New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-05-15
CIALsCIENCE CONVENTION

COLLEGIATE EDUCATION FOR WOMEN-htf' kOfhS
ON OUR FINANCIAL PROBLEMS
IrRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRlBuNEJ
RosroN. MAY 14.-The eighth annual meeting
of the American Social Science Association was begun
here last evening under circumstances which augr an
interesting and profitable meeting. The programme Is
ood and the Committee acted wisely in adyertis
ing IL in advance OF the meeting as Ho, every one
that thrsteth" Iii not every programme of this kind
that in point OF names and topics will bear printing IN
advance But. happily, there are soarecrows or
akeweghts the list either in the way Of subjects or
speakers Some OF the most prominent investigators In
this department of science hiring the fruits of thought
and long study 10 this yearly altar. and this year
think tho offerings will not fail behind in quantity or
value
The meetings held in Freeman-placo Chapel oppo-
site the Atheneum. In the absence of Mr.. Geo Wm'
Curtis the President the Hon. JOSIAH Quincy called the
meeting to order and introduced Mr.. Dorman b. Eaton
OF New-York Mr.. Eatons subject was "Municipal Gov
ernment" His views on this subject have recently Oeen
presented in nearly the same form In New-lork uuu
given the readers Of TIE TRIBUNE HIS paper was
listened to with great attention aud It's appcauoh "
NewYork and Boston furnished goodl handle ior 'ne
discussion which followed
Mr. Josiah Quincy opened the discussion ana spoke OF
the CITY Government Boston and its advantages one
OF these is that the Judiciary is appointed instead OF
elected Another advantage is that Boston Is IN the
State of Massachusetts, There is no Jealousy between
them; their interests Identical He thought that
Boston had set good example in keeping its officers in
position regardless of party changes During the ctys
corporate existence has had but two city clerks The
first served for 40 years.
Mr. Bradford of Boston, VINO has paid considerable
attention to New.Elgdud politics, spoke OF the differ
ence between the town system of New-Engand and
other governments The Mayor OF Boston has no power
at all He is simply advisory officer. Mr. Bradford
would have department Independent, and with the
fnr
fault with present legislative system, in that it is
special instead Of general and private instead OF public
He confessed great admiration for the English system of
an executive ministry. He cOntrased what has been
done in reform in the last 80 years in England with what
has been done in this country. The comparison he
thought, was greatly To Engands advantage Frank
sanbOrn said the only dOabt he had as TO Mr..
Eaton's system was its practical working. He said the
system of commissions advocated by Mr.. Eaton found
something like 1t in County Commissioners, who
were least responsible their constituents of any OF our
public officers Mr.. + atom replied that the system OF
commissioners advocated by him could hardly be com
pared with the county system, for bis commissioners
not elected but app nted and have no charge OF
the expenditure Of money, but simply that the work
is DONE His system had already been tried in New
York which now had the best Police Department IN the
country The Fire Department is thoroughly efficient
and well disciplined, aud the Health Department has
been regenerdted In its Excise Department, before
year; but Tweed substituted elective system, and
the collections were reduced to $4,000 year. The
system OF managing departments by commissioners had
proved perfect success.
The marked feature Of tO-day's proceedings the
paper Of Col HigginsOn the Higher Education Of
Woman 1t excited prolonged and spicy discussion, in
which many of the prominent members OF the Associa.
ton participated, including Prof Agassz, President
Eliot OF Harvard University, President Raymond Of
Vassar College, Wendell Phillips, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe
Mrs Liyermore and Mrs. Cheney President Eliot gave
at length his against admitting women al Har
ward and his explanation elected much criticism.
THE HIGHER EDUCATION OF WOMAN.
The following contains the interesting port
of Col T. W. Hicginsons paper with the above title
In Broad-st, St. Giles, London, there is or was sign
Z" The Good Woman" with painting OF a woman with
out a head. IL seems simple and rudimen;ary joke
enough. but it condenses few square feet Of space
the opinions Of many of the greatest men, When Les
sing said, "The woman who thinks is like the man who
puts on rouge-rdcuous :" when voltaire said Ideas
are like beards-women and very young men have
none :" when Niebuhr thought he should not have
educated girl well for he should have made her know
too much, these eminent men simply painted each IN
his own way the sign Of the Good Woman. Dean Swift
perhaps earned the argument step further when, in
describing certain casualty, he summed it up, 80
many souls lOst-besde women and children !"
over the doors Of schools for women up TO the
preseDt time this figure of the Good Woman" might
stu be painted. Even within the walls, among the
notices designed TO excite her intellectual ambition,
one is sometimes reminded Of the hall visited by
Britomart in speucer's "Faere Queene;" over three
sides is written BE bold" but the fourth SIDE BE
not too bold" in your intellectual inquiry The English
Schools Inquiry Commission" Of 1868 reported as one
of the greatest TO the education OF women
congratulated and inveterate prejudice that as re-
CARDS their relation the other and the probability
of marriage solid attanments are actually disadvan-
tageous rather than otherwise" The same impression
still fingers among ourselves. Walking down the street
with a Greek book under arm the other day. Joined
a lady who asked the book. She examined 1t with
interest read lines aloud and sighed as she gave
At back: &c liked Greek better than anything ever
studied" she sad-and knew that her father, cler-
gyman, had been rather eminent scholar" but my
friends OF both sexes thought it unwOmanly, gave
81 up" 1t brought back to the old complaint Of
Queen Christina Nine. Daoer, "Such pretty girl as
you are are you not ashamed TO be so learnedp
ABSURD PREJUDICEs DISPOSED OF.
The higher education OF is in this respect also
like of Sponsors palaces in the Faerie Queene"
that it is guarded by series of ghOsy sentinels all in
divduay powerless you approach, but collectively
formidable to the imagination. There is a series OF
reiudices each Of which has been exposed great many
times but still they rear their heads, unconscious of
humiliation. They resemble those Portuguese sodlers
who used 10 DO instructed TO attack the enemy with
ferOciOus cOuntenances and like those traditional sol
diers. they seldom stand he Every energenc woman
countered and overcome them still IL is impossible to
approach the subject without at least recognizing their
existence as you pass.
T. one OF these faaces. for instance, is that which
oonfounds the laws Of with the laws OF digestion
Man and woman being OF different sexes says some
must obviously require different intellectual
diet Why so, II they do not need different physical
dieti IN we 40 home and dine with the psychologist,
And him politely assisting his wife 10 soup, and his
daughter to roast mutton, ignoring the fact Of His
own dnnerable refutes his theory his knife sharper
than his logic and his joints Of mutton dsOnt his argu
mept Sex is certainly marked in the body as IL Is
ANYWHERE nature shows essential identity OF the
dSestiye system In man and woman. II this is true OF
nc body IN would seem 90 be true Of mind. To say,