The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-24

Of oar HISTORY when our educational FAC
ulties were meagre, indeed.
Now the work done by these schools
for women is not to be deprecated. L
helieya that. on the whole, they are the
eouals of any schools of like character in
the South. or for that matter, in the
North too. They are doing just as
thorough and faithful work as the mems
colleges are doing; and they are doing
this, at least some of them, for less
price than that charged by the mems col
leges. 1t Is not contended that their
courses of study are as thorough as those
Of the boys, neither, indeed, can they be;
for girls give at least one fifth of their
time to the study of music and art. Nor
is the time thus given wasted; for apart
from the pleasure which the ability to
sing, and to perform well on musical
instrument gives, the mental discipline Is
not to be despised that comes from mas
tering a scientific course in music, lnclud-
ing the theory and history of the science.
And as the ear is trained to the harmony
of sound and a world of pleasure is then
opened, so the eye by thorough course
in art should be trained to the perception
of the harmony of color and form. Edu-
cation being the result of the influence
bearing upon us throughout ones hfe,
large place should he given to those stud
les that refine and enable our nature,
though they may not minister to our ma
terial wants.
That these colleges have done their
work we'll is shown by the fact that their
daughters are presiding over the homes
of the sons of the mems colleges, not with
their interiors, but prepared in every
way to sympathize with their husbands.
in their highest aspirations, as noble a
band of women as the sun in all his
course shines upon. But granting all
this. there is an inequality of the educa-
tional advantages provided for the boys
and girls of North Carolina. The ques-
ton arises, how is this inequality to be
removed. The answer is by opening the
advanced classes Of the mems colleges to
women.
Omitting professional and technical
schools. we have four grades-primary,
for children of seven to twelve years of
age: high schools or academies for stu
dents of twelve to sixteen; colleges for
those of sixteen to twenty-one, and Uni
versities for those more than twenty-one.
These divisions, while not entirely cor
responding with the real state of affairs,
are sufficiently exact for the purposes of
this discussion.
Most of the primary schools, almost
without exception those in the country,
and small towns, admit both boys and
girls. and to this arrangement there is
no objection.
Now is there valid objection to CO.
Education in academies or high schools
that have altogether local or day patron
age, because the pupils when not in
school are under home influences and re-
straint. But to co-education in schools
of the grade whose patronage is board
ing. there is, in the opinion of many,
a well founded objection. And in their
opinion the objection holds to the system
in colleges, the average age of whose stu
dents on entrance is not sixteen. This
is the thoughtess giddy age of girls,
when they need the watchful care of the
mother or Of those appointed TO stand in
her place under conditions specially
adapted to their needs. | must, however,
not be understood to say that co-educa-
tional college of academy cannot be con-
Quoted without prejudice to girls. What
| maintain is that to do this the most
anxious care is necessary, even under
even perfect arrangements. The testl-
mony of Elon and Guilford in this State,
not to mention the large number of CO.
educational schools outside the State, is
that the system can be made successful.
Another objection to the system in col
I leges is that it stimulates girls to study
beyond their strength. Whatever may
be said of the capacity of women in the
co-educational universities and in the
great colleges for women like Vassar,
Wellesley, Smith. etc, to pursue with
out danger to health as extended courses
of study as men pursue wise parents
will hesitate to permit their daughters
of fifteen to seventeen years of age. in
point of health the most critical period of
their life to attempt to do as much men
tai work as boys. Those who have had
the care of girls of this tender age will
be prepared to appreciate such fears.
But neither in theory can objection be
sustained. nor has any been found in
practice, TO admitting women to the priv
ileges of universities. The conditions
here are different from those at colleges.
The average age of the 300 women at
/ Cornell and of the more than 800 at the
Michigan University, is nearly twenty.
Those who have reached this age are
matured in mind and in body and are
supposed TO take serious views Of life,
and can surely be trusted TO take care of
themselves. TO the ability of women to
take these extended courses without dam
age to health comes the strongest testi-
mony from the two Universities just
mentioned, and from Brown, of Rhode
| Island, and from Radcliffe College, at
Cambridge, and from Barnard, of New
York City. A few years age commits
sion was appointed in England to inves-
tigate the effect OF university courses
upon the health Of the women in four col
leges situated near Oxford and Cam
bridge. Who were receiving from the uni
versity professors the same lectures and
examinations that the men had. This
commission reported that the women
stood the work as we'll as the men.
| Connected with the higher education
of women three points seem to be set
tied, after many years of investigation
and debate; first, that some women need
higher education than that offered by
| IL,