Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-03
SOME COLLEGE GRADUATES.
LEARNED WOMEN OF WASHINGTON.


The Association Of the Collegiate Alumne was
organized IN Boston in 1888. Strange to say,
the idea did not originate with o woman grad
uate, but sprang from the brain Of q cultured
lady who perceived the possibilities Of such an
association.
The Washington branch Of the association
was organized in 1885 at the call of Miss Lydia
n. Dame, its first president.
The original society of Boston included
thirteen colleges, two or three only being ex-
clusively women's colleges, the others mixed
institutions ranging in rank from the college
simple and purely classical to the university
with its many departments. The alumn@
began with a membership of sixty-six- To-day
10 has representation of 748. Mrs. Backus,
wife OF the principal of the Parker institute
and graduate of vassar, is now president Of the
parent organization, whose center is Boston.
Among the colleges included are Vassar, Cor
nell university, Wellesley, Massachusetts, school
of technology, university of Kansas, Syracuse
university. Oberlin and several others, notably
Michigan university at Ann Arbor.
The standard of membership to the associa-
ton has been a subject of great consideration
for several years with q committee, Of whom
Marian Talbot is chairman and Mrs. Carl
Barus a member. The committee make
exhaustive report and fix the standard for adj
mission at those colleges only which have
thrown off ''the incubus of pre- paratory schools
and adopted strictly collegiate methods of
work according to foreign and home standards.
of the highest order, and mot upon incidental
supremacy" such as occur in schools of every
type.
THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE WASHINGTON BRANCH
includes many ladies distinguished in social or
scholastic life. Among the first is Mrs. Carl
Barus, the president of the association; Miss
Theodate L. Smith, who fills the double Office
OF secretary and treasurer; Mrs. Charles OAR
win. for several years secretary and graduate
of Vassar; Mrs. Christine Ladd Franklin. grad
uate of Vassar and fellow of Johns Hopkins
university; Mrs. Emma c. Atkinson. now Mrs.
Almy, for several years principal of the nor
NAL school Of Washington; Miss Ida Corson,
lady OF means and leisure, one of the older
graduates of Vassar and president of the Vas
sar alumna; Miss A. s. Rainey of the high
school, another Yassar girl; Miss Charlotte
Smith, 50 well known as a teacher in the public
schools, represents Cornell, with Miss Julia A.
Doubleday and Miss Mary Eastman of the high
school, who halls from Smiths college.
The Washington branch of alumna includes
graduates resident in Baltimore, Maryland
and Virginia.
EFFECTS OF COLLEGE LIFE ON THE HEALTH.
During the past years the alumn@ has given
special attention to the effects Of higher educa-
ton upon the health and the family life of
graduates. From careful statistics collected
and tabulated by the labor bureau of Massa-
chusetts. assisted by Mrs. Anna Barus. chair
man. and her assistants. it is claimed that .'the
state of health OF women in college does not
seem to show any marked difference in general
health from the average reported of an equal
number Of women engaged in other occupa-
tions, or women withoutregard to occupation"
FOR THE BENEFIT OF PROMISING YOUNG WOMEN
Mrs. Christine Ladd Franklin, wife of Prof.
Franklin Of Johns Hopkins college, is chair
man of committee trying to raise the
small endowment of $500 per year for estab-
fishing an European fellowship Ito help those
women who give promise Of distinction in
their line of study, and not designed to help
poor girl merely making a struggle to get an,
education. There must be evidence of WORTH
consisting of college diploma of an unusua
degree of ability and high character from her
professor and qualified judges. She must
have good health, with definite plan for the
future; last of all give example of literary or
scientific work alredy done"
MEETINGS IN WASHINGTON
The Washington branch of the alumn@ holds
four regular meetings each year-in October,
December, February and April 1t has also
had course Of lectures, when Profs. Ely.
Gould. and Carol ID. Wright of Johns Hopkins
university each discussed topics of interest
TO the future of the alumn@. 1t has held as
side issues meetings for the purpose of
pursuing studies in belle letters on political
economy, reading Latin at sight and in various
ways adopted methods Of study to keep them
selves abreast with literary and scientific
thought.