The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-05-08

women had been asking admission to
the courses of Harvard college and
had been steadily refused, when, in
the spring of 1878, Miss Abby Leach of
Brooklyn conceived the idea of get
ting the advanced instruction she
wanted privately from the same pro-
fessors who taught in the university
She succeeded in arranging for this
work with three distinguished mem
bers@of the Harvard faculty and show
ed such ability that she aroused in
them great interest In the subject Of
higher education for girls.
Hearing what Miss Leach was do
ing. Arthur Gilman, who had long been
seeking a way to obtain for girls the
Harvard instruction, formulated a
plan for extending the method SO that
it might include as many girls as
wished to take advantage of it. With
the cooperation of her teachers, Pro-
fessor Greenough, Professor Goodwin
and Professor Child, Mr.. Gilman pre-
pared a definite scheme. In accordance
with this many of the college faculty
were persuaded to repeat for women
one or more of the courses they de-
livered to the male undergraduates.
The Harvard instructors having
agreed to give the teaching, practical
en- Cambridge women, among them
Mrs. Louis Agassiz, wife of the sci
enlist, who from the first was promi-
nent in the undertaking and was its
official head from the time it assumed
corporate being until by reason Of adj
vancing years she gave up active work
last fall
The organization was so indefinite
in form at first that it did not even
have a name, but some one chrfstened
it the Harvard Annex. This title chung.
even after a society was created to
conduct the enterprise, until the in
corporation under the title of Rad
c1iffe college.
OF the twenty-seven girls who en-
tered the first term three took full
| course corresponding to the under
graduate course of Harvard, and the
others devoted themselves to special
lines Of study without any intention
of taking a degree. Rooms were rent
| ed in little house on q side street
near the Harvard yard. and there the
| classes met In an extra room, in
| tended for the use of students in the
intervals between recitations, teachers
| left reference books, and this was the
beginning of a library which has now
grown to more than 10000 volumes
|
/ library and the university's special
book collections, which are all at the
| girls service also.
In connection with this identical
library has been established a new
feature that should prove popular
wherever girls love fiction, and where
do they not? This new departure Is
called "the browsery." sunny corner
of the library where the students car
read whatever they please
Come ahead over to the browsery
until lecture time. We've got a chance
for a twenty minute browse before
Phil la That is what Radcliffe girls
are saying to each other nowadays
| whenever they have a quarter houl
leisure.
4 To the browsery they flock, singl5
and in groups It is the most popular
and populous place within the confine:
of the college Not the venerable ap-
pie tree frequented even in winter
weather, not Agassiz House living
room, not the lunch room is resorted Il
so persistently and with such en-
thusiasEn. Newness is one reason fol
the multiplicity of browsers. The othel
reason is that there are such delectabls
things to browse upon
New the browsing concerts Off
ciaI title-certainly Is. SO new that ns