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ALCOTT, POUNFM H t i l> H A D A H WUMhN A 1 THL i.HK’i S T A T F UNIVtkSITY IN THE FIRST FliUA DFCADFS, 3o7S-I91P .
THE DHM ST ML U'UV'.RSIIV, Ph.D., 19 79
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Original copy with light type _ 15. Curling and wrinkled pages _ _ _ 16. Other ___ University: Micrdrilms international 300 N ZEES HD.. ANN ARBOR Mi *8106 '3131 761*4700 WOMEN AT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY IN THE FIRST FOUR DECADES 1873-1912 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Pouneh Moghadam Alcott, B.S., M,A. ******** The Ohio State University 1979 Reading Committee: Approved by Dr. Robert B. Sutton Dr. Robert E. Jewett Dr. Bernard Mehl Advisor College of Education Nezi, Bill, Michqua Fardean, and Daunesh ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For years of encouragement of my academic pursuit/ I am deeply indebted to my graduate advisor, Dr. Robert B. Sutton. His indispensible guidance, assistance, and direc tion was instrumental in formulating and carrying out this research. The assistance of the reading committee, Dr. Robert E. Jewett and Dr. Bernard Mehl is also gratefully acknowledged. The majority of this study was conducted at the Ohio State University Archives. Grateful appreciation is extended to Mrs. Dorothy Ross who provided much guidance in the search for primary source materials at the Archives. I am also indebted to Miss Ruth Jones for her valuable assistance in my work dealing with the photo Archives. Special thanks to Mrs. Manijeh Firouzian and Mrs. Charles Ott who so patiently and efficiently typed the final copy of this dissertation. My deepest gratitude is extended to Mrs. Martha Scott whose contributions not only improved the quality of this research but the growth of the researcher. Finally, I give my most sincere thanks to my mother, my husband, and my children, for their enduring patience, support and understanding - not just during this specific work, but always. They must all surely know how much I love and appreciate them. iii VITA September 21, 1940. . . . Born - Tehran, Iran 1963...... B.S., Social Studies Education, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1963...... Branch Librarian, Columbus Public Libraries, Columbus, Ohio 1963-1969 ...... Teacher, social studies, Colum bus Public Schools, Columbus, Ohio and Hillsborough County Public Schools, Tampa, Flordia 1968 ...... M.A., Foundations of Education, The Ohio State University 1969 (Six Months) .... Assistant Professor, Founda tions of Education, Pars College, Tehran, Iran 1968-1978 ...... In various quarters, Graduate Teaching Associate, history of education and comparative education; research fellow, Center for Medieval and Renais sance Studies; instructor or lecturer, international studies and Persian graduate research associate, Curriculum studies, The Ohio State Universi ty 1972-1977(Part-time). . . Director of Fashion Merchan dising Department, Bliss College, Columbus, Ohio 1976- ...... Founder and director, Learning Unlimited, preschool, elemen tary and middle school, Colum bus, Ohio iv FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Education Studies in History of Education and Comparative Education. Professor Robert B. Sutton Studies in Social Studies Education. Professor Robert E. Jewett Studies in Philosophy of Education. Professor Everett J- Kircher Studies in History of the Middle East. Professors Sidney N. Fisher and Marilyn R. Waldman Sydney v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... iii VITA ...... iv Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ...... 1 Nature of the S t u d y ...... 10 II. ACADEMIC STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE EARLY YEARS 14 Suitable Instruction for Women 22 III. EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES OF WOMEN STUDENTS ..... 38 Literary Societies ...... 42 IV. NEW OPPORTUNITIES UNDER PRESIDENT CANFIELD . 76 V. THE CONTINUING STRUGGLE FOR RECOGNITION AND ACCEPTANCE ...... 106 VI. TO HAVE A DEAN OF WOMEN OR--- THAT IS THE QUESTION! ...... 142 VII. CONCLUSION ...... 16 5 BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 170 APPENDICES A. STATISTICS REGARDING ENROLLMENT AND VARIOUS DEGREES OBTAINED BY MEN AND WOMEN,1873—1912 17 5 B. LETTERS,DOCUMENTS, CIRCULARS, AND OTHER DATA REGARDING WOMEN STUDENTS AT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, 1873-1912 ...... 182 C. SKETCHES AND LITERATURE TAKEN FROM THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY YEAR BOOK, THE MAKIO, 1880-1901...... 206 vi Page D. PHOTOGRAPHS OF COEDS IN EDUCATIONAL AND RECREATIONAL SETTINGS, 1878-1902 . . . 220 E. CALENDAR OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, 1862-1912 ...... 228 vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION An Act of Congress, later called the Morrill Act, signed by President Lincoln on July 2, 1862, provided fed eral grants of land to each state as a permanent endowment to establish and maintain the so-called land grant colleges and universities, which were to be devoted primarily to instruction in the sciences related to agriculture and the mechanic arts and were to be open to the masses. In March 22, 1970, after several years of delay due to much political infighting and interest-group rivalry, the Ohio General Assembly passed an Act, later called the Charter Act of the College, which provided for "A college to be styled the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. The leading object shall be, without excluding military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agricultural and mechanical art.The government of the college was vested in a Board of Trustees, whose mem bers were to be appointed by the Governor, subject to con firmation by the Ohio Senate. In May, 1878, after the A. and M. College had been opened and following a long period of somewhat bitter public controversy over the issue of the title for the university, the General Assembly finally 1 2 changed the name to the present one. The new title, The Ohio State University, was decided to be more representa tive of the aims and the curriculum offered than the pre vious title which had caused the college to be nicknamed by some of her critics "the Cow College in the Cornfield." The major cause of delay in the passage of Charter Act had been the conflict between the agricultural interests of rural areas and the mechanical and industrial interests of emerging urban centers. There was, however, a disagree ment between the agricultural reformists, who viewed the college as a scientific research and scholarship center, and the rank and file farmers who wanted practical "muddv- shoes" experimentation. To further complicate the matter, there was pressure from some of the already established institutions, such as Ohio University and Miami University, to divide the funds among a centrally located college to be established, and other colleges which would offer training in agriculture and mechanical science. The post Civil War era party politics further added to the general mistrust, rivalry, and bitterness. Rutherford B. Hayes, then Governor of Ohio, was in strumental in reconciling conflicting views and securing the legislation to establish the college. He was success ful in appointing a Board of Trustees, delicately balanc ing the defenders of the strictly industrial education and 3 the advocates of a broad gauge state university function. Hayes also influenced the decision of the choice of loca tion to favor Franklin County. On September 17, 1873, the college, which initially had a preparatory department, opened for enrollment. Ac cording to the enabling act of March, 1870, the college was to be open ". . . to all persons over fourteen years of age, subject to such rules and regulations and limita tions, as to members from the several counties of the state, as may be prescribed by the Board of Trustees . . . "2 The college was coeducational from the beginning. It did not experience any organized opposition to women stu dents as had been the case with several prestigious mid- western universities. The University of Michigan, for example, did not admit women prior to 1870, even though petitions for enrollment of women had been presented as early as 1357. In 1850, it was proposed that the University of Wis consin establish a coeducational normal school. The school did not materialize until 1856, and then it took another four years before women were admitted. President Chadbourne, unwilling to admit women in all departments, tried to operate a segregated female college which proved to be unsuccessful. It was not until 1872 that all re strictions for women were removed at the University of Wisconsin. 4 The University of Chicago, founded in 1890, was whol ly coeducational at the time it opened. But it is appar ent that the controversy over the higher education of women students in middle western universities was not completely resolved, even then, for in 1902, the tentative offer of an endowment which would require that women should be seg regated, touched off a strong movement, at Chicago, for partial segregation in the first two years and segregation ( T in particular courses throughout the undergraduate program. There seems to be some plausible explanation for lack of opposition to coeducation at The Ohio State University. By 1873, the time of the opening of the college, many neighboring universities had resolved their coeducational problems. Furthermore, Ohio had a longer history of suc cessful coeducation in her colleges than any other state, prior to 1873, and as far back as 1830s and 1840s, many private and denominational colleges in Ohio were coeduca tional. Besides Oberlin, the oldest coeducational college in the United States, the list includes: Antioch, Otterbein, Hiram, Wilberforce, Mount Union, Muskingum, Baldwin, and Buchtel. The fact that several influential members of the orig inal board were supporters of coeducation and women’s rights also, must be considered. Dr. Norton Townshend, an aboli tionist and a social, political, and agricultural reformer, 5 was an ardent advocate of women's suffrage. John Buchtel, another influential trustee, was the benefactor and founder of Buchtel College, a coeducational institution established in Akron in 1870. The first president of the college, Edward Orton, was a former professor in Antioch, and was the president of this famous coeducational college for one year prior to his new position in Columbus. Finally, it is coincidental that the first two women who enrolled at the college on the morning of September 17, 1873, were daughters of Dr. Townshend. A very highly respected and influential trustee, he was asked to resign his post so that he could be appointed as the first profes sor of Agriculture. Seventy-five years later. Miss Harriet Townshend recalled President Orton's surprise when he found two coeds seeking admission. As Miss Townshend recalled the event, Orton referred the matter to the Board of Trus tees, who decided that even women were to be considered among "the youth of the state for whom the institution had been f o u n d e d . There is, however, no mention of this in the official minutes of the Board. It may be that since the sisters were entering the preparatory years, no real question arose because even in all-male colleges, such as Wittenberg nearby, girls attended the preparatory classes quite freely long before the colleges were opened to them. 6 Although gaining admission to the college was an easy process, there was no special provision made for women in cirriculum, housing, or recreation. It took over twenty years for the university to offer domestic science, peda gogy, and other courses of particular interest to women. Thirty-five years elapsed before a much needed dormitory was built for women. Half a century after the admission of women, a women's building, Pomerene Hall, finally was completed. The delay in providing accommodations for women was not intentional. From the start, financial support for the institution was meager. Legislators, influenced by the farm interest were slow to appropriate funds to sup port the badly needed improvements required by rapid growth in enrollment. An interesting commentary on the financial stituation of the early years of The Ohio State University appeared in President Walter Q. Scott's annual report to the Board of Trustees for the year 1332-3. Dr. Scott first thanked the state for the previous year’s ap propriations, totalling $21,950. He then, proceeded to give comparative figures for the income of some other state universities. In 1880, the incomes of The University of Missouri and the University of Minnesota were $51,915 and $51,090, respectively. In 1382, The University of Wiscon sin had an income of $92,736.90, and the University of Michigan received $274,002.84. In 1883, sums of $100,000 7 and $180/000 were passed by the legislators of Missouri and Minnesota respectively, to be given to their state universities. The report reveals that the wealth of each of these States is far below that of Ohio. Their taxable property was appraised in 183 2 as follows: Minnesota, $311,200,341; Wisconsin, $446,760,585; Missouri, $649,267, 242; Michigan $810,000,000; and Ohio, $1,634,910,734. The taxable wealth of Ohio is, therefore, more than twice that of Michigan, two and a half times that of Missouri, almost four times that of Wisconsin, and more than five times that of Minnesota.^ The on-going conflict between the advocates of the broad gauge state university and the narrow gauge defenders, prevented the legislators from giving appropriate funds to the University which many of their constituents claimed was "as far from God and Agriculture as it could possibly get." The appointment of Rutherford B. Hayes to the Board of Trustees in 1887, was engineered® by friends of the Uni versity to reconcile the warring parties. Hayes was suc cessful in obtaining the so-called Hayes-Ellis settlement, thus ending seventeen years of farmers' opposition to the University/, which had proved to be very damaging to her growth. In 1891, with the passage of Hysell Act, the state began, in a fiscal sense, to finally support her University. 8 Aside from the financial problems, the lack of a consistent and continuous leadership in the University was indirectly damaging to the status of women students. Po litical parties used their influence to organize the Board of Trustees to suit their programs. As the leadership changed hands so did the organization of the Board. There was also a fundamental conflict between the university tradition of autonomy and the Ohio law that gave the trus tees of the university unlimited administrative authority. The president and the faculty did not enjoy tenure and their appointments were subject to annual approval by the Board, which continued to utilize this authority. In the latter years of the nineteenth century, four presidents served a total of twenty-six years. Edward Orton - 1873-1881 Walter Q. Scott - 1881-1883 William H. Scott - 1883-1895 James H. Canfield - 1895-1899 Three of the above presidents resigned due to disagree ments with the Board. One, Walter Q. Scott, was dismissed for the same reason. In his book, Building Sullivant’s Pyramid, Kinnison sums up the situation: . . . Between 1870 and 1890, for scarcely more than nine years had the institution been cer tain of its President; in eleven of those years, the office had either been vacant or held by a man who had already decided to resign. Of the nine more certain years, four were served by 9 Edward Orton, whose broad and liberal views of what a state university should be, had met grow ing opposition, and five by William Henry Scott, whom the Board called the "President of the fac ulty . " 7 To the above summation, one must add the short-lived administration of James H. Canfield, who did more than any other president to serve the interest of women on campus. He perceived the role of a strong president as one with vigorous administrative authority. The board disagreed and accepted his resignation in 1899. William Oxley Thompson, the next president, held the office for over a quarter of a century. Most of the old- time trustees, politicians, and others influential in the affairs of the University were out of the picture by this time. Thompson, a highly-respected Presbyterian minister and a former president of Miami University, had the intel lectual and political acumen, as well as personal strength, to bring stability to the University. A shrewd diplomat, he ran the affairs of the University single handedly with out antagonizing the legislators, trustees, faculty, or the students. Even though he sympathized with women in their struggle for equal opportunity in academic and social matters, his diverse interests did not allow him time and his keen sense of diplomacy prevented his championing the cause of women. 1 0 Although the number of women at the university grew from five in 1873-74 to about 900 in 1911-12, they were left to rely mainly on their own resourcefulness for im proving their status. Such women's clubs as The Ohio State University Women's Faculty Club, which consisted of wives of the faculty, and the alumnae, local, state and national organizations, as well as women's federated clubs with interest in education aided the women in their struggle. Aside from the stereotyped prejudices which were in accord with the times, there was no direct antagonism against women on the campus of The Ohio State University. Benign neglect of women on the part of the male-dominated legislatures, trustees, faculty, and enrollment best char acterizes the status of women for the first forty years at The Ohio State University. Nature of the Study There have so far been very few studies of student life in American universities and certainly fewer of the life of women students in middle western universities. This study is mainly an analytical documentation of the historical development of provisions for women at the Ohio State University, from the opening date, 137 3, up to the establishment in 1912 of the office of Dean of Women, who became the first real advocate of the needs and interests of women students. A secondary concern has been what 11 student literature on the 0. S. U. campus during the 19th Century and the first decade of the 20th Century reveals about the status of women students. Because of the nature of this study, and because no prior studies on this topic havebeen made, the bulk of the information used in this research came from primary sources written by the faculty, the staff and the students of 0. S. U. during the years 1873-1912. The University Archives is the major source of these materials which were found prin cipally in: 1. papers of the presidents, faculty, staff and the departments of the University; 2. minutes of the meetings of various student organ izations, as well as Faculty and Board of Trustees meetings; 3. University publications of the period, such is catalogs and commencement records; 4. student publications such as the student newspapers, the Lantern and the student yearbook, the Makio: 5. diaries and letters of faculty and students. Secondary sources such as unpublished papers, biographies, and issues in later years of the Lantern, and the Alumni Monthly are to be found in the Archives or elsewhere in other University Libraries. 12 Some records regarding the origin of the university as well as scrapbooks and newspapers dealing with Ohio women in general, have been obtained through the Ohio His- torical Society- Additional secondary sources of informa tion which were reviewed, include histories of higher edu cation and coeducation, historical publications by and about deans of women in the United States, and histories of the Ohio State University. Last but not least, personal interviews were conducted by the writer with fifteen women and five men who were associated with O. S. U., as students and/or staff members, during the period 1900-1920. All of the individuals inter viewed were residents of Franklin County while they were associated with the University. Because, over two thirds of women on campus during the period covered by this re search were Franklin County residents, one can conclude that the oral history provided by the individuals inter viewed is fairly representative. Incomplete information regarding events in certain years, and especially the absence of reports written from different points of view, seriously handicap anyone who seeks to define accurately the forces shaping student life in the early decades of the Ohio State University. 13 NOTES CHAPTER I Alexis Cope, History of The Ohio State University (Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1920), P. 21* Also see Appendix D for a Calendar of 0. S. U. 2james E. Pollard, History of the Ohio State Univer sity, The Story of Its First Seventy-Five Years 1873-1943, (Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1952), P. 63. ^Thomas Woody, A History of Women's Education in the United States (N. Y.; The Science Press, 1929), Volume II, 281-290. ^"Harriet N. Townshend At 91 is Ohio State's Biggest Booster.” The Ohio State Lantern, 1948. Month & day un known. Can be found at O. S. U . Archives, under Bio File Norton S. and Harriet N. Townshend. University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. ^Thirteenth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University, to the Governor of the State of Ohio, for the Yeat 1882-3. Columbus, Ohio 1883, P. 30. ^Alexis Cope, History of the Ohio State University, P. 123. ^William A. Kinnison, Building Sullivant's Pyramid. An Administrative History of The Ohio State University, 1870-1907, (Columbus: The Ohio State University Press*, 1970) PP. 170-171. CHAPTER II ACADEMIC STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE EARLY YEARS On the morning of September 17, 187 3, seventeen young * people, including two girls cut across the muddy fields and woods in the north end of Columbus to enroll in the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. The only usable college building on the grounds on this opening day was the main building which came to be known as University Hall. The building, however, was not entirely finished on the opening day. In a letter published in the Lantern, the student newspaper, for December 1881, E. E. Corwin of the Class of 18 80, a preparatory student when the university opened, recalls, . . . the roof of the institution was not completed, the inner doors were not hung, and even the floor of the lecture-room chapel was not begun; in short, the noise of the saw and plane of the carpenters, and the rattle of the plumber’s hammer were heard daily, if not hourly, for months after the opening of the school; but still the recitations and lectures went steadily on with a vim.l Three decades later, the scene was recalled by Dr. T. C. Mendenhall, Professor of Physics, who, along with his wife and small child, was a resident of the "main building." In a letter from Florence, Italy, to Capt. 14 15 Alexis Cope, then secretary of the Board of Trustees, Men denhall wrote: ”... thirty years ago this very morning, I was lecturing to four or five of the 17, the carpenter’s bench being my lecture table, and my own dinner pail the only piece of apparatus available. I remember that I used this dinner bucket, attached to a long cord fastened in 2 the celling, as my illustration." Workmen still working on the building had their head quarters and residence on the second floor. Below their quarters, the lower east wing of the building was used as a temporary dormitory for the eleven out-of-town male stu dents. By means of muslin curtains, this temporary lodg ing was divided into several quarters to serve the housing needs until such time that the unfinished North Dorm was completed. In the basement, under the "Purgatory," as the sleeping area came to be called, there was a kind of Col lege Commons where many students and faculty took their meals. All offices, classrooms, laboratories, and the first library were housed in this same building. Professor Men denhall and his family, along with three other professors also had apartments, "Saints' Roost" in the "Main Building." As there was no housing arrangement made especially for women, the first two coeds were lucky in that they were Professor Townshend*s daughters, and on-carapus hous ing was arranged for their family. For a short time the 16 Townshends lived in a brick house at the corner of High St. and 11th Avenue. Later they moved to the building north of the main entrance at 15th avenue, which was to become, for 25 years, the home of "Prexy" William Oxley Thompson. Miss Harriet Townshend, in an interview in 194 3, talked about the inconvenient daily walk to the college: "I remember how we always took off our boots at the entrance of the building and put on our slippers. Sometimes we had 3 to go through the mud up to our ankles to get to classes." This was indeed not a pleasant prospect for coeds who later enrolled in the College, as the following excerpt from a poem published in the 1887 Makio shows: Coming through the fields, dear girlie, Coming through the mud, She draiglet a'her petticoatie, Coming through the mud. The student's a forsaken body. The path's seldom dry; He soileth a' his nice new suitie. Like coming through the rye. Trustees are a careless body, Careless of us all; If they would only make a walkie, Through the mud for all.^ In addition to the lack of housing accommodations for the out-of-town women, the inaccessibility to the campus for even Columbus residents was a major factor in small female enrollment in early years. Originally the univer sity was connected with the city proper by one road known as Worthington Pike, which started just above Fifth Avenue 17 on High Street. There were about a half dozen houses on high street above Fifth Avenue. A toll gate stood at the corner of Woodward Avenue. There were three houses on the entire length of Neil Avenue. In the words of Mr. F. J. McFadden, one of the original seventeen students, and a member of the first graduating class of the university: There was a considerable settlement immed iately to the north of the College about Fram- bes Avenue and then vacant ground until the little village of North Columbus was reached, which was the nearest point we could get our supplies both dry and I am a little loath to admit in these Volstedian days, sometimes wet as well, as saloons flourished like green bay trees in that village.5 Trips to the city were infrequent as they had to be made on foot. The sidewalks out from the city ended at Fifth Avenue and from there north, muddy paths usually forced travelers to cut across the fields belonging to former Governor Dennison to get to the campus. Even though within two years from the opening of the College two streetcar lines, one on Neil Avenue, and another on High Street, facilitated transportation, it took several years before a reliable year-around transportation could be made available. Within a few months from its inception, the Ohio State Agricultural and Mechanical College provided for the male students room and board in a dormitory which could accommodate about seventy residents. Shortly after the completion of the North Dorm or "Big Dorrr^" a smaller 18 unfurnished dorm was built to provide free rooms for men who cared to board themselves. There were also inexpensive Boarding Clubs organized around the campus for male stu dents. The cost of such accommodations ranged from $3 to $4.50 per week. Women students usually boarded with families living close to the campus at a cost of $5.00 per week. The following statement in the 18 80 circular and catalog of the Ohio State University sums up the housing situation for women students, "The university is open to students of both sexes, but there are no buildings provided for the assistance of young ladies on the college grounds." The catalog reassures the parents that there can be secured boarding places in "respectable families," but warns the parents that the faculty will have no super vision over the conduct of their daughters outside of Col lege hours.^ There is no evidence throughout Dr. Orton's eight years of presidency that he even once requested the Board to examine the women's housing problem. Upon Orton's resignation as President in 1881, Rev. Walter Quincy Scott, a liberal Presbyterian minister and a thought-provoking teacher of controversial issues, became the second presi dent of the young institution. A man of broad vision, he soon became immensely popular with the students. In his annual report to the Board of Trustees, he strongly endorsed a petition signed by all the women students 19 requesting the trustees to provide them with a boarding hall on the university grounds. Dr. Scott defended the position of women students: The young women are quite as clearly entitled to such accommodations as are the young men. Indeed, it is simply unjust to impose upon young ladies the necessity of higher expenses in obtaining their education than young men are required to pay. . . . Happily for this University, the young ladies were admitted at the beginning upon equal terms with the young men, and experience has justified the policy as being right in every way.7 He then proceeded to enumerate the academic, social, and moral merits of the women students at The Ohio State Uni versity, and reiterated the need for the establishment of a boarding hall such as the ones "similar institutions have done with complete success. No reason that will bear examination can be brought against this petition of the young ladies, and I trust the matter will receive the Q favorable consideration of the Board." Records show that no action was taken by the Trustees on this matter. Fur thermore, "at the June meeting of the Board in 188 3, when it came to re-elect the Faculty, President Walter Quincy 9 Scott failed of re-election, receiving only one vote." Although President William H. Scott, throughout the course of twelve years in office, brought the housing question to the attention of the Board a few times, the women did not get the active support of the University faculty or the administration until James H. Canfield 20 became the President in 18 95. The first dormitory, however, was not built until 1908, when the women students numbered nearly 60 0. The problem of housing was only one of the major deter rents to the enrollment of women at The Ohio State Univer sity. Another sadly neglected area was the perpetual prob lem of a suitable quarters where young women could congre gate between their classes, socialize or simply rest. The famous "Gab-Room" in University Hall, could, at best, accommodate a small number of women. In fact, the original use of this room was as an office for Dr. Townshend, who turned it over to the coeds for their use. This all purpose room was used by the girls as a formal meeting place as well as a study, lunch, and recreation room. Various women's organizations raised money and paid the major expenses for the furnishing and the upkeep of this room. Toward the end of the century, after a somewhat larger room in Hayes Hall had been provided, the caption under a caricature of the "Gab-Room" in the 18 9 9 Makio reads: "A familiar scene in the ’Gab-Room.' Four hundred girls before a two-foot mirror.''10 This is perhaps an exaggerated reflection, but nine years earlier President W. H. Scott, in his official report to the Board of Trustees, had written "The young ladies, now numbering , are crowded together in two small apartments, which 21 scarcely afford them standing room.The figure showing the number of women has been left out, but the approximate number must have been about sixty-seven. In the 1890 Makio, the editors touched upon the serious ness of the inadequate facilities for women, "It is a shame that the Board of Trustees should allow the young lady students to be cooped up in quarters that are little better than the basement in which the battalion has to drill," writing also of the drill hall as an "ill-smelling, dark, dirty basement." 12 On November 22, 1892, a rather large headline in the Wahoo, the semi-weekly student paper, hav ing at the time a woman chief editor, warns: "ON STRIKE" The 'Gab-Room' is Deserted Until Better Quarters Are Offered."1^ According to the article, due to a malfunction, no water had been available in the "girls' room" for sev eral days. On Friday the unpleasantness experienced had forced the girls to present a petition to the Faculty asking them to remedy the situation or that they would not return Monday afternoon if no action is taken. The situation was no better on Monday morning, thus a mass meeting in the "Gab Room" was held. It was agreed that the threat of the petition should be carried out at once. Their "fair faces" were not to be seen that afternoon. President W. H. Scott regreted the incident, called their action justifiable, but hoped that once the water was turned on that the girls could get along "for the present.” The girls had asked 22 for larger quarters due to the large enrollment, also had objected to the closeness of present location of the rooms to the physiological lab. The article suggested that since the Trustees had been, for some time, considering to give the girls a better lunch room, this incident would probably hasten some action on the part of the Trustees. The hastening process took at least twenty years! Suitable Instruction for Women In another article, the 18 90 Makio touched upon a major obstacle to women's education at Ohio State: Neither respectable quarters nor suitable in struction is provided for them. If a course could be devised that would give French, Paint ing, Music, and a few other desirable studies, instead of Soph. Physics, Anatomy, and such stuff as the young ladies are compelled to take, their number would be doubled in a single y e a r . i ^ President Orton, who as the first president heavily influ enced the curriculum, defined for the years ahead, theedu cation to be furnished at the new college: industrial, prac tical, and liberal. In his inaugural address, he summed up his interpretation of a "liberal education": "It is an education that includes science and literature— literature 15 itself being studied by the method of science.” In hxs commencement address in 1878, for the first graduating class, he reasserted the need for a liberal education and added to his previous definition: 23 In the highest sense, the education that aspires to a balanced and symmetrical culture of all human faculties; the education that concerns itself with this world of matter . . . and with man himself . . .; it is the education that ^g embraces science, literature, and philosophy. However, it took several years before appropriate courses were offered in the humanities, which he had called litera ture and philosophy. From the early years of the university the students who pursued a degree program had to take, for the first two years, heavy requirements which were almost totally scien tific and technical in nature. During the last two years, they could elect a very limited number of courses. The 18 91 Makio offered a witty commentary on the irrelevancy of the required courses for women: Of a more practical turn of mind are Codie and Bessie, who take Chemistry Lab. so as to be able to demonstrate to the K.M.'s the specific gravity of soup, or the process of making iron clad pie. . . .I7 Art, a favorite subject for women, appeared as a tech nical course in drawing in the curriculum in 1874. The Department of Freehand and Mechanical Drawing, which of fered technical instruction in the useful arts, was ex pected to produce artisans rather than artists. Although, originally, appeals for funds for this department were based on the needs of men students, two-thirds of the women, by 18 78, included drawing in their course of study. Both men and women enrolled in Projection Drawing. In 24 the 18 7 9 departmental report, funds were requested for the needs of women as well as men students: For many the department will no doubt give the means of obtaining a livelihood, should circumstances require it. The large percen tage of lady students taking drawing, and the interest shown in the branches of applied arts as taught in the department should insure for it the same facilities which are accorded to departments in which young men are fitted to become their own bread-winners. In 1382, William Mason, the drawing instructor and the head of the department, resigned. For the next three years the work of the department was carried on by assistants as signed to the head of the Mechanical Engineering Deparment. In 1885, Joseph N. Bradford, later the University Architect for many years, was appointed Assistant Professor ofDraw ing and Mechanical Engineering. That feminine interest in fine arts were accommodated only as a secondary concern of the department, is confirmed by a University catalogue entry of 1890-1891: The university is open to both sexes. There is, however, no special course for women or special study . . . such as music or painting: but in the latter the assistant in drawing will receive private pupils.19 Not until 1906 was a Department of Drawing established, which offer art education, a valuable field for women. One of the major criticisms of coeducation in the nineteenth century was the claim that women could not phy sically bear the strain of an educational setting where they would have to compete with men in every field of study. 25 Many coeducational schools, as early as the 1840's had regular physical education classes for women in order to strengthen their physical endurance. Although the question of physical education for both men and women students at The Ohio State Univercity had come up from time to time, there were no special provisions available for either sex. The first move toward a class in physical education was made by the women students. The Lantern, March 18, 188 5, reported the first physical culture class: We have never had any doubts as to the advan tages of co-education, and we now have rather a novel addition to make to the already formid able list of testimonials in its favor. . . . With characteristic feminine ingenuity, all obstacles have been surmounted, and quietly but energetically a class has been organized for regular gymnasium practice. The dumb bell and a few single pieces will constitute the appliances, and the drawing room will be util ized at least as the temporary place for exer cise . The article then criticized the (men’s) athletic associa tion for not doing its part to promote a program ofphysical education, "A good programme on a few field days has about depleted the store of energy which belongs to it . . ." 21 Men of the University were also criticized collectively, . . . It is a strange comment upon the enter prise of the young men, that they should be thus outstripped by the ladies in a field so peculiarly adapted to their own requirements and endowments. If the girls can have a class of a dozen, surely the boys should enlist to the number of two or three s c o r e . 22 26 But it was not until the brief administration of James H. Canfield, that girls' physical education received much at tention and became an integral part of their college cur- 23 riculum. No other course of special interest to women was formed until 18 96. The women students thus took the re quired courses along with the men for over twenty years of the life of the University. How did the women fare? The question of academic competency of women was as yet not completely settled in the nineteenth century. However, all the evidence from coeducational colleges from the 1830's on had shown that women were just as capable as men in their studies. It is true that only a fraction of the women at Ohio State who enrolled actually graduated, but this was, as all evidence indicates, not by any means an indication of a lack of ability on their part. Until 18 96, when the preparatory department was completely abol ished, the number of women "preps," as they were called, was quite high. For example, in 1883, 30 of the total of 38 women were preparatory students substantially the same proportion as for* men. 24 Throughout American colleges, the majority of women did not continue their education, as long as did the men. Marriage, family obligations, social sanctions, or financial difficulties prevented their continuing long in the university. Lack of finances constituted a major problem. 27 Although tuition was free, the University circulars in 1874-5 showed the following expenses for one term of twelve weeks for a male student: 1874-5 Incidental fees $ 5.00 Room rent 4.00 Boarding in College dormitory 48. 00 Washing, light, etc. 8 .00 25 Total $65.00 Since the girls spent an average $5.00 per week for room and board, in a twelve-week term, their room and board alone was $60.00. By 1900, the total figure for men was raised to $75.00. Although the University catalogs and circulars sug gested that employment was given to a considerable number of students, they did warn that employment could not be promised. As late as 1898, President Canfield wrote in response to a letter of inquiry, that no assurance of a job could be given, "With young women this seems to be almost impossible. Our young men, however, willing to do almost anything, generally succeed in finding something to do. In giving out work on the farm, the agricultural students have the preference— and of course, old students have the preference over the new." 2 6 In addition to the farm work, men could become guides and run errands for the University offices. A very strong YMCA also looked after the male students' welfare and provided them with jobs available in the city. 28 Girls seldom found jobs at the University or in the city. At times, the University library provided a few girls with assistantships. The earliest record of such an employment is found in a Board of Trustees meeting on 27 June 21, 187 8. Miss M. F. Morrison, who, in 1879, became the first woman to graduate from the University, was ap pointed an assistant in the Library. She received $125 per year for working half time. In the 1880's and 90's teach ing and research assistantships and fellowships were given to some women. Records indicate that women students held such assistantships in the following departments; mathe matics, English, foreign languages, philosophy, chemistry, biology, botany, geology, and after 1896, womens' physical education, domestic science, and pedagogy. In addition to assistantships which paid between $5.00 to $15.00 a month for half time, there are a few references, in the student literature, to campus jobs avail able to women. For example, mention is made in the 18 95 class history in the Makio, of "Miss Twiss, who runs the supply store." 28 In another of his many letters in refer ence to the difficulty of finding jobs, Dr. Canfield wrote the following example: "One young woman who lived in the city carried a paper 'route,' . . . this is exceedingly hard, and only a sturdy German girl, as she was, could 29 have done it." Occasional jobs in tutoring, baby sitting, housekeeping or stenography were available to 29 women students. No organization took care of the girls' employment problems, but the office of the President in the time of Presidents Canfield and Thompson assisted some young women. Lack of adequate preparation for college work also contributed to the relatively small college enrollment for women. Originally, the requirement for ad mission was the "competent knowledge of the branches taught in common schools." 30 This competency was determined by competitive entrance examinations in: Reading, Orthography, Writing, Grammar, Geography, Arithmetic, and Algebra. Some students failing the exams were admitted to the "prep" school. President Orton and the faculty desired to keep the standards high. Periodically, much to the distress of the faculty, the standards of admissions were lowered by the Board of Trustees, to admit without examination, grad uates of high schools of the state, and the holders of a teacher's certificate. During the early years, there was a great deal of shuffling of requirements for admission regarding the age of students, academic standing, and the type of schooling before seeking admission. Towards the end of the century, during the administration of President Canfield, there was an attempt to raise the standards of admission. The June 9, 1897 issue of the Lantern proudly announced that: The standard of admission to the general non technical courses is raised to an equality with the requirements of Ann Arbor, Wisconsin and 30 the other leading State Universities in the country. This move is important, full of con sequence to many and to the future of the Uni versity. It is very likely that it may result in raising the standard also for admission to the other courses. This is only one of a series of movements, past and future, to make O.S.U. the University of the State and to put it on a level with other, especially, eastern colleges, whose reputation entices so many Ohio young men beyond its borders.31 Evidence shows that in the early years of the Univer sity, about 75% of students who sought admission were ac cepted. About 15 to 20%, however, lost their "places", mostly due to failure in scholarship. Women who stayed for the full four years studied very diligently. There were, of course, many jokes written in the student literature about the Professors who "gave" good grades to their favor ite women students. The Makio of 1891 includes: Miss Herrick, who is solid with Professor Smith, reaps more merits than any other seven girls together.32 Here are the first two lines of a poem in the same issue: The Prep girls are playing with the Freshmen, The Seniors are flirting with the Profs.33 But the official and unofficial sources are in agreement that the girls were not in need of special consideration in grades. President Walter Q. Scott, in his annual report in 1882, wrote: . . . young women are wholly competent in every way to do University work in the same classes with young men without asking or re ceiving odds on account of their sex.34 31 The young women's scholastic competence is shown by the fact that after the 1880rs when graduate work was begun, each year a comparatively high number of women were among the graduate students. For example, in 1893, five of fourteen graduate students were women. The following is a list of the names, the previously earned degrees and the graduate fields of study pursued by the five women: Name Earned Degree Field of Study Lucy Adelaide Booth M.A. History & English Literatu: Charlotte Lake Claypoole B. Ph. Physiology Frederika Delmers M. Sc . Bacteriology Caroline Ellen Furness B . A. Mathematics Anna Frances Mullay, B. Ph. English Literature & Philosophy35 The fact that the University's first M.A. and Ph.D. degrees were awarded to women, in 1886 to Annie Sabine, and in 1894 to Lucy Adelaide Booth respectively, is further indication of the high quality of their work. 3 6 Throughout the nine teenth century, however, the professional schools were dominated by men. The women students as a whole, not just an outstanding group of them, were consistently successful in their school work. Between June, 1877 and December, 1879, the first President, Dr. Orton, wrote ninety-six letters to parents regarding their sons' or daughters' failure at the college, of which only six are about girls. Three of those letters 32 suggested that the lack of adequate preparation for college work was the cause of failure, while the other three re lated that excessive socialization or mismanagement of time was responsible for poor academic performance. One of these reads, in part: This record makes it apparent that unless an improvement can be made, it is not worth your while to continue your daughter in the Univer sity— Her social gifts are so good that her time and thought are drawn largely into that channel. . . ."37 Another letter, apparently not mailed, illustrates the prob lem of supervision of the younger and less mature girls. Orton related to the parent that the large measure of liberty given to students is more than their young daughter could handle. We have no system of supervision such as younger pupils require . . . There are no grave offenses charged against Miss Lamb— but she violates the spirit of college law quite frequently by seeking or using opportunities for social intercourse with the young men of the College— in the halls of the building— She also attracts attention by her manners on the cars in coming and going— to and from the college— Her scholarship is not satisfactory altogether . . ."38 The major cause of academic failure of women seems to have been the lack of adequate preparation for college work, rather than incompetence or problems of discipline and attention to studies. In his 1882 report to the Board of Trustees, President Walter Q. Scott wrote: Moreover, on a score of discipline for all minor delinquencies, it is so seldom that a young lady is reported to me from any department of the University that there would be no need of keeping any record at all, if the young men were so faithful and dilligent as the young ladies. And as for the personal behavior of the young ladies, both in and out of the class rooms, it not only needs no record of short comings, but is such a positive good influence upon the whole working order of the University that we could not for any consideration be in duced to part with such moral power, even if regarded merely as an educational factor. 34 NOTES CHAPTER II ^E. E. Corwin, Ohio State University Lantern, Decem ber 1881, P. 1, 2 James E. Pollard, History of the Ohio State Univer sity. The Story of its First Seventy-Five Years, 1873- 1948 (Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1952), P. 32 . ^''Harriet N. Townshend at 91 Is Ohio State's Biggest Booster," Ohio State University Lantern, 1948. Specific date unknown. Bio File: Norton S. and Harriet N. Townshend, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 4The Ohio State University Makio, 1887, P. 113. Also see appendix C. 5 J. F. McFadden, "The Earliest Days," The Ohio State University Monthly, XIV, 10 (July, 1923) , 50. ^The Ohio State University, Catalog, 1880-1881 (Columbus: The Ohio State University), 1881, P. 67. 7 Twelfth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the Year Ending June 30, 1882 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1882), Annual Report of the President, PP. 22-23. 8Ibid., P. 23. 9 Alexis Cope, History of the Ohio State University, Vol. I, 1870-1910 (Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1920), P. 78. 10Makio, 1899, P. 326. Also see appendix C. ^ Twentieth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the Year Ending June 1890 (Columbus: The Ohio State Univer sity, 1890), Annual Report of the President, P. 39. 35 12Makio, 1890, P. 10. 13 Lantern, November 22, 1892, P. 1. 14Makio, 1890, P. 10. 15 Third Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College to the Governor of Ohio for the Year Ending June 30, 18 7 3 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1873), Inaugural Address, PP. 15-18. 16 Eighth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the Year Ending June 30, 1878 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1878), Commencement Address, P. 28. 17Makio, 1891, P. 57. 18 Ninth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the Year Ending June 30, 1879 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1879), Department Report - Mechanical and Free-hand Drawing, P. 42. 19 The Ohio State University. Catalog, 1890-1891 (Columbus: The Ohio State University), 1891, P. 87. 20 Lantern, March 18, 1885, P. 2. 21Ibid., P. 2. 22 Ibid., P . 2. 23 See Chapter IV of this dissertation. 24Makio, 1883, PP. 5-18. 25The Ohio State University. Catalog, 1874-1875 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1875), P. 37. 36 2 6 The Canfield Papers, letter book No. 8, 1898, P. 147, Record Group 3/d/5, University Archives, The Ohio State Uni versity, Columbus, Ohio. 27 Record of Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio State University, May 11, 1870 to June 23, 1890, Minutes of the Meeting of June 21, 1878, P. 105. y a Makio, 1895, P. 36. 29 The Canfield Papers, letter book No. 11, 1899, P. 109, Record Group 3/d/5, University Archives, O.S.U. 30The Ohio State University. Catalog, 1874-1875 Colum bus: The Ohio State University, 1875), P. 30. 31 Lantern, June 9, 1897, P. 1. 32Makio, 1891, P. 57. 33Ibid., P. 58. 34 Twelfth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the Year Ending June 30, 18 8 2 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1882), Annual Report of the President, P. 23. 35The Ohio State University. Catalog, 1893-1894 Colum bus: The Ohio State University, 1875), P. 131. 3 6 H. A. Weber, Professor of Agricultural Chemistry at O.S.U. was conferred the degree of Ph.D. in June, 1879, by O.S.U. Trustees. However, he never took courses of study at O.S.U., nor did he write a dissertation while at O.S.U. He had formerly taught at The University of Illinois and engaged in valuable research. 37 Edward Orton, Sr. Papers, Personal Notebook, 18 7 3- 18 81, Record Group 3/a, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 3 8 Ibid., November 23, 1877. It is possible, of course, that the young lady withdrew before the letter could be mailed, but there is no clear evidence about the matter. 37 3 9 Twelfth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University^ P~. 23. 38 CHAPTER III EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES OF WOMEN STUDENTS During the formative decade of the Ohio State Uni versity, the small enrollment and the remoteness of the institution from the city, encouraged a close relation ship between the faculty and the student body. This decade coincided with the administrations of Orton and his successor, William Quincy Scott, who were both immensely popular with the student body.^ In 1880, in his seventh annual report to the Trustees, President Orton commented with pride on the student life on O.S.U. campus: The college order leaves little to be desired. Our students seem to recognize and to accept the responsibility which their large liberty entails, and in their relations to the faculty, to each other, and to the community, they have borne themselves honorably and well. It cannot happen, of course, that professor and pupil will see all questions pertaining to college life from thesame point of view, but we have been happily spared, so far, those unfortunate collisions between faculty and students that, whenever they occur, interrupt college work and embitter college life.- Dr. Orton was known to be very conservative in his views on the extent of campus social life. However, he often made home visitations on his frequent geological 39 field trips. He had developed an extremely kind and cordial relationship with the students. Dr. William Q. Scott, an exceptional scholar, had: . , . Extreme cordiality, and affability that made him what is generally called 'a good mixer'. One point of difference between him and his predecessor was that while, like Dr. Orton he was extremely dignified of ficially, he could let down on occasion and even enjoy it.-* Dr. Scott instituted the custom of inviting his classes to his home for dinner. Later presidents and some faculty members followed his lead and invited students to their homes or offered their homes to be used by student orga nizations for occasional social functions. Otherwise, during the early years of the university, the social life of the campus was restricted to the "socials" and "spreads" of some class or literary society. In September, 1881, the very first issue of the Lantern contained an article criticizing the lack of opportuni ties for social experiences on campus: . . . They (the students) must have more than passing opportunities for conversation, for mutual interchange of views; they must be able to measure themselves with others in order to sound their shallows and their depths. Opportunity for all this is wanting here. The literary society is no substitute. Men and women must meet in the social circle . . . It is there that we receive our polish, learn to know human nature, lean to value men. 40 learn to know ourselves, our capabilities and our limits, and gain new inspiration for the work of life . . . But there are no clubs, no societies at the State University whose aim is social . . .^ The writer then asked the faculty to aid the students in this matter, "without social life, the university can never attract the best material to its halls."5 As the enrollment grew so did opportunities for socialization in the 1880s and 1890s. Kennison describes the O. S. U. student life during this period:"... The students became more and more segregated into small groups, student life became increasingly organized and ritualized, and student-facuity relations became less intimate.As the number of students and extra curricular activities grew, so did the restrictions imposed on them by the faculty. The primary reason for the imposition of rules was the anti-administration attitude of the students which was caused by the ouster of William Q. Scott in 1882 by the Trustees of the University. Female, as well as male stu dents reacted radically to the decision of the Trustees, refused to forget William Q. Scott for years, and never identified with William Henry Scott who became the next president. For the first few years of his administration, President W. H. Scott was faced with the antagonistic atti tude of the students. After about a decade, although he 41 was generally pleased with the student character and conduct, the president showed concern about increased student interest in extracurricular activities. He be lieved, as did the faculty, that although some "extra neous" activities were allowable and even commendable, because of lack of self-restraint on the part of the students, it was faculty’s responsibility to curb such activities when they interfered with academic pursuits. The students unwillingly submitted to faculty rules regu lating their social activities. Throughout the 19th Century, women participated in most of the campus organizations and were active partici pants in the social life of the campus in general. For the most part, the girls were not barred from university organizations, save a few groups in professional colleges such as engineering and law. However, as is evident in the literature of this period, women were given neither opportunities for meaningful participation, nor chances for leadership in coeducational groups. To combat their "guest" status in these groups, as early as 1882. they be gan to form a few active organizations exclusively for women. Before discussing these women's organizations, a brief study of the girls' involvement in early literary societies, will illustrate the women's reasons for estab lishing their own organizations. 42 Literary Societies Literary societies were among the first campus organizations and women were among the founders. Contra ry to the official accounts in the student literature, three women were among the founders of Alcyone, the first literary group on the campus. In the 18S0 issue of the Makio it is written that sixteen men founded Alcyone in 1874 during a meeting presided over by J.F, McFadden.^ In the July 1923 issue of the Ohio State University Monthly, in an article entitled "The Earliest Days" McFadden re collected the beginnings of Alcyone: Sometime during this first term a literary society was formed consisting I believe of all the inhabitants of Purgatory with the addition of Arthur B. Townshend, Misses Mary, Hattie and Alice Townshend and per haps a few from the city. At the sug gestion of Dr. Townshend, we named the society the Deshler for John G. Deshler, a prominent banker, of Columbus, and who had been a great friend of the College and had presented it with a magnificent special library. Mr. Deshler in a few days wrote us a letter thanking us for the compliment and stating that he would donate $500 to the society, but asked that a committee be appointed to visit him as he had some suggestions he would like to make. In obedience to his request, a committee con sisting of A.A. Townshend, one other just who it was I can't remember, and myself waited on Mr. Deshler at his residence. He told us that the name while a very pretty one in itself, was entirely inappropriate; that he was in no sense a literary man and that we must change the name, leaving us under the 43 impression that the gift of $500 would be with drawn unless this was done. In obedience to this request or rather demand of Mr. Deshler, the name was changed to Alcyone. Just why that name was selected, the Lord only knows. I have never to this day been able to fathom it.8 The list of active Alcyone members in 1880 Makio in cludes Alice Townshend but no other woman is mentioned. The 1882 edition of the same publication, however, lists M. Townshend and H.N. Townshend's names on the retired members' list. It is safe to assume the innitials stand for Mary and Harriet N. Townshend respectively, thus sup porting McFadden's account. Horton Literary Society was established in 1874 by a few men who seceded from Alcyone. Faculty and Trustees were honorary members thus from the beginning a few women assistants were i n c l u d e d . ^ in February 1881 issue of the Lantern it was reported that Miss B. Swickard '82 was made assistant in the Department of Ancient Languages. She pub lished articles on literary and religious topics in the Lantern. The topics ranged from "Looking in at Oxford University" to "Liberalism." That year she became Horton's literary editor for the Lantern. -*-0 The 1882 issue of Makio listed 47 Horton members, six of which were coeds. The following paragraph was an ex cerpt from the same issue giving an account of the official admission of women to Horton: 44 . . . The vexed question of the admission of ladies, which had all but wrecked the So ciety in the preceding year, was finally settled by the admission of six ladies on the evening of January 30, 1880, a step which the Society has never regretted. Interest in unflagging, and work was never better.H Although women seem to have been among the founders of these first literary societies, the male-dominated groups limited meaningful participation by women. For example, coeds' participation in the famed Alcyone-Horton literary debate contests was confined to the background roles of singers and musicians. Women's reaction to their special status in Horton and Alcyone, resulted in the establishment of their very own organization, the Browning Literary Society, in 1882. The spirit of the Society is well revealed in their famous battle-cry: Rip— rip--rah! Pink and White! Where is Browning? Out of sight! A careful study of the early years of this remarkable literary, musical and dramatic group, which continued to live and produce until 1956, gives much insight into the late 19th Century social, academic, and cultural conditions of the University and its coeds. The Browning Society was an integral part of the social life of the Ohio State University students in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. It provided the first 45 truly university-wide coeducational social experiences in the form of parties known as "spreads," serious musical and dramatic productions as well as the currently popular humorous "skits" and "farces." The Society profoundly raised the cultural level of the university life by means of professional productions of Shakespearian plays enacted by an all-female cast. Due to its place of honor among students, parents, faculty, trustees and townspeople, the Society became one of the few positive links between the university and the community at large. The Society opened the doors to membership in organi zations such as the Women's Federation of Clubs, the Lantern, and the Makio Board, thus enabling them to become involved in the off-campus as well as the campus political arena. Most important of all. Browning gave the women an outlet for independent, creative and productive experiences. They were able to acquire and put to use leadership skills, compete with their fellow male classmates, and by means of high quality performances gain the respect of the "sterner" sex. The Society was the living example that, given the opportu nity and some encouragement from the university, the coeds were willing and able to perform magnificently. And this they did. How did the remakable group get started: The 1883 Makio described the beginning: 46 One bright autumnal day, when nothing disturbed the calm serenity of the sky, some unknown cause broke the peace and quiet of the 0. S. U. It seemed to be an epidemic among the ladies of the College. It culminated in a general meeting in Professor Orton's room, one noon hour. After this meeting, the infection spread like wild-fire, and nearly every young lady was attacked, and after a result similar to the last, the astounding announcement was made that there was a Young Ladies' Literary Society at the 0. S. U.12 Thus the society began with twenty-seven charter members, on November 17th, 1882. It was understood that the name of the organization would be changed as soon as a suitable name could be found. The society initially became known as Y. L. S. or the Young Ladies Society. Later in the December 1882 issue of the Lantern it was referred to as Ladies' Literary and Musical Society. In the same issue, in response to criti cism from Alcyone, which had six women among its forty- seven members, the new society justified the necessity for a separate organization: . . . The members can do better work, act more freely, and learn more in their own organiza tion, where they are solely dependent upon them selves and interest and success of everything, than in an old and flourishing society, where they will be on duty only occasionally, and then be rewarded somewhat as visitors who ought to be complimented anyway. For the kind of work they have in mind, they prefer a field where all are equal in ex perience or inexperience, and equally obliged to study, and where if mistakes are made, they must be met fairly, and face to face, before anything else can be done. That discipline tells most.13 47 The coeds proved early that they were serious in their Commitment to the new organization. They held bi-monthly meetings, first at the Alcyone Hall, later in different recitation rooms before returning to the hospitality of Alcyone. "The Society needed two things to make it a com plete success - a name and a room. The first want was not felt so much by the young women themselves but the boys took advantage of it for much ridicule and sport, calling them "Nameless Girls," much to their chagrin."^-4 So a com mittee was appointed to select a name. Largely through the influence of one of the committee members, Miss Olive Branch Jones, who later became the 0. S. U. librarian, the name "Browning Literary Society" was chosen in honor of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The need for a room for the society was met in September, 1885. A room on the fourth floor of the Main Building, pre viously occupied by Professor Smith, was put at their dis posal. The Brownings made an all-out effort to furnish their new hall which according to the following excerpts from the January 22, 1885 issue of the Lantern, was in need of im mediate attention. To those who are wont to wander about the college halls and peep through unlocked doors the scenes in Browning hall may not be unknown, but for others a few particulars--will be necessary. An old table (slipped out of the art room), a few chairs, some of which are old and have broken 48 or deformed limbs and an antiquated curtain are the articles of furniture.-*'5 Regarding the refurnishing of the room, the same issue of the Lantern published these humorous lines taken from " . . . the Brownings' poetry machine." All the "nameless" Browning girls, Short and fat, and slim and tall. Joined in happy combination To get the funds to fix their h a l l . Ceaseless fund-raising efforts of the members and their alumnae paid off. Even the Trustees, after accepting an invitation to a royal feast given by the Society, paid a small sum of money to refurnish their new hall. The hall was "fixed" and the meetings went on. A careful study of the minutes of the meetings in the 1880s and 1890s show that an average of twenty-five meetings per academic year were held by the group. On February 26, 1385, a Lantern reporter complaining that only a third of the student body belonged to literary societies went on to say ". . , the ladies have the only real, active, energetic society."17 As the Society flourished, many refreshingly unique fund-raising social events were sponsored by the group. Prominent city residents including the University Trustees were invited to many such events. Some of the so-called "spreads" were given at the university professors' or president's residences. A Lantern editorial spoke very favorably of the famous 18 8 5 "Oyster 49 Supper" fund raiser given by Browning at the home of Dr. W. H. Scott; Social life at the college has received a new impetus. The social at President Scott's under the auspices of Browning Society, was not only a financial success for them, but it was a benefit in another way to every one who attended. There has always been too little sociability among the students and professors. The class socials of last year were a much needed innovation. Browning has done more yet for social intercourse by giving an entertainment which was not limited to any class or organization. These enter tainments do much to promote better feelings between the students. We hope some other organization will take the matter up and that we have not had the last social of the year. The 1886 "Pink and White Tea,” given at the home of Pro fessor Smith, in honor of Dr. W. H. Scott was the next memorable social event for the Brownings. Among other unique fund-raising occasions in later years was the 1891 "Pumpkin Social." Fund-raising efforts were to become a permanent acti vity of the Society. The funds were needed not only to meet expenses such as purchasing of furniture, costumes, etc., but also to pay a part of the expenses of the "Gab Room." Although the "Gab Room" was the only social gathering place for women on campus, the University did not have a budget for its expenses, thus the various women's organizations found it necessary to raise funds for the upkeep of the room. Toward the end of the century, the Society donated money to 50 the Alumnae funds for the Women's Building Projects. In order to meet expenses, membership dues were set at the high rate of $1.00 per term. An initiation fee of $1.50 and other donations and assessments to pay off bills made it difficult for some self-supporting girls to join the Society. In spite of the financial require ments, one can speculate from the available records, that membership was open to all coeds who maintained an "average" academic and moral standing. Admission requests were voted on by the membership-at-large. Although most requests for membership were accepted, the minutes of meetings reveal some rejections. In a few cases the acceptance was pending on the success of performance on some fund-raising projects. Active mem bership reached fifty in the late 1880s. However, the active membership was limited to about thirty-six in early twentieth century. Officers rotated each term thus providing a better opportunity for gaining leader ship skills. The carefully documented minutes of the meetings of the Browning Society show that in the earlier years in addition to the business aspects, their meetings began with roll call, answered by quotations from Elizabeth Browning, Mark Twain and others. The performance of mu sical arrangements, reports and discussions of current 51 events, and "extemporaries" on various people. Singing college songs and debates on popular topics were also a regular part of the meetings. The following are some of the topics of papers written and read by the members during regular meetings: Coed vs. women's colleges; terms of service of the trustees; urban- rural advantages; necessity of a thesis as a condition for graduation; educational benefit of historical novels; in fluences of Bismarck's life; Americanism in literature; etc. Debate topics also covered a wide range of interests; among them were: the stage is a greater educational factor than the pulpit; colored teachers should be employed to teach white children; intercollegiate football; a scientific course has more advantages than a purely literary one; the constitution of U.S. should be amended to allow direct vote for senators; natives of the islands feel better in coffee sacking than in civilized clothes. All literary societies were supposed to have an equal representation on the Editorial Board of the Lantern in accordance with the policies governing that publication. The Lantern, in its May 1883 issue, pointed out that "This gives the Ladies’ Literary an equal portion of the honors and profits of the college journal."19 Also, the "honors" were distributed very much as they had been in the coedu cational literary societies. Browning women as a rule were 52 literary and social editors. The position of the editor- in chief and that of the financial manager remained as a matter of course with the "sterner" sex. One exception occurred about a decade later when, in 1892, Kathrine Mor- hart became editor-in chief. 2 0 After that it was a quarter of a century before another woman was appointed to this post-membership on the Lantern editorial staff, however gave the coeds some political power as is evident in the following notes from the minutes of the meetings of the Society in 1898-1900: A communication from Townshend Literary Society was read begging us to give our consent to their having a representative upon the Lantern Board. The above was given and they were no tified of the same.21 The Society was incorporated in 1898 and the name was changed to the Browning Dramatic Society in 1908. The group became a Shakespearean enterprise devoting a great deal of energy to producing annually one main Shakes pearean play, in which women played all parts, male and female. This presentation became a part of the June graduation ceremonies. Although much time and effort was put in the very professional production of these plays, records show that no university credit was given to the participants until 1911. In reply to a letter of inquiry about the status of dramatics on campus, President Thompson wrote in May 1912: 53 The Browning Literary Society, a girls' organ ization, presents each year a Shakespearean play out of doors, giving two performances; the second is a part of the commencement week program. Last year, upon petition, one hour credit was given for the work in this particu lar play, but that was the first time any such credit had been given and it is not the rule.22 0. S. U. student literature of the 19th Century is full of news and events made and sponsored by the Brown ings. These included strictly social events, athletic meets, sponsoring feminist speakers, musical productions, on and off campus literary debates, and even the Crowning of the first May Queen at 0. S. U. In the 1890 Makio, the Browning historial responded to other societies’ attempts to recruit members from Browning: . . . each loyal member will shout to her dying day, Hi, Ohi Hi, Oh! Browning, Browning 1 Stand back Alcyone Back Horton] Browning, Browning We are the front!23 and front they were and remained even after a rival society was formed. After twelve years of the unrivaled reign of the Browning Society, Philomathean Literary Society was es tablished on November 16, 1894. The 1894 issue of the Makio spoke about the beginnings of Philomathean Society: 54 One bright morning a rumor, somehow, was circulated abroad that a new literary society was coming to College. "What is it? Who are they? How many members?" These were a few of the many questions asked. Such a report created not a little comment, and groups of twos and threes were seen talking over the matter confi dentially, at least among the young ladies. However, the surprise lasted only a few days. On the 16th of November, 1894, Philomathean Literary Society announced herself at College, with four charter members. She had intended to slip quietly in and make a place for herself, but withal, she aroused some excitement. Some were glad? some were sad; some thought she was a good thing; some thought she was a little upstart and would soon fizzle. At all events, she came. She came, she is still here and she is going to stay.^4 The same article gave a brief description of the first reception given by the "Philo" members in which the faculty, students, and members of the other literary societies showed a great deal of interest and support. The writer ended the article with these remarks: In the meantime her number has increased to thirteen, all of whom are enthusiastic workers, and such as make the work of a literary society what it should be. She hopes to be vigorous though not antagonistic rival of her sister society, Browning. Her aim is the highest intellectual development, and her motto is Vestigia_nulla_retrorsum.^5 Regarding the rivalry between the two sister societies the December 20, 1899 issue of the Lantern, under the heading "The Contest for Supremacy" gave the following information: 55 That much rivalry exists between the two girls literaries is well known. To be sure it has not the vehemence and violence that charac terize the mens’ societies, but at the same time it is quite as bitter (in a well-bred way) and as hot. The last manifestation of it that we have had was the presenting of plays in chapel on two consecutive Friday evenings by Browning and Philomathean, re spectively. As the nature of the two plays would positively admit of no camparison, the issue as to which society is the better is still undecided. Now we hear that picked teams from both societies will play an open game in the gym, in the near future. (What joy for the boys.) There is excellent material in each of the societies for a fine team and with their surplus enthusiasm we may hope (if President Thompson consents) to see the fiercest basket ball game ever played in the 0. S. U. gym. Now, if this doesn't decide the momentous issue, they have hit upon another method. That is a contest in chapel such as the Horton- Alcyone contest every year. The contest would consist of an essay, story, oration and debate. We sincerely hope that at least one of the methods will not end in talk for not only do such contests create interest among the entire college world, but they also stimu- 25 late the girls to greater efforts and enthusiasm. It is not clear from the records if such a contest ever took place. However, regarding literary and oratori cal contests, it is clear that from the first year of the establishment of the women's literary organization, coeds participated in campus contests. In 188 3, one such event was presided over by Professor S.C. Derby. On this oc casion, a freshman girl, Clara Fisher, read an essay en- titled "Womanhood." ? 7 At times, the Browning girls parti cipated in the campus oratorical contests. On January 21, 1891, Kathrine 'Kate" E. Morhart, a member of this society, after winning the campus oratorical contest, represented the university in the state contest and won that also - the first time in O. S. U. 's history that the university had won a state oratorical contest. On February 19th she was sent to Des Moines, Iowa, to repre sent O. S. U. in the inter-state contest. In the latter event she was awarded 6 th place. On March 6 , 1891, a Lantern editorial described the State Contest and gave much praise to Miss Morhart: The State Oratorical Contest has come and gone and the Ohio State University, for the first time in her history is the winner. The University, through the efforts of her orator, has done herself proud in this contest and can well be congratulated on the result. We shall have the proud distinction of representing Ohio at Des Moines, Iowa, and of sending the first lady who has ever repre sented a State in an Inter-State Contest. The contest was one of the best ever held in the history of the Association. The decision of the judges gave universal satisfaction. Too much praise cannot be given our orator for the great honor that has been brought to the University. The benefits accruing from this great victory will be many. The standing of the University in Oratory has been steadily advancing: this last contest has put us among the fore most of Ohio's Colleges. It will doubtless do much to dispel the many unfavorable notions prevalent through the State, that O. S. U. is nothing more than a technical school and takes no interest in the classics, literature and oratory. 57 The ladies, too, are to be congratulated on the result of this contest. Hitherto it has always been said ‘'that a lady is a use less person at a State contest and cannot possibly be a winner," but our lady orator has effectually and forever proved the contrary.2 8 In 1892 Kathrine Morhart became the first female Editor-in-Chief of the Lantern, as remarked above, " . . . quite an honor to be bestowed upon a young woman. She performed the duties of this office, as she did everything which fell to her lot, faithfully and well. The name of the weekly newspaper was changed to Wahoo and the paper became a semi-weekly. According to a Lantern article issued in August 16, 1918, the reason for the change of name under Morhart was to revolutionize the paper which was under criticism of becoming increasingly dry and uninteresting. "The Alumni arose in opposition and de manded the restoration of the old n a m e . Wahoo lived for 20 issues. It is interesting to note that Wahoo did not reserve a special section for exclusive news about and for the coeds as had been done in several years in the past. In 1892 Morhart was elected to the presidency of the senior class, the second time since the establishment of O. S. U. that a coed was elected to this office.^ 58 Dramatics, Fraternities and Other Activities Although women made their way rather early into oratorical competition, their entry into dramatic pro ductions did not come so easily or so early. The Ohio State University Dramatic Club, (later renamed the Strollers), organized in 1892, had good reasons not to involve the coeds in the club. At least it seemed to be so, nearly sixty years later, when the founder of the Dramatic Club reminisced about its early years: . . . One of the unique features of that day, and one which we thought would make a hit with the public was the decision of the directors that all the female parts were'to be played by the male members of the Dramatic Club . . . There were mighty few girls in college then on whom we might have called. Not more than a dozen all told. And they were much more serious about their studies than we boys."^ In point of fact, in 1892 there were a dozen plus one hundred women students, not just a dozen. Furthermore, the Brownings had already been producing skits and farces for most of a decade. In a few years, 1896 to be exact, the Dramatic Club must have changed its policies. In that year, three women acted in a spring production of the Club. The Lantern for April 15, 1896 announced that the Club would produce David Garrick with a farce "who's who1' as a curtain raiser. The article disclosed a "notable deviation" in campus dramatics: 59 Young women will take the ladies's in David Garrick for the first time, but tradition will be maintained by having men appear as women in the curtain raiser.33 Dance music and dancing were of interst to students from the earliest days. Three of the first enrollees, one of them Arthur B. Townshend, the only brother of the Townshend sisters, formed an impromptu fiddling trio. Alice Townshend (later Mrs. Charles M. Wing) wrote, many years later: This aggregation produced ravishing music, and there were many impromptu dances in the large room on the fourth floor after the last class was over at 4 O'clock, when we were sure Dr. Orton had left for his home. Friday night was the regular time for serenading the girls in the neighborhood.34 A direct outgrowth of the students’ desire to dance socially was the creation of Terpsichore Club in 1886. Meetings were held at the homes of the members, because of the long-standing rule which barred dancing on campus. A graduating member of Terpsichore described a gathering in the June 28, 1896 issue of the Lantern: The Music, furnished by the Barracks Band, was excellent, and midnight came all too soon. Then refreshments were served on the spacious balcony, surrounded by beautiful flowers and vines, and lighted by the many-hued Japanese lanterns. Dancing was resumed after refreshments, but as the evening's programme drew to a close, a sadness fell like a veil about us. The thought of parting, of severing forever our connection with Terpsichore was too much.35 60 The cartoon and the poem in appendix C are interesting commentaries on the Terpsichore. In the 1880s and 90s off-campus social events - fra ternity and non-fraternity parties, both formal and in formal - were rather common for the more socially-oriented urban students. The Lantern as a rule devoted a small section to the mention of such events. But not all students could avail themselves of these social opportuni ties. Robert D. Mershon, who became later one of the university's most generous benefactors, wrote to his mother on October 26, 1887 revealing some information about one of the so-called informal parties: . . . I received today an invitation from Lillie Gill to a 'very informal' company at her house (Friday night.) From what I hear, it will not be 'very informal'. I shall send my regrets, for three reasons; first, I have not the time to spare; second, I have no dress-suit; third, I have no company and no money to hire a hack if I had company.3 6 Apparently, some out-of-town coeds had the opportunity for cansual social occasions in their boarding houses. One such a girl, Annie Morrev, in a letter dated October 23, 1892, wrote her mother a warm account of an evening spent with her roommate and two "gentlemen friends", "... two young gentlemen came for Norma and me. We had a lovely time - refreshments - grapes, pears and bananas. We played Old Maid with cards, and Casino (regular cards). A lovely 61 time "37 There were always all-female social gatherings, but other events for the girls normally required the company of a "gentleman friend." In the later 1890s, however, the student literature indicated that some of the coeds attended in-town social events without a male escort. One such event was the topic of an article in the November 27, 1895 issue of the Lantern. The writer, who may have been a woman, admired the independence shown by fifteen to twenty-five O, S. U. coeds who attended a theatrical per formance in down town Columbus together but without "gentle men escorts." The writer praised the courage of those members of a H . . . much abused class of beings. Shortly before the 90s began, the first women's fra ternities widened the horizons of some coeds' social life. On October 12, 1888, Beta Nu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma fraternity for women was established on the O. S. U. campus. The last decade of the 19th Century witnessed the birth of three more Greek Letter fraternities for women. The follow ing facts are taken from the 1899 issue of the Makio: Name of Fraternity Year of Establishment Active members Kappa Kappa Gamma October 12, 1888 17 Kappa Alpha Theta May 2 4, 18 92 10 Pi Betta Phi April 5, 1895 13 Delta Delta Delta March 30, 1896 11 62 The birth of the "Thetas" in 1892 started a keen competition between this fraternity and the already es tablished "Kappas." The Makio in 1899 poked fun at the competition in parallel mock-serious articles, "How the Kappas Rush" and "How the Thetas Rush." First the Kappas; . . . Our fraternity at large is considered the best in the country, and we have Chapters in all of the leading schools and seminaries. At the 0. S. u. we donot strive to woo and win the boys as do all the Thetas, although we keep company with a large number of the thoroughly nice boys. We are all congenial, and I have never known of a fuss within our midst. Now, the Thetas they have got a small membership, because they cannot get any one to join. Ours is not a family affair either, as is the Thetas, and neither is it ruled by some of the boys' frats. Now look how the Thetas were bossed around by those snide Betas. They voted to have their picture in the "Makio," and the Betas made them take it out. If you join us you can move in our Chapter house, and I can assure you the expense will not be great.4® On the next column, the Thetas: . . . the Thetas are the only people. They win all the boys and are the three hundred and ninety-nine of college. Look at us for a moment. There's Kate, who has more fellows than all the Kappas put together, and we have others just like her. We are all winners. In the East our Chapters are the best. Again, there were more Thetas married last year than any other frat. girls. Oh, yes I we give nice parties, and they are too lovely for any use; much nicer than the Kappas. For beauty we Thetas can't be beat. All beautiful - all queens. The Kappas are more for quantity than quality, and have got so many they don't all know each other. 63 I suppose you have heard of our trouble with the Makio? Well, it was this way. The boys who published the book were not as good as they ought to be, at least so our friends the Betas said, so we took our picture out of the book. Wasn't that right? The Betas are our best friends, and we have got to work them some way. I tell you we have got THE frat at O. S. U. and you can make no mistake by becoming a Theta. "Have a chew of g u m ."41 In the class of 1399, eight out of the twelve graduat ing coeds belonged to a fraternity. jt is interesting to note that the three out-of-town girls were all members of a fraternity. It is apparent that the freshmen, sopho mores, and juniors were well represented in all the fraternities. This marks the beginning of the rapid growth of girls' fraternities which soon came to be called "sororities.” Outside of the social life, which was very important to many members, there was one real advantage for the women who joined these early fraternities; the oppor tunity to serve on the board of the Makio. From the be ginning, the Makio had been published jointly by members of fraternities, which originally were for men only. Just as had been the case with the Lantern, which was immediately open to representatives of the Browning Literary Society, so the Makio was open to the Kappas. The women's extra curricular involvements were not limited only to social activities. Although a strong evangelical religious organization did not exist on campus, 64 the coeds maintained some degree of spiritual awareness by participating in the activities of a Bible Club and a missionary society with small membership. They also established in 1890 a campus circle of the Order of the King’s Daughters, whose stated objective was "The spiritual welfare of all college girls and to foster among them the spirit of kindness and thoughtfulness"4^ Weekly meetings were held and at every alternate meeting Bible study groups organized. The Lantern had regular write-ups on the activities of this group throughout the 1890s. In the 1896 University Catalogue, there is a brief mention of the King's Daughters. , . it includes in its membership a majority of women attending the university" . 44 There was a close relationship between the King's Daughters and others supporting the formation of a Y.M.C.A. in the city and on campus. The February 17, 1883 issue of the Lantern reported: The King’s Daughters have been fortunate in having Miss Palmer with them. She occupied the time of the usual meeting last week with a very interesting talk on the different kinds of college girls. Meetings have been held in the Y.M.C.A. building down town for the purpose of organizing a branch of the Y.W.C.A. in the city. This is a work in which the King's Daughters are interested, _ and some of the members attended the meeting. But fifteen years later, in December 1898 President Can field, in a letter replying to a woman who had criticized the lack of a strong Y.W.C.A. on campus, explained that: 65 I doubt if there are more than thirty or forty young women here today from outside of the city/ and most if not all of these have immediately fitted themselves into their respective church circles and church work in the city . . . the necessity or desirability of an active working organ ization on strict evangelical lines has not been felt here. He went on to say that he did not think that the conditions should be disturbed. ". . .to disturb them might do positive injury.n^6 Then in a lengthy discussion he explains that there is a very close relationship between the King’s Daughters' activities and those of the Y.W.C.A. . . . Members of the Y.W.C.A. have become members of the King's Daughters Cirlce of the Y.W.C.A. and King's Daughters have be come members of the Y.W.C.A./ making a circle within the organization. This circle, of course co-operates with both the organizations in their respective lines of work. This Y.W.C.A. circle belongs to the county union of the King's Daughters and sons.47 About six years later, a branch of Y.W.C.A. was finally established on campus, and took over and expanded on the activities of the King's Daughters, which had been the largest women's group on the campus: They helped new girls get situated in boarding houses, brought women to campus to speak on social work and other secular topics, as well as on religion, and raised funds to improve campus physical facilities for women. 66 Outside of the clubs exclusively for women, the 0. S. U. women were active to some degree in the following 19th Century coeducational organizations on campus: Alcyone and Horton Literary Societies, Sketch Club, Political Science Club, Wheaton Club (Ornithological,) Biological Club, Dance Club, Terpsichore Missionary Society, Chemical Association, Lawn Tennis Club, Philosophical Society, Mathe matical Society, Prohibition Club, Newman Club (literary club for catholic students,) the Alumnae Association, the University Student Senate, Literary Union, Oratorical Association, and Makio and Lantern Board of Editors. (Law and engineering organizations however, were strictly off- limit to the coeds.) A study of the Makio1s lists of exe cutives of these societies shows that women held the positions of the secretary or historian of the organization. Occasionally a female vice-president was noted, but the positions of the financial manager and president were almost always held by the "sterner sex." However, the fact that two women became class presidents and that these were about a half dozen women who held top executive posts in the 19th Century coeducational organizations does indicate that there were no set rules to prohibit women from holding such positions. The 19th Century coeds not only actively participated in the majority of the University's social and intellectual functions but they also originated a few activities which 67 became traditions on campus. The most colorful of these traditions was the "May Day." The May, 1884 issue of the Lantern contains an article vividly describing the cele bration of the first May Day on campus. The celebration was, it says, ". . . planned, concocted, devised, and carried out by the young ladies of 0. S. U.” The ostensi ble purpose of this event was to celebrate the coming of May but . . in reality, this was an expression of their desire to do something. The boys have their base ball, their target practice, their — what haven't they? — but the girls -- this under the rose, but the scheme was, to a great extent, the substance of their inward yearning — to yellI Yes, ye pampered sons of freedom, to yellI And A O they yelled. " ^ 0 The picnic lunch and the ceremonies cul minated in the crowning of the first May Queen, Annie Sabine, later Mrs. Wilbur H. Siebert. Regarding the over-all balance of rights and privileges for men and for women, this balance was probably no better achieved on the O.S.U. campus than elsewhere in late-nine- teenth Century America. The available campus literature indicate that although the trustees, the faculty and the male students at 0. S. U. had a cordial relationship with the coeds, the women were not immune to stereotypical treat ment imposed on them by the male dominated campus. At times, the chauvanistic attitudes seemed to be in women's favor. For example, the following proclamation was issued by the 68 Trustees in September 15, 1897 Lantern: From the Executive Office The passenger elevator is intended by Board of Trustees primarily for the use of the young women. They are to have precedence in its use at all times and under all circumstances. Other students may use the elevator only when there is ample room without in terfering in its use by the young w o m e n . 49 The Trustees, apparently, were also concerned about protecting the integrity of the young ladies. The minutes of the June 10, 189 5 Board meeting read: Resolved, that the trustees unqualifiedly condemn all low and indecent personal references in the issues of the Makio, especially those to lady students in the present number, and we recommend to the faculty whatever discipline of the parties guilty of good faith and good breeding as in its judgement may be deemed they deserve. ” 50 Review of the 1895 Makio does not reveal, by present day standards, any "low and indecent" remark about women students. Perhaps it is because we may not now fully appreciate the humor of the jokes written and the sketches drawn at that time (see appendix C). By another chauvin istic decision, which was made for "good of the women," some women lost. A faculty committee in charge of investigating "mixed" boarding houses in 1879, made the decision that women may not live in such houses and further urged the President to meet with the women students and show them the ". . . indelicacy and peril to at least their maindenly 69 good name, of receiving young men's visits in their 51 private rooms, and the faculty's utter disapproval of it. Because of this decision, many women were unable to attend college as it was extremely difficult to find approved all female boarding house.^ In the last quarter of the Century, the suffragette movement was rarely in evidence on the O. S. U. campus. There was a great deal of caution attached to occasional announcements made by the faculty or students about lectures given by feminists. For example, the Lantern for November 23, 1888, urged the readers to go to the lecture to be given by Julia Ward Howe, a well known feminist, under the auspices of the Browning Society, speaking of Mrs. Howe as "A woman - suffrage woman . . . an activist for the cause of women but one who has never lost her sweet womanliness of charac ter. " 53 Few Women on campus were daring enough to openly take part in feminist activities. One daring woman in the May, 1881 issue of the Lantern severly criticized an editorial which had belittled women's intellectual capabilities. She wrote that the editor's remarks were "... supremely con ceited . . especially when I remember that you are attending a school where it has long been an acknowledged fact that the standing of 'the article for domestic purposes' is as high if not higher than that of what you are pleased to call 70 the sterner sex." She finished the article with the following remarks: "Woman, yes even gentle, delicate woman . . . will succeed in her plans, — triumph over Man the voter, Man the great thinker, Man the editor." Signed "Eve. " 54 In a reply to this letter, the editor wrote an essay replete with cliches classing "Eve" as the "blue stocking type" who seek the "advancement of their intellect in pre ference to their womanhood. The editor then summed up his arguments: "We are glad to be able to state that Eve is neither a representative of the young ladies of our college, C C nor any type of the vast majority of women. All evidence shows that the editor was correct in stating that "Eve" was not among the majority. A fair summation of the status of the 19th Century O. S. U. coeds is that, for all practical purposes, the professional schools were closed to them; opportunities for social leadership in coeducational organizations were minimal; courses of study suitable to their needs few; university employment marginal; and appropriate physical facilities left almost entirely to the women's own resource fulness. The all male Board of Trustees, the faculty which was overwhelmingly male, and the male students were always enthusiastic audiences, admiring the beauty and creative talents of the coeds. However, very seldom did the Board, the faculty or the men students voice true concern over the inequities that women were subjected to. 71 NOTES CHAPTER III President Orton also served as Professor of Geology; President William Q. Scott also served as Professor of Philosophy and Political Economy. 2 Tenth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the Year Ending June 30, 1880 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1880), Annual Report of the President, P. 16. Note that the Annual Reports began in 1870 thus Orton's seventh report coincides with the tenth report of the trustees. ^John Howard Galbraith, "Prexis I Have Known," The Ohio State University Monthly, V (January, 1914), 8 . 4 Ohio State University Lantern, January, 1881, P. 1. 5 Ibid., P. 1. g William A. Kennison, Building Sullivant's Pyramid. An Administrative History of The Ohio State University, 1870- 1907 (Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1970), P. 124. ^Ohio State University Makio, 1880, P. 10. g J.F. McFadden, "The Earliest Days," The Ohio State University Monthly, XIV, 10 (July, 1923), P. 51. On page ten and eleven of the 1830 Makio, one finds a different date for the name change from Deshler to Alcyone. According to this account the society continued to be called ''Deshler" until shortly before the dedication of her new hall in May 21, 1875. The following is a possible explanation of the origin of the name Alcyone: Alcyone or Halcyone, in Greek mythology was changed by the Gods together with her husband into a pair of king fishers. The winds were commanded not to blow during their brooding time for fourteen days hence the expression "halcyon days" to denote a period of calm. C.F. Ovid, Metamorphosis, XI 410 F.F. 72 Q The 1883 Makio listed the names of Alice Williams and Carrie Mendenhall among the founders of Horton Society. Miss Williams was an instructorand Miss Mendenhall held an assistantship. ^Qphio State University Lantern, February 1881. 11Makio, 1882, P. 24. l^Makio T 1883, p. 33. ^ Lantern, December, 1882 , P. 1. 14Lantern, February 7, 1906, P. 4. ^Lantern, January 22, 1885 , P. 2. 16 Ibid., P. 2. ^ Lantern, February 26 , 1885, P. 1. ^ Lantern, January 22 , 1885, P, 3. ^ Lantern, May, 1883, P. 2. 20in 1891, Miss Morhart won the state oratorical contest, the first such victory in O. S. U.'s history. In 1892 she was elected to the presidency of the senior class. ^Browning Literary Society Minutes, 1898-1900, minutes of the meeting of November 14, 1898. Record Group 44/1/A, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 73 22William Oxley Thompson Papers, General Corre spondence, 1911-1912. Record Group 3/e/ll, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 23Makio, 1890, P. 64. 24Makio, 1894, P. 82. 2 5 Ibid., P. 82. 26Lantern, December 20, 1899, P. 2. 27Invitation entitled "Freshman-Sophomore Literary Contest", Ohio State University, June 8 th, 1883. Private Collection. 2 8Lantern, March 6 , 1891, P. 1. 2 9 Lantern, June 2, 1892. 3 0 Lantern, August 16, 1918, P. 4. 33-The first woman to become the president of a senior class at O. S. U. was Alice Townshend who was elected in 1880. ^Letter from Earnest K. Culter to the Strollers, September 26, 1951, Record Group 44/5/1, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. ^Lantern, April 15, 1896, P. 2. The Dramatic Club, later called Strollers, officially accepted women as members in 1901, however, as early as 1896, there are women listed as former members in the Club's alumni list. See Record Group 44/5/1, O. S. U. Archives. 34"Forty Years of Achievement," The Ohio State University Quarterly, IV, (July, 1913), 49. ^ Lantern, June 23, 1396, P. unknown. ^Letter from Robert D. Mershon to his mother, October 26, 1887, Mershon R. D. college letters, Thomson Papers, Record Group 3/e/26, O. S. U. Archives. ^Letter from Annie Morrey to her mother, October 23, 1892, Charles Morrey Papers, Record Group RG 40/3/1, 0. S. U. Archives. ^Lantern, November 27, 1895, P. 5. 39Makio, 1899, PP. 162, 170, 186, 198. 4 0 Ibid., P. 210. 4 1 Ibid., P. 210. 4^See appendix A. 43The Ohio State University. Catalog, 1895-1896 Columbus: The Ohio State University), 1896, P. 38. 4 4 Ibid., P. 38. 4 ^Lantern, February 17 , 1883, P. 5. 4^The Canfield Papers, 1898, book No. 8 , P. 402. Record Group 3/d/5. 47Ibid., P. 403. 75 ^ Lantern, May 1384, P. 1. ^Lanterr, September 15, 1897, P. 3. ^ Record of Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University, from November, 1890 to June, 1900, minutes of the meeting of June 10, 1895, P. 203. 51Faculty Record, I, 1873-1882, Meeting of September 24, 1879, P. 198. O. S. U. Archives. 52See Appendix B, a letter from Perla Bowman to the Board of Trustees regarding the housing of the coeds in the 1890's at O. S. U. Also a letter written by Annie Morrey discussing, in part, her room and board in the early 1890's. ^ Lantern, November 23, 1888 , P. 1. 5 4 Lantern, May, 1881, P. 3. 5 5 Ibid., P. 2. 5 6 Ibid., P. 2. CHAPTER IV NEW OPPORTUNITIES UNDER PRESIDENT CANFIELD President William H. Scott had accepted the office of presidency at O.S.U. in 1883 "with the tacit understanding that he would retire to the chair of philosophy which he much preferred.During the decade prior to the election of Scott's successor, James H. Canfield, in 1894, from time to time the Trustees had reviewed the question of a suitable man for the office of presidency. Scott had submitted his resignation several times but to no avail. A large number of distinguished men had been consid ered for the office and contacted by the Board prior to Canfield's election; among them were: Dr. Washington Gladden, a liberal theologian; William DeW. Hyde, President of Bowdoin College; Thomas C. Mendenhall of the original faculty of O.S.U.; Merrill E. Gates, President of Amherst; and Woodrow Wilson, then a Professor at Princeton. All of the above mentioned either turned down the offer, or did not respond to the O.S.U. Trustees after the initial con tact made by them. Among the points frequently questioned was the $3,000 ceiling set by the Ohio legislators on the Presi dent's salary. The instability of tenure in the office, 76 77 President's lack of power in the appointment of faculty, and his lack of power to determine general university policy were among the chief concerns. Another negative point mentioned by some candidates was the role of President as Chaplain. The absence of deans and the problem of salaries fixed by trustees at will but altered by legislatures also seemed to be of concern. Last, but not least, the in fighting of the various political and social factions among the legislators, trustees, and the faculty, discouraged even the most optimistic of the candidates. For example, after the initial contact by the Trustees, Dr. Wilson who had shown interest in college administration, had indicated 2 to Dr. Ethelbert Dudley Warfield, President of Lafayette College, that "the conditions offered at Ohio State failed to provide the scope of action which he wanted to carry out 3 his views about university administration." Difficulties of choosing a successor to Scott are highlighted by the observation made by Hayes, President of the Board of Trustees in 1894: "We are looking for a man of fine appearance, of commanding presence, one who will impress the public; he must be a fine speaker at public assemblies; he must be a great scholar and a great teacher; he must be a preacher, also, as some think; he must be a man of winning manners; he must have tact so that he can get along with and govern the faculty; he must be a great 78 4 administrator. Gentlemen, there is no such man." James Hulme Canfield, an Ohioan serving as the Chan cellor of the University of Nebraska,- who had made a name there as an organizer and leader, seemed to have several of the above mentioned qualities. Although President Eliot of Harvard had described Canfield as "what people call 5 breezy m manner and sometimes in matter," he had recom mended him highly, indicating that he had an excellent edu cation, was an experienced teacher and administrator, a ready worker, a good speaker, and "... a decidedly vig- £ orous person in all respects." On July 12, 1894, he was offered t he position by the O.S.U. Trustees, which he declined. After nine months of correspondence with Alexis Cope, the secretary of the Board, Canfield accepted the second offer. From this correspondence it is evident that he was deeply concerned about the Ohio State University concept of the role of the President. He also questioned the univer sity's commitment to recruit a strong teaching force, to maintain a balanced industrial and liberal program, and to provide equal opportunity for all the citizens to enroll. He was concerned about the university's view of the concept of the state university as the head of the state educa tional system. Canfield also asked Mr. Cope: Are you an institution thoroughly and heartily committed to co-education in the broadest and truest sense of the word? Is 79 the sex line to be left out except in the cloak room? And do people of the State favor this, sincerely and without cant on the one side or doubt and hesitation on the other.^ Alexis Cope answered Canfield's questions one by one, always in a reassuring and positive manner. The answer to the question on co-education was brief: The University is heartily committed to co education. The State law opens its doors equal ly to both sexes, and the sentiment of the Trus tees and faculty cordially sustains the law.8 For another quarter of a century the "cordial sustainment" of the law was the extent of support that co-education received at The Ohio State University. After his acceptance of the presidency, Canfield continued his correspondence with Cope. He wrote sugges tions and proposals for the reorganization of the univer sity's administration. Cope, in a lengthy letter, April 25, 1895, cautioned him about rocking the boat. He had already intimated to Canfield that due to the weak position of Scott, for over a decade faculty had been without a vigorous leader and would resent strong presidential leadership. In regard to the Trustees he had cautioned, "the Board of Trustees is absolute master of the situation and would quickly resent any dictation from any quarter. This answers the inquiry whether anyone holds his 'place' through 'influence' and cannot be removed at their pleas ure . " 9 80 In the same letter, Cope suggested that " * . . would it not be better to leave all or most of the matters to be arranged by mutual understanding after you come on the ground?"^ To this letter Canfield replied: I am not a revolutionist, but an evolutionist, and an earnest believer in sound growth, rather than forcing and so am entirely ready to take things as I find them. It would we positively discourteous not to try carefully and faithfully all that has been so carefully planned in the past and still exists. I have no thought of anything else,— and if I suggested anything else except as a mere suggestion, where the course seems very desirable and the way clear— under stand that it is a temporary aberration. Canfield, however, had professed in a previous letter that "I simply cannot endure stagnation; and could not stay here [Nebraska] or elsewhere unless there were conditions of growth."12 Canfield’s activities as a professor at the Univer sity of Kansas, as secretary and as President of NEA, as Chancellor at Nebraska, substantiate this assertion. The man never stopped working for the present and planning for the future. In 1896 he wrote "... while keeping in mind the Ohio of 1896, we must have an eye for Ohio in 1996 and 2996, if you please.Apparently he did not understand, or perhaps, chose not to accept the full force of Cope’s suggestion. A growing opposition among the faculty, trustees, and legislatrors, made it difficult for Canfield to carry out his many innovative programs. His advocacy of women's rights was simply one of the 81 problems in the quarrel. But his service to the education of women was continuous and never weakened. Canfield's contributions to women of Ohio in general and the O.S.U. coeds in particular, were many, both short and long-range. They contributed to broad education for women in general, to practical training for women in par ticular, and to concern and improvement of physical facil ities for coeds. He was the first president at O.S.U. to concern himself with the question of female faculty employ ment on campus and make his views of women's rights public. One of the greatest contributions of Canfield to the University in general and to the coeds in particular, was his untiring effort to establish a department of pedagogy. Although such a department had been requested by both Q. Scott and W. H. Scott, it did not materialize until 1897. In a letter to a woman inquiring about pedagogy, Canfield replied: "The teachers of this State with the great est University, have worked for a state normal school for 14 forty years— without making the slightest headway." He then suggested to the women to ask "why" from Mr. E. E. White, Commissioner of Public Schools. In another letter, marked "strictly confidential," he wrote to Presi dent DeGarmo of Swarthmore College, "This State is woefully behind in the matter of pedagogy. I have in mind a little private venture to get up some interest in this work. I must undertake entirely on my own responsibility— I propose, 82 if possible, to have a short school in pedagogy held at the University next summer.He then wrote a similar letter to Professor James of Harvard asking him to lecture in the summer session. A letter also was sent to G. Stanley Hall of Clark University. Addressing him "Dear Hall," Can field requested that he teach in the summer term. On Sept. 16, 1896, Canfield had spoken to the student body about the upcoming course in pedagogy. A year later, two months prior to the writing of the letters to James and Hall, a notice appeared in the Lantern: "... Professor Wissler will also have charge of some special work in pedagogy— a new elective provided in that department." 17 In 1897 the Department of Pedagogy was established. Its purpose was not, according to Canfield, "to take the place nor do the work of a Normal School--of which Ohio needs 'several' but to meet a very proper and urgent demand on 18 the part of the teachers of the State." Another course which was established and carried out mostly due to the President's constant efforts was women's physical education. In 1896, the number of women in the physical culture class was estimated at about sixty. In 1898, the numbers had increased to one hundred. The girls did Swedish free hand work; for games, they played hand ball and basketball. On faculty recommendation it was ordered by the Board that upon the completion of the new gymnasium, women students would be required to take "a 83 course in hygiene and physical training, which shall be full time equivalent of the cadet service required of the young men." 19 Men were required to performtwo years of cadet service, one hour daily. In his 1898 annual report to theTrustees, President Canfield wrote briefly about physical training: The selection of a Director of Physical Training, and an Associate for this work with young women, has proved exceedingly wise action. Our students have entered upon these courses eagerly and in telligently. They have been more than willing to submit to wise counsel and to make haste slowly in all that pertains to their physical well-being. Careful physical examinations have been made of a very large number of students of both sexes, and though the work did not begin till the middle of the year the beneficial results of systematic and intelligent training were very visible at its close.20 Dr. C. P. Linhart had been elected director of the gymnas ium since January 1, 1898; the female associate referred to by President Canfield was Miss Stella Elliott. Mr. C. W. Foulk, an assistant in the department of Chemistry and a member of Canfield's opposition camp, in a letter to an O.S.U. Colleague, then on leave, wrote about Miss Elliott: Miss Elliott, a blonde, is female director of the gym. She could be a fine woman and popular if it were not for the fact that she is intimate with the Canfields. They brought her here and she is supposed to be in love with Jim [the President's son].21 In the same letter, regarding the new gymnasium building, Foulk wrote that the building was Canfield's pet and that 84 it was an "architectural monstrosity. It cost thousands of dollars more than it ought from what is in it and as regards its efficiency as a gymnasium - Miss Elliot, the female director and Prexy's especial pet, says it is twenty years behind the times and she could design a better one with her eyes shut." 22 Canfield took special interest in women's gymnasium work and fought hard to keep it going as his correspondence with faculty members clearly shows. In a letter of Sept. 29, 1898, to Professor Bohannan, an influential mem ber of the Canfield opposition, the President insisted that time must be found for women to use the gymnasium: It is not only right, but there is an express order of the Board that time shall be found upon the schedule for the young women at hours when the gumnasium can be at their disposal . . . I would recast the whole schedule if necessary to bring this about— rather than to put these young women out of the gymnasium contrary to the express wish and order of the Board. There is comment enough now about the indifference of the University to Young women. We cannot afford to give pretext for any m o r e . 23 On May 24, 1899, twenty-three days after he had sent his resignation to the Trustees, Canfield wrote to Dr. Linhart that some money left at the end of the year should be shared with Miss Elliott for Swedish apparatus, also a . . . handball court she wants . . . As the young women are required to present themselves for gymnasium work and are so enthusiastic about that work and make such thorough intel ligent and continuous use of the apparatus in such large numbers, I feel that they ought to be favored: not above the boys, of course, but certainly as much as the b o y s .2 4 85 The girls did not disappoint their President. In the May 25, 18 99 issue of The Lantern it was reported that the coeds finished gymnasium work with annual exhibitions, viewed by six hundred spectators. 25 Perhaps the greatest contribution that President Can field made to the University and to the women of Ohio was the conception and instrumentation of a Department of Domes tic Science at Ohio State University. In his 1896-1897 annual report to the Governor of Ohio, he wrote. No educator of high standing, well read in psy chology or pedagogy longer questions the funda mental propositions that women desire, deserve, appreciate and are strengthened by higher educa tion . . . But with the acceptance of the educ- cation of women, and of the higher education of women, and of co-education, we have very general ly gone to the other extreme— and insisted that women are to have education identical with that offered men . . . It ought to be a source of pride and gratification to Ohio that its own University has so soon, so clearly, and so defin itely set itself along a higher and better way . . . The Ohio state University has prepared a course in Domestic Science which is believed to be unique in form and of inestimable value . . . It combines broad and generous training for general culture with special preparation for the probable work of life." The faculty records, College of Agriculture and Domes tic Science, show that a year before, at the May 11, 1896 meeting: Dean Hunt stated that in pursuance with the action of the Trustees of the University two courses in Domestic Science had been arranged. One a short course of two years, the other a four- year course. . . . It was moved and carried that the requirements for entrance to the short course be the same as the entrance requirements for the 86 short course in agriculture. . . . Moved and car ried that the requirements for the four-year course in Domestic Science be the same as the require ments for the four-year course in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. ° Eight days later, on May 19, at the meeting of the Board of Trustees: A department of domestic economy was created and assigned to the College of Agriculture, said Col lege to be known as the College of Agriculture and Domestic Science. On the recommendation of President Canfield, Mrs. Nellie S. Kedzie (Jones) was elected Associate Professor of Domestic Science, at a salary of $1,600, with a year's leave of absence if necessary.^ Mrs. Kedzie, an instructor of domestic science at Kansas State University, after several meetings and a good deal of correspondence, declined the offer. Years later she re called her encounter with President Canfield: He [Canfield] would give me a full professor's salary for a 'year if I would give him one month of speaking at Farmers * Institutes and then take the other eleven months to write a text book to use in my classes which would be organized at the end of my first year. ********* My own decision was that the Home Making class work was not well enough organized to put into print . . . nor was it closely enough woven into college curricula to know how much chemistry, physics, entomology, and perhaps some other sub jects should be asked to help make it a real "must" course for every college w o m a n .28 Mrs. Kedzie1s recollection of the reasons for the decision is somewhat at variance with the evidence contained in the President's correspondence. On May 29, 189 6, Canfield wrote to Mrs. Kedzie, evi dently responding to some requests made by her: 87 The title of Associate Professor here does not mean that there is anyone above you, but simply indicates that the chair does not yet re ceive the salary of a full professor. . . . I think the Board will be perfectly willing to grant you at once a full professor's title if this is to you an important matter. Our full professor's salary is twenty-two hundred and fifty dollars per annum. This salary (and this title generally) is reserved for those who have been in our service for some years . . . I must say frankly that I presume that it will be some years before the Board would attach to this work the salary of a full professor. Just how many years and under wha£„ conditions this will come of course I cannot tell. Mrs. Kedzie may have seen the work as too great an undertak ing for one person and this may have influenced her decision. Prior to the offer to Mrs. Kedzie, Canfield had con tacted several other prominent women in the then new Home Economic movement. One of the women he seriously considered for the position was Isabel Bevier. The following is her account of the interchange: Professor Canfield of Ohio State had written asking me if I would start a department of house hold science or something of the kind at Ohio State. I wrote him that if he was willing to begin in a small way until we could find out what we really could do and wanted to do, I would be glad to do it; but if he wanted a large and spec tacular work in the beginning, I should not under take it. He wrote back that by my own confession I was not prepared. After several unsuccessful contacts, in 1897, Canfield found the woman who successfully wrote the curriculum, organ ized the department, and coordinated the entire project to everyone's satisfaction. Perla G. Bowman became the Assoc iate Professor of Domestic Science with a salary of $1400 88 per year. Canfield wrote Miss Bowman several letters, each several pages long, to suggest the curriculum, etc. He also started laying the ground work for the success of the course. In May and June, 1897, he had several meetings with the "young ladies," about the Domestic Science course to be offered the following year. One hour of lecture and three hours lab work would be required. He asked them to take the course. The President, almost single-handedly, carried a state-wide campaign promoting the new course and the new department.^ His monumental efforts are documented in many of the pages of his eleven correspondence books that he wrote by hand or typed on the type-writing machine which was the first purchased by O.S.U. He gathered material and produced a pamphlet explaining the goals, the program, and the requirements of the course. He sent the pamphlet and additional information to various women's clubs in Ohio. On December 8, 1898, after she had been teaching at O.S.U. for a little more than a year, he wrote a letter to Miss Bowman suggesting that she accept the offer by the State Federation of Women's Clubs to become the Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Economy: "... it seems to me a position in which you can do a very great deal for your 32 department and for the University." He, then, promised her that he would have paperwork, etc., done for her if she needed help. 89 When first organized, the Domestic Science Department was located in two rooms on the first floor of Hayes Hall. As reported by President Canfield, it had ", . . a large kitchen with dining room adjoining, each fitted with the latest and best appliances for the work undertaken.” About a thousand dollars was expended "to make the department en tirely practical and to permit its instruction to be as thorough and scientific as that of any other department in 33 the University." The program included such courses as chemistry, botany, zoology, physiology, and geology in the basic science area. Courses in foods, home nursing, and shousehold economics were all a part of the original program in the department. In 1899 the department was strengthened by course offerings in the domestic art area which included a study of industrial life, textiles, dress, domestic archi tecture and applied art. Both immediately and for over a decade after its establishment, all involved in the work of Domestic Science found that there was much prejudice against the new depart ment. In his 18 98 report to the Board of Trustees the President defended the program: Those who consider the purpose of the Univer sity to be the establishment of a "cooking school" and our friends the enemy who out of the depth of their ignorance talk about "kitchen mechanics" and "teapot engineers," are about as far from the truth as they could either wander alone or travel by most modern conveyance. There is no course offered young women in this University that makes 90 more strongly or directly for broad general culture than does this. There is every reason to believe that it will become one of the most popular courses in the institution. It will be modified, doubtless, as we gain experience in a somewhat untried field; but it will remain substantially as it is at present as to all fundamental theories and practice. The require ments to enter are practically the results of a good High School training. The general Univer sity work covers Chemistry, Botany, Horticul ture, Physiology, Flori-culture, Economic Ento mology and Hygiene and Physical Training - as to the sciences. There is thorough drill in Rhetoric, in French or German, in English Liter ature, in Political Economy and in History. In the last year, two-thirds of the work is entire ly elective, in any course or college in the University. There can be no more liberal train ing than this.34 Almost a half century later, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, dis tinguished author and daughter of President Canfield, wrote: " . . . He [Canfield] was much criticized— laughed at hearti- 3 5 ly, many times, for his radical and absurd idea . . ." Another lengthy letter written by C. W. Foulk to his absent colleague reveals the nature of this prejudice and how the personality and efforts of Perla Bowman, the first professor in the department, reduced some of the faculty opposition: . . . you may recall the opposition to the Domestic Economy Department and the many remarks that were made about the course. I don't be lieve I ever had such a misunderstanding of a line of work before. I am now one of the great est enthusiasts here for education in domestic economy as I understand its meaning . . . Miss B. hasn't a grain of conceit in her, but she is well into everybody and everything here and gets her share of the plums. I think I can say that by her good sense and willingness to take advice when it is good and diplomatic way of rejecting 91 it when it is had, she has quite won everybody. I recall now numerous expressions to that ef fect from instructors and faculty among whom I will mention Dr. Blilie and Prof. Denny. Lord I believe still says sarcastic things but last fall Miss B- engineered a lecture here by a noted woman, Mrs. Richards of Boston, and Lord helped her and even sold tickets (I!) . . . . If you want to be up to date when you come back to O.S.U. don't run down the Domestic Economy Dept.36 A decade later, however, Miss Agnes Smiley, a 1911 graduate of the department, experiencd some prejudice. In a personal interview conducted by the author in June 1976, she recalled that even though the course was much more scientific, difficult, and expensive, the arts students looked down upon the work of this department. She recalled the nickname "Sis-aggs" given to the Domestic Science girls. "As far as anyone could remember the term had been 37 used since the establishment of the department." In the early 1900's the "anti-aggi" sentiments were just as strong as they had been in the 19th century. In the 19th century, there was a decided prejudice against the students in all utilitarian fields, and the "aggies" in particular were the recipients of the student sarcasm and humor. The follow ing, one of many poems printed in the Makio, the student yearbook, is a witness to this attitude: To dig out Greek and Latin roots We did not come to College. But of the earth and all her fruits to get a store of knowledge. And when we've found out how to grow The rich and luscious pumpkins Then home to father's farm we'll go And shine among the bumpkins.38 92 Because the Domestic Science was in the same college as agriculture# and because it was a utilitarian field, one can logically assume that the "Sis-aggs" nickname was given to humiliate these college sisters of the "aggies." This type of humiliation did not prevent the students from en rolling in the course. Beginning with three students in 1897, the third year enrollment had increased to forty-five. Perla Bowman presented the following report to Dr. Canfield on March 10, 1899: Current Expenses 1. Maid 200.00 2. Demonstration by Laundries 35.00 Supplies for Domestic Science 3. Groceries & Incidentals 300.00 Supplies for Domestic Art 3. entirely covered by laboratory fees. 150.00 4. Magazines, needed text books and charts for Domestic Art 25.00 710.00 The expenses must necessarily be more this year than last, since a year's work is added to the course and the number of students are increasing. Equipment One cabinet for Domestic Art Dept. 75.0 0 One case of Drawers for Domestic Art Dept. 35.00 One microscope Desk 15.00 Two sewing Machines 70.00 Equipment in small articles for Domestic Art 25.00 For Equipment in small articles for Domestic Science and for renewal and repair 50.00 270.00 93 There should also be some arrangement for better lighting 39 of the Domestic Art room.” In the same report, Miss Bowman expressed her concern and vision for the future of the department: I can only say with regard to the Department of Domestic Economy that it was made a Depart ment not one particular line of work in a Depart ment, that it covers too broad a course to be successfully handled by one instructor, that we are now only well established on the ground floor and that some time is demanded for a fin ished structure. That but two and one half of the four years course has as yet been covered, and that I hope the Board may realize with me that the problems on which we are working are yet to be demonstrated here, and some of them I believe have never before been attempted any where . 40 She concluded this report with these reassuring remarks: The department shall hope to offer advanced elective work when ground work has been covered and I assure you that our interest in the college and especially in the department is such that any desire to shirk is not tenable.4i Not only Domestic Science courses, but others, were offered year round thanks to Canfield’s planning and establishing a regular Summer School. This program benefited women, par ticularly teachers, who could take advantage of the summer months to further their own studies. Two further proposals initiated by Canfield on a more modest scale, in the long run benefited women students at the university. During his administration Canfield strongly desired to advance the musical interests of the University and he thought it was "certainly time that the Trustees 42 were beginning to consider this subject." He hoped for 94 ’’definite recognition" of the work and envisaged a regular chorus and orchestra with competent instruction, and "a good organ" in the chapel. He organized evening concerts and helped form the President's Quartet," of which his daughter was a member. Under the title "Proposed Department of Music Third and Fourth Year Elective Studies," Canfield 43 wrote a detailed plan in six handwritten pages. In his last report to the Board he recommended a department of music. Another Canfield innovation which in time proved to be of benefit to coeds was courses preparatory to Journalism. "The President showed a marked interest in college training for journalism which was practically unheard of at the 44 time.” In addition to his creating and promoting curricula, President Canfield gave a great deal of attention to some non-academic inequalities women were subjected to on the campus of The Ohio State University. He was deeply con cerned about the lack of employment opportunities for women who were qualified to serve on O.S.U. faculty. He personally encouraged women prospective teachers to apply for faculty positions. One such case involved a woman drawing teacher. On March 14, 18 98, he wrote a letter asking her to bring all her work thinking there might be a position available for her. 4 5 In a report to the Board of Trustees in 18 9 8 he indirectly, but openly, revealed his views on this matter, in support of statements made by 95 educators regarding the importance of the teacher's char acter he wrote: "The men and women— and of the latter there ought to be more than we at present number— brought into our Faculty, ought to be measured by these standards." On the same page, in a footnote regarding the number of women faculty, he asserts: "I desire to add a hearty 'Amen' to the sentiment expressed by a vigorous writer quoted in the Forum for July, 1894, page 588." 46 The female writer men tioned by Canfield advocated the right of women to obtain ". . . i n sufficient number . . . full standing— that is full professorships— not subordinate positions. . . . women should be on the Boards of Trustees . . . they should have men as well as women in their classes, and women should draw out the finest regard— affection even— in their classes from young men as well as from young women. " ^ In a private letter, written on May 23, 1889, to a female inquirer, Canfield directed Jean Blackford, the executive clerk, to write: There is no change in the per cent of the women teachers in the University, though the Presi dent will be very glad to see a change in their favor. The sentiment of men— Boards and men- Faculties is so strongly against bringing women into the various faculties, that it will be a long time (the President fears) before women have their proper representation and consequent in fluence . The faculty prejudice aginst women colleagues was not a figment of Canfield's imagination. A decade later, Pro fessor Derby, in a letter marked "Confidential" wrote 96 to President Thompson: "I confess that I have a prejudice in favor of men as instructors in a College admitting both 49 sexes." Three years later, still, Dean Boyd of the Col lege of Education in his report to the Trustees, after enumerating extraordinary achievements of a deceased female department head, asserted: "If a man can be found to head this department, there is a character of work which he could do beyond what could be required of a woman. Canfield was disappointed not only in the lack of success in increasing the number of the female faculty mem bers, but also in recruiting women student. Although in 1896 the preparatory department, which had always included a large number of girls, was abandoned, the enrollment of women rose from 130 in 1896 to 208 in 1899. The President did not find this increase satisfactory. In a letter of response to a farmer's daughter asking for advice about the feasibility of a university education for her, Canfield showed his disappointment in the number of women enrolled: Roughly estimated, the total number of young women in attendance this year is not far from two hundred. Of these it is true (I am sorry to say) that not more than fifty are from out side of the city. For some reason the people of the state do not seem willing to send their daughters here, although they seem exceedingly willing to send their sons, and yet I think I am warranted in saying that we are prepared to do more for the young women of the State than any other institution in the State, and I think we are prepared to do it better. He gave the figures for the girls coming from the rural areas 97 as approximately thirty. "I wish this were multiplied by 52 ten, by twenty, by thirty— almost any fold that you please." In another letter, Canfield wrote the average age of the coeds upon graduation as twenty. The youth of the girls, of course, was one of the main reasons they were not sent to O.S.U. There was a lack of boarding facilities and proper supervision. In his 1898 report of the Trustees, President had asked for a dormitory for women "... a development which might become not only desirable but neces sary . In 1899, Miss Bowman of the Department of Domestic Science, in a letter to the Trustees showed her concerns about housing for women: . . . We can neither hope for an appreciable increase in number among the young women nor expect to graduate such cultured and rounded women as we should wish until greater care is given to their surroundings. She wrote that based on her personal experience in Columbus, I may frankly say that I found nowhere in the north end of our city a wholesome, comfortable abiding place and that too where I was willing to pay double the amount which many of the girls are able to spend. Two or three times I was met at the door with the response "We do not wish young lady roomers." A girl coming to O.S.U. may not— broadly speaking select her boarding place— the question to be solved is where she will be taken in.54 She requested a building for women. Pollard, long the historian of The Ohio State Univer sity, quoted from Canfield's last report to the Trustees 98 on the subject of facilities for women when he summed up Canfield's contributions as President, and pointed to the eventual outcome of his efforts: Some means of "caring for our young women" he called "One crying need of our University life." That year there were about sixty women students from outside Columbus and the number was increasing. They had to "find homes among a shifting class of boardinghouse keepers, most of whom, unfortunately, have rarely had either special training for their vocation or much experience in it, and are following it simply as a means of livelihood." The remedy, as he saw it, was a building to accommodate "perhaps forty women" which "would do much to increase the popularity of the University with mothers, and with the public generally . . . It ought to bring to the University a touch of home life which is now quite lacking." Another need was for rest-rooms for women in the various buildings, like the new one in Townshend Hall. The situation was so bad he said that, when a girl was taken suddenly ill, "I have more than once given my private office for such purposes." A third need, he added was "for some woman who may devote much of her time to the welfare of the girls, and to whom they may feel free to go for advice concerning all things." "It is not fair to say," he asserted, "If women cannot en dure University work under present and usual conditions, let them go elsewhere." Thus were the seeds sown for women's dormitories, a women's building, facilities for women in other buildings, and even for a dean of women.^5 Prior to Canfield's appointment, there was a movement to secure private donations for a building for women which would also serve as a dormitory. On June 6, 18 95, Canfield wrote to Alexis Cope: I sprang from my seat with delight when I read of the Kind of Women's Building which you have in mind. That's just the thing, and is what I have been trying to get here [Nebraska], ever 99 since I came. By all means take the money for it, if it can be secured, and beg hard for it besides. ^6 Although many of his ideas and plans were not accepted by the majority of the Faculty or the Trustees during his admin istration, most were implemented after his resignation. Oxley Hall, which was built more than a decade later, is according to Cope, "... in its essentials, the kind of building Chancellor Canfield so enthusiastically endorsed." 57 His dream of having a woman on the Faculty who would look out for the welfare of the girls on campus was consum mated in 1912, with the establishment of the office of Dean of Women. The oppostion to President Canfield proved too strong to be endured, as has been intimated, and he resigned his position as of June 30, 1899. Two days before his term of office was completed. President Canfield wrote to President elect Thompson: Dear President Thompson: When we were in conference last week I mentioned to you three things, as needing your especial fostering care: not because they are weak (for they are strong), but because they are somewhat unusual and meet with opposition on the part of some members of the Faculty who are influen tial (if not strong). The department of Domestic Economy: the work in the gymnasium, especially the work for young women: and, in a general way, the interests of the young women in this co-educational institution. 100 Considering the man, his visions and his accomplish ments, one can not but regretfully conclude that James Hulme Canfield was several decades ahead of the men who controlled the affairs of the State University of Ohio. Fortunately for the women students of the University, the Trustees and the people of the state were more receptive, within a few years, to many proposals which they had earlier rejected. 101 NOTES CHAPTER IV James E. Pollard, History of the Ohio State University. The Story of its First Seventy-Five Years, 1873-1948 (Colum bus: The Ohio State University Press, 1952), P. 133. 2 Dr. Warfield, a former President of Miami University, Ohio, was himself a candidate for O.S.U. Presidency. 3 William A. Kennison, Building Sullivant's Pyramid. An Administrative History of The Ohio State University, 1870-1907 (Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1970), P. 124. 4 Pollard, History of The Ohio State University, P. 136. 5Ibid., P. 137. 6Ibid., P. 137. 7 Alexis Cope, History of The Ohio State University, Vol. I, 187 0-1910 (Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1920), P. 193. 8Ibid., P. 199. 9Ibid., P. 198. Ibid., P. 138. Ibid., P. 195. Ibid., P. 194. 13 Pollard, History of The Ohio State University, P. 138. ^ T h e Canfield Papers, book no. 5, Feb. 17, 1897, P. 5. Record Group 3/d/4, University Archives, The Ohio State Uni versity, Columbus, Ohio. 15Ibid., P. 5. 102 ^ T h e Canfield Papers, July 19, 1897-Octo. 29, 1898, Record Group 3/d/5. ^ Ohio State University Lantern, September 15, 1897, P. 4. 18 Pollard, History of The Ohio State University, P. 143. 19Twentv-eighth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the Year Ending June 30, 18 98 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1898), Annual Report of the President, P. 32. 20 Ibid.., P. 32. 21Faculty Papers, William Thomas Magruder--Charles B. Morrey Papers, 1888-1929 (#2 of 3 folders). Record Group RG 40/a, University Archives, O.S.U. 22Ibid., P. 2. 23 The Canfield Papers, letter book no. 7, Sept. 29, 1898, P. 432, Record Group 3/d/5, University Archives, O.S.U. 24 The Canfield Papers, letter book no. 11, May 24, 1899, P. 169. Record Group 3/d/5, University Archives, O.S.U. 25The Canfield Papers, Record Group 3/d/4. O.S.U. Archives. 2 6 Faculty Records, College of Agriculture and Domestic Science, 1896-1908, P. 10. 27 Record of Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio State University, November 18, 1890, June 30, 1900, Minutes of the Meeting of May 19, 1896, P. 23 8. 28Letter from Nellie Kedzie to Dr. Branegon, October 19, 1946, O.S.U. School of Home Economics Historical File, Early Years Folder, 1896-1912. 2 9 The Canfield Papers, letter book no. 4, May 24, 1898, P. 203, Record Group 3/d/4. In 1913, the Trustees granted Miss Edna Noble White the rank of Professor of 103 Home Economics, thus making her the first female full Pro fessor at O.S.U. 30 Bane, Lita. The Story of Isabel Bevier. (Peoria, Illinois: Charles A. Bennett Col, T5T5T7 ^ . 31See appendix B. 32 The Canfield Papers, Letter to Perla Bowman, Dec, 8, 1898, Record Group 3/d/5, University Archives, O.S.U. 33Commemorating the Golden Anniversary of Home Econ omics at The Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio, 1846- 1946, P. 3. 34 Twenty-Seventh Annual Report of the Board of Trus tees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the year ending June 30, 1897 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1897), Annual Report of the President, PP. 42-43. 3 5Commemorating the Golden Anniversary of Home Econ omics , P . 2. 36Faculty Papers, William Thomas Magruder— Charles B. Morrey Papers, 1888-1929 (#2 of 3 folders). Professor Lord was the leader of Canfield's opposition. 3 7Interview with Mrs. Agnes Funk , August 12, 1975. The Ohio State University Makio, 1887, P. 60. 3 9The Canfield Papers, Record Group 3/d/l, University Archives, O.S.U. 4 0Ibid. Letter from Perla Bowman to the Board of Trustees, PP. 1-2. 41Ibid., P. 2. 4 2 Pollard, History of The Ohio State University, P. 157. 104 A ' I The Canfield Papers, Record Group 3/d/l. 44 Pollard, History of The Ohio State University, P. 157. 45 The Canfield Papers, March 14, 1898, Record Group 3/d/4, University Archives, O.S.U. 46Twenty-Seventh Annual Report of the Board of Trus tees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the year ending June 30, 1897 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1897), Annual Report of the President, P. 37. 47Ibid., P. 38. 4^The Canfield Papers, letter book no. 11, May 23, 1889, P. 160, Record Group 3/d/5. 4 9Letter from Professor Derby to President W. O. Thomp son. Thompson Papers, Record Group 3/e/3 4, University Archives, O.S.U.. 5 0 Forty-Fourth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the Year Ending June 30, 1914 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1915), Departmental Reports, College of Edu cation, P. 44. 51The Canfield Papers, letter book no. 9, January 22, 1899, PP. 251-252. 52Ibid., P. 252. 5 3 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the Year Ending June 30, 1898 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1898), Annual Report of the President. 54The Canfield Papers, January-June 18 96, Record Group 3/d/l. Also see appendix B. "^Pollard, History of The Ohio State University, P. 157. 5 6 Cope, History of The Ohio State University, P. 210. 105 57Ibid., P- 210. C Q The Canfield Papers, letter book no. 11, May 29, 1899, Record Group 3/d/5, University Archives, O.S.U. CHAPTER V THE CONTINUING STRUGGLE FOR RECOGNITION AND ACCEPTANCE Most of the 19th century questions regarding the prob lems women faced on the campus of The Ohio State University were not adequately dealt with until the establishment of the office of Dean of Women in 1912. During the first decade of the 20th century, women students, with the aid of the fac ulty women and faculty wives, and backed by an organized and influential alumnae group, took their case directly to the Trustees and the legislatures. The suffragette movement was gaining support on campus as well as from the general public. The University was becoming a target for constant criticism regarding her lack of interest in the plight of women, whose number was increasing tremendously on campus. The women found in the person of William Oxley Thompson, the immensely popular Presbyterian minister who succeeded Canfield as the President of the University, a staunch sup porter who had credibility with the Trustees and the legis lators . A vigorous and shrewd politician and businessman, Thompson had the courage to take a stand on issues; to seek the cooperation of all concerned; and to exercise tact so 106 107 as to avoid offending the parties concerned— the tact that his predecessor did not possess. The President, a proud father of a college-age daughter, was on record as a sup porter of coeducation and women's suffrage. The following is an excerpt from a favorite speech he had used several times in convocations: Starting with her [coed's] physical incap acity, her intellectual inferiority and her lack of taste for higher education, men have been steadily compelled to recognize that she is physically sound, intellectually equal, and uncomfortably ambitious in her ideas. It is a strange cry to hear in these days that men are in danger of being defeated and driven from the field by the unexpected success of the women. The men of the country are, therefore, face to face with the problem of competition among themselves and of meeting the intel lectual and moral standards of the women as well.1 Thompson encouraged women to educate themselves. He sug gested that woman's "salvation is largely in her own keep- 2 ing." Although he believed that the main responsibility of woman was to be in the home and caring for the family, he warned that the "... right to choose for herself is as sacred and should be as well guarded as that of her brother."3 During the 1902 controversy about the decision of President Harper of the University of Chicago to segregate the coeds in their undergraduate work, Thompson viewed the experiment with good humor: "The Chicago boys that desire to be vaccinated so they cannot take the girls or to be 108 educated in quarantine will not be disturbed by the rest of the world." He then sarcastically made a plea for "protection for the boys. The girls have been taking too many prizes in the college classes and we are told that the boys, conscious of their 'ultimate superiority,’ feel discouraged over the conditions in the first few years of 4 the contest." In regard to the suffrage question, in a letter re questing to purchase a copy of a book entitled "The Book of Woman's Power," he wrote: "I was brought up against women's suffrage. I steadily drifted to a point in favor of it."^ He refused,however, on several occasions, to grant permission to some feminists to speak on campus on the grounds that he had been severely criticized, in the past, for allowing people with special interests to address the student body. Although Thompson, along with some well respected O.S.U. male faculty members, was an active member of the Men's League For Equal Suffrage, when asked to serve as the president of the organization, on the state level, he wrote the following note, tactfully refusing the offer: "While my sympathies are very strongly with the movement, I fear that my public engagements will prevent me from giving the g League very much personal attention." In his first annual report to the Board of Trustees, under the heading of "A Woman's Building," he wrote: 109 The need of a woman's building is appar ent to every one. The provision by law for women at the University does not wholly meet the needs. Something ought to be done to make provision for young ladies upon the cam pus for a general headquarters and for a home. The increase of students has made the diffi culty of securing suitable accommodations for young ladies greater. The attendance of women is hindered by the lack of accommoda tions. It would seem that when the state has provided the means of education it might be well to make them more available.? The following year the President again pleaded for the build ing, asserting that "The conditions are such at present as to make the university unattractive to young women from every point of view except that of the classroom instruc tion. "8 The academic courses offered, as the President had indicated, seemed to be satisfactory. The Domestic Science Department was growing in prestige and in enrollment. Soon a College of Education, at the request of the President was to be established. The statistics found in Appendix A show that women had become pioneers in various professional col- 9 leges on campus during the first decade of the century. However, as women's enrollment steadily increased from 200 in 1900 to 700 in 1910, so did their long-standing prob lems of the need for adequate physical facilities on cam pus, housing, board, employment, social opportunities, and general supervision of activities. 110 As early as 1882, coeds had petitioned the Trustees for a dormitory. The alumnae, the faculty women, and the concerned public, as well as all the O.S.U. presidents with the exception of Orton, had campaigned for, and in fact, emphatically pleaded for such a facility for non resident coeds. All these efforts were to no avail. Three decades later, the October 31, 190 6 issue of the Lantern, under the heading "READY FOR USE IN A YEAR," published an article explaining the plans for building the first Women's dormitory to be erected at the corner of Neil and Eleventh Avenues: . . . it can be safely assured that construc tion will begin next spring and that the building will probably be ready for occupancy in the fall. At the meeting of the board of trustees last Wednesday Miss Kenyon Hayden and Wilbur T. Mills, the architects, submitted expert men tal plans for the building. It will be two stories in height or ornamental, but not elab orate design, and will cost approximately $60,000. It will have a capacity of 80 students.^ Kenyon Hayden, one of the architects, was an Ohio State graduate and a student of Joseph Bradford, then Uni versity Architect. In after years, a Citizen Journal reporter recorded a lively interview with Mrs. Kenyon Hayden Rector, then 8 9 years old: When OSU was planning to build its first women's dormitory, Professor Bradford was con fident Kenyon could design it better than a man. Her appointment as its architect brought dismay to some trustees, she told me. They insisted on giving her a male associate. Kenyon and he set to work. Ill After one day of "reasoning" with the associate, she locked him out of the office and proceeded alone. With just one draftsman, she recalls, she completed the plans in 27 days. Cost had been estimated at $60,000. She superintended the construction, beating both the cost estim ate and date of completion. The Lantern, in Feb. 26, 1908, hailed the impressive plans of the building and revealed further plans for addi tional structures: "The idea is to have, in time, four buildings, constructed on the same sort of plan as this building, so as to surround a court, to be placed in the 12 center." Details of the exterior and interior were vividly described and the fact that the building was to be more than a dormitory was stressed: This building shall in the future be the point from which all the social functions of the University among the girls shall emanate. The building was constructed with this espec ially in view, for the need of such a center has long been felt. . . . For this purpose the dining room has been fitted out; for dancing there are the spacious parlors, quite ample for large receptions and teas for stu dents and faculty ladies alike. Taken all in all, the ultimate object which is in the mind of those interested is that of making this a home in every sense of the word for the girl whose fortune it is to constitute herself a member of this universal family of women. ..." Finally, thirty-five years after the opening of the State University, the Women's Dormitory, as it was first called, opened its doors in the fall of 1908. On November 20th, 19 08, by the unanimous vote of the residents, the dormi tory was formally named "Oxley Hall," in honor of Presi dent Thompson * s mother. 112 When the dormitory was ready for occupancy, President Thompson sent a letter to applicants describing the furnish ings as follows: A bed with mattress, pillows and necessary linen. The student will furnish all other coverings. All beds will be single beds. Each room will be supplied with a study table, chairs, chiffonier, mirrors, towels, book cases, and nec essary furniture. The building will be heated with hot water, lighted with electricity, fur nished with shower and tub baths, and toilet ac commodations on each floor.14 Single and double rooms as well as suites were available on a first-come—first-serve basis. The following rates were charged: Boarding, three dollars and twenty-five cents per week; rooms for one person, one dollar and seventy-five cents per week; double rooms for two persons, one dollar and a half per person; suites (a study room and two sleeping rooms) for two persons, two dollars per person. Personal laundry will be charged for by the dozen. (The laundry rooms furnish facilities for the students who may wish to use them for personal laundry without expense.) Bills payable monthly in ad vance . It is the aim to furnish first class fac ilities and to make the charges as moderate as possible. Experience may justify a lower rate or demand a higher. After the first term the University will be governed by the facts in the case and make proper announcement. There was, immediately, an overwhelming demand for the rooms and the demand increased each year. In the 1909 re port to the Trustees, Thompson stated: "Oxley Hall was occupied to the limit as soon as opened, and three such buildings would have been filled last September if they had been provided. Provision for such needs is important 113 for protecting the students against excessive cost also 16 sanitary conditions and safe quarters." On July 7, 1911, in reply to an inquiry about Oxley Hail, Thompson wrote, "I doubt very much whether we can accommodate your daughter in Oxley Hall. We have had a waiting list of more than one 17 hundred for a long time." A year later he replied to another letter of inquiry: I do not see any prospect of being able to provide for your daughter in Oxley Hall since there has been a waiting list for the last two or three years greater than the number of per sons who could be accommodated in the Hall. We have tried to have a so-called "Annex" by which young women could board at Oxley Hall and live in a house exclusively for girls near by under some general supervision. If you will write Miss Emma McKinley, Oxley Hall, the Ohio State University, she will give you more definite information. The President's correspondence is filled with inquiries and requests for applications for Oxley Hall. President Thompson had envisioned the government and the supervision of the hall to be with a house superintend ent advised by a committee of outstanding members of the University community. At the request of the girls, the day-to-day work of the dormitory was to be carried out by means of a self-government of the residents. This self- government body was the first of its kind on the Ohio State University campus. Early in the Autumn of 1908, by action of the Board of Trustees: 114 A House Committee of three, consisting of Mrs. W. H. Siebert, Miss Wardall and Miss Bracken, was appointed to have general over sight and supervision of the Dormitory. This Committee was to make recommendations to the President or to the Board of Trustees, and to perform such other duties as may be assigned to them by the Board. The President of the Board and the President of the University were continued as a Committee with instructions to fix the rates for room and board and make such announcements concerning the dormitory as may be desired.19 Miss Dora Eaton was appointed as House Superintendent. She was a Domestic Science graduate, and had experience both as an instructor and as the supervisor of a dormitory in Duluth, Minnesota. President Thompson was very careful in making the final selection for this position because he believed that only a very well-educated and capable woman was able to handle this position successfully. Each new resident of the dormitory was asked to sign the consti tution of the Oxley Hall Student Government Association. Girls were given a scarlet and gray booklet which explained the rules and regulations of the Association: The object of forming a Student Government Association was to insure the best possible environment for the work and welfare of its members. It sought also to increase their sense of responsibility, and to regulate all matters pertaining to the student life of its members which do not come under the immediate jurisdiction of the House Superintendent . . . or the House Committee . . . The Executive Committee, composed of the student officers, may summon before it any member to take away any of their privileges or to recommend them to the House Committee for suspension. 115 The board of proctors, consists of two proc tors from each floor, appointed by the pres ident to serve two months. It is responsible for the observance of student government rules, especially the keeping of quiet hours on study nights and taking account of light cuts in its district. At no time when a girl is supposed to be study ing is she allowed to be disturbed by the odor of fudge, welsh rarebit or burning alcohol. On Sunday afternoon there may be callers be tween twelve and three o'clock and between five and ten in the evening. On every other day of the week, except Friday, they may be received until seven-thirty and on Friday evening until ten o'clock. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays there must be absolute quiet from seven-thirty in the evening until six-thirty the next morn ing . Loyalty to each other and to their organization is the basis for a large number of traditions, customs and unwritten laws which are not told without the walls. " 2 0 The Oxley Hall Student Government Association was a real and workable organization. On November 30, 1910, Thompson wrote a letter to President Stanton Ames of Iowa, replying to an inquiry about the nature of student govern ment at The Ohio State University. He wrote that a student council arranged and adjusted student activities and that " . . . They have never undertaken to do anything in the way of student government. We have no such system about here except in Oxley Hall where the young women have a form of student government that they have developed themselves. All such student organizations, in my judgment, must be 116 purely advisory for I do not see how the constituted auth orities as provided by the state can vacate their posi tion . " 21 The self-government of the Oxley girls may have been "purely advisory" to President Thompson, but evidence shows that for all practical purposes it took care of the major day-to-day work of the dormitory. This governing body also bore the never ending responsibility of being the managers of the sole on-campus social gathering place for the coeds. There is no evidence that the House Committee ever inter vened or interfered with the decisions made by the Oxley Hall self-government. The social life of Oxley never waned. There were many festive occasions for the residents, the women students, faculty women, and coed organizations. "Spreads,'1 "teas," and "just at home" gatherings were common. Dinners and dances, both formal and informal, were constantly going on. The girls did volunteer work for charitable organizations, formed theatrical, musical, and athletic groups, and became active in most of the cam pus activities. By the end of 1909 academic year, even a drive for establishing a small library for the dorm was being launched. In the first issue of the Ohio State Quarterly, October, 1909, Laura Thomas, M.A., '09, wrote enthusiastically about the self-government at Oxley: " . . . OXLEY HALL. The 117 first adequate sign of the interest in the welfare of the girls, an interest which has been for years steadily devel- oping, it represents the girls of Ohio State University." 22 She went on to say that more dormitories as well as a Woman*s Building were badly needed. "Oh but we do other things than plan buildings] . . . We have student govern- 23 ment at the Hall." Then she described another organiza tion of even greater promise: "We have a Women's Council, a flourishing organization of which every college girl is a member. The chief aim of this Council is to bring the 24 girls together." The council to which President Thompson had referred when he answered the President of the University of Iowa was a coeducational student council formed in 1907. How ever, it did very little, as is evident in the President's letter. In the year following, when Oxley Hall was opened and was organized for self-government, a broad group of women students formed a Women's Council, which in years to come evolved into self-government for all women students. Actually, the Women's Council was a direct outgrowth of the coed's need for better physical facilities on campus. As has been documented throughout this study, the only place the girls were able to congregate on campus for rest or socialization was the Gab-Room, originally in Main Hall. As time passed, a Gab-Room in Hayes Hall was established 118 but did not gain the girls' favor. Not until Canfield's administration did the girls accept the Gab-Room at Hayes Hall. The room became one of the most popular, topics in the student literature for the first few decades of the University's life. What Ohio State girl will not leave the Uni versity without tender memories of the hours idled away in the Gab-Room. That good old place where history is made or unmade, where the latest styles are discussed, the newest "cases, 11 the relative merits of their suitors are disclosed, where the matinee heroes, the spiciest scandal, the prospects for mid-terms and the professors are all mixed up with par ties, dinners and dances. Even the freshman girls find out the second week of school that the possibilities for study in that room are very small. The girl who is able to study there is either a prodigy in the powers of concentration or she is deaf. But it isn’t always lightness and frivolity, for in the midst of the giggling and chattering one girl out of a little group was heard to say, "Girls, I think the greatest lesson we can learn is to be kind— think how much better this world would be if we'd all be kind." "Yes!" spoke up another, "and to realize that there„was another point of view besides our own." 5 Among the numerous poems, jokes, essays, and cartoons published in the Makio and The Lantern concerning the af fairs of this famous room, one relates to the chattering tongue: I love its gentle warble, I love its gentle flow, I love to wind my tongue up, I love to let it go.26 119 ODE TO THE GAB ROOM Blithe habitation of the poor co-ed, Devoid of Modern fixtures; Shrine thou art to the hard benches weary maids are led, 2_ At the hinged portals lads and co-eds part. The furnishing and the care of this room was up to the coeds as the University did not accept responsibility for it. An announcement in the February 24, 1904, issue of The Lantern, had humorously, but seriously pointed out the needs of this only gathering place for about 300 coeds. Gab Room Wants: (Glee Club girls will kindly take heed.) A mouse trap A Cushion Locker for overshoes and Umbrellas Quiet A sash curtain for the window near the mirror. Contributions in the Y.W.C.A. box Another Mouse trap Another Cushion Dozens of French, German and Latin dictionaries. A new floor, or if that would cost too much a velvet carpet to cover the old one. A few new mirrors. A dictionary that is at least modern enough to give the word "tonsilitis." A slot machine containing lead pencils. More cushions.2 8 Many more announcements, poems, essays, petitions, and campaigns, all for the purpose of acquiring better facilities for women, were to no avail. Finally, in 1905. there was a spark of hope. Paul Jones a concerned Trustee, started a plan to interest citizens to collect funds to build a small woman's building for the O.S.U. coeds. The sum of $20,000 - 120 $50,000, the estimated cost, had to be raised by the citi zens of Ohio by subscription. On May 3, 19 05, the Lantern published two articles regarding the Women's Building. One spoke of the general plan and the hope of support for it: The necessity of something more than a rusty old "gab room" for the accommodation of the young ladies at Ohio State has been realized by others beside the three hundred co-eds who are daily herded together in this unsatis factory room, which is utterly void of any semblance to homelike comfort and cheer. Hon. Paul Jones has recently announced a scheme whereby it is probable that better conditions will finally be installed.29 The other article is more poignant. "The Women's Building As the Girls See It" reveals the bitterness and frustration experienced by women: The proposed Woman’s Building for Ohio State will certainly be a most welcome and long-needed addition to the home life of the University. The trustees and faculty, or more accurately some of the members of these august bodies, have long desired such a home for the women students, but duty comes before pleasure always and the engineers and the physicists had to be safely housed before the needs of the girls could be attended to. And now that the Chemistry Hall and the Mining Building are both under way the matter is again being agitated and we understand that our good friend, Paul Jones, is gathering subscriptions for this purpose. We sincerely hope that this castle in Spain for which all the girls have longed with unspeakable yearning may really come out from the shadows of its dream existence and become a living f a c t . 3 0 Three years passed; still no progress was made on plans for "this castle in Spain." On Friday evening, September 18, 1908, a group of thirty-five girls met at Miss Florence 121 Conert’s house; chose Ruth Postle as President; and dis cussed their many concerns, among which the improvement of the Gab-Room was the most urgent. The minutes of the meet ing recorded that "to accomplish this a Women’s Council was provided which should include all the girls of the Uni versity who would contribute twenty-five cents a year to the general fund which was to be used in fixing up the Gab- Room . ” 3 ^ with the money thus collected the Gab-Room was re decorated and "fixed." This is how one of the girls recorded the improvement: "It is a very haven of rest! We have freshly-painted walls, new shades, a perpetual spring,— one is tempted to say a non-germanic fountain,— 32 and a matron." The "matron" mentioned was Miss Powers, whose duties were not janitorial but "straightening up and keeping it neat." Her salary was raised in 1911 from $5.00 to $10.00 a week. The Brownings, the Girls's Glee Club, and Y.W.C.A. pledged funds to pay this salary. Miss Powers sold candy in the Gab-Room to contribute to her salary and also to the upkeep of the room. Miss Powers soon became a trusted confidante of the girls. The Council gradually codified its organizational set-up, with the stated general goal to promote a spirit of fellowship among the girls and to preserve a high social and moral standing in the University. With the 122 presence of ”... several of the ladies of the faculty to encourage them, they [girls of the Council] laid great plans for a campus day to be held sometime in the spring." 33 Next, class advisors were selected and a mass meeting of the girls was held in the Chapel. "President Thompson gave a very interesting talk of the plans and aims of the Council and gave his entire approval of the work." 34 Campus traditions which persisted long into the twen tieth century either experienced a rebirth or were initiated in the early years of the Women's Council. The May Fete, begun by women students in 18 84, had been abandoned for some time, but was revived in 1909. It became a prime success, 35 and, with modifications has continued ever since. On October 21, 19 09, the first Women's Council Supper was held in the gymnasium and attracted nearly half of all the girls enrolled. Later renamed the Co-ed Supper, it, too, continued for many years as an important event on the campus calendar. The annual Coed Promenade in effect since 1903, which was held at the Armory, also became one of the Council's projects. The coeds, women faculty, and the wives of the faculty members participated in the prom, a costume party in which half of the women dressed in the male attire and all were served hokey pokey, a type of ice cream. The Council also sponsored spreads for class advisors, new students, and new members. So began the first venture 123 toward self-government on the Campus of The Ohio State Uni versity, through the agency of a Council selected toy all the women in the student body. Older organizations among the women students still had their own strengths and made significant contributions in important ways. The Y.W.C.A., which had been formed at the turn of the century under the auspices of the King's Daughters, became independent in 1902 and grew steadily, so that by the end of the first decade, its membership rolls carried the names of six-sevenths of all the coeds on the campus. By its nature, it had some special con cerns and dealt with them, as well as broader interests, quite effectively. However, the Women’s Council could address itself to, and act upon, many of campus-wide matters with a force that came from speaking for all women students. Rehearsals for the second annual Campus Fete were started in February 1910. This year, the Women's Council presented a revival of a 16th century pageant given on the village greens of Old England. Elaborate preparations were made by everyone of the 400 girls who participated. The entire program including floats and class dances that were symbolical of the coming of Spring. Although the fete was postponed twice because of rain, it was well attended and 3 6 Women’s Council cleared $500 on it. The minutes of the 124 Council read: "A complete success, surpassing in beauty the expectations of every one."37 As a service organization, the Y.W.C.A. sponsored many activities to raise funds in order to improve conditions for women. The organization involved the members in social work in various settlement houses, brought to campus some leading social activist speakers, and of course, conducted Bible studies and religious services. In all these endeav ors, they could count on the support of the men in the campus Y.M.C.A. "Because of a strong comradeship which existed between the Y.W.C.A., and the Y.M.C.A., the men helped the girls in any way they could— their commitment 3 8 was very real." Besides the "Y," there were two other new organiza tions for women students in this period which drew together, for special reasons, many coeds who otherwise had diverse interests: the Varsity "A" and the Suffragette Club. Des pite the dreadful conditions of the gym, athletics became quite popular with the coeds during these years. The women showed a growing interest in all types of physical activities and many joined a new club called Varsity "A." Varsity "A" girls kept the gymnasium humming with their superior performances which included: dancing, exercises with wands and dumbbells, fencing, calesthenics, figure marches, and basketball games. A strong basketball team played local high schools and colleges. Many of the girls 125 were also active members of a large coeducational tennis association. The Suffragette Club, a small but interesting new or ganization among women, apparently had begun informally several years prior to its formal recognition in 1912. The national suffragette movement slowly gained support among the coeds. With the leadership of such feminists as Mrs. Derby, and Mrs. McPherson (both wives of O.S.U. faculty members), many noted suffragists were invited to address various women's groups. Debates on the suffrage issue were conducted among a few in the "Gab-Room" as well as among large crowds in the Chapel. "Watch Us Grow" should be the motto of the new suffragette club started at the university. Recently, a census was taken among the women students and it was found that there were only a dozen suffragettes to 50 antis. A suffra gette club was formed with about a dozen mem bers and a membership list was hung in the gab room with the original names and an invitation to sign up when you wished. Since then the card has been almost filled and records a mem bership of 75, which looks like a "considerable cornin' around." It might be added that the members are a peaceful coterie and absolutely non-militant.39 In the main, campus organizations from earlier years, both those which grew out of academic interests and those which were more specifically for social reasons, remained active and prospered with the increase in enrollment. The literary societies were still very active and Gab-Room "spreads" were plentiful. New coeducational organizations 126 were formed: the English Club, Der Deutsch-Verein, the Circle Dramatique, the Architectural Club, the Natural History Society, the Forestry Society, the Golf Club, the Western Reserve Club, and the Strollers. Two new publications, "The Ohio State Quarterly," and the "Agri cultural Student,” had women as well as men on their staff. The first national honorary organization to estab lish chapters at O.S.U., were both coeducational from the start: Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, an honorary scientific fraternity. In the Phi Beta Kappa chapter of 1912, eight of the thirteen members were girls. Among organizations exclusively for women was the Domestic Science Club to which most all the coeds in the Domestic Science Department belonged. The History Club, another popular women’s organization, began in 1910. The club seems to have been established as a protest to the unwritten discriminatory policies against female membership in the Political Science Club, a once coeducational organ ization of which women were among the founders but had con stituted less than ten percent of the total membership of about thirty individuals. In 1904, a local women's Pan Hellenic Association was established. This organization was a controlling fac tor in the membership requirements and rushing procedures of the member sororities. During the first thirty-six years after the founding of the University, local chapters 127 of four national sororities had been established on campus. However, in the next three year period between 1909-1912, four more sororities were established; three national, and one local. By 1912, three sorority houses had been estab lished and approximately 23% of the O.S.U. coeds belonged to a sorority. In the same year, the membership lists of these sororities reveal that among the graduating senior girls, those in the College of Arts were most numerous while the College of Education was not represented at all. The attitude toward women students held from the beginning continued during the first few years of the Twentieth Century when The Ohio State University admitted some black women and some women with special problems. The university did not give these women any special aid, but simply tolerated their presence. In 1910, President Thomp son wrote to the sponsor of a blind girl seeking admission that the Faculty could provide no special accommodation for her, but if the girl could get help for herself that "there is no reason in the world why she should not come here to school if she wants to. As I understand it, you do not ask us to make any special provision for her by way of personal help."^ The first black woman to graduate from O.S.U. was Jessie Glover, in the class of 1905. The number of black women attending the university in the early 1900's is practically impossible to determine. In a letter to 128 President Thompson written in December 1912/ a black woman, Mrs. Berthat Wills, asked for employment in order to at tend school. She had finished her freshman year a few years prior to this inquiry. "I am taking the liberty to write," she said, "as you were recommended to me by a friend as one being in sympathy with those in my condi- tion." 41 It is not known whether Mrs. Wills was enrolled or not as no response to this letter was found by the author. Dr. Thompson was reputed to be in sympathy with up holding the rights of the Negro. However, one may wonder about the true nature of his stated beliefs in view of the content of a letter he wrote to President Schurman of Cornell University: In reply to yours of April fifth. I recognize very promptly the embarrassment you have in the application from two colored women for resi dence in Sage College. Happily we have never had such an application at this University and I can not conjecture what should happen in case we had such application. My impression is that colored people should not undertake to force that issue, and if it came about I should re quest them not to do it. I am discouraging colored young men from taking courses in engineering, chiefly on the ground that social conditions will not tolerate their preference. I know of instances where men could not be employed because white men would receive a smaller salary. The race problem is growing in intensity every year, and I am disposed to doubt the wisdom on the part of the colored people of taking any move that practically forces the doctrine of social equality.42 129 In 1911, much publicity was given to the enrollment of one minority woman. Mrs. Amy D. Winship, in an inter view with a Lantern reporter, confessed that she could not understand why people "should make so much over the fact that I have shown a great courage in taking up studies at my age, . . . It was no effort at all to enter school and to take up the studies, which I have so long wished to pur- sue." 43 At the time of this interview Mrs. Winship was the oldest student ever to enroll at O.S.U.— she was eighty years old. Although the University had been in existence for the span of a generation and more and although there had always been women students, there still remained throughout the first decade of the Twentieth Century three unanswered ques tions; what to do about off-campus housing for women, about providing an advisor— or dean— for women, and about a build ing to be the center of women's activities. The questions had been asked many times, in various ways, but no answers had yet been found. The Women's Council in its second and third years, 1909-1911, gave special attention to these problems. It seems from the records which now remain, that some progress was made on problem of housing, largely due to the initiative of the Women's Council itself. On January 20, 1910, a few girls were elected to "look after rooms for 130 4 4 out-of-town girls, for next year." This appears to have meant that a committee of girls visited houses offering rooms and meals for girls and judged whether they ought to be "approved," which would be the case only if no rooms in the same house were let to men. By long-standing faculty rule, houses were to be "approved" by the President, but no provision had ever been made for visitation and inspection and sometimes presidents must have based their approval on whatever reports might reach their ears. Thus the Women's Council was moving to fulfill a very urgent need; clearly the President quietly encouraged them. In the next fall they followed up the visits by arranging for a committee to "take a list of out-of-town girls and go over it carefully, requesting those not in approved houses to move and notify President Thompson of same." 45 In the fall of 1909, the Council discussed the sub ject of the need for a Dean of Women. It was agreed that a woman administrator, such as the ones who already had been appointed at most major coeducational universities in the Middle West, would be necessary. This administrator would have the women's special interests at heart. But everyone knew that getting a Dean of Women and getting a Women's Building were two aspects of one problem. The discussions continued through the year and on into the next academic year. On December 6 , 1910, plans for the campaign for a Women's Building were considered. "It 131 was decided to evoke a hard fight to get this bill through the legislature which convenes in January 11." 4 6 Various girls were elected to chair committees to draw up a letter to senators, and to group girls,according to counties so that they might petition their respective representatives during the Christmas vacation. It was also decided to ask the trustees about the possibility of appointing a Dean of Women. A week later, the girls of the Council started obtaining the addresses of the alumnae in order to send letters asking for their support. The Lantern, on December 14, elaborated on the girls' plans to solicit the legislators for their support of an appropriation bill for a Women1s Building containing a girl's gymnasium, domestic science department, and social headquarters. "The girls need more accommodations in the buildings on the campus," said President Thompson . . . "and they will be backed in their efforts to secure this 47 building by approval of the faculty." A mass meeting of the girls was called for the next day. The plans for the campaign were disclosed during this meeting and the girls 48 were urged to "take a personal interest in the movement." The building was discussed still more during the January meeting of the Council. "Council decided the best way to influence the senators was to give them an elaborate spread in the Gab Room." Discussing the building again in the next meeting, "it was decided to entertain the 132 49 finance Committees of both Houses ...” Thus the minutes read: On the evening of Feb. 14, the Gab Room was the scene of many up-to-that-time un heard of things. A large, beautifully decorated banquet table was to be seen in place of the cluttered inlay table of real life - the Finance Committee of the House was met and entertained by girls in dainty dresses, and everything was pure and peace ful. After waiting several hours for the Committee of the senate, the guests were seated, and an elegant supper was served. Cigars followed. The men all de parted promising big things for the girls.^0 The correction made to the minutes lightly veils disappoint ment and frustration of the Council members that the Senators never appeared. Everyone knew that work was steadily pro gressing on the Student Union being erected on Twelfth Avenue, with funds previously appropriated by the Legislature. The Council was apprehensive that the Building, although it would appear to serve the social needs of the student body as a whole, would be of scant help to the girls. And in deed the "big things" promised to them that evening did not materialize for another decade. One of the more vigorous arguments in favor of immed iate plans for a Woman's Building was that with the in creased number of women, and with restricted floor time available, the gymnasium facilities were becoming totally inadequate, and the conditions unbearable for the coeds. A very forthright description of the conditions was con tinued in an annual report addressed by Dr. Alice 133 Littlejohn to President Thompson: The following report is submitted, not that it contains anything unknown to you, but because complaints from the young women stu dents are becoming so numerous, that it seems as if it will soon be necessary to take some steps, either to eliminate part of the course in physical education for women, or to provide a suitable place for it. The number of students has increased so rapidly in the last few years, that classes in this department are now composed of from 90 to 130 or more members. . . . As the floor is available only in the morning, all classes, over 400 students are obliged to come between 9 and 12 o'clock. There are but 115 lockers, - small unventilated lockers, - and 422 women in the department . . . Dressing rooms are so crowded . . . often less than one tenth can squeeze into them to dress .... the rest have to change their clothes in the aisles . . . and having no place to put their street clothes, often piling them in corners on the floor . . . Only by prompt attention, was an epidemic of a skin disorder checked in October of this year, it spread due to contact in the dressing rooms.^ Tlie Lantern for October 26, 1912, published a letter which tersely sums up the gym situation. PLEA FOR THE GIRLS To the Editor: The girls of the sophomore class threatened to strike last week, due to the over crowded condition of the women's department of the gym. This action on the part of the girls shows the attitude of the girls regarding this gym ques tion and emphasizes the fact that a woman's build ing is sadly needed at Ohio State. For years now procrastination has been the rule of the author ities on this question. Let us hope that they will soon do something in reality. Not A Co-Ed. 134 The student body hc\d long awaited the opening of the Student Union. On January 13 and 14/ 1911, the Student Union building still bearing the plaque which proclaimes, "For the Students of the Ohio State University From the 77th General Assembly of the State of Ohio," was opened to the university community. In a gigantic house warming party attended by an estimated crowd of seventeen hundred students, the women of the university were well represented. The January 18, 1911 issue of the Lantern covered the big event: ". . . nearly three fourths of the students in the school at the present time attended . . . . . Friday evening about fifteen girls of the Women's Council presided at the tables." "The keynote of most of the speeches,” the writer asserted, "seemed to be the spirit of rejoicing over the fact that the students now have a building which will improve the social atmosphere by knitting the student body into a unit." In regard to the scant furnishing of the building the article reported that "Dr. Thompson said that he had always hoped that Ohio Union should be finished and furnished without anything cheap and that his hopes were being realized." 5 3 Another article in the same issue disclosed that $2 0 , 0 0 0 was needed for the furnishings, half of which was already pledged by the students, faculty, and the alumni. There was also a reference to the fact that the Board of overseers will consist of men only, as only men could become regular members of the Student Union. It was also written that building would be open to the women once a week. The girls must have been hopeful that plans would be changed because they worked very hard to raise funds to furnish the Union. The annual May Fete was to be the fund raiser. The third annual May Fete far surpassed those which had come before. Planned and rehearsed with the help of some faculty members, it was the first one since the founding of the Women's Council in which men assisted the girls with the program. Miss Edith Cockins, the registrar, had proposed the idea of a pageant entitled "Birth of Ohio." Seven hundred students took part, all dressed inbright colors and some covered by paint; each girl sewed her own costume. The mild, sunny weather brought a crowd of 5,000 to Mirror Lake Hollow for this historical pageant, and over $2,600 in ad mission fees was taken in. From what remained after expenses were paid, the women's Council received $200 for maintenance of the Gab-Room, and the rest went to a special fund to pro vide furnishings for the Student Union. On October 4, 1911, the Lantern, in reporting the plans for the Union, spoke of a special feature: Ladies Day Each Week Another nice feature in the regulation of the building will be the setting aside of one day in each week known as Ladies' Day, on which 136 day the women of the University will be extended the courtesies of the building. When fully equipped the students of Ohio State University will have at their constant disposal one of the finest types of a typical city club, the like of which no other college or university, ex cept University of Pennsylvania, will have. To reall appreciate the beauty of the new build ing and the possibilities it affords it must be seen when fully equipped and ready for per manent u s e . 54 Elsewhere in the same issue, the Lantern also spoke of the girls' opinion of the arrangement for their use of the facilities of the Union: "Most of the girls, it seems, are in favor of being admitted to the Union, but they do not like to be restricted in their privilege to one afternoon a week. On the other hand there is a large number who say that they do not seek admission to the Union, but that they have plans of their own for a building of their own, a Woman's building.Apparently "one day a week" meant one afternoon a week. The girls must have known the outcome two years before the Union opened, for Laura Thomas, a graduate student wrote in 1909, ". . . The'Women's Building' which represents to the girls what the Students,(?) Building stands for the boys, will soon, we hope, be a reality." And during the 1890's movement to acquire a student building, Canfield, that champion for the cause of the women on campus, must have forseen the possibility of the outcome, for he asked President-elect Thompson to look after the 137 interest of the King’s Daughters in the "student building movement." 138 CHAPTER V NOTES William Oxley Thompson Papers, File VIII, Speeches Addresses, Sermons, 1880's - 1921, Record Group 3/'e/38, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 2 Ibid., P. 4. 3 Ibid., P. 8 . 4 Thomas Woody, A History of Women's Education in the United States. (New York: The Science Press, 1929), Vol. II,' PP. 287-288. 5 The Thompson Papers, General Correspondence, O-R, 1911, O.S.U. Archives. ®The Thompson Papers, a letter dated March 11, 1912, to College Equal Suffrage League, Record Group 3/e/19, O.S.U. Archives. 7 Thirtieth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the year ending June 30, 1900 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1882), Annual Report of the President, P. 39. o Thirty-First Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the Year Ending June 30, 1901 (Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1901), Annual Report of the President, P. 33. 9 See Appendix A. 3C^Ohio State University Lantern, October 31, 1906, P . 3 . 11"Oxley Hall's Designer," Columbus Citizen Journal, 197 0, specific date unknown. Bio File: Kenyon Hayden, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 12 Lantern, February 26, 1908, P. 1. 139 13Ibid., P. 1. 14 A circular sent to Oxley Hall applicants, File: Student Organizations, Miscellaneous Handbook; Programs; Papers: organization Handbooks on Rules and Regulations; Programs; and W.S.G.A. Convention, 1886-1966, Record Group 44/13/1, University Archives, The Ohio State Univer sity, Columbus, Ohio. 1 5 Ibid., P. 2. ^ Thirty-Ninth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio for the year ending June 30, 1909 (Columbus: The Ohio State University), Annual Report of the President, P. 26. 17 The Thompson Papers, General Correspondence, C-D, 1911. 18 The Thompson Papers, General Correspondence, D-R, 1912 . 19Record of the Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University, June 30, 1908-July 1, 1909, minutes of the Meeting of September 8 , 1908, P. 6 . Mrs. W. H. Siebert, formerly Annie Sabine, was the wife of Professor Siebert; Miss Wardell and Miss Bracken were faculty members. 20 Lantern, September 27, 1911, Page 1 and Page 8 . 21The Thompson Papers, a letter from W. 0. Thompson to President Stanton Ames, November 30, 1910, General Correspondence, R-4, 1910, O.S.U. Archives. 22Laura Thomas, "The Women of the University." The Ohio State University Quarterly, I, 1 {October, 1912), 25. 2 3 Ibid., P. 25. 2 4 Ibid., P. 26. 25 Bertha Horst, "As College Girls See it," The Ohio Women, (January 7, 1912), P. 5. The O.S.U. girls wrote a regular column in this publication. 140 26The Ohio State University Makio, 1900, P. 245. 2 7 Ibid., P. 250. 2 8 Lantern, February 24, 1904, P. 3. 29 Lantern, May 3, 190 5, P. 1. 31The Minutes of the meetings of the Women’s Council, meeting of September 18, 1908, P. 3. Record Group 44/19/C. O.S.U. Archives. 32 Laura Thomas, "The Women of the University," The Ohio State University Quarterly, I, 1 (October, 1912), 25. 3 3The Minutes of Women's Council , 1908, (month un recorded), P. 5., Record Group 44/19/C, O.S.U. Archives. 3 4 Ibid., 1908, P. 13. 3 5 Ibid., May 31, 1909. 36"Student Organizations and Women's Self-Government Association." History of W.S.G.A. 1908-1957, Record Group 44/19/A, O.S.U. Archives. 37 The Minutes of Women's Council, May 26, 1910, P. 31. Record Group 44/19/C, O.S.U. Archives. 3 8 Personal interview with Mr. Don Demorest, August 21, 1975. 39 . "The Suffragette Club," The Ohio State University Quarterly, IV (March, 1913), 29. 40 The Thompson Papers, August 16, 1910, R-Y, O.S.U. Archives. 4i,The Thompson Papers, April 17, 1911. Partial S-Z, O.S.U. Archives. 141 42 Ibid., Letter to President Schurman of Cornell University, April 17, 1911. 4 3Lantern, May 13, 1911, P. 6 . 44 The Minutes of Women’s Council, January 20, 1910. P. 30. 4 5Ibid., September 10, 1910, P. 35. Also see Appendix B for circular sent from the Council to new women. 46 Ibid., December 6 , 1910, P. 47. ^Lantern, Dec. 14, 1910, P. 1. 48The Minutes of Women's Council, January 4, 1911, P. 53. 4 9 Ibid., February 1, 1911, PP. 53-54. 5 0 Ibid., February 30, 1911, PP. 55-57. 51Thompson Papers, Men's and Women's Physical Educa tion, 1909-1914, Record Group 3/e/29, O.S.U. Archives. 52 Lantern, October 26, 1912, P. 3. 53 Lantern, October 4, 1911, P. 1. 5 4 Ibid., P . 4. 5 5 Ibid. , P. 4. CHAPTER VI TO HAVE A DEAN OF WOMEN OR THAT IS THE QUESTION! Approximately four decades after the opening of The Ohio State University, the office of the Dean of Women was established in 1912. By this time, as the following infor mation would indicate, similar co-educational universities, had, for a decade or more, established this administrative office for women: Name of University Establishment Date of Dean of Women Northwestern University 1873 University of Chicago 1892 University of Michigan 1896 University of Illinois 1897 University of Wisconsin 1897 University of Nebraska 1698 University of Iowa 1900 Indiana University 1901 In the early years of their existence, the Deans of women had varied duties and responsibilities depending on the needs of their respective schools. However, they usually looked out for the needs of the coeds in housing 142 143 and in matters related to health and hygiene. They aided in employment, advised women regarding their academic and vocational goals and progress, organized social functions and acted as a chaperone at such functions, and were the disciplinarians of the women students. In general, the Deans were the coeds' social, academic, and moral leaders. How, for forty years, the Ohio State Women managed without a Dean of Women, who took care of coeds' needs, by what means and by what authority, is a very interesting topic. Research of the available primary sources shows that from the beginning, the presidents of the University, the faculty wives, women faculty and staff, various women's organizations, the Alumnae, landladies of boarding houses, and non-faculty women who were active in various campus or ganizations, each contributed, as best they could, to make it possible for the coeds to obtain an education at the state university. One can readily conclude that by hit-and- miss methods of such a conglomorate of untrained advisors who rarely had the authority to establish or carry our rules and regulations, it was a wonder that women, numbering as many as nine hundred by 1912, managed to successfully carry out courses of study at O.S.U. On the topic of moral leadership, Mrs. Charles Wing (Alice Townshend) class of '80, recalled in 1913, that: "I have heard him [President Orton] urge the young ladies to avoid the appearance of frivolity if they would walk 144 2 with the young men." Dr. Orton wrote letters to parents, 3 and advised them regarding their daughters’ conduct. Twenty years later, President Canfield wrote to a father regarding his daughter's conduct, this time passing on to him the advice he had received from some faculty members and their wives. Asserting that the girl had been "somewhat foolish and possibly indiscreet in her relations to at least one of the young men in the University,” and that "some gossip is spreading not a scandal as yet," he asked the father to withdraw the girl from the school. "... from counsel with some of the wisest and most conservative members of the faculty and through them with their wives, I am quite sure that if I were in your place and knew of the conditions as I know them now, I would quietly and immediately withdraw my daughter and take her home.11 ^ Over a decade later, in June 1912, just prior to the appointment of the first Dean of Women, in the faculty report to the President, Dr. Alice Littlejohn, who was, as has been said, both a practicing physician and the head of Women's Physical Education, wrote in her annual report to President Thompson, asking for clarification of her responsibilities in counseling young women: Several cases came to my notice in which girls were sadly in need of authoritative super vision of their conduct. Frequently when they have come in here concerning some physical con dition, the occasion has arisen or been made, 145 to speak to other subjects, and I hope that words have been spoken which have had a good effect. Many come in "just to have a little talk about themselves", or to "talk things over", and many, hours have been spent in such conversations, and I have not felt that they have been wasted. The fact that I understand their physical nature and condition, makes it easier for them to talk freely, I think. I have several times taken it upon myself to call up instructors of girls, and tell them a little of the girls condition, when some ner vous, or other trouble made her work difficult, and in some cases it has helped things. I should like to know whether this department could be put on a more definite basis, and a clear outline of duties and restriction of treatment, etc. made for me, that I might feel free to go ahead, or, in other directions keep "hands off" . 5 For some years before Dr. Littlejohn came to the campus there was already a woman staff member who was able to take time to "talk things over" with the girls. Miss Olive Jones, the University Librarian, who in her freshman girls' lecture series on the use of the library, advised the girls ". . . ask to see Miss Jones even though you have no complaint . . . I am asking you now to consider me a friend, to speak to me whenever you meet me."® On the same topic, in a letter written by the Women's Council in 1911, and sent to the coeds new to O.S.U., the council members suggested: "If you need help in getting started come to any of the council girls and we will do our best to help you. Miss Powers, the Matron of the Gab-Room, is always willing to help you. If there is anything we can 146 do for you now, or any questions we can answer, write us 7 any time." In matters regarding employment, the Presidents, their executive clerks, and after 1897, Miss Edith Cockins, the university registrar, aided any women students who sought their advice. Housing, the most serious problem of the coeds, was also handled through the President's office. As early as 1879, the faculty had ruled out the housing and boarding in co-educational situations, however, it was not until the 2 0th Century that a more organized guideline for approved housing was made available to the non-residents of the city. President Canfield, in 1898 replied to an inquiry made about housing: "As to rooms, etc. we cannot take the time to make a copy of the list of boarding places, rooms, etc. in this office. This matter is easily deter mined after you are upon the ground. I know of an excel lent place, however, where you could keep base with your g mother". "The Student Rules and Regulations," a handbook of university rules in 1906, explains the living arrange ments: "The President shall have authority to supervise the living arrangements of students not residents of the city of Columbus, and to order the immediate withdrawal of any student from any boarding or lodging house in which he deems the surrounding are undesirable". 9 A circular was sent to new students in September, 1911, advised them of boarding situations: "For the benefit of the out-of-town 147 girls, we are enclosing a list of accredited boarding houses for girls. This list has been carefully made out by the girls in accordance with the faculty ruling and is endorsed by President Thompson. A faculty ruling provides that all girls attending the University must live in such houses as are found on this list, unless special permission is given by the President.The girls who made out the list were Women's Council members and they soon became frustrated with the housing situation. In the following spring they wrote to the President: . . . the Women's Council has earnestly tried to find suitable lodging for them [out-of-town coeds] . . . but, because of the lack of abil ity of the Council to enforce its authority, and because of the lack of sufficient time on the part of the members to devote to such an the movement has prac- Closely connected with the housing situation was the lack of sanitary conditions in off-campus and on-campus facilities for women, whether restrooms or rooms for bath ing. In 1911, Dr. Alice Littlejohn reported: Many [women students] were encouraged to make free use of the baths in this department, where inquiry showed that plenty of hot water was not available at rooming houses; and there have been many regular attendants all year; most of them coming during the evenings when the department has been kept open for this and other uses.I2 An organization which took up the "sanitary cause" for the University women was the campus Y.W.C.A., which 148 sponsored a series of Twilight Concerts, produced by the Girls' Glee Club and some local musicians, during the first years of the 20th century. The funds raised from these concerts were used to improve the conditions of the few campus restrooms available to women. The Rest Room— formerly the Y.W.C.A. room— is already showing the effects of the Twilight Concerts. Several marked improvements in the room itself have been made, and some attrac tive pieces of furniture added, so that it is beginning to have a comfortable appearance.^ A letter dated March 31st, 1911, written by Dr. Edward Orton, Jr., to President Thompson, gives a glimpse of some special problems associated with the restrooms designated for use by coeds: Attached please find request for lock and six keys for the ladies' toilet room in the Mines Building. I have been informed that the girls have been subjected to some annoyance on ac count of students using this toilet room at night (presumably those students who use the library of evenings, according to the arrange ment which we have recently perfected here.) The fact that there are no ladies in the build ing at night has doubtless emboldened the young men to use this room, rather than go down stairs, and I regret to say that they have not confined themselves to the limits of decency in using the room. The night janitor has told the girls that he is unable to stop this practice, but that he has made an effort to do so, and has repeatedly driven the boys out of the room in question. A lock placed upon this door, with keys for all of the ladies and for the day and night janitor, would obviate any further trouble in this way, and would enable the ladies to have the room in such condition as would make it ac ceptable to them. 149 Regarding the health of the young women, there seems to have been no particular policy or organized concern until the appointment of Dr. Littlejohn to the department of physical education for women. In the first year of her service, she conducted regular health examinations and found, in some cases, cause for alarm: Among the students who consult me in regard to their physical condition as being on the verge of the so-called "nervous breakdown", I have found a consideraable number who are carrying more than the usual number of hours. Generally they are those who are endeavoring to graduate in three years; attend the Sum mer session, and petition for additional hours during the year's Course. In several of these cases the physical condi tion has been such that the girl should not for the sake of her health be coming to college at all, and yet she has been permitted to add to the required amount of work, additional sub ject. . . . They insist on trying to hold out, and want medical treatment to brace them up.15 Dr. Littlejohn suggested that the students' health records could be checked before granting permission for additional course work. Various women's organizations, the faculty women and faculty wives, the Alumnae, and concerned townspeople, all aided in providing social opportunities for entertainment of the coeds. Even then, there were many coeds as well as men students, who were left out the social circles due to their newness to the institution, or lack of means to belong to the social groups. In the 1890's and the 1900’s. 150 there was, to be certain, a great deal of socialization among the women, as well as between the sexes. Many social functions were inadequately supervised, as the Women's Council reported in a lengthy statement addressed to the President and the Board of Trustees: Social activities, which are now without any restrictions whatever, are greatly in need of wise supervision, not only for the phy sical, but also for the scholastic welfare of the students. Great need is felt for supervision of the young women in the matter of proper chaperone, in the indiscriminate visiting of men's fraternity-houses, now going on, in which the Women's Council has no authority to interfere or forbid.16 In his last report to the Board of Trustees, President Canfield spoke of several needs of the women students— for an advisor to women, for a women's building, and for suit able housing. Progress toward fulfilling these needs was slow, but a beginning was made in 19 08 when the new dormi tory, later known as Oxley Hall, was opened, as we have seen. In the deliberations of the Women's Council, organ ized soon afterward, the other two great needs, an advisor and a women's building, were generally linked together. The earliest strong support for dealing with these two needs came not from among the students, or the faculty, or the administration, but from women graduates who seem to have been motivated by quite other concerns. As early as 1906, O.S.U. Alumnae were interested in becoming members of the Association of Collegiate 151 Alumnae, which was organized in 18 82 by graduates of select Eastern colleges for women. The Lantern of May 9, 1906 reported an organizational meeting: At the mass meeting of the local alumnae in the college chapel Friday afternoon arrange ments were made to perfect and strengthen the organization now known as the Ohio State University Alumnae Club, with the ultimate aim in view of becoming eligible to membership in the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. Mrs. Francis C. Caldwell, a member of the local branch of the Collegiate Alumnae, addressed the meeting Friday. She declared that the organization desired to have the Ohio State University Alumnae added to its ranks, but advised the latter to wait until the new woman's building is completed. In the mean while the local alumnae of the university will mold themselves into a strong organiza tion. Every alumnae will be notified of the aim in view and all will be asked to join the club; which heretofore has been composed of a comparatively few graduates of the university.17 The Association of Collegiate Alumnae rapidly became prestigeous after its founding. It admitted to membership the alumnae of an institution only when the institution met certain standards. One of the early requirements was "there shall be a reasonable recognition of women in govern ing boards, in faculties, and in the student body; the proper provision for the intellectual and social needs of women students." 18 Later, this was amended to include, specifically a dean or advisor of women, above the rank of instructor, and counted a regular member of the faculty. In co-educational institutions, great weight was to be given to this matter. 152 On February 18, 1907, in a letter to the secretary of the Association, President Thompson, discreetly accused the organization of being an "exclusive social organiza tion." He gave assurance that he would cooperate in every way if an on-site inquiry team might want to visit O.S.U. Referring to a copy of regulations for membership went to him, he concluded that: I recognize, however, in the printed state ment, that this university could probably never meet certain ethical requirements. For example, our Board of Trustees is ap pointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. I doubt whether the average Gover nor could be persuaded to appoint a woman as trustee and there may be some legal diffi culty in that matter. In the matter of faculty representation: that is wholly a question of fitness. We have a number of excellent women in the faculty now and Miss Bracken, head of the Department of Art, I regard as a very superior woman. I should be very much pleased, however, to dis cuss this matter frankly with the committee if they desire and shall abide gladly by any decision they may reach.19 In July 29, 1909, in response to an inquiry made by a woman concerned about the status of women at O.S.U., President Thompson wrote: . . . In addition I may say that the Ohio State University has never had a Dean of Women; that matter has been under considera tion for some time, but we have not yet seen the reason for making such appointment. The work seems to be so indefinite in the minds of a majority of people and our needs for other purposes so great that we have delayed action. It is proper to add that our young women graduates are anxious that some such 153 appointment be made, I think chiefly on the grounds that it would give us recognition with the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. Whether this is an important consideration I do not know.20 Thus the first reasons given by the President not initiating this appointment were the "indefiniteness" of the "work" to be undertaken by the dean, and also the "needs for other purposes." There are several other pieces of correspondence in which the President reiterates the lack of funds required to appoint a Dean of women. Throughout the President's correspondence in the following year, the topic was being raised with the Presi dent more and more frequently. The Women's Council, soon after its inception, began to urge that a dean of women should be appointed. But there were also others, outside the university, who wrote to ask about plans or to apply for the position, assuming that it had been, or soon would be, created. In one letter, the President even alluded to a commitment on his part to initiate the pro cedure to appoint a dean: We have not yet made our decision concerning the appointment of a Dean of Women.’ The annual budget will be prepared during this month and the early part of May and we propose to take it up at this time and if it is agreed^^ to I shall recommend the salary in the budget. Two months prior to writing the above letter, responding to an applicant for a position as dean of women, Thompson wrote: 154 We have not yet appointed a dean of women. The matter has been under consideration. There are certain difficulties in the way. In the first place, most women who want to be dean of women want also to have some teaching posi tion and I have never been able yet to see just how I could select a woman fitted for the of fice of dean and they say to any particular department that "she is well fitted for work with you". Moreover it may just happen that the department for which she is fitted needs no help or instruction and then I should be out again. This concern over the status of the dean as a regular faculty member as well as an administrator seemed to have been the cause of major distress on the part of the Presi dent. In his extensive correspondence in search of a dean, 1910-1912, Thompson, time and again, brought up this matter. In March 14, 1911, he wrote to yet another appli cant : I shall be very glad to take the matter up with the trustees concerning a Dean of Women. We probably should omit that title and call her by some other title— probably an Adviser of Women. The deans of women seem to think that they ought to be professors and we have no facilities for taking care of such relation ship and we have no place for headquarters. If the present legislature should provide a Woman's Building, as we hope, there would then be some place where a woman could have an office and meeting place with young women. At present it looks rather barren for such work.22 And so the matter went, for more than five years after the O.S.U. Alumnae Club began to work in earnest to have a dean of women appointed. 155 Early in 1912, help came from another direction, again from graduates of the University, but this time from alumni, both men and women. On January 30, 1912, the Cleveland Alumni Association petitioned the President and the Faculty of their Alma Mater to appoint a Dean of Women: . . . The university women lack guidance, academically, socially, and morally. The new Dean must be scholarly, of the best character and one who can be a true friend to all the girls. Such a personality, directing, advis ing and admonishing the women of the Univer sity would solve many problems and would raise the tone of the life of the university women. The appointment of a Dean would give the uni versity recognition among the colleges of this land.23 Within the next month, the O.S.U. Alumnae Club, the Women's Club and the Women's Council all submitted similar petitions to the President and the Board of Trustees. Of these, the most detailed and most persuasive, and the only one sub mitted in manuscript, was that prepared by the Women’s Council. The students wrote most earnestly about the need to have a dean with power to enforce improvement in women's off-campus housing and to supervise the social program of the University. On the February 21, 1912 meeting of the Board of Trustees, "The President presented certain papers from the Women's Council and the Cleveland Alumni Association concerning a Dean for Women, and upon 156 his recommendation the Trustees authorized an advisor for women, the same to be referred to the next budget for ..2 4 enactment. And thus the wheels seemed finally to be set in motion. Even then. President Thompson who stepped up his search was hesitating to make a stand on the question of the academic status of the Dean of Women. On March 23, 1912, he wrote to a candidate for the position: It is not absolutely sure that we shall ap point an Adviser of Women but we are hoping to be able to do so. The matter will prob ably not come up for consideration until May and the appointment probably be made in June. I sun not sure that any teaching will go with the position. There seems to be a difference of opinion on that matter and as far as I can learn the teaching is not regarded as es sential and where it is done amounts only to two or four hours a week. At Wisconsin Mrs. Matthews teaches but they are facing the neces sity of assistants so that the problem of social service for women does not seem to be entirely solved.25 On the same day, the President inquired of Professor Frank P. Graves, then on leave from the University, and studying at Columbia, information about a recent female graduate of that institution: It is probable that we shall appoint an ad viser of women or dean of women and I shall greatly appreciate the favor if you would make a few inquiries about Miss Calvin and give me some suggestions as to her personal equation and fitness for such a position. I have not yet started on the hunt for such an official but will, no doubt, have plenty of rubbish presented.25 157 It is interesting to note that the President did not men tion his frequent correspondence with regard to this search. It is also interesting that three months later he confessed to a minister, who had recommended one of the strong candidates under consideration: I have never been more embarrassed in any appointment than in this one. There are several candidates whose academic require ments and experience would seem to be strict ly first class. I cannot understand how such an unusual group of women ever happened to be available just at this time*27 All available literature of the period bear witness to the fact that if sought, highly educated and capable women had always been available to fill positions requiring their services. Among the serious candidates, Dr. Caroline Brey- fogle, an Ohioan, seemed to be the most qualified for the position. She was highly recommended by many well-known educators and scholars, including Professor Robert Francis Harper, of the Department of Hebrew Studies, University of Chicago, who wrote a letter of recommendation referring to Miss Breyfogle as a woman who has "scholarship, method, and tact." 28 Miss Breyfogle, who held the Ph.D. degree from the University of Chicago, was a scholar of the Old Testament and had published articles in the Biblical World as well as in the American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literature . 158 During the months of June and July of 1912, Thompson and Breyfogle exchanged letters a number of times. Each time, lengthy letters revealed their thoughts about the nature of the office of the Dean of Women, qualifications of a Dean, and goals to be reached once in office. Dr. Thompson persisted in his stand on a minimal teaching load for the Dean. However he asserted that: Indeed I am not at all sure but that within ten years we shall very much change our point of view on the question of the office of the dean. It would seem to me that there ought to be developed a condition where student con trol on the part of the women would make the deanship less a chaperone, less of a social fuction and more of educational leadership.29 Miss Breyfogle, tactfully, persisted in her determination to teach: To be effective with the best type of student, it seems to me that such a dean must prove the possession of a sense of values coming from a rich background of knowledge, a trained judge ment and an understanding of people and life. I should think it advisable, therefore, that the dean be allowed to give a course of 3, 4, or 5 hours, as best fits into the schedule, in order to demonstrate to the skeptical, intel lectual student that she has been through the mill herself, that she has an intellectual sense of proposition and is fully sympathetic with intellectual and ideal aspirations. I know that this is an important element in the reactions between a dean and the students: It furnishes the dean with an all around knowledge of the student and it gives the student respect and confidence in the dean. . . . Of course it might be said that real ability would make itself felt in any line of service and that a mastery of the problems of women students with some contribution toward their solution would 159 be a fine piece of work to accomplish. It is that which makes me willing to undertake the work, if you see fit to give it to me, know ing that you would be as eager for my success as I could be and that you would grant me a free enough hand to really make this larger service possible. In other words, it is with a reasonable confidence that I would be some thing more than a dispenser of the glad hand, that I would get into the inner life and prob lems of the student as a confident, guide and friend.3 0 Eventually, there emerged enough agreement that the President, in the late summer, recommended to the Board of Trustees that Dr. Breyfogle be appointed Dean of Women, and they did so at their meeting, September 24, 1912. "Miss Caroline Breyfogle, Ph.D., was elected Dean of Women with the rank of Professor, at a salary of $2,000.00, as provided in the budget. Miss Breyfogle was authorized to offer courses in Biblical Literature and History, as may 31 be approved in the usual manner." Even though women and Miss Breyfogle, in an important sense, finally won, the old prejudice against paying women comparable salaries with those paid to men, was strong enough to hold her salary to about three quarters of what her colleagues received. Literature of the time reveals that occasionally, in early years, the appointment of the Deans of Women, on some campuses, caused resentment on the part of a small percentage of resident women, who felt such an appointment would be a threat to their independence. This seemingly 160 was the case at O.S.U. as is evident in the comments made by Mrs. Cora Evans, class of 1911, in a personal interview with the author in spring of 1976. Mrs. Evans, formerly Cora Roberts, recalled that some women felt rather in sulted and resented the appointment of a chaperone. "The girls felt that they were old enough and wise enough to 32 take care of themselves." Mrs. Evans, however, asserted that the overwhelming majority of women responded enthus iastically to the appointment of their first Dean. In the Annual Communication of the President to the University Faculty, dated Tuesday, Oct. 1, 1912, the Presi dent made a formal introduction of Miss Breyfogle to the faculty: The appointment of a Dean of Women is so pro nounced a departure from the experience of the past as to warrant special mention. The trus tees have appointed Miss Caroline M. Breyfogle, Ph.D. to that office. I have pleasure in com mending her to the confidence and cordial co operation of the University Faculty. Miss Breyfogle spent her Freshman year at Wellesley; a period at the O.S.U. and took her A.B. at the University of Chicago. Three semesters were spent in the University of Berlin. For five years she was Associate Professor Biblical His tory, Literature and exegesis at Wellesley. She received the Doctor's degree last June at the University of Chicago. She has been an oc casional contributor to journals published by the University of Chicago. The educational experience of Miss Breyfogle fit her admirably to undertake the work at Ohio State. No trad ition exists, no precedents have been estab lished and it is hoped that with the genuine co-operation of the Faculty and students. Miss Breyfogle may be able not only to justify abundantly this new office but to make an important contribution to the education of young women.33 161 Such were the beginnings of an office which was to grow and serve the women of The Ohio State University for the next fifty-five years. CHAPTER VI NOTES ^This information was obtained through correspondence of the author with the archives of the various universities. 2 Mrs. Charles wing, "Forty Years of Achievement," The Ohio State University Quarterly, IV (July 1913), 15. 3 See Chapter I of this dissertation. 4 The Canfield Papers, April 28, 1899, book no. 10, PP. 501-508, Record Group 3/d/5, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. ^Report of the Department of Physical Education Dept. Women's Division, 1911, Record Group 3/e/29, Thompson Papers, O.S.U. Archives. 6The Thompson Papers, Freshmen Girls' Lectures, August 6 , 1911, O.S.U. Archives. ^Letter sent to new women by Women's Council, 1911, Record Group 44/19/14, Thompson Papers. a The Canfield Papers, September 24, 1898, book no. 10, P. 393, Record Group 3/d/5. q Students' Rules and Regulations, 1906, P. 6 , Thompson Papers Record Group 3/e/3 3. ^ T h e Thompson Papers, Circular sent to new students, September, 1911, Record Group 4 4/19/14. 11The Thompson Papers, Women's Council, a petition, 1912, Record Group 3/e/12. 12 Report of the Physical Education Dept., Women's Division, 1911, Record Group 3/e/2 9, Thompson Papers. 13Ohio State University Lantern, January 15, 1902, P. 4. 163 14 Letter sent to Thompson by Orton Jr., 1911, General Correspondence, 0-R, Thompson Papers. ■^Report of the Physical Education Dept., Record Group 3/e/29, Thompson Papers. 16The Thompson Papers, Women's Council, a petition, 1912, Record Group 3/e/3 3. 17 Lantern, May 9, 1906, P. 1. 18 Thompson Papers, January - February 1907, Box 10. 19 The Thompson Papers, February 18, 19 07, Box 10. 20The Thompson Papers, 1909, Record Group, Dean of Women Correspondence and Applications, 3/3/17. 21 The Thompson Papers, 1910, Record Group D/W Correspondence, 3/e/17. 22 The Thompson Papers, 1911, Record Group D/W Correspondence, 3/e/17. 23 A Petition from the Cleveland Alumni of O.S.U., Thompson Papers, 3/e/12. 24Records of Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University, June 30, 1911 - July 1, 1912. Minutes of the Meeting of Feb. 21, 1912, P. 36. 2 5 Thompson Papers, March 23, 1912, Record Group W/D Correspondence. 2 6 Ibid., D-G. 2 7 Ibid., D-G. 2 8 Ibid., May 16, 1912. 29Ibid., July, 1912. 164 3 0 Ibid., July, 1912. 3^Records of Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University, June 30, 1911 - July 1, 1912. Minutes of the Meeting of Sept. 24, P. 11. 32 Personal interview with Mrs. Cora Evans, June 8 , 1975. 3 3Thompson Papers, 1912-1913, Annual Communication of the President to the University Faculty, Record Group 3/e/ll. CHAPTER VII CONCLUSIONS Normative values of the 19th century society were discriminatory toward higher education of women. Most men argued that women were physically and intellectually in capable of university education. They further held that women had neither the taste nor the desire to pursue higher education. These views were reflected in decisions and policies formulated for The Ohio State University by the all-male General Assembly of Ohio and by the all-male Board of Trustees as well as by the largely male faculty. Because the Trustees were themselves political appointees, their university appointments were also political in nature. Because in the early years the Presidents and the Faculty did not have tenure, it was seldom that men in a position of influence and authority in the University would jeopardize their posts to champion the cause of coeds, which remained an unpopular issue for nearly forty years. Only two nineteenth century presidents of the University willingly became involved in a variety of con troversial issues, including the needs and rights of women students. These two were the only ones of the eight presidents in the University's first century who 165 ■ 166 served short terms: William Q. Scott, dismissed after two years; and James H* Canfield, forced out after four. By September 17, 187 3, when the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College opened its doors as a co-educational institution, many other Middle Western universities had also moved beyond the controversy over co-education and were admitting women. Besides, Ohio had the longest his tory of successful co-education in her colleges of any state in the Union; some influential members of the orig inal Board and the original Faculty were supporters of co-education, and the first two women who applied for ad mission were daughters of Dr. Townshend, at first a highly respected and influential trustee and then the first professor of agriculture in the University. Acceptance of women students, however, did not mean that any special provisions in the form of academic, social, or physical facilities were to be made for them. In 1895, the Secretary of the Board of Trustees wrote to Dr. Canfield who was considering appointment as Presi dent of the University. "The University is heartily com mitted to co-education. The State Law opens its doors equally to both sexes, and the sentiment of the Trustees and faculty cordially sustains the law." "Cordial sus tainment of the law" was the extent of the University's commitment to women for the first two decades and the concept lingered much longer in the minds of many charged 167 with authority. In retrospect, it is almost possible to excuse the repeated neglect of problems that were most urgent only to women students. From its beginning, the University had to struggle with inadequate appropriations from the legislature. The tremendous rate of growth con stantly used up the meager funds available and because women's higher education was not a major priority, these funds, when available, were used for other, more general purposes. It is also true that The Ohio State University, in the nineteenth century, showed a small enrollment for women, a major cause for which was the lack of housing, since the campus was far removed from the city and no dormi tory space was provided. Women did not experience a blatant opposition to their academic or social endeavors. They were simply frustrated by a benign neglect of their needs on the part of university Faculty and the Trustees. Coeds were left to their own resourcefulness to find ways to manage without adequate physical facilities, appropriate academic courses of study, and social opportunities for leadership. During the last four years of the 1890’s, the sup portive administration of President Canfield together with the coeds' superior scholastic records, their untiring efforts to raise the cultural level of the student body, and their success in their social endeavors, finally brought recognition to the women students. For the first 168 time, courses of study especially suited to the coeds’ own needs were organized and implemented. Departments of Domestic Science and Pedagogy were established, and courses in physical education planned for women, were made a requirement for all women students. Acting in the name of the University, President Canfield undertook successful campaigns to promote the university's eagerness to enroll more women students. The first decade of the 20th century saw a tremen dous increase in the number of women at the University which along with the slowly changing public opinion in favor of women's higher education, brought some changes on the Ohio State campus. Women students, with the aid of the faculty women, faculty wives, and a strong Alumnae organ ization forcefully brought their problems to the attention of the Trustees, the legislators, and the general public. Gab-Room discussions of a few girls to solve urgent prob lems gave way to mass meetings of women on campus, to dis cuss and act on issues of concern. A women's dormitory was obtained, a Women's Council was formed, petitions for the appointment of a Dean of Women soon followed. Most all of the reputable co-educational universities in neighboring states had already established the office of Dean of Women, giving recognition to the special needs of the coeds and committing themselves to the improvement of the conditions under which women students lived and 169 studied. At The Ohio State University, however, President Thompson in these years, although he was, on the record, an enthusiastic supporter of co-education, was slow, even reluctant, to use his personal prestige to promote the status of coeds. Eventually he was brought, through the efforts of the coeds and their supporters, especially the O.S.U. Alumnae organization, to recommend to the Board of Trustees the appointment of a Dean of Women, and the Board made the appointment in September, 1912. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY MANUSCRIPT SOURCES: The Ohio State University. University Archives. Founding Papers. RG 00. ______. Edward Orton Papers. RG 3/a. ______. William Q. Scott Papers. RG 3/b. ______. William H. Scott Papers. RG 3/c. ______. James H. Canfield Papers. RG 3/d/l - 3/d/5. William Oxley Thompson PaDers. RG 3/e/l - 3/e/39. ______. Dean of Women. RG 9/c - 2/1. ______. Browning Literary Society. RG 44/1/a. ______. Strollers Dramatic Society. RG 44/5/1. ______. Political Science Club. RG 44/11/1. ______. Miscellaneous: banquet programs, handbook of rules, etc. RG 44/13/1. ______. Philomathean Literary Society. RG 44/16/a. Women's Student Government Association. RG 44/19/a. ______. Makio Yearbook. RG 44/14/g. ______. The Lantern. RG 44/14/f. Faculty Papers of Charles B. Morrey. RG 40/1/4. ______. Faculty Papers of Edward Orton Jr. RG 40/39. ______. McGinnis, Easther, "A Student Scrapbook." RG" 4 2/s . ______. Faculty Minutes. Volumes I-XIII, 1873-1912 . 170 171 OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS: Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Agricul- tural and Mechanical College to the Governor of the' State of Ohio. Columbus: Nevins and Myers, State Printers, 1870-1878. Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of the"state of Ohio. Columbus: Nevins and Myers, State Printers, 1878-1879 Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of the State of Ohio. Columbus: G. J. Brand and Company, State Printers, 1880-1883. Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of the State of Ohio. Columbus: The Westbote Company, State Printers, 1884-1891, 1895-1896. Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio. Norwalk, Ohio: The Laning Printing Company, State Printers, 1892- 1894, 1897. Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio. N .P.D ., 1898-1901 Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio. Springfield, Ohio: Springfield Publishing Company, 1902-1904, 1908-1909. Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University to the Governor of Ohio. Columbus: F .J. Heer, State Printer, 1905-1907, 1910-1911, 1913-1914. Annual Reoorts of the Registrar, The Ohio State University, 1969-1970, Record of Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. Columbus: N.P., 1870-1878. Record of Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University. Columbus: N .P ., 187 8-18 90^ 172 Record of Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University. Columbus: Harm and-Acta'ir, Printers, 1890-1900, Record of Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University. Columbus: Champlin Press, 1900- t w : — ------ Record of Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University. Mansfield, Ohio: Press of Ohio State Reformatory, 1909-1914. The Ohio State University. Catalog, 1373-1893. The Ohio State University, 1873-1893. The Ohio State University. Rules and Regulations for Students. Columbus: The Ohio State University, 1906-1915. NEWSPAPERS AND SERIALS: Ohio State University Lantern. 1881-1912. Ohio State University Quarterly. 1909-1913. Ohio State University Monthly. 1918-1930. The Ohio State University Makio. 1880-1912 THESES AND UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS: Ewan, Mary Abry, "The Evolution of the Office of Dean of Women." Unpublished Master's Thesis. The Ohio State University, 1931. King, Mrs. William Neil, "A Scrapbook," Ohio Historial Center, Columbus, Ohio. McFadden, Polly F., "Deans of Women in Ohio Colleges and Universities, Their Status And Duties." Unpub lished Master's Thesis. The Ohio State University, 1949. The Ohio State University. University Archives. Biog raphical File. 173 BOOKS: Barnard, Henry. Rutherford B. Hayes and His America. Indianapolis, Indiana: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1954. Burstall, Sara A. The Education of Girls in the United States. London: Swan Sonvenschein and Co., 1894. Cope, Alexis. History of the Ohio State University. Vol. I, 1870-1910. Edited by Thomas C. Mendenhall. Columbus, Ohio: The Ohio State University Press, 1920. Good, Harry G. The Rise of the College of Education of the Ohio State University^ Columbus, Ohio”: College of Education, Ohio State University, 1960. Holmes, Lulu, A History of the Position of Dean of Women in a Selected Group of Co-Educational Colleges and Universities in the United States. New York: Columbia University, 1939. Hooper, Osman C. History of The Ohio State University. Vol. II. (1910-1925) Edited by Thomas C. Mendenhall. Columbus, Ohio: The Ohio State University Press, 1926 . Kinnison, William A. Building Sullivant's Pyramid - An Administrative History of the Ohio State University, 1870-19 0 7. Columbus: Ohio State University Press^ 1970. Knight, George W., and Commons, John R. The History of Higher Education in Ohio. U.S. Bureau of Education, Circular of Information No. 5. Washing, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1891. Lange, Helene. Higher Education of Women in Europe. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1895. Mathews, Lois Kimball. The Dean of Women. Boston: Houghton Miffin Co., 1915. Marks, Jeannette. A Girl1s Student Days and After. New York: Fleming H. Revel Co., 1911. Pollard, James E. History of the Ohio State University: The Story of Its First Seventy-Five Years, 1873-1948. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1952. 174 Schlesinger, Arthur M. In Retrospect: The History of a Historian. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. , 196 3. Sturtevant, Sarah M . , and Hayes, Harriet. Deans at Work: Discussions by Eight Women Deans of Various Phases of Their Workt New York: Harper and Brothers, IT3 0. Sullivant, Joseph. Schedule of the Departments Proposed by J. Sullivant to Serve as a Basis m the Organiza tion of the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College and School of Applied Science. Columbus, Ohio: n * p. , n . d . Talbbot, Marion. The Education of Women. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1910. Woody, Thomas. A History of Women's Education in the United States. The Science Press, New York, 1929. INTERVIEWS: Bricker, Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Interview in their home, July 10, 1974. Clarke, Miss Helen. Interview in her residence, July 17, 1974 . Condoide, Mrs. Mikhail V. Several interviews in her home, 1974-75. Conway, Mrs. Christine. June 25, 1975 Demorest, Mr. Don. Several interviews in his home, 1974- 75 . Evans, Mrs. William Lloyd. June 8 , 1975. Fox, Miss Margarete. November 28, 1975. Funk, Mrs. Agnes. August 12, 1975. Morrill, J. Lewis. January 2, 1976. Pollard, James. Several interviews 1974-75. Rader, Mrs. Clara. June 20, 1975. Thomas, Miss Amanda. June 2, 19 75. Appendix A Statistics Regarding Enrollment and Various Degrees Obtained by Men and Women 1873-1912 175 176 STUD El IT EimOLU-IZUT BY FISCAL YEAR THE OHIO STATE UUT7TLSITY 1973-7U to 1?11 -1 912--- Year Men Voi.icn T otal 1673-167U 1:5 5 50 187U-1375 61 7 68 1875-1376 89 16 105 1676-1377 122 20 1U2 1877-1873 216 38 25U 1C73-157? 217 53 3 CO 1879-1830 263 39 302 1680-1331 328 37 365 1061-1682 307 b5 352 1082-1333 307 U6 355 1663-1 S3!i 261 38 299 163U-1395 285 33 323 1885-1336 286 U5 331 1686-1337 297 U7 3bb 1887-1868 350 51 1iC1 1868-1889 366 59 b25 1689-1890 L26 67 b93 1890-1891 li26 67 U93 1891-1392 932 82 66U 1692-1693 653 112 770 1893-169b 655 1U5 800 189U-1395 686 122 Cc8 1895-1896 760 130 690 1896-1697 825 1lii 969 1897-1893 921 229 1,150 1896-189 9 9th 2C5 1,1 h9 1899-1900 1,1 Ui 208 1,252 1900-1901 1,223 2h2 1 ,U63 1901-1902 1,237 229 1,516 1902-1903 1,U82 253 1,735 1903-190b 1,580 2U7 1,827 190b-1905 1,580 290 1,370 1905-1906 1,773 33U 2,157 1906-1907 1,632 Lb5 2,277 1907-19CC 2,165 521 2,636 1903-1909 2,U5b 596 3, c5 0 1909-191'-. 2,556 719 3,275 1910-1911 2,629 810 3,339 1911-1912 3,017 911 3,925 ■*Annual Report of the Registrar -* The Chic Stcte University, 969 1 - 1970, P. 121 . Various Degrees* Obtained by Men and Women 1878-1912 B.A. Bachelor of Arts Pharm. Pharmacy B.Ph. Bachelor of Philosophy* Ed. Education B.S. Bachelor of Science M.S. Master of Science Eng, Engineering: civil, chemical, ceramics, M .A. Master of Arts electrical Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy Arch. Architecture D.S. Doctor of Science Law Bachelors, masters, Ph.D. **Honorary Degree +B.Ph. discontinued 1904 NOTE: Statistics on Arch, not accurate for some years, because the degrees were counted as Eng. 18'78 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 HpffTPOQ M W M W M W M W M W M W M W ■M W M W B.A. 1 1 5 1 2 2 1 3 2 4 1 4 2 B.Ph. 1 1 4 2 2 1 1 B.S. 5 4 1 1 2 1 3 2 4 3 Eng. 2 5 4 6 8 Arch. Law Pharm. ■ Ed. M. A. 1 M.S. 1 Ph.D. D.S. 178 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 Degrees M WM W M W M W M W M W M W M W M w B.A. 6 2 6 1 5 2 2 5 1 7 2 8 4 13 6 B.Ph. 1 1 3 1 4 2 2 3 4 4 3 5 1 4 3 2 11 8 B,S. 4 1 2 9 9 12 8 2 12 1 11 9 3 Eng. 7 12 5 5 4 13 20 / 20 28 Arch. Law 10 22 i 14 16 Pharm. 3 6 5 5 1 2 10 1 Ed. M.A. 1 1 1 1 1 l 1 M.S. 1 1 1 2 2 Ph.D. 1 i D.S. 1 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 Degrees M W M W MW M W . M W M W M W M W M W B.A. 7 5 6 11 8 10 7 1 11 3 11 5 5 1 10 6 43 25 B.Ph. 14 6 8 19 15 12 25 8 20 18 20 17 16 20 22 15 B.S. 4 1 15 1 17 8 1 16 1 22 14 17 2 24 3 18 5 Eng. 36 29 25 23 27 24 37 47 1 62 1 Arch. 1 Law 12 23 22 21 25 17 26 1 0 1 11 i Pharm. 11 11 7 1 1 3 2 Ed. M. A. 4 4 3 5 3 2 4 8 1 9 5 5 1 * M.S. 4 2 4 4 1 4 3 2 1 Ph.D. D.S. 1 1 1 u - 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 Degrees M W MW M W M W M W M W M W M W B.A, 47 21 42 52 39 40 43 38 56 .51 63 57 63 59 73 63 B.Ph. B*S. 23 10 28 6 21 1 35 13 29 11 27 15 20 27 70 34 Eng. 68 60 80 92 104 102 110 94 Arch. 1 Law 16 17 16 1 16 15 1 21 1 1 - Pharm. 3 2 4 1 6 3 Ed. 2 7 4 11 5 18 M.A. 10 3 6 3 6 9 12 3 16 6 17 10 16 5 27 9 * M.S. i ; 2 2 1 8 4 2 7 1 Ph.D. 1 1 1 z 4 1 D.S. 1 - --- Appendix B Letters, Documents, Circulars, and Other Data Regarding Women Students at The Ohio State University, 1373-1912. 182 A letter from President Canfield promoting the education of women at The Ohio State University* *The Canfield Papers, February 2, 1898-May 9, 1898, Record Group 3/d/4, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 183 184 O hio S tate U niversity cxicutivc orric*. JAM(» H. CUFIILD MllWt COLUMBUS Dear liro.rir-.iey I ser.d you by s - ns.il as tliiSj under separate cover, a few booklets concerning the Education of Women, from th e s t a n d p o i n t o f t h i s U n i v e r s i t y ; f e e l i n g sure that they will be of interest to you and to the ladies of your Club. This new departure by the University is being re garded with a great deul of interest and has been received with unqualified acr.roval by 3omc of the most eminent edu cators of this country. It is the only opportunity of this kind offered in this state; and it is the only move ment of this kind in th*s country conducted with Univer sity methods and standards. based upon proper and suffi cient preparation, a.-ii recognised by a University degree. We feel sure thru- when the attention of the women of Ohio is called to this, they will respond heartily. The University is not sending out this matter by way of advertisement it never advertises. It i3 simply reporting its; under-a1:: ngo and its methods to these who me, in tain :i ty public taxation the citizens of Ohio. It desires to enlarge its service to these citizens ------to whom Its most faithful ur.u loyal service is due. I shall be glad to correspond with yourself or with any of tho ladies of your Club concerning this de partment; and I shall be doubly glad to welcome to the University and to this special work the daughters of those who are t.c ensel ves sc wisuly and helpfully united in this wonderful Club movement, for the betterment of the life of their respective communities. Very ccrdially yours Mr s. 17. C.rinluy jiiir o.i Letter from Annie Morray* *Morray Papers, R.G., 40/3/1, 1896-1954, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 185 186 Columbus, 0., Oct. 9, '92 My Dear Parents: . . . such a picnic as I am having in regard to room and board. I don't remember whether I told you about my room-mate or not. She did room with Kate Morhart at the club, but she came down to room with me, as we have a lots nicer, larger, and better room. . - Miss Burr took her place with Kate Morhart. Hutchisons where she boarded last year have sold and Miss Burr had to get some place else . . . The girls there at the club are all well off, I presume. Quite often have "spreads" - candy, grapes and such stuff. By the way Mrs. Hershirer has consented to board us and we took our first meal here last evening. You know it will soon be so bad to go out for our meals, and besides it will be a $.25 a meal cheaper here making only $4.50 the same that the girls at the club pay. Such board, room and house. It is just luck so they say that we happened to get it. It is a grand house 4 floors counting the basement. The people are lovely. Mrs. Hershirer is so motherly . . . for supper last evening the menu was: potatoes (fried real good some way), fresh fish, jelly, radishes, apple butter (Mrs. H. made 15 gals.) two kinds of cakes, crackers and tea. . . Nov. 9, '92 . . . everybody thinks I am so lucky to get such a lovely place . . . only a $1.25 a week apiece for the room. Board and room $4.50. . . You ask me what I study. I think every time I have told you. Well, 4 hrs. English, (Chaucer, essay- writing, etc.) 3 hrs. Greek, 5 hrs. French (lovely) and 5 hrs. Latin. Very nice work. We have had 4 exams. One in Chaucer, one in the other English, one each in French and Latin. I haven't heard from the two-Englishes. But got 8 5 both in French and Latin. . . Your Loving Daughter, Annie A letter from Perla G. Bowman, Professor of Domestic Economy, to the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University*. *The Canfield Papers, January-June, 1896, Record Group 3/d/l, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 187 183 March 13, 1899 To the Honorable Board of Trustees of Ohio State University; Gentlemen; Having no knowledge that any expansion whatever could this year be considered, I'm writing to bring before you what to me seems an important need of our university. I have asked President Canfield to present to you this letter should it meet with his approval. Most of my own college experience was at Wells and still I am heartily in favor of coeducation under favorable circumstances. It seems to me, however, that young women entering our university are placed in trying and often detremental positions. From my own Columbus experience extending over one and one half school year I may frankly say that I found nowhere in the north end of our city a wholesome, comfortable abiding place and that too where I was willing to pay double the amount which many of the girls are able to spend. Two or three times I was met at the door with the response we do not wish young lady roomers. .A girl coming to OSU may not - broadly speaking select her boarding place. The question to be solved is where she will be taken in. Usually young women are found in houses where students are received. There is no social center for the young women of our University and the influences are not 189 all to be desired. I believe that we can neither hope for an appreciable increase in number among the young women nor expect to graduate such cultured and rounded women as we should wish until greater care is given to their surround ings . Three girls I am told go to other schools next year and two I know went this year because of the diffi culties connected with living in Columbus. Chicago University with much older women than those who come to us found a home necessary. Five Halls each accommodating from sixty to seventy five girls are provided. These are finished, furnished and cared for in such a way as to experience a constant refining influence. Women’s College at Cleveland has a hall accom modating forty girls and contemplates building a second - both at Chicago and Cleveland they tell me that the halls had paid expences since the first year that the women much preferred the life here to that outside. A building resembling that at Cleveland could be provided for O.S.U. would not alone care for the girls but prove a great help to the Department of Domestic Economy. It would furnish a home where economic problems might be studied. The building, furnishing, plumbing, heating, lighting, and care might demonstrate the nature and labora tory work of our course and make it possible that we attempt such advanced sanitary work as we can not at present consider. 190 I bring this to you now as a subject which greatly interests me trusting that when the opportunity arrives you may consider it. I hope I have not been inopportune in presenting it and that I have not too long infringed upon the time of busy men. Very sincerely yours, Perla G. Bowman 191 Some Data on Graduating Senior Women at The Ohio State University in 1899* 1. Dorathea Frances Canfield, B.Ph., Completed the Ohio State University Preparatory Department, Member of: Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, and Philomathean Literary Society. 2 . Ida Mae Coursault, B.Ph., Completed Columbus High School, Member of: Delta Delta Delta Fraternity, and Browning Literary Society. 3 - Mary Fannie Rockwell, B.Ph., Completed Columbus High School, Member of:Delta Delta Delta Fraternity and Browning Literary Society. 4 . Lilian Stuart Huffman, B. Ph., Completed Columbus High School, Member of: Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity. 5. Dallas Gypsie Lisle, B. Ph., Completed High School in Ashland, Kentucky, Member of: Pi Beta Phi Fraternity, and Sketch Club. President of Philomathean Literary Society, 1898, and class poet, 1899. 6 . Ruth Mundhenk, B.S., Completed High School in Dayton, Ohio, President of Philomathean Literary Society, 1898. 7. Maud Raymond, B. Ph., Completed Columbus High School, Member of: Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity and Philomathean Literary Society. 8 . Susan Esther Price, B.S., Completed Columbus High School, Member of Philomathean Literary Society. 9 . Gertrude Belle Nichol, B. Ph., Completed Columbus High School, Member of: Delta Delta Delta Fraternity, and Browning Literary Society. 10 . Anna Williams, B. Ph., Completed High School in Jackson and Oberlin, Member of: Philomathean Literary Society, Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity, and class poet, 1899. 11. Elizabeth Grant Baldwin, B. Ph., Completed Columbus High School, Member of: Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity. 12 . Carry Ligouri Logsdon, B. Ph., Completed Columbus High School. *Makio, 1899, PP. 78-91. Department of Physical Education, Women's Division, Annual Report to President William Oxley Thompson, 1911-1912* *The Thompson Papers, 1909-1914, Record Group 3/e/29, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 192 193 THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY W.O. Thompson, President Department of Physical Education H. Shindle Winger, M.D. Head of the Department Alice Littlejohn# M.D. Associate Director for Women Dora Sauer, Assistant, Women's Gymnasium COLUMBUS Dear President Thompson: The following report is submitted, not that it contains anything unknown to you, but because complaints from the young women students are becoming so numerous, that it seems as if it will soon be necessary to take some steps, either to eliminate part of the course in Physical Education for Women, or to provide a suitable place for it. The number of students has increased so rapidly in the last few years, that classes in this department are now com posed of from 90 to 130 or more members; too large a number to teach at one time, and give any personal attention what ever. There are but 115 lockers,— small unventilated lock ers,— and 422 women in the department. Result: the clothes of three, and sometimes four students have to be crowded into one locker, which is almost an impossibility; and in some cases I have found the clothes of more than four in a locker, the owners saying that they would "rather be jammed in with girls they know, than be obliged to hang their clothes against those of strangers." Clothes may be damp with perspiration, or soiled, and it does not seem right to compel the girls to crowd their clothes in with those of people whom they do not know. Also there are many articles of clothing lost, and with occupants of lockers coming at different hours, it is difficult, or in many cases impossible to fix the blame, or prove carelessness in anyone. 194 With such crowding, no more clothese are kept in the lockers than absolutely necessary, and the change of under clothing which is so essential to health when going from the Gymnasium into the cold outer air, is altogether impossible. Dressing rooms are so crowded that a very small part of the classes, often less than one tenth, can squeeze into them to dress. Three usually try to dress in each one at once, but rest have to change their clothes in the aisles, exposed to the view of others, and having no place to put their street clothes, often piling them in corners on the floor. Many are sensitive, modest girls, to whom the pub licity, and crowded conditions are almost unbearable; also their clothing is not protected, and many dresses have been seriously damaged by being kicked around underfoot. The windows of the dressing rooms open into them from a level with the ground, directly beside the dressing spaces, so that it is impossible to keep them open in warm weather because they admit the gaze of the passers by, and in cold weather because they allow the cold air to blow directly on the students while dressing; and as one class enters before the preceeding one is out, there is no chance to cool the rooms between times and to freshen the air; with the result that the heat, and odor of perspiration become almost unbearable, and I have seen girls coming down from the Gymnasium floor, pause on the stairs with a gasp, as the hot nauseating wave of air reached them. As the floor is available only in the morning, all classes, over 400 students, are obliged to come between 9 and12 o'clock. This time is in some respects unsuitable for the following reasons; during the morning hours most students' schedules are full, so that they have to rush from some class, (usually from the Main Building), to the Gymnasium, and from there to another class, with the result that fear of being late, and frantic rush has a detrimental effect on health, which in many cases almost counteracts the beneficial effects of the gymnasium lesson. Twenty minutes are allowed at the end of the lesson for dressing, but such are the crowded conditions, that they are almost always late in getting to the next class. Many of the Professors kindly excuse their tardiness, but some are seriously inconvenienced by it, and make continual appeals to me to see that they get to class on time. Their minds are full of subjects of the day's recita tions, and they neither need nor desire to have them ob literated from their minds; so that complete engagement, of interest is hardly possible,— for the added reason that they have in mind the fact that hair must not be disarranged, nor perspiration increased, because of lack of time at the end of the lesson, to arrage toilets. From 10 till 12 would not be an unsuitable hour if both could be used together, giving time for a thorough 195 lesson, followed by a shower bath and change of under clothing before going out of doors; but very few students have two consecutive hours free in the morning. Having to allow time for dressing, only 25 minutes of the hour are available for the tymnastic lesson, and with the large classes, some of that is lost in the mechanical process of handling the class; resulting in lessons of such brevity as to be unsatisfactory alike to both pupils and instructors. It becomes impossible to give any individual instruction to those who need it because of some physical defect or weakness, or to allow to advance those who are interested, and would become more proficient; only such lessons can be presented as are suitable for the weaker members of the class, which makes them so mild as to be un interesting to say the least. The students hardly get an idea of what might be presented in a good lesson, and their enthusiasm over the work, such as it is, makes the in structors long for the opportunity to give them the advan tages of a thorough course. We have no need to consider ways to increase interest in Physical Training; we need facilities for providing for those who are already interested. The Armory, not having been built for a gymnasium, is lacking in many features which are essential. Between 1/5 and 1/6 of the woman students could have their health and well being promoted by carefully prepared Physical Exercises; which often means complete relaxation and quiet, between periods of mental exertion of long standing, such as occur in the Chemistry Laboratory (especially this year, when many have their laboratory work on two successive days, and have to stand on their feet three hours at a time on those two days, which frequently occur at their menstrual periods,) etc.; or exercises for the development of control, etc. in those who are undisciplined and irresponsible; or special exercises for those who have some structural defect, or functional disorder. Several cases which have left the University, could have been tided over, and retained had the Department of Physical Education and facilities for handling them. Nearly every day I see girls that need help which we are unable to give them, for lack of rooms, ap paratus, or time. The demand for preparation for teaching the subject of Physical Training becomes greater every year. This year 23 girls in addition to a full scale schedule, are devot ing certain hours to study of some of the subjects per taining to Physical Training, preparatory to teaching. Appended to this report is an account of what is being done along this line. It is to the interest of the student's health, that she have some out-of-door exercise. This is recognized in the Boys' Athletic Association; but the girls, who need it even more, as the restrictions of conventional 196 dress, and deportment limit their activities to a greater degree than do those of boys, have no space out of doors prepared and equipped for such use. The campus has several desirable stretches of level ground which would make ideal exercising fields. It is imperative that each student have a locker to herself, so that her clothing need not come in contact with that of others; only by prompt attention, was an epidemic of a skin disorder checked in October of this year, its spread due to contact in the dressing rooms. The Parallel Bars, Horses, Bucks, etc., are not suit able pieces of appartus for women. (At a glance, this statement might be questioned, but I believe it to be the opinion of the more careful observers, that exercises of the character that are performed on the horse, etc., are suitable for girls from ten years to fiften or sixteen, if carefully graduated, but not for older girls unless they have been made accustomed, and prepared for them by having had them during the younger period. To take a young woman of eighteen or twenty, and require her to vault, jump, straddle etc., is to expose her unnecessarily to injuries, which once acquired, are often never recovered from). They need such apparatus as the Swedish Ladder, Stall bars, Climb ing Ropes, etc., to either train them for something that may at some time be useful, as in ability to climb, or to strengthen and develop the muscles of the lower part of the body, in order to overcome the ill effects of corsets to prepare them for maternal obligations, etc.; and this train ing can be made very effective, with the apparatus. But we have none such, nor is the building apparently adapted to such while it is used primarily as an Armory. Anything more said along these lines, would be but a statement of familiar facts; but I should like to ask, What method might be pursued to result in the acquis ition of a Building for Physical Education, including a Department of Hygiene? Is there anything that we could do in the department as it now exists, which would better conditions? The group of Junior and Senior Girls who wish to teach Physical Training are coming to the following classes: Monday and Wednesday at 1 o'clock, Practice work on the Gymnasium floor in Swedish School Gymnastics, Advanced Indian Club Swinging, Advanced Calisthenics, Fancy Steps and Esthetic Dancing, Fencing, and Exercises of the Apparatus. Tuesday, kinesiology, Thursday, Consideration of the different systems of Physical Training, 197 Friday, Analysis of Exercises, and Practice in Teaching. These five 1 o'clock classes are supplements by practice on the floor between hours, practice in teaching in classes outside the University, (settlement classes, etc.). The points mentioned in this report have been dis cussed with Dr. Wingert and have perhaps been embodied in previous communications from him, so that this is, in a way, simply an accumulation of them, for the purpose of having the statement of existing conditions in this department clearly stated. A letter from the Women's Council to New Women Students* ‘Thompson Papers, general correspondence, 1911, Record Group 3/e/10, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio- 198 199 W O M C N 'S c o u n c i l OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY S c-pitm Jocr. / J / / Dear Mias:— The Womsn's Council of Ohio State University wishes to wel come you to a place among us as one of our new loeobera, The Council is made up of all the girls of the University and is represented at mootings by three girls from each class, chojen by the girls of the clas3. Three Freshmen representatives will be chosen the first Monday in October. Se sure to come to ths meeting. A notice of it will be posted in the Gab-room. Watch for it! For the benefit of the out-of-town girls, we are enclosing a list of accredited boarding houses for girls. This list has been carefully made out by the girls in accordance with the faculty ruling and is endorsed by President Thompson. A faculty ruling provides that all girls attending the University oust live in such houses as are found on this list, unless special permission is given by the President. If you need help in getting started ccms to any of ths Council girls and we will do our best to help you. Miss Powers, the Matron of the Gab-rocn, is always willing to help you. If there is anything we can do for you now, or any questions we can answer, write us any time. Address such inquiries to Helen Zeller, 378 A*. Ninth Ave., Columbus, Ohio. Our scope is wide. We give social affairs for the girls. There will be one in October especiallyintended for new girls. Last year we ware so bold as to ask the Legislature for a sew Women's building for Ohio State, we did not get it, but we did get lota of encouragement, and are going after it again in two years and will need your help. The new buildicg that we have planned, is to be a wonderful place, with a long gym floor and a white enameled swimming pool, domestic science rocms of every description and study and rest rooms--all for girls. And we will be counting on your help when we start our next campaign for ths building. We hope that you will like both the work and play of your new college life here. Trusting to find in you an enthusiastic Council member. Sincerely yours, THE WOMEN'S COUNCIL. President. P. S.— For out-of-town girls: If you want us to meet you at train, write us the time. Tear the enclosed Scarlet and Gray ribbon and you will be able to reoogni2e other new State girls and they will know you. Petitions sent to President Thompson and The Ohio State University Trustees by: The Women's Council, Ohio State University Alumnea Club, the Cleveland Alumni, and The Ohio State University Women's Club*. *Original copies of these documents may be found in Thompson Papers, First Dean of Women, correspondence and applications, 1912, Record Group 9/c-2/l, University Archives, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 200 201 Cleveland, Ohio, January30 , 1912, To tho ProBldont and F a c u lty , Chio Gt.ote Uni va r s it y . Dear SIp b :- In nost oollegoe and universities of recognized standing, where women students are enrolled, you Till find a Dean of '"omen. nend of such an officer la generally recognized. Such an advisory officer la required not only by the wor.on In Dormitortea, hut as much If not noro by those who live at hone. The majority of women attending Bernard College live In Sew York City, atlll the authorities recognize the pooltlva neod of such a acholary, womanly women aa Doan V ir g in ia G ild era lea v a Ph. D., and she Is u n iv e r s a lly lovod nr.d adnired hy the nonon of Barnard. In the sane way the Ohio State University women need a Dean, Tho need la imperative for many reasons. Tha University women la c k guidanco, a c a d em ica lly , a o c ia lly and m orally. The new Dean cunt he ooholrrly, of the best character and one who can be a true frierd to all the girls. Such a personality, directing, advising and admonishing the women of the University would solve many problems nr.d would ralao the tone of the U fa of the University women. Tho appointment of a Dean would give the University recognition a—org tho colleges of this land. Korea tho Cleveland alumni earnestly petition you to anpointr a Dash ' tf /J Tenon.. / Apresilent Cleveland Alumni Assoc latlon Secretary Cleveland Alumni Association ■hemher Commit to on Doan fo r "’omon. 202 ^ i "A7 //rZ^>£u, p_ /£_&/?;. * % < ,-%L < V < * > ^- c / u rr /£ #£n Jt^~ , J & y s /£*. Jy.*. J*/L. . *f_ ~i7tl AA, d *■■■ t * - / ^ L1 V '>T_^-*-j£(^r *■*! A\i^ 1 y1^ «* y / f . ^ a y^tou. , ^ ^ C^c**_ <7- ^ A- <1 ^ , - dCa. ^ * He^ _. ^ ( /}$-f*S £uX^X,, / **-n *■>, *~*£— —- A/jUA. (j4- A<> ^ -^,'1/ *+*y£nf***S 'LC-*-&t.m -- /v'*— dL^> ^-*±^- - y^ c^i^rr^ -*^7T/*^ ■ *- x~“ * * ^ “ 7 ^ * ^ 4 - 7 ^ ^5-^ it* - * - ^r _ .f,.. ^TtTt^ it> 1^4 (7“‘J “^y A^>~-— H^«-« o <. *>" f<. ~ 77o ;£-— («-«*-:> . ^ *£~<£ /**- 4_ ^ ^ *- ^ ^ ft- J *■ ^ X. ^ /a a - i'V^u /, >V‘ J /£ ------■ j£av >Ui — fZ Ca m i'.A ^ J twu «*4*» '* ^ A. ^1 203 -C, f^Csu. u , A u . ^ Aaj_^c -£_ A~i--*-*i- ^ A-o-r'— . ft]* /' ** - > J m / ( /fc^~iU4t^ *^_ 1A. , A>v c?'— Z^ —v . Aa (iA j / t i {& * t- i _/ a — ^ ^ ,, ~t£ vf- "(Zt p f ~. >eZc^~m Z^ZJC ?s£~/rl**A* ^ ' fr-~ *- C 5 z u t t^c. . "t^^< Z < _ c ^ c 204 WHEREAS, at Ohio State University the number of women students has reached seven hundred and the resulting problems are of great importance to this institution, be lieving that the situation justifies and demands this consideration, We, the Alumnde Club of Ohio State University respectfully recommend: 1. That there be appointed at Ohio State University an adviser of women to be called Dean of Women, or to be known by such other title as the President may prefer. 2. That said Adviser have faculty standing. 3. That she be a woman of wisdom, culture and sympathy with young women. 4. That she have directive power over halls and houses where women students lodge. 5. That she regulate questions of chaperonage and social amenities. 6 . That she discuss with students their ability, ideas and ambition in such a way as to stimulate and encourage where there may be need of it. Realizing the benefit which should follow, we earnestly request early and favorable action. Respectfully submitted, 205 JvxA-lLi-A ( j<-| To the President and Board of trustees of the Ohio State University Gentlemen:- the TTonen'e Club of the Ohio State University by a imcrinous vote endorsed the petition of the Tonen’s Council ashing for the appointment of a Dean of Uomen. The members of the club have long felt a need of more supervision over the affairs of the young women and therefore tr.he this opportunity of bringing the natter to your attention. (Signed J Colnrfbu3, Ohio Pcb. 1C, 1012. Appendix C Sketches and literature taken from The Ohio State University Year Book, the Makio, 1880-1901. 206 207 rce pages from Makio: Figures Year Page I 1896 251 II 1880 36 III 1884 99 IV 1899 Unnumber< V 1899 326 VI 1887 75 VII 1901 238 VIII 1894 251 IX 1882 85 X 1887 98 XI 1889 119 XII 1901 247 XIII 1887 113 208 EXCELLBXT EACJLITSE s I'OH LXDJES IX THE AOPSCVLTt TiAL DUPA-RTJtEXT. II “ The University affords sxcelle:,: advantages for the education of young women.’’—Ctiiu/wvr. Ill 210 CHU'O* rj{F, IV 211 A familiar scene in the “ gab-room." Four hundred girls before a two-foot mirror. V 212 T'erpsichore. m E R Z 5IC TtORE is the place ■Where the girls and laddies go To have a good time and dance To the music fast and slow. The members are the most select That in college you can rind. And the way they waitc in i scho'tische ts A wonder to ail mankind. There’s Laienby, with graceful form. Whirling ’round with Mary; And Willie Devol, so slim and tall, With Josie, his little lairy. VI i ^°te Xhe above peculiar Iorm&tiun w as discovered on a rock -by.a member of the Jemor ^eoJogicd^ S m s durmO a"« or tneir exped: Non* A prize !» offered to the first person ;den tif-ins the above persons. VII 214 O U R PATRON SAINT. VIII 215 ^ \ A'Az BIBLE SOCIETY. M aggie Sexi'On W ill IViets. Laura D evol. N ewton G ilhert M ay Scott F rank A lcott. A nna Scott. C arl Pvyff. E dward Converse. James C lark. H oward T hompson. \V, S. D eyol. S S. D kvo:., W inh.ell' Scott. H .v - .x 1' S t o c k ". n i l G E O U G E A'. IX 216 JJ^HE Chemical Lab is ihe place to go To grow both wise and great, For they teach the science of chemistry From early morn till late. Here Sidney reigns as King supreme. With Davy, his right hand bower. And they walk through the Lab. with stately step Seeking those whom they may devour. X 217 “ Historic” Places ofQ. 5. U* T he f 1TLE. Could two steps speak. No two could tell Such wondrous tales as these— “ Hair-raising” deeds 1 Ill> .lllll'. ’Mid rustling weeds 1 Enough to cause one’s blood to freeze fll’ilTl. t s ^ - ^ A s&HiESaa-srfSSt - Beautiful bridge 1 Babbling brook ’ Place historic : 'Vould nil a book : Handsome youths, Maidens fair. Spend many delicious hours there ’ XI 218 § © K i ®P TCSP T O i t ©EVBILJISffl ’YBflBB8©S m e m i % m toecj r a ? r © @ dm 9,1 TTBBB r n j 3 l*’ * i o f * * r*i* ' f A<<[> To X • '> f fs *3ii+t,r0 Tp,«ii t i f ml 4 rutFdiMvmTt ; r ^mrpcftur'^ -_» I ./' ^ >*’ V ^ ' J J w LWt « THEY MI6WT WAVE DONE T H IS , B U T ----- Fi * ftrt*6 Fw* Hjik n*P Lwr fjt ^ t?V flttuALlfr* i rxi1HJ coufd U N* (jfllf tret r« ( u a a Ow / ^ To* Of A iwri* V =^- I”1 XII 219 C T o uiinil' O ’e r the Stile* f^uM IN G through the field*, (tear girlu-, ^ Coming through the mud, She draigiet a’ her petticoatie. Coming through the mud. The student ’s a forsaken body. The path ’* seldom dry ; Me soileth a1 hi* nice new suitie, Like coming through the rye. Trustee* are a careless body, Careless of us all : II they would only make a waikie, Through the mud for all. Gin a body meet a body, Stuck tight on the fence ; Gin a body loose a boily, Lose a body sense ? Gi-i i 1 y meet x L . dy. C t tiling o'er the :■ ’ihr : Gin a : d y meet a b . iy. Need the pig get wild ' XIII 1878-1902* Appendix D *Three *Three photographs, Chemistry "A Class, 1888," "The and and edited by the Department of Photography and Cinema, Sketch Sketch Club, 1888," and Architectural "An Drawing Class, 1902," and ©and copy right 1970 by the Ohio State University Press. A A Family Album of the Ohio State University, 1870-1970, com- are are reprinted with permission from The First Hundred Years: All All rights reserved. Photographs of coeds educational in and recreational settings. piled 220 Mirror Lake Party, 1878 224 Sketch Club, 1888 225 227 The "Gab-Room" {Women's Lounge), 1907