The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-08-09
A Plea for Girls and Colleges.
CopIAH COUNTY Miss. Aug. 4. 18

Cop1AH COUNTY Miss, Aug 4, 1879
To the Editor Of the Comet:
With much pleasure l read in THE
COMET of last week your address on
Public Education. What you say Of
the boys may be true, but must soy
that your description of the girl of the
period, whilst it may apply to the
Jackson girls, the girls of North Mis-
sissippi, or to the recently celebrated
Maid of Pascagoula, is not true of the
girls of this section of the State. Our
girls are practical, and III answer to all
your inquiries "Can she sew on but
ton, milk COW, wash the dishes, sweep
the house ?" answer unhesitatingly,
yes, and more than that. Scores OF
girls in this and adjoining counties not
only perform the duties enumerated,
but at the hour prescribed trip lightly
to the school-house, and earn forty dol
lars month by teaching school.
One reason I can ascribe for this
state of things is, that few of our peo-
pie since tho war can afford to bring up
their daughters in idleness. Again,
we have some sensible mothers in
this section, who, whether they fore
saw the Kansas exodus or not, have
trained their daughters to be, if neces-
sary, Independent of help. Still an
other reason is that we have Female |
College not far from hero, lat Brook
haven,) whose influence is felt all over
the Southern portion of the State and
III Louisiana. AS a Fomalo College it
is sHi ge~eriS, and III many respects it
stands pre- eminent. There, girls are
taught to be, practical, to think, and no
furbelows and ''pinbacks" are allowed.
And now allow me to say word in re-
gard to female colleges, Il do not mean
boarding schools) as oppos-
ed to common schools.
In the College, the teachers are gen
orally we'll qualified and we'll selected
The girl is shut out from the world {
shut in with her books-and has moth {
ng to draw her mind from her studies
Ii no tiounces and "pinbacks are
allowed, the spirit of rivalry in dress
with her fellow boarders is efIectually (
Iuenched, and it requires less to dress |
ler at school than at home, where the
of fashion nre regarded. :
Tho weekly correspondence with the |
lome folks is of itself very improving !
20 the boarder. The common schools, i
IS now conducted, offer few of these i
advantages. Rarely they last eight !
months in the year, sometimes only {
wo. If the County Superintendent is a
IN accommodating sort of man almost \
ny one can get q certificate to teach. Il
'eing at homo, the young people are a
nore or less interested in everything 2
hat occurs, and picnics parties, etc., s.
erVe to take the mind from study. y
leads me to the conclusion W
bat parents should make any sacrifice W
} send their daughters where they cam &c
e practically and thoroughly educated. di
An effort is being made to secure the
of State Female Col
ge. This would place tho educational "A "A
cillties which woman so much needs W W
thin reach of all, and should like ~ ~
see such an effort succeed. Can not +,
II State DO something for her daugh, "a
is :? The white males are provided ev
cans for higher education at Oxford in
I'd Starkville--the negroes at Alcorn dr.
I'd Holly Springs but no State aid is stt
ven to educate the white female. wi
You editors, ministers, lawyers and gr
ators generally, speak beautifully
0m college rostrums on commence
ent occasions upon the importance of
male education, but when you get in
yislativo halls or editorial chairs, you
rget to say much about it,
Do not discourage Female Colleges,
r. Editor, but labor ever to build 20
em up, and you will be remembered
th gratitude by every true woman in
, State. Respectfully, XELA.