St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-08-21
The Higher Education of Women.

last nan century is lHe lHCTedSe,
opportunity for the higher education
of women. Not only have colleges
been founded for the sole object o
giving them liberal education, but
many of the older mems colleges ant
institutions have either opened theil
doors for co-education or, by ar
"annex" or associate department
have given to women the same adj
vantages for study that were enjoyed
by men. The Christian public have
generally rejoiced in this and counted
it a good unmixed with evil. The
liberal training, in the education OF
women, has been regarded as a per
manent advance of the men, in intel.
ligence and in the furnishing needed
for higher knowledge and better ser
vice. 1t has been believed that such
education would not only better
qualify them for teaching, for social
influence in general, but for the duties
OF the home and the better training
Of children.
In the present age nothing goes
unquestioned. A writer in the Nine
teenth Century for June, in discussing
the higher education OF women,
claims that not all the good is result.
ing from it that was anticipated.
He comedies that the trained intelli-
gence and wider outlook gained by a
college education are OF great value
to women in any sphere they may
be called to occupy. But claims,
from statistics taken from two Cam
bridge colleges-Englan
and Girton-that, beyond teaching
and few other feminine vocations,
higher education has not materially
increased their ability to earn live
lihood, while it has diminished their
opportunities for or inclination to
marriage. He says that of 1866
graduates from these colleges 497
become teachers, 424 remain at their
homes, and only 60 have entered
other occupation, mostly clerical.
From this he concludes that, beyond
the one occupation of teaching, a
college education does not increase
their ability to earn living or open
to them new opportunities of remu.
nerative labor.
In regard to the effect of college
education on the marriage of women
he gives the following statistics: OF
the 1855 graduates ofthe two colleges
named, only 126 have married, and
the higher the grade the fewer the
marriages. OF those who merely
receive a certificate for passing
through the college course, two in
five have married, while of those who
have taken honors, only one in ten
have entered the marriage state
The inference the writer draws, is that
higher educa ion for women not only
dimlnishes their opportunities for
marriage, but in proportion as they
avail themselves of these privileges,
diminishes their desire for it. His
theory is that higher education
makes women more fastidious in
their choice of husbands and pro.
duces a Discrimination on the part oil
men to take ior a wife one better
trained intellectually than them
selves. So fewer educated women
are likely to marry. Moreover, he
thinks that the effect of long course
of study creates tastes, preferences
and inclinations which make domes
tic duties, motherhood and confirming
house cares unwelcome, if not actu
ally repulsive.
The statistics on which the writer
bases his conclusions are too Limited
as to time and locality to place much
dependence on them. What may bt
true in England in the matters refer
red to, may not be found so in this
country. No statistics of this kline
have been gathered with us. There
is probably a wider range for thu
employment of college educated
women in this country than in Eng
land, besides as teachers. But, i
there is any truth in the theory thai
the effect OF college education is tc
disincline or disqualify women fol
marriage, it will be greatly to b'
regretted. Modern civilization ha.
already done much to prevent mar
riages and to bring them to an un
timely end. Marriage is ordained o
God and, as rule, is best for tn,
individual and tor society. Anything
that educates persons away from
the sweets and resnonsihilities nj I'll,