LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 389 



we cannot say ; but, if the old adage holds good, consent must be inferred from 

 silence. Some of the ladies, owing to the amplitude of their skirts, found not 

 a little difficulty in getting into the tribune, and, when there, were at first 

 rather nervous, dropping their voices to a confidential whisper, and searching 

 for scraps of paper which were. never to be found. But they soon regained their 

 confidence, and spoke out with a distinctness and animation which might put 

 most young curates, and even some barristers, to the blush. The proceedings 

 commenced with a paper by Miss Emily Davies, on "«Medicine as a Profession 

 for Women," which was read by Mr. Russell Gurney. The Secretary com- 

 municated a paper by the Rev. J. S. Howson, advocating the official employment 

 of women in works of charity. Miss Bessie R. Parkes next delivered in a clear, 

 firm voice, an interesting address, partly prepared and partly extempore, on 

 " The Balance of Public Opinion on Woman's Work." She expressed an opinion 

 that we are now passing through a stage of civilisation in which women are 

 excluded from many occupations in which they are qualified to excel, while they 

 are confined to others, such as factory work, for which they have no aptitude, 

 and which tend to interfere with the true sphere of woman — the household. 

 Miss Emily Faithfull followed with a paper on some of the drawbacks connected 

 with the present employment of women. She attributed the inaccuracy and 

 want of persistent attention with which women were charged to defective 

 education. Habits of unintermittent industry could not be expected to follow 

 a girlhood of negligence. She suggested the establishment of a tribunal to 

 examine and certify as to the attainments of women, and protested against the 

 idea that marriage should be a mere refuge for the destitute. The system of 

 training which she advocated would, in her opinion, promote matrimony, be- 

 cause it would furnish women with accomplishments which would render them 

 valuable acquisitions in the houses of those prudent bachelors of limited means 

 who were afraid to mate with extravagant and useless " fine ladies." Mrs. Inglis, 

 in discussing the papers which had been read, observed, amidst some applause, 

 that it was a woman's own fault if employment was denied her. The sex were 

 60 ridiculously afraid of being deemed "strongminded" or "unladylike" that they 

 shrank from doing true woman-like work. Lord Brougham remarked that the 

 talent of Avomen in debate had been clearly proved, and appealed to some of the 

 gentlemen present to exhibit their powers in the same way ; but, whether from 

 timidity or gallantry, the invitation was not responded to. In answer to 

 questions, Miss Faithfull stated that she had more applications for work in her 

 printing establishment than she could meet. Mrs. Jellicoe read a paper suggest- 

 ing the employment of women as spupervisors over their own sex in factories. 

 Miss Barbara Corbett reported the progress of the Dublin Society for the 

 Employment of Educated Women. Since last year two hundred pupils have 

 attended the classes for book-keeping, law-writing, sewing with the machine, 

 cutting out clothing, &c. A lucid and able essay on the legal disabilities of 

 women was contributed by Miss Tabor. A paper read by Miss Florence Hill, 

 shewing that there is a sphere in the colonies for educated women, was read 

 by Mrs. A. Hill ; and the report of the Women's Employment Society by Miss 

 E. Faithfull. 



