New-York tribune., 1911-10-01

Anything buf Teaching
College Women in Rebellion Against Tradition
That Confines Them to Pedagogy.

Olive schreiner in her Woman ana
Labor" says that II we would have
higher development Of the race all ave
nues OF labor should be thrown open TO
women and they should receive the train
ing which fits for such labor. one evidence
that this same feeling is animating the
minds of thinking women the world over
is shown in the establishment OF the In
tercollegiate Bureau of Occupations, which
opens its doors for the first time at No.
IS West S2d street tomorrow.
For some years every thoughtful college
officer has felt convinced that many women
drifted into teaching not because they
were specially fitted for 1t but because 1t
was the occupation with which they were
most familiar, and il only women could
be wisely guided into other fields many
who would make poor teachers might be-
come able workers. II was with this view
in mind that the Women's Educational
and Industrial Union I'm Boston published
its book on "Vocations for the Trained
Woman" in which II states the training
necessary or desirable and the opportunities
and compensations for some seventy occu-
pations other than teaching.
Efforts in this same direction have also
been made by the Association Of Collegiate
Alumna. At a meeting OF that body held
IN Cincinnati in 1909 Miss Susan NJ. Kings
bury, Of Simmons College, read report
upon the earning capacity OF college
women. in which it was shown that there
was some unfortunate slip between the
work and the worker The association is
still trying to solve this problem. and has
made a beginning in the establishment of
a bureau on a small scale In Los Angeles
and is making plans for one In Chicago.
AT the same time such women as Miss
Laura D. Gill. former dean Of Barnard
College have been hard at work. Miss
Gil spent a year and a half studying what
could be done TO place trained women in
positions more TO their taste and more
lucrative than those they have heretofore
occupied.
1T is my ambition" Miss Gill told the
Tribune reporter. Ito have a chain of bu-
reaus I'm our large cities working in CO.
operatIon. as are the labor bureaus OF
F,urope. financed by college women's or
rsnizations al the start and managed by
them
Some eight years ago Miss Helen kel-
sew. a Wellesley woman, conceived the idea
Of opening an agency In New York which
should aid trained women seeking posi-
tions. whether as teachers, secretaries.
workers in social settlements, or In busi-
ness houses. etc While the larger part Of
the work Of this agency has been in plac-
ing teachers. possibly because most women
felt departure into other fields too vent
uresome. still a constantly increasing num-
her have been and are being aided TO enter
work other than teaching.
A few years ago the Barnard alumn9'
under the leadership OF Mrs. Henry Wise
Miller organized a vocational committee
for the purpose of opening the way TO
non-teaching professions for the graduates
of.the college. and Miss Marian Davis. a
Bryn Mawr woman. has given much time
to an investigation OF the subject
All this goes TO show how strong is the
movement among educated women TO
break away from the positions either
sought by or forced upon them in the past
and 10 claim those demanding the greatest
ability and giving the highest remunera-
ton. The intercollegiate Bureau Of Occu-
nations appears at the psychological mo-
ment and will be warmly welcomed by all
those interested in the away-frOm-teacning
movement as another step in the right
direction.