Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-01
THE YOUNG IDEA.
A POH-wOW Among the Men Who
Teach 10 How 90 ShOOt-COeducafIOB
Of the Sexes.

| OF the sexes.
To the Unior and American.
COLUMBIA, Jul 30, 1S74.-The interest
in the Teachers Institute, on this the
fourth dat, Las been fulls sustained. # not
increased. The attendance is good, though
not so large as would be expected from the
known intelligence Of the citizens of this
beautiful place. IL seems to be regarded
as the exclusive property of the teachers,
in which the outside world has ne interest
Whatever. The most Skillful mechanic. n
employed TO construct a building, is
watched with the utmost scrutiny by his
employer, though himself entirely ignorant
of the principles Of architecture. Yet the
patron and employer Of the teacher seldom
or never makes the merest inspection or
observation Of the 'plaus and specifCa-
tiOns" Of the architect who Is TO erect the
| intellectual structure Of his child.
The exercises Of the morning consisted Of
advanced reading by Prof. II. II. Smith, and
primary reading by Prof Garrett. The frs.
question taken from the postOffice was
SHOULD girls and boys be educated in the
same schoOl?7 The question Of the cO-edu-
| cation of the sexes, just now agitating the
educational world 10 a great extent, is one
Of great moment and very naturally elected
an animated discussion, though all who
participated seemed to incline to the one
side-tha; Of c1eduCatiCn. Prof. II. II
Smith approves Of the plan, and suggests
that if our sons and daughters are reared
together, and girls and boys taught in the
dancing room together, that there can
be no reason why they should not
be taught together in school. As they
grow up into the higherclasseS, they should
have separate study halls, but invariably
recite together. Girls reared without
brUtbers and educated in exclusively fe-
male schools, were crazy at Che sight Of
anything with 4 coat on. BOYS who can
not be taught alone. can be if associated
with girls. In mixed schools boys usually
conduct themselves better.
Prof G.. W. Campbell, Of Lynnville, IA
vored the mixing Of boys and girls; had
taught them so for many years; saw no bad
effects; had taught girls alone; did not think
they did so we'll.
Superintendent Wilkes, a teacher Of long
experience, also approved the plan. Ii
stimulated emulation. In his experience,
girls were the best spoilers, and one was al
most always at the head Of the class, and
every boy studied to get 'next 10 the
head" But, is il the best system for the
teacher? He had but one "play-yard," and
his rule was, Girls and boys must not
play together" and TO keep them apart,
drew q ''dead-line~ This rule was CON
stantly violated, ON account Of the "dead-
line" being rubbed ont.
A young lady present asked '.who rubbed
it out"
The Colonel replied that he never could
ascertain whether the boys or girls did it.
\ Young bachelor Superintendent from
an adjoining county thought the objection |
usually urged that girls and boys wOula |
.'nIake love" TO each other and marry, was |
invalid. If well-trained and welleduca- |
ted together, they We're just the ones to |
maTy-that, as is rarely ever the case, the !
man would know whom he is marrying.
The afternoon was devoted TO the dis |
cussiOn of the relative merits Of oral and /
written examinations, and advanced En-
glish grammar.
In the evening the Institute and very
respectable audience were entertained for
more than an hour by an address on edui
cation by Prof Garrett. The subject is
usually considered dry, bat as it is mat
ter Of all importance, we should never con-
slider the path tires Hsome which leads us
home. He first considered the pecuniaTy
benefits to a community, of good home
school system. The average county in
Tennessee has 400 Pupils-sent abroad
TO school would cost an average OF 500
per annum, or S1,320,0O0 for the county,
whereas at home $1,000 will give him ten
wears of instruction and fair education,
with which to begin life, an investment far
more remunerative than can be made OF
the 81 900 in any other transaction. EdU-
cation makes the better labOreT, the better
mechanic, and tradeSman-nO man can
destroy, no sheriff can levy, no misfortune
can impair, and no spendthrift can squan-
der this legacy.
The spirit of the age, the intellectual de-
velOpment of the world require no Jupiter
20 aid with his thunderbOlt the artillery Of
Jackson or Of Lee, or a minerva, or Egeria,
to concert the skilful campaigns Of John
or some silver footed ThetiS to dip the
Forest in the river Styx.
On the appearance Of a comet, we do not
look for Odes hailing it rs the wandering
child of space, " but for an arti lie explaining
its causes and calculating its movements.
We wonder not az things. but account for
them.
Other and numerous benefits to the
world were deliberately discussed by Prof
Garrett, but time will not allow of more in
this communication. W.
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