Marion Talbot

"The changes which have taken place during the in the activities and position of women are the object of an interest which is widespread. These changes have been so striking that the period during which they occurred is frequently called the "woman's century." Nor is the movement a completed one; there is every reason to believe that equally marked changes will take place in the . The time has passed when women were on the whole content to drift with the current of life and accept without question or demur the lot which tradition, custom, and public opinion might dictate. The little band of leaders who did pioneer work in the last century in claiming and making new opportunities for women did brave service: in no respect did they do better service than in showing the value of ideals as a positive social force. The record of their lives will always be a source of courage to increasing numbers of women who will be eager to take an active part in controlling and directing the stream of women's activities."

"... except in some of the s where the opportunities for research are limited and the salaries notably low, women are not considered eligible for chairs in the sciences ... Until women are more generally given an equal chance with men in academic recognition and remuneration, it is futile to attempt to determine, in terms of s or even of scientific reputation or eminence, how much "they are able to do for the advancement of science.""

"Miss Talbot divides her book into three parts. Part I describes the changes in women's activities—industrial, educational, civic, philanthropic, domestic, and social—during the last hundred years. Part II compares the educational machinery of about fifty years ago with that of today, citing as exampels the past and the present curricula of the Boston and Chicago public schools, of , and of the , in order to show how far education has adapted itself to these changes. Part III deals with the present collegiate education of women, pointing out its characteristics, limitations, and possible modifications in the light of modern social, economic, and psychological knowledge."