The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-19
HIGH EDUCATION ron WOMEN.
The Rirst Co~ueneene.t as Saith College,
Northarptep, Mass.

NOMINATION., Mass, June 1s.-Smith Col
lcge held It's first commencement here to-day.
and graduated q class OF eleven young women.
who. during four years. have pursued course
OF studies that ranks az high, the faculty say
as that pursued by any OF the colleges for
young men. This achievement by a class OF
girls has the reputation OF being and probably
10, unexampled. Miss Sophie Smith Of Hat
field, In this State founded tho college. and en-
dowed II with property amounting To moro
than 100000. The fret class was started
In 1873. and numbered sixteen pupils. Of
whom IL. az said. were graduated to-day
But the lowest. and the next to the lowest class
number respectively 72 and 80 pupils to-day
and there are 1888 pupils in tho college al
together The friends OF the college are as
pleased to find that the graduating class have
without exception. preserved good health
throughout the long courSe as they are that
they have passed through the course at all. For
both abilities. that to graduate and that to re-
main healthy. were widely questioned when
Smith College was started.
Social Hall as II Ia called. the common meet
ing room in the college building. was thronged
nt the commencement exercises this morning
The exercises began at 10 o'clock and iasted hi
IL. Contrary to the usual custom. the members
OF the graduating class took no part. except the
passive and to good many who had curiosity
the unsAtsfActory part OF being present. They
read no essays. and there was neither saluta-
Tory bly or ,vaaiedle!ory. Rising simply when
iTesluent oeelye Degnn 10 address them
he had finished and that constituted their
whole duty in tho matter. The faculty say that
II is gross and wrong to require young women
to parade their accomplishments before the
public. President Eliot OF Harvard College
pronounced the oration. In the course OF this
he called attention to the necessity that the rus
tees OF the college were under OF having male
professors. There were no women competent
TO teach tho course prescribed. for the reason
that women bad never been given opportu
pltY OF acquiring sufficient education. He
powers required after fnishing his college
course twenty years TO the achievement Of a
prutessorship, and he thought that there might
be female professors at Smith in iS95-whlch is
better by four years than the prescribed male
period Qf probation. President Elliot advised
me study OF art and modern languages especi-
ally in the college. saying incidentally that a
correct uee OF the mother tongue was all that
he considered really necessary TO the rounded
education OF lady or gentleman. and quot
ing Emrrson's opigrammatic argument Of
the matter that he would as soon think
OF swimming the Charles River every time he
went to Boston as Of reading books in the orig
tnal when be could have them in easy English.
A poem by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps wherein
she said that the clock OF time had struck the
womans hour" and that we heard it on our
knees. was read by Prof. Churchill and that.
with music and prayer, constituted the COM
mencement exercises.
The. graduates are: Mary Adkins. Milford.
Philbrook Cushing. Bath. Me. Mary Eta Cor
ham. Northampton; julia Henrietta CULVER.
Andoy'r: Henrietta Leonard, Easthampton
hHte Eugenia Morris. Hartford. Vt Alice Cook
Osborne. Peabody; Anna Louise Palmer Bos-
ton Harriet Blanche Warner. Florence; Mary
Bartlett Wilton. Newark n. J.
Most OF the young women intend to teach. and
one has already accepted position in the
West They all say that the first two years were
hard. but that the last two were easy. The
which they stuck to their work was extraor-
dnary.