New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-05
THE DAUGHTERS OF vASSAR
MANY CITY ALUMNAE IN SESSION.
PRorKssoR MARIA MITCHELL COULD NOT bs rHAs-
RNT--PAPERs READ.

Brunswick at the annual meeting OF 1ne WV
York Association Of the Alumnae yesterday W.
than 200 graduates attended the meeuhg wiz" '"o
hone OF meeting Professor Mara Mtchei' ""o ZOO
occupied the Chair Of Astronomy in '"sS''f e'0
,bc iost,,.,,n was founded nearly quarter OF
century ago In the morning pushess sc
was held at which Mrs Francis Fisher WOOD
prsdent Of the association, presided. iepor's
xverc read from the secretary, Mrs. T. L. CiafK'
and from Mrs w. ii. Allen, the treasurer.
A committee was appointed consisting OF MIS-
Annie Howes Barnes, Mrs. Grace larneo ana MIS-
Laura Wylie who are to receive the Votes Vi .io
alumnae associations throughout the country ior
n. stc,s TO be appointed next June Al the aso
meeting Of the trustees Of vasSar it was decided
that the alumnae Of Vassar should have the cleo
ton Of three members Of the Board one OF these
trustees is TO be from Boston, one from New-forK
and enc from the the West
1t became known shortly after the meeting that
Mrs Wood the president had received letter
from Miss Mitchell announcing that she ceuld noC
attend thu citing The announcement was
surprise and disappointment to The members
as the reception to Miss Mitchell in the afternoon
was to be the chief feature Of the meeting
PROFESSOR MITCH LIS RETIREMENT.
Mrs. Wood, in her opening address To the guests
devoted il entirely to Miss Mitchell She SAID III
paIt:
" he
Mitchell was Poughkeepsie within easy journey OF Nc"
York 40 hat her falling wsad not have prevented
her since Unexpectedly resigned her CHAIR
OF astronomy which she has filled for nearly
want, va wears her family home at Lynn
N... She expected that would enable her
10 attend meeting but unfortunately she has net been
able to perate rapidly she anticipated She Bays
that Tho attempt grow young again is at seventy
not success" and she adds; Il am eth,
tired and than half century
en- trying rest" To the Alumn@ she says; Il have
watched you the stars rejoice IN every good
done rough and In each onward step taken oi
the advancemento Of women"
The president gave a sketch of Miss Mitchell. of
which the following are prlncl pal points:
Mitchell born IN Nantucket on August 1913
Aoth and mother OF old Nantucket stock
her mothers Island ancestor Coleman was one OF the
Gu kes who u their flight from religious
landed first white settlers the Nantucket shore
early began assist her father In bis astro
noca work Al eleven years she recorded the
and of lunar eclipse her father looking
through tbs glass she watching the second hand OF Tue
chronomrter
In si7 ame the discovery which first made
world. and in recognition oil
winch she received a medal from the King OF Denmark
She the great observatories of England aud the
Continent aud became acquainted with many eminent a'ron
guest families OF Sir John Her'chei
sir George Airy, then Astronomer Royal al dreoh"0
Following tho president Mrs Christine Ladd
Franklin was introduced an0 received Win ap-
pause by the assembly. Mrs. Franklin was au-
united TO the post graduate codrses In matnellat-
the close o. the year was invited by the trustees
10 continue her studies there as leiioW, WHICH
appointment was ewed for two additional years.
Tier address to the alumn@ was on An unknown
Mathematician Mile. Sophie German
THE ELECTIVE SYSTEM DISCUSSED.
Miss Mary A. Jordan, a graduate of Vassar in
1875, read paper 1.-The Dangers and
Safeguards of an Elective System OF
Education" She was formerly fellow OF
Johns Hopkins University. She has carried her
linguistic studies from modern ltallan 10 ancient
Gothic, icelandic aud Sanscrit, and she now occu
pies the chair at the head OF the English depart
ment Sni a College. Her paper was In part as
follows:
useless to attempt settle the claims Of elective
and prescr bed education, particularly as history HAS
waited for no such settlement Samson OF
admit that the Phlistnes are upon
President Eliot Endorses the students freedom Oh
choice unQualiAedly DR. McCosh accepts part OF the
theory but the whole Grant Allen thinks CamoroeS
might have SPOILED Darwin If he had studied Darwin
oisagrees Allen by regretng that he did not
learn algebra letter then differs from himself by Try
Ing find schools with flexible methods for his sons
His accepted professors OF science ny Jam
bridge The elective system misunderstood There Is
IN impression students right OF choice Is only
another for getting his own way This feeihg Is
survival Calvnism and Offers pain under The name Vi
discipline as q tonic 1t Is believed that The lines VI
work will be impractical because OF the youth and mex
perienee Of undertaking them But no scheme Vi
study can demands OF the practical critic oohe
meet all needs Of the mind and call forth It's powers
These schenes ON prove 10 be under constant
obligation the elective principle The early d'scp he
was Latin the against Greek was fierce as any against
science In later times The narrow mndedness OF ihsu
buttons Of been proverbia Dugad stewart
said: The aeadenca establishments OF some paf's vi
Europe without their use to the historian Vi inc
human mind. Immovably moored TO The same station oy
the strength their cables and the weight oil ef an
ehos they enable him 10 measure the rapd VI me CUR
rent by which rest Of the world Is borne along
This conservatism has largely pretenee, there has
been constant progress though unacknowedgeo eolS'
acceptance OF heretcal practice, though under prOes
Fifteen wears ago in Long Island school class
Of forty children toliDg through Coburns Mehta
q they called it. They had gone from LONDON W 1orh
by every and conveyance that would Involve amer
ence Of speed They bought and sold wheat by mehous
,a, womb ,ose produce broker illustrate the
yule Of three They had strained their ears 70 near anu
their memories keep the dseousgng compiicauoIis
after the teachers reading They had worked 'he
problems In their heads, reached an answer that 'hy
ere willing 10 stand by publicly and had raised hand
trembling with the hope OF being first UP" sueh eAer
eses are generally Of dale and there "ouu W o
cason for calling them from oblivion II IL were not
for one fact Scattered through the book were some poo
,s that the class AZ large expected to doi
Students who attempted them and succeeded In getting INC
rcht answer rewarded by extra ndfks ihls was !"
a. essential respects Offering short elective course IN
arithmetic but the good teacher would as soon nave
one,ed course of literature founded The Chimney
Corner" ,o.
Granting that under the elective system perfect liberty
of choice permitted 10 the students there are eo
practical questions TO be answered do the s'uueh's
show suy tendency 10 the freedom! Is there any
vav OF helping them the best of i'll Is there any
thing 10 prevent their making the worsti The experience
a, President Eliot his careful statistics answer inc
a., ,ha second is met by the system OF class or oil
vision officers in many colleges or by the adjustments VI
the courses of study others The answer 20 inc ru %
,ouna in the very nature OF elective study IL Is 'ueu
BY the law Of hlgglety pggeiy' as one Vi DSf W." 49,
ffp ~ A
feared from ove-speciazaton is set aside by consoer'
on OF the varied topics involved In the thorough master!
of any one department Of learning The ideal thioushou
the elective system transfers the strain " u"eio