Is always so to woman."—BYRON.
SUCH is the testimony of a poet, and history, we are sorry to say, would prove his assertion true. Yet a "better time" is coming, has already begun, and, in our country, seems making progress quite as rapidly as women are prepared to receive and adjust themselves to the new and enlarged duties which are opening before them. Education is the grand lever to elevate society. When both sexes are allowed equal privileges of instruction, the advancement of the race will be accelerated in more than twofold proportion, because the ignorance of one-half the species serves to hinder greatly the influences of intelligence in the enlightened portion. A small cloud can dim the sun.
Some important questions respecting female education are yet unsettled; one of these concerns the prerogative of their colleges. Are these institutions, when chartered by legislative authority, to hold equal rank with male colleges? When degrees are conferred on the female student, shall she have an equal right to the honors these are supposed to confer, as are claimed for her brother graduate? Not long since, a lady was complimented by the Faculty of one of the most eminent Female Colleges in our country with "the Honorary degree of Mistress of Arts." While acknowledging the compliment, the lady wrote—
"Allow me to inquire if, in thus conferring degrees on women, you contemplate the assumption of the style similar honors confer on men? Would you be pleased to see that I added the M. A. to my name? Now, this is an important question, and will, as I think, have much influence on the future aspect of female education. If colleges for women are invested with full power of conferring degrees, and do confer them, why should not the same rules be applied to these as are considered proper in regard to colleges for your sex?
"If to append the sign of his degree to his name be for a man an advantage, showing his acquirements have been acknowledged and guaranteed by the competent authority, why is not a similar course beneficial, under like circumstances, for a woman?" &c.
The faculty of the college made reply by the president to the effect that they did confer the degree in good faith, considering it "one and the same held by the faculty," and that the lady had an equal right with themselves to assume the A. M. We were intending to invite attention to this subject, gathering thus the results of discussion, when the following article reached us, and we give it here to invite others to write on this question:—
"TO THE EDITOR OF THE 'LADY'S BOOK:' Knowing that you have very much at heart the advancement of learning and the spread of useful knowledge, and that you do not think woman's share an unproductive one, or her powers below culture, I venture to ask why most of the stimulants to generous ambition are neglected in her case? Is it because men consider her nature too elevated to require the adventitious helps they throw out to each other? It cannot be that they fear on equal ground some odious comparisons might be obvious.
"Milton says—
'Fame is the spur that the clear spirit does raise
To scorn delights and live laborious days.'