The University--the Woman Question

Mr. Editor: 1 lina in jour last issue two replies to m 1 communication, one signed "FajrPlAT, the othcr, B. F. Cockhr." AHüw me spac briefly to reply to each of ray respoudents Fair Play ! by all ineans let us have fui play, luit it is ralher a strange way of bu giniiinj; the game, to charge upon a wrlte wlio takel exception to haviug the Uuiver sily a male and femalc Institutlon, that" ht evldently does not recognizc the lact tlia (romen is endowed with an intellect." I the lnference is well drawn, alas for wo men, for'' Obsbktbb " flnds yery mauy o the same sentiment, an.l amoiig them o honorable wojnen 7o' (i fiw. ilowever, the article of " Paiii Pi.ay ' picases me so well tlit I can not be offend cd, evpii When 1 am put qii the record, mai tyrant and v.oman hater. I wrlte in tin interest qf tllis (ltmonslratiou--that the recent vote of tho Regeuts is uot merel) opening the doqrs for a few young Isdles te enter the sevcpal Pepartinoiits qf tlie Uni versiiy, bu. thnt it is changing the whole eharactcp of .the lustitutiou - that it involves plaeing ladies in the chalrs of the I Vpartments- establishing separate courses of study for femalcs, aud even glvlug a lady represenlative ou tiie Bonrd of Regonts. Xow, he&r "Fair Play:" "lía woinan litted lor the position of a Professor's chair could l;e securod for suoh an lionofad place in the y. of VL, l claim that tbere is no rea? sou wny sbe shoald not bo cbosaq and honored equally with thosc men who are now the incumbents Qf such oillces." tío far, and so good for the lady Professor ; and as to the lady Hegent, I never raalcc oplnlona for other people, but my friend stands ojj very l'air ground for that advocacy. But hear again: "The people may rcasonably expect the Kegels will as soou reeognize and próvido for the wants of ono class as those ol another, and if the wimberg of wo men are enough and their necessities pressing cuough, thcir wants will be attendcd to as speed i ly and as cheerfully as the wants of any particular class are at present, nnd ncw classes and new branches will be pr vided for Is not this the spirit of the resolution adopted bj' the Board of Re gents ? They reeognize no distiuction in sex arnong thosc permitted to enter, their purpose is to furnish to all the facilities which lie in their power for a liberal edacatlOD, an 1 It would be contrary to the spirit of the UniVLi-sity charter and contradictory to their o.yji Jdeciarations If onecíase or sex were provided for while another were allo ived to suffer from neglect." I think jou are ïight, tr. or ilrs. or .Miss " Faiu Play. ' I t'.iauk you. I confess that I am unable to discover t!ic reasoning by which my respondent ftmls an inconsistency in my assertion, that "keeping up the standard to the present grade" will be no protection agatnst the admission of wonien, inasmuch as there c;n bc no barrier to their leaving belorc gradaation, rrop to their admission to special courses. Prqbably the writer secs QOtning in eithw case interfering with high tcholarahtp, in whici College men may not agrec with ]:.:, One word moro": "Fair Plav" desives to know what "scattpred and ecled" may be. Well, tiis, a qugtfttion from an o!d book called the Biblc, and theftiet tliat it needs explanatiou only goes to strengtheu a conliction I have long haa, that people who are of lus sentiment on the position of women are r.ot yery familiar fti tiiat old book. For my oomment n whai he }as to say with referenoa to the womau qoestioR aml the Professors, I must refer hini to What follows. The Bcvr Dr. Cocker, in nis brief article, -■ - t- - w -■ uv-;-;fi) t ■ i.j ijl ili .1 l [ il. i i , first takcs exception to niy conimuuication as while rcferpiqg to hlraself, helng anouymous. I présame, Mr. Editor, that you have served so long an apprcuticship to journalism asto knovv when an articlc witfr only the nom de plume may bc admitted in your columns, und that you would not suffer a gentleman so long and promincritly connccted with this community.to bcrudely assailcd "írom bchind a cowardly ambuscade." When simple facts are stated, and Inferencos drawn only from those facts, there is no "anonynious critiolsm" in any bad sense, and the "pity" towards the writer"that he cannot act inore like a man" is rather rhelorlcal. Lctus look at the facts under this law. I stated that the signatures f five Professors to tho cali for the Convention at Battle Crcek, and the announcement of the Professor of Intellectual and Mor.il Pliilosophy as one of the speakers," In no s'.ight degree committed the Institutlon to the so callcd Woman's Kights Movement." Now Mr. Cockeu will takc no exception to the facts herc given. And In the Kalamazoo leUgraph. odited by Dr. Stoxe, the President oí the Woman Suffrage Coavention, it is stated, "Letters of regret at not belng able to attend the meetings of the Convention, but warmly endortinj it o'jjecti, vrere read froiu Prof. Mosbs Coit Tylkb and Prof. B. F. Cccker, of the University. Both gentlemen took the strongesl and most unequivocal ground in favor of woraan suffrage. ' Now Dr. Cocker writes : "Your corrt-spondent has been pleased to couple ray name with a class of ultraistsanddreamers who have cast off the ffuldance of reason and religión." Sir, J have put your name nowhere, only I hayp referred to your own signature. I have characterized the Womau's Hights movement in the terms you quote. And what is the witness of their own convenlions for years past - how often have we been told that the Bible is the grand obstacle in the ivay of woman's :ulvanecment - what are the religious or rather non-religious sentiments of t!'P promi nent leaders ?" But I was oawiful to add, " Wc: respect, personally, the Professors who have sitfned tbla cali ; we must be tald by themselves before we will believe it that they ailopt as a tohole the theorics of those tn whose felloivship they have put themselves." Only, Sir, by a much broader endorsement of these theories than I have altrihuted to you, can you acense w ffriter of the rude assaull of vvhich you niake complaint. The point I have made is this, and I be lieve it is well taken, that whatpvprjïiay 'll' the individual views of the signers of the doenmenta re erred te, considering thelr nuinber and position, their aot'.'ln noslight degree commits the institution tp the socalled Woman's liighls Movement." To iny niinij litis will bc tiie judgnient oí a large nunihcr to whom the Univcrsity looks tor its si] pport, and ivlio wgard siich theories wKU na wye favor tluiu your correspondent. The liberty of prophesying may not be denied, though, iiqw as of old, prophets mast blde the tima or tlieir credit, and I venture to aftirm that time will show that the University of Michigan has lpng been a very interesting oliject tQ tlose who are for rcmodclling society on a basis Ihat, to say the least, has no particular regard for iellglou past recacnltipnp oí social order; and that it is hirgcly uooDfcted with their plans and hopes. Q3SKHVEU. fIIall's Aregetable Sjciliap. Ilair Eehewer is tho best preparation knov.-n to preserve the hair. Use t.