The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-04
PEOPLES FORUM.
the oo-ordinate college.

Inc lO-0fux0HNc AOttc4C.
Editor virginian:
sir.--With q feeling OF regret the
writer has observed that editoriaily
your paper has taken an attitude
hostile to the Co-ordinate Education
Bill now pending in the House of
Delegates.
Az a champion OF every bill here
tofore calculated to advance the inter-
est of women. II appears incongruons
10 assume an attitude Of distinct hos
tility to the women OF our state when
IL comes to giving them educational
facilities equal to those enjoyed by
the men.
That individual opinion might differ
as to method Is not to be surprised;
but II must be realized that certainly
for this session, unless the pending
bill Is passed. there will be no legisia-
tion favorable to women whereby the
facilities win be improved for their
higher education. and discussion
along lines suggestive of other methods
at this time leads simply to nonaction
on the part of the present Legisia-
ture.
As to the few alumni gatherings
where an expression of opinion has
been formulated, as also in the ex-
preston of the boys now attend the
university. whose parents are paying
their bills. for the most part. IL is
submitted that they are for the most
part invincible In speech. but invisible
when IL comes to putting up endow-
ments for the University of Virginia.
The writer Is satisfied that the
records will show such to be the case
with reference to the association In
Norfolk. which has Of its membership
perhaps less than ten per cent of the
alumni of that city. and a few active
leaders can get a favorable vote on
most any proposition. which is also
true of boys at school, as we'll as
alumni scattered around who have lit
tie interest in any serious PROPOSE
ton.
On the other hand. In the last few
years one man aions In Norfolk who
was not an alumnus. gave about TIRES
hundred thousand dollars as an en-
dowment, and two-thirds approx
mately of the income of the uni
versity comes from the endowments
to one-third paid by the State OF Vir-
ginia, she getting back free tuition
for all academic students. Being an
alumnus of the university and havins
a son who Is completing his fourth
year there. with another son at r.
NJ Academy who expects to attend the
university next session, and with a
appreciation 0I Tile cNitulSlpuS. lUt
writer would enter plea for the
favorable consideration of the bill
now pending before the House of
Delegates II is step forward. and
a majority of the Senators would not
have stamI-~ IL with their approval
were 1t lacking In merit. nor would
the president of that institution. with
his broad experience. favor ii IL the
adoption of the bill in his judgment
be injurious to the institution.
The writer has a Bible class OF over
one hundred ladies, some OF whom
teach In the Norfolk High School,
where there are about $500 scholars.
with about thirty teachers. so per
cent of whom approximately are wo-
men, some are stenographers, book
keepers and clerks, the majority, per-
haps. making their own living. and
by unanimous vote they have favored
the adoption of the pending bill. and
the writer feels confident that were II
put to vote of the women that there
would be an overwhelming majority
in favor of the establishment of this
institution for the education of wo-
men, with a strong probability that
the popular vote of the men would be
likewise recorded in It's favor.
1t seems Incredible at this time that
the very same grounds of opposition
are urged against this woman's col
iege which was urged against the Uni
versity of Virginia when Thomas
Jefferson was begging for charter
of the Legislature to make a begin
ming. The arguments are almost
identical.
IL is further to be noted that not
one of the female colleges has raised
the least opposition to the establish
ment OF this institution. and the
writer knows from personal CONVEX
sation with DR.. w. w. Smith. now
deceased. who was at the head of the
RIM system. that he not only was
not opposed to coordinate college at
the university. but would have been
sratified at it's establishment. as he
told the writer that the Lynchburg
| college was overcrowded. shat he
was unable to arrange for a suehcient
endowment to handle the situation.
ana that as a deneminationai scncof
! Il would have no reason to fear the
esta Adjustment of a college for women
at the University OF Virginia. and the
congestion was so great that some
thing should be done to cope with the
difficult problem.
The writer has no axe to grind In
this matter. but has been interested In
higher education for some time. ann
is a small contributor to the endow
ment funds OF RIM College, and has
been to the university and realizes that
the State OF Virginia Is lacking in its
machinery for providing suitable
teachers for its high schools as also
for a liberal education for those who
are able to afford 1t among the wo-
men: and their parents are having to
send them to Northern institutions at
much heavier expense than should
be the case because of the failure of
tour own State to make adequate pro-
vision for the higher education of
women.
It goes without saying that so far
as officers of the male schools are con-
cerned. that their opinion should be
entitled to only the weight OF an ordi-
nary business man, as the male fnstt-
tutions other than the university have
no more concern i'm the establishment
of this college for women than many
othsr institutions having nothing to
DO with education.
Permit me to commend your fair
ress In allowing both sides OF this
proposition hearing through the
medium of your paper.
Very truly yours,
T. SYDNEY SMITH.