The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-10-09
The NEW woIAw's COLLEGE.
DR. isoiInnd'a idea OF s:.e WAY 10
Run IL.


From the October Scribner.
Insre Is to De new women's college al
Y Northampton. Mass II will be founded ON
generous brque>t made by Miss Sophia
smith, Cf fairfield - town adinttinT
Z NorthAnptou-wh very seuSibly took A
upon herself To appoint the Board OF Tru.-
tees. This Board embraces the napes al
ProL Tyler and Julius Seelye, of Amherst
college; Prof. Park. OF Andover; joseph
white. of Wuliamstown; b. q. Noftnrop,
~ New Haven; and Gov. washburn, OF
Massachqsetts. Such a Board of Trustees
means business and the business Is, IN
fact. begun. A site for the college has been
purchased. and l. every hing that Il ought
10 be. Prof l.. Clark SeelSe. Of Amherst.
has been elected the President Of the insfi-
tuition, and has accepted the place. What
remains 70 br done i TO erect the buiiIiu,~.
aud determine upon the scheme ~ bp utr-
-uri. Exactly here We wisn to offer q lew
suggestions.
In" Board or Trustee Of smith Colle.s,.
have IN their hands he power % snivt~ So. tu
very grave ques iuus ga epuurctiot .tith the
higher education q. woman. They know
just What VI Huut Holyoke Seminary =, aud
whether an Institution constituted like thas
Nh answer their purpose. II ount II 'ly.
0ke l. perfect, all they wish 10 10 viii b. o.
duplicate " as nearly as possible. Tn.y
know what Nassrr Is; are thry satisfied " ith
'SSarE II -. they viii repeat V ssar iu
nith, and tha' will b,' tllc eud Of it. Ii j..
however, only fair 90 state that there Is Ia
tue public mind a feeling of conviction
thIt, wiih all their ACKNOWLEDGED excel
lenc's. neither Mount Hplyoke nor VssSar
i the ideal Womlu's college, w share H.
this conviction, and Tor this re-on W.. write
We do not believe in bringing large
O"dtrs, either Of young men or young wo-
men. under single roof and keeping them
here for a period of four years Young
men can be managed in college becausr
they can be parceled out in families They
are able TO be out In all kinds OF weather.
aud are kept healthy In body and mind bV
being constantly In contact with the world.
Young women cannot be managed in tins
way. They must live within the college
walls, and thus they must b. confined To
each others society. The mischirfs that are
bred by circumstances like these none know
So well a those who have had charge OF
large bodies OF girls under any circum
stances. We are free t. say that no cDusid- !
Grafton would induce u to pl zee a youny
wonan--tlaughter or ward--in a college
which would shut her away from all family !
lite for period OF four years The system
is unnatural, and NOT one young woman in |
ten can he hjacted TO il without Injury
IL Is not necessary to go into particulars. !
but every Observing physician or physiolo- |
gl>t knows what we mean when we say |
that such system i felrfully unsafe. The |
facts which substantate their opinion would \
hll the public mind with horror If they |
were publicly known. Men may "poOh |
pooh" these facts il they choose, but they |
exist. Diseases of body, diseases of imaVf- !
nat or, vices of body and Imagination |
every thing we would save our children |
from--are bred in these great institutions |
where life aud association are circumscribed /
as weeds are forced in hot beds.
Can we have a college for women and 1
save ourselves and them from these dangers |
and damages? We believe IL is pos .ible: |
and, Furthermore we believe that, il it j. |
not possible, We had better throw our
money into the river AMI stop building |
women's colleges altogether Women. as a !
rule, are better educated for their positions |
than men are, now. There are no great tx |
igencles in the case. and there is no reason /
for exposing hundreds OF girls to the peril, |
OF college life As they at present exist. II |
we can have college in which these perils |
are mainly avoided, let Us have it; IL we |
cannot, the quicker the buildings burn |
down, and the longer they remain burned |
down, the better.
Smith College will do great thing for
America and woman NJ it can furnish col
lege edu' alton aGli avoid the college perils. |
We can thiHk ot nn'} one way in which this |
can t. accomplished. and that l.. Instead OF |
having III" giri- a!t under one root, To bring /
them under twenty. Let The college consist /
OF one central building. Tor class and assem-
bly, rooms. and OF tasteful dwelling houses,
each capable. say. of boarding twenty girls.
Let each dwcliug-hOu-e be- conducted by a
professor, who, with his wife and children,
that there shall be q yedi famiiy ia cUetg house,
and it viii not be hart tor every young
woman II feel thar, for the time, size Is
mem Der of IL. DO not shut out men from
the daily conduct OF school affairs. Have
no church or chapel on the place. Smith I
College is located almost in the corner OF
one OF the most thriving aud beautiful OF
New England VILLAGES There are, within /
easy walking distance OF the college
grounds, Baptist, Methodist. Congregational
and Episcopal churches, into which the
pupils should all 20 according TO cir
varied predictions, and in which they
should be encouraged 10 engage ia active
work The sunday Schools OF NOTthamp-
ton, every one. should b" enriched by these
young worker. HE girls would thus be
come "A blessing to the town and the Ell ct
upon themselves would be cminenuy beau
titul. We regard this matter as OF prime
Importance. Don't s7ui the g,rls up on
sunday To one another. - mt undertake 70
run any theological m acniue in connection
with the Institution. Wherever Il j. safe o
do So let the girls come into vital contact
with society. and If they can DO 80 At al
they can do So on sunday. and in conuec-
tion with the work of the church.
We do not know whether the trustees of
smith College have settled upon their plan
or u t. but we csn safely say to them that
the country expects of them something |
" hich il has not had. II expect "A bold,
original move il the right direction. Tick
poets some plan that shall not shut up three
hundred women together. away from all
family influence. and beyond the possibility |
of family sentiment and feeing--ome plan
that will connect the college with the world.
II there il any plan better than that which
we have outlined, let us have IL; but II We
must have the same over again. that has
already been done TOO often, we shall wish
that Sophia Smith had had less money, and
had left that to-well-to US.