The Evening Star MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1871.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2649, 14 August 1871, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1871.

The ladies' petition to the Council of the University has been acceded to, and we believe that arrangements will be at once made for admitting them to the lectures of our professors. They only had to ask and have ; to seek to

shave in* that higher literary training hitherto- conferred., upon a few picked meh'p and at once the boon was conceded to them. We trust that the one hundred and forty-nine ladies who signed that memorial will not only take advantage of the oppportunity now offered, but that hundreds who did not si"n it may participate in its benefits. It° is one of the most promising features of the present age that knowledge is not confined to a class. There is much yet to be done in simplifying the process of acquiring it. Many sciences are still nearly closed books to the multitude, through the mystery that has been thrown around very simple processes by terms to which none but the learned can attach intelligent meanings. Many might be much simplified by;a fixed nomenclature, capable of conveying clear and well-defined ideas. The confusion of thought consequent upon different conceptions of the terms used by different writers, is very often perplexing, and leads to a cumbroushess in our treatises that frightens beginners at the very outset of their studies. Perhaps it is owing to want of agreement amongst different writers as to the precise meaning of what we may be allowed to call technical words, that in such sciences as political economy and finance various opinions are entertained. We do not suppose, however, that we shall have many Harriet Martineau’s amongst us, but we do anticipate that there will be many who will enjoy a deeper insight into English literature than they have ever yet obtained. They must not imagine it plain sailing. They must be prepared for work. Knowledge is not gained at a leap although under a professor’s eye, and ladies must expect to have to adopt habits of careful investigation, which differ much from the training to which hitherto they have been accustomed, if they are to profit by the lectures they purpose attending. This is precisely the gain, and it will be two fold : they will learn what education means, and they ■will acquire a standard by -which to judge of it in others. While thus personally they reap advantage, there will be much more than this pi’ofit realised. The great hindrance to the spread of sound knowledge has been that fathers and mothers through not possessing it are not capable of judging who can and who cannot teach. In consequence of this, much passes for science and art that will be discarded as worthless when sound education is general. There are smatterers in language, politics, law, physic, music, art, poetry, and philosophy ; and because merit is really not understood, in numberless instances money is thrown »way in payment for educational services that are not merely worthless, but injurious. The present is, in fact, an age for amateurs to revel in. We witness, weekly, carefully-cultivated talent set aside as worthless, and money freely squandered upon mere smatteiers, on whom perhaps nature has bestowed a natural gift which is used in the rawest possible manner ; and which because of the ill-judged flattery and support of kindred minds, is never improved. We can only account for the success of ama- . teur performances on this ground. We have seen this evil in the meagre support given to highly-talented theatrical artists and musicians who have played and sang to empty benches. Charles Dillon, Miss Cleveland, Madame Bishop, and on their last visit the Carandinis, besides numberless others, failed to draw as many to witness their efforts as an amateur dancing the wooden, shoe dance at a suburban schoolhouse. But worse than this, the sense of obligation to self-culture is weakened by the preference given to that which is accomplished without effoi’t. The value of effort in fact will never be known and appreciated until the necessity for it in an endeavour after excellence is experienced. We look upon the influence of these lectures as a means of correcting this growing evil. Ladies will not be satisfied with what is merely glitter when they learn what solid gold is; and thus the desire after the true and valuable will become a family idea in generations to come. When this takes place we may expect to have children trained to patient persevering energy. From their infancy will be taught to think, speak, and act with a view to the attainment of that which is true, and of good report, and, it may be, millions, in after ages, may experience the value of this concession by the Council of the University to the request of the women of Otago,