‘I am sure none of you would be able to bear the modernised dramatised Griselda if you learned it. It is like painting the face of an unearthly mediæval saint and clothing her with garments which show the human form. In the Griselda of Chaucer there is nothing of the vulgar love-making of the “merchant.” The love of the “markis” comes as a gift from heaven.‘Then that scene in which she ministers to his pleasure by music; it is all such a low kind of ministry. Whereas in the original, hers is just the worship of perfectfaith,—obedience to hiswill, because she will not question it.... The whole thing jars on me.... The quiet, grave “markis” (of Chaucer) may be a type of Him who tries us to confirm our faith, but thishuman “marquis” is of the earth earthy, and cannot stand for a spiritual type. It reminds me of the passage in which Ruskin comments on the attitude of the Prophets in “The Transfiguration.”[91]Do you remember it inModern Painters?‘There! enough! I wish it might beComus, orThe PrincessorAlcestiswould not cost so much trouble as something new,—but better nothing than something not really high.‘There, I don’t want to dictate or to say you shall not do what you wish, but I hope you won’t wish thisGriselda.... I do think we should likeComus, and we might have such good music.’
‘I am sure none of you would be able to bear the modernised dramatised Griselda if you learned it. It is like painting the face of an unearthly mediæval saint and clothing her with garments which show the human form. In the Griselda of Chaucer there is nothing of the vulgar love-making of the “merchant.” The love of the “markis” comes as a gift from heaven.
‘Then that scene in which she ministers to his pleasure by music; it is all such a low kind of ministry. Whereas in the original, hers is just the worship of perfectfaith,—obedience to hiswill, because she will not question it.... The whole thing jars on me.... The quiet, grave “markis” (of Chaucer) may be a type of Him who tries us to confirm our faith, but thishuman “marquis” is of the earth earthy, and cannot stand for a spiritual type. It reminds me of the passage in which Ruskin comments on the attitude of the Prophets in “The Transfiguration.”[91]Do you remember it inModern Painters?
‘There! enough! I wish it might beComus, orThe PrincessorAlcestiswould not cost so much trouble as something new,—but better nothing than something not really high.
‘There, I don’t want to dictate or to say you shall not do what you wish, but I hope you won’t wish thisGriselda.... I do think we should likeComus, and we might have such good music.’
In the early part of 1895 Miss Beale was more than usually active and well. In the Easter holidays she paid a long-promised visit to Miss Mason’s House of Education at Ambleside. Here she gave a lecture to the students on Geometry. The visit was a great pleasure, she was in full sympathy with Miss Mason’s work, and she enjoyed meeting Miss Arnold at Fox Howe, and many friends and pupils. In June she was present at a performance of theAlcestisat Bradfield College; she also went again to the Royal Society conversazione.
The active enjoyment of this summer received a check at the term-holiday, when, while walking on Leckhampton Hill, Miss Beale slipped and broke her leg. The period of forced inaction which followed was generally held to be good for her, and she was well enough to be carried into the College for the addresses of the Quiet Days at the end of the term. She was unable, however, to be present at the Oxford summer meeting in August. The paper she had written for this on the Professional Education of Teachers was read by Mr. Worsley.
A school which has neither prize-giving nor speech-day does not easily obtain very highly distinguished visitors. It was not till 1897 that the College was honoured by the presence of Royalty. In that year the Empress Frederick of Germany proposed a visit. Herinterest in education led her to wish to see the classes at work in their usual conditions. She therefore went with Miss Beale from one room to another while the actual teaching was going on. A few days after her visit Miss Beale received the following letter from Major-General Russell, who was at that time member for Cheltenham:—
Frankfort, Germany,August 13, 1897.‘Dear Miss Beale,—Yesterday I had the honour of lunching with the Empress Frederick at Cronberg. As soon as I arrived there she called me on one side, and begged that I would convey to you the pleasure and satisfaction that she had derived from her visit to the Ladies’ College at Cheltenham. She begged me to tell you that she was much gratified by what she saw of the arrangements, and what she learned of the system of education pursued there. She was much impressed by the happiness and contentment which appeared to be universal among the pupils, and also with the strict and excellent discipline which she hears and remarked you maintain both among the instructors and the students themselves.‘She added that she fully appreciates the great work that you have accomplished in the interest of education, as well as the personal sacrifice and self-devotion which you have consecrated to the task.‘I need not say how much pleasure it has afforded me to be the medium of conveying to you Her Imperial Majesty’s gracious message, and, I remain, yours sincerely,Frank S. Russell.’
Frankfort, Germany,August 13, 1897.
‘Dear Miss Beale,—Yesterday I had the honour of lunching with the Empress Frederick at Cronberg. As soon as I arrived there she called me on one side, and begged that I would convey to you the pleasure and satisfaction that she had derived from her visit to the Ladies’ College at Cheltenham. She begged me to tell you that she was much gratified by what she saw of the arrangements, and what she learned of the system of education pursued there. She was much impressed by the happiness and contentment which appeared to be universal among the pupils, and also with the strict and excellent discipline which she hears and remarked you maintain both among the instructors and the students themselves.
‘She added that she fully appreciates the great work that you have accomplished in the interest of education, as well as the personal sacrifice and self-devotion which you have consecrated to the task.
‘I need not say how much pleasure it has afforded me to be the medium of conveying to you Her Imperial Majesty’s gracious message, and, I remain, yours sincerely,
Frank S. Russell.’
Two years later the Princess Henry of Battenberg came to unveil a marble bust of Queen Victoria, the work of Countess Feodora Gleichen, which had been presented to the College.
The Empress Frederick at Cheltenhamfrom a photograph by Mr. Domenico Barnett
The Empress Frederick at Cheltenhamfrom a photograph by Mr. Domenico Barnett
Among Miss Beale’s triumphs of this period should surely be mentioned her mastery of the tricycle at the age of sixty-seven. It became a great delight to her. She used it chiefly in the early morning—often very early—when the streets were empty. ‘The men in themilk-carts know me and keep out of my way,’ she would say. She greatly enjoyed the fresh air and complete solitude gained with so little effort.
In 1898 England received a severe visitation of small-pox. No town in the country suffered more than Gloucester, where for long it raged among the unvaccinated, and even devoted nurses and doctors fell victims. It was five times introduced into Cheltenham, but owing, Miss Beale was pleased to hint in the Magazine, to the healthiness of the climate and the good sanitation of the town, it never got a hold there. Cheltenham largely owed its immunity to the exertions of the Lady Principal, who insisted on revaccination where it was necessary for every one connected with the College. This meant not only teachers, pupils, servants, but all who had to do with any College girl in any capacity—all in the homes of the day-pupils—all in the shops which served the boarding-houses—the whole railway staff at the different stations. The College custom was too good to lose, and she carried her point. Such a drastic measure had its comic side, as was perceived by the saucy butcher-boy who shouted to a boarding-house cook, ‘I must know if you are vaccinated before I deliver this meat.’
Among the College victims was a girl within a few weeks of an important examination. The daughter of an anti-vaccinator, she had of course never been ‘done,’ and the father telegraphed that he would not permit it. A married sister staying in the town urged the College authorities to act on their own responsibility; but that Miss Beale would not do. The girl made another appeal to her father; but a cab was actually at the door to take her to the station, when his answer arrived in the second telegram—‘May do as she pleases.’ This modified permission saved the situation.
Miss Beale’s determined and successful action in thismatter was doubtless remembered when, in 1901, the Mayor and Corporation resolved to bestow upon her the freedom of the borough. This was ceremonially done on October 28, the Town Council, Governing Body of the College, and a large number of Miss Beale’s friends being present.
‘The honour,’ said the Mayor (Mr. Norman) in his preliminary address to the Council, ‘is given with discrimination, and somewhat rarely. We in Cheltenham, during the thirty years of our corporate life, have only conferred it in two instances.... I am charged to-day with the proposing of a resolution which will add a third to that number. The resolution is in these terms:—
“That, in recognition of the great work she has done for the education of women in England, and especially of the unique position to which under her direction the Cheltenham Ladies’ College has attained among the educational institutions of the country, Miss Dorothea Beale be, in pursuance and exercise of the provisions of the Honorary Freedom of Boroughs’ Act, 1885, admitted to the honorary freedom of this borough.”
“That, in recognition of the great work she has done for the education of women in England, and especially of the unique position to which under her direction the Cheltenham Ladies’ College has attained among the educational institutions of the country, Miss Dorothea Beale be, in pursuance and exercise of the provisions of the Honorary Freedom of Boroughs’ Act, 1885, admitted to the honorary freedom of this borough.”
‘When I first approached Miss Beale on this subject, I did not know whether any lady had before been admitted a freeman of the borough. But from the wording of the Act of Parliament I was quite sure that the term “freeman” in the section quoted was used in a generic sense, and that ladies were as eligible as men to the honour which we propose to confer upon Miss Beale. I was therefore prepared to create a precedent, if necessary. But since then I have learned that at least in one case, that of Baroness Burdett Coutts, this honour has been conferred upon a lady.’
In her reply Miss Beale said:—
‘ ... In some places those who should work together stand opposed; elsewhere we have heard of fights between town and gown; at some seats of learning women have been denied titlesthat they have earned. In Cheltenham we have a happy conciliation of opposites.... You Municipal authorities recognise that; you care not only for pure water and open spaces and cleanliness, but for the Free Library and Science Schools and Art Galleries and healthy recreations; and we school authorities cannot but make the body healthier by mental discipline, by the sunshine of truth, by inspiring the young with high aspirations, and so lifting them out of the rudeness which is the outward sign of selfishness. I look upon to-day’s ceremony as a sign of our faith for the individual and for the community, health in its largest sense,mens sana in corpore sano, is to be realised only by the harmonious working of the inward and outward law. To invite a woman to be a Freeman of a Town is, I venture to believe, an expression of the thought that not the individual but the family, with its twofold life, is the true unit and type of the state, that social and civil and national prosperity depend on the communion of labour, and that the ideal commonwealth is realised only in proportion as the dream of one of our poets is fulfilled, and men and women“Walk this worldYoked in all exercise of noble ends.”‘ ... Formerly we had no women Guardians, but one who is called in her own town “the Guardian Angel”[92]visited us and won all hearts, and then there were elected two ladies, who have been re-elected ever since, who by their insight and gentleness and wisdom have destroyed the last vestige of prejudice.‘ ... Mrs. Owen was also a link between the Ladies’ College and the Cheltenham College, that elder brother, under whose protection alone our College could have grown up. It is a strange thing that women are threatened with exclusion from the projected Educational Authority; women, who are born to the care of children, who are so much needed to hold the outposts in our educational army, which are being deserted by men. Visions I have of a closer union between all the schools of our town.... Cheltenham, too, has made progress intellectually. A Literary Institution died a natural death shortly after I came; it was, I hope, only a case ofpost hoc. In my early days the provision of books was scanty indeed. I tried to get Tennyson’s last poem in one of the principal shops of the Promenade. I was told, “We never have had any poetic effusions in our library, and I do not think we shall begin now.” There was noPermanent Library, and a Free Library was impossible and unthought of, and in our own College I was fain to be content with a grant of £5 for books. But more than all the material and intellectual progress has been the raising of public opinion regarding the moral law. Much there is still to deplore, much to amend, and we long to see more efforts made to promote temperance, but I am sure that the higher education of women, the opening to them of larger opportunities of usefulness, has helped to lift many above the unsatisfying pleasures of a frivolous life, and won for them the respect which is always a blessing both to “him that gives and him that takes.” We have, indeed, reason to thank God and take courage.’
‘ ... In some places those who should work together stand opposed; elsewhere we have heard of fights between town and gown; at some seats of learning women have been denied titlesthat they have earned. In Cheltenham we have a happy conciliation of opposites.... You Municipal authorities recognise that; you care not only for pure water and open spaces and cleanliness, but for the Free Library and Science Schools and Art Galleries and healthy recreations; and we school authorities cannot but make the body healthier by mental discipline, by the sunshine of truth, by inspiring the young with high aspirations, and so lifting them out of the rudeness which is the outward sign of selfishness. I look upon to-day’s ceremony as a sign of our faith for the individual and for the community, health in its largest sense,mens sana in corpore sano, is to be realised only by the harmonious working of the inward and outward law. To invite a woman to be a Freeman of a Town is, I venture to believe, an expression of the thought that not the individual but the family, with its twofold life, is the true unit and type of the state, that social and civil and national prosperity depend on the communion of labour, and that the ideal commonwealth is realised only in proportion as the dream of one of our poets is fulfilled, and men and women
“Walk this worldYoked in all exercise of noble ends.”
“Walk this worldYoked in all exercise of noble ends.”
“Walk this worldYoked in all exercise of noble ends.”
“Walk this world
Yoked in all exercise of noble ends.”
‘ ... Formerly we had no women Guardians, but one who is called in her own town “the Guardian Angel”[92]visited us and won all hearts, and then there were elected two ladies, who have been re-elected ever since, who by their insight and gentleness and wisdom have destroyed the last vestige of prejudice.
‘ ... Mrs. Owen was also a link between the Ladies’ College and the Cheltenham College, that elder brother, under whose protection alone our College could have grown up. It is a strange thing that women are threatened with exclusion from the projected Educational Authority; women, who are born to the care of children, who are so much needed to hold the outposts in our educational army, which are being deserted by men. Visions I have of a closer union between all the schools of our town.... Cheltenham, too, has made progress intellectually. A Literary Institution died a natural death shortly after I came; it was, I hope, only a case ofpost hoc. In my early days the provision of books was scanty indeed. I tried to get Tennyson’s last poem in one of the principal shops of the Promenade. I was told, “We never have had any poetic effusions in our library, and I do not think we shall begin now.” There was noPermanent Library, and a Free Library was impossible and unthought of, and in our own College I was fain to be content with a grant of £5 for books. But more than all the material and intellectual progress has been the raising of public opinion regarding the moral law. Much there is still to deplore, much to amend, and we long to see more efforts made to promote temperance, but I am sure that the higher education of women, the opening to them of larger opportunities of usefulness, has helped to lift many above the unsatisfying pleasures of a frivolous life, and won for them the respect which is always a blessing both to “him that gives and him that takes.” We have, indeed, reason to thank God and take courage.’
In the same year Miss Beale was co-opted a member of the Advisory Board of the University of London.
The recognition by the town was from every point of view a triumph and an honour. The year in which it took place and the preceding one were marked by large extension of boarding-house property and many other signs of wealth. But for Miss Beale herself it can have been no time of great gladness. Though her vitality was as great as ever, her health was less good, her deafness much increasing, her sight impaired. Constantly she was called upon to part by death from some old and valued friend or fellow-worker. In January she shared the general mourning for Queen Victoria. In March 1901 Miss Caines died; a month later the beloved sister Eliza and Canon Hutchinson, of whom Miss Beale spoke as a friend and pastor of many years, were buried on the same day. Miss Beale turned from her sister’s grave to write last words to be read after her own death should she be called away while still head of the College. She also revised her will and wrote directions concerning her personal belongings and her funeral.
But if the road to the Dark Tower grew lonely,[93]it was greatly brightened by the love of those she had taught,inspired, and helped. No parent was ever more closely encompassed by the love of children. There were those at Cheltenham who thought for her, waited on her, read to her—no light task—those who, should she desire it, were ever at her beck and call. Some of these were on the College Council. One, in particular, Miss Flora Ker, who lived at Cheltenham, was always at hand, making the interests of the College and little attentions to Miss Beale the first duty of her day. Another, who had become head of a boarding-house, thought of her daily needs to the smallest details. A third habitually accompanied her on the visits which became so great an enjoyment in these later years, and on the frequent business journeys to London, making them easy by many little thoughtful arrangements. Miss Beale would seem unconscious of these at the moment, but she deeply valued the thought and the loving service of which she availed herself to the full. The Chairman and different members of the Council showed also much personal consideration for the Principal. Nor could she travel anywhere without finding ‘old girls’ ready to welcome and make much of her in every way. In these things she had indeed ‘all that should accompany old age.’
In 1902 came a crowning honour for the Ladies’ College when its Principal was offered the LL.D. by the Edinburgh University, in recognition of her services to education. Miss Beale was simply and unfeignedly delighted with this acknowledgment of the worth of women’s work. Her loyal staff seized the occasion to give her a personal sense of satisfaction also. They presented her with her robes, which were made as costly and beautiful as possible. A journey to Scotland was a great adventure to Miss Beale, but the occasion warranted the effort. As usual, all the arrangements were left inthe hands of Miss Alice Andrews, who with others of the College staff accompanied the Principal. It was examination week at Cheltenham, or such a flight of teachers would not have been possible. The degree was conferred on April 11 in the M’Ewan Hall of Edinburgh University. Others who received it on the same occasion were Lord Alverstone, Mr. Asquith, Mr. Austin Dobson, Sir John Batty Tuke, and Dr. Rücker.[94]Only once before had the University conferred this degree on a woman, viz. on Miss Ormerod, in recognition of her great services to agriculture.
Photo. G. H. Martyn & SonsDorothea Beale, LL.D.
Photo. G. H. Martyn & Sons
Dorothea Beale, LL.D.
Sir Ludovic Grant, Dean of the Faculty of Law, thus summed up Miss Beale’s claim to a national recognition:—
‘No feature of the national progress during the last fifty years is more remarkable than the revolution which has transformed our girls’ schools from occidental zenanas into centres of healthy activity. In the great crusade which has been crowned with this most desirable consummation, the foremost champion was the cultured and intrepid lady who guides the destinies of the Ladies’ College, Cheltenham. It was largely due to Miss Beale’s indomitable advocacy, on platform and on paper, that the barriers of parental prejudice were broken down, that the ancient idols venerated by a former generation—Mangnall, Pinnock, and Lindley Murray—were shattered, and that barren catechism and lifeless epitome were compelled to give place to fructifying studies, and the futile promenade to invigorating recreations. I need not remind you that Miss Beale’s apostolic ardour is equalled by her administrative abilities. When she went to Cheltenham her pupils were counted by tens; to-day they are to be counted by hundreds, and the institution in respect of organisation and educational efficiency will bear comparison with the best of the great English public schools. Among the collateral benefits resulting from the great movement for the higher education of women, in which Miss Beale has played so conspicuous a part, not the least important is the power which the Scotch Universities have obtained of conferring their honorary degrees upon women, and therefore it is with no ordinarysatisfaction that the University of Edinburgh now exercises this power by begging Miss Beale’s acceptance of an honour which has been brought within the reach of her sex largely through her own endeavours.’
‘No feature of the national progress during the last fifty years is more remarkable than the revolution which has transformed our girls’ schools from occidental zenanas into centres of healthy activity. In the great crusade which has been crowned with this most desirable consummation, the foremost champion was the cultured and intrepid lady who guides the destinies of the Ladies’ College, Cheltenham. It was largely due to Miss Beale’s indomitable advocacy, on platform and on paper, that the barriers of parental prejudice were broken down, that the ancient idols venerated by a former generation—Mangnall, Pinnock, and Lindley Murray—were shattered, and that barren catechism and lifeless epitome were compelled to give place to fructifying studies, and the futile promenade to invigorating recreations. I need not remind you that Miss Beale’s apostolic ardour is equalled by her administrative abilities. When she went to Cheltenham her pupils were counted by tens; to-day they are to be counted by hundreds, and the institution in respect of organisation and educational efficiency will bear comparison with the best of the great English public schools. Among the collateral benefits resulting from the great movement for the higher education of women, in which Miss Beale has played so conspicuous a part, not the least important is the power which the Scotch Universities have obtained of conferring their honorary degrees upon women, and therefore it is with no ordinarysatisfaction that the University of Edinburgh now exercises this power by begging Miss Beale’s acceptance of an honour which has been brought within the reach of her sex largely through her own endeavours.’
Her account of the ceremony is best read in her own letter to the Vice-Principal:—
‘April 12, 1902.‘Just a few lines while waiting for breakfast. We start at eleven for Glasgow, and I am in the midst of the agonies of packing.‘Yesterday was a long day. We started at 9.20, as it is a long drive to the M’Ewan Hall. In the voting-room we met our Chairman and various distinguished professors—Laurie, Saintsbury, Professor Rücker—of the people I knew; but the most important of all was the beadle. In a little while our names were called, and one had to step into place. First came the Doctors of Divinity. There were six LL.D.’s, headed by the Lord Chief-Justice, who was followed by Mr. Asquith, whom I followed in every subsequent procession.... Arrived at the hall, we sat as it were in the front row below the stage in our hall. There were central steps, opposite which sat the Vice-Chancellor or Vice-Principal. Each went up and stood with his back to the audience whilst the leader of his faculty expatiated on his claims to the honours; he looked like a person being reprimanded. Then the beadle invested him with the hood, the V.-P. put the cap over his head, he wrote his name in a book, and then seated himself with other exalted persons on the platform. Various speeches followed, but none were made to ordinary graduates. Music played, no sticks or umbrellas were allowed, and no cries such as the savages utter at English Universities; the only amusement was to fly paper from the galleries; some seems to have been made into windmills, they flew rather well. Then procession again to the voting-room, where I was first to claim my box; there was nothing to compare with my shabby things—cardboard most of them, but I am persuaded that my robes were far superior to any other. Ask those who saw them from a distance.‘Well, we next proceeded to church, and St. Giles’ looked most beautiful. The sermon I did not hear, but am assured that was because the preacher had an Aberdeen accent. One thing I omitted. Just after I had taken the degree, as I was seated on the platform, came a porter with a telegram for me.I opened it and found congratulations from the Kindergarten. Please tell them how smartly it arrived at the right moment. The others kindly sent arrived at the hotel, and I found them on my return; please thank the senders.‘After church some nice Miss Stevensons carried us off. They have a beautiful house and a splendid view of the heights,—one is Chairman of the School Board. They are always at work. Then we came back and were visited by various old girls.’
‘April 12, 1902.
‘Just a few lines while waiting for breakfast. We start at eleven for Glasgow, and I am in the midst of the agonies of packing.
‘Yesterday was a long day. We started at 9.20, as it is a long drive to the M’Ewan Hall. In the voting-room we met our Chairman and various distinguished professors—Laurie, Saintsbury, Professor Rücker—of the people I knew; but the most important of all was the beadle. In a little while our names were called, and one had to step into place. First came the Doctors of Divinity. There were six LL.D.’s, headed by the Lord Chief-Justice, who was followed by Mr. Asquith, whom I followed in every subsequent procession.... Arrived at the hall, we sat as it were in the front row below the stage in our hall. There were central steps, opposite which sat the Vice-Chancellor or Vice-Principal. Each went up and stood with his back to the audience whilst the leader of his faculty expatiated on his claims to the honours; he looked like a person being reprimanded. Then the beadle invested him with the hood, the V.-P. put the cap over his head, he wrote his name in a book, and then seated himself with other exalted persons on the platform. Various speeches followed, but none were made to ordinary graduates. Music played, no sticks or umbrellas were allowed, and no cries such as the savages utter at English Universities; the only amusement was to fly paper from the galleries; some seems to have been made into windmills, they flew rather well. Then procession again to the voting-room, where I was first to claim my box; there was nothing to compare with my shabby things—cardboard most of them, but I am persuaded that my robes were far superior to any other. Ask those who saw them from a distance.
‘Well, we next proceeded to church, and St. Giles’ looked most beautiful. The sermon I did not hear, but am assured that was because the preacher had an Aberdeen accent. One thing I omitted. Just after I had taken the degree, as I was seated on the platform, came a porter with a telegram for me.I opened it and found congratulations from the Kindergarten. Please tell them how smartly it arrived at the right moment. The others kindly sent arrived at the hotel, and I found them on my return; please thank the senders.
‘After church some nice Miss Stevensons carried us off. They have a beautiful house and a splendid view of the heights,—one is Chairman of the School Board. They are always at work. Then we came back and were visited by various old girls.’
At Glasgow Miss Beale stayed with a married pupil, and found herself in the midst of ‘old girls,’ who made much of her. From Glasgow she wrote a second letter, to be read to the assembled College before the dispersion for the holidays:—
‘April 16, 1902.‘We are often in spirit in Cheltenham, and I must send a few last words, to wish you all very happy holidays.‘We are very busy. The first thing we visited was the Queen Margaret Settlement, which is something like our St. Hilda’s. It is a very large place, and a school for invalid children was being held. Miss Bruce came down to the opening. On Monday a large number of distinguished people were invited to meet us, and yesterday afternoon we had a party of about thirty Cheltonians. In the evening we dined with Professor and Mrs. George Adam Smith. I sat next to Professor Henry Jones, who has written a book on Browning, and on the other side was the Rector, Dr. Story. He has kindly promised to take us over the University this morning. There are about three hundred girls studying here,[95]and they have a charming Miss Galloway; she is as fond of Glasgow University as I am of our College. To-morrow we are to go over the Cathedral.‘I think we shall come back refreshed and with some new ideas.‘I am glad to hear all is going on well.’
‘April 16, 1902.
‘We are often in spirit in Cheltenham, and I must send a few last words, to wish you all very happy holidays.
‘We are very busy. The first thing we visited was the Queen Margaret Settlement, which is something like our St. Hilda’s. It is a very large place, and a school for invalid children was being held. Miss Bruce came down to the opening. On Monday a large number of distinguished people were invited to meet us, and yesterday afternoon we had a party of about thirty Cheltonians. In the evening we dined with Professor and Mrs. George Adam Smith. I sat next to Professor Henry Jones, who has written a book on Browning, and on the other side was the Rector, Dr. Story. He has kindly promised to take us over the University this morning. There are about three hundred girls studying here,[95]and they have a charming Miss Galloway; she is as fond of Glasgow University as I am of our College. To-morrow we are to go over the Cathedral.
‘I think we shall come back refreshed and with some new ideas.
‘I am glad to hear all is going on well.’
From Mrs. Osborne in Glasgow Miss Beale went on to stay with other old pupils in Scotland, coming afterwards to Newcastle, where she was asked to launch a ship. Her ignorance of use and wont under conditions fairly well known to most people came out when sheattired herself for this event in well-looped-up dress and indiarubber shoes. Much as she disliked adventure, she was prepared to march into the Tyne if the glory of the Ladies’ College demanded it. However, she much enjoyed the ceremony that actually took place,—the drive to the docks, the description she received of the vessel, the bouquet of roses presented to her in honour of St. George’s Day. Her diary at this point becomes crowded with facts concerning steamers and dock labourers. From Newcastle Miss Beale went to Durham, where she stayed with the Dean; then to York. Wherever she went there were schools to visit, and perhaps address, ‘old girls’ to see. A night in London ended the wanderings, and she came home well and happy to enter in her diary: ‘Arrived to the hour, exactly three weeks after starting, having spent the night in nine different places, and feeling quite refreshed by meeting with so much kindness, and so many charming old girls.’
The year which had so bright a spring brought but a sorry autumn for Miss Beale. In October 1902 she was—an unheard-of thing—obliged to leave Cheltenham for her health, and went to Bath, accompanied by Miss Berridge, for several weeks. Her sight was a special anxiety, and during this time she was not allowed to write or read. A letter from Miss Berridge to Miss Sturge gives a glimpse of the life at Bath:—
‘October 1902.‘We brought with us Adam Smith’s work on theMinor Prophets, and also Jane Austen’sPersuasion. At first we stuck to theProphets, but at last Jane got a hearing, and since then she has utterly ousted theProphets. It has been rather amusing to note how many excellent reasons there were for giving Jane the preference. Miss Beale was—tired—or sleepy—or not very well, and could not attend to anything that required thought—orit was near lunch—or tea—or supper-time, and therefore it was not worth while, etc. etc., and I think she has really liked the story very much. Please tell Miss Alice Andrews,—it is her book, and Miss Beale at first refused to bring it, but thoughtImight do so, as it might amuse me. The result of the experiment is that we are now going to read some of Scott’s, beginning withThe Antiquary. Miss Beale is very much better, though of course far from being her former energetic self. But we have still more than a fortnight before us, and if she makes as much progress in that time as she has done in the fortnight just gone, we may be very well satisfied.‘Bath is a very pretty place, but, of course, I have not seen much of it. Miss Beale is now able to take short walks; to-day she went to Milsom Street.‘I have written such multitudes of letters that I really do not know to whom they have all been.’
‘October 1902.
‘We brought with us Adam Smith’s work on theMinor Prophets, and also Jane Austen’sPersuasion. At first we stuck to theProphets, but at last Jane got a hearing, and since then she has utterly ousted theProphets. It has been rather amusing to note how many excellent reasons there were for giving Jane the preference. Miss Beale was—tired—or sleepy—or not very well, and could not attend to anything that required thought—orit was near lunch—or tea—or supper-time, and therefore it was not worth while, etc. etc., and I think she has really liked the story very much. Please tell Miss Alice Andrews,—it is her book, and Miss Beale at first refused to bring it, but thoughtImight do so, as it might amuse me. The result of the experiment is that we are now going to read some of Scott’s, beginning withThe Antiquary. Miss Beale is very much better, though of course far from being her former energetic self. But we have still more than a fortnight before us, and if she makes as much progress in that time as she has done in the fortnight just gone, we may be very well satisfied.
‘Bath is a very pretty place, but, of course, I have not seen much of it. Miss Beale is now able to take short walks; to-day she went to Milsom Street.
‘I have written such multitudes of letters that I really do not know to whom they have all been.’
Miss Beale was able to return to work before the end of the term. She seemed in most ways as vigorous as ever. A doctor, whom she consulted about her deafness in 1903, told her she had the pulse of a woman of forty. But she became more and more careful about her health. Her summer holidays were spent at Oeynhausen, where she followed a ‘Kur.’ There she took with her always some friend who devoted herself to the care of Miss Beale, and at the same time was a congenial companion, reading aloud to her, or listening while Miss Beale read. On one occasion Miss Amy Giles went, on another Fräulein Grzywacz. The life at the baths was carefully planned even to minutes. Miss Beale liked to have her morning letters before the early walk, which the daily régime demanded. While waiting for the postman, even watching his appearance along the street, she would have some deep book read aloud to her, able to give her whole attention. ‘The postman is just here, Miss Beale,’ Fräulein Grzywacz would say, as she finished a chapter. ‘He is still ten doors off, you can read another paragraph,’ would be the reply.
In 1902 a determined and successful effort was made to get a worthy portrait of Miss Beale. Early in the College history a picture, which bore but a faint resemblance to the original and was wholly unworthy of her, had been painted, and at a Council meeting in 1873 it was ‘resolved that it be placed (veiled) over the door of the Council room, as most in accordance with the wishes of the donors.’ In 1889 the Council itself approached Miss Beale on the subject of a portrait, Sir Samuel Johnson, then chairman, writing to her:—
‘February 25, 1889.‘You cannot, you must not leave the College without something that will identify it with the Founder. Fancy what unavailing attempts will be made some day to supply the want! and the blame which will attach to us for not having left something behind worthy of such a woman! Think again, and do not let your feelings stand in the way of a plain duty.’
‘February 25, 1889.
‘You cannot, you must not leave the College without something that will identify it with the Founder. Fancy what unavailing attempts will be made some day to supply the want! and the blame which will attach to us for not having left something behind worthy of such a woman! Think again, and do not let your feelings stand in the way of a plain duty.’
On the envelope containing this letter Miss Beale wrote in pencil the characteristic note: ‘Miss Stirling might make a clay or terra-cotta.’ A modelling class had recently been opened in the College under Miss Stirling; Miss Beale was much interested in it and anxious to encourage it.
The wish of the Council took the form of a resolution to which Miss Beale replied:—
‘June 1889.‘I certainly have a very great objection to the thought of my portrait being placed in the Ladies’ College during my life. When our Guild asked me to allow this last year I refused.‘Secondly, I shouldmuchregret the diversion of funds which are so much needed for improvements in the College, and for the extension of work in many directions; whether that money is contributed from public or private sources.‘Lastly, I believe that putting myself forward in this way would be a real hindrance to my work, as it would give a false impression regarding the share I have been allowed to take in helping on the growth of this College.‘I thought of getting Miss Stirling, who models portraits, to take one in clay, this would be executed in stone by Mr. Martyn at small cost, and would answer all historical purposes. I have a variety of photos, too.’
‘June 1889.
‘I certainly have a very great objection to the thought of my portrait being placed in the Ladies’ College during my life. When our Guild asked me to allow this last year I refused.
‘Secondly, I shouldmuchregret the diversion of funds which are so much needed for improvements in the College, and for the extension of work in many directions; whether that money is contributed from public or private sources.
‘Lastly, I believe that putting myself forward in this way would be a real hindrance to my work, as it would give a false impression regarding the share I have been allowed to take in helping on the growth of this College.
‘I thought of getting Miss Stirling, who models portraits, to take one in clay, this would be executed in stone by Mr. Martyn at small cost, and would answer all historical purposes. I have a variety of photos, too.’
Later, she consented to give a few sittings to Mrs. Lea Merritt, for whose work she had a great admiration. The approach of the College Jubilee made a new moment for appealing to her again on this subject, and at the Guild meeting of 1902 she was presented with the following address, composed by Miss Amy Lumby and signed by a large number of old pupils:—
‘Dear Miss Beale,—We, the undersigned, your “children,” once in learning and always in affection, approach you with a very earnest wish. There is not one amongst us who does not look back with loving delight to the time when she saw your face daily, and learnt from your lips what things were best worth learning.‘The face we can never forget, but we should like to be able to have it constantly before us in such a form as shall call up again the spirit of those happy bygone days. There exists as yet no counterfeit presentment of our “School-mother” which does this; only a great artist can accomplish the task worthily; and so we beg, and beg most earnestly that, for our sake and for the sake of those who come after us, you will consent to let a portrait of yourself be painted by such an one, and will accept it for the College in commemoration of the Jubilee.’
‘Dear Miss Beale,—We, the undersigned, your “children,” once in learning and always in affection, approach you with a very earnest wish. There is not one amongst us who does not look back with loving delight to the time when she saw your face daily, and learnt from your lips what things were best worth learning.
‘The face we can never forget, but we should like to be able to have it constantly before us in such a form as shall call up again the spirit of those happy bygone days. There exists as yet no counterfeit presentment of our “School-mother” which does this; only a great artist can accomplish the task worthily; and so we beg, and beg most earnestly that, for our sake and for the sake of those who come after us, you will consent to let a portrait of yourself be painted by such an one, and will accept it for the College in commemoration of the Jubilee.’
Miss Beale was much touched by this appeal. She received it in eloquent silence, but at the last gathering before the Guild members separated her reply was read aloud by Miss Ker:—
‘I am touched by the kind wish of the Guild conveyed to me in the resolution of yesterday. I am afraid a third attempt would be no more successful than the preceding. The unbiassed artist represents his subject as she is, not as she seems to be to those who are good enough to overlook her defects, and love her in spite of them. Still, if it is really wished that another attempt should be made, I will willingly sit once more.’
‘I am touched by the kind wish of the Guild conveyed to me in the resolution of yesterday. I am afraid a third attempt would be no more successful than the preceding. The unbiassed artist represents his subject as she is, not as she seems to be to those who are good enough to overlook her defects, and love her in spite of them. Still, if it is really wished that another attempt should be made, I will willingly sit once more.’
The work was entrusted to Mr. J. J. Shannon, R.A., who had proved his ability for the task by the portraits of Miss Clough and Miss Wordsworth. No effort was spared by the painter to realise Miss Beale at her best,[96]and she gave a good deal of time to sittings, which were employed also in listening to reading aloud. Dr. Illingworth’sPersonality Human and Divine, a very favourite work of hers, was often chosen. Sometimes this work was displaced byLorna Doone, which Miss Beale said ‘amused the painter.’ The Lady Principal was painted in her LL.D. robes, but also in her familiar head-dress,son petit bonnet de douairière. She is represented as looking up with the glance well known to those who had watched her when she lectured. The attitude, which is as much that of disciple as teacher, was fitly chosen.
The portrait was formally presented by the Duchess of Bedford on November 8, 1904, and with it an illuminated book containing the names of the donors. Miss Beale in her reply said:—
‘You have all come here moved by loyalty to your College. Loyalty is not a personal matter.... Tribute was due not to Tiberius but to Caesar; so you wanted a portrait of a Lady Principal—not of the person but of the representative,—and the Principal has a great advantage over the person in that the former lasts on when the latter passes away; loyalty outlasts life:—so I look on your gift as a page of College history. But not only have you brought a present for the College. I find also a beautiful book for my own personal self, not my official self, a record of affection from my children, which warms my heart, and makes me long to be more worthy of it.‘But if the affection of those we love is an energising power, it produces a moral tension, not unmingled with fear.... He who recorded the names in the ancient church wrote: “Let us fear lest we also come short.” But as I have said, the Principal does not die. Like the Lama she is re-incarnated. In her, ifthe body dies, theesprit de corpssurvives, and I look forward to the time when another shall reign in my stead, ... and a procession of rulers greater than their ancestors ... shall see developments which we cannot foresee.’
‘You have all come here moved by loyalty to your College. Loyalty is not a personal matter.... Tribute was due not to Tiberius but to Caesar; so you wanted a portrait of a Lady Principal—not of the person but of the representative,—and the Principal has a great advantage over the person in that the former lasts on when the latter passes away; loyalty outlasts life:—so I look on your gift as a page of College history. But not only have you brought a present for the College. I find also a beautiful book for my own personal self, not my official self, a record of affection from my children, which warms my heart, and makes me long to be more worthy of it.
‘But if the affection of those we love is an energising power, it produces a moral tension, not unmingled with fear.... He who recorded the names in the ancient church wrote: “Let us fear lest we also come short.” But as I have said, the Principal does not die. Like the Lama she is re-incarnated. In her, ifthe body dies, theesprit de corpssurvives, and I look forward to the time when another shall reign in my stead, ... and a procession of rulers greater than their ancestors ... shall see developments which we cannot foresee.’
For various reasons it was necessary to postpone the College Jubilee celebrations until May 1905. On this occasion a bust of Miss Beale was presented to the College by some admirers of her work who were not connected with it. A large new wing built for science teaching was opened by Lord Londonderry, then President of the Board of Education; and there were many distinguished guests. Two memorable speeches were made on this great occasion. One by the Chairman of the Council, Dr. Magrath, Provost of Queen’s College, Oxford, who made a brief but very sympathetic retrospect of the past history of the Ladies’ College. The other was from Mrs. Bryant, Head-mistress of the North London Collegiate School. She, as was fitting, looked forward to the future, and foreshadowed a large development of the work so well begun and established at Cheltenham. This Jubilee Day was the only public commemoration the Ladies’ College ever had. It was fitting that there should be one great public acknowledgment of Miss Beale’s work before the day came when she must leave it to the guidance of another.
‘And, when the day was done, relieved at once.’Browning,How it strikes a Contemporary.
‘And, when the day was done, relieved at once.’Browning,How it strikes a Contemporary.
‘And, when the day was done, relieved at once.’Browning,How it strikes a Contemporary.
‘And, when the day was done, relieved at once.’
‘And, when the day was done, relieved at once.’
Browning,How it strikes a Contemporary.
Browning,How it strikes a Contemporary.
At the beginning of the year 1905 Miss Beale sought to induce Bishop Ellicott, who had then resigned his see of Gloucester, to continue to visit the Ladies’ College, Cheltenham, as he had done for upwards of thirty years. He declined on the ground of ill-health, saying, ‘Among the many things that I regret being unable to attend to, I regret none more than the addresses to the bright-eyed attentive hearers I always secured at the College. But all things must have an end.’ This was written but a few months before the Bishop’s death.
Miss Beale, happily for her active spirit, was not thus summoned to retire from work owing to age or feeble health. She had expressed more than once the wish that she might die in harness, and her letters since 1900 had frequently breathed the wonder that she should still last on, and up to the summer of 1906 there was nothing to suggest that the end was really drawing near.
The last Christmas holidays were happy. Miss Beale made a round of visits. At Lindfield she stayed with Miss Keyl, an old Gloucestershire friend, in London with Mrs. Tallents, an old pupil. Lastly, having been joined by Miss Alice Andrews, she went for a few days toMiss Wedgwood, whose sister, Lady Farrer, was also staying with her. Miss Beale greatly enjoyed her time with these old friends whom she had first known as pupils at Queen’s College. She was singularly active. ‘I dare say you would like to do just one thing each day,’ said one hostess to her, little realising the vitality which would carry her on through a long series of events such as would tire out most younger people.
The spring passed with little special incident, but for Miss Beale it was saddened by the death of Mrs. Charles Robinson in March.
In the Easter holidays Miss Beale much enjoyed a visit to Miss Mellish, Head-mistress of the Ladies’ College, Guernsey. Here she made many new acquaintances, took drives, saw places of interest, and kept an account of all in her diary. But the draft of a letter to some friend during this visit shows, that in spite of her courageous spirit, she felt her own term of work in this world to be practically over.
‘Guernsey,April 1906.‘I arrived here yesterday. I am staying with a very nice old girl who is Head-mistress of the College here. I have long wished to see this beautiful island where I have many friends. I have one of our staff with me who is a geologist, and is enjoying rambles. I don’t go about now without some one, a “lady-in-waiting,” to take care of me.‘The revolutionary changes make one anxious, the Bill to legalise “peaceful persuasion” especially. Perhaps the German conquest may change all. That a contest must come there seems no doubt, but it is better not to prophesy till after the event....‘There are problems enough for our successors on this planet. I wonder what we shall find to do,—what battles to fight when we pass out of sight.... I don’t think we shall want onlyrest.’
‘Guernsey,April 1906.
‘I arrived here yesterday. I am staying with a very nice old girl who is Head-mistress of the College here. I have long wished to see this beautiful island where I have many friends. I have one of our staff with me who is a geologist, and is enjoying rambles. I don’t go about now without some one, a “lady-in-waiting,” to take care of me.
‘The revolutionary changes make one anxious, the Bill to legalise “peaceful persuasion” especially. Perhaps the German conquest may change all. That a contest must come there seems no doubt, but it is better not to prophesy till after the event....
‘There are problems enough for our successors on this planet. I wonder what we shall find to do,—what battles to fight when we pass out of sight.... I don’t think we shall want onlyrest.’
In the summer, having at first declined the invitation, Miss Beale was persuaded to address the Head-mistresses’Conference, which met on June 8 and 9 at the Clapham High School. In spite of the deafness, which made her dread committee meetings, she took her share in the discussions. Speaking on a resolution concerning the suffrage she said: ‘The underpayment of women went to the heart of all as a crying evil, and made every one earnest about the extension of the suffrage.’ She also in a later discussion expressed her emphatic disapproval of afternoon compulsory school, and related the history of the change made at Cheltenham in 1864.
The address to the assembled head-mistresses on the following morning, Miss Beale’s last public utterance, may well find a place here. Full of the tenderest regard for the past, appreciating as no younger worker could the ideals and conflicts of her own generation, that utterance showed a front of marvellous courage and hope to the anxieties of the present and future.
‘I feel a sorrowful pride as I remember some of the Heads of the great Schools, who have passed out of sight, but whose works follow them. We were happy in our founder:[97]with such a leader one felt ashamed of any evil spirit of competition: she always wanted to impart any good gift and introduce improved methods of teaching: to recommend new books, and to propose arrangements for the better organisation of schools, for the training of teachers, for extending the sphere of women’s work, for relieving them of the pressure of anxiety about old age: these things occupied her thoughts while she was still herself bearing the burden of financial responsibility, and generously caring for those bound to her by strong ties of family affection.... It was the celestial light which shone inwardly that irradiated her outward life. Of external work she undertook perhaps more than she ought to have done. She was on the Governing Body of the Church Schools Company, a member of our Governing Body, and of that of several other schools. She spared no pains in labouring for others, always sympathising and sustaining, fighting for the best good. Above all, actuating her, and enabling her to go on bravely, was that optimismwhich came from the belief that God had given her this work to do, and that His Spirit would sustain her. Most gracefully did she descend from her throne when the end came. I shall not forget our last interview, when she playfully alluded to the fact that she had now to become again as a little child, to obey where she had ruled, and she was content to pass on the work into the hands of one so able, so beloved, so trusted as Mrs. Bryant.‘Another early member was Miss Benson, the first Head-mistress of the Girls’ Public Day Schools Company’s School at Oxford, and afterwards, for a few months, at Bedford; she was a burning and a shining light, unsparing in her demands upon herself and others;—she might have been called Zelotes.‘Of her successor, our own beloved Miss Belcher, it is hard for me to speak. She was the soul of honour. I remember one day she and her friend[98]came to me and said one of them would like to apply for a good post, at a time when head-mistress-ships did not abound. I said, “I think I ought to tell you that events are impending which may shake our College to its foundations.” Some would have said, “Let us seek another shelter.” Their answer was, “We shall not apply.” Sometimes one thinks that if she could have had a less onerous work than the rule over the great school at Bedford, which left but little leisure for exercise, she might be at work now. But we will put aside “Might-have-beens,” as we see how her spirit lives in her school. One of the Bedford Council thought when a salary of over £1000 was offered, there would be many applications—thought we might send a second Head as her successor, but not one of our staff would apply, for Miss Belcher had chosen.‘This year has taken from us one of my best-beloved pupils, the late Head-mistress of Truro High School, afterwards the wife of Canon Charles Robinson; all who knew her regarded her as indeed a saint.‘I may not speak of the living—none are happy till their death—but it is a joy to me (now the most ancient grandmother of all) to see with intimate knowledge the good work being done by those whom I have learned to know as friends and fellow-workers. Specially close ties bind me to those Head-mistresses whom we ourselves have sent forth. Of these in the Association there are now twenty presiding over important schools, and ten who are no longer Heads, not to name many who for various reasons do not belong to our Association.‘To turn to less personal matters, we who belong toSecondary Schools have been happy in escaping the troubles which beset those schools which receive Government grants. So far, Secondary Schools have been allowed some individuality. I think we may give thanks for the liberty of “prophesying,” that we have hitherto enjoyed. I rather dread the result of the absorption into Trusts of the great School Companies. “Wha dare meddle wi’ me?” has been the cry of some of us, and the prickles have protected the flower.‘Then we have escaped payment by results, and interference from inspectors, some of whom are able to see the body but not the soul which moves it.‘The present troubles bring us into closer sympathy with those who have been enduring what seemed to us an Egyptian bondage, but who were doing grand work in disciplining and drilling the masses. Many of those who are now to take up the management of Council schools are now brought into closer relation with ours.‘ ... And now what is the main issue before us? When the Secondary Schools are absorbed into the national system, and orders are issued to us from the Education Department, shall we be told that we also are to give only secular instruction, and forbidden to give definite teaching regarding the creeds and ritual which express the truths by which we live;—shall we be forbidden to ask any questions about the fitness of the teachers whom we wish to appoint? These are matters which seem to press for answers.‘Only a few thoughts can I throw out to-day on this subject. First, it seems inconceivable that there should be any such limitations of the realms of knowledge as is implied in the word “secular.” Man’s thoughts cannot be shut in by space or time, he must seek the real beneath the phenomenal, he must search for the ultimate; more than any earthly or secular good he desires to know and live for the things which belong to an eternal world,—the true, the beautiful, the good. All literature, all history, attests this. Whence then the discordant cries, some demanding secular teaching only, others fearing it?‘I think we are confused sometimes, because we do not remember or recognise sufficiently that there are two ways of approaching the subject of religious teaching and of all subjects of thought. Take for an illustration the subject now occupying the scientific world. Can we retain the conception of the atom as formulated in the last century? Is matter an aggregate of impenetrable, indivisible nodules, or is an atom merely a centre of force? Have we nothing that we should call solid,only vortices? Is solidity a flux of ions? These are all matters on which the wisest may differ, but there are certain fundamental facts on which all are agreed—the fact that there must be one all-embracing medium through which relations are realised. So in the world of spirit, the fact is indisputable that we are conscious of forces affecting us and on which we individually react, indisputable that we can interpret facts of sensation, and this necessitates a belief in the correspondence of our mind with one all-embracing spirit; it seems impossible to doubt that in interpreting the universe we are corresponding with and holding communion with an infinite mind revealed in Nature, and we repeat with inner conviction the first article of our Creed—“God created,”—we pass on to the second half—“God created man in His own image,” and so we go on to speak of other articles of faith. Philosophy, which has so large a place in the Bible teaching and which is always based on the facts of our inner consciousness and our moral sense, ought, I believe, to have a larger space in our teaching, but we should endeavour more to build on foundations which cannot be shaken. The mystery of our own being, the distinction of the “I” and the “Me,” the facts of conscience, the συνείδησις which lifts us out of the mere individual or animal, and speaks of the relation of the true self to the eternal, the kingdom of righteousness,—the evolution of human thought through the ages,—leads on to the faith that man is indeed the child of God, that His Spirit is inspiring us.‘What seem to us present troubles are perhaps intended to make us dig deeper in the field wherein the great treasure of spiritual truth is hidden, so that we may say with fuller conscious conviction, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”—“is within you.”’
‘I feel a sorrowful pride as I remember some of the Heads of the great Schools, who have passed out of sight, but whose works follow them. We were happy in our founder:[97]with such a leader one felt ashamed of any evil spirit of competition: she always wanted to impart any good gift and introduce improved methods of teaching: to recommend new books, and to propose arrangements for the better organisation of schools, for the training of teachers, for extending the sphere of women’s work, for relieving them of the pressure of anxiety about old age: these things occupied her thoughts while she was still herself bearing the burden of financial responsibility, and generously caring for those bound to her by strong ties of family affection.... It was the celestial light which shone inwardly that irradiated her outward life. Of external work she undertook perhaps more than she ought to have done. She was on the Governing Body of the Church Schools Company, a member of our Governing Body, and of that of several other schools. She spared no pains in labouring for others, always sympathising and sustaining, fighting for the best good. Above all, actuating her, and enabling her to go on bravely, was that optimismwhich came from the belief that God had given her this work to do, and that His Spirit would sustain her. Most gracefully did she descend from her throne when the end came. I shall not forget our last interview, when she playfully alluded to the fact that she had now to become again as a little child, to obey where she had ruled, and she was content to pass on the work into the hands of one so able, so beloved, so trusted as Mrs. Bryant.
‘Another early member was Miss Benson, the first Head-mistress of the Girls’ Public Day Schools Company’s School at Oxford, and afterwards, for a few months, at Bedford; she was a burning and a shining light, unsparing in her demands upon herself and others;—she might have been called Zelotes.
‘Of her successor, our own beloved Miss Belcher, it is hard for me to speak. She was the soul of honour. I remember one day she and her friend[98]came to me and said one of them would like to apply for a good post, at a time when head-mistress-ships did not abound. I said, “I think I ought to tell you that events are impending which may shake our College to its foundations.” Some would have said, “Let us seek another shelter.” Their answer was, “We shall not apply.” Sometimes one thinks that if she could have had a less onerous work than the rule over the great school at Bedford, which left but little leisure for exercise, she might be at work now. But we will put aside “Might-have-beens,” as we see how her spirit lives in her school. One of the Bedford Council thought when a salary of over £1000 was offered, there would be many applications—thought we might send a second Head as her successor, but not one of our staff would apply, for Miss Belcher had chosen.
‘This year has taken from us one of my best-beloved pupils, the late Head-mistress of Truro High School, afterwards the wife of Canon Charles Robinson; all who knew her regarded her as indeed a saint.
‘I may not speak of the living—none are happy till their death—but it is a joy to me (now the most ancient grandmother of all) to see with intimate knowledge the good work being done by those whom I have learned to know as friends and fellow-workers. Specially close ties bind me to those Head-mistresses whom we ourselves have sent forth. Of these in the Association there are now twenty presiding over important schools, and ten who are no longer Heads, not to name many who for various reasons do not belong to our Association.
‘To turn to less personal matters, we who belong toSecondary Schools have been happy in escaping the troubles which beset those schools which receive Government grants. So far, Secondary Schools have been allowed some individuality. I think we may give thanks for the liberty of “prophesying,” that we have hitherto enjoyed. I rather dread the result of the absorption into Trusts of the great School Companies. “Wha dare meddle wi’ me?” has been the cry of some of us, and the prickles have protected the flower.
‘Then we have escaped payment by results, and interference from inspectors, some of whom are able to see the body but not the soul which moves it.
‘The present troubles bring us into closer sympathy with those who have been enduring what seemed to us an Egyptian bondage, but who were doing grand work in disciplining and drilling the masses. Many of those who are now to take up the management of Council schools are now brought into closer relation with ours.
‘ ... And now what is the main issue before us? When the Secondary Schools are absorbed into the national system, and orders are issued to us from the Education Department, shall we be told that we also are to give only secular instruction, and forbidden to give definite teaching regarding the creeds and ritual which express the truths by which we live;—shall we be forbidden to ask any questions about the fitness of the teachers whom we wish to appoint? These are matters which seem to press for answers.
‘Only a few thoughts can I throw out to-day on this subject. First, it seems inconceivable that there should be any such limitations of the realms of knowledge as is implied in the word “secular.” Man’s thoughts cannot be shut in by space or time, he must seek the real beneath the phenomenal, he must search for the ultimate; more than any earthly or secular good he desires to know and live for the things which belong to an eternal world,—the true, the beautiful, the good. All literature, all history, attests this. Whence then the discordant cries, some demanding secular teaching only, others fearing it?
‘I think we are confused sometimes, because we do not remember or recognise sufficiently that there are two ways of approaching the subject of religious teaching and of all subjects of thought. Take for an illustration the subject now occupying the scientific world. Can we retain the conception of the atom as formulated in the last century? Is matter an aggregate of impenetrable, indivisible nodules, or is an atom merely a centre of force? Have we nothing that we should call solid,only vortices? Is solidity a flux of ions? These are all matters on which the wisest may differ, but there are certain fundamental facts on which all are agreed—the fact that there must be one all-embracing medium through which relations are realised. So in the world of spirit, the fact is indisputable that we are conscious of forces affecting us and on which we individually react, indisputable that we can interpret facts of sensation, and this necessitates a belief in the correspondence of our mind with one all-embracing spirit; it seems impossible to doubt that in interpreting the universe we are corresponding with and holding communion with an infinite mind revealed in Nature, and we repeat with inner conviction the first article of our Creed—“God created,”—we pass on to the second half—“God created man in His own image,” and so we go on to speak of other articles of faith. Philosophy, which has so large a place in the Bible teaching and which is always based on the facts of our inner consciousness and our moral sense, ought, I believe, to have a larger space in our teaching, but we should endeavour more to build on foundations which cannot be shaken. The mystery of our own being, the distinction of the “I” and the “Me,” the facts of conscience, the συνείδησις which lifts us out of the mere individual or animal, and speaks of the relation of the true self to the eternal, the kingdom of righteousness,—the evolution of human thought through the ages,—leads on to the faith that man is indeed the child of God, that His Spirit is inspiring us.
‘What seem to us present troubles are perhaps intended to make us dig deeper in the field wherein the great treasure of spiritual truth is hidden, so that we may say with fuller conscious conviction, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”—“is within you.”’
On her way to Paddington after the Head-mistresses’ Conference, the cab which contained Miss Beale and Miss Andrews was run into by another, a shaft shattering the window beside Miss Beale.
She did not realise her danger or that her shawl was full of bits of broken glass. The accident is alluded to in the letter she afterwards wrote to Mrs. Woodhouse, whose guest she had been at Clapham.