Poetry Archives

(A speaker at the National Education Association advised girls not to
study algebra. Many girls, he said, had lost their souls through this
study. The idea has been taken up with enthusiasm.)


I will avoid equations,
  And shun the naughty surd,
I must beware the perfect square,
  Through it young girls have erred:
And when men mention Rule of Three
  Pretend I have not heard.

Through Sturm’s delightful theorems
  Illicit joys assure,
Though permutations and combinations
  My woman’s heart allure,
I’ll never study algebra,
  But keep my spirit pure.