The Portland daily press., 1872-02-28
From the Hartford Couraut.

ti''- FROM the Hartford Courant.
The Progress of Education for Women.
The coming report of the commissioner of
education will contain an article on the Prog
ress of Education for Women. 1t embodies
many interesting facts, and reviews the uat-
ter somewhat historically. The past two
centuries, under the influence of christian
civilization, have witnessed greater progress
in this respect than all previous time, al
though among early nations the idea of Civ
ing women an education and position equal
to their capabilities was entertained If not
successfully carried out Tacitus remarked
upon the reverence and respect for women
among the ancient Germans, and their posi-
ton there was more nearly that which they
deserved by their natural qualifications than
among the Romans, the Greeks and their col
onies, or the Egyptians, where mental culture
was only the accompaniment of moral degen-
eracy for them. Under modern civilization
progress was for long time very slow.
Scott's Amy Robsart, with her taste for wear
ing finery and working embroidery, was far
more the representative woman of the six
teenth century in England than was Eliza
beth or Lady Jane Grey, the latter of whom
was said to equal ''matured man" in attain
ments. In Germany elementary schools for
girls were opened in the sixteenth ceI tury,
but they did not reach any Importance till
late in the eighteenth century. The actual
and calculable progress of female education
received its impetus from this country, and
l. IL
ton. The ideas of our ancestors upon the
needs of a feminine education were not alto
gether in accordance with the views of to-day.
1t seems somewhat peculiar now that among
the staid inhabitants of this very city history
relates that in 1852 a merchant desiring to
give his daughter the best education, sent her
for one quarter to Boston. ito learn needle
work and dancing, and to improve her man
ners in good and genteel company" while
some years later, after the British invasion of
New Haven, two Yale students had class of
young ladies in arithmetic, geography and
composition, showing that among such as
sighed for better things the aspirations were
decidedly moderate. The first New England
female academy was not opened until 1859,
and the fact that young lady passed sue
cessful examination in geometry was record
ed as remarkable in 1920. Female teachers
were not allowed in New York as late as 1920,
dllu IL Wdo uOb bLi 1COV bAide q Woiidu AOA-
NAL school was established in Massachusetts,.
In the same year the co-education of the
sexes was begun at Oberlin, Ohio. The ad-
visibility of this measure is debatable, but it
shows the expansion of the field open to wo-
men since the time they had but the elemen-
tary schools to attend. During the last twen-
ty-five years there have been opened in this
country the woman's art school; the national
academy of design flor both sexes, and where
ladies last year took the two highest prizes, J
and the ladies' art society in New York.
There are ten medical colleges where women
can obtain an education in the United States,
and at Vassar College the higher education is
as obtainable for women as it is for men at
any of our universities. The question of wo-
mans education and suffrage are by no
means the same the education is voluntary,
the suffrage is compulsory if granted. The
propriety of the latter is at least questionable,
the fitness and even the need of the former
must be admitted. 1t is against nature itself
that natural capabilities should be neglected.
The fit education of woman points to grand
elevation of tastes and pursuits all over the
world, a widening of the field and an i'm
provement of the opportunities for the exer-
else of her influence and consequent bene-
fit to all humanity, both directly and indirect
ly in the useful employment of so much life
which is wasted through ignorance in so
MANY paSpS