Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-07-18
MARY SHARP.
Cafd from the sIstrcn Of ttiz tfsI,.
AnOwn College.


AnOHn College.
To the Union and American:
WINCHESTER, TENN, July l6-In vo,r
issue of July o, read a communicated,
from Mrs. Sarah Wilson, entitled ..FiIisi
HeartlesSneSs,' which details the clandeS-
tine marriage of her two daughters To ,oan
to whom she was bitterly oDDosed She
mentions that she had done ali in her
power TO elevate her daughters. hay;no sent
them TO ''the hest college in tbe So ;,
Further on she Speciiies-"tlree vears
in Nashville, and Afterwards io
the Mary Sharp College, al Winchester y
Now, rs her daughters, while i'm Nashville
attended the city schools, by the b..St rol
lege in the State Mrs. W must moan
the one she has mentioned, the Mary Sbar,
And think MTs. W does so considar
il, and do not believe that She laws the
blame of her daughters ingratitlde unon
any want Of proper moral culture whiIa
they were members Of the college. but
quite the contrary; viz that these tbinos
have happened Notwithstanding the nriyi-
leges enjoyed Of attending theEbest schools
in the Safe. But in another column Of the
same issue OF your valuable paper in
an editorial referring Co the communication
W 4nlo- "AA'Oll1 va AlalliAs alter some
excellent and timely remarks ON the laxity
of family government in our country as
compared with others, occurs a sentence ar
two, which might be construed into an i'm
piled censure OF the moral influence Of the
Mary Sharp, simply because il is the only
school mentioned 10y name In the commu-
niClliOR. have no idea that such was the
intention OF the writer of that article
simply mean that some may so consider it. /
will quote the language under considera-
ton: ''In the case of Mrs. Wilson, she
seems to have depended too much on dis
tant schools, which separated her from her
daughters for YCaIs.n think she
was with .hsiH while in Nashville, and she
Was sisO with them a portion Of the year
or year and half, they were at the Mary
Sharp (lS1l- ''and they may have had
little opportunity for cultiyating the home
affections. Educational institutions are
designed to instruct the head rather than
the heart"
Now, an education which instructs the
head only, and neglects the heart, in my
opinion, sets aside the only true and firm
basis on which to fund the mental strlc-
ture, and on the lives of a fearfully large
portion Of those so trained, will be written
'.failure, if not something worse.
Now, as the Mary Slap has been men
toned in the manner in which il has, pray
do it the justice to state that no DAY
passes, throughout the entire session,
that portion is not exclusively set apart
for the moral culture OF itspupils, by Bible
texts, and practical illustrations growing
out Of relationships to God and humanity.
And perhaps no passages Of scripture are
repeated, and illustrated Oftener than those
that teach the duties Of children 10 parents.
Oftentimes have the poor misguided girls,
whose names have been so unfortunately
brought before the public, listened to the
repetition of this instruction, "HOnOr thy
father and thy mother. that thy days may
be long in the land which the Lord thy
God giyeth thee
\ thought more, anl have done. 1t
may he that the public schools, which are
the pride and boast Of orr cities, do not
pay much attention TO moral instructions,
and for this obvious reason; those who at
tend them are al home, consequently this
portion of their education may be safely
left to parents and guardians.
But instructors, whose pupils are from a
distance, and who. consequently, must be
parents and teachers both, must, on 10 &C
COUNT, neglect the hearts 81 those committed
to their care; for an uHSanctified or mis-
directed education is a terrible instrument
OF evil. Moral culture is Ia he preferred to
intellectual, and that teacher, no matter
how skillfiIl i'm imparting instruction, OF
how effective in controlling his pupils, who
does moi realize the obligation Inc is under
To So train their hearts that they Iaay be
ready for every gO-d work, as well as dis
cinl.Ee their minds for intellectual research,
is but half prepared for his labor.
This article has been wIitten for a very
simple reason; there are those who are
either so incnnsiderdte, or 50 willing to be
lieye evil, Is Ia be lei To suppose from
Mrs. Wilson's letter and Tie r.-laarEs &C
cOHiparyil.E, l., that the conduct Of her
daughters Is but the legitimate result Of the
neglect of proper moral culture i'm the
schools which they have attended.
have been mairOn Of the Mary Sham
ever since it had an existence. Ny exper-
ience is that if the affections are properly
nuI1ured, teachers viii have little difficulty
in governing their pupils, or in stimulating
them TO study.
The reputation OF . COliege that num-
beIS It's students by thousands, and It's
graduates by hundreds, is justly dear TO
those who have tOiled Tor ii during the best
part Of their lives; ana an Unmerited cen
sure, though only implied, and that even,
UnintentiOnaliy, must naturally elicit some
expression Of feeling.
trust, in justice TO the institution men
toned by Mrs. Wilson, you will give this
article as wide a circulation as yOu have
those which called il forth.
Mrs. ADELIA c. GRAVEs,
MatrOn OF Mary Sharpe COLLEGE.