The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-12-30

where am. but it is rapidly wearing away. Our
high School has done much TO kill that prejudice.
Do We not know some other systems which we look
upon as unnatural, which are founded on the same
idea. that, to preserve female purity, the sexes must
be kept apart? How was it that men were shut up
In cloisters, and women in uunneries! Whatever
accounts for converts will account for the system of
separate schools, and the same sentiment which is
killing out the one will kill the other.
The arguments from other sources are also in favor
OF a union Of the sexes in the schools. In the first
place, the education of the sexes together is absolutely
necessary TO make the perfect man or the perfect wo-
man The moral constitutions of the male and female
are the Compliments of each other. Comparing man
poles as in the natural magnets; and. when the infu-
ence OF the one comes near TINT of the other, the effect
Is to intensity the power Of each.
II is not true that a lady is more lady-like when
shut up from male society. nor that men are more
manly when shut out from the society of females.
Are the monks more manly than those men who move
about in the world! When we withdraw men and
women from the trials and temptations of society, we
take away that which tends to strengthen, purify,
and ennoble, and to educate them for eternity. The
man separated from female society becomes effemi-
nate, less manly and less noble. All history sustains
this position. The woman separated from male soci-
ETY., on the other hand, becomes more masculine and
less refined.
The design of the Creator may be seen in the f.ct
that we do not find the sexes born in separate families,
one family all boys and another all girls. Iii il was
intended they should be kept separate, this would
have been the arrangement. When we separate them
We disregard the intention of the Creator, and set up
our will against what he has seemed clearly to reveal.
Geo. Ii. Emerson, ESQ.,, Of Boston, inquired what
was Mr.. Edwards opinion as to the influence among
grown men and women. as in the Normal Schools.
MIR. Edwards replied that his remarks had been
based upon opinions formed from experience in the
Normal School.
Mr.. jacob Batchelder, Of Salem, said Mankind is
dual, composed If two sexes. This is an improvement
upon the first attempt AT creation. He said his at
tention had recently been called to the subject Of the
rotiere; OF which class Of animals some females Law
only eggs, that produce males, and others lay only
those that produce females. The arrangement for the
birth Of males aud females in the same family is an
improvement on the hrst order Of things; for the ear
lest order OF creation was among the class of lower
animals like the rotifer1e. And, rs woman is the
GROWING work of creation, we may with some conf
dence assert that the male man was only an uninish-
Ell cresition, and that the next step WINS to finish him.
The telegraph mly rs wei. operate without the two
poles of magnetism AS schools be carried on with only
the miles uI the hun an race. MIR. b. referred TO his
own long experience Tor confirmation OF his position,
and thou ht that the dictates OF expe fence might lie
safely relie1 upon. HIS own had proved 10 him that
the practice ut having the boys and girls educated
together IN the same sctooi-roon WAS dec,dcdly the
best. Boys, though not Influenced by the considera-
ton of the Importance of education itself, will yet be
Influenced by the opinion OF female associates; 50, too,
the feniaie will feel 1t necessary to learn her lesson,
i'll order 10 perform her duty well ut the recitation.
There are some things to be learned from each other
also. The female character will acquire power,
resolution; while the boy will lind his rudeness, and
regarLlessness OF the civilities of life, worn away by
connection with a softer and ii better nature.
Mr.. George b. Emerson, of Boston, said he feared,
from the remarks OF Mr.. Edwards, that he thought
that he (Mr. EiDerson) held opinions different from
those expressed by Mr. Edwards. 1t was not 30.
My experience, said Mr.. Emerson, has been very in
adequate. L have been a long time IA teacher; but
always a teacher of either young ladies alone, or
young gentlemen alone, when in college, or boys pre-
plrluH for college. agree entirely with the uDSerNa-
tons made by gentlemen so far, without exception.
l would beg TO say TO the gentleman from st. Louis,
who has SO well urged his point, that the reason all
authority is ON ole side is, il is "A modern discovery,
an American discovery, that every woman is to be
educated, as well and as highly as every man.
(Appiause)
A gentleman from Sweden, a few years since, went
with me to visit the Normal School AT Newton, to
learn what he could that he might apply for the i'm
provernent of the schools in Sweden and Norway. He
saw how beautifully the work was done there; and
when lie Game away he said, My question is an
swered, this is what We want iii Europe. There are
muItitudes OF women in Sweden who can be employed
To teach
Woman need to be educated as we'll and better than
men, because they have IL higher work 10 perform.
In their hands IS placed, by the Providence Of God,
the formation of the moral, spiritual, and intellectual
character of every child. They are, no matter what
arrangements We MAY make, the teachers of us ali.
This shows the Importance of having every woman
educated AS highly as possible. There are truths
now taught in our common schools which tar trans
cend the highest attainments of the ancients. Great
truths that are passing into an automatic state have
become necessary TO. be known in order to secure the
highest welfare of society, and they should be infused
into the earliest lessons of children. 1t is, therefore,
necessary that there should be thos- prepared to teactA
these great truths, even in the nursery, so that all
mankind may, from their early years, go on in
knowledge continually. How is this to be done, I'M
less women are educated as well as men, and better:
In this view, the question offers n wider field than
has been presented. The question is now whether
the college in the land shall be opened to females
Just rs freely as to males. (Applause.) There is a
COLLEGE of that kind, with as able II man as ever
worked in the educational field in New England, ut
the head OF it, working ut this moment with perfect
success. The question which now agitates the Trus-
tees of the University of Michigan is whether it shall
be opened TO females. 1t is, therefore, a question rs
important as any which can come before a body of
teachers. We want all the light from experience that
we can have. Considering the fact that the whole of
the early forming period of lite is in their hands, | as
firmly believe, as L do any other fact, that all the
teaching should be given to females, even up TO the
age OF twenty. | do not mean the experimenting,
the general ordering, but the teachin. should be bv
them. l do not believe men should be excluded from
any college or school, but | do believe it is a great
mistake /. exclude those whom God has constituted
az the best teachers from teaching. The question is,
how it can be done to the best advantage.
DIR. Selrs suggested that the Institute would be
pleased to hear the views OF Mr.. Emerson, as drawn
from the observations he had made in Europe.
The President also expressed the hope that Mr..
Emerson would continue his remarks on that subject.
Mr.. Emerson said il would give him gre 1t pleasure
to 10 fully intuau answer tu the question. He would,
however, as there would not be time for that, state
til. conclusion TO which he had come on the continent
OF Europe, which is, that the teachers there have not
vet got their eyes open as to the sphere that woman
should occupy He examined particularly the Nvr-
nal >chuol i'll Berlin. 1t was not the very best in
Prussia. and certainly WAS not the poorest. He
STAYED n week in the school, and heard every teacher
deliberately. and attended caref lily TO an ex animation
of all the pupils in all the studies OF the term; and he
wa. Obliged TO come to the CONCLUSION that the Normal
Schools of Prussia-if that Was a fair specimen of
tne,n-were not Tor n moiueut TO be compared with
those of NJ ,ssachusetts. Young men, and young men
only, came to be examined. II is not so in vi issa-
chusetts. Here only a few young men attend the
schools,-thUse who have a genius for teaching.
Young men there teach because they cannot succeed