The record-union., 1895-11-11

ions in the charter. Anyone may
charter any sort of an institution as a
college with any sort of an endowment
ten cents if he likes-and give the
same degrees as Yale, or Oxford, or
Berlin.
Therefore bill was introduced in the
last Legislature, requiring that no
charter to grant degrees should be given
until the State Board of Education had
certified that the endowment of the pro-
posed college reached a specified
amount (S250O0O, sufficient for small
but thorough college, and that the curri-
cuIum was of respectable collegiate
grade. The bill did not pass, but it met
with good deal of favor; and at the
Cleveland meeting it was adopted as
policy of the association, and COM
mended to the Endowment Committee
for pushing in other States-the Cali
fornia branch here again appearing as
an advocate of the wisdom of working
with men in this case for legislation.
II this California measure should
through the collegiate alumnae, pass
into legislation in several States. an
other important step will be taken
toward bringing American college de-
grees out of disrepute.
the influence of the association toward
high standards in American scholar
ship widening to an international scope
again, not by any ambitious intent of
the conservative little body, but because
needs must, in it's own protection. For
the alumnae have for some years sup
ported one of their number annually in
graduate study in Europe The
Swiss and English universities. and for
oil
ties except the German, have afforded
them opportunities; but, as a matter of
fact, the associations first fellow, Miss
Ruth Gentry, managed to squeeze into
Berlin University in a sort of fashion
the first woman to get any status at all
in Prussian university Outside of
vague medieval precedent). The tiny
crack in the door of the German univer-
sitieS-the real fortress of the higher
learning-has cautiously widened since
then, and this year the great conces-
sion has been made-the doctors de-
gree has been given to women. Three
Women-Fraulein Windshield. Ger
man, Miss Chisholm an Englishwoman,
and Miss Margaret Maltby an Ameri-
can, and the fellow of the association
have taken it from Heidelberg and Got
tingen. This is in a sense, no doubt.
great victory-victory to take ones
breath away, for when Germany capt.
ulates, the battle for the higher and the
highest education of women is over. But
it is not in the least a decisive victory,
for not even Heidelberg and Gottingen.
let alone Germany as a whole, have
committed themselves at ALL
Women are in no proper sense lad
mitted" to these universities. Indi-
vidual women may get permission from
the ministry by much humble petition
ing to study with given professors, if
the professors will join in the petition;
and having completed with credit she
course, they may get permission to lie
examined for a degree. The least
''scunner' against them taken by the
most whimsical professor might stop
the most admirable woman in her
course or forbid her its reward in a
degree, and any halfway serious mel
dent might stop the whole thing for
years. For instance, German woman
lately, fred by English and American
example, got permission to enter at
Gottingen, but she went to pieces so
badly at the examination, and became
so hysterical, that the professors. in
high disgust, vowed that if the next
candidate behaved like that it ended the
experiment Miss Maltby, the Fellow
OF the Collegiate Alumnae, had to eX-
plain that American women had more
self-contrOl and pride and were more
accustomed to examinations. But
suppose the next candidate had CHANGED
to be another timid frauleinl
But there is a person much more to be
dreaded than the most hystericaI
fraulein, who can be more or less dis
posed of by urging that American
women are different, and that is the
frivolous American student. She may
turn up even among the alumnae them
selves, for the four years work even
in good American college demands a
far lower degree of seriousness than
a thoroughgOing German course for a
Phi. d. An American college graduate
lately took it into her head that she
would like to prolOng vacation trip II
Europe by a little study in a German
university and straightway, without
waiting to hear from her parents. went
to ask permission. She found kindly
professors, who took her safely through
the formidable work of obtaining per-
mission; and after the pOnderOuS German
machine of officialdOm had been moved
in her behalf and she was safely in
and had studied one week, the answer
from home comes in the negative. and
off goes Miss America, as lightly as if
no exceptional privileges had been won
by exceptional efforts and courtesy N
her behalf upon the assumption that
she meant business.
THE woman was surely not to be
envied who made the next request for a
favor from that faculty" writes a care
full member of the association after a
visit in Germany.
There is no trouble at all about the
fellows of the association; they have
been most painstakingly and prudently
selected, and have delighted the German
faculties. But, Pray, pray" the word
comes from Germany, keep away the
girls that do not mean business, and the
girls that are not thoroughly prepared
fer graduate work. They have no
right to come here at this crisis and
spoil it ALL" And now some of the Ger
man professors who have taken the
Women's side, and have therefore some
professional reputation at stake, are
asking if the association cannot in adj
dition to it's guarantee of its own fell
lows, give an Endorsement to any suit
able and competent American woman.
50 that this Endorsement may come to
be a sort of sterling guarantee nicer
many. It would be a heavy RESPONSE
bllity for such a body of young women
to assume, and it Will very certainly be
looked at on all sides before it is
touched; but anxiety for their own
women in Germany, and the lack of any
other source of such guarantee in Amer
lea, seems forcing the association
toward it. NfLLICENT w. SHINN.