Item #4926 The American Girl at College. Lida Rose McCabe.

The American Girl at College

New York: Dodd, Mead & Co, 1893. Octavo, xii, 194 pp, contemporary blue cloth with gilt lettering. A guide intended to "give prospective students and parents a glimpse into the private world of women's college", written when the American College Girl was fast becoming a cultural icon (Tarbox, The Clubwomen's Daughters). The book begins with a bold declaration regarding women's intellect: "The higher education of women has ceased to be a conundrum. Woman has solved it. Statistics refute almost every object raised against her highest intellectual development. Witness the scholastic standing of the four great women colleges of the United States;" however, some scholars classify the work in a genre "written at the behest of college presidents," reflecting "administration goals and policies" rather than "mention of student culture. Moreover, young girls were reminded by these authors that the primary reason for attending college should be to perfect, not to alter their reminine nature" (Tarbox). Most of the chapters relate to educational matters, though the book contains a chapter on social life and a chapter on physical development that paints a vivid picture of the athletic college woman who "crosses swords with men, vaults bars, climbs ropes, plays ball, rows and swims." An attractive copy with toning to pages and minor fraying to spine tips, edges and corners. Item #4926

Price: $750.00

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