THE WOMEN OF A STATE UNIVERSITY.
The Women of a State University. By Helen R. Olin. (G. P. Putnam's Sons. 6s. net.)—For forty years there has been a system of co-education at work in the University of Wisconsin, and Miss Olin is in favour of it. She has two chapters, however, which candidly set forth the difficulties. These are 10, "Social Life," and 11, " Social Abuses and Proposed Remedies." We shall quote one passage without comment :—" These house parties are of course properly chaperoned. But they differ from ordinary enter-
tainments of the same sort in several important respects Each young woman of the party is the guest for several days of some particular young man, and in many cases leaves her own house or boarding place in the same town to live at his
expense It should in justice be added that no serious scandals have arisen from these _parties, and that the houses are vacated for the exclusive use of the young women, save for general social purposes, which generally include all meals." The word " chaperon" seems to introduce a discordant note. It has been felt on both sides of the Atlantic that the difficulty of co-education would arise when there should come into existence a class of women students who are, so to speak, not students at all, who go, not to learn, but to " have a good time," or because it is a social fashion. Miss Olin thinks that there is no such class at Wisconsin.
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