Eugenics in race and state.

  • International Congress of Eugenics
Date:
1923
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Eugenics in race and state. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    399/534 (page 383)
    EDUCATION OF WOMEN AND RACE BETTERMENT 383 which more directly affected their conduct and welfare. And, the subjects which are chosen would be so taught as to bring out their greatest practical utility. I realize that there are many difficulties to overcome in arranging a proper curriculum for college women. There are many conflicting de¬ mands that must be recognized and reconciled, and I do not pretend to have the last word on this subject. I have, however, for some time given thought to this matter and have a few constructive suggestions to offer. I believe that the biological sciences must play a larger part in the éducation of women than they do now. These sciences are the key to an under¬ standing of human life and are in that sense basic to the whole structure of education. Physiology and personal hygiene must receive attention throughout the college course, because they elucidate the normal function of the human body and help students better to maintain their health and vigor. Courses in community hygiene should follow the work in personal hygiene and outline the opportunities for social service in American com¬ munity life. College graduates should be prepared to become leaders of thought and action in their communities. A knowledge of sanitation, of child welfare, and of similar matters, will enable them to serve on local boards and even to direct official and private activities effectively. In the field of physics and chemistry, there is a wealth of illustrative material which can be drawn upon to vitalize the scientific principles and, at the same time, facilitate the management of the modern home. The mathe¬ matics can be utilized to make housekeeping intelligent through the develop¬ ment of budget systems and the keeping of accounts. The instruction in history, in economics, in sociology, in philosophy and ethics, all should bring out the relation of the individual to organized society and clarify the concept of the family as the unit of our civihzation. In a word, education must create a world view that truly functions and that helps to bring out every capacity of the student for creative work and constructive service. It is also recommended that co-educational institutions be encouraged and increased. Throughout the West, the large state universities are co¬ educational and the system appears to be working remarkably well. In the East, on the other hand, we have the segregated girls' colleges, or, in many instances, women's colleges under the jurisdiction of a large university and forming an undergraduate department of that university. Co¬ educational colleges woiild bring the young men and women together and offer increased opportunities for lasting friendships. ' The special needs of the girls would be attended to in the special courses which they alone would take. Faculties of girls' colleges should be reorganized so as to include more men and a large proportion of married women on the staffs. Thus, the