The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-12-23
EVELYN COLLEGE,.
An Earnest Appeal to the
State to Support Prince
tons Female De-
partment.

Alexander T.. Ormond has written the
following open letter in regard to Evelyn
Many of the visitors at the recent SEES
quicentennial of Princeton failed to learn.
perhaps. that here. right under the
shadow of the university, in a most
beautiful part of the town, there existed
a college for the education of young
women which was just then entering on
its d~ecennial year. Evelyn College is
located about a mile from the University,
and was founded in 1887 by DR.. +. H.
McIlvaine and his two daughters who
are still at its head. In 1889 Evelyn was
incorporated under a board of trustees,
and passed out Of the category of prik
vate institutions into the .sisterhood
founded for the higher education Of
women Of our country. During these ten
years the college has chung to the high
ideals which prompted her founding, and
has sought to give to the girls who pass
through her course of study an education
the substantial equivalent of that which
the ordinary college curriculum supplies
to young men. The major part of the
instruction has been given by members
OF the Princeton faculty. and the stand
ards and tests of work have been the
same as those applied in the university.
mat the quality of work done by the
girls has been good is the unanimous tes-
timony of the instructors. Shaving for
several years conducted classes in
psychology, ethics and logic, I can say
for myself that the results compare very
ravorabiy with those of young men in
the same subjects,
IN the prosecution of her aims EVELYN
mas not escaped the comnon experiences
OF our American colleges. but has found
tnat the higher education is expensive
ana that it cannot be maintained from
the Tees OF the students alone. Although
at the end of the first six wears Of its
existence the college had practically
become s-eif-supporting, it was hampered
IN many ways by limited resources. The
Iast Tour years have been less fortu-
In spite of every effort to keep the col
iese Tree from debt, it has fallen behind
IN us finances, until at present it is
seyeiai thousand dollar in arrears. This
aencit, being in the most part in The
FORM OF floating debts, is proving ex-
tremeiy embarrassing, and is constantly
encroachIng on the funds that are need
~ 70 meet the current expenses of the
institution. Such a state of affairs cam
not continue, and things have-at length
come to a crisis where Evelyn will en-
counter serious embarrassment if ma
terlai assistance is not speedily obtained.
The demand for college education for
women, although still In its infancy. has
led TO the founding of such colleges as
wellesley, Vassar, Smith and Bryn Mawr.
More recently another type of college has
appeared, represented by Barnard. at
Radcliffe, at Harvard. and
Evelyn, at Princeton; independent foun-
cations planted by the side Of great uni
versities, whose advantages they share.
thus In a sense anticipating the growth
OF years, and avoiding much expensive
outlay which would otherwise be neces-
sary. This is unquestionably the most
economic method of securing the advan-
tage5 OF college training for our girls, and
IN view of the exceptional opportunities
1t offers will no doubt be most effective in
producing the desired results.
In view of Evelyn's ten years of strug-
gle and sacrifice, in view Of her aims and
the work she has already done, l think
she ought not to be allowed to suffer. A
fourfshing college for the education of
women would be an added glory to our
state. Evelyn can be eminently success
full If friends in and out OF New Jersey
VIII come to her aid with their sympa-
thy and means. The debt of the college
needs to be lifted; its property ought 10
De purchased; it needs an endowment to
X out the fees of its students, and to
enable it to do larger and better work.
VIII not the people of New Jersey I'M
dertake the honorable task of building up
q fine institution for the education of our
daughters so that they may have a train.
ing equal to that of orr SnnS7