River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-07-23
WOMEN ARE BEST SCHOLARS.
Statistics from Many Universities
Seem to Prove Their Superb
GRITTY Over Men.

Are young women surprising young
men in scholarship and honors at
American institutions of learning
where coeducation prevails?
Reports from colleges and universe
ties all over the country indicate that
such is the case, at least so far as the
ordinary tests of ability, daily mark
ings and examinations can determine.
The heads of these institutions declare
that the woman's perception is keener,
her memory better, her industry great
er and her general capacity for absorb
ing knowledge beyond that of her mas
culine competitor. says a Chicago re-
port.
At Boston university IS out of 16
senior students just elected to mem
bership in the Phi Beta Kappa society,
the sole test being scholarship, are
women. The report recently COM
pleted at the University of Chicago
shows that in the first ten years of the
life of that institution women have
captured more prizes and honors than
men, and have secured a much greater
representation in Phi Beta Kappa than
men.
The college and university presi-
dents who have given interviews on
this subject emphasize the fact that
the great devotion to athletics by men
students handicaps them against
young women in studies. They point
out, also, that woman's greatest apti-
tude is shown in the study of languages
and the less exact sciences. But they
agree strikingly that so far as the abil-
ity to learn is concerned women are in
no sense inferior to men and in some
senses are superior to them.
At the University of Chicago, the
decennial period ended last June shows
surprising figures in favor of men stu
dents. Supplemented with statistics
for the last year, the report shows
the following per cent. of total men
and women:
Men who have received the bach
elor's degree, $50.
Women who have received the bach
elor's degree, 46.1.
Men admitted to Phi Beta Kappa
solely upon scholarship records, 1877.
Women admitted to Phi Beta Kappa
solely upon scholarship records, 56.8.
The women, though constituting go
per cent. less than half of the total
number of graduates of the university
for the last ten years, have contributed
6.3 per cent. more than half of the
members of the Phi Beta Kappa So
ciety. Surely in these figures the advo-
Gates of woman's mental equality with
man, if not her superiority to him in
many important respects, may find a
strong argument.
Other statistics for the university
are highly favorable for women. Since
the award of scholarships and honors
has been announced in the convocation
programmes 929 students have re-
ceived the junior college certificate,
496 of these being men and 433 women,
or 43.4 per cent men and 1876 per cent.
women.
Forty-three of these men received
senior college scholarships, or 54.5 per
cent. of all that were awarded, and SO
women, or ass per cent. Honors for
scholarship based on class and examina-
and 12S women.
SIN obtaining marks, women I'M
doubtedly lead men," said President
George E. MacLean, of the University
of Iowa. ''The causes that lead to this
are, in my opinion, that they are more
ambitious to excel"
Presidents of other leading colleges
| in the west and northwest give sub
| stantially the same testimony.
President w. A. P. Faunce, of Brown
university, thinks there is no apprecia-
bic difference between men and women
students as 10 scholarship.
SIN Brown and IT'S adjunct, Penn
broke hail. he said, "the men and
women are equally proficient. 1t is
natural for a certain number of each
sex to excel