106 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



When she worked in hor own greenhouse her gardener said that 

 all women were not like her ; his wife could not do what the 

 speaker did. Florists do not even educate their own chiklren to 

 follow their business. Agricultural colleges come in contact with 

 the farmers, and their daughters might be benefited by attending 

 them. In the freer western part of our country- the}' are doing 

 more for the education of women in agriculture than here. At 

 the Iowa Agricultural College the girls are trained in a regular 

 course of domestic econom}' ; each girl has to be one of a class 

 •who for three months at a time do all the house work of the insti- 

 tution under the direction of the matron. They are also taught 

 the regular course of study in botan}-, chemistry, etc. While the 

 speaker felt the great importance of such an education she did not 

 believe we can do much toward promoting it in this State, unless 

 we can appeal to the Agricultural College to undertake it. The 

 tendency here is to place girls where they can bring in cash wages 

 as soon as possible. 



Kev. A. B. Muzzey had hoped we should hear more from the 

 ladies. He was surprised to see so man}' sharp lines between the 

 work of man and woman, and glad to see the waves washing them 

 away. In P>len Adam and Eve worked together, but somehow 

 they are parted now. The theory of the essay is good, and he 

 hoped something would come of it practically. Almost every one 

 in this room believes there is something radically wrong in the 

 education of young women. Marriage has been considered a 

 matter of couise, and the question has been what could be done 

 meanwhile. Our school committees are besieged by the daughters 

 of farmers and others who desire positions as teachers. What is 

 the cause? Formerly farmers' daughters engaged in domestic 

 labor, and the change and loss has been brought about by a false 

 conception of the dignity of labor. It was thought that tlie for- 

 eign population came in very well as substitutes for the daugliters 

 of the house in domestic duties. The idea that labor is degrading 

 is anti-Christian and anti-republican. There is a dignity in labor ; 

 and until the community is educated to recognize this fact it will 

 be fruitless to open tiie doors of tlie Bussey Institution and similar 

 schools and expect students. He was rejoiced to hear the essay, 

 which was conceived in a broad, true, and liberal spirit. There is 

 notiiing degrading in labor; on tiie contrary il is elevating. But 

 it is of no use to establish schools faster than you can find pupils 

 to fill them. 



