Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-12-11
THE EDUCATION OF GIRLS.

the most thoroughly qualified to take care
of herself in hand to hand fight with the
world. Who has q basis of good Judgment,
practical knowledge and common sense, IN
which to start in her self-sustaining career.
Who is armed with the able weapon OF
trade or profession with which she is famll-
lar, and whose conduct is governed by eX-
acting principles of natural integrity Such
a girl possesses a fortune in her own right
which no fluctuations of business circles can
depreciate and who will never become
drag upon opulent and unwilling relatives.
With health and strength and fair start in
the race for life she will reach every mile
stone of success. Nor wear out, or grow
discouraged by the way; and not lnlre-
uuently She will Outrun her Wanting broth
er and even stop to lend him a helping
hand.
The properly balanced, well-educated girl
is aware that she can do one thing we'll ana
she bends all her energies towards its ac-
c0mplishment She concentrates her forces,
instead of scattering them, and has some
thing to show for it. She is the best ac-
countant, or the cleverest writer, or the
most successful sales-Wonan, or the hardest
worker in the sciences-muSic, physlc, law
whatever her talent destines her for. She
studies with an aim, and understands what
sieve, and she endeavOrs to absorb quality
rather than quantity, and comprehend to
her own enlightenment what she studies.
The Wretched system of forced culture IN
which a girl learned little French and
Latin, smattering Of mathematics, glance
into polite literature, and great deal or
moor pjan0 playing, has been abandoned in
! favor of more sensible curriculum COM
| mensurate with her falue as co-Worker
with her brothers.
Sensible German parents have always
brought up their daughters to be producers
as we'll as consumers in the domestic ecOnO-
NV. It is only the American parent who
made the kitchen unattractive to his daugfl-
ter, and gave her no possibility OF employ
| ing her talent, except in the few lady-llke
departments sanctioned by conservative
custom.
The time is coming, nay, has already
come, when sign reading "Smith d Daugh-
ters,'' will merely indicate that all Mr..
Smiths boys were girls, and he had educat::
ed them as he would have done if they had
been boys. And the Smith girls instead OF
dawdling around the paternal mansion un'
til some young men could be found Tor nus
bands, have wisely gone into business with
their father, and have never found time to
be discontented with themselves.
When Edison, genius and inventor as he
is. had given two weeks Of his valuable
time to going up and down on the New
York Elevated Railroad, trying to discover
what caused it's noise and cure for it, he
gave up the Job. Then little woman took
it. She rode on the cars three days, was de-
MED place to stand on the rear platform
laughed at for her curiosity, and politely
snubbed by conductors and passengers. Bu
she discovered what caused the noise, in
vented a remedy, which was patented, ano
she was paid a sum of $4,000 and royalty
forever! Her name is Mrs. May Walton
and she lives in New York city. This l:
what she says of her education:
"My father had no sons and believed II
educating his daughters. He spared n, NJ
pains or expense to this end. My father:
brother once said to him, why do y0l
waste so much money on your girls" Tt
which my father replied, My boys all turned
out to be girls, and | am going to give then
as good an education that they may turl
out to be as good as boys.'"
AS good as boys is here used in genera
sense; as good as some boys would be a yer!
poor recommendation. Any girl who un
derstands her own capabilities will DO he
work as we'll as it is possible to be done
No boy can do better than that. Work i
without sex. Certain departments of labo
are cACluolFCly Ny CcyS
because they have legendary right il
them. No competition has entered the list
against them. fla woman can make a 60 go5o( OF
horseshoe she can open forge ana mak'
shoes. No one has the right to say she shall
not. There are men who are mllllners
dress-makers and who sell dry goods, ant
they do these things so we'll no one dispute
their right to them. .,
The girl who has educated herself to Ill
some niche in the mercantile world ma!
marry and never carry her knowledge an!
further than her own nursery. What then
She is we'll fitted to teach her own sons ant
daughters the rudiments of commercial
knowledge, to counsel and advise with he he,
) husband, and if left widow, to take TIM
care of her own estate. There is no waste
ia Heritage az @ Of ignorance and uselessness thai
the array of thread-and-needle accomplish
ments which, for generations has been con 20,
, sidered the correct dover for lady-llk
young person. Consider your girls as re
sponsibie fellow-citizens, and educate then
: accordingly.