The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-04-12
Modern Women
IN EDUCATION.
BY Frederic j. Haskin.

Since every human advance has
been brought about through educa-
ton, the great advance made by women
during the past century must be cred
TIED to the increased intelli. ;enc- OF
the world. Women themselves. al.
though the greatest beneficiarits
have aided not only in the work OF
increasing their own intelligence, but
have played a large part in the de-
Velop1nent of an educational standard
which has added to the general wis
dom of the entire world as we'll. In
this way, while the modern woman is
doing important work in the worlds
education, her work results from the
fact that the world has come to rec
ogniZe the economic value of provid-
ing for a broader feminine education
h was considered needful in former
generations. The countries in which
women's education has reached the
highest level are those which have
achieved the greatest general pros
perity and Importance.
AT the beginning of the last century,
colleges for women We're practically
unknown. Mrs. John Adams wrote
truthfully when she said: Female
education in the best families goes
no farther than writing and arith-
metic, and, in some rare instances,
music and dancing" With the open
ing of more advanced courses came a
great rush of women eager to i'm
prove themselves without taking into
consideration the best means by
which this Improvement could be
brought about. Until within the last
decade or two, the women, especially
in this country, We're so intent upon
securing for themselves the same edu-
%cational privileges awarded men that
they did not stop to consider that
many of these were valueless to the
average In their effort TO
prove that their mental ability rem
dered them capable to pursue any
studies taken by men, women fire.
quently lost sight of the fact that they
We're expanding energy which
could have been more prOfitably ap-
piled in other directions. The women
desiring advanced education either en-
tered colleges as goods in the courses
of study of which were planned bv
men for men, or they went to women's
colleges, the courses of which were
modelled as nearly as possible after
those of men.
"A radical change in the tendency of
higher education and for all the edu-
cation of women is becoming
noticeable within the present genera
ton. The number of women who have
Wrested honors from men in their own
colleges has been sufficient to demon
strate that the feminine intellect is
quite equal to that of the masculine.
Therefore, it has become an economic
necessity that women have courses OF
education planned for their specia1
needs, Just as the original college
course was planned to fit the average
man for his future work. DR.. Claxtou,
United States commissioner of educa-
tlon, in an address recently made be-
fore an organization of college women.
urged upon them as their specific duty
the work of populariZing a course of
feminine education that would be helm
lul to the average woman in fitting
her for her future life work. He re-
minded them that it is always tia.
women. never the men, who are re-
garded as co-eds in colleges admitting
both sexes, and urged that. instead
OIL e~ndeaVoring to > p masculine
/ achievement, the women should hons