Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-05-21
DR.. Baird's Views.


In preaching the Commencement
Sermon to the G. F. College last Sun
day, DR.. Baird advanced some ideas
on female education that would indeed
be very practical if they had not so far
proven to be impracticable. He took
the 31st chapter of Proverbs, with its
81 verses, for his text, from which he
reasoned logically and laconically, set
ting forth in the plainest English and
most forcible manner the wants of ed
ucation to make the truly virtuous and
elegant woman. His discourse may
be summarized into three distinct pro-
positions, as follows:
/. The excellent woman as presented
in his text.
2. The art of cooking should be ad-
ded as a department of all female
schools.
3. That young ladies in school should
be allowed to dress as fine as they please
provided they make what they wear
with their own hands.
The man who would differ from the
Doctor on the first of these PROPOSE
tions is worse than Shakespeare's char
acter who had no music in his soul. In
fact, the education of woman upon
broad and liberal christian principles is
the foundation Of our national great
ness.
There are as few, perhaps, who
would deny the wisdom and utility of
the other two propositions; but how to
accomplish results so desirable is the
difficulty. The Doctor admits that he
advocated this doctrine here twenty
years ago, and we heard him present
it most powerfully away back in the
golden days of the Republic; and even
before that, we heard DR.. j. o, Church
advocate the same views while he him
self was the president of one of the
largest female schools in the country.
We mention this to show that these
ideas have been long and ably advoca.
ted. Indeed, they have no lack Of ar.
gument to support them, nor is there
any opposition to them except in the
practice Of the country to the contrary
Nothing short of positive reformation
will accomplish these ends, and the
Doctor, who is largely gifted with that
broad christian liberality which allows
an honest difference of opinion without
feeling and bitterness, and which sc
few ministers can tolerate with equa
nimity, will permit us to say that he
, is mistaken when he lays the blame Of
this matter at the door of teachers and
trustees. 1t is not their fault, but the
fault of the times. We are free to ad
nit that the kind of education, which
he insists upon and which is indicated
above, is not given either in our schools
or families, and further that the coun
try is the worse for it. But what are
we to do? Such radical reformation
cannot be accomplished by a singl'
school, nor in single year. The grea
law of demand will bring the supply
Will the Doctor in his speech at thu
Franklin Female College next weel
tell us hoU this demand can be created
He may tell us that such department
added to our schools will suit him, bu
, can he tell us that it will meet the ap
prevail of the public? Let the public
create the demand for such education
and the schools will supply it. This
the law of political economy as wei
as the order of progress, and wheneve
the schools of the country see tina
there is a demand for such department
they will add them, but they have no
vet seen it in the present state of SC
ciety, because it is not there, and 70
t thiSreason all efforts in that direction
s have failed, the Boston school whicl
0 he mentioned being only nominal ex
y ception.
y A. ~ 90 -