The New York herald., 1921-09-25

TIME leading women's colleges of
America-those of the East-are
showing the way and blazing the
trail IN the solution of problems affecting
modern educational methods to the older
and larger universities like Harvard, Yale
Princeton and the rest. The foregoing is
the unequivocal' opinion of DR.. Henry N
MacCracken, president of vassar College,
who contributes to-day to THE New YORK
HERALDs series Of interviews with prom
inent educators on the subject of educa-
tional reform
1T is time this issue has been raised"
said DR.. MacCracken, whose experience
and qualifications as an educator. both
here and abroad, are too well known to
require setting forth here.
''The mems colleges have much to learn
The last fifty years has marked the COM
Dletion of period of enlightenment in the
Geyeloprnent of educational principles in
wdmen's schools comparable to the na-
tional development that has brought Japan
to the forefront among the nations of the
world.
OulSldHulDS feature In a cOHpdTl
son Of the development between the twol
classes of institutions is the difference in
the atmosphere which one encounters in
each. 1t is the difference between exhilara-
ton and depression. l have never met a
boy in the last year of his school career
who wasn't crazy to leave college. I've
seldom met girl who didn't burst into
tears at the mention of the subject.
"The women's colleges stand to-day
ready to help the mems colleges by fur
nishing them examples of problems in ad
ministration and government which they
have worked out successfully. Among
thinking men and women who know the
situation from both sides that fact will be
admitted very widely. And it is time that
this was recognized, not only by students
Of the question who have already done so
hut by the general public, and more par
ticularly by the persons to whom we have
TO look for support
BY No Means Feminist
In Common Meaning of Term
Possibly it would be as well at this
point, in the light of what DR.. Mac
Cracken has to say subsequently on the
subject of hazing, the abolition of fra
ternities, control of athletics, social gov
ernment and other phases of his subject,
to insert his disclaimer of the possible
charge of being feminist in the COM
monty accepted meaning of the term.
1T may be thought / am feminist" he
said. Il am not / understand a feminist
to be one who claims for women the rights
possessed by men. In the matter OF col
lege education / think women have the
best OF the bargain to-day But I am cer
tainly not feminist in the sense of one
who believes women superior in ability.
In my experience as teacher at Yale
and elsewhere | have seen many young
man, within year out of college, sur
pass his college bred sister. The discipline
which college failed to provide in his
case came to him with the necessity of
making his way in the world. He learned
self-control and self-reliance from his
work and his mind, unawakened by the
athletic and social interests of college,
grew to maturity over night in the oppor.
tunty of career. His sister, handicapped
by an Inheritance of generations of de-
tendency and inferior physique, watched
him pass her in flash at the first turn"
In inviting Dr. MacCracken to contribute
to its series of discussions on educational
reform IHE NEwe YORK HERALD referred
him to the recent interview with Dean
Frederick S. Jones of Yale, published on
August % last, in which Dean Jones set
forth the reasons that led Yale to amend
it's system of elective studies in so radi.
cal a way as to amount to its practical
elimination. DR.. MacCracken, however
preferred to discuss the broader subject
from his own viewpoint.
What does it matter" he asked.
whether the subjects are elective or pre-
scribed? The trouble goes deeper than
that There are certain cogent reasons
why the women's colleges have in recent
years surpassed the mems: why they are
today working on sounder, better basis
and why their results are more encourag.
ing"
Before. proceeding Dr. NMacCracken took
occasion to hurl verbal lance at Vice
President Calvin Coolidge for his estimate