New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-02

Yyomon and the Late
Older Institutions of Learning Still Exclude
49,. Fair Sex from Legal Courses.


his" vv,u be opened 10 women. Ne"
scHV0 ,,r,versify has long welcomed 'hem
1orh -, school. and large numbers Oh
ssx have availed themselves Oh '.,e
'. "s..uoces Il offers. Co-educa'onal insu-
.'ons Of course, Ike Cornell Boston O"i-
It IT, and the state universities IN gen
s,,i, women 10 the law schoois oi'
ei"'' ,oI,.,. with men. But Columbia hhe
-a vale. the University OF VIZ
-. .rd the older institutions OF learn
80, -,,e,al,v. stlll adheres. in winter 10
- .-ad,,ion that law IS primarily the con-
-, ~ men. In summer ho"e'ei' 49,
-. ,ooDle find II hard to live up 10 'heii
.-o,,.,o,s Columbia relaxes too ana opens
20, sao-s ~ ,ts Law School to women. Ine
GO are nrecisely the same as those
- the regular school, and are gwen 80.
Nv the same men or by equaHE eiiiAeis
o,,.borities from other law Schoois' o."
-a~sops who are interested In the i"i '''o'
,rosress of women along TINS me
80 ,hen as an opening wedge Il
,.or,e, can take their courses IN summer
o,bv not also in winter? they ask
The reasons alleged FOR their conserVa-
.,.r, bv those institutions OF iearnlhe
which stiu refuse 10 provide TOT 'ne .es~'
Auction OF women. although they nav
,raotened al other points are various anu
- not shared by all the professors Oh Ilie
s.-h,ddon schools. Even some OF those WIZ
personally would rather not see the "o ,aIi
oround being so Influenced oy "a
as % feel a certain incongruity. IN 'leiI
nresepce-maintain that their eA0iu''O''
unjust and cannot continue -
r3.o.os.o- Ceorge W Kirchwey, OF the
@.c,,i,v ~ the Columbia Law Schooi anu
rntu recently it's dean, is one OF those VINO
-, ga M reason why women should De
forbidden 10 study law
II, view Of the fact that women are
eligible for admission 10 the bar IL "ouIu
ssen. in the interests Of the state as wei
&c IN Justice 10 themselves. that the pest
rrofoesional OPPORTUNITIES should be open
g. them" he said 10 a Tribune reporter
Professor Kirchwey's personal experience
,.,.b women law students has been slight.
but highly favorable.
at the last summer session, he salo'
"I had three or four women in each OF
two classes containing about twenty men
Only two Of the women took examinations
but both Of these took exceptionally high
rank and one Of them passed the best
examination in both of the subjects given
bv me Of any member Of the class
Professor Nathan Abbott, also Of the
Columbia Law School. is another friend OF
the woman who wants 10 study law he
e. not. he confessed. in favor Of the so
called higher education Of women but he
tss never been able to understand why
women are not admitted TO the Columbia
and Harvard 'aw schools
Whatever may say about women
studying law" ne continued, is based on
nv own personal experience and does not
necessarily represent the opinions OF my
colleagues
so far as / have heard, the principal
objection 10 the admission OF women stu
dents in the Eastern law schools is the dis
turbing effect their presence is said TO have
on the rest Of the class. IL sometimes Is
said also that they are not qualified TO
study Law. Perhaps a third reason exists
for their exclusion from the Law School OF
Harvard The policy Of that university
may be opposed to coeducauon except IN
50 far as ii can be carried on in an In
stitution that is a coordinate but not an
organic part Of the institution, such as
Radcliffe.
That may be justihable. but in my judg-
ment cannot be where the allied institution
does not provide instruction in the law.
This third objection, then. is not general
objection such as the first two I have men
toned.
with reference 10 these two objections
feel that l can speak with some con-
fdence because have been a student in a
class in which there was a young woman
and 7 have taught classes in which there
were women. Before I give some facts
from my experience 1 think / ought 10 say
that a rather extended acquaintance with
coeducational institutions has not changed
my opinion that so far as college work is
concerned coeducation is not success. but
as far as work goes in the professional
schools. and work which is necessary in
our graduate schools for the degree Of Doc
tor Of Philosophy. I decidedly believe that
the presence of women in the classes has
a distinctly stimulating influence.
In 1878 was a member Of class in the
Boston University IT. which Mrs. Della
Robinson. the first woman, I believe. to
study law in any American university, was
a student She was one Of the best in the
class. and had the respect Of ALL speak
OF her because il is ordinarily said that
men students are disturbed by having
women in the class Her petition for ad-
mission 10 the bar in Massachusetts was
denied but later she got bill through the
Legislature and was allowed to practise.
being the first woman lawyer in the State
Of Massachusetts,
1T was during the year Of 1885,. a MEM
her OF the faculty Of the Law School OF
Michigan and there were several women
studying law there They had an excellent
record for scholarship. One of them was
remarkably brilliant. and afterward was
u material service in her fathers office.
The others married lawyers. None Of them
had any disturbing effect upon the schools
In 1892 ] was IN the Northwestern Uni
Versity. where there were several women
la~ students. Here again. all had good rec
ords for scholarship. During that time a
prize was offered 70 be competed for by all
the law students in this country. The
many competitors submitted essays. The
first prize was taken by a young man in
one OF our Eastern law schools, and the
second was taken by a young woman in
the Northwestern University Law School
shortly after the prizes were awarded it
Was discovered that the young man who
TOOK the first prize submitted for his essay
an article which he had copied out of an
cio magazine. The prize was taken from
MN and given 10 the young woman. She
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