The herald., 1893-07-16
fnY L. REHYMFR.l

have just issued Women and the Highe
Education, edited by Anna G. Bracket
A few words Of explanation is needed t
show how valuable the contents of thi
book really are. The series OF collec
tions, OF which this volume is part,
made up of representative work of tn
women of the state of New York in pc
riodical literature. This literature ha
been classified under it's conspicuou
divisions-poetry, fiction, history, art
biography, translation, literary criti
cism, and the like. Awoman OF eminent
success in each department. has ther
been asked to make collection of repre-
sentative work in thatdepartment, to in
clude in it an example of her own work
and to place her name upon the volume
as it's editor. These selections have
been made, as far as possible, chrome
logically, beginning with the earliest
work of the century, in order that the
volumes may carry out the plan of the
exhibit of woman's work in literature in
the state of New York." OF which they
are an original part. The aim of the
exhibit WAS to make record of literary
work, limited, through necessity, both
by sex and locality, but as far as possi-
BILE accurate and complete, and to pre-
serve this record in the state capitol at
Albany. 1t includes 2500 books, begin
ming with the works of Charlotte Ram
say Lennox, the firstborn female au-
thor of New York, published in London
in 1853, closing with the pages of a
translation Of Herder, still wet from the
press and comprising the works of al
most every author in the intervening
140 years. 1t includes also 800 papers
read before the literary clubs OF the
state. a. summary of the work OF all
writers for the press, and the folios
which preserve the work of many able
women who haves not published books.
The women of the state of New York
have had the honor of decorating and
furnishing the library of the women's 8
building. Believing the best equipment
of library to be literature, they have
prepared this exhibit, and have
made its character comprehensive and
historic, in order that 1t may not be
temporary, but that it may be preserved
in the state library, and may have per-
manent value for future lovers and stu
dents of Americana. Taken from these
different works incorporated in this ex-
hibit are the essays, arranged in the
order of the dates at which they were
written, dating from 1919 to 1892, having
no relation to each other but q logical
one, and their logicis the logic of events.
Prof. Maria Mitchell'a article was pub
lished in Education, Mrs. Runkle's in
the Century Magazine, Mrs. Palmer in
the Forum, Professor Salmon's in The
Academy, and the paper on The Private
School in Harper's magazine. That so
many periodicals offered material GO
valuable shows how widespread is the
interest in the training of the girls OF
our great nation, and how general and
how intelligent is now the demand
for the best. The change which
has come about in these
70 years needs no emphasis
for those who read in the pages OF this
work the pleading words OF Mrs. Will
lard to the members Of the New York
legislature in behalf simply of girls
seminary, and theE look through the
have been written by woman professors
in girls colleges, and one of them by q
woman who wes for many years presi-
dent of girls college will easily un-
derstand. She tells the reader that at
present the women's colleges OF this
country reckon more than $4,000 stu
dents. The facts speak for themselves.
1t is significant that there could be
found no words to present in this book
that were written during the period OF
the civil war. Then women found their
practically to demonstrate to
the world that opportunity was all they
needed. But in all that has been writ
ten since, there is nothing more subtle
than the argument presented by
Mrs. Willard in 1919 in be-
half of an education ''giving
strength and expansion TO the minks of
women" whom she asserts to be ian
essential part of the body polite" with
her warning to the lawmakers Of
America to avoid the example of other
republics, where women have repaid
the natives with ruin for their folly" in
neglectlng> them. A difference of tone
in the essays is also exceedingly sugges-
tive. In 1919 Mrs. Willard appeals to
the "enlightened politicians" of her
time; in 1881 Maria Mitchell writes,
"All that women ask for is the enlight-
enment Of our present rulers" The
first address in this volume was to the
public, but particularly to the members
of the legislature of New York. The
enc on Female Education, by Mre. Emma
G. Emsbury was delivered at the Brooklyn
Collegiate Institute for young ladies.
Prof. Maria Mitchell of Vassar college
furnishes paper ON The Collegiate Ed
ucation of Girls. read at the congress OF
the association for the advancement OF
women, held in Boston, October, 1880.
A New Knock at an Old Door, deliv-
cred by Mrs. Lucia Gilbert Runkle,
1888; A Review of the Higher Educa-
ton of Women, by Mrs. Alice Freeman
Palmer, 1888; The Teaching of History
in Academies and Colleges, by Prof.
Lucy NJ Salmon, Vassar college, 1890
The Private School for Girls, by Mics
Anna G. Brackett, 1892, constitute and
finish as valuable little book on educa.
ton as has ever been placed before an
intelligent class of readers.
x*x
From the press Of the Illustrated
American Publishing company comes g
book which in the form of serial story
in their Illustrated Weekly, attracted
universal attention and discussion. II
is simple but forcible story of life in
New York city, by Maurice M. Minton,
entitled The Road of the Rough, illus
trated by G. A. Traver and
George Varian. The principal trav-
elers over this particular "road" are
Frederick Raingold, esq. a typical
masher OF Wall street a millionaire OF
the present. Frederick Raingold, ir.,
his son, a young man about town, the