The evening times., 1898-10-18
CROWDED COLLEGES.

One who pays no special attention to
educational matters can form no idea of
the crowded state of the many and in
creasing colleges for botn sexes or for
either. As Spencer Ogden says, in COM
munication to the Chicago News. the rap
idly increasing demand for the higher
education for women is something aston
ishing. Thirty years ago only two col
leges for women existed, Eimira and Vas
seminary. Elmira $ first graduating class
numbered seventeen. while Vassar's could
only boast four learned young bachelors
of art Today a single class at VasSar
numbers 200 students. and notwithstand-
ing the erection in 1893 of Strong hall, and
in 1897 of Raymond hail. both large dor
mitories, also the additional accommo-
dations provided in the main building by
the recent going up of Rockefeller recita-
ton hall, and the presidents and several
professors houses, another new dormi-
tory must be built at once to make room
for the candidates constantly applying
for admission.
And this state of affairs does not exist
: at Vassar alone, all the women's colleges
was founded twenty-three years ago.
/ opening with only twelve students. 1t
now enrolls Loco and is the largest wom-
! ems college in existence, although its en-
! trance requirements are severe, and 1t has
not offered any extensive elective induce
/ ments, having adhered strictly to its reg
| ular course requirements. 1t began with
one or two buildings, it now numbers
/ twenty-five. with three more about to go
up, and still there is not nearly enough
/ dormitory room for the army of young
| collegians, and more residence halls are
/ to be added
Mount Holyoke which has passed
| through various educational stages. and
| now ranks among the foremost institutes
! of learning, rose like phoenix from the
! ashes of its disastrous fire two years ago
| Five new and wonderfully handsome dor
| mitories built last season are now occu
| pied, but, although no new candidate:
| have been accepted since last April, be
cause of lack of space, these building:
are full to overfiowing, and two moro
| halls could easily have been filled by th'
necessarily rejected students.
| Wellesley, with its immense body of un
! dergraduates and score of fine structures
| cannot house all its girls, many of whom
live in the village and walk out TO chape
| and lectures every day.
The latest bulletins from Bryn Mawr an
! nounce that the five halls of residence
Merton. Radnor, Denbigh and Pembroke
East and West, are oyercrowded. and tw
large houses, Dolgelly and Cartreff, be
longing 10 the college have been thrown
open for the undergraduates.
And these are only few of the lead
ing feminine colleges; the Woman's Col
| lege. OF Baltimore: the Sophie Newcomh
of New Orleans; Wells College, which i
Mrs Grover Cleveland's alma mater; tn
| Western Reserve. and a dozen others, al
/ founded Wihtin the last twenty-five years
| are splendid proofs of the progress an
popularity of a college course for girls.
| If more evidence is needed, turn 10 tn
| affiliated colleges. such as Radcliffe, witt
| Harvard. and Bernard. with Columbia
where the privileges are identical 70
men and women alike; or TO the great co
educational universities of the West
where Ann Arbor. the Leland Stanford
Jr.. Oberlin. the University of Chicag
and innumerabie others swarm witt
brainy young women. The University o
Chicago alone has three big dormitorie
for its fair sex while numbers of it
girls have to room in the city.
SO great IS the want of more facilitie
to meet the cry for the collegiate educa
tion of the gentler persuasion that tn
College Women's Club, of New York. i
| about To take up as one of it's objects TIL
| reinstating of Evelyn College. the anne,
of Princeton University. which closed it
doors a year ago from scarcity Of funds
as a large endowment is necessary L
run any college the tuition fees neve
being sufficient TO cover annual expenses
The three first steps taken will be I'll
| erection of an administration building
then dormitory and the providing of
permanent endowment.