Questions for Women (and Men). By Honnor Morten. (A. and
C. Black. 2s.)—Mrs. Henry Fawcett, who writes an introduc- tion, and Miss Honuor Morten are just a little—shall we say irreconcilable ? Surely, for instance, Miss Morten might have thought of one reason why women should not be Justices of the Peace. A " J.P." is sometimes called upon to read the Riot Act, and has to direct the military to fire. Is that the right place for a woman P We do not want to be told about Semiramis, and Queen Hatshepsu, and Joan of Are, and the Amazons of Dahomey, but does Miss Morten seriously maintain that women who might with perfect fitness be District Councillors are as likely to have the qualifications which would fit them for this duty, one which any J.P." may be called upon to perform ? There is plenty of good sense in other chapters, and it is certainly not the custom of the Spectator to be disrespectful to the claims of women, but are not such assertions somewhat damaging to the real cause ? Is it not, again, an exaggeration to say that because the Educa- tion Department allow the eight square feet basis for infant schools "the children die of fever and diphtheria in their hundreds and thousands " ? After all, a fairly lofty room—for the height is a very important matter, and is always taken into account- 15 ft. 9in. square gives not so much worse accommodation for thirty infants than they have in their own homes. In the same chapter we read : "The boy does not learn his trade at school ; neither should the girl." We are greatly disposed to agree. But
is not all the clamour about rural schools for this very reason, that boys ought to learn their trades at schools ? For ourselves, wo cling to the idea that education ought to be literary, or as much so as it can be.
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