The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-22

|
| Mrs. Russell Sage has been writing an
article on the proper education for women
! and some of her ideas on that much-vexed
question are worthy of attention. The
| subject is not as widely discussed nova
! days as it was a generation ago, because
! the right of girls to have the same edu-
| cation as their brothers being once Sc
| cured. it seemed to most people that that
was all that was necessary. But there is
coming to be dim sense of something
wanting in the training of the average
college girl, and for that matter in that
of the college man. Mrs. Sage puts her
finger on that lack. She says:
There are ample opportunities for young
women to mental breadth and culture
without devoting four years to higher mathc-
MATES. the dead languages, and kindred sub
iects- \ prominent college president wrote to
me- asking for a substantial sum to enable a
young woman to complete her Greek studies. My
reply that | did not believe that an ex-
hauStive study of Greek would make any young
woman a happier or more useful member OF So
cetv.
Education that teaches women to view the
conditions and problems of life in the light Of
sound common sense. that imparts the power of
accomplishment in practical matters, is the edu-
cation that young women most need. The wife
Is almost important factor IN her husband !
success or failure as he is To succeed in these
times man must be practical: to help him to
succeed. his wife must he practical. She should
not only know all about the matters of her own
household but should know much possible
about her husbands business"
There is, here and there, girl with an
imperative desire for the knowledge of
Greek, Latin. mathematics, philosophy, or
natural science; and to such a girl no
opportunities should be refused. The
chances are that she will not be SO good
at anything else as she will be at the
work to which she has natural inclina
ton. 1t was Ruskin who wisely said that
shape. but not girl; she must grow as
flower grows, Unless a woman shows
desire to pursue the higher branches of
learning she should be taught useful
things which will unquestionably be of
value to her in practical life.
1t is by no means necessary that she
should be merely a housekeeper. nor is it
absolutely essential that she should know
anything about housekeeping, if she has
no talent for it. and very decided talent
for something else. But some kind of
manual training for both boys and girls
is almost Indispensable. There come
times in the life of everyone when there
is no opportunity to work with the brain,
and when there is a great deal of manual
labor waiting to be done. The scholar in
his country home, may wish to have
garden. If he knows how to take care of
it himself he will have both pleasure and
nrpAt from his knoUledpe Xnmen are
forever being thrown into circumstances
where, if they would not be absolute
drones. they must know how to sew, or to
cook, or to nurse, or otherwise to tighten
the household burdens; their Latin,
Greek, and mathematics will do them no
good The West Point graduate may find
himself in place where he will have to
build shelter for his men, and though it
is in the nature of things unlikely that he
will have had training as boss carpen-
ter, it will be a good thing for him if,
when a boy, he haunted builders and
bricklayers at their work and studied
for amusement. All the COM
pulsory industrial training in the world
will not take the place OF thorough in
given to a person with a love
for the task Parents should encourage
their children to be wise in all practical
matters and make 1t easy for them to
learn to do well any kind Of hand work
which they may take fancy to do. Most
foolish of all foolish ideas is the notion
that 20 work with the hands is unworthy
of gentlefolk. 1t is notion both imprac
ticable and mischievous