The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-30

ElVlns mum UtI VI Inv IIUAdiu VI
1.-THE Women of the South" is far
reaching and betrays an amazing ig-
norance of southern women and.their va
RED accom- pishments, and arrays itself
in opposition to many of the most beau-
tiful eulogiums on southern women which
adorn our modern Literature. These eu-
Iogies have buobled up spontaneously
from the noblest poet and scholars of the
north and OF England, and while the wo-
men of the south have presided at the
White House more than one-half of our
national life. yet they had the art IN that
day to onceai their ignorance and want
of education; but then we did not have
the new woman," to blazon 10 the
world their ignorance of "art and litera-
ture'' nor to confine their knowledge of
biography and history" to the ascer-
tainment OF the fact that ben Butler
and Tecumseh Sherman were friends
Despite the causti; criticisms, south-
ern women have been the mothers
of George Washington, Patrick Henry,
Thomas Jefferson, James Madison.
James Monroe, Robert E. Lee,
Stonswall Jackson, Andrew Jackson.
Henry Clay, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson
Davis, General Thomas and thousands Of
others who have stamped on American
history its brightest pages,an thes, m en-
have so loved and admired southern wo
men as to make thom their wives. How
silly they were to have done such thing
if they had only lad the criticisms of
Mrs. Cook before them.
There are two types of southern women,
80 I'D il
southern parlance, the latter of which
were called "the poor white trash" As
Mrs. Cook writes OF the latter We sup
pose she writes of that type most congo
NAL to her social status, and If she does
We have no criticism to make OF her re-
marks. The remarks of Mrs. FCook open
up the q uestion OF what the south is do
ing and has done for female education
is worthy of thought. The first female
college ever chartered in the United
States was the Macon Female college, at
Macon, Ca, and it is in full operation to-
day. Who are the most conspicuous wri-
tiers in our magazines today? None hold
a greater prominencs in point of ability,
power of invention, clothed in fervid
and classical language, than Mrs. Burton
Harrison, julia Magruder. Mrs. Mar
gsret MoEnery Stewart and many others
whose names are on tho forefront OF our
modern literature. Is there not COM
usurping more than their snare of public
recognition?
1t NAV be a nice and chi valric thing to
assai southern women away out hete on
this coast two thousand miles away from
their homes. Yet there is one -an here
whose mother, sisters and wife we're wo-
men born and educated In the south, and
so long as his pen is not paralyzed, nor
his tongue cleaves to the roof of his
mouth will he allow any iEputation of
eitnei ignorance or dishonor cast upon
them. IT'S said that once rat knawed
bill.
To what extremity desire for news
paper popularity will drive some people.
The following statistics. which are
vocched for by the United States census
of 1890 may give to Mrs. Cook and her
admirers some idea Of what the south is
doing and has done for higher female
education:
For every 1000 of the school population
of the North Atlantic division, there are
III women attending college. For every
1000 of tho school population in the South
Atlantic division there are go women at
tending college. For every 1000 school
population in the South Central division
there are 287 women attending college.
Tennessee has 24S6 women in her colleges
more than any other state in the union
and AS more than the state Of Massa-
chusests.
Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, Tonnes
see and Alabama have more women re-
ceiving collegiate education than all the
northern states together. and while the
southern states have 1852 teachers in
their female colleges, the northern states
have only $50. The state of Georgia only
lacks two pupils of having as many wo-
men in her colleges as the com bined states
of Maine, Sew Hampshire, New Jersey,
Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Califor-
MIA.
AS an offset to this great preponder-
apce OF college education for the women
of the south, it Us matter OF fact that in
the North Atlantic division there was an
average attendance OF 66 per cent OF the
school enrolment, while in the South
Atlantic division the percentage was 60
per cent.
Kentucky reports 81 per cent OF attend
anne of the public school enrolment, just
the same per cent as that OF New York.
New York, with school population of
!, 4Sl, 900. has only 154o women in her COL
leges, while Kentucky, with a school pop
ulation of G27, 700, has 2l13 women IN her
colleges.
If Kentucky did not patronize the pub
lie school system, her great prepoDder-
ance OF women receiving collegiate train
ing might be accounted for in this way,
out JDlS cannot pc the reason, because,
as VIC have shown aoove, she and New
York furnish the same percentage of pu-
pills to the public schools.
Then, why is it that five OF the south
ern states have more women receiving a
collegiate education than all the balance
of the United States? The reason is evil
dent to everyone reared in the south or
acquainted with southern people. The
southern parent before the war was
taught that it was his duty to pay for
the education of his children. The better
class of people in the south never took
kindly to the public school idea, and they
were generally opposed to a co-edUcalion
uf the sexes. While the impoverishment
of the south, brought on by the calamity
OF war, has made the public school sys
tenn necessity in the southern states,
yet there are thousands in the south as
well as in the north who prefer educating
their daughters in female colleges rather
than in public schools. 1t is this which
gives live southern states more woplen in
their colleges than all the north, and
gives Georgia as many as Maine, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Wiscon-
sin, Minnesota and California.