Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-10

hailed before magistrate and punished
under the laws enacted by the great and
general court; and if he continued to
neglect the education of his son he was de-
prived of his care and suitable guardian
was appointed. In 1647 a law was enacted
in Massa chusetts under which every town
of 100 families obliged to maintain
classical grammar school where boys could
be fitted for college. These schools were
a heavy burden upon the people who, after
the minister had been provided for. had
little money left TO pay schoolmaster.
Poverty. therefore. was another reason
why girls We're not educated. Every parent
desired that his daughters should read and
write and know enough arithmetic to cal
culate the household expenses. and have
sufficient knowledge of literature and the
Bible to converse intellgently but it was
more important to feed and ciothe them
than to teach them the dead languages.
There We're several well-known examples
throughout the colony of Massachusetts
whore a little learning had proven dan
serous thing to women. by making them
vain, independent and insShordinate, while
il was notorious that the wife of Gov. Hop
kinS of Connecticut became insane, as the
record runs. by occasion of giving herself
wholly to reading and writing" She was
Anna Yale. daughter of David Yale and
aunt of Elihu Yale who founded the uni
versity that bears his name.
The record of her case contains serious
admonitions and says: Her husband. being
very loving and tender. was loath to grieve
out ne saw his error wien IL WAS 100
late. For if she had attended to her house
hold affairs and such things as belong to
women, and had not gone out of her way
and calling. to NEEDLE in such things as
are proper for men whose minds are
stronger. she had kept her wits and might
have improved them uEefully and honorably
in the place where God has set her.
The case of Mrs. Hopkins was quoted
for generations as an awful example of
the evils of the education OF women. and
from 1T arose much of the prejudice which
Mary Lyon was compelled to encounter.
There Were a few girls attending almost
every academy, but, mindful of her fate,
parents generally feared the effects of too
much book learning upon their daughters
and taught them the household arts in
stead
Success of Mt. Holyo.1e.
But Mt. Ho.yoke was successful from
the very day when it's doors were opened
and the second year 400 applicants were
turned away because there was not room
to accommodate them. That has been the
continual experience of the institution. AL
most every year of its history the de-
mands have been in excess of its accom-
modatons
Mary Lyon was we'll known up and
down the Connecticut valley from Munson.
where she used to spend her vacations, to
Deerfield, and both east and west. and the
circular announcing the opening of her
school was read and discussed in almost
every family of New England. She stated
her purpose as follows:
I'VE intend it to be like our colleges, so
valuable that the rich will be glad to at
tend it. and so economical that people in
moderate circumstances may be equally
accommodated"
The curriculum as announced was far in
advance of any educational course ever
offered to women. 1t was equal to that
of the colleges for men: 1t included among
other studies logic moral philosophy land
the natural sciences taught according to
the laboratory method" Harvard at that
time was the only institution in America
that gave instruction in that fashion. Can
pass examinations in arithmetic. geog-
raphy. history. English grammar, and es-
pecially Watts on the Mind
The institution has always been kept up
to that standard. The old ideals are still
cherished at Mt. Holyoke, and Mary Lyons
work has been continued by women equally
competent, equally earnest. and equally
faithful in the development of young women
ually. to insure intelligent minds, good
health and piety for the wives, mothers and
teachers of our race.
The members of the faculty today repre-
sent the graduate schools of the leading
universities of Germany, England and the
United States. They carry degrees from
Barnard. Vassar, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr,
Yale. Harvard. Columbia, University of
Chicago. University of Michigan, University
of Berlin, University of Paris. University
of Cambridge. Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. and other schools. In 1887 the
faculty consisted Of a principal, an asso-
ciate principal, two teachers and three
student assistants. Seventy years later. in
1907, there are twenty full professors, men
and women; nine associates, twelve assist
ants, thirty-five instructors and an admin
istrative staff of twenty-four, including the
president. registrar, superintendent. secre-
taries and stenOgraphers There are thirty
five undergraduate scholarships and four
full fellowships for graduate work.