New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-18
WESLEYAN TALEDTCTORY

That is certainly a tactless farewell
which the graduating class Of the eKpir-
ing woman's department Of Wesleyan
University are giving to their mascu-
line associatcs-we had almost said CO.
workers. True feminine grace might
have led them to make themselves re-
GREETED and to leave If possible tho
memory Of the sway Of co-education as
pleasant feature Of the good old
days" To make their exit with de-
fiant boast Of scholarly superiority by
all Of them grabbing Phi Beta Kappa
keys from the men was 10 poison the
cup OF masculine satisfaction over the
future absence Of petticoats from the
Wesleyan campus.
Whatever be the objections 10 CO.
education IN colleges-and In Wesleyan
those objections seem 70 have been well
founded, since the system has been
abandoned after n trial though the
Methodist Church institutions have
been among those anteccdenty most IA
vorable 10 1.-THE objection on the part
Of the men that the women carried off
too many Of the hOnors IS one that they
ought 10 be ashamed 10 avow. II will
not do 30 say that the women are
"grlnds" or that the necessary outside
activities Of their brothers IN securing
a rounded college life interfere with
their classroom work Properly bal
anced outside activities do not inter
fere with classroom work. If the tone
and atmosphere Of n college are such
that an average student leading n nor
NAL life I'm companionship with his fell
lows finds II necessary to sacrifice
scholarship that fact is serious in
dictment Of the institutions standards.
Nor, so far as We have observed. does
the woman In college neglect the human
side Of her course. She seems TO have
as much fun and ms many larks and to
engage In as large n variety of student
activities as the men. But apparently
she has a better sense Of proportion
and more serious purpose Of study
when study is in order. she does not
shed culture as n duck does water.
while, according to Professor Baker of
Harvard, the young men do. When she
goes to college her primary aim Is gen.
orally TO make the best use possible OF
her intellectual opportunities. OF how
large proportion of college men can
that truthfully he said? Outside of
some technical and professional courses,
few students who are well prepared find
themselves OverwOrkcd in college or
university. And as for the humanizing
outside actlyities-which in due meas
ure are undoubtedly Of the greatest
Yalue-fully half Of them are merely n
dissipation Of energy and another name
for idleness.
Some Of our college presidents who
are iii full sympathy with all proper ac-
tivities of student life, and are them
selves members Of college fraternitlcs.
have recently called attention to the
unreasonably low average Of scholar
snip among their students as n whole.
and the still lower average of the
fraternity men, generally the picked
men most prominent in student affairs.
lhcy are not asking for prodigies Of
learning or labor. but only for rrasona-
bic industry and faithfuInrsS 10 the pur-
poses for which men profess 10 he i'm col.
Iege Apparently the Wesleyan men are
IN the class thus criticised. Their sore
ness mt seeing the hOnors go to women
would he salutary If It gave any prom
ise that left 10 themselves. they would
maintain higher standard. II proba-
bly, means continuance with the
lower unabashed henceforth by the re.
prOach or superior feminine devotion.
-
Fight from the start" say the dis
patches; and to the finish too. accord