The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-27

The question, Where Are College Wom-
Weekly, which has discovered that but few
American women distinguished as writer's
are college graduates. 1t says: ''Vassar Col
lege has been in existence thirty-one years
wellesley College and Smith have been
graduating large classes for a score of
years. Their graduates are now the heads
of homes, librarians, doctors, private Sec
retaries. But they have not entered the
field of literature, strictly so-called, as, in
advance, one would have supposed" The
Weekly then enumerates the women writ
ers of national reputation, beginning with
Mrs Stowe, whose career was begun long
before the founding of Vassar, and before
co-education in colleges and universities
was seriously considered The list of such
women is not long, but even the younger
ones named, who, by reason of their years.
might have had the benefit of the higher
education, are none of them college wom-
Ell. After considering this fact the writer in
Leslie concludes that it does not speak ia
vorably for the training given by women's
colleges. The inference to be drawn from
the article as a whole is that college edu-
cation should lead to the production of lit
erature and that it does SO in mems col
leges. Whether it should do sd or not is a
matter open to discussion; that it is not es-
sential to such production is shown by the
fact that the roll of eminent American
men of letters does not show majority of
coIIaOp ora dI1atac and roan,c collaCac no x,a
been in existence in this country for over
two hundred years. Washington Irving, the
first author to give distinct literary fla
vor to American writings, was not a college
man. William Cullen Bryant entered Will
Hams College when he was sixteen years
old and spent one winter there, but this
could hardly have had much influence over
"Thanatopsis, written before he was
eighteen. 1t is related both of Irving and
Bryant that they began writing as boys of
twelve and thirteen. Longfellow was a coll
lege graduate, but he was born into a lit
erary atmosphere. Holmes was a Harvard
man. as his many class-day poems show
but his literary career did not begin until
tanned distinction in another profession
Emerson was college man, but showed no
signs of unusual ability while in school.
Lowell was rusticated in his senior year
for inattention to books. Thoreau was a
graduate but showed no mark Of especial
talent while in school. Whittier never at
tended college, neither did George William
yrifo
graceful literary style. Edgar Allen Poe
spent one year at the University of Vir-
ginia, and during the most of that time
was in disgrace. r. b. Aldrich had but lit
tie schooling and was never in college; the
same is true of w. ID. Howells and of
James Whitcomb Riley. Edmund Clarence
Stedman was suspended while in his junior
year and did not return to school. Bayard
Taylor, who wrote fairly good novels and
some fine lyrics, in addition to his books
of travel, never attended college; neither did
Bret Harte, nor Henry James. nor Joel
Chandler Harris. nor host of the younger
men who are now making themselves
known i'll a literary way.
The truth is that the college does not
the creative faculty. That exists as a thing
apart. College training may develop it, or,
on the other hand, may destroy it by en-
couraging a critical spirit that leads to
dissatisfaction not only with the would-be
authors own effarts, but with all others
that do not reach an impossible standard.
There must be education of some sort be-
fore the man can write. but the history of
literature proves that the training OF the
advanced schools is not essential if the orig
inality and the creative power are there.
\ man may resolve to make of himself a
historian and succeed by sheer force OF
scholarship, for scholarship in such case is
necessary, but he cannot succeed in the
highest sense as a novelist. an essayist a
poet, no matter how profound his knowl-
edge, without having also an Unborn power
of expression--the something that compels
him to put heart and soul as well as INTEL
lect into his writings. Many men without
this faculty have. it Is true. ventured into
these fields and have seemed to win dis