HIGHER EDUCATION OF GIRLS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3333, 30 January 1918, Page 37

HIGHER EDUCATION OF GIRLS.

A DISSATISFIED MOTHER. NEW ZEALAND SYSTEM CHAL- ** LENGED. Various aspects of domestic science as a subject for secondary and university education camo before the University Senate on the 23rd in an interesting discussion that took place late in the afternoon. A lengthy letter road from a lady resident in Wellington raised further important questions inrolving fundamental principles of education and challenging the efficiency of the system followed in our secondary schools for girls. The matter arose from the following clause submitted by Professor Segar as part of .the interim report of the Entrance Examinations Committee : —" That the regulation as to a certificate in domestic eoience be rescinded, but that to the statute ' The Matriculation Examination ' be added words to the following effect: 'Provided that, in the case of a female candidate who takes home science and presents, in addition to a praotical certificate for the subject, a further certificate of having satisfactorily completed, at a secondary school or its equivalent a course of not less than 60 hours of individual practical work in housecraft of a standard in advance of the primary stage, she shall be allowed to substitute for elementary mathematics some other subject not otherwise taken, but shall at the same time bo required to pass an examination in arithmetic.' " Professor Segar said the committee had had before It a letter of extreme interest expressing the views on education of a mother who had lately come to New Zealand from England. He had been granted permission to read the letter, which \ was addressed to the Chancellor. '"" The letter was as follows:—■ Dear Sir, —Owing to a tragedy of the Sotmme I game to Wellington from England in March last with my three children. My daughter, then 16 years old, is to take either mediojne or law as a profession, and I wished her to matriculate here with a view to. taking the university course in New Zealand!. Her education has been the same as a boy's. She won an exhibition for her school when she was 15, _ 12 exhibitions being offered for all Kent, girls and boys competing equally. The same year she passed the Oxford senior examination with honours. She has had a thorough grounding in French, German, and chemistry, as weir as in all the usual subjects, with the .exception of Latin, which was deferred for local reasons till the tipper forms were reached. On joining the Wellington Girls' College, we were confronted with a difficulty arising from the differentiation between the education of girls and boys in New Zealand. French was taught, but German was not on the school syllabus, while chemistry was bracketed with home science, which was to my daughter an unknown quantity. The principal advised her to take home science in order that she might make use of her knowledge of chemistry, though she admitted there was very little .chemistry in it. But there was no alternative. With, the exception of botany, this was all the science taught to girls. There was neither physics, magnetism, - electricity, light, heat, nor sound. _ As some knowledge of these subjects is _ a necessity in the daily life of any ordinarily well informed person of either sex, and is an essential in every boy's education, it is difficult to understand the omission of every branch of physical science from the curriculum of the girls' college, while home science monopolises so unjustifiable a proportion of .time as four hours a week of school time, and three hours a week in home preparation. The matriculation candidates at the college were given three years' course in this home science. My daughter had two terms. To her dismay she found! that her knowledge of chemistry exceeded anything taught in the school, and was therefore -valueless for examination purposes. The science of the most advanced form was -more elementary than that taught in the IV forms in English schools. A poor foundation for such work as the scientific women in England and France arc engaged on in laboratory and workshop, in research, and in mechanical invention', would this be. On this apology for science, however, my daughter was compelled to spend a minimum of 182 hours in six months. In order that you may realise to what extent the University _ Slenate,. is incurring the responsibility by its encouragement of an inferior standard of tion for girls in New Zealand, I would respectfully suggest that you peruse the questions set for the matriculation examination in home science. It will then be apparent to you how fallacious is the idea of the originators of this wild oat scheme for turning out effioient homemakers "and for "saving the babies." The Wellington candidates spent 819 hours, or the equivalent of 163 school days out of three years, in acquiring the knowledge which will enable them to pass judgment on drain pipes (question 1), which is a matter for a plumber or a builder, and whioh never by any chance comes within the jurisdiction of a woman in the home; to know how to clean metal pans (question 2). which is the work of the soldiery maid, and for which printed instructions are generally gummed on to the pot by the manufacturer, and are always to be found in the kitchen cookery book; and to learn how to clean dirty and greasy cloths and soiled kid gloves (question 3), which is an infringement on the rights of labour, tending to deprive working women of employment, and should be resented by trades unions. The other questions serve no practical purpose whatever. Both papers in home science are unworthy of a university, and would, I think, be provocative of contemptuous mirth if sent to Cambridge or Oxford. It should not be necessary to point out to the Senate that a woman has a right—nay, it is her duty, 1 to develop her intellect to ?+« utmost rirjocir-" *"'• Mie bon~ n t r-t 4-i 1( , Empire, without limitations or handicaps. Tho educational system for girls throughout the' dominion is defective, and is calculated ti turn out mothers of that shallow mentality whVh findo expression in Scheie'??? faneywork and nftornooh teas; while it "'nrnof.es si'ch p"r?<"m: : disa.bilit>«i on p ; rls desirons of qualifying for work in open competifi'-in w'th m«n. as will he sufficient to mar their who!'-* future career T ask, is it fair to delete from a girl's education such important subjects as phys'fMl science and .idvanood chemistry in order to substitute this elementary and pltosceflier ineffective science, which places her at a

disadvantage in competition with men and even young lads in ordinary pursuits, but particularly in medicine and research work., in engineering, electricity, etc. A potential Madame Curie or an Ayrton would have but a dull chance of recognition in I\ew Zealand. My daughter has lost ground during the six months spent at the Girls' Collage. German had to bo dropped entirely. Chemistry—practicallv dropped also since she is already far in advance of what is taught in the highest form. Frenoh is at a .standstill; she won the gold medal given by the French Society in competition with the whole school, which is tantamount to saying that she has reaohed tho Hmit of instruction given In the school. Trigonometry, which she began in tho Fourth Form in England, is not taught here until after matriculation: possibly because the enormous encroachment of homo soienoe on the sohool time will not permit of it any earlier. Civics are not heard of at all. But there is one extra subject which comes in the nature of another special handioap reserved for girls: that is, Scripture. Lessons are given during sohool hours, and there is proportionate home work, and end-of-term examinations, entailing as in other subjects a largo amount of revision. Scripture lessons are not given in the boys college. This further wastage of time, added to the minimum time of 273 hours per year compulsorily devoted to home science, gives boys an incalculable pull over girls in both time and opportunity for intellectual development on broad and general lines. It is my desire that my daughter should choose a career in which she may find the greatest opportunities for helping women who are less fortunately placed than herself. If she chooses law, for it is in this profession that men fail women most frequently through the limitations of masculinity, it is an obvious necessity that her mental training shall be no Whit less wide than is that of the men she must meet in legal conflict. In these ciroumstances I am confronted with the question as to whether I will not be doing her an injustice by remaining in. New Zealand. Unless I return to England forthwith, the limitations of the girls' college will bo further accentuated to her detriment in the coming year. Professor (Segar went on to say that, though they could not agree with the letter, there was a great deal tin it that was very forcibly put and that would, do them good to hear. He moved the adoption of the clause.

Dr Anderson ventured to eay that the programme of junior scholarship home science was one of the best preparations possible for a university _ course if a girl was going to study medicine later on. He explained the meaning of the olause before the Senate. It meant that if a girl was prepared to take mathematics and home science she should not be required to present any certificate in home science .at all except - the practical one.' If, however, in presenting home eoience as her scheme for matriculation she desired to. have- tho advantage .of substituting something else for the bulk of the mathematics, then the committee thought that as a condition of that concession she should present a further certificate of having practically applied home soience for a certain time. Professor Hunter moved as an amendment that all the words after " rescinded " be struck out. He said that the objections urged last year to the home science certificate had proved well founded. The_ proposal was going to"complicate the matriculation examination very much, and the Senate should hesitate to adopt it. Mr von Haast seconded the amendment. Some things they had heard indicated that home science was not a suitable subject for B.A. Professor Hight supported the motion .as it offered some relief to girls from mathematics. The Bev. A. Cameron supported the amendment, and said he differed in ,toto from the sentiments in the letter read by Professor Segar. The writer evidently thought that the only thing to aim at in a girl's education was to develop her intellectual powers. He strongly approved of the principle of differentiation in education—-(Hear, hear")--and pointed out that as far as the university was concerned no restriction whatever was placed upon girls in selecting any sciences they desired!. Professor Macmillan Brown suggested that they should give the diploma of journalism to the writer of the letter. It was excellent journalese. He agreed that the education of the majority of boys should be differentiated from that of the majority of girls. He intended to oppose tho amendment. Dr Anderson said he regretted now that permission had- been given to read the Setter, because to answer it would land them n a discussion of the whole of the principles _ of girls' education. Many of the facts in the letter were open to challenge. It was generally admitted now that girls should not be educated on the same lines as boys—(" Hear, hear ") —except in a few exceptional cases. The view of the letter was the view of 50 years ago, and it had been discredited on all sides since then. He hoped the amendment would T>o defeated. They should give to those who took home science some substantial concession. The girl in question should have been an aspirant not for matriculation but for junior scholarship, and eho would have found in that course as taught at the secondary schools ample scope for all her abilities. Dr Benham expressed himself strongly in favpur of the amendment. It seemed to him the proposal of_ the committee was cheapening the matriculation examination. Some of the questions in the home science paper could be answered by reading the ladies' column in some of the newspapers. Professor Segar asked why home science should get special preference over other subjects. Why should they bribe a girl to do home science rather than a boy to do scientific woodwork? If a cultivated woman became subject to the necessity of caring for a house it was mere child's play to her. The motion was eventually carried by 12 votes to 9.