Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03
Education OF Women.

We print below, from the Springfield Ne
publican, an abstract of the majority and
minority reports made to the alumni of
Williams College, last week, on the question
of admitting women to the college. 1t is
noticeable that the majority surrender the
ground practically so far as principle and
experience are concerned, but oppose open
ing the college doors to women, because the |
faculty and others connected with the col |
lege are opposed to it. But majorities are
in rapid progress towards minorities when |
they rest their cause on numbers and not |
argument And the alumni and faculty of |
Williams College will yet be able to make
their votes and their reason agree.
This is the report
Contrary to expectation Rev. Henry Hop
kins read the majority report against the
admission of women to the college, which
was drawn up by Mr.. Clement II. Hill and
signed by him, by Judge F. Ii. Dewey, and
by Mr.. Hopkins. Prof. BascOm's minority
report, signed by himself and Mr.. Field, was
read by him, and went much more fully into
the philosophy of the question than that of
the majority, which, while asserting the
necessity of higher education for women
regarded the opposition to the joint educa-
excluding them. This opposition, Mr..
Hopkins said, is quite as great among women
as among men. Many mothers, he thought,
would object to sending their sons here if girls
also were to be admitted here. This state
ment was received with applause. The
general course of the argument against ad
mission is this As to the co education of
the sexes in general, it is a mere question of
expediency, and the report does not discuss
1t further than Williams is concerned J.,
and in treating of the admission of women
here, the experiments chiefly relied on were
considered, under four heads i, the acad-
emies and high schools. These experiments
are not conclusive, because the ages of the
pupils are smaller, the discipline much
stricter than can be applied in colleges; the
studies almost entirely those which all agree
are necessary to both sexes. (2) Oberlin
college. This is an exceptional case. The
system has grown up here part of q college
organization which was meant to meet the
educational wants Of the West, and furnishes
every degree of education from elementary
to theological. 60 Other Western COLLEGES
We know too little about these to treat them
differently FROM Oberlin. az Eastern col
leges. Students of both sexes have not been
admitted to these long enough to justify any
argument being drawn from them. The
experiments therefore are not conclusive
and the proposition must be treated as one
still in doubt. Under these circumstances
ought Williams to throw open its doors to
women? No. Why not? LIST. Because
the college was established a place to
educate men, and the trustees have DO right.
80 long as the matter is one upon which
opinion is divided, to make a change so
widely different from the designs Of its
founders. 2. Because the college is not a
place of universal education, but only one
giving instruction in the ordinary college
course To make it really available TO
women, a separate course of study for them
would have to be established. We had best
confine our energies to the kind of instruc-
ton we are now giving. 3. Because while
public opinion is divided, the attempt would
be hazardous. Not only is public opinion
divided, but the weight of public opinion is
as yet against the change, among both men
and women, and especially among those
acquainted with colleges. While this is so
to make the change now, might greatly re-
duce the number of students, and lose the
college half of its present friends and sup
porters. 4. Because there is no necessity
The facilities for the highest female educa.
ton in the East are quite equal to the de.
mand for it, and for those women who wish
to go to colleges where young men are,
there are already four colleges in New Eng
land and Cornell University in New York.
Under these circumstances il would be I'M
wise to try so hazardous an experiment.
1t will be seen that this unfavorable report
makes many assumptions, and presents the
matter on a narrow basis; it represents,
however, the prevalent feeling among the
trustees, and probably among the alumni.
Prof. Bascom's argument began by stating
that the question of admitting women to
colleges concerns one-half Of the human
family directly-those who, as mothers,
stand between US and the invisible, intanei
bic forces of creation. Mind is the parent
of mind; if we underfeed and dwarf the
intellect of woman, we shall enfeeble her
progeny, and wither the branch on which
the fruit of coming years is to hang. 1t
may be, too, that the exclusion of woman
from our highest seats of learning is a rem
nant of that barbarism which once doomed
her to servitude, and has only under COM
pulsion emancipated her to ono privilege and
power and another. Now, in fact, women
need more thorough, severe and substantial