Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-02-20
new EDUCATION MOVEMENT
The Lack of Domestic Science in
Women's Colleges.
The Growing Dissatisfaction and De.
bate About It-A Notable SYM
postum on This Subject.

ing in~sistence, Is brought to the fore In
an attention-compelling manner in one of
the March magazines. Some of the larger
colleges for women in the eastern States,
to which parents in all parts of tho CONT
nent send their daughters, are doing moth
ing or next to nothing for their students
in the direction of that most fundamenta
and important branch of the sciences
sanitary or domestic science. Competent
teachers of domestic science are exceed
ingly scarce In all parts of the country.
consequently even the sInattering will
which college graduates and other young
women would content themselves, IL they
could, Is hardly to be acquired.
The situation forced itself upon the Ma
tional Household Economic association,
representing tho woman's clubs Of the en-
tire country, which set n committee at
work pom the problem. AS an outcome OF
the discussion at this associations last
meeting, in October. 1901. the question was
taken up by Good Housekeeping magazine
in a series of interviews ard articles, with
results decidedly interesting.
The college women's lumber Of this
magazine, for March, devotes considerable
space to this problem. Coming out as it
does coincidcntly with the opening of a.
like discussion In the leading educational
periodicals. 1t will serve to crystalline pop.
ular attention and give needed direction "a
what is taking on the dimensions OF a
movement Oh RATIONAL scope ana 1mDp1-
tarce. A recent issue of the Educational
Review. for @, ample. which is edited by
Pres. Butler of Columbia college, contain
ed an able article along this very line, and
similar material is in preparation for one
or more of the general reviews.
OBJECTION TO THE NEW IDEA.
But why. is at once asked, should the
colleges for Women impart a knowledge
of domestic science? 1t is an insult to
w~omanhocd, according to certain theories
of educate n. to recognize a feminine intel
lect in distinction from & masculine. Col
leges for women, as President Scelye of
Smith college said, exist for the trainin,,
and broad ening of the mind, without ref.
erence to a specific career. as do the col
leees for men. To assume that a woman
is to be a honle-lnaker Is irrelevant. SAM
tary science. these educators say, is rs
truly a speciality as Is a trade or profess
sion. and would have no place In the acad-
omic curriculum if there we're tir,e Cor its
cultivation.
OPPONENTS ANSWERED.
But is it any longer a mere "specialty?'
DIR. James III. Garfield, librarian of Column
bia university. formerly president Of tho
Chic State university and chancellor Ct
the university of Nebraska, points out
With utmost ciearncss in the February
III u ne InIEuZlne TelaITCQ 10 Jnf
fallacy of this position.
"The simple fact is" he says, chat VI
are only asking for such recognition Of the
afttr-life of the woman as has always
been given to the after-lire Of the man.
There is a commCn belief that the present
classical course, or general course. was
built up Intentionally snd intelligently and
p"hilosorhically very much rs it IS to day,
because of its Culture-value. and for no
ether reason. The fact Is, however, that
the present clG ssical course grew up along
the line of definite needs. and its crowd
was as distinctly practical as the growth
OF any of the Ilcdern technical courses.
1T began with the c~lassics and philos1.
phy and literature for the c~lcrics. 1t ex.
tended the courses somewhat for the jur-
lists when these became distinctly rcco!-
nizcd as worthy of special training. IL
added such sciences as II recognized,
largely for the physician. Having adapt
&c the course to meet the very practical
demands of these three professions. the
curriculum remained almost without
change for generations. Indeed, rs late
as The date of my own graduation it would
rave been considered a waste of time and
money to have given IA college education
TO a boy who was definitely headed toward
the business verdi
DIR. Garfield. by the way. is the author
Of n new AMI much discussed AMI praised
volume entitled The College Student and
His Problems.
WHAT PROF. ATWATER SAYS.
Frof. w. O. Atwater of Wesleyan univcr-
sity noted as a government eApert in the
analysis of foods argues as clearly in tho
March number of Good housekeeping IN
the same direction. He says: 'rhe diff
Guilty with what is called home scierce is
that the subjoc ct is comrar atively now.
Like agricultural science, like medical sci
ence, like engineering science, like phi!olo-
gical science, it's disciplinary value de-
Tends upon its form. Unlike philology and
medicine. home economies is nor yet
brought into this scientific and pedagoeic
form. 1t can be made Just as useful for
discipline as any other subject.
"One thing which gives home science a
peculiar title to a place among the tNinas
winch we call the humanitics, is that IL
takes hold on life: for, after all, in the his
tory of education. from the time when the
first university started in Italy. nearly
eight hundred years ago, until the present
the things which have been most useful for
discipline have been and are the things
which take hold upon human experience,
upon the life and thought of man."
CHICAGO UNIVERSITY AS PIONEER
Mrs. Alice PelCubet Norton of the Uni
Nersity of Chicago, herself a graduate of
an eastern college. and one of the fore
most of educators of women, faces the
problem in this practical manner, through
the same magazine. domestic sciercc IL
only the application of sciences. of sociol
cgy, psychology, physics, chemistry, bio
logy, to the problems Of home life. It IS
by no means Il matter of cooking and sow
ing alcne--useful as these arts may
be. 1t deals with the study of home itself.
It's evolution, its function; with the prob
lens of the family; with the architecture
and decoration Of the house and the SAM
taly condition which affect the welfare Of
It's inmates; with the whole great food
problem; with clothing In its hygenic and
aesthetic aspects: with the physical, moral
and intellectIa training of children; with
the division W the income and the econ
cmics of consumption. Certain phases OF
this subject should form part OF the edu
cation of every woman and every man.
1T may not always be feasible or desir-
able that our women's colleges establish
departments of domestic science but they
should add to their teaching of pure sci
ence training in the application Of, science.
They SHOULD recognize the dignity of
everyday problems. They should give the
student of chemistry the opportunity of
~clecting sanitary chemistry In place of
more abstract phases of the subject.
Household applications of bactcriologN'
should receive at least as much attention
as industrial applications; while yeast
miPht we'll take the place of some less use
full Heterogeneous in microscopic work, -
THE CASE IN A NUTSHELL.
is presented by Prof. Katharine Conan Of
Wellesley college: domestic science
should be offered as an elective studyinth