Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-09-08
~ What Becomes of The College Girl ~

Iege four weeks from now will mark
the 25th anniversary of the institu
tion of university training for women
in this country, and the occasion IS
likely to renew with vigor the dis
ClEssion of the usefulness of the
higher education" The answer to
the question, What becomes of the
college graduate?" is pretty well
known now everywhere when it re-
fers to men, but the careers into
which women enter after taking a
degree from one of the higher col
leges are less generally understood.
Radcliffe college is unique in tha-
it offers girls exactly the same kinl
OF training as Harvard provides for
men. Its standards are, then, those
recognized as the highest in this
country; its whole mode Of life and
system of teaching is that of mans
university; its courses. Of study are
Harvard courses conducted by Harv-
ard professors. So the occupations
into which its graduates go may be
somewhat different from those taken
I'd by the alumnae of many girls col
leges, but they are, perhaps, the more
significant of the tendencies devel-
oped by the higher education of Wont
en-.
After the recent discussion of the
effect of college education on family
life it is interesting to find that sew.
enteen per cent. of Radcltfe's gradu-
ates have married, thereupon natural
II falling oUt of the ranks of workers
in "gainfUl occupations as the gov
eminent statisticians say, and large
proportion of the entire body of
alumnae are still under twenty-five.
A full third of the graduates who
have not married are not obliged to
be self-supporting. A striking thing
about the remaining fifty per cent. Is
their success in positions of manag-
erial responsibility. The majority
still become teachers, for in teaching
the value of the college degree in
creases every year not only in secur-
ing a position to start with but mark
edly in gaining promotion to higher
responsibilities afterwards. A nUm
her Of Radcliffe girls who have taken
up this profession have already
reached excellent positions, ten hold
ing appointments In colleges and
two being at the head of private
schools of the rest large proper
Ia, pto
schools.
Miss Mary Goes OF the class Of 81
al Radcliffe is now secretary of her
alma mater. and the secretary of the
arts in Boston is also graduate of
the "woman's Harvard" One Rad
Cliffe girl teaches at the Huguenot
seminary at Wellington, Cape Col
ony; four are on the instruction
board of Wellesley, where a fifth
teacher has a Radcliffe <. M; one is
an assistant professor at Vassar and
two holders of A. NJ. degrees are al
so there four are readers" in the
Bryn Mawr faculty; two are instruc-
college; another Radcliffe A. NJ. is a
member of the Observation-Disclosures
teaching force, and a number of the
colleges alTmnae are helping to
Americanize the Filipinos through
the public school system of our ISL
and dependencies. Indeed, SO prom
inent is pedagogy in the activities of
the college woman nowadays that
committee of Boston women who are
particularly interested in the subject
lectures especially for the benefit of
Radcliffe students, one on eIemen'
tary and one on kindergarten work.
As might be expected from such a
university life as these young women
lead in Cambridge, not few of them
go into literary work of one kind or
another after graduation Quite a
number take secretarial positions
and still more become active workers
In college settlements. One Rad
clfffe girl has found a new field for
women in the care of the valuable
Photographic collections Of Haryard's
Fogg art museum. and several have
been engaged in astronomical work
at the Harvard observatory-Mis
Henrietta s. Leavitt is winning
marked distinction by her discoveries
among the stars-whie representa-
tives Of several classes are to be
found in the Boston public library
and like institutions Not many 90
into the old.time professions" which
women have begun to seek in compe-
titfon with men, but the few who
have become physicians got their N.
d. degree from the medical school Of
Johns-Hopkins university that of
Harvard not admitting women
Already the names Of several au-
thors and editors who were trained
at Radcliffe have become we'll known