The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-10-09
For the Analeerson Mte7Egencer.
Co.Education of the Sexes.

University, before the Educatlonal 1nseitoVe Vi
South Carolina, whh held its annual meeting
for 1873 at. Greenwood: ~ -
CATER forty years of successful experiment
in our country, during which ladies and gen
tlemeu have studied the same subjects, under
the same teachers, at the same time, with equal
success, it is too late to debate the question OF
the capacity of women to grappe with the
ssbtleties of logic, the intricacies OF language
the abstrusities of metaphysics and mathemat-
les or the beauties of poesy and song. Wo-
mans capacity for these subjects is not now an
open question, whatever may be said as to the
practical value of these studies to the gentler
sex. Yielding to the pressure of an enligRt-
ened cultivated moral conviction, several of
our medical and law schools, our Oldest and
best appointed Colleges and Universities, have
broken down their cloister walls5and thrown
open their doors SO wide that all possessing the
requisite mental and moral qualifications, with
out reference to sex or nationality, may now
enter and together drink at the same fountains
of knowledge. More than sixty institutions
Of COLLEGIATE grade, not TO mention the great
number Of seminaries and academies, now ad-
NIT both ladies and gentlemen to their halls,
on the same terms The world moves slowly,
yet the world does move. a4
The:opening OF our Colleges to ladies for
long time encountered the fercest opposition,
on various grounds, such as: that ladies did
not require the same mental training, that they
were incompetent to profit by it, that it was an
Innovation upon respectable. usage, that all sorts
OF, ,improprieties would grow out of the attempt
to educate both sexes in the same institutions
AS to the last objection, the result shows that
twas lust what was demanded to preserve
the morals, polish the manners and improve
the characters of the young men. Those
disgraceful scenes of riot, the barbarism OF
"Freshing,," formerly so common in all the OLD
Colleges, are unknown in institutions where
both sexes are taught In the preparation OF
the lessons, each is stimulated to the highest
effort by the knowledge of the factsthat those
of the opposite sex will listen to their reclta-
tions. The young men are restrained IN their
conduct in all public places, the chapel, the
lecture room, the play ground, by the reflection
that ladies' eyes. are upon them. AS to this
being an innovation, it is anything else. 1t is
but q return to ancient, venerable practice.
Whatever credit may be due to the schools
which have abolished this heather discrimlna-
tion. they can never claim the honor OF dis.
covery, or as being the first to open the door TO
the ladies; So- the schools of antiquity, and OF
the middle ages, not only admitted ladies as
pupils. but chose them to fill professors chairs
in their Universities. Well authenticated his
tory records the fact that Hypathia, the daugh-
ter Of the great mathematician, Theon, was
professor of philosophy in the Platonic School
at Alexandria, in the fourth century. 1t IS
claimed for her that she was thoroughly accom-
plished in the mathematics, astronomy, as then
understood, mechanics, philosophy, and the
whole round of polite literature, and was for
time the best lecturer and the most enchanting
orator of her day. The green-eyed monster,
jealousy, finally caused her to be seized ana
murdered in the streets as she was returning
from one of her lectures to her home. 1t IS
also we'll known, that the wife and the daugh-
ter of Pythogenes were teachers in his school
of philosophy. In the University of Bologna,
several ladies, at different times filed professor
ships. So much for former precedents on this
subject. ...f
To me it is certain, beyond question, that a
new life would be impaired to manyof our
lanlgeu1ishing Southern schools by throwing open
the doors to ladies on the same terms as to gen.
tlemen. Such, at least, has been the effect
upon the old Colleges, North and West, where
the experiment has been made. BY uniting
our schools we could double the number, as
the same professors and teachers would in
struct both sexes, and one set of teachers would
thus be relieved to open an Institution else
where. But this economic argument l will
not urge.
For eleven years was connected with mixed
schools, and though the institutions were very
large, the number of pupils varying from two
to four hundred, yet not the slightest occur
renee ever transpired to weaken any ones faith
in the system of mixed schools as eminently
wise and right. The sexes meet daily in the
lecture rooms, the chapel and at the table, but
of course no where else. The buildings and
grounds were so arranged that clandestine
meetings were impossible. If the sexes are to
associate in families, in churches, and else
where why not in schools? challenge reply.
No one reason can be assigned that does not
meet refutation in actual experiment. Tx
clude ladies from your churches, and your
most costly and elegant temples would soon
become the habitations Of spiders and bats
Over your altars you would soon see written ::
Ichabod- glory has departed"
The day, and it is not very far distant, that
sball open all our College and University doors
to ladies will be the dawning Of glorious