The Portland daily press., 1898-10-19
OUR AMBITIOUS GIRLS.
They Are Crowding the Colleges Open to
Them.

The RAPIDLY increasing demand for the
higher education of women Is sometnlne
asto nishing. Thirty years ago only cwo
colleges for women existed, Elmira and
Vassar, Mt. Holyoke being then only a
seminary Elmira's first graduating GA
mum bered seventeen, while Vassar's could
only boast four learned young bacheiors
of art. Today single class at Vassal
numbers over 200 students and, notwlsn-
standing the erection in 1898 of Strong
Hall. and in 1897 of Raymo nd Hall, both
large dormitories, also the additional &C.
Communications provided in the main
building by the recent going up OF Rookie
Teller Recitation Hall and the President's
and several professors houses. another
new dorlmitory 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
are telling the same tale. Smith College
was founded twenty-three years ago,
opening with only twelve students. It
now enrolls 1000, and is the largest wom'
ems college in existence, although its en-
trance requirements are severe, and itbhaa
not offered any extensive elective induce
ment, having adhered strictly to it's regu-
lar course requirements. 1t began with
one or two buildings: it now numbers
twenty-five, with three more about to 60
up, and still there is not nearly enough
ha nf q
collegians, and more residence halls are
to be added.
Mt Holyoke. which has passed though
various educational stages and now ranks
among the foremost institutions OF learn
ing, rose like the phenix from the ashes
of its disastrous fire two years ago. Five
new and wonderfully handsome dorml'
tories, built last season. are now occupied,
but, although no new candidates have
been accepted since last April. because OF
lack of pace, these buildings are full to
OVERCOMING and two more halls could
easily have been filed by the necessarily
rejected students
Wellesley, with its immense body
of under graduates and SCORE OF tine
structures, cannot house all It's girls.
MANY of whom live in the village and
walk out to chapel and lectures every day.
The latest bulletins from Bryn Mawr
announce that the five halls OF residence,
Herion, Randor, Denbigh and Pembroke,
East and West, are overcrowded and TWO
large houses, Dolgely and Cartreh, be
longing to the college, have been thrown
open for the undergraduates.
And these are only few of the leading
female colleges; the Woman's College OF
Baltimore, the Sophie Newcomb OF New
Orleans, Wells College, which Is Mrs.
Grover Cievaland's alma mater, the
Western Reserve and dozen others, al
founded within the past twenty live years
are splendid proofs Of the progress and
popularity of q college course for girls
If more evidence Is necessary, t1rn C
the affiliated colleges, such as Radcliffe
WITH Harvard and Barnard with Column
bia. where the privileges are Identical for
men and women alike; or to the great
Educational universities OF the West
where Ann Arbor, the Leland Stanford
IL. Oberlin. the University OF Chicago
and innumerable others swarm witt
brainy young women. The University OF
CHICAGO alone has three big dormltories
for its fair sex. while number OF Its
girls have to room in the city
Sd great is the want of moro facilities
to meet the CRY for the collegiate education
of the gentler persuasion that the College
Moments Club, OF New York, is about tt
take up as one OF its objects the reinstat
ing of Evelyn College, the index q
Princeton University, whlchkc closed III
doors year ago from scarcity OF 1unas
as large endowment Is necessary 20 ruf
any college. the uition fees never being
snffioient to cover annual expenses. The
first three steps taken will be the erection
of an administration building, then
dormitory and the providing OF perma
rant opdowmaut