WOMEN IN THE PROFESSIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 142, 24 September 1910, Page 4

WOMEN IN THE PROFESSIONS.

Women notably excel in those occupations which require close application and the memorising of facts, and now that the professions have been tardily opened to them a few of them revel in educational attainment. The fact that no professional woman has yet attained definite distinction in a profession is 110 criterion of her ability to enter any of them, and this leadi to the interesting conclusion that the vast majority of womien even if they take up professions revert to 1 those occupations and; ambitions that some suffragettes would class "old-fashioned." Mr. Justice Chapman, in admitting a lady barrister at Gisborne the other day, mentioned that in his boyhood angry comments' 1 were frequent when women. endeavored to obtain university: degree®, , ]a,rget,,pro-, portion of womcii than men students obtain scholastic honors, but an infinitely smaller proportion 'pecialiie or care to

use the knowledge gained as the basis of a life's career. One hears of the scholastic success of women doctors and lawyers but nothing about their subsequent professional eminence. The fact is that neither eminent men nor women are made by university oxaniiimtions. Cleverness is not served out with degrees, and there is no sign in all the evidence of women's emancipation that they are really making the professional top-rungs harder for men to attain. Wlien women students were a new phase men students unreasonably scorned them. Nothing on earth persists like a woman, and this merely spurred them to fresh endeavors. Except, however, that grewly men have taken the chance afforded of obtaining cheap educated women's service, the old chariot of earth rolls on much the same as before women ever thought of entering/ universities or the professions. Up to now one does not hear of any female Rufus Isaacs, or of a lady Frederick Treves, or of ft budding girl Edison—and it is a very good and natural thing, too. The point we make Js that the woman is the complement of man, or vice versa. It is possible that the eminence of a man may have been the result of the woman's instinct and influence, but never of her memorising of facts, nor course of university study. University study and entry into the professions may be good for many women, but not for all women. Scientists have for generations recognised the male qualifications in some females and female qualifications in soma males. Women who have attained public eminence for themselves have always been a little unusual, and women of the professions who have distinguished themselves at examinations have very infrequently carried on their professions if other interests intervened. Shortly, it would 'be a calamity were the same number of tyomen as men to enter the professions and to stick to them for life, and just because these things arrange themselves naturally there is not the slightest danger that the men lawyers of New Zealand will be ousted by vhe ladies now or at any time.