ed to
find that her aspirations have a philosophic character. She is able to
tell the heavy Guardsman who takes her down to dinner and parries her
observations with a joke that they have the sanction of the deepest of
Athenian thinkers.

It is, we suppose, necessary that woman should have her philosopher, but
it must be owned that she has made an odd choice in Plato. No one would
be more astonished than the severe dialectician of the Academy at the
feminine conception of a sage of dreamy and poetic temperament, who
spends half his time in asserting woman's rights, and half in inventing
a peculiar species of flirtation. Platonic attachments, whatever their
real origin may be, will scarcely be traced in the pages of Plato; and
the rights of woman, as they are advocated in the Republic, are sadly
deficient in the essential points of free love and elective affinity.

The appearance of a real Platonic woman in the midst of a caucus of such
female agitators as those who were lately engaged in stumping with
singular ill success the American States of the West would, we imagine,
give a somewhat novel turn to the discussion, and strip of a good deal
of adoring admiration the philosopher in whom strong-minded woman has of
late found a patron and friend. Plato is a little too logical and too
fond of stating plain facts in plain words to suit the Miss Hominys who
would put the legs of every pianoforte in petticoats, and if the
Platonic woman were to prove as outspoken as her inventor, the
conference would, we fear, come abruptly to an end. But if once the
difficulty of decorum could be got over, some instruction and no little
amusement might be derived from the inquiry which the discussion would
open, as to how far the modern attitude of woman fulfils the dreams of
her favorite philosopher.

The institution of Ladies' Colleges is a sufficient proof that woman has
arrived at Plato's conception of an identity of education for the two
sexes. Professors, lecturers, class-rooms, note-books, the whole
machinery of University teaching, is at her disposal. Logic and the
long-envied classics are in the curriculum. Governesses are abolished,
and the fair girl-graduates may listen to the sterner teachings of
academical tutors. It is amusing to see how utterly discomfited the new
Professor generally is when he comes in sight of his class. He feels
that he must be interesting, but he is haunted above all with the sense
that he must be proper