GOODSELL, Willystine

Born 8 January 1870, Wallingford, Connecticut; died 31 May 1962, New York, New York

Daughter of Jacob and Jennie Clark Goodsell

Willystine Goodsell received her education at the Welch Normal Training School, New Haven, Connecticut, and Teachers College, Columbia University. Her arrival at Columbia was shortly preceded by that of John Dewey. Goodsell's early interest in philosophy is evident in her master's dissertation, "The Relation of the Individual to Society in the Social Theories of Rousseau" (1906). The following year William James came to Columbia to give a highly successful lecture series on pragmatism.

Heavily influenced by Dewey and James, Goodsell's first book, The Conflict of Naturalism and Humanism (1910), is a history of philosophy tracing its relation to educational theory and practice in different periods. In a concise, clear style Goodsell traces the division between humanists and natural scientists from the Renaissance, a period dominated by the humanists, to 1910, an era when scientists were predominant in the U.S. In a final chapter, Goodsell proposes a pragmatic solution to the conflict, one which relates science (testing of knowledge) and the humanities (study of the past) to the appreciation of the depth and beauty of everyday human life.

Goodsell's next book, A History of the Family as a Social and Educational Institution (1915, revised 1939), established the direction the rest of her books were to take. Her interest now moved toward anthropological or sociological topics. With The Education of Women (1923), feminist overtones became obvious. With the hopes that more attention would be given to the improvement of the education of women, Goodsell published Pioneers ofWomen's Education in the United States: Emma Willard, Catherine Beecher, and Mary Lyon (1931). In this volume Goodsell summarizes women's education before 1820, provides detailed biographical information on each woman studied, and also includes selections written by all three.

A History of Marriage and the Family (1935) is a meticulously detailed study of the family from primitive times through those of the patriarchal Greeks and Romans, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. Because of the dominant cultural influence, the English family is studied in detail from the 17th to the 20th centuries. The greatest attention is given to the American family from colonial times to the present. An entire chapter outlines the difficulties of modern marriage, but Goodsell expresses optimism for improved family relationships. Her final chapter deals with governmental and social aid that may help "in the interest of [family] stability and happiness."

Since Goodsell expresses one of her goals as being "to reveal existing injustices and evils in the marriage relation," she deserves to be ranked as an early feminist. At the same time, the breadth and scope of her writing—philosophical, historical, and critical—earn her a place among scholars in the fields of the history of education and social anthropology.

—CAROLE M. SHAFFER-KOROS