“The vocation of a teacher is an awful one. You cannot do her real good; she will do others unspeakable harm if she is not aware of its awfulness. Merely to supply her with necessaries, merely to assist her in procuring them for herself—though that is far better, because in so doing you awaken energy of character, reflection, providence—is not fitting her for her work; you may confirm her in the notion that the training an immortal spirit may be just as lawfully undertaken in a case of emergency as that of selling ribbons? How can you give a woman self-respect, how can you win for her the respect of others, in whom such a notion, or any modification of it dwells? Your business is, by all means, to dispossess 201her of it; to make her feel the greatness of her work, and yet show her that it can be honestly performed.”—F. D. Maurice, Lecture on opening Queen’s College. It is always of interest to compare dreams with deeds, the ideal with the actual. And this we are enabled to do with regard to Miss Buss’ educational ideals, since we have first her own words at different stages in her work, before any change was made, as well as during the time of transition; and afterwards, from a keen observer, we have a summary of results, and see how the dream had become fact, how the aim was attained.
There is very little of Miss Buss’ writing to be found in print. But we have one letter written, in 1868, to a lady in Otago, and published in a colonial paper, which gives us her ideas and her aims for future work just before the great change.
“North London Collegiate School for Ladies,
“12, Camden Street,
“Nov. 13, 1868.
“Dear Madam,
“I have read with much pleasure your interesting account of the progress of education in your colony. You will soon leave the old country behind if you go so rapidly. There is much to be done before it can be said that England has a great national system of education....
“Lord Lyttelton has taken a deep interest in education, and has especially devoted himself to the consideration of the question in relation to girls. If you have not seen it, I recommend to your notice the Report of the Schools Inquiry Commission presented to the Imperial Parliament at the beginning of this year. It forms the first of a series of twenty-one Blue books, all of which are interesting for all who care for middle-class education. The chapter on the education of girls was, I believe, written by Lord Lyttelton.
“The school of which I am head-mistress was opened eighteen years ago, under the immediate patronage of the local clergy. The girls’ school followed almost immediately the opening of a boys’ 202school, which has numbered about four hundred for some years past. Both schools have from the first been entirely self-supporting. The girls have, however, outgrown their accommodation in two good-sized houses, but will, I trust, in time be located in a suitable building. The schools have always been conducted on what is here called the ‘conscience clause’; that is, the parents have the right of omitting the Church of England Catechism or any part of the religious teaching they object to. Even Jewesses[9] have received their whole education in the school.
“The routine of English has been considerably improved by the extension to girls’ schools of the Cambridge Local Examinations. It is impossible, I think, to overrate the good already done in girls’ schools by these examinations. A definite standard is given, there is no undue publicity, but schools are able to measure their teaching by the opinions of unknown and, therefore, impartial examiners.
“I cannot, of course, judge of the wants of a new colony, but my experience goes to show that it is better to include in the routine of study all the necessary branches, and I think a second language is one. It is almost impossible to teach English well unless another language is studied with it, and that other language should be Latin, or French, or German. Of course I do not say that this should be taught in the elementary stages, but I should not allow parents to have the power of stopping the teaching on the ground of extra expense.
“We teach French, really, I think, allowing no option. Latin also in the higher classes, with little or no option, except in the case of delicate girls.
“After my many years of work, if I were now to found a school for what might be called the middle section (and, indeed, the upper section also) of the middle-class, I should include all that I have mentioned, viz. English thoroughly, with Elementary Science in courses such as I have alluded to, French, Latin, bold outline 203drawing, careful part singing, plain needlework, and thorough arithmetic, with geometry and algebra in the higher classes. I would rigidly and entirely omit all arrangements for teaching instrumental music, which I believe to be the bane of girls’ schools, in the time wasted and the expense entailed. I have omitted, I see, harmony, by which I mean the laws of musical construction, an interesting, and, in an educational point of view, a most useful subject for mental training. Instrumental music—the piano chiefly—might fairly be left to a private teacher, as might dancing also. In Germany, I think, instrumental music is never taught in the Tochter Schule, but is always left to private teaching.
“No school ought to omit physical training—that is, Calisthenics, or something equivalent. This we have of late enforced among the elder girls. Our system, an American idea, called Musical Gymnastics, is excellent. Easy, graceful, and not too fatiguing, gently calling every part of the body into play by bright spirited music, which cultivates rhythm of movement, it has become popular, and has wonderfully improved the figure and carriage of the girls. Our exercises last from twenty minutes to half an hour almost daily—as much as we can manage, always four days out of five.”
9.  A letter from an old Jewish pupil, in the Jewish Chronicle, is full of deepest regret for her loss, giving many instances of special kindnesses received by the writer. “She was so strictly just that she gave every consideration to the first Jewish pupil who wished to participate in the honours not then open to Jews, acknowledging to that same pupil in after years that she gave the consideration in justice only, for, if anything, she was slightly prejudiced against a race she had only read about and not known.”
Miss Buss then goes on to explain fully her ideal of what the education of girls should be, giving her preference for “large day schools, with all the life and discipline that numbers only can give; not to speak of the greater efficiency and cheapness of the teaching.” She thinks that “our young women are narrowed sadly by want of the sympathy, large experience, and right self-estimation which only mixing with numbers gives.” She sees that the head of the school should be a woman, “left free to work the school, on certain conditions, without a committee of management.” The buildings, of course, “should be vested in a body of trustees, of which some should be women.”
It has sometimes been urged as a reproach that Miss Buss employed women-teachers in preference to men. That she employed women wherever it was 204possible is certain, because she considered teaching a legitimate occupation for women, and set herself to fit them for the work. That women could teach, she knew from her own experience. That they should teach better in the future than they had ever done in the past was one of her steady aims, and one that she attained.
Here is a strong expression of her feeling when she first read the report of the Edinburgh Merchants’ Company’s Schools, in 1872—
“The report is interesting, but I absolutely burn with indignation (does not my atrocious handwriting bear witness to it?) at the bare notion of men teachers in the upper girls’ schools. It is shameful, costly (because some poor drudge of a woman must accept starvation pay, in order to maintain decorum by being present at every master’s lesson), and it is degrading to women’s education. How can girls value it, when they see that no amount of it will make a woman fit to teach them, except as infants.
“Don’t be frightened, I feel well and even amiable, though I am in a great hurry, and my hand aches.”
Her own deliberate opinion on this matter is expressed in the letter to her colonial correspondent—
“Although I advocate certain teaching being given by men to the elder girls, it does not seem desirable that the head of a girls’ school should be a man. There are many things in the training of a young woman which cannot be enforced by a man, or even by a woman whose position does not carry the weight of authority. Women, also, teach young and ignorant children better than men, their patience and sympathy being greater. On the other hand, it is highly desirable, when girls are beyond the drudgery of school-work, that their minds should be touched by men. A certain fibre seems to be given by this means. At present women’s ignorance prevents them from giving the highest kind of teaching, but a brighter day is dawning for them I trust.”
All through her career, Miss Buss arranged for good lectures from men, as well as from women, and the 205regular religious instruction was always given by a clergyman. In early days there were courses of lectures by Dr. Hodgson and Mr. Payne. There were lectures on literature from French and German professors, in their own tongues. At one time the girls would be entranced by glimpses of the starry heavens from Mr. Proctor; at another, they were ready, en masse, to follow Captain Wiggins through the perils of the Arctic seas, to Siberia. In brief, these extra lectures included every possible subject that could tend to culture, in history, travels, art, or social matters.
How Miss Bass advanced in educational theory is shown in extracts from her letters in 1872, just after the private school had been made public, and while the work of organization was still going on—
“When we are once fairly started, matters will go on more easily. The anxiety over money will go, for instance. After next year, the public meeting will go, I hope. Then I may devote myself to the inside of the school.
“I want to train up girl-students in science; I want to teach music grandly—thoroughly in classes—making each girl understand what she plays, as well as if she were reading some passage of poetry, teaching her to find out the musician’s thought; his mode of expressing it; other ways of expression of the same thought, viz. words. The grammar of music should be known to every musician.
“Of course, only some girls would fully benefit by this teaching, but all who were taught would get some good. In this last point Miss Maclean, now Mrs. G. Fraser, will help. Indeed, she will carry out my idea thoroughly.[10] We must have a room with four pianos to begin with, and increase to six, or eight, if necessary.
206“In science Mr. Aveling will help, and Miss Eliza Orme; but as soon as we can get some of our girls quite ready our assistant science teachers must come from them.
“Ah, ah, how I wish we could get a fine building for the Camden School; we do want a lecture hall and gymnasium so much.
“If ever we have a little money, I should like the old furniture in Camden Street to be turned to account in a still lower school—at a shilling a week. We might work out this plan and have two schools—not reckoning an evening one—in a room thus used.
“Then I want to (perhaps) turn No. 202, Camden Road, into a Day Training College for Teachers. When we have left the house, we might give up the large room behind, and so diminish the rent.
“Of this Training or Normal College Miss Chessar could be superintendent, without giving up her whole time. The house would enable us to train at least a hundred students at a time, and they must pay for their training; as much, certainly, as the school fees would amount to.
“Our Training College should not receive ignorant girls. None should join who could not pass our examination at entrance.
“Our students should learn the history of great teachers, their methods, etc., should learn how to teach and what to teach; how to develop the mental, moral, and physical capacities of their pupils (by moral I mean also spiritual). We would affiliate to our College the National Schools, the School Boards of the neighbourhood, and our own girls’ schools, so that every student in training should have the opportunity of seeing actual schools in work.
“I have not mentioned this last to any one but Mr. Payne, for several reasons, one being that I am ambitious for the cause of education and especially for the mixture of sexes; if the College of Preceptors would take up the idea, it might be better left to them. Our board might then rent to them our present house. If the Preceptors won’t do it, then I would urge our board to try the question.
“Our chairman thinks this professional aspect of teaching ridiculous. I remained silent while he was speaking, as I am gradually growing into the idea that teaching is one of the noblest 207professions, not second even to medicine—one does with the body, the other with the immortal soul!
“But one point will be to carry first the half-time lower school; no doubt the Brewers will warm to this, if I ca............