lew (04/18/83)
I found this interesting item in a biography of Charles Lyell (1797-1875) by Leonard G. Wilson (Yale University Press). Lyell is famous for his three volume "Principles of Geology", in which he establishes the "uniformitarian" outlook which largely prevails today. He gave a series of lectures which were popular among the aristocracy, but he didn't want "ladies" to attend because he considered that to be "unacademical". Wilson quotes from a letter to his wife (May 1832): Wed. Grand disputes at Geological Society about the propriety of admitting ladies to my lectures. Babbage most anxious to bring his mother & daughter & Lady Guilford,-Harris to bring Lady Mary Kerr & so on. I begged them all not to do so & they promised but at last Murchison said "My wife, however, must come. I promised to bring her & she would be much disappointed. I will not bring her till the doors are closed." Then they all declared they would too & so bring the affair to a crisis one way or the other. (The author continues) "So the ladies came. The officers of King's College were even persuaded to give their hesitant approval to what they found it difficult to prevent." Yes that was THE Charles Babbage. Lyell's only virtue in this seems to have been to refrain from making a complete ass of himself. This, however, is a virtue not to be underestimated. Lew Mammel, Jr. ihuxr!lew