, 1889-05-08
USELESS


-
Works More Harm Than Good.
am glad that there are a few men
an this age of the world like the old
farmer who once said TO me that
"wimmen hadn't no need O. rarnin'
beyond a knowledge Of how TO write
their W names and read fairly we'll
But | do sometimes think hat this
higher education for women should
be governed in some degree by con
siderations as 10 what their future lives
are to be, This conviction was
strengthened the other day after | had
read the account of n marriage of a
young friend of mine. He is a plain,
plodding, good natured sort of a young
fellow, Of ordinary mental capacity,
working for a very good salary, but l
doubt if he ever has anything more
than a salary, by way of income, and
it was this part of tho wedding notice
n graduate of our high school, of the
W Normal school and of K
university. She has made a special
study of the languages and speaks and
reads French, German, Spanish and
Italian with as much ease as her mo-
ther tongue, while she is very prof.
NANAAN ~ many oNAtllAAhS HNAAAAlNn-
IL occurred to me that n young wo-
ma who had been educated up 10 this
high standard must have had little
time for the study Of many things it
behooves the possible mistress of
every home 10 know. | wondered of
what earthly use her knowledge of
chemistry, of astronomy and geology
would be in the home she would now
hnNrn anil IN thn ugrfnf- -, uwhfnI
heuceforth she is destined TO move. /
bethoughl me of the mistress Of a Ger
tain house, whose knowledge of bot
any is very much greater than her
knowledge of bread making, and she
could discharge the duties Of a college
president better than she can direct
the affairs of her own wildly disor-
dered home. Too close application To
her books has greatly undermined her
health, and her husband and children
ncighborhood in which they live.
recall the case of a hard working
mechanic and his wife who made
every sacrifice that their only daugh-
ter might receive an education better
than that given her in the excellent
public schools in tho city in which she
lived. After graduating from the
high school she was sent for four
years TO n well known college, and
came homo highly proficient in many
things she knows nothing about To-
day, for she is now the wife of n hard
working carpenter who cannot afford
TO keep ven one servant for her, and
she married in utter ignorance of some
of the simplest rules of housekeeping.
She has four children, and the sys
TEN OF housekeeping prevalent in that
homo would drive n tidy housokceper
crazy.
II does not, of course, follow that n
highly educated woman must be either
a slattern or an inefficient mistress of a
home. But it cannot be proven that
this Sc called higher education is of
my value TO the wives of nine outof
ten men. Tho education given in our
public schools is amply sufficient for
their needs, and If TO this Fan be add
ed the practical education necessary
TO conduct n home and a knowledge
OF how TO make that home a place of
rest and peace and comfort TO her hus-
band and children, she need never
blush because Of her lack of knowl.
edge. OF what use is a knowledge
of chemistry and higher mathematics
and hydrostatics TO the wife of a man,
who may have To do her own house
work and care for her own children7
a great deal of fun and poor wit is
poked at modern cooking schools, but
what is taught at them might well
form n part of every woman's cduca-
ton, for the palatcs of n good many
men have kceucr sensations than
their hearts when they are once fairly
established in their homes, and the
best of them think "a sight" of what
they are 10 eat, SO that it behooves
every woman TO go TO a home of her
own prepared TO conduct its affairs
in "A wise and sensible manner. This
is particularly true in this day of in
efficient servants, when even wealthy
women r sometimes compelled to
discharge the duties Of the kitchen and
laundry and pantry themselves. A
clear conception of her duties as n
wife and mother should form a part of
the education of every woman, even
though she goes to her grave without
knowing how TO calculate tho exact
distance from the earth TO the moon,
or how TO separate carbon from oxy-
gen in anything in which those useful
clements exist. She will most likely
have a husband who can forgive such
pitiful ignorance if she can mako his
home a place of rest and peace 10 him
home that is indeed a home for the
spiriL-Zenas Dane in Good House
keeping.