The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1894-10-20
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR YOUNG W0-
MEN,

in regard to really high cducation-scien-
tiic. not technical or industrial, that is,
pure learning and investigation, which is
deemed unpractical-but the relatively
high, and which has got the name of the
Higher Education Of women, and is conf
monty applied to women only. some Of
those who are qucrying about it Will say
that the methods now in use do not uni
formly. or even generally, give Il higher
education, because higher education
ought not to be an education in spots, but
a comprehensive development. There is
hitch somewhere, and it is best to be per
fectly frank about it, This vague uncasi-
ness was expressed the other day by a
clever woman. who looks at results, in this
way The higher education is all very
well but girl ought to know something
What did She mean? We can only answer
this question by considering what are the
main elements Of this higher education,
and what two-thirls of the girls pursuing
it get out of it. We will not tanglc up
this consideration with the charge that
most girls are not pursuing education with
the practical purpose of making it service
able in life. as most boys are. and that they
are not 50 serious in it. and look upon the
years devoted to it rs Il definite curriculum,
which will come to an end, when they will
drop it and go back to society. We will
let this aspect of it stand aside for the pres
ent.
There are many girls who are working
with definite purpose, for a profession, or
to fit themselves for some occupation.
There Is no criticism on those Others who
have no definite aim beyond that of their
general lcvclopm mt aid cultivation. They
are amply justified in chat object, because
there Is nothing more needed in our social
system than women of LIBERAL cultivation.
But are they getting this in the studies
they pursue and the way they pursue them
in the scheme of Higher Education? The
aim OF a girl in a secondary school is to fit
herself for collcgc-0r, rather it is to get
into college, fit or not. To do this she
must yet herself up in the requirements
for admission that is, She must he able to
pass an examination in them. Her edu-
cation then goes on in certain defined and
narrow lines. and it need not be thorough
in any one of them it only needs to BE- an
3" examination " education. For many Of
the topics she has no interest or aptitude.
If she has a fair memory, however, she will
yet on For instance, she can mcmorilc
enough examples in solid geometry to Ia ;
on, without having any more conception OF
geometry than she has Of boat-building.
The topics are many, and it is impossible
to gain anything more than smattering
knowledge of any one Of them. Yet her
days are occupied. She has little time for
reading. She is able to m lStcr no one Ian
guage. no one period of history, or no one
field of literature. That Is to say, she has
made very little progress in general cult
walton or in exercising her powers OF dis
crimination She comes into collnge,
where under the common pressure syote =,
there is also very little time for general
cultivation. She studies languages little,
science little, perhaps chemistry or ply
sics has little history, some politics,
some political economy, dash Of mathr-
matte, enough time only in each to ret 4
superficial knowledge of it, when it Is
dropped for something else. Here also she
goes on studying for examinations, and at
the end gets her diploma or degree. How
much does she know. or what real training
has She had: or course there are cXcep
tional urls who come out Of this process
real scholars in some department, and who
by zeal and love Of learning, have acquire,
general cultivation in literature and his
tory, and come into the class Of those agree
able and charming girls, in the catrgor'
meant by our friend, who " know some
thing 1t is concerning the average gir
that the uncasnass is beginning to he fcl
as to this sort Of .ner Education.
Now let Us suppose that girl, d"sirin;
the Higher Education gave the eight year
Of her secondary AMI college training /
Latin, Greek, French and German, am
that at the end OF that time She had mast
cred the first two 50 is to read them far
and could read, write ami speak the las
two correctly and had besides, and as
matter Of course, read AMI understood tn
masterpieces Of literature in those Ian
guages. And suppose, further, that sh
had meantime acquired comprehensive
outline knowledge OF history, and perhal
most intimate knowledge Of some pol
tiou Of it, and had the intelligent habit {
reading English, which any one can get i
the odd hoars Of any occupation, ii one Ia
any love for it. Wouli not this girl be
pretty interesting companion an alditio
to any society, have internal resources il
her own happiness and improvement, an
be altogether womon fitted for almost an