The Washington herald., 1907-11-11
Two Views of Feminism

The president of Bryn Mawr College.
Miss NJ. Carey Thomas, gave a glowing
account OF the spread OF higher education
for women in a recent address to the
Association Of Collegiate Alumnae After
showing how many absurd male prognos-
ticatiOns concerning women's colleges had
been falsihed by the event, one of the most
foolish OF which was the prediction that
unmarried male teachers would find them
selves extremely uncomfortable in a
feminine environment, President Thomas
INDUCES in some interesting prophecy:
''Ws living In the midst Of great. and.
believe the whole, benefcent social changes
which herald the coming economic independence Of
women Everything seems 10 Indicate that women
viii not only make their way into all except a few
Of the trades and professions. but that they will
be compelled by economic causes beyond their con-
trol 20 stay in them after marriage Already in
teaching, nursing, library work. typewriting book
keeping. telephonng telegTaphng they are steadily
taking possession and driving men before them.
An professional and trade training schools must
admit It IS already clear that no separate
schools for women viii be founded. The few uni
yersity professional schools Of law medicine the
ology. and architecture closed viii open. prob
ably within the next decade Separate professional
schools are an anachronism.'
Only a few days before, President C.
Stanley Hall, Of Clark University. in
talk at a Massachusetts teachers meet
ing, deplored the Termination of the
public schools The average of the man
teachers, he said, was only "A per cent.
sgd in some cities but S per cent. He
thought this was not an ideal condition.
when men did most of the teaching in
the schools, there was too much of the
stern and mechanical methods; now there
is too much of love and moral suasion."
He was for an occasional thrashing of the
bad boy. and the termination of the
schools. il It minimized the constraining
and Transforming power Of the rod, was
not a desirable thing. More to the pur-
pose, by way of contrast with Miss
Thomas faith in co-education, are Presi-
dent Halls remarks on that topic
''Coeducation in the graded and high schools win
doubtless rcmain for many years as it is now. be
os the cost Of separation, but educators are
with great unaninlity coming TO the conclusion
that the sexes should be separated in school life
When the pupils are ten 10 twelve years Of age
BOYS and girls work in different ways on the same
subjects Civilization tends to emphasize both fem
Unity and mascilnity. and there should be both
feminine and masculine ideals TO be striren for
By different courses and methods. The problem has
been how TO secure equal opportunities for women
but the neat problem viii be how 20 secure a nat
mal and desirable differentiation. One reason why
boys do not remain in high school for the full course
Is because they do not get what they want The
high school courses are gradually becoming feni-
nized. and the studies discipline and atmosphere
are tho-a hest cf,ifp for
lie high school has been made girls school. then
the people will turn their attention TO making boys
high schools with practical and technical
basis"
Evidently the opposition between mas
culine and feminine persists in educational
theory and practice What Miss Thomas