fulness these female schools and seminaries open for women of literary and medical education! For the purpose of promoting their success in the profession, the graduates of this College four years ago formed an association, called the New England Female Medical Society, now numbering twenty-five members, graduates from this and other colleges. Communications, verbal and written, are made at their meetings, and as their experience and observation extend they will be able to contribute more and more to the common stock for mutual improvement. There are some persons who think there should be no separate medical schools for females, but that the sexes should be educated together. If the argument of propriety, urged in favor of female physicians for their own sex, has any force, it holds good in favor of separate schools for their education. That the experiment of admitting female students to male medical colleges has proved unsatisfactory may be inferred from the circumstance that in most or all of the instances of the kind the practice has been discontinued, and applications from ladies are rejected on the very reasonable ground, that there are now medical colleges expressly for females which it is more proper that they should attend. For a time it was of course necessary to employ male professors only, there being no others; but of the six instructors in the college in Boston, three are now ladies; there are now also three in the Female College in Philadelphia.* In regard to hospital practice, there seems to be no good reason why female students should not obtain it in existing hospitals. In lying-in hospitals female physicians are certainly the proper attendants; and female students are the proper persons to assist and receive from them clinical instruction in the obstetric art. Madame Boivin and Madame Lachapelle, learned and skilful physicians, superintended above twenty thousand births each in the Hospital of Maternity in Paris, and with unequalled success. The women and children's wards in general hospitals, if not at present under the exclusive management of women physicians, could at specified times be attended by female students, by themselves, with lady professors to give the clinical instruction. The important movement now in progress for educating nurses would be greatly facilitated and advanced by the co-operation of female physicians, who could more appropriately and more conveniently, and therefore more successfully, than male physicians, instruct and train nurses in the care of lying-in and other female patients. That this is an enterprise of great magnitude, requiring labor It is, however, obvious that in a country where no female medical schools exist the experiment cannot be made unless the first students be allowed entrance to a male medical college or hospital, as was done in the case of Miss Blackwell, and with no undesirable result. and patience to carry it forward, all will concede. But what ought to be done can be done. "Time and I against any two," said Philip of Macedon. So time and the spirit of progress will overcome all obstacles; and the current once turned will move on of itself, broader and deeper. The profession will find their female colaborers gradually multiplying, and in the process of time the proportions will be duly adjusted. The progress of the cause must of course depend mainly upon women themselves. They alone, by earnest and patient endeavor and actual success, can practically solve the doubts and misgivings of well-wishers, remove the want of confidence of women in the abilities of their own sex, and overcome prejudice, interested opposition, and the tenacity of custom. Hitherto the men have taken the lead and shown the greater interest in this movement, women having naturally waited a little for the clearer sanction of the public voice. But they will not long hesitate where duty and humanity call. Any demonstration of the principle and of the success of the enterprise in one country of course gives it an impulse in every other enlightened nation. The cause has made some progress in America, but it needs the reacting influence of successful European experiment—especially from our fatherland. It is certainly time that England, in her great metropolis, had at least one medical college for women. II.-UNPAINTED PICTURES FROM AN BY ANNA MARY HOWITT WATTS, AUTHOR OF "AN ART STUDENT IN No. I. SOJOURN IN THE FARM-HOUSE BY THE SEA. September 12th.-Justina and I have been located several weeks in this "love lorn" farm-house near the sea, and our pleasant life glides away only too rapidly, like a bright, happy dream. We have stored up in our memories many a joy to revisit us like fitful gleams of sunshine in after years amidst sterner and more stirring realities. Amidst these pleasant memories will stand foremost the views from our windows. Let me here with my pen attempt to sketch a memory of the loveliness which greets us through our little sittingroom window. Now the pure ocean mirror, gleaming in the morning sheen, is dotted with a line of fishing-boats returning home; now the soft sea-haze rises solemnly, shrouding the line of ocean from our view, and our eyes rest only upon the nearer landscape, upon the gentle undulations of the steep hill rising opposite to our window, beyond the sloping meadow which abruptly descends from the little gate of the farm-house garden. The steep ascent of the hill is varied by the green pasture-fields and the golden lines of ripening harvest, and is crested by a coppice of oaks. A few veterans, storm-tossed and wildly stretching their arms bleached and bare from the seablast, are clustered together and rise conspicuously above the umbrageous crowns of their less aspiring comrades. We have watched this old oak-grove under many aspects. We have seen the calm, round silver shield of the harvest moon rise slowly up into the rose-tinted evening sky from behind the riven branches of the old oaks. In the sunset's "after glow" we have seen a great cloud, peaked and pinnacled like a huge Alp, slowly poise itself above the oak-grove which grew ever darker in the gathering twilight; whilst the cloud, blanched into spectral whiteness and gentle subtle lightnings, silently flickered through its vastness, flushing its pallor with an ethereal blush. Then, too, in the early morning how lovely, how joyous are the long shadows flung from the grove itself; from hedges, trees, and shrubs, down the steep, dewy pastures, where the cattle browse luxuriously, and across the rustling undulating billows of the ripening corn swayed by the sea-breeze! And how cheery has been the sight of a distant shepherd climbing the pasturefield, the sunshine twinkling upon his crook, and his long shadow slowly creeping up behind him over the dewy grass! Our temporary studio here is a large airy room at the back of the house, overlooking a corn-field-and here the windows have presented us with a series of pictures. The corn-field is divided from the house merely by a deep ditch. Willow-herb in the full glory of its spikes of deeply pink blossoms, brambles already touched here and there by Autumn's "fiery-finger," ferns, foxgloves, cowparsley, with its tall white umbels, and prickly thistles, cluster together upon the steep corn-field bank in grand confusion, and above the mass of weeds and flowers waved, until within a week, the myriad stalks of corn. Corn, corn, corn, bending, quivering, nodding, quaking, shivering, filled up the remainder of our view in monotonous but soothing perspective, until the ever-tremulous expanse of corn softly, yet with a certain abruptness, gave place to cloudland. Corn, corn, corn, clouds, and pure heavenly expanse― "this it was, and nothing more!" This last week a solitary reaper made his appearance amidst the corn. Slowly and solitarily he toiled on, hour after hour, day after day; curious was it to note the tall grain, which at first half-concealed him, gradually fall before him. As he labored on, a wigwam village seemed to arise behind him and extend in long lines athwart the plain of stubble. Occasionally a little ladthe man in miniature-with white, rolled-up shirt sleeves, grey. "wide-awake," and sunburnt arms complete-would ceaselessly follow in his steps, binding up the sheaves. But generally the man was alone; alone in the wide field at dawn, when pearly cloudlets swam through the opal heavens; alone in the hot noontide, when the corn gleamed silvery in the flood of intense light; alone when the pale sea-green tints of evening blended with gold and scarlet in the west, and when a purple, shadowy solemnity fell upon the upland corn-field. I fancy that I have discovered in this man, or in other solitary reapers whom we see reaping upon the vast upland corn-fields in this neighborhood, the prototype of a solitary reaper in a sketch by Holman Hunt, once shown me by an artist friend- -a sketch full of a sweet yet mournful poetry. Often in memory have I watched Hunt's solitary reaper toiling amidst the golden grain, with the azure firmament above him. And now, when my bodily eyes recognise the reality upon these breezy uplands, my spirit greets him with joy. Justina has commenced a water-color drawing of the present aspect of our corn-field. She will call her picture "A Harvest-field after a Storm." Imagine to yourself a stretch of very grey sky, with rugged and wild clouds hurrying across it, one streak of a brighter heaven gleaming through them; the corn, all gathered into shocks, looking grey instead of golden beneath these gloomy clouds. Shock after shock has been overthrown by last night's gale, which howled like lamenting ghosts around our casements. The field, especially at twilight, reminds one of some mournful battle-field. The shocks here standing firm in long array, there lying prostrate, leaning against each other, blown about, ragged, and toppling over, assume a fantastic wild resemblance to long lines of tents standing, or overthrown and desolated by a furious enemy, and to heaps of slaughtered men and horses. Earlier on in the evening, before the brightness had quite departed from the heavens, whilst they yet gleamed with the subdued presence of the sun behind a veil of thin cloud, the many shocks of corn scattered across the upland presented to my mind another human affinity. I felt as though I beheld in them a nation bowed by some vast affliction and scattered before God. Here were the firm and undaunted groups of men who looked up trustingly towards the veiled awful Presence; here were groups flung tumultuously into each other's arms seeking human aid in vain, and unconscious of a Divine glory glowing above them; here were solitary human beings flung prostrate in their agony of blindness, whilst others bowed themselves in deepest submission and humility, or stretched forth beseeching arms towards an Almighty power which they joyously recognised as mighty to pity and to save. September 16th.-Justina, returning from her sketching expedition to the Druids' Grove, called for me in my sylvan paintingroom of Hartstongue Dell, and, as we walked home, related her adventures of the day. It seems that near to the old wind-beaten oak-grove which she is painting, is a spot much resorted to by the visitors of the neighboring watering-place of H——, and there sits usually, as a natural consequence, a woman with a basket of oranges and bottles of ginger-beer for sale. Justina, who has a natural artistic antipathy to the sight of empty ginger-beer bottles and orange peel flung about, especially in unaccordant localities, remonstrated with the woman concerning the orange-peel nuisance; and this, according to her own account, in no very measured language; telling her that, at all events, she ought to have collected and buried the unsightly refuse, offering herself to collect it then and there, and inter it forthwith. The woman very indignantly retorted, saying, "that for her part, the more there was lying there the better; she was pleased, that she was! and that it was a shame not to leave it for the poor creatures who lived by suction!" "Live by suction!" cried Justina, somewhat astonished. pray what kind of animals may they be?" 66 "And Donkeys, to be sure! and when they come up here with visitors on 'em, who ride 'em without any animosity at all, they are glad enough to get a little snack." Justina began to think that the poor woman had lost her reason, as well as her temper, and was sorry to have irritated her uselessly by a refinement of feeling which it was impossible for her to comprehend. She sought, therefore, to mollify her by the purchase of some oranges and by a few kind words. "I know I've been very cross," said the woman, abruptly; and as if touched by Justina's altered manner, added, "Come, young lady, and I'll show you the cause of it." Then suddenly drawing Justina close to her, she opened the handkerchief which covered her bosom, and revealed an awful, heart-rending sight-the ravages of a fearful cancer! Justina, much shocked, expressed her sympathy, and questioned the poor woman respecting her sufferings. Yes, Miss," pursued the poor victim; "you can believe I grow sometimes rather testy with this horrid thing to worrit me day and night, as I've had it for years, suffering the Lord only knows what, and knowing well as how it will be the death of me. Many's the time that I've been a'most beside myself with the thoughts that come into my head of what I've had to go through, and of the trials the Lord maybe has yet in store for me. All alone young lady, up here, hour after hour, with nothing in my ears but the grumbling of the sea, and this ache in my flesh I've-Lord ha' mercy on me!-often thought o' taking my life into my own hands, and putting an end to the ache. Haven't I then?" she said, wildly, making a rapid movement towards the point of the cliff which hung over the grumbling sea. "Haven't I said in myself, 'Just one spring, Nanny, and you're out of this weary world?" But then," pursued the woman, in a quieter voice, "there's my poor husband at home-my poor |