Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-07-12
THE NEv. DECLARATION OF INDIE
PENDEnCE.


women are rapidly learning TO hi them
selves for doing something in the world
and doing it Understandings; to sup
port themselves if necessary, and TO
know they can of whatever is worth
knowing Experience proves they Will
make good use of their learning. The
New York Tribune expresses our ssnti-
ments too.
"SWEET GIRL GRADUATES"
The higher education Of woman, it
has been said, with solemn iteration,
means physical aud domestic ruin Ii
/ this be so. the female sex, IN New York
State, at least, must be rapidly going
down grade. For the learned woman
is becoming omiuously numerous. Of
Old she was regarded as a freak, 10 re-
cent years she has been a rarity. But
now she is actually SURPRISING her
brothers in number The statistics Cf
the New York State University for Il 9
last year, IS reported by the secretary,
show that in academies and seminaries
the girls are in the majority. The exact
| figures are 23.556 girls and is, 243 boys;
the former being more than So per
cent of the whole. IL we turn TO a
consideration of qualify rather than
| quantity, the achievements of the girls
are still more marked. OF honor ere
dentials issued during the year they
received 29S, 10 40 granted to the boys;
a proportion of 6S per cent for the girls.
1t is, of course, true that most of the
girls stop at this point, the number GO
ing on 10 cole ge and university being
very small compared with that of the
boys who do so. Yet even hire re-
markable progress is recorded. The
number of girls who entered college
from Regents schoo last year was "a
per cent grea'er than the year before,
an this year will show a similarincrease.
Actually, more women are seeking adj
mission to colleges than the college
baye room for. At this rate, rs Il Q
secrt Try OF the State University OBJ
serves in his report, it looks as il early
10 the next century the colleges would
graduate more women than men, just
as the academies do now.
What these educated women are doirg
after graduation is revealed in part b,
the report we have quoted Thousands
of them become teachers. in which work
they are moving on toward a NOR o2oly.
Ia 1870 there were 23S 397 women
ieachers ia the United States TO rs. 525
n,n Two years LATER the former nun
TER was Increased nv IA, 4S3 and the
latter decreased by 964 Should that
movement continue, nearly all the
teachers ip the land would soon be
women. Nor are these women teaching
only in primary schools. They nil
highest places in grammar Schuols and
seminaries and in college faculties. 1t
is no longer reproach upon womens
colleges that they must have men for
presidents. Some of the most success
full co eye presidents in the land 10 dsy
are women. But thew do not all be-
come teachers. The number of those
VINO practice medicine is growing rap
idly. Some turn 10 the law; and not
few to divinity. since the theological
seminaries are beginning to open their
doors TO them. In literature and
journalism their achievem ents are well
known, AMI many other branches OF
industry acknowledge their presence
and success.
Most significant. however. is the fact
thst all these vocstions receive only a
frec'ion of the growing host of edu-
C tied women. The re of them. the
msjority, are not publicly heard of after
gradua ION But the question. What be
comes of them9 is easily answered. 10
the words of the old fairy tales they are
married and live happily ever after.
Only this is not fairy tale, but BIT Of
nineteenth century realism. Higher
education il sought. not for the sake of
pnbicitV, nor necessarily as "a means of
earning liz, lihood, but ~ prepare
lion for wIfehood. motherhood and
home life Is it t1us wasted? Is it ac
luslly u detriment and dis st T, as
mea have prophesied? The hosts of
superb yonng Dianas and At,lants s
who yearly come from seminary and
college disprove in a twinkling the
theory of ply steal disaster. and if they
subsequently, fail IN du,y as wives.
mothers and home. keepers, the world
has vet TO learn the fact. DIV, rec courts
do not appear to be crowded with
college-bred women, and mon of cul-
ture and taste who prefer illiterate to
educated wives are not conspicuouslv
numerous. Not only the educated
woman, but the educated wife and |
mother, is q fact, and sign of the |
times; and she is fact upon which this
State of New York. the pioneer in pre-
pairing the way for her coming. is much
TO be congratulated.