Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-30

state 10 which women can be admitted,
and that Is just beginning It's work; How
ever, there are In the seminaries and nor
NAL schools provided for women about
5000 girls. or the young men 900 receive
free tuition. or the young women niue
more than 11s. or the young men Jos re-
ceive free board. no girl receives free
board except in accidental cases. In the
schools for young men there are libra
ries. museums. and laboratories. or the
schools for young women only two nave
laboratories, and one OF these has been
In existence only few months. In the
schools for young women the libraries
are very mcagre or absolutely wanting
In the way OF museums there Is next To
nothing. For the education or young
men there are eight endowed schoois.
For the education OF young women oniy
one. The State of Virginia pays In direct
annual appropriations $4,000 TO the Univer-
sity. 10000 TO the Military Institute, W.
600 to the Agricultural and Mechanicai
College at Blacksburg. and slo'W" 10
William and Mary. For the education OF
girls the State pays annually siZ'W 10
the State Female Normal School Ihree
fourths of the public-school teachers OF
the State are women and one fourth men.
For the professional training of the one
fourth the State pays $4,000 year. For
the training of the three fourths 1t pays
The hes, remedy for this condition OF
things will be manifest upon fair conside-
ration. Simpy an additional approprta-
ton to the State Female Normal School
would not touch the great need. A very
large appropriation could be utilized there
in the extension and improvement or pro-
fessional training for teachers OF the pub
- hn that school
| could not furnish a college or university
training for women without ~ 0-rendi-
ture of much larger sums OF money than
any Legislature would dream of voting.
Even with unlimited means, long time
would be necessary to make It meet the
| demand which exists.
We have a State institution which Is
surrounded by time-honored associations.
| A scholarly atmosphere envelopes 1t. It's
| tone has been high for nearly 100 years.
| 1t has fine library, good laboratories.
| and museums. and one Of the best OBJ
| servatories in the country. The admis-
mission OF women to its classes would
not increase its annual expenditures. but
| would give them the inestimabe priyi-
| leges Il offers Virginia men. This institu-
| ton is the University of Virginia. The
| Board of Visitors. we are glad to know,
| has requested the faculty OF the university
to devise a plan by which women may
be admitted. but serious and practical
| difficulty is met at the outset. Some OF
| the lecture-roOms are so small that any
large addition to the classes is impossible.
| The same is true of some of the laborato-
ries A minority OF the faculty are still
opposed To co-educatIon, and there Is
danger that this opposition, when coupled
with the practical obstacles mentioned
| will seriously iniure the prospects OF the
| women of the State. Besides, were they
admitted under existing laws. their tuition
| fees would be sl2j. the sum paid by men
| of other States. while male students from
| Virginia would pay only si2.
In the name of the women of the state
/ appeal To the Legislature now I'm session
| We beg them to amend the laws so as tc
| give us admission to all the classes OF
! the literary and scientific departments OF
the University OF Virginia upon payment
of the same tuition fees required Of our
| brothers We beg them also to make
such additional appropriations to the uni
versity as may be necessary TO make room
| for US In the class-rooms and laborato
| res. We go further still. Dormitore'
for men are provided at the university
| We beg that the Legislature will appro
pirate a sum OF money sufficient to builC
one or two neat cottages In which the wo
d men may i've Nlhc III iSSiNNAN
at the university.
EXPERIENCE ELSEWHERE.
We are credibly Informed that there are
stil some good people in Virginia wht
think that the admission OF women u
existing institutions for men would b'
| rulnous TO the cause OF education. Inc
writer OF this article has In her possession
a letter from President Angel, OF MIchi
| Ia, ha tha
i'm that institution the grade of scholar
| ship. II changed at all, has been elevated
| by the admission OF women. He says
that after twenty-five years Of obserVa'
| tlon. he Is convinced that the association
| Of the sexes in the class room Is produc
| tive OF much good and no harm. slml
lar letter from President Adams, formerly
| of Cornell, now of Wisconsin University
| contains statements similar to those o'
| President Angel. President Schurmann
| of Cornell University, after extended OBJ
| servatlon and experience is fully In favor
of co-education. President Eliot, of har'
ward. after long trial of the annex sys
| ten, has abolished 1t and admitted lts stu
dents TO Harvard University. Does any
one claim that these are all northern OF
western schools. and that In the Soutt
we should not have the same experience
| W nv not Are llRitllfl H'hNiNii'H "''
ladies less worthy Of a grave trust thaf
others? Are our women less capable oi
Intellectual development than English anc
| Scotch women? Surely. the objection
which we are astonished to know has beer
| made by some persons concerned
in the matter. that II mer
and women are admitted TO th'
same institution, study will be interruptec
by nirtatlOns, is unworthy or thoughfu
men and women. IL Is well known ina
the number of hirtations In co-educa
| tional school IS very much smaller tnat
in n young ladies' seminary, however
Areus-eyed the school police may be. The
writer happens 10 know that at Cornei
| University the young gentlemen or th'
| institution who have leisure for nirtatlon'
find the unemployed young ladies' OF tn'
| town Of Ithica far more suited 10 thell
| tastes than the busy women students
| whom they meet every day IN the cidss
| rooms It Is almost certain that the wo
| men who will be first at the nlVersi'S
| of Virginia will, as a rule, be much oldei
| than the average male student there
| and will be sufficiently advanced IN WIS
dom and dignity to quickly repuise Dang
| lers and oilers The boys and girls whe
| must and will waste precious time II
| foolish fiirtations are too young 10 os a.
the university. Both should be eAcluueu
II would seem a little hard ana smacH
lust a little of Oriental customs ana IRA
ditions to deny all Virginia women th'
| privileges they so earnestly coVet ioi
| fear that their presence might be SO dls
turblng TO young gentlemen as to anec'
their class standing. DO the virginia
people seriously think II wrong for youns
women TO reside in a town where Inere
Is a male college? Hardly, ] think. Inen
| n they may innocenty reside there WIN
nothing to do, why Is II wrong for them
| 10 reside there for purposes OF STUDY
| Rut IL is claimed, the harm comes IRON
| association in the classroom. In wha'
yav. 1 would ask. is either sex harmed
| nv sitting In the same room with eacn
| other? Wherein does that diner IRON
sitting In the same church or lecture
roomq Is it not true that WREN youns
men and young women are busily engage
IN a serious occupation that their assocha
tIon Is attended with far less danger thar
when they are idle? This Is undoubtedly
| the experience OF co-educational SCHOOLS
| president ANGEL says that In twenty
| five years OF co-education at the tniver
| sIty of Michigan not single case o'
serious scandal has arisen from the asso
cIation OF male and female students
Ia there in this country a town contain
| - a go .,ouno man and 800 Young WOmef