356 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ber of practising physicians is 31, or about one for each class. This 

 number is, however, quite irregularly distributed, the classes of '77 and 

 '93 having four and some others two each. As there are twelve M.D.'s 

 in the first and in the third decades, while the member of graduates in 

 the latter decade is almost double that in the former, it would seem at 

 first sight as if the rate of those studying medicine must be steadily 

 declining. It is hardly probable, however, that such is the case, for 

 the third decade contains so many who have recently graduated that 

 it is of little value for statistical purposes. 



The literary writers have already been mentioned. A few alumnge 

 have done good work as writers of text-books or of scientific papers. 

 There are fifteen writers of text -books, eleven in the first, and two each 

 in the second and third decades. The fact that nearly three fourths 

 of the writers belong to the first decade seems to show that it requires 

 considerable experience as well as maturity of mind to write a text- 

 book. This apparently does not hold when it comes to publishing 

 scientific papers; researches are quite as likely to be conducted by 

 recent graduates. 



There are four writers of scientific papers in the first decade and 

 their subjects are astronomy, logic and mathematics, chemistry and 

 mineralogy, wasps and spiders. There is one writer in the second 

 decade (biology) and five in the third decade — two writers on astron- 

 omy and three on what the present writer fondly believes are biological 

 subjects, but is not sure. For instance, 'Dinophilus Gardineri'; is it 

 a mastodon or a microbe ? 



It was hoped by considering the miscellaneous occupations in de- 

 cades to discover some tendency of the times, some drift of educated 

 women toward new work, but this is observable in but two or three 

 instances. Though there are many more kinds of work registered in 

 the third decade than in the first, there are some occupations in the 

 first decade that are not filled in the others, showing that much de- 

 pends upon the individual. Again, women of the first decade often 

 entered into modern pursuits in middle life. Thus library work, which 

 has only recently become a profession, has drawn graduates of all ages. 



In the list of librarians, cataloguers and assistants there are five 

 in the first decade, four in the second, eight in the third. There is 

 also a student in a library school from the first decade and two students 

 from the third decade. Among the 17 already in library work several 

 hold or have held positions in colleges, Columbia, Vassar, Wellesley, 

 Bryn Mawr and Bates. Most of the librarians are of comparatively 

 recent training, but in the first and second decades the work has often 

 been undertaken after years of teaching. In the third decade it is 

 usually begun immediately upon graduation, showing that as a pos- 

 sible profession library work is assuming increased importance in the 

 eyes of the undergraduates. 



