And the university has two
advantages as a home of _science_ over the English universities: it is
far behind them in Greek, which is the language of error and nescience,
and before them in English, and that is a tongue a good deal of knowledge
is printed in. Edinburgh is the only center of British literature, except
London.
"One medical professor received the pioneer with a concise severity, and
declined to hear her plead her cause, and one received her almost
brutally. He said, 'No respectable woman would apply to him to study
medicine.' Now, respectable women were studying it all over Europe."
"Well, but perhaps his soul lived in an island."
"That is so. However, personal applicants must expect a rub or two; and
most of the professors, in and out of medicine, treated her with kindness
and courtesy.
"Still, she found even the friendly professors alarmed at the idea of a
woman matriculating, and becoming _Civis Edinensis;_ so she made a
moderate application to the Senate, viz., for leave to attend medical
lectures. This request was indorsed by a majority of the medical
professors, and granted. But on the appeal of a few medical professors
against it, the Senate suspended its resolution, on the ground that there
was only one applicant.
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