The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-08-28
Review Ofthe School journal
TeacheK.ss Institute at Column.
bia-CO-educatiO of Sexes.
Super Wilkes ct al.

To the Editors oftbe Herald and Mail:
Columb ia has been blessed with the
Columbia Female Institute almost from
time immemorial, but she was recently
blessed with so-called Institute of very
different character, which was neither
Male nor ''FemaLe Institute" judging
from the complexion ofits proceedings,
which indicate very singular "unanimi-
ty" in favor of its gender's being kind
of co-Ser-Iiterary HermdphrOdite.
eachers' Institutes are organizations to
exemplity the most approved methods of
Institution; and when confined to this
object they are both legitimate and
beneficial. But when the time is spent,
as much of it 1UaS at Columbia, in useless
of various and impairment
questions, they then cease to carry out
their purposes, and ought of right to cease
existing. What has an Institution
to give methods of Instruction
to do with such questions as those that
came from the query box2 For instance,
which is correct, tlCO foot or tlCO feet
rule, ten-penny or ten pence nail,
five times three as or are fifteen" And
suppose the questions had been legitimate,
who was there, that could have given an
COQSJlIuLe0
those IpStituterS or managers as standard
authorities in our language? But the
dnslUerS to these questions were as silly
as the questions themselves were imperti-
nent, tO-wit: "Profs. Garrett and Smith
said it was customary to sag So" If
these gentlemen intend to make idiOmS
and declare dictumS for US in our mother
tongue, and if Webster and Worcester
and all our grammarians have failed to
settle such constructions, "a decent re-
spect for the opinions of mankind" de-
mands of them that they "should make
known to the world the causes which
impel them to a separation" from such
time-honored standards of the English
language as we have above named
Without such and sufficient "causes"
made known what teacher, who is worthy
the name, can afford to leave his profess
sion and travel over Middle Tennessee,
benefit of the sag SOS and ipsedirits of
Profs. Garrett and Smith, however
learned they may be? Nevertheless cur
Institute developed some good things,
although out of time and place, one of
which was Shearer's defense of the Bible
in schools; and Col John Y. Wright S
address was another. We love to hear
him talk at any time, and on any subject;
every hair upon his head, as curly as it
is, talks to its very end, every muscle of
his face glows with eloquence: but who COM
missioned John " Wright teacher of
teachers? Whence came he as such?
We have all along charged political ten
denotes upon the administration of Col.
Fleming as Superintendent of Public
schools, and now again ask what think
the people of Maury when he comes
around with his so-called Institutes and
puts up Col. Wright and Hon. w. S.
Fleming as teachers to the teachers of
Maury County,
However well these men may have
discharged the duties, does it not argue
that there is neither a Moses nor Joshua
in all the Camp of school teachers to lead
them to the promised land? 1t gill be re-
membered that this Review was under
taken in the defense of the teachers of
Tennessee, For them, and them only,
shall we plead. another good thing,
ironically speaking, out ofplace however,
was Prot, II. H, Smiths song on the
letter r. Is it not strange that Noah
Webster and Joseph Z. Worcester never
learned this tune, although they each
called over that identical letter r. for
thirty long years in order to ascertain its
sounds! Surely these are the days in
which it has been said that men shall run
TO and fro and knowledge shall be in
creased.
Wondrous pretensions indeed! that
this Institute should set itself up to
answer all the isolated questions and
puzzling puRS, both III and outside of
literature. Surely stunning the track
of meaner minds" it aspires to the rivalry
of the celebrated Areopagus al Athens,
which in the days of Paul spent their
time in nothing else, but either to tell or
hear some ReIO thing" ACTS (XVILl9-22)
We imagine that Efof. c. q. P. Bennett
regarded the Institute in the light of a
modern Areopagus, or certainly he would
meyer have propounded that stunning
longitudinous question to the solvers of
mysteries.
But the great question On the last,
greatest day of the feast of fat things,
vas ''the co-education of the sereS" 1t
is new thing in The history of schools
that the sexes" are educated at all, for
it has been generally held since Aristotle's
day, that the faculties of the mind are
the proper subjects of education. And
in this jurgon Of confusion, under the
head of discussion, no one figured more
copspicuously than did our venerable
efficient County superintendent j. d,
Wilkes, Esq qHORGGM teacher. He
seems to have had, in his day of teaching,
a great deal oftrouble in preserving his
dead line the line of separation be-
tween the boys and girls at school in the
c0-educatiOn of The se1es." No wonder
this; for his was dead line indeed,
never having had any existence in the
creation of the omniscient Creator. 1t
was the work of the frail intellect of man,
reared in opposition to the fiat of Jehovah.
Had Pgof Wilkes observed the boundary
line laid down for HIN by the Creator in
making the boys and girls for different
spheres in life, and educated them
separately to correspond to these different
spheres, he would have had no trouble
about his marks always being rubbed
out" Prof. Wilkes should remember
that being County Superintendent, his
acts are scrutinized as public official.
Notwithstanding his zeal for the co-edHce-
ton of the sexes, exhibited in the Instr
tute, he only few days before, while
attending the Atheneum Examination,
which, be it remembered, was that of an
exclusively Female school declared that
he had attended many examinations be-
fore in his life, (the most of them of the
co-education Sort) but that one far ex-
ceeded them all. From this it would
seem that the Professors theory and
practice differ very widely. His theory
is for the co-educGtiOn, but his lifetime
experience cries out in favor of separate
schools for boys and girls. But Prof,
w. has the consolation of the old goOndp
who, seeing her crop blasted with drouth,
thanked the Lord that her neighbOrs'
crops were all in the same condition.
for if we are correctly informed by the
HERALD's report, Happening to be absent
at the time Of this so-cakled dIscussion)
the position of Others was quite as hete-
rodoxical on this co-education doctrine
as his, since we are told that there was
a singular unanimity in its favor. This
woald lead one modestly to inquire if the
Smith Brothers are consistent In their
effort to carry on separate schools tor the
sexes? If they consented to the cO-educa-
ton idea as the superior mode, why not
consolidate the High School and the
Atheneum, and let the boys and girls
have jolly time Of coHrtlHg over the
demolished dead line" as Prof Wilkes
did2 We expect men who cannot main
tain schools, only on the asi1cd basis, to
favor this new departure, hut when the
Smith Brothers testify to it, we claim ma
right to cross-examine their testimony.
TEACHER.