THE WOMEN'S COLLEGES AT OXFORD. [To THE EDITOR OF THE
"SPECTATOR."] SIR,—The admission of women to degrees in the University of Oxford and the generous welcome they have received afford a special occasion for bringing before the public the grave financial difficulties which confront the Oxford Societies of Women Students, and the urgent need for their permanent endowment. They need endowments to supply adequate salaries and pensions for the staff, to provide for the promotion of advanced studies and research, for the maintenance and development of libraries, and for the enlargement and upkeep of the buildings. For all these purposes the men's colleges have endowments available, and if the women's colleges are to carry on similar work they must be placed in a similar position. The five societies—Lady Margaret Hall, Somerville College, St. Hugh's College, St. Hilda's Hall, and the Society of Oxford Home Students—were all founded by voluntary effort and, apart from a very few special foundations for scholar- ships and one Research Fellowship, are without any permanent endowment. Before the war, by careful management and with the help of much voluntary service, it was just possible to maintain the societies on a self-supporting basis. The students' fees have now been considerably raised, but are still insufficient to meet even the most pressing needs, and cannot be increased without making the cost of an Oxford education for women prohibitive to all but the richer classes. We believe it will be widely felt to be disastrous that the oppor- tunity of an Oxford training for those women best fitted to receive it should be so narrowly limited.
An " Oxford Women's Colleges -Fund" has been opened. The Viscountess Rhondda has, kindly consented to be treasurer of the Fund, and all subscriptions should be sent to her at 92 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, S.W. 1. Contributors may either send donations to the General Fund, which will be apportioned equally between the five societies, or, if they so desire, may assign their donations specifically to one of them. Cheques should be crossed Oxford Women's Colleges Fund, National Provincial and Union Bank of England." We feel sure that there must be many who would desire to further the cause of women's education at Oxford, and we hope that our appeal, made at this critical moment, will meet with a generous response.—We are, Sir, &c., Cuazox OF KEDLESTON, Chancellor of the University; Lswis R. FARRELL, Vice-Chancellor; COSMO EBOR; BRYCE; RHONDDA; ROBERT CECIL; THOMAS RIPON; MAR- GARET AMPTHILL; H. H. ASQUITH; Joint SIMON; GEORGE R. PARKIN; LErrics FISHER; W. M. GELDART, Vinerian Professor of English Law; HENRIEPrA JEX-BLAKE, Prin- cipal of Lady Margaret Hall; BERTHA J. JOHNSON, Prin- cipal of the Society of Oxford Home-Students; ELEANOR F. JOURDAIN, Principal of St. Hugh's College; WINTERED H. MOBERLY, Principal of St. Hilda's Hall; GILBERT MURRAY, Regius Professor of Greek; EMILY PENROSE, Principal of Somerville College; W. B. SELBIE; C. S. SHERRINGTON, Wayntlete Professor of Physiology, Presi- dent of the Royal Society; ARTHUR L. SMITH, Master of Balliol; J. WELLS, Warden of Wadham.
Oxford.
[No words of ours are needed to enforce this appeal. Where all the items for which money is sought are important, what strikes us as specially important is the aim 'to pay adequate salaries to teachers. No man or woman can do good work in teaching when leading a starved life, and that is the life of the underpaid in an intellectual calling. A teacher may have sufficihnt bread and meat, but she starves none the less if she cannot get books and the other food of the brain. The simple life of the mind is not cheap and never can be.—ED. Spectator.]
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