Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-09-08
Boys and Girls Together.

Mrs. JAMESON in her Common Place
Book of Thoughts, Memories and Fances," ="
says =
| am convinced from my own recollcctions,
and from all have learned from experienced
teachers in large schools, that one of the most
fatal mistakes in the training of children has
been the too early separation of the sexes. /
say has been, because | find that everywhere
this most dangerous prejudice has been giving
way before the light of truth and more gen
eral acquaintance with that primal law of ma
ture, which ought to teach us that the more we
can assmlate on a large scale the public to the
domestic training, the better for ALL There eX-
lists STILL the impressiOn-in the higher classes
especially--that in early education the mixture
of the two sexes would tend to make the girls
masculine and the boys effeminate; but expert
ence shows us that it is all the other way
Boys learn manly and protecting tenderness
and the girls become at once more feminine and
more truthful
Where this association has begun early
enough, that is, before five years old, and has
been continued till about ten or twelve, it has
uniformly worked well ; on this point the evil
dence is unanimous and decisive. SO long ago
| as 1912, Francis Horner, in describing a school
he visited at Enmore, near Bridgewater, speaks
with appreciation of tht boys and the girls
| standing up together in the same class it is
the first mention, find of this innovation on
| the old collegiate or charty-school plan-itself
a continuation of the monkish discipline He
says, . | like much the placing of the boys and
girls together at an early age it gave the
boys new spur OF emulation" When have
seen a class of girls standing up together there
has been sort of empty tittering, vacancy
in the faces, an inertness, which made it, as
thought, very uphill work for the teacher SO
when it was Il class of boys, there has been Of
ten a sluggishness-a tendency to ruf1ian tricks
requiring perpetual effort on the part of the
master.
| In teaching class of boys and girls, accus-
toned to stand up together, there is little OF
nothing of this They are brighter, reader
and better behaved there is kind of mutual
influence working for good and if there be
emulation, it is not mingled with envy or jeal-
ouSy Mischief, such as might be apprehend
ed, is in this case far less likely to arise than
where boys and girls, habitually separated from
infancy, are first thrown together, just at the
age when the feelings are first awakened and
the association has all the excitement of novel
ty. A very intelligent schoomaster assured
| l1ie JldI lie HIS Hdu more trouble Wlln a CLASS
of fifty boys than with school of three hun
dred boys and girls together, (in the midst OF
which | found him, and that there were nc
Inconvenience resulting which wise and care
ful and efficient superintendent could not con
troll "Thcre is" said he, mot only more
emulation, more quickness of brain, but altoge
ther superior healthiness of tone, body and
mind, where the boys and girls are trained to-
| a. ~ Il
into their artcr-lifc ! should say because it is
in accordance with the laws of God in forming
us with mutual dependence for help from the
very beginning of life"
What is curious enough, | find many people
fathers, mothers, tcachcrs-who are agreed
that in the schools for the lower classes, the
two classes may be safely and advantageously
associated, yet have a sort of horror of the
idea of such an innovation in schools for the
higher classes One would like to know the
reason for such distinction, instead of being
encountered, as is usual, by sneer or vile
inuendo