The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-26
The School of Design for Women.

THE Philadelphia School Of Design for Women
is an institution which is performing an excel
lent and important work in q modest and un-
obtrusive way, and the public generally are too
little acquainted with Its objects and aims To
furnish women with honorable and remunera.
tive employments, so that they can earn their
own living, and place themselves in positions of
independence towards the world at large
is one of the great social problems of
the day. The diff Guilty under which
women labor In obtaining good wages for their
work, or in obtaining work at all that will en-
able them to earn q subsistence, Is at the bottom
OF the So called women's rights movement
and IL is of far more real Importance than the
suffrage question and other points Of discussion
which that movement has given rise to. No
one who will give the subject moments
reflection can fail to understand how much the
cause of virtue and morality would be bene
flied If women were more generally educated
TO earn their own living, provided with
employment suited to their tastes aud abilities
and supported by the voice OF society In the
idea that 1t Is just as honorable for woman to
assist herself by the work OF her hands as 1t il
for a man to earn his living by labor. whether
mental or physical.
The school of Design for Women is a step to-
wards accomplishing this great end. The re
fined and elegant tastes Of women make the
field of art one in which they can enter with
more effect than In many others, and II women
artists, as o rule fall below their masculine
competitors. 1t is to be attributed, we think
to want of systematic preparatory training
rather than to any deficiency in ability. 1t is O
too common mistake with many intelligent
persons that a strong natural talent is neces
sary for any success in the way oil delinestive
art. 1t is doubtless true that such talent is re-
quired to make a competent practitioner in the
higher grades Of art but there is latent
artistic taste in the mind of mosC
every one, which only requires TO bs
educated and developed to produce results In
the highest degree satisfactory. In fact, the
mechanical part of art-if we may be allow
the expression-can be learned by almost any
one. Thousands OF young ladies are taught
music and become fair performers without
developing any very remarkable genius for the
science OF harmony; and there is no good rea-
| son why they cannot obtain an equal amount
| Of proficiency with the pencil and burin. Art
| too, has an advantage over many of the employ.
| ments which women now engage in, from tn ,
| fact that the remuneration for art-work, in the
| great maj ajority OF cases. Is determined by the
merits and not by the sex of the artist, and
| women can obtain as good wages as m en- II
they are equally as capable. These are our
| ideas on the subject of art education, and we
believe that they are essentially those of the
managers of the Philadelphia School of Design
for Women Experience, observation, and ao'
| quaintance with more than one graduate oi
| that institution have confirmed us in the Inn
| preston that women of ordinary Intelligence
| and Industry, WHO may be deficient in genius
| but who are endowed with a spirit OF perseve.
| rance and determination TO accomplish some
hing, can and do succeed as designers. en-.
gravers, photograph colorists, and in similar
employments. not TO speak of artists in the
more generally understood sense OF the word