University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1915-07-13
WHEN WOMEN WERE FIRST
ADMITTED As STUDENTS.

CoeducatiOn today, when women
constitute from One-third to one
fourth OF the annual attendance at
the University OF Missouri and even
carry of the bulk of the Phi Beta
Kappa honors, is vastly different from
what it was when women were first
admitted
Women We're enrolled in the newly
established normal department as
early as 1868. In 1869 the catalogue.
after giving the names of seniors.
juniors. sophomores, freshmen and
sub-freshmen, gravely enumerates
'the ladies'" of whom there were -
out of total enrolment of 1873
The University catalogue for 1872
will best tell the way in which those
first brave girls crept into the fold.
in announcing the action of the cura-
tors in formally admitting women to
all departments in 1872. the cata
logue says:
4 Measure BOLD and Hazardous"
This measure seemed at first {.
very bold and hazardous one. 1t was
nor in the great universities of Eu-
rope whether British or Continental,
nor in Harvard or Yale. nor even in
Michigan. aggressive as she is upon
time-honored uses and abuses"
Evidently precedent still counted for
much, and universities were not striv-.
ing then as now to improve on the
old ways of doing things. Besides,
Missouri was essentially a Southern
state, and the chivalrous Southern
idea of woman as a tender flower
whose place was in the home with
man to fend for her had not yet
gone down before the assaults of
militant commercialism.
I'VE first allowed young ladies to
come into the normal department"
continues the catalogue, Ito qualify as
teachers. We were not yet prepared
to permit them to join i'll the Worship
of the chapel nor to come to the Uni
versity for recitations or lectures.
We kept them at the back door for a
full year on the score of danger"
Now Who Were in Danger!
Danger to whom, the young men OF
the maidens? Were not the young
women being endangered in not being
permitted to enter chapel and there
receive proper admonEtion for the
supposed to care for their souls ih
the privacy of their own homes? Or
did the faculty fear that the young
men might not be able to take proper
care of their own with so many dis
tracing earthly visions to draw their
minds from the proper heavenly alti-
tude at chapel? The grave historian
answers not, but con tinues:
Finding, however, that the young
women at the normal did no manner
of harm, we very cautiously admitted
them to some of the recitatiOns and
lectures at the University building it
self. as a supplement to their regular
exercises, provided always they were
to be marched in good order with at
least two teachers. one in the front
of the column and the other in the
rear as guards"
Catalogue Doesn't Tell 1t All.
Good Doctor Read evidently took no
chances of having the godly youths
entrusted to his care harmed by over !
exposure to temptation. The cata- |
logue does not tell how often the boys /
were late at class from lingering on I
the campus to watch that beauteous |
column dragon-guarded, go by. Meth |
er does it hint whether the demure |
maids OF those far-Off days had learned |
to use their eyes discreetly-and /
surely the duennas could not crane ,
their necks far enough to intercept .
every glance, 1t would have been
poor-spirited young fellow who would
not have taken a chance on il, at any