The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-06-29
AS TO co-EDucATIoN.

40 ~ 0O-EOOOAttVNs
At the recent convention of busi-
ness and professional women. in Tam
pa, resolutions were passed urging
that law and agricultural courses be
added to the departments OF the UNI
versity Of Florida. Several OF the
state papers. among which was the
st. Augustine Record. carried strong
Endorsements OF this resolution. In
iFhe Record of last Friday there APP
bears an open letter from Mrs. Her
bert FeIkel Myrtle Warren FelkeD
in which she calls attention to lat
Cha terms. "the fine Italian hand"
back of the suggestion that woman
be admitted to the University Of
Florida.
Mrs. Felkel points out that 1T has
long been the dream OF certain per-
sons connected with the University
and some of the citizens of Gaines
vile, to make the University co-edu-
cational, and later discontinue the
college work at Tallahassee and make
that a strictly normal school. and by
admittance of women to even one or
two courses they see = wedge driven
into the present policy of the state
institutions which later would split
the entire structure and very possi-
bly, bring about their dream.
This might be good thing. but
no educational SYSTEM can ever
amour. to much If the policy is to be
changed every few years. Previous to
1905 there were in the state numer-
GUS institutions of higher learning
IN agricultural college at Lake City,
military college at Barlow, the
Florida State College at Tallahassee,
The Normal School at DeFuniak
Springs. the East Florida Seminary at
Gainesville, etc, etcs and each year
that The legislature met saw numer-
Gus lobbyists from the various insti-
tutions. bob-nobbing with the mem
hers trying to get through this and
that appropriation. The schools were
sadly mixed in politics. there was no
real state school system. In 1906 the
Buchanan Bill was passed which abol-
ished I'll state institutions Of higher
learning and established instead the
Florida State College for Women, the
University of Florida for Men, the
State Institute for the Deaf and
Blind and the Industrial School for
Negroes. These four institutions were
put under Board of Control. a group
Of men who serve without pay. At
the time of its passage there were
many who doubted the wisdom of
the Buchanan Bill, but the past fifteen
years has seen the schools entirely
taken out of politics. d real school
policy formed and followed. and the
State Institutions of Florida ranking
among the very finest in the United
States.
Such a school system as has been
developed in Florida cannot be at
tanned in a day and to my mind a
constant change of policy can only
injure and retard. Some definite
policy must be adhered to and since
the present one is doing so splendidiy
let's not tear it up for the sake of
admitting one or two women to the
law department or engineers course
at the University. If the present poll
icy is followed it will be only short
time when a law course is intro
duced in the College for Women, II
there be any demand for it; and pos
sibly they will put in courses OF
cooking, sewing, music. art, kinder
garten, etc, for the men when the
demand comes. / do not look for
such a demand soon.
NO longer ago than the last ses-
sion of the legislature there was
o. determined effort to establish four
normal schools, one in each congress
sional district This bill was killed
for the very good reason that it would
have completely revolutionized the
81 - ~ o6 In a
And this movement to admit women
to the University has back of 1t. am
convinced, not the accommodation OF
those several who might wish to take
law or football but complete chang
ing of the policy which has during
the past fifteen years placed Florida
among the front ranks of state 1nsti-
tutions OF higher learning.
Let the Business and professional
Women,s Clubs OF Florida get behind
4 movement to establish law and
agricultural courses in the Florida
state College for Women, if they
will: but may they discontinue
movement which might convert into
4 second-rate normal an institution
! that is today the boosted Alma Mater
| of hundreds of Florida women. ane
| a movement which is certain to up
set our school policy--a policy whicf
has made so great a woman's college
at Tallahassee that there are ne
others in the South ranking ahead o.
lii and only one other ranking with It
an such an institution that SO good
magazine as the Literary Digest
has placed 1t and Vassar in the same
category. Warren Felke..
klssIMEE BANK FAILURE.