The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-12-19


crowded with opportunitles-nay. ne
cessities-for a reasonable dealing
with the questions of life? No woman
can be her husbands friend and help
er without logic to which he may ap
peal and an intelligence which com
pletes and supplements his own. And
this education of character. as Of mind,
is not taught in school which gracu'
ates girls in white muslin at II and
sends them out without either mental
resource or control.
Geometry teaches the logic OF life
and over blackboard problems Rosy
Cheek learns to be the mother. wife
and citizen. which every advanced
civilization demands. This is the ed
ucation which is developed by seri.
Gus, adequate curriculum and by
none other The special training is
another matter equally important as
1t prepares a woman to meet the re-
sistless law which links happy useful
ness with occupation. The choice of
study should Of course be adapted TO
the individual learning of the stu
dent, and if indeed there is a mental
constitution differing from that OF
man, this fact should be recognized IN
fitting her for her probable duties and
her possible use Of talent or ability,
The increasing number of eclectic
courses Of study gives an added free.
dom and breadth Of opportunity most
desirable and necessary and il right
fully understood should entirely re.
move the popular prejudice that a col
legiate education, per Sc. fills a Wo-
mans mind with useless knowledge.
A college education shcNld mean the
best education possible, and its vari'
ETY. should only be equaled by its
thoroughness. The ordinary finishing
school for girls cannot train the mind
| adequately because Of the bTiefness of
its curriculum and its lack of system,
Parent and teacher are alike respoh-
sibe for this neither demanding as
rule, anything approaching rigor-
Gus standard Of education.
1t is sometimes fairly astonishing
| to note with what shallow and care.
| less consideration the whole subject
| of a girls education is dismissed, One
| wonders what results can be expect.
ed from such lax attention to a su.
premely important matter Can few
! weeks Of science" a skimmng of
philosophy. dig the channels of train
ed and habitual thought? Can germ
Of talent, literary, mathematical or
plastic, be taught to grow by brief
planting and briefer tending? Can
an occasional composition even a
certain fuency in the attractive and
| harmless" literature OF the modern
languages, give correct and elegant
forms of expression or teach Ehe his
tory of the words we use? The un-
differentiated adjective Of sweet l6
may pass amid it's ripping laughter
and its maiden grace. but how about
the woman whose vocabulary is still
confined to exclamation points pune.
tuating the eternal reiteration OF
awful" wonderful" fascinating" F."
and the like?
A young girl may. indeed, run a
fairer chance Of getting husband #
her charm is not endangered by an
awkward reputation Cf cleVerness, but
the married woman needs every bit
If Intelligence she possesses,
The women Of America are enfran.
chised by the customs Of the country.
il not by the preiudces Of the so,
called upper and better classes. Lib.
erty and responsibility are ours and
sooner or later we shall be called
upon to fit ourselves tor them. The
working women know this and are
rising to the demands of both necessity
and Opportunity But, first and fore
most, If our daughters are to be given
the dangerous draught Of knowledge,
they must learn to subordinate 1t to
charm. There is no imposstbility
about thls--onlY the most vague and
illogical prejudice against It, Every
woman should be taught, first and
foremost that in all social relations
| knowledge must be subordinate tc
sympathy merged into the charm
which listens first and then expresses.
All greatness is simple and. above
ALL unostentatious as all strength,
if balanced and serene, Is sweet True
education teaches this, as 1t develops
harmony with law. which Is the
word" Of the world, both spiritual
and material
The preponderance Of women who
intend to make a college education a
preparation for a wage.earnlng career
is a deterrent to those who consider
the natural association and friend.
ships of youth to be an all-important
consideration This deterrent must
inevitably disappear with the i'm
provement of the already established
schools, many of Which already ap-
! rroach the college standard. and with
the development Of the universities
| for women existent in America. In
any case, whether this condition dis
appears in short or a longer time. it
must always be safer and better in
this country of 1uctuating social con.
ditions to build the foundations Of
character and Of mental cultivation
| firmly and well. Sweetness and
grace, If individual will not be de-.
stroyed by the education which devel