702 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the author's thought. The chief value of 

 the work, in our opinion, lies in this that it 

 makes clear to every one of us what can be 

 done now^ without waiting for any of those 

 magnificent feats of legislation which social- 

 istic speculators promise us, to make a bet- 

 ter society. With each one of us it rests to do 

 something in this direction, by bringing his 

 own life more into harmony with right rea- 

 son and the dictates of pure humanity. We 

 tiust that this little book by " A Free 

 Lance " will set very many thinking, and 

 not only thinking but acting. 



We may perhaps be allowed to point out 

 that the author is under a singular misap- 

 prehension as to the sense of the word " hy- 

 pothecate." In half a dozen places in the 

 book he uses it as though it were the verb 

 corresponding to the noun hypothesis. It is 

 unfortunate that there is no word of k'ndred 

 etymology to hypothesis signifying to frame 

 an hypothesis or assume as an hypothesis ; 

 but it does not do to lay violent hands on 

 another word of wholly different significa- 

 tion. 



The College Woman. By C. F. Thwing, 

 LL. D., President of Adelbert College, 

 Western Reserve University. New York : 

 The Baker & Taylor Co. Pp.169. Price, 



$1. 



If there be a vantage ground from which 

 to view the college woman and to map out 

 her aptitudes and shortcomings, Dr. Thwing 

 occupies such a one as president of a uni- 

 versity for men and of a college for women. 

 But, after a careful reading of his book, we 

 are forced to conclude that, however fortu- 

 nate his position, he is still restricted by a 

 lens of limited power, if not by astigmatic 

 vision. 



As seen by him, the college woman may 

 be said to sparkle with interrogation points. 

 Four of the questions concerning her which 

 have been answered in the past twenty-five 

 years are : Whether women want a college 

 education ; whether they have the necessary 

 intellect, the physical strength ; and whether 

 the process unsexes them. Among the 

 problems yet surrounding her are: Should 

 woman receive the same education as man ? 

 What should be the method of her training ? 

 Do her health and manners get sufficient at- 

 tention ? What may the community de- 



mand of her when college-bred ? What 

 will be the result of a large influx of her 

 species ? 



The principle of her education is at first 

 stated broadly as the development of a hu- 

 man being ; but after a review of the differ- 

 entiation of sexual power according to Rus- 

 kin and an analysis of womanly nature by 

 Dr. Thwing, the conclusion is reached that 

 " enriching studies " literature, philosophy, 

 and history should be " peculiarly precious 

 to woman." Inquiries addressed to the col- 

 legiate alumnae bring out the fact that a ma- 

 jority sensibly judge physiology and hygiene 

 to be of special value for woman ; the next 

 largest number designate social and po- 

 litical science. The author recommends the 

 adoption of the group system in order to pre- 

 vent the superficiality resulting from a care- 

 less election of studies. 



In regard to environment. Dr. Thwing 

 writes : " The question of room, board, 

 clothes, exercise, sleep, is a pretty funda- 

 mental one." Elsewhere we learn " the ques- 

 tion of clothes is a pretty large as well as se- 

 rious one," and that many women enter the 

 collegiate year " exhausted with dressmak- 

 ing " ! We think the author libels the aver- 

 age American family when he states it is 

 considered " crankiness in a girl " to demand 

 an evening for study. He believes the 

 young woman has not been generally as well 

 housed at college as the young man, and ad- 

 vocates the building of small and homelike 

 dormitories. 



An entire chapter is devoted to the ques- 

 tion of woman's health at college. The col- 

 legiate alumnse, being interrogated, furnish 

 many replies, and the author finally lays 

 stress upon hasty preparation, worry, and 

 want of exercise. 



In the discussion of the method of 

 woman's education we are introduced to an 

 unusual form, " the co-ordinate," as one 

 which " promotes a very sane health and 

 healthfulness " ! In this system a college 

 for men and a college for women are con- 

 ducted under one administration as parts of 

 a university. The classes are separate, the 

 teachers often instruct in both colleges, and 

 the library is shared in common. The in- 

 ference from the context is that by this 

 method there is less risk of love-making 

 than in the coeducational system ; but it is 



