The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-28
Association Of
Colleges for Girls
What II Has Done.


College in Lynchburg. In the spring
Briar Institute In Amherst fApr!l Sd).1
Most OF the prominent colleges aud
schools for girls we're well represented,
and q wide and interesting range OF
topics We're discussed IN the four SEES.
SONS. The first session was devoted
TO the General Probiems.H the second
70 "Prohlens OF the Secondary Schools
the third to "Probemy Of the Colleges,
snd the last to Problems Of Inter Re.
lations.
Many of the papers read We're full OF
helpful suggestions and showed care
fulSpreparGtion and study, so that they !
were valuable contributions to the 4
study OF educational problems and
methods In Virginia to-day. Among
the most excellent papers read were
those of Or. Benediet, OF Sweet Br!ar
Institute; DR. Smith OF Randolph Ma
con. DR.. SNOW, of Farmville Normal;
Dr. Henderson, OF Bristol Institute, IN.
Snow, OF Miss Elletts Sci1ool OK Rich.
rlohd; DIR. Armstrong, Of Randolph
Macon Miss Willie Of Chatham 1nsti-
tutt; Or Rowe. or Isuena Vista Semi
nary; Miss Campbell, Of Westminster
School Of Richmond; DIR. Cannon. OF
+ Blackstone Institute; Prof. Cooke. OF
Holins Institute; Or. Nelson, OF Rich
nond Woman's College. and Miss
Hatcher, OF Brpn Mawr, the president
OF the associations.
Three of these papers have been Of
fcred to the Times Dispatch by tile
head OF the Virginia Association, Pres-
dent Davis of the Southern Female Col
lege. and we shall take pleasure IN pub
Itching them In our columns as showing
tho thorough work Of women in edu-
cation to-day. They are as follows:
d.) "Co-ordination Of Standards" by
Miss Hatcher, of Bryn Mawr. president.
CD Should Bible STUDY be Re-
CURED" by Mics Campbell, OF Westmin-
ster School, Richmond.
Cd The Best Two Year Course by
Miss Wits, LOT Chatham Institute.
MISC Iiutchcr's Paper.
The paper of Miss Hatcher follows: Il
The term eco ordination Of stand
ards''--a much abused term--has come
to admit of various Interpretations.
among which We may note especially.
three:
Pushed to It's extremity, It means, Of
course. absolute uniformity, or identity
OF standards, and such meaning Is
too apt to be taken for granted by
those who hear3the term used without
definition pr8freiaHons. Asa matter
Ia u
nolexistence except as a theory. and as
theory the application OF which any
large body private schools should
most earnestly seek to avoid. Indeed
IT cannot be discovered that sucn an
application has aver been attempted.
The most generally accepted use OF
the phrase, however. in. our educational.
world of to-day, Is a modification, of
tho one just presented. 1t eliminates
a Ia III,
uniformity, substituting for 1t ,,stan ~
ards which admit OF large possibilities
OF choice, but which at the same time
accomplish a certain definite design.
and obtain certain definite values.
Thus, II We take the college prepara-.
tory standards representing the largest
amount of coordination among schools,
we shall find that, In the field OF
science. botany, physics or chemistry
may be offered With equal advantages;
and with the languages, while Latin.
IL required as the first Language, either
\ French or German may be tho second,
and French. German or Greek may be
the third; whereas in history, two or.
three groups Of subjects are provided
forchoice. Various margins are given,
s too, In the English work, ETC.; and yet
there Is preserved such an evenness
In the quantity and quality OF tho
work accomplished that at any one5of
the more significant stages. II may be
accepted by any other institution piir-
suing similar orr higher work, and;
may without loss of time or energy
be accredited tosithe student Offering
st. The system builds on the classifi-
cation of all schools within It's range
as secondary SCHOOLS, colleges or uni
vGrsities, and by Its system OF values
or EQUIVALENTS clearly defines the gen-
eral attainment which should be rep
resented by the completion of the sec
ondary work, and that represented by
tho bachelors degree. which In turn
leads to the graduate or university
work. Speaking in very general terms,
1t prevails among the schools or the
East and West, and though 1T Is max
ing its way very slowly into our.
Southern schools. the movement In its
favor seems to many to be already
accommodating the force Of the inevl-
table and the universal.
Its advantages are, of course, obVl-
Gus. 1t facilitates educational inter-
course, fosters educational sympathy
makes easy the unavoidable changing
from one school to another OF the
same grade, makes the advance into
the school OF higher grade more pos
sibla IN prospect and infinitely more
satisfactory in reality; focuses the in
terest of the most thoughtful educa-
tors upon perfecting together one
large and comprehensive ideal, rather
than upon setting up Il great number
which will Inevitably come into rela-
tionship, and yet cannot possibly do sc
without great disadvantages. 1T creates
large educational current which vital.
Ices and dignifies the work OF Its low.
est schools as we'll as of its highest
by making them feel themselves al
essential part Of large and unitet
body Such advantages are by. nc
means to be despised If they ara pos
sible OF attainment. n
There are dangers, of course, In the
direction of emphasis upon facts rather
than upon mental forces and of the
exaggeration Of the importance or {
system at the cost OF that Of the in
dividuality of the school and of iii
students.
The first tendency is safeguarded II
many ways, however by the combined
wisdom or specialists in a scholarlS
sense, and especially successful teach
Grs In each field; and not only thu
work mapped out, but the tests re-
~ nutred of all al the and are SO ShapeC