The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-09
TIRE CAUSE OF WOMAN.
ANOTHER DISCUSSION OF THE
EDyCATION QUESTION.
Comments on the Views az Presidents
u,de and Taylor-DeIcxates ON TO
the International Meeting at Dresden
Annual Celebration OF Birthdays.

tho International Meeting at Dresden
Annual Celebration OF Birthdays.
Tho Worlds Work for August is an " edu-
o,,ion number. the various phases Of this
,,,oe, important question being discussed by
,,o,,l authorities While ii ia to be regret
,al ,hat the broad minded editors did not
,,,,co some one OF the distinguished women
aIrrotors of the country in their galaxy of
,.ri,.rs the student Of woman's progress
,,.,lI be prntiNed to note that girls are in
cIndnl equally with boys in practically the
,l, discussion This seems to come as
naturally and easily "a il there had not been
,Iana,Ins Of controversy H. 10 whether their
mind. we're capable of receiving the higher
,urntiun, their bodies OF enduring tho
.train and their moral and domestic nature
II wihsauding the consequences, Indeed,
pr,.,dcn, william Dewitt Hyde Of Bowdoin
,,l,.rc says cmphatically. ave should
,a,,b women as extensively and thoroughly
o.. men." but he hastens to qualify this by
adding. vet not necessarily the same sub
ects a, tho same time and place He does
no, intend TO furnish any ammunition with
which women may storm the sacred walls OF
Boydoin But with every one OF the great
Universities hampered in its work for want
# funds. and all of the small colleges almost
roD,Ia-slv crippled by the same cause, Pres
ilcn, HYDE must necessarily recognize the
,h-uIlle impossibility Of ever duplicating
these educational plants for the purpose OF
rslcning women at different time and
rinc".
Like all opponents and lukewarm adj
,nca,es OF coeducation DR. Hyde harks
back TO Chicago University and, after
commencing its bravery in propoundlng
various sociological questions concerning
~" subject, he SAYS 1T Is Drawer stiii TO
answer them as Chicago University has
done in a way that on the face ~ il is par
rial. prudential and tentative. illogical and
Inconsistent Consistency as Emerson
tolls -. is the hobRoblin Of lit lie minds "
One is constrained many times 10 wish
Emerson never had said this. II serves
admirably to pull tranScendalists out OF
the slough in which they are apt 10 wander,
hl, il is seized upon as an excuse for every
sind of absurdity. bad faith. and even
moral dishonesty. 1t leaves us without
any ground on which to base our confidence
in mems judgment or actions
The special subject OF the education OF
women is considered by President J NJ.
Taylor of Nassar. first Of the great colleges
established for women exclusively, DR..
ravlor says in his opening paragraph
Thu. most Significant thing in connection
~llI the education OF women Is the protl-
t,opIs growth of the movement. No fig
llres that could be given can tell the story.
Tie advance is remarkable. not merely as
compared with n generation ago, when the
higher education was comparatively
now question Even within five wears the
increase of women students III America
ras been so great as to suggest to the OPEN
eyed nothing less than glacial movement
IN society Women constitute nearly 30
per cent of all our college students, speak
ing now only of the really important colleges
ii the country: and women graduates OF
these institutions i'll the United States. both
roecucational and woman's colleges. mum
her about 10000 One has only to think
nf the prodigious influence Of this element
in American life to see how significant
it is"
President Taylor does not go at length into
!, discussion Of separate education and CO.
education but he saws; There can he no
doubt that women are purposing in an in
nreasing degree to obtain all the education
within their reach When II is remembered
that more than half the pupils in our second
ary schools, and still larger proportion OF
the graduates. are girls, the mighty import
ance of the movement to American lie Is az
once apparent. In regard To the continually
recurring assertion that the college woman
should have some special training for the
separate sphere in life which she is likely to
fill he thinks this situation ia met by the
more significant in connection with the
training Of our girls than OF our boys,
There could be no better authority on the
health of college women than one who Tor
many years has been at the head OF an lnsti-
tuition containing nearly thousand. and
President Taylor states as the result OF the
most thorough statistics kept by his own and
the other women's colleges at has been
ahndantly shown over and over again by
the most careful invest CATION that the
health of college women improves during
the four wears Of the college course.
vonrg women of the same general social con-
,Iitions in more generally good health and
spirits than those who have just closed the
current academic year in our women's col.
ieges Only three Of the l53 graduates Of
Vassar in 1909 assert that they have not I'M
proved in general health since entering
college"
President Taylor is equally confident that
the higher education has no deterrent effect
nm marriage or child bearing. Over hair
The graduates of the first ten years OF tasHar
ara married. he says and the proportion OF
children 70 each marriage Ia more IMAM
from TWO to three, the average shown IN
antilles Of similar social condition through
oIt America OF the 36s graduates from
1885, 20 1877. there are 20a married, and l33
NJ these have borne 4O4 children, 223 sons
ami lsl daughters. The next ten years
snow ,iBN graduates, lSo IhdIIleu' i"' ii'''-
ar- of 267 children. lao sons, 1ls daughters
The praponderance of boys offers problem
Tor rho sOciologIsts.
The conclusion of this experienced educa-
tur i. commended to the alarmists: There is
moi; ming in the college training OF American
Nomen TO contribute to abnormal results.
healthy mind and a healthy body and
absolutely healthy and natural sentiments
coward life are the general product. Those
who have seen most Of the work are lore
most in their belief in il No work
~ America promises more for its future
han the thorough education Of it's girls.
There is only ona statement in Or, Ihyor
admirable arricla 10 which exception can be
'ak"n. viz Women have increased more
rap,dlv in The separate colleges than IN the
600 iucational colleges In the last few
Years The statistics Of the United States
Commissioner Of Education do not sustain
MS assertion On the contrary they show
he percentage Of increase for the twelve
velrs ending with 1901 to be almost exactly
~" same. with fraction OF one-tenth OF
Va- cent in favor Of coeducation In that
NA4r there were ~ ,48s women in coeduca-
',pn+l universities and colleges, and $3.50
m those for women alone. In 1907 the
fgires stood. 22.5O7 in the former. 5,S4s
IN the latter. slight increase toward CO.
"1ucation
Space cannot be given to take up each OF
he articles to show how fully woman 10
Included in The discussion of all ednca-
'Ional questions Prof Frederick j. Turner
Of the University Of Wisconsin says OF Inc