Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-12-08


arguments generally are based upon
the most groundless assumptions as a
matter of fact, I'm ashamed to argue
the question of woman's intellectual
equality. Have we not mothers,
wives and sisters? Do we need any
further proof of woman's capacity? A
French proverb goes. One does not
have to prove the light
These remarks were made by Pres
ident L. Clark Seelye of Smith college.
Next June President Seelye, then 70
years of age will retire from the head
of the college. having been the presi-
dent Of Smith since its establishment
more than thirty-seyen years ago.
President Seelye has been called the
most expert "girl psychologist" in the
world, and Northampton, Mass, the
Town in which Smith is situated, might
properly enough be Gale girls town.
President Seelye is of the medium
height, rather slender, blue-eyed and
rich voiced. He looks very much,
with his chin whiskers, like a COM
posite OF Emerson and Whittier,
though more like some neighboring
farme.. He has a way of withdraw
ing into himself, mentally speaking,
and tne pale light of mysticism seems
to come into his eyes. But when he
does speak he speaks not like the
Yogl mystic, but like the hard headed
Yankee. They say that he Is as
sharp as whip" and never comes
ort second in any business deal.
Il have long ceased debating
whether or not higher education is
good for women" President Seeiye
replied in answer to a conventional
question Woman needs to be edu-
Gated for her womanhood. The reason,
in my opinion, that college lie is,
valuable TO man is not because It
makes doctors and lawyers out of
them but because it creates in them
higher manliness broader sympathies
and clearer mental and spiritual in
sight. The end of a collegiate edu-
cation for woman is not to make sa-
wants out of them, but to make them
more womanly teacher, mother, house
wife-there's not a condition in life in
which education is not of great aid.
This is especially true as regards the
struggle for existence Having less
Drawn and muscle than men, women
must if they are to succeed, depend on
their mental abilities.
mo, don't believe in any double
psychology; that is. a psychology for
women and psychology for man. Wo-
men are perhaps little more inclined
to be emotional than men, but don't
believe with Coleridge. or whoever It
was that said it. that women all jump
to conclusions. and that all men rea-
son. And, besides, do not consider
it fair to point to the results of inferior
training as evidences of inferior ca
pacity, to shut women out from ali Il. c
best schools and then attribute their
lack of knowledge to lack of native ia
lent.
There is no imperative need Of sut-
frage now. The time is not yet ripe
Suffrage is matter OF expediency.
There are as it is now too many ignor-
ant women, and to give the ballot to
woman at this time would only be to
increase the perils of democracy.
When the subject of female educa-
ton was first preached In the east, a
prominent Mussulman, exclaimed: Ed
ucate girl? You might as well at
tempt to educate a cat! Did not Ath-
ems raise her grandest monument to
Athena? The Romans ranked MI
nerva third among the Capitoline d.
whites. and have not the classic poets
always sought inspiration from the
muses.? Numa looked to Egeria for in
spiration when he would make a peo-
Pies laws. and the classic mythology
found nothing incongruous in attribu-
ting the highest thought to woman.
"The Greeks the keenest critics of
poetry, ranked Sappho, who had writ
ten but few lines, very high. Corin-
ma won prizes for poetry from the ia
nous Pindar. Cornelia, though the
mother of twelve children, is ranged
among the great philosophers. Then
the e is the classic Hypatia. One of
Marie of France. Who has written
better poetry in contemporaneou
times than Mrs. Browning, better fic-
ton than George Eliot or clearer ma.
thematics than Mrs. SomervilIe?
Il really become a little impatient
with people who say that marriage is
the end of woman, and this is often
said by men who acknowledge wo-
mans mental abilities. The only
knowledge, these men think, woman
needs is the knowledge Of how to be
good wife and mother. Yet why
make marriage the end of enc sex any
more than Of the other? Men do not
go to college to get instruction in how
to be good fathers and husbands. Wo-
man is member of society just as is
man. She has duties the greatest OF
the TrcaDadours was to her race as
truly is to her family. My thirty-dve
years experience as president of
Smith gives me increasing confidence
in woman's ability to take higher edu-
cation and the value of it to her in
any sphere.
THE facts of history do not justify
the assertion that the mere presence
of woman will be sufficient 20 reform
and define the manners of college so
ciety Nor is If true as bae hceu