MISS KU ZING-WHAI (顾静徽)

The other day I was listening to a heated discussion on the subject of women's education—what an age-old topic! I call it primitive, for to think at a time when women's position in the society has been more or less established that there should still be doubts as to the advisability of educating your daughter or sister. However, doubt exists, even among women themselves, although they only whisper it among themselves. Well, the consensus of opinion is, that higher education is not necessary for women, because they very seldom make use of it. One person held the view that he had known a woman biologist who went to teach English all her life long, and another Master of English Literature who got married and did not know how to rear her children. The absurdity of the contention is not for this column to refute. But to come back from my digression. The point is how this controversial conversation led me to see how very few man of that type knew women like Ku Zing-whai.

That Zing-whai and I should become fast friends is rather strange. She and I never went to school together (as if having the same Alma Mater gives the affinity between friends). Her scholastic interest is quite different from mine; she buries herself among figures, bottles, plates whose very nature is alien to me! We did, however, share an apartment together for six or eight weeks when, in our exile student days, I did the cooking and she the dish-washing. I liked her then not because she could wash thoroughly or because she let me take my afternoon nap immediately after my lunch. The fact that one could so like her in such a short time is a recommendation itself.

Zing-whai is a native of Kating, a small town off the Shanghai-Nanking Railway, a small town that, nevertheless, boasts of its progressiveness. She distinguished herself in Chinese in the Kiangsu Provincial Normal School at Soochow, that scenic spot where old-time-beauty once thrived with old-time-scholar! Zing-whai was the youngest in her class, but one of the most brilliant. Later she went to Utopia College to prepare herself for going abroad. It was there that she stood out definitely as a future physicist and mathematician. She was graduated from Cornell University. Yale gave her her Master's degree, and the University of Michigan made her a full-fledged Doctor of physics. Her scholastic record was flawless. She is now connected with the Academia Sinica in the department of physics.

But Zing-whai as a person is even more lovely. Short in statue, yet embodying such a great mind, quiet, unpretentious, she moves among her friends a helper and comforter. Her spirit of sympathy is unimpeachable. Her friends can always go to her with their tales of woe and be sure that she'll give a ready and listening ear. That is her primary character, her interest in others. That is also true liberalism—always have room for other people's opinion. She does not like talking for the sake of talking, which most men [perhaps the writer means women!] find amusing and thrilling. Yet she has a sense of humour which most people lack.

You see, if only my friends who discussed so hotheadedly over the question of women's education had gone, instead of to the cabarets and members of women's clubs, to intelligent women to find the achievement of an educated woman, how much wasteful conversation could have been saved. But then, what will there be for them to talk about?

[No. 38; Sep. 20, 1934]

顾静徽女士¹

一天，我在听取有关妇女教育问题的讨论——多么古老的话题啊！我称之为原始，想想看，在妇女的社会地位已经或多或少确立的时代，居然还会怀疑对你的女儿或姐妹进行教育是否可取！然而，怀疑确实存在，甚至存在于妇女自己中间，虽然她们只是私下里悄声低语。不错，人们都认为，妇女无须接受高等教育，因为她们很少使用受教育所获得的知识。有人说，他认识一位学生物的女士，却去教了一辈子英语；还认识一位英国文学硕士，结婚后竟不知道怎样带大她的孩子。这种争论的荒谬不是本栏所要驳斥的，言归正传。我要说的是，这种有争议的讨论使我意识到，认识顾静徽这类女人的人实在太少了。

静徽和我能成为莫逆之交是相当奇怪的。我和她从不曾一同上过学校（好像同一个母校就会在朋友之间形成亲密的关系）。她的学术兴趣和我的完全不同，她埋头在数字、瓶子和盘子之间，我对此则一窍不通！但是，在出国留学的日子里，我们确实曾在一套公寓房内住过六个或八个星期，我做饭，她洗碗。那时候我喜欢她并不是因为她洗碗干净，也不是因为她肯让我一吃完午饭就去睡午觉。能有人在这样短的时间内就这么喜欢她，这一事实本身就是值得称道的。

静徽是嘉定人。嘉定在沪宁铁路线上，虽然是一个小城，却以进步自豪。她在苏州读江苏省立师范学校时，中文成绩出类拔萃。苏州是一个景色秀丽的地方，曾经才子辈出，佳人如云！静徽在班上年龄最小，却是最出色的学生之一。后来她进大同学院，为出国留学做准备。在这个学院里，她以确定无疑的未来物理学家和数学家的前景脱颖而出。她毕业于康奈尔大学，取得了耶鲁大学的硕士学位，密歇根大学则培养她成为了合格的物理学博士。她的学业记录无可挑剔，现在任职于中央研究院物理研究所。

但是静徽的为人更加可爱。她身材娇小，才智高超，文静而不矫揉造作。和朋友们相处时，她乐于助人、善于安慰。她的同情精神毋庸置疑。朋友们随时可以来找她诉说自己的伤心事，而她，总有倾听的耐心。那是她的主要特点，即她对别人的关心。那也是真正的宽容大度——总有容纳别人意见的心胸。她不喜欢为了谈话而谈话，那是大多数人（或许作者指的是女人！）都觉得有趣和令人兴奋的事情。然而，她有大多数人所缺乏的幽默感。

你瞧，要是那些为了妇女的教育问题讨论得那么起劲的人不是去看歌舞表演和妇女俱乐部的会员，而是去找有才智的女士，就会发现受教育妇女的成就，就能节省多少无聊的废话呀。但是，到了那个时候，他们还有什么可谈呢？！

［第38期，1934年9月20日］