The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-07
The Radcliffe Girl.

Radcliffe College will be twenty-five
years old when its next fall term begins.
Reared in the shadow or sunlight of
Harvard, it is the female of that ancient
college. What the Harvard men
learn or may learn, the Radcliffe girls
learn. The standards and the instruc-
ton are those Of Harvard. Harvard
professors conduct the Radcliffe courses
of study. What sort of individuality
has the Radcliffe girl? That is a ques-
ton too hard for Mere Man to answer
We have heard it said that she is not so
athletic as the Wellesleyite and not so
much of society girl" as the Smith
lite. These distinctions, if they exist,
are too vague to help. Each womens
college, like each mems college, is an
imaginary divinity or idol, which shapes
its worshipper into perfection not to be
attained in any rival temple. Drop
these problems of the comparative
mythology of the college bred and come
to business
A Cambridge, presumably Radcliffe,
correspondent Of the Springfield Repub-
licdn gives some practical information
about our young friends the heirs Of
Radcliffe. For they are young, most of
them under IS. O'eryoung to marry,
according to the dictum of Governor
WAKEFIELD of Maryland Yet II per cent.
are yoked in matrimony already. When
you reflect that Radcliffe is within the
Boston Pale, the heart Of the inmost zone
of culture" and only three miles from
the Sacred Goldfish and all the books,
museums. lectures and little religions
Of Boston, you are a little surprised at
that II per cent. Some old fogies have
feared that the college women were on
the way to become sort Of caste or sa-
cred college of celibates, sufficient unto
themselves, distinguished, superior, a
warning and terror to the coarser sex.
The old fogies are wrong. There will
always be percentage that will take
pity on unworthy man. 1t gratifies the
statistician, the friend of female educa-
ton and the lover of The humanities that
there should be II per cent of marrying
and giving in marriage in and about
Boston. Humane letters and traditions
will be perpetuated,
One-thrd of the Radcliffe graduates
are not obliged to support themselves.
Lucky girls, OF the so per cent. other
wise not accounted for, the majority
are teachers. Their degree is valuable.
They get good posts, with less drudgery
and bigger pay than fall to the lot of
most members of that most useful and
most i'll paid Of professions. Some are
in their own college, some in other col
Ieges, some in the Philippines, many
in the New England schools.
Some graduates are private secreta-
rio some work in libraries, some in
college settlements, some in astronomi- |
cal observatories Note especially Miss
S. LEAvITT, who ais winning !
marked distinction by her discoveries
among the stars" few have taken |
IN NJ. ID. sheepskin at Johns Hopkins.
Two Radcliffites are in leading pub
fishing houses; one Radcliffe is in the
office of woman's magazine Several
authors and editors have come from
Radcliffe. Among the best known of !
he literary daughters are JOSEPHINE
PRESTON PEABODY BEULAH NJ. DIX,
HELEN LEAH REED, ABBIE FARwRLL
BROWNE and HELEN KELLER. We have
he impression that not little clever
york in the magazines is done by Rad
liffians who have not yet come to fame.