The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-22

which has to do with the impossible
ity, undesirability and latent cruelty
of the suggestion that college women
should be educated to be wives and
mothers, says that cold statistics rep
resent that only about one out of three,
or four, or five, educated or co-educat-
ed women marry, and of these as few
again become mothers. or, if they do,
survive the cares and duties of ma
ternity But cold statistics, begging
Mr.. HowelPs pardon, seem to me to
prove Just the reverse. In 1882 in the
United States. and in England in 1880,
it was proved from careful investiga-
ton of the health of 1,271 college wo-
men that in marriage, child-hearing,
and child-rearing, they were slightly
above. not below, the average standard
of women. In the June number of the
magazine of the American Statistical
Association for 1890. there were pub
lished the results of another inVestiga-
ton, covering 343 college-bred married
women and 313 non-college- bred mar
red sisters and cousins. and in 1902
there will appear the results of still
another investigation, covering 1886
college women, 1,4S7 non- college sisters
and 1.073 college brothers. These four
Investigations, conducted independent
" of each other, contain absolutely
convincing proof of the good results
-of intellectual work for women. There
is not a shadow of evidence to prove
that college education works any
thing but physical good to the college
woman. or impairs in any way her
functional life. They seem also to prove
that only about so per cent. of the
classes from which the majority of col
lege women come marry whether they
have. or have not, been to college, but
this is not the fault of college women.
College women, like other women, arc
dependent OH men for marriage, and
the college presidents who enjoin upon
us TO teach women womanly virtues
and educate them to become wives and
mothers should begin by educating
their own college men to become hus-
bands. And how can women be edu-
Gated in peculiar womanly virtues un-
less we educate them in so-called fem
mime defects? Justice, righteousness,
truth, love of knowledge, sympathy,
reasonableness, are both womanly and
manly virtues, and happy are our
mems or women's colleges II they
teach some tiny fraction of them.
How can women be educated pri-
Inarily to be wives and mothers? I do
not know. I have never met a woman
that did know. s.ave asked mary
devoted wives and mothers, who have
laughed at the preposterous idea.
What requires the perfection of all
our human powers can scarcely be
taught to women in high schools or in
colleges by rule of thumb The coll
lege women of the future will be as
numerous, and probably more numer-
Gus, than college men in colleges and
universities. Women are now steadily
gaining on men; in the college depart
ments of some coeducational univers-
tiles, like Chicago. they are already in
the majority. If we may Judge from
the continuous increase of women
teachers In the schools for the past
thirty years. the college women Of the
future Will have almost all the ele-
mentary and secondary teaching OF
the country in their hands and they
viii compete with men for professor
ships In colleges and universities.
When this iss the case. I believe there
VIII be women scholars OF the highest
rank dcvoting themselves 10 research
aud invention and original investlga.
toni as there are now women singers.
and actresses, and poets, and noyclista.