, Mr. -Fearon, drew a remarkable contrast between the present days of light for -girls’ education, and the dark days of the first Schools Inquiry -Commission of 1864, of which he had been a member. Then, it was still -possible for the Commissioners to gravely ask if girls were capable of -learning Latin and mathematics? Now, as he pointed out, this question -might be answered by the results of this one year for this one -school—eighteen passes, with two honours, on the University -Examinations—to say nothing of the recent success at Cambridge, where a -woman took a place _above_ the Senior Wrangler. - -As a member of the Commission of 1864, and, later, of the Endowed -Schools Commission, Mr. Fearon was glad to claim some part in the making -of this first public school for girls, of which he felt that “if ever -there was an institution of which they might be proud, the success of -which was calculated to stir the pulses, excite the emulation and -enthusiasm of others, and give intense satisfaction to all who took part -in it, either as founder, well-wishers, or friends, it was the North -London Collegiate School for Girls.” - -Then, from the brilliant hall, with its “rose-bud garden of girls,” the -scene changed to the dark November day—November 30, 1865, a date to keep -in mind—when, struggling through the November fog, Emily Davies and -Frances Mary Buss made their way to the dull committee-room in Victoria -Street, where the Commissioners awaited their coming. - -The members of the Commission were Lord Taunton, Lord Lyttelton, Lord -Stanley, Sir Stafford Northcote, the Dean of Chichester, the Rev. A. W. -Thorold, Mr. Acland, Mr. Baines, Mr. Forster, Mr. Erle, and Dr. Storrar. -To these, as Assistant-Commissioners, were added Messrs. D. B. Fearon, -H. A. Giffard, C. H. Staunton, T. H. Green, J. L. Hammond, J. G. Fitch, -J. Bryce, and H. M. Bompas. - -The work of this Commission lasted from 1864 to 1869, and, later, many -of the same gentlemen were appointed on the Endowed Schools Commission, -and may be said to have carried on the same work, since they here -applied the remedy to ills previously discovered by their researches. -There are few of these names which will not be held in lasting honour by -all thoughtful women who know how much is due for steady help in every -cause most concerning their welfare. - -It has, nevertheless, taken thirty years—since that same November 30, -1865—to give women a place side by side with men, on a Royal Commission, -when, in 1894, Mrs. Bryant, D.Sc., took the seat Miss Buss was no longer -able to fill on the second Royal Commission of Inquiry into Secondary -Education. It is not difficult to imagine the feeling of satisfaction -with which Miss Buss saw her “brilliant young fellow-worker,” as she -delighted to call her, taking this proud position. - -Further to mark the contrast between 1865 and 1894, we may take a -passage in a letter from Miss Buss to Miss Davies, dated December 5, -1865, whilst still waiting for the Commissioners’ Report, in which she -says— - - - “When will the evidence come, I wonder? I am so curious to know - what I said, and what you said too. It is very odd, but the mist - which surrounds that interview does not clear. - - “They were indeed kind, and more than kind, as you say. As for - Mr. Acland, he is what the ‘Home and Colonial’ consider you to - be! - - “I can’t get over my astonishment at their civility; and it is - such fun to be told to ‘take a chair,’ as if we were the ‘party’ - whom servants are so fond of announcing.” - - -This is the one side. Wherever it was possible to see “fun” Miss Buss -would see it. But there was another side too, revealed in a little -remark made by Mr. Fearon to Mrs. Bryant, when the prize-giving was over -at which he gave his reminiscences of that November day: “We were all so -much struck by their perfect womanliness. Why, there were tears in Miss -Buss’ eyes!” - -And small wonder if this were so! In 1865—thirty years ago—it was an -event to cause a heart-thrill when a woman was summoned, not to meekly -receive information, but actually to give it; not to listen, but to -speak, and before so important a body. It is quite conceivable that as -they paused on the threshold these two ladies may have felt far more -than a merely imaginative flash of sympathy with brave women of old, who -had faced sterner tribunals to pay forfeit with life itself for the -holding of new and strange doctrines. - -To say that great events may hang on smallest incidents is a mere -truism, trite as true. But we cannot doubt that a real turning point in -the history of the English people was reached in the first official -recognition of the equal share of women in the task of training the -young. From this date what was before impossible became fact, and -education takes rank as a true science. - -It is of special interest in our own day, when the jarring note of -antagonism between men and women is too often struck, to look back and -remember the help given by men to the higher education of women. We note -that the two most definite starting points of the new educational -movement are to be found in the very innermost sanctum, in the strongest -stronghold of masculine rights and privileges—the Universities and the -House of Commons. - -When, in 1863, the University of Cambridge opened its Local Examinations -for girls, and when, in 1864, the House of Commons gave authority to a -Royal Commission to extend its inquiry into the state of the education -of girls, the new era was practically inaugurated. Henceforth women -became free to do whatever they had power to do. - -Nor was this the first help given by men to the better education of -girls. In 1848—the great year of revolution—the professors of King’s -College had opened the classes which speedily developed into Queen’s -College, the forerunner of Bedford and Cheltenham Colleges. In 1850 the -Rev. David Laing, who had been associated with the Queen’s College -movement, gave his valuable help in the expansion of Miss Buss’ first -small school on similar lines into the North London Collegiate School -for Ladies. In 1865 this school stood so high that Miss Buss was asked -by the Commissioners to give her views of education generally. This -summons was doubtless the result of the report of the Assistant -Commissioners who conducted the inquiry. - -It was mainly due to the efforts of Miss Davies and Miss Bostock that -girls’ schools were included in this inquiry. These ladies sent up a -widely signed memorial from persons who had been interested in the -extension to girls of the Local Examinations. Mr. Roby, the secretary, -early in 1865, responded favourably to this appeal, pointing out that, -as so many girls were privately educated, the limits of investigation in -their case were much narrower than those for boys, and also pointing out -that the numbers and value of endowments for girls were also restricted. -But, “subject to these limitations,” he added, “the Commissioners were -willing to embrace in their inquiry the education of both sexes alike.” - -He stated also that the Commissioners expected to derive much important -information from the evidence of persons of special experience and -knowledge in the various matters connected with their inquiry. Among -these witnesses they were ready to include _such persons as may be -recommended to them as best qualified to express opinions on the subject -of this memorial_. - -In November, 1865, Miss Davies and Miss Buss were called to give their -evidence. Miss Beale followed in April, 1866, and, during that same -year, information on the education and the employment of women was given -by six other ladies—Miss Wolstenholme, Miss Porter, Miss Kyberd, Miss -Martin, Miss Smith, and Miss Gertrude King. - -In 1870 a valuable summary of this evidence was compiled by Miss Beale -from the twenty large volumes issued by the Commissioners. It is from -this smaller blue-book that the following extracts are taken, the -evidence of Miss Davies, Miss Buss, and Miss Beale being selected as -characteristic of the views of the whole. - -Read in the light of the recent University honours gained by women, many -of the questions and answers of these examinations will have a curious -interest for the “modern girl.” - -When Lord Taunton put the question to Miss Buss:— - - - “‘Your girls come up to you extremely ignorant,’ there is - evident conviction in her brief reply: ‘Extremely ignorant!’ - - “‘Do they seem to be very little taught at all?’—‘In all the - essentials, hardly ever. They seldom know any arithmetic, for - instance. We have a large number of girls, of thirteen, - fourteen, and fifteen, come to us who can scarcely do the - simplest sum in arithmetic.’ - - “‘Have you taken any interest in the movement which has been - made to induce the University of Cambridge to institute - examinations and confer honorary distinctions on girls?’—‘Yes; - twenty-five of our pupils went up to the experimental - examination.’ - - “‘Do you anticipate any beneficial results from the steps which - the University of Cambridge has been induced to adopt?’—‘Yes; I - am quite sure that great good has been done already. An immense - stimulus has been given, especially to English and arithmetic. - The girls have something to work for, some hope, something to - aim at, and the teachers also.’ - - “‘As far as you are able to judge, do you think the class of - school-mistresses is as good as it ought to be?’—‘The class of - teachers generally is not.’ - - “‘In your opinion, should the education of a girl differ - essentially from that of a boy in the same rank of life, with - regard to the subjects which are to be taught?’—‘I think not, - but it is rather difficult to ascertain what is the proper - education for a boy.’ - - “‘You believe there is not such a distinction between the mental - powers of the two classes as to require any wide distinction - between the good education given to a girl and that to a - boy?’—‘I am sure girls can learn anything they are taught in an - interesting manner, and for which they have a motive to work.’” - - -Miss Beale, when asked her opinion as to the admission of girls to -University degrees, replied in a slightly modified strain— - - - “‘It seems to me that our opinions are so divided at present as - to the modifications that will be introduced into girls’ - education, that I should regret to see anything done hastily to - assimilate it to that which may perhaps be altered for boys; but - at the same time I think it is good for boys and girls to have - similar tastes that their minds may not be entirely bent in - different ways, so that in their after life they should - understand and be interested in the same things.’ - - “‘In using the word “similar,” do you mean identical?’—‘I have - had some boys as pupils in mathematics, and, as far as I can - judge from these and the public schools they attended, I do not - think that the mathematical powers of women enable them - generally (their physical strength I dare say has a great deal - to do with it) to go so far in the higher mathematics as boys; - and I think we should be straining the mind (which is of all - things to be deprecated) if we were to try to force them to take - up several examinations as are necessarily passed by those who - are taking the higher branches at the Universities.’ - - “‘I therefore probably should not be wrong in inferring that, - while you recognize the similarity of the male and female mind, - you would not go the length of saying that they must necessarily - move in the same channel?’—‘No, I should be sorry to see them - take up classics at all exclusively, because I do not think - that, as regards the education of boys, it has been the most - desirable to limit it thus. That is my individual opinion.’” - - -But Miss Davies, after her two years’ experience as Hon. Sec. of the -Cambridge Local Examinations, had no hesitation concerning identity of -standard for boys and for girls, when Lord Lyttelton put the case to -her— - - - “You have taken a very active part in persuading the two - Universities to listen to facts which you had to lay before them - in reference to the state of female education. Will you be so - good as to tell us what difficulties you have encountered, and - what objection you have met with on behalf of either gentlemen - or ladies, and then make any remarks which you have to make upon - these difficulties?” - - -Objections and difficulties equally disappear in Miss Davies’ concise -answer— - - - “It is difficult to state objections fairly when one does not - agree with them. I think it was chiefly a sort of general - feeling that it was not in accordance with the fitness of - things. The objections seem generally to resolve themselves into - that.” - - -To the proposition of some special scheme of examination which might be -adopted for the special requirements of women, she said simply— - - - “I do not see what advantage it would have. It would be - difficult to frame a curriculum specially suited to girls, - because almost everybody has a separate theory about what it is - good for girls to learn—about what is apposite to the female - mind.” - - -The three ladies were agreed in accepting generally the verdict of the -Commissioners on the existing state of girls’ schools, afterwards thus -briefly summed up— - - - “It cannot be denied that our picture of middle-class education - is, on the whole, unfavourable. The general deficiency in girls’ - education is stated with the utmost confidence, and with entire - agreement, with whatever difference of statement, by many - witnesses of competent authority. Want of thoroughness and - foundation; slovenliness and showy superficiality; inattention - to rudiments; undue time given to accomplishments, and these not - taught intelligently or in any scientific manner; want of - organization;—these may sufficiently indicate the character of - the complaints received.” - - -There is also complete agreement as regards not only the need of better -schools, but of better systems of training for teachers. Although -thankful to accept concessions on the existing lines of boys’ education, -_faute de mieux_, they are by no means persuaded that this education is -even for boys all that could be desired. Even at that date they could -venture to intimate the opinion that the mere fact of a University -course did not, _per se_, make a good teacher. - -Miss Davies called special attention to the fact, that while no -endowments were applied to girls above the Elementary schools, many of -these must have been intended for girls as well as boys, since they form -part of bequests made “_to the children_” of certain parishes or -districts. - -Dr. Fitch has pointed out[1] that at this period, whilst 1192 boys were -receiving at Christ’s Hospital an education fitting them for the -Universities, there were eighteen girls only, and these trained as -domestic servants. Elsewhere he goes into the question, showing that -while charity schools were open to girls, they were entirely excluded -from the grammar schools, where boys were being trained “to serve God -and the State.” There is scarcely a record, he says, of any school whose -founder deliberately intended a liberal education for girls. - -Footnote 1: - - “Woman and the Universities,” _Contemporary Review_, August, 1890. - - - “A girl was not expected ‘to serve God or State,’ and was, - therefore, not invited to the University or grammar school; but - she might, if poor, be needed to contribute to the comfort of - her ‘betters’ as an apprentice or a servant, and therefore the - charity schools were open to her.” - - -And Dr. Fitch’s own experience confirms this fact. Mr. George Moore, -wishing to devote £10,000 to scholarships, sent in a scheme for the -consideration of some of the leading educationalists, when, finding -mention only of boys, Dr. Fitch ventured to suggest the fact that boys -have sisters, receiving the explanation from Mr. Moore that it was from -no intention of excluding them that they had been omitted, but simply -that it had never occurred to him to think of girls in such a -connection. - -With the Endowed Schools Commission this state of things came to an end. -We cannot tell how far the influence of the evidence given by women to -the Schools Inquiry Commission may have extended, but it was then -decided that “in any enactment or constitution that may be brought into -operation on this question the full participation of girls in endowments -should be broadly laid down.” - -Among Miss Buss’ most able supporters in obtaining the endowment for her -new schools she counted five members of the Schools Inquiry -Commission—Lord Lyttelton, the Rev. A. W. Thorold (Bishop of Rochester -and of Winchester), Dr. Storrar, Mr. Fearon, and Mr. Fitch. In 1866, -while the Commission were still at work, Miss Davies thus speaks of it -in her “Higher Education of Women”— - - - “Specific schemes adapted to circumstances will be devised as - occasions arise. In the meantime, any kind of recognition of the - fact that the education of women is a matter worth thinking - about is of the utmost practical value. In this point of view, - as indicating and expressing a growing sense of the importance - of the subject, the extension to girls of the Local Examinations - of the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh, and the steps - taken by the Schools Inquiry Commission in their pending - investigations, have an indirect inference quite out of - proportion to the immediate and calculable results obtained, - affording a moral support and encouragement the effect of which - it is not easy to estimate.” - - -The direct influence of the Commission may be gauged by the fact that -within ten years of this date Miss Buss was able to make a list of -forty-five new endowed schools for girls, to contain severally from -fifty to four hundred pupils, with salaries for the head-mistresses -varying from £100 a year to £200 (exclusive of capitation fees). Of this -list she remarks— - - - “It is not complete, but will be useful in establishing my - point, viz. that there are some good positions for properly - qualified women-teachers. - - “St. Paul’s is the greatest prize in the profession, or rather - would be if the scheme had become law. Do you see, the salary - might be £2000 a year. _Ours_ is second, with a hundred more - pupils, and therefore more work and less pay than St. Paul’s. My - object in drawing up the list was to show the importance of - training and high education for women-teachers. Such prizes are - not to be had elsewhere. Look at Scotch girls’ schools, at - German also. We women owe a deep debt to the Endowed School - Commission.” - - -The verdict given as the result of the Schools Inquiry Commission does -not, of course, exclude the fact that there were then, and had always -been, _some_ good private schools where a good education had been given. -The true teacher, like the poet, “is born and not made,” the power to -teach being as much a Divine gift as that of song or of painting. It is -true that the perception of every gift must depend on its full culture, -the extent of success being determined by the amount of genius; but -there have always been born teachers, some self-educated and some -developed by exceptional home surroundings. Women of this kind have -always existed as the loved and honoured centres of exceptional -influence, sending out pupils formed on their own model. - -Doubtless, there could have been found, at any period in the world’s -history, a sufficient justification for the attitude condemned in one of -the early papers in _Fraser_ on the then quite new Queen’s College:— - - - ‘Educate the women!’ exclaimed an accomplished and excellent man - in our hearing, and with marked surprise. ‘Where is the - necessity? A college for ladies! Nonsense! Women are admirably - educated! I see none but well-educated women around me!’ in the - tone of a man who, when told of those who hunger for bread, - should reply, ‘Want bread? Nonsense! Hunger! There is no such - thing! I see a good dinner before me every day.’” - - -But, granting that there was education, and of a real kind, we must -agree that this, as a rule, was accessible only in the form of a very -highly paid private governess, or in select and very expensive private -schools. That even so much was not common, and not to be secured by the -very highest payments, may be inferred from the account given by Miss -Cobbe, in her “Autobiography,” of a typical fashionable school, where a -two years’ course cost £1000, of which she says that “if the object had -been to produce the minimum of result at the maximum of cost, nothing -could have been better designed for the purpose.” In this school, she -adds, “everything was taught in the inverse ratio of its true -importance. At the bottom of the scale were morals and religion, and at -the top music and dancing.” - -The point to be kept before us, in considering the special work of this -past half-century, is that for the middle-classes, including -professional persons of moderate means, good education was practically -out of reach, the cheaper schools which were open to them being, for the -most part, of the order condemned by the Commissioners. It follows, -therefore, that the opening of the new schools—with the best teaching on -moderate terms—was a change of which the importance can scarcely yet be -justly estimated, especially when, side by side with this preparatory -movement, the advantages of University training were added. Before this -time no girls’ schools, however advanced, had gone beyond the subjects -considered suitable for women, and any women with knowledge of classics -or mathematics were either exceptionally gifted, or had accidentally -been taught with their brothers. - -When we go back to November 30, 1865, the fog outside that -committee-room is a true symbol of the gloom that prevailed regarding -the higher education of women. Darkness still held rule, even though a -few of the topmost peaks had already caught the first rays of the coming -dawn. - -At that date the future was still so veiled that it could by no -possibility have occurred to Miss Davies or Miss Buss, standing there -before the Commissioners, even to dream of themselves as what we now -know them to have been—the representatives, one of University Education -for Women, and the other of Public Schools for Girls, that is to say, of -the two most powerful agencies in the greatest revolution of modern -times. - -But in those days Miss Buss’ school was still her own private property, -and, as yet, no glimpse had crossed her mental vision of its future as -the model of the great public girls’ schools now spread throughout the -land. So, too, with Miss Davies. Girton was not, and even Hitchin had -not come into view, though possibly some vague ideal of a true college -for women may have been taking shape in Miss Davies’ mind. But if so, it -must still have been as baseless as the poet’s dream, for no “sweet -girl-graduate” existed as yet out of the domain of the “Princess Ida.” -On this lower earth at that time, and for many a day after, she could -serve only as matter for a flying jest. - -There were indeed three “Colleges” for girls—Queen’s, Bedford, and -Cheltenham, as well as the North London Collegiate School for Ladies—all -in full work, and even then ready for the rapid expansion which followed -the opening of the Universities to women. But, at that date, these could -not rank as more than collegiate schools; nor was more desired, for -Professor Maurice is very careful, in his inaugural address, to -deprecate all intention of emulating the poet’s creation, thus guarding -himself:— - - - “We should indeed rejoice to profit in this or any undertaking - by the deep wisdom which the author of the ‘Princess’ has - concealed under a veil of exquisite grace and lightness; we - should not wish to think less nobly than his royal heroine does - of the rights and powers of her sex, but we should be more - inclined to acquiesce in the conclusions of her matured - experience, than to revive—upon a miserably feeble and reduced - scale, with some fatal deviations from its original statutes—her - splendid but transitory foundation.” - - -Only the first step to the great changes of the present day had then -been taken, when, in 1863, the University of Cambridge had allowed -girls, _as an experiment_, to join the Local Examinations. Miss Buss -always dated the later superiority of the teaching in her school to her -experiences on that occasion. Out of eighty-four girls who went in, she -sent twenty-five, of whom fifteen passed. The failure of ten in -arithmetic pulled her up short, with the result that the teaching was so -far changed that none failed in the next year, when girls were finally -admitted on the same terms with boys, and the London Centre was formed -under Miss Davies. But, even in 1866, success was so far limited, that -Miss Beale could reply as follows to Lord Lyttelton’s query, “If she had -heard of these new examinations?”— - - - “There seems to be some difficulty in applying them to the - higher middle classes. I think of our own case. The brothers of - our pupils go to the Universities. Now, generally speaking, - those who go in for the Local Examinations occupy a much lower - place in the social scale, and our pupils would not like to be - classed with them, but regarded as equal in rank to those who - pass at the University. These feelings are stronger in small - places.” - - -The far-reaching effect of these examinations is indicated by Miss Buss’ -opinion that “until the Local Cambridge Examinations were organized, -there was no sort of recognition on the part of men that the feminine -mind could under any circumstances rank with the masculine.” - -We see from this fact that, before the middle of this century, the -“woman’s movement” could not be said to exist at all. The question of -equality—so much to the front at present—could not then even have been -formulated. It is not till 1869 that we find it taken at all seriously, -in a paper in the _Macmillan_ for March of that year, by a writer who -remarks that— - - - “Two alternatives are open to the would-be reformers of woman. - The first of these is the line of Miss Lydia Becker, the second - of Miss Emily Davies.” - - -And he adds that— - - - “Without wishing to disparage unduly the efforts of any earnest - woman for what she believes to be the improvement of her sex, a - thoughtful man must feel that the second is of the two the wiser - course; the one which is most practical, most sensible, least - dangerous, and most likely to secure the sympathy of the mass of - Englishmen and Englishwomen.” - - -It is true that, in 1864, Dr. W. B. Hodgson, one of the first and best -friends to the higher education of women, recognizes the fact that there -might “rise up before the affrighted fancy” visions of what are -derisively called “strong-minded women,” disputations, brow-beating, -troubled with “a determination of words to the mouth,” loud and harsh in -voice, arrogant in temper, dogmatic, self-willed, unconventional, -undomestic, impatient of the matrimonial yoke as a badge of slavery, and -with, perhaps, a leaning to waistcoats, and collars turned down, cigars, -and hair parted on the side—such, in short, as a recent Italian -dramatist, Castelvecchio, has so amusingly delineated in his “Donna -Romantica.” But of this type, Dr. Hodgson adds— - - - “I know not whether the experience of my hearers is like mine; - but assuredly of the very few women in whom it has been my lot - to meet with any resemblance to this offensive type, not one has - been distinguished by superior breadth or depth of culture. Very - much the reverse. They have been remarkable for nothing more - than the want of a truly liberal education, of which it is the - high office to impart a large sympathy, a tolerant appreciation - of various opinions, respect for others, and a modest distrust - of self. It is not assuredly among the Mrs. Jamesons, the Mrs. - Somervilles, the Mrs. Brownings, the Miss Swanwicks, that such - portents are found. Dogmatism and presumption ever attend - ignorance, not knowledge; shallowness, not depth.”[2] - - -Footnote 2: - - “The Education of Girls,” etc., by W. B. Hodgson, LL.D. - -There were, indeed, indications of the two distinct lines of action in -the work for higher education, and in the work for political reforms. -But as yet they were not distinctly divided. The sympathies of the most -thoughtful women went out in both directions, even whilst they might -follow the one or the other more definitely. It was no more possible -then than it would be possible now to draw a hard and fast line; placing -on the one side the Educationalists, and on the other the workers for -Suffrage and other reforms affecting women. Then, as now, women could be -divided into two classes only—the wise and the foolish. Then, as now, -the wise worked wisely in whatever line they followed, while the foolish -worked also after their own kind. - -The educational reform attracted the larger following, content to work -in preparing women for the best use of extended power when the time of -possession might arrive. In the mean time, the object sought was merely -the preparation for actual duties, either in home-life, or in -employments rendered necessary by the pressure of circumstances. - -In looking back over the great educational movement, which has so -changed the aspect of society, two points stand out most sharply: (1) -that the work was done in the true natural order by men and women side -by side; and (2) that it was done in the true spiritual order, in that -_quietness_ which is the appointed avenue to higher inspiration, that -_stillness_ which leads to vital knowledge; and also that it was done in -the _obedience_ which is the link that binds man to God—practical -religion. - -It is impossible to judge as yet what may be the final outcome of the -intellectual freedom now opened to all women. There are signs of what -was the most probable immediate effect—the exaggeration of recoil from -all ancient bonds, including those of religion and duty. Whilst it would -be very short-sighted to suppose that such a state of things could ever -be permanent, so long as women retain any remnant of the intuitional -quality which is their special dower, it may still be seasonable to call -special attention to the fact that the pioneers in the educational -movement are, without exception, deeply religious women. This -circumstance may or may not be an accident of no particular moment. The -point is that it is historic fact, and as such has its own significance. -In a quite special degree, we may point to Miss Davies and to Miss -Beale, as well as to Miss Buss and Miss Clough, as quite typically -_law-abiding_ and _obedient_ women. - -_Quietness_, in its most literal sense, is most curiously characteristic -of all the educational leaders. The very thought of Emily Davies, -reticent and self-controlled, gives a sense of calm and stillness. For -long years we see Frances Mary Buss curbing her magnificent energies to -the “daily round, the common task.” Anne Clough works in silence for a -lifetime, between the first little day school in Liverpool and the -success of Newnham. Dorothea Beale, though she can rise to all poetic -heights, is observant of all the small sweet courtesies of lowly -service, and, if “learned” in all school-lore, is also notably “learned -in all gracious household ways.” And the same must be said of Frances -Martin, who, in her College for Working Women, has so extended the range -of the new education that none now need be left out. - -Nor are these qualities less conspicuous in the group of what may be -termed the “amateurs” of the movement—true “lovers” of their kind, who, -having all that heart could desire of this world’s good, have made it -their business to share it with those less favoured: Lady Stanley of -Alderley, Lady Augusta Stanley, Lady Frederick Cavendish, Mrs. Manning -and her daughter Miss E. A. Manning, Mrs. Reed, Miss Bostock, Mrs. -Wedgwood, Madame Bodichon, Miss Ewart, and Miss L. M. Hubbard, all more -lavish of time and thought and wealth than of words. And then all the -active workers: sweet Mrs. Grey, with the touch of old-world stateliness -adding strength to her sweetness; Miss Shirreff and Miss Mary Gurney, of -few words, but these straight to the point; Mrs. Burbury, true to her -University traditions, and Mrs. Garrett-Anderson, with the professional -reticence learned in her fight through the medical schools; Miss -Davenport-Hill, known to the School Board as the woman who can hold her -tongue, and her sister Florence, “wisest of wise women,” as her friends -call her, also with a great gift of silence; Miss Laura Soames, too -early taken from us; and the many more like-minded, whose works rather -than their tongues still speak for them. - -It is not, indeed, that any one of these lacks the power to speak, for -on some occasion most have been known to speak even from the platform, -and to speak well. But not to women like these could those famous words -of Mrs. Browning’s ever be held appropriate— - - - “A woman cannot do the thing she ought,— - Which means whatever perfect thing she can, - In life, in art, in science,—but she fears - To let the perfect action take her part, - And rest there: she must prove what she can do - Before she does it, prate of woman’s rights, - Of woman’s mission, woman’s function, till - The men (who are prating too on their side) cry, - ‘A woman’s function plainly is—to talk!’” - - -And these quiet women are the true pioneers—the women who have actually -done the work. They did not call on the world to listen to what women -might, could, would, or should do under quite different conditions; they -simply did—under the actually existing conditions—just the thing that -needed to be done, then and there. - -There was not in those days the need of perpetual discussions about -“rights” or “wrongs.” The easiest way to cure the wrong seemed to lie in -doing the nearest right. It was not that they were indifferent either to -existing abuses, or to past wrongs, or blind to the need of necessary -reforms. There was not one of them who was not stirred to the depths of -her being by the wrong of past ages, or by the present anguish under -which women agonize. It was because these deepest depths were so stirred -that there they found themselves at one with the Divine love, which has -not only suffered, but has conquered suffering—in this love finding -strength for work and patience for waiting; and, as they worked and as -they waited, there came forgiveness for the past, healing for the -present, and hope for the future. All work that is done in the spirit of -Christ is thereby lifted above anger, bitterness, or despair. In these -moods no great or lasting work has been done or can be done. Not for -selfish ends, not even for self-development, do the greatest workers -leave the quiet of home, but only and always for freedom to do the -highest duty, for the glorious liberty of love. Therefore the secret is -not in revolt, but in obedience to the higher law which may indeed at -times seem to be a breaking of the laws of men. By this test we may -measure all our greatest women leaders. In turn we may find that each -has defied to the uttermost the public opinion of her time in daring to -prove her right to free action. But just in proportion to the height to -which she rose we find her true womanliness strong to withstand any -strain. The only real stepping out of woman’s proper sphere is when she -descends to measure her strength with man on the lower level of -self-love and self-seeking. - -But weary as we grow of the present phase of empty “sound and fury, -signifying nothing”—the language of revolt and invective—we need not -fear for the future, or doubt that a true progress is taking us through -all this jarring and wrangling and strife to a safe goal— - - - “Where beyond these voices there is peace.” - - “When, at the last, a woman set herself to man, - Like perfect music unto noble words; - And so these twain upon the skirts of Time - Sit side by side, full-summ’d in all their powers, - Dispensing harvest, sowing the To-be, - Self reverent each, and reverencing each, - Distinct in individualities, - But like each other even as those who love. - Then comes the statelier Eden back to men; - Then reign the worlds great bridals, chaste and calm; - Then springs the crowning race of humankind. - May these things be!” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BOOK I. - - EARLY LIFE. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - CHILDHOOD. - - “The very pulse of the machine - • • • • • • - The reason firm, the temperate will, - Endurance, foresight, strength and skill; - A perfect woman, nobly plann’d - To warn, to comfort, and command.” - - -The record of the life of Frances Mary Buss includes within it, in -brief, the story of the modern educational movement, in which she took -so leading a part. It is not the less a story of perfect womanliness, in -a career that is one of natural and steady growth, from seed to full -fruitage. The woman simply fulfils the promise of the child. - -It is a life most remarkable in this completeness. To very few of the -greatest even is it given to see their life-work crowned with complete -success. Frances Mary Buss was one of the few who begin life with a -fixed aim, and who live to see self-devotion end in triumph. And the end -left her, as the beginning had found her, as humble as she was loving. - -In an age of incessant movement it is very restful to find a life of -constant action which is yet so quiet and orderly, with continuity of -place as marked as its continuity of purpose. All her work, widely as -its influence extended beyond these limits, was carried on within the -parish of St. Pancras—fifty years of ceaseless energy, from eighteen -years of age to sixty-eight. - -In holiday-time she used her freedom for as much change as could be -compressed within holiday limits, thus seeing much of Europe as well as -of her native land. But, excepting for one term of absence from illness, -she might always, in working time, have been found at her post. - -“Not for her name only, but because of her love and good works do I love -to connect her with St. Francis!” writes an old pupil;[3] and though at -the first shock there may seem a touch of incongruity in thus linking -the great ascetic saint of the past and this essentially modern worker, -there is, nevertheless, much suggestiveness in the association. - -Footnote 3: - - In a bright little sketch in the _Woman’s Penny Paper_, of June 8, - 1889. - -Are they not, after all, of the very same order? What is the greatest -saint but that child of God who is most aware of his Divine sonship, and -therefore most intent on doing his “Father’s business”? Fashions of -service may change, but this fact remains changeless. The fashion of the -past was to mortify the flesh, and to serve the world by prayer rather -than by work. The fashion of the present sees that “laborare est orare,” -and serves the world by self-devotion instead of self-denial. The past -was ruled by negations, and the stern “Thou shalt not!” rose as a -barrier between man and man. The “saint” was not merely, as the word -signifies, one “set apart” to do the will of God “on earth as it is -[done] in heaven,” but he became instead one _cut off_, or _separated_, -from the life of ordinary humanity. In our day we have risen to the -power of the _affirmation_, “Thou _shalt_ love the Lord thy God with all -thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,” and we go on -to the inevitable sequence, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” -Not the denial or the evasion of human duties, but their fulfilment -utterly, is our test of sainthood in the present. It may be less easy to -trace our saints by the quiet fireside or in the busy street; in the -senate house or on the market-place; but none the less saintly are these -in their modern garb than those who went their way apart, as stately -abbot or humble anchorite, as hooded friar or cloistered nun. - -The form may change, but the fact is the same. With the fact of a great -love filling his soul, St. Francis, vowed to poverty, is still richer -than the richest; and our modern saint, with all life’s gifts -consecrated to service, may safely make the most of life, having thus -the more to share. Having love, riches and poverty alike fall into their -true place, as accidents, and not essentials of being. - -We go back to far Assisi, and, looking across the Umbrian plain, see the -quaint quiet little hill-town—unchanged in seven centuries—still looking -like a white dove fluttering down the dark slope of Monte Subiaco. Here -we find the boy Francis, gay and careless, dreaming his boyish dreams of -royal courts and of knightly fame; till, falling as a dark shadow across -the glittering pageant, comes the vision of the world’s poverty and -pain, and the dreamer wakes to take his chosen place among the poor and -sorrowing. To spend and be spent for love’s sake is henceforth the aim -and the achievement of this perfect life. - -Then we turn to commonplace St. Pancras, within sound of the crowding, -hurrying, tumultuous life of the great modern city. Here we find the -girl, Frances, dreaming over her books, with who can tell what ambitious -dreams of her own future, as her heart burns with the sense of conscious -power? But to her, too, comes the vision of struggle and of hard toil, -and to her ear the cry of pain. And she awakes from her dream, to spend -and be spent, that in the future every woman may rise to her full -stature, set free for ever from the trammels of ignorance and of fear. - -It is the very same story, only read in the light of a different age. -The key-note to these harmonious lives is the same—love. Love, -simplicity, humility, poverty of self, and devotion to others, form the -common chord of this heavenly music, vary the movements as we may. - -With merely technical or dogmatic theology neither the mediæval nor the -modern saint has much to do. Religion forms an integral part of daily -life. Love to God—accepted in His appointed channels, and for His -appointed ends—is the sum and substance of this creed. The life of our -modern worker had its roots deep down in the love and life eternal, as -is seen by its fruits. One who knew her best—her eldest brother—says of -her, “All through her life she acted on the highest principle—as a -loving Christian. Out of this came, as the natural fruit, her -large-hearted charity, her help she gave ever willingly to all who -needed assistance.” This love interpenetrated all her being and -expressed itself in service, in deeds, not words. “Don’t preach, but -_be_; your actions will do more than your words!” she was wont to say to -her pupils. - -It must all come back again to the key-note—love. And we notice as the -special quality of the modern, as opposed to the mediæval saint, a -certain _humanness_ which stoops to the smallest things, and, so -stooping, lifts them to highest uses. We read of one of the typical -saints of the olden days how she pressed into the seclusion of her -convent, stepping over the prostrate body of her old father, whose -prayers had failed to move her. “Heaven is the price,” she would have -said, in the favourite words of another such saint of our own century, -the Mère Angélique, who, lying pillowless on the bare ground, spent her -last dying breath in sending from her the one human creature for whom -she had a human love, a young novice, who obeyed her, broken-hearted. -The inevitable outcome of the ascetic ideal—of pain for pain’s sake—has -always been and must be _inhumanity_. The distinctive outcome of the -wider grasp of God’s love which in our day says instead, pain for love’s -sake only, is the exact opposite—an ever deepening _humanity_, in which -human love is lifted up into the Divine, gathering into its embrace not -only every race of mankind, but the brute creation too. - -That this was characteristic in a most remarkable degree of her whom we -are glad to recognize as one of our foremost teachers, remarkable -especially in her power of loving and of inspiring love, we see most -clearly in the word which seems by common consent to be that chosen to -describe her—_motherly_, the most human as it is the most Divine word of -mortal speech. - -Few things are more delightful than the effort to trace the process by -which a great personality is fitted for a great work. We may rejoice -that we possess sufficient indications of her childhood to show how this -child grew up to make life different for the children of after times. - -Frances Mary Buss, born August 16, 1827, was the eldest child—and only -daughter who survived infancy—of parents who were both persons of -exceptional force of character. Her father was not only an artist of -skill far beyond the average, but was a man of cultivated literary and -scientific tastes. His influence was a powerful factor in the training -of the child who was his joy and pride in her public career, as well as -the most obedient and devoted of daughters. - -The mother, almost adored by her children, was one of those strong -loving souls whose silent lives are eloquent beyond all speech, who are -enshrined in the hearts of all within their sphere as very ideals of -love and loyalty. - - * * * * * - -Mrs. Septimus Buss thus writes of— - - - “the large-hearted loving Mother, whose motherliness was not - only for her _own_, but for all children. It was a family joke - that she came home from her walks penniless, as she could never - see a poor child looking longingly into a cake-shop without - sending it happily away in possession of a ‘goody.’ Many of us - remember how we naturally went to her for comfort, and always - felt the trouble lightened by some brave or kind word, or - personal help, if possible. What merry, cheerful, little - impromptu parties there were in her ever hospitable house, among - her own children and others who, having finished their work, - remained to play! - - “Her watchword, like Miss Buss’, was _Duty_. I once answered, in - real fright, ‘Oh, aunt, I am sure I cannot!’ She replied, - ‘Child, never say I cannot, when called to any duty, but do the - best you can!’ The devoted love that her children bore her was - only the due return for her unwearied care of, and tenderness - to, them in every detail of their life.” - - -Her family regard it only as traditional that their mother was descended -from Mrs. Fleetwood, the daughter of Oliver Cromwell; but I had it as an -accepted fact from one of the undoubted members of that family, who was -proud to claim even so remote a connection with one whom she had so much -admired. Miss Andrews must have been educated at Mrs. Wyand’s school, in -the generation preceding Miss Buss, and she probably spoke with -authority on the matter. She also had remarkable power as a teacher, -with quite original views on education, a fact interesting as throwing a -sidelight on the school in which Miss Buss was educated, the best in the -neighbourhood of Mornington Crescent. - -In a book of “Memories,” compiled for the family circle of Dr. Henry -Buss—the “Uncle Henry” to whom, as a girl, “Fanny” owed some of her -first holiday trips abroad—we find it recorded that “in 1689, William -and Mary brought in their train from Holland a Mrs. Buss, who held the -post of nurse to the Princess Anne, afterwards queen.” - -The descendants of Mrs. Buss settled chiefly in the county of Kent. At -Bromley, in 1775, we find one of them, Robert Buss, holding a post in -the Excise. He afterwards became a schoolmaster at Tunbridge. His son, -William Church Buss, became known as “a skilled engraver,” and, marrying -“pretty Mary Anne Starling,” made his home, in 1803, in Jewin Street, -Aldersgate. - -We must dismiss entirely all our present associations with Aldersgate, -and go back to the beginning of the century, to the description given by -Dr. Buss of the city at the time when his parents made their home there— - - - “At this time the city itself was separated by fields from the - village of Islington. It was the custom for pedestrians, - especially after dark, to collect at Aldersgate-bars in - sufficient force to protect each other from footpads, while - crossing the fields to this village. - - “The site of the existing City Road Basin was a market garden, - thus utilized when the Grand Junction Canal Company extended - their waterway through the city to the Thames. From the village - of Islington to Highgate and Hampstead it was nearly all fields. - Copenhagen House stood in the midst of cornfields. This spot is - now the centre of New Smithfield Cattle Market.... The river - Fleet was then as wide as the New River, and was supplied with - boats for rowing. Excepting the Thames, it was the nearest - river, and also a favourite bathing-place for the youth of - London.” - - -There was probably no great change, as it was still before the days of -steam and rail, when the little granddaughter of William Church Buss was -sent to visit her grandparents, who had then removed to Newgate Street. -Her maternal grandparents still lived in Clerkenwell, near the market -gardens there. - -William Church Buss was a very skilful engraver, and his son, Robert -William Buss, was trained by him, and was a clever engraver before he -became a painter, and subsequently a well-known etcher on copper and -steel, and draughtsman for wood-engravers. Working in this way, he -illustrated the novels of Mrs. Trollope and Captain Marryat, and other -writers, and two of the first etchings for “Pickwick” were his doing. -For Charles Knight he illustrated “Chaucer,” helping also in the -“Shakespeare,” “London,” and “Old England,” issued by that publisher. -Many of his own original pictures were engraved and had wide sale, such -as “Soliciting a Vote,” “The Musical Bore,” “Satisfaction,” “Time and -Tide,” etc. And, with all this, he still found time for lectures on “The -Beautiful and Picturesque,” on “Fresco,” and on “Comic Art”—this last -re-written at the close of his life, and dedicated to his daughter, -under the title of “Graphic Satire.” - -It was when on a visit to her paternal grandparents, in Newgate Street, -that the future Educationalist made her first acquaintance with -school-life, after a very quaint fashion, as she thus tells us— - - - “To get me out of the way, my grandparents sent me to a little - school in the city, on a first floor, with a few forms, and, as - far as I remember, with no other appurtenances for a school at - all. - - “The second school to which I went was kept by a Miss Cook—a - mixed school of boys and girls. In Miss Cook’s school we sat on - forms, and learned lessons which it never occurred to her to - explain. I remember learning a good deal of ‘Murray’s Grammar.’” - - -In Frances Power Cobbe’s “Autobiography” she tells us that the first -practical result of her attainment of the arts of reading and -writing—throwing a lurid light on the agonies of the process—was to -inscribe on the gravel walk, in large letters, “Lessons, thou tyrant of -the mind!” A similar inscription might have been engraven for the -benefit of Miss Cook by Frances Mary Buss, after this prolonged course -of Lindley Murray without explanation. But she seems to have found other -solace. The tyranny of lessons was powerless to crush this independent -young mind, or to repress an independence of action more suitable to the -age of “Revolting Daughters,” than to that of “Mrs. Trimmer” or of -“Evenings at Home.” Her next story tells how she invited a little -companion to a juvenile party, which existed only in her own active -imagination, until the kind mother gave it objective reality, on hearing -of the small boy’s bitter disappointment. It might be at this school -that Miss Buss acquired that ideal of “mixed schools” which she kept -before her to the end, though she knew it was not to become fact in her -day. - -She was very far from spending her young life only in sitting on a form, -learning lessons by rote. “Children,” says Mr. Ruskin, “should have -times of being off duty, like soldiers;” or, as Dr. Abbott puts the same -truth very clearly, “Children should have time to think their own -thoughts.” These privileges certainly did belong to the children of the -past, and, like many another clever child, the little Fanny made full -use of her liberty, for she continues— - - - “As soon as I could begin to read I revelled in books, and - especially fairy tales. I devoured every fairy tale that was to - be had. In those days the books available for children were ‘The - Pilgrim’s Progress,’ ‘Miss Edgeworth’s Tales,’ ‘The Arabian - Nights,’ and the old nursery stories. Of these I had single - copies, which I managed to buy out of the money given to me. I - had, in addition, translations of the Countess D’Aulnoy’s tales. - As my father had a very fair library for the date, and as I had - access to all his books, I had a wide course of reading. I knew - Milton’s introduction to ‘The History of England,’ with the - legends of Bladud, Lear, etc.; ‘Hume’s History,’ in every part, - except the political, which I invariably skipped; the novels of - the eighteenth century—‘Tom Jones,’ ‘Pamela,’ ‘The Man of - Feeling,’ ‘Joseph Andrews,’ ‘Peregrine Pickle,’ etc. ‘Pamela’ - was in four large volumes, the first of which I could never get - because my mother hid it. At about ten years of age I became - acquainted with Scott’s novels, and knew all the stories by - heart, except ‘Rob Roy,’ for which I did not care. My father had - the ‘Abbotsford Edition,’ with the poems, in twelve volumes. I - never, however, read the poetry. In consequence of my father - being engaged to illustrate books for Charles Knight, and for - Bentley and Colburn, the publishers, I used to have the - opportunity of reading the proofs, by going down, at six o’clock - on summer mornings, to his room before any one was there. I - remember my chief difficulty, however, with the proofs was - paging them correctly; this I never learned to do, and therefore - I read the pages as they came, fitting them into my mind - properly afterwards. In that way I read Mrs. Trollope’s ‘Widow - Married,’ Marryat’s ‘Peter Simple,’ etc.... During this early - period of my life I must have become acquainted with the - contents of about forty volumes of plays, published by - Cumberland. There were also many volumes of plays of the - previous century, which I knew almost by heart. Amongst these - were volumes of Peruvian, Persian, and Turkish tales, belonging - to a young aunt, my mother’s sister, who lent them to me. In - these tales there was no attempt at connection, every person - introduced merely telling his or her own story. - - “I remember that, as my brother Alfred grew up, I used to find - it necessary, in order to enjoy my book, to hide myself under a - sofa, in a room on the second floor, which was occupied by a - Government clerk. This gentleman was out all day, and therefore - his room was available. My mother must have known this, because - we children—the boys at any rate—were not allowed to go to this - room.” - - -At about the same time we find the insatiable child reading Miss -Strickland’s “Queens of England,” of which she says “each volume came -out by itself, and I remember I used to save up all my pence to hire a -volume to read, and even at that early age I made many notes.” - -History remained her favourite study, and her mode of teaching it must -have made it fascinating to her pupils. One of these, afterwards a -member of the staff, remarks of it— - - - “I was at school from 1864–67, and the pleasantest part of the - time was the lessons I had in history, French, geography, and - literature from Miss Buss. How thorough her teaching was! It - seems to me that I have never forgotten what she taught, while - most of the lessons from others (except Dr. Hodgson and Miss - Chessar) seem to have passed away without leaving any definite - trace in my memory. Her lessons were alive; the historical - characters and scenes she described seemed as familiar as if one - had known them personally, and she made everything interesting - because she herself had such interest in what she taught.” - - -Another of the old pupils says also— - - - “But for picturesqueness and interest her history lessons - excelled all others. It was then she gave us ‘the cream of her - life’s reading,’ as I have heard her say. Two lectures specially - remain in my mind on ‘The Rise of the Hydes.’ There were many in - the class who lost not a point from beginning to end, so - graphically was the story presented to us.” - - -And at any time, to the last, to hear her sum up the characteristics of -any special period, or describe any great event, with her instinctively -picturesque presentation of the scene, was a treat of no common order. - -To this graphic power of description, her early artistic surroundings -must in no small degree have contributed. At one time she taught drawing -in her class, but she never had the time for any artistic work of her -own. She had, however, keen and cultivated artistic tastes, and her -feeling for colour was especially marked. Her visits to Italy -intensified this delight in colour, and she indulged it in ways -sometimes regarded as hazardous by eyes accustomed only to sober British -tints. But they were in the end obliged to admire these innovations. She -was among the first to appreciate the new developments of decorative -art, and Myra Lodge and the Cottage at Epping revealed her taste at -every turn. - -In the account of the next stage of her school-life, we get glimpses of -her social surroundings which show that there must have been much to -stimulate the child’s eager and inquiring mind— - - - “At ten years of age I was sent to a much higher school, kept by - Mrs. Wyand, at the corner of Rutland Street, Hampstead Road. - Here I met with the daughters of David Roberts, Clarkson - Stanfield, and other artists. Mr. Wyand had a boys’ school, - largely attended by the sons of artists. A few doors lower down - lived George Cruickshank. Clarkson Stanfield also lived in - Mornington Place; and, still nearer the school, Frederick Bacon, - the engraver, with whose niece and adopted daughter I was on the - most intimate terms. At a later date the daughters of Goodall - entered the school, and also Isabella Irving, the daughter of - Edward Irving, a tall, fine dark girl, very like her father. Her - brother, Martin Irving, was in the boys’ school.” - - -We have to bear in mind that at this date Mornington Crescent occupied -much the same position, as a literary and artistic centre, which is held -by Hampstead at the present day. Even as late as 1850, the westward -migrations had not begun, for market gardens filled the space between -Kensington High Street and Chelsea proper, and Notting Hill Square was -on the verge of the country. In 1850, University and King’s Colleges -made a centre in the west central district; and the establishment even -of a Collegiate School for Ladies was regarded as a slight infringement -of the dignity of Camden Street, which could boast at that date of so -choice an intellectual _cotérie_ as Professor De Morgan, Professor Key, -Professor Hoppus, and Dr. Kitto. It was near enough to town life, and -yet near the country, long stretches of green fields and flowery hedges -leading to the heights of Hampstead and Highgate. Regent’s Park was the -nearest of the parks, and the New Road had not then outgrown the -freshness of its name. - -In these records of Miss Buss’ childhood we seem taken back to another -world, as we read of the “long coast journey to the Docks,” on the way -to Margate, when the child sees “the remains of the illuminations of the -day before for the celebration of the Princess Victoria’s birthday.” In -the next year also there are, again at Margate, “triumphal arches in -honour of the Queen’s coronation.” And then there is the first sight of -the young Queen— - - - “I had been taken to the park by my grandmother, and an open - carriage passed with three ladies in deep mourning—one was the - Queen, the other the Duchess of Kent, and the third a lady in - waiting. The following year I also saw the Queen in an open - carriage going to the Academy. She then wore a white dress, and - a very large bonnet lined with pink. I think she had a green - parasol.” - - -On another occasion there is “a vision of scarlet and of a mass of white -drapery” as “the young couple are returning from St. James’ Chapel on -the Queen’s birthday.” - -Very pleasant, in its old-fashioned simplicity, must have been the life -of this artistic circle, united in tastes and occupations, and living, -as it were, between town and country, with the advantages of both. It -was no wonder that, under such influences, this child early developed -intellectual tastes. But her growth was equal on all sides, love of -books being only one of her varied “talents.” She tells us— - - - “At that date it was considered necessary that every girl should - work; and before I was ten years of age I had made a shirt for - my father, all the parts being cut out and arranged by my - mother, sewing machines not being then invented. So, too, as it - was long before the days of Peak and Frean, or Huntley and - Palmer, for our childish parties, I used to help my mother make - all the biscuits, as well as the cakes and tarts. I remember one - large grown-up party which my parents gave, on which occasion - the door was smoothed in some way, and a very handsome border - painted round it by my father (an elaborate design about two - feet wide). This was my first appearance among grown-up people, - and I quite well remember the delight I felt at the idea of - being asked to dance by a very tall man, an engraver, whose name - I forget, whom I met in after years and found to be very - insignificant. The _belles_ of that evening were the Miss - Cumberlands, daughters of the publisher, for whom at that time - my father was painting a series of theatrical portraits.” - - -Among the celebrated actors forming this series were Charles Matthews, -Reeve, Harley, Mrs. Nesbit, Buckstone, Ellen Tree, Vandenhof, Macready, -and Dowton. At an early age “Fanny” had been taken to the theatre, of -which we learn that “at that date the Sadler’s Wells Theatre was held in -high repute. The stage was very large, and being situated near the New -River was able to utilize a great deal of water.” We may imagine the -excitement of the children over the arrival of these wonderful -personages; how they peered silently over the banisters, and how, when -the sittings were over, they stole into the studio to examine the -costumes which were left for the artist’s use, with what glee to -discover, for instance, that Vandenhof’s cap, in some great character, -was “made of a large blue sugar-bag covered with some coloured -material.” - -Amateur theatricals were a favourite amusement at the young parties—at -first, when the kind father was the chief performer, in “a series of -dancing card figures, exhibited on a sheet as shadows, he writing and -reading the text;” afterwards, the performances were of more ambitious -character, at Mr. Wyand’s school, when the boys were allowed to invite -their sisters and friends, and “where the plays were written by the -boys, and the women’s parts taken by boys, to our great delight, as they -invariably tumbled over their skirts.” - -In one play, the king’s part is taken by John Blockley, son of the -author of the then favourite song “Love Not,” in a play in which the -chief characters are “King Edward” and the “Sultan of Turkey,” Edward -being a “tall, thin, shy lad, who in the meekest possible way announced -that while he lived no Turkish prince should wield Edward’s sceptre” (a -folded sheet of exercise paper). “My brother Alfred contributed a large -cloak, lined with red, which continued to be a famous piece of stage -property. The swords, shields, etc., were made by my father.” - -The pupils who knew the school when Miss Buss was in full vigour will -read with interest these early developments of the dramatic power which -played such part in the _tableaux vivants_, plays, charades, or costume -dances of that period. These entertainments, involving parties counted -by hundreds where ordinary folk have units, were a great feature of -school-life. They must have formed a delightful break in that excessive -study so condemned by the world outside, which assuredly in no wise -prevented the most hilarious enjoyment of these revels, shared by all, -from the dignified head down to the most frolicsome of the “little -ones.” - -And for all readers it is pleasant to have these glimpses of the happy -home-life in which this loving nature had such free room for growth. So -much is implied as we see the busy father making time for play with his -children, as well as for “writing letters on grammar,” which the -studious little daughter “used to find on the stairs;” or again, as we -note the good mother, not less busy, kindly shutting her eyes to those -surreptitious studies under the sofa, instead of calling on her only -girl to take her part in amusing the younger children, of whom, in -course of time, one sister and eight brothers made their appearance in -the active household. Of these, however, only four brothers attained -manhood. - -In later years the elder sister needed no bidding to stand by the mother -to whom she was devoted, and whose comfort and stay she became in the -long struggle with the many claims on a narrow income. In those days -life was a struggle to even the most distinguished artists, and fame was -by no means synonymous with fortune. - -In the natural course of things more than one opportunity came to the -girl to change this home struggle for a life of her own under easier -auspices. And once she had felt the force of the temptation; but duty -had early become the watchword of her life; and as she looked at the -mother burdened with her weight of cares, the good daughter, at a cost -none but herself could measure, turned from the dreams of her girlhood, -from the hopes of womanhood, and kept her place by her mother’s side. - -Years afterwards in a few words she tells us all the story— - - - “I have had real heart-ache, such as at intervals in earlier - life I had to bear: when I put aside marriage; when Mr. Laing - died; and again when my dearest mother, the brave, loving, - strong, tender woman, left all her children. I quite believe in - heart-ache! God’s ways are not our ways!” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - GIRLHOOD. - - “O’er wayward childhood would’st thou hold firm rule - And sun thee in the light of happy faces, - Love, hope, and patience, these must be thy graces, - And in thine own heart let them first keep school.” - COLERIDGE. - - -Of Miss Buss as a girl we have a very telling little sketch in her own -words, showing how this happy childhood merged only too quickly into a -girlhood early fitting her for the strenuous life-work towards which she -was moving on through long silent years of training. - - - “I may as well take this opportunity of saying that within a - month after I had reached my fourteenth birthday I began to - teach, and that never since, with the exception of holidays and - two occasions of serious illness, have I spent my days out of a - schoolroom. I was in sole charge of a large school for a week at - a time when I was sixteen. When I was twenty-three I was - mistress of a large private school, containing nearly a hundred - pupils; that hundred was turned into two hundred by the time I - was twenty-five. - - “I mention these facts just to show you how intensely active my - life has been, for it is always to be borne in mind that in - addition to spending my days in the schoolroom, I had to gain - the whole of my education, such as it is, in the evening or in - the holidays, and that for some years in my early life there was - a great burden of money anxieties. - - “You will see that I have never, therefore, known leisure. Of - late years, since the work has developed so much, I have done - less teaching, but until the last four or five years, and for - some years after the opening of the Cambridge Examinations, I - was the sole mistress of the highest class, teaching every - subject in it—English, French, German, and some Latin. - - “After the Cambridge Examinations began it was necessary to be - free one hour in the morning, in order to see what was going on - in other classes. - - “As a matter of fact, I have had to teach almost everything at - different times. For some years I assisted in the teaching of - model and freehand drawing. - - “Circumstances never seemed favourable for my having time to do - anything, so to speak, but live inside the schoolroom, and there - carry into practice such theories as crossed my mind. I think it - would have been much better for me if I had been able to have - had a greater knowledge of the _theory_ of the profession by - private study, but hard practice has taught me something.” - - -In one of this girl’s early sayings—“Why are women so little thought of? -I would have girls trained to match their brothers!”—we have the -key-note of her harmonious life. It was experience transmuted into -sympathy. In the stress of her own girlish efforts she gained her -life-long feeling for the half-educated, on whom is too early laid the -burden of money getting. Then, when occasion demanded, she was ready to -give up her own ease, and to undertake the heavy work which has secured -to thousands of wage-earning girls the practical training of a thorough -education. - -Not less plainly, also, do we see, in her desire to fit herself for her -own work, the first impetus to secure for all teachers the training -needed for their special calling; an object ever close to her heart, and -one in which her success will be her strongest claim to the gratitude of -future generations. - -The claim of an increasing family was no doubt in this, as in so many -cases, the reason why the mother and daughter opened the first school in -Clarence Road. And then, like so many other sisters, this girl would -watch her brothers going off to school or college for the studies in -which she—_being a girl_—could have no share. But, like many a good -sister before and since, she would contentedly put aside her own dreams -or desires, doing her best to help her brothers. Such sacrifice was -taken simply as the highest duty, and thus turned to deepest delight; -but we can see how this loving obedience was in reality a storing up of -energy for the great revolution of which she had caught the earliest -intimations. - -It is a pleasant thought to take in passing that this good -sister—happier than many—had brothers equally good. If she was all that -a sister could be she found in them good brothers, who were friends and -fellow-workers, helping her in all the great aims of her life. Her -eldest brother, the Rev. Alfred J. Buss, as clerk to the governing body -of the schools, quite relieved her mind from all anxiety concerning -business arrangements; whilst the religious instruction given by the -Rev. Septimus Buss carried on the early tradition of the school. There -was a wide gap between the eldest of the family and number seven, so -that her relation with this brother, after the mother’s death, was half -maternal as well as half sisterly. When he early became engaged to her -pupil, cousin, and friend, and thus gave her the truest and most tender -of sisters, the bond was doubled, and the children of this beloved -pair—her namesake _Francis_, especially—became as her very own. Her -letters are full of allusion to “my boy,” who was her joy from his -peculiarly engaging babyhood till he fulfilled her heart’s desire by -taking Holy Orders. His next brother followed in this example, first set -by the son of the Rev. A. J. Buss, now Minor Canon of Lincoln. - -This clerical bent was very strong in the family. As a boy, Alfred -Joseph Buss shared his sister’s enthusiasm for teaching, and for any -hope of head-mastership Holy Orders were essential. Before he was out of -his teens he became the first assistant-master in the then newly opened -North London Collegiate School for Boys. He was also English tutor at -one time to the young Orleans princes. But later in life he found -himself drawn most strongly to the work of the parish priest. Septimus -Buss inherited so much of his father’s genius, that he seemed destined -for art, having a picture in the Royal Academy whilst only nineteen -years of age. But, though in obedience to his father he worked hard at -painting, he still had his own intentions, and worked harder at Greek -and Latin. Knowing, however, that there was at that time an extra strain -upon the family finances, he bravely kept his own wishes to himself till -he had earned the means of carrying them out. The story of these two -brothers is among the helpful and instructive tales that ought some day -to be written, to show what can be done by high aims and resolute will. -Of both it may be said that they are all the stronger as fighters in -their splendid battle against East End misery, because, in their own -boyhood, they knew how “to endure hardness as good soldiers.” - -This attraction to the clerical profession was a natural sequence to -early associations. The most powerful influence of Miss Buss’ girlish -life was undoubtedly that of her revered friend of whom Mrs. Septimus -Buss writes, when alluding to— - - - “the earnest spiritual influence of the Rev. David Laing, who - built the church and schools of Holy Trinity, Kentish Town, - giving his whole fortune and his life to found the parish. His - teaching by precept and practice was self-sacrifice, and the - large-hearted charity that beareth all things, believeth all - things, hopeth all things, coupled with the wide culture that - welcomed new thought, and proved all things. His hospitable home - was constantly open to his parishioners, where he received them - among his cultured circle of literary, scientific, and artistic - friends. He at once took his stand by the North London - Collegiate School, while others waited till its success was - sure. We, oldest of old pupils, still thrill with somewhat of - the past enthusiasm when we recall his inspiring teaching. The - band of devoted workers he gathered round him in his - parish—which was then almost unique for the number of works of - charity carried on in it, and for the weekly lectures by Mr. S. - C. Hall and others—testified to his personal influence, the - motive power of which was not what he saw, but what he was.” - - -In memory of her lamented friend, Miss Buss, after his death, -established six “Laing Scholarships,” by which so many girls who needed -this help received a free education in her school. Thus for ten years -Mr. Laing’s memory was kept in mind. With the changes of 1870 these -Scholarships ceased, but Miss Buss’ devotion to Mrs. Laing knew no -intermission till her old friend’s death in 1876; and Miss Fawcett has -an interesting little comment on this unfailing thoughtfulness— - - - “All associated with our dear friend must have been struck with - her loyalty and faithfulness to her old friends. I am thinking - especially of her treatment of Mrs. Laing, for so many years. - Sunday by Sunday she went to see her after morning service as - regularly as the day came round; flowers were sent to her very - frequently, also nice books to read. On her birthday Miss Buss - never failed to see her before the school-work began.” - - -Among the school records there is a letter which is of interest as -showing the close relations which existed between Mr. and Mrs. Laing and -the school. It is addressed to the chairman presiding at the first -prize-day after the double loss which made so sad a change for the young -head-mistress—the death within a year of her mother and of Mr. Laing— - - - “REV. AND DEAR SIR, - - “May I beg you to express my great regret at the - impossibility of my being at your meeting to-day? I do not say - that it would not have been very painful to attend, when two so - loved and honoured are missing since we last assembled for the - same purpose; but it is still more painful to stay away. I - wished to show my true interest in the cause Mr. Laing had so - much at heart; my warm regard for the friends he so much valued; - my deep sense of the respect and affection shown to his memory - in the establishment of the Laing Scholarships. - - “Many to-day will remember how in much pain and weakness he - filled his place last year, but a few days before he took to the - bed whence he was to rise no more. It was the last evidence he - was permitted to give of his feeling with regard to the work - carried on here; and I feel I can do nothing better than adopt - that which in various ways he has so often said to me, ‘Miss - Buss is doing a great and good work. Hundreds will rise up and - call her blessed.’ - - “I am, yours faithfully, - - “MARY E. LAING.” - - -To the influence of Mr. Laing, and of his no less admirable wife, Miss -Buss owed much of the mental and moral breadth for which she was -afterwards so distinguished. In their home she was always welcome, -finding a never-failing sympathy and encouragement. Often in our quiet -talks she delighted to refer to these early memories, speaking of the -advantage such a friendship had been to her in her young life; and to -this grateful memory it is probable that many of her own young -assistants, especially those least fortunate in their social -surroundings, may have owed much of the thoughtful kindness so valuable -to girls beginning their career as teachers. - -With the knowledge of the satisfaction she would have felt in fuller -recognition of Mr. Laing’s services to education in general, as well as -in particular to her own school, it will not be out of place here to -give some notes supplied by the Rev. A. J. Buss, with his own comment on -them— - - - “There is much that I would say about the connection with Mr. - Laing—about himself as a great leader (almost unacknowledged) in - the educational movement of the latter half of this century. To - me the question is an interesting one, for I loved Mr. Laing as - a young man, and cherish his memory as most precious now that I - am advanced in life. It is at least remarkable that he who, as - honorary secretary and a member of the Board of Management of - the Governesses’ Benevolent Institution, took some part in the - foundation of Queen’s, should have been a prime mover in the - foundation of that school which has become the North London - Collegiate School for Girls, and has rendered possible, and - given such impetus to, the higher education of girls and women.” - - -The story of the rise of Queen’s College is of interest from many points -of view, beyond that concerning our present purpose of showing the -influences that inspired Frances Mary Buss with her special zeal for -education. In knowing Mr. Laing she came into direct touch with the -newest educational effort, and must have heard the whole question -discussed from all sides. - -Mr. Laing, in 1843, rescued the Governesses’ Benevolent Institution from -decay, remaining its active honorary secretary till his death in 1860. -This society was formed— - - - “with the idea of benefiting governesses in every possible way; - to help in temporary difficulty; to provide annuities for aged - governesses; to help the younger to help themselves; to provide - a home for governesses during engagements, and an asylum for the - aged; also a system of registration, free of expense, to those - seeking engagements.” - - -The whole of these objects were contemplated in 1843, and, in 1844, were -a matter of negotiation with the National Society, with the Committee of -Council, and with the heads of the Church. - -In giving an account of the early work—as a reply to an article in -_Fraser’s Magazine_ (July, 1849), commenting unfavourably on the efforts -that were then made—Mr. Laing shows that with the foundation of the -Governesses’ Benevolent Institution the first principles of all future -movements were really incorporated. He says— - - - “In undertaking an institution for the benefit of governesses, - it was felt to be absurd and short-sighted to remedy existing - evils without an attempt at their removal.... To do this the - character of the whole class must be raised, and there was the - bright thought that to raise the character of governesses as a - class was to raise the whole tone of Christian society - throughout the country.” - - -But it was easier to plan such a college than to carry out these plans, -and several years passed without practical results. Reference is made, -year by year, on the subject, in the annual reports of the Governesses’ -Benevolent Institution. - -In that for 1845, we find that “difficulties which the committee had not -anticipated, have arisen with the several authorities, from whom Boards -of Examiners, with power to grant a diploma of qualification, might -originate.” - -In the report for 1846, “an act of incorporation and arrangements for a -diploma” are still “subjects of consideration, upon which the committee -are prepared to enter into communication with all parties friendly to -the cause. Unexpected difficulties still intervene.” - -It was in 1848 that the Governesses’ Benevolent Institution received a -royal charter of incorporation, thus worded— - - - “We have been graciously pleased to permit the name of _Queen’s - College_, in which certificates of qualification are granted to - governesses, and in which arrangements have been made with - professors of high talent and standing in society to open - classes in all branches of female education.” - - -Queen’s College was governed by a council of gentlemen, and its first -principal, Professor Maurice, was followed by Professor Plumptre. A -committee of lady-visitors was formed, but the duties of these ladies -was merely to be present while the teaching was done by men. Among them -we find the familiar names of Mrs. S. C. Hall, Mrs. Marcet, Miss -Maurice, Mrs. Kay Shuttleworth, and Mrs. Hensleigh Wedgwood. - -It would appear, from the report of 1849, that while the Governesses’ -Benevolent Institution was thus working for better education for women -and girls, other schemes had been proposed, first by Miss Murray, one of -her Majesty’s ladies in waiting, and then by the professors of King’s -College. Eventually, the formation of a Committee of Education, of which -Mr. Laing and Professors Maurice and Nicolay were active members, -brought things to a practical point, as Professor Nicolay states[4] that -the “Committee of Education,” thus formed, did its work in connection -with, if not actually for, the Governesses’ Benevolent Institution. - -Footnote 4: - - In the _English Education Journal_, 1849. - -In his inaugural lecture at Hanover Square, in 1848, Professor Maurice -shows how this institution, beginning with a provision for distress -among governesses, came to associate distress with incompetency, and -hence to provide better instruction. In like manner, beginning as -examiners, the professors soon found that before they could examine they -must first teach, and for this purpose organized the classes that grew -into Queen’s College. - -In _Fraser’s Magazine_, early in the fifties, are to be found several -papers concerning the foundation of Queen’s College, thus finally summed -up by the editor— - - - “With reference to the article on Queen’s College in our last - number, Mr. Laing, as Hon. Sec. to the Governesses’ Benevolent - Institution, desires us to state that the society was in - communication with the Government and other parties respecting - the establishment of the college as early as 1844, whilst there - was no communication with the present professors until 1847; and - that her Majesty granted to the society the permission to use - the Royal name for the college before any connection was formed - with the present professors. - - “Whilst, therefore, the success of the college is wholly - attributable to the character and talents of its teachers, the - college would have existed under any circumstances.” - - -In the same year, six months later, Bedford College was founded, mainly -by Mrs. Reid and Miss Bostock, and among the ladies interested we find -many names afterwards prominent in the movement for opening the -Universities to women, as those of Lady Romilly, Lady Belcher, Mrs. -(afterwards Lady) Crompton, Mrs. (afterwards Lady) Goldsmid, Mrs. -Jameson, Mrs. Bryan Walter Procter, Lady Pollock, Miss Julia Smith, Mrs. -Strutt (afterwards Lady Belper), Miss Emily Davies, Miss Anna Swanwick, -and Mrs. Hensleigh Wedgwood. - -One distinct difference between Queen’s College and Bedford College is -that the first was managed by men, with a man as the principal and women -only as lady-visitors. Bedford College had from the first a mixed -committee, and the visitor who represented the head might be of either -sex. Latterly Miss Anna Swanwick has held this post. Results seem to -indicate the advantage of giving women an equal share in the education -of girls. - -It was by Mr. Laing’s introduction that Miss Buss became one of the -first pupils of the evening classes at Queen’s College. The Queen’s -College of that day (1848) bore little resemblance to the colleges of a -quarter of a century later, but there was an enormous stride onwards in -the curriculum offered to its first pupils. - -In her “History of Cheltenham College,” Miss Beale gives us a glimpse of -these classes— - - - “Queen’s College offered to grant certificates to - governesses.... My sisters and I were amongst some of the first - to offer ourselves for examination. For Holy Scripture the - examiner was the Rev. E. H. Plumptre, afterwards Dean of Wells, - so well known for his Biblical Commentaries, his great learning, - and his translations of the Greek dramatists and Dante. He also - examined in classics. In modern history and literature we had - the pleasure of being examined by Professor Maurice. The _viva - voce_ was a delightful conversation; he led us on by his - sympathetic manner and kindly appreciation so that we hardly - remembered he was an examiner. For French and German our - examiners were Professors Brasseur and Bernays; for mathematics, - Professor Hall and Mr. Cock; for music, Sterndale Bennett; and - for pedagogy, the head of the Battersea Training College.” - - -The names of the Rev. Charles Kingsley, for English literature and -composition; of Professor Nicolay, for history and geography; and of -Professor Hullah, for vocal music, also appear on the list. - -It was of classes like these that, as a girl of twenty-one, Frances Mary -Buss became a happy pupil. Her father’s interest in art and science had -prepared her to enter into the spirit of such teaching, and to profit by -the influence of the great men who threw their whole souls into their -work. What this meant to the girls thus privileged is shown in lives -like those of Miss Buss, Miss Beale, Miss Frances Martin, or Miss Julia -Wedgwood, and many more perhaps less known to fame. - -A memory comes back to me of an evening in 1881, spent at Myra Lodge, -where the difference between the old and the new order of things was -emphasized in a marked degree. Standing out from the far past, as -precursors of the new era, were Miss Buss herself, Miss Beale, and Miss -Frances Martin; midway, as a Schools Inquiry Commissioner, was Mr. J. G. -Fitch; while the moderns bloomed out in Dr. Sophie Bryant, one of the -earliest Cambridge Local candidates, and the very first woman-Doctor of -Science; Miss Rose Aitkin, B.A., stood for the arts; and, I think, Miss -Sara A. Burstall (since B.A.) as the first girl who had, like her -brothers, educated herself by her brains, passing, largely by -scholarships, up from the Camden School, through the Upper School, and -on to Girton. - -It was a thing to remember to hear how the three elder women spoke of -the old and new days, and then to see what had been done for the girls -through their efforts. Miss Buss told us many things of her girlhood, -and her difficulties in fitting herself for her work; and especially of -the stimulus and delight of the new world of thought and feeling opened -by those first lectures. Miss Beale and Miss Martin, coming later, had -enjoyed all the advantages of Queen’s College, but they did not the less -appreciate those first lectures. As they spoke in glowing terms of -Professor Maurice, one could not but wish that he might have been there -to see the three grand women who have done so much for womanhood—pupils -worthy of even such a master. - -The picture fixed itself in my mind of Frances Mary Buss, in the first -ardour of this new intellectual awakening. She was teaching all day in -her own school, so that she could take only the evening classes. There -were at that time no omnibuses, and night after night, her day’s work -done, the enthusiastic girl walked from Camden Town to Queen’s College -and back. Night after night she sat up into the small hours, entranced -by her new studies, preparing thus not only for the papers which won for -her the desired certificates, but for that greater future of which she -did not then even dream. - -In her Autobiography, Miss Cobbe gives a very telling summary of the -education of the earlier part of this century, in her account of the -particular school in which her own education had been, as it was called, -“finished,” at a cost, for two years, of £1000. How she _began_ it for -herself afterwards she also tells, but of this finished portion she thus -writes— - - - “Nobody dreamed that any one of us could, in later life, be more - or less than an ornament to Society. That a pupil in that school - should become an artist or authoress would have been regarded as - a deplorable dereliction. Not that which was good or useful to - the community, or even that which would be delightful to - ourselves, but that which would make us admired in society was - the _raison d’être_ of such requirement. - - “The education of women was probably at its lowest ebb about - half a century ago. It was at that period more pretentious than - it had ever been before, and infinitely more costly; and it was - likewise more shallow and senseless than can easily be believed. - To inspire young women with due gratitude for their present - privileges, won for them by my contemporaries, I can think of - nothing better than to acquaint them with some of the features - of school-life in England in the days of their mothers. I say - advisedly in those of their mothers, for in those of their - grandmothers things were by no means equally bad. There was much - less pretence, and more genuine instruction, so far as it - extended.” - - -We are justified in the conclusion that Mrs. Wyand’s school, in which -Frances Mary Buss received her training, as pupil and then as assistant, -was one of the survivals from this olden time. From one of the pupils, -who was there as a child while Miss Buss was assistant-mistress, we have -a sketch of Mrs. Wyand as a slight, erect little lady, with very dark -eyes, and with black hair, in the ringlets of that era, confined on each -side by tortoiseshell side-combs. She always wore long rustling silk -gowns, and altogether was an impressive personage, before whom the most -volatile schoolgirl at once grew staid and sober. Mention of Miss Buss -herself seems limited to a certain satisfaction in having carried -provocation to so great an extent as to make the young teacher cry. But -we may easily imagine that before the end of that encounter the tables -were turned, and that then may have begun the treatment of “naughty -girls” so successful in later life. - -Thanks to the good training received under Mrs. Wyand, Miss Buss was -able, at the age of eighteen, to take an active part in the school -opened by Mrs. Buss in Clarence Road. Before she was twenty-three she -had gained the Queen’s College Diploma, and she then became the head of -the new school in Camden Street, which was the outcome of this first -venture. - -The course of instruction included most of the subjects now taught, and -Miss Eleanor Begbie—who claims to have been the first pupil in Camden -Street, and who has been superintendent of the Sandall Road School, -familiar, therefore, with all new methods—affirms confidently that the -Science and Art classes taken by Mr. Buss were “as good, and quite as -interesting, as anything given now.” - -This is confirmed by Mrs. Pierson, who says of these very happy -school-days— - - - “Her dear father greatly added to the enjoyment of school life - by giving us courses of lectures illustrated by diagrams on - geology, astronomy, botany, zoology, and chemistry, quite equal - to those given by highly paid professors of the present day, and - he gave them for love, and nothing extra was put down in the - bills, although each course was an education by itself, given in - his lucid and most interesting way.” - - -These lectures, as Mrs. S. Buss says in her reminiscences— - - - “awakened in many a pupil the thirst for reading and study. His - artistic talent, and the pleasant excursions for sketching from - Nature, were novel inspirations in the days when the ordinary - girlish specimens of copied drawings resembled nothing in - Nature. A good elocutionist himself, he taught us to read and - recite with expression.” - - -His daughter had the same gift, inherited or acquired, and her school -has always been specially distinguished in all examinations for the -excellence of the reading. - -Mrs. S. Buss mentions, in addition to Mrs. Laing, as also specially -interested in the school— - - - “the Rev. Canon Dale, Vicar of St. Pancras, and his two sons, - Pelham and Lawford Dale; the Rev. Cornelius Hart, Vicar of Old - St. Pancras; the Rev. R. P. Clemenger, Vicar of St. Thomas’, - Agar Town; the Revs. E. Spooner and Charles Lee, the immediate - successors of Mr. Laing; the Countess of Hardwicke, one of the - earliest and most faithful friends of the school, whose - daughter, Lady Elizabeth Biddulph, still continues the yearly - prize for good conduct, and whose warm letter of sympathy, in - January, was one of the many we received. We all remember, too, - Judge Payne, and his witty impromptu verses at so many - prize-givings.” - - -When we listen to these memories of the earlier school-days, we cannot -dispute the position that— - - - “The foundation of the North London Collegiate School for Ladies - was not merely the commencement of one special school, but was - an era in education. If we _very old pupils_ can carry our mind - back to the time when the ‘Guide to Knowledge’ and ‘Mangnall’s - Questions’ were the chief standard school-books for most of the - scientific and historical instruction that girls received; when - the mildest _form_ of gymnastics (such as jumping over a stick - held a few inches above the ground) was deemed so unladylike - that some girls were withdrawn from the earliest classes formed; - when the study of the most rudimentary physiology horrified the - Mrs. Grundies of the period, who would not permit their - daughters to continue the course after the first lesson (like - the mother of later times at the primary school, who wrote to - the teacher, ‘Mrs. S—— asks that my Mary Jane do not go again to - those lessons where they talk about their bodies: first, which - it is nasty; and second, which it is rude!’); the time when we - learnt pages of dictionary, with meanings, _in the first class_, - and rules of dry-as-dust grammar, without any meaning to us for - years afterwards; the time when it was asserted and believed, - that a girl’s mind was incapable of grasping any mathematical - knowledge beyond the first four rules of arithmetic;—we can, - remembering those good old times, see what a wonderful stride - was taken in girls’ education by the North London Collegiate - School, even in its infancy. Can we not recall those long - tramps, to and fro, when the present North London Railway ran - only between Chalk Farm and Fenchurch Street, and when there was - no service of omnibuses between the various districts? Fares, - even when a conveyance could be had, were fares, sixpence or a - shilling. Do we not remember the overskirts insisted on by Miss - Buss as a protection from the wet, at a time when waterproof - clothing was unknown? What dressing and undressing went on round - the stove, where _Miss Reneau_ sat with the default list, to put - down the name of any too riotous girl! What a delight the giant - strides and see-saws were to the athletic young damsels of the - period, while the more staid elders waited anxiously for the - chance of a turn with the dear head-mistress, who gave up her - hour of leisure to talk and walk with us on the playground, and - give us a word of sympathy, counsel, or encouragement, or tell - some funny story, or teach some new game, sharing her brimming - cup of life with us all—ever regardless of her own need of - rest!” - - -From letters at this period we have a glimpse of this young -head-mistress at work and at play, both of which she did very -thoroughly. The work must have been rather overdone, and we may admire -the self-control which is remembered as so marked a characteristic, when -we see that it came from real self-conquest. In 1859 she writes to her -brother Septimus, speaking of herself and her cousin Maria (Mrs. -Septimus Buss)— - - - “As usual at this period—and, for that matter, at most - periods—of the year, we are over-worked. At times I am so - irritable I feel inclined to throw things at people, and twice - this week I have allowed myself to be provoked into a fit of - temper. It is so grievous afterwards to reflect upon. Why was I - made so gunpowdery? I do think, however, the provocation was - very great, though that, of course, is no excuse.” - - -The next letter is to her father in holiday-time:— - - - “Dinan, 1860. - - “Everything has combined to make this holiday delightful, and I - am so well and happy, that I feel as if I was only twenty years - of age, instead of a hundred, as I do in Camden Street. I find - myself talking slang to the boys, and actually shouting fag-ends - of absurd choruses from mere lightheartedness. - - “I am very sorry to say that I do not feel any more industrious, - though doubtless I shall have to recover from that complaint in - London. Also I regret to say that I have to-day incurred the - severe displeasure of our wee blue-eyed laddie!” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - INFLUENCE. - - “You were the sower of a deathless seed, - The reaper of a glorious harvest, too; - But man is greater than his greatest deed, - And nobler than your noblest work were you!” - EMILY HICKEY. - - - “I am always thinking of the first time I ever saw her—in the - old house in Camden Street, when I was seven years old, a timid - child, sent upstairs with a message, which I stood and mumbled - at the door. I remember her now—an elegant dark young lady, she - seemed to me—with curls and a low-necked dress, as we all had - then. She told me to come forward and deliver my message as if I - wasn’t frightened; and I remember now how her vigorous intensity - seemed to sweep me up like a strong wind. And that is forty-four - years ago!” - - -This graphic sketch, from the pen of Mrs. Alfred Marks, gives us the -young head of the new school as she must have looked in 1850, when the -first venture in Clarence Road became the North London Collegiate School -for Ladies, reconstructed after the lines of Queen’s College, founded -two years before. - -Among the many appreciative notices with which the entire press of -England met the news of the death of one of the foremost educators of -the time, none went so straight to the mark as that of a country paper, -the _Bath Herald_, which seized on the most distinctive point of this -remarkable personality. After observing that it is rare for the -influence of a school-mistress to be felt beyond her immediate circle, -it thus proceeds— - - - “There is not a county of her native country, not a colony of - its empire, where the news of this death will not have saddened - the hearts of pupils and friends. - - “When she began her great work the matter of girls’ - education was still a ‘question.’ Miss Buss solved it in the - most direct and practical fashion; and every college for - women, and every high school for girls, is a memorial of her - labours. A personality of singular charm, and of what the - slang of the day calls ‘magnetism,’ wholly without pedantry - or self-consciousness, persuaded Royal Commissioners, City - Companies, Lord Mayors and Royal Princesses, physicians, and - even Universities, that women might be thoroughly educated - without any danger to themselves or the State. To mention - her name to any one of the many thousand pupils scattered - over the face of the earth, was to raise constantly emotions - of affection and pride. Undoubtedly she was one of the - ‘pioneers’ of the century, and is secure of a niche in the - temples of memory and of fame.” - - -These words are written at the end of her career, but they were true -from the beginning. It is most truly characteristic of her that her -power was exercised without self-consciousness. On one occasion I had -remarked on her wonderful influence, and find her answer in a brief -sentence, after which she turns to some more practical subject with her -instinctive distaste for introspection or self-dissection: “What you say -about personal influence strikes me curiously. I cannot possibly measure -it or even understand it. To a certain extent I am conscious of an -influence over young girls, but am not able to explain it.” - -To those who knew her well, the explanation comes readily enough as we -find her power of impressing others to be the result of the vividness of -her sympathy, and of the imagination which, transcending mere personal -limitations, is able actually to enter into the life of others, no -matter how diverse in temperament or in circumstances. - -Speaking of her as she was in middle life, Mrs. Marks offers a -suggestion full of interest, as she says— - - - “Her utter spontaneity, her sense of people and things in their - living essences, made a very deep and lasting impression on me. - And some kind words she said to me—which showed she had seen - into my very heart—were a greater encouragement to me than I can - express. Their meaning was that she felt I was spontaneous, and - had not settled down into conventionality; and as things were - very real to me, it was a comfort to know that she too thought - them so.” - - -It was doubtless as a direct consequence of this vision of the “soul of -things” that the mere _names_ of things meant so much more to Miss Buss -than to most of us, to whom in general a name is the mere husk of the -thing it stands for. Seeing through these names as she did, they stood -to her for all the living reality of which they were the symbols. With -the _name_, she came into possession of all that went to make up the -personality represented by it. Surroundings, time, place, with every -other relation, became an inseparable part of any name that once fixed -itself in this truly royal memory. To every one who met her it was a -standing wonder how she could know so much of the thousands of girls who -had passed under her care. That she did know them is a fact that comes -into almost every memorial relating to her, from those first simple days -when she gave herself without stint to the little band of pupils, up to -the very last, when her circle of influence was bounded only by the -bounds of the empire itself. - -It is not surprising that so many of these girls should bear for life -the impress of this strong influence. But still there is something to -call for comment in the depth of the feeling thus aroused. Before even -the suggestion of approaching death had lifted the veil of commonplace, -which so often hides from us the beauty of those with whom we walk the -dusty path of everyday life, there came, in answer to questions about -the “story of the school,” so many reminiscences of the early days, -giving the freshness of early enthusiasm, all undimmed by the daily -intercourse of nearly fifty years, that one could not but marvel. - -Many of those first pupils have remained as teachers, many others have -settled in the neighbourhood as friends, and to not a few this deep -affection has been the master-passion of their lives. In the wisdom of -these later times it is thought well to chill the fervour of the too -engrossing devotion to which very young enthusiasts are prone. But -nothing seems to have checked the ardour of these early days, while only -good has resulted from a love which has moulded so many lives to -strength and beauty. - -One of the old pupils says of this time— - - - “She was true, so staunch, so utterly wanting in all the little - pettinesses that so often mar even noble characters, that it is - no wonder we, her own girls, made a ‘hero’ of her and worshipped - her. But it was a noble worship, and killed our selfishness. We - wanted not so much her approbation, but to live such lives that, - could she know them, might deserve her approval.” - - -And another, of later date, commenting on the modern repression of -youthful enthusiasm, fixes on the point that essentially divides the -influence that is only life-giving from that which is sickly and morbid— - - - “Any devotion roused by her love and care for those brought into - contact with her never savoured of this foolish adoration, - because her sympathy, though so personal, was in a sense so - impersonal and altruistic. She helped people because they wanted - help, and not that _she_ might be an absorbing personality to - them.” - - -Of a piece with the selflessness of such ministry is another -characteristic mentioned by the same writer— - - - “There is one point which always specially struck and helped me, - and that was the wonderful way she had of bringing together - people who would help each other by virtue of her sympathetic - insight into character. Many most fruitful friendships must owe - their origin to her loving thought. Even when, from the fulness - of her own life, she was unable, to the same extent in the small - details, to ‘mother’ all her ‘children,’ yet she always had some - friend or ‘other child’ ready to go on with what she had begun.” - - -How she could keep to her old friends, when the pupil grew up to closer -intimacy, is shown in one of the letters written to me while she was -still amongst us. It is also touching in the light it throws on her -relation to the sanctities and sorrows of quiet home-life, and what she -could be to those who needed her. It is happy to remember that in the -lovely home of this dear pupil-friend the beloved teacher found rest and -refreshment in many a weary time; and we may thank Mrs. Pierson for this -glimpse into that deeper life, of which she writes from a full heart— - - - “It is not often that ladies contend for the honour of age, but - Miss Begbie and I have had one or two friendly squabbles as to - which of us is the elder ‘old pupil.’ _I think_ it was the - second term of the opening of dear Miss Buss’ school, in 1850, - that I became one of her happy pupils, and from that day to this - she has been my loving guide and friend, sharing many deep - sorrows and deeper joys. She has been so great an influence in - my life that I have always felt I could realize the verse, ‘For - a good man some would even dare to die.’ - - “In those early days we were a comparative handful of girls, and - had the benefit of Miss Buss’ society nearly all to ourselves, - enjoying the very cream of her young life, intellect, and - enthusiasm. - - “It was all like fairyland teaching to me, and in the exuberance - of my enjoyment, I am obliged to confess that I was a little - troublesome, and often managed to upset the equilibrium of the - class, bringing upon myself the ordeal of a lecture in Miss - Buss’ private room after school. I always went into that room - raging like a young lioness, but invariably came out a plaintive - lamb, vowing never to offend again. In order to comfort and - soothe my passionate grief, dear Miss Buss often kept me to tea - with her and her pleasant family party, and I fear that that - enjoyment had a demoralizing effect upon my good resolutions. - - “I was motherless when I first knew Miss Buss, and had been - utterly spoilt by an over-indulgent father until he married - again a lady quite out of sympathy with a girl of fourteen. I - should have turned into a veritable fury, and ended in - perdition, if I had not come across the spiritual influence of - dear Miss Buss. She supplied every want in my soul, and I gladly - gave myself to her loving guidance, often falling, but always - encouraged, until in after years I was strong enough to be able - to part with life’s best treasures one by one, and to say— - - - “‘It is well with my husband, - It is well with my child.’ - - - “I could fill a volume with all dear Miss Buss has enabled me to - be, to do and to suffer, and with what she has been to me - through all—and _not to me only_, for all the girls of my time - worshipped her, and she never of _her_ own accord loses touch - with an old pupil. But what I have said will doubtless suffice - for your purpose.” - - -A large volume might indeed be filled with “memories”—extending from -those early days till a year ago—of the kindness and sympathy ever -flowing out from that time to this. It seemed to me very striking when -the same post brought two letters—one dating back to 1850, the other -only to 1890—and, spite of the forty years between, telling just the -same story. - -The one shows us the young teacher standing at the parlour door, “with a -kiss for each pupil at the end of the day’s work,” with a “grace of -manner and gentle voice” deeply impressing the child to whom for -forty-four years afterwards she became “ever a most kind and constant -friend, ever ready with sympathy.” - -Then comes a picture of a wild, daring girl, dashing to the end of the -long garden and back in the rain, on her return to be called into the -parlour to account for herself. Of the reproof she adds— - - - “I remember little but its gentleness, and the kind arm round me - while it was being given; but, at the end, I was required to - promise never to do anything because I was dared to do it. After - that Miss Buss led me by a silken thread all through my - school-days, though the other teachers often found me headstrong - and troublesome.” - - -There is an account of how Miss Buss ended a standing feud between the -girl and “Mademoiselle” by the exaction of a promise from the reluctant -pupil that she would set herself to win the French prize. And finally -comes the graver side of this happy relation— - - - “When at the age of thirteen I left school to go abroad, Miss - Buss still continued her kindness, writing to me while I was - away, and giving me kind welcome on my return. To see her again - was always my first thought after the home-greeting. - - “After my first trouble she wrote thus to me— - - “‘I feel much for you, dear E——. Your experience of life is - beginning early, and so is your discipline. Discipline, though - wholesome, is never pleasant. And then, when one is young, one’s - feelings are so acute. I remember what I went through at your - age, and under similar circumstances. Nevertheless, my greater - experience than yours, poor child, makes me confess that - “tribulation worketh patience.” Amidst all your trials, dear - E——, always trust me. I do not intend to let a light thing come - between me and “auld lang syne” folks.’” - - -The second letter is also from one of the madcap order—a wilful, -high-spirited bit of mischief, fascinating in her pranks, but often -enough a source of real anxiety to her teachers, and even to the -dignified head herself, known to this child only when almost worn out -with the long strain of school-life and of her heavy public work. But -here are words as straight from the child’s heart as from that of the -woman who could count back through nearly fifty years of friendship— - - - “Jan. 31, 1895. - - “DEAR MISS EDWARDS, - - “There is so much I want to say, but I do not know how to - say it. This distance is so awful. - - “I think it is because I cannot realize that I shall never see - Miss Buss again. If I were near I could realize it better; it - seems more like some fearful dream to me. - - “I wish I was near you to tell you how deeply I sympathize and - share in the sorrow that I know the loss of so kind and true a - friend must be to you. - - “And how many hundreds of girls will feel the same! - - “All the world over there will be hearts aching to think that - they will never see Miss Buss again. - - “I can but judge others by myself, and I know that it was not - till I had left school, and had been out here some time, that I - realized more fully what a great blessing had been mine that I - had been allowed to know Miss Buss; that, while I was at the age - when girls most need loving, firm guidance, I should have had - _Her_ for a kind teacher and friend. It will always be to me one - of the best and happiest remembrances of my life, for I truly - feel it a great honour bestowed on me.” - - -There will always be the two kinds of girl—the one who is content with -the life of the present moment, and the one who “looks before and -after,” to whom the present moment is only a fixed point between past -and future. In speaking for herself, one of the first kind speaks for -many more, as she naïvely says, “I fancy we were too much occupied with -ourselves to think much about Miss Buss while we were at school!” The -second class speak for themselves in every variety of intensity, but all -to the same purpose: “No one can ever know what she was to me. All that -I am, and all that I have, I owe to her influence or to her help!” Over -and over comes the same cry, in which the blank of present loss -foretells the future loneliness bereft of the strength and comfort of -the past. - -From one of the younger pupils we have again the growing sense of what -she had less kindly felt at the moment— - - - “I feel that there are so many women, not in England only, but - all over the world, who will rise up to call her ‘blessed.’ As - time goes on I more appreciate the training I had under her, and - it seems to me now, that but for her influence I could not - possibly have fulfilled the home and public duties that have - fallen to my lot, and that it has been a pleasure to me to - undertake.” - - -And yet another— - - - “We who were with her in the impressionable days of our youth - must all feel how much we owe her, in the view of life she gave - us, and the tone of healthy energy she brought into our lives. I - am sure her loss will be as widely felt as that of Arnold by his - old pupils long ago.” - - -To give the experience of all who come back year by year to give a -record of their work in hospital ward or East End slum, in home -workhouses or foreign missions, would be too heavy a task; but, as -illustrative of the wide range of influence exercised in matters social -and philanthropic, we may give a letter from one in whom the “Gospel of -Work” found an apt disciple. - -Mrs. Heberden, one of the first three ladies elected as lady guardians -in St. Pancras, was, as Sarah Ward Andrews, one of the pupils of the -second decade, dating from 1861, but she has the same record of delight -in the teaching and the same devotion to the teacher as those of earlier -date. What most impressed her, however, she gives as follows:— - - - “During my stay Miss Buss’ mother died, and though in great - sorrow, she continued all her work. I remember her remark that, - ‘Work, originally a curse to mankind, was now a blessing, not - permitting us to dwell on our trials and losses.’ From that time - Miss Buss was a great factor for all that is best and highest in - my life; and when, in 1873, I lived near her in Hampstead, I was - brought into active public life by her request. She asked me to - help in the School Board election of that year, when Miss - Chessar and Mrs. Cowell were returned for Marylebone. - - “All the great interest I have taken in women’s work began then, - encouraged by Miss Buss’ earnest sympathy and advice. - - “In 1880 I was elected Poor Law Guardian in St. Pancras, for the - ward in which Holy Trinity Church stands, where Miss Buss had - attended for a long time. Her name secured me much support; - without it, I doubt if I should have been returned, for the - opposition to Women Guardians was then very great, and the - difficulties enormous. Miss Buss’ counsel was most valuable to - me at this time as always, so wise and judicious. ‘Forward, but - not too fast,’ was ever her motto.” - - -Here is another word to the same purpose, from an East End hospital:— - - - “How many lives will be impoverished now! She was so true and - great-hearted. Wasn’t it wonderful how she remembered the - details of so many lives? She never treated us collectively. My - life would have been so different but for the time spent with - her. She prepared many for a sharp wrestle with life’s - difficulties. And how she remembered one’s home people too! - - “Such a wave of sadness comes over me as I think of her; and - yet, what a life hers was to rejoice over! So full and generous. - Hers was such a rich loving nature. Surely many, thinking of - what she has done, may indeed ‘take heart again!’ If I felt - less, I might be able to say more.” - - -We could go on adding witness after witness in those who have thus loved -her. One thing only is more wonderful than this general love, and that -is the power of loving to which it all came as response. It is by -putting together the impressions of complete satisfaction given to each -of these many varying needs, that we finally reach some adequate -estimate of this grand personality. Each person in any relation to her, -had a special and real place in her regard, just as each child has its -own place in its mother’s heart—a place of its very own. In this wide -heart there was room for all, and each distinct and distinctly separate. -There was here no mere jumble of meaningless amiability. The loves and -the likings were quite definite. And possibly the dislikings also; but -of these no one heard very much. Of hate and scorn there was none for -anything but evil itself. Her practice, like her teaching, was “to be -merciless to the sin, but very tender to the sinner.” - -Almost more telling, in their intensity of regret, than even these -thanksgivings for the joy of such a friendship, are the thoughts of one -who was “glad just to claim a place among the old pupils” in the crowded -church on that sad New Year’s Eve, when every heart in the vast assembly -beat in unison in the same love and sorrow. During life there seemed -always a vitalizing principle in the influence of the leader thus -mourned; and who may measure the latent forces set free in this great -wave of feeling?—forces that might help to bring about the hope of these -first words— - - - “As for the public loss, that is greater than we can understand, - because we shall never know how much she has done for women till - we know how much women will be able to do in the future. But she - helped more than women by what she did. She raised the whole - standard of life in raising the standard of women’s education.” - - -And then, in the light of this flash of insight into the greatness of -the work, comes a sense of personal loss, in a lament which seems to -bear with it the echo of all the sighs of all the women of past ages, -who desired and aspired, but yet strove in vain, to break the chains of -ignorance that held them bound—chains broken at length by this strong -hand! - -How many a girl must have inwardly rebelled against the deadening -routine of the old conventional schools, though so few had the strength -by which this once “timid child” won her own freedom. Measuring what -have been by the force of that first never-forgotten impression of the -“vigorous intensity that swept her up like a strong wind,” her words of -regret that her school-life had not been spent under that influence come -as among the saddest of the laments of that sorrowful day— - - - “Thinking it over after she was gone, a perfect agony of regret - came over me that I was not always her pupil. In church, that - day, the regret was so pregnant that it almost stupefied me.... - When I think that Miss Buss was at our very doors, I can - scarcely bear to look back. Think of what I might have been - saved—the unutterable loneliness of those five years, the - misery, the deliberate fostering, of set purpose, of a morbid - self-consciousness and self-distrust. Why, I have never got over - it! The deadening effect of those five years clings to me still. - I consider that it kept me back fifteen years. Instead of - leaving school broken-spirited and irresolute, I should have had - the inspiration of knowing that I had been part of the great - human movement. As it was, I had to grope my way to modern - thought. - - “I made very few friends at school, and shrunk from all. If I - had gone _there_ I should have found a door open into the real - life I sought. But, above all, just think of exchanging Miss S—— - for Miss Buss!—spontaneity for repression, an honest - straightforward ideal of duty, for a system based upon ‘Mason on - Self-knowledge’! (That book ought to be burnt by the common - hangman.) - - “Oh, I thought some bitter thoughts as I sat that day among the - old pupils, thankful just to have the right to sit there at - all!” - - -There seems indeed good cause for regret that a nature so sensitive -should not have had full room for unchecked growth in the warm sunny -atmosphere of this school, when the young teacher was free to throw -herself into the lives of her pupils. Freedom of growth—with all the joy -of such freedom—forms the great wonder of those early days. - -The proof of the true vitality of this growth is in the fact that these -early pupils came themselves into possession of that power of impressing -others which was so distinctive of their teacher. - -I was very much struck by this fact when I first heard of Miss Buss from -one of these old pupils, Miss L. Agnes Jones, who, though only for a few -months under her influence, never lost the impression either of the -teaching or of the teacher, so unlike all previous experience. Years -afterwards, the time for action found her ready, and she became a potent -factor in the first stages of the change that has affected so many -lives. - -All the “memories” from old pupils bear witness to the same thing, put -strongly by one who was afterwards a member of her staff:— - - - “She was to me a guide, a magnet, leading me on, higher and - higher, above all self-seeking, all petty vanities, all ignoble - ambitions.... I speak reverently when I say that her whole life - seems to me a sort of ladder or pulley to help us up nearer to - the Perfect Life lived on earth by our Great Model.” - - -One example of this life giving influence may be given, belonging to the -early days when, through Miss Jones, I also had come within its sphere, -and felt its fascination. Up to the day when, in a chance call on one of -us, she heard us talk of Miss Buss and her work, Miss Fanny Franks had -been quite content and happy as a somewhat exceptionally successful -daily governess, appreciated by her pupils and their parents, and taking -just pride in the instruction given after her own original fashion. She -taught in this way for part of five days a week, and, for the rest, -lived a pleasant girl-life at home with her sisters, all undisturbed by -educational theories. - -One flash of the new inspiration was enough to change all this easy and -happy experience into struggle and effort. After the talk on that first -day Miss Franks had gone straight to Miss Buss and offered her services. -“But, my dear, you have had no training! In these days some credentials -are necessary,” was the sufficiently discouraging reply. But having now -seen Miss Buss for herself, there was no going back for the new -adherent. If training were necessary, training must be had. At what cost -is shown in her letter— - - - “Having given up so much to this end, I should be sorry not to - go on. By ‘going on’ I mean the examination, and by ‘giving up,’ - leaving home and coming to live up here with only books for - seven or eight months. This examination and the hard study, and - the ill-health and spirits consequent thereupon, are the reasons - why I did not take an express-train to London immediately on - receipt of dear Miss Jones’ letter, which at any other time - would have gladdened me beyond expression. But it is all Miss - Buss’ fault. She first inspired me with the idea of an - examination. Had it not been for her I should, in happy - ignorance, have looked upon myself as a good and capable - teacher, not merely _in the making_—as now—but ready and fit to - do whatever she might propose.” - - -Having been the cause of so decided a change, Miss Buss was too loyal -not to do all in her power to make it a success. In her letters to me I -find allusions during the whole time which show her thoughtful -consideration of the best means to the end. She found a post in the -school, and lost no chance of fruitful suggestion. At her wish Miss -Franks attended Mr. Payne’s lectures, at the College of Preceptors, on -the Theory, History, and Practice of Education, and no one was more -pleased when Miss Franks came out as an Associate of the college. Again, -when Miss Franks finally discovered her true vocation, Miss Buss -arranged to give her two days a week for the Kindergarten experiments, -now so supreme a success. - -And now, being herself a leader, with her own band of students taking a -foremost place in the Kindergarten movement, Miss Franks is only the -more loyal to her own chosen leader, and among the many expressions of -loss come her pathetic words— - - - “The sad time has come, and we have lost our wonderful friend. - Never will there be another Frances Buss! It makes me ache to - think of the faithful ones like Miss Begbie, and many others, - who have worked under her flag for so many years, and have lost - their splendid leader! Ah me! it is a sad time for us all!” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - HELPFULNESS. - - “A mother, though no infant at thy breast - Was nursed, no children clung about thy knee; - Yet shall the generations call thee blest, - Mother of nobler women yet to be.” - _To F. M. B._ - - -Just ten years after that picture of splendid vigour which had so taken -captive “the timid child of seven,” we have a companion portrait in a -not less lasting impression made on a shy girl of seventeen, who after -the long lapse of years, thus recalls that first interview— - - - “You ask me what it is which stands out most clearly in my early - recollections of our dear friend. It is nearly thirty-three - years since I saw her first, but I always remember her as I saw - her then. She was seated at her table (a round table) in what in - those days was always called ‘the parlour.’ It corresponded to - the ‘office’ of the present day, but with this difference, that - Miss Buss was always to be found there whenever she was not - occupied with her girls, in teaching or in superintending their - work. She was her own secretary, and we all became thoroughly - accustomed to seeing her writing there, but ready to lay aside - her pen and give her undivided attention to any one who needed - it. Indeed, to the best of my recollection, the door always - stood partly open. I felt there was something different about - her from what I was accustomed to observe in other women. There - was such a mingling of motherliness and sweetness with intense - earnestness and thoroughness about her work. She was at that - time in deep mourning. Her mother had died shortly before, and - also the Reverend David Laing, under whose wing she had begun, - and for several years carried on, her school. The double grief - had been felt very keenly, and she had been so ill that her hair - was already mingled with grey. I remember the way she dressed - it—the front hair being brought down over the ears, and the back - rolled under and covered with a black net. Her black dress was - plainly made, but fitted well. It was long, and made her look - taller than she was. - - “I felt attracted to her at once, and, as I got to know her, I - found that my first impressions were more than justified by - experience.” - - -The change is very striking from the vivacious and vigorous young head -of the new school of 1850 and this grave, kind woman of 1860, a change -greater than the mere lapse of time can justify. But the loss of her -mother, followed so closely by that of her friend Mr. Laing, who had -been the mainstay of all her school career, must have been to her as the -uprooting of her very life. To the end she spoke of her mother with the -same deep tenderness. She had been friend as well as mother, a double -tie that meant so much as the daughter grew to be the helper. Family -claims took firm grasp of this loyal nature, and the mother’s death -meant also taking her place to the father, left for the time helpless -without the all-pervading care that had stood between him and all the -minor miseries that loom so large to the artist temperament. - -How this trust was fulfilled shows in the daughter’s words when, fifteen -years afterwards, this work of love was ended. - - - “Jan. 3, 1875. - - “On Saturday I go away with my father to Worthing. He has been - growing more and more feeble, and is a constant source of - anxiety. I feel that he needs me, and yet I cannot give up more - time to him than can be got on Sunday. But, you see, this means - Sunday as well as week-days. If you could peep in on me it would - be a pleasure to see your dear face. I think often of you in my - hurricane-speed life.” - - - “Feb. 11. - - “My father is still very ill. It looks as if he were fading - away. He is so patient, gentle, and loving to us all, and - especially to me, that I can scarcely keep up.” - - - “Feb. 20. - - “My heart is wrung with grief. My dear, dear father is, we - believe, sinking. I am going now to him, and shall stay in the - house. He likes to have my hand in his, and to speak faintly - from time to time of my mother. He tells me I alone can soothe - him as she did. He is very peaceful, and suffering no pain, but - he is too weak to help himself in the least.” - - - “Mar. 10. - - “I am so sorry to know you are again ill. It makes me sigh. As - soon as I can I will call, but I am almost breaking down from - nervous prostration. - - “My Liverpool journey, though likely to be useful, was trying. - It is full of my dear father. - - “You cannot imagine how large a blank he has left in my life. - Only time can fill it up. He was the one person to whom I was - necessary, and to whom my presence always carried pleasure, and - I cannot get into the way of remembering that he is not.” - - - “Mar. 13. - - “I am not well. Some old symptoms have returned, though not in a - bad form. I can get through the day, but my evenings and nights - are distressing. I am in a sort of anguish which does actually - seem to affect my heart. Yet I would not recall my dear, dear - father if I could. But nature must have some expression, and I - really loved him. Besides, I was nearest to him and closest to - him! Many things we understand better now.” - - -Knowing so well the power of a mother’s love, this daughter had grown -into that mother’s power of giving herself out, a power that is -universally felt as her chief characteristic. Here is a description of -her as she was at the time when this portrait is drawn— - - - “I think, in those early days, it was her sweet and motherly way - of drawing each one of us to her, and caring for each particular - person’s concerns, and remembering them, which impressed me more - than anything else, excepting indeed her very encouraging - manner. She lost no opportunity of saying a loving word of - praise, and it would be accompanied by a motherly hug, which - warmed one’s heart for a long time. That comfortable, loving - manner was a great power among teachers and pupils. Many a girl - who had given trouble in one department or another, would go out - of the parlour, after a talk with Miss Buss, thoroughly softened - and helped into a right frame of mind.” - - -This motherly kindness won the devotion of a lifetime from the lonely -girl so early called to face the world, and Caroline Fawcett well earned -her great privilege of being one of the little band whose love soothed -the last hours of the friend who had been so much in their lives. Her -latest thought, as she writes on that sad New Year’s Eve, is the same as -the first of so many years before— - - - “But, indeed, it must be a great miss for us, the never being - able to go to her for motherly loving sympathy. One of the - lights that will go on shining out of her life, and will kindle - others, is that loving motherliness. If one could only show a - little of it, following in her dear footsteps!” - - -This aspect of her character impressed even those who had to do with -Miss Buss outside her own work. Mr. Garrod, secretary to the Teachers’ -Guild, who knew her in her public life, says of her: “To me she seemed -to be one who was born to shine as head of a family, and to have the -domestic rather than the public excellencies.” - -Her school can fairly be regarded as her family, for she may be said to -have “mothered” them all—teachers as well as pupils—even in the later -days, when public work took so much of her attention. Miss Emily Hickey, -one of the visiting professors, who came so much less into contact with -her than did the teaching staff, puts this well, as she says of her -intense “motherliness”— - - - “There is no other word for it. No one brought into any - emotional contact with her, could fail to realize this, and one - can see how much it must have had to do in binding so fast to - her so many women so much younger than she, both in years and in - experience.” - - -Mrs. Marks says also— - - - “I remember when I saw her again some years afterwards, and I - remember how like a mother she seemed to me who wanted a mother - so dreadfully. Always after that I thought of her as a sort of - _universal mother_. There are few women like that!” - - -On reading these words, a pupil of later years adds to them— - - - “I, too, wanted a mother, and found so much of what I wanted in - her. These might have been my own words, and are, indeed, almost - identical with what I have said.” - - -And yet another— - - - “I have every reason to remember her with tender regard, and to - deeply regret her loss. From the fact that I was motherless, she - took an especial interest in my studies and health, making my - father and myself deeply grateful to her. I more than ever feel - what a friend I have lost. Camden Town is very lonely without - her.” - - -Mrs. Marks continues— - - - “And then the general impression of geniality and life which was - always so conspicuous! She was so _warm_, everything about her - was _infused with warmth_. There was no cold impersonality in - any of her thoughts. They were all alive. I need not say how - kind she was.” - - -This kindness was all-inclusive, going down to the least as well as -rising to the highest. Among the hundreds of letters of condolence -received by Miss Buss’ family was one from the firm which undertook the -charge of the school clocks, speaking strongly of the kind and gracious -way in which their _employés_ had always been treated. - -And there is a characteristic story of her in connection with her old -cabman Downes, who drove her, year after year, to school and to church. -On one occasion, hurrying to catch the train to Cambridge, Downes upset -his cab, and Miss Buss was extricated without having time to decide -whether she was hurt or not, her business being too important to admit -of delay. Her first act on reaching her destination was to telegraph to -Downes to assure him that she was not hurt. - -All records go to show how lasting was her interest in all who made any -claim on her, confirming the words of another of her staff, when she -says, “Girls, as soon as they left school, felt that they had a friend -ever ready to sympathize with them in sorrow or in joy. A happy marriage -was a delight to her”—a remark confirmed by a passage in one of Miss -Buss’ letters, where she says, “I wish Ada would bring Mr. Z—— to Myra. -I like to see my _sons-in-law_. He cannot be shyer than Mr. Q——.” - -Here is a note just after the opening of the new buildings by the Prince -and Princess of Wales, written for the wedding-day of one of her pupils— - - - “DEAR MARY, - - “Just a line to express my love and good wishes for you - and yours to-morrow. - - “May God bless you in your new state of life! I shall be with - you in spirit, and think of you all. - - “I hope you have received the little tea-table. The mats for it - have been delivered I know, but I am not sure about the table. - - “I hope Eleanor will send me a short note to say where you have - gone, and to give me some account of to-morrow’s ceremony. - - “With my dear love and good wishes, - - “Believe me, yours affectionately, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS.” - - -To “meet the glad with joyful smiles” would always have been easy to -her, but she was more often called “to wipe the weeping eyes;” for the -words of another of the recent pupils was curiously true— - - - “Of late years it has often struck me as melancholy that the - most successful and happiest of her old pupils, settled in homes - of their own, or teaching in schools at a distance, could do - little more than send an occasional letter, or pay a flying - visit, while numbers of the unsuccessful, the weak and helpless, - came back to her for the advice and help she never failed to - give. Seeing, as she did, numbers of these, she was very - strongly impressed by the absolute necessity for young girls to - be trained to some employment by which they might, if necessary, - earn a livelihood. For women to be dependent on brothers and - relations, she considered an evil to be avoided at all costs, - and she tried to keep before us the fact that training for any - work must develop a woman’s intellect and powers, and therefore - make her—married or single—a better and a nobler being.” - - -Another friend adds on this point— - - - “She was so kind and unprejudiced by unconventionality, that she - was just as interested and sympathetic and helpful towards an - old pupil, who came to her about trying to set up a business - (such as dressmaking or millinery), as she was to one going to - Girton or trying for a head-mistress-ship.” - - -As instance of the thoroughness that characterized her efforts to help -the girls, one of them gives a little experience which will come home to -many a mother, as she recalls the solicitude with which Miss Buss went -to any medical consultation needed by delicate girls under her care— - - - “I left school to become a governess myself, and during my first - holiday she made an opportunity for a quiet talk with me, - entering into all my plans and difficulties, and helping me - greatly by her wise and loving counsel. No effort was too great - for her to make, if she could thereby help or benefit any of us. - Many years later, when my sister had been under Dr. Playfair’s - treatment, he ordered her abroad, and she was to be accompanied - by a companion of whom he should approve. Miss Buss _not_ only - offered to let her join her party, shortly to start for - Marienbad, but _went_ herself to see Dr. Playfair at eight a.m. - (the only time she was free during term-time), in order that he - might be satisfied with her as an escort. This meeting proved a - mutual pleasure to them.” - - -It is pleasant to know that, out of this special thoughtfulness, there -came to Miss Buss, not only the companionship in travel, but frequent -resting in the happy home of these girls; and also—a very great -satisfaction—the gift to the school of the “Crane Scholarship,” to mark -their mother’s appreciation of this motherly care of her children. - -But the help given so kindly was by no means limited to inspiration, -instruction, or advice, carefully and considerably as this might be -thought out for each separate case. Where the means of acting on her -suggestions were wanting her sympathy expressed itself in more tangible -terms. I remember, one day, after discussing ways and means in some -instance of this sort, stopping short, and saying to her, “Do you know -_how many_ girls you are helping at this moment?” In the most -matter-of-fact way she answered reflectively, “Well, I could scarcely -say, without going into the question!” Occasionally she would ask help -of some one of a little band of friends willing to give it—often of Miss -Laura Soames—so soon to follow her—and of Miss Edith Prance, and others. -But more often than not she said nothing about it, generally taking it -on herself. When the school had been her own this was easy enough, but -in a public school the fees must be paid even by the head-mistress -herself. She was, however, free to please herself as to the help she -gave at Myra Lodge, and those who may have made calculations of the -income derived from the pupils there, might, if they had known all, have -found themselves far from accurate in their sum total. - -Here is a little story from far-away times, showing not only her -burdens, but that still rarer gift, her unwavering steadfastness to an -obligation once taken up— - - - “Among her friends was one family whose means were not in full - proportion to the large-heartedness which made the good mother - decide to keep as her own a little motherless baby, which she - had taken in during its mother’s fatal illness. Not only did her - own little daughters welcome the baby sister, but even the - over-worked father accepted without a murmur the sleepless - nights which were a small part of his contribution to the - new-comer. As soon as Miss Buss heard the story she said at - once, ‘And I must do my part. Her education shall be my care!’” - - -—a care that lasted beyond school-days, and included the finding of a -fitting occupation for later life. - -Still another record may be added as typical of so many more; a story -none the less touching for the humorous way in which it is told— - - - “A SHORT TRIBUTE FROM ‘A LAME DOG.’ - - “The work of ‘helping lame dogs over stiles’ is not recognized - publicly or read on the list amongst the various names of the - good works and societies with which our dear Miss Buss was - connected, and probably only the ‘Lame Dogs’ themselves know - what a kind strong hand helped them to climb the dreaded - barrier; but surely among the many thousands who call themselves - ‘Old North Londoners,’ or ‘Bussites,’ there is a long roll-call - of such silent work, deeply graven upon the hearts of those who, - like myself, _know_. - - “The first morning on which I took my place in the class-room - among several other new-comers introduced me individually to - Miss Buss, for on hearing my name mentioned she called me to her - and asked how it was spelt. This impressed me very much at the - time, as I was the only one upon whom this honour was conferred, - and my surname was hardly one to deserve special attention. - - “As time went on, however, the little extra notice was - sufficiently explained, for I discovered that another family in - the school bore a name nearly similar to my own, and indeed, - throughout my school-life, I was constantly being congratulated - upon honours never won, and credited with talents really - possessed by the happy bearer of the other name. - - “This incident doubtless might appear to be trivial and - insignificant to many, but to one nervously entering a new - sphere of life this was not so; from that moment I felt I was - known to the head-mistress as having a separate individuality, - although insignificant enough among so many. - - “A few years went on, and school-days passed happily enough, - without my having any special intercourse with Miss Buss, until, - owing to an unexpected crisis in affairs at home, it was - suddenly arranged for me to leave. - - “Then it was that I really began to know our dear head-mistress, - and to realize what she was to her girls, and how much she cared - individually for each one. - - “On a memorable morning for the second time she called me out to - have a chat with her, and fully discussed my future. She pointed - out the drudgery incumbent upon one who was only inefficiently - educated, and upon finding that my personal desire was to have - studied more thoroughly, she insisted most strongly upon my - remaining at school for another year. - - “I held no scholarship, neither, as affairs then stood, could I - receive any help from home. - - “All remonstrance was immediately swept aside. Miss Buss offered - to pay all school fees from her own pocket until I had earned at - least a matriculation certificate. She also insisted upon my - joining the gymnasium classes, which at that time were enjoyed - by those only who paid additional fees. - - “How could such kindness be refused? From that time work was - sacred, and as the terms flew by and the examination loomed in - the near future, _failure_ became the one evil in the world most - to be dreaded. When the good news at last came out, and Miss - Buss, as excited over the result as the expectant candidates, - warmly congratulated us, she seemed to let each one know, in a - way peculiarly her own, what the pleasure or pain really meant - to her; to myself, having worked under high pressure, her silent - sympathy may be better understood than explained. - - “She trusted us so thoroughly. - - “My debt was never mentioned in any way by her, and it was only - on repaying the loan she told me she was glad to have the money - back, as she could then help others in a similar way.” - - -And there are so many who, like the writer of this story, also _know_, -though what they know is known to themselves alone. But still, even from -such vague hints as have come to them, many intimate friends can echo -Eleanor Begbie’s exclamation, as she ended an interesting talk about the -early days, “No one will ever know, on this side of the Day of Judgment, -how many girls owe all their education to Miss Buss!” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BOOK II. - - PUBLIC WORK. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - 1860. -] - -[Illustration: - - 1872. -] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - TRANSITION. - - “The old order changes, giving place to new.” - - -My first remembrance of Miss Buss—dating from October, 1870—is one that -will come up very vividly to all who remember her Tuesdays’ “at home,” -at Myra Lodge, and who will recall her gracious way of advancing, with -outstretched hand and welcoming smile, to meet her friends. - -There was a touch of ceremoniousness in her reception of strangers that -made this smile seem all the sweeter, dispelling a certain awe excited -by the presence and dignity, the sense of power and purpose, which were -there as the natural outcome of the habit of rule from her childhood -upwards. She was rather below than above middle height, but she always -gave an impression of being taller than she was in reality. - -No one could be with her in any close relation without speedily knowing -how really kind she was, and, after a very short acquaintance, it was -quite easy to believe the story that as Miss Buss made the announcement -of one of the first passes with honours, the delighted student, in the -exuberance of the joy at this success, seized the dignified -head-mistress, and whirled her round in an impromptu waltz, ending -without doubt in one of those loving embraces which gave so much warmth -to school-life; a warmth that carried her so happily through so many -long years of incessant strain. - -The heavy responsibilities and many cares of her arduous life always -made Miss Buss look older than her years, even before she adopted the -distinctive style of dress which, though never out of the fashion, had -still a speciality of its own, which always made it seem appropriate. -She acted up to her theory that each person should take pains to -discover the style most suitable, and then, having found it, should keep -as near to it as possible. This she herself did, contriving at the same -time to keep in touch with prevailing fashions. Her gowns were always -well made—for school and for mornings of some strong serviceable black -material, with a simple collar and cap. For receptions, prize-days, and -evenings, she wore rich silk or satin, with cap and _fichu_ to match of -real lace—her one cherished “vanity.” She had a weakness for good lace, -not forgotten by her friends on anniversaries, so that she acquired a -good store of this valued possession. For ornaments she did not care -enough to buy them for herself, though as gifts she appreciated them -sufficiently. It was a matter of principle with her that it is no less -the pleasure than the duty of every woman to make the very best of her -appearance; a duty especially incumbent in those days on all who held -any views which could be called “advanced.” As Mrs. Marks says of her, -“there was about her an entire absence of peculiarity. Never any one -seemed less eccentric, and it was impossible for the most rabid opponent -of woman’s rights to say that she was ‘unsexed.’” - -And just as she had a woman’s regard for her appearance, she also cared -about her house. The drawing-room of 1870 was not yet what it was -later—one of the first finished specimens of decorative household art. -That came years afterwards, with her full success. But even before that -era, though it might be simple and old-fashioned, it was certain to be -tasteful, and as artistic as was then possible. - -In my very first talk with Miss Buss we touched at once at the point on -which she felt most deeply. I had been interested in the question of -employment for women, having written some papers for the _Art Journal_ -on the “Art-work Open to Women,” in which I had come to the conclusion -that here, as everywhere, the chief obstacle to success lay in the want -of education and of training. A paper read by Dr. W. B. Hodgson at the -Social Science Congress, held in Newcastle-on-Tyne, in 1870, followed by -an able discussion, had proved the connecting link between the question -of employment and that of higher education, and I then recalled all I -had heard from my friend Miss Jones about Miss Buss’ schools and their -new developments. - -After the Newcastle meeting I received the following note from Miss -Buss, which shows how things stood at that date:— - - - “12, Camden Street, Oct. 18, 1870. - - “DEAR MADAM, - - “At Miss L. A. Jones’ request, I forward you four proofs - of our appeal. What we now want is funds. - - “As you will see, our list of subscriptions is very small. The - paper is as yet only a _proof_, because we cannot circulate - largely any statement, until the lease of the new house is - actually signed. - - “When you return to town, I hope to have the pleasure of seeing - you. Agnes has often spoken of you to me, and I am glad to know - you are interested in our plans. - - “If we can get one school for girls well started, the ice will - be broken, and many others will be set up in imitation. - - “If you wish for further information, or for more copies of the - proof, I shall be glad to give you either. - - “Believe me, - - “Very truly yours, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS.” - - -Pleased as I was with this first communication from one whom I had -already learned to admire, I could have no inkling of all it would mean -for me in the future, as the beginning of a friendship which steadily -deepened through the four and twenty years that followed; a friendship -which can only go on deepening after we cease to count by days or years, -since it is of the kind not begun for any ending. - -As I left her that day the feeling of her life went with me in my -impression of the grief it had been to her, just as her pupils began -really to profit by her teaching, to be compelled to give so many of -them up. Social reasons, family reasons, financial reasons, no reason at -all—anything, in those days, was sufficient excuse for ending a girl’s -education. But, nevertheless, year by year, these same girls came back, -under the pressure of some unforeseen need, or even in the ordinary -course of things, as their fathers death broke up the family, to ask -their teacher’s advice how they might gain a livelihood, and to rack her -tender heart with the hopelessness of their lot. Half-educated, wholly -untrained, what could they do? They could do nothing. What she could do -for them as individuals was utterly inadequate, though she never failed -to do whatever might lie in her power. But each separate case that came -before her made her the more resolute to help them, as a whole, by -giving them the greatest good of all—_a thorough education_. - -It is quite in keeping that the crowning work of her life should be the -outcome of the passion of helpfulness, in which this full mother-heart -poured itself out. She was a born educationalist, a teacher with the -whole bent of her nature, and she must in any case have devoted herself -to the task of making education a science. But her great schools were -the work not of her head, but of her heart, having their rise in her -feeling for the half-taught girls who were compelled to teach for a -livelihood. With her head she gave them the instruction and training -that would best help to this end. Then with her heart she made the gift -doubly precious, since she gave them not merely the means of living, but -also a life worth living; they were fitted for work, but, in the -inspiration of her own life, she made it work worth the doing; work that -enriched the world as well as the worker. It was her aim that teaching -should cease to be a mere trade—so many hours grudgingly given for so -much pay—and that it should take its true place as foremost among the -“learned professions,” in which excellence of work, and not work’s -reward, is the object of ambition. - -From the time of her interview with the Commissioners in 1865, the idea -of making a public school for girls had been growing in her thoughts, -and, five years later, several of her own personal friends who shared -her feeling agreed to form a trust to ensure the permanence of the -system worked out with so much care. - -The trust-deed was signed on July 26, 1870, by the Rev. Charles Lee, who -had succeeded the Rev. David Laing, at Holy Trinity, and by Dr. M. A. -Garvey and Mr. W. Timbrell Elliott. The Rev. A. J. Buss, who acted as -honorary secretary, and the Rev. S. Buss were also members of the Trust. - -During the ensuing week the number was increased by the addition of Mrs. -Wm. Burbury, Mr. T. Harries, and Dr. Storrar, a member of the Schools -Inquiry Commission. During the next six months the Board was increased -by the election of Dr. Thorold, Mr. W. Danson, Mrs. Offord, Miss Ewart, -Miss Vincent Thompson, and myself. - -Translated into plain fact, this trust-deed represents the transfer by -Miss Buss to the public of the results of twenty years’ labour. The -school was her own property, being merely under friendly supervision -from the St. Pancras’ clergy. The income was at her own disposal, and -out of school she was free to cultivate all the refined tastes with -which she was so richly endowed. - -Until 1866 Miss Buss had remained with her father in Camden Street, -making no change in her life since her girlhood, and not even having a -banking account of her own. It had not occurred to any one that in -making the money she had any special right to it. - -In this year it became desirable for her health that she should live -away from the school, and as Mr. Buss could not be induced to remove -from Camden Street, he remained there, in the care of a relative, while -Miss Buss went for a time to Mr. and Mrs. Septimus Buss, in Maitland -Park. But in 1868 it seemed necessary to prepare for the coming changes, -and she then took Myra Lodge, to which she removed the boarders who had -been under her supervision, though in the charge of Miss Mary Buss and -Miss Fawcett, at 15, Camden Street. She had to be prepared with some -alternative in case of failure; for on all sides she was warned against -a venture so rash as to be almost hopeless. Who was likely to send girls -to a “public school”? To make the experiment meant that the old -school—the work of so many years, and now a splendid success—must go. -What, then, would be left? - -Success would mean the realization of the desire of her life—that -success which came at last after nine years of effort—success beyond all -hope. But in 1870 the experiment was more than doubtful, and the chance -of failure had to be boldly faced. She did not hesitate, and gave -herself to the labour of the new organization, with its anxiety, -struggles, and all the chances of failure. After having been all her -life her own mistress, she put herself under rule, and in addition to -the loss of personal freedom, she risked a present certainty, and the -prospect of future affluence, to accept for the next three years a -greatly diminished income with doubled or trebled work; giving up at the -same time assured honour and widespread reputation for misunderstanding, -suffering, and disappointment. - -A letter written at the close of 1871, after a year of struggle, shows -how keenly she could feel these things— - - - “I am beginning to feel very hard and bitter. Were it not for - that Anchor to which alone one can cling, I should sometimes - lose all hope and faith. One gentleman, who can well afford £5, - who is largely mixed up with education, responds, in answer to - an appeal for that small sum, ‘Let Miss Buss do it; she has been - making heaps of money for years’! This is the general view, and - is one reason why I told you my name did no good, but rather the - reverse. At any time within the last ten years, having even then - a large connection and some reputation, I _could_ have ‘made - money;’ but how? By taking a grand house, a small number of - ‘select’ pupils, offering fashionable accomplishments, and - asking high terms. In that case there would have been little - work and plenty of money! Even now, if I cut myself off from the - public schools, and lived in Myra Lodge, devoting myself to - twenty pupils, I could ‘make’ a good income, and live the life - of an independent lady! - - “But as I have grown older the terrible sufferings of the women - of my own class, for want of good elementary training, have more - than ever intensified my earnest desire to lighten, ever so - little, the misery of women, brought up ‘to be married and taken - care of,’ and left alone in the world destitute. It is - impossible for words to express my fixed determination of - alleviating this evil—even to the small extent of one - neighbourhood only—were it only possible. If I could do without - salary I would; but it is literally true—although this is of - course to _you_ only—that I have to earn about £350 or £400 per - annum before there is anything for my own expenditure. This - house has been a great burden, but I hope it will pay in time; I - could not have surrendered the other place if I had not had - this, and that is why I undertook it. - - “You see I, too, am growing very confidential! - - “What work can do I have honestly tried to do. Money I have - never had to give, and if I had earned money as mentioned, I - should never have had the experience of numbers and consequent - sympathy. - - “Pray destroy this note, and bury its contents in silence. You - can never know how much hope you have given me, as well as - practical help.” - - -Expecting that I should in the future write the story of this work, I -thought myself justified in not obeying this request, as now in breaking -the silence of four and twenty years. - -Miss Buss began to work at eighteen, and worked till she was -sixty-eight, and she was one of the most successful women of her time; -but surprise is expressed that she could leave behind her the sum of -£18,000. Considering that her personal wants were very few, and that for -nearly twenty years she had £1300 a year from the school (£100 a year -and capitation fees) and from Myra Lodge not less than £2500, the wonder -rather is that she did not leave a great deal more. It is evident that -she must have spent largely, and it is certain that this expenditure was -not on herself. - -As a point of principle—that good work should receive good pay—the -salaries in the Upper School are higher than in most schools.[5] As a -matter of principle also Miss Buss thought it right to make provision -for old age, as she did not mean to accept the pension which would have -been offered. And considering what she had been having, as well as the -accumulated claims of her generous life, this provision can surely not -be called extravagant. - -Footnote 5: - - “Some time ago I had occasion, on behalf of a joint committee of - head-mistresses and assistants of which I was a member, to make a - careful inquiry into the salaries of assistants, in the girls’ public - day schools, both endowed and proprietary. In the course of this - inquiry it came out that the North London Collegiate School _is able - to afford_, and does pay a higher average salary than any other of - those from which we obtained statistics.... The Camden School also - held its own, with salaries well above the means of those obtaining in - schools of its type. - - “I agree in desiring the average salary to be much higher than it is - for assistant-mistresses and assistant-masters too. But I claim for - the great leader who has passed from amongst us, that in this matter - she has given the true lead.”—Letter from Mrs. Bryant, _Educational - Times_, March, 1895. - -But in 1870 she had not begun to save on any large scale. And for the -next three years her gifts to the new movement were out of all -proportion to her receipts, while she was credited with the possession -of means that were non-existent, as well as with a salary which she -declined to take, knowing that the money was needed for working -expenses. - -Myra Lodge, though at first an anxiety, was before long not merely a -success, but also a help to the school. In a note written at the end of -1873 Miss Buss remarks— - - - “It seems that I have paid from Myra, _in fees_ (paid by her for - her boarders), just about £850 in these three years: £200, £232, - and £410, and I have received in all (from the school) £1600. So - your head-mistress has not been a costly article!” - - -Counting the value of furniture, as well as the balance of salary not -accepted, Miss Buss gave during this period not less than £1000, besides -paying the £850 in fees from Myra. After the removal of the Upper School -from 202, Camden Road, as the lease was still in her possession, she -supervised a Preparatory School, the profits of which—£1500 in all—she -handed over to the governing body, thus supplying funds for the -gymnasium. Nor was this all; she made in addition to these gifts several -very helpful loans, without which the work must have come to a -standstill. Early in 1873 an entry on the minutes records the thanks of -the Governors— - - - “The Board wish to record their strong sense of the generosity - and public spirit shown by Miss Buss, when she last year pressed - the Board to take on mortgage the ground and building in Sandall - Road, for the enlargement of the North London Collegiate School, - and when, in March last, she proposed that a considerable sum - should be laid out in enlarging the building in Sandall Road; - Miss Buss in both cases sacrificing the additional income which - would have been hers, and undertaking at the same time still - greater responsibility and harder work.” - - -Under the new scheme Miss Buss’ own school remained as the Upper School, -but was removed to 202, Camden Road, leaving the former premises in -Camden Street, with most of the furniture and “school plant,” for the -new Lower School, of which the fees were fixed at £4 4_s._ per annum, -for a thorough education up to the age of sixteen years. - -All the provisions of the scheme were in accordance with those proposed -by the Endowed Schools Commission, and it was intended that the fees -should meet only the working expenses, the buildings being supplied by -some endowment. For the Lower, or Camden School, the sum of £5000 was -considered sufficient, and it was not unnaturally imagined that this -moderate amount might be supplied by the same generous public which had -given £60,000 for a similar school for boys. For the Upper School only -£1000 was asked to supply the furniture left behind in Camden Street, -for the use of the Lower School. - -In September, 1871, Miss Buss says of the Camden School— - - - “No furniture has been paid for at all; the school is poorly - supplied, and the teachers are badly paid. Instead of being rent - free, we pay £115 per annum, and rates, amounting at least to - £20 more. - - “It is clear to me that all such schools need—First, to be rent - free; second, to have an endowment, largish or small, to keep - the buildings in repair and to offer scholarships; third, to - have all the school furniture and fittings given. Then, but not - till then, can the teachers be fairly paid, and the trustees - free from anxiety. For such a purpose, I imagine five or six - thousand pounds are wanted—say, £4000 for building, £1000 for - furniture, apparatus, and the rest for repairs, etc. - - “For the Higher School the same kind of thing is wanted, only on - a more extensive scale, as furniture and fittings must be more - expensive. The higher fees would still be required to meet the - demand for higher teaching. According to my notions, gymnasiums - are needed for every school, and large places for swimming.” - - -But at the first start how natural it seemed to expect the small amount -of help which should do so much! “What we now want is funds!” And those -very modest sums then formed the total of this requirement. She asked no -more for the fulfilment of that early dream, “I want girls educated to -match their brothers.” Everything was there except the funds. The -educational system had been tested by experience and stamped by success; -the teacher, fitted at all points, was ready for work. Friends were -ready with time and thought to help in carrying out the work. Having -thus all the important essentials, who could doubt that the rest must -follow? - -In our own enthusiasm for Miss Buss and her work it seemed to Miss Jones -and to me that all that was needed was to make the case known. We were -both accustomed to the use of our pens, and placed ourselves at Miss -Buss’ service, beginning first by an appeal to our own personal friends, -with enough of success at the outset to justify our going on. But we -soon discovered that beyond this range things were of a different order. - -I had seen so much of the kindness shown by Mr. and Mrs. S. C. Hall to -all sorts of philanthropic effort that I fully counted on their help. In -addition to the _Art Journal_, Mr. Hall was editor of _Social Notes_, -and Mrs. Hall had not given up the _St. James’ Magazine_; so that we saw -here our way to a wider public. - -The reply to my appeal seems worth giving _in extenso_, as a measure of -the public opinion of that day. If a woman who had made her own mark on -the world in ways out of the beaten track, could so write, what must -have been the feeling of the average woman, to say nothing of the -narrowminded and ignorant? Mrs. Hall was, besides, amongst the foremost -who showed interest in higher education in being one of the earliest of -the lady-visitors at Queen’s College. - -Here is the letter— - - - “15, Ashley Place, Oct. 31, 1870. - - “MY DEAR ANNIE, - - “I dare say you learned a good deal at the Social Science - meetings. But women have no business on platforms. They have - enough, and more than they can accomplish, in performing the - duties which God and Nature have assigned them.... - - “I too am most anxious to find employment for women, and would - give every female, rich or poor, a _trade_—call it a profession - if you like—so that she could help herself. But this is not to - be done by sending her to _College Examinations_. - - “There are not a greater set of ‘_muffs_’ and extravagant - fellows in life than our College lads. It is not by _them_ that - the _business_ of _life_ is carried on. Do you want to educate - girls in the ‘arts’ as practised in the Universities? - - “I have no fault to find with the arrangements of the - _Lower_ School, except its incompetence to provide the means - which will enable women to exist. They should be taught - trades—painting on glass and china; hair-weaving; certain - branches of watchmaking (as abroad); confectionery; - _cooking_—each half-dozen going into training for this at - least once a week; clear-starching;—_trades_, in fact. When - I was a girl I went down once a week into the housekeeper’s - room to see how jellies and blanc-mange, soups, and pastry - were made; to learn the quantities _and help to do all she - did_. - - “This did not prevent my accomplishments going on; or my riding - and enjoying all the amusements a country girl could have. - - “If a revolution came I know I could have found pupils to teach - French and music to. I could have made a good nurse, or - housekeeper, or clear-starcher. - - “I would also have every boy and girl learn the Latin grammar - first, or at the same time as the English. In law-copying, for - instance, which young women should be trained in later, - knowledge of Latin is invaluable. - - “No; dear Mrs. Laing never told me of Miss Buss’ new plans. She - is really so good and right-thinking a woman that I wonder how - she would give the sanction of her practical name to any plan - embracing ‘College Examinations,’ by way of making women useful - or bread-earning members of society. Better, more useful - education in what can be more practically useful, without being - unsexed, is what they want, but are not likely to get while such - women as Emily Faithfull lead the van. - - “I saw some time ago you were restless and uncertain on the - question of Woman’s Rights, which might almost be defined as - Man’s Wrongs. _Your_ head would work you up at one of the - Cambridge Examinations, and now and then work up a clever woman, - but what good was to arise from that if a revolution came I - cannot understand! - - “I should, indeed, be astonished if your father ‘went in’ for - College Examinations for girls! - - “I hope you will not endeavour to enlist X——’s sympathies in - College Examinations for women. Dear darling! any strong-minded - notions would be a source of trial to her admirable husband, and - do her no good. - - “I am sorry you have taken up this matter. - - “Yours sincerely, - - “A. M. HALL. - - “I shall have a great deal more to say on this matter hereafter, - if I live.” - - -This letter was as discouraging as it was unexpected. But I bided my -time. Happily, Miss Jones had succeeded better. She not only received a -donation of £30 from Miss Caroline Haddon, but Mrs. Offord, Miss -Haddon’s sister, became a member of the Board, and by her practical -knowledge gave a sympathy most helpful to Miss Buss. Hearty adherence -had also been secured from Mr. E. C. Robins, a successful architect, who -made schools his _spécialité_. Both Mr. and Mrs. Robins proved valuable -friends to Miss Buss’ work, as they have since done to the Hampstead -High School, to the New Technical Schools, and the Hampstead Branch of -the Parents’ Union, started by themselves. - -Mr. Robins first of all demanded a personal statement of her needs from -Miss Buss, as he said— - - - “We are interested in _her_; in _her_ experience; in _her_ - aspirations;—we want to know her ultimate aims. We want a sketch - contrasting what is provided for middle-class boys with what is - provided for middle-class girls; also how this particular scheme - is likely to effect the desired result.” - - -This paper was accordingly drawn up, with Miss Buss, Mrs. Robins, Miss -Jones, and myself as honorary secretaries, and we confidently expected -to get the £1000 which was then the modest limit of our hopes. - -Soon after this all the friends of the movement were gathered together -at a drawing-room meeting at Myra Lodge, that they might see Miss Buss, -and hear from herself of her plans. Her notes at this time are in -curious contrast with those written nine years after in the height of -her fame— - - - “Nov. 20, 1870. - - “MY DEAR MISS RIDLEY, - - “Many thanks for your note; you have worked hard and - successfully. I have invited several people, but as yet the - number of acceptances only amount to fourteen. - - “Mrs. De Morgan is interesting people in one plan. - - “I hardly think we ought to ask Miss Garrett just _now_; she is - almost worn out with meetings, having been obliged to attend two - and even three a day, since the election excitement began. - - “My notion is to get a mixed meeting, in Camden Street, the week - after next, and then we can have speeches from the gentlemen. - - “I am hopeful about next Wednesday’s meeting; the thing is to - interest women, and to convince some of them of the necessity of - schools for girls. Then to answer as far as possible any - objections so that they may be armed to meet them. - - “I have to go to a Council meeting in Queen’s Square, so am - rather hurried. - - “Yours sincerely, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS.” - - - “Myra Lodge, Dec. 1, 1870. - - “DEAR AGNES, - - “Will you and Miss Ridley make up a list of the names and - addresses of the ladies present at our meeting yesterday? Your - lists and mine will probably complete the number. - - “Were you content? I thought it a great success to have so many - ladies. Including everyone, there must have been forty-two or - forty-three. - - “There had been a meeting of trustees yesterday, when it was - decided that we should hold a parents’ meeting at Camden Street - next week, and a public meeting in the Vestry Hall the week - after. That is why I could not announce a meeting for next week. - - “With love and best thanks, - - “I am, yours affectionately, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS.” - - -Certainly the thing then needed was “to interest women” generally in the -subject. There were, of course, a certain number of women deeply -interested in everything relating to the status of women, educational or -political. But at that special time these two groups were fully -occupied, the one with Miss Davies’ new venture at Hitchin, and the -other with Miss Garrett’s election on the School Board. These two ladies -themselves took full interest in Miss Buss’ plans, as she did in theirs. -But they all needed funds from the outside public, and demand and supply -were far from being equal. - -Public opinion in 1870 was very much what it had been in 1849, and to -most persons the stir about improved education for women seemed very -unnecessary. Most women were quite satisfied with their own girls, and -did not trouble about the rest; and till women cared about the subject, -it could scarcely be expected that men would rouse themselves. Thus, out -of London’s millions those really concerned in this question might be -counted by hundreds, and persons who for objects that really interested -them would give hundreds, or even thousands, thought themselves very -generous if they gave units or tens to the new movement. - -Nothing could show more clearly the indifference of the public to higher -education than the insignificance of the details of the work of the next -two years. They may, however, be worth noting, on the principle on which -the mother treasures the baby-shoes once belonging to the strong man, -who, since those first uncertain efforts, has left deep “footprints in -the sands of time.” - -The year 1870 ended with what was then a very great and important -event—one of the very first public meetings concerning the education of -girls—held at the St. Pancras Vestry Hall, under the presidency of Lord -Lyttelton. Very considerable interest seemed to be excited in the larger -world outside the immediate circle of friends, and hopes rose. One -important practical issue came immediately in the addition to the -governing body of the Rev. A. W. Thorold, Vicar of St. Pancras -(afterwards Bishop of Rochester and of Winchester). Both in his official -capacity, and as having been a member of the Schools Inquiry Commission, -Dr. Thorold was a most valuable supporter of the work. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - “WE WORK IN HOPE.” - - “It never yet did hurt - To lay down likelihoods and forms of hope.” - - -With the success of this first public meeting, it was hoped that the -tide had turned. On February 15, 1871, a drawing-room meeting at the -house of Mr. E. C. Robins gave still further encouragement. I had -prepared a paper, entitled “Pearl and Sea-foam,” contrasting the solid -work of the education given to boys with the evanescent glitter of that -thought to be sufficient for girls, and giving an account of Miss Buss’ -work and aims. - -A good discussion followed, in which many persons interested in -education took part. The immediate result was the active adhesion of Mr. -John Neate, who undertook to interest some of the City Companies. This -was a real advance. Hitherto there had been a general agreement that -“something ought to be done,” and that “somebody ought to do it;” but it -was also generally agreed that “somebody else” was responsible for -action in the matter, and we had not yet found this very essential -personage. The discovery was now made that in the City Companies, which -had done so much for boys, we should without doubt find all that could -be desired. - -The prospect did indeed seem hopeful. We had already on our own -governing body a member of the Merchant Taylors’ Company in Mr. W. -Timbrell Elliott. Our new friends, Mr. Robins and Mr. Neate, belonged to -the Dyers’ and the Clothworkers’ Companies, and all three gentlemen -became, within a short time, the Masters of their respective Companies. -We had, however, to wait quite till the end of the year before the first -large donation of £100 from the Fishmongers’ Company set the example, -afterwards followed by the Brewers’ and the Clothworkers’ Companies in -the gift of the school-buildings. - -Mr. Robins printed the first copies of “Pearl and Sea-foam,” which were -found useful in our next effort to secure £500 in £5 donations, for the -barely necessary furniture in the two schools. Miss Buss had left the -greater part of her furniture in Camden Street, and had gone to an empty -building at 202, Camden Road; but about this time she writes— - - - “If we could raise £500 in addition to what we have, I think we - might, for the present, let the North London Collegiate School - go on alone. - - “The first thing next term will be to apply to City Companies - for the _Camden_ School. - - “I am very busy, as you can guess, and you will not mind this - work. - - “I could send such a statement to some people, I think. But I - would suggest that the whole trouble should fall on you, by your - giving your name and address as Hon. Sec., or receiver, or - anything you like. Any names I obtained I would send to you.” - - - “March 23. - - “What a very nice woman that Australian lady must be! Somehow I - have been in a depressed or out-of-tune condition all day, and - now—faithless that I am—your note comes to cheer me up and give - me fresh hope. How wonderful is the all-prevailing law of - compensation! Sunshine and shade vary our days.” - - - “March 27. - - “The City people are not to be moved to do anything that is not - in the City. Honour and glory follow there, so there they will - work. - - “Mr. Rogers is about to open his school, and when it is done, it - will be published, with a flourish of trumpets, ‘See what the - City does! It inaugurates a new era,’ etc. But, after all, what - matters it if the work is done? - - “Mr. Rogers has already been attacked, I assure you. I went - straight off to Mr. Jowett, some time since, to strengthen him, - if necessary, by arguments in behalf of girls. - - “Miss Davies helps me as much as she can, but her energies, - interests, hopes are all centred in the _College_. She cannot - well beg for two different things at one time, and it is for - this reason that she is not one of our trustees. - - “There are three City men who have in their hands a capital sum - of £30,000—half of this is to be spent on _a_ girls’ school in - the City. - - “Nothing but an organized opposition through the Charity - Commission will make them do anything else. £15,000 on _one_ - school, and that in the City, where it is not wanted, especially - if Mr. Rogers’ school be opened! I mean to try and get a grant - out of them—they have given three grants, each of a thousand, to - Mr. Rogers—but, you will see, they will give another thousand to - him for his girls’ school, and they will give nothing to us, - because we are _not_ in the City. - - “Here we begin with nothing—in the Camden School, at all events. - We must work on and get publicity, then we may get money.” - - - “March 27, 1871. - - “Mrs. Grey’s letter came to-day. You will see that her paper may - help us a little, but not very much. I have no idea as to an - ‘advocate.’ Dr. Hodgson is at Bournemouth—Mr. Cooke Taylor I - know nothing of—Mr. Lee is the only person I can think of now, - and there are several reasons against asking him. Between now - and the 31st could we not get some one to pay us a visit and - speak up for us? - - “I will send Mrs. Grey your paper, but I rather think she had a - copy. - - “My holiday trip was delightful.... - - “Will you tell me when we meet whether you would consent to - become one of ‘_my_’ trustees?” - - - “May 9, 1871. - - “How brave and earnest you are! It is such a comfort to me! You - can have no idea of what work and worry I have to face, and - almost single-handed. - - “Please accept my proposal to become a trustee. Your help will - be invaluable to me and to the Cause, and, as a trustee, you can - say and do much more for us. - - “Let me know if you accept.” - - - “May 23, 1871. - - “I want to see you very much. You were unanimously elected a - member of our Board yesterday, and were also, at _my_ request, - put on the Memorial Committee, which is to deal with the - question of applications for money from Companies, etc. - - “I have written to ever so many people, but have no more names. - We have got a list of the Companies, of their clerks, of their - styles, ‘Worshipful,’ etc. - - “The £5 collection was well received yesterday when I mentioned - it at our meeting, and the list has gone to the printer. I am - really quite hopeful about it. - - “There are 112 girls in the Camden Schools now, and I want you - to write, if you can, to Irwin Cocks, Esq. (or Cox?), editor of - the _Queen_, 346, Strand, stating what we are doing, how we have - started this school, etc. He would probably insert it, and then - a friend, Miss Chessar, would write a short leader about it. It - seems rather too bad to trouble you, but I really am too - overdone with the inner work of the two schools to be able to do - much in the outer work. - - “Mrs. Laing will put our papers into Mrs. Craik’s hands, - _to-morrow_—D. M. Muloch, I mean. - - “Can you tell me for certain what is Sir John Bowring’s Company? - We must begin with that.” - - -Lady Bowring had gone over the schools with me, and, like all who saw -them, was charmed with her visit. She had promised to secure Sir John -Bowring’s interest with his own Company and with the Gilchrist Trust. -From the latter help came in scholarships. - -But of the uses of “Pearl and Sea-foam” none gave me so much -satisfaction as this letter from Mrs. S. C. Hall— - - - “April 6, 1871. - - “MY DEAR ANNIE, - - “If it please God to prolong my days and my ability to - work, _after_ I have been able, by my exertions, to add a small - additional ward to the Great Northern Hospital, my _present_ - impression is that I should like to help the educational plan of - Miss Buss. But I never could devote my heart to two things at - once, and that Great Northern Hospital is what I shall work and - beg for—and nothing else—during the next year. I hate bazaars, - but there is no other way that I know of to get the necessary - funds—except a concert—and, at present, I can only grope my way. - - “Mr. Ruskin has not been here since Christmas, but I can say - anything to him, now that I know him so well; and, _after_ I - have had some hospital talk with him, I will give him your - ‘Foam,’ and ask him to see Miss Buss’ schools. - - “He is most charming. It always does my heart good to see him - playing with the dogs on the hearthrug. Oxford takes up a good - deal of his time. Miss Hill looks after his cottages. Dear - little Joan Agnew is to be married this month. I am so glad she - is to live at Denmark Hill. She is such a lovely darling. - - “I am very glad Mr. Hall suggested that art work to you; only - don’t make yourself ill over it. - - “With warm regards to all, - - “Your affectionate friend, - - “A. M. H.” - - -After Mrs. S. C. Hall’s first letter I had met at her house both Mrs. -Laing and the Rev. T. Pelham Dale, friends of Miss Buss, who warmly took -her part. After much effort, Mrs. Hall and Miss Buss met at last, being -mutually attracted. - -Some extracts from Miss Buss’ letters at this time show how very busy -she was— - - - “Mrs. S. C. Hall and I have not converted each other yet. Why? - Because she was not well, and I did not go!” - - -And later— - - - “Mrs. Hall asked me yesterday to go to lunch with her to-morrow. - But, most unfortunately, I had engaged a railway carriage to - take the girls in my house to Windsor, and cannot possibly send - them without me. I could go to-morrow afternoon, but I have a - meeting of my Dorcas Committee, followed by a teachers’ meeting. - Both these must be given up if I go to Mrs. S. C. Hall’s, and, - as you have already met this Indian gentleman, it seems scarcely - worth while, either for you or me. - - “I am glad Mrs. Hall is being led to see that a woman may have - cultivation, and yet be able to mend a glove. _Why_ people - should insist on thinking that the education which should make a - man must be injurious to a woman, is, to me, perplexing.” - - -Though Mrs. S. C. Hall declined to beg for us herself, she did very good -service in introducing Miss Geraldine Jewsbury, who threw herself heart -and soul into the work, bringing many useful friends, and, above all, by -her own bright, breezy nature, cheering Miss Buss in many an hour when -hope was low. - - - “Miss Jewsbury has raised again some hope—only I fear she has - not had so much experience as you and I, in asking and failing. - She is quite charming. - - - “Monday. - - “These suggestions of Mr. Robins’ have been carried out, as you - see. By to-morrow night, every _member_ of every _court_ of - every _Company_ will have had an invite to Friday’s meeting, and - a circular of the Camden Schools. - - “I have asked Miss Cobbe to help us to publicity, and Mr. Edwin - H. Abbott, of the City of London School, will speak. I will see - about Mr. Bompas. - - “Invitations have been sent to every parent in both schools; - have been left at every house in the High Street. - - “I have bought twenty-eight prizes, have ordered _labels_ to put - inside, have harangued the Camden girls, have divided all _my_ - girls, and have had a dreadful day’s work. But one hopes on, and - I have been for years accustomed to find ‘after many days.’” - - -At the prize-giving of the Camden School the Lord Mayor (Sir T. Dakin) -took the chair, and there were present the Lady Mayoress, Mrs. Laing, -Mrs. Burbury, Miss Emily Davies, the Rev. Edwin Abbott, Mr. Fitch, Mr. -Joseph Payne, and other friends of Higher Education. Dr. Abbott, -head-master of the City of London School, spoke very strongly on the -duty of the Mayor and Corporation to provide for girls schools similar -to those of their brothers. - -On the following day Lord Dartmouth presided over the meeting for the -Upper School, also held at St. George’s Hall, Langham Place, at which -Harvey Lewis, Esq., M.P., and Arthur Roebuck, Esq., M.P., Mrs. Grey, -Miss Jewsbury, Mrs. Henry Kingsley, and many others, were present. - -A few days after the meetings, Miss Buss writes— - - - “We are _agitating_ beautifully. Dr. Storrar read me a private, - but very encouraging note from Lord Lyttelton, saying that we - should have some endowments as soon as they can lay their hands - on any. - - “This will probably be very useful to us. As Mr. Robins says, - our school must be the first of a series, encircling the City. - Boys go immense distances to the City schools, showing it would - be better, physically and morally, to have the schools within - reach of the parents. Constant railway travelling is bad for - growing lads, and there is no telling the amount of moral injury - from companions in railway carriages, of whom the parents know - nothing. - - “This cannot be tolerated for _girls_!... - - “Do you smile inwardly at our getting the start? Whether - successful or not, we are first in the field, anyway, even in - the City. I feel quite lighthearted because—you will not - guess—but Mr. Danson has been at work over the accounts, all day - yesterday and all day to-day. He is so thoroughly business-like, - and so good-natured and patient, that it is a sensible relief to - me. He has time and knowledge, and is willing to devote both as - his share of work. - - “I think we shall leave London, by the night mail, on Friday in - time to catch the Hull boat to Gottenburg, which starts at six - a.m. on Saturday. - - “As I am always very sea-sick, the rest I so much want will be - got on board by means of being compelled to be still. - - “My beginning of that last sentence wants an explanation, I see, - so now you have it. Collapse comes on, in a mild form, after - weeks of work, at the rate of fifteen hours _per diem_. I trust - by the time we reach Gottenburg to have recovered. - - “Mr. Robins asked me to the Swan-hopping dinner; but as it is on - the 7th, I must not give up a week’s holiday for it. So Mr. Lee - is going to advocate our cause privately as opportunity serves. - - “Mr. Elliott has invited me to the Merchant Taylors’ dinner, on - Thursday next, in the Crystal Palace. To that I am going; more, - however, from policy than from inclination, as it is very - possible I shall have to sit up best part of the night to pack - for my journey, and put away all other things until my return.” - - “Did it ever occur to you that packing, etc., or indeed, - anything peculiarly womanly, is difficult, almost impossible to - a woman who leaves home, day after day, at 8.30, and does not - return, often—well, sometimes till 10.30 at night? That is my - programme lately. But how much I talk of myself.... - - “I am obliged to break off hastily. I have been waiting at Myra - Lodge for visitors who have not come! _Quel bonheur!_” - - - “July 24, 1871. - - “This morning Mr. Lee and I met Dr. Storrar and Mr. Robins at - the Mansion House. The Lord Mayor spoke most pleasantly to us. - He will give us a note, which Mr. Lee proposes to have - lithographed, and a copy of this will accompany every memorial. - The Lord Mayor was particularly agreeable to me, and - congratulated me warmly; he is very much interested indeed, and - hopes to pay us a visit in working hours early next term. At all - events, the Lady Mayoress will come—we must keep her up to it. - The census shows a _steady decrease_ in residents in the City!” - - - “July 27, 1871. - - “Pray read the attack on us in to-day’s _Times_. The fight has - begun. We are not really in opposition. Any school in the City - opened by Mr. Rogers will not prevent the necessity of a Camden - Town district school. - - “I only trust the Lord Mayor will not _back out_!” - - -Happily, the Lord Mayor stood firm, and wrote a strong letter of appeal -to go out with the memorial to the City Companies. - -Miss Buss’ holiday was most profitably spent in Sweden and Denmark, -where she gathered many educational facts and theories, and where she -found the Swedish desk, which she was the first to introduce into -English schools. - -The September campaign began with the Lord Mayor’s appeal, but progress -was still very slow. Miss Geraldine Jewsbury’s warm sympathy was still a -great comfort, but her letters show the difficulties encountered. -Speaking of one friend, she says— - - - “I must neither ask her to subscribe nor to ask her husband; in - fact, I could not rouse her interest in _this_ quarter. She says - she and her husband have embarked so much in the cause of - education that they can do no more. But _it is all for boys_, of - course. However, £5 is £5, and I think more of it than any other - £5 I ever _earned_. I could never have believed in the - difficulty of getting money for such a good purpose if I had not - _tried_. - - “Give my love to Miss Buss, and tell her not to lose heart. But - it is trying and uphill work! Only her example strengthens - others in all ways.” - - - “Selwood Park, Sept. 3, 1871. - - “DEAR MISS RIDLEY, - - “The enclosed letters will show you that I have not - forgotten that poor Mr. Ruskin was to be my main hope. His - illness has been very serious, and I know not at this moment - where he is. I shall certainly see him when there is any chance - of his being able to take thought of anything. I know how much - interest he would have taken in the schools, and, I hope, will - take in them yet. - - “The lady in whom I most trusted to give me money has given me - _just_ nothing, and no promises even, nor expression of - interest, and the aggravating thing is the _reasons_ she gave! - She has anticipated for _two_ years the sum she gives to - charitable objects or social progress to—the Society for - Advancing Female Suffrage!!! - - “I have been entirely unsuccessful so far, but am not going to - lose heart nor hope; for success does not depend on whether an - object is supported by many or by few. And I feel that these - schools are just the most important step that has yet been taken - for women, giving a solid foundation of good training, and Miss - Buss has been raised up and trained for the emergency. She is - doing the real needful work without minding the clatter of - nonsense that is being talked about Woman’s Rights, and all the - rest of it. The waste of _money_ is the least part of one’s - regret. - - “My counsel and advice is, first, to write to the Lord Mayor and - tell him that his example would be readily followed, and entreat - him to lead the forlorn hope and give a small sum of money. I - would write the letter gladly, only _you_ can do it better, and - are in the midst of the business of the schools. - - “I will write to Mr. Roebuck, and see if he can rouse any - interest. Do you also write to Mrs. Newmarch. Tell her the - urgency of the matter; write such a letter as she can give her - husband—not too long, but urgent. Write to Miss Cobbe, and beg - her to make an article of appeal in the _Echo_, and at the same - time interesting. Shoot all these arrows _at once_, and some of - them will hit. - - “I feel ashamed and disgusted at the tardy and small response - you have met with; but, as nothing really good _ever_ dies out, - I am not cast down, and I feel just the same interest as at - first—I have still one card to play for you, as I have not made - my appeal to Mrs. Huth, and that I will do, both to her and her - husband, sending on your letter. Do not let Miss Buss lose - heart. Give my love to her, and tell her that though I have not - brought in anything yet it has not been for want of talking and - trying. There is always a dead pull in all undertakings to get - them uphill; the wheels seem to stick fast, but, after a while, - if _this pull is continued_, they move. Let me hear from you - again, please, and - - “Believe me, yours very truly, - - “GERALDINE E. JEWSBURY.” - - -I wrote to Mr. Ruskin, mentioning Miss Jewsbury’s request, and with -great pleasure received a kind letter in reply, expressing interest in -what I had told him of the school, and of the feeling of the founder. -But, having at least three times more work on his hands than he was able -for just then, he could do nothing till after the Christmas vacation, -when it might be possible for him to come to see what was being done and -what he might be able to do to forward the work. - -It was always a regret to us that this visit never came to pass. Miss -Buss and her girls missed what would have been a great delight, and Mr. -Ruskin also missed the sight of healthy and womanly work and play which -could not have failed to please as well as to cheer him in its hope for -the future. - -Miss Buss’ letters for the next few months show the effect of the strain -of suspense and of hope deferred— - - - “Myra Lodge, 10 p.m., Sept. 27, 1871. - - “Not ten minutes’ leisure till now, dear Miss Ridley. Teaching - in the morning, a large Dorcas meeting in the afternoon, and an - overwhelming mass of business correspondence—not nearly gone - through yet, however. - - “First, an answer from the Goldsmiths has come. You do not need - to be told what that answer is. - - “An idea has struck me that it might be well for us to ask those - who have subscribed so far whether they give to one school more - than another? If not, let us divide the subscriptions, and so - hand over to Camden Street some of our money. This is _between - us_—just now, at least.... - - “I do not think we must, in any way, appear adverse to the City - movement under Mr. Rogers. - - “I feel we have forced him into action, and, as our motive is to - help women generally, and not the women of Camden Town only, to - have driven him to act is one result, and a great one, of our - organization. - - “Why I think of the division of subscriptions is that no doubt - some of the people would prefer to help the poorer school. If - so, I should prefer their subscriptions going in the way they - wanted. I am sure that my old pupils help their own old school, - and do not care for the new and unknown one.... - - “I have written to the Lady Mayoress, and will write to Miss - Cobbe, asking her to let me _call_. Of course I shall give her - your note. What a dear, bright, ever young heart Miss Jewsbury - has! If you had done nothing but interest her, your work would - have been _great_. She has saved me almost from despair at least - on two occasions. - - “I don’t mind our Board meetings, and really have never but once - been like what we suppose a caged lion to be. - - “It is now the amount of the work, and the sort of unsettled - state we are in, that overdo me. But Mr. Danson is helping to - reduce money matters to order, and to be relieved of the - management of that would be really a comfort. - - “We have now 190 girls in the Camden School; one father has come - to live in the neighbourhood on purpose to send four girls. I - scarcely know what to do for teachers, and am in correspondence - with all sorts of people. Old pupils do not seem available, or - they are not mature enough. - - “We must have some more furniture too, as there is not enough in - Camden Street for the present number. The ventilation in the - Camden Road is not nearly good enough; but I am compelled to - _act_, and so must risk observations from the Board. We ought to - be thinking of building for the Camden School; but money, money, - where is it to come from? - - “I hear Mr. Mason, of Birmingham, who has just spent £200,000, - or some such sum, on his orphanage, intends to give £30,000 to - education. Mrs. Sheldon Amos went to him about the Working - Women’s College, and got a sort of promise. I always intended to - get at him if I could; so, hearing of her visit, I wrote - straight off to the wife of the Town Clerk of Birmingham, Mrs. - Hayes, to ask for an introduction, saying a visit to Birmingham - would be nothing if there were the least hope of getting help; - even if one only induced him to give part of the money to girls - at Birmingham something would be gained. A visit there is - therefore looming. Mrs. Hayes gives me a warm invitation to her - house. She knows me through an old pupil, who is governess to - her children, and called on me here when in London. - - “(Ah, ah, how I wish we could get a fine building for the Camden - Road School! We do want a lecture hall and a gymnasium so much.) - - “Two school concerts are on me next week, and a good deal to - think of in connection with them. Musical men are not easygoing: - each one will have the best places for his pupils; each will go - his own way. Most school-mistresses have to deal with one only; - I have three, and also three young women; the latter were fairly - manageable. - - “A good second would be a great relief to me, and would enable - me to work at something less than express-train speed—a speed - that cannot be continued for very many years. It would be worth - while to raise the pay of my second, as she became more useful. - I never have time to prepare my lessons, which is almost - indispensable if one wishes to teach well. - - “There has been quite an avalanche of storms raised by parents - lately, mainly because I have had to engage a governess _not_ - trained in the school. She does not therefore understand our - ways, and causes me much worry; but she is really a good - Christian girl, one who will do well _in time_. But, as I tell - her, I have to suffer during the process of her instruction. - - “If the Birmingham invite does not come this week, as I hope it - will not, on Friday I hope to go to Mrs. Hodgson, at - Bournemouth, till Monday night—Monday being our half-term - holiday, and most of my house-girls away. Mrs. H. is the - dearest, sweetest, brightest, most unselfish creature, and I - love her dearly! You will believe me, when I say how much I am - learning to love you. I cannot bear to hear of your being - _tired_. Pray take rest and get well. - - “Always your loving - - “F. M. B.” - - -There came at this juncture a very bright ray of encouragement in a -gratifying letter from the Princess of Wales. As the Queen had given her -name to the first College, it was thought that the Princess might do no -less for the first Public School for Girls, and the Memorial Committee -made the request, on the principle of “nothing venture, nothing have.” - -The following letter was addressed to the Rev. Charles Lee, as the -chairman of the Memorial Committee:— - - - “SIR, - - “I am directed by the Princess of Wales to acknowledge the - receipt of a letter signed by you, in conjunction with Dr. J. - Storrar, on behalf of the trustees and governors of the - institution established in Camden Town for the promotion of - secondary instruction for girls. - - “Her Royal Highness fully recognizes the importance and great - need of improvement in the education of girls of the poorer - middle-class, and believes that the North London Collegiate - School for Girls, with its Lower School, will not only to some - extent meet this want, but that it will also serve as a model to - similar schools, the establishment of which in other parts of - the Metropolis, and in the country generally, it may encourage. - - “The Princess of Wales, therefore, has much pleasure in acceding - to the request that her Royal Highness would allow these schools - to be placed under her patronage, and has directed me to forward - to you the enclosed cheque for fifty guineas as her Royal - Highness’ contribution to the funds of the undertaking. - - “I have the honour to be, sir, - - “Your most obedient servant, - - “M. HOLZMANN, Private - Secretary. - - “Sandringham, Nov. 15, 1871.” - - -In response to this cheering bit of news Miss Jewsbury at once wrote -off— - - - “Manchester, Nov. 26, 1871. - - “I _am_ very glad indeed about the Princess. It is the best of - all the many kind things she has done. _How_ did you get at her? - - “I will write myself to Mr. Novelli, and am going on Tuesday to - Sir Joseph Whitworth’s, and will see if I can move him to help - us! Give my love to Miss Buss. She will ‘see the fruit of her - doings’ yet; and she does not know how much her patient - endurance has strengthened the hands of the many (of whom she - may never hear) who are wearied and ready to lose heart in their - labours. I can speak of what her example is to myself.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - “THE SISTERS OF THE BOYS.” - - “No man will give his son a stone if he asks for bread; but - thousands of men have given their daughters diamonds when they - asked for books, and coiled serpents of vanity and dissipation - round their necks when they asked for wholesome food and - beneficent employment.”—F. P. COBBE. - - -The great event of the year 1871—from the educational point of view—was -the meeting of the Society of Arts, at which Mrs. William Grey read her -able paper on Secondary Education for Girls, in which was contained the -germ of the Women’s National Education Union, and the Girls’ Public Day -Schools Company. The chair was taken by the Rev. William Rogers, whose -great school for boys in Cowper Street was just completed, and the -audience included most of the distinguished leaders in educational -movements. - -Mrs. Grey took up the question of higher education for women in all its -bearings, and, recognizing the needs which had to be met, proposed the -formation of “an Educational League,” to embrace all who were actively -interested in the question, and having for its object— - - - “to carry what might be characterized as the Educational Charter - of Women—first, the equal right of women to the education - considered best for human beings; second, the equal right of - women to a share in the existing educational endowments of the - country, and to be considered, not less than boys, in the - creation of any new endowments; third, the registration of - teachers, with such other measures as may raise teaching as a - profession no less honourable and honoured for women than it is - for men.” - - -The discussion following this paper will always retain historic value, -because, as both sides had free scope, it represents the exact estimate -of women which prevailed at that period. For the women of the twentieth -century—in the serene enjoyment of the results of the work of the -nineteenth century—it will have an interest of which wonder will form no -small part. The women of 1871, as they listened, had long since ceased -to wonder, but they had other feelings which, happily for the readers of -1971, will also have acquired the historic value which attaches to all -relics of a far-away past. - -It was when presiding at this meeting that Mr. Rogers made the speech, -of which every one heard so much during the next two years, a speech -that showed how he also had yet to learn from experience the difference -between efforts for boys’ and efforts for girls’ schools. - -In proposing the vote of thanks for Mrs. Grey’s paper, Mr. Rogers -remarked that he could not agree with one statement—that there was no -demand on the part of parents for a higher education; on the contrary, -there was a widespread dissatisfaction with the present state of things. -Being anxious to establish a girls’ school in connection with the Boys’ -Middle-class School in London, he sent round a paper to the parents of -the boys—numbering about eleven hundred—asking their opinion, and he -received answers, and promises that the girls should be sent, from about -five hundred. He also disputed the statement that “where pounds were -subscribed for the boys there was difficulty in getting shillings for -the girls,” as he believed that funds would be forthcoming so soon as -the real difficulty—of suitable sites and good teachers—had been met. - -In passing, it may here be noted that during the year following this -meeting Mr. Rogers succeeded in securing the required site and teachers, -and thereupon made his appeal for the girls—the “sisters of the boys.” -For the boys, _in one single meeting_, he had obtained promises of -£60,000, to which another £10,000 was added. It was the work of months -to collect for the girls the sum of £5000, much less than one-tenth of -what had been given for the boys. What eventually became of this £5000 -will be told in due course. - -On the strength of Mr. Rogers’ speech at Mrs. Grey’s meeting, I wrote a -letter to the _Daily News_, stating that the Camden School was in full -possession of the essential points of teachers and pupils, and now -needed only £5000 for a suitable building. - -To this appeal there was no response in money; but, on July 6, 1871, I -had a note from Miss Buss which showed that interest had been excited— - - - “DEAR MISS RIDLEY, - - “Miss Mary Gurney has been here to-day, and she talks of - writing a paper for the Leeds meeting of the Social Science. I - told her about you, and asked her to write to you, and I also - said that a sketch of this, the only public school for girls, - would probably lead to more useful, because more positive, - results than another paper on the general question of girls’ - education. - - “Miss Gurney is the daughter of the shorthand writer to the - House of Commons, and is deeply interested in all educational - questions. - - “She has made our acquaintance _only_ from your newspaper - paragraph. - - “I felt what the little children call naughty on Monday—wearied, - dejected, worried, and over-anxious!! But body prevails, as you - know, over mind, and I felt very sorry for what I said to you. - - “I send you a _Daily News_ of to-day. The leader will help on - our appeal. Only the editor, all the way through, speaks of - ‘boys’ instead of ‘children,’ which would include boys and - girls. - - “We meet to-morrow? - - “Always yours, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS.” - - -Early in July a letter of mine in _Public Opinion_ had been followed by -a discussion on endowments for girls’ schools, which I finally summed up -as follows:— - - - “Now, however, we may hope. In this implied support of the Lord - Mayor we see far more than help to the Camden School. We see in - it a hope of some large and united public effort, through which - the Camden School will be only the first of a series encircling - London, and everywhere meeting the same want. A great step has - been taken in the City, in Mr. Rogers’ proposed new schools - there. Two other City schools are also proposed. It must be - remembered, however, that the resident City population is - steadily diminishing. To benefit girls truly the schools should - come to them in the suburbs.” - - -Referring to this hope, Miss Gurney writes— - - - “I am extremely obliged to you for your kindness in thinking of - my paper, and sending me such a helpful letter about it. I will - get the _Illustrated News_. I will also venture to write to Miss - Cobbe, and I will look at your letter in _Public Opinion_. I - think I have advocated just the same view in my paper. The - difficulty seems to be to constitute the central authority. Any - Middle-class scheme ought to be very superior to our Elementary - Education, which has grave defects. And then, where are our - suitable teachers to be found? From my experience of the world - there are few people like Miss Buss. It will never do to have - the teachers of Elementary schools. But of course all these - difficulties must be met with spirit. - - “I have been so much interested in your arguments in favour of - public schools, of many of which I had not thought, but I agree - with all. I should have liked to copy it into my paper, and have - acknowledged your kind help, but had not room; so I have stolen - some of your ideas, which I hope you will pardon, and have woven - them in with a curious German report from Frankfurt. Your - thoughts in favour of a ‘mixture of classes’ and ‘true - independence’ have long been favourite hobbies of mine; but your - idea of an _esprit de corps_ was quite new to me, and I think it - most valuable.” - - -In the _Echo_ of October 10, 1871, there is a report of the Social -Science Meeting at Leeds, saying— - - - “The time of the Education Department to-day was wasted for a - long time by two factious men. They spoiled the discussion of - the papers by Mrs. Grey and Miss Gurney on the special - requirements for the improvement of the education of girls, by - two childish speeches, the one in disparagement, the other in - eulogy of woman. Mr. Baines (the president) had the greatest - difficulty in shutting them up.” - - -In the same day’s issue of the _Echo_ there is a somewhat sarcastic -letter from Miss Cobbe, commenting on Mr. Rogers’ happy visions of help -for girls’ education, and demanding the practical realization so long -deferred, and especially advocating the claims of the Camden School to a -fraction of the help so liberally bestowed on the brothers of these -girls. - -The outcome of Mrs. Grey’s papers—read before the Society of Arts and -the Social Science Congress at Leeds—was a large and enthusiastic -meeting in London, in November, 1871, when the Women’s National -Education Union was formally inaugurated, with Mrs. Grey as president -for the first year. In the year following H.R.H. the Princess Louise -(Marchioness of Lorne) became president, with a goodly array of -well-known names as vice-presidents, and an acting committee of -Educationalists, professional and amateur. Of this committee, Mr. Joseph -Payne, Chairman of the College of Preceptors, became the chairman till -his death in 1875. - -The _Woman’s Education Journal_, edited by Miss Shirreff and Mr. G. C. -T. Bartley, served as the special organ of the Union, lasting for over -ten years, and containing a summary of the most important events of a -decade rich in interest for all women. - -Miss Buss’ Journal-letters refer to the rise of the Women’s Education -Union, and also to a suggestion made by a friend that Mrs. Grey, having -the public ear, should make an appeal through the _Times_ for the Camden -School— - - - “Nov. 1, 1871. - - “DEAR MISS RIDLEY, - - “Miss Gurney called on Monday. She is willing to join Mrs. - Grey’s association—the National Union for Improving Women’s - Education, or some such name. May I give in your name as a - member, and _perhaps_ worker? I think we ought now to print an - account of what we have done—what say you? Your pamphlet, ‘Pearl - and Sea-foam,’ is almost out—I have only two copies. From what - Miss Gurney said, I think she would write a pamphlet, but I told - her I would consult you. Please tell me your opinion. - - “When you can, I want you to enter into our inner life, and then - some fine day write an account of it—perhaps after my time, who - can say? At all events, a detailed account of Cheltenham College - for Ladies was read, at a Social Science Congress one year, and - perhaps you might do a similar thing for us at a future time. - - “There is a talk of getting representatives of different - educational bodies on Mrs. Grey’s National Union Committee. If - so, I hope you will represent us. But that appointment must be - made by the Board. - - “This must be the tenth letter, so you will forgive its jerky - style. Our concerts went off well and were well attended. - - “Your very loving - - “ARNIE. - - “You do not know my ‘pet name’—that given me by my dear wee - nephew?” - - -Miss Buss was elected on the Council of the Education Union as -representative of the school-mistresses Association. She was also of -great use in sending information, through me, to a sub-committee of -which I was for a time a member. - -In readiness for the need of which Miss Buss speaks I had been -collecting material for an enlargement of “Pearl and Sea-foam,” but as -Miss Gurney was willing to make the schools the text of her pamphlet -(issued later as No. 3 of the Women’s Education Union Series), her offer -was gladly accepted. In this pamphlet Miss Buss’ schools are recognized -as the model on which those of the Girls’ Public Day Schools’ Company -were afterwards formed. - -In December, 1871, Miss Gurney writes— - - - “I am extremely obliged for all the trouble you have taken with - my paper. It has been a very difficult task, especially after - writing on the same subject before. I hope you will read my - Leeds paper in the _Englishwoman’s Review_ last month. - - “I most fully feel the truth of all you say about Miss Buss. I - think her personal influence most wonderful; and, although I - cannot say that she has awakened any _new_ enthusiasm in me, - because an educational enthusiasm has been always a part of - myself, yet I think I am able to see and appreciate her _rare_ - worth and talent. - - “And yet, in this paper, we must not say anything which will - appear like flattery to those who do not know her.” - - -Miss Buss’ own words gave her appreciation of the help rendered to her -own work by this pamphlet— - - - “Myra Lodge, March 25, 1872. - - “MY DEAR MISS GURNEY, - - “The pamphlet shall go out to-day to Mrs. Gilbert. It - seems to me that we cannot circulate your paper too widely. Will - you order another one thousand copies, or, if you think more - will be wanted, let us have two thousand. - - “Should not a copy be sent to the members of the Council of the - Society of Arts, and of the Social Science? Copies will be - wanted for the annual meetings of both these societies. - - “On all hands I hear how glad people are to have so clear a - statement of our plans. - - “The Merchant Taylors have given us fifty guineas and the Dyers - five. _As yet_, no other Companies have responded to our - appeal.... - - “Dr. Hodgson says he has read your paper with great interest, - and that he trusts this strong appeal may help us. He asks - whence you quoted him? - - “By his advice, I have sent some copies away. During the Easter - recess—from the 17th to the 29th of April—I hope to go to - Edinburgh, in order to see the five schools of the Merchant - Companies: 4400 pupils under one management—two schools for - boys, and two for girls (one of the latter with 1200 pupils, and - the other with 500), and one mixed school. - - “Do you see the _Examiner_? It is very liberal in the women’s - questions. A pamphlet, containing a reprint of many—well, - _several_—of its articles has just been issued. - - “I think you will not mind my saying that _every one_ likes - _your_ pamphlet—so far as my knowledge goes. When are we to pay - for the first edition? - - “With all kind regards, - - “Believe me, yours most truly, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS. - - “To Miss Gurney.” - - -But this comes some months later. In the mean time, Mrs. Grey had to buy -the experience that afterwards led to the formation of the new company. -The Journal-letter of November 18, 1871, alludes to the inaugural -meeting of the Women’s Education Union— - - - “Nov. 18, 1871. - - “Mrs. Grey’s meeting was well attended yesterday, but oddly - enough not one word was said of our schools. This does not - matter much, however. - - “Mr. Forster’s suggestion is admirable, and ought to be carried - into execution at once. I think Mrs. Grey would make the appeal; - at all events, I will ask her this evening. For the Camden - School only, however, for women, we want about £5000. - - “It will not do to include the other at present. Miss Gurney has - begun her paper, but I am not very clear about it. I was so - worried by visitors on Wednesday, when she came, that she and I - got only half an hour together, as she had to rush off to Mrs. - Grey’s committee. - - “If only an agency could be started, with which I was not - ostensibly connected, what a comfort it would be! But just now - the applications for governesses are overwhelming, and they - entail correspondence which is not compatible with the inner - school-work, which _I_ ought to do. But at present I see no - outlet. I never have leisure to prepare any lessons at all, and - it is only this week I have even been able to give an account of - my holiday trip to Sweden—among the pupils. Denmark is waiting - still; it is necessary to digest one’s materials, to draw up - heads, etc., and these require leisure. - - “Do you remember the peasant girl, now a first-rate teacher in - Stockholm? Also the Danish peasant girl, who is mistress of the - orphanage at Holstermunde?...” - - - “Dec. 8, 1871. - - “I fear my last note was pitched in a low key. Mrs. Grey’s - letter enclosed will show you there is no occasion for - jubilation, but I am better, having nearly struggled through my - heavy cold. - - “We had a very long sitting on Monday, but got through some - business, one part of which was that the Treasurers were - empowered to take another house for the Camden School rather - than refuse pupils! I gave my furniture, valued at £140, in the - Camden School, to the trust. My scholarship is to be invested in - Consols, to my disgust, as that will only produce 3 per cent. - - “Mr. Harries and Miss Ewart are to audit the accounts on the - 22nd, and I wonder where the accounts would be if Mr. Danson did - not give so much help to us. Do you know, Mr. Danson is - perfectly delightful. He is so business-like, so kind and - patient, that I can’t see what I should do without him on the - one side, and a certain Annie R. on the other. And I mean this. - - “We are all quite sick with anxiety about the Prince of Wales, - who is said to be dying. I cannot help being sad about the poor - little Princess—_our_ Princess. My dear love to you. My little - housemaid is waiting for this to post it, and it is past ten, so - good night.” - - - “Board Room, 202, Camden Road, Dec. 12, 1871. - - “_Trust for carrying on the North London Collegiate School for - Girls._ - - “Look at this! - - “DEAR ANNIE, - - “Are we not getting business-like! Mr. Forster’s - suggestion of a lecture from Professor J. R. Seeley is a good - one, but I doubt whether we should get as much as £100 from the - lecture; and as Professor Seeley is already largely pledged to - the Hitchin College, I also doubt whether he would lecture for - our movement only. But we can try. I know both Professor and - Mrs. Seeley. They have visited me at Myra, and I have visited - them. Mrs. Seeley is a niece of Mrs. De Morgan. - - “Your loving - - “ARNIE.” - - -This last suggestion came to nothing, but Mrs. Grey wrote to the -_Times_, setting forth in the strongest way possible the claim of girls -in general to the help so freely given to boys, as well as the special -claim of the Camden School, not only as recognition of Miss Buss’ -services, but from the fact that the school was in full work, and -therefore proved conclusively not only the need for such a school, but -also that this need could be met. She told how Miss Buss, “with a -self-sacrifice as rare as it is noble, had voluntarily handed over the -fruits of twenty years’ labours” for the benefit of girls, and then, for -these same girls, asks that Miss Buss’ generosity may be supplemented, -for the two schools, by a quarter of the amount given to the one school -for boys in Cowper Street, since, otherwise, it is to be feared that— - - - “these schools and their able and devoted principal, Miss Buss, - must break down under the strain put upon them, and a great work - which has already done so much for the better training of girls, - and promises to do more, will have to be abandoned.” - - -Among my correspondence of this date, I find a note respecting this -appeal which might account in some measure for the small response it -received— - - - “The _Times_ won’t do things gracefully. I enclose you Mrs. - Grey’s admirable appeal on behalf of the Camden Schools, which I - cut out of the _outer sheet_ of the issue of yesterday. The - redeeming feature is that the letter is what printers call - ‘displayed.’ Unfortunately, however, people who buy the paper at - the bookstalls frequently leave the advertisement part behind!” - - -Within a month after this first letter Mrs. Grey wrote again to the -_Times_, stating in detail the response given to Mr. Rogers’ appeals for -boys, and giving as her own experience, concerning the appeal for girls -of the same class, the following most noteworthy result:— - - - “The answer to my appeal for the Camden Town Schools for Girls, - founded by the energy, ability, and generosity of Miss Buss, has - been £47 2_s._ 6_d._, of which £20 would have been given whether - my letter had been written or not; so that the net result of my - appeal to this great Metropolis on behalf of the sisters of the - boys for whom such a magnificent endowment has been received has - been, in fact, just £27 2_s._ 6_d._” - - -This second letter brought in about £100 more, raising the result of -Mrs. Grey’s appeal to £147 2_s._ 6_d._ The total amount collected by -all, _after three years of hard work_, came to not more than £700. - -And yet Miss Jewsbury’s hopeful words, written about this time, were -quite true. Public interest was roused, though not as yet to the point -of generous giving. Miss Jewsbury writes— - - - “Give my love to Miss Buss, and wish her a happy New Year. The - idea of a thorough education for women has now, I think, taken - hold of the public mind, and will be followed by the desire to - obtain it. Miss Buss’s schools will bring forth abundant fruit. - She has borne the burden and _cold_ of the day, but her work - will take root. There was a notice of Mrs. Grey’s letter in the - _Manchester Examiner and Times_, and a leading article too. I - had seen a nice letter of Mrs. S. C. Hall’s yesterday. Yes, Mrs. - Grey _is_ charming, and _good_ to the core.” - - -The subject was in all the papers. Miss Cobbe did good service in the -_Echo_, and Miss Chessar in the _Queen_. Our hopes had naturally risen -high when Mrs. Grey took the question up so warmly. The disappointment -was proportionately great. - -And, bad as this might seem, there was yet more to follow. During the -six months since the reading of Mrs. Grey’s paper before the Society of -Arts, Mr. Rogers had collected £5000 for a girls’ school in the City. -But some City endowments—the “Datchelor Charity” and others—had been -found available for girls’ education. Consequently, at the seventh -annual meeting of “the Corporation formed for Promoting Middle-class -Education in the City of London _and the Suburbs_,” it was proposed that -the £5000—_collected for girls expressly_—should be used for the new -hall of the Cowper Street School for Boys (already endowed with -£60,000), this particular sum being just what would make up the £11,000 -needed for a new hall. - -Several voices, notably that of Alderman Besley, were raised against -this act, and mention was made that this sum was all that was asked by -the Camden School, _in the suburbs_, and very close to the City. But the -motion was carried. - -It was to no purpose that leading journals, as well as “educational -enthusiasts,” were “aghast at the announcement that a sum of money -contributed for the special purpose of endowing a middle-class school -for girls is to be devoted to the purpose of beautifying and enlarging -the present middle-class school for boys.” The thing was done. - -That the school on which so much had already been expended should, in -addition, take the sum, which, comparatively small as it was, would have -sufficiently endowed the one existing school for girls of the same -class, was a blow calculated to wound to the utmost the women who were -devoting themselves heart and soul to the effort to help these girls. -Mrs. Grey, in a letter to the _Times_, expresses this natural feeling -with a strength that was not in excess of the provocation received, as -she says, “It was with painful astonishment, not unmingled with bitter -feelings,” that she had read the report of the meeting. Her letter ends -with a still stronger appeal to the editor— - - - “Will you, sir, not raise, in the name of the nation, a protest - which cannot be so easily set aside? Will you not at least make - it clear to the public that this is not a woman’s question, but - a man’s question, a national question, and that to leave - uneducated one-half of the people—and that the half which moulds - the associations, habits, and life of the other half—is a course - so suicidal that of the nation which deliberately follows it we - are tempted to exclaim in bitterness of soul, ‘Quem deus vult - perdere prius dementat’?” - - -Miss Buss naturally shared in this bitter feeling, to which she thus -refers— - - - “You have received my outburst of indignation about the City - corporation? Fancy coolly alienating the money collected for a - girls’ school, and then handing it to the boys’ school, on which - ONLY £60,000 have been spent! Then the land in Southwark, - purchased as the site of another school, is to be sold, and the - proceeds handed over to the same school. Of course, it would be - infinitely more useful to build a school at Southwark than to - spend the money on the City school. - - “A protest might well be sent from us against the recent act in - the City—on public and general grounds. Of course we could not - have any claim to that £5000. But it is no matter. Do not - trouble about it. But I do feel so impatient and weary - sometimes! Still, I try to be faithful. Unto the end, let us - hope! - - “Really, I am very despairing, spite of success so far.” - - -But “impatience” and “despair” were never more than passing moods with -this strong, brave spirit, whose faith went deep down below all check or -discouragement. Here are two notes which end the year 1871 and lead in -1872— - - - “Myra Lodge, Christmas Morning. - - “MY DEAR ‘ANNIE,’ - - “A very, very happy Christmas to you and to all you love! - “Will you read Mrs. Grey’s note? - - “Will you come here for me, or will it be less fatiguing to you, - for me to meet you at the Swiss Cottage Railway Station? Please - send word by bearer, and the hour. If the latter plan be agreed - on, we had better meet at 10.30 or 10.45. - - “After our interview with Mrs. Grey, will you return to lunch - with me, and let us have a quiet afternoon together? A _quiet_ - afternoon for me will be delightful. No consciousness of work - neglected, and no responsibility, will make it really enjoyable - to me. - - “If you will return here, I will ask Agnes to come also. - - “Yours always affectionately, - - “ARNIE.” - - - “Ryde, New Year’s Day, 1872. - - “MY DEAR ANNIE, - - “A very happy New Year to you and yours! Will you accept - the enclosed motto,[6] in loving remembrance of Arnie and New - Year’s Day? It is a motto one needs to keep in constant - remembrance. It is the hardest of all life’s lessons, that of - resigning one’s self to an All-guiding and Almighty Hand - above.... - - “I am already much better for leaving behind all - responsibilities. It is very cold. On Friday, or Saturday, I - expect to go to Sea Moor House, Bournemouth, Hants (Mrs. - Hodgson’s), for a few days. My love to you and to Agnes. - - “Yours always affectionately, - - “ARNIE.” - - -Footnote 6: - - This motto is, “O God, for Christ’s sake, do with me, in me, to me, by - me, for me, as Thou wilt, this year!” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - THE LOWER SCHOOL. -] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - TIMELY HELP. - - “Having reaped and garnered, bring the plough, - And draw new furrows, ’neath the healthy morn, - And plant the great Hereafter in the Now.” - E. B. BROWNING. - - -But, however it might be borne, the disappointment was bitter, more -especially in the proof given of the absolute indifference of the public -to the whole question. Prejudice might have been overcome, opposition -might have been met, but against indifference so invincible no means -seemed available. - -Mrs. Grey gave it up as hopeless. She frankly abandoned the old -position, and opened out new ground in making her next appeal directly -to the British commercial instinct. In starting the Girls’ Public Day -School Company there was offered in addition to thorough education, a -dividend of five per cent. - -The success of Miss Buss had proved that schools like hers were wanted -by numbers sufficient to make them pay. There was not the slightest -difficulty in any case in raising the £2000 in shares needed to start -one of the Company’s schools in any locality desiring to have it.[7] - -Footnote 7: - - Miss Clough, in her interest in Miss Buss’ work, had proposed to the - National Education Union the formation of a company to supply - school-buildings in this and similar cases. But the council decided to - start its own schools, and nothing came of this proposition so far as - regarded the Camden School. - -This new departure tended rather to hinder than to help on the endowment -of the Camden School, of which the very _raison d’être_ was a rate of -fees too low even to pay for buildings, a dividend being quite beside -the mark. - -Money had come in, though slowly, for the furniture of the Upper School, -and this was now quite self-supporting, though very inadequately housed. -What would, in this school, have gone towards a dividend, went instead -to the salaries of the teachers, higher here than in any similar -institution. - -But for the Lower School an endowment was absolutely necessary. -Hitherto, Miss Buss herself had provided all that had been needed beyond -the money subscribed. She had not the very faintest intention of -fulfilling Mrs. Grey’s desponding prognostications of the abandonment of -the scheme as a result of the public apathy. The precise manner in which -it was to be carried out still remained to be discovered, but she never -wavered in her intention that, somehow, it was to be done. - -During the year 1872 the pressure on Miss Buss seemed to be a little -increased by this new departure. In June she writes of it— - - - “Several people have written to me about the £5 shares in the - Brompton School, and my ire was rising. - - “Mrs. Grey’s handing over _all_ Mr. Morley’s £500 to purchase - shares in the new school shows pretty clearly—in addition to the - Goldsmid gift—what chance _we_ have of help in that quarter. - There can be no doubt that the new school movement is leaving us - _high and dry_. - - “I do not feel aggrieved by the Union in the least. It only - makes me more determined to act. Miss Davies shuts herself into - one bit of work; Mrs. Grey into another; I into a third.... - - “Mr. Rogers’ suggestion about the Columbia Market (have you seen - it?) if acted upon, will prevent our getting any help from the - City. He says the market is useless—turn it into a splendid - school _for girls_! I hope the suggestion may be acted upon; if - he takes it up, he will soon get the money needed. _We_ shall - have no chance at all. The City Companies will vie with each - other in starting this magnificent scheme. City men like to - ‘live in bricks and mortar’—not to say stone. To live in human - hearts is not durable enough. - - “Between the two schemes, we shall be swamped entirely if we do - not take the bull by the horns and make a huge effort.” - - -There was no real antagonism between Miss Buss and the Girls’ Public Day -School Company. She was very glad of the work, and helped it in many -ways, as is shown in Mrs. Grey’s letters— - - - “18, Cadogan Place, June 18, 1873. - - “MY DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “... I am troubling you again in this matter as there is a - proposal before our Council to adopt your scale of fees in the - new school.... - - “Several people have told me that your meeting yesterday was a - splendid success. I congratulate you heartily, and sincerely - regret not having been able to attend. - - “I wonder whether I shall live to see similar success won by the - Company’s schools? If we could but get a duplicate of you I - should feel very sure of the success, whether I live to see it - or not. - - “Most truly yours, - - “M. G. GREY.” - - -In September, 1874, the following letter was received by Miss Buss from -one of the foremost supporters of the St. John’s Wood and Hampstead High -School for Girls, a lady whose enthusiasm had first been roused by her -efforts to help Miss Buss’ work— - - - “MY DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “I am hoping to work for the St. John’s Wood School, - though on the whole I have met with little sympathy. One of the - objections to the new school will amuse you vastly, namely, that - all the people to whom I applied said that they would not like - to subscribe to a school that might in any way interfere with - yours, and that the near (!) neighbourhood of St. John’s Wood to - Camden Town might have this disastrous result. Nothing that I - could say convinced my opponents.... If we cannot get the help - of the intelligent and influential persons here, what shall we - do?... I feel sure that you can do much to help us: your name - could be on our committee, though we should not expect you to - work. - - “Yours truly, - - “E. TOLMÉ.” - - -Miss Buss at once took shares in the company, giving her name to the -committee, on which I acted as her representative. Many of her own -friends were members, as well as educationalists like Dr. Abbott, Dr. -Angus, Professor Huxley, Professor Carey Foster, and Mr. Norman Lockyer. -The new school was built by Mr. Robins. - -In the mean time her own work went on slowly enough. The main hope was -now in the Endowed Schools’ Commission, since the constitution of both -schools had been arranged in harmony with schemes drawn up by that body. - -Whilst one-half of the governing body of the North London Collegiate and -Camden Schools for Girls had formed the memorial committee, occupied -with ways and means, the remaining members had devoted themselves to -working out the details of the constitution, both parties uniting for -the general board meetings, and there discussing all points in common. - -In Dr. Storrar, who had all his life been closely connected with great -educational bodies, having helped in the development of the London -University and of the College of Preceptors, we had a practical -educationalist; as also in Mrs. Burbury, who, as the daughter of Dr. -Kennedy, had breathed education with her earliest breath; Miss Ewart, -too, was in like manner born to public spirit, as the granddaughter of -the William Ewart to whom William Ewart Gladstone owed his name, and as -the daughter of a distinguished member of the House of Commons, who, for -forty-six years, helped in every advanced public work, especially the -London University. Dr. Storrar and these ladies, in particular, spared -neither time nor pains in working out the scheme, and in enlisting -sympathy with its objects in all likely quarters. - -But, in the beginning of 1872, the Endowed Schools Commission had not -finished its work, and help from this quarter was still remote. Some -extracts from Miss Buss’ letters at this time show how very slow was the -progress made in getting funds— - - - “January 10, 1872. - - “Mr. Ellis _privately_ has sent a cheque for £20 to the Camden - School. Lord Calthorpe has done the same, but as yet there has - been no other response to our memorial letters. - - “Mrs. Newmarch writes a kind note, to say she means to pay us a - visit when she can, and she sends a guinea from ‘Mrs. Brown.’ We - are getting on, though slowly.” - - - “Myra Lodge, Mar. 10, 1872. - - “The Camden sites and leases have been pressing much on me. - Nothing has been done about the site. The lawyers are too - dreadful. The land tenure is so complicated that it seems - hopeless to understand it! - - “I want to talk to you about _our_ trying to get up a City - meeting. The Lord Mayor is favourable to female education. I - wrote to Mrs. Dakin, asking for an introduction to the Lady - Mayoress, but Mrs. Dakin is abroad. I shall try next Saturday - through another channel.” - - - “Mar. 22. - - “Miss Gurney’s paper seems to be stirring up much interest. - - “The Edinburgh Schools will be open during my holidays. So I - propose to leave for Edinburgh on the morning of the 18th of - April. Miss Chessar, who is going there next week, will make - inquiries about apartments for _us_. You mean to go, I trust? - - “I want to visit the Dollar Schools, as well as the Merchant - Company’s Schools, and on the road home I should like to stay a - day or so at Newcastle. I must be again in London on Monday, the - 29th of April. - - “Dr. Hodgson has prepared the way for my admission, and he says - I ‘shall find open doors.’” - - - “Mar. 25. - - “We are to have a city meeting. At least, Mr. Elliott and I are - empowered to _try_ to get one up. - - “I am very weary to-day, having been late last night. I have not - an hour to myself, except on Sunday before church, till Tuesday - evening, every moment being filled with appointments—I mean - after school hours.” - - - “Bournemouth, Mar. 30, 1872. - - “All being well I will go with you—not without you, I trust—to - Mrs. Mawson’s, on 27th of April. - - “The memorial to the Princess has _not_ gone in, nor that to the - Baroness Burdett Coutts. Nothing has been done about our City - meeting. I am so tied down by the annual exams, that I hardly - know where to turn or what to do, or rather, what _not_ to do. - - “I am having, however, perfect peace here. It is a most lovely - place, and I should like _you_ to know my dear sweet friend Mrs. - Hodgson! She knows a good deal of you.” - - - “April 5. - - “Mr. Harries thinks the City meeting would be a failure. The - Lord Mayor could not lend the Mansion House for anything not - Metropolitan or National. - - “This school was 22 years old yesterday!” - - - “April 10. - - “About Lord G. H. I do not care a rush. Only if we women had not - submitted to the humiliation of begging from all sorts of - people, on any or no grounds, where should we be?... - - “I have sent a book, papers, and a note to-day to Miss B. _I_ - think the note, though short, might move a heart of stone! - - “If you can come on Friday evening, pray do. Mr. Payne is very - anxious to talk philology with you. I have asked all sorts of - people who have been offering me hospitality, and all the women - teachers in both schools. It is desirable that I should do - something for my fellow-labourers from time to time. - - “The Lady Mayoress is going to the Camden School on Friday next, - at 2.30. Do you care to meet her?” - - - “April 20. - - “Mrs. Tolmés success is delightful! I have thanked her for - enlisting the Baroness, but have omitted to say anything about - the _prizes_. - - “I did ask about a scholarship, and I have invited the baroness - to pay us a visit. A notice of the £10 donation shall be sent to - all the papers.” - - -The “Edinburgh Schools” here mentioned had been recently opened by the -Merchants’ Company of that city. Using the money of various old -charities that had fallen into utter abuse, they had made five -thoroughly good schools on the latest and best principles, two for boys, -two for girls, and one mixed. The first school was arranged for 1200 -girls, and had proved a great success. - -The account of this work had naturally been of great interest to Miss -Buss, and, as she knew that there had been every advantage that could be -derived from the possession of ample means, she was anxious to see for -herself what had been done. She therefore devoted her Easter vacation to -the visit to Edinburgh, in which I accompanied her, dating from this -happy time that closer intimacy which it was my privilege to enjoy. Dr. -Hodgson’s introduction to Mr. Thomas Knox, the Master of the Merchants’ -Company, made our way something of a triumphal progress, as I find in my -letters home the record of “intense attention from hosts of masters and -other people—to Miss Buss, of course, I moving round her like an -attendant satellite, and shining in reflected light.” I was still young -enough to be amused at Mr. Knox’s description of the “_two_ ladies from -the south, eminent educationalists,” doing my best to sustain the -character. I could at least appreciate my opportunities in hearing the -talk between Miss Buss and Mr. Knox. Even apart from their friendship -with Dr. Hodgson, they found a strong bond in their educational -sympathies. In my journal I find him described as— - - - “A tall, fine-looking man, with a grand head, and, I should - think, a great heart. It is he who chiefly has carried the great - reforms, sweeping away one abuse after another by the force of - his strong will and steady purpose. One is struck by his - patriotism. His feeling for Edinburgh breaks out constantly, and - one can see that his public duty lies as near his heart as any - private interest, while he takes as his family all human - creatures, especially all young things, from the scholars of the - Merchants’ Company’s Schools to the waifs and strays of his own - special hobby, the training-ship. It is exquisite to see how - this great, strong man speaks to the old women at the Home and - to the children, with tender consideration for each individually - as well as in general kindness.” - - -His wife and daughter were absent, so we missed seeing his home-life, -but he showed us all that was most worth seeing in his beloved city. To -Miss Buss it was real holiday, and nothing seemed too much for her in -that busy week which to me was something of severe mental strain, as -well as unwonted physical exercise. We must have marched up and down -miles of stone passages and stonier staircases; and I find more than -once the record that I stayed at home to rest, while Miss Buss took in a -few more schools. A “Home for Boys,” and another for “Aged Poor,” are -“merely incidental” in a day which includes an Art School, and a School -for the Blind, in addition to the ordinary schools. We saw all the -Company’s new institutions, and Fettes College, as well as Heriot’s -Hospital, and the older foundations. - -The palatial structures and perfect appointments of all these schools -made Miss Buss, as she said, “go raging wild with envy,” but this did -not prevent her from carefully noting all there was to see. Nothing was -overlooked that was in any way suggestive. She found a good system of -girls’ cloak-rooms, afterwards adopted, with her own improvements, in -her own new buildings. She noted that Scotch scones were more wholesome -than English buns for the children’s lunch, and in the future secured a -Scotch baker to supply them for her own girls. She discussed time-tables -and all the intricacies of school management, while I listened and -marvelled, and felt more and more like an eminent educational fraud. - -Among the few things actually novel to her was the teaching of -pianoforte playing in classes, eight girls being taught at eight pianos -at the same time by one master. Perfect time was thus secured, as the -discord otherwise would have been quite beyond endurance. Some -modification of this system was afterwards introduced by Miss Buss into -her Upper School. - -One thing that roused her disapproval, amidst so much that she admired, -was the position of the women-teachers, who, if employed at all, held -only inferior and ill-paid posts. Whilst in Edinburgh, she lost no -chance of putting in a word for them, and after her return to London, -she wrote: “I am firing shells into the Edinburgh schools one by one—Mr. -Knox, Mr. Pryde, etc.—to make them use the Local Examinations. Professor -Masson has been here this morning, and he advises me to go on, as good -may come of it.” - -Wherever Miss Buss went she acquired new ideas; but she also scattered -them broadcast. As I had an introduction to Miss Eliza Wigham, the -well-known leader in all philanthropic movements, we found ourselves in -the centre of work of all kinds, being well pleased to discover that -though Edinburgh might be ahead in education, London could still hold -its own as regarded the employment of women. - -I find that we had an afternoon tea, to which leading workers and -teachers were invited, of which I record: “At our party we have had a -grand seed-sowing. Everywhere Miss Buss throws out hints and suggestions -likely to bear good fruit. There are many persons who will remember the -talk to-day.” - -At Gateshead it was just the same. She secured several pupils for her -friend Mr. C. H. Lake; and, although the sisters of these boys became -pupils at Myra Lodge, she at that time set going the idea of the Girls’ -High School, soon afterwards started, which took the younger members of -these families from herself. - -Before leaving Scotland we paid a visit to Dollar, where Miss Buss saw -her ideal system at work, as she here found an old-established “mixed -school.” Her theories were, on the whole, confirmed; but she found some -drawbacks, which made her content to wait till all the perfect -conditions could be secured. - -After Dollar, we had a few days of quiet, with delightful drives in the -scenery round the Bridge of Allan, where our friend Mr. Forster chanced -to be staying at the Ochill Park Hydropathic Establishment. - -The whole trip was full of interest, and not the least part of it was -the delight of having that full mind pouring itself out on all possible -subjects, and in scenes where the historic and poetic associations add a -new charm to the beauty of nature. - -But there was still more to come in an event which, important as it was -in itself, acquired still greater force when taken in connection with -the feelings excited in Miss Buss’ heart, by the sight of the richly -endowed Edinburgh schools. - -We broke our journey southwards at Gateshead, where we visited Mrs. -Mawson at Ashfield, a house well known to many a worker as a place where -pleasant things are wont to happen, and therefore most suitable for this -most happy occurrence. The large family circle had gathered round Miss -Buss, to hear her recent experiences, and to ask about her own work, -entering into her hopes and plans for the future of the schools, when a -telegram was brought to her. She read it; and, after a silent pause, -rose and, crossing the room, put her arms round me in her own impulsive -way, as she said, with rare tears in her voice as in her eyes, “Miss -Ewart has given £1000 to the Camden School!” - -How much this meant to the founder could be known only to those who had -learnt how near to her heart was this dream of so many years. If only -Miss Ewart herself could have seen, as we saw who were there, the joy -thus given by her generous act, she would have been content, even -without all that is still to come out of it to the girls of generations -unborn, who will remember her name with gratitude. - -Miss Ewart completed her good work by a large loan, which made it -possible at once to think about buildings for the Camden School. Miss -Buss left me at Gateshead, and went back to her work with a renewed -energy and courage, which come out very noticeably in the letters -received during the next few weeks. - - - “Myra Lodge, April 30, 1872. - - “A few lines before going to the great Suffrage meeting. Forty - new entries in the Camden Road. Thirty, so far, in Camden - Street.” - - - “May 1, 10.30 p.m. - - “I was interrupted last night by the arrival of a mother—Mrs. - Crookes, wife of the Psychic Force Mr. Crookes. While she was - talking, the cab arrived—no, no; just after she had done - talking, the cab came with Mr. and Mrs. Sep, for me to go to the - Suffrage meeting. We got back at _one_. We met everybody—Mrs. - Tolmé among others. All day I was driving at express-train - speed. At two o’clock Dr. Storrar came in, and, as he had a - committee at University College at five, stayed till 4.30. I had - had no lunch, and a council of teachers had assembled at four. - - “The meeting lasted till eight. Tired out, I walked home with - Miss Begbie, and found here Mr. and Mrs. J. waiting to arrange - poor Mrs. B.’s affairs with me. - - “They have just gone. The pressure of new pupils is enormous, - and the reorganization of the school is also heavy. There is - just the same pressure in Camden Street, but I have taken - nothing up there, and cannot till to-morrow afternoon. Teachers, - furniture, etc., are all to be found. - - “Did I tell you on Sunday night that I asked Dr. Storrar if the - lender of the £3000 was Miss Ewart? He does not answer, so we - can draw our own conclusions. - - “I am to ask her to fix the time for a special meeting, and must - do so to-morrow, if I can find a few minutes.” - - - “Myra Lodge, May 3. - - “I am sure you will believe in the impossibility of my writing - much. The whole day—four o’clock now—I have been walking about, - organizing classes. - - “How to dovetail all the subjects of instruction and the pupils - is a difficulty not to be described. Things are getting into - order; but I have found no housekeeper, and want a new teacher. - - “The Edinburgh papers are untouched, as I have not had a moment - to arrange them. But yours will serve for the School-Mistresses’ - meeting. - - “Don’t be vexed, but the City meeting is quite off, so I judge - from Mr. Elliott’s remarks; also there seems a feeling that all - mention of _us_ to the Princess Louise has been omitted. She - called a meeting of Lord Lyttelton, Mrs. Cowper Temple, and - others, to give her advice, and it seems Dr. Storrar wrote later - to Lord Lyttelton to express his vexation that Lord L. had not - pointed us out as leaders in the question of girls’ schools. We - are to get at Princess Louise, but _how_ is not settled. Dr. S. - does not think we can hold a City meeting. - - “Mrs. Bonham-Carter sends _me_ £25. You shall see the note. - - “My love to you and all the Ashfield circle. My little stay - there was so pleasant, I wish I were with you now. Did I ever - say how charming my Edinburgh trip was? My companion was such a - dear, sweet girl. - - “Did you find your new dress much tumbled, I wonder? - - “Love to Mrs. Mawson and her girls. - - “Did you not know that my Edinburgh trip was _quite delightful_ - to me?” - - - “Myra Lodge, May 13, 1872. - - “I had no opportunity of expressing my pleasure at seeing you - again, so do it on paper. - - “Dr. Storrar knew what Miss Ewart meant to do, and he knew what - I only dimly suspected—namely, that she offered to lend the - £3000 also. - - “She paid the school a visit on Thursday with Madame Bodichon, - and Dr. Storrar says she has grown into a regard for our work. - She was perfectly charming to me to-day, and especially about - Mrs. Bonham-Carter’s note. - - “I whispered that I could make ducks and drakes of the £25: buy - a dress if I liked, as the money was given to me for my comfort! - She took me by the hand, and said she wished I would spend it - exactly as I liked; it really was at my disposal. - - “If Mr. Robins is not our architect, I am sure he will exonerate - you and me. I hope he will. Perhaps things will go as we wish. - - “Dr. S. distinctly told me he thought Miss Ewart had no - particular person in her mind’s eye. - - “I am going to Mrs. Tait in the morning, and out to dinner in - the afternoon. I mention the latter merely to let you know that - I shall be hurried to-morrow.” - - - “202, Camden Road, May 28. - - “I fear I cannot manage to get to you to-morrow evening. There - is a Dorcas meeting here, followed by a lecture, which will keep - me very late; and I have been under an engagement for more than - a fortnight to go to Mrs. Arthur Arnold’s At Home (A. Arnold is - editor or proprietor of the _Echo_) at Stanley Gardens, nine - o’clock.” - - -An introduction to the Rev. Stopford Brooke gave further pleasant -encouragement as Mr. and Mrs. Stopford Brooke visited the schools, and -were so much interested that they even spoke of sending their own -daughters. The distance made this plan impracticable, but Mr. Brooke’s -interest was shown in other ways. Miss Buss writes— - - - “Mr. Stopford Brooke sent yesterday a cheque for £13 8_s._ - 11_d._, with a note saying his people were away, but he would - try again next year. Decidedly the publication of his sermon - would be helpful to the cause of education, but I hope the right - place would be given to Miss Davies. Please also take care of - her note, which I enclose. Mr. Latham seemed to think we might - perhaps get £300 a year for endowment. - - “The ‘leaving scholarships’ are like the £100 a year, for three - years, given by the Merchants’ Company in Edinburgh. It would be - delightful to send some girls to Girton College (papers of which - I send you some copies) or to Germany, for music, etc. - - “If it is fine on Tuesday afternoon, what do you say to meeting - me _here_ at six o’clock sharp, and of our going together to the - Botanic Gardens? - - “We should at least be quiet; and a walk would be pleasant, or a - drive to the entrance, and a walk inside? I want to see you.” - - - “June, 1872. - - “Oh, how very heavy the work has been this week! I was almost - overdone this morning. Last Saturday, I had to hunt about for - sites, etc. There is scarcely anything to be found that will do - for the Camden School, and I have been nearly tearing my hair, - because the ground opposite the Upper School may be sold for a - chapel. It is very trying to see that splendid site, actually - the only available spot in the district—nearly half an - acre—commanding Hampstead, Kentish Town, Highgate, and Holloway, - and yet be unable to find any one willing even to lend on the - security of the land and building. From eighty to ninety years - is the length of the lease. I have been doing my best to get - people to take up the Upper School—MY very own work—as Miss - Ewart has done the Lower, but so far have been unsuccessful. - Could we get at Mr. George Moore anyhow? Mr. Reeve, of Portland - Chapel, is his guide, philosopher, and friend. Could we enlist - Mr. Reeve? - - “It is very wicked, I know; but, all the same, I can’t help it. - I feel quite sick with despair, with that land opposite, and - such worry from overcrowding inside our school-house. We must - refuse pupils. And we might have such a splendid school for - three hundred girls! If only we could get the sinews of war! - - “Why should not Agnes write to Mr. Froude herself? Mrs. Arnold’s - _soirée_ enabled me to speak to several people—notably to Mrs. - Pennington, who is doing her best to persuade her husband to - give us a thousand pounds. - - “I did not tell you that on Thursday morning I called on Mr. - Jowett at Cowper Street. He was occupied in taking over the - schools an American and the Warden of the Fishmongers. My card - was taken to his room, where was standing a tall, gentlemanly - clergyman, whom I at once recognized as MR. ROGERS. - - “At first the mere mention of my name did not strike him, but - presently he took up the card, peered curiously at it, and then - turned round to me. We had some talk. I told him about the land. - He said, ‘Nothing venture, nothing get. You must take the land. - Secure it by putting your £1500 down; then go boldly to the - public with a _clear, definite scheme_. People will not listen - to vague plans.’ He said, ‘Don’t amateur your plans. Get a - surveyor’ (he mentioned one), ‘pay him to get up the - information, etc.’ - - “I am quite sure we have been amateuring too long. We ought to - carry in Mr. Robins. I have sent his testimonials to Dr. - Storrar, and Mr. Robins’ application will come on Monday. In - three days Mr. Robins can put us into a position to say we want - so much. - - “We must _do_ and _do_ and _do_. - - “But Mr. Rogers says, ‘We shall get no help for the Upper - School.’ I could have said, ‘You are a University man. How did - you get your education? From old endowments? or from your - father’s pockets ENTIRELY?’ But that would have been rude; so I - was silent. - - “I am resolved _not_ to let the Lower School be put down on the - new land FIRST. Both must be done together, or the Upper - _first_. You see why it would be dangerous to risk the Upper - School. If we can only get help for the _Lower_—so be it. We - will then _borrow_ for the Higher, and do the two together.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - TRIUMPH. - - “There is now no such thing as a ‘Woman’s Education Question’ - apart from that of education generally; and the real question - which has still to be fought for many a long year, I fear, is - one as old as education itself: how is the child of either sex - to be trained to the measure of the stature of the perfect human - being?”—_Letter from Mrs. Grey to Miss Buss, Dec., 1881._ - - -In August, 1872, things suddenly assumed a fresh aspect. It was not till -July, 1879—still seven years of waiting and working—that the goal was -finally attained in the opening of the new schools. But, from August 2, -the date of a letter from Mr. Roby, the Secretary of the Endowed Schools -Commission, to Miss Buss, this goal came within sight. This letter Miss -Buss enclosed to me, with a few words of comment, which touched me not a -little. - - - “I send you a copy of a note which I got yesterday. Please send - it on, with my love, to Mrs. Offord. It is the realization, - probably, of our hopes. Yet I take it as quietly as I did Miss - Ewart’s donation of a thousand pounds—not ungratefully, I trust. - I have offered a meeting on Tuesday morning, but expect that - will be too late. So, in October, things must be settled. - - “I leave this place on Monday, so as to get through heaps of - work in town, before starting for the Continent. My brother Sep - will be in Brussels by the time we get there. Probably it will - be better to say _very little_ about Mr. Roby’s note. ‘There’s - many a slip,’ etc.” - - -The letter, of so much interest to us all, ran as follows— - - - “92, Kensington Gardens Square, W., Aug. 2, 1892. - - “DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “I am very glad to be able to announce to you that the - Commissioners have proposed to the Brewers’ Company, who are the - Governors of Aldenham School, to subsidize the Camden Schools, - and that the Governors have agreed to this.[8] As to details, - nothing is settled, but I hope to get a handsome sum towards - building, so as to complete, with what you have collected, all - that is necessary, and also some annual endowments. - - “The next step is for our Assistant-Commissioner to have a - conference with you and your Board, so as to ascertain what is - the amount needed, and what is the best form the assistance - should take. - - “If your Board could meet Latham anywhere (either at the Camden - Schools, or at 2, Victoria Street) on an early day next week, it - would be well. - - “If not, the matter must wait till October, as we are all - dispersing for the Vacation. - - “Will you please to write to Latham at once? - - “Yours very truly, - - “(Signed) H. J. ROBY.” - - -Footnote 8: - - In the reign of James II., “Richard Platt, a wealthy brewer, left a - piece of land in trust to the Brewers’ Company to maintain a school in - his native village, Aldenham.” On this piece of land now stands St. - Pancras Station. The value of the property became too great for only - the one school to be maintained, and the sum of £20,000 was given in - order to build our two schools, one in the Camden Road, and the other - in the Prince of Wales Road; in addition, a similar sum was given as - an Endowment, thus using the money in the Parish of St. Pancras. - -On the following day I had another note from Miss Buss, and for some -time to come the whole story of the hopes and fears, the anticipation -and delay, may be given in her own words from these letters— - - - “Aug. 8, 1872. - - “I had a note yesterday from Mr. Latham, agreeing to an - appointment with our Board, next Tuesday morning, at 2, Victoria - Street, ten o’clock. - - “This is your notice; so please don’t say you were not invited! - - “In consequence of the delay in getting Mr. Roby’s note to me, I - asked for an appointment next week, when Mr. Roby meant _this_ - week. But, as it turns out, my mistake is of no consequence, as - Mr. Latham, the Assistant-Commissioner, is still in town.” - - - “Aug. 10, 1872. - - “I did not write to you yesterday, because I expected that very, - very charming note, which came this morning. Dr. Storrar wrote - to me to say—however, I enclose his note—that the meeting had - better take place at 202, Camden Road. So I wrote at once to - every one _but you_ (and Miss Ewart and Mrs. Sidgwick, who are - abroad), to say that our meeting was to be held in Camden Road, - and not in Victoria Street. Twelve notes in all! Still, I think - Dr. Storrar is right, and as only the trouble fell on me, it was - better to ask every one to change. I hope Mr. Latham will not - mind.” - - - “Aug. 11, 1872. - - “Any money given to us by the Endowed Schools Commission will be - for _both_ schools. My only hope for the Upper School has been - centred in the Endowed Commission. Our plan of placing the - schools side by side will make the ground more easy to get.... I - have long expected a grant from the Commission, but these things - are so long about that there was a doubt on my mind whether the - grant would be made for years to come. - - “Mr. Latham says the part of the Platt income available for St. - Pancras amounts to about a thousand a year. He does not like the - notion of the two schools being together. So it is proposed that - we ask for about £16,000 for the two buildings and ground for - the Lower School, on the Platt estate, which belongs to the - Brewers.” - - -The good news had come just as Miss Buss was starting for her summer -holiday, this year spent in Germany and Switzerland. On her return she -writes— - - - “Myra Lodge, Sept. 14. 11.30 p.m. - - “Out of sight has not been out of mind, I assure you. - - “I got back yesterday at about one o’clock a.m. and have ever - since been in a whirlpool of work and consequent worry. - - “There are more than _fifty_ new entries for the North London - School, 54 in fact, and more are coming on Monday. - - “Over sixty are entered in the Camden School. The new buildings - look very well—as a temporary thing—but must be furnished - immediately in order to receive the new pupils; teachers must be - found—housekeeper, servants, etc. I have been dashing through - all sorts of work to-day, to get things in train. - - “Anyway, our success justifies our taking the new place, and - puts us into the way of paying for it. - - “My holidays were perfectly delightful; but I must tell you - about them at some other time. - - “My dear Annie, I am not sure at all about success not being too - elating! I will try to guard against myself, but feel doubtful. - Success of a certain kind is necessary to make one learn one’s - self; but too much may be puffing up. - - “However, it has gone midnight, so I will say no more than that - I am - - “Your loving - - “ARNIE; - - “that I am glad you are all well; that I shall not get any time - to myself to-morrow, as I am to go to my father after service - for the rest of the day, and that Monday will be a dreadfully - hardworking day. - - “Will you take care of the _Times’_ account of the Prize Day? - The mighty Thunderer sent his own Reporter!” - - - “Myra Lodge, Dec. 10, 1872. - - “There has been a long—2½ hours—conversation with Mr. Roby and - Mr. Latham. It is proposed to send us a draft of the scheme - before it is published, and this draft is (if possible) to be - _here_ by Monday week, the 23rd. - - “Next Monday we shall send out notices for a _special_ meeting - to consider the draft. - - “If the Brewers will give the sum £40,000, it is calculated that - the buildings will cost from £20 to £25 per head, and about 400 - girls in each school; but there will be _sites_, law, and - scholarships to be provided. - - “Mr. Roby thought the sum mentioned would not be too much for - the two schools. This school is to be a _First Grade_, fixed pay - of mistress £100 per annum, and a maximum cap. fee of £3. So my - income might amount to £1300 per annum! The Camden mistress - might get about £450 as a minimum, or £700 as a maximum. £200 - endowment for rates, repairs, and £200 in each school for - scholarships.” - - - “Jan. 1, 1873. - - “My head aches at the thought of the worry of settling the - claims to entry of the candidates waiting for admission. Your - friends are somewhere about fiftieth. - - “Our scheme is not yet published. I am anxious to see it in the - _Times_, so that the three months may soon pass.” - - -Then came six months of waiting before Miss Buss writes, on July 31, -1873— - - - “You will be glad to know that the Endowed Schools Amendment Act - has passed the Commons. The Lords may turn it out. Perhaps they - will. Won’t that be dreadful? I don’t know when the reading - takes place.” - - -But on August 9, she writes from Bruges to the Rev. S. Buss— - - - “Of course you know that OUR Act—the Endowed Schools - Commission—is really an Act now. It is mentioned in the Queen’s - Speech. - - “This morning, a copy of the scheme AS PUBLISHED has been sent - to me. So the Commissioners have lost no time. In three - months—that is, on the 7th or 8th Nov.—the scheme will be - prepared for presentation to the Privy Council and then to - Parliament. So that, humanly speaking, the whole scheme will be - accomplished in a year’s time. - - “It is curious how little elated one is, when fruition is so - near!” - - -The next letter to me comes in the same strain, dated August 26— - - - “The Scheme is now advertised, and must wait three months, in - order that opposition may be made. Then it goes to the Privy - Council, and next year to Parliament. Altogether we may expect - the twenty thousand (_cash_ value, _i.e._ about eighteen - thousand pounds) some time next year. - - “I am most deeply grateful, but I am not elated. One’s - elasticity gets sadly diminished as one grows older.” - - -After this a whole year elapses, filled with steady work in the schools, -and brightened with gleams of help, such as are recorded on June 4, -1874— - - - “Within the last half-hour a note has come to me from Mr. Owen - Roberts, clerk to the Clothworkers’ Company, to say they give us - £105 per annum, during pleasure, for scholarships: 50 guineas to - Girton, and two of 25 guineas for Merton. It is very pleasing.” - - -The reason for this prolonged delay was shown at the next date, November -18, 1874— - - - “Mr. Lee called at the office of Committee of Council a few days - ago, to ascertain how our scheme was progressing. - - “He found that the Vicar of Aldenham had been opposing it, and - that practically not anything has been done. It will be again - advertised, and then wait two months, and, if opposed again, - must go before Parliament. So there is no chance of its passing - for an indefinite period. Shall I say, if ever? - - “And the question now arises what are we to do about other - matters? Are we to go on as we have been doing? What are we to - do? Submit, I suppose, to the inevitable. But is it inevitable? - - “Altogether, I feel we are in an _impasse_.” - - -A month later comes a little more hope— - - - “Oct. 8, 1874. - - “I heard to-day (from a governor of that St. Martin’s School - which carries off Miss Derrick) that he had met a Brewer who - talked quite warmly of our school, and also of the plan to take - up the North London Collegiate School for boys, but that the - head wanted good money consideration for it. I am very glad to - hear this in every way. This last certainly entitles _me_ to - ‘good consideration,’ and not to lectures from—various persons!” - - -The next step comes in a note from Mrs. Grey— - - - “18, Cadogan Place, Jan. 18, 1875. - - “MY DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “I enclose a note I received on Saturday morning from Mr. - Richmond, which please return. I congratulate you with all my - heart on this crowning of your labours. - - “Mr. Holloway has given us no further sign. - - “Most sincerely yours, - - “M. G. GREY.” - - -This news of course came in due form to the governing body, but it seems -to have been known to various friends earlier, giving them the -opportunity of expressing their sympathy, as, in sending me Mrs. Grey’s -note, Miss Buss remarks— - - - “Mrs. Grey’s note enclosed one from Mr. Richmond, secretary of - Endowed Commission, saying that the Lord President of the - Council—I suppose that means Education Department—‘had approved - of the scheme for giving Miss Buss’ Schools the Platt - Endowment’—or words to this effect. Curiously enough, I am not - in the least elated, but have a sort of choking sensation when I - stop to think. - - “Mr. Fitch wrote to me on Saturday somewhat to same effect, and - Miss Davies, as I told you, gave me a message from him, on the - 14th, Sep’s birthday, and Dr. and Mrs. Hodgson’s wedding-day. - - “Are you willing to beg a little for the foundation of a Chair - of Education? The Scotch have JUST founded two, and the - Government—Conservative too!—have given £10,000 to complete - them. We might get some help from Government if we got £5000 - before asking it.” - - - “Endowed Schools Department, - “2, Victoria Street, S.W., - “April 12, 1875. - - “MY DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “Aldenham and the North London Schemes were both approved - by the Lord President on Jan. 15. The former was, on petition - laid upon the table of the two Houses of Parliament; but no - petition was presented praying that the latter should be so - submitted to Parliament. However, the time provided by the Act - has expired, and both schemes will almost certainly be approved - by Her Majesty at the next Council. - - “So it is the opinion both at the Council Office and here, that - the Schemes are as safe as anything can be which has not - actually received formal and final sanction. - - “With the kindest good wishes, - - “I am ever, my dear Miss Buss, - - “Very truly yours, - - “J. G. FITCH.” - - -On May 14, 1875, I received this welcome note— - - - “MY DEAR ANNIE, - - “The Queen signed our scheme at yesterday’s Privy Council. - The news has just come from Mr. Fitch. - - “Ever your loving - - “ARNIE.” - - -This looked like the end of all anxieties. But there were still four -years to elapse before that point was reached. Action was taken at once -in the appointment of Mr. E. C. Robins as architect, and Miss Buss’ -spare time went in plans and in consultation with him at special -committees without end. It had to be discussed over and over whether the -two schools should be together or separate; the choice of sites occupied -time and thought, and, interesting and exciting as it all might be, it -was all so much added to the pressure of the work, where success meant -increasing numbers and constant reorganization in both schools. - -Here is a specimen of the extra worries that from time to time came to -swell the account— - - - “June 8, 1876. - - “A new complication has sprung up. The Charity Commissioners - write to ask how much money we intend to put by yearly, to - accumulate at compound interest, to buy up the lease when it - expires. We must call a meeting. It seems to me like a - rent-charge, and if we are to do this, I want to know _how_ we - are benefited? - - “We had better have been left alone. Suppose the school numbers - went down, where would the governors be? - - “In my lifetime, too, this would mean paralysis of every thing - we need, in order to put by money. - - “It is _very_ trying.” - - -This difficulty was overcome, but still the plan remained for both -schools to be erected on one site— - - - “June 10, 1876. - - “Mr. Latham has written a long (private) letter to me in which - he objects (as I do in my heart) to both schools being put on - the same site, and suggests cutting down our plans and - _borrowing_.” - - -Again sweets mingled with the bitter, when Miss Buss could report on -December 18, 1876— - - - “DEAREST ANNIE, - - “Will you return Mr. Owen Roberts’ letter? Is it not a - delightful Christmas box? A whole hall!” - - -This letter announced the intention of the Clothworkers’ Company to add -the Great Hall to the new buildings contemplated by the Brewers’ -Company. - -But still came further difficulties— - - - “Jan. 25, 1877. - - “What do you think of my feelings at reading the following - passage in the last letter from the Charity Commission? ‘We - sanction the plans for the Camden School, on the distinct - understanding that the buildings of the Upper School remain, for - the present, in abeyance.’ - - “Poor Mr. Robins! He wants to go on with the Camden, but that - seems to me to doom the Upper School. Is it not a constant - worry? We must face the only possible outlet: Mr. Latham’s - suggestion of ‘raising the fees without delay.’” - - -The next letter is dated February 8, 1877, and shows Miss Buss in one of -her (fortunately rare) depressed moods; but it also shows her usual -self-sacrifice— - - - “We have to-day received a note, saying that, unless we have new - facts to lay before them, the Charity Commissioners _adhere to - their decision_, though they will hear what we have to say on - Thursday. This means that the Upper School must be left as it - is, and the Camden be begun. - - “There seems no outlook. On the whole, matters look very gloomy. - I have been struggling so much against a sort of sick despair - that I am literally sore all over. The revulsion from hope to a - state of hopelessness has produced on me the strange bodily - soreness alluded to. - - “There seems only one chance, and that is, to give an annual sum - of £800 or £1000 a year towards the debt out of my income from - the school, and to make my friends insist on the plans being - carried out. If, in addition, we raise the fees one guinea per - annum, _i.e._ 7_s._ per term, we shall realize another £500, and - the saving of rent, when buildings are completed, will add - another £300. All this could be applied to paying the debt, so - that the debt could soon be paid off, supposing the school to go - on successfully. - - “The discipline of life is very hard, and one’s faith is not as - strong as it ought to be. I do try to cast all my care on Him, - who careth even for me; but it is very, very hard to cling - closely. - - “I have to go to Cheltenham to-morrow. I shall not be home until - _late_ on Saturday night. - - “No doubt the sun is still shining behind the clouds! Perhaps - even these may clear off in some unexpected way.” - - - “Feb. 13, 1877. - - “Yesterday’s meeting went smoothly. Miss Ewart was very kind. - She told me in my room that she was quite sorry for me and that - she sympathized strongly. - - “Mr. Buxton and Mr. Worsley, as representatives of the donors of - the money, mean to protest against abandoning the Upper School, - or delaying its buildings. Mr. Lee and Mr. Thorold also will - make a stand; the former is coming up on purpose. I will send - you a line to say what hope there is. - - “We have another meeting on Monday, of which you have probably - had notice. - - “The governors granted all the things I asked for, in the way of - salaries, house expenses, etc. Mr. Robins was not kept waiting, - and got away when he had explained to Miss E. the ventilation - matter. - - “At the last meeting, he was kept two hours, and then not - summoned. It made me quite fidgety and uncomfortable. I think - his patience is _almost_ exhausted. What a good friend he is! - - “I wrote a note to the chairman for yesterday’s meeting, - offering—(1) on condition of not letting the Upper School be - ‘put in abeyance,’ (2) of raising the fees, and (3) of adding - the sum so obtained to the rent saved by the buildings (about - £800 per annum)—to pay another sum of £800 per annum towards the - building fund, during my working life, or so long as necessary. - This note was read in my absence. - - “I must, as Alfred says, be allowed ‘to endow my own child.’ I - also wrote to Mr. Lee, making the same offer. I tell you, as you - would have heard it had you been able to be present. - - “My very dear Annie, if only some of my cares would save you - from yours, how thankful I should be. - - “May God bless and strengthen you. - - “Ever yours lovingly, - - “ARNIE.” - - - “Feb. 18, 1877. - - “The answer from the Charity Commissioners is expected next - week. I should think it will be favourable. - - “All this discipline is strengthening, and helps one to - strengthen others, if one will but learn the lesson it is meant - to teach. I have not been rebellious this time, I think, but - have tried to use means and be content with the issue.” - - - “April 14. - - “Mr. Worsley writes to say that the Brewers’ Company will take - up the loan of £8000, and therefore there need be no delay in - beginning the Camden School. - - “Also that there will be no necessity for me to insure my life - for the debt. - - “So ends our great difficulty!” - - -In July, 1878, there is a note referring to the work involved in laying -the memorial stones of the new building, and an indication of delay, -since Miss Buss says— - - - “The Clothworkers gave us a cheque for £2500, which will carry - us on till October, by which time we hope either to have the - freehold or the Alice Owen money. If not, I am to advance what I - can, and that wonderful Mr. Robins will also advance, if - necessary. So far as I can understand, the Charity Commissioners - have suggested to the Brewers that the latter should lend us - money, at a moderate rate of interest, from their other - educational trust, the Alice Owen, in Islington. The committee - met to discuss and report on the security, etc. I hear that the - best security will be a life insurance taken up by me, but - nothing was settled.” - - -The grand _finale_ came at last when the buildings were completed, as -more extracts will show— - - - “March 14, 1879. - - “Mr. E. N. Buxton was splendid to-day at the governors’ meeting, - and he urged that we should go on, and never mind about the - Charity Commission difficulties. We have asked the Princess of - Wales!” - - - “April 3, 1879. - - “The Princess of Wales accepts our invitation to open our new - buildings and give the prizes. I do hope nothing will prevent - her keeping her promise. _As yet_ I do not want the fact known - in the school. I shall be torn to pieces, and have to fight over - every examination paper and mark, because every girl, and her - parents, will be so resolved to get a prize from the hands of - our fair, young, and beloved Princess! - - “I want, in the future, _Foundation Day_ to be always a day of - importance in the year. Twenty-nine years! Almost a lifetime.” - - - “June 28, 1879. - - “How are you all? I often think of you, but the pressure of work - now is hardly to be imagined! Independently of the Royal visit, - there are the festivities of the girls themselves, in connection - with the New Hall. Some French proverbs to be acted, and some - extracts from _Les Femmes Savantes_, also the final scene in the - _Merchant of Venice_.” - - -For a very pleasant little sketch of the school buildings I am indebted -to Miss Edith Aitkin— - - - “The school buildings, which are the fruit of so much thought - and endeavour, stand at the corner of Sandall Road, a few yards - back from the main Camden Road. They are of dark red brick, and - group themselves round a part of the original structure which is - three stories high, and which culminates in a conical-roofed - tower, from which each morning a bell rings out to summon the - neighbourhood and all and sundry happily, not ‘unwillingly, to - school.’ It is to be regretted that small and rather - mean-looking houses crowd round too closely to allow the - ordinary passer-by to form any adequate idea either of the size - of the place or of its real dignity of proportion. The building - falls naturally into two parts; first, there is the original - structure, modified and extended, facing Sandall Road; and - secondly, round the corner is the Clothworkers’ Hall, and the - main body of class-rooms behind it. This hall, with its long, - stained-glass windows, their tops breaking the line of the roof, - and its handsome gateway of honour, is the most interesting - feature of the building as seen from outside. - - “The usual entrance is at the corner, in the very middle of the - school, and the impression received is at once delightful and - characteristic. Frances Mary Buss, the daughter of a painter, - all her life delighted in light and colour. She was no ascetic, - but aimed always at full use of all good gifts. As one enters to - the left is the head-mistress’ sitting-room—the ‘Blue Room,’ - reminding one that blue was her favourite personal colour, the - colour she wore as a girl, the colour of the satin dress in the - early Victorian portrait painted of her by her father. The tiles - of the fireplace, painted by the elder girls, are green and - blue, and, dare one say, Morris-y before their time. In front we - see a stained-glass window, to the memory of pious founders, - Dame Alice Owen, and Alderman Richard Platt. To the right is a - handsome brass recording the main facts of the foundation of the - school. On each side of this are doorways leading to the office, - where visitors are received in the first instance, and to the - library wing. Passing forwards, we mount a few steps and turn to - the left into the hall. This was always Miss Buss’ pride, and - deserves the exclamation, ‘Oh, how pretty!’ which nearly every - one makes on entering it for the first time. Other schools have - halls, some large and fine in their way, but I do not think - there is any other so bright and cheerful, so warm with - harmonious colour, so _pretty_. At one end is the main platform, - with the organ—the gift of old pupils—recessed in the wall - behind it. The long windows, with window-seats and high ledges - on which are plants, pour down coloured light along one side. - Some are already filled with stained glass, and the middle one, - which has always been called Founders’ Window, because it was - partly filled by the arms of those companies and individuals who - have endowed the school, is to be completed as the special - memorial of her who was, after all, our main founder. Along the - opposite side and across the end runs a gallery of pitchpine. - The walls have a dado of pitchpine, and are lined with smooth - terra-cotta brick, let into which at one end, under the gallery, - are two medallions, one a portrait of the Princess of Wales, to - mark the day of her visit, and all that it signified, ‘with a - white stone,’ as Miss Buss said. Five class-rooms open into the - hall along one side under the gallery, five more on to the - gallery, and others on to a corridor above. To secure quiet in - the hall for examinations, etc., curtains can be drawn shutting - off the part under the gallery as a passage-way to the - class-rooms. These are bluish-green, and, with the flowers of - the platform and window-ledges, give a pretty effect of colour. - To the left of the platform hangs Miss Buss’ portrait, so that - she seems to be amongst us still in a strange quiet fashion. - - “To describe one class-room is, to the outsider, to describe - them all. A teacher’s platform facing thirty desks, with a large - slate or blackboard behind—Tobins’ pipes, and ventilators over - the doors—this is the now familiar appearance of a schoolroom. - More distinctive features are the window-gardens, the pitchpine - dado, and eminently practical lining of smooth brick, on which - numerous photographs display themselves. Miss Buss’ Roman visits - explain the fact that very many are views of Rome and of - classical sculpture. To those interested in the details of the - school class-rooms take on distinctive features. In one is the - challenge cup held for the term as the result of a singing - competition amongst a number of classes. In another are copies - of Raphael’s Cartoons. In another a very special and original - fireplace decoration. In some we notice spinal chairs, or - modified desks, recommended for special girls by the lady doctor - attached to the school. - - “A complete survey is a long business, and even a cursory - inspection involves some walking, for we cannot omit to mount to - the end of the top corridor to see the large drawing-school, - with its array of casts, glass, perspective planes, etc. This is - lighted from above, and contains over the fireplace a large - painting by Mr. R. W. Buss, of an Elizabethan Christmas, - throwing out a fine glow of colour. Several small isolated rooms - on this floor also are used as music-rooms. - - “On the gallery floor it is absolutely necessary to inspect the - lecture-room and laboratory. The former can seat about a hundred - and fifty girls, and is provided with a proper lecture-table for - experiments, and also with a lantern and screen. The laboratory - is fitted with working benches for twenty-four girls at a time. - In the little room between is a really good balance for the use - of the more advanced students. - - “A plunge into the basement must follow, for the care with which - provision has been made for cloak-rooms, lavatories, kitchen, - dining-room, and drying-room for wet clothes in winter, is very - striking. Also a long passage, floored with wooden bricks, leads - to the gymnasium, a splendid room a hundred feet long, and about - forty feet high. This offers a certain amount of compensation - for a very moderate playground behind the school. The - playground, such as it is, is immensely prized for rounders, - skipping, etc., while competition is very keen for the three - fives courts which open on it at one side. The gymnasium is in - constant use all the morning, for every class goes down there - for a gymnastic lesson, on Miss Chreimann’s system, twice a - week, besides a daily short drill directed by the form - mistresses. A special class is held on one afternoon for - additional gymnastic exercises, and another for medical drill, - when girls with a tendency to some special defect are put - through special exercises recommended by the doctor mentioned - above, who examines all the girls of the school at certain - intervals. - - “Visitors may very well be glad to rest before leaving. The main - library will probably contain sixth-form girls studying under a - strict silence rule. Not to set a bad example, we will pass - through to the museum to do any talking. The teachers’ library - is beyond again, a pretty room with several sofas, and a - window-seat under the stained-glass window which decorates this - wing. - - “There are many details one would like to comment upon, such as - the fountains on each floor supplied with filtered water, the - special taps to be used in case of fire, with directions as to - the best method of procedure hung up beside them, the plans - displayed for reference of the whole system of gas- and - water-pipes. All these are very eloquent of her whose - dream—realized as all dreams are not—has borne the translation - into a reality which can never be truly prosaic, and stands here - in solid brick, the North London Collegiate School for Girls, - Sandall Road, Camden Road, N.W.” - - -On July 18, 1879, the whole of St. Pancras was astir with the unwonted -excitement of a Royal visit, and the crowds that for miles lined the -streets showed their loyalty by hearty acclamations. - - * * * * * - -The Prince and Princess, accompanied by the Countess of Macclesfield and -Baron Colville of Culross, with Mr. Holzmann and Lieut. Clarke, were met -at the door of the new building by Miss Buss and the Bishop of -Rochester—then chairman of the Board—passing through a double line of -governors on their way to the library, where Miss Aitkin, the winner of -a Girton Scholarship, presented a bouquet of Malmaison roses. The whole -party then proceeded to the tent erected in the playground, where the -Camden Street pupils waited to receive their prizes from the gracious -lady whose coming had been so ardently desired. - -[Illustration: - - THE GREAT HALL, NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. -] - -Adjournment to the great hall followed, when the girls of the Upper -School had their turn, a hundred and fifty being made happy possessors -of prizes from the same kind hand. Songs and speeches came next, and the -Prince certainly looked as if his words were no empty compliment, as he -said that none of their many functions had given greater pleasure either -to the Princess or himself than their visit to these schools. - -In the library, where tea was served, the Prince and Princess talked for -some time with Miss Buss about her work. In addition to the whole body -of governors, there were present Canon Spence, Vicar of St. Pancras, the -Rev. William Rogers, Founder of the Cowper Street School, the Rev. -Llewellyn Davies (Miss Davies being unable to be present), Sir T. Fowell -Buxton, Mr. Edward North Buxton, the Masters of the Brewers’ and of the -Clothworkers’ Company, Mr. Robins, the architect to the schools, and -other friends. - -On the same evening, the occasion was celebrated by a dinner given by -Canon Spence and the Churchwardens of St. Pancras, when the health of -the founder of the schools came after that of the Royal visitors. Mr. -Robins, in giving this toast, remarked that “Miss Buss had been of great -help to him in the building of the schools, for she was a thoroughly -practical woman, and knew more about plans than many men.” - -Taking it altogether, there was every ground for the satisfaction which, -as the Rev. A. J. Buss said, in response, his sister must feel in a day— - - - “to which she had long looked forward, and to which she would - look back with gratification, of which no small part would be - due to the recognition of her services by the representatives of - the parish in which she had spent her working life.” - - -From among the innumerable letters of congratulation pouring in from all -sides a few may be given which were specially treasured by the Founder, -who from this day felt herself set free for the internal work of the -schools, all anxiety being ended as to their external conditions. - -Foremost among these is one from Mr. Spencer Charrington, who, as Master -of the Brewers’ Company, thanks Miss Buss for his reception, expressing -his full satisfaction in the completion of the work in which the Company -had taken so deep an interest. - -Not less gratifying was a testimony from Mr. Fitch to the scholastic -value of Miss Buss’ own special part of the work— - - - “5, Lancaster Terrace, July 23, 1879. - - “MY DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “Let me congratulate you, as I do most heartily, on the - remarkable success which has attended your candidates at the - London Matriculation. I know of no school, either for girls or - boys, which, having sent up sixteen candidates, has passed nine - of them in the Honour division and in the First Class. Nobody - needed any additional proofs of the wisdom and value of the - methods which you have adopted, and which you have done so much - to extend and popularize. Still, every new evidence of the fact - must be gratifying to you; and I assure you it is not less so to - the many friends who know of your work, and who have long - recognized it as some of the soundest, the most fruitful, and - the most beneficent work of our time. - - “The high proportion of success attained by the female - candidates was the subject of special remark at the Senate this - afternoon; and I need hardly say, of special felicitation to a - good many of us. - - “Yours very truly, - - “J. G. FITCH.” - - -To the same effect is the expression of warm sympathy from Mrs. Grey— - - - “Harbledown Rectory, Canterbury, July 20, 1879. - - “MY DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “I must write you a few lines to congratulate you on your - splendid opening ceremonial and prize-giving. When I remember - the position of the schools when I had the good fortune to make - your acquaintance, and compare it with the statements made last - Tuesday, it seems like something in a fairy-tale. And yet with - what ceaseless toil has each step been won. It does one’s heart - good, and makes one think better of life, to see such a brave, - life-long fight as yours crowned at last—crowned, too, while - your head can still wear the crown, and with years before you in - which to ripen the fruits of your victory. I have often feared - that you would break down under the strain of final success come - too late. Thank God it is not so. - - “I do not know when I shall see you, unless you come to Rome at - Christmas. - - “Do not forget me on my shelf, and believe me ever, - - “Yours affectionately, - - “MARIA G. GREY.” - - -Not less warm, nor less warmly appreciated, was a letter from Dr. -Thorold, who had acted as the first chairman to the united governing -body, after the reconstruction which admitted the representatives of the -Brewers’ and the Clothworkers’ Companies. During his chairmanship, Dr. -Thorold had been raised to the Bench, but, with all his new duties, as -Bishop of Rochester, he had remained faithful to the work of which he -had been one of the very earliest friends— - - - “Selsdon Park, July 19, 1879. - - “DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “I must write one line of warm and sincere congratulation - to you, on what I may call the coronation day of the work to - which you have given your life. - - “While I was careful privately to inform the Prince of Wales of - the service you have so conspicuously rendered to the education - of girls for so many years past, all that he and the Princess - saw must only have confirmed their impression of the solidity of - the work to which they gave their cheerful and ample - recognition. - - “I say to you, God bless your work, and you in it, to the glory - of His Holy Name! - - “And I say it as one of your warm and sincere and many - friends.... - - “Most truly yours, - - “A. W. ROFFEN.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - WITH HER FELLOW-WORKERS. - - “In honour preferring one another.” - - -“The relationship between head-mistress and teachers was surely most -unique, for Miss Buss seemed never to tire of having her teachers about -her, and even in the holidays they were constantly at her country -house.” - -So writes one of the members of the staff, whose knowledge dates from -the time when she was a “very naughty little girl of seven, constantly -sent into the ‘parlour,’” where she hid behind the door, waiting till, -with a pained expression, never forgotten in all these years, Miss Buss -would turn to say, “Marion, here again! I am so sorry,” and then take -the weeping child on her lap, and talk till she could be sent away with -the kiss that made her happy as well as good. - -That this loving influence was successful is proved by the sequel— - - - “One day, to my great surprise, Miss Buss asked me if I would - like to become a teacher in the school! What I should have - missed in my life if I had refused I dare not think, for, from - that day to this, it has been a life-long pleasure to be with - her, to share in even so small a degree her work, and, above - all, to feel her inspiration!” - - -And so many more of the staff had, in like manner, been pupils that the -habit of “mothering” them went on, and was quite naturally extended to -new-comers. - -From another of the staff we have, in three scenes, a life-story. The -first shows Miss Buss at her happiest with a little child— - - - “I cannot tell you how much I owe her—nearly everything, I - think, that makes life worth living. I do not remember any time - in my life when her name was not to me a loved and honoured one. - - “My sister was a pupil of the school before me, and when I was - quite little I remember longing for my tenth birthday, when I - should be old enough to go there myself. I did not, as a matter - of fact, go till several years later, as I was rather a delicate - child. My first introduction to Miss Buss must have been when I - was very small, for my sister used to tell me how she took me - into the office, and how Miss Buss set me on the table before - her and put my two little feet together, as she told me I was - not _quite_ ready for her class just yet. How like that is to - her way with little children! I think I must have loved her from - that very time!” - - -The child is a woman grown as we see her again— - - - “I was in great trouble and perplexity, and in the midst of it - went to spend my holidays with Miss Buss at Fécamp. It was - nearly midnight when we reached her, but she was sitting up for - us, with some hot soup ready, and everything was thought of as - it might have been by my own mother. I had no mother then; but - when Miss Buss took off my wraps with her own hands, and folded - me in her arms, I felt that a second mother had indeed been - given to me. Perhaps I felt this the more because I was with her - at Herne Bay when the news came of my own mother’s sudden death. - It was a Sunday morning, and the trains would not allow of my - going home till later in the day. It would have been a terrible - time but for Miss Buss’ tenderness. She seemed to feel with me - as if the loss were her own. I shall never, never forget it.” - - -In sorrow, in joy, or in disappointment she was ever ready with comfort, -with sympathy, and with cheer. The third scene is given in a letter, -sent with the remark: “How characteristic it was of her warm sympathy -with all with whom she had to do”— - - - “Nov., 1881. - - “MY DEAR EMILY, - - “Old pupil and friend of so many years! I send you my - warmest congratulations. I am very glad for you and our dear - friend Mrs. Bryant, also for Florence Eves and Constance Dicker. - - “It seems to us short-sighted mortals that it would be desirable - to have our pleasures _un_mixed, but it never is so. My pleasure - is alloyed by my dear R——’s and E——’s failure, and yours by the - absence of your dear mother! But ‘all things work together for - good,’ if we will but believe. - - “Always yours lovingly, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS. - - “To Miss Emily Findon, B.A.” - - -Equally to the point is another note, of which the recipient says: “The -whole tone was so strong and so strengthening, so different from the -many letters of kind, but more or less worrying, sympathy received at -the time”— - - - “Schlangenbad. - - “MY DEAR A——, - - “I am very sorry to hear that you and X—— have failed to - get through the ‘Intermediate.’ I send you my love and sympathy. - Do not fret. You will succeed later on, when, as I hope, you - will try again; and your knowledge will be all the firmer for - having to work longer. - - “You will, no doubt, carry out the proposed plan, viz. go to - Cambridge for a year, and leave the degree till after? You will - have a very happy time at Cambridge, I know. - - “Have you heard how Y—— is getting on in Sweden? How well I - remember my delightful holiday there.” - - -And with an account of life at a German spa, and messages to other -members of the family, the letter ends, hopeful and cheery. - -It was always delightful to watch Miss Buss with those of her former -“children” who had expanded into the dignity of B.A., or B.Sc., and were -entitled to wear the gown and “mortar-board” appertaining to this new -rank. No mother ever took more interest in her girls’ first party frock -or presentation robes than did Miss Buss in those early days in the then -quite novel attire of her “girl-graduates.” Mrs. Bryant had not been a -pupil in the school, but she was young enough to pass for one, and the -sight of her gorgeous gold-and-scarlet doctor’s gown was a supreme joy -to her older friend, to whom no such distinction had been possible in -her own young days. There was never a touch of envy or of selfish regret -in this sympathy with the winners of the honours for which she herself -had longed in vain—no, not in vain, since that longing had helped to -open the way to those who had since outstripped her in the race. Miss -Toplis, in her sketch of Miss Buss, in the _Educational Review_, calls -attention to— - - - “two characteristics which may perhaps be known only to those in - daily contact with her. One was that jealousy and selfishness - were impossible to her nature; the other, her power of living in - the lives of others. The success or distinction of friend or - colleague was one of her greatest pleasures. No one could share - such pleasures as Miss Buss did, and the loss of her ever-ready - sympathy in joy or sorrow is one of the realities we cannot yet - face.” - - -In such sympathy, Miss Buss certainly well earned the right to the -exaltation expressed in a postscript to a letter on “guild” work to Mr. -Garrod, when she says, apropos of the recent success of Miss Philippa -Fawcett at Cambridge, “Thank God, we have abolished sex in education!” - -There are some amusing little touches of the purely feminine in -connection with these first academic gowns and hoods, which were -presented by the staff to its first graduates at a fancy-dress ball -given by Miss Buss in honour of the occasion. The hoods were made among -themselves, the pattern being taken from that of Sir Philip Magnus, in -the intervals of his inspection of the school. Mrs. Bryant cut them out, -and the pieces left over of the yellow and brown silk are still in the -drawer where thrifty housewives keep their pieces. - -It may be imagined that no small excitement prevailed among the -girl-graduates about the first public appearance at Burlington House in -the full dress. On the first occasion of the presentation of degrees to -women, the shy counsel prevailed, and the ladies went up in their usual -garb. The next step is thus described by Mrs. Bryant— - - - “But the following year we called a meeting to settle among - ourselves, if possible unanimously, the course to be pursued. - I confess I resented the idea of being denied my academicals - as much as I have thought it hard to appear as a number only - in the Senior Cambridge lists years before. There was much - hesitation on the part of several, however, but in the end I - was instructed to write to the Registrar enclosing our - resolution to wear the academic dress if no objection to this - course was made by the senate. There was no lack of comedy in - the situation—consulting a body of staid and serious gentlemen - as to whether we should or should not wear the robes to which - we were entitled by the University regulations. However, it - was necessary to allay all doubt, and the message from the - senate received in reply settled the question for that time - and henceforth. We have often smiled over these little - incidents, seeing what universal approval was at once won for - our ‘gowns and hoods.’ And at school, on festive days, when - these are worn, the poor Cambridge graduates—graduates in all - but name—grieve because they have no such symbol with which to - deck—it does not veil—their femininity.” - - -It may not be out of place here to give some extracts from letters to -Miss Buss from Mrs. William Grey which show how needlework is regarded -by the leading educationalists. Speaking of the Maria Grey Training -School (in connection with the College), Mrs. Grey writes— - - - “Rome, Nov. 27, 1880. - - “I also wish to give a yearly prize of £2 to the school for two - subjects. You have suggested Botany and Needlework. But as I - know nothing of botany, and have always said that needlework - should be taught at home to girls above the elementary school - class, I should prefer English or French. If, however, you have - a special reason for wishing for a Botany prize, I will at once - agree to that instead of the French.” - - - “Hôtel du Louvre, Rome, Jan. 7, 1882. - - “Your pleasant and affectionate letter reached me some days ago. - The kind feeling you express warms one’s heart, at this distance - from home, when one feels very acutely too often that one has - drifted away from all who know, or care, or are cared for. One’s - life feels so useless, and the current of life seems so strong - in England that those who can no longer go on with it have a - sense of isolation which kind words like yours break in upon - most soothingly. - - “I wanted to tell you that you have nearly, if not quite, - converted me to the needlework in schools to which I have always - been opposed on our council—not from any want of realizing the - importance of the art, but because it is one that ought to be - taught at home. I was a great worker till a few years ago. In - all our young days we made everything we wore, and I was so fond - of embroidery that I scarcely trusted myself to look at it in - the morning, lest I should be tempted to waste my time upon it. - I tell you this that you may see how little likely I am to - undervalue the art; and if mothers are so foolish or so ignorant - as not to teach it, then, sooner than leave it untaught, I - acknowledge that we ought to take it up. - - “But with our scanty time and overcrowded subjects, the - difficulty is very great. This reminds me of what I thought a - good thing in the St. Martin’s Lane School—and I believe it was - your friend Miss Doreck who established it—and that was a prize - for the best piece of needlework _done in the holidays_. That - stirs mothers as well as daughters.” - - -Those who were inside the University Movement had many a quiet laugh -over the baseless terrors of the outsiders who prophesied the dire -results to arise from the possession of degrees by women. I remember the -appreciation with which Miss Buss repeated a story she had just heard -from one of her girls, who had gone to a dance shortly after gaining her -B.A. degree, whilst the subject was still matter for talk. Her partner, -feeling himself quite safe with this peculiarly fair, sweet, -girlish-looking girl, in her pretty evening frock, had made himself -merry over the lady-graduates, winding up with the remark, “There is -always something quite unmistakable about them, don’t you know! You -can’t fail to spot them at a glance!” His very amiable partner only -replied gently, “Do you think so?” - -But one of her friends proved less merciful, and the poor young man -found himself in a position to sympathize with another victim, also at -an evening party, who had been for some time talking, without knowing -it, to the fair winner of a prize essay on some abstruse point of law. -When at last he discovered her name, the shock was so great that, -without waiting to collect himself, he blurted out, “What! _You Miss -Orme?_ Why, I thought you hadn’t an idea in your head!”—a remark -naturally treasured by that lady as one of her most cherished -compliments. - -To those who are familiar with life at the North London Collegiate -Schools, knowing the relations already indicated between the -head-mistress and her staff, there is something of the same -entertainment in one of the press notices relating to Miss Buss and her -work—almost the only notice not wholly sympathetic. It did, indeed, do -full justice to her exceptional qualities, but it concludes with a -remark worthy of preservation as a valuable fossil for future explorers -into the early history of the new education. The reviewer feels that he -“cannot let the vague sentiment occasioned by her death pass without an -honest criticism of her work,” thus concluding this criticism— - - - “It is perfectly true that ‘the influence of her work stretched - beyond her own two schools,’ as the _Times_ says; but perhaps - there has been as much loss as gain in this. The movement for - founding ‘High Schools for Girls’ spread, and Miss Buss’ - establishments were the models; the consequence is that a High - School education only fits a girl to be a High School - teacher—and she could scarcely choose a worse calling.” - - -It must be inconsistent with the dignity of a “Saturday Reviewer” to -explain himself, since this writer remorselessly leaves the whole class -of High School teachers—including, of course, those of the “model -establishments”—under the ban of this hopeless condemnation. - -It could be wished that this critic might have gone over at least two of -the schools thus judged, and have been present at some of the varied -“functions,” when the head-mistress was found in the midst of her -“children.” The teachers holding their classes might possibly have -failed to please him, since he still holds the belief in “sex in -education”; but the girlish laughter of the gymnasium, where it was -difficult to distinguish teacher from pupil, would have rung in his ears -with a pleasant chime; or that same gymnasium on “Founder’s Day,” with -its show of useful garments for the poor, and of ingeniously constructed -toys for the children of the hospitals, would have been a sight to the -credit alike of teachers and taught; or, again, if lucky enough to -witness a performance of the Amateur Dramatic Club—an association among -the teachers—he might have gone away comforted by the knowledge that -girlish grace and brightness, as well as womanly thought and goodness, -are not the exclusive prerogative of women _outside_ the new public -schools for girls. - -One of the members of the Amateur Dramatic Club writes— - - - “Nowhere was Miss Buss’ organizing power more visible to us - girls than as stage-manager. In the summer of 1882, for the last - time, the Sixth Form gave _tableaux vivants_ on two or three - consecutive days. Miss Buss herself said she could not undertake - them again, as the preparation fell too heavily on her and the - staff at the end of the summer term. For us, after our London - Matriculation Examination it was only rest and pleasure. They - were a brilliant success; and Miss Buss praised us openly for - the way in which we had worked for each other, and the pleasure - we had shown in each other’s parts. Looking back, I am convinced - that it was to her that we owed the kindly spirit which did - indeed animate us, and still brings back that summer as a - delightful memory. It would indeed have been difficult to - quarrel when she was working her hardest to make each one enjoy - herself.” - - -Very far indeed from dull or prosy were the associations of school or -college to these girls. Here is one bit of fun, from some “Tableaux” -given in 1869, for the benefit of Hitchin, which realized £13. At the -close of a series of very artistic pictures, the curtain rose on a -concourse of European nations, and Britannia, coming to life, advanced -to the front, with an appeal written by an “Old Girl,” an appeal not -quite obsolete even in our day— - - - “There was an old woman who lived in her shoe, - She had so many daughters she didn’t know what to do; - For they all of them possibly couldn’t be wed, - So she gave them a good education instead. - (_Ruefully_) But alas and alack for that poor old dame, - The better she taught them the faster they came! - (_Solemnly_) Hark to the echo of ‘sublime despair’ - That sobs along the mournful wintry air! - - (_Distant chorus of girls’ voices._) - - We’ve got no work to do, - We’ve got no work to do, - We’ve done our hair, - And we declare - We’ve nothing else to do! - - (_Air_, ‘Molly Bawn.’) - - Ye college dons, why leave us pining, - Sure there’ll be classes for us too; - Ne’er deem bright eyes more bright are shining - Because they’ve nothing else to do.” - - -Of the graver side of their work, and as giving an idea of the kind of -relation existing between Miss Buss and her “dear colleagues,” or “dear -fellow-workers,” as she loved to call them, Mrs. Bryant gives us an -outline, which lets us see not merely the workers themselves, but also -the high quality of their work— - - - “I have been asked to write some account of these latter—perhaps - we might call them triumphant—years of my dear friend’s - life-work, as I saw them in the light of my close connection - with her, and the marvellous friendship she extended to me. - These were the years when she had entered, in one sense, into - the fruits of her labours. The school she founded had become a - public school—‘Miss Buss’ school’ still—but immortalized. The - women’s educational movement, in the moulding of which she had - been a potent force, had taken shape, and was moving to its - goal—that goal of equal opportunity with the hitherto more - favoured sex, which we younger women are apt to regard as our - natural birthright, although we have not entirely secured it - yet. There were many worries for her still, and very much work - on educational problems; but as regards the general question of - the education of girls, the critical turnings on the road were - practically passed when I joined it, and to reverse the course - of our educational efforts would have been like turning back the - Thames at—well, not London Bridge—say, Maidenhead. - - “In 1875, the future of women was, I believe, much more certain - than it appeared. It may be that I think this because it was - always taken so much as a matter of course in the logic of my - family circle. It had never been suggested to me in my life that - I had not an equal birthright to knowledge with my brother. - Hence it happened most naturally that I was an early candidate - for the Senior Local Examinations, out of which came my - acquaintance with Miss Emily Davies, and afterwards with Miss - Buss. I remember seeing her among her girls in the intervals of - the examination; and she, as I afterwards learned, was - interested in the girl whose chief subject was mathematics. Our - family birthright was specially in mathematics, and all of us, - boys and girls, grew up to cultivate that soil. I dwell on this - fact here because it was as a woman who could teach mathematics - that Miss Buss first sent for me. She believed that young girls - should be taught by women, and she wanted to build up - mathematical studies. - - “Presently a time came when I resolved, not to do a little - teaching, but to throw my whole life into the work of education. - Especially I wanted to teach girls mathematics. I thought that - women’s lives would be happier and sounder if they had, as a - matter of course, their fair share of the sterner intellectual - discipline that had been such a joy to me. My father was a born - teacher and an educational enthusiast. Moreover, to his - scientific habit of mind it was as natural to regard teaching as - a scientific art as to believe that girls should be fully - educated. My feeling about these things was, in the first - instance, the continuation of his. Then I was early a disciple, - in matters philosophical, of the great Mill; and my first - definite idea of a science of education, comparable in practical - efficiency to the science of medicine, was built up out of a - suggestion in the pages of his great work on Logic. I had just - begun to be a student of psychology, and was so profoundly - interested in problems of life and character that I was strongly - drawn to turn my taste for scribbling, then very strong, to - writing novels of a serious workmanlike kind. However, I was - resolved that they must be first-rate novels, and I had - doubts—wise doubts—that I could count on myself for such. But in - education the work was sure to be good world-building work, - however humble, if honestly done, and my interest in psychology - could take practical shape in it. So I resolved to leave the pen - for leisure moments, to take to blackboard and chalk instead, - and thus to work out real results in thought and character—that - is, if I could get the chance. And presently the best of all - chances was given. An old pupil of the Camden Street School had - been a student with me at Bedford College, and from her I - obtained an introduction—a great boon, I thought it—to the - founder and head of the North London Collegiate School. - - “So I first saw Miss Buss in her own home, in the drawing-room - of Myra Lodge, gracious, dignified, strong of head, tender of - heart, as I ever knew her afterwards. She gave me an hour or - more of her precious time, and explained to me clearly and - graphically, as she was wont, the then present position of - affairs as regarded the education of girls and the prospects of - teaching as a professional career. Great was her zeal at all - times, and her ambition in the cause of the women who work for - their living, and so she laid stress on the new opportunities - for making a position and an ample income that the educational - demand was opening up to women, a profession with a few great - prizes and many smaller ones having taken the place of the - resident governess’ limited outlook. So she told me about the - new Endowed Schools for Girls, and, among other things, that the - great prize (financially speaking) would be the projected St. - Paul’s School for Girls, the mistress of which would have a - salary rising to as much as £2000 a year. Alas! that was a - project which is only a project still, and the North London - Collegiate School remains, as it was twenty years ago, at the - high-water mark of remuneration for women’s labour. It was her - view that, for the dignity and efficiency of teaching in this - branch and for the good of women-workers generally, there should - be many more prizes at least as great, and at all times she was - much concerned that reasonably good salaries should be secured, - especially for that class of assistant teachers who remain at - work for the best part of their lives. - - “But the central interest of that first conversation turned, to - my mind, upon the expression of her views about the importance - of teachers being trained for their work. It seemed to her so - obvious that she who undertakes to carry out an undertaking so - delicate and difficult as that of education should first make as - careful a study as might be of the end to be attained and the - means of attaining it, and should be trained as an artist is - trained in the _technique_ and spirit of his work. She was, - above all things, practical, and her feeling in the matter was - of practical origin, while my feeling, which coincided with it, - sprang rather from a theoretical root. She was an artist’s - daughter, and her method of judgment was largely the artistic - method. She saw her problems whole, as concrete ends to be - gained, and she found her way to them intuitively as she went - on. She always saw truth in the concrete, and was so little - _doctrinaire_ herself that the _doctrinaire_ character in other - people did not rouse her antipathy and interfere with her - perception of merit in their theories. It is the pure theorists - who are most impatient of each other. - - “The great artist zealous for his work, and intent on its - perfection, is eager to learn all he can about it—to assimilate - the wisdom of other workers in his field, to think about it in - all its bearings, to learn to see, to practise, to be - criticized, to be trained. This, I take it, was the attitude of - mind in which Frances Mary Buss some forty years ago, conceived - the idea of training for teachers as a universal need from which - secondary teachers should not be exempt. Before the school in - Kentish Town was opened, Mrs. Buss went to the Home and Colonial - Training College and put herself through the training of the - elementary teacher. One may well wonder whether any other woman - in the same rank about to open a small private school ever - dreamed of such a preparation as needful. But to these two, - mother and daughter, it seemed simply essential, and when the - school developed, and they had a staff of teachers, they thought - it necessary not to be content with the training they themselves - could give in the school ways, but applied to have a department - for secondary teachers opened at the Home and Colonial College. - This was done solely for the benefit of ‘Miss Buss’ teachers’ at - first, though others came in time. Greatest among those others - was Miss Clough. - - “This little history of the idea of training, as Miss Buss held - it first, is characteristic of her attitude on the subject - throughout. She thought it essential, and at the same time so - great and special a work, that it ought to be undertaken by - those who made a special business of it, and not by the heads of - schools whose special business was something else. She felt the - need of it as an artist in her work, she sought to have it - supplied in the spirit of the administrator by the foundation of - institutions for it. - - “To these lectures Miss Buss sent all the young teachers whom - she could induce to go. Very often, I suppose, they resisted the - light, as, in the pride of youth and eagerness to be doing, they - resist the light of the training college still. In eagerness and - self-confidence I was probably equal to most, but I had been - theorizing about education on my own account, and was very - sensible of the darkness. So when she told me about the College - of Preceptors and Mr. Payne, she showed me what I was looking - for, and I eagerly accepted the suggestion of attending the - lectures. She told me afterwards how much she was pleased with - my ready interest. It was indeed at this point that our minds - first met. And perhaps this was partly why, when she brought me - into the hall to let me out herself, she first held out her hand - and then looking at me in the way her girls so well know, she - suddenly took me in her arms and kissed me. But chiefly it was - an impulse of motherly tenderness that prompted her. I was young - and had suffered. - - “This was in January, before school opened. In February, she - sent for me to come twice a week and teach mathematics. The - school was in 202, Camden Road, then, and there were 300 girls. - Miss Armstead and Miss Lyndon were in the first class I ever - taught. They were great friends, but had agreed not to sit - together, so that they might escape the temptation of talking. I - had never been inside a school before, and had no idea what - girls other than I had been were like intellectually. I might - well feel modest about the need of training in the _technique_ - of managing a class, the one thing in which the College of - Preceptors’ lectures did not specially help me. But the girls - were very good, and did not ‘try it on,’ with one exception, and - she used to be sorry, and apologize of her own accord. I - remember being wonderfully impressed by the high tone of feeling - that prevailed, the absence of petty jealousies, the - trustworthiness of the girls, and the confidence placed in them - about marks and conduct. Over all the head-mistress was as a - second conscience. Nothing mean, petty, or egotistic could - survive contact with the fresh bracing air of her personality. I - was very new and very inexperienced in school ways; she had her - little anxieties about me, and used to look after my classes a - good deal at first. All young teachers know what this feels - like, but it was a great help none the less, and we must all win - our spurs before we get them. Except those who remained of the - original staff, I was the only teacher there who had not been a - pupil. - - “Soon I came for all my time, and taught German. But the demand - for mathematics grew as the teaching developed, and before long - all my teaching time was absorbed in this stricter intellectual - discipline of the North London girl. It is perhaps a digression, - but I may mention that the first genius I found was Sara Annie - Burstall. With Miss Buss as a head-mistress, and such a pupil as - that, and many more to love and help, I began to be happy in - those days. - - “As the school and its head became more and more to me, I grew - into that position in relation to both which enables me to give - some account of my dear friend’s mind and practice, first as - shown in the inner work of the North London Collegiate School - during these later years, and secondly in relation to the - various phases of the educational movement outside. - - “In the head-mistress’ room at the North London Collegiate - School there was in leisure moments always likely to be going on - discussion of many things other than the immediate business of - education in the school. It was indeed a noteworthy fact that so - much concentration of work and interest in such an effort as the - creation of this great school out of the void that preceded it, - should have gone with so wide an extension of interest in other - fields, and these not educational fields only. One delightful - bond of sympathy between Miss Buss and me was our common - interest in public affairs, and the harmony of our political - opinions. How eagerly she looked for news in stirring times! how - heartily she threw herself into the questions of the day! and - how she enjoyed a good political discussion! She was thoroughly - imbued with the fine civic spirit, and for my part I believe - this contact of her mind with the issues of life on a - larger—even though rougher—scale, was invaluable for the health - of the school-life, as a corrective to the narrow scholastic - spirit which so easily banishes the fresh air from schools, and - possibly sometimes even from universities. It is not the - particular opinions that tell, it is the contact with genuine - public spirit in any shape. - - “But it is with the educational interests and the outer circles - of her life in connection with them that we have here to do. In - all her work she had her eye always on the larger issues. The - North London Collegiate School was never out of perspective in - the mental picture of the educational field. No other - educational leader has worked with more devotion to one special - institution, but though it was the centre of her practical world - it never usurped the place of centre in her vision. And for this - very reason it was at the central source of many educational - movements, because she was in it, and was also at the very heart - of them. - - “The first place among these may be given to the education of - women in all its phases. But concern for the cultivation and - spread of educational principles and the professional training - of the teacher lay scarcely less near her heart. During the - later years, this occupied even more of her attention, and she - never had ‘women only’ in her mind. Then it was in the very - nature of her that she should be greatly exercised by the - politico-educational problems before they rose at all above the - horizon of the regular scholastic mind. I wonder how many - schoolmasters in England came to look into the question of Welsh - Intermediate Education, its creation and organization, when the - earliest Welsh Education Bills came before the House of Commons. - But we used to discuss these things in those days over our - midday meal, and debate on the analogy, or want of analogy, with - the English problem. The last piece of public work she did was - to answer the queries sent to educationalists by the Royal - Commission on Secondary Education. She was too ill then to give - evidence before the Commission, too ill to have answered these - queries if the ideas of them had been new to her, but she had - known her mind about them clearly in the days of her strength, - and it was easy to go over familiar ground once more. It was so - familiar to her that it was familiar ground to me too; I knew - her opinions as well as I knew my own (or better, in so far as - they were more determinate).” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - LIFE AT MYRA LODGE. - - “To know her is a liberal education.” - - - “I have no liking for large boarding-schools. My ideal of - education is large, well-conducted day schools, with all the - life and discipline that numbers alone can give; not to speak of - the greater cheapness and efficiency of the teaching. Our young - women are narrowed sadly by the want of sympathy, large - experience, and right self-estimation which only mixing with - numbers gives. But no large dormitories nor dining-rooms. Let - the education be as broad and vivacious as may be, and to a - certain extent, public; at all events, public-spirited. But, if - boarders must attend, let them live in families, under proper - regulations, of course, and attend as day scholars. Large - boarding-schools give a sort of hardness, which I, for one, - greatly dislike. They destroy the home-feelings, but I need not - dwell on these points; my feelings are most in favour of day - schools and good homes. - - “We have two boarding-houses. One, my own, is of very recent - establishment—the girls go to and from school with me or an - assistant-governess. Their education is just the same as that of - all the day pupils. - - “It is right, however, to say that this plan of letting the - mistress receive boarders is not allowed at the Cheltenham - Ladies’ College, a large and successful institution, the only - (almost) efficient proprietary girls’ school in this country. I - can see possible evils, but as I have only just begun, am not - fully aware of them yet. I should not recommend, I think, the - mistress of a great day school being allowed to begin with a - boarding-house. Her strength and whole working time ought to go - to the school.” - - -So wrote Miss Buss in 1868. She had taken Myra Lodge because she could -not otherwise have carried out her great scheme. She afterwards came to -see more clearly still that the head of a great school ought to have her -time at home free from all claims. Had she been able to act on this from -the first, her own life might have been prolonged. But once having taken -up the life at Myra she could never bring herself to let the girls go. -Even when, at last, she handed the boarding-house over to Miss Edwards, -she moved to the house adjoining, and had a door left so that she could -have girls to see her or go to see them. She said: “I do not think I -could now be quite happy without girls round me.” - -In accordance with her own theories, she tried to make Myra Lodge as -home-like as possible. And the welfare of her girls—physical, mental, -and spiritual—was her first care. To hygiene she had paid special -attention, and her arrangements for ventilation, bathing, and food, left -nothing to be desired. She always laid great stress on the need of -sufficient food, varied in every possible way; and every one within her -range must have heard her expatiate on the folly, or wickedness, for she -gave it the harder term, which induces so many young women to do fatal -injury to their health by insufficient and unsuitable food. Of the -laziness and indifference which makes so many of them content with odd -cups of tea, in place of regular and proper meals, she could not speak -too strongly. The Myra girls were fed well, and with sufficient luxuries -to make “home hampers” unnecessary. - -On all sides we hear of the special care exercised in the matter of -proper food during examinations, or in any time of extra strain. If it -was known that the interval during an examination was too brief to allow -of a full meal, hot soup, or hot milk, with bread and butter, or scone, -would be ready at the right time. - -Here is a word to the point from Miss Buss, to whom I had mentioned some -child’s complaint against a teacher— - - - “If there is anything wrong, I will see to it, but, meantime, I - cannot but think there is as much _real_ foundation for this - charge against Miss S. as there is in the one against me, which - has taken much of my time this week to trace out, viz. that a - girl now in school, was removed from my house, and placed under - medical treatment, because of the _insufficiency of food_. - - “It is quite impossible to trust in children’s judgments until - all sides of the question are looked into. Their views are as - immature as their bodies. - - “Another child speaks in the same way of another teacher, and I - am constantly having to bring in floods of light on a girl.” - - -Suitable clothing was also a matter of careful consideration. Miss Buss -would have liked a school-uniform, which she would have made graceful as -well as rational; but, except in the gymnasium, she never attained this -desire, and had to content herself with at school advising, and at Myra -compelling, the most needful reforms. She waged war against unsuitable -ornamentation, lace and jewellery in the morning being always attacked. - -She would, if possible, have given each girl a separate room, well -supplied with the “place for everything,” in which everything would be -expected to be in its place. Failing this, she so divided the rooms by -curtains that each inmate secured one portion that was specially her -own. - -At one time it was rather a fashion to talk of the “over-work” at Miss -Buss’ schools. Doubtless there were cases of girls too delicate for the -life of a public school, who ought to have been kept at home; and there -were also cases—very numerous—in which girls who were expected to do -school-work and at the same time meet every home claim, as well as enjoy -social distractions and dissipations, certainly did suffer. But at Myra -Lodge, where life was duly regulated, and the time for study fixed to -suit each girl, no one suffered who was at all fit to be away from her -mother’s care, whilst many were very markedly improved in health during -their stay there. - -Having myself suffered, for life, from the ignorance of the laws of -health common to even the most intellectually advanced teachers of my -youth, I was interested in this question, and often talked it over with -Miss Buss. Looking back on my own experience, and contrasting it with -what I knew of the arrangements at Myra, I could never bring myself to -believe in the sufferings of girls enjoying the benefit of Miss Buss’ -thorough knowledge of hygiene. - -She fully endorsed the opinion expressed by Miss Beale, in an able paper -read before the Social Science Congress, in 1874, where she says— - - - “I remember the outcry raised when it was proposed to open the - local examinations to girls. The deed was done, and none of the - evils predicted have fallen on us. I frequently challenge our - visitors to find a delicate-looking girl among our students. I - do not say we have none, but there are so few that it is not - easy to find them. I kept, one year, a record of all the causes - of absence, and found that in the higher classes pupils were - absent from illness on an average about three days in a year, in - the lower from five to six, and in the lowest rather more.” - - -And from America comes the satisfactory report of “headaches diminishing -and hysteria disappearing under the strengthening influences on body and -mind of this higher education.” - -There is no doubt that the pupils of the North London Collegiate Schools -had enough to do. But I know of at least two cases where the complaint -was quite the other way. Miss Buss says in one note— - - - “Fancy Mr. ——! He also wrote last year objecting to his - daughter’s home-work being limited. I know that most of the Myra - girls finish at seven o’clock, do no lessons before nine in the - morning, do _none at all_ on Friday evening, and always put - every bit of school-work by on Saturday at twelve. This leaves - many an hour free. But parents are the weakest of mortals. - Unmarried ‘_Arnies_’ have _will_, and _carry out_ what they know - to be right!” - - -In another case a pupil was withdrawn from Myra Lodge because she was -not allowed to work beyond the allotted time. Miss Buss writes in -reference to this— - - - “The child thinks she will be allowed, I suppose, to study - whatever hours she likes, if she goes elsewhere. _I_ will not - allow more than a certain amount. What’s not done then, must be - left undone. The consequence is, mental as well as bodily - activity, in time.” - - -Later, she again refers to the same subject: “Patty Watson has left me. -It is a good lesson of failure, and helps, let us hope, to repress that -‘bladder of elation’ of which you speak.” And, once again, apropos to -some other difficulty: “The enclosed note is very satisfactory. J—— D—— -was not allowed to go her own way, like Patty, who, by the way, is a -clever girl, conscientious and industrious.” - -It may be open to question, perhaps, whether Miss Buss might not have -relaxed her rules in favour of this very remarkable girl. But it is also -probable that the very perception of the dangers attending overstrain -may have made her resolute against it. Miss Ellen Martha Watson had gone -to Myra Lodge, mainly that she might pursue study in higher mathematics, -and consequently might have expected to count as more than an ordinary -schoolgirl. She was, however, of highly sensitive organization, and no -one who knows the care exercised over each girl individually can doubt -that Miss Buss was aware of all that concerned her, and judged -accordingly. - -Miss Watson gained first-class honours in the Senior Cambridge Local -Examination while at Myra Lodge. Afterwards, at the University College -Intermediate, she took the highest prize for applied mathematics and -mechanics, as well as a £50 Scholarship. Professor Clifford said on this -occasion that the proficiency of Miss Watson would have been very rare -in a man, but he had been utterly unprepared to find it in a woman, -adding that, “a few more students like Miss Watson would raise -University College to a status far surpassing that of institutions -twenty times as rich and two hundred times longer in existence.” - -A case so exceptional must stand alone; but still the question does -suggest itself, if, throughout her whole school-life, Miss Watson had -been subject to the restrictions judged wholesome by one so wise as Miss -Buss, might she not possibly have been spared to work out her splendid -destiny, instead of being so early laid to rest in her lonely South -African grave? - -It is impossible to form any rules which will include the few brilliant -exceptions who are a law to themselves; such, for example, as Miss -Cobbe, one out of a thousand, in being endowed with a physique to match -her mental vigour, who gives an instance of the kind of work possible to -herself. She is contrasting the old and the new order of things, or -_impulse_ versus _system_. - - - “I can make no sort of pretensions to have acquired, even in my - best days, anything like the instruction which the young - students of Girton and Newnham and Lady Margaret Hall are so - fortunate as to possess; and much I envy their opportunities for - acquiring accurate scholarship. But I know not whether the - method they follow can, on the whole, convey as much of the pure - delight of learning as did my solitary early studies. When the - summer morning sun rose over the trees and shone into my - bedroom, finding me still over my books from the evening before, - and when I then sauntered out to take a sleep on one of the - garden-seats in the shrubbery, the sense of having learnt - something, or cleared up some hitherto doubted point, or added a - store of fresh ideas to my mental riches, was of purest - satisfaction.” - - -Without coming to any final decision on the best mode of dealing with -genius, to which study after this fashion may be natural, we may at -least safely conclude that even in the most elastic of school -boarding-houses, a girl so expansive could scarcely find herself happy, -or be a source of happiness to the anxious mistress. - -But how happy even a very clever girl might be at Myra we may see from -some memories of a stay of six months, spent in preparation for Girton, -where the writer, Mrs. Lewis, distinguished herself— - - - “I remember, as if it was yesterday, my first meeting with Miss - Buss, now twenty-three years ago.... At the earliest possible - moment she had interviewed me privately, and I was deeply - impressed by her earnest manner, by the thoroughness with which - she went into my former education, and the evident intention of - doing her utmost for me. This I soon knew was characteristic of - her. We were, to her, individuals—each one the object of genuine - interest and real anxiety.... - - “She talked to me more as an adult than as a schoolgirl, and I - remember with gratitude that she invited me to walk with her to - church, or on any occasion when she happened to go out with us, - interesting me in some social, educational, or philanthropic - subject, talking with such fluency and such a fund of - illustration and of racy anecdote that I was sorry when our - destination was reached. Looking back, I realize what an - unusually generous thing it was for all these privileges to be - poured out on a raw schoolgirl, and, moreover, on a stranger. - That eager, ungrudging, self-spending for others was, to my - mind, the most noticeable feature of dear Miss Buss’ daily life. - - “In about two months Miss Buss began actively arranging for me - to see as much of London as possible during my stay with her. - With all the varied work and cares of her busy days upon her, - she would constantly ask, ‘Had I seen this place of interest? - had I heard that famous preacher? had I ever been so-and-so?’ - And every spare afternoon or evening was used to the best - advantage, either personally, or with any lady she could find - free to chaperone me. She often told me that a teacher ought to - have as wide and varied an experience as possible, and all the - general information she could get, and should never think that - book-learning alone would fit her for her post. Foreign travel, - social intercourse, general reading, all were insisted on as - indispensable. And she would give me bits of the history of her - own struggles.... - - “The happiness of all her pupils was to her an object of real - solicitude. I remember my delighted surprise on one of the first - Saturdays at her cheery invitation, ‘Now, girls, which of you - would like to come to see Maccabe, at St. George’s Hall, with me - this afternoon?’ I knew the week had been a very busy one, and I - wondered how Miss Buss could find the energy to be so gay, and - to laugh with the merriest of us at the jokes. - - “Looking back, I realize that I cannot over-estimate the value - of such association with that noble, earnest, sympathetic - nature. And, certainly, I have never seen any one who so equally - combined earnestness of purpose, untiring industry, indomitable - perseverance, and shrewd common sense, with the perfection of - womanly sympathy.” - - -Of the intellectually stimulating effect of this association another -pupil speaks strongly— - - - “Although it is quite impossible for any of us to measure the - great influence for good that Miss Buss has exerted over the - whole of our lives, in one particular I have specially felt the - great help her training has been to me personally, viz. the - choice of books and taste for good literature. - - “I can remember, quite early in my school-life, the cutting - satire with which Miss Buss would criticize some of the modern - trash in the shape of literature, so that one felt (and that - feeling I have never lost) one simply could not read such books. - On the other hand, she always recommended plenty of good - wholesome books to help us in the choice of our reading; while, - in pointing out passages, or in explaining allusions, she roused - interest, and cultivated the taste for all that is good and pure - in literature. - - “She applied to books, as to other things, her favourite motto: - ‘Aim high, and you will strike high!’ - - “She seemed, in all her teaching, to agree with the poet Lowell, - that ‘not failure, but low aim, is crime!’ - - “A favourite subject for debate was the _Ethics of Waste_, - showing that everything wantonly destroyed is a loss to the - community. The wickedness of waste of food seems to have excited - much attention, and set the girls, among themselves, to discuss - and make calculations concerning it which served—as they were - meant to do—to give safe and harmless topics for talk. - - “Akin to this was the effort to make girls look into the future, - and not to trust to what might happen, but to prepare by present - action in acquiring habits of decision and industry. She thought - that every woman should be independent, and deprecated - dependence on brothers or other friends, so long as effort was - possible on their own part.” - - -Another “Myra girl” seizes on a point very characteristic, when she -says— - - - “To schoolgirl and friend alike, Miss Buss was entirely natural. - She was too great to think of, or to need, exterior aids to - respect. Forgetful of herself, she was ever ready to share her - thoughts or memories with all who could be interested or helped - by them. - - “In her conversation she avoided all personal gossip. Never did - an unkind or hasty word about a fellow-being cross her lips, and - often in the school addresses, she told us that by chatter the - ninth commandment was easily broken, and that topics about - acquaintances begun in innocence, ended only in harm and hurt to - others.” - - -There is a story of her that, one day, after a visitor had gone, Miss -Buss seemed very uncomfortable, and finally said, “I feel as if I had -been stung all over; that talk has left so many stings behind it!” It -was her rule, carefully kept, never to repeat unpleasant things; but she -never forgot to mention any kind word said about others. - -Miss Fawcett speaks of Miss Buss’ sympathy with young life and its -needs, and she adds— - - - “The girls were a great happiness to Miss Buss. If one or other - did give trouble through temper—and this did worry her—we would - sometimes comfort each other by reflecting how many of them did - nothing of the kind, but went on tranquilly and happily. ‘Yes,’ - she would say, ‘it is the old story; the ninety and nine are apt - to be forgotten in the struggle with the one!’ And she would - cheer up.” - - -She was very indulgent to her girls at the half-term holidays. Besides -sending them for pleasant excursions, she liked them to be able to go -into the kitchen to make toffee, and to cook some little dainty -(Northcountry cakes or specialities), or anything else they might like. - -The girls’ birthdays were always marked by some special treat. On one -occasion we hear that the younger children were, for once, to be allowed -to make “just as much noise as they liked.” The results were so -“tremendous” that a friendly policeman looked in to see if his services -were required, greatly relieved to find that the shrieks which had -attracted him were only shrieks of laughter. - -But, whilst delighting in real fun, the line was drawn, hard and fast, -at slang, roughness, and, above all, at practical jokes. No girl who had -once had a talk with her on this last topic was likely to make a second -attempt within reach of Miss Buss. The doings of certain “smart” sets -found small tolerance in her eyes. Nor did the “Dodo” and “Yellow Aster” -literature fare better, though for most of it she would have probably -given the prescription that worked so well in one particular case of -morbid excitement—“closed doors and open windows,” or silence and fresh -air. - -Miss Buss had remarked, as a fact of her experience, that if girls of -great natural vanity could not take the lead in any other way, they -developed something sensational in health. Hearing of a case of this -sort in one of the boarding-houses, she requested to be sent for if -another fainting fit should come on. This was done. On arriving, she -found the girls’ room full of anxious bystanders, who were at once -dismissed, only excepting the head of the house, who was asked to close -the door and open all the windows. - -Miss Buss then demanded a large jug of “the very coldest water that -could be procured,” adding, in distinct tones, “There is no sort of -danger in this kind of attack, and the most certain cure is a sudden -dash of very cold water in the face.” - -In telling me this story, she added, with one of her most genial smiles— - -“I saw that the child had her best frock on, and I wanted to give her -time.” - -Before the water came, the patient was able to gasp out, “Ah, I feel -better now, thank you!” - -“That is right, my child. I am glad you feel better. And now remember, -in future, that you need never alarm either yourself or any one else. If -you feel a little faintness coming on, just retire to your own room, -without saying anything about it. Shut your door, open all the windows, -and lie down quietly. You will soon find yourself well again.” - -There was no recurrence of the attack. - -With weakness of will Miss Buss could by nature have little sympathy. -But she was stern only when she knew that a will might be roused to -greater effort, which, if let alone, could only grow more and more -feeble. With merely morbid and self-centred natures she had still less -affinity, and for these the prescription, “Do your next duty first!” -would be very strongly enforced. - -Coldness or extreme reserve of manner was always a trial to Miss Buss, -as to all persons of a naturally demonstrative temperament. It was true -that she herself sometimes exercised a repressive influence, but this -was only when she was very much run down or worried. Usually, she drew -people out by her frank kindness. One of her very favourite stories for -her girls was Mrs. Gatty’s charming kitten story, “Purr when you are -pleased!” She liked every one to show feelings of pleasure or kindness, -and in this she set them a bright example. - -Miss Fawcett recalls, among many things bearing on the same point, a -remark made to her by Miss Buss, as they passed two new girls—both of -whom are since known to fame—“It is always a refreshment of spirit to me -to look at those two happy sisters!” Natures of this kind were a real -help in her times of depression or discouragement, though, doubtless, -none of the girls ever dreamt that one so strong could need help. Other -teachers will understand from experience this joy of whole-hearted and -sympathetic obedience from their pupils. And it is easy to measure what -this must have been to Miss Buss in those later days, when she was no -longer the energetic young teacher, sweeping every one along with her in -a rapture of devotion, but, instead, had to carry, in addition to her -own inevitable burdens, all the cares of her wide public work. - -It may be a direct result of public-school life, assimilating the modern -girl to her schoolboy brother, but certainly it is to be observed that -the High-school girl rarely seems to have that power of expressing her -feelings which made her mother or grandmother so much easier in all -social relations. It is more than probable that, in thus growing like -the typical “schoolboy,” she may in reality feel more, and not less, -from this very habit of repression. But the fact remains that she is -more difficult of approach than the girl of other days. - -With special cases quite individual in their nature, Miss Buss was -rarely known to fail. As one of her staff observes— - - - “the way in which she managed difficult and obstinate pupils was - marvellous. She would spend hours with them, and never thought - the time wasted if at last she made the slightest impression. - Often, when this did not appear on the surface, it was shown - weeks, months, or even years after, by some little note or - message.” - - -In thanking a young friend for some proof of affection there is a -pathetic little appeal— - - - “You _young_ people can form no idea—till your time comes—of how - much pain a little indifference can inflict, especially when - both the old and the young have warm hearts. My life needs close - love from some one—I have given a large amount of mine to some - one—and when he not only responds, but initiates loving remarks - or caresses, he fills the old person’s heart with warmth, - brightness, and love.” - - -On some few occasions, when more than usually overdone, I have heard -Miss Buss admit with a weary sigh that she found the girls of the last -decade of her work so much less easy to influence than those of the -first; since, even when they were inwardly touched, they seemed unable -to show it after the old fashion. - -“_Autres temps, autres mœurs._” But yet, making all due allowance, if -these “difficult” girls could have seen this friend after one of the -encounters so terrible to her, and have realized how spent and -heart-sick she was, they must have taken less pride in their defiance or -hardness. She cared for them so deeply that it was real anguish of soul -to her to think of the future sorrows inevitable for tempers -undisciplined and wills unsubdued. - -With this question of the influence on manners of the public school -comes what does seem a real objection to the new development—an -objection most strongly felt by those who look farthest back. With her -invariable point and terseness, Miss Cobbe thus puts this matter in a -nutshell— - - - “William of Wykeham’s motto: ‘Manners makyth Manne,’ was - understood to hold good emphatically concerning the making of - Woman. The abrupt-speaking, courtesy-neglecting, slouching, - slangy young damsel, who may now perhaps carry off the glories - of a University degree, would then have seemed still needing to - be taught the very rudiments of feminine knowledge. When I - recall the type of perfect womanly gentleness and high breeding - which then and there was formed, it seems to me as if, in - comparison, modern manners are all rough and brusque. We have - graceful women in abundance still, but the peculiar, - old-fashioned suavity, the tact which made every one in a - company happy and at ease—most of all, the humblest individual - present—and which at the same time, effectually prevented the - most audacious from transgressing _les bienséances_ by a hair; - of that suavity and tact we seem to have lost the tradition.” - - -But Miss Buss had always faith enough in the future to regard the modern -roughness as merely a transitional stage, and as the outcome, in the -first place, of the higher standard of morals which places _fact_ before -_seeming_. The perfect outward grace of the courtly days did not always -imply corresponding grace within. When these first days of reaction -shall pass, and a really wide and high culture shall have become -general, we may expect the development of a new gracefulness which shall -be the genuine outcome of a truly gracious spirit. - - - “For manners are not idle, but the fruit - Of loyal nature, and of noble mind.” - - -In the very early days at Myra, the rules were few and simple, and the -girls were trusted to do the right for love of it. Miss Buss believed in -the force of a strong public opinion which should put all wrong-doing in -its true light as hurtful to the community; and she considered it the -chief advantage of a large public school that a strong feeling for the -right should prevail, and, by its very force, put down all that was base -or ignoble. - -It was a grief to her to make new rules, and I can recall her sorrow, on -several occasions, when it became necessary to add to those already -existing—in every case as the result of some act on the part of a -selfish minority, who thus imposed additional burdens on the obedient -majority. - -Miss Fawcett, who had long experience at Myra, and Miss Edwards, who -followed her there, speak very strongly about the thoughtful care which -in all cases aimed at preventing possible dangers. Girls whose influence -might be hurtful to each other were placed in rooms remote; and the -sitting-rooms were made attractive, and thus kept the pupils to some -extent under constant supervision. - -In Miss Buss’ letters during the holidays there are many proofs of this -thoughtfulness. She writes to Miss Fawcett— - - - “Of these two I know nothing—morally, I mean. But A. ought to be - kept if possible from B., and also from C. and D.; the former - cannot manage her, and the latter gives in, perhaps, to her. - Would it do for her to take F.’s bed, in G.’s room? It requires - consideration.” - - -This consideration reached all round. Another long letter goes into -arrangements for Miss Fawcett’s own relief from some of the care, each -detail being worked out with the utmost exactness. - -Or again— - - - “Can you invite X. to visit you on the half-term holiday, or, if - possible, from Friday or Saturday before? I fear she may be - asked to two places where I do not wish her to go just now. She - is not easy to manage, and her companions are of great - importance; and yet it is difficult for me to decline - invitations when the reason cannot be explained. - - “If you do not much mind, I will not send the three girls on - Sunday until six o’clock, when they will be in time for service, - unless it is raining. - - “But _I_ give up an hour or rather more to the girls on Sunday - afternoons, and have been obliged, since that difficulty last - year, to refuse to let them out on Sundays, except at the - half-term. If by any chance a girl goes out in the morning, I - expect her back to tea. They can go out on Saturday afternoons - occasionally.” - - -Here is a note after the great explosion in Regent’s Park, on October -2nd, 1874— - - - “I hope nothing worse than broken glass has happened at your - house in consequence of the terrible shock this morning. - Thirteen of my windows are shattered, but I am too thankful for - the preservation of the young inmates of my house to mind - anything. - - “My first thought was that the stack of chimneys had blown down, - and, in falling, had crushed the roof in on the beds of Mary and - Ethel P—— and Edith A——. The noise seemed to come from that - quarter. In an instant I was upstairs, to ascertain if they were - safe. - - “I find myself even now shaking from the shock to the nervous - system. My girls behaved admirably. They were all quiet.” - - -From the early days to the latest Miss Buss gave short addresses weekly -on some moral text, choosing frequently some recent story of great deed -or high thought, and making it interesting as she brought it to bear on -the daily life of the girls. As one of the staff remarks— - - - “The high moral tone of the school was materially helped by - these weekly addresses. Four forms met her in the Lecture Hall, - and teachers and pupils listened to her wise counsel. One of her - favourite texts was the life of Dorothy Wordsworth, as she - earnestly pleaded with the girls, above all things, to aim at - being true women, and not to let their school-work in any way - interfere with their home duties, never forgetting that they - must bring either sunshine or cloud into the home-life.” - - -Here is a little sketch of the Sunday talks at Myra— - - - “I love to picture that drawing-room, Miss Buss to the left of - the fire, her lamp on the table at her right, and the girls - grouped around her at the fire, often some at her feet.... I - never heard any one read as she did, and especially on those - Sundays! Every word told. And then she would pause, and send - some truth home by an illustration from her own experience.... - After the holidays, she was generally full of some new thought: - Mrs. Norton’s ‘Lady of La Garaye’ was brought after a happy - holiday at Dinan.... She spent hours in the preparation of the - Myra and school addresses, a testimony to the stress she laid on - their importance.” - - -There are some pretty little glimpses of the inner life at Myra, given -by a pupil who spent there a somewhat prolonged school-life, in which -she came into very close relation to the beloved teacher— - - - “My earliest recollection of Miss Buss was when I went in for - the entrance exam.; in a state of great trepidation, I - accompanied her along the corridor to take off my things, and I - think she saw my poor fingers shaking, for she suddenly took me - in her warm embrace, and said, ‘Do your best, my dear child, and - you must leave the rest,’ and then, looking me in the face, with - another kiss, she said, ‘I _think_ we are going to be friends.’ - And the radiant smile that accompanied the kiss won my heart and - banished my fears. - - “I had been at Myra Lodge only a few weeks when, one of the - girls having acted contrary to regulations, a warm discussion on - her conduct took place in the playroom downstairs, some - defending and some disapproving of her conduct. We were quite - unaware that in the heat of discussion our voices were loud - enough to be heard upstairs; it was a point on which I felt - strongly, and I expressed myself somewhat emphatically for a - new-comer. The next day Miss Buss sent for me, said she knew of - the incident, and ‘you said so-and-so, my child; I am delighted - to think you feel in that way, you were on the right side, and - remember, dear, I shall always _expect_ to find you on the right - side.’ How often that belief in my being ‘on the right side’ - helped me to make the struggle for the right only _I_ can tell!” - - -The same writer gives a glimpse of the brightest side of the relation -between the head and her Myra girls— - - - “Miss Buss would often come round and see we were quite - comfortable in our beds, and give us a maternal ‘tuck-up.’ One - morning at breakfast she came behind my chair, and, turning my - chin up with her hand to look in my face, said with laughing - voice and eye— - - “‘Well, did I cheat you last night?’ - - “A vision of a figure in red dressing-gown tucking me up and - kissing me sprang into my mind, and I said— - - “‘Oh, I remember; I thought it was mother.’ - - “And, whispering to me, she said, as she kissed me, ‘I thought - so, dear; you gave me such a hug, you sent me so happy to bed!’” - - -And this, again, from another old pupil, is equally attractive— - - - “Never shall I forget her kindness when confined to my room at - Myra by illness. It was the bright spot in my day when Miss Buss - appeared in the evening to tuck me up in bed, and wish me good - night. More than once she was on her way to some dinner or - meeting, and wore a blue _moiré_, which I thought singularly - becoming. Her smile, peculiarly sweet, piquant, and gracious, - lighted up my long, dull hours, and lingers with me still. - - “There was something so large and unfluctuating about her that - one felt one could trust her with and through everything.” - - -An apparently harmless bit of nonsense brought about another episode -which deeply impressed the girl who tells it— - - - “Miss Buss was in her little room. In her kindest way she held - out her hand to me and said— - - “‘Dear child, I want to talk to you; did you write that?’ - producing the book. - - “‘Oh yes,’ I laughed, ‘just to tease Louie!’ - - “I shall never forget the way in which she drew me to her, put - my head on her shoulder, and then talked to me. She pointed out - that the offence in itself was not a serious one, but that the - jesting with a subject so serious as Love was one that no girl - should indulge in; and then followed the most beautiful little - picture of what true earthly love might be, that makes me glow - to think of now, and she urged me never to trifle with the - subject in any form, reserving all my ‘best’ for the one who was - to give me ‘what is God’s best gift on earth, dear, the love of - a good man, such as the love your father and mother have, and - such as I hope He may give you.’ How glad I am to think she - _knew_ I have received that gift!” - - -It must indeed have been a joy to this happy young wife to be able often -to brighten the later days of the solitary worker, whom she mourns now -with tender and grateful remembrance in words that find far echoes— - - - “You know my deep affection, I may truly say veneration, for the - dear one, and I feel as if one of my very nearest had gone. I - look on it as one of the greatest privileges of my life to have - lived in such close contact with her for so many years. Dear, - dear Miss Buss, what an inspiration she has been, and what a - responsibility rests with us to carry out what she has always - taught us as the ideal of life! Her influence in the world is - untold; and I am sure many are the lives she has influenced in - critical times when the thought of what _she_ would do, or would - wish, has turned the scale in the right direction.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - THE GYMNASIUM, NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. -] - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - EARLY EDUCATIONAL IDEALS. - - - “The vocation of a teacher is an awful one. You cannot do her - real good; she will do others unspeakable harm if she is not - aware of its awfulness. Merely to supply her with necessaries, - merely to assist her in procuring them for herself—though that - is far better, because in so doing you awaken energy of - character, reflection, providence—is not fitting her for her - work; you may confirm her in the notion that the training an - immortal spirit may be just as lawfully undertaken in a case of - emergency as that of selling ribbons? How can you give a woman - self-respect, how can you win for her the respect of others, in - whom such a notion, or any modification of it dwells? Your - business is, by all means, to dispossess her of it; to make her - feel the greatness of her work, and yet show her that it can be - honestly performed.”—F. D. MAURICE, Lecture on opening Queen’s - College. - - -It is always of interest to compare dreams with deeds, the ideal with -the actual. And this we are enabled to do with regard to Miss Buss’ -educational ideals, since we have first her own words at different -stages in her work, before any change was made, as well as during the -time of transition; and afterwards, from a keen observer, we have a -summary of results, and see how the dream had become fact, how the aim -was attained. - -There is very little of Miss Buss’ writing to be found in print. But we -have one letter written, in 1868, to a lady in Otago, and published in a -colonial paper, which gives us her ideas and her aims for future work -just before the great change. - - - “North London Collegiate School for Ladies, - “12, Camden Street, - “Nov. 13, 1868. - - “DEAR MADAM, - - “I have read with much pleasure your interesting account - of the progress of education in your colony. You will soon leave - the old country behind if you go so rapidly. There is much to be - done before it can be said that England has a great national - system of education.... - - “Lord Lyttelton has taken a deep interest in education, and has - especially devoted himself to the consideration of the question - in relation to girls. If you have not seen it, I recommend to - your notice the Report of the Schools Inquiry Commission - presented to the Imperial Parliament at the beginning of this - year. It forms the first of a series of twenty-one Blue books, - all of which are interesting for all who care for middle-class - education. The chapter on the education of girls was, I believe, - written by Lord Lyttelton. - - “The school of which I am head-mistress was opened eighteen - years ago, under the immediate patronage of the local clergy. - The girls’ school followed almost immediately the opening of a - boys’ school, which has numbered about four hundred for some - years past. Both schools have from the first been entirely - self-supporting. The girls have, however, outgrown their - accommodation in two good-sized houses, but will, I trust, in - time be located in a suitable building. The schools have always - been conducted on what is here called the ‘conscience clause’; - that is, the parents have the right of omitting the Church of - England Catechism or any part of the religious teaching they - object to. Even Jewesses[9] have received their whole education - in the school. - - “The routine of English has been considerably improved by the - extension to girls’ schools of the Cambridge Local Examinations. - It is impossible, I think, to overrate the good already done in - girls’ schools by these examinations. A definite standard is - given, there is no undue publicity, but schools are able to - measure their teaching by the opinions of unknown and, - therefore, impartial examiners. - - “I cannot, of course, judge of the wants of a new colony, but my - experience goes to show that it is better to include in the - routine of study all the necessary branches, and I think a - second language is one. It is almost impossible to teach English - well unless another language is studied with it, and that other - language should be Latin, or French, or German. Of course I do - not say that this should be taught in the elementary stages, but - I should not allow parents to have the power of stopping the - teaching on the ground of extra expense. - - “We teach French, really, I think, allowing no option. Latin - also in the higher classes, with little or no option, except in - the case of delicate girls. - - “After my many years of work, if I were now to found a school - for what might be called the middle section (and, indeed, the - upper section also) of the middle-class, I should include all - that I have mentioned, viz. English thoroughly, with Elementary - Science in courses such as I have alluded to, French, Latin, - bold outline drawing, careful part singing, _plain_ needlework, - and thorough arithmetic, with geometry and algebra in the higher - classes. I would rigidly and entirely omit all arrangements for - teaching instrumental music, which I believe to be the bane of - girls’ schools, in the time wasted and the expense entailed. I - have omitted, I see, harmony, by which I mean the laws of - musical construction, an interesting, and, in an educational - point of view, a most useful subject for mental training. - Instrumental music—the piano chiefly—might fairly be left to a - private teacher, as might dancing also. In Germany, I think, - instrumental music is never taught in the _Tochter Schule_, but - is always left to private teaching. - - “No school ought to omit _physical training_—that is, - Calisthenics, or something equivalent. This we have of late - enforced among the elder girls. Our system, an American idea, - called Musical Gymnastics, is excellent. Easy, graceful, and not - too fatiguing, gently calling every part of the body into play - by bright spirited music, which cultivates rhythm of movement, - it has become popular, and has wonderfully improved the figure - and carriage of the girls. Our exercises last from twenty - minutes to half an hour almost daily—as much as we can manage, - always four days out of five.” - - -Footnote 9: - - A letter from an old Jewish pupil, in the _Jewish Chronicle_, is full - of deepest regret for her loss, giving many instances of special - kindnesses received by the writer. “She was so strictly just that she - gave every consideration to the first Jewish pupil who wished to - participate in the honours not then open to Jews, acknowledging to - that same pupil in after years that she gave the consideration in - justice only, for, if anything, she was slightly prejudiced against a - race she had only read about and not known.” - -Miss Buss then goes on to explain fully her ideal of what the education -of girls should be, giving her preference for “large day schools, with -all the life and discipline that numbers only can give; not to speak of -the greater efficiency and cheapness of the teaching.” She thinks that -“our young women are narrowed sadly by want of the sympathy, large -experience, and right self-estimation which only mixing with numbers -gives.” She sees that the head of the school should be a woman, “left -free to work the school, on certain conditions, without a committee of -management.” The buildings, of course, “should be vested in a body of -trustees, of which some should be women.” - -It has sometimes been urged as a reproach that Miss Buss employed -women-teachers in preference to men. That she employed women wherever it -was possible is certain, because she considered teaching a legitimate -occupation for women, and set herself to fit them for the work. That -women _could_ teach, she knew from her own experience. That they should -teach better in the future than they had ever done in the past was one -of her steady aims, and one that she attained. - -Here is a strong expression of her feeling when she first read the -report of the Edinburgh Merchants’ Company’s Schools, in 1872— - - - “The report is interesting, but I absolutely burn with - indignation (does not my atrocious handwriting bear witness to - it?) at the bare notion of _men_ teachers in the upper girls’ - schools. It is shameful, costly (because some poor drudge of a - woman must accept starvation pay, in order to maintain decorum - by being present at every master’s lesson), and it is degrading - to women’s education. How can girls value it, when they see that - no amount of it will make a woman fit to teach them, except as - infants. - - “Don’t be frightened, I feel well and even amiable, though I am - in a great hurry, and my hand aches.” - - -Her own deliberate opinion on this matter is expressed in the letter to -her colonial correspondent— - - - “Although I advocate certain teaching being given by men to the - elder girls, it does not seem desirable that the head of a - girls’ school should be a man. There are many things in the - training of a young woman which cannot be enforced by a man, or - even by a woman whose position does not carry the weight of - authority. Women, also, teach young and ignorant children better - than men, their patience and sympathy being greater. On the - other hand, it is highly desirable, when girls are beyond the - drudgery of school-work, that their minds should be touched by - men. A certain fibre seems to be given by this means. At present - women’s ignorance prevents them from giving the highest kind of - teaching, but a brighter day is dawning for them I trust.” - - -All through her career, Miss Buss arranged for good lectures from men, -as well as from women, and the regular religious instruction was always -given by a clergyman. In early days there were courses of lectures by -Dr. Hodgson and Mr. Payne. There were lectures on literature from French -and German professors, in their own tongues. At one time the girls would -be entranced by glimpses of the starry heavens from Mr. Proctor; at -another, they were ready, _en masse_, to follow Captain Wiggins through -the perils of the Arctic seas, to Siberia. In brief, these extra -lectures included every possible subject that could tend to culture, in -history, travels, art, or social matters. - -How Miss Bass advanced in educational theory is shown in extracts from -her letters in 1872, just after the private school had been made public, -and while the work of organization was still going on— - - - “When we are once fairly started, matters will go on more - easily. The anxiety over money will go, for instance. After next - year, the public meeting will go, I hope. Then I may devote - myself to the inside of the school. - - “I want to train up girl-students in _science_; I want to teach - music grandly—thoroughly in classes—making each girl understand - what she plays, as well as if she were reading some passage of - poetry, teaching her to find out the musician’s thought; _his_ - mode of expressing it; other ways of expression of the same - thought, viz. _words_. The grammar of music should be known to - every musician. - - “Of course, only some girls would _fully_ benefit by this - teaching, but all who were taught would get some good. In this - last point Miss Maclean, now Mrs. G. Fraser, will help. Indeed, - she will carry out my idea thoroughly.[10] We must have a room - with four pianos to begin with, and increase to six, or eight, - if necessary. - - “In science Mr. Aveling will help, and Miss Eliza Orme; but as - soon as we can get some of our girls quite ready our assistant - science teachers must come from them. - - “Ah, ah, how I wish we could get a fine building for the Camden - School; we do want a lecture hall and gymnasium so much. - - “If ever we have a little money, I should like the old furniture - in Camden Street to be turned to account in a still lower - school—at a shilling a week. We might work out this plan and - have two schools—not reckoning an evening one—in a room thus - used. - - “Then I want to (perhaps) turn No. 202, Camden Road, into a Day - Training College for Teachers. When we have left the house, we - might give up the large room behind, and so diminish the rent. - - “Of this Training or Normal College Miss Chessar could be - superintendent, without giving up her whole time. The house - would enable us to train at least a hundred students at a time, - and they must pay for their training; as much, certainly, as the - school fees would amount to. - - “Our Training College should not receive _ignorant_ girls. None - should join who could not pass our examination at entrance. - - “Our students should learn the history of great teachers, their - methods, etc., should learn how to teach and what to teach; how - to develop the mental, moral, and physical capacities of their - pupils (by moral I mean also spiritual). We would affiliate to - our College the National Schools, the School Boards of the - neighbourhood, and _our own_ girls’ schools, so that every - student in training should have the opportunity of seeing actual - schools in work. - - “I have not mentioned this last to any one but Mr. Payne, for - several reasons, one being that I am ambitious for the cause of - education and especially for the _mixture_ of sexes; if the - College of Preceptors would take up the idea, it might be better - left to them. Our board might then rent to them our present - house. If the Preceptors _won’t_ do it, then I would urge our - board to try the question. - - “Our chairman thinks this professional aspect of teaching - ridiculous. I remained silent while he was speaking, as I am - gradually growing into the idea that _teaching_ is one of the - noblest professions, not second even to medicine—one does with - the _body_, the other with the immortal _soul_! - - “But one point will be to carry first the _half-time_ lower - school; no doubt the Brewers will warm to this, if I can - persuade them. This school might positively be built on _their_ - estate, near Camden Street. The Danish model, I mean!” - - -Footnote 10: - - Mrs. Fraser died within a year or so of her marriage in 1873, and Miss - Buss writes: “One sad cloud has overshadowed us—the death of my dear - old pupil and recent fellow-worker, Emma Maclean (Mrs. Fraser).... As - I write, my eyes fill with tears at the thought of that fair young - life thus early cut down.... You know how she stood at my side in all - the recent musical changes, but you cannot know what a wonderful - teacher she was. She inspired her pupils, and her power was so great - that no difficulty in managing them ever occurred. I have now to find - a successor to her; replace her I cannot.” A Musical Scholarship was - founded in memory of Mrs. Fraser. - -The following letter, written by Miss Buss, appeared in the autumn of -1872:— - - - “SCHOOL-HOURS. - - “_To the Editor of the ‘Times.’_ - - “SIR,—Having had the opportunity recently of becoming acquainted - with the system pursued in the Primary Schools of Sweden and - Denmark, it has occurred to me that we may learn something from - our Scandinavian neighbours with regard to the very important - question: hours of attendance. - - “One great difficulty we have to face is so to arrange the hours - of school that the children shall be able to attend school and - yet find time for work. - - “Throughout Denmark education is compulsory, the parents being - liable to fine and imprisonment for neglecting to send their - children to school; but the difficulty of combining school - attendance with freedom for work is met by the simple plan of - holding school twice a day for different sets of children. Five - hours being the required school attendance, one set of children - attend from 8 o’clock to 1, with an interval for recreation at - 11, and another set from 1 to 6 o’clock, also with a short - interval. - - “The parents are free to choose between the morning and - afternoon school, according to the work the children have to do. - In the first case, the children can work after 1 o’clock; in the - second, until that hour. - - “This plan has also another advantage—it enables 2000 children - to be taught in a school-house built and fitted for 1000, and - this without in the least interfering with evening teaching. - This is an important economical question. - - “One superintendent is sufficient for both schools, as he is not - expected to teach more than 18 hours a week. He has a staff of - assistants, some of whom are visiting teachers only, for special - subjects, such as gymnastics, singing, etc. Elementary teachers - are compelled to teach 36 hours a week, and may, if they wish, - earn extra payment by extra teaching to the extent of 42 hours. - The time-tables of the schools are so arranged that three sets - of teachers can thoroughly manage four schools. - - “Would not the adoption of some such plan, modified to suit - local cases, clear away some of our difficulties? A _maximum_ - attendance of four hours daily, from 8.30 to 12.30, and from 1 - to 5 o’clock, would, perhaps, be better suited to London, with - one day’s holiday in a fortnight. - - “The system appears to work well in Denmark, and to produce the - desired results. The children attend school 30 hours a week. A - diminution of the school-hours would still secure 24 hours a - week for each school; but questions of detail must, of course, - depend on local conditions. I merely wish to call attention to - the possible solution of one, at least, of our difficulties. - - “A PRACTICAL TEACHER.” - - -This last dream never came true. But the advance in the elementary -schools met all need of this kind. The higher Board Schools form now the -connecting-link with the Camden School. - -It may be of interest here to show how Miss Buss carried out her thought -about the Camden School, now housed as nobly as she could have desired. -From Miss Elford, the first head-mistress of the Camden School, as well -as from her successor, there are touching notices of their relations -with the founder of their school— - - - “Miss Buss had long felt the need of such a school, and for her - to feel the need was for her to leave nothing undone until the - need was supplied. It was as far back as the summer of 1868, - when Miss Buss intimated to me—an old pupil—that in all - probability a school would be founded in connection with her - school, the fees of which would be four guineas a year. And - would I like to be its head-mistress! The lowness of the fees - rather alarmed me; but without hesitation, in full confidence of - the success that must attend any scheme she took up, I said yes! - - “Foresight and forethought were two of Miss Buss’ many and great - qualifications. I have frequently heard old girls say, ‘If Miss - Buss told me to do a thing of which I could not quite see the - advisability, I should do it, knowing that she could see the - necessity for it, and the good that would result from it, for - she never makes a mistake.’ - - “The Camden School for Girls, however, was not started until - January, 1871, in the old school-houses, Nos. 12 and 14, Camden - Street, which had been until that time occupied by the North - London Collegiate School. It began with the head-mistress and - Miss Buss as superintendent, and was opened with 45 pupils on - the first day, January 16, 1871; 78 entered during the first - term, and the first year closed with 192 pupils. - - “Miss Buss, deeply interested in its success, watched carefully - its progress, and entered fully into the whole working of the - school. In the early days, the curriculum of work was entirely - under her supervision. She had the power of making others - capable of carrying out her suggestions, and of making them - realize their own ability. The teaching was precisely on the - same lines as those for girls of the same age in the North - London Collegiate. The visits of Miss Buss to the school were - frequent, sometimes she came alone, sometimes with visitors; but - Thursday afternoons, for several years, were specially set apart - for work with us. She would visit every class, and, for the - first year or two, knew most of the girls, encouraging some, - stimulating others. All were so glad of her kind word. Her dress - was pulled timidly by a little child to obtain the desired - smile. - - “Thursday thus became the red-letter day of the week. No - question ever arose but she might be depended on for the wisest - solution of the difficulty. - - “The need for the school soon spoke for itself, for at the end - of the second year, 1872, there were 331 pupils. And in January, - 1873, as many as fifty were unable to be admitted. Girls from - all parts of London, north, south, east, and west, were - anxiously waiting to come in; for at this time there existed no - Polytechnic day schools, nor middle schools for girls. The - enthusiasm to enter was so great that one case may be mentioned - of a little girl and her mother, who hearing that there were so - many new ones applying, got up at six o’clock in the morning to - catch the first train from Acton ‘to be in time.’ Alas! there - was no vacancy. - - “In 1871, seven pupils passed the College of Preceptors’ - Examination in the lowest class. In 1872, seven passed the - Junior Cambridge Local, and 17 the College of Preceptors’. This - would be but little now, but Miss Buss said, let them feel they - can do something, or, as she so often said, ‘Aim high, and you - will strike high.’ - - “The numbers increased so rapidly, now being 390, that a third - house, No. 18, Camden Street, was taken and adapted, and no - other change was made until May, 1878, when the school moved to - the new buildings in the Prince of Wales Road, Kentish Town, of - which the foundation-stone was laid by Miss Buss. The numbers - had reached 420, with generally 90 or 100 waiting admission.” - - -The present head-mistress of the Camden School, Miss Lawford, is also -good enough to give some details of more recent date— - - - “My recollections of Miss Buss begin with my school-days, and - with the very earliest of them. It was to the North London - Collegiate School for ‘Ladies,’ as it was then called, that I - was sent, after a very short experience of school-life - elsewhere. - - “But when the time came to take up work as head of the Camden - School, how greatly was my responsibility lightened by the sound - advice and help which she gave me. I remember one case of more - than usual difficulty which caused me considerable anxiety, and - in which a false step might have given me and the school an - unpleasant notoriety. I took the matter to her, she seized the - point at once, was quite clear as to the action to be taken, and - the whole affair ended happily. The clearness of her intellect - and the facility with which she grasped a situation were salient - traits in her character. - - “The tie which connects her with the Camden School as its - founder is one which we are proud to remember. She took the - keenest interest in all its work, and in all her visits (she) - always had a word for any girls who had distinguished - themselves, or who were connected in any way with old friends - and pupils of her own. We always looked for her on red-letter - days such as Prize Day and Founder’s Day. On one of these latter - she gave us a lecture on Lady Jane Grey which we specially - valued. On these occasions so many friends wanted her at the - North London Collegiate School that it was not often she could - spare more time than to go round the gymnasium and the - schoolrooms, and to speak a few gratifying words to the girls. - She often invited the upper part of the school to lectures at - the North London Collegiate School; one much enjoyed by them, ‘A - Trip to Sunshine in December,’ gave an account of a Christmas - holiday spent in the Riviera. She remembered us in other - substantial ways. The splendid photograph of the Colosseum which - decorates one of our rooms was brought by her from Italy. The - lending library was partly started by a sum given by her for the - purpose. The building of the gymnasium and the introduction of - trained teachers for physical exercise was her initiative. - - “What one feels more especially about Miss Buss is her utter - sincerity. Whether she was helping you in a difficulty or - promoting some great educational movement you felt she did it - without thought of self. There was no touch of the little mind - about her, no thought of adding to her own prestige. She spent - her life in the cause of education with loyalty and - single-hearted devotion. It was the happy lot of some of us to - be associated with her in her work. We have indeed lost a friend - whose greatness of mind and purpose ever stimulated us. We can - only be thankful for the privilege which has been ours, and seek - to carry out the high aims which she set before us.” - - -We know now—a quarter of a century after—what has been achieved by this -great worker whose life remains as an inspiration for the times to come. -What she aspired to may be best given in her own self-estimate in those -early days. - -I had sent her an account of a great spiritual work done by Mary Lyon, a -distinguished American teacher, and received in acknowledgment the -following note:— - - - “July, 1871. - - “DEAR MISS RIDLEY, - - “I have read Mary Lyon’s ‘Training School.’ In the past I - have often had visions of such, or similar work, but as life has - grown out upon me I have seen these higher hopes and aspirations - fade a good deal. Still, I recognize many blessings and some - usefulness in my life. It has not been a wasted or misused one. - One must do what one can, and leave the issue to Him who guides - all things right. - - “Yours affectionately, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS.” - - -From this modest self-appraisement I turn now to the thick volumes—six -of them, almost all in her own handwriting—notes of the addresses she -gave in school and at Myra, embracing every topic—moral and -religious—that touches a girl’s life.[11] How they affected the girls -who heard them letter after letter tells; and we, not so favoured, may -imagine what they must have been, given in that clear impressive voice, -as the results of most careful thought, and brightened by anecdote and -illustration, gathered in these note-books, from everyday life and from -past history. What is most striking in these notes is not merely an -observation which let nothing slip, but the wise selection of a varied -culture and extensive reading amounting to high scholarship. And as we -remember that this work was all done amid the pressure of daily -teaching, through all the long struggle of the establishment of the new -schools, and then amidst the whirl of public life, we scarcely can tell -where lies the greatest wonder—in the work itself, or in the humility -which could include it all in those simple words: “but one must do what -one can!” - -Footnote 11: - - A selection from these “Notes” is being prepared for the use of - teachers by Miss Toplis, and will shortly be published by Messrs. - Macmillan and Co. - -It is easy, after going through these notes, to be sure of the secret of -her great influence. It is teaching that goes straight to the point -because it comes straight from the heart of the teacher, whose happy -pupils had good reason to say, “What before may have been only words to -us then became facts. She was not so much a teacher as an inspiration!” - -How these earlier ideals stood the test of time we may read in a record -given a quarter of a century later by the colleague who best knew her -work of “Education as known in the North London Collegiate School for -Girls.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. -] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - PRACTICAL WORK. - - - “No one who has been brought into contact with Miss Buss, no one - who has even seen her portrait, can have failed to be struck by - her transparent integrity, her absolute sincerity, her - single-mindedness of purpose. However much one might differ from - her on a question of policy, one felt certain that the judgment - was never warped by personal bias, that it was never prompted by - ambition or jealousy, or any vulgar motive.... As an organizer - she was unrivalled.”—_Journal of Education_, January, 1895. - - -The summary of Miss Buss’ practical work, for which I am so deeply -indebted to Mrs. Bryant, is best given in her own words, with merely an -interpolation illustrating that law of order on which these schools are -so firmly based. - - * * * * * - -Mrs. Bryant begins with an important reminder— - -“Teachers are not inapt to forget that the most important factor in -education is the personality of the learner. The next most important is -the personality of the teacher. So far as others make our education for -us, the mind of the educator is more important by far than his method. -And this is the more true the greater the teacher. - -“Of Frances Mary Buss this was specially true, so much was intuition and -sympathy in the concrete inwoven with her thoughts on the educational -ideal. The ideal of her action was an emanation of her nature as a -whole, not a pure product of thought. She could have told many things -about it, but she could not tell it all. Her vision was wide, but her -wisdom was wider. Hence there never was any danger that her mind would -harden into a net of secondary principles in the solution of any -individual problem. Practical questions were always unique, each one in -itself, to her; and, rapid as she was in action, she could give time to -deliberation and careful thought. - -“To understand, therefore, the ideal of education under which so much -good work has been done, we need to understand, not a theory true once -for all, but the type of mind that is creative of right ideas as -occasion requires. Nor is a subtle delineation of character needed here. -The leading features are well marked, and a brief sketch may give the -clearest conception. - -“Breadth and elasticity of imagination, indomitable energy of will, -boundless faith, unwearied sympathy—these are the great facts of -character which lie behind her work and mark its ideals. They are all -very obvious facts, but the first named, in the nature of the case, -though the rarest and most remarkable, is the easiest to miss in its -full significance. One clear mark of it is the memory she has left with -each of her friends, of being interested specially in that phase of -thought and work which she shared with them. The effect of it on her -educational work was that extraordinary catholicity of view which -distinguished her, and through her has influenced in many ways the -theory of the girls’ school, and the tone of the educational question in -the days which follow her. - -“One phase of this catholic way of looking at things was her insistence, -always very emphatic, on the idea that school and the teacher have to do -in some way or other with the whole of life. She would not allow it to -be supposed that any condition of the well-being and good growth of her -pupils was no concern of hers. I do not mean that she at all denied the -function of the home in education. On the contrary, she attached the -greatest weight to it, but she held that whether the home did its duty -or not it was the business of the school to aim at supplying conditions -essential for the development of the pupil on all sides—to hold itself -responsible for failure even when fathers and mothers had neglected -their part. When parents were wrong-headed, or negligent, or mistaken, -then it seemed natural to her to set about educating them. Many mothers -learned priceless lessons of wisdom from her in the pleasant audiences -of her “Blue room” at school; and few, I think, were ungrateful for -them. She was full of ready resource in cases of difficulty, and she -ever held that the moral was much more essentially her business than the -intellectual salvation. When there was trouble with a girl, she gave -herself to its cure with the most absolute self-devotion, and one great -remedy was to send for the mother, to take counsel with her, and to give -her counsel. In all matters of behaviour, such as foolish talk and -unladylike—or shall I not rather say unwomanly—conduct she was strict -and vigilant. Such things never escaped her, and her manner of dealing -with them individually has made an epoch in the life of many a girl, the -transition from an irreverent to a reverent state of feeling for social -relationships. - -“We are of course all familiar with the view that education is -threefold, that it concerns itself with moral, intellectual, and -physical welfare. But there was a strength and elasticity in Miss Buss’ -feeling about school education as all-embracing that marked it as more -than the consequence of a view. Each girl was a clearly imagined whole -to her, with whose deficiencies and needs she had the mother’s no less -than the teacher’s sympathy. She was wonderfully patient, and -sympathetic, too, with foolish mothers, of whom there are some. She had -a kind word and thought for ‘fads,’ strenuously as she resisted them. -Forty years—thirty years—ago, the ‘fads’ that had to be resisted were -many indeed. - -“So she taught us, her teachers, the duty of infinite pains, infinite -hope in the training of character. She never gave a girl up as hopeless. -If one way failed, then another must be found. She had great belief—a -belief well justified by facts—in the salvation of character by way of -the rousing of intellectual interests. It was curious to note how a -naughty girl improved if she grew to like her lessons. Naughtiness is -often unsteadiness of will, and intellectual discipline is a steadying -influence. Irrationality, moreover, is the cause of much moral evil, and -thoughtful study makes for rationality. It may be—I am much disposed to -think it is—that intellectual training effects greater moral improvement -in women than it does in men, because a woman’s faults of character, on -an average, turn more on irrationality and lack of nerve control, while -the man’s faults centre in his profounder self-absorption and slower -sympathies. - -“Character as the prime aim of education soon became the key-note of the -North London practice. It fell in with this that great attention should -be paid to punctuality, accuracy, order, method, and the cultivation of -the clerkly business abilities generally. Nor should we forget that -simple quality of respect for property, so despised of boys, on which -the head-mistress laid much stress as essential for girls, and, indeed, -a part of honesty. In very early days, girls spilt ink on their dresses, -so ink ceased to be part of the regular school furniture, and is only -given out when required, e.g. for examinations, by the mistress in -charge of the form. It is part of the tradition of the place—a tradition -that will now be a tender memory—that the giving out of the ink is a -serious responsible act, the weight of which should never be thrown on a -monitor or even a prefect. The spilling of the ink is an evil so great -that its risk should be laid only on the shoulders of authority. But, -seriously, this is symbolic of the leading idea that the duty of taking -proper care of the furniture should be taught at school as well as at -home. - -“Nobody but a school-mistress—except, indeed, a schoolmaster—knows to -what depths of disorder the youthful mind may descend in writing out its -lessons. I remember how it astonished me when, even at the North London -Collegiate School, the original sin of literary untidiness caused itself -to be seen. Well, from the beginning, serious war was made upon -irregularities and disorder of this kind, a whole system of school -routine growing up in consequence, much of which has become general in -girls’ schools.” - - * * * * * - -“Order, Heaven’s first law,” was certainly the first law of school-life. -The place was duly provided, and everything had to be in its place, an -arrangement greatly helped by the Swedish desks—one for each girl, of -suitable size—which Miss Buss was the first to introduce into England. - -Wherever Miss Buss’ influence reached, order reigned. Everything bore -witness to her power of organization, and everything throughout the -place, down to the work of the lowest servant, was arranged by the head -who said of herself, “I spend my life in picking up pins!” - -The highest illustration of this quality comes in the story of Lord -Granville’s admiration of the perfect arrangements on the Prize Day when -he was in the chair. He could not forget it, and spoke of it to Dr. -Carpenter, in reference to the giving of Degrees at Burlington House. -Dr. Carpenter wrote to Miss Buss to ask her secret, and in reply she -went herself to Burlington House and discussed with him all the -arrangements, which consequently went off in perfect order. - -No girl in either school, who had been long enough to enter into the -spirit of the place, will ever during the longest life be able to look -with indifference on an ink-spot, or to suppress a feeling of lofty -superiority, if she ever has occasion to pass through a boys’ school, -and cast a glance at desks or floors there. And few will be able to read -without a sympathetic smile or sigh a little narrative of one of their -number showing what came of inadvertence on this point— - - - “One of the direst days in the whole of my school experience was - the day I spilt the ink. - - “The accident happened on a Friday, and, since the event, Black - Friday has altered its position on the calendar, as far as I am - concerned. - - “The terrible meaning the words ‘spilt ink’ convey to the mind - can only be understood by those who know how dearly Miss Buss - cherished the bright appearance of our beautiful school, and how - she strove to raise a similar feeling in us by occasionally - comparing its appearance with that of other public schools - (especially boys’), and by having every spot and stain forcibly - eradicated as soon as incurred. - - “This accident happened one Friday morning just before prayers, - and was not confined to a single spot, but included the contents - of a large well-inkstand provokingly full. - - “Hurrying past the form-table on hearing the hall bell, a long - protruding pen caught in a fold of my dress, the whole apparatus - swung steadily round and fell on the floor with a hideous - splash. There was only time to pick up the stand and pen, the - ink, alas! was foolishly left to soak steadily into the - stainless floor. - - “That morning our bright little service seemed interminably - long, and several notices delayed the filing off of the classes - as speedily as usual. - - “I was the first to re-enter our room, in which Fraülein stood - alone gazing at the catastrophe. - - “I told her I was the culprit, and mumbled out something about - ‘telling Miss Buss.’ - - “Her smile and quiet remark, ‘She vill not vant much telling,’ - were hardly reassuring. - - “Fraülein was quite right; Miss Buss did not want any telling, - the evidence in black and white was quite sufficient. She never - scolded me for the accident, but was vexed at my not having - informed the housekeeper immediately, instead of allowing the - ink to soak comfortably in for twenty minutes. - - “After a little chat about ‘Presence of Mind,’ I was told to - repair the mischief, and attempt to get the stain out. - - “There was no German for me that morning. The time was occupied - in scrubbing the floor with lemons. During the day several - helped, even teachers kindly lending a hand, but all our efforts - were futile, and the ink obstinately refused to move. - - “Later on, oxalic acid came into play, Miss Buss personally - superintending the performance, and being really anxious in case - any of the poison should perchance cling to my fingers. - - “All to no good! On Monday the room was to be used by the - Cambridge examiners, and, as a last resource, the carpenter and - his plane were imperatively summoned. - - “So ended Black Friday! - - “I had bought my experience in the ways of inkstands, a thorough - knowledge of eradicating stains, and a life-long lesson to act - more decisively, paying in return a bill, the items of which ran - thus: the cost of lemons, oxalic acid, and the carpenter; lost - marks, a signature in the defaulters’ book, and the most - miserable day of my school experience.” - - -Mrs. Bryant continues— - -“In the wholeness of the founders view of her work, not character and -intellect only, but physical welfare no less belonged to the school aim. -Always, in some form or another, she had this in mind. The most -punctilious care was taken from the first as regards sanitary conditions -and precautions for wet days. Shoes had always to be changed, and -contrivances for keeping the rest of the clothing dry—by umbrellas, -cloaks, and common sense—were part of the moral order of the place. In -other words, it was treated as a breach of the regulations if a pupil -came into school with her dress wet. The result was, and is, that the -girls manage to keep astonishingly dry. Like other sources of evil, this -one has, in the course of years, tended naturally to decrease, because -girls are more sensibly dressed than they were twenty, ten, or even five -years ago. It is an amusing symptom of the hygienic influence of the -North London School that, in my quest for properly shaped shoes, I find -it best to fall back on the neighbourhood of Camden Road. - -“The idea of regular physical education was early expressed in the -institution of calisthenic exercises for a quarter of an hour after the -light lunch in the middle of the morning. The idea grew and became more -systematic as opportunity made its development possible. When the new -buildings were opened, a splendid gymnasium had been provided for the -purpose. Every girl was to have a systematic course of physical training -by means of two half-hour lessons in the week from a regularly trained -teacher, besides the ordinary drill on the other three days. But there -might be abnormal girls who required more or less a special treatment, -and, reflecting on this fact, there arose in Miss Buss’ mind the idea -that the physical education ought, as of course, to be under medical -supervision. This implied that all the pupils should be medically -inspected, and it goes without saying that, to her mind, the medical -inspector should be a woman. - -“For some years this post has been held by Miss Julia Cock, M.D., who -has carried out a system of observation, and record sufficient for the -purpose, but not extending to anything like medical attendance. - -“The first and essential object was to determine what kind of physical -exercise was required in each case. The normal girl, and the majority of -those even with defects, would be sent to go through the usual course. -For defects, special treatment by exercise would be ordered, and this -given in the afternoon. Three afternoons in the week the gymnasium is -occupied by these special gymnastic classes, and the record of physical -improvement made is worthy perhaps of even more praise than the roll of -examination honours won by the intellectually able. The girls who do -best with much rest and little exercise are also found out and dealt -with accordingly. The physical character of each is recorded in the -medical book, and kept for reference. - -“Defects of eyesight are also discovered in many cases, and the parents -informed that there is need to consult an oculist. Other physical -weaknesses, as they thus come to light, can be dealt with similarly if -need be, and the knowledge of them is most valuable in dealing with the -girls in their work. The experiment of medical inspection, as Miss Buss -tried it in her school, has proved an immense benefit, and the idea lay -very near her heart that all schools—especially all girls’ -schools—should do likewise. It is one of my regrets that she never knew, -she was too ill, that three memoranda on the subject were given in -evidence to the Royal Commission on Secondary Education, one of the -three being by our medical inspector, Miss Cock, founded on the -experience of the North London Collegiate School. - -“As regards intellectual education, it was characteristic of her that -she had not the slightest tendency to attach more importance to her own -than to other subjects. This was not simply—it was partly—the -consequence of an all-round logical view; it went with her elasticity of -imagination and extraordinary power of entering into and sympathizing -with things outside her experience in the ordinary sense. This is the -ideal Prime-Minister quality, and it was hers. She was not a musician, -she did not know mathematics; but I suppose she has not left the -impression more strongly on any two people of understanding their ideals -and supporting them with enthusiasm and sympathy than upon Mr. John -Farmer, of Balliol College, with reference to music, and upon myself in -mathematics. And in itself it is a noteworthy fact that she struck from -the very beginning on the idea that science should be an essential part -of the school curriculum, and elaborated it to so high a pitch that her -school was early described by others as _par excellence_ ‘the science -school.’ Her own scholarship was great in History and in French—genuine -fine scholarship, with the unrivalled power of graphic description and -interesting memory of events which make history-teaching and is so rare, -and with delightful freshness and power in handling a language with a -class. On this side of her work she was herself the perfect artist. For -the study of science there had been little opportunity in her girlhood, -but just what had been denied her was just what she most energetically -supplied. I think she would have been great in science: her mind was -scientific in its ways of work, and she had the practical constructive -talent that, added to thinking power, makes the physicist. The concrete -sciences would have attracted her intellectually more than the abstract. - -“But in her ideal of education she came quite naturally and easily -outside her own intellectual tastes and acquirements. So natural was -this to her that she has doubtless left the impression on many of the -younger generation that she was mainly a great administrator rather than -also a great teacher with special tastes and powers of her own. - -“Thus it was the more natural to her to realize instinctively, as she -did consciously, the doctrine of the harmonious development of all the -powers as the aim of the school education. - -“Even the casual observer could not fail to have been struck by the -ever-growing, ever-assimilating nature of her mind. In this respect she -never grew older; never grew as middle-aged as many people are mentally -at twenty-five. Like the Athenians, she was always ready to hear some -new thing. She was ready to give any reasonable theorist a hearing, -though not necessarily to erect new altars to his ideals. Whenever she -heard of any idea that promised, she would, in later years, speak of it, -and have it discussed at our teachers’ meeting. Then, if it seemed well, -we would hear the propagandist in a lecture, and afterwards discuss the -subject again. The sequel depended on the opinion formed, but most new -ideas, special and general, came our way. The Harrow Music School, the -Royal Drawing Society, and Miss Chreimann’s Calisthenics may be -mentioned in particular as having received her recognition very early. - -“Mr. Farmer writes as follows— - - - “Oxford. - - “DEAR MRS. BRYANT, - - “It is very difficult for me to write that which I feel - about the loss of Miss Buss. - - “Miss Mary Gurney first introduced me to her. - - “Soon after that she asked me to examine the music in the North - London Collegiate School. I was afraid at first that she would - not understand my point of view with respect to the study of - music in high schools, But, instead of being misunderstood, she - gave me her sympathy and help from the first in my endeavour to - make music an earnest and educational part of school-work. - - “Miss Buss was not a young head-mistress when I first knew her; - but she was, like my greatest school-friend, Dr. Buller, Miss - Mary Gurney, and the dear old Master of Balliol, fearless in her - belief in all that was for the good of schools, and especially - in the redemption of music from being a time-wasting, emotional - accomplishment. - - “Miss Buss allowed me to introduce the Harrow Music School - standard text, the purpose of which was to do away with the mere - swagger of certificate-giving, and to make it more a test of the - general work of the school in music. She was always so glad to - find that the majority of girls who did well in music were just - those who were doing well in other school-work. - - “I shall always remember her patience and kindness in her - presence during the long examinations. She was never shocked at - my hopes, mostly very wildly expressed, for the future of music - in the education of girls. - - “Music, above all studies, needs backing up with the advantage - of a thoroughly good education. It has always been my endeavour - to keep it from encroaching unfairly on the time and strength of - the girls. Miss Buss understood this, and helped to make it - understood. - - “You have, my dear Mrs. Bryant, for so long been a witness to - that which I have so clumsily described. Please forgive me. - - “Yours very truly, - - “JOHN FARMER.” - - -“To the same purpose is a letter from Dr. Ablett, head of the Royal -Drawing Society— - - - “So many evidences have come to me of the great part Miss Buss - has played in the development of education, and she gave such - willing and helpful support to the work of this society that I, - personally, unfeignedly mourn her loss. - - “Our council will be sorry to lose one of its members who, by - her world-wide reputation, added strength to, and won confidence - for, it. - - -“Miss Chreimann also bears similar witness— - - - “Miss Buss was amongst the first to introduce into her school - the eclectic (and original) series of physical exercises which - have been termed my ‘system,’ though my own feeling would always - be— - - - ‘For forms and systems let the fools contest: - Whate’er is best administered is best!’ - - - My aim is to secure equal balance in all the working organs of - the body, with permanence of function and steady gain in beauty - and order, rather than to teach any particular set or sets of - exercises. - - “Miss Buss had early been impressed by the vastness of waste - consequent on the physical disabilities of girls, and still more - by the need of the grace that goes with well managed strength. - It was for these ends that she urged me to give my time to the - training of teachers, and the subsequent inspection of their - work, rather than to the endeavour after a physical culture, - which she agreed was necessary, but which was years in advance - of the sentiment, alike of the parents and of the majority of - educationalists. - - “Miss Buss probably did more than any other public - school-mistress for the knowledge and adaptation of physical - training to the requirements of girls.” - - -In conclusion, Mrs. Bryant adds— - - - “It was with the same eagerness to learn and get help and light - wherever it could be found that Miss Buss welcomed the - institution of the University Examinations for schools and - scholars. Her gratitude to the University of Cambridge for - having been the first to come to the help of the girls was very - beautiful and touching. It would have had to be a very good - reason indeed that would make her substitute Oxford for - Cambridge, and the loyalty of her affectionate preference for - Girton over all other colleges was tender and very deep. She - loved Cambridge as if it had been her own _Alma Mater_. It was - the _Alma Mater_ of so many of her girls in the early struggling - days. - - “I spoke of energy of will as one of her striking qualities, and - her whole life illustrates this so well that it only remains to - indicate its influence on the inner life of the school. She was - not always quick to decide unless it was necessary, and then she - decided instantly. Otherwise she deliberated before decision - with great care, weighing all sides of the matter, as she would - say. But once decided, she acted at once, and kept on acting - till the thing was done. That was where she economized force, - and in it lay the secret of much of her power and her tradition. - Her own mind did not admit of pause between decision and act, - and probably there was no quality in other people which tried - her patience more than hesitancy after it was certain what ought - to be done. How natural it is to some people is well known, but - by effort and practice the tendency can of course be mitigated, - if not cured. North-Londoners, from association with her, got - into the way of resembling her to some extent in this respect. - It became the habit of the place—may it long continue—to get - under way with one’s piece of work the instant one knew what it - was. I am very inferior to many of my colleagues in this - respect, and only disguise the fact by economy of another kind, - which perhaps goes naturally with a more slowly moving will; the - economy, namely, of doing my piece of work so that it has not to - be done again. But for simpler things there is no call for this - economy, and the comfort is great of being surrounded by persons - whose instinct it is to translate the idea into the action at - once. - - “Her energy was her most obvious quality in school. Everybody - saw that, and each felt that she individually had to live up to - it. Still obvious, but deeper, was her boundless faith in the - possibility of achieving good ends. The choice of the school - motto, ‘We work in hope,’ was characteristic. She pursued her - ends without delay; she pursued them also with the confidence - that in some way or other they would one day be gained. About - her ends her will would be inflexible; about the means of - accomplishing them her invention was elastic, and her mind open. - And I suppose few persons in this world ever carried out their - ends with so much or such well-deserved success. Her secret was - to be uncompromising about essentials only. - - “Her faith in the latent possibilities of character, even when - most unpromising, amounted to a principle of educational action, - which she wielded with marvellous effect, because its hold was - even more strong on her heart than on her head. She seemed - almost to believe—but this is an exaggeration—that any one could - be made to do or become anything. She produced wonderful results - in the way of training up efficient workers when others would - have despaired; though sometimes she did it at immense cost to - herself. She believed in every one, but she would let bad work - pass with no one. She was at once the strictest of critics and - the least despondent. Thus she made what she would of many, - especially of those who had very much to do with her in the - earlier years. Not that she was ignorant of their limitations - either, but limitations did not trouble her. She had absolutely - none of that restless critical spirit which requires that - everybody should be made to order, all over again, and - different. She took them as they were, loved them, and made the - best of them in both senses. - - “Every girl was good for something to her eye and in her heart. - It was her business—our business—to find out how the most could - be made of her, and to make it. And just in proportion as good - in people was the reality she saw, so was their evil, for the - most part, a transitory unreality. Young people at least are apt - to be and do what you expect of them. She dwelt on the good, - insisted on it to them, wrestled for it with them, established - it in them, and straightway forgot the evil or remembered it - only as a passing phase. And the sign of this large-hearted - sympathy in an optimistic temperament is shown in the special - devotion to Miss Buss of all the so-called naughty girls. - - “It is needless to enlarge on her possession of the - administrator’s gift of relying with generous trust upon her - tried helpers. This, too, was in her a matter of the heart quite - as much as of the head. She felt about them as one with her in a - joint work of which in all its phases she spoke as ‘ours,’ not - as ‘mine.’ It was pleasanter, more natural to her, to be the - controlling centre of a plural will than to be a single will - governing others with more or less allowance for their freedom. - As regards the question of the relation of the head to her - assistants, this might be described as the theory of her - practice, elastic as all theories must be in a mind of truly - practical genius. She believed thoroughly in the legal autocracy - of the head as the best form of school government, but in her - view of the autocrat’s standard for himself she expected him to - exercise rule with due regard for ministers and parliaments.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - THE HEAD-MISTRESSES’ ASSOCIATION. - - “L’Union fait la Force.” - - -Probably none of her public work gave Miss Buss more unqualified -satisfaction than the Head-mistresses’ Association, of which the first -germ seems to be contained in a passage from one of her Journal-letters -of September, 1874, written from Bonaly Tower, Edinburgh— - - - “Miss Beale of Cheltenham called on me the day I was in - London.... She and I think we must form an Association of - Head-mistresses, and hold conferences occasionally, in order to - know what we ought to assert and what surrender. - - “Dr. Hodgson showed me, in the ‘Autocrat of the - Breakfast-Table,’ a passage about the ‘_membre à question_,’ and - the ‘_membre à by-laws_;’ the latter is called ‘_un Empereur - manqué_,’ and is the member who awes the rest of a committee by - his rigid adherence to by-laws. - - “Just think of _men_ discussing for hours the arrangements of - girls’ boarding-houses—how the beds should stand, etc.!” - - -All who have been behind the scenes in the development of public schools -for girls can read in between the lines here the various stages by which -the Association of Head-mistresses came into being. - -The question of the management of these new schools was naturally one of -supreme interest to the women who had made such schools possible. When -Miss Davies was asked by Lord Taunton, during her examination by the -Commission, to mention any point of importance in connection with the -education of women, she fixed on the point of the presence of women on -the councils of girls’ schools, on equal terms with men, and not on any -separate ladies’ committee. She was warmly supported by Miss Beale and -Miss Buss in this view that, for the management of girls, women were -essential. Miss Buss, in a letter written some time afterwards, but -before the change in her own schools, sums up the whole question -concisely— - - - “If your plans lead you to prefer a committee to a board of - trustees, I advise you not to allow two committees—one of - gentlemen for money matters, and one of ladies for internal - arrangements. Two committees always clash, sooner or later. The - mistress disagrees with the ladies’ committee, the gentlemen - interfere, and the usual result is that the ladies resign in a - body. I do not think any better plan can be devised than a - single council of men and women, with certain well-defined - duties to perform, but with no power of continual and daily - interference with the mistress. In this opinion I am unbiassed - by personal feeling, because, as this school is my own property, - I have never had to work with a committee. But I hear on all - sides of the difficulties which arise, and which are, - apparently, to be prevented only by the plan I have suggested.” - - -Mrs. Grey, when examined on March 25, 1873, before the “Endowed Schools -Committee,” gave her opinion in favour of women on the governing body of -every school, on the ground that a ladies’ committee “was powerful only -to object and interfere, but powerless to carry into effect any of their -suggestions, however valuable these might be.” - -It is evident that what is wanted is a consultative body—a sort of Privy -Council—to advise and help in matters external, and in cases of special -difficulty; whilst, in the internal affairs of the school, the head must -be held responsible. It would follow that, to make a council really -useful, there must be some principle of selection to secure the right -persons, so that it should not be said in the future, as has been so -often possible to say in the past, that “head-masters and mistresses are -chosen with care, their degrees, experience, etc., all sifted, and then -they are set to work under a governing body chosen haphazard, or -anyhow!” - -Most of the great schools owed their prosperity to the skill and -character of some one man or woman, and, even after they had attained -success, were still dependent on their head, who, instead of being -allowed free play, was checked and thwarted by this haphazard -council—the “expert” being under the control of the mere “amateur.” - -In such cases, the “managing committee” is clearly not what is wanted. -Here are weighty words from a head-mistress, who must take highest rank -among the “experts”— - - - “No one knows how much of one’s health and energy is lost to the - school by the anxieties of getting those who do not understand - the complicated machinery not to interfere with things with - which the head alone ought to deal. - - “Governors have no idea of the worries head-mistresses have, - when hysterical girls invent absurd stories; when parents and - doctors attribute every illness, real or imaginary, to lessons; - when teachers get wrong, or when they suddenly disappear, take - head-mistress-ships elsewhere, and draw away their friends and - pupils. - - “Then, again, the governing body will blame for the inevitable, - or a head will deal with ninety-nine intricate cases, and in the - hundredth will make a mistake; they naturally know nothing of - the former, but of the latter they hear, only to condemn.” - - -This is one very important side. The head clearly has very definite -rights. But, there is also the other side, and the members of the -council have also their rights. Even the “mere amateur” is not without -rights, as a person who, in combining special interest in education, -with wider and more varied experience than can be enjoyed by the -professional educator, is therefore of use on the council in his power -of seeing things from the outside, and thus bringing to bear on them a -judgment not warped by mere professional bias. Even on the most -haphazard council, the persons elected are at least supposed to have -some power of help. These “amateurs” are consequently persons who are -more used to lead than to follow, to take the active rather than the -passive attitude, and to whom mere acquiescence is as uncongenial as it -is unaccustomed. It is therefore easy to imagine such a council growing -restive, even under the most competent leading, and asking, “Is it -really our whole duty to sit here simply to register the decrees of the -head-mistress?” - -To strike the happy mean between tyranny and subjection is the duty -alike of the governing body and of head-master or mistress. The -governing body must not rule; nor, on the other hand, must its members -be too passive, or acquiesce when they ought to oppose. If they are -bound to follow competent leading, they are no less bound to dismiss the -incompetent. The captain of a ship gives place to a duly accredited -pilot, but he is none the less bound to judge whether the ship is making -for the straight course or not. To give up his command into unskilful -hands is, on the one side, as foolish as it would be to tie the pilot to -the mast, and let the ship go down, whilst the crew dispute for the -right to steer. - -It is evident that, with the best intentions on both sides, great tact -and forbearance are needed to prevent occasional friction. And we need -not wonder that, as a matter of fact, there was on most governing bodies -in those early days a considerable amount of friction. - -Of this Miss Buss had, in her own experience, comparatively little; but -what she had, arose entirely from this very point. She had arranged, -when she gave up her private school, that it should be in the hands of a -body of trustees, who would hold it for the public good, but who were -not intended to interfere with her own development of the work which she -had herself begun and carried on to success. - -As the founder of the school, and as a life-member of a board on which -the other members were elected for short periods, her position was -unique. To this, also, must be added the fact that, for the first two -years, the new schools were carried on by means of her own liberal -donations and those of her personal friends. It was not to be expected -that she could hold the same relation to her governing body as the -ordinary head-mistress, who is appointed by them, and over whom they -have the right of dismissal. - -It was perhaps a little unfortunate that at the time of special -difficulty, the chairmanship seemed to have become permanent in the -appointment of a chairman, who, however fitted for the post, was yet -only imperfectly acquainted with the early history of the school, and, -therefore, not unnaturally gave undue weight to the help given by the -Board, regarding the new scheme rather as an entirely fresh departure, -than as what it actually was, merely the expansion of an existing -organization, and still dependent on the skill to which it owed its -rise. He had been accustomed to long-established foundations, where -everything went by rule, and to committees where the word of the -chairman was law. Miss Buss was used to supreme power over her own -school, and she was, like most women of that day, unused to business -routine. This was, moreover, one of the very first governing bodies on -which women were elected on equal terms with men. Such an arrangement -was too new as yet to go without hitch. It would follow, quite -naturally, that men, out of mere force of habit, as well as in real -kindness of heart, should adopt a paternal and authoritative attitude -towards all women, even to those most competent to stand alone. - -Miss Buss was by nature one of the least self-assertive of women. She -had always been helped by some strong man, and had accepted all help -with gratitude. First Mr. Laing, and then Dr. Hodgson (with her father -and brothers, as a matter of course), had been recognized as friends and -helpers. - -But, at the same time, one of the most definite aims of her life had -been to raise the status of the head-mistress to the same level as that -of the head-master. For the sake of all teachers—not for her own -sake—she deprecated the secondary place given to women who were doing -the same work as men. She also thought the internal management of her -school should be left to her, as it would have been to a head-master in -her place, and for this she stood firm, even when, as a matter of mere -feeling, she might have given way, for she was really one of the -old-fashioned women who would personally endure anything for the sake of -peace. - -It is more than probable that she felt some things too strongly, and -that she misunderstood others. In those days, most women suffered quite -needlessly from sheer ignorance of business routine. They lacked the -training and discipline which carry men unscathed through the roughness -of public life. Two men meeting on a committee may oppose each other -tooth and nail, but these men may afterwards go home and dine -comfortably together, bearing no traces of the fray. At that date, two -women, after a similar encounter, would have gone their separate ways, -to weep over a solitary cup of tea, and when next they met would pass -each other with the cut direct. - -To a woman like Miss Buss, nothing of this sort would have been -possible, for even if she had not had too much common sense, she had -that most uncommon power of forgiveness which led to the saying, “If you -really want to know _how_ kind Miss Buss is you must do her some -injury!” - -Nevertheless, however evanescent her feeling might be, she did for the -time feel her worries very intensely. It chanced that, as my way lay -beyond Myra Lodge, I usually drove her home from the meetings, and she -then relieved her pent-up feelings by rapid discussion of any vexed -question from her own point of view. By the time our drive ended, she -was, as a rule, quite ready for her ordinary meal, and we parted more -often than not with a jest, for this process was merely a question of -“blowing off the steam,” and I served as safety-valve. It was entirely a -matter of temperament. Whilst some temperaments fail to perceive the -existence of a grievance until it is formulated in words, others can -throw off in words all the bitterness of even the worst grievances. Miss -Buss belonged to the latter class, and, as I understood this thoroughly, -I could forget her words as soon as spoken. Where such hasty utterances -were taken seriously by persons of the opposite temperament, she was at -times seriously misunderstood. - -During the nine years of suspense between the changes of 1870 and the -opening of the new buildings in 1879 there was much to try the most -perfect patience. Here is a little note showing the kind of thing that -used at first to cause a protest— - - - “MY VERY DEAR LITTLE ANNIE, - - “I feel a little ashamed of my impatience to-day, but am - happy to find that Miss Elford was in the same frame of mind. - Lady X. talked quite wildly about this and that, and what ought - or ought not to be. These ladies have not an idea beyond the - parish school, where the lady of the manor is supreme, and - dictates to the children what they shall wear, and what they - shall not, how to do their hair, etc., etc. If it were not so - pitiable in its ignorance I could find it in my heart to cry, or - to run away and leave the board to manage its schools. - - “How very thankful I am that you have always a soothing effect - on me. My dear love to you, - - “ARNIE.” - - -This was probably one of many instances in which Miss Buss suffered from -an imperfect knowledge on the part of the public. Endowments for girls’ -schools were still so novel that the demand for money for the Camden -School was, in some absurd way, associated with the Founder, as if she -were herself a recipient, instead of being, as she was, one of the most -generous of donors, giving herself and her means for the public good. - -For example of the sort of trial involved in working with a committee to -one so used as Miss Buss had been to direct, rapid and free action, we -may take an experience in 1872, when the governing body, intent only on -saving her trouble in the temporary absence of the Rev. A. J. Buss -(Clerk to the Board), appointed a special Prize Day Committee. It had -been decided that, to bring the work more clearly before the public, the -Princess Louise should be asked to give the prizes in the Albert Hall. -We give Miss Buss’ report from her Journal-letters— - - - “June 22. - - “I went yesterday to the Albert Hall and heard that it was let - for the 19th. - - “The secretary was very polite, however, and, finding he had to - do with a princess, got the date altered to suit us. The fees - will cost £30. The secretary says we ought to distribute bills - through the exhibition, besides advertising, and let people in - who choose to _pay_ for entrance. This will require - consideration on Monday. - - “Mr. Roby will speak, and I mean to ask him to say what Miss - Davies has done for education. On Saturday there is a conference - of teachers in the rooms of the Society of Arts. We shall see - plenty of people there, and can ask some one to speak. Dr. Lyon - Playfair is to take the chair. - - “For the day itself we must invite _thousands_. Every member of - Parliament, every member of a city company, every clergyman and - Nonconformist of note. Invite all the press, all known - educationalists, etc., etc. - - “Let us hope we shall have our own hall by next year, and then - we shall not need to go away from home.” - - - “July 2. - - “Mr. Forster can’t take the chair. Lord Derby declines, and now, - at 2 p.m., comes a note to say the Princess Louise _will not be - able to attend_! - - “Dr. Storrar goes to-morrow morning to see Mr. Holzmann, and - consult with him. We hope to get access to Princess Mary. - - “If not where are we? Curiously enough, this sort of thing does - not worry me—at least, not much.... Nothing but the necessity of - working with other people would have made me allow the matter to - be so delayed. _June_ is our month, and always has been. - However, I am quite cool about matters. The inevitable must be - endured.” - - - “Myra Lodge, July 11, 8 a.m. - - “The chairman sends Col. Airey’s note to say Princess Mary - declines. I shall go at once to consult Mr. Elliott.” - - - “202, Camden Road, July 11, 11 a.m. - - “Mr. Elliott is going to try the Duke of Edinburgh. I am to get - rid of the Albert Hall, however, _coûte que coûte_. - - “Everything is at a standstill. Never in my working life has - there been such a complete _fiasco_.” - - - “July 13. - - “I must write later to answer your notes fully, but, at 8 - o’clock this morning, I went to our vicar, Mr. Cutts, for a note - to the bishop’s chaplain, whom I do not know. I then went to Mr. - Elliott; returned to breakfast, and then dashed out with the - fixed determination not to return until the Prize Day - arrangements had been made. - - “I drove in the storm to St. James’ Square (London House), - Bishop not there, but at Fulham; drove to Fulham, sent in my - note to the chaplain, who saw me _at once_, and asked me to go - to the bishop. I said I wanted to ask a question, and would not - disturb him if possible. So Mr. Gamier took in my message, - ‘Would the bishop preside for even half an hour at our - meeting—on _any hour_ and _any day_ in the next fortnight.’ - - “The bishop positively had not one hour available. He went - through his list, but he would give me _Monday_, the _29th_, at - 3 o’clock. Of course I accepted, rushed away to St. James’ - Hall—not to be had anyhow for two months—thence to Willis’ - Rooms, which we can have. - - “How much I regret allowing a committee to be formed! If Mr. - Elliott, Mr. Danson, and I had been empowered to act, we should - have had one of the Princesses. There would have been no delay - by notes going first to the chairman and then having to be sent - to me. If I had had the note of Princess Louise’s secretary at 8 - a.m., by 10 I should have been at her house, and should - _certainly_ have got an introduction to Princess Mary. In this - case, the memorial to the latter would have been in her hands by - Saturday morning, instead of Tuesday! and would have been - accompanied by a note from either Princess Louise or Lord Lorne. - - “Don’t think me very egotistical, but don’t expect me to summon - a committee for the Prize Day again. - - “I shall quietly go my own way now, and _do_ the things. That - last committee took up two hours and twenty-five minutes of my - time in the middle of the day, and for what? (I told you two - hours, but made a mistake.) - - “I forgot to say I went to the printer, ordered all the - invitations, and expect them on Monday. But Willis’ Rooms, - though handsome, are _not large_. With every card we will send - out the slip about Princess Louise’s failure in her engagement.” - - -The meeting went off as well as these meetings always did. But next year -the Princess Mary of Teck was secured without difficulty; as well as -afterwards several other members of the Royal Family, including even the -Prince and Princess of Wales. - -It must have been at this period that an equally characteristic little -story is told. Miss Buss, in the height of her vexation, sought comfort -beside her sister and her boy. As she entered the room, she exclaimed, -“_This_ is what I have brought on myself, and _for what_?” with an -impatient stamp of her foot. Baby Frank lifted his great eyes solemnly -to his aunt, and, with a deliberate stamp of his baby foot, echoed, “And -for vot?” on which, as she clasped him in her arms, all her indignation -vanished in a shower of kisses. - -But that she did not demand mere acquiescence from her friends is proved -by many of her letters, one of which may be given, not only as showing -her many-sidedness, but also as revealing the true humility which was -the secret of her strength. - -She had been long overstrained by anxiety and suspense, and had to some -extent lost patience under the many demands on her. At one time, indeed, -she even entertained serious thoughts of resigning her post unless -things could be made easier for her by the assurance of greater freedom -of action. On the occasion of this particular letter, the usual talk had -failed, and I must have written that same evening still more strongly, -urging either a more complete submission to the inevitable, or else some -bold stroke for liberty. She thus responds— - - - “Late as it is, and in spite of a distressing headache, I must - just write a few words to say how much I love and thank you for - your note. The advice in it I will try to follow. - - “Yet, dearest Annie, it tears me in pieces to have to be always - asserting myself. But it seems to me to be impossible to go on - without a certain amount of freedom of action. - - “Dearest Annie, I sobbed myself to sleep like a child, such a - thing not having occurred for years. The Mystery of Pain!—if it - were a clear duly to bear it, I would go through anything, but I - cannot see the duty, and can feel the pain.... - - “You must take me as I am, dear Annie, with all my failings. If - I am too impetuous, too energetic, too rash, these are all part - of such virtues as I may possess, and, without the two first, - the work that I have done would never have been done; and the - last I do not think I am. Other feelings, of course, I have, - unconscious and unknown to me. But take me as I am. - - “I had a long and grave talk to Miss ——, who counsels fight, but - not on any personal ground. She says, ‘Resign, if there is - interference with the mistress’ liberty of action. That is a - public question, and one of public interest.’ - - “She was so good and loving; she was so tender; and she is so - wise and calm. - - “She told me some of her own worries, and said that sometimes - she quivered in every nerve at her own council meetings. People - came in and asked for information, involving hours of work for - no result; ignored all that had been done, and talked as if they - alone had done everything and knew everything. She urged me to - try and be _im_personal, so to speak; to remember that these and - similar difficulties would always occur where there are several - people. She said that _women_ were always accused of being _too - personal_, and harm was done by giving a handle to such an - assertion. - - “Dearest Annie! I must try to follow your advice, and think of - the work and not of myself. Please help me! Be a true friend, - and don’t fear saying even unpleasant things to me if you think - them deserved. I shall not quarrel. - - “Worried and annoyed as I have been, I have never in my whole - life been cut by, or had a quarrel with, even the most absurd - parent! But you know I am to give in my resignation, if a public - question, such as payment of teachers, hours of work etc., is - raised.” - - -There were few head-mistresses who in those early days escaped some such -trouble. Referring to one very well-known instance, in 1874, Miss Buss -remarks— - - - “I see they are still in a state of fight at Milton Mount; there - seems to have been a great storm at the annual meeting. I am so - sorry for Miss Hadland, who is one of the best and bravest women - I know. I feel that she has fought for a principle, and not in - mere self-assertion. It is hard discipline to be thwarted at - every turn when she has only a single eye for the children’s - best education for this life and the next. Any worries that I - have had in the past sink into insignificance compared with Miss - Hadland’s.” - - -The recurrence of such difficulties rendered it desirable that the -head-mistresses should take counsel together, and try to secure some -firm and settled line of action which might lead to the avoidance of -misunderstandings between themselves and their governing bodies. - -There was already in existence a very useful “School-Mistresses’ -Association,” of which the head-mistresses were all members. But, as -including assistant-mistresses, private governesses, and even the “mere -amateur,” these meetings were better adapted for the discussion of -general educational questions than for the special difficulties of one -branch of the profession. - -Miss Buss had been one of the most active members of the -School-Mistresses’ Association, which had its origin in a suggestion -made by Miss Davies, to which reference is made in a letter, dated -December, 1865, from Miss Buss to Miss Davies— - - - “I think your proposal about the meetings admirable. The first - meeting with men, Mr. Fitch, or some one, in the chair; the rest - modelled on the Kensington Society.[12] But where you will get - your papers from, is the question! There is so little leisure in - a teacher’s life. - - “I think it would be useful and pleasant to meet the - Assistant-Commissioners, and hear some of their experience. - Such a meeting might be annual, and the others quarterly. I - mean a mixed meeting of men and women for the annual, - because, after the Commission ceases to sit, I suppose the - Assistant-Commissioners will disappear.” - - -Footnote 12: - - The “Kensington Society,” to which reference is here made, is thus - described by Miss Davies— - - “The Kensington Society was not exactly an educational union, though - it arose out of the agitation for the local examinations. I had, in - working for that, made acquaintance, partly by correspondence, with a - good many people of kindred interests. It seemed a pity that we should - lose sight of each other when that particular bit of work was - accomplished; so a little society was formed to meet and read papers - from time to time. Mrs. Manning, the step-mother of Miss Adelaide - Manning, was president, and as the meetings were often held at her - house in Kensington, we took that name. Miss Buss was a member, but - did not take an active part. This society lived, I think, for about - three years.” - -The School-Mistresses’ Association was finally started in April, 1867, -with Miss Davies as honorary secretary. Miss Buss became president in -the second year. - -In an early report, reference is made to a suggestion from Miss Clough, -which led to the first action having for its object co-operation among -teachers. It was ascertained that— - - - “While practically school-mistresses were singularly isolated, - some teachers having scarcely so much as a speaking acquaintance - with any professional associate, such isolation was involuntary, - and felt to be a great drawback to usefulness. It was agreed to - meet together, at stated times, for the discussion of subjects - specially interesting to teachers.” - - -A Library Committee, with Miss Gertrude King as secretary, undertook the -formation of a Teachers’ Library, and of a Registry for Professors. With -the exception of the attempt of the Governesses’ Benevolent Institution, -this seems to have been the first effort made by any educational body -towards duly qualified and certified teaching. - -The meeting mentioned in Miss Buss’ letter was held, early in 1866, at -the house of Miss Garrett (Mrs. Garrett-Anderson), and was attended by -several of the Assistant-Commissioners, and by other persons interested -in the new movements. Matters relating to the Schools Inquiry—still in -progress—were discussed, as well as the question of education in -general. - -A valuable series of papers on general educational points, by able -writers, was issued by the association, and various technical questions -were fully discussed; but the larger movements, such as the Local -Examinations, and the proposed Woman’s College at Hitchin, occupy a very -prominent place in the report which dwells on what is the true basis of -any useful association— - - - “Apart from any tangible results, it has been felt that the - recognition of a common bond—the kindling of zeal and courage, - by the contact of congenial minds—the cheering consciousness of - sympathy in working together for a great end, amply justify the - existence of such an association.” - - -The School-Mistresses’ Association continued its work until the increase -of the new Endowed Schools made a division of its members into three -distinct classes, head-mistresses, assistant-mistresses, and private -governesses. The two first formed themselves into distinct associations, -while the third was absorbed by the Teachers’ Guild, which also drew in -the amateurs. - -Having fostered and protected this threefold fruitage up to the period -of ripening, the parent association then fell apart, its work being -done. - -The Teachers’ Guild was originated by Miss Buss, at a meeting held -on February 7, 1883, at the North London Collegiate School for -Girls. On May 16 it was formally inaugurated at a meeting of the -School-Mistresses’ Association, and it was then taken up warmly by -the Head-mistresses’ Association. - -Of the rise of the Assistant-mistresses’ Association, Miss E. P. Hughes -writes, referring to the help given by Miss Buss— - - - “In 1884, at a little meeting in my room at Newnham, it was - decided to start the Assistant-mistresses’ Association, the - initiative being left to Mrs. Corrie Grant, Miss Eves, and - myself. I wrote to Miss Buss and to several other leaders in - education. Miss Buss’ answer was the first we received, and I - distinctly remember the impression it produced. She sympathized - keenly with the desire for union, seeing at once the possible - danger of antagonism to other associations, but also seeing the - way to avoid this danger. Without her sympathy and advice I do - not think the association would have been started just - then.”[13] - - -Footnote 13: - - That Miss Buss’ interest did not relax is shown by the resolution - passed by the Assistant-mistresses’ Association after the news of her - death: “A great loss has fallen on the profession, a loss we should - call irreparable did we not know that no devoted service dies, but - lives and bears fruit in many wonderful and unexpected ways. A great - worker has been called to her rest, and we who remain seem little as - compared with her who is gone. As teachers we must all feel how much - we have lost, while to some the loss is dearer and more personal.” - -Miss Buss and Miss Beale may claim to have started the Head-mistresses’ -Association, with the help of Miss H. M. Jones and a few others, who met -at Myra Lodge in the Christmas vacation of 1873, to formulate its -constitution. - -In her memorial notice,[14] Miss Toplis tells us that the name of this -new association was due to Miss Buss, as she says— - -Footnote 14: - - _Educational Review_, January, 1895. - - - “How many of those who now hold the honourable position and - title of head-mistress know that they owe this title to her? She - had succeeded in convincing the authorities that in the new - schools which were to come into existence a woman could be the - actual head, and that there was no need to put her and her - school under a man as director (which was the only idea that - occurred to them); and then arose this question, what should the - lady be called?—superintendent, lady-principal, director? ‘A - thought flashed into my mind,’ she used to say, ‘if head-master, - why not head-mistress, as the exact equivalent?’ And, much to my - surprise, the suggestion was immediately accepted.” - - -Miss Buss became president of the association, retaining the office till -the end, when her place was taken by Miss Beale; the duties during the -long illness being undertaken by Miss H. M. Jones, as deputy-president. - -Miss H. M. Jones, in a letter on Christmas Day, 1894, speaks for the -whole body in her expression of sorrow— - - - “How many will feel to-day that they have lost a friend on whose - judgment and advice they could always rely! Few women have - exercised so great an influence on the educational movements of - the present day, and still fewer have worked so hard as she has - done to secure the greatest possible advantages to the girls of - this and future generations. She will be greatly missed and - greatly mourned. - - “It is just twenty-one years ago that a few of us - head-mistresses met during the Christmas holidays to establish - the Association, of which she has since then been the honoured - president, and in which she always took so great an interest. In - fact, as you know, Miss Buss has been foremost as a leader in - all our deliberations and in all our efforts.” - - -Miss Elsie Day, of the Grey Coat Hospital, Westminster, adds a very -interesting fact in the history of the Association; as, after the -expression of personal grief, she says— - - - “She was emphatically the mother of the head-mistresses. We - looked to no one, as we did to her, for wise and loving help. - For myself, I can only say I have loved her for twenty years. - - “What I am anxious for is, that in any notice of her, when it - would be suitable, it should be mentioned that it was at her - request that, when the Head-mistresses’ Association met here, in - 1885, there was a special celebration for the Association. She - wrote in the sweetest and most modest way, asking me if I saw my - way to it, and Canon Furse celebrated at my request. Such an - early celebration has been held and much appreciated almost - every year since. - - “It is because I believe that I have had the credit of - initiating this that I am desirous that it should be known that, - although I made the arrangements, the thought was hers. We want - to help the younger heads to realize her beautiful unwitting - saintliness.” - - -Another friend among the head-mistresses, whom she often visited, tells -how at night Miss Buss liked that they should kneel down, and together -say the _Veni Creator_.[15] - -Footnote 15: - - This simplicity and devoutness are well shown in a letter to my - father, in reply to a poem which he had sent her. He was for many - years an invalid, and Miss Buss kept him in constant remembrance in - sending flowers or books. She knew that she was never forgotten in his - prayers— - - “Myra Lodge, December 4, 1883. - - “DEAR MR. RIDLEY, - - “It is very good of you to write to me, and I shall take great - care of your letter. Miss Hickey’s poem is very beautiful and - suggestive. In my intensely active life I do feel, at times - especially, the need of spiritual uplifting. Early last week, before - your letter came, I had felt this from joining a communion service in - the house of a dear friend, whose only child, a grown-up son, was - dangerously ill. - - “I know very little of thought-transference, but I wonder whether in - some wonderful and mysterious way this craving was made known to you. - - “With my love and earnest thanks, - - “Believe me, dear Mr. Ridley, - - “Yours most truly, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS.” - -Those who knew her best know best the force of the description given of -her by her friend Miss Beale in her deeply appreciative sketch[16]— - -Footnote 16: - - _Guardian_, January 9, 1895. - - - “_How_ full of prayer was her life only a few intimate friends - know; one felt that for her the words were true, ‘They that wait - on the Lord shall renew their strength;’ and one is glad to - think that these words are in a higher sense true for her now— - - - ‘I count that heaven itself is only work - To a surer issue,’ - - - and that those who have entered into rest, yet rest not, but in - their glorified life give utterance to that fuller vision of - holiness which was once hidden by the clouds of earth.” - - -The prayerful attitude of spirit characteristic of all who live “as -seeing things invisible” must tend to the graces of simplicity and -humility. Nothing was more touching than to note these special graces in -one so strong and so capable, so eager and impetuous, and dowered with a -will that swept everything before it. Her own personal wants were of the -simplest, and no one ever gave less trouble to those around her. From -Mr. Latham, who, as secretary to the Endowed Schools’ Commission, saw -most of her in her public life, comes a very striking testimony to this -point in her character when, after acknowledging with full appreciation -how she “has done the state good service,” he adds— - - - “The simplicity of her life and the tranquillity of her - demeanour always seemed to me to mark her out in rather a - special way among her comrades in the cause of the education of - women and girls, of which she was a most distinguished pioneer.” - - -Amid the apparently endless multiplicity of her objects in life ran the -one simple purpose of faithful service, and thus in all complexity there -was still a complete order. Confusion is the result only of the clash of -selfish aims with social duties. To the “heart at leisure from itself” -life must always remain simple and harmonious. - -To this humility Miss Beale also bears witness, touching first on a -point of special interest in connection with their professional work— - - - “The next thing that struck us was her _generosity_, not only in - money—though that was very great—but in personal service, in - thoughtfulness of others. If there was any improvement she could - suggest in organization, in methods of teaching, she made it her - business, at no little expense of money and time, to distribute - the information to others; never considering them as rivals, but - as fellow-workers, in a common cause. - - “Next to her charity, one was impressed by her _humility_. ‘Let - each esteem other better than themselves,’ was the rule of her - own life, while she always seemed to look for excellences, - rather than failings, and to seek to develop, in all, the right - emulation, ‘If there be any virtue, any praise, think of these - things.’” - - -One of our greatest teachers tells us that “the test of a truly great -man is his humility,” and certainly to the small, self-centred soul no -grace is more difficult of attainment. - -This humility was very striking in its contrast with the strength and -power of this strong woman. In things large or small it was the same; -she was the first to admit, either to teachers or pupils, any error of -judgment, or any small seeming inconsiderateness, so easy in her -terribly overcrowded life. Of this, one of the staff says aptly— - - - “She had also the power, so often wanting in a strong leader, of - acknowledging a mistake. I shall never forget the impression - made on me on receiving a note from her, apologizing for what I - might perhaps characterize as a failure in courtesy. That was - several years ago, but even then she was able to plead the - pressure on her nerves of the work whose magnitude none of us - can ever know.” - - -And one of the party of a Roman holiday relates, with moist eyes, how, -one day when she had retired to her room, up a long flight of stairs, -she heard a knock at the door, and there found Miss Buss, who had -followed her all the way up just to say, “I am afraid, my dear, that I -passed you without saying good morning; but I was thinking of something -else at the moment, and only remembered it afterwards!” - - * * * * * - -In speaking of “our dear friend and helper, Miss Buss,” Miss Cooper, of -Edgbaston, takes up the lesson of the life just closed, as she says— - - - “The whole of the educational world will grieve, and will feel - the void caused by her death. But the full realization of the - loss can only be felt by those who were drawn into the more - intimate personal and professional relations in which Miss Buss - showed her great and generous spirit in the best aspect. - - “It is of the greatest help to remember the brave and loving - spirit just gone from us, and to recall not only her words of - hope and cheer to us, but also her encouragement to take up her - work when it had perforce to be given up; and, in our turn, to - help the younger members of our profession both in their own - daily needs and difficulties, and also in their endeavour after - a life that should realize the highest ideals with which such - leaders as Miss Buss have inspired us. - - “From such help as she gave us, one learns the gospel of - helpfulness for others, and her life has inspired, and will - continue to inspire, some of the best work that has made - education a real and valuable thing for the women of - England—work which has still to develop into greater usefulness - as greater opportunities are presented to it.” - - -And, over and over, from the younger members of the association, come in -varying form the same heartfelt utterances of personal loss, as in this— - - - “I cannot tell you how much she helped me from the first time I - met her, when I went from the Cambridge Training College to work - under her at her own school, till I left to become head of the - West Ham School. There I rejoiced in having her as one of my - governors, and there she has given me help and encouragement - that I never can repay. But I know I am only one of _many_ whom - she taught and advised without a thought of the trouble to - herself.” - - -Never, surely, had formal vote of condolence less of mere form, or more -of love and sorrow than that sent by the Head-mistresses’ Association to -the friends of their “honoured and beloved president,” as they say— - - - “As a body, we lament the loss of our head; as individuals, we - mourn a dear and honoured friend, who, whether in the cause of - public progress or of private friendship, was ever ready to - spend herself, her time, and thought for others, and share with - them the fruits of her sound judgment and experience. - - “We appreciate most thoroughly the splendid work that she - accomplished in the sphere of education, and the important part - she played in gaining for women the great educational advantages - which they now enjoy, but for the moment we are more disposed to - dwell upon her personal influence, her wide sympathies, her - never-failing readiness to give help and counsel, her public - spirit, and her loyal, affectionate disposition.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FOR WOMEN. - - “That human beings, whether male or female, come into the world - not merely to ‘get a living,’ but to live; that the life they - live depends largely on what they know and care about, upon the - breadth of their intellectual sympathy, upon their love of - truth, upon their power of influencing and inspiring other - minds; and that, for these reasons, mental culture stands in - just as close relation to the needs of a woman’s career in the - world as to that of a man—all these are propositions which, if - not self-evident, are at least seen in a clearer light by the - people of our generation than by their predecessors.”—J. G. - FITCH. - - - “The thing that vexes me is the entirely ignoring Miss Emily - Davies, to whose hard work it may fairly be said the whole - movement is due. She memorialized the Endowed Schools Commission - to include girls in their inquiries; she bore the brunt of the - fight about getting the Cambridge Local Examinations open, and - she called Girton into existence.” - - -So wrote Miss Buss to Dr. J. G. Fitch, in 1879, when roused to protest -against some statements in a book entitled, “Girls and Colleges for -Women,” which appeared at that date, and especially to protest against -what invariably roused her deepest ire—the failure to give honour where -honour was due. Of her it might always be said that she fulfilled the -lovely law of Christian life, “In honour preferring one another.” As -Miss Davies says, in reference to the passage just quoted, “It was like -Miss Buss, so full as she was of generosity, to be eager in protest -against what she regarded as a slight to another, not herself.” - -Constantly recurrent, in speech and in writing, do we find testimony of -the value attached by Miss Buss to the University Local Examinations, of -which she was among the first to make use. - -It was in consequence of the exertions of Miss Davies, assisted by Miss -Bostock, of Bedford College, and a small band of steady supporters, -that, in 1863, girls were, for the _first_ time, and in an informal way, -allowed to try the examination papers set for boys.[17] - -Footnote 17: - - Extract from the first circular— - - “A committee of ladies and gentlemen interested in female education - have made arrangements for holding examinations of girls in connection - with the University of Cambridge, commencing December 14. Prizes and - certificates of proficiency will be awarded by the committee, - following the recommendations of the examiners. - - “The examinations will be conducted in accordance with the Regulations - of the Cambridge Local Examination, but in a private manner and under - the superintendence of the ladies of the committee. - - “The committee included the names of Miss Bostock, Miss Isa Craig, - Russell Gurney, Esq., G. W. Hastings, Esq., James Heywood, Esq., Dr. - Hodgson, Mrs. Manning, Mrs. Hensleigh Wedgwood, Mr. H. R. Tomkinson, - Esq., with Lady Goldsmid as treasurer, and Miss Emily Davies as hon. - sec. The same committee worked for Girton College, with the addition - of Lady Stanley of Alderley, Lady Augusta Stanley, Miss Shirreff, Mrs. - Russell Gurney, Miss Ponsonby, Miss Rich, Miss F. Metcalfe, Mr. Bryce, - Mr. Roby, and Mr. Gorst.” - -It was not then known if they were even capable of the necessary mental -effort. The result, however, proved so satisfactory that the next year -saw the formation of a “London Centre for Girls,” of which Miss Davies -was honorary secretary until Girton took up her time, when she was -succeeded by Mrs. Wm. Burbury. - -To the first irregular examination in 1863 Miss Buss sent in 25 girls -out of the total of 80. Much to her surprise, ten of her pupils failed -in arithmetic, with the result that she so reorganized her system of -teaching that henceforth few of her girls failed in that subject. - -Between the years 1871 and 1892 no less than 1496 pupils passed in the -Cambridge Local Examinations, of whom 494 took honours. - -There is an amusing letter to Miss Davies just before the examination of -1865, which shows how these things looked thirty years ago— - - - “12, Camden Street, Dec. 5, 1865. - - “MY DEAR MISS DAVIES, - - “Pray excuse my not answering your note till now. I am - literally ‘over head and ears’ in work. There is so much to look - after just now. - - “Those dreadful Cambridge examiners! Their digestion would - certainly be impaired if they only knew how indignant I am with - them. Why, the time hitherto allowed for an examination is an - ‘insult’ to us; but now they have added ‘injury,’ by curtailing - the time for English subjects—English, too! _The_ subject in - which a girl might hope to pass with credit! But we must endure - it, as we can’t cure it. - - “No doubt _you_ are blissfully ignorant of the change. You are - not an unfortunate school-mistress, with a reputation to - maintain! - - “And our girls! We sometimes think they have taken leave of - their senses. Either we have taken up too much, or they are - hopelessly stupid. I almost fear the former. - - “Is the Cambridge Exam. to take place at that room in Conduit - Street? And, please let the unhappy victims have plenty of paper - before the bell rings. And I hope Miss Craig or Miss Bostock, or - some one, will be there to help you in distributing the - examination papers, wherever there is any English going on, for - even one minute is worth something when the time is so limited. - - “I hope this is not asking too much; it is for _all_, at any - rate.... - - “Believe me, - - “‘Genuinely and heartily’ yours, - - “My dear Miss Davies, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS. - - “I mean to worry, worry, worry for a _carte de visite_ of you. - If you do not give way, then I shall worry, worry, worry Mrs. - Davies.” - - -In the same letter Miss Buss says— - - - “I am half-inclined to think of trying inspection next year on - our own account; the expense would, however, be one - consideration, but the experiment would be worth trying.” - - -In 1864, Miss Buss had been inspected by Mr. Fearon, on behalf of the -Schools Inquiry Commission, and her account of it to her sister is very -characteristic. That the inspector did not share her own estimate of her -girls is proved by the place given to her school, and by the invitation -to appear before the Commissioners in 1865. - - - “Camden Street, June 24, 1864. - - “Mr. Fearon is such a nice man! I like him much (as I said to - Miss Begbie, I have taken to liking people lately: Economics, I - suppose). He knows what he is about; is quick without being - abrupt; and most certainly taught me a good deal. It was really - wonderful to see how rapidly he arrived at an estimate. The - morning was spent in getting information out of me about the - history, birth, growth, management, income, etc., of the school. - - “He went, however, to calisthenics, and also through all the - rooms, counting those who were present, and comparing them with - the registers. After lunch, he examined the upper third in - arithmetic, dictation, reading, geography, requesting Miss —— to - give a history lesson before him. - - “The children did the wildest things! I could have annihilated - them over and over again. One young monkey said the ‘Artic’ - Ocean was in some ridiculous place. He said, ‘What?’ She - answered, ‘Artic.’ He said, ‘Spell it!’ To which, with the most - graceful complaisance, she said ‘a-r-t-i-c.’ Was she not a - wretch? Miss ——’s lesson was horrible—she dropped a few _h_’s, - and asked foolish questions, which produced equally absurd - answers. For instance, she asked some question about the death - of Rufus, to which the reply was, ‘Oh, they carried him away in - a dustcart!’ ‘William the Conqueror left the Holy Land to - Robert.’ When corrected, the children said, ‘Oh, well, it was - Canaan.’ - - “They were restless and fidgety, did not obey orders; and, in - fact, were as dreadful as they could be. If the first class do - not acquit themselves relatively better, our report will be a - queer one. I have made an appeal to them. - - “The inspection has produced the pleasing result that our - children are not _near_ the average of the same age in a - National School. No grant under the revised code would be given - to us. Charming, is it not? In spelling, for instance, the - National School children are allowed only an average of one - mistake in a class. Our little ones made eight and a half _each_ - instead of _one_ each. In arithmetic, the standard is half a - mistake, and ours made two and a half. The copy-books were - reported as bad; everything was bad! But I do not mind, provided - the elder girls come out well.” - - -The next experience does not seem to have been much happier, for on July -7 she says— - - - “I could not write yesterday. There were so many callers, and - the fact is that, since the inspection of yesterday, I have - collapsed, bodily and mentally! - - “The heat, too, is dreadful, and I am quite overdone with it. - The whole of last evening and this morning, except for an hour, - I lay half unconscious on the bed or sofa, incapable of reading, - thinking, or sleeping. I am in a state of tears whenever I think - of Wednesday. I do not say the girls have not done well. In - comparison, probably, with others, _very_ well; but they did not - do their best. - - “In a really easy arithmetic paper, not one, or only one, - touched the decimals. In history, they sat doing _nothing_ for - twenty minutes, although there was a question, ‘The dates of - following battles.’ Actually, _not one_ girl in my division - attempted to give the least account of the battle, or result, or - anything about it but the bare date, which, of course, in half - the cases, would be wrong; because in our examinations, they - said, it was of no use to do more than the absolute answer to - the question. Is it not cruel to me, after my life has been - given to the work?” - - -A letter dated 1869, five years later, shows how Miss Buss must have -profited by the experience of this inspection, for she writes in very -good spirits of the results of the Cambridge Local Examinations— - - - “All our girls have passed except one. Six of Miss Metcalfe’s - have passed, one with second class, and one with third class - honours. My list is good. Esther Greatbatch has first class, and - two have third class. Of seniors, two have third class; so we - have five honours. Three of the girls are distinguished in - Religious Knowledge. On the whole we have done well.” - - -In 1876, after another inspection, the tone changes again, and we find, -in comparing 1864 with 1876, that the times have changed also. Miss Buss -thus writes to me, during the inspection, which seems to have been -enlivened by suppers, in which the girls showed off their domestic -accomplishments, everything, including bread, being made by their own -hands— - - - “You cannot imagine how much the inspection puts on me. Luckily, - we like our examiner _very_ much indeed, and that lightens our - work. Shall I say this, after seeing his report? He must find - fault—that is the business of inspectors—their _raison d’être_. - If he finds defects, the existence of which I do not suspect, I - shall not mind so much, because that will be a case of living - and learning. But I am conceited enough to think that I could be - an inspector myself! We had a fine supper last night, cooked by - the lady-cooks! They were _so_ happy! Ella will tell you all - about it some time.” - - -That particular report does not happen to be before me, but there is a -letter from one of H.M. Inspectors of Schools, written to Miss Buss, in -1887, which may stand as representative— - - - “I had the pleasure of visiting the North London Collegiate - School last week, under the able guidance of Miss Dillys Davies. - I was very sorry not to see you, so that I might express to you - how delighted I was with all I saw. I have seen no better - appointed school. I have long considered your school—judged by - results—as the best girls’ school in England, but I _had_ never - seen the admirable rooms and apparatus. - - “I have often named the school to lady-friends, but I find that - there is still, alas! a terrible blindness as to what - constitutes true education, and the unfortunate girls are sent - to be finished in the usual orthodox way in the usually - indifferent establishments. - - “Permit me to add one more congratulation (to the thousands you - must have already received) in appreciation of the noble work - you are doing.” - - -The advance was strikingly rapid. In 1863, it was not even known whether -girls were able to undertake the work required for the Cambridge Local -Examinations. Even in 1876, Miss Buss writes thus of the results, which -had not quite satisfied the honorary secretary of her centre, as -compared with those of the year before— - - - “But please remember that last year the senior Cambridge girls - formed the _highest_ class; this year there are thirty-two girls - in a higher division, studying for the London University - Matriculation. Our girls have this year, in the greater number - of cases, gone up at sixteen, instead of seventeen, and that - makes a difference. We shall send up twelve or fourteen for the - Matriculation in May. Sara Burstall, two terms only from Camden - School, and _my_ scholar, gets half the £12 prize offered to the - best senior girls. Mr. Browne wrote to me to say so. I ought to - be content.” - - -For some years Miss Buss sent her pupils to the first London centre at -Burlington House, where Miss Davies was very much struck by the way in -which she—who had done so much to forward the movement—took her place -simply and quietly among the others, whose part had been merely to -accept what had been done for them. - -But when the school in Camden Road had acquired rooms large enough to -meet the Cambridge requirements, Miss Buss considered it would be well -to form a new centre, and asked me to undertake the correspondence -involved. Miss Davies writes in reply to my first note— - - - “Your suggestion of a centre for North London strikes me as an - admirable one. I should like to have a _cordon_ of centres all - round London, and we seem now to be making a beginning to it. - Would it be possible to have also a St. John’s Wood Centre? We - found last year that Bayswater was of no use to St. John’s Wood. - Whether this district would produce enough candidates to support - a centre of its own I do not know.... I am so glad you are - taking up this matter so energetically and judiciously.” - - -In July, 1872, Miss Buss sent me a list of ladies who had agreed to act -as the committee of the _Regent’s Park Centre_. When we remember that -the duties included attendance for the honorary secretary from 9 a.m. -till 9 p.m., for three or four days out of the six, and that two or more -ladies of the committee must be present whenever an examination is going -on, it will be seen that this meant work. This first list met with warm -approval from the Rev. G. F. Browne, at Cambridge, as showing the -interest taken in the then new movement by persons known in the -educational world. We find here the names of Mrs. Charlton Bastian, Mrs. -Fox Bourne, Miss Orme, Mrs. Percy Bunting, Mrs. J. G. Fitch, Mrs. Hales, -Mrs. Henry Morley, and Mrs. Williamson. Mrs. Avery, Miss Sarah Ward -Andrews, Miss Agnes Jones, Miss Swan, and myself completed the first -list. My sister, Miss J. T. Ridley, was appointed honorary secretary, -and remained in this post till 1894, when she was succeeded by Miss -Hester Armstead, who had been a most successful candidate in both Junior -and Senior Examinations, before distinguishing herself in the Cambridge -Classical Tripos. - -The number of candidates increased so rapidly that, in 1873, it was -necessary to arrange an Islington Centre to take the North London -pupils, and, in 1874, to open the St. John’s Wood and Hampstead Centre, -of which Miss Swan became the able honorary secretary for over twenty -years. If we could have foreseen such results, the name of _Regent’s -Park Centre_ would never have been given to the original centre, which -would have been known, from the first—as what it so soon became—the -centre for the pupils of Miss Buss’ schools only. - -There is a letter from Miss Buss, in reference to the one difficulty -which ever occurred at this centre, which has interest in showing her on -both sides: the gracious and the severe. A girl had broken the rules, -and was, therefore, condemned to forfeit her examination, the honorary -secretary pleading in vain against this fiat— - - - “Just a line, dear Jeanie, to express to you, on my own part and - that of the teachers in the Cambridge Forms, my and their hearty - thanks for all the work you have done for us this week. - Everything has gone _admirably_, and my share of the work was - never less burdensome. Indeed, _I_ have had nothing to do with - the Cambridge work except look on! - - “Do not think me a monster, but, of all the hard lessons I have - had to learn, none has been so hard as the one which makes me, - _for the moment_, not only refuse sympathy, but actually speak - harshly—if there is a stronger word I would use it. In the years - to come, I hope many a woman will thank me in her heart for - behaving harshly to her in her girlhood, in all matters of tears - or want of self-control, and so putting before her another - ideal: that of the woman strong to bear, to endure, to suffer, - rather than that of the weak woman always ready to give way at - the least difficulty. _Afterwards_ I always reason out the whole - matter; but it is _always afterwards_; never at the time. - - “My love to you, Annie, and your father. - - “Always yours affectionately, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS.” - - -The following note to Miss Buss from one of the examiners of the -_Regent’s Park Centre_ shows how much she had to do with the decision to -print the girls’ names, as the boys’ names had always been printed; a -step then regarded as a rather alarming innovation:— - - - “March 2, 1874. - - “I have had some conversation with the other members of - the Local Examinations Syndicate, and I think I am warranted in - expressing an opinion that if the subject of the printing of the - girls’ names in the published lists were again brought before - the Syndicate by a representation signed by influential local - secretaries and others who are interested in the question, it - would meet with a different solution than it has done - heretofore, thanks to the remarks you have made to me of your - own experience. - - “I told Mr. Browne in our last conversation that I thought the - best way to bring the matter before us again would be for me to - write to you, and give you an intimation of the present feeling, - and you would know through whom to move.” - - -In the same spirit in which she had entered into the Cambridge Local -Examinations did Miss Buss throw herself into the larger work which soon -engrossed Miss Davies, viz. the development of Girton College. The -members of the Kensington Society were the first supporters of this -movement, one of the leaders being Mrs. Manning, who, with Miss Davies -and Mr. Sedley Taylor, and Mr. Tomkinson, took part in the first meeting -of a committee, on December 5, 1867, to consider “A Proposed College for -Women.” - -In 1869 a house was taken at Hitchin, where five students were received, -Mrs. Manning acting for the first three months as Lady Principal. She -was succeeded, for the next year, by Miss Emily Shirreff, who relates -that a proposition to go as missionary to Fiji would at that time have -caused less amazement to her friends than this venture into untried -ways. Miss Davies herself was the first Head at Girton. - -The effort to obtain the £13,000 required for the new buildings was, -like all other early efforts of the kind, a work of courage and -patience. The first £1000 was given by Madame Bodichon, and the same sum -by Miss E. A. Manning, while £8000 had been collected by the committee. -One of the things hard to bear by those who had made it possible to take -such a step was the foundation of the new Holloway College, with -magnificent buildings for which there were then no students, whilst -Girton was still struggling for the merely necessary accommodation -needed for its students actually in residence. - -Occupied as she was with the same effort to obtain funds for her own -schools, Miss Buss could not give much pecuniary help. But she did help -very largely by her influence, being always and everywhere an able -propagandist of the new ideas. - -Side by side with the Girton movement went another which began with a -set of lectures started by the Cambridge Ladies’ Association, in -January, 1870, to enable women-students to take advantage of the -instruction offered by Trinity College. For the accommodation of ladies -attending these lectures a house in Cambridge was taken by Mr. Sidgwick, -Miss Clough being placed at the head of it. This beginning, known as -Merton Hall, developed rapidly into the present Newnham College, with -its now fine building, possessing the advantage over Girton—which is -distant three miles out of Cambridge—of being within easy access to all -the advantages of the University. - -The work at Newnham differs from that at Girton in offering a special -examination for women, under the authorization of the University and -with certificates, but not demanding the same work from women that was -imperative for men. - -From the first, Miss Davies and her friends—Miss Buss being very firm on -this point—had steadily resisted every offer that made a separation -between men and women. They demanded for women the very same curriculum -as that expected from men. The trend of public opinion has on the whole -been in this direction during the later progress of the movement, and -although several difficult questions are still to be solved, few now -doubt that in the beginning it was expedient to make the demand in the -form in which it was made. - -Miss Buss made frequent visits to Girton and to Newnham, having a -succession of pupils there. I remember her enjoyment, as well as my own, -as she took me to see them for the first time, when we lunched at Girton -with Miss Bernard, and afterwards had tea with Miss Clough, at Newnham; -in both Colleges being shown about by old pupils, delighted to show -their pretty rooms to their dear friend. - -The present head of Girton writes, now that these visits are of the -past— - - - “It is not merely the thought of what, with her great abilities - and vast stores of experience, she might still have - accomplished, if she had been spared in health and strength till - old age overtook her, but the feeling that the world and her - friends are so much poorer by the loss of one of the best and - truest women that ever lived, that fills me with regret. As you - know, it has been my privilege to count her among my staunchest - friends, and I feel that to me, at least, one unfailing source - of sympathy and support is lost now that she is gone. There are - others who can tell better than I can what her help meant to the - college in early days. I know well how much it has owed to her - in later times, and in how many ways we shall miss her now.” - - -Miss Helen Gladstone gives another side of the work— - - - “I sincerely wish that I could show my respect and affection for - Miss Buss by attending either or both services to-morrow; but I - am too far off to make it possible. I most truly lament her - death, and I feel most grateful to her for her splendid work for - not merely education, but Church education. It was in connection - with such work that I knew her best, and gained the privilege of - forming a friendship with her.” - - -I have been favoured by Mr. Menzies with an interesting account of an -experiment of great importance in the early days of the University -movement, in which Miss Buss took an active part. When Miss Davies first -propounded her scheme to the School-Mistresses’ Association, it was -regarded by most of the members as a thing impossible. Mrs. Menzies, one -of the members, was known to have been educated by her father, Dr. King, -on the same lines as his boy-pupils. Her classmates, as men, won -University honours, while Mrs. Menzies went on with her studies at home -with so much success that in after life she was able to act as a -classical “coach” to young men preparing for the University. - -Her opinion of the subject of the University career for girls was -naturally of weight; and she was asked to answer these two important -questions— - - - “(1) Could girls, beginning their classical studies at fourteen - or fifteen years of age, be able to hold their ground when - placed in competition with young men who had begun the same - studies in their eighth or ninth year? (2) Would it be necessary - to alter the entire system of teaching in girls’ schools, so as - to make classics the dominant study from the age at which boys - usually began?” - - -As Mrs. Menzies was unacquainted with everything connected with girls’ -schools, she was unable to give any definite opinion. She had taught -Latin and Greek to a few ladies, but these had always been above the -schoolgirl age. - -Here Miss Buss’ practical turn of mind came to the rescue. She first -proposed that Mrs. Menzies should take a senior class in the North -London School, and make the experiment; and when she found that Mrs. -Menzies was unable to give the time required for going to Camden Town, -she then chartered an omnibus, and sent the pupils to the teacher. - -We hear that, at first, the size of the class rather alarmed Mrs. -Menzies, but— - - - “she soon felt at ease with girls so sympathetic, earnest, and - intelligent. She determined to keep them to Latin exclusively, - and see how far she could carry them on in the limited time, - without strain. Long before the end of the term, she came to the - conclusion that girls, trained as these had been, could easily, - by the time they were admissible to the University, be perfectly - able to pass the preliminary examination, and do as well as the - freshmen who usually go up for it. She was of opinion that the - time given by boys to athletics lost them the advantage which - their six or seven years’ earlier start might otherwise have - given them.” - - -Mr. Menzies concludes— - - - “This important experiment, which the foresight and management - of Miss Buss made possible, showed the school-mistresses that - these pupils could obtain the advantage of University training - without any alteration of their studies up to fourteen - or fifteen years of age. In consequence, such of the - school-mistresses who had hesitated about Miss Davies’ - University scheme, were reconciled to it, and, in course of - time, approved of it.” - - -In February, 1873, there is a report in the _Union Journal_ of the first -examination for the Mathematical Tripos, held at Cambridge, in -connection with Girton College. Miss S. Woodhead was examined, by the -official examiners, in their private capacity, and they reported on her -papers according to the University standards. The marks assigned would -have placed Miss Woodhead among the senior optimes, _i.e._ in the second -class of mathematical honours. In April, 1873, Miss Cook and Miss -Lumsden took what would have been second- and third-class honours. - -At the usual Convocation of the University of London, held on May 12, -1874, Dr. Storrar presiding, it was moved by the Rev. Septimus Buss, and -finally resolved, “That, in the opinion of Convocation, it is desirable -that women should be permitted to take degrees in the University of -London.” - -This resolution was warmly supported by that unfailing friend of the -higher education of women, Dr. J. G. Fitch, who stood his ground against -the not less warm opposition, headed by Dr. Quain, who, referring to -Mrs. Somerville, asked “if the University was to go for a new charter -just to further the ambition of a few exceptional women?” Dr. Gibson, -also in opposition, urged that a woman could not take up a University -course without detracting from her other powers, for, as woman was -differently organized, it was necessary to give her a different -education; and he asked “if the University was to direct its work by -general wants, or by exceptional wants—the wants of a few masculine -women?” - -From the fact that many of Miss Buss’ pupils were resident in London, it -followed that most of them were likely to avail themselves of the -facilities of the London University, even apart from the fact that -London was the first to grant degrees, an event of great excitement to -all women, of which Miss Buss writes in 1878— - - - “The great thing of last week is the opening of the examinations - and degrees of London University to women! An immense - concession, and one which must be followed in time by the older - universities. - - “It is just fifteen years ago since the agitation began about - opening the local examinations, and now, I suppose, the cause is - won along the whole line.” - - -In a “Note on the Origin and History of the University of London” -(_University Calendar_), we find this record— - - - “The experiment of offering encouragement for women to pursue a - course of academic education, was at first tried under - limitations which somewhat impeded its success. Under the powers - given in the Charter of 1867, women were not rendered admissible - to the ordinary examinations, but two forms of certificate were - offered to female students—the one general, and the other of - higher proficiency. In the scheme for both examinations, - prominence was given to those subjects which it was presumed - that women and their teachers would prefer. But the number - availing themselves of this privilege was small, and the - privilege itself was not highly valued. Moreover, it was found - that the chief distinctions attained by women in these - examinations were not gained in the special subjects, but in the - classical languages and in science. It was urged by the teachers - that women did not desire a scheme of instruction exclusively - devised for their use, but would prefer to have access to the - ordinary degrees and honours, and to be subject to the same - tests of qualification which were imposed on other students. - - “After much discussion, the Senate and Convocation agreed to - accept from the Crown, in 1878, a Supplemental Charter, making - every degree, honour, and prize awarded by the University - accessible to students of both sexes on perfectly equal terms. - The University of London was thus the first academical body in - the United Kingdom to admit women as candidates for degrees. The - record of the results which have followed this measure will be - found in the statistical tables and in the honours and - distinctions which have since been won by female candidates.” - - -On the point of granting degrees, on the same terms for women as for -men, Miss Buss was always most decided. She endeavoured to carry the -Head-mistresses’ Association with her in presenting a memorial to the -University authorities, but in this she failed, as is shown in the -following letter to Miss Davies— - - - “Myra Lodge, July 24, 1877. - - “MY DEAR MISS DAVIES, - - “It was so impossible to agree at our committee yesterday - that we gave up the idea of sending a memorial from the - Head-mistresses’ Association. - - “At the committee, only five would vote for the degree on - absolutely equal terms, and eight were against it. Of the absent - members five wrote against it, so there would have been a large - _majority against_. - - “Each mistress can sign the memorial she prefers. So, I suppose, - ‘we,’ that is, my colleagues and I, had better sign your - memorial. - - “I heard, for the first time, that men from the affiliated - colleges—Nottingham, for example—could get a degree without the - Little-Go, and with only two years’ residence. This, if correct, - does modify things a little. I heard, also, that Dr. Sidgwick - would vote for the degree being given on the same terms as now, - _i.e._ I suppose, on Girton and Newnham lines. - - “Yours always truly, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS. - - “My young people were delighted with their visit to Girton.” - - -In a letter to Dr. Fitch, dated July 24, 1879, Miss Buss thus expresses -her satisfaction with the success of the efforts in this direction— - - - “DEAR MR. FITCH, - - “Many thanks for your kind note, which gave me great - pleasure. I am glad to know that our friends are satisfied with - the result of their exertions on our behalf so far. - - “The fight was hard. I wonder how the women will do in the B.A. - and B.Sc. Examinations. - - “Cheltenham has done as well as usual. Nine candidates out of - ten passed in this last matriculation examination. - - “_We_ are exceptionally fortunate this year, but our success is - largely owing to my accomplished and brilliant young - fellow-worker, Mrs. Bryant, who is as good and charming as she - is clever. - - “I thank you most heartily for your congratulations, dear Mr. - Fitch. - - “Believe me, - - “Yours always truly, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS. - - “To J. G. Fitch, Esq., M.A.” - - -In 1881, Mrs. Grey writes to Miss Buss from Naples, on the receipt of -the _Cambridge Calendar_— - - - “This scheme seems as good as we could expect, and embracing all - the most important points so contended for. On the whole, when I - recollect the indifference, and sometimes the contemptuous - opposition that one met with, even when I first read a paper on - the subject, some six years ago, I think the progress has been - unexpectedly rapid; and it will be indefinitely accelerated when - the Universities (or Cambridge alone) have published their - scheme.” - - -It is only by carefully contrasting the state of girls’ education in -1863 with what, in 1895, is accepted as the natural order of things, -that we can estimate duly the value of the work done by the leaders in -this movement, amongst whom prominent places must be assigned to Emily -Davies and Frances Mary Buss. - -We have a pleasant little glimpse of the relations that existed between -the two friends in a note found among Miss Buss’ most treasured -possessions, with a piece of needlework, marked in her writing, as -“worked by Miss Davies.” - - - “8, Harewood Square, Dec. 20, 1890. - - “DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “I am sending you, in a separate packet, marked, ‘to await - return,’ in case you have already left town, a chair-back, which - I have had great pleasure in working for you. Will you accept it - as a small token of affection and good will? I have thought much - of you while putting in the stitches, and of the high and noble - qualities which I have had so many opportunities of observing - during our long and unbroken friendship. - - “All Christmas blessings to you and yours. - - “Ever yours sincerely, - - “EMILY DAVIES.” - - -As a summing-up of Miss Buss’ attitude with regard to this great -question, I am indebted to Mrs. Bryant for the following remarks which -embody the results of many a consultation between the head and her -sympathetic colleague, whose own career is so strikingly illustrative of -the whole question:— - - - “In the earlier years of the Cambridge Colleges, Miss Buss was - one of the most ardent supporters of the attempt to win for - women admission to the opportunities and recognition of the - older Universities. The part she took was the very useful one of - supplying students trained in her school, few of whom would - probably have gone on to a college career but for the stimulus - of her advice and encouragement. Times have greatly changed - since then. At that time there was a small band of women bent on - carrying out an ideal which is now partly fulfilled, and very - widely accepted, and there were a few girls, growing into - womanhood, with the eager thirst for knowledge that defies - obstacles. These latter were the first Cambridge students. But - the great mass of social feeling was hostile, or at the best - contentedly acquiescent in the existing state of affairs. It was - for the conversion of this conservatively acquiescent, but not - hostile, feeling, that missionary effort was needed, and Miss - Buss, among her girls and their parents, was the most ardent and - convincing of missionaries. She would captivate intellectually, - and persuade morally, the girl whom she saw as destined for the - higher intellectual things, and she would educate or persuade - the parents to take her view, or at any rate, give it a trial. - As a matter of course, we now ask of an elder girl in school - what she intends to do in her after-career, and the majority of - girls, or their parents, have some idea, or are trying to form - one. But in the early seventies it was not so, and Miss Buss - created ideals of the future for individuals out of little more - than her perception of their capabilities. - - “With regard to the difference of ideal end between the two - Cambridge Colleges, Miss Buss, with her usual balance and - moderation, held that the greater liberty, as regards time of - residence and studies, allowed at Newnham, was very serviceable - to a large class of students, especially at the beginning, whose - circumstances and opportunities did not allow that they should - completely carry out the regular University conditions. But she - had, nevertheless, no doubt at all that the full University - course, and the University degree as its recognition, was the - end to be achieved by all who could achieve it. If the - University were in need of reform, if more liberty should be - allowed as regards Greek in particular, then, it seemed to her, - that question should be fought out for both sexes alike, since - there was no peculiar reason why women specially should abstain - from the classics. But, to her mind, the over-balancing - consideration was that the principle of equality in the race for - such intellectual privileges as could be won, should be broadly - asserted in the most emphatic way—‘a fair fight, and no favour,’ - as she often said. She made no assumption about the extent of - the average woman’s powers, but she smiled over the _à priori_ - views, once so common, which settled beforehand what their - tastes should be—for literature, for botany, perhaps, for modern - languages, certainly not for mathematics. So her sympathies, - regarding the ultimate end to be attained, leaned to the system - of Girton College, which fulfilled all the University - conditions, and, pending the grant by the University of degrees, - stamped each Girton student with a mark equivalent to graduation - in all respects. The unlimited liberty of choice allowed to the - women students at Oxford was, to her, a great stumbling-block. - ‘It is impossible to follow the variety of the Oxford course in - all its windings,’ she would say; ‘or to make out clearly what - an Oxford woman has done.’ And there can be no doubt that the - Oxford women who have done the best courses do suffer seriously - in the practical world by the very indefinite character of the - general stamp they wear. This, indeed, has come to be an - important argument in favour of the grant of the Oxford degree - to the fully qualified women. - - “In these latter years, however, she, like others, felt that - there was hope of great things, educationally, in the - development of thought among the younger generation at Oxford. - How deeply interested she was in the Conference on Secondary - Education at Oxford! It was a great disappointment to her that - on account of illness she could not be present. Telling her all - about it afterwards was part of the conference to me. - - “As regards the stumbling-block of compulsory Greek, it may be - worth while to say a word here which should tend to dispel the - fear that the requirement of Greek at the Universities will make - Greek a necessary class-subject in the first-grade schools. It - has not had this effect so far, I believe, in any of the schools - supplying students to Girton. Only the small band of girls - destined for a University course make it a study. In our - practice at the North London Collegiate School, it is - alternative with French, as Latin is with German; and it always - comes late in the course. We see, however, that it is taught - well, very well, when it comes. - - “On May 15, 1878, on the occasion of the presentation of degrees - at the University of London, the Chancellor, Lord Granville made - the great announcement that henceforth women should be eligible - for all the degrees and honours of the University. I was with - Miss Buss in the gallery; it was a thrilling moment. The - concession was unexpected, and it was so perfectly complete. - There were no reservations in it, no locked doors, no exclusion - from rights in the government of the University, or from - eligibility for any of its posts. The time for experiment was - over, and the test had been approved; the time for half-measures - was over too. There never was a concession more freely or more - graciously made, and with a largeness of wisdom and sympathy - which cannot be honoured too much. - - “At the same time, it was announced that the University would - institute a diploma for teachers, and thus another much-desired - end was also fulfilled. ‘I care for that almost as much,’ she - said. But the prime interest centred in the grant of the - degrees. How overjoyed she was! ‘What will _you_ do?’ she said - to me. ‘I will learn Latin,’ I said; ‘matriculate in January, - and go on for the Doctor of Science degree in Philosophy.’ - - “In later years we did not sit in the gallery, however late we - came, but in the front row. She never failed to come, not even - last year, when, indeed, she found the effort trying. It was - such a pleasure to her, year by year, to see the number of - girl-graduates grow; and she rejoiced as much in the success of - others as in that of her own flock. It was characteristic of her - selflessness, her magnanimity, that, instead of presenting her - distinguished pupils herself, she handed over to me from the - first that honourable duty. ‘She liked it better so,’ she said. - But thus it was in all things: wherever there was honour, she - put me forward to share it. For herself she sought nothing.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - _Photo. by Elliott and Fry._ - MISS BUSS AND DR. SOPHIE BRYANT. -] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - TRAINING COLLEGES FOR TEACHERS. - - “The science of education, so little thought of, so - contemptuously ignored, is the crowning science of all, for it - is the application of all the sciences to the production of the - highest result—the perfect man.”—From a paper read by Mrs. Grey - at the meeting of the British Association, 1874. - - -In 1873, the theory and practice of education were still so far apart -that, in the March number of _The Journal of the Women’s Education -Union_ of that year, we find the following very definite statement:— - - - “Training colleges do not exist; the expense of founding them - would place them almost hopelessly out of reach, though - something might have been done by following up the example of - the Home and Colonial in their private department. Mrs. Wm. Grey - proposed a plan for a class of student teachers to form part of - every large school, which was adopted by the Public Day-school - Company, who are, however, not yet in a position to try it. It - has also been approved by Miss Buss and Miss Beale, and is - already in operation in Camden Town.” - - -In October, 1872, Miss Buss and Miss Doreck, the two ladies on the -council of the College of Preceptors, had brought forward a scheme for -establishing a “Training class of lectures and lessons for teachers;” -and as a consequence of this effort the office of “Professor of the -Science and Art of Education” was offered to Mr. Joseph Payne, whose -inaugural address was given on January 30, 1873. Miss Buss and Miss -Doreck took an active part in bringing together the seventy students -(chiefly women) who attended these lectures. At Norwich, Dr. Hodgson -spoke with strong approval of the step taken by the College of -Preceptors in founding a professorship of the theory and art of -education, and of their choice of Mr. Payne to fill this post. He spoke -of the success of Mr. Payne’s lectures in London and in Edinburgh, and -expressed a hope that such professorships would ere long be established -“in one or more of the chief Scottish Universities also,” and added that -“they were strongly to be desired for the English Universities also.” - -Of Mr. Payne’s lectures there is a notice in the March _Education -Journal_ of the same year— - - - “The object of the whole course is to show that there are - principles of education on which, in order to be efficient, - practice must be founded; or, in other words, that there is a - science of education, in reference to which the art must be - conducted, and the value of its processes tested.” - - -Miss Buss’ feeling about these lectures is shown in a letter written in -1876, soon after the death of her much-valued friend— - - - “Because I have not enough to do, I am working up an attempt to - raise a little memorial to Mr. Payne, the ablest teacher I have - ever known—except Dr. Hodgson—and the man who has raised the - noblest ideal before the profession. It cuts me to the heart to - see his name lost to posterity, and after several fruitless - attempts, it seems I must set the ball rolling. Will you or your - father give something? I want the memorial to be a prize or - scholarship in the new Teachers’ Training Society.” - - -Many a successful head-mistress must thank Miss Buss for her -recommendation to these lectures. Mrs. Bryant and Miss Cooper, of -Edgbaston, were among the students, and both became Fellows of the -College. A letter from Miss Frances Lord says, in 1873— - - - “I am attending Mr. Payne’s lectures, as you told me to do. My - sister Emily goes too, and, as a teacher, makes remarks that Mr. - Payne thinks well of. If she ever takes up Kindergarten work (as - I want her to do), she will, I am sure, be greatly helped by - these lectures. My friends, the Wards, find, as we do, that the - questions Mr. Payne asks draw largely on common observation such - as we have been practising and have been wanting to know the - value of.” - - -Mr. Payne called attention to the principles of Kindergarten work, a -subject brought to the front by Miss Shirreff, who wrote a series of -articles in 1874, in the _Journal_, leading to the formation of the -Frœbel Society, of which Miss Doreck was the first president, and Miss -E. A. Manning the honorary secretary. Miss Manning read a paper on the -subject at the meeting of the Social Science Congress, in the same year. - -Miss Doreck had been elected—at Miss Buss’ suggestion—on the council of -the College of Preceptors, and the two worked very heartily -together.[18] On April 16, 1874, the two ladies formed part of a -deputation by appointment to urge on the Duke of Richmond the formation -of a Training College for Teachers. - -Footnote 18: - - Miss Doreck’s special work was Kindergarten teaching, then quite a - novelty in England. Miss Buss once said, “We shall not have thorough - education till we have the Kindergarten;” but she could only help this - movement on by helping others to do it. - -The design of the deputation was— - - - “to have the scholastic professors placed on a similar footing - to that of law and physics, and, in order to assist the - Government in effecting that end, the College of Preceptors was - ready to undertake the requisite corresponding functions of the - Law Institution, the College of Surgeons, or a Pharmaceutical - Society.” - - -The principle at stake may be considered the central thought of the -whole life of Frances Mary Buss. To raise the ideal of teaching, and, -with this, the status of the teacher, was the most definite purpose of -this life; and, as means to an end, she recognized from the very first -the supreme importance of training for the work. In her youth, the -elementary school teacher was the only person happy enough to receive -this preparation for his duties. All the rest—as was candidly avowed by -one of the foremost schoolmasters of the day—had to gain their -experience at the cost of their first pupils. - -To her own mother Miss Buss was largely indebted for the insight which -made her a leader in the training-college movements. When Mrs. Buss -decided on opening her school in Clarence Road, she had the bold thought -of preparing herself for the venture by going through the course offered -at the Home and Colonial Institute to elementary teachers. At this -distance of time, it is difficult to estimate duly the originality and -the strength of mind implied in such a step. In the “forties,” the -beaten track on which ladies were expected to walk securely was very -straight and very narrow. But this bold step was taken, and it resulted -in a permanent broadening of the way for all who came after, since the -class for the training of secondary teachers was a direct result of Mrs. -Buss’ own action. In this class, all the teachers of Miss Buss’ schools -received their training, and it is of interest to note among the -earliest students the names of Anne Clough, the founder of Newnham -College, and of Jane Agnes Chessar, a teacher of very remarkable power, -who was one of the first ladies elected on the School Board. - -It might possibly have been due to the influence of the Rev. David Laing -that Mrs. Buss originated her plan, but the credit remains with her of -being the first in the field of action. The idea of training governesses -was suggested as early as 1843, on the council of the Governesses’ -Benevolent Institution, but no action was taken before 1848, even to -form classes. - -We have seen that, as early as 1872, Miss Buss had the dream of a -training college attached to her own school. This she gave up later in -favour of the Maria Grey Training College. In November, 1872, Miss Beale -writes to her— - - - “I did think much of our conversation about training - governesses, and we have arranged to receive about six on the - same terms as the ‘Home and Colonial.’ They can for this not - only attend here but go to certain lessons on Method at the - Normal Training College.” - - -The Training Department of the Cheltenham Ladies’ College is now one of -the distinct branches of work there, including Kindergarten training, -with the novel feature of a small Kindergarten for children of the -elementary class, serving as a training school. - -It was not till 1877 that Mrs. Grey succeeded in opening the college -which now bears her name, up to which she and Miss Shirreff had been -working in the Teachers’ Training and Registration Society, one of the -offshoots of the Women’s Education Union. - -For details of this work I am indebted to Miss Shirreff, and also to -Miss Agnes J. Ward, one of the first principals of the college. - -The council, in addition to Mrs. Grey and Miss Shirreff, consisted of -Miss Chessar, Dr. E. A. Abbott, Mr. J. H. Rigg, Mr. R. N. Shore, Mr. C. -H. Lake, and Mr. Douglas Galton. The articles of association were -drafted by Mr. William Shaen, who, till his death, in 1886, was a -generous and true friend to the college. - -Miss Louisa Brough became secretary, under Mrs. Grey, as organizing -secretary. Unhappily, after working for a year or so, Mrs. Grey’s health -broke down, and she was ordered abroad. It was then that Miss Buss came -to the front, though she had been quietly helpful from the beginning. -Some letters to her from Rome show Mrs. Grey’s estimate of this help— - - - “23, Piazza de Spagna, Roma, - “Feb. 11, 1879. - - “It is really too good of you, in the midst of your hard-worked - life, to make time for writing me such a charming long letter as - I received a few days ago.... We have left the hotel, and have - very sunny rooms just at the foot of the great stairs. How I - wish you were over the way, where I used to pick you up two - years ago. - - “Except from yourself, we hear hardly anything from the college. - Your hopeful report is a great joy to us, because you know the - difficulties so well that you will never be over sanguine. How - kind it is of you and Miss Chessar to work for it as you do, and - Dr. Abbott deserves more thanks than I can express. I would like - to write to him only I feel it would be imposing on him a letter - to write, and that would be no kindness. Will you tell him this - when you meet, and something of what we both feel about his - generous gift of time and thought to the institution that we - have cared for so earnestly and are driven to forsake.... We - must, as you say, make our scheme as we go along, and large - numbers would be an embarrassment. As to funds, you make no - complaint, and that is comforting.... Once the college is in - settled good work, and the Cambridge scheme is published, I - cannot doubt that many will be found to help.” - - -Mrs. Grey was never strong enough to return to the work so near her -heart, and her great comfort was in the thought that with Miss Buss’ -oversight it must go on successfully. On the occasion of a presentation -to Mrs. Grey of a beautiful casket, with an address from the Girls’ -Public Day-school Company, Miss Shirreff writes thus to Miss Buss— - - - “We are both of us touched to the heart’s core by your letter. - Such words from one who has herself been so brave and so - successful a pioneer in the cause of woman’s education are the - highest testimonial we could receive, and we value them as such. - And a large debt we owe to you also, for all the practical - organizations of our schools we learnt from you.... - - “I may honestly say that the receipt of that address, and the - additional gratification of seeing yours and Miss Beale’s name - attached to it, gave my sister the only real pleasure she has - felt during the weary months of this year. The less she hopes - ever to regain her power of work the more she values that - testimony to the worth of her past work. - - “We have had, of course, much passing enjoyment in the beautiful - scenery we have dwelt amongst, but there is a dark shadow over - all. It is not perhaps reasonable, when sixty is long passed, to - mourn that an active career is stopped short, but you know - better than any one how, in dealing with education, one must - still feel that no one worker can be spared—do we not know how - all the best are over-worked?” - - -Miss Ward gives us an interesting sketch of the growth of the work from -the first. - - - “The aims of the society were mainly to provide for the - professional training of teachers above the elementary. This - training included both theoretical knowledge and practical - skill. Unendowed as the society was, it was necessary to create - a guarantee fund, and this was done by a few friends, while Miss - Buss, sparing no pains to induce teachers to avail themselves of - the advantages offered, contributed also from the first in - money. At length, after the tentative stage of providing - lectures for teachers, the council of the society were fortunate - enough to secure from the Rev. Wm. Rogers the use of some rooms - in Skinner Street, Bishopsgate, which served as a college for - students, and leave for their students to practise teaching in - the large and interesting girls’ school which now, thanks to the - Dulwich Endowment Fund, lately available, is handsomely housed - in Spital Square, E. In 1878, however, when the Training College - opened, the school was in other and less convenient buildings. - These have now disappeared, to make way for the Great Eastern - Railway’s vast extension. - - “Miss Alice Lushington was, in 1878, appointed principal of the - college, and held the post till 1880, when Miss Agnes J. Ward - became principal. Miss Buss lost no opportunity of urging the - development of the work. She was indefatigable in her attendance - at council meetings, and eager to show her strong appreciation - of professional training by appointing as mistresses in her - school those who had gone through a course partly theoretical - and partly practical. Towards the end of 1880, owing to her - strong feeling that the society should possess its own - practising school, the council acquired the lease of No. 1, - Fitzroy Square, and there, in January, 1881, under the - headmistress-ship of Miss Lawford (now of the Camden School for - Girls), a day school was opened and named after Mrs. Wm. Grey. - In 1885, it became the chief practising school of the society - which in that year transferred the Training College to Fitzroy - Street from Bishopsgate. From that year, also, the college was - called “The Maria Grey Training College.” Miss Buss was at that - time desirous of affiliating the college to her schools; but - after mature consideration the council held that it was better - to pursue a more independent course, and wait until they could - establish their work on a permanent foundation. This they - accomplished in 1892, when their large College for Teachers, Day - School for Girls, and Kindergarten were all transferred to - Brondesbury, where they are finally located in a building which - cost £13,000. This sum was collected by the energy and devotion - of the council, and in this heavy task of collecting a fund for - a work the value of which only experts could be expected fully - to appreciate, Miss Buss took for years an active part. Her name - on the council was of signal use in certain directions, notably - in the matter of the Pfeiffer bequest. The sum of £4000 finally - obtained by the college from the trustees enabled the council to - complete their building and start their important work under - Miss Alice Woods as principal. The council thus provided for - pupils from three years old upwards, in surroundings at once - adequate and suitable. Miss Buss’ strong faith in the importance - of the council’s work, to education at large, her strenuous - support in its early years of trial, her generous recognition - and appraisement of the efforts of the staff, were as helpful as - they were unflagging.” - - -The feeling of the council at the great loss which they sustained in the -removal of one who had done so much for the college, is given in the -minute which recorded that loss— - - - “It was moved by the Rev. T. W. Sharpe, chairman, seconded by J. - G. Fitch, Esq., and carried unanimously: That the council of the - Maria Grey Training College, in tendering an expression of their - deepest sympathy with the family of the late Frances Mary Buss, - desire to place on record their sense of the irreparable loss - which the cause of education in general, and of women’s - education in particular, has sustained by her lamented death; - the council have also to deplore, on their own account, the loss - of a highly valued colleague, whose long and active co-operation - in their work of training women-teachers for secondary schools - contributed largely to the success already attained, and to - whose practical experience and wide-minded aims the council - looked for still further support in the future.” - - -Nothing could show more distinctly the rapid growth of interest among -women in higher education than a comparison of the help given to Mrs. -Grey for the Training College with that given to Miss Davies and to Miss -Buss for Girton and for the North London Collegiate School. Only a -single decade had elapsed. In 1871, it was so hard to get even £10 -donations, that the gift of £1000 to Girton from Madame Bodichon and -from Miss E. A. Manning, and Miss Ewart’s £1000 for the Camden School, -shine out like beacon-lights. In 1881, for the Training College, we are -dazzled by the general blaze: Lady Farrer, Mrs. Pennington, and Mrs. -Winckworth give each £1000, and Miss Ewart and Miss Soames each £500. -Mr. Tomlinson also adds £1000, which, with £4000 from the Emily Pfeiffer -Bequest, gives the college its start free from debt. - -I have no record of Miss Buss’ gifts, but there is no doubt about her -having done a fair share in this movement so specially interesting to -her. When the Maria Grey College was safe, and pursuing its successful -course, a fresh departure was originated by Miss Buss. It was hardly to -be expected that graduates of Girton and Newnham would come to London to -be trained, and it therefore seemed desirable to offer training at -Cambridge. - -On April 6, 1885, Miss Buss writes to me— - - - “I am begging for help towards starting an experiment at - Cambridge for a class for training the Girton and Newnham - students as teachers before they enter their profession. They - will not go to Bishopsgate, but we (herself and Mrs. Bryant) - think they may be induced to stay in Cambridge for a time. - - “Cambridge is willing, and a suitable lady is ready. A house for - seven students can be had. Mrs. Bryant is to harangue the Tripos - students on the duty of fitting themselves for their work, and I - am promised help to the extent of £50, but we must raise £200, - and Cambridge cannot do this. I think, if we can induce the - students to be trained, their fees will cover expenses, but we - must guarantee at least £100 to Miss Hughes, the mistress. - - “Will you (or can you, rather, with your other claims) help? Can - you tell me where to apply for more? I have these promises: F. - M. B. £10 (for three years), Miss Soames £10, Mrs. Bryant £10, - Mr. Brooke Lambert £5, Mr. T. W. Sharpe £5, Mrs. Micholls £5, - and Miss Behrens £5.” - - -My name was added to this list, and I find another letter dated April 1, -1891, when Miss Buss writes again— - - - “Do you know any one who, for the sake of education, would buy a - house in Cambridge, and let it at once to the committee of the - Teachers’ Training College? It would be a safe investment, and - the committee could certainly pay four per cent. A splendid - opportunity of getting three adjoining and connected houses - offers. The college is successful, but the Cambridge people are - poor, in one sense, as they are given to plain living and high - thinking rather than to money making! Of course it would be - easier if the three houses, each at £1200, could be got, but the - committee would probably take one, and the others might be got - by leaving a mortgage on them. - - “I hardly think it right to take one myself, as I have No. 202 - on me till the end of the year; and the leases of 87 and 89, in - King Henry’s Road, and the house 85 next door, and this will - probably be on my hands till the end of my life.” - - -In October of the same year, she sent out a letter to her friends -bringing forward a scheme to secure a suitable building by starting a -company to raise the necessary capital in £10 shares, to pay four per -cent. She mentions that she and Mrs. Bryant are ready to put down their -names for £750 between them, and asks for more names, before the first -meeting of the committee, with an earnestness which could not be -refused. In the end, however, illness prevented further effort on her -part, and the work was done by others. Mrs. Bryant gives some -interesting details— - - - “My personal knowledge of her work in this field has to do with - the history of the Cambridge Training College. We were much - exercised in mind by the fact that the women educated at the - Universities persisted in neglecting professional training. - Either they despised it, or they could not afford it, or they - did not like it, and could get entrance into the schools without - it. Miss Buss, in her straightforward practical way, wondered - that they did not see their own need of it; she thought it so - obvious that a person undertaking a delicate task ought to learn - as much as possible about the ways in which it is and can be - done. I also wondered at the absence of desire in well-trained - minds to get at a theory of their art founded on a knowledge of - its bottom sciences. There, however, was the fact, and there was - serious danger that the credit of training as a practical - success would be impaired by the flow into the Training College - of the less, and the avoidance of it by the more educated women. - Of course we could convert and persuade the able North London - girls, but these were only a handful comparatively, and after - three years at college they were naturally not so docile to our - ideas. Could anything be done to avert this growing danger that - the teaching profession should fall into the two classes of - those who were highly educated and not trained, and of those who - were trained but not highly educated. - - “We used to discuss the fact and its causes. _Vis inertia_ - certainly had much to do with it. The Head-masters’ Conference - had passed resolutions in favour of training, but they had not - raised a finger to support the Training College intended to - supply them with masters. The head-mistresses, in larger - numbers, believed, but it was not always convenient to insist on - training as a necessary qualification in their intending - mistresses. How was this inertia to be overcome, unless an - enthusiastic belief could be awakened in the young intending - teachers? - - “Such a belief was far from forthcoming. Indeed, our chief - stumbling-block lay in the distrust with which the ordinary - academic mind was apt to look on the ideal of training. At the - bottom of it lay, no doubt, a prejudice against the methods of - the elementary training colleges, and an unexamined fear that - all training must be more or less of that type. Otherwise it - seemed to be for the most part a vague distrust inarticulate, - unargumentative, but strong. On the other hand, there were - leaders of thought in the universities who believed that there - was a great work to be done in the development of educational - theory and practice. In witness of their faith, Cambridge had - not only instituted a teachers’ examination, but had established - courses of lectures on teaching which were at that time barely - attended. - - “So the idea naturally shaped itself that training should be - carried out under University influences, that this would insure - for it the influence of the soundest theoretic ideas, and also - that it might benefit by subjection to the criticism of the - academic mind. A closer contact between the Training College and - the Women’s Colleges at Cambridge would tend certainly, we - thought, to better understanding and mutual adaptation. The - practical thing, then, to be done was to establish a Training - College for Women at Cambridge. - - “Miss Clough, Mrs. Verrall, and Dr. James Ward were heartily in - favour of the establishment of such a college, and several other - Cambridge friends, including the present Bishop of Stepney, so - well known at Cambridge as Canon Browne, and Miss Welsh of - Girton, approved the proposal from the first. We held - preliminary consultations, Mrs. Verrall acting as secretary, - while Miss Buss representing the school-mistresses, and Dr. Ward - the University, formed a powerful combination of enthusiasm and - conviction in favour of the attempt. There were many - difficulties; we were not rich in money-bags, and everything - depended on finding the right person to act as principal. But - there was a student at Newnham who took the first place in the - Moral Science Tripos, known to Miss Clough as an able woman, to - Miss Beale as a gifted teacher, and to Dr. Ward as a talented - pupil, and the matter was settled by the acceptance of the - principalship by Miss E. P. Hughes in June, 1885. In the - September of that year, the college was opened in a few small - cottages near Newnham. A guarantee fund was formed, and Miss - Buss guaranteed £100. Students came, though of University - students but a few, and by the zealous economy and good - management of Miss Hughes the college paid its way. In 1887, it - was moved into better houses in Queen Anne’s Terrace, and this - year it has at last, after ten years, moved into suitable - college buildings. Miss Buss never ceased to take the keenest - interest in its success, though of late years she was not able - to take an active part. It will always be a matter of deep - regret to those of us who knew how dear its progress was to her - that she never even saw the new building. From time to time she - had hoped to pay another visit to Cambridge when she was - stronger in health. - - “Referring to ‘Miss Buss’ earliest attempts to start the - training college,’ Dr. Ward writes saying how he remembers the - regularity of her attendance at the earlier meetings of the - committee, and ‘her anxiety to get Newnham and Girton - interested.’ She brought the scheme for the college before the - Head-mistress’ Association, secured their interest and an - arrangement by which a representative on the college council was - to be appointed by them. Miss Conolly for several years was the - representative.” - - -Miss Hughes adds some interesting memories of the help given by Miss -Buss and Miss Clough, as she says— - - - “One of the most useful parts of my education at Cambridge was - the opportunity of talking over this educational experiment with - these pioneers. I shall never forget their patience under the - difficulties that were always springing up, their wise foresight - to prevent such difficulties, their earnest desire not to make - unnecessary enemies, and, at the same time, their persistent - intention to carry out the experiment. I remember the wonderful - insight into character which Miss Buss showed, and how quick she - was to note the strength and value of each additional member of - the committee. She had her own views, clear and definite, and - for some of them she was ready to fight; but she was quite - reasonable and ready to be persuaded that the special conditions - of Cambridge required special arrangements. When a beginning at - last seemed possible my heart so failed me that I felt unfit for - the post, and had almost decided not to apply for it. Miss Buss - came from London to talk it over, and I then realized how much - her heart was set on the scheme, and how much she had thought - about it.... When we began, Miss Buss came often to see us, - keenly interested in all our doings and in the many and great - difficulties that tried even my optimism. I should certainly - have given up in despair but for her help and advice.... - - “I have found few persons, few women especially, who are capable - of seeing a subject in its right perspective, grasping its - fundamental points and being full of enthusiasm, but without - spending time and energy in elaborating its details. Miss Buss - had this unusual power to an unusual extent, and, in addition to - this, she had a strong interest in details when they were - brought before her notice. I was struck with the marked - difference between her treatment of work for which she was - responsible and that in which she was interested but not finally - responsible. In her own school she was not only interested in - every detail, but felt herself responsible for it. Sometimes, - indeed, those who loved her wished that she could have realized - that her own strength and energy were far more valuable to the - school than were the details on which these were spent. On the - other hand, I think one of the best lessons she ever taught me - was the vast importance of looking after every detail one’s - self. Her attitude towards our own college was quite different; - and, interested as she was in every detail, however small, she - always seemed to realize the two or three important points which - must never be lost sight of, and to be perfectly willing to - allow others to settle the detail. I mention this because it was - suggested to me when she helped to start this college that she - was so accustomed to be responsible for every detail in her own - large institution that she would probably wish to exercise the - same management in our college. Nothing could be further from - the truth, for she always knew the line beyond which help and - suggestion ceased to be real help.... - - “The college, however poor in one sense, is rich in memories of - her interest in it. She made so many visits in early days, - chatted with the students, sent us books and pictures, and loved - us and believed in us with a love and faith which will go far to - make us what she hoped we might become! - - “What I owe to her personally I cannot put into words. Her - belief in me was a constant inspiration, and her love for me a - constant comfort. My life is infinitely richer because I have - known and loved her, and I am hoping to pay interest on the - heavy debt I owe her by holding out occasionally a helping hand - to other teachers. - - “I often think that we cannot yet realize the vast difference it - has made to our development of secondary education for girls - that our pioneers were large-hearted, unselfish women like Miss - Buss, Miss Clough, and Miss Davies. We are passing on to new - times and new difficulties, having lost many of the old leaders, - but the memory of their wise words and brave deeds is still with - us, and I do not think that English teachers will ever forget - the life of Frances Mary Buss.” - - * * * * * - - NOTE.—At the opening of the new buildings of the Cambridge - Teachers’ College, by the Marquis of Ripon, on October 19, 1895, - fullest recognition was given by all the speakers to Miss Buss’ - share in the origination of this work. The ceremony began by the - planting of trees to the memory of Miss Buss and of Miss Clough, - by the Rev. S. Buss and Miss B. A. Clough; followed by the “Hymn - of Work,” which has for motto— - - - “We work not for school, but for life; - We toil not for time, but for eternity.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - GENERAL INTERESTS. - - “Works are no more than animate faith and love.” - - LONGFELLOW. - - -In spite of the heavy demands of her own special duties, Miss Buss found -time for much public work in which to use her large experience. - -She always knew exactly what she was doing and what she intended to do. -In the expressive colloquialism, she was “all there,” and she was always -there. Whatever she knew she knew well, putting it in its own place, -ready for use. The half-knowledge, with its consequent mental vagueness, -that contents most of us was impossible to a mind so clear and strong. - -And she knew her own limitations, never professing to go beyond. When we -remember how wonderfully vivid her imagination really was, we are -surprised that it could so be held in leash. In art she gave it free -play; and also in history—the story of human life which is the subject -of art—she could let herself go. We who knew her in Rome could never -question her power of imagination. - -In Italy, she not only found but she used her wings. Elsewhere, her -imagination found fullest scope in glorifying common things; in seeing -through the commonplace, thus consecrating common duties, and calling -out the best and highest in common persons—possibly a form of genius -more rare than that which can turn out fine verse or fine pictures. - -Here is a list of work which it overwhelms the average mortal merely to -contemplate. But wherever she found herself she worked, and nothing that -she undertook to do was left undone. - - - Miss Buss was a governor as well as founder of her own schools. - - She was president and one of the founders of the - Head-mistresses’ Association. - - She was on the council, and on three committees of the Teachers’ - Guild, of which she was a founder. - - She was _on the council_ of— - - The Cheltenham Ladies’ College, - The Church Schools’ Company, - The Maria Grey Training College for Teachers, - The Cambridge Training College for Teachers, - The Royal Drawing College, - The Woman’s Branch of Swanley Horticultural College. - - She was a _governor_ of— - - University College, London, - Milton Mount College, - Aberdare Hall, - West Ham Girls’ School, - Grey Coat School, Westminster, - Sarah Bonnell School, - London School of Medicine, and was also on the - Committee of the National Health Society. - - As well as an _associate_ of— - - College for Working Women, - London Pupil Teachers’ Association, - University Association for Women Teachers, - Art for Schools Association, and of the - Somerville Club. - - She was interested in— - - The London Institution, - Governesses’ Benevolent Institution. - - -Foremost among later works must come the Teachers’ Guild, of which the -first origin is due to Miss Buss. Like most things undertaken for or by -women, it began on the strictly practical or economic side; though it -now embraces the highest ideals of educational possibilities. It is now -devoted to securing the best conditions on which the teacher can best -grow; but the first start had to deal with the question how the teacher -might live at all. - -And as we found the germ of all the higher education for girls in the -“Report of the Governesses’ Benevolent Institution,” we find ourselves -going back to that Report for the origin of the Guild which aims at the -highest development of the teacher. - -Governesses, as a class, come to poverty and dependence not from -extravagance or self-indulgence, but from sheer self-sacrifice, in -unselfish devotion to the claims of relatives, and to no class is thrift -more difficult. The effort to make it possible was from the first one of -the leading impulses of Miss Buss’ work. As early as 1866, a letter from -Dr. Hodgson shows that she had then discussed the subject with him— - - - ... “You may remember the tenor of my remarks in Camden Street - on the ‘Reports of the Governesses’ Benevolent Institution.’ - When I spoke of _saving for one’s self_, I wished merely to - give, for completeness’ sake, the other side of your phrase - ‘saving _from our friends_.’ The duty and advantage of saving - are common to both sexes. Individual cases might be dealt with, - or judged, according to circumstances; but the general doctrine - must be preached without reserve. - - “It would be much nearer my notion to say: ‘Earn sixpence a day - (if you cannot earn more), and save out of it a _penny_, or, if - that be not possible, then a _halfpenny_, or if that be not - possible, then a _farthing_. In any amount, however small, let - the claims of the future be recognized.... Let the general duty - and wisdom of saving be taught and recognized. Then let the - needful allowances be made in individual cases. It may be more - meritorious, because more difficult, for one person to save £5 - than for another to save £500. Let each judge himself as he - would another.” - - -No subject was more constantly present to Miss Buss’ mind, but no -practical steps were taken till, on December 2, 1881, the Women’s -Education Union appointed a special committee to consider the question -of establishing a Teachers’ Provident Association, of which Miss Buss -was a member, with Mr. G. C. T. Bartley, Mr. Rowland Hamilton, and Mr. -Shaen; Mrs. Burbury acting as honorary secretary. - -In 1882, a plan was submitted to the Head-mistresses’ Association, of -which Miss Buss thus writes to me— - - - “Our Provident Association is not yet started, but I do not - despair. A lady is at work getting up figures, and if all is - well in October, we shall go at it again. By ‘we’ I mean the - Association of Head-mistresses. We want a sensational article - for our Provident movement. Will you write it? I mean, we want - the fact of death in the workhouse, misery known to the Ladies’ - Guild, etc., brought out.” - - -As member of one of the Relief Committees of the Working Ladies’ Guild—a -society founded by Lady Mary Feilding for the help of distressed -gentlewomen—I had heard much of the sufferings of governesses, and had -discussed with Miss Buss the best ways of giving relief. At her request, -I now wrote a paper on “Thrift for Teachers,” in which I suggested some -co-operation between the Ladies’ Guild and “_some possible Guild of -Teachers_.” This paper appeared in November, 1882, in Miss L. M. -Hubbard’s _Work and Leisure_, a magazine containing the germ of many now -important works. In August, 1881, Miss Hubbard had published a paper on -“Co-operation among Governesses,” which was followed, in December, by a -meeting to consider the scheme finally taking form as the “Women -Teachers’ Self-Help Society”; with a Provident Fund and Free Registry. - -Miss Hubbard suggested printing off some copies of my paper, which Miss -Buss circulated among the School-mistresses’ and Head-mistresses’ -Associations; but no immediate practical results followed, nor did -anything come of a consultation with Mr. Heller to consider amalgamation -with his Provident Association of Elementary Teachers. - -It was not till December 1 that Miss Buss wrote— - - - “I think something might come of the notion of the ‘Guild.’ The - only thing is that it does not seem sufficiently definite and - practical.... We have secured the services of a very able woman, - Miss Beth Finlay, as lecturer on ‘Savings.’ She is ready to take - the matter up as soon as we shall have arrived at some - conclusion.” - - -On February 7, 1883, a small preliminary meeting was held in the Library -of the North London Collegiate School, of which Miss Buss writes on -January 26— - - - “I saw Miss Ward of the Training College on Wednesday, and find - that she is very anxious about a Provident Scheme. She also - thinks well of the Teachers’ Guild Movement. She suggests that - we should hold a very small meeting of a few earnest persons. - Will you be able to come, and suggest some names of those whom - you think we might ask?” - - -The ladies present at this meeting were Miss Buss, Miss Metcalfe, Miss -Agnes J. Ward, Miss Dunlop, Miss Hodge, Miss Rouquette, Miss Townsend, -the Misses Ridley. Some others were invited who were unable to be -present. - -From the minutes taken on this occasion, I find that Miss Buss read a -report which had been presented to the Head-mistresses’ Association, and -discussion followed on each point of this report. It was finally agreed -that the Provident and the Aid Societies must be kept apart. - -The name was changed to that of “Teachers’ Provident Guild.” A committee -was formed of the persons then present, and Miss Jenny Rundell was -proposed by Miss Ward as honorary secretary, with the address of the -Training College, then in Skinner Street. - -On March 12, 1883, Miss Buss writes— - - - “At a committee meeting of the Head-mistresses’ Association held - last Thursday it was resolved to establish a Teachers’ Guild, - the objects of which were to be— - - (1) To provide mutual help and sympathy. - - (2) To maintain a high standard of moral and mental education. - - (3) To encourage provision for sickness and old age, and to - found Homes of Rest and Associated Homes. - - (4) To assist teachers in obtaining situations.” - - -This action was confirmed on March 16th, at a meeting of the -School-Mistresses’ Association, when Miss Agnes J. Ward read her paper -on the “Principles and Practice of Thrift among Teachers.” At this -meeting a sub-committee was formed to establish the Teachers’ Guild. - -The Guild was definitely organized at the Conference of Head-mistresses, -held in June, 1883, at Croydon, when Miss Hadland, Head-mistress of -Milton Mount College, offered her services as honorary secretary, if the -purposes of the Guild might be widened by the omission of the word -“Provident.” Miss Hadland also secured the use of an office in the -Memorial Hall, Farringdon Street, lent by her friend the Rev. R. J. -Verrall. The clerical work was done at Milton Mount College, with the -assistance of the Rev. R. Guest. - -A provisional committee met fortnightly, working out the constitution of -the Guild, till, on February 23, 1884, the inaugural meeting was held in -the rooms of the Society of Arts, with the Right Hon. A. J. Mundella in -the chair, and with an attendance of the leading educationalists, whose -interest had been excited in the new work. - -At this meeting, Mr. Storr stated that he— - - - “thought it only right that the names should be given of the two - ladies to whom mainly this movement owes its initiative. One is - Miss Buss—not only the _doyenne_ of head-mistresses, but the - mother of us all—I mean of us ‘Brethren of the Guild.’ To Miss - Buss’ energy all the earlier results are due before the - accession of Miss Hadland as honorary secretary, of whom it may - be said that without her unwearied labours during these eight - months this meeting could not have been held.” - - -Miss Hadland resigned her post as honorary secretary to Mr. Jocelyn De -Morgan, who was appointed secretary, in the new rooms taken for the -Guild at 1, Adam Street, Adelphi. He was followed by Mr. Garrod, at 19, -Buckingham Street, and in the present office, 74, Gower Street. - -With the appointment of Canon Percival as president of the Guild, Miss -Buss and Miss Hadland retired from public view, but for some time they -continued to exert a very strong influence. Miss Buss was especially -active in the appointment of the secretaries, making full inquiry before -proposing the candidate, as she had very high ideas of the -qualifications for this office. The value of the Guild in raising the -professional aspect of teaching soon became evident to her, and she -omitted nothing that could work to this end. - -The same feeling for struggling teachers that led to the formation of -the Teachers’ Guild moved Miss Buss in the origination of the “Teachers’ -Loan Society.” The idea itself seems to come from Miss Beale, who thus -refers to it in a letter to Miss Buss, dated November 26, 1882— - - - “I have not yet had time to give the loan system a fair trial, - but I have no doubt of its success.... I think there should be - such a society attached to every large school, and a small - number—say, a triumvirate—should administer the funds. We have - assisted five now.... I do hope something will be done to - establish some such system. It is so much better morally than - gifts and scholarships, as it makes the pupils think of their - responsibilities.” - - -Miss Buss enlisted Miss Ewart’s interest in the scheme, and a committee -was formed consisting at first of Miss Buss, Miss Ewart, Mrs. -Stair-Douglas, Mrs. Hertz, Mrs. Fitch, Mrs. Dockar-Drysdale, and myself. -Miss Ewart became honorary secretary, mainly supplying the _loan-fund_, -and to the present time has devoted herself to this work, proving -effectually that the “amateur” can be thoroughly business-like, and that -a very large amount of most useful work can be done in perfect silence, -known only to those who have reaped the benefit of it. - -Every educational work seemed to enlist Miss Buss’ help, as we find -that, from 1865, she was a frequent visitor at the Working Women’s -College, founded by Miss Martin. - -As early as 1869, Dr. Hodgson gauged Miss Buss’ powers, and determined -to use them in a sphere wider than her own work. He wrote to her as -follows— - - - “MY DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “I have a great favour to ask from you, though it affects - your own sex more than it does me. I wish your consent to be - nominated on the Council of Preceptors. The meetings, as you - will observe from the card enclosed, are only eight in the year, - and all these need not be attended. But no lady has ever yet - been on the council, and some of us are determined to break - through the barrier of custom which obstructs the doorway left - open by the constitution of the council. You will have a large - and powerful support, and success is almost certain, even at the - first attempt. - - “This will be a battle worth fighting. I have written to every - member of the council whom I have thought at all accessible to - reason, and _every_ answer is favourable. Now, I confidently - reckon on your _passive_ support. You are not required either to - labour, or to wait, at least beyond the 11th inst., when the - election will take place. Your consent is all that is needed, - and I am sure, for the sake of the principle involved, you will - not withhold it.” - - - “Dec. 16, 1869. - - “You would see from the papers that you were elected on the - council. Though you come _after_ the three gentlemen on the - list, you came before them in the voting. You had fourteen - votes, each of them had only twelve.” - - -In 1871, apropos to a deputation from the College of Preceptors, Dr. -Hodgson again writes— - - - “MY DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “I am very sorry that you are in such a chaos. I think it - extremely important that the claims of women to equality of - recognition in all education should be kept in view. They are - too apt to be forgotten by even those who are in principle - favourable, so inveterate is the _inequity_, _i.e._ iniquity, of - English practice in this respect. Your presence on the - deputation will be a valuable protest as regards both the - existence of the claims themselves and the fact of their being - recognized by educational bodies. The nail must be struck on the - head again, and again, and again. Wonderful has been the advance - already made, but the battle is very far from being already won. - - “Yours ever truly, - - “W. B. HODGSON.” - - -In 1873, Miss Buss sent me a letter from Mr. Christie, proposing to -elect her a Life-governor of University College, in which she adds— - - - “Could you write to Mr. Christie in such a way as to answer his - question about my ‘services to education’? - - “I cannot well see my way to a fair estimate of my own work. At - all events, it is easier for some one else to estimate it for - me.” - - -Her own letter to Mr. Christie may be given— - - - “202, Camden Road, Dec. 5, 1873. - - “DEAR MR. CHRISTIE, - - “I fully see the principle you desire to assert by - proposing me as a Life-governor of University College, and I - shall be very grateful, not only for the honour conferred on me, - if I am elected, but also for the great impetus which would be - given to women’s education, by such a recognition. University - College has been, of late years, so liberal to women that I - trust the opposition to such a course as you propose would be - less than formerly. - - “I send you a pamphlet containing a sketch of the origin of our - two schools, but as we have made much progress since it was - written, and it is difficult for me to put a fair estimate on my - own share of the success, I have asked one of our lady trustees - to give you an estimate. I am sure you will shortly hear from - her. - - “With many thanks, - - “Believe me, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS.” - - -At the end of 1894, when Lord Reay “deplored the loss of many -distinguished members of the college,” Miss Buss’ name appears in a very -notable list, including Lord Bowen, Lord Hannen, Sir Henry Layard, -Professor Henry Morley, Sir J. R. Seeley, and Professor Romanes. - -In early days, the pressure of her own work, and in later days, the -state of her health, often prevented Miss Buss from appearing in public. -Here are two out of many invitations declined with regret on this -account— - - - “Faversham, Sept. 24, 1871. - - “DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “I begged Miss Ridley to tell you that I had not ventured - to express our very great wish that you might be present at the - Education Conference at Norwich, but I take courage now to ask, - if it is impossible for you to go, whether you would send any - written message or statement referring to any point you most - wish to draw attention to yourself. Miss Beale has sent us a - most excellent paper, giving her views on School Organization in - the form of an account of her college and its work. We hope - there will be an earnest discussion of educational topics, and - if you would take part in it by writing, if not in person, you - would greatly enhance the value of the conference. I do not know - if Miss Ridley or Miss Gurney is going, but, _faute de mieux_, I - need not say how glad I should be to read any communication of - yours. - - “I do not yet know on what day our conference is to be. It will - form part of the work of the Education Section of the congress. - - “Ever truly yours, - - “EMILY A. SHIRREFF.” - - - “Queen’s College, Oxford, - “July 7, 1893. - - “MY DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “I am desired by the committee appointed to carry out the - arrangements for the Conference on Secondary Education to - request you to be so kind as to prepare and read, or cause to be - read, the paper on Schools for Girls (Higher and Second Grade) - at the first session.... - - “My wife and I will be very much pleased if you will give us the - pleasure of entertaining you during such time as you may be in - Oxford during the conference. - - “I am, - - “Yours very truly, - - “J. R. MAGRATH.” - - -Mrs. Bryant, who represented her on this occasion, speaks of the great -regret felt by Miss Buss in declining what would have been a crowning -pleasure in her life. She could, however, take a very real satisfaction -in the enjoyment of her substitute. Still more to be regretted was her -inability to take her place on the Second Royal Commission of Inquiry -into Secondary Education, a place filled, in consequence, by Mrs. -Bryant. - -The last invitation for public work that she was able to accept was from -Mrs. Fawcett— - - - “_Royal Commission on Women’s Work._ - “Education Sub-committee, 2, Gower Street, - - “July 18, 1892. - - “DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “The Education Sub-committee met here on Thursday last, - and it was unanimously resolved to beg you to become a member of - it. We do not meet very often, and do not propose to meet now - till after the holidays. We would endeavour to suit the day and - time to your convenience, if you are good enough to consent to - join us. - - “The present members of the committee are myself, Miss M. - Gurney, Miss Kingsley, Miss Louisa Stevenson, Miss Flora - Stevenson, Miss R. Davenport-Hill, and Miss Tod. - - “Up to the present we have had only two meetings, and if you are - good enough to join us, I would send you up our minutes, that - you may see what our short history has been. We should all - greatly value your counsel and co-operation. If there are any - questions you would like to ask as to the work of the - sub-committee I shall be very pleased to come and see you at any - time convenient to yourself next Saturday. - - “Yours very truly, - - “M. G. FAWCETT.” - - -This sub-committee received from the Royal Commission £100 to send a -representative to report on American education, as shown at Chicago and -elsewhere, and appointed Miss Hughes of the Cambridge Training College -for Teachers. Five other ladies went with Gilchrist Scholarships for the -same sum, and eight with Scholarships from the City Companies of fifty -guineas each. Among the latter was Miss Sara A. Burstall, an old pupil -and present member of the staff of the North London Collegiate School -for Girls. - -The work connected with this committee was very pleasant to Miss Buss, -and she was able to attend many of the meetings. She was also able to be -at the concluding reception, when Mrs. Fawcett and Miss Gurney -entertained those who had taken part in it. This was the last public -occasion on which Miss Buss was present, but Miss Gurney was struck with -her enjoyment and energy, in spite of her too-evident failure in health. - -In medical education for women she was from the first full of interest, -as well as in the allied branch of trained nursing. There is some -animated correspondence with Mrs. Grey, in which the question of women -medical inspectors of the girls’ gymnasiums is discussed, Mrs. Grey not -seeing her way to it in the Company’s schools. But, as soon as it was -possible, Miss Buss had secured this supervision, of so much value in -the case of delicate girls. Miss Julia Cock, M.D., now holds the post at -first occupied by Mrs. Hoggan, M.D. - -Mrs. Garrett-Anderson, M.D., was for several years a member of the -governing body of the North London Collegiate Schools for Girls, elected -as one of the representatives of the Brewers’ Company. She pays -affectionate tribute to the memory of a friend of many years, as she -says— - - - “There are very few people whose memory I would wish so much to - honour as I do Miss Buss’, and it is a real distress to me not - to be free to be present on Monday. - - “It is difficult to say how much all who care for the uplifting - of women owe to her, both as a pioneer and in her splendid work - as a school-mistress. I hope and believe that her name will long - be cherished and honoured.” - - -Mrs. Thorne, also among medical pioneers, speaks strongly too— - - - “She has been such a good friend to women that all will feel her - loss, more particularly those who had the privilege of her - personal friendship. From time to time, in the course of the - past fifty years, I have been in occasional contact with her, - and, though so many had far greater claims upon her interest - than I, I always knew that I could turn to her as a good friend - if necessary. She was one of the _earliest_ supporters of the - medical education of women, and was one of the governors of the - London School of Medicine for Women.” - - -The question of the employment of women was one that touched Miss Buss -more closely than any other, since the needs of women was the very -mainspring of her efforts in education. Any opening that would attract -the girls not fitted for teaching was sure of her support. Here is a -note, dated March 11, 1875, of interest at the present date— - - - “A new department is about to be created in the Post-office. It - is to consist entirely of ladies by birth and education, who - will have to pass an examination in (1) handwriting and - orthography, (2) English, (3) arithmetic, and (4) geography. - Thirty ladies are to be nominated as quickly as possible, out of - whom _ten_ will be selected as first-class clerks, with a - beginning salary of £80 per annum. - - “Would this be of the least use to your friend? If so, there is - no time to be lost.” - - -The placing of women on the School Board and on Boards of Guardians -enlisted most active co-operation from Miss Buss from the earliest days -of such movements. In her busiest times she could always arrange for a -drawing-room meeting, and much canvassing work was arranged at Myra -Lodge, on the occasion of the first School Board elections. Every one -who can remember those days will recall the excitement and enthusiasm -with which she greeted the arrival of the post-card with the -announcement— - - - Garrett 47,558 - Huxley 13,494 - - -The elections of Miss Davies, Miss Chessar, Miss Garrett, and Mrs. -Maitland on the School Board, and of Lady Lothian, Miss Andrews, and -Miss Lidgett on the St. Pancras Board of Guardians, were events that -made the “seventies” stirring times for women. And in this stir Miss -Buss came very much to the front. She never could make a speech in -public herself, but she was the cause of many speeches that were made -then and since then. - -Like so many of the most thoughtful women-leaders, Miss Buss placed the -Suffrage Question in the forefront of things likely to help the position -and moral power of women. She saw no discrepancy between the possession -of a vote and the development of the domestic virtues; and she believed -that the possession of power would tend to make women worthy to use it, -in opposition to the other view that it may be well to educate them for -this use before giving it. We used often to argue this matter, as I -inclined to the latter view, though I could not be blind to the utter -absurdity of refusing to such women as Frances Mary Buss the power given -to the most illiterate or debased peasant. - -In politics, Miss Buss was led by her heart, as most women will be to -the end of time, being the missing factor that will, in the good days -coming, redeem and raise political life from its present depths. This -woman was inevitably on the side of Progress and Reform, and being -herself too wise to even imagine unwisdom, might easily have been led -too far where her sympathies were touched; as, for example, on the Home -Rule question, into which she threw herself with all the ardour with -which in her youth she had followed the Anti-Slavery movement in -America, and, later in life, the War of Italian Unity. - -Here is a little story told by one of her friends, which is very -characteristic— - - - “She liked us for being in favour of Home Rule for Ireland. One - night, at Myra Lodge, she sounded me on my political views. I - tried to evade her questions, and said I feared my views would - be unpalatable to her (she looked, to my thinking, like a Tory). - When, after much pressure, I said, to show how bad I was, ‘Well, - Miss Buss, if you must know, then I approve of Home Rule!’ she - skipped over the room like a girl of seventeen, to Mrs. Bryant, - and said, in delighted tones, ‘Mrs. Bryant, Mr. —— is a Home - Ruler!’ and brought her over to me. It was delightful to see her - pleasure!” - - -It was _not_ delightful to refuse her that pleasure by not responding -sufficiently to her enthusiasm, much as I, for one, would have liked to -do so. But it made no difference whether one quite said as she did, or -not; for she might have suggested those words of George Eliot’s: “That -seems to me very great and noble—the power of respecting a feeling one -does not share or understand.” In all discussions it was hers “gently to -hear, kindly to judge.” For real tolerance it would have been as -difficult to match her as in the strength and vigour with which she -maintained her own ground. That she was loyal to England if tender to -Ireland her words to her nephew show, when she says— - - - “Sept. 24, 1891. - - “Are you coming with your choir to the Naval Exhibition? Naval - recruiting has gone up twenty per cent. since the opening of - this exhibition! I have paid a second visit, and am more than - ever proud and thankful to be an Englishwoman. We are, indeed—in - spite of our many sins—a great nation, the greatest on earth.” - - -Whilst firmly centred at home, her sympathies still widened out to all -the world. Miss E. A. Manning writes on this point— - - - “As illustrating the wide sympathies of Miss Buss outside her - effective and concentrated work, I am glad to have the - opportunity of referring to the friendly interest she showed in - regard to the visits to this country of students from India. To - such as desired to see the working of the North London - Collegiate School she gave warm welcome; and, whenever she was - able, she attended the _soirées_ of the National Indian - Association, entering with a most kindly spirit into their - object, that of promoting intercourse and mutual knowledge - between individuals of different races. Naturally the progress - of Indian women especially attracted her attention, and she - liked to take occasions of bringing it to the notice of her - pupils. In 1885 Miss Buss (with the permission of the governors - of the school) arranged for a meeting, in the Great Hall, of the - National Indian Association, where Mr. M. M. Bhownaggree, - C.I.E., read a comprehensive paper on the ‘Conditions and - Prospects of the Education of Indian Women,’ and we were - afterwards hospitably entertained by her in the gymnasium. At a - later date I gave an address at an ‘old pupils’ meeting’ upon - ‘Home Life and Customs in India.’ - - “I may add that when Mr. Soubramanyam, of Madras, now a very - successful barrister, came to England, accompanied by his wife - (who was almost the first Indian lady to venture on such an - undertaking), Miss Buss made their acquaintance, and they have - always remembered her friendly attentions during their three - years’ stay here. The fact that many of her pupils had taken up - medical and educational work in India, and had temporarily - settled there, tended to strengthen her interest in the - conditions of life in that country; but I was constantly struck - by her full, free recognition of all efforts for good, even - though she had not time nor opportunity to enter into - the practical details of such efforts. Her sympathetic - encouragement, as well as her example, inspired many with - hopefulness and persistence.” - - -She was greatly interested in the Peace Society, and did much to promote -the formation of a woman’s auxiliary of that society, first suggested at -a meeting held on June 2, 1873, at the house of my father, when Mrs. -Julia Ward Howe, of Boston, spoke, with Professor J. R. Seeley in the -chair. My father had offered a prize of £5 for the best essay written by -Miss Buss’ pupils, and won by Miss Edith Kemp. - -In the following year, Miss Buss was at home, on June 2, “to the friends -of the Woman’s Peace Movement,” and a paper was read by Miss Bennett, -“On the Best Way for Women to use their Influence to prevent War.” A -resolution was adopted to the effect that “the meeting forms itself into -a local committee in connection with (or in support of) the Peace -Society.” - -In reference to this meeting, Miss Buss has written— - - - “We certainly should form ourselves into a branch committee, and - local, as Mrs. Southey (the honorary secretary) lives on the - other side of the water. If many were formed, we might have a - grand meeting of all the branches, once a year, at St. James’ - Hall. - - “I think it better to strengthen existing organizations than to - start new ones. I like your leaflet.” - - -The meetings of the branch went on for several years, and then, for want -of support, it came to an end. - -Temperance was another subject in which she took increasing interest, as -it came more directly before her in the work of the Rev. Septimus Buss -and his energetic wife, so well known in Shoreditch. Miss Buss became -practically an abstainer, and the subject was brought before the old -pupils on more than one occasion. Miss Frances Willard received an -enthusiastic welcome at one of these meetings, and a note to her shows -the feeling of the head-mistress— - - - “Myra Lodge, Jan., 1893. - - “DEAR MISS WILLARD, - - “As one of the many Englishwomen who have long known and - admired your great work in the United States, I send you a - hearty greeting. - - “I felt it a great privilege to be personally introduced to you, - and only regret that the necessity of rest during the holidays - has prevented me from attending some of the large meetings - called to do honour to you as a teacher and a leader in the - great cause of temperance. - - “Believe me, - - “Very faithfully yours, - - “FRANCES M. BUSS.” - - -From the nature of her own work, Miss Buss was unable to take any active -part in the work of Mrs. Josephine Butler, Miss Ellice Hopkins and -others, for the promotion of a higher standard of morals; but her -sympathy was with every wise effort in this direction, and, in several -instances, when her head disapproved the means used, her heart went out -to the sufferer from rash but well-meant endeavours. I can recall the -intense feeling with which she told me of the direct action of the Queen -in relation to a well-known case of this kind. Of such sympathy Mrs. -Percy Bunting speaks warmly— - - - “How much she has done in her life, and with how true and loyal - a spirit! She has always been so high in tone, and courageous, - and generous-hearted, and warm in friendship. She has always - lived a noble life, and we women owe her in particular a debt of - gratitude. She has taken a broad view of what was needed, and - has used her influence all along the line, as it were, for the - welfare of women. - - “And now she rests in God. Renewed and enlarged, she will in - some way realize what she hoped and prayed for here. I think her - example and influence have left a good harvest, as it is. As - women look back, they will always feel that she was one who - helped their cause in the days of its unpopularity. And she has - her reward.” - - -All workers among the poor know her helpfulness, and strong testimony -comes especially from the clergy of Holy Trinity. But the best must -always remain untold, as being associated with the deepest life of those -helped. In London, in the midst of her busy life, she could not give -much of personal effort or time to the very poor, though she could and -did give sympathy, as well as substantial help, without stint. But at -Boscombe she could use her leisure as she pleased, and Miss Edwards, who -during her long residence with her knew her life intimately, gives us a -little glimpse of her there— - - - “It is largely owing to the fact that Miss Buss lived up to what - she taught, morally and spiritually, that she has been such a - power in so many hundreds of lives. She was so generous and - kind-hearted, always ready to help others to help themselves. At - her country cottage she would regularly send, and occasionally - take with her own hands, relief in various forms to those who - needed it.” - - -A story of her consideration for her old cabman has already been given, -but a very recent sequel may be added, as showing how Downes’ own -feeling went on after his death to his successor, who recently took the -opportunity, in recognizing an old “Myra girl,” to lead up to a talk -about Miss Buss, ending by his saying, “They do say there’s as good fish -in the sea as ever came out of it, but we shall wait long enough for -another like _that_!” - -Also, at the funeral, an old pupil, who could not get into the church -for the press, heard one of the crowd remark, “If all funerals were like -this, every one could not be buried!” To which a poor woman responded, -“If everybody was as good as that good woman, earth would be heaven, and -no one would need to be buried!” - -In addition to all that she did accomplish Miss Buss had dreams that -failed of realization for want of time and strength. Here is one, of -which we often talked, though circumstances were too strong against our -action in the matter— - - - “When you and I can have a talk, I want to suggest to you the - beginning, on a small scale, of an orphanage, like Miss - Haddon’s. You and J. might adopt it? I should want you to let me - throw the force of our school into it, making clothes, helping - the outfits, finding places, etc. Surely, too, we could find - some volunteer teachers among the old pupils? We might always - notice it in our magazine, too, and so make friends for it. I - feel honestly that, at present, _I_ could not undertake the - responsibility, though I would help as much as I could. - - “What say you? Do not set it aside without thought. You and your - parents do so much already that it would only be concentrating - your efforts. A little house and a good matron are wanted. I - think my dear cousin would take an interest in it, and let the - girls have some training, as servants, in my house.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BOOK III. - - LATER YEARS. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - IN THE HOLIDAYS. - - “The habit of viewing things cheerfully, and of thinking about - life hopefully, may be made to grow up in us, like any other - habit.” - - -Those who never saw Miss Buss in real holiday mood could not be said to -know her at all. As an educationalist she was instructive, admirable, -awe-inspiring; but as a friend and companion attractive, captivating, -lovable. She talked “education” where she thought her hearers were -interested, and this subject always interested herself. Also, she often -went on little educational missions of advice or instruction, and then -poured out of her full stores very freely. But such occasions were not -holidays. When she took holiday, she took it thoroughly, and those who -joined her holiday parties all speak of them as Miss Hickey speaks of -one which we enjoyed together— - - - “I had met Miss Buss before, but the first time I really knew - her was when we spent that Christmas at Clifton with her and you - and Mrs. Bryant and Miss Emma Elford and Mr. Frank Buss. And - since then I have even felt that no one could have truly known - her who had never been with her ‘out of school,’ and I have been - very glad to have then laid the foundation of a true friendship - with so great and noble a woman. - - “Most people know of her remarkable power as an organizer; of - her intense interest in her work; of her high conscientiousness; - of her openness to new ideas, and readiness to give a fair test - to new methods; but few people are aware of the power she had of - throwing off the school-mistress, and of not only entering into - interests completely apart from educational ones, but of - entering into them with an unconsciousness of her position, and - an ignoring of what she had done.” - - -This stay at Clifton was memorable to me in my discovery of Miss Buss -_as a housekeeper_. She managed for all the party—indeed, I do not think -any one of us could possibly have ventured on arrangements or other -management while she was there to do it. Her readiness, skill, and -economy made a deep impression on us. - -On another occasion, years later, she came as our guest to my sister and -myself at Torquay. Up to Christmas we had revelled in sunshine, driving -every day in an open carriage, and to this we invited her; also choosing -for her the room with the finest view. But she came for a week of fog, -such (so we were told) as Torquay had never before known. We had one or -two misty drives, and the view was rarely visible. But she took it as it -came with placid sweetness, working, reading, or talking, and was the -least exacting guest we had ever known. And, afterwards, she could only -recall the fact of complete restfulness, forgetting that there had been -a fog. - -Here is a note by Miss Crane to the same effect— - - - “Twice we all joined her summer holiday—once at La Bourboule, - and another time at Schlangenbad. I remember how she used to - enter into the pleasure and fun of our little afternoon - teaparties, given alternately by her party and ours, each vying - with the other in making the most of our limited paraphernalia. - And how she enjoyed the German custom of taking meals _al - fresco_ on every possible occasion, in spite of gnats and other - buzzing insects! She was always quick to see and enter into fun, - taking pains to enlighten those whose perceptions were less - keen. Her hearty laugh filled one with joy.” - - -The same thing is given in greater detail by Miss Bird, who says— - - - “I had known Miss Buss for years, and always felt attracted to - her, but I never knew her in her unreserved moods until that - visit to Kissingen, in 1882. We were all up in the morning - betimes, and used to meet on the Parade to drink the waters. - There were some wonderful bread-stalls, with an astonishing - variety of fancy breads and innocent cakes, where we bought - bread for our breakfast, and also laid in a stock for afternoon - tea. We were a party of eight, and we used to take turns in - giving each other tea. When it came to Miss Buss’ turn to - entertain, she used to take pains to select her cakes, that we - all felt eclipsed. We called her ‘ostentatious,’ and ‘vulgar,’ - and ‘low,’ and she rippled with merriment, and seemed to enjoy - being treated as an ordinary human being. She was taking ‘mud - baths’—that look as formidable and ugly as they sound—a sort of - peat mixture that is supposed to draw from the body all its - aches and pains. I had seen in a window the picture of a woman - emerging from her ‘mud,’ and when Miss Buss was fractious, and - made excuses for not joining in the light frivolities of the - place, I used to say, ‘Well, if you refuse, I will post that - picture to the College to be exhibited, and the pupils will then - see the degradation of Miss Buss!’ This threat acted like magic, - and, laughing heartily, she used to comply. She grew bright and - light-hearted, and contributed her full share of amusing - stories.” - - -Miss E. P. Hughes records another of these times of relaxation— - - - “I spent a Christmas holiday with her at Cannes. She knew that I - had travelled little at that time, and she stopped at Avignon, - Nîmes, and Arles, to show me some of the old Roman antiquities. - Her energy and intense interest in everything was simply - wonderful. I had chiefly seen the educational side of her life - before this, and it was a revelation to me that she knew so much - and cared so much for other things. I am a fairly good traveller - myself, and keen about seeing new places, but I confess myself - completely beaten over and over again. I do not think that many - people realize the enormous amount of work she got through, so - much of it being unknown except to a few.... She was always - ready to enjoy a laugh. I can see her now, sitting in the great - amphitheatre at Nîmes, enjoying my discomfiture when I - discovered that, through my ignorance of South French _patois_, - I had mistaken our guide’s description of a Sunday bull-fight - for a meeting of the Salvation Army! At Arles I was severely - bitten by the love of Roman antiquities, and while I was - expressing this, in very Celtic fashion, Miss Buss said she must - take me to Rome some day, and laughingly gave me permission to - be as mad as I liked. - - “I am glad to remember how happy she was at Cannes, how keenly - she noticed all the beauties of nature, how warmly she enjoyed - our delight in what was new to us, how sweetly gracious she was - to acquaintances in the hotel. I learnt then for the first time - to know what a wonderful power of description she had, as she - told me about her visits to Italy, and much about modern Italian - history, describing several eventful scenes witnessed by - herself. I can see the pictures vividly now which she painted in - words. I remember being surprised at the extent of her reading, - and then realized that she herself was so humble that, until one - knew her well, one was apt to underrate her.” - - -Miss Buss’ intimates all fell into the habit of keeping for her -joke-book—a book from which she loved to read on any possible -occasion—any choice bit of wit or humour, to reap double pleasure in so -sharing it. She had that strong sense of the ridiculous which so often -goes with the keenly sensitive temperament, and which is so essential to -perfect balance of character. Without this quick perception of the -incongruous there must be a want of true perspective in life, with -failure in the right adjustment of the claims of self and of others. -Very great work can scarcely be done without this gift, since of all -others it most tends to complete sanity—to the sound mind, if not to the -sound body—without which no greatest work is ever done. The intense -temperament, lacking this guiding sense, is almost certain to show some -warp or twist fatal to the finest achievement. - -To this most helpful power of turning from grave to gay Miss Buss -certainly owed much of her power of sustained work. At the end of a -term, she was able, as she so often said, “to lock all her worries up in -a drawer, and leave them there.” She then gave herself up to her holiday -with all her strength, enjoying with keen zest all new places and -persons, and returning from her travels rested and refreshed. It is true -that her notion of rest differed not a little from that of average -mortals, who sometimes felt it something of a strain to keep pace with -energy so inexhaustible. She would beguile a long railway journey with -some stiff reading—very much of her reading was done in railway -carriages—and, on reaching her destination, after a few hours’ sleep _en -route_, be quite fresh for a day’s sight-seeing, in which little was -left unseen that merited notice. She lived to the full in the present -moment, and thus made the most of life, having learnt to leave the past -behind her, and to wait in hope for the future. - -Several members of the staff speak with the same interest of the holiday -parties, and of the value attached by Miss Buss to the complete change -of thought given by foreign travel, quoting her frequent saying: “Do not -run in one groove!” as she exhorted her young teachers “to save up for a -trip abroad.”[19] She planned and arranged parties in France, Germany, -and Italy, for her teachers and their friends, where they might take -language lessons part of their time, and for the rest, go on expeditions -for “thorough” sight-seeing. And here, Miss Elford adds— - -Footnote 19: - - Miss Hughes speaks to this point: “On two occasions I went with her to - see some famous Roman schools, as well as by her advice to Naples, to - see the wonderful school of Madame du Portugal. It was a great - pleasure to accompany her; she saw so much, cared so much, and - compared so admirably what she saw with other schools elsewhere, and - she was so careful to utilize what she saw and heard. She was always - anxious to help teachers to visit the schools of other countries, and - did much to stir in me a great interest in foreign education. I - believe she first started the idea of travelling scholarships for - teachers, and she felt great interest in the Gilchrist Scholarship - when it was founded.” - - - “Miss Buss was a delightful companion. I visited many places in - France, Switzerland, and Italy with her, and she knew the - history of every city and town. A stay of three weeks in the - Maderanerthal will never be forgotten, as she was able to enter - into all our expeditions. - - “The young always—men or women—were attracted by her - vivaciousness of manner and her delightful talk, so that our - evenings in the hotel were bright and cheerful, though no one - knew who she was till after her departure.” - - -She always became quite naturally the centre of any circle. I remember -one day, when she and I were staying at Ben Rhydding, we were in a -corner of an almost deserted reading-room, and she began to talk in a -low tone about the book she was reading. It was not long before the -nearest reader laid down his book and came nearer, to find appreciative -listeners to his good stories of Ruskin—whose pupil he had been—and of -other notabilities, as he and Miss Buss exchanged many an anecdote and -_bon-mot_ then crisp and new, though since worn threadbare. There was no -more reading that morning, every one who came in being very willing to -join the laughing circle. Many interesting persons came and went during -our stay at Ben Rhydding, and it was curious to note how soon they found -her out, and how eagerly all gathered round to join in the talks which -she set going. She enjoyed it, too, as she writes of it to her sister— - - - “The crowds of people who know me in London wear me out, and I - confess that in the holidays I do not want to make acquaintance - recklessly. In a house like this there is no end to them, and I - have literally no more time to myself than I get at home. Still, - the experience is pleasant, and worth having, especially for - Frank. Some day you must share it with me. It is a comfort to be - without household cares, and a place like this gives one plenty - of opportunity of studying life.” - - -In summer she generally went abroad, and her letters give very graphic -accounts of her experiences. There is a very full description of Fécamp, -in particular, most interesting, if space would allow. And also many -peeps at German towns. Miss Crane tells how Miss Buss stopped on her way -from La Bourboule to collect all the facts to be found in Orleans, for -her lecture on Joan of Arc, afterwards given to girls; and Mrs. Offord, -in speaking of the lecture, shows how, at that remote date, Miss Buss -anticipated the present cult of the Maid, setting her in the place now -accorded by a repentant country. - -The entire change of life abroad made it very pleasant to Miss Buss. -From Berlin she writes, in 1882— - - - “Our pleasant holiday is coming to an end! Like Sep, I seem to - revive when out of my own country. Yet I would not change - countries, if I could. Exchange climates? yes; but country? no, - no, a hundred times no! I like to be able to kill myself, if I - choose, by going across a road at my own will, instead of being - taken care of by watchful police and soldiers at every turn. It - is dreadful for a country to be over-governed, and that is the - case with all the German towns I have seen, so far. We got here - last night late; the Crown Prince and Princess were in our - carriage (Frank and I started with Sara Bernhardt on her - wedding-night!). At every point there are soldiers. The whole - place bristles with the detestable military spirit; horrible - war-pictures are on the walls of the galleries, and military - trophies are everywhere.... I fear Prussia will have to pay—like - France—largely for her ‘glory.’” - - -But a volume might be made from her letters in her frequent journeys at -home and abroad. She knew her native land well, but wrote less about it. -A few extracts may be given, especially of a visit to Charlotte Brontë’s -home, during our stay at Ben Rhydding. - -Miss Buss had a very keen love of colour, and to her the total absence -of everything but dull drab in Haworth was specially depressing. Houses, -stone walls instead of hedges, flat tombstones so thick that no blade of -grass could grow between them, all of this same lifeless drab, give an -effect of singular desolation. The Parsonage, with its unbroken walls, -in which were set flat windows, and with its roof of slate, closely -adjoins the dreary churchyard. The only outlet for those passionate -young lives must have been in the blue of the sky and in the changing -tints of the expanse of moorland stretching into the far distance. - -But it is of the church that Miss Buss has most to say in her notes of -the day— - - - “August 18, 1879. - - “A party of seven started at eleven, in a waggonette, for - Haworth, a drive of eighteen miles through several villages and - the town of Keighley. Haworth (pronounced _Horth_) consists of - one long, straggling street, frightfully steep, so that one can - neither drive up nor down, but must walk. - - “We went to the Black Bull for lunch, and then visited the - church and churchyard. Oh, what an abomination the church is! It - is very old, dating from a _very_ early period. It has only two - naves, and no chancel, nor transept, nor anything to break its - hideous straightness. Where the communion-table stands is a - window, small, and, on both sides, another window, very large. - High, worm-eaten, rotten pews, a deep gallery at one end, and on - one side, and broken or worm-eaten beams everywhere; narrow - seats, on which it is impossible to sit; no ventilation, the - whole place reeking with the accumulated foul air of centuries. - Such is Haworth Church! - - “Charlotte Brontë died twenty-five years ago—in 1855. In her - time the organ stood over the communion-table, and over the - rectory-pew! It seems impossible, but this is a fact. The - successor to Mr. Brontë has moved the organ into the side - gallery, and has taken away the pew, to leave room for some - benches for the choir. In this church Grimshaw, Wesley, and - Whitfield preached. - - “We, of course, saw Charlotte Brontë’s wedding-register. We - wandered round the parsonage, which has been enlarged since the - time of the Brontës; we walked behind the house on the moors, - and entered the school where she and her sisters taught. - - “All the houses are built of stone, and look cold and grey. - Hundreds of English-speaking people visit the place yearly, - through the interest in the home of those remarkable women, the - Brontës, and yet the church is to be pulled down in three weeks’ - time. It seems a pity that no one can be found to build a new - church, and let the old one be preserved that we and our - successors may see how and in what places our fathers - worshipped.... Poor Charlotte Brontë! After seeing the place, - one understands how infinitely sad life must have been in it.” - - -In striking contrast with this desolate scene was another experience, -when we spent a few very pleasant days in the last home of George Eliot, -at Witley, which had been taken by our friend Mr. Neate. Miss Buss -writes to her cousin— - - - “‘Daniel Deronda’ was written in her boudoir, now turned into a - spare bedroom, in which I slept. What a crowd of thoughts come - into one’s mind as one stands in that particular room. If walls - could speak! - - “The grounds are 3½ acres, so they are extensive enough to - afford variety. The house stands on the top of a hill, - surrounded by trees and shrubs. The sun is glorifying - everything, and the distant landscape reminds me of one of the - lower valleys in Switzerland. There are hills on hills, low, of - course, in elevation, but making the view very diversified. - - “Within a short distance lives Birket Foster, and nearer still - that charming water-colour painter, Mrs. Allingham. - - “But my mind is full of George Eliot, her books, her life, her - struggles, aspirations—— - - “The carriage is here for a drive, so I have to conclude - abruptly.” - - -Here is a letter telling of one of her summer trips—the meeting alluded -to being that first important interview with the Endowed Schools -Commission— - - - “Harwich, Aug. 8, 1873. - - “MY DEAR ALFRED AND LÉONIE, - - “The sea is rolling in before my window; except for that - pleasant sound, nothing else can be heard! The sun is shining on - the opposite coast of the river Orwell, while on my right - stretches out the German Ocean. - - “Having leisure before service, and again, as I hope, _after_ - it, what better can I do with it than write a little - acknowledgment of your loving letters.... - - “I left home last Thursday, met Sep at Kelvedon, stayed there - till Saturday. The doctor, father, and I drove to Colchester, - thence to Manningtree and _here_, where we are planted for a - week. On Monday I go by train (the father and uncle drive up, - taking three days), attend the meeting on Tuesday, and on - Wednesday start for Dover, Ostend, and Brussels, where Sep - will meet us. Miss Jeanie Ridley travels with us. On Saturday - week Uncle Henry joins me in Brussels, and we go on to - Cologne, thence sleeping at Mayence, and going next morning to - Homburg, that I may, for the first and last time, see the - gambling-tables. They are to be closed this year. At - Heidelberg Miss J. Ridley leaves us, to remain with her - friends there, and we go on to Zurich, over the Splügen, - returning by Strasburg and Paris. - - “This route will take us to Venice by way of the Brenner Pass, - between Munich and Verona. - - “My dear love to you all. I hope our Charlie boy is having some - _riding_. A kiss to him and the girls from - - “Your loving _sister_.” - - -At Heidelberg the party remained a few days, seeing something of the -country, through the kindness of my sister’s friends, who lived in an -old “schloss” outside the town. During this journey my sister first -became really acquainted with Miss Buss, who wrote afterwards to me— - - - “I learned to care a good deal for your ‘child,’ and soon—well, - not too soon—found out how much lay beneath that excessive - reserve. Her _flashes_ were very interesting to me, but my - uncle’s companionship made it impossible for us to fuse, as you - and I did in Edinburgh.” - - -In later years, a course of waters at a German _bad_ became a necessity, -and the letters give sketches of Spa, Ems, Kreuznach, Carlsbad, etc., -which may be summed up, in brief, in extracts which also show the writer -in relation to her own people— - - - “Kissingen, Aug. 20, 1885. - - “MEIN THEUERSTER, ALLERLIEBSTER FRANZ, - - “Ich liebe dich noch und immer. It is difficult not to - drop into German; we have been in the midst of it so long, and - we take a German lesson so often at the little theatre. Besides, - it has such pretty expressions. The use of ‘thou’ to those with - whom you are very intimate is charming! It is a loss to have - dropped it in English. - - “Father will be home on Saturday, I hear, and I hope he will go - off to the ‘liebe mütterchen’ at Ilfracombe.... - - “To-day, for the first time, we have rain. But we have been to - the Saliné, or salt springs, and are now going to the theatre. - Last night we went to a ‘diabolisch spiritisch’ performance by a - conjurer. The Duke of Cambridge sat very near us, so near that - we could hear nearly all he was saying.” - - - “Marienbad, Aug. 16, 1886. - - “... At six a.m. a fine band strikes up a lovely - _chorale_, which wakes every one. Hundreds of people carrying - tumblers go out on the promenade, when the band plays, and walk - about. There is so great a crowd at the Kreuzbrunnen that they - form three lines, and walk slowly one after another till they - get to the tap, at which a girl is waiting to serve. Some, I - among them, go to a hot-water supply to mix with the icy mineral - water, and then walk for twenty minutes. After this interval, we - again get into line for a second glass, and have another walk. - By this time the band has performed five pieces, all good music - and well played, and has gone to the other end of the promenade, - where there is another stream, the _Ferdinand’s quelle_. I go - here for a third tumbler and another walk. I get nearly two - hours, and then, but only then, go back to breakfast, which all - heartily enjoy. - - “I have a lovely room, on the first floor, beautifully - furnished, with two large windows looking out on the pine - forest. Every window in Marienbad has a large cushion, the size - of the sill, covered with white cotton. I find that these are to - put your elbows on to look out of the window. - - “To-day has been beautiful beyond description, cool and clear, - with cloudless sky, and the loveliest gleams of light between - the pines. - - “We leave here on the 31st, go to Munich for three days, and - stay to see the famous Gorge of Pfeffers, and then join Mrs. - Hodgson at Serneus, Prättigau, Switzerland. - - “I write a card every day to mother or father. Please send this - on. It is a great pleasure to me to have a card, dearest laddie, - and to know what you are doing.” - - - “Marienbad, Aug. 20, 1886. - - “MY VERY DEAR SEP AND MARIA, - - “... I wish Sep could get a chaplaincy in some German spa, - that would be so good for him and me, and that you and Arthur - could join me in a visit to the same place. The only drawback is - the long, wearisome journey. But one is repaid for the fatigue - by the delightful air and the complete change of surroundings. - One can live cheaply too. Our breakfasts cost—coffee, tea, or - chocolate, one egg, and as many little rolls as one likes—about - 9_d._; dinner, 1_s._ 6_d._ or 1_s._ 8_d._; and supper, 10_d._ or - 1_s._ Afternoon tea we make in my room. I have the largest and - handsomest room in the house for 25_s._, including everything. - My room is the general sitting-room, and where we receive - visitors, of whom there are rather more than I care for. The - chaplain, Mr. Thomas, of Jesus, Oxford, and his sister, with - whom I stayed in June, are here, with a fair number of English - whom they know, and whom, consequently, I know. There are four - members of Parliament, Sir Algernon Borthwick, Mr. Campbell - Bannerman, Mr. Hoyle, a most delightful man, and Dr. Cameron, - M.P. for Glasgow. - - “After breakfast I return, and write or rest, while the others - go to the hills and sit all the morning among the pines, and - sometimes dine at one of the forest places. - - “I go to a hot mineral bath at eleven, and at one we dine. We - never know where we shall have our next meal, and very often - have little or no idea of what a particular dish we order may - turn out. So the life is so new and fresh, so delightful for a - time that no one can fail to enjoy it. The band plays, there is - a theatre, there are splendid concerts, two libraries, besides - endless walks and views in the woods. The air is scented by the - pines, and by the wonderful flowers. We could hardly be happier, - in the quiet way that becomes our age.... An Italian professor - said to one of our ladies, who was laughing, ‘Ah, I will tame - you, _you screw_!’ She said, ‘What?’ He answered, ‘Why, you do - not know your Shakspere!”... - - “The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh only stayed one or two - nights, and had to go to the second floor. To-day we saw the - Grand Duke and Duchess walking about: they are very tall and - thin. Their children’s nurse is resplendent! She made me quite - wild to have her dress for the next costume dance!”... - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - ROME. - - “Ecco Roma!” - - -The greatest delights from travel came to Miss Buss from the two -extremes of North and South—extremes which yet touch—Sweden and Italy, -the two most distinctively artistic lands. In the Venice of the North -she was at home, for she loved the people; and she was not less at home -in the Venice of the Adriatic, where she loved the place and the -associations. But the City of the Seven Hills was the home of her heart, -and, without knowing what she was in Rome, one could know only the half -of her possibilities. Her first visit to Rome in 1875 opened a new phase -of being, and gave her a way of escape from everyday worry. After this -first visit, she writes— - - - “The worries, correspondence, and work of re-opening are - immense, but I am well, and resolute! - - “At Bologna, there is a marble medallion of Ugo Bassi, put up by - his fellow-citizens. I comfort myself, you see, by going back to - Italy.” - - -The visit to Sweden was something less of a holiday than those to Italy, -because it was full of educational experience. At that date, 1871, -Sweden stood in advance of any European country on the introduction of -the American system. Professor Siljiström, having been sent to America -to report on education, came home, wrote his book, and, having a free -hand, was able within three years to work a complete reformation. Miss -Buss took an introduction to him from Mrs. Garth Wilkinson, but he was -unfortunately not within reach. Through Miss Margaret Howitt, who had -recently spent a year with Frederika Bremer, she became acquainted with -the Baroness Adlersparre, one of the chief movers in educational -matters, and editress of a woman’s journal published at Stockholm, a -lady deeply interested in all that interested Miss Buss, through whom -the way was opened in Copenhagen for similar experiences. - -Miss Buss intensely enjoyed her trip to Sweden and Denmark, and after -her return gave an account of her experiences in two lectures to her -girls, with clear summaries of history, and vivid descriptions of -scenery, manners, and customs. The peripatetic (“goande,” or “going,”) -meals amused her, and she tells how— - - - “there are no chairs round the dining-table, and no waiters. - Ladies as well as gentlemen help themselves, and the hostess has - little to do.” - - -She also describes, in Stockholm, the novel custom of _smörgös_, _i.e._ -“eating a series of strange dishes as a relish before the dinner began.” - - - “On a small table, at the side, we found smoked reindeer flesh; - smoked salmon with poached eggs; fresh, raw, sliced salmon - (_gravlaks_); hard-boiled eggs; fried sausages; a kind of - anchovy; raw herrings, etc.; white and brown bread; brandy, etc. - The gentlemen drank one sort of spirit out of tiny glasses. - Everything was tastefully arranged on a snowy cloth.” - - -But in this trip her chief interest was in her educational -experiences—of which she took full notes—varied by pleasant social -gatherings, to which she and her father and her uncle, Dr. Buss, were -invited. In the only letter that can now be found relating to this tour -she expresses herself very warmly— - - - “Aug. 17, 1871. - - “We have been enjoying ourselves I can tell you! One of my - introductions has led to an acquaintance with a Miss Hierta, a - _Högral borna_, or nobly born lady, who is clever, handsome, - rich, benevolent, and young. Her father is the oldest member of - what we should call the House of Commons, but it is called the - Lower Chamber. He is familiarly known as ‘Lars Hierta,’ the - representative of the Liberal party, the friend of education and - of women. He is a fine old man of seventy-four, tall, handsome, - and, I hear, witty in the House, and always listened to with - respect. He and his daughter have been here to-night to - ‘soppor,’ a word which needs no translation. - - “Through Miss Hierta I have been able to see nine of the great - schools here. All I can say is that Sweden sets us a noble - example. Education is practically compulsory, as no child can be - confirmed till he can read, write, and cypher, and he cannot get - employment without the certificate of confirmation. Of course - such compulsion would not do in our country; but still it is - something to be able to boast that no child can remain ignorant - of the ‘three R’s.’... - - “I feel that we English, who are so much richer than these - Swedes, are yet in many respects far behind. Here the State - considers that it is a duty to provide education for all. And - all this has been done, in the last few years, mainly through - one man, Professor Siljiström, who was sent to America, and who, - on his return, was allowed to remodel the school system (of - which a full account is given).” - - -Nor was there less attraction on Miss Hierta’s side. In the following -year, she visited Miss Buss in London, and, written in 1873, I have a -letter speaking of her sorrow in the illness of “our dear Miss Buss,” -and she adds— - - - “I hope that she is recovered now; she is doing such a noble - work, and she has such a wonderful combination of greatness of - heart, of intelligence and energy, that a woman like this ought - to live eternally even here on earth, where she is so much - wanted. How I wish we had one like her here to establish a model - school for young girls.” - - -In Mary Howitt’s “Life” there is among her Roman experiences an -interesting account of a visit from “charming Anna Hierta, a beautiful -specimen of a Swedish woman.” She was one of the girls deeply influenced -by Frederika Bremer’s “Hertha,” the book that emancipated woman in -Sweden, and seemed to me to have in her all the splendid force of the -fair, strong women of the North. - -The first visit Miss Buss made to Rome was in 1875–76, with her brother, -the Rev. Septimus Buss. Here on a post-card are her first impressions— - - - “51, Piazza de Spagna Roma, - - “Dec. 26, 1875. - - “We are having a delightful time; beyond all expression - enjoyable. To-morrow evening we visit Mr. and Mrs. Howitt, and - afterwards I will write to you. But we are out all day; have a - late dinner, and a crowded salon afterwards, so that I can find - no time for writing. We have had no rain, but the most - marvellous sunsets! Such as Turner only painted. This lovely - city realizes all my anticipations. In nothing have we been - disappointed.” - - -And later, this letter— - - - “51, Piazza de Spagna, Jan. 2, 1876. - - “MY DEAR CARRY, - - “Rome is perfectly lovely! No word can describe it, nor - the thrilling emotions which it causes. Think of the - overpowering sensations I felt yesterday in driving along the - Appian Way by the place where Horatius murdered his sister - because of her grief for her lover Curiatius, and then under the - magnificent arch of Drusus, through several miles of tombs. We - passed the church of ‘Domine, quo vadis,’ the place where St. - Peter, whose heart failed him, and who was fleeing from Rome, - met the Lord, and in utter surprise fell on his knees, saying, - ‘Domine, quo vadis’ (Lord, whither goest Thou)? To which the - risen Saviour answered, ‘I go to Rome, to be again crucified,’ - whereon St. Peter, regaining his courage, retraced his steps to - Rome, and suffered martyrdom. We then visited some ancient - columbaria, or tombs, containing ashes of the dead. Then we - entered a great catacomb! As I write, my whole body seems to - quiver at the remembrance. We walked about three quarters of a - mile through the galleries containing the burial places of many - a holy martyr, especially of the early bishops of Rome, most of - whom gave their lives for their faith. Nothing but coming here - will enable a person to understand this marvellous city! - - “Always your loving, - - “ARNIE.” - - -The year following Mrs. Septimus Buss was her companion, and she writes -to her brother— - - - “Roma, Dec. 31, 1877. - - “DEAR OLD SEP, - - “Don’t you talk about letters! We have written to you - every day but one, and that represents a good deal when you - remember Roman habits. _We_ are, however, always wanting news of - _you_. - - “Rome is, I think, more delightful than ever. Why is it? The - weather is not so fine as you and I had it last year, though - magnificent compared with English climate. - - “We hear all sorts of things. To-day I was told that, when some - cuttings for a new street near Cardinal Antonelli’s Villa were - being made, a skeleton, with a splendid crown on its head, was - found. - - “Before 1870 there were no schools for the poor. Now all Italy - has public schools, free, attended by many thousands of - children.” - - -The next year she writes to her sister— - - - “Every place I go to is full of you. You and I are so fully in - sympathy in so many things—_here_ especially—that it seemed - almost as if our hearts beat in unison last year. My present - party is delightful; they are pleasant, cultivated girls, and - are very amiable. There has not even been a jar. But surely I am - not very difficult for them to get on with?” - - -“Not very difficult to get on with?” The answer to that question is -given clearly enough in a very few of the reminiscences of those happy -days—Miss Findon first— - - - “I went away with her several times in the holidays, and in 1878 - had the great privilege of being with her in Rome. Mrs. Bryant - was also there, and our party was more than a pleasant one. - Every day for a month we went about with Miss Buss, and she - seemed never tired of showing us the places she knew so well, - and pouring out to us her own stores of knowledge in history and - art, which made everything of double interest to us.” - - -Then comes Miss Lawford— - - - “The time I, with some others, spent with Miss Buss in Rome will - ever remain a delightful memory. The many visits which she had - paid to Italy, together with her love of history, ancient and - modern, enabled us to get much out of our stay there in a - comparatively short time. We were in no danger of imagining we - knew the city, as she constantly impressed upon us that she was - merely introducing us to it! I can still hear her. ‘Ecco Roma!’ - when we came within sight of the lights of the town on our - arrival there at night.” - - -Mrs. Bailey (Miss Emma Elford) writes at Christmas, 1894— - - - “This time of year always carries me back to the happy month I - had the privilege of spending with her in Rome. How delightful - it was to know her in her private life, and how she entered into - all one’s little joys and sorrows. I shall never forget that - delightful Christmas holiday; each day now, as it passes, I - almost know where we were, though it is so long ago as 1877. - Dear Miss Buss! how good she was ever to me; never forgetting me - in anything that was going on.” - - -Miss Marian Elford echoes the same strain— - - - “But to be in Rome with her was the climax of all delights. She - literally knew the history of every corner of it, both ancient - and modern. She was a good linguist, being able to converse in - Italian, German, and French. Not one word of ‘school’ passed - between us from the time we left Holborn until we were back in - our own places, for she had the happy faculty of leaving work - with all its worries behind.” - - -In 1880, her party included my sister and Miss Fawcett, who give still -the same report. Of a visit to Ostia, on this occasion, Miss Buss writes -fully— - - - “January 11, 1880. - - “We had a delightful day at Ostia. We went in a sort of - waggonette with a cover as roof, the sides open, four horses and - two men. Our start was made about a quarter after eight. You - know the road? Through the gate of St. Paolo by the great - Basilica, and then a turn to the right (to the left is the road - to the Tre Fontane) took us across ‘the dumb Campagna sea’ for - miles. The whole distance is sixteen miles. We stopped on the - way to look at the magnificent stone-pine forest at - Castel-Fusano, a little house belonging to the Chigi family. - Then we returned to the grand old Castle of Ostia, and, laying - down our rugs, encamped for dinner (or lunch) on the roadside. - We had cold fowl, bread, butter, cake, cheese, wine, and - oranges. With our etnas, we also made some cocoa. Fancy a - perfectly delightful picnic on the 7th of January! - - “Then we walked along the street of tombs under excavated Ostia. - To any one who has not seen Pompeii, it would give a good notion - of it. Some very fine statues have been dug up and put in the - Lateran. The excavations are going on slowly for want of money. - A fine temple has been cleared, facing the chief road from this - post. Ostia must have been as magnificent as the Via Appia, in - the days of St. Paul. You remember that lovely bust of the young - Augustus which was dug up in Ostia?” - - -An interval followed after this till, in 1885, she took her nephew Frank -and a college friend of his. Of this visit we have a full account by -Miss Blatherwick, which lets us into the secret of the comprehensive -knowledge of Rome which all recognized in Miss Buss— - - - “She had travelled all night, and arrived about 7 in the - morning. I quite expected she would have had her breakfast - sent up to her, and would have taken a few hours’ rest first; - but no! _she_ had seen Rome several times before, but the two - gentlemen had not; and as she could only stay three weeks, - there was no time to be lost. At 9 o’clock she appeared at the - breakfast-table, looking ‘as fresh as a daisy,’ and just as - though she had been there a week. Directly after breakfast she - said to me, ‘You will join us in everything, will you not? We - four will just fill a carriage.’ I assented only too gladly, - and that morning began one of the happiest times I have ever - had. Miss Buss brought with her double or treble the number of - books about Rome that most people would care to take with them - on so long a journey, and generally she put two or three of - them into the carriage, and could turn to any passage she - wanted to read aloud, although her own knowledge was such that - she was herself a ‘walking guide to Rome.’ Her days there were - passed much as follows: after breakfast at 9, she went to her - room for a little reading; at 10.30 we drove out to see and - study something in the Eternal City; then home to lunch, and, - after a brief rest, went out again on the same errand. At 4.30 - we assembled in her room for afternoon tea, which she and I - had agreed to provide between us. We each boiled some water - over our little travelling spirit-lamps; she had brought with - her table-napkins and a dainty little tea-set; and then—all - being prepared—we gathered round the table, and had a - delightful half-hour. One day Miss Buss said to me, ‘Madame T. - (our hostess) does not at all approve of these afternoon teas; - I think we had better invite her to ours to-morrow.’ This was - done, and the following day Miss Buss remarked, ‘Madame T. - said she did not like afternoon teas, but I think she enjoyed - hers very much yesterday.’ Tea over, the gentlemen disappeared - to prepare for the late dinner, and Miss Buss quickly changed - her dress, and at 5.30 punctually she and they met in an - unused back drawing-room, and took an hour’s Italian - conversational lesson. This daily lesson ended when the - dinner-bell rang at 6.30, and afterwards we went up to the - drawing-rooms, where all the visitors generally gathered - together, and games at cards, chess, draughts, etc., were - played. She always joined in some of them and in the - conversation till 10 p.m. Once or twice there was an excursion - for the day into the country, and one evening we went out to - view the Colosseum by moonlight. And this was her holiday! - - “I noticed that during this time, Miss Buss never once spoke of - her college, the teachers, or anything connected with business, - thus showing how wisely she could put care entirely aside for a - time, and give herself up to relaxation.” - - -Miss Buss always went to the _Pension Tellenbach_, which, in her time, -was quite a noted centre for the English in Rome, the visitors’ book at -the old house in the Piazza di Spagna including the names of Dean -Stanley and Lady Augusta, Dean Plumptre, Mr. E. A. Freeman, and, on one -occasion, Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone. Madame Tellenbach was a German lady -whose social position and knowledge of Rome gave her the power to make -things very pleasant for her guests, and she was proud of the results of -her skill and energy, a pride into which Miss Buss could enter with a -real sympathy. On her death, Madame Tellenbach left her whole -establishment to her brother-in-law, on condition that it should be -still carried on, not being able to bear that the work of years should -fall to pieces, and not perceiving that her bequest might be very much -of a white elephant. But, though not in need of it, Colonel Tellenbach -was not disposed to reject a valuable property, so he and his charming -wife established themselves in one suite of apartments, and consoled -themselves for the sufferings entailed in the management by giving -_soirées musicales_ and _dansantes_ to their guests. - -That I should go to Rome with Miss Buss had been our dream for years, -during which my home claims had never made it possible. At last, in -1889–90, my sister and I met her at the Pension Tellenbach, arriving -there two days before her. The advent of so scholastic a party would -have carried consternation into any British hotel or boarding-house. -There was Miss Buss herself, with all her weight of honours; there was a -governor of her schools and the honorary secretary of her centre for the -Cambridge Local Examination; there was the head of the Cambridge -Training College for Teachers; there were two B.A.’s, head-mistresses, -and two Kindergarten head-mistresses, A.C.P. (Associates of the College -of Preceptors). Even the girl of the party was a Girton graduate. -Fortunately, our kind German and Italian friends had not yet learnt -their alphabet in this new style, and, in their happy ignorance, were -conscious only of the bright wave of fun and frolic, of clever and wise -talk, that filled the place with ripple and sparkle during the next -three weeks. After the day’s excursions, amusing charades were acted by -the English, with artistic _tableaux vivants_ in return by the Germans. -The B.A.’s gave a college party in their rooms, which were _en suite_, -and were charmingly decorated for the occasion, where games were played -and nonsense talked, to the despair of Colonel Tellenbach and other -gentlemen, who were none of them invited, not even the Bishop himself, -who was head of the English table. And when they had all gone, sad was -the blank. My sister and I stayed on, and, very often, in the evenings, -did Colonel Tellenbach come beside us to sigh over the loss of _ces -charmantes dames anglaises_! - -We had, of course, determined that our first sight of the Colosseum -should be by moonlight, so, that, on the first brilliant night when all -could go, we started—fourteen ladies in a procession of five of the nice -little Roman victorias. None of the gentlemen were free to act as -protectors, so we made up in quantity for lack of quality. It must be -confessed that some of us could have entered sympathetically into the -feelings of the rank-and-file of a forlorn hope. Malaria and brigands -seemed to us to lurk in every deep dark corner of the vast ruin, and we -did not know what might be the perils of the way thither. But our leader -had our confidence, and we followed, to find the streets of Rome as -quiet as those of an English village, and in the ruins nothing more than -groups of tourists of all nations. - -Still, our experience made us fully appreciate a story which was going -the round at the time. A solitary Englishman, wandering in the ruins, -was roused to suspicion by the number of times he came across the same -burly, brown-frocked, cowled monk, who finally jostled against him, -turning suspicion into certainty. The Englishman felt at once for his -watch. It was not there! He strode after the monk, overmatching him in -height if not in breadth, and, seizing him by the throat, demanded his -watch. A colloquy, unintelligible on either side, ended in the monk -giving up the watch; and, with a parting shake that sent him sprawling, -the irate Englishman stalked off to tell his wife the tale. “But your -watch is on the dressing-table!” she said, in alarm. He pulled out the -watch in his pocket. _It was not his own._ A veil falls over the scene. -But the early express next morning took away two passengers who were not -likely soon to re-visit the Eternal City. - -Nothing marred our own complete enjoyment of the scene as we sat for -some time in the moonlight, opposite the imperial seat, trying to bring -back the past, to see the cruel Roman crowd, to picture the stately -Vestals with their power of life and death. And most clearly of all we -seemed to see the Monk Telemachus as he sprang into the arena, the last -human sacrifice to Roman lust of blood. - -Miss Findon tells of similar experience— - - - “Once, as we sat in the Colosseum, Miss Buss read us Byron’s - lines and also Dickens’ words about it. I remember the tones of - her voice now as she ended:—‘God be thanked—a ruin!’ And then - paused while we tried to carry our minds back to that old time - when under that same blue sky, this ruin had been the scene of - those terrible fights of men and beasts, and the Roman ladies - looked on. How different from the tender heart of her who was - sitting in our midst!” - - -Long before the story of Italian patriots was generally known, Miss Buss -had made it her own, and she loved to tell it; as she had told us on the -afternoon of Christmas Day that year. I find a note dated 1877, in which -she mentions a talk with Old Pupils— - - - “I told them about ‘new Italy,’ and read from Mrs. Browning, and - Mrs. Hamilton King’s ‘Disciples’ and ‘Aspromonte.’ Do you know - Mr. Browning’s ‘Court of the King,’ a small poem?” - - -In a letter to her nephew, we find her feeling on this side of Italian -history— - - - “Rome, January, 1884. - - “I hope you sympathize with the progress of humanity, dearest - lad, and with the regeneration of a nation! My heart thrills - when I think of how much men have suffered to make beautiful - Italy a geographical _fact_, instead of a mere name. Only last - year a young Triestine, named Overdank, was hanged by the - Austrians because he with others wanted to annex Trieste to - Italy. Many people think the whole eastern side of the Adriatic - ought to belong to Italy. Of course this was rebellion on the - part of Overdank. According to law, no doubt, he suffered. But - the horror is that the executioners are said to have sent the - bill for the cost of the execution to the heart-broken mother! - She had to pay them, but has since died—happily for her.... And - those are _Christians_, and have _mothers_! - - “Italy has a grand past. May she have as grand a future! In the - blood of the thousands of martyrs for the liberty and unity of - their country is the hope of future generations. Our country’s - history seems but of yesterday, when one is in Rome, surrounded - by memorials of the old Roman Empire. Have I told you of the - discovery of the house of Numa Pompilius, just excavated in the - Forum, close to the arch of Titus, under the old gate of the - Palatine? It must have been used by the Pontifex Maximus all - through Roman history to the time of Augustus, who chose to live - on the Palatine, and fulfilled the conditions by making his - house on the Palatine state property. When he left the house in - the Forum, the Vestals were placed in it, and the discoveries - show that these ladies lived in almost regal splendour in this - house, and their statues, broken—in some cases wilfully—and - defaced, are being dug up daily. When we came, one only had been - found. Now there are from twelve to sixteen at least. On these - statues is recorded the _name_ of the Vestal. On one the name is - erased. Did she lapse, or did she become a Christian? - - “In December last, a jar containing 864 Anglo-Saxon coins, - dating from 901 to 946 A.D. (I think) was found. How did these - coins come there? Surely they were brought by the Anglo-Saxon - pilgrims mentioned by Bede. Can you begin to understand the - extraordinary fascination of such a place?... - - “I am constantly in a state of thrilling emotion arising from - the associations, and one thing overpowers another. One was - quite speechless at the sight of the ancient inscriptions from - the tombs of the early Christians. It was a thrilling thing to - see a man like the Pope, whose office is so ancient and so - sacred, even to those Christians who do not agree with him. - - “It was really awe-striking to stand in rooms used by Augustus, - by Livia and by Drusus; in the case of the latter the frescoes - are as fresh as if done a few months since.... - - “I wonder if I shall ever have the delight of introducing you to - the world of wonders concentrated in Rome?” - - -My own memories of her in Rome are curiously comprehensive of the whole -range of interest in the Eternal City: heathen, Christian, mediæval, -artistic, patriotic; in each and all of which she was equally at home. - -On our first Sunday afternoon we had gone to the Palatine, first pausing -to try to imagine the splendour of Nero’s Golden House, before we went -on to stand at the bar where St. Paul must have stood before the Cæsar -to whom he had made appeal. A portion of the marble rail stands now as -it stood then, and there we tried to picture that memorable scene. Miss -Buss described to us how the heathen Court of Justice had become the -Christian Church, and so vivid was the whole impression that to this -moment I can still see the graceful careless emperor, in the centre of -the semicircle of fawning, sneering courtiers, all making merry at the -claim to Roman citizenship of this mean Jew; with some pride too, no -doubt, at the far sweep of the Roman power to which her most distant -subject could appeal and not in vain. - -As we stood there, lost in the past, there came a sudden clash and clang -of all the church bells in Rome—once there had been one for each day in -the year—and all the blue air was full of sound. Here was the echo, -still clear and strong, of the message of the despised Christian, while -of Nero’s Golden House there is not a single trace. - -Again, we are standing on the terrace in front of St. Gregorio, and seem -to watch the descending figure of the monk Augustine—our Saint of -Canterbury—as he had just received the blessing of the Great Gregory, -and was departing on his mission to those fair-haired Angles who are so -like—and so unlike—the angels. Then we turn into the refectory, where, -day by day, the saint entertained his twelve poor pilgrims, and we hear -how to his large charity was given the grace of entertaining angels -_not_ “unawares,” since, on the face of one of his guests whose special -need had called out special service, the faithful servant saw a light -which showed him that the Master of the Feast Himself was there in very -truth:— - - - “Who gives himself with his alms feeds three, - Himself, his hungry neighbour, and _Me_.” - - -On another day we had gone to see the Moses of Michael Angelo—earth’s -most lasting symbol of the imperishable Divine Law—and, as we came out -of the church, we paused to look at the picture made by the convent with -the tall palm-tree against the Frangipani Tower, and heard how in time -of famine the Frangipani—the “bread-breakers”—earned their noble name, -as true _lords_ (hláford, or “_loaf-ward_”) in sharp contrast to the -Borgias—the spoilers of the poor—whose palace still stands to the right -of the steps down which we passed, going through the archway, that we -might look up to the balcony where the beautiful Lucrezia must often -have stood, to cool her throbbing brow, under the quiet stars so high -above all futile ambition and fleeting passion. - -And yet another well-remembered walk, from the Piazza di Spagna, past -the studio of Canova, to the Via di Ripetta, to look for the bust that -marks the house of Angelo Brunetti— - - - “The tribune of the people, who could stay - A tumult by the lifting of his hand, - And by the lifting of his voice could bring - An array round him”— - - -by his mother named Ciceruacchio, “Fair and strong.” - - - “And still the name grew with him as he grew - To stature stateliest, and strongest arm, - And fairest face of all the City.” - - -And we talked of the great deeds of that fateful year as we followed the -street which is now called by the name of him. - - - “Who with deep eyes, silent and resolute, - Rode slowly up the steep of golden sand - To San Pietro in Montorio.” - - -Then, standing by the grave which tells of the gratitude of _Italia -Una_, we pictured the triumphant procession up that same Via Garibaldi, -as the ashes of the patriots who had died for Italy were brought from -far and wide to rest in the Rome they had loved so well. - -My Roman Journal closes with a comment on Miss Buss’ most able guidance, -and the conclusion— - - - “To be with her in Rome is something to be remembered. She is - always an inspiration, with her splendid vitality and energy; - but here, with her enthusiasm and her complete familiarity with - every association, she is wonderful indeed—a living flame of - fire.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - SOCIAL LIFE. - - “And that which should accompany old age, As honour, love, - obedience, troops of friends.” - - -When we think of the vivid impressions of men and things that we might -have had from one who enjoyed such varied experience, we cannot but -regret that the press and hurry of her life made a diary an -impossibility for Miss Buss. - -In the early years of her work she succeeded in filling some small -volumes, but when they were sought after her death, nothing remained but -a few pages with notes of the childhood of her nephews and nieces. - -From the fairly continuous record in her Journal-letters from 1870–79, -and from Miss Fawcett’s Diary during her residence at Myra (1868–88), as -well as from the letters to the Rev. Francis F. Buss (1884–88), -sufficient indications may be gathered to show us what we have lost. -From Miss Fawcett we get glimpses of the variety and breadth of -interests shared by Miss Buss with the inmates of her house. Lectures on -every topic from the best lecturers, concerts, _soirées_, dances, -charades and _tableaux vivants_, excursions and picnics to interesting -places, interviews with celebrated persons, all go to make the reader -imagine what the interest of a full record might have been. Life -certainly must have been very far from dull in those days, however full -of work it may have been. And this was still more true of the last ten -years, to which we have so little clue, when she went out even more -among the leaders of the educational movement. - -Here are a few notes that we should like expanded— - - - “Miss Buss went to lunch at the Deanery, and afterwards had a - quiet drive with Lady Augusta Stanley.” - - - “On Jubilee Day Miss Buss was invited to the Abbey by Dean - Bradley, and was seated next to Professor Max Müller. At night - she told us all about the ceremony. She had been intensely - interested in the greetings between the Queen and the Royal - Family, an emotional scene that went to her heart.” - - - “Miss Buss had an interview with the Crown Princess (the Empress - Frederick), and talked of education.” - - - “Miss Buss has been to the Prize-giving at the Richmond School. - She had a chat with the Princess Mary of Teck.” - - -On another of these occasions she was photographed, sitting beside the -Duchess of Albany. - -Mrs. Hill notes a characteristic point— - - - “She was never satisfied to enjoy anything by herself, and - living at Myra, as I did, I have been with her at different - times to all kinds of things, the Indian Soirées, the Bishop of - London’s garden-parties, the Royal Society’s Ladies’ Evenings, - and big soirées at West End houses in the season. In the same - spirit, if she had bouquets on Prize Day, etc., she would send - them in old days to Mrs. Laing, and, later on, to people who - would care to have them. If she had a carriage to make calls, - she would take some one for the drive.” - - -Then from her letters to her nephew at Cambridge— - - - “April 16, 1884. - - “On Friday I lunched at St. Mark’s Vicarage, Surbiton, with - Archdeacon Burney, lineal descendant of the famous musical Dr. - Burney, friend of Johnson, Burke, Garrick, etc., and father of - Frances, author of ‘Evelina,’ and ‘Diary of Madame D’Arblay,’ - the fashionable authoress of the day, on whom Macaulay - afterwards conferred immortality in his essay. Do you know her - diary? It is so minute that as one reads it one is transported - into another age, and moves among the great men and women of the - 18th century. I can never forget the delight with which I read - it, in my twentieth year, just as it was published. - - “Archdeacon Burney’s walls are covered with family portraits, - heirlooms, Sir Joshua’s well-known Dr. Burney, and Garrick; - Gainsborough’s portrait of Paul Sanday and his lady-love; of Dr. - Johnson, from the Thrale collection; of Madame D’Arblay (Fanny - Burney), and the next generation of Burneys by Romney and - Laurence. - - “And there are some lovely Turners, and also a fine collection - of autographs.... The visit was very interesting.... And then - there is an invalid daughter, with a most lovely face and - spiritual expression. She can only be moved from her couch to - bed and back, and yet is full of brightness and good works. - - “There has been a discussion lately as to the author of the - lines ‘To love her was a liberal education,’ either by Steele or - Congreve. Well, to see the invalid Miss Burney is a Christian - education! How wonderful it is! Our heavenly Father seems to - lift some weak ones of earth into a supernatural strength that - makes them more powerful from their sick couch than the strong - and healthy.” - - - “Feb. 21, 1885. - - “I was in Cambridge yesterday ... it is not nearly so dear to me - as when I had a beloved boy there! But still it is always - delightful. Girton has been very gay—a ball, some theatricals - (the ‘Ladies’ Battle’), and last night the inter-collegiate - debate on Hero-worship; seventy Newnham girls were going to - Girton, to lead in favour. Girton was to oppose by pointing out - how it injured worshipped and worshipper. - - “I spent the morning at Newnham, called at King’s, to see Mr. C. - Ashbee’s new rooms; lunched at Girton, and had afternoon tea - there, and went to ‘Potts,’ to see Willie B. He asked O. Ashbee - to meet me.” - - - “Feb. 15, 1885. - - “On Friday I went to a meeting at the Mansion House about the - Parkes Museum, and then to the Vicarage. Mother, who was - expecting Prof. Stuart, M.P., made me stay and dine with them. - He is very bright, and I liked him. Besides, he is a Cambridge - man, and that is a passport to me. He told us some stories of - exam. mistakes, etc.” - - - “Feb., 1885. - - “I have been out twice this week, once to Mrs. Dacre Craven’s - (_née_ Florence Lees), wife of the Rector of St. George’s, - Bloomsbury. There were many interesting things to be seen, among - others a series of photographs of Mecca, also of Medina. They - must have been done by a Mahommedan, as it is death to a - Christian to enter these sacred places. - - “Another evening I went to the Countess D’Avigdor’s. She is a - most beautiful old lady. The ladies were flashing with diamonds, - and there was some splendid music. But most of the men were - Conservative, and were abusing Gladstone in a most shameful way. - - “Did I tell you I met Mr. Guthrie (_vice versa_ Guthrie)? He is - very simple and unaffected. I saw him at Mrs. Ashbee’s. Sir - Spencer Wells was also there, the famous doctor.” - - - “June 6, 1886. - - “I go to Oxford on Friday, to stay till Tuesday, and a most - splendid programme of University sights, luncheons, dinners, - meetings, etc., is arranged for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. I - am to be the guest of Mr. Thomas and his sister; I think he is a - Master of Queen’s, but am not sure of the college. Friday and - Saturday I must give to the Head-mistresses’ meetings, but I - shall see a good deal of Oxford life. It will be grand to be in - Oxford on Whit-Sunday.” - - - “June 29, 1890. - - “Every day this week is full of engagements, and I find it - difficult to escape them. I _like_ to accept some. I should much - have liked to go to Mrs. Gladstone’s garden-party, and also to - the Duke of Westminster’s garden-party (I was asked as a - subscriber to the Church House), but I could not manage either, - in consequence of previous plans—Rugby, for instance. - - “For the first time, yesterday, I went to the Rugby Speech Day, - at the invitation of Dr. Percival, the Head-master. ‘Tom Brown’ - was there, and when Dr. Percival announced him the cheers were - deafening. Mr. Hughes has aged since I last saw him. He has made - Rugby known to every civilized country, as well as live for ever - in the memory of Rugbeians. - - “Our own Prize Day was quite the best we have had for several - years. The Bishop of Rochester made an excellent speech, in - perfect taste, and Lady Elizabeth Biddulph, daughter to our - early friend, the late Countess of Hardwicke, also delivered a - _good speech_, which was liked by parents and girls. She is a - thorough-going Temperance speaker, accustomed to large - audiences.” - - -Cheltenham was another very attractive social centre. There she met Mrs. -Frances Owen, whose exquisite lecture on Wordsworth, given at the North -London Collegiate School, introduced her to the circle there. Mr. and -Mrs. Middleton and their son were dear friends of the same period, and -Miss Buss delighted in telling the stories of Mr. Middleton’s wonderful -cat; especially that of waking its master at early dawn one morning that -it might display five rats, laid in a row at the door; or the still more -strange story of its taking Mr. Middleton into the library, after a -fortnight’s absence, and there telling him a long tale, which the maid -explained by saying that the cat, shut up in this room, had met in -fierce combat and slain another of the enemy. - -In Mr. Henry Middleton Miss Buss found artistic sympathy, and also gave -it, for her drawing-room was one of the first decorated by Mr. Middleton -in the new fashion which superseded the old white and gold of the first -half of the century. I remember being taken by Miss Buss to see Mrs. -Middleton, “that saintly woman,” as her friends called her, and bringing -away a memory of peace and joy. She had come to try London advice for -the complaint which proved fatal. And Mrs. Owen did not long survive -her. - -But Cheltenham, first and last, meant _Miss Beale_. It is a joy to think -of the meetings—happily frequent—between these two kindred workers, who -could give each other so rare a sympathy. The North London Collegiate -and Camden Schools and the Cheltenham Ladies’ College are two great -creations, original works of genius; and when we think of the continuous -stream, scarcely less than a thousand persons, pupils and teachers, -always passing through both places, we find a power and influence simply -incalculable. The meeting between the two heads suggests a _tête-à-tête_ -between two queens, who for a brief bright respite may escape from the -loneliness of royalty.[20] - -Footnote 20: - - As an instance of the “true word spoken in jest,” we find this - separateness of the two leaders emphasized, at a very early period of - their career, in the often-quoted nonsense-rhyme, at which they - laughed with the rest— - - - “Miss Buss and Miss Beale - Cupid’s darts do not feel; - They are not like us, - Miss Beale and Miss Buss!” - - - The authorship of this quatrain is uncertain, being attributed either - to a master of Clifton, or to a boy of Cheltenham College. It is quite - certain that they were not written by one of Miss Buss’ pupils, nor - were they ever (as reported) found on the blackboard of any class-room - in the North London Collegiate School for Girls. - -Miss Beale was some years the younger, and in fullest vigour when her -friend was feeling the stress and strain of work. But Miss Buss took the -deepest interest in all the later developments at Cheltenham, and could -rejoice in seeing at last the full realization of her own early dream, -in an institution where a child may now enter the Kindergarten at the -age of three—there is a lovely school full of these happy mites—and, -after going through all the course, may finally leave the Training -School as B.A. or B.Sc., fully competent to teach what she has so -thoroughly learned. - -It was wonderful how many different interests were packed into that full -life. Besides all her private visiting, and educational and -philanthropic meetings, there were the meetings of literary societies. -She often went to those of the Royal Institution, and of the Royal -Geographical, taking her girls. She belonged to the Wordsworth Society, -and I remember her keen delight in an address by James Russell Lowell, -in the library at Lambeth Palace, and again the satisfaction in the -beautiful simplicity with which Mr. Lowell, in an address to the -Browning Society, took the Christian side in the discussions which were -a marked feature of that society. Even for the Society of Psychical -Research she could keep an open mind, though in general she did not care -for things abstract or vague. For fun she was always ready, and I well -remember how we enjoyed Mark Twain’s subtle nonsense, in his lecture on -“Our Fellow-savages of the Sandwich Islands.” - -She had by nature and early association a great love of the drama, and -indulged occasionally in a visit to the theatre, especially enjoying a -French play, as she says— - - - “I am taking an evening sometimes, however, to get a French - lesson at the Comèdie Française. I saw _L’Avare_ last night. It - is most perfectly acted. - - “I saw Bernhardt in _Andromaque_. She is a wonderful actress, - with a curious power of impressing herself on the spectator’s - mind. Andromaque made one very sad; it seemed to point to the - poor empress. How thankful I should be to die if I were in her - place.” - - -She had much to say on her return from all such experiences, as well as -from dinners and _fêtes_, when she had met and talked with eminent -persons. Unhappily, there was no phonograph to take down her talk. It -has gone, and with it all the record of times and seasons of public and -private import of which she knew. - -Then we have a peep at the books that interested her— - - - “Broadstairs, Aug. 26, 1873. - - “Frank has been my companion in all my wanderings. I have _read_ - to my heart’s content; the laddie always goes to bed early, and - so I had always two or three hours at night. I have devoured - books on Education, Siljistrom’s American schools, Heppeau’s - ditto. So that I have had two studies of American education; the - one from a Swedish point of view, the other from a French. In - Belgium, my boy and I studied Motley’s ‘Rise of the Dutch - Republic,’ ‘Belfry of Bruges,’ etc. Although the holidays have - been more broken up than I care for—they have been restful and - enjoyable. - - “On Saturday 6th I am to go to Gunnersbury, where my uncle Henry - lives, and then I shall have a few days in the middle of the - last week of the holidays. _If I can_, I want to go to - Stratford-on-Avon on a pilgrimage—by the way, pilgrimages are - all the fashion now!—to Shakespeare’s country.” - - - “I have been reading with intense interest the American book on - the education of girls—the answer, by an American woman, to the - book by Dr. Clark which formed the text for Dr. Maudsley’s - article in the _Fortnightly_ for April against the Higher - Education of Women! The American women make out a strong case - for themselves.... - - “If you have not read ‘Sister Dora’ let me lend it to you. She - is an encouragement and a warning! She was very self-willed, and - that is different from being strong-willed. She was the latter, - too.” - - - (To her nephew, January 8, 1892.) “I am going to send you two - comic books—‘My Wife’s Politics’ and ‘Samantha among the - Brethren’—both books bearing on the woman-question—_the_ - question of the end of the nineteenth century. You will perhaps - live to see the effects of the emancipation of women. Their - higher and fuller development, their greater knowledge, and - therefore greater sympathy, will bring them nearer to men of the - best kind. For the other kind of men—as Mrs. Poyser says, ‘There - will always be fools enough to match the men!’ I should like to - revisit our planet at the end of the twentieth century, to see - the effect on Society of the great revolution of the - nineteenth—the Woman’s Rights Question.” - - -In early days, Miss Buss used at Easter to take a large house by the -sea, and fill it with her family—the nephews and nieces bringing young -friends—or with pupils or members of the staff. Later, her country house -at Epping was open in this way for short holidays, and of these Mrs. -Hill says— - - - “It was delightful to be with Miss Buss at Epping. She generally - had something interesting to read to us in the evening. She - never minded what we did, and looked indulgently on all kinds of - pranks. - - “She remembered one’s likes and dislikes in the way of food. One - of the last times I had tea with her (in October, 1874) she had - some special cakes which she knew I liked, and when Mr. Hill and - I were staying with her at Overstrand, if we expressed a liking - for anything, she said to her companion, ‘Why do you not get it - for them?’ - - “This minute thoughtfulness is a matter of constant comment. - Miss Edwards tells of a visit from an old pupil who brought her - daughter to Myra, and at tea-time Miss Buss asked, ‘Does your - little girl like sugar as much as you did, my dear?’” - - -During her nephews’ college career she several times took a house at -Cambridge, always arranging something in which her girl-undergraduates -could join. Of one of her dances there is an account from her friend -Mrs. Mathieson— - - - “In January, 1886, Miss Buss called and asked me to join her in - giving a dance at Cambridge. Her two nephews were there, and Mr. - W. Buck. My son was also there, and my daughter at Girton. I - think we had about twenty from Girton, and the same number from - Newnham, and Miss Hughes brought about twelve from the Training - College. Miss Buss and I each took down a party, and there were - plenty of men from the various colleges. - - “I well remember the interest taken by Miss Buss in the - arrangements, and her distress because Girton and Newnham would - not extend the time for their students, who were obliged to - leave us at 10.30, which, of course, broke up our party, since - we were left with fifty men to ten girls, as Miss Hughes took - hers away when the other colleges went.” - - -There is a little note from Miss Buss in reference to this party, in -which she says— - - - “I find I have made a mistake in the date; February 25 _is_ in - Lent. In any case, the dance cannot be managed before Easter. - - “Have you seen _Punch_? There is a small young lady who, when - accused by her mother of being ‘stupid,’ says, ‘No, I am only - inattentive!’ Let me hope my mistake was like the child’s!” - - -Mrs. Hill, who knew the Cambridge life well, says of it— - - - “She seemed most in her element, so to say, when she was at - Cambridge. I went with her ten or twelve times, and she was - always most anxious that her young people should have the best - time possible. If necessary, she would herself chaperon us to - breakfast, lunch, tea, coffee, in the Undergraduate’s rooms, and - (what added to the pleasure) she enjoyed going. Twice she gave a - dance, when she made a delightful hostess.” - - -It is also in reference to this phase of her life that Mrs. Bryant gives -this pretty picture of Miss Buss— - - - “Her sympathy with young people was by no means limited to the - serious side of things, or to her own remembered experiences. - Her imagination, with the tender, happiness-loving heart behind, - held her in touch with all the innocent gaieties, and even - vanities of youth. Many will remember her pleasant parties at - Cambridge, including some dances, and the delightful way in - which she acted the part of motherly chaperon, never tired, - never in a hurry to get to the end, never distressed by those - modifications in the order and punctuality of meals which youth - regards as a normal part of merry-making. Respecting the - vanities, I remember telling her on one occasion that my niece - was going to her first ‘grown-up’ dance. ‘There are such pretty - shoes nowadays for girls,’ she said, ‘I hope you have got her - something very pretty. A girl’s first dance comes only once.’” - - -Miss Newman tells a similar tale of a time when, as they were together -at Matlock, Miss Buss asked her to help choose some amber for a birthday -present, asking her opinion and advice. Miss Newman had no idea that -Miss Buss knew that the next day was her birthday; but when the birthday -came she found the amber on her table, with a card of good wishes. - -Mrs. Bryant says also that— - - - “when boys were in question, her sympathy was even more - delightful. In her family experience, boys had predominated, - though she had always been a girl-like girl, not given to - participation in boys’ games. Her tolerance for boys, their - muddy boots and disturbing household ways, was quite unlimited, - though doubtless, and probably for that very reason, no boy of - her circle would have thought of disobeying her. I have spent - more than one happy holiday with her and her nephews in the - country, and know how to appreciate her rare sympathy with our - more athletic ideas of pleasure, and the ease with which her - plans would fall in with ours. Once I was with her in Killarney, - and wanted to climb Carn-Tual. ‘I want to go for a climb - to-morrow,’ she said. ‘It will suit me excellently to drive to - the foot of your mountain, and there will be plenty to amuse me - while you go up.’” - - -Her intensity of vital power kept her in touch with all young life. The -strong love of little children, which was one of her most marked -characteristics, was only the lovely blossoming of this vigorous growth; -nothing refreshed her more, when she was tired of work, or worn with -worries, than to have a “baby-show” of her nephews and nieces in their -day, and then of their children and the children of old pupils. She -liked just a few at a time, so that she might thoroughly enjoy them, -when she would herself get out toys from her stores, watching the play -while she and the mothers told stories of child wit and wisdom. One of -her very latest pleasures in life was the visit of a little new -namesake—a tiny “Frances Mary,” who will rejoice in the name though she -can have no memory of the kind face that brightened at the sight of her -baby ways—and one of her last quite coherent remarks was an inquiry for -“little curly-head,” as she called her nephew’s little son. - -Here is a characteristic little story told by Mrs. Pierson— - - - “At the house of an old friend the other day I met a young - married lady with her baby. We were talking of Miss Buss, and - she said, ‘I only saw her once, when I was five years old, but I - have never forgotten her. She saved me from a cruel nurse who - ran away from me, and hid in the coal-yards near Chalk Farm - Station, while I cried because I was lost. A lady came by and - took my hand and comforted me and asked me where I lived. “Near - some mountains—red mountains,” I said, and her quick perception - divined that I meant some new houses being built near Primrose - Hill. She took me in the direction of Oppidan’s Road, where I - soon recognized my home; and, after her interview with my - mother, I need not say the nurse had to leave.’” - - -It is delightful to read Miss Buss’ holiday letters about the children, -who were often with their aunt while their parents went for rest and -change. While the world was standing in awe of the “eminent -educationalist” she was inditing sweet letters full of babytalk, of wise -counsel hid in nonsense, or of the affection of which her heart was so -full— - - - “1865. - - “MY DEAR LITTLE MOTHER, - - “Oh! what a boy is ours! to talk about ‘jolly’! Naughty - little monkey! We want a three-year old, not a grown-up boy. - Kiss him thousands of times for his loving Arnie, whose heart - goes out to him twenty times a day at least. She pictures to - herself, over and over again, the sweet little shy face on the - pier, and her boy waiting to throw himself into her arms when - she lands. - - “I went last night to see Léonie, more especially to get a kiss - of Nina.” - - - “Stockholm, August 30, 1871. - - “MY DEAR LITTLE MOTHER, - - “You do not deserve, by the way, to be the mother of sons! - You want sweet little goody children—girls—who will sit still, - and be made fine, always do what they are told (in public!), - never make a noise, and be clever, well-informed children, who - will answer any question (provided it be given in the form - printed in their books), write beautifully, and _spell_ - splendidly! Thank goodness! ‘_my_’ child is not one of those - dear darling little humbugs. Why, I am quite proud of his - writing, and his spelling wants time, of course. How many of - Miss F.’s class spell better than he? None, of course. Nor do - Nina and May-May spell better. Their French bothers them. Frank - is a sensible, well-informed lad for his age, and, above all, he - has a desire for knowledge. Education is not reading and - writing, but means a desire to acquire information. As for - Arthur, he is a darling; kiss him for his Arnie.” - - - “1864. - - “My dear darling ba-lamb (lioness rather) sister, I hunger and - thirst after you and our boy to a painful degree. It is very - distressing, but as I grow older I find my heart-strings are - really pulled violently by a select few. It is quite painful to - have a heart and feel its existence. - - “God bless you all, prays your loving sister - - “FANNY.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - FRIENDSHIPS. - - “A true friend is one that makes us do all we can; those who - trust us, educate us.” - - -“To _have_ friends one must _be_ a friend,” was true of this life on -both sides. She _was_ a friend, and she _had_ friends in abundance. Of -her women-friends we have had full proof, and we may count almost as -many men who mourn her loss with feeling scarcely less intense. Many who -are less known to fame will echo words like these from some of the -leaders in education. The Bishop of Winchester writes of her as “one of -the truest, wisest, and ablest women it has ever been my privilege to -know and esteem as a friend.” Dr. W. G. Bell, of Cambridge, adds, “Only -those who had the privilege of being called her friend realized how -faithful she was to her friendships, as well as loyal to the work which -was so dear to her.” Dr. Wormell, on hearing of the fatal nature of her -illness, speaks from a full heart— - - - “The news you give me fills me with sadness. Miss Buss gave me - her helping hand and cheering smile when I had few friends, and - had scarcely crept from obscurity. It is not easy for me to say - what is the depth and length and breadth of my affection for - her—in all dimensions it is beyond measure. I grieve as one who - suffers irreparable loss, and can scarcely ask myself what of - others who have been closer to her?” - - -Dr. Hiron says that— - - - “illness prevents the privilege of joining those who will gather - in large numbers to do her honour. But though not present in - person I shall be with them in spirit, and in the hearty desire - to give to her of the fullest appreciation of her personal - qualities and of her great services to the cause of education, - particularly of the higher education of women. - - “I first met her at Dr. Hodgson’s, nearly twenty-five years ago. - For many years I saw a great deal of her, especially at the time - when I was secretary of the Girls’ Public Day School Company. - From the first I was profoundly impressed by her insight into - educational problems, but, most of all, by her devotion, heart - and soul, to the work to which she had put her hand.” - - -Mr. Storr speaks not only as an educationalist but as a friend— - - - “I mourn a very old and very true friend. I always felt with her - that, differ as we might—and we often differed on educational - politics—she was absolutely single-eyed, and her judgment was - never warped by personal ambition or _arrière pensée_. My girls, - as you know, were greatly attached to her, and I owe her much as - having set them the example of a noble-minded, generous, - great-souled woman.” - - -Her influence over young men, the friends of her nephews, or brothers of -her pupils, was very remarkable, and it would not be easy to count the -number who can add to the words of one of the college friends of the -Rev. Francis F. Buss— - - - “To me your aunt’s friendship was a most valued privilege, and I - owe very much to her both on account of her personal influence - over me, and the many pleasant friendships she made for me; and - last, but not least, that she was one of the first people to - introduce me to ladies’ society at all.” - - -Her letters to her nephew while at Cambridge quite explain this -influence. She was not in the least afraid of young men, but was her own -real true self always, thus touching the reality below their surface -pretences. Here is one of her grave letters— - - - “I am very deep in work, but I manage to find time for you, and - to think of you and your approaching ordination. You are about - to take the most serious step in your life, and I hope and pray - that it may be blessed to you and to those among whom you may - have to work during the rest of your life. It is a noble - profession, but one that entails much self-control and - self-sacrifice. But if you think chiefly of the work to which - you are called, and not of yourself, you will be useful and - happy. You must not think too much about what people may say or - think of you, but simply do your work faithfully and leave the - results. You are disposed to mind ‘Mrs. Grundy’ too much, my - very dear boy, but this is not a good thing if carried to - excess. To be careful in imagination, to put one’s self into the - place of another, is right, but this is the opposite of minding - ‘Mrs. Grundy.’” - - -These letters are full of wisdom as well as of tender thoughtfulness. -She wanted him to profit to the full by the advantages which she -esteemed so highly. - - - “At Cambridge, more than anywhere else,” she says (for the - moment forgetting Oxford), “is to be found the highest product, - so far, of human civilization. Men there get the highest culture - ever yet attained, and the ‘Dons’ are also the most finished - gentlemen. There is an indescribable something in the bearing, - air, tone of voice even, of a Cambridge man which I believe he - never loses all his life. But the men are most courteous towards - women: that is one distinct mark of their training. I have never - heard a rough word nor seen a rough act towards women, and I - want you to become such a man as the best men in your - University.” - - -At the same time she is interested in the smallest details of the new -life, as when she writes— - - - “It was a great delight to me to see you in your rooms. But the - sofa is rather shabby. Shall I send you an Afghan rug to throw - over it? Tell me. Perhaps you would rather choose one for - yourself?” - - -But of all the friends of whom she thought and for whom she cared time -would fail to tell. Her sky was full of “bright particular stars,” each -moving in its own orbit. Perhaps her regard may have been most fixed by -the “double-stars,” of which there were many brilliant examples. Her -“dual friendships” seemed to have doubled strength and joy for her. It -was either that her friends married to please her as well as each other, -or that she could at the same time include divergent characters; but all -her life she was singularly happy in her married friends. - -Her ideal of family life was high, as we see from an interesting letter -written from Bonaly in September, 1877— - - - “As I travelled here, on Tuesday, by way of Kendal and Carlisle, - my mind was full of you. You remember our journey together to - Edinburgh? I left Salisbury, on Monday, in a dreadful storm of - rain. It is much colder here. Along the road, it was quite - sorrowful to see the sheaves of corn standing in water! Whole - fields, too, are lying under water. - - “During my railway journey here, and one last Saturday to - Cheltenham, I read ‘Kingsley’s Life.’ It is intensely - interesting, and is to me like a strong tonic. It braces one up - and leaves strength behind. How he suffered in middle life, and - how bravely he bore up, under undeserved blame, is all told, and - how loving, tender, and faithful he was as a husband. - - “His married life is a beautiful poem. Mrs. Kingsley was - everything to him. For her sake, he revered all womanhood. One - of his children speaks of the happy evenings at Eversley Rectory - when ‘father sat with his hand in mother’s,’ and poured out his - brave, strong words for wife and children only. - - “I esteem it one of the proud moments in my life, when Canon - Kingsley thought it worth while to stand and talk with Miss - Chessar and me about our school, and expressed his wish to visit - us—a wish never fulfilled. His life is so much more after my - heart than Harriet Martineau’s, which I have also been looking - at. Her strictures on men and women are so harsh—there was - little love and tenderness in her nature, and she seems always - to say hard things—things which leave a sting behind. I shudder - at her absence of all belief, and wonder how she could bear life - after ceasing to believe in a personal God and immortality. - Kingsley’s life is an antidote to hers.” - - -In early days Mr. and Mrs. Laing held equal rank in her regard. Then her -brothers—her _friends_ as well as kin—gave her dear friends as well as -loved sisters in their wives. Here is a pretty little note which was -written on their wedding-day to Mr. and Mrs. Septimus Buss, addressed to -“Dear old boy—Dear little ‘coz.’” After describing the later events of -the wedding-day, she says of the wife of the vicar— - - - “Mrs. N. is a dear! She said she was much interested in your - wedding, as she had a hand in it, and liked old Sep, and she - spoke so nicely about him in particular, and things in general, - that I fell in love with her; and then, to complete her victory, - she admired Léonie, my dear ‘old’ sister. Now, did she not go - the right way to win me for ever?” - - -She had not lost this sprightly style in writing, in 1873, of the change -which took the Rev. Septimus Buss from the chaplaincy of St. Pancras -Workhouse to the Rectory of Wapping— - - - “‘Many a time and oft’ have I thought of you and wished to be a - bird, that I might fly to you. But even you cannot guess what - the last fortnight has been! - - “I was dictating this morning ‘du déplorable sort des choses - humaines, qui veut qu’au succès social soient toujours mêlées - des disgrâces, et que nos joies soient toujours accompagnées de - tristesses.’ - - “My dear boy Sep has a living offered him by the bishop—at last! - The great desire of my heart (outside the work—well, no!—inside - everything) has been to see him out of the workhouse! Well, he - is to go to Wapping.... How true it is that nothing is simple - and single....” - - -In 1881 she writes to the Rev. Septimus Buss on his transference to the -Vicarage of Shoreditch— - - - “I am so thankful to know of your promotion. You both deserve - it, for you are model parish chiefs. Shoreditch must be very - poor, judging from the little one sees in passing through - it—only I suppose it is not damp. Dear little mother, I hope you - will like the place. Anyhow, it is better than Wapping.” - - -Of another dual friendship we have a charming glimpse in a note to Dr. -J. G. Fitch, in response to the gift of his first book— - - - “Since seeing you, I have looked at the dedication, and am much - touched by it. - - “It is a great privilege and happiness to know such a home as - yours. - - “Lately, I have been talking to my young people about women’s - duties, and I quoted Mills’ dedication to ‘Liberty,’ De - Toqueville’s tribute to his wife, and others. Yours is but - another example of the wife’s ‘work and counsel’ which enables a - man to do and ‘write things useful.’ - - “I thank you most warmly for the book itself, for the kind words - with which it was accompanied, and I also thank you for the - dedication, because, through the ‘dearest wife,’ it is a tribute - to all women.” - - -Also in the home of Dr. and Mrs. Hodgson, she found full scope for the -strong element of romance which never died out of her nature. Some part -of her holiday was always spent with them, and she expanded to the full -in these congenial surroundings. They lived for a time in London; then -at Bournemouth, where Mrs. Hodgson went to be near her father, Sir -Joshua Walmsley; and finally at Bonaly, when Dr. Hodgson filled the -Chair of Economic Science in Edinburgh, each home being more charming -than the last. - -She first writes of these visits to me in 1872— - - - “My Bournemouth visit has been most pleasant, as indeed my - visits to Mrs. Hodgson always are. She is one of the most - lovable, loving, and unselfish women I know, and her home-life - is a constant lesson. She is one of those whom I dearly love, - and who are necessary to me. Yet, seven years ago, I did not - know her. Her father’s illness and death have tried her much - lately, and Dr. Hodgson’s absence in Edinburgh throws much - responsibility on her.” - - -In 1858, Dr. Hodgson was Assistant-Commissioner on the First Royal -Commission of Inquiry into Primary Education, and he probably became -interested in Miss Buss in connection with her evidence before the -Secondary Commission, in 1865. After that date, he gave his lectures on -Physiology and Political Economy in her school, and acquaintance ripened -into friendship. Three thick note-books, in her own writing, testify to -her interest in the lectures, as well as to her indomitable energy and -industry. - -In 1873, she says— - - - “The temptation to go to Bradford is immense. My dear friend, - Dr. Hodgson, who has done more for me intellectually than any - man, except Mr. Laing, in my whole life, is president! But to go - from Friday to Monday would hardly be of any use, would it? And - I could not be absent a week. Can we find out _when_ the papers - are read? - - “I am so driven! It is really dreadful, and I feel so weary that - I can hardly bear myself. But when the machine is once wound up - and set going, I get better. - - “I fear that Bradford meeting will clash with our Board meeting. - October 8th, is it not? Our meeting will be very important, and - I must have _hours_ of leisure to compare the schemes and - annotate them.” - - -During Dr. Hodgson’s residence in London, before going to Bournemouth, -his house was full of interest to Miss Buss, taking the same place in -her life as Mr. Laing’s had done as a meeting-point for persons with -whom she was in sympathy. Dr. Hiron mentions one eventful dinner-party, -which began the friendship between Mr. and Mrs. Fitch and Miss Buss, as -well as with himself. - -There are a few words to her sister, which show the influence of Dr. -Hodgson from 1865, and onwards— - - - “1865. - - “Miss Davies has asked me to meet Miss Clough of Ambleside (who - drew up a plan for co-operation among teachers), Miss Bostock, - and other educational ladies. I cannot help feeling that our new - friend, to whom I am so devoted and grateful, has had greatly to - do with my position lately. It is almost indefinable, but it - would seem as if he had set a stamp on me, so to speak. - Certainly the Cambridge Examination did something—introduced me - to him, for example—but it is only since Christmas that so many - little courtesies have been paid me, officially, I mean. Only - one other person so helped me.” - - -In some early letters we have descriptions of life at Bonaly Tower, -which indicate the kind of letters she might have written if life had -been less hurried— - - - “Newcastle-on-Tyne, Jan. 7, 1873. - - “I liked Mr. Knox quite as much last Wednesday. He gave me a - hearty welcome, and asked most affectionately for you. From what - Dr. Hodgson says, he is not doing so much on the Merchants’ - Company Schools as he was. I lunched at Mr. Pryde’s house, and - then went with him and Mrs. Pryde to the ‘Women’s Medical - Educational Meeting.’ For the first time I heard Miss Jex-Blake - speak; she spoke well. Mr. P. seems sensible and liberal in his - ideas. When you and I were in Edinburgh, it seems Mrs. P. and - two of their children had scarlet fever, and he himself was in - lodgings, away from ‘his own fireside.’ Mrs. P. is quite - ‘advanced,’ and, as her husband said, ‘is the most refractory - parent’ he has to do with. ‘She was always wanting something’ - (he said before her), ‘or not wanting something else.’ She did - not like her girls to learn so much writing or sewing, for - instance. Their second girl is to be brought up for medicine. - So, you see, Mr. and Mrs. P. must be advanced. - - “One day last week, we, _i.e._ Mrs. H., Dr. H., and I went to - lunch with Mrs. MacLaren. Mr. M. is Member for Edinburgh, and - Mrs. and Miss M., as you will perhaps remember, are working for - the Women’s Suffrage. I met there Dr. Guthrie’s youngest son, a - very fine young man, who made a strong impression on me. He is - evidently as fine in mind as in person.” - - -In speaking of her visits, she had always much to say of the interesting -persons whom she met at Bonaly, and of the talk she so thoroughly -appreciated, well described under the heading, “The Professor at the -Breakfast-Table,” in Mr. Meiklejohn’s “Life of Dr. Hodgson,” as— - - - “the sparkling table-talk, apt illustration, and racy anecdote - with which the doctor enlivened all the time we sat at table. - Without monopolizing the talk, he never allowed it to flag; and - by manifesting the kindliest interest in the sayings and doings - of all, he induced even the shyest to take his part in a manner - that must have astonished him when he came to look back upon - it.” - - -Mrs. Hodgson, too, had so much grace and kindness that even this shyest -of her guests was made so much at home as to be “led to imagine that he -must have sat in that particular corner hundreds of times before, though -now for the first time conscious of it.” - -Another of Miss Buss’ letters (Sept. 8, 1874) gives an account of the -place itself— - - - “Bonaly, Sept. 8, 1874. - - “Edinburgh, to me, is full of you! So you have been constantly - in my mind since my arrival here, last Friday night. - - “Bonaly is five miles out of Edinburgh, but, on a clear day, - there is a splendid view of town, castle, and Arthur’s Seat. - Only, a ‘clear day’ is not a common article, for, since Friday, - I have seen little external sunshine, though, inside, there is - plenty. But Mrs. Hodgson herself is confined to bed, and looks - so fragile that a breath might blow her away. We trust, however, - that she ‘has turned the corner,’ as the doctor says she may be - taken into another room to-day.... - - “This house is beautifully situated in twenty-eight acres of its - own grounds, and there are hills upon hills all round, except on - the Edinburgh side. Two tiny mountain ‘burns,’ or streams, run - through the grounds, with that constant blue haze over them—a - touch of beauty which we got rarely in the Alps. In these - northern latitudes, it seems to me that there never is the - clear, cloudless sky which we know as the _Italian_, but there - is another kind of beauty—that of the greyish-blue haze which - envelopes everything with a soft and indescribably beautiful - mantle. - - “In consequence of Mrs. Hodgson’s health, I left my dear boy at - home, but if he had come, he and George (Dr. H.’s son) would - have been happy together. - - “Mr. Knox is expected here on Thursday. He has been asked to - meet me, and I hope he will come. How much you and I liked him. - Miss Blyth is also invited. - - “I am writing in the midst of snatches of talk, which makes it - difficult to know what I am writing, but you will not mind jerky - sentences, with no particular thread of connection?... - - “There is a capital article on Woman’s Suffrage in this month’s - _Macmillan_; it is by Prof. Cairnes, in answer to Goldwin - Smith’s attack. You do not care so much for this question as I - do, so will scarcely feel the same interest in it. - - “Is Agnes pretty well? What is she doing, I wonder? Will you - give her my dear love when you write? There is a very charming - letter from Miss Hierta to me, which shall be sent to you when I - know where you are. What a very sweet woman she is! - - “My Hythe holiday was very pleasant; we were such a large family - party. Did I tell you what darlings Frank’s brothers are? Arthur - (six years old) is quite a picture of infant beauty, with his - blue eyes and curly golden hair; and he says such funny things - and makes droll mistakes. He rushed at me once, saying, ‘Arnie, - look at my _apostles_!’ ‘Your what?’ ‘Apostles.’ I found he - meant _fossils_! - - “Another day he was reading: ‘And she sung a—a _hullabaloo_!’ He - meant _lullaby_. - - “Then the baby-boy, whose only experience of trees and green - grass is the disused churchyard at Wapping, insisted on calling - every green field and clump of trees a ‘nice churchyard!’ Was it - not pathetic? - - “If you are writing to Miss Hopkins, please remember me most - kindly to her, and tell her I congratulate her on Miss - Robinson’s success: no doubt she has largely contributed to it. - - “I see Miss Robinson has gained her point, and there is really a - Soldier’s Institute at Portsmouth. The military element is - strong at Hythe, in the School of Musketry, and we can see how - it is that the scarlet uniform and gold trimmings are so - popular. To poor people the fine clothes and certain pay must be - very attractive. Contrast the dress and appearance of an - agricultural labourer with that of the labourer who has - enlisted! And then think of the easy life of the latter. Do not - fancy _my_ estimate of soldiers is altered. I am looking at them - from the point of view of the very poor, to whom to have a - soldier son or brother must be a grand promotion. - - “Mr. Knox came here on Thursday. I like him still very much, and - he likes you and me. He asked most kindly after you. He also - sent a copy of ‘A Night and Day on board the _Mars_’ to be - forwarded to you, which I duly sent off. You know he is a - staunch teetotaller, and is working desperately in the cause. He - said he had known seventy-five men, of his _own_ position, - ruined by drink, and Dr. Hodgson told me afterwards that this - was no exaggeration. The vice of drunkenness seems to prevail - here more than in London, at least one hears more of it. - - “Mr. Knox has nothing now to do with the Company’s schools, but - has given himself up to rescuing _boys_ (I asked him where were - the _girls_?), and has been violently attacked for _kidnapping_ - them. An absurd charge, of course. I fear he is not cold and - hardheaded, like the typical Scotchman. But, all the same, I - like him whenever I see him. - - “How true is what you say about the money matters of women! But - we are breaking through many of these things, and a later - generation of women will know what independence means. I hope - they will use it properly, for, after all, we cannot be - independent of each other. We have to live in a community.” - - - “Bonaly, Sept. 8, 1874. - - “Your long and interesting letter has just come, dear Annie, - after one from me to you is written, sealed up, and put in the - post-bag. - - “I will read the letter in the _Spectator_. It seems to me that - Tyndall only says what you say, namely, that science, so far as - he knows, cannot _prove_ God and immortality. But I do not see - why he need have said as much as he did, except that he is - essentially _aggressive_. - - “That people are unjust to him, I admit, and that this ignorance - of his subject and injustice drive him to attack.” - - - “Bonaly, Sept. 14, 1874. - - “I return Mr. S.’s letter, with which Dr. Hodgson was much - amused, as was I. He admired J.’s poem, _Vivia Perpetua_, very - much, and said how good and sweet it was. He also begged me to - ask her whether she knows the ‘Vivia Perpetua’ of Mrs. Flower - Adams, whose sister Sarah is well known for her hymns. He - thought J.’s little poem might well do prefixed to the drama by - Mrs. Adams. - - “My dear Mrs. Hodgson is still in bed, where she lies so - patiently that she is a living lesson to me. It is curious, but - she always makes me feel gentle and soft—a lesson I constantly - need, and no one else produces the same effect on me. Had I seen - her before my interview with E. D., the latter would not have - been frightened at my—what shall I say?—_violence!_ - - “You have a mesmerizing effect on me, but your influence is - quite different—more on the intellectual side, I think. Mrs. - Hodgson is the sweetest, brightest, most fairy-like woman I have - ever known; and the points of contact between her and me are so - many. I have such strong affection and respect for her - husband—he is _so clever_, and inspires one with a kind of awe - for his knowledge (which is in a line I can follow), his - brilliancy, his wonderful power of expression, his tenderness, - his extreme conscientiousness, and his resource. But no one - would venture to take a liberty with him, and I can well imagine - the respectful awe in which his pupils hold him. Then the eldest - boy is so near Frank’s age, and I have had so much to do with - him that he is very dear to me. The two little girls are - perfectly charming. - - “Then the house is full of books, pictures, statues, busts, etc. - Every side of my taste is represented, and the books especially - are always delightful to me. I suppose the collection of - educational works is quite unique. Dr. H.’s religious views are - very independent of theology; but, as I have said, he is - intensely reverent, and respects other people’s opinions. His - popularity with his Class in University is immense, as I heard - on Saturday, and I can well understand it is so. - - “Mrs. H. is one of those women who is absolutely unselfish. Her - unselfishness extends _beyond_ husband and children, and she can - always speak that soft word that turns away wrath. They are well - matched. She is dependent and clinging, in the best sense, and - he is intensely strong.... - - “I should like some copies of J.’s ‘Lady Jane Grey.’ Will you - give her my love and ask her? - - “When I get home I must get a copy of ‘Hertha’ from Mudie’s. I - know there is one there. - - “I shall get back (D.V.) refreshed in every way—intellectually, - physically and morally, and spiritually too, I hope.” - - -In 1880 came the end of this bright chapter of her life. The death of -Dr. Hodgson brought back the sufferings of the earlier loss in 1860, -when Mr. Laing’s death left so great a blank. Between 1875 and 1880 Miss -Buss had lost her father, and Mr. and Mrs. Payne, and now came the death -of Dr. Hodgson and Miss Chessar in the same month, to all of whom she -had been linked not only by the ordinary ties of life, in more than -ordinary strength, but also by very special sympathy in her personal -work. - -Extracts from her letters tell their own story. She and Dr. Hodgson, -with Miss Chessar, Miss Caroline Haddon, Miss Franks, and some others, -had gone to a great educational congress held in Brussels, in which many -of them were to take active part. On August 21 Miss Buss writes to her -sister— - - - “A very pleasant journey yesterday. The water quite smooth, and - hardly any one ill. We are at present fourteen people and are - shaking down. I am now going to the Bureau to get my ticket for - the Teachers’ Conference, and then to the Exhibition.” - - - “Aug. 23. - - “I am sorry to tell you that Dr. Hodgson is very ill. He has had - to come to our place, as really he could not be left. I am now - writing for an English doctor. If necessary, I must telegraph to - Mrs. Hodgson, or, if possible, must return with him to London, - telegraphing for her to meet him. It is very sad. He thinks it - is some heart affection, but no one can tell till the doctor has - been.” - - - “Aug. 24. - - “Dr. H. is so ill that it is feared he will die. - - “I have telegrammed to Mrs. Hodgson, but she cannot get here - till to-night at the earliest. I have been praying most - earnestly that he may live to see her. His lungs are congested, - and he breathes just as our father used to do. - - “I have now been with him thirty hours, but a most kind and - experienced teacher, Mr. Harris, a friend of Miss Haddon’s, is - chief nurse.” - - -On August 17, before leaving Edinburgh, Dr. Hodgson had written to his -friend Mr. A. Ireland— - - - “My courage fails me as the time draws near for going to - Belgium. For the first time in my life the thought of illness - away from home hangs upon me. I have had queer sensations and - pains in the heart.... The educational conference lasts from the - 22nd to 29th inst. I have just received a huge 8vo. volume of - 1000 pages, and 3 lbs. 9½ ozs. in weight, containing preliminary - reports for the six sections into which the conference is - divided.” - - -While in London he consulted a medical man, who assured him that he was -suffering only from indigestion. - -But the fatigue and heat of travelling brought on attack after attack of -_angina pectoris_, and on the evening of August 24 the end came. - -Of this terrible three days Miss Buss writes— - - - “I do not think there has ever been so awful a time in my life; - in other griefs my brothers were by my side, and able to help. - In this, everything has fallen on me, and in a foreign country, - too. Had it not been for Miss C. Haddon and Mr. Harris it would - not have been physically possible for me to bear what I have had - to go through. Also the girls of my party were very helpful. - - “Dear Mrs. Hodgson does not, as she says, at present understand - things. It is a dream to her: she arrived just twelve hours too - late. - - “It is too real to me to be a dream; his dear voice is still - sounding in my ears; he was so patient and so grateful, thanking - us all each time we gave him seltzer-water, etc. - - “But I had no idea of death till within a few hours of the end. - - “I was with him just thirty-seven hours. He called for me at - five o’clock on Monday morning. I went at once and gave him some - brandy, and then sent for the doctor while Miss Chessar stayed - with him. - - “Dearest mother, I long to have you and my boy safe in my - arms—to make sure of you both. - - “How I loved my dear friend no words can express. How glad I was - to have him as my guest, and to travel with him! Such an - opportunity had never occurred before.” - - -From this date some part of Miss Buss’ holiday was always spent with -Mrs. Hodgson, whose own words, after her friend had been taken from her, -show what this friendship was to her also, - - - “You ask me to tell you something of my friendship with Miss - Buss. I could only do so by giving you a long list of kindnesses - received from her, kindnesses which made one wonder how a woman - leading such a busy life could remember such things as - birthdays, not only of one’s own, but of one’s children and - grandchildren, none of whom were ever forgotten. The terrible - anxiety she went through at Brussels in 1880, during the - Educational Congress there, must have told heavily on her - nerves, already sorely taxed. My husband went with her to - Brussels, and when she found him ill and suffering at his hotel, - she took him to her lodgings and gave up one of her rooms, which - at that time were very difficult to get, Brussels being very - full, and devoted herself to nursing him night and day for the - short and fatal illness. I can never tell you of all she went - through to help me, but can only say that when we arrived at - Bonaly Tower, near Edinburgh, where we brought our beloved, she - was very ill, the result of what she had gone through, not only - to nurse her old friend, but when all was over to help and - comfort me, utterly forgetful of self. Ever since that sad time - she has been more than a sister to me. I fear now I took - advantage of her wonderful goodness, her wise judgment, her - strict sense of justice, her unselfishness, and learned more and - more to consult her, who was the friend and helper of all who - stood in need of help. To me her loss is irreparable, and I - believe I am only one of a great many who went to her in times - of trouble.” - - -But this sorrowful experience was not the only grief of that year, for -Miss Chessar never left Brussels again, surviving Dr. Hodgson less than -a month. She had not been strong, but no one had in the least -anticipated anything serious, and this second blow, following so closely -on the first, greatly affected Miss Buss, who thus lost by one stroke -the two persons who were the greatest help and strength in her work. -Like herself, they were both teachers of remarkable power, and the three -friends had set themselves to raise the general standard of teaching, -while at the same time their sympathies in other directions cemented a -close friendship. - -The force of this double loss is given very clearly in the replies from -Mrs. Grey and Miss Shirreff to letters from Miss Buss, these letters -themselves not being attainable— - - - “Meran, - “Sept. 20, 1880. - - “MY DEAR MISS BUSS, - - “It was only yesterday that we heard, from Miss Brough, of - the death of Miss Chessar, and I write in both our names to - express our deep and affectionate sympathy with you in this - second, and, I fear, even heavier loss, coming so soon after Dr. - Hodgson’s death. Our own sense of loss is very heavy; though we - knew her so little in private life, she had inspired us with - real and warm personal regard, besides admiration for her - remarkable powers. We are anxious that a fitting obituary notice - should appear in the _Journal_, if it is not already done, and - have written to Miss Brough to get it done. Will you help her to - do full justice to your common friend? And please, whenever you - have a moment’s leisure, let us hear how you are yourself. - - “It grieves us to hear how your sorely needed holiday has been - turned into a day of sadness and mourning by these two deaths. - Dr. Hodgson’s must have been such a terrible shock, and from its - circumstances have brought upon you so much to try you, in - addition to the personal loss. We women have lost in him a - friend such as we shall not see again, and he was one of the few - left in this dull generation who could fight with wit as well as - earnestness, and had always a good story to clinch an argument. - - “I cannot hear of all the good work going on without a pang at - being so unable to join in any of it, and all my idleness and - care of my useless self has not brought me any nearer, that I - can see or feel, towards ever joining in it again!... We go to - Florence and then to Rome, where I hope we shall see you in the - Christmas holidays. With love from us both, ever, dear Miss - Buss, - - “Your affectionate - - “MARIA G. GREY.” - - -In November, Mrs. Grey writes again— - - - “Your letter made us very sad. The loss of two such friends as - Dr. Hodgson and Miss Chessar coming upon you under such - circumstances, and so close together, was enough to break you - down utterly, but, as you do not mention your health, we trust - it did not suffer. We cannot help hoping that the distressing - effect will have worn away enough to let your old elasticity of - spirits and love of Rome restore you, and that we may yet have - the pleasure of welcoming you here at Christmas.” - - -Miss Buss had written to say that Rome was not possible for this year, -and in response Miss Shirreff speaks of one part of her letter— - - - “How true is what you say of the terrible void in one’s life - from the loss of early friends, but, believe me, dear Miss Buss, - later friendships may become very close and dear, and you are - far indeed from having overpast the age for making them. Those - to whom mental sympathy has always been the strong, if not the - strongest, link in friendship, have in this case a great - advantage over others, because, while we outlive other and - lighter needs of our nature, the need for mental companionship - never is lost, and this enjoyment can never cease to give, after - close affection, the truest zest to life. It is therefore never - too late to meet with it, though we become slower in discerning - it when it exists. But you have not reached that point, and with - the full vigour of mental faculty you are ready to seize the - full enjoyment of what responds to your own nature. In hours of - sorrow we are so apt to feel the burden of years that we - acquiesce too readily in the privations they seem to bring. - - “I hope your quiet holiday-time spent with your old friend will - send you back strengthened and hopeful to your work. I cannot - express how much we feel your goodness in having added to it the - guidance of this new school (the Maria Grey Training School) - through its difficult early years. Mrs. Grey joins in love, and - says she will write another day. - - “Ever affectionately yours, - - “EMILY A. SHIRREFF.” - - -The visit to Mrs. Hodgson during the holidays did much to comfort them -both, and to strengthen the bond that never relaxed to the end. The very -latest pleasure of Miss Buss’ life, in the bright interval that preceded -the fatal illness, was a visit at Myra from this loved and loving -friend. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - REST. - - “One who never turned his back, but marched straightforward; - Never doubted clouds would break; Never deemed, though right - were worsted, wrong would triumph; Held we fall to rise, are - baffled to fight better, Sleep to wake!” - - R. BROWNING. - - -Strangers might easily receive the impression that Miss Buss was one of -those happy persons who, being blessed with an iron constitution, do not -know what illness means. This was, however, very far from the fact; for -with a temperament so intensely sensitive, she was in reality one of the -women who can be as ill as they choose to be; and a good deal of her -apparent vigour lay in the strength of the will which elected _not_ to -be ill. “Great minds have wills, where feeble ones have wishes.” It was -just because she so well knew what could be done by self-control that -she exacted so much self-control from all around her. From experience -she knew how largely the body may be made the instrument of the spirit, -and for much of her time she kept going by sheer force of that -indomitable will. - -It was because she carried this effort too far, in exacting from her -woman’s strength the work that might have contented several strong men, -that she grew old before her time, and finally broke down, paying the -price of overstrain for some years before the end came. - -All that we can hear of her early life gives the impression of perfect -temper, of unfailing composure, of unbroken self-command. It is only in -later years, when her great work was completed, that we find the nervous -irritability that is the price paid for over-work, or, more truly, of -over-worry, since it is not work that kills, but worry. - -So much did all around her rely on her strength and vigour that it is -with surprise we note the recurrence in her letters of such passages as -these, even so many years ago:— - - - “September, 1872. - - “It is simply sickening to think of the crowds who come to me, - and I have been so ailing in health that I have only managed to - get along at all by sitting with Berlin woolwork in the evening, - going to no meetings, and getting to bed at ten o’clock. Also, - though to tell _you_ this is dreadful, I have got through this - week only on champagne twice a day, with doses of iron! - - “The champagne has, I trust, done its work and set me up, so I - hope to go on without any more until next time! My throat has - been affected without intermission this term, and the sleepless - nights have almost driven me to opiates or to a doctor. But I - think I am better, and the holidays are coming near. - - “This is the history of every term, however, and the question - will arise, how long such a strain can be borne? I do my best to - keep in health, but over-strained nature will have her way - sometimes. This is perhaps a new light on my inner life. But, my - dear Annie, remember _every one_ thinks I am a proper person on - whom to make claims....” - - -This inability to meet claims to which she would so gladly have given -full space was a very wearing part of the overcrowding of her life. Here -is a regret that she was compelled to seem to neglect a friend for whom -she would have done anything in her power:— - - - “Her letter pains me, in a sense, because I know how heavy is - the trial of waiting and doing nothing when there is the will to - work. If only I had some leisure I might go to her and _talk_ - with her. - - “But I can give nothing except to those who can come to me, and - not always, or even often, then. Do not say anything. As the - work goes on, we may see a way to keep her interested in, and - cognizant of, our part of it. - - “I had no idea of how much she had cared for me in the past - days, and it is very touching to know it.” - - - “March, 1873. - - “... I hope you have not been thinking harshly of me for not - answering your note or calling, but if you have, you must in - imagination take my place, which is at all times fit to be - occupied by ten ordinary women, but which, at the end of the - _school year_, with all the examinations and prizes, is large - enough for twenty.” - - - “December 9, 1873. - - “I am going to bed now (eight o’clock), and hope to be better - for a night’s rest. - - “Here I am again a prisoner in my room! A sore throat is the - main cause.... - - “But I am generally out of sorts. I am learning that I cannot do - as I used, and that body will dominate mind and will. - - “I fear you are no better. You had my news? It seems to me quite - foolish for me to be ill and unable to do my work when the path - became suddenly clear, and all so quiet too!... - - “Dearest Annie, my love to you. Lately I have often seemed to - want you, but I have never been so long and so completely broken - down—except there was organic disease, when I had fever—as I - have this term, and therefore unable to go to you. - - “There is a lecture at the College of Preceptors to-morrow - night, on ‘English as a Means of Philological Instruction,’ by - Dr. Morris—the Morris. 7.30. Could you go? If so, could you join - me here a few minutes before seven? Only Miss Fawcett is going. - - “I am better in myself, but cannot yet stand upright or walk - about. Patience is teaching me a great lesson, and I hope I am - learning it, in part, at least. - - “... I really think there have never been so many petty worries - crowded together. - - “It is all very well for men to say ‘never mind.’ However, what - is to be will be, and strength comes with the need. - - “I am much better in health. Why, do you think? I went on - Saturday to my uncle’s perfectly quiet house, and out of the 48 - hours slept 25!—2½ hours each afternoon, and 10 hours each - night. - - “I am feeling so much better to-day—I slept _well_ last night. - But one of the distressing signs of over-work is disturbed and - light sleep, and my brain is so constantly at work in day-time - that I need deep sleep. So cause and effect act and react. - - “My heart has been wrung too by Mr. Payne’s death. Life seems so - full of anguish as one gets older, that at times I seem to have - no power of being bright and cheerful.” - - -In addition to the regular work of the school, and all the claims of -outside work and of pupils and friends, there was a large amount of wear -and tear inevitable in any undertaking on so vast a scale. There was -also much that was painful connected with the success of the public -movement, so far as it affected small private schools or the work of -ordinary governesses, who all seemed to urge some moral claim to -compensation. It was impossible for the kind heart not to suffer even -when the clear head denied the validity of the cause of the suffering, -as in this letter in reference to one such case:— - - - “I wonder dear A. does not remember that when a man makes a new - invention, and thereby ruins many individuals, he is not - expected to compensate them. - - “They suffer in the interests of the greater number, and, if - wise, direct their efforts towards working the new invention or - improving on it. This may seem cruel, but it is not so in the - end. There is no reason, human or divine, why A. B. C., etc., - should put aside a direct benefit to themselves and others in - order to prevent Z. from turning his attention to some other - field of work than that he already occupies. It is certain that - three hundred girls in one school want as much teaching as - thirty girls in ten schools—only they want different teaching. - - “Moral—the big school displaces labour, but does not crush it.” - - -In the mere fact of success itself there was trial enough in many ways. -The intensity of her feeling might be sometimes out of due proportion to -the cause of suffering, but none the less did she suffer acutely. At the -time of greatest triumph—the opening of the new schools in 1879—there -chanced to be one example which gave rise to an outbreak of indignation -on her part, letting us see how much had hitherto been hidden even from -her friends. Of this incident she writes— - - - “It is of no use to try to please people! I do not mean to try. - I will do what seems to me right, and then learn to be content - to be abused, if _I can!_ What with every one’s ‘claims,’ and - with people’s ‘rights’ to a seat, always the best!—friends, - family, parents, old pupils, etc., it is all the same! Every one - is dissatisfied, do what one will; some one else is preferred, - some one is neglected.... And so the stings go on, till I nearly - break down under the wounds they inflict. When barely able to - get about again through the work, I hear of my neglect, etc., of - one to whom, in my heart of hearts, it never occurred to me as - possible that any one could accuse me of ingratitude. - - “Pray forgive me, dear Annie, but you can never know the bitter - price one pays for success. I think it as heavy as that of - failure! This has stirred up a depth of scorn and anger of which - I feel ashamed, though I feel almost ashamed, too, of the race - of beings to which I belong. - - “I do not know whether it will do any good to have it out, so to - speak, with you. I fear perhaps it will worry you. But as I have - written it, it shall go, and I hope you and I shall meet next - Saturday, when the keenness of the stroke has passed. I do not, - however, think that just now I can write to our friends. I - should not wish to pain them, so silence will be my best refuge. - Do not please say anything. I will fight my fight out with - myself alone. - - “God’s law of compensation comes in; He will neither suffer one - to be unduly elated nor depressed. - - “It is part of our discipline in life that we should constantly - fail, and I earnestly hope that I may be permitted to try and - try again. - - “But the old days have gone, and it would be better as well as - easier for me for no visitors to be allowed to enter except the - few on the platform and the mothers of girls taking prizes _high - in the school_. - - “Trying to please every one, and to recognize his or her rights, - is not of the least use. Like the miller in the fable, one only - succeeds in pleasing no one. - - “There is so much to be grateful and thankful for that I am - really ashamed of myself for feeling vexed. I have not told you - half the vexations to which people subject me, certainly not - because I ignore them, but because by trying to please it seems - impossible to succeed.” - - -Earlier in this “year of triumph” there is a pathetic little note to her -sister, showing how much stronger was the “domestic” than the public -woman in her— - - - “February 18, 1879. - - “DEAREST LITTLE MOTHER, - - “Don’t be unhappy, but you did not think how much I miss - your loving little hug and petting. - - “No one pets me but you, and occasionally Mrs. Bryant. Darling - boy allows me graciously to pet him, but he does not make - advances to me. - - “I want you sometimes, if only to look at! - - “Where are we to go at Easter? I was thinking of Hastings. Let - me know. - - “Your very loving old - “ARNIE.” - - -It is not necessary to say that no change really took place in Miss -Buss’ endeavours to respond to even the most unreasonable of demands. -When she met me at Ben Rhydding soon afterwards, she was just as sweet -and bright as ever, and her nerves rapidly recovered tone again. This -power of recuperation after even the severest strain was always -remarkable, even to the very last. We had a striking proof of it in the -spring of 1893, when Miss Buss joined my sister and me at Bordighera. We -had tried to get her to take the complete rest of a whole winter abroad -after her illness in the autumn before, holding out the attractions of -Florence, Siena, and the Italian lakes. Every one wanted her to give up -work for a time, and take the chance of real recovery. Our efforts were -all wasted, and all she would do was to come, with her cousin, Miss Mary -Buss, and a friend, late in the spring, stopping at various points in -the Riviera on the way. She was far from well on her arrival, but a -drive to San Remo in an open carriage on a windy day gave her a chill, -followed by the inevitable attack of influenza. There was also a passing -giddiness which gave us anxiety. She was certainly very ill for five -days, with a threatening of pneumonia. But, thanks to her power of -sleeping day and night, the attack passed off as rapidly as it had come -on, when nothing we could say could persuade her that there had been -ground for alarm; an opinion she maintained in the face of the most -authoritative medical support of our view. On the Sunday she had -certainly been very ill, but on Tuesday she would have been downstairs -if we had not made too strong a protest. On Thursday, however, she -insisted on starting for England, and accomplished the journey to London -without a break, and apparently with no ill consequences. - -She had already suffered from frequent attacks of influenza of a more or -less serious character, leaving behind them more and more weakness. The -first attack dated from the winter of 1889–90, when we were all in Rome -together. I had suffered from what seemed a sudden sharp cold, but was -nearly well when Miss Buss and her party arrived in Rome on Christmas -Eve. Christmas Day was very wet, and as my room was large and airy all -assembled there for afternoon tea and talk, Miss Buss being full of fun -and interest. But after a few days she and several others developed the -same kind of cold, which, even then, we never identified with the -mysterious disease of which every one heard so much that year. But for -us both it proved the beginning of a series of attacks extending through -the next four years. More than once when she was at the worst, I was too -ill even to be told of it till the danger had passed. This was the case -in the autumn of 1893, and I had been suffering during the summer, and -able to see her only when she came to visit me. - -It was during this summer that she finally moved from Myra Lodge to No. -87, next door, leaving the boarders with Miss Edwards. The door of -communication was still left, that Miss Buss might see her friends and -the girls when she felt able. She had her own companion, Miss Newman, -and, later, Miss Millner; but Miss Edwards, having been so many years -with her, still went often to see her. There seemed every prospect of -years of rest and ease, amid a circle which could profit by her -experience and wisdom. - -There were all the inevitable delays, in getting into the new house, -even though the workmen worked with all their hearts for an employer who -took very special care of their creature comforts, and made them wish -“for more like her.” She was not accustomed to summer in London, and the -consequence of it all was the very serious attack, already mentioned, in -the autumn. She recovered, however, with something of the rapidity of -the experience in the spring, and was able to go to Bournemouth, and -afterwards to spend Christmas at her cottage at Epping. - -When my sister and I returned from Italy, in May, 1894, we were very -much grieved to see the change in our friend. She looked many years -older, and was quite unfit for any sort of exertion. It was surprising -how easily she accepted the changed conditions, and, after her life of -so much activity, was quite content to be amused, finding special -pleasure in Miss Millner’s lovely little Persian kitten. It was very -touching to see her intense amusement in her subjection to her new -medical attendant, Dr. Cobbett, the successor to her old friend Dr. -Evershed. She even seemed to find a lively satisfaction in the discovery -of a will which could dominate her own. - -There was one bright spot in this summer, in a visit to “The Haven,” -near Hythe, the pleasant home of her friend Mrs. Pierson, from which she -returned so well that she went to the Norfolk coast with Miss Millner -and Mr. and Mrs. W. K. Hill. But the weather was cold, and Mr. and Mrs. -Septimus Buss, who joined her at Overstrand, were thankful to get her -safely home again. - -The change in our dear friend, with the manifest certainty that she must -soon retire from her work, had made me look out her old letters, and -begin to arrange the material she had prepared for the long-talked-of -story of the school, which I wished to have ready when the day of -retirement should come. On my last visit to her, early in November, she -was so much stronger that she talked in quite the old way, telling me -that she intended to amuse herself by dictating her reminiscences to a -shorthand writer. I then told her what I had been doing, and she became -quite eager that we should do it together. On November 12th I had a note -fixing the next day for the first of these meetings. I was unfortunately -prevented from going, thus losing that last precious evening of her -active life—a lasting regret. - -Early the next day the fatal illness began with an attack of -unconsciousness. In a letter from the Rev. Alfred J. Buss, he says— - - - “Though my sister had been in ill health for a long time, she - had rallied so often that much hope still remained. She had been - at the school several times during last term, and attended a - meeting of ‘old pupils.’ This last may have been too much for - her. She had an attack from which she was unable to rally. There - had been a consultation a few days before, and the medical men - saw no reason why she should not then be better—and allowed me - to inform the governors so—though she would still be liable to - relapses. So that the end came unexpectedly.” - - -She had recovered from several similar attacks, and had latterly seemed -so much stronger that there had been every reason for hope during the -periods of consciousness that came from time to time, although a new -symptom had appeared in the extreme restlessness that alternated with -the lethargy. - -For six weeks hope came and went, everything being done that love could -devise or devotion carry out. In addition to the two constant -companions, there were two trained nurses: and the dear patient, in the -quiet intervals, was her sweetest self; so careful about giving trouble, -and so courteous in her acknowledgment of service rendered, so grieved -that the nurses should be kept up at night, and so anxious that Miss -Millner and Miss Edwards should know how much she felt their kind -attention. - -Miss Edwards gives some interesting details of these last months after -the return home from this last holiday, when, after a few weeks of care -and nursing, she had seemed better than at any time during the year:— - - - “Three weeks of peaceful, quiet enjoyment followed this illness, - during which Miss Buss received many of her friends at her own - house, and was further made happy by a visit from her old and - intimate friend, Mrs. Hodgson, who has since written: ‘I am very - thankful that I had such a sweet, happy time with my friend - before the last illness came, and when she could in a measure - enjoy life.’ - - “During this period of improved health Miss Buss paid her last - three visits to the school she loved so dearly, visits that will - not soon be forgotten by those who then saw her. On October 31st - she was present in the evening at the ‘old pupils’’ meeting, and - on November 2nd, during part of the school concert, and, with - her usual sympathetic thought of others, sent on each occasion - for several of the music teachers and others of the staff to sit - by her in turn and exchange a few words. - - “The last occasion on which our dear head-mistress was at - Sandall Road was on November 7th, when she distributed the - holiday prizes, making kindly inquiries, as each girl whom she - knew came before her, for parents and brothers and sisters at - home, and taking special notice of the little ones, for whom she - had brought a large packet of sweets. - - “Before this illness came on she had with her own hands arranged - all her Christmas gifts and ordered her Christmas cards, - received by many of her friends on that sad Christmas Day. There - were also some packets addressed by herself of mementoes to - friends, all the more precious for this evidence of thoughtful - foresight. - - “On Saturday, November 10th, friends came to lunch, and Miss - Buss was well enough to enjoy their society, and show particular - interest in the children, finding games and other amusement for - them. - - “On this day also she had a visit from an old pupil—and - colleague—who brought her little baby-girl, asking permission to - call her _Frances Mary_, a request which greatly touched Miss - Buss. Constantly during her illness she spoke of her ‘little - namesake baby,’ who once, at the dear invalid’s special wish, - was brought to see her. - - “On November 11th Miss Buss attended the short morning service - at the church of St. Mary the Virgin, almost next door to Myra - Lodge. - - “On Monday evening she was able to be with the girls at No. 89, - enjoying, as she always did, to see them happy in playing games. - - “The next day two old pupils took tea with her, and for the - Wednesday a luncheon-party of some of the clergy and workers of - Holy Trinity had been arranged. But this, by the doctor’s - orders, had to be postponed.” - - -On the Thursday before the end there was a return of consciousness for -some hours, with full recognition of her nephew, the Rev. Charles Caron -Buss, the “Charlie boy” of olden days, whom she now questioned tenderly -about his little curly-headed Kenneth, her latest delight. She also -recognized and talked with Mrs. Alfred Buss. Then came her “own boy,” -the Rev. Francis F. Buss, and she was able to follow the Service for the -Visitation of the Sick, and to join once more in the _Veni Creator_, and -then, for the last time, in the words of the Collect, so often on her -lips, to seek from the “Fountain of all Wisdom those things which for -our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot, ask”—a -prayer so meet for one who had walked from earliest days so humbly with -her God—a prayer so soon to be answered by the revelation of “the things -prepared for them that love.” - -With this last self-surrender she let go her hold on earth, sinking -again into a state of coma that grew deeper and deeper till it merged -into the sleep of death. It lasted for three whole days longer, during -which her family and a few intimate friends were unremitting in their -visits, though there was nothing to be done but take a sad look at the -dear face, and go away with the terrible sense of change, as they -thought of that still form, those closed eyes, those unanswering lips -from which came now only that slow laboured breathing, and remembered -their friend as they had always known her before, so alert, so alive to -every touch, so quick of response to the faintest appeal. The only break -in this long stillness came in the hymns which from time to time were -sung softly by the watchers at the bedside, in the hope that those -familiar sounds might penetrate, beneath the silence. - -All Sunday night the family remained in expectation—almost in hope—of -the release which seemed so near, waiting as they that watch for the -morning. Christmas Eve dawned, and, as the day advanced to high noon, -the heavy breathing grew more and more quiet, till at length came -perfect peace, and the watchers knew that their beloved had passed from -death to life. - - - “For fifty years with dauntless heart - Step after step she won her way, - Through times of cloud, and barren praise, - Up to the well-earned golden days - Of proud success, and prouder fame; - Where no high thought of self had part, - No poor ambition of display, - To dim the lustre of her name. - - “So, far and wide, o’er mead and lea, - Was sown the seed; and many a waste - Broke into blossom; fields grew white - To harvest that she lived to see, - Though not the fuller fruit to taste - (Which ages yet to come shall reap) - Ere fell the shadow of the night, - And, dauntless still, she sank to sleep. - - “To busy hands and weary brain - Thus comes at last the dawn of peace, - Rest after noble toil, in light - Beyond the shadows, infinite; - Yea, life in Him who once again - By death for ever lives: release - From bonds to freedom. None may tell - Her bliss, but surely ‘SHE SLEEPS WELL.’” - (Rev. B. G. JOHNS.) - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - “AND HER WORKS DO FOLLOW HER.” - - “Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her own works - praise her in the gates.”—Prov. xxxi. 31. - - “Of feeble knees the strengthener, - The stay of timid hearts, - Does all her might go out with her - Who now to rest departs? - Nay, for the children of her love, - To their full stature grown, - Must learn amid their tears to prove - How they can go alone.” - EMILY HICKEY. - - -Fifty years of work! Of work that, had she been other than she was, -might have been mere thankless drudgery; of work that, being what she -was, remains a living influence, spreading, in ever-widening circles, to -distances beyond compute. Fifty years of love, poured out from a heart -often disappointed, but never embittered; often left unfilled, but never -found empty; often strained to utmost tension, but never relaxing its -high energy. Being as she was, refreshed by the living water, sustained -by the bread of life, the strength was hers that knows neither drought -nor famine. - -For more than forty years she had worshipped in the same church—Holy -Trinity—built by her friend the Rev. David Laing, and afterwards held by -her friends, the Rev. E. Spooner, the Rev. Charles Lee, and Dr. Cutts. - -To this altar she came, through all her working time, to renew the -strength in which her work was done as “Christ’s faithful soldier and -servant to her life’s end.” And here, when that end came, the last -gleams of the dying year fell on the white blossoms that hid all that -was mortal of that brave spirit, while the vast crowd knelt to give -thanks for a life which had made all life so much the more worth living -to themselves and to all women who should come after them. - -“The good die never!” There can be no end to this high influence that -for the half-century past has gone out, carrying with it all that is -true, all that is pure, all that is lovely. It must still go on in the -centuries to come in added power, since - - - “Good, the more - Communicated, more abundant grows.” - - -And yet, do we not too sadly feel that the end has come for us, who will -not again, while we tarry here, look on that kind face, or feel the -clasp of that hand that seemed strength itself? We rejoice in the joy of -her immortality—here and hereafter—but for us, here and now, there is -the suffering of this present time, which is “_not_ joyous, but -grievous.” - -How much she did! She worked till the last; till those magnificent -energies, which seemed inexhaustible, were at length worn out. - -She “died in harness,” and we must not grudge her what she would have -chosen. But yet, how we wish it might have been otherwise! That she -might have rested in time, to have saved herself to be with us a little -longer, an inspiration and strength to all; “a great moral force in the -educational world;” an example to all teachers, as well as to her own -staff and her own pupils; a joy to the friends who loved her; and to her -own nearest and dearest——? But here we pause and are silent before her -brother’s words: “I cannot speak of what she was—and what her memory -will be—to her nearer relatives, and especially to us, her brothers.” - -The details of the service in Holy Trinity and the concluding ceremony -in the quiet churchyard at Theydon Bois, near her cottage at Epping, on -the edge of the Forest, are given by eye-witnesses, happy in being -permitted to be there to see and hear for themselves. - -Never, it seemed to me then, could physical disability have pressed more -heavily than during that week—from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve—when, -although no farther distant than St. Leonard’s, I had to submit to be -absent, while so many friends were doing honour to her whom we all loved -and mourned. - -The events of the three days, so full of emotion, could not be better -told than as they are given in the “Memorials” compiled in the beginning -of the year, by her old pupils—afterwards colleagues—Miss Edith Aitken, -Mrs. W. K. Hill (Eleanor M. Childs), and Miss Sara A. Burstall, who -record the scenes at Holy Trinity, at Theydon Bois, and on the first day -of the re-opening of the schools. - - - THROUGH THE GRAVE AND GATE OF DEATH. - - “It is the will of God that even to the most vigorous and - faithful of His servants there shall come, sooner or later, - weakness and decay of strength. There is nothing more simply - sorrowful than this, and yet it is an integral part of the - providence of the world. To the most fortunate and gifted life, - full of great opportunities, to which the character and - personality were equal, to a life blessed with health and power - and love and success and a large measure of happiness, even to - such a life comes old age, with its train of disappointment and - feebleness. It is true that the waning of a noble life is often - marked by a sweetening and mellowing of character, which is in - itself a triumph and a glory; but still the growing earthly - feebleness cannot be forgotten, and it is a sad thing to watch - the face change, and to hear the voice ever weaker and the step - ever feebler, and to know that strength is gone and will come - back no more in this life. The grasshopper has become a burden; - the night is at hand. - - “During the last year we have shared in such growing sorrow, as - we have watched the struggle of an eager and hopeful spirit - against increasing physical pain and weakness. We have hoped - against hope, for the spirit was still so willing, but the - foreboding was always there, and in the last dark days of the - old year the end came, irrevocably and, as it seemed, almost - suddenly. No more alternations, no more struggles; all was over. - - “What an oppression of loss and pain seemed to brood over us as - we waited through that dark winter’s morning in the dim church - full of mourning figures! Crowds of people witnessed to the - wide-reaching influence of the life of which we were thinking. - The solemn dignity of the occasion, as we caught a glimpse of - one and then of another who had come, each from his or her - important place and work, to take a part in this last ceremony - of respect, recalled the importance of the life-work now over. - Especially did the sight of such a veteran of the struggle as - Miss Emily Davies bring to mind touching memories of the fight - for an ideal waged in the beginning against great odds. Such had - been this our leader—an important force in the world, a mind of - originating insight, who had modified her age for good. But now - all was over. We had had the privilege of being with her, but we - should have it no more. Our lives for the future were to be - poorer and smaller. - - “The tolling bell seemed to beat out such thoughts as we waited. - But these more general regrets are changed to the acuter stab of - personal grief, as the coffin is carried in and passes us close. - It is to this that the loved presence has come, and even this is - for the last time. A hundred personal details come back—her - dress, her favourite colours, her smile, the sound of her voice. - Thus and thus we knew her—and shall know her no more. - - “‘The best is yet to be.’ We believe it, but we loved her as she - was. - - “It is hard to control our voices, but we are still her army. It - behoves us to show that we can respond to the word of command, - and so we take our part in the service, and all goes on in its - appointed order to the end. The coffin is carried out, and we - disperse on our further journey, sad and dreary, down to Theydon - Bois. Our minds are filled by thoughts of the past and of the - future. To many of us the best part of our lives is associated - with her. To how many has she not been a generous and inspiring - friend, who brought out all our best by her very belief in it? - How are we to go on without her? And how drearily ashamed we - feel of our worst, which we can never now amend before her. - - “It pleased God to let our final farewell be very beautiful. The - churchyard at Theydon lies on the slope of a hill, and the grave - is at the northern side of the low, red brick, country church. - The short winter day was drawing to its close already, and the - western sky was glowing with glorious red and gold. The - procession was marshalled in the road below, and the white-robed - clergy came down to meet us from out of the sunset light, as it - seemed. Our hymns of rest and triumph felt right and fitting - then, as we thought of her and not of ourselves. She had fought - a good fight, and had finished her course. The country fields - lay bare about us, and the branches of the trees, interlacing - themselves between us and the evening sky, were leafless. But - everything was touched with a most tender and beautiful light, - as large, soft snow-flakes floated gently down on the violets - and white spring flowers with which we covered her. And so we - left her.” - - - “‘The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there - shall no torment touch them; - In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die, and their - departure is taken for misery, - And their going from us to be utter destruction. But they are - in peace, - For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their - hope full of immortality.’” - EDITH AITKEN. - - - THE FUNERAL SERVICE. - - - “On the last day of the old year Holy Trinity Church, Kentish - Town, was filled to overflowing with those who had met to pay - their last tribute to her who had passed away from among us. The - greater number of the mourners consisted, as was natural, of - past and present pupils of the North London Collegiate and - Camden Schools, but in addition there were representatives of - all branches of education in the widest sense of the word. Among - these we may mention Rev. T. W. Sharpe (H.M. Chief Inspector of - Schools), Professor Hales (King’s College), Prebendary - Whittington, Rev. Brooke Lambert, Rev. H. L. Paget, General - Moberly (Vice-Chairman of the London School Board), Mr. Latham, - Q.C. (representing the Clothworkers’ Company), Mr. Alfred Bevan - (representing the Brewers’ Company), Mr. Elliott and Mr. Danson - (Governors), Mr. Storr (Merchant Taylors’ School), Mr. Hinton - (Haberdashers’ School, Hoxton), Dr. Evershed, Dr. J. Collins, - Mr. Percy Bunting, Mr. Courthope Bowen, Mr. W. C. Bell - (Treasurer of the Cambridge Training College), Miss Agnes Ward, - Miss Hadland, Mrs. W. Burbury (Governor), Miss Prance - (Governor), Miss Day (Greycoat School), Miss Andrews (Maida Vale - High School), Miss Armstrong (Dame Alice Owen School), Miss - Penrose (Bedford College), the Misses Metcalfe (Hendon), Miss - Huckwell (Leamington), Miss Green (Blackburn) and Mrs. Mary - Davies. - - “Long before the time appointed for the service—10 a.m.—every - seat in the church, which is said to hold about two thousand, - was filled, while many people were standing in the aisles. As - the coffin was brought in at the south door, the door by which - Miss Buss had entered Sunday after Sunday from the time the - church was built, the whole congregation rose to its feet, and - remained standing until the mournful procession reached the - chancel. It was impossible, even then, to realize that we should - never again on earth see that familiar face, never again hear - the kindly words that so often cheered and encouraged us in our - darkest hours, making us feel that, after all, life was worth - living, and that each one of us had her special work to do. - - “All the arrangements had been most carefully planned before. - The chancel, with the seats behind, was reserved for the family - and immediate mourners, Governors of the Schools and - representatives sat in the front seats, teachers and present - pupils of the North London, all of whom carried white flowers, - in the body of the church. The west gallery was appropriated to - the Camden School, while the rest of the gallery and the side - aisles were filled with old pupils and friends. The pall-bearers - were:— - - - Professor HILL. - (Of University College, London.) - - Dr. GARNETT. - (Educational Adviser of the Technical Education Committee of the - London County Council.) - - Mrs. BRYANT. - (Vice-Mistress of the North London Collegiate School.) - - Miss LAWFORD. - (Head-Mistress of the Camden School.) - - Miss HUGHES. - (Head of the Cambridge Training College.) - - Miss JONES. - (Head-Mistress of Notting Hill High School and President of the - Head Mistresses’ Association.) - - Miss EMILY DAVIES. - (One of the Founders of Girton College.) - - Miss BEALE. - (Head of the Ladies’ College, Cheltenham.) - - Dr. WORMELL. - (Head-Master of the Central Foundation Schools, Cowper Street, - representing the College of Preceptors.) - - Dr. FITCH. - (Member of the Senate of the University of London, representing - the Teachers’ Guild.) - - - “Mrs. Green was at the organ, and the girls’ choir led the - singing, which consisted of Psalm xxxix., the ‘Nunc Dimittis,’ - and the hymns ‘The saints of God, their conflict passed,’ - ‘Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin,’ and ‘Now the - labourer’s task is o’er.’ - - “After the service, which was conducted by the Vicar (the Rev. - Dr. Cutts), Canon Browne, whose work in connection with the - Cambridge Local Examinations brought him for so many years into - such close contact with Miss Buss, delivered an address from the - chancel steps. He said the last rites were often performed over - those who were too young to have shown promise; over those who - had shown promise, and were cut off, as it seemed, prematurely; - over those who had lived longer, and had had no aim, done no - work in life; over those who had had noble aims, and had been - disappointed, or who, having seen the fulfilment of their aims, - had outlived their friends, and died silent and alone. How - exactly the opposite of all this was the record of Frances Mary - Buss! She had great aims, she had seen a noble work perfectly - done, she was surrounded to the last by affectionate friends. It - was not too much to say that she was one of the most prominent - actors in that which had changed the face of a large area of - human life. There were many present who had played a large part - in it, but he could not name the living. Miss Anne Clough and - Miss Buss were, of those who had passed away, those who had - developed the best of woman’s nature, the latent power and charm - of that intellect which was so subtle in its intuition and so - swift in its spring. Miss Buss had reduced the wear and tear of - effort by the improvement of method, and had changed that which - had been dull and flat and painful into brightness and interest. - Thousands of girls’ lives had been made happier, hundreds of - women were now doing congenial woman’s work through her means. - It was difficult to believe that it had all grown from nothing - in thirty years. It was not with her as with many—that others - had laboured, and she had entered into their labours; she was - herself the pioneer, and herself had crowned the work. It had - not been done from policy; it had all come from love and - sympathy, combined with that practical intuition which always - lays its finger on the important point. Now her task was o’er, - that faithful labourer, under whom a wilderness had grown into a - garden, the garden had blossomed into flowers so fair, had borne - fruit so sweet. It was the last day of the year, the eve of a - New Year. The Church’s lessons brought before them that - beautiful chapter of the Revelation which described the new - heavens and the new earth. Miss Buss’ quiet and decided - religious character enabled them to enter without hesitation on - that branch of thought. Her religious character shone naturally - throughout her educational work. They read of the garnishing of - heaven with precious stones of various hues and many names, not - there because of this hue or that, of this characteristic or the - other, but because they were precious stones. In all reverent - faith they followed in imagination the placing of their friend, - now lost here, among the precious stones in heaven, and they - might pray that of themselves it might be true that she was but - gone before. - - “The second part of the service was performed in the little - churchyard of Theydon Bois, near ‘Boscombe.’ The journey seemed - to be made doubly sad by the remembrance of the many delightful - holidays we had spent at ‘The Cottage,’ and by all its - associations; and yet we felt that we would rather she were laid - to rest there, in the open country, than in a crowded London - cemetery. ‘After life’s fitful fever she sleeps well.’ - - “The day was piercingly cold, in spite of the bright sunshine, - and the ground was covered with snow. About six hundred went - down to Theydon Bois by a special train, and the long procession - was formed at the foot of the hill on which the church stands. - Mr. Garrod, Secretary of the Teachers’ Guild, Mr. Foster Watson, - Master of Method at Aberystwith College, Mr. Pinches, Treasurer - of the College of Preceptors, and Mr. W. K. Hill, Head-Master of - the Kentish Town School, acted as marshals. At two o’clock, the - hearse and carriages with the chief mourners reached the spot, - and the long train of mourners, headed by the clergy, the Rev. - C. E. Campbell, Vicar of Theydon Bois, Canon Barker, and Canon - Browne, moved slowly up the hill. Immediately behind the clergy - came the girls’ choir, singing ‘How bright the glorious spirits - shine.’ The voices, subdued as they were, owing to the great - length of the procession, had—if one may so express it—a - wonderfully spiritual effect. The churchyard was quite filled - with the mourners, and after the actual service was finished, - Canon Barker delivered a short address to those assembled round - the open grave on the life-work and lessons taught by Miss Buss, - whose name, he said, would be connected with the commencement of - the higher education of women for many years to come. He dwelt - on the zeal and ability displayed by the deceased in founding - the great school in Camden Town, and the most important - educational testimony she had given before the Schools - Commission. Miss Buss also established the Head-mistresses’ - Association and the Teachers’ Guild, and her schools were the - models of those of the Girls’ Public Day School Company. The - effect and success of her work was seen at Girton and Newnham - Colleges, and at the London University, and he mentioned the - fact that at one time at least two-thirds of the girls at Girton - were from Miss Buss’ own school. The chief point in regard to - her character was her remarkable personality and indomitable - strength. Her simplicity and singleness of heart were without a - taint of personal ambition. He dilated on her great power of - assimilating new ideas, and said the influence of her will was - extraordinary. Her name would live for years, and the women not - only of this country, but of every other, owed her a debt of - gratitude for the noble work she had accomplished. He touched - upon her deep religious character, manifested so clearly in her - quiet advice and consolation to the girls who came to her in any - worry or trouble, and finally he said it was a blessing to any - one to be able to see, as Miss Buss had done, her life’s work - crowned with success before she departed. - - “In compliance with the expressed wish of the family, - comparatively few wreaths were sent, but these were quite as - many as could well be dealt with. In addition to those from - members of the family, the teachers of the North London - Collegiate School sent a wreath of laurel, the Camden School - teachers a wreath, Miss Ridley (a Governor of the school from - its early days) and Miss J. T. Ridley a wreath, Myra Lodge an - anchor of violets, while the pupils festooned and decorated the - hearse. Most of those present carried flowers, which they threw - into the ivy-lined grave. - - “For the greater part of the service large flakes of snow had - been slowly falling. The day will ever remain in our hearts. - Though one of deep sadness, yet there was withal a feeling of - gratitude that we, too, had known her, and of pride that we were - Miss Buss’ girls. - - “ELEANOR M. HILL.” - - -It is impossible to do more than merely indicate the feeling caused by -the death of Frances Mary Buss, as evidenced in the piles of letters -addressed to her family, and to Mrs. Bryant and members of the staff, by -leaders in the educational world, as well as by pupils, past and -present, and by friends from every part of the globe. The extracts -already given will serve to represent this deep and widespread sense of -loss, and to show in how many hearts her memory will live on. - -Of outward and visible memorials there are several still in progress. -One only is as yet completed, a window given by relatives and friends to -Holy Trinity Church, where, on October 3, a special dedicatory service -was held. The subject is St. Scholastica, the devoted sister of St. -Benedict who founded Monte Cassino, the first monastery of the Western -Church. St. Scholastica is said to have helped largely in the revival of -religion and learning that marked the sixth century. She became the Head -of the first community of nuns, and it is in this character that she is -represented in the upper part of the window. In the lower part she is -seated, with one of her young novices at her knee, in keeping with her -name, and with the work of the great teacher thus commemorated, whose -likeness is plainly recognizable in the features of the saint. Above the -head of the upper figure runs a scroll with the words, “I know thy -works, and charity, and service, and faith” (Rev. ii. 19). The -inscription below is, “In loving memory of Frances Mary Buss, for -forty-five years a communicant of this Church.” - -The memorial window in the Clothworkers’ Hall, Sandall Road, which is to -be the gift of the Company, is still in progress. The design represents -four typical women from sacred history, all peculiarly appropriate— - - - I. Deborah, “a mother in Israel” (Judg. v. 7). - - II. Huldah, “the prophetess,” with whom “many communed” (2 Kings - xxii. 14). - - III. Mary, who “chose the better part” (Luke x. 42). - - IV. Phœbe, “a servant of the Church, and a succourer of many” - (Rom. xvi. 1). - - -A portrait is introduced into the design. - -In the Camden School there is to be a marble bust, the gift of the same -generous donors, who have already done so much to beautify the schools. - -But the memorial which would most have pleased her whose name it will -bear is in the Travelling Scholarships, to which the public -subscriptions are to be devoted. In keeping with the large-heartedness -which knew no bounds, the benefit of these Scholarships will not be -confined to the two schools of which she was the founder. It is hoped -that many a worn and jaded teacher may thus derive from foreign travel -the rest and refreshment which so often sent Miss Buss herself back to -work with renewed vigour; and it can scarcely be doubted that in extent -these Scholarships will prove worthy of one who so largely gave to -others. - -The account given by Miss Burstall of the re-opening of the school after -the great change that had come upon it is full of interest— - - - “The opening of school on the first day of term was a strange, - but inspiring and impressive, ceremony, which none of those - present are likely to forget. The dark ranks of the girls, as - they stood for prayers, the black dresses of the teachers, the - laurel wreath hung above our dear Founder’s portrait, the empty - great chair, which would never be filled again by her we had - seen there so often—all told the story which the funeral - hymns[21] sung before and after prayers reiterated. When the - short, very short, service was concluded, the Rev. A. J. Buss - came forward, and first, on behalf of the family, thanked the - staff for their work (a very labour of love indeed) in - organizing the funeral arrangements, and the girls for their - singing on the sad occasion. He then, as Clerk to the Governors, - went on to say that the Governors had been unable, owing to the - shortness of the time that had elapsed, to make any final - arrangement, but that they had asked Mrs. Bryant to take the - post of _acting_ Head-mistress during the term. - - “Mrs. Bryant, after saying a few words in response to Mr. Buss, - gave a short address, expressing (as she said) the thoughts and - memories that rose to the surface in trying to realize the - greatness of the leader who had passed from among us. Sympathy, - absolute devotion of self, extraordinary energy of will, - marvellous charity—these one thought of as they had been shown - year after year in counsel, in delight in other’s pleasures, in - carrying ideas into action, in patience and help to inferior - workers, in honour and appreciation to talent, in raising the - weak, in strengthening the strong. - - “The thrill of emotion, of loyalty, of sorrow, and of hope, - which passed through the hearts of so many of us as she spoke, - is too personal, too sacred for expression. It was a relief when - music, that divine art which begins where words end, came to - speak regret and aspiration, as the solemn chords of the Dead - March in ‘Saul’ flowed from the organ. Just at this moment, a - little after 9.30 a.m., a winter thunderstorm rolled up. The - light grew fainter, the wind sounded round the building; still - the music pealed on as the darkness gathered, rising stronger - and fuller in its confidence of triumph over death, when, just - at the climax of the melody, a flash of lightning blazed for an - instant like an answering fire from the heavenly world. It was a - strange coincidence, but it was not the first time that Nature - had seemed to sympathize with our grief and with our - consolation. The flowers and the winter sunshine of New Year’s - Eve, the softly-falling benediction of the snow in the - churchyard at Theydon—these had their meaning. So, too, had the - symbol of power, of energy, of light in darkness, when the New - Year began with its new work and its new, yet old, inspiration.” - - -Footnote 21: - - “The saints of God, their conflict passed,” and “Peace, perfect - peace.” - -The music ceased, and all stood for a moment in silence, till, as Miss -Fawcett tells us— - - - “Mrs. Bryant said very quietly, ‘The classes will now pass to - their own rooms as usual!’ and, as we obeyed, the clouds cleared - away, and the place was soon flooded with brilliant sunshine. - ‘Le roi est mort: vive le roi!’ was the thought in all minds. - But our new Head had taken her stand on the old order of things, - and there is sweetness in our sadness.” - - -Owing to some technicalities which could not be set aside, the post of -Head-mistress was still not filled officially either on the Foundation -Day or Prize Day, June 27, 1895, and these may therefore be counted as -the last days of the old _régime_, the beloved Founder still holding -supreme rule, through the self-effacing loyalty with which her successor -did honour to the cherished memory.[22] - -Footnote 22: - - In a paper found in Miss Buss’ desk there is gratifying proof of the - satisfaction it would have given her to know of the choice of her - successor— - - “I know Mrs. Bryant well, and think her the most competent woman in - the whole range of my acquaintance to take up my work after me. She is - bright, accomplished, energetic, and earnest. She is amiable and - loving, and, above all, has _vital force_. She has, indeed, ‘a healthy - mind in a healthy body.’ Pages of writing could not express more - strongly my conviction that she is the one woman who would and could - carry on the school in the same spirit as it is carried on now. Her - fellow-workers would also be loyal to her, and she would be - considerate about them. - - (Signed) “FRANCES MARY BUSS. - - “Myra Lodge, Feb. 3, 1878.” - -On Foundation Day (April 4)—henceforth to be known as Founder’s Day—the -sense of loss was manifest in the black dresses of the staff, and in the -absence of the usual daffodils with which the Hall had been gay in past -times. The needlework was shown as usual, but in place of the -entertainment of other years, there was an organ recital, followed by a -selection of sacred music, ending with the hymn, so deeply impressive to -all there, “The saints of God, their conflict passed.” - -On the Prize Day (June 27) there was a special appropriateness in the -fact that in Professor Jebb of Cambridge, who occupied the chair, there -should have been so distinguished a representative of the University -which had been so much to one who had laboured to open for others the -way thither which she could not herself follow. - -In the presence of Lady Frederick Cavendish, who gave the prizes on this -last day, there was also a very special fitness, not only as a very -active member of the Council of the Girls’ Public Day Schools Company—a -work made possible in the beginning by Miss Buss’ success in her -schools—but still more as the daughter of Lord Lyttelton, one of the -earliest friends to the higher education of girls in general, and, in -particular, to the North London Collegiate and Camden Schools for girls. - -The day was further marked as the close of the first great period of the -School’s history by the absence, not only of the Head herself, but of -two of her foremost helpers—the Bishop of Winchester and Mr. Elliott—the -one suffering from the illness so soon to prove fatal, and the other -from sudden bereavement. So far back as 1879 Miss Buss, in regretting -the absence on the opening of the new Hall of the Rev. Charles Lee, had -thus written of these three friends— - - - “For years past Mr. Lee was the one person who was guide, - philosopher, and friend; who gave up his time, and who, with Mr. - Elliott and Mr. Thorold, met constantly in Camden Street, looked - after Myra Lodge as well as 202, worked up the law questions - (Mr. Elliott has always _given_ his law knowledge to me and to - the movement from the beginning), and in fact worked hard when - friends were few and success was apparently hopeless.” - - -Mr. Lee’s removal from London deprived Miss Buss of his valuable help, -but for fifteen years longer Dr. Thorold and Mr. Elliott were by her -side in any time of need, and their kind and genial speeches had come to -be an essential part of Prize Day rejoicing. - -And so the old order changes once again. But, no longer looking sadly -backward, we may turn hopefully to the future, as past and present are -united in the heartfelt tribute to the Founder with which her successor -takes up the work of the school. - - - “Last year I stood behind her in this place and read the Prize - Day report, which was _her_ report, for her. To-day I am proud - to be her deputy once again and glad, for this day at least, of - the circumstances which have determined that as yet no one - speaks in her place as more than a deputy. - - “The thought of our School’s past—the pride in it, the regret - for it as past—must be specially with us all to-day. For the - first time in forty-five years we meet together for our yearly - distribution of prizes without the gracious presence of the - Founder, a presence so familiar, that cannot be replaced. A - great teacher, a wise administrator, a strong and sympathetic - leader, she held a place almost as unique in the educational - world as the history of the schools she founded. Nevertheless, - the loss to us in this school is deepest, widest, most intimate. - To those who have been her colleagues, the sense of it is ever - present, in all the details of work, and affecting all the - relations of friendship. - - “Noble work like hers remains in effect for all time, and great - inspirations are immortal, passing on from mind to mind. The - neighbourhood knows, and will long know, our building as ‘Miss - Buss’ School,’ and our traditions have already lived too long to - lose the stamp of the character that moulded them. To guard them - with care, to act on them with zeal, will be the pleasure and - duty of every North London girl. - - “It is, I believe, hardly necessary, but I would like, before - concluding, to remind the pupils of the thanks that are due to - the teachers for their never-failing interest and devotion to - work which, though always cheering, is sometimes hard. For - myself, I could not adequately express, but I hope they know - without words how much I have appreciated their loyal support - and their unity of spirit as they have worked together with me - during these last six months. The dark cloud through which we - have passed has caused us all as colleagues to draw closer - together, like children in a family when the head has gone - forth.” - - -We find the same spirit in the account given in the _School Magazine_ of -Mrs. Bryant’s election, on July 9, as Miss Burstall concludes— - - - “It was a quiet day, and a very simple ceremony. There was - something of the sweetness and ease of home in it all, and - indeed we felt as if we were a family rather than a school; and, - as in the beautiful and sacred life of home we do not speak of - our loyalty and devotion, but act on them as principles so - certain as to need no expression, so it was here. The day was a - very happy one. Every one went about her work with a new impulse - of earnestness, a new assurance of peaceful continuity. For the - rest, the future will speak, and the past is witness that the - future will be good.” - - -On Prize Day, that last day of the old which was the first day of the -new era, Lady Frederick Cavendish in her address dwelt especially on the -faith and sympathy of the Founder as the secret of the success of her -schools, finding here, as everywhere, the true source of all great and -lasting work in the faith that uplifts and the love that unites. - -Then from the bright past the speaker looked beyond the darkly shadowed -present to a future full of hope in the work to come. None present on -that day will forget the inspiration of the closing words of this -address—words doubly strong as quoted by one who had come through a -great darkness into the light: one who will always stand out as witness -that a heart emptied of joy may yet become a full channel of blessing— - - - “What though the brightness dim, the glory fade, - The splendour vanish?—Not of these is made - The holy trust that to your charge is given, - Children of God, inheritors of heaven! - • • • • • • - A sacred burden is the life ye bear, - Look on it, lift it, bear it solemnly, - Stand up, and walk beneath it steadfastly, - Fall not for sorrow, falter not for sin, - But upward, onward, till the goal ye win. - God guide you, and God guard you all the way; - Children of light, set forth, set forth to-day!” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - INDEX. - - (EDUCATIONAL). - - - A - - Abbott, Dr. E. A., 33, 134, 277 - - Ablett, Dr., 226 - - Assistant-Mistresses’ Association, 245 - - - B - - Beale, Miss, 6, 18, 51, 182, 232, 340, 385 - - Bodichon, Madame, 18, 281 - - Bostock, Miss, 5, 50, 253 - - Brewers’ Company, 104, 147, 150, 156, 164, 384 - - Browne, Canon, 259, 385 - - Bryant, Dr. Sophie, 3, 169, 175, 215, 270, 385, 390, 394 - - Burbury, Mrs., 19, 91, 134, 253, 290, 384 - - Buss, Mr. R. W., 32, 39, 54, 57, 74 - - ——, Mrs., 30, 40, 74, 276 - - ——, Rev. A. J., 43, 47, 91, 317, 325, 353, 390 - - ——, Rev. S., 43, 91, 150, 265, 286, 320 - - - C - - Cambridge Local Examinations, 5, 15, 19, 256, 258 - - —— parties, 345 - - Cavendish, Lady F., 292, 294 - - Character, 218 - - Cheltenham, 341 - - Chessar, Miss, 276, 277 - - Children, love of, 347 - - Chreimann, Miss, 226 - - Clothworkers’ Company, 104, 150, 154, 384, 389 - - Clough, Miss, 18, 28, 131, 245, 262, 276, 286, 386 - - Cobbe, Miss, 12, 32, 53, 117, 121, 127, 184, 193 - - Cock, Miss, M.D., 220 - - College, Queen’s, 5, 14, 47, 51 - - ——, Bedford, 14, 50 - - ——, Cambridge Training, 281 - - ——, Cheltenham, 14, 51, 341 - - ——, Girton, 13, 164, 174, 253, 261 - - ——, Holloway, 262 - - ——, Maria Grey Training, 280 - - ——, Newnham, 262 - - - D - - Danson, Mr. W., 91, 125, 240 - - Davies, Miss, 10, 27, 50, 101, 105, 232, 269, 282, 300, 385 - - Degrees for women, 265 - - Doreck, Miss, 273, 275 - - - E - - Education for girls, 13, 128 - - ——, Medical, for women, 299 - - Education, Letter on, 199 - - —— in Sweden, 110, 323 - - —— Union, 117, 122, 124 - - Educational ideals, 205 - - Elliott, Mr. W. T., 91, 104, 240, 393 - - Ewart, Miss, 18, 91, 125, 134, 141, 281, 294 - - - F - - Family affection, 75 - - Farmer, Dr., 225 - - Fearon, Mr. D. B., 3, 255 - - Fitch, Dr. J. G., 3, 9, 152, 164, 252, 266, 268, 280, 354, 385 - - - G - - Garrett, Miss, 19, 101, 300 - - Generosity, 95, 249 - - “Girl-graduates,” 14, 169 - - Girton, 13, 164, 174, 253, 261 - - Governesses’ Benevolent Institution, 47, 289 - - Graphic power, 35 - - “Graphic Satire,” 32 - - Grey, Mrs. William, 18, 105, 117, 127, 131, 152, 164, 232, 274, 277, - 364 - - Gurney, Miss, 19, 119, 123 - - - H - - Hadland, Miss, 243, 292 - - Hall, Mrs. S. C., 49, 107 - - Hero-worship, 61 - - Hodgson, Dr. W. B., 16, 89, 98, 173, 205, 274, 289, 294, 354, 365 - - “Home Rule,” 301 - - Hubbard, Miss, 18, 290 - - Hughes, Miss E. P., 285, 311 - - Humanity, 29 - - Humility, 250 - - Hygiene, 183 - - - - I - - Influence, 59 - - - J - - Jebb, Prof., 392 - - Jewsbury, Miss, 108, 111, 127 - - _Journal, Women’s Education_, 121 - - - K - - Kindergarten, 71, 275 - - - L - - Laing, Rev. D., 5, 44, 74, 253 - - Latham, Mr., 5, 10, 147 - - Lee, Rev. C., 91, 392 - - Lyttelton, 2, 10, 102, 392 - - - M - - Manners, 194 - - Manning, Miss E. A., 18, 243, 275, 281, 302 - - Martin, Miss Frances, 18, 51 - - Maurice, Prof. F. D., 14, 49, 52 - - Memorials, 384 - - Menzies, Mrs., 264 - - Music, 205, 224 - - Myra Lodge, 92, 95, 179, 373 - - - N - - Naturalness, 189 - - Neate, Mr., 103 - - Needlework, 37, 169, 171, 269 - - Nicolay, Prof., 49, 51 - - Notes, 211 - - - O - - Order, 217 - - Overwork, 183 - - - - P - - Payne, Mr. Joseph, 121, 202, 275 - - Peace Society, 303 - - Prince of Wales, 1, 125, 160 - - Princess of Wales, 115, 125, 151, 160 - - Prize-Day, 1, 160, 238, 393 - - - Q - - Quietness, 18 - - - R - - Reid, Mrs., 50 - - Responsiveness, 193 - - Reverence, 197 - - Robins, Mr. E. C., 90, 103, 153, 155, 163 - - Roby, Mr. H. J., 147, 149 - - Rogers, Rev. William, 105, 118, 145, 160 - - Royal Commission, First Schools Inquiry, 2 - - —— ——, Second Schools Inquiry, 178, 297 - - —— ——, Charity, 136 - - —— ——, Endowed Schools, 134, 135, 147 - - - S - - School, North London Ladies, 55, 58 - - ——, —— Girls, 96, 109, 125, 157, 170, 213, 255 - - ——, Camden, 96, 108, 132, 206, 209 - - ——, Christ’s Hospital, 9 - - ——, Cowper Street, 105, 128 - - ——, Danish, 204, 207 - - ——, Edinburgh, 137, 201 - - ——, Endowed, 11, 134, 135 - - ——, Girls’ Public Day, 123, 133 - - ——, Maria Grey, 170 - - Scholarships, 80, 106 - - Scholarships, Travelling, 389 - - School-Mistresses’ Association, 243 - - Shirreff, Miss, 19, 261, 275, 277, 365 - - Soames, Miss, 19, 80, 281 - - Stanley of Alderley, Lady, 18, 253 - - Storr, Mr., 293, 350, 384 - - Storrar, Dr., 3, 10, 91, 134, 143 - - Sunday talks, 195 - - Swanwick, Miss, 16, 50 - - - T - - Teachers, High School, 173 - - ——, women, 201, 203 - - Teachers’ Guild, 245, 291 - - —— Loan Society, 293 - - —— Provident Association, 290 - - Teaching, 35, 40, 91 - - Temperance, 304 - - Thorold, Dr., 2, 10, 91, 102 - - —— (Bishop of Rochester), 165 - - —— (Bishop of Winchester), 348, 392 - - Thrift, 289 - - Training Colleges, Home and Colonial, 170, 177, 276 - - —— ——, Cambridge, 281 - - —— ——, Cheltenham, 277 - - —— ——, Maria Grey, 277 - - Training for work, 71, 177 - - ——, physical, 203, 222 - - Travel, love of, 313 - - - U - - Unconventionality, 79 - - - W - - Ward, Miss A. J., 291 - - Waste, 189 - - Woman’s question, 16, 99, 343 - - Wormell, Dr., 249, 385 - - - - - PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, - LONDON AND BECCLES. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ● Transcriber’s Notes: - ○ A word in the handwritten caption to the Frontispiece was - illegible. It is marked [** illegible]. - ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. - ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only - when a predominant form was found in this book. - ○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Frances Mary Buss, by Annie E. 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