The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-18
Higher Education of Women.

Editor of The Virginian:
believe in the higher education
of woman and / find myself greatly
interested in the proposition to es-
tatlish a woman's college in Char
lcttesville though 1t must come too
late now to be of personal advan-
tagc of any member of my family.
The majority of pupils in all grades
of schools are girls and the mber
OF girls who finish the allotted tasks
or graduate with high heners is reia-1
lively very might've, or even three.
t. one boy. That Is the story Of the
first generation. In the second and
succeeding generations the contrast
IS more marked since four women.
approximately. enter the profession of
teaching to one man. 1t thus appears
that the boys are not only in the
minority but are themselves placed
almost entirely in the hands of wo-
men in the formative period f-Afe.-
IL has been a source of supreme
Subtraction 10 me as a school man
of the present day to reflect upon the
fact that SO many of the worlds
greatest men on fields of sternest
endeavor. have been trained by wo-
men, as for example. Tiberius and
Caius Gracious, Napoleon Bonaparte,
George Washington. Nathan Bedford
Forrest and Robert f. Lee. The
mothers of these men not only en-
dowed them by inheritance in the life
blood which they gave them but they
also trained them right. Women then
are the teachers of the race and on
that account should receive special
training, but more than all they are
the mothers of the race and on that
account demand the very highest
consideration; yet Virginia spends
annually the sum of $751; ESQ on the
higher education of her sons and not
one cent on that of her daughters.
Some one may say: But how about
the normal schools" At present no
normal school for women extends its
curriculum above the high school.
though l may say In passing that
sincerely sympathtze with the am
bition of the State Normal School
at f'armville so to do, and hope their
plans may speedily be realized.
~-~tfnf1ere- are ~stftf some men who
doubt the capacity of women to take
full advantage of the higher college
courses. but the consensus Of opinion
among thoughtful men agrees now
with the views of an English scholar
of the sixteenth century who in dis
cussing what education was suitable
for the women of that day. declared:
I'VE know that they learne the
best and finest of our learned Ian
guagcs to the admiration of all men.
Who shall 80 denie that they may not
compare even with our kind in the
best degree. they win claim no other
combate, than to talk with him in
that verie tongue, who shall seek 10
taunt them for it,
Statistics show that college women
outstrip college men; that they finish
their courses in better physical oon-
/ ditiaur-a nd-that- they outlast-their
brothers In the race of life, the pro-
portion of deaths among college grad
yates covering period of thirty-tve
years being SO per cent men az
against As per cent women.
But whatever a mans preiudices
may be- ne cannot shut his eyes alb
I soIutely to the. signs of the times.
There is an immense demand for the
class of school advocated In TINS let
ter, and our daughters are going
everywhere to get the higher train
ing which Virginia does not provide.
The private colleges in Virginia are
crowded to their full capacity. and
as soon as our high schools are well
established and find that they can
place themselves on the accredited
lists of colleges throughout the coun-
try hundreds of girls who are now
deferred by entrance examinations
will flock to college halls, where we
shall have no control over either the
religious tendencies or the point of
view from which American history
7 is taught; and these are very serious
matters to the Southern mind. A
certain womans college with which
/ am acquainted limits its number
I Of students to one thousand. yet one
is obliged to apply for entrance at
least year in advance.
The Question of slxDense
Private colleges for women are ex-
pensive to a degree. In Virginia
something must be done for families
of limited means, The following es-
innate has been made of the trades
and -callings of the fathers Of ol!nge
women generally; Excluding the chill
dren of widows. who made IL per
cent. of the whole number, the chill
/ dren of fathers who had retired from
4 business constituted 4 l-2 per cent;
those of farmers and dairymen, 21.9
per cent; mechanics and employees
l7.9 per cent; merchants and shop
keepers, 1875 per cent; professional
men and public officers, 20.7 per
cent; manufacturers, 7,6 per cent:
/ bankers and brokers, per cent; and
the rest were of miscellaneous occu-
pations.
The Strobe bill proposes to utilize
as far as possible the plant known
as the University OF Virginia. an IL
lustrious name. and plant of no
mean proportions. To this will be
added a proper annual appropria-
ton by the Legislature as soon as
, the finances of the State will permit;
and the very foundation itself will
surely attract gifts and endowment
BY such means as these many worthy
Virginia girls ought to be relieved
of the burden of tuition: the ardu-
Gus duties and the very spirit of q
real college will take away the temp
tatton for expensive mot riotous1 liv-
ing, and wise management should
provide good food and comfortable
quarters at comparatively low cost
Virginia is spending S5.000,0oo on
schools of all grades and Is now able
to give serious thought to the proper
education of her leading women The
State that negiects the education of
its leaders, whether men or women.
Will speedily become, and forever re-
main, second class.
Barnard College. as has been stated,
started five years ago with twenty-five
students and an annual income of S.
600. Last year they had T20 students
and nm endowment Of between three
and four million dollars Barnard is
connected with Columbia University,
aud there, even though living expenses
are unusually high, the professors of
the University are willing to teach In
barnard at the rate OF SIS per hour
This means that II prefasSara who