ON THE DISADVANTAGES OF EDUCATION.

[To TEE BOIT= OF THE "BraorATon] Six,--So much is perpetually written and said about the advantages of education, that I feel impelled to try to give a glimpse of the reverse side of the shield to your readers. I am a young lady to whom has been given every possible educational opportunity; and I may say, in all modesty, that my advantages have not been entirely thrown away upon me.

After going through a three-years' course of study at a ladies' college at one of our Universities, and spending a year apiece in Dresden and Paris, I came home to Slocum in the shires hoping to become a centre of "sweetness and light" to its in- habitants. Up to the time of leaving France, I had been but little at home, usually travelling with my people during my vaca- tions, so that I had not much idea as to the sort of society I should meet in Slocum. To begin with, I found the three dozen families who comprised our " neighbourhood " pleasant and sociable, and there was a fair number of girls about my own age. The men were of the fox-hunting, unintellectual type, except the parson, who was unintellectual without the fox-hunting, and who divided the parish into fiery factions by his zeal in introducing ritualistic observances into his old- fashioned little church.

At first I tried to get the girls to meet together for a sort of mutual improvement society. We were to read French or German, or study some period in history or literature. One or two came for a time, but the majority refused, saying that they were afraid to show their ignorance before a person "so clever" as myself. That description has been fastened on me

with a vengeance ever since. Unluckily, I do not care for sport. It is not in me, and I have often regretted the want. All the girls at Slocum either hunt or follow the hounds on foot. I am no horsewoman, and when I drive to the meets can only get up a fictitious interest in the proceedings. Pond as I am of lawn-tennis and golf, yet I cannot abandon myself to either game with the sort of frenzy that Slocum demands and naturally I am voted "no go." Once I heard it stated that if ladies would only try to introduce some higher ele- ment into the senseless gossip, miscalled conversation, of society, that the whole tone of a neighbourhood might be raised, I took eagerly to this idea, but, like all my other efforts, it speedily fell to the ground. How can one "con- verse" with people who never read or think P One lady told me she rather liked reading, and would often dip into the third volume of a novel. It never occurred to her that such

a process should hardly be dignified by that title. Slocurrrloved scandal ; but so virtuous were its inhabitants that they-

would never have forgiven you if you had designated their favourite pastime by such a name.

I worked hard to bring light to ray neighbours, and fancied' I had succeeded, when, after infinite labour, I persuaded them. to attend University Extension lectures on English litera- ture. The lecturer was an enthusiastic Oxonian, and at first appeared not to notice the bored expression and barely stifled yawns of his audience. However, it dawned upon him before the end of his course of six lectures, that he was casting his pearls before swine. He besought us to write papers ; but this Slocum refused to do, on the well-grounded plea of ignorance. He conducted a sort of class after each lecture, at which all who stayed for it were invited to ask questions. This degenerated into a sort of second lecture, varied by questions from the boldest, which made the lecturer's.

lips twitch, from their absurd inanity. Once the restraint of the lecturer's presence removed, tongues wagged freely. The general opinion about him was that he was but superficially acquainted with his subjects, and this from ladies (of course no men attended the lectures) to whom Chaucer was not even a name, and Spenser a sealed book. No, I confess it, these lectures were by no means a success, and yet we had other courses. Slocum seemed bent on trying its luck in every path of knowledge. We had lectures on art, science, and ancient history. The science lectures were crowded at first, for it was the opinion of Slocum that science was something, straightforward and matter-of-fact, easy to be grasped by those who resented a lecturer giving his own views on a

historical question or a poem, and who wanted everything down in plain black and white, with no room left for the fancy- and imagination. I was indeed sorry for that science lecturer. It was intimated to him that he must give a popular course ; and unfortunately he treated his subject with such admirable lucidity that Slocum took up the attitude of "knowing all about that long ago ;" and so he was a failure.

We have one institution in Slocum that I must touch upon,, and that is the "feud." At first, I imagined in my ignorance that Slocum was a sort of Arcadia; but I was soon un- deceived. We have quarrels here between families that have lasted for years—I may almost say for generations—and there is not the ghost of a chance that they will ever be made up..

These time-honoured " feuds " are not visible to the un- initiated, as the Montagues will bow with an extra grace to the Capulets, and the Orsini will give the hand with apparent warmth to the Colonna. But wait. It may be many months before you comprehend, but one day you will hear Madame

Capulet speak of the Montagues in a way that leaves no room for doubt, and that would be sufficient to have her served with a summons for slander were her rash words repeated. Our parson has only accentuated these " feuds ; " for those who- worship at his shrine and whose hearts are bound up in Church millinery, form quite a faction in contradiction to the old school, who see in Ritttalism a short cut to Rome and the Papacy.

But enough of all this. Have I not said sufficient to show that my education outs me off from Slocum P Try as I may, I cannot assimilate with its inhabitants. My line of life is so different from theirs. They cannot comprehend a girl who

reads poetry, who adores music, and who has strained all her life after an ideal culture, and who has a passionate wise to

accomplish some little good in the world before she leaves it. I hear my readers say that I had better marry. That is all very

well ; but whom P Slocum has the usual paucity of young men, and a large majority of these belong to the ranks of the "un- employed," never deeming that life may perhaps not be given them solely to hunt six days a week throughout the winter, and then lounge about killing time as best they can when the hunting season is over. Even a day spent in the exclusive society of one of these amiable youths would bore me to ex- tinction, and I feel sure would be by no means an unmixed Pleasure to him Moreover, as I have the unfortunate reputa- tion of being "clever," the jeunesee doree look at me askance ever since it was darkly hinted that I read Greek.

Time is passing on, and still I remain at Slocnm with a hundred hopes and ideals not yet completely crushed out of me, but ever and anon rising up to show me the radical differ- ence between life as I once fondly imagined it might be, and life as it is. Fate, that inexorable " Anangke " of the Greeks, binds me fast, and I cannot but perceive that my eager interest in Art and such matters is gradually giving place to a dull indifference. The coma of Slocum is creeping over me ; and perhaps it is better so. Believe me, these are not the words of a femme incompriee. I have much, in fact nearly every- thing, to make me happy, and ray perverse longing for that cultured society, which I shall never enter, is but the fly in my pot of ointment, though in my darker moods I cannot help looking upon the midge of my happy hours as a gigantic