Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-04-19

Whose tenderness wins but to grieve you;
Better live an unfettered old maid
And die like an autumn-dried aster,
Than always to sigh in the shade
OF masculine who is your master.
Laura Beti. in Yankee Blade.
THE EDUCATION OF WOMEN.
Evils in the Existing Method Of Training
Girls.
We are concerned at the folly which
is still apparent in the mode of train
ing girls. The old accomplishment
schools are fast dying natural death;
but the new system has inherited many
traditions of the old one. and is carried
on in a way which. if persisted in, will
completely falsify the hopes of the best
women of our generation. We are as
far as possible from pressing women to
follow too closely the scheme of mems
education. Nothing could be more dis
astrous and absurd. We regret. in
deed. that in many respects it has been
followed SO closely. In starting girls
education afresh, there was an oppor-
tunity of improving on old traditions
derived from mems education which,
We fear. can never occur again. But
though we do not advocate any i'm
itation by women of mems edu-
cation, we must protest that no
boy or man was ever supposed
to be capable of what is now forced up
on some girls. The system of examin-
atoms run mad has been adopted
wholesale from boys education by the
educators of girls. But no boy, how
ever crammed, was ever deprived of
exercise as girls are. No boy was ever
allowed to sit up to work till twelve
or one at night. as some girls are, to
the present writer's own knowledge.
Fortunately, boys would not stand it,
and the educators of girls should open
their eyes to the fact that they are taking
what boy would call ga mean advan-
tage" of the docility and eagerncss of
their pupils, and of the traditions of an
unhealthy scheme of life, to further the
end of gaining prizes and distinctions.
to the ruin OF their pupils health and
the ultimate ruin of the cause
they themselves have at heart.
This is not the case in the best
schools and colleges. doubtless;
but generation which is reOrganiz-
ing the education of women has a re-
sponsibility cast upon it which makes
protest needful. We believe that the
sedentary life led by girls of the last
generation was always very unhealthy.
Its traditions still surviving are re-
spOnsible for ten times more cases of
hysteria and breakdown than higher
education. But in the old days such
system was. at any rate, possible.
Combined with real intellectual work.
it is simply ridiculous. If women are
to use their brains even in less degree.
rs men do theirs. they must nourish
them in some degree as men do. There
is also an unfortunate tendency in mis-
tresscs to make compulsory on the
pupil a number of subjects which the
examiners. with the intention of Civ
ing everybody fair chance.
have made optional. Nothing. we
are afraid, can alter this but the
abolition of optional subjects. We
note that Mrs Pfeiffer has proved
that higher education has done little
harm and much good to women, not
only mentally but physically. 1t is all
very well for gentlemen at the top of a
well-paid profession to make hasty
concentrations rs to the tendency of
the intellectual culture Of women to
deteriorate the race. But in doing so
they are laying a weight upon women's
lives which they themselves would not
touch with one of their fingers Surely
they have not considered Ito what
poverty. poor feeding. mean employ.
ment numerically prolonged. and.
worse than all. to what temptation
they would consign them in hopeless
thousands" Why is it these men tell
US nothing of the cases which abound
in our great cities of women suffering,
not from Over-education. but from over
work and under-pay. caused in very
many cases by their being
allowed no education at all. or in
others, by their being artificially ex-
cluded from more lucrative en-
ployment? We are also heartily
glad that Mrs. Pfeifler makes another
protest against the Philistine idea. sup
ported lately by at least one person
vino ought to know better. that higher
education is wasted unless it can be
made to pay. and that for the role of
wife and mother it is useless Such
persons seemed to have grasped the
highest purposes of education rs little
rs they have g-asped the notion that
for a woman as well as . man. there is
an individual life and character which
are precious possessions. to be culti-
waited for themselves apart from any
gain or any role. To make money is
not. after all, the be-all and the end-all
of human existence, and there IL .
duty in self-culture. where it is posi-
bic. which is not taken away by be-
coming somebody's wife or some
body's mother. any moro than it 10 by
1eeomino sonnelnod y, hus nd mr. aome.