The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-07-01
iADDREss TO THE GRADUATING
- 1tfs, sf-sss4f CLASS.

IiADDHEss TO THE GRADUATING
r. s,ts nsofl GLASS.
delivered nj The Columbia Athenae-
nm, June 24th, by DR.. ID. G. KEEL
i ley, or Lebanon, Tennessee.
The speaker commenced by saying that
thelremarks he would make on this occa-
sion would more appropriately come UNI
der the head of address than Grafton. He
| would introduce his subject by a quota
ton from an old play, which would fur
nish text for few practical remarks:
Sir Anthony, 1 would by no means wish
| q daughter of mine to be a progeny of
learning; I don't think so much learning
becomes young woman; for instance,
1 would never let her NEEDLE with Greek
or Hebrew, or Simony, or Fluxions or
Paradoxies, or such infammatory
branches of learning; nor will it be nee
essary for her to handle any of your
mathematical astronomical diabolical
| instruments; but Sir Anthony, would
! send her at nine years old to a boarding
| school in order to learn little ingenuity
and artifice. Then, Sir, she should have
| supercilious knowledge in accounts;
and as she grew up, l would have her
instructed in geometry, that she might
know something of the contagious coun-
tries; above all she should be taught or
thodoxy. This, Sir Anthony, I would
have woman to know, and l don't
think there is superstitious article in
it."-"Otd Play"
Whatever number Of principles may
have been evolved in the discussions
of the general problem of education, and
however much may have been establish
ed as law to govern all future evOlutions
and as maxims to aid in the correct ap>
plication of these laws in the every day
labors of life-that special field known
| as female education is yet to great eX-
tent, terra incognitd. True, a good
/ deal has been said on the subject; pro-
fessed explorers have brought back re-
| ports as blank in factshand exaggerated
| in coloring, as we findin our geographic
cal representations of unknown coun-
tries, where brilliance of coloring is
made to supply the deficiency of inior-
nation, and caricature occupy the place
of facts.
Do not then accuse me of selecting in
questions which l propose, thread-bare
themes. What ought woman to
know? What may she do? The true
difficulty of the hour does not lie in the
worn out nature of the theme, but comes
from two other sources. The first is of a
historic nature and arises from the fact
that the specific efforts for the distinctive
education of women are SO recent in their
origin that we have no lOng>established
and incontrovertible landmarks by
which to direct our steps, or, from which,
in an attempt to advance, we would be
justified in taking our bearings. 1t is
necessary to dwell here moment, that
l x,,o ,,,ox, won fool mot nnlV the
dearth of antiquity, but of the times we
call modern. in the needed facts. Among
the celebrated Universities of the Old
| World, and the two which have world
| wide reputation on cur continent-nOt
one of them is devoted to female educa-
ton. There is not only not school of
worldwide reputation devoted to the
work of female education, but there is
not one in Europe or America OF absorb
inc national reputation in the lnation in
which it is situated. While the attempt
to educate, even in low degree, indi>
| yidual women is of recent dale. So late
as the beginning of Queen Mary's reign,'
the fact that Lady Jane Grey could read
Latin fluently, caused her to be consider
ed quite prodigy of learning, though
not reading Latin was equivalent to not
reading at all, since no works of value
were written in any more modern
| Auu VI viz AisesiSH' =" nv
formed the brilliant court Of Queen Eliz-
abeth. were not ashamed to confess that
thew could neither read nor write, and
this at a time when authors were begin
ming to write, whose fame viii be as
llastin gas our language, land Cambridge
and Oxford professors were highly es-
teemed for their learning, and Scottish
Universities were rising into renown.
Aye, one of those Universities. where,
= r.. h. ,,sv n
rightfully won, at an examination
prize i'm chemistry, was refused the prize
ON the ground that the laws of the Uni
| yersity only looked to the bestowment
of its emoluments on men.
Has the inequality in the attention
given to woman's education produced
the inequality in the intellectual achieve
ments ofthe sexes? Or is this want of
attention to woman's culture the result
itself of natural inieriority! ihese are
questions which needs must lie at the
very root of all investigation the theme
| proposed-"What ought woman to
| know" Here comes up the second diff
GUILTY of tho hour. Addressing as 1 do,
tie graduates of a noble institution, l
| must remember that / am addressing
only well-taught schoolgirls, and not
philosophers. Were You men you could
not at your ages be philosophers. Aye,
/ WCT0 YOU all CoiiSeioiiOOt ~ soy
| in all good honesty, you would at your
ages, be less philosophers than yo4 are,
and since you are schoolgirls, am con-
strained not to weary you with questions
| and solutions after the style of the meta
physicians. The adaptation of the mode
of discussion to those addressed e
second difficulty. Now in this declara-
ton acknowledge 10 arrant recreancy
to the gallantry of che age-forgive me,
| ~aI i,,fn I,n sol
| master. But have not in little meas
ure atoned for this in claiming for you
superiority to boys at your age? As 1T
has often been said that you reach re-
suits rather through intuition than
reasoning-an aphorism whose truth l
shall not now attempt to ascertain-I
shall, in what have to say on these fun
damental questions, cOnfine nyselftOthe
statement of conclusions rather than
detail of argument. Men and women
have had in ruder times unequal attention
given to their education, because their
mental aptitudes are not the same. 1t is.
not enough to say that mans superior
physical strength in the beginning, gave
him power to Cypress woman, and he
has used this as the engine of his tyran-
ny, and from this alone las arisen her
inferior culture. 1t is doubtful whether
i'm the middle ages-those called the ages
| OIL cllVdlTy-tu6 0ulct VI WOIild-fS lllS
did not furnish better field for mental
culture than the more active life of the
men. This was the age which just pre-
ceded the dawn of letters and Outburst
of intellect, yet none of the pioneers in
this work were women. While in later
times she has never led in any one of the
parties bent on intellectual discovery.
And even among those who have achiev-
ed lasting reputation as successful culti-
vator: of thought, already opened, her
|. name is seldom found written. Nor will
it do to satisfy ourselves by saying that
the want of educational facilities has
been the only reason for want of Success
full competition with man in the higher
. walks of literature in modern times.
For as individual men have been their
, own masters, and in spite of want of
assistance from the schools, have acheiv>
ed the most signal success-so would
individual women have done had they
} | possessed the same mental constitution.
Shall we then assert that woman'S capa-
bilities are less than mans? This would
be too rapid generalization, a conclusion
; inconseQuent upon the premises. In
. every field of physical and mental devel-
opment there are two factOrsequally nee
essary to full results-the capacity for and
{ stimulus necessary thereto. The actual is
3 not always true measure of the poten-
3 tial. The fiabby muscle of the gigantic
lounger has the same capacity for
, strength as that of the honest mechanic.
it only needs the stimulus of exercise.
The eye in the dark has the same capaci-
I | ty for sight as in the MONDAY, but it is
II r,ooloc, without tho afimulnS~ of liOht