The New York herald., 1921-09-25

of the American college woman, reflected
in an article by the Vice-President pub
lished last June. joke published in
Vdssar Miscellany, the college paper, a
short time before purported to recount a
breakfast table conversations at the col
lege. A student being asked by class
mate whether she felt optimistic or pes
simistic with the dawn of the new day
replied, Neither; 1 feel a1tagonistic."
The incident of the joke was seized upon
by Mr.. Coolidge to define the attitude of
the college woman to existing problems
She was, in the mind of the Vice-Presdent
whose home Is at Northampton, Mass, the
seat of Smith College, just antagonistic.
'VicePresident Coolidge" said DR.. Mac
Cracken, "has spoken somewhat disparag
ingly of women's colleges, including Vas
sar. The people who despair of the
younger generation make modern teacher
despair of them. If they would spend half
the time studying the young college woman
on her campus that they spend talking
about her on the outside they would
change their minds about her 1amentable
ways. The only net result at Vassar Of
Mr.. Coolidges remarks was an increase of
advance registration for future classes
which for the following month ran 80 per
cent. larger than any previous month in
the Colleges history
Proceeding then to outline the features
in which he believes the methods and re-
suits achieved by womens colleges sur
pass those of the older, mems Institutions,
in the order In which he regards their i'm
portance, DR.. MacCracken drew attention
to vassar's policy of limiting it's student
enrolment a policy dating from 1904.
Subordinated the Numbers
To Improve the Teaching
I'VE have" DR.. MacCracken continued,
"subordinated the question of numbers to
that of the quality of instruction impaired
and the extent to which relationships born
in the freshman year endure. In the adop-
tion of this principle we took the lead.
Oberlin was the next to follow. And now,
seventeen years later, we see Princeton
adopting the policy of limiting her regis
trants. The principle of intimate and
friendly cooperation between the faculty
and the student body cannot be maintained
at it's highest standard of efficiency If
proper ratio between the number of stu
dents and the number of the faculty is not
kept. Prospective students must now en-
roll with us at the age of 10, and we are
now enrolling, the entering class of 1927.
1--WE are told by the opponents of this
principle that It's effect is to provide an
education for the few. 1t Is, in fact, the
opposite. It's direct effect is to stimulate
the establishment of more colleges. In
stances are the recent opening of new
women's college in connection with Rut-
gers, and another at Underwood, near st.
Louis, directly traceable to Vassar's atti-
tude on this problem"
The second feature in which Dr. Mac
Cracken believes the mems colleges must
take a lead from the administrative record
of the womens institutions is in the matter
of cooperation in the consideration and
treatment of vital problems affecting edu-
cation as whole. In this particular Vas
sar College appears to have taken the lead
among her sister institutions in the East
Mount Holyoke Wellesley and Smith. In
touching upon this phase of educational
development DR.. MacCracken stressed the
fact tbat he placed 1t second in impor
tance, not because he wished to boast of
Vassar's accomplishments, much less take
credit for his own part in their achieve
ment. but only because the results obtained
proved beyond argument the soundness of
the policy involved.
In October. 1915. the day following his
inauguration as head of vassar DR.. Mac
Cracken called into conference his educa-
tional colleagues, the presidents of Mount
Holyoke, Wellesley and Smith First they
agreed on the principle of cooperation and
arranged for the holding at stated times of
regular conferences between members OF
the faculty. It was decided the delegations
should include three from each collage
the president, a member of the faculty
appointed by the president and a member
Of the faculty elected by his fellow mem,
bers.
We agreed at that time," Dr. Mac
Cracken explained, ito pool our interests
so to speak. We agreed to meet to dis
cuss matters OF policy. to discuss our atti
tude on the problems of the day. matters
affecting our regulations and the health
OF the educational system generally. An
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