The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-10
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR WOMEN.
Reasons Why the State Universitv
Should BE Opened to Them,

Should BE Opened to Them.
Tho fol owing letter to Mrs. S. Il. G.
Morgan, the leader of the movement +,
give Georgia women chance for hIybo.
education. contains some excellent re7.as
for opening the state University 10 Wo.
men:
Georgia Normal and Industrial COLLEGE.
Sept. %, 1ss7.-Dear Madam: Your letter
asking for my opinion with regard to the
1dmission OF women to the state ruyers.
ity has Teen received. I am not wei in.
formed Oh some points relating 10 The mat.
ter and speak with hesitation. This. how.
ever, seems to me true: Everv
year there are a few young women grad.
uating fIom our own and other schools
n the state who wish to continue tac..
studies ard who ought to do so. In add.
ton to these there are some-profnssionaI
women # mature years who desire al.
vanced work in some one department Of
learning. Both of these classes must 20
outside Of Georgia to get what they wish
although the state supports an institutc1
wlc,c such courses of s.ucy are Offer
ed to men.
Now. If Georgia is committed 10 the uo.
Icy of furnishing higher education ora
of two things should be done. Either The
university should be opened 10 such wo
mon O. would make good use Of its al
vantages, or the Girls Normal ard In.
dustrial College should be equipped for
doing higher collegiate work.
The first plan would have the advantage
of economy, as the buildings Libraries
laboratories and teaching force provided
for the regular students of the UNIVERSITY
would probably be sufficient for the wo-
men students also. The advantages Of
the second plan are evident to those per.
sons who oppose co-education. Besides
the school which was provided by the
state for the education of girls, and which
has tried to stand for sincerity and ear
nestness in female education, would then
stand as definitely for higher education.
To do this would be TO suggest to our own
students and to those of other schools the
desirability of a broader and more accu.
rate scholarship than is at present COM
mon among the women of our state This
would react for good on all our educa-
tional work.
But to equip the Milledgeville school
for real collegiate work would require
large outlay of money. In the grade Of
work now attempted we are seriously en-
DarfaSSed by the need of new buildings
and more teachers, to say nothing Of Ii
braries and apparatus. Whether the
young women who desire a more liberal
education shall wait till the Normal and
Industrial College shall be prepared to Of
fer it to them, or whether the university
shall admit them to its ad-
vantages, is a question for our
lawmakers and law-inspirers to consider,
Meantime, there is another view of the
matter worthy of careful thought Be-
fore there can be any widespread desire
or any real fitness for higher education,
there must be better work done in our
secondary schools. In all of our so-call-
ed colleges for girls the course of study
Is overcrowded. The curriculum has been
raised without raising the age of adms-
sion or increasing the number of years
for completing it. Besides, there have
been added to the curriculum special art
or professional branches. No one expects
young man to study law or medicine or
theology till his college diploma has been
obtained; but the young woman, With
heavy collegiate work to accomplish, must
at the same time acquire her profession,
and be ready to make her living at 1S
whereas her brother is hardly ready
for his life work at %.
When our girls schools church and Sc
cular can send out graduates who have
strong bodies, we'll disciplined minds. and
real love of learning, they will them.
selves find way to higher education. The
pupil having only superficial acquire
ments desires no more the student well
taught in even one thing will go on learn
ing alWays-in university If possible,
but somewhere certainly.
Mary A. Bacon