The herald., 1894-11-03
womAN'a EDUCATION.

WOMANJ cOOCA ION.
In Another Decade the Female MAY Out
number the Malls College Graduates.
The report of Mr.. Secretary Dewey to
the board of regents OF the u1iversit.
contains great deal of information re-
garding the progress Of the secondary
and higher education in the Empire
State OF special interest is the light
thrown on the position occupied by New
York among American commonwealth
with respect to the facilities afforded
for the academical, collegiate and pro-
fessional instruction of women.
1t appears from the statistics collect
ed by Mr.. Dewey that there were last
year in the secondary schools Of this
state 2S, 556 girls of academic grade
and only lS, 243 boys. OF 43S honor
credentials issued, 29S, or more than
thirds, We're gained by girla In our
colleges the number of women gradu-
ates rose to 2,92S, one being reported
from Columbia, SS from the city uni
versity, 761 from the coeducation col
leges and 2,078 from the eight women's 8
colleges In the professional and teoh-
nioal schools there were 4,043 women,
including eight in law schools and 218
in medical schools. The Universalist
seminary at Canton reports three fe-
male students in theology. By the SO
called special schools 8, sos women were
returned. OF these, 2.726 are credited
to Pratt institute, 256 to the Teachers
college, 1873 to the State Normal college,
30S to the Woman's Art school, 1913 to
the Grand Conservatory of Music and
121 to the Cooper Union night schools.
So far as the United States are con-
cerned, New York has always held the
first place in woman's education. In
deed the Albany Female academy claims
to be the first institution for the higher
education of women ever founded in
the world. This is no doubt true as re-
CARDS establishments exclusively design.
ed for the female sex, but it must be
remembered that in the middle ages
women were permitted not only to study
but to teach in Italian universities.
An early and we'll known rival Of tho
Albany institution was Miss Emma Will
lard's school at Troy.
1t is the boast of Elmira college that
it's charter of April IS, 1866, made it
the first degree comforting college solely
for women, while Vassar, which started
with generous endowment ON Jan. 1S,
1861, Immediately acquired recog-
nized leadership as the first of the great
establishments for the higher instruc-
tion Of women. Thus it appears that all
four claimants to the honor of first hav-
ing done effective work on large scale
for woman's S education are New York in
stitutions. Another fact is worth record
ing: Although New York reports six
colleges for women and four for coedu-
cation, only Vassar, Cornell and SYRIA
citation, yet these three alone furnish
about 40 per cent of the list of women
holding degrees from recognized col
leges.
Teaching is still the favorite profess
sion of highly educated women. Ac-
cording to the census Of 1890, there were
in the whole Union 1875, 525 men and
23s, 397 women teachers. OF the teach
ers in the New York common schools
&c, s69 are women. But woman's teach
ing is no longer limited to primary
grades. She has steadily won her way
through grammar schools. high schools
and colleges to chairs in universities. 1t
should not be inferred, however, that a
majority of the graduates of female col
1eges are animated with the purpose of
pursuing any professional calling. The
remarkable development attained Of late
years by New York institutions for the
higher education Of women is due to
widespread recognition of the fact that
college course wisely planned and in
dustriously followed affords the best
preparation for the intelligent discharge
Of the functions of wifehood and moth
erhood and the duties Of home life.
The movement to which we have here
referred is increasing at q surprising
rate. The number of girls i'll this state
who entered college last year from
schools supervised by the board of re-
gents was "a per cent greater than it
was the year before, and the number of
those now preparing to enter will show,
as we are informed, similar augmen-
tation. The best colleges for women are
far from being able to receive all the
qualified applicants. New colleges are
continually being founded, and, what
will prove of even more utility, the old
or colleges and universities are rapidly
opening to women their facilities for in
struction. In American colleges gener-
ally the proportion of female students
is considerably larger than it was even
few years ago. For instance, the at
tendance of women at the University of
Michigan rose last year from 83 per
cent to 81 per cent The author of this
report expresses the belief that early III
the next century our colleges will grad
uate more women than men, just as the
academies do now.-New York Sun.
Lady Jeune.