Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-05-24
1RGlHIAG
That Is Necessary for WIiehood and
Motherhood
an John Francis Coffey.l


woman for the fulfillment of the dut
! les of wifehood is not an education a
all. The comparative fewness of tn,
women destined for single Loneliness
emphasizes the duty of all others {;
prepare themselves for the highest
noblest and most useful sphere open tC
womankind. The most complete, eff
cient and practical training given 6
woman is none to good for the future
wife and mother. Prof. T, Scott Clark
of the Northwestern University, evi-
IDENTIFY takes another view of the sit
uation. He recently exclaimed to a
class of young men in that institu-
ton: God help the man who narries
the college-bred woman
This is not creditable to our college,
especially in Observation-Disclosures 80
especially to co-educational institu-
tions, where no such doctrine should be
taught or maintained. Prof. Clark s
clean contention is that college train
ing units women for wifehood, He
holds that the collge-bred woman Is
incapable of home duties, The unten-
able character OF this statement must
be clear TO all giving 1t moments re-
Election, Who does not know that no
department of housekeeping is beyond
the reach of any woman of fair intel
ligence, industry and good health ?
Modern housekeeping demands, how
ever, a great deal more than manual
labor.
A fecund cause of domestic unhappi-
ness in the past was the educational
inequality set up by an unjust social
system between man and woman. But,
admitting that they started out in
married life educationally on a par,
neither with notable previous training
or culture, all the chances for improve
ment favored the man. His life was
on the outside. 1t brought him into
contact with books, with men of learn
ing and ability, with newspapers,
speeches, election campaigns and other
educative agencies. The woman was,
on the other hand, especially in coun-
try places, debaITed from most of these
formative and improving instrument
talities. She was busy with house
hold cares and had scant opportunities
for the perusal of books or papers.
When her family had been, reared
the mother was worn in body and no
brighter mentallyyNt Her husband,
knowing that she read little and there
fore thought little of the live topics
of the day, could not converse with her,
He drifted more and more away from
her. The woman noticed the estrangeS.
ment, suffered from it. but bore it ifs
silence. Such estrangement was noQ
confined to the home; the husbands
seeing that his wife could not con ,
verse as brightly or entertainingly as
other people, did not bring her out to
visit his friends and neighbors. The
separation became more accentuated
as years rolled on, and before the
grave claimed either, the last spark Of
mutual affection had likely died out
of their hearts.
This. certainly is not as things
should be. The very nature OF mar
ried life, in its true acceptation, de-
mands an ever-growing friendship and
love between man and wife. The ab-
sence of such a feeling has broken
many hearts and ruined many homes
1t gives the selfish man an opportun
ity for cruel neglect and excuse for
vices demoralizihg to himself and fam
lily. Such a man has no real culture.
A thin veneer of smartness, evidenced
by glibness of tongue and insolence of
behavior, covers cowardice, meanness
and abject native worthlessness. The
most illiterate woman is the superior
of such wretch.
The college-bred woman begins mar
ried life on terms of educational equal
ity with her husband. She is. besides,
qualified to become fitting compan-
ion and honorable exemplar for grow
ing sons and daughters. Her learn
ing and culture incite them to high
ideals. Such culture can be obtained
by private study as well as in colleges.
Many of the best of American wives
have thus trained themselves, achiev-
ing results commensurate with the
greater effort put forth. If the college
that fails to train women to be gooC
wives is failure so. too. is that edu-