Among the various plans for woman's advantage, adopted in our country within the past five years, three are most worthy of note, viz., opening "Female Medical Colleges," "Schools of Design for Women," and "Schools to Teach the Art of Type-setting." The first and most important of these we have often and zealously advocated and described in our "Book." We shall continue to uphold Female Medical Education as one of the best and most important advantages for woman and for the race. Now, however, we will give some account of another excellent improvement. * * * * * _The Philadelphia School of Design for Women._--This school, the first of the kind in America, was founded by Mrs. Sarah Peter, 1848. It is now an incorporated institution, with a Board of gentlemen Managers, from among the most eminent citizens of Philadelphia, and a Board of lady Assistant Managers, who attend to the internal affairs of the school, the admission of pupils, their deportment, proficiency, &c. "The changes of the last few years," says the editor of a religious paper, "have deprived woman of some of the sources of employment and supply which tended to her comfort, and are bringing her into a state of dependence upon man, such as is not compatible with her best interests. New sources of employment, consistent with her nature, are to be sought out, by which her usefulness may be increased, her comfort promoted, and her true dignity maintained. One of these will be found opened by the School of Design. "The pupils are employed in drawing and coloring, in copying and in producing original patterns, and on lithographs and wood-engravings. The products of their industry are used by our manufacturers of cotton prints, delaines, and paper hangings, and by the publishers of ornamented books and periodicals. Hitherto, the Schools of Design in France have enabled that country to lay the world under contribution for tasteful fabrics. We hope that Philadelphia will encourage an enterprise from which both city and country will derive a benefit. "Several specimens of the skill of the pupils are now, we understand, on exhibition in the Crystal Palace." Thus our readers will see that this noble institution for the development of woman's talents is sustained by the good will and good offices of men. An endowment of $50,000 is in hopeful progress; when that is obtained, as it surely will be in this rich city, the Philadelphia School of Design will become the model for such institutions in every section of our land. About ten thousand children of both sexes, from the _working classes_, are said to be now under this art instruction in the city of Paris; probably twice that number of scholars are in the different Schools of Design throughout France. But, then, it is about two hundred years since their first school of decorative art was established.