The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-11
EDUCATION AND MARRIAGE.

Isabel F. Hapgood, well-known mag
azine writer, is likely to be fercely bounced
upon by advocates of the higher educa-
ton for women for her incendiary utter
ances on that subject in the current num-
Der of Lippincott. In the course of an ar
ticle upon the schools of Russia she reaches
the conclusion that SO far as the question
of solid learning among great numbers of
women is concerned the balance is in favor
of American women, that is" she adds,
pointedly IF solid learning is considered
desirable in a woman" Further on she
fatty expresses the opinion that it is not
desirable. She declares that lin America,
as in. Russia, women who desire to win all
the good things of life are too wise to
handicap themselves or throw themselves
entirely out of the race by acquiring more
than the superficial accomplishments, and
that neither Russian nor American men
are educated up to the point of liking
well-informed, steady, earnest women, ex-
cept for mothers. and possibly, in some
cases for sisters The good things of
life" mean in this connection, CT course,
the men most eligible husbands by
reason of wealth, position and personal
qualities. Mrs. Hapgood feels assured that
in Russia as in America, the women who
win any appreciation worth having for
their requirements beyond the society ac-
complishments (meaning masculine appro-
bation) are those who, having first been
clever enough to secure all the prizes of
life C'prizes'' being synonymous with
choice husbands) through superficiality,
genuine or assumed, develop their innate
taste for learning thereafter. THAT the
higher education renders woman more
fastidious as to the character of the men
is undoubtedly true, she continues but
it is equally true that the men, conscious
of their own shortcomings, possibly. do
not give them many chances to change
their single blessedness as they do the
fighty, superficial women. I am aware
that it is not the fashion to admit this
but / believe that it is true"
As if this were not painful enough, this
alarming writer goes "One is really in
clined to think, at times. despite all the
progress of women, that after conscien-
tious parents have brought up girl to be
steady, truthful, scrupulous and delicate in
taste well educated in the best sense of
the word, which includes some solid ac-
quirements, the kindest service which they
can render to their child is to chloroform
her. They have prepared her to live with
the angels. but certainly not to live in So
ciety' of the present day, compete with
girls who have been wisely brought up to
meet the conditions of that society and
achieve the social success of the latter,
fch +bo ~to Hv ;rlf al.
ways expect, most irrationally and unjust
H." All this is really shocking coming, as
1t does. just as 1t has grown to be the fash
ion to speak we'll of this higher education
and to send our girls to college quite as a
matter of course. The reason she gives for
this propensity Of the desirable men to
choose girls Of superficial requirements for
wives is that they have not time to accu-
mulate mental treasures and are disposed
to avoid women of more culture than
themselves. Evidence in direct support of
this arraignment comes from another
source. no less a person than the intellect
uaI and accomplished Mr. e. L. Godkin
bearing testimony that American men are
as a rule not at home in cultivated So
ciety. Speaking of the folly of building
great palaces in this country for the pur-
pose of entertaining visitors he says: 1T
would be easy enough to fill forty or fifty
rooms from Friday to Monday in a house
near New York or Boston. But what kind
of company would it be? How many of the
guests would have anything to say TO each
other? Suppose stocks to be ruled out
where would the topics of conversation be
found? Would there be much to talk about
except the size of the hosts fortune, and
that of some other persons present? How
many OF the men would wish to sit with
the ladies In the evening and participate