The weekly examiner., 1891-08-01
IN WOMAN'S BEHALF.
BOTH SIDES.
Some of the Objections Raised to College
 Training for Girls.

Some of the Objections Raised to College | Training for Girls.
 The world seems of late touched with the mania of gathering information by means of questions on all manner of topics addressed 10 all manner of peo- pie. As a way of reaching average opinion the postaI-examination system has merits though so many addressed have no opinions, or no time to write them; ;-that it is, after all, only a minor ity report which is thus made up.
 But a recent trial of it has proved in- teresting as showing the average ob- jections to college training for girls. To the sweet girl graduate of high, normal and private schools in a large eastern city four questions were ad- dressed. They were asked if they would like to go to college, if they meant to go, and if not, why not; and finally what objections they had heard urged against such training. Seventy seven answered, and of these, sixteen had no, desire to go, sixteen meant to go, and the rest would like to, but could not-chiefly for lack of money. A few were unwilling to postpone so long theirsentrance into society; and one, a normal graduate, was of opinion that though she might know more after four years at college, she would be no better fitted to teach.
 But it is the answers to the last ques- tion which are most instructive, as showing the prejudices still ruling the average mind. The chief objections urged are: College training is unnec- essary; women need to learn only house hold duties. They soon forget all they learn, have no use for it in after life, do not remain single long enough to profit by it. It is useful only to those who have to support themselves or who enter a profession. It makes women masculine, causes loss of pretty, lady like ways; makes them strong-minded, vain, independent, disagreeable, dissat- isfed with home life, injures the health, units them to be economical wives, de- stroys the maternal instinct, and him. ders them from marrying
 Now it may be useful to note how en- tire1y the social fallacy underlies most of these objections Substitute ssmen" for women in them and more than half of them become absurd But is education one thing for men and another for women? Precisely, answers society. A mans education is for his individual profit in knowledge and character, society gaining in turn from his gains. A woman's training is for the good of the home; she can not be considered apart from her special mis- sion as mother and home-malSer. In that case, our homes are still, in the main, ''dolls' houses.'' There are, of course, numbers of people who think college training a mistake; who oppose it equally for boys and girls, urging, with slight variations, these same objections This is at least consistency if it is not good sense. But the people who be- lieve in it for the average boy, should show cause why the average girl may not equally profit by it; why only the. exceptional girl who means to teach or take profession should be given it. The question indeed, resolves itself in to this: Has woman a right to life on her own account? If so, then the good of society will give to her. as to her brother, the broadest developments, and trust to profit indirectly by her culture as it does by his; no more, no less.
 A late writer in a magazine, like these objectors, lays the blame of de- clining marriage on college training and the selfish am nbitions'' it fosters And, always with the good of society
  Her marriages Let the girl be trained in household arts so that the youth can afford to marry, and then let her be given home and children to absorb her energies and the selfish ambitions, 3 which it is so wrong for her to cherish, will wither. But it is precisely the best mothers of to-day, the most intelligent and conscientious, who mourn over their intellectual deficiencies, their inn perfect, old-time training, because they feel these deficiencies with their chil- dren. They form classes and literary clubs, because-.I want to know some thing for my boys sake-my girls" If the younger women want knowledge for their own salxes, it is, perhaps, be- cause this reason has not yet come into their lives.
 Let us be rid of the idea that col lege training is only for teachers. The boy goes, not because he is to be teach CT or lawyer, but because it is the best education of gentleman. Until his sister goes for like reason, because it is the best culture of a.lady, we are still in the backwoods. Let us be rid, too, of the fancy that the higher education is, in some vague way, inimical to nar- riage and the common lot. If there is comfort in statistics, they show that college-bred women marry like their sisters, only little later. Statistics long since disproved the injury to hea1th'' objection. As for the moralists who cry that women's extravagance and love of dress hinder marriage, they must surely see that society life fos- ters these passions, while an intel lectuaI one such as college tra' hing should develop, controls them by sub- stituting nobler am bitions.
 Meantime college women are warned by these objections not to be vain, dis agreeable independent or anxious to occupy positions more suited to men," There is, indeed, certain vagueness about this last and we all know vain