The National tribune., 1883-03-15

fees, and the College de France, more liberal
than Harvard and the Johns Hopkins Uniyer-
| slty, admits women. The only limitation upon
the student is the limit of his own abilities; for
he must have bachelors degree before read
ing law or medicine. Indeed, the administra-
tiOn of degrees is extremely careful, and an
anomaly such as that by which Jefferson Med
ical College has on occasion bestowed the de-
gree l.. L. ID. is inconceivable under the French
university system. 1t is firmly believed in
France that training is requisite to success,
and for the professions as well as for the trades,
a long and laborious process of preparation is
undergone. Moreover the government is not
content with supplying in a general way the
funds for education. On the contrary, the
most minute and thorough supervision of
every department of education throughout
France is constantly maintained. In the
matter of collegiate degrees it would seem
desirable that our own State governments
should follow the example OF France in this
direction, for the American college degree as
bestowed at present is of disgracefully small
value AprOp0S of the admission of women
to the College dc France, it is interesting to
know that young woman who graduated
from Cornell University some years ago, and
was refused admission for post graduate work
by the Johns Hopkins University, has recently
received at Zurich the degree Ph. d. Summa
cum tdnde, the fourth and highest degree
within the bestowal of the university and one
never bestowed upon woman since its founda-
ton. This student is now either in attendance
or about to become a student at the College de
France; and it is not pleasant consideration
that she owes to the lberality of the institu-
tlOns of two countries Of Europe gratitude for
training refused her in America. In art study |
too, women have fine opportunities in Paris |
though in this direction America is more Just |
in giving equal opportunities to equal merit !
than France or than America herself is in |
fauf of he doc
BeauX Arts, art instruction in Paris is man. !
aged by a sort of middlemen, who rent rooms |
and form classes, to which the leading artists |
go critics. The artists usually give their |
labor gratuitOusly, and the students fees |
merely cover the pay of models and the rent |
and profits of the middlemen. In classes |
composed exclusively of women there is usu-
ally less criticism and higher charge, and the |
tone of work is said to be less fine. Recently |
a move has been made in the direction of ad- |
mittlng women to the classes Of men, and the |
standard Of work required there is found to be |
attained and well held by the women admitted |
thus far.
ARTISTIC TRAINING.
1t is, however, in the artistic training |
which Paris offers to her artisans that the |
American is chiefly interested. Mere study of |
shop windows is capital training to the eye in |
certain directions, and the collections of OBJ |
jects of industrial art are thoroughly admir- |
corrections,
however, and there is usually proportion of |
wOrkingmen in every crowd in the galleries of |
paintings and scul ptuTe in the Louvre. This |
magnificent palace, created by the taste of |
series of luxurious rulers and the wealth and |
best architectural skill of the nation, is now, of |
course, public property, and the evident sense |
of ownership on the part of the unfailing |
stream of visitors suggests that yet another |
word might be added to the " Liberte, Egalite,
fraternite" craven upon every public build |
ing In Paris The inheritance of fine |
buildings is an advantage possessed by the |
European workman over the American, for it |
enables the European to see examples of beau
tlfuI work in the surroundings for which they |
were designed. The Musee Cluny is an ex- |
ample of this. The building is gem. Built |
by certain rich monks in the neighbOrhOod of |
1900, twas thought worthy to be hOnOred with |
the presence of the royal family, and a daugh-
ter of King Francis l was married here to King
James ', of Scotland. Inside and outside the |
Musee Cluny has kept its medieval appearance; |
and the lOw-ceiled rooms, lighted by square /
windows, deepSet in thick stone walls are cosy
yet, III spite OF their stately carved chimney
pieces and cold waxed floors. Whatever wood |
work can be carved is carved with master skill, |
and rich cabinets and carvings of all sorts
gathered through many years, find a fit and
harmonious setting here. Ten thousand speci-
mems of stained glass, ivory, and tapestry,
bronze and china offer to the artisan whenever
he chooses to come and study this public treasure,
to which he has gratuitOus access, suggestions
for design and finish by which the French
workman is ever eager to profit. Sooner or
later America must make still more energetic |
efforts for the artistic education of her artisans
II she is to hold her own against European COM
petition; and comprehensive technical educa-
tiOn is the necessary logical consequence of the |
American protective system. For if it is right
that the beautiful product of cheap European
labor should be prevented from coming into
competition with the product of dear American
labor, 1t IS only Just that the American labOrer
should be required to make his product as
beautiful as the foreign one; otherwise the
consumer is forced to buy an inferior article
In many directions the American labOrer does
this and more; and in the manufacture of
many articles of iron and steel the American |
product surpasses the European one in beauty
Of design and finish. There are, however, |
industries in which this is not yet achieved
and can never be achieved without the estab-
lishment ofwell-chOsen collections of objects of
art and the maintenance of efficient schools for
technical training. Moreover. an opportunity
is wasted in our great cities, where much might
be done in the direction of art education, by
the establishment of evening classes in the
public school buildings. In Philadelphia in
view of the disgraceful dearth of ofevening schools
for wOrklngwOmen, number of classes have
been opened by private associations, and it is
found that there is large constituency eagerly
awaiting every such opportunity. Meantime,
the government of France strains every nerve
to induce its artisans to improve their taste,
their skill, and, in consequence their value to
the industrial wealth of the nation. T. 4.