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scotianostra · 2 months

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On February 25th 1888 a conference advocated the adoption of leaving certificates in Scottish schools.

Scotland has long enjoyed an international reputation as historically one of the best-educated societies in the world. The foundation for this reputation was laid in the 17th century and was the result of Calvinist emphasis on reading the Bible. Putting men and women in touch with the word of God was seen by the Scottish authorities and clergy as of paramount importance. To achieve this goal schools paid for by the Church of Scotland and local landowners were established in all rural parishes and burghs by an Act of Parliament in 1696. These educational establishments were run by the Church and were open to all boys and girls regardless of social status.

The democratic nature of the Scottish system so impressed the 18th century writer Daniel Defoe that he remarked that while England was a land ‘full of ignorance’, in Scotland the 'poorest people have their children taught and instructed’. The openness of the Scottish system ran all the way from the schoolroom to the university. A talented working class boy the 'lad o'pairts’ through intelligence and hard work and by utilising a generous system of bursaries was able to gain a university education, something largely unthinkable in England in the 18th century.

That’s not to say it was perfect on further inspection I found out that even in 1892 when all elementary and most secondary education became free, and scholarships were more widely available, few working-class children were able to take advantage of the opportunity. Only just under 5% of pupils attended a secondary school in Scotland in 1897. The real priority for children from working-class backgrounds was to find work and begin earning a wage.

For a small nation Scotland was particularly well-endowed with universities, boasting five in the 19th century - a figure which included Aberdeen’s Marischal and King’s Colleges. The universities were considered to be national, public institutions and, therefore, less elitist than Oxford or Cambridge in England. Because of this they were said to be more open to working people and, indeed, over 18% of the student population of Glasgow university in 1860 was from working-class backgrounds, quite a high number considering the low percentages of working class children who were educated.

The existence of a substantial number of working class students has given rise to the view that universities in Scotland were more democratic and based more on merit than the class-ridden universities of England. The wider implication was that Scotland was a less class obsessed society than England.

Again all was not as it seemed, and while we had a working class getting into University, the system was somewhat broken in a way. At Glasgow University in 1889-90, out of 225 students taking the junior Latin class 200 failed. The quality of university education in Scotland was generally poor and inferior to that offered in England. The low quality was mainly due to the fact that there was no university entrance examination and, therefore, children could enter the system as early as fourteen or fifteen, the 1888 act would possibly put this to rights.

As a result, philosophy, which had previously formed the core of the arts degree, was made optional. Students were also forced to compete for bursaries and this acted as an unofficial entrance examination. The setting up in 1901 of the Carnegie Trust Fund, set up by the great philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, provided a further source of assistance and by 1930 70% of university students in Scotland were receiving awards from the fund.

The numbers of students in higher education institutions increased from 4,400 in 1830 to 6,000 in 1900, to 10,000 in 1938. At Glasgow University, working-class students increased as a percentage of the total, from 18.6% in 1860 to 24% in 1910.

The period from 1900 to the outbreak of War in 1939 did not witness the same degree of change in the educational system as had occurred in the 19th century. However, there were important developments in the sphere of primary and secondary education. These changes did little to alter the class bias of education, but collectively they made important contributions to the

creation of an all encompassing modern educational system in Scotland.

Education in Scotland has been the subject of much myth-making as regards the openness of the system and the quality of provision. In the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, the educational system catered mainly for an elite section of Scottish society. Although the door to higher education was more open than in England, workers and their families, women and Catholics in general were excluded. For these groups, education was sparse and the quality poor.

Legislation gradually improved the access of all groups to better education, but it was only after the introduction of comprehensive education in 1965 that attempts were made to provide adequate standards for all children in Scotland.

#scotland #scottish #history #education

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pub-lius · 24 days

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Do you have a post on Maria Reynolds? I haven't been able to find much information about her, I read she became a nun or something after the scandal??

i know i do, i am struggling to find it because tumblr's search function has and always will be ass

RAHHH I CANT FIND ANY OF THEM fuck this im giving you a short history of her life because i love you with all my heart

DISCLAIMER: i fucking hate Ron Chernow, especially for his treatment of Maria Reynolds in his book, but him and wikipedia are all I have right now and my relationship with him is very toxic pls help. also this post will discuss heavy things like forced prostitution and ron chernow absolutely butchering this subject so just be aware of what is best for you

Early Life

Maria Reynolds was born as Mary Lewis on March 30, 1768 to Susannah Van Der Burgh and Richard Lewis, who was Susannah's second husband. She had eleven siblings, and they did not have very much money, and were likely a pretty average 18th century white family in America, with poor literacy rates, struggles with debt, and the women being taken advantage of. They lived in Dutchess County, New York.

Maria was literate, but not well educated. This is something she was strongly mocked for by both her husband, Hamilton, Chernow, and other men. Well, I guess Hamilton didn't really mock her, but he definitely looked down on her for it. Fucking asshole. She also seemed to have very strong mood swings from a young age, and this could have been something psychological, like a mood disorder, or it could have been physiological or hormonal, such a menstrual disorder that was never properly treated because women's issues were not taken seriously at the time, mental or physical. This is also something she was mocked for.

Maria was married off to James Reynolds, a Revolutionary War veteran, on July 28th, 1783 when she was 15 years old. James Reynolds often lobbied the government for money after the war, foreshadowing his debt problems and later exploitation of his underage wife for money.

Together, the couple would have one daughter, Susan, named after her grandmother, who was born on August 18, 1785. Maria showed herself to be a devoted mother who would do anything for her daughter, including putting herself in harms way to make sure she didn't face the same fate. Unfortunately, Susan would also later be in an unhealthy relationship, despite her mother's efforts.

Maria Lewis was always described as very emotional, innocent, smart, and pretty, despite those who attempted to degrade her.

Men before Hamilton

It was early in her marriage when she was looked down upon by men, beginning with the son of her first landlady in Philadelphia.

"Her mind at this time was far from being tranquil or consistent, for almost the same minute that she would declare her respect for her husband, cry and feel distressed, [the tears] would vanish and levity would succeed, with bitter execrations on her husband. This inconsistency and folly was ascribed to a troubled, but innocent and harmless mind... [Reynolds] had frequently enjoined and insisted that she should insinuate herself on certain high and influential characters- endeavor to make assignments with them and actually prostitute herself to gull money from them." -Richard Folwell, August 12, 1797

Her complicated feelings about her husband allowed men to reduce her to being deceptive, however it shows that she was torn between her bias towards her husband, who had been around her and influencing her throughout her formative, adolescent years, and the things he was asking her to do, including prostituting herself.

These escalated to more than requests for her to prostitute herself to rich men into demands and threats. Reynolds became physically abusive to his wife if she did not comply with his demands to sleep with and extort rich men. Eventually, this became a pattern, and she became known as a prostitute who slept separately from her husband so she could entertain her midnight visitors, when essentially she was being human trafficked by her husband at the age of 18.

There is evidence to suggest that she only slept with Hamilton when Reynolds threatened to physically abuse her daughter, Susan. I'm not going to go into too much detail about the affair because I believe it's over done, but I am going to discuss how Ron Chernow talks about this woman, and the consequences of victim blaming.

Ron Chernow Hates Women

Ron Chernow discusses the Reynolds Affair in chapter 19 of his novel Alexander Hamilton. Already, he places some of the blame on Elizabeth Hamilton with the sentence "It was a dangerous moment for Eliza to abandon Hamilton,", even though he likes to put her on a pedestal so people think he's a feminist (Chernow 363). You're not a feminist, Ron, you're a 75 year old incel, and I feel bad for your wife.

Chernow introduces Maria Reynolds by stating her age at the time of the affair (23), and for some reason, making up the fact that her name is pronounced "Mariah"??? He gives no citation for this, so I'm assuming he made it up to make her seem more slutty. Her name was Maria. Actually, her name was Mary, but if we had any link between her and the Christian figure for maternity and purity, well that wouldn't work with the portrayal of her as a disgusting, crazy, lying whore, right?

Chernow uses words like "doleful tale", "fanciful", "conspired", and "trickster" to describe Maria, but gives no proof of her malicious intent towards Hamilton. He portrays Hamilton as vain, however a savior to Maria, and she simply HAD to have been in love with him because of how good of a person he was. Ron Chernow manipulates Maria Reynolds' character to fit his personal belief that there are two kinds of women: good, pure, Christian homemakers, and uneducated sluts who deserve their mistreatment from men (Chernow 367).

Even though Ron Chernow finds it more comfortable to believe that Maria worked in cohorts with her piece of shit husband, and that they together decided to use Hamilton for his money, the truth is that she was a severely abused woman throughout her entire life, especially at the hands of James Reynolds. Her manipulation of Hamilton was not to gain something, but to prevent her and her daughter from being abused. Chernow glosses over this, dismissing it as something she made up to secure a divorce, but it was proven true in a court of law. Chernow's famous cognitive dissonance strikes again: the US government is very securely made with a magnificent justice system, yet uneducated, illiterate women can manipulate it to get... a piece of notarized paper! Yeah, don't let this senile old man write any more books. Thanks.

Aftermath

The backlash from The Reynolds Pamphlet, published 1797, would haunt Maria for the rest of her life. She remarried twice, once to Jacob Clingman, who is another piece of shit who should have his dick guillotined, and the other time to Dr. Matthew (idk his last name) who she was a housekeeper for. She allegedly wrote her own pamphlet, but never published it. Idk anything about that.

Maria would raise her two grandchildren after her daughter's untimely death. She also changed her name back to Mary, becoming Mary Matthew for the rest of her life. She was devoutly religious, joining the Methodist Church, but not a nun. She died loved on March 25, 1828. And if there isn't someone on earth who loves Mary Matthew, then I am dead.

Here's your Maria Reynolds post. I love her so much, and I will defend her until I have no voice left, my fingers can't write or type, my eyes can't move, and my legs can't walk. She deserves so much better than what she got and how she's been portrayed. Vive Mary Lewis.

#history #amrev #american history #women's history #maria reynolds #the reynolds pamphlet #the reynolds affair #alexander hamilton #asks #still pissed that i cant find my other posts on her because i know i have a few :/

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howlingday · 9 months

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The Ultimate Hunters

Winter: I am Winter Schnee.

Jaune: (Thinking) I remember reading about her. Apparently, she got top marks in all her classes, honors galore, and even leads multiple community programs. It's why she's referred to as the Ultimate Moral Compass.

Jaune: I'm Jaune Arc.

Winter: Mm, a strong name. You should thank your parents for it.

Jaune: Oh, uh, thanks-

Winter: But you should also do your best to not shame it! Never make them regret their choice to give such a potent name to a slacker!

Jaune: She's also kinda annoying.

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Blake: I'm... Blake Belladonna...

Jaune: Oh, so this is the Ultimate Author?. She's been writing since she was ten, and published a romance novel when she was only eleven. I think it was "The Accountant." Apparently, it was such a hit, people all over the world named real-world accountants the hottest people to date!. Still, I wasn't really expecting her to look so... dark and gloomy.

Blake: W-Why are you staring at me?

Jaune: Oh! S-Sorry, I-

Blake: I know what you're thinking! You think I'm a freak, don't you!

Jaune: N-No! I only thought-!

Blake: I know what you thought! You thought you'd never seen such an ugly girl! And you thought it was soooo funny!

Jaune: N-No! That's not what I was thinking at all!

Blake: Don't even bother trying to lie to me! You can't stand to look at me!

Blake: B-But I'm used to it by now...

Jaune: Yikes!. Talk about inferiority complex. Never thought a successful author could be like this.

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Yang: Hey! I'm Yang Xiao Long!

Jaune: Whoa!. She's the Ultimate Kickboxer!. They competed in the national circuit and won every single match!. Who hasn't heard of them?!.

Jaune: You're kidding me!

Yang: W-What? What's wrong?

Jaune: N-Nothing! I just, well, you're the Ultimate Kickboxer, so I kinda figured you'd be, uh...

Yang: What, were you expecting some big, dumb, jock guy?

Jaune: N-No,more like... Someone wearing boxing gloves and in a ponytail, like in that article I read.

Yang: Aw, geez... Not that picture! I hate that photo! I had to keep my hair tied back like that for the whole circuit. It doesn't look cute at all! So now I refuse to change my hair, not for anyone but me!

Yang: And, actually, can I tell you something? I... don't really like kickboxing. And to be honest, I hated going to my sparring matches.

Jaune: She hates kickboxing so much she never went to a sparring match? She must be some kind of prodigy!

Yang: So once I came here, I was done with it! So long, kickboxing! I've got my dreams ahead of me!

Jaune: Your dream?

Yang: Yeah! Playing music and jamming out all day long is the kinda stardom I want! All I need now is someone who can sing and a drummer, and I'm all set! I'm not stopping until I'm living like a real star!

Jaune: I can't believe what I'm hearing. I never thought I'd hear that coming from a kickboxing star!.

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Neptune: I am the Neptune Vasilias! But if you want to use my nickname, "Your Dream Come True," I don't mind. By the way, what do you know about anime?

Jaune: Anime?

Neptune: Well, to the world at large, I am the one and only Ultimate Fanfic Writer! I once sold over 10,000 copies of my fan fic at con. Everybody knows it! Of course, dsome of them didn't get it. They said I had "tainted" the nature of the con. How ignorant can you be?!

Jaune: This is the first I heard about it, but to sell over 10,000 copies is pretty impressive.

Neptune: I'm a lot like von Burgh. Completely unappreciated in my time. That's why I toil day and night to spread the good work of fan fiction to the world at large! I'm sure if you read my work, Mr. Arc, you'd completely understand in an instant! For it touches mankind's deepest truths...

Jaune: Uh, what kind of truths?

Neptune: It's all about giving in to our most basic of urges...

Jaune: On second thought, I don't want to understand it...

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Pyrrha: Hello! I'm Pyrrha Nikos, and I look forward getting to know you!

Jaune: The way she moves is mesmerizing, and there's a sweet scent wafting around her. When I saw her name on the attendance, I thought I recognized her name. She's the star of her own pop music group, "Hoplife," and as the Ultimate Pop-Star, she's the most desired woman for all the TV and magazine covers. But still, I'm more surprised she still smiling since... Nevermind. No need to get into that. But she looks so beautiful, like a goddess or something...

Pyrrha: I'm not a goddess. I'm a real person.

Jaune: Wha- How did you know what I was thinking?

Pyrrha: I'm psychic.

Jaune: R-Really?!

Pyrrha: No. I just have good intuition.

Jaune: Quick as a whip, she is.

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Harriet: Heya! I'm Harriet Bree, but my friends just call me Hare.

Jaune: Harriet Bree. She's been breaking track records since she was a kid! I hear she's even supposed to be a competitor in the upcoming Vytal Tournament! Without a doubt, she is the Ultimate Track Runner. Everything about her technique, physique, and, uh, proportions have been widely talked about online.

Harriet: So, uh, what was your name again? I've already forgotten it.

Jaune: Jaune Arc.

Harriet: Right... I thought it was something like that.

Jaune: No, it's not something like that. It is that.

Harriet: Gotcha! I'll hammer it in my head right now! Jaune... Arc... Jaune... Arc...

Jaune: The way she's writing in her palm is really unnerving.

Jaune: What are you doing?

Harriet: You don't know?! If you want to remember someone's name, you gotta write it in your palm three times!

Jaune: Really?

Harriet: By the way, how do you spell your last name.

Jaune: It's spelled like it sounds.

Harriet: ...Ah, I'll figure it out later! Anyways, it was nice meeting you!

Jaune: Y-Yeah, same...

Jaune: What she likes in wit, she makes up with energy.

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Qrow: Name's Qrow Branwen. Nice ta fuckin' meetcha.

Jaune: Qrow Branwen? As in... the leader of the largest bandit tribe in the kingdom?! He's earned the respect of every tribe around, earning him the title of Ultimate Gang Boss.

Jaune: ...Uh, nice to meet you, too.

Qrow: Hell yeah.

Jaune: I better be careful. One wrong word and I'm worm food!.

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Penny: Hello, I'm Penny Polendina. Nice to meet you. I'm sorry if I seem nervous. I always feel so nervous when I meet someone new. I hope we can get along.

Jaune: Same here. Nice to meet you.

Penny: I'm sorry, but have we met before?

Jaune: Uh, no? This is the first time. That's why I said, "Nice to meet you."

Penny: Oh... I'm sorry.

Jaune: You don't have to apologize, y'know.

Penny: Right. Excuse me.

Jaune: Penny Polendina is renowned all over the world for her cutting-edge programs. That's why she's the Ultimate Programmer! She's also got this cute, scared, naive bunny thing going on that makes everyone fall for her. So she has a huge legion of fans!.

Penny: I... I'm sorry.

Jaune: For what?

Penny: I've upset you. You look really angry right now.

Jaune: No, no, I was just lost in thought, y'know?

Penny: Lost in thought?

Jaune: Yeah. It has nothing to do with me being upset or anything.

Penny: Oh, thank goodness. I was starting to think you didn't like me.

Jaune: Seeing her smile... I can see how she got so many fans...

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Ruby: ...

Jaune: ...

Ruby: ...

Jaune: ...Uh, can I ask you your name?

Ruby: ...My name... is Ruby Rose.

Ruby: ...

Jaune: ...

Jaune: She's pretty quiet. But I don't think I saw her name on the list. I mean, I did see that there was someone other than me missing from the school muster sheet. Maybe she's the other unaccounted student?.

Jaune: So, uh, what are you doing here?

Ruby: What's that supposed to mean?

Jaune: No, no! It's just, everyone here is some kind of ultimate or another, so I'm wondering what you're the ultimate of.

Ruby: ...

Ruby: Why should I tell you?

Jaune: Huh? Well, uh, I guess you don't have to tell me.

Ruby: No. I don't have to. So I'm not going to.

Ruby: ...

Jaune: She's got a real iron mask going on. Guess this is where our conversation ends.

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Nora: Hiiiiiiiii~! I'm Nora Valkyrie! Charmed, I'm sure!

Jaune: Anyone would recognize her. She's on every cover of almost every magazine in almost every store. She's the envy of every girl in the kingdom, an Ultimate Fashion Icon if ever there was one!.

Jaune: I'm not sure I got the right person?

Nora: Huh? Oh... You must mean my cover photo, huh? Well, duh, they're all photoshop!

Jaune: Photoshop?

Nora: Y'know, edited to hell and back?

Jaune: Oh, so they're not real.

Nora: Geez... Don't say it like that. Now I'm gonna get all depressed. Everything is all photoshop these days! I bet you'd even be surprised by a certain diva here.

Jaune: So many dreams... crushed like a nail under a hammer.

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Ren: I am Lie Ren.

Jaune: Oh, geez, I almost asked him if he was a girl. The day I ask that out loud is the day I get turned into a human pretzel. But now I remember him. He's the world champion martial artist who won against guys three times his size. He's the famous Ultimate Martial Artist, with a win streak of 400 matches and 0 losses. Some of the online posts called him "Siren" and claimed he's secretly some kind of weird sea-primate; a missing link between man and fish. Honestly, standing in front of him, I kinda have to agree.

Ren: Excuse me.

Jaune: Y-Yes!

Jaune: Why is he poking my body?.

Jaune: Uh, what are you...

Ren: Your muscle quantity and quality are about the standard for a regular late teen male. Hm... Training with you would likely bring more harm than good. A shame.

Jaune: Maybe for you, but for me, it's a blessing!.

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Weiss: I do not believe we have been introduced. I am Weiss Apfelkuchen.

Jaune: Weiss, uh...

Weiss: Apfelkuchen. It's my name. But if you don't mind, I'd prefer you to address me as Weiss.

Jaune: Uh, excuse me, but you are from this Kingdom, right?

Weiss: Of course. Why do you ask?

Jaune: Well, then, can you tell me your real name?

Weiss: I already told you. My real name is Weiss Schnee. But as I have also stated, please address me as Weiss.

Jaune: She's polite, but she's also forceful. Guess those internet posts were right about her. She really is the Ultimate Gambler who's never lost a bet in her life. She also loves dressing in elegant, white clothes like a princess in a fairy tale. They say she entered an underground gambling ring and walked out with everyone's money. They called her, "The Queen of Lies". She laughed about it, too, they say.

Weiss: I look forward getting to know you. Heh heh...

Jaune: She's smiling, but she's a wolf. I need to watch myself.

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Fox: Name's Fox Alistair, Fox for short. Take it easy, yeah? I'm sure I will!

Jaune: Fox Alistair, known as the legendary "Truth-Hunter" in the psychic community, is the Ultimate Clairvoyant. To be honest, I don't really get that psychic stuff. It's out of my depth. Still, I can't help but wonder if there's any truth to it.

Fox: Mm... I give up.

Jaune: Huh? What?

Fox: I thought I saw it, but I guess I missed it.

Jaune: Missed what?

Fox: I thought I saw a giant dog chasing after a teenage wizard on a motorcycle with gold threads in his mouth. And that wizard... IS YOUR PURPOSE!

Fox: ...Ha ha! I'm just kidding! But we should get some cold ones and look deep into Mu and her lost culture.

Jaune: Cold ones? I'm not old enough to-

Fox: I am. I was held back a few times, so... Ah, it's a long story.

Jaune: A few times?. Yeah I'll bet it's a long story...

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Coco: Name's Coco Adel.

Jaune: Hi, uh, nice to meet you.

Coco: ...

Jaune: That's the most half-assed character introduction I've ever heard!. But it's not like I can do anything about it. She's a special case, even among all these special cases. Coco Adel is the daughter and heiress of the most affluent financial conglomerate in the world. She's even got her own businesses with her own personal fortune. It makes sense for her title of the Ultimate Affluent. She's the very definition of "exceptional".

Coco: Are you done? How much longer are you going to stand there? Get out of here, I'm sick of looking at you.

Jaune: One look at her, and I know she's thinking, "You and I will never be equals." She's a queen in training.

#rwby #danganronpa #jaune arc #winter schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #neptune vasilias #pyrrha nikos #harriet bree #qrow branwen #penny polendina #ruby rose #nora valkyrie #lie ren #weiss schnee #coco adel

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