LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
NEWNHAM COLLEGE AND POLITICS.
[TO THE EDITOR OP THIS "SPECTATOR.']
Sin,—The paragraph in the Pall Mall Gazette of Monday, May 12th, on which the article, "Women and Politics," in the Spectator of May 17th is based, is not a correct statement of the facts ; and, consequently, the censure which it has led you to pass on the action of the Council of Newnham College is, I venture to think, devoid of foundation. Mr. Stead has not made an offer to Newnham College. He has merely written to ascertain the views of the Council as to the desirability of' offering a scholarship for the encouragement of the study of current history. The answer given him by the Council is that they would not be prepared to accept such a scholarship in the sense of including it among their own scholarships. Theydo not think it desirable to give such a positive encourage- ment to the proposed experiment as this course would imply. At the same time, they do not feel called upon to pass a special regulation excluding the winner of such a scholarship from the College, provided that she passes the qualifying examinations. imposed generally as conditions of entrance to Newnham. In short, while they could not accept the scholarship, they would be willing to accept the scholar.
I think it important that no more responsibility should be thrown on the Newnham Council in this matter than it has actually undertaken. I should, however, like to add, speaking- for myself personally, that I have much sympathy with what I understand to be Mr. Stead's aims, and if his scheme should be carried out, I should hope that we may succeed in pro- viding a useful course of academic study for the scholar selected. I may point out that she would not, as you suppose,. spend the "three priceless years" of her academic life "chiefly in reading newspapers." She would have no motive to do this, since she would have won her scholarship before- entering, and the reading of newspapers is not included in any of the courses of education open to her at the University. It is, of course, probable that such a scholar would retain her interest in current history; it is not improbable that she would have the design of making thin study in some form or other an important part of the occupation of her life ; and her Cambridge advisers would, I conceive, be likely to direct her to academic studies, such as Constitutional History and Political Economy, calculated to render her grasp of current politics more close and exact.
You say that "there will always be enough political interest in the world." I agree with this, if you merely mean that there is likely to be as much as is desirable of conversation, writing, and making speeches about politics. But it does not therefore follow that there will always be a sufficient supply of persons making a serious and systematic effort to know exactly and comprehend thoroughly the history and tendencies- of their own time. At present, I think that there is a deplorable lack of such systematic study, even among persons who write in newspapers as well as read them, and any attempt to remedy this defect appears to me deserving of sympathy.—I am, Sir, &c.„ [But is the proper time for the study of modern politics. before the historical training has taken place, or afterwards?— ED. Spectator.]
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