Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-14
THE MODERN WOMAN.
XVIII WOMEN IN EDUCATION.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

Since every human advance has been
brought about through education, the
great advance made by women during the
past century must be credited to the IN
creased intelligence of the world. women
themselves, although the greatest bene-
ficiaries, have aided not only in the work
of increasing their own intelligence, but
have played large part in the develop
ment of an educational standard, which
has added to the general wisdom of the
entire world as Well
In this way, while the modern woman
is doing important work in the world
education, her work results from the
fact that the world has come to recog-
nize the economic value of providing for
broader feminine education than was
considered needful in former generations.
The countries in which women's educa-
ton has reached the highest level are
those which have achieved the greatest
general prosperity and Importance.
At the beginning of the last century.
colleges for women were practically un-
known Mrs. John Adams wrote truth
fully when she said: Female education
in the best families goes no farther than
writing and arithmetic, and, in some rare
instances, music and dancing With the
opening of more advanced courses came
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, were
so intent upon securing for themselves
the same educational privileges awarded
men that they did not stop to consider
that many of these We're valueless to the
average woman. In their efforth to prove
that their mental ability rendered them
capable to pursue any studies taken by
men, women frequently lost sight of the
fact that they were expending energy
which could have been more proftably
applied in other directions. The women
desiring advanced education either enter
ed colleges as co-eds In the courses OF
study which were planned by men for
men, or they went to womens 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 educa-
ton of women
Women Have Proven is be ming
Equal to the Men. ticeable within
the present generation. The number of
women who have wrested honors from
men in their own colleges has been suff1-
cient to demonstrate that the feminine in
tellect is quite equal to that of the mas
culine. Therefore it has become an eco
nomic necessity that women have courses
of education planned for their special
| needs. just as the original college course
was planned to fit the average man for
| his future work
Dr. Claxton. United States commissioner
| of education, in an address recently made
before an organization of college women,
urged upon them as their specific duty
| the work of popularizing course of femi-
nine education that would be helpful to
| the average woman in fitting her for her
] future life work. He reminded them that
| it is always the women. never the men.
who are regarded co-eds in colleges ad
hitting both sexes, and urged that IN
stead of endeavoring to copy masculine
achievement the women should bend
their energies toward the development OF
a course of education which shall be dis
tinctly feminine in its scope.
| In their desire to prove their intellec-