iv.J EDUCATION. 259 



those of political and social life, must always be 

 powerfully reinforced by the very general incli- 

 nation of women to exert their influence in the 

 latter direction. Again, those who select some 

 branch of science as a profession, must do so in 

 spite of the fact that it is more unremunerative 

 than any other pursuit. A great and salutary 

 change has undoubtedly come over the feel- 

 ing of the nation since the time when the 

 present leading men of science were boys, for 

 education was at that time conducted in the 

 interests of the clergy, and was strongly 

 opposed to science. It crushed the inquiring 

 spirit, the love of observation, the pursuit of 

 inductive studies, the habit of independent 

 thought, and it protected classics and mathe- 

 matics by giving them the monopoly of all 

 prizes for intellectual work, such as scholarships, 

 fellowships, church livings, canonries, bishoprics, 

 and the rest. This gigantic monopoly is yield- 

 ing, but obstinately and slowly, and it is unlikely 

 that the friends of science will be able, for many 

 years to come, to relax their efforts in educa- 

 tional reform. As regards the future provision 



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