“…will be incalculably enlarged.”

These words are from the last will and testament of Sophia Smith, the founder of Smith College.

As it happened, Sophia Smith had quite a fortune to leave.  Her father was a prosperous farmer, and her brother Austin was a successful—and, apparently, miserly—investor.  She outlived them both and her six siblings and bagged the lot.

Having been afflicted by deafness a large part of her life, she considered endowing a school for the deaf.  It turned out, however, that somebody got in there before her, and there already was such an institution in Northampton.  As a result, she left her money to found Smith College.

This makes her instrumental in giving the world Margaret Mitchell, Gloria Steinem, Sylvia Plath, Madeleine L’Engle, Betty Friedan, Julia Child and many other prominent women.

Her will says, “It is my opinion that by the education of women, what are called their ‘wrongs’ will be redressed, their wages adjusted, their weight of influence in reforming the evils of society will be greatly increased, as teachers, as writers, as mothers, as members of society, their power for good will be incalculably enlarged…”

If you look at the list of Smith alumnae, it seems clear that her theory has been well proven.

I don’t believe I’d ever have learned about Sophia Smith had it not been for the Smith Sunday blog post idea.  As it is, I am honored to bear the same surname.