Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-11-04
Ian partial Education

Some short time since woman applied
for admission 10 the law class In Columbian
College, in Washington, and was refused
comment from the press " the country
aud has risen from local ~ general i'm
portance. Washington IN place 10 trJ
experiments for the nation, and Tia.
woman question Ia confessedly tho i'm
pending problem. IL IL any wonder tha
anything like test case occurring at tbs
national capital should draw attention
from every State
The present case, unfortunately, doe
not reflect much glory on either ths
capital or the sez, aud therefore we wisl
to take it up for a moment. 1t is oul
opinion that women, as a rule, will MOI
make lawyers; that their class have not
az sex, the mental and physical con
formation needful for success in that pro
fession; but our opinion, or that Of any
body, is no bar to their right to try, and
should they succeed, none will DO more
willing to welcome them than ourselves
The applicant, az said, was rejected
There may have been reasons of expo
diency or taste impelling the faculty tc
Ibis action but, if 30, they are not stated
We are to take their reasons as they are
given to the applicant in a letter from the
President
have consulted the professors az to the
attendance on the classes at the Law
schools Of others than young men. None
are allowed by the trustees as attendants
on the classes, except those who pay the
regular fees, and think the attendance OF
ladies would cause an injurious diversion
Of the attendance Of the students, both Of
them. The professors, therefore, object
10 receive other than gentlemen into their
classroom.
The caution Of this communication il
commendablo from legal point Of view,
but we are afraid the reasons will not be
received nt tho bar of public opinion.
Observe the delicate cireumiocution by
which IL il avoided calling the applicant
woman" 4 "lady,' or fcmsle"--a di-
iemma always more or less Troublesome
in trying 10 wrte On this question With
accuracy aud clesruese. "Olhers than
young men" - the gentle oaphomism for
what gallahtry calle the better 4salyes u
those young m6n.
There are two objections limited at,
rather than freely stated, in thin objection.
One IL Tho non.payment u dues, The other
the opprehended misconduct q the
"youug men.
If the applicant asked 10 bo admitted
without tho payment Of tho ordinary dues,
which il a condition Of pupilship, Of
course that ends the gucstion Il becomes,
at most, orc If charity. a woman, be-
cause shc is a woman, haS no more right
to expect legal tuition without paying for
it than to ask bread on the same terms.
But there is no avermcit that such
request WIS made; and until that is
affirmatively shown, the refusal, in Its
present shape il. to say the least. non
sequitur.
But it is in the la-t reason that there
lies the wrcng. The professors think that
the preserrce u women would cause an
Injurious diversion OF the Attendance Of
the students, both Of them As the
professors have never taught :" other than
young men" this last clause, if it refers
to women, may bo deemed by some
gratuitous This allegation certainly does
not reveal d very'atronR faith either in the
science Of law, the skill una power of tie
professors, or the earnestnes- and sense Of
propriety OF the student.
However, reduced 10 plain English. it
comes 70 this: That because the male
students might or would misbehave,
therefore women shall be iebarrod from
the privileges OF the cllss-ro room. This is
the same logic by which women are now
practically kept prisoners in tie castles
of their male relations after dark, because
if they went out. nIen would insult them
IA species of logic of which We predict,
many years, we shall all be heartily
ashamed
If these young men, which we doubt,
cannot conduct themselves az students
and gentlemen in the claas-rooio, why not
shut the door against them: Why pun
ish somebody else for their offenser This
smacks strongly of Oriental Jurisprudence,
rather than Western and Christian. 1t is
a fact that, in the social treatment OF
women, the most of our customs seem to
start in Eastern tradition, and this GER
tainly savors of such a course.
If these young men were children i'll an
infant school, and should pay nc atten-
ton to their tasks, they would probably
be bodily and summarily punished, without
writ of habeos corpus. Why, having
grown into men, should women receive
the punishment due them for the very
same ofense Il it because they are
men!
If there is no expulsion from the class
room for an offense, let the offenders be
expelled, and moi somebody else. This
would appear to be reason, which, accord
ing to old Coke. is the very soul of the
law" aud which, as such, should be
taught, not violated, in a law OF Qtbs-
SCHOOL
THE PROPOSED KING or
Although it is supposed SPAIN
of the Cortes favor that majorit.
young Duke o. -ne nomination of tn
c.