Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-04-13
Girls and Greek.
BY MRS HELEN P. JENKINS.
From the Pittsburg T-eader.)

first prize for Greek was drawn by a
art, Miss Julia j. Thomas, from Cor
nell university.
There has doubtless been much
elevation of eyebrows all through the
country at this announcement, as there
was of surprised exclamation last year.
when a girl bore off the palm in lnath-
emetics 81 Michigan university
IF the prize had been for embroidery
or wax flowers there would be no sur
prise ; but in Creeks gtrl TO carry
off the prize. competing with multi
tude of scholarly young men, this is
really contrary to the claw Of nature -
What does it mean?
1t means simply that girls can master
the most difficult branches OF study as
well as boys, if they only have the op-
portunlty. Within the past few years.
since several collegs have been opened
10 women, and girls have had an op-
p0rtuhity to measure themselves beside
young men, there have been numerous
instances where young women have won
high honors, sometimes the highest and
they have in general proven themselves
as capable, as faithful aud devoted to
study as the young men-a matter of
great surprise and regret to luany
'adorers of the sex"
Facts in general ''are stubborn
things, " around which fanciful theories
float like mists about the mountain-tops,
harmlessly. only obscuring the grand
peaks. And these facts concerning
the mental caliber Of women cannot be
demolished by misty sentimental theo
ries about the natural intellectual infe-
rority OF women the danger of lower
lug the standard OF scholarship in col
leges by the admission of women &c.
The mountains still stand, and soon the
sun will drive away these unwholesome
fogs
Since there is a dawning suspicion
that girls are quite as capable intellec-
tually as boys, another Cry has been
raised by few tender hearted ps.sies
sional gentlemen that though girls can
keep parce with boys in study they
should not, as it is too severe a tax on
their constitutions.
Very kindly meant, perhaps but
very fimsy reasoning for the masculine
mind Since multitudes of women
are sick who 90 not study, and many
get well when they begin to study, and
since most Of the intellectual and
scholarly women Of our time are well
and vigorous women, this scare is too
transparent to be successful.
Then the plea that mental attain
ments make girls disinclinel to accept
matrimony and undesirable to young
men seeking wives, seems to be worth
less if We Judge from the case before
us. Miss Thomas, the lady who drew
the prize was married soon after the
examination in Greek, was passed and
received the prize as Mrs Irwin.
1t is perfectly evident to the unpre-
JUDGED mind that girls need only OPP
portn,ity They do not require unu-
sual encouragement or any spur which
boys do not have, but simply opportunity
and they will convince the world their
brains are not ''infantile, (" their pur-
poses childish nor their constitutions
fragile. . Of course the minds of
girls will seem infantile if you check
them THEN growth their purpose and
and plans will be trivial if you narrow
them down to dress and pleasure or to
menial labor, and, of course, their con-
stitutions will be fragile If they live i'm
prisoned in close rooms and wear the
shackles of fashionable clothes and
are deprived Of all the healthy stimu-
lus of independence and ambition to
accomplish something in life. And
there has been much Of this sort of
despotism practised upon women in
times past, but the girls that are grow
ing up in our midst to-day will not,
many of them, submit to such dwarf
ing and rejoice to say there is much
less inclinatson to dwarf them than
formerly. 1t is coming to be believed
that girls should have the same unre-
stricted opportunity that their brothers
have to study, to select a vocation in
life; the same freedom to think, to do
and to be whatever they can and will,
That public sentiment is beginning to
comprehend and accept this is shown
by the fact that two thirds of the col
leges of the land are already open to
women.
1t is to be regretted that we have not
in our city college like Cornell, which
would afford young women equal ad-
vantages with young men in obtaining
higher education. If Mr. Thaw had
made condition of his munificent be
quest that the new Western university
should be open to both sexes, many
young women in Pittsburg, would