Neither can bear cramming ; but with proper care both are better for it ; so enjoy the life your instinct led you to , and we will prove that wise headwork is a better cure for that sort of delicacy than tonics , and novels on the sofa , where far too many of our girls go to wreck nowadays . They burn the candle at both ends ; and when they break down they blame the books , not the balls . ' ` Dr Nan was telling me about a patient of hers who thought she had heart-complaint , till Nan made her take off her corsets , stopped her coffee and dancing all night , and made her eat , sleep , walk , and live regularly for a time ; and now she 's a brilliant cure . Common sense versus custom , Nan said . ' ` I 've had no headaches since I came here , and can do twice as much studying as I did at home . It 's the air , I think , and the fun of going ahead of the boys , ' said another girl , tapping her big forehead with her thimble , as if the lively brain inside was in good working order and enjoyed the daily gymnastics she gave it . ` Quality , not quantity , wins the day , you know . Our brains may be smaller , but I do n't see that they fall short of what is required of them ; and if I 'm not mistaken , the largest-headed man in our class is the dullest , ' said Nelly , with a solemn air which produced a gale of merriment ; for all knew that the young Goliath she mentioned had been metaphorically slain by this quick-witted David on many a battle-field , to the great disgust of himself and his mates . ` Mrs Brooke , do I gauge on the right or the wrong side ? ' asked the best Greek scholar of her class , eyeing a black silk apron with a lost expression . ` The right , Miss Pierson ; and leave a space between the tucks ; it looks prettier so . ' ` I 'll never make another ; but it will save my dresses from ink-stains , so I 'm glad I 've got it ' ; and the erudite Miss Pierson laboured on , finding it a harder task than any Greek root she ever dug up . ` We paper-stainers must learn how to make shields , or we are lost . I 'll give you a pattern of the pinafore I used to wear in my `` blood-and-thunder days '' , as we call them , ' said Mrs Jo , trying to remember what became of the old tin-kitchen which used to hold her works . ` Speaking of writers reminds me that my ambition is to be a George Eliot , and thrill the world ! It must be so splendid to know that one has such power , and to hear people own that one possesses a `` masculine intellect '' ! I do n't care for most women 's novels , but hers are immense ; do n't you think so , Mrs Bhaer ? ' asked the girl with the big forehead , and torn braid on her skirt . ` Yes ; but they do n't thrill me as little Charlotte Bronte 's books do . The brain is there , but the heart seems left out .
I admire , but I do n't love , George Eliot ; and her life is far sadder to me than Miss XXXXX 's , because , in spite of the genius , love , and fame , she missed the light without which no soul is truly great , good , or happy . '
Bronte Brooke Greek Jo Nan corsets fall headwork ink-stains paper-stainers