154 THE MENDEL JOURNAL 



conducted by men teachers and containing men 

 students, have much more interest in matrimonial 

 possibilities than in academic considerations. The 

 ratepayers are compelled to pay for matrimonial 

 potentialities, and not for educational kinetics. 

 Some students merely want to while away an evening 

 or two in the week. They may think, for instance, 

 that a class in Elocution will be a delightful way 

 of passing time and making acquaintances with a 

 subsequent view of consolidating the friendship on 

 the altar. How serious the intentions of some students 

 are, is well exemplified by a case for the accuracy 

 of which I can vouch, when a few years ago, two 

 prospective and obviously not earnest women students 

 joined a class in Elocution only to find that it was 

 full. With significantly spontaneous readiness they 

 at once transferred their " studies "to a subject 

 of wholly different nature. Biology. The teacher 

 of this latter class, naturally curious as to such 

 a transference, enquired why they had joined his 

 class. They replied " that they first joined the 

 class in Elocution because they wanted something 

 to do, but finding all the classes in that subject full, 

 they thought Biology would be just as good as any 

 other class ! " They were asked if they had any 

 idea as to what kind of subject Biology was, and 

 they replied : " Not in the least." Needless to 

 say their " studies " were not marked by diligence 

 or enthusiasm, and if they manifested any attention 

 at all in class, it was not to the work in hand, but to 

 an object more easily attained at other places of 



