The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-09-18
THE SWEET Girl GRADUATE.


4 View Of the Case ut Variance with
Modern Ideas Of Education.
What does your sweet girl graduate
know when she leaves the stage bear
ing her diploma and loads OF howersi
asks gray haired growler in The
Httsburg Commercial Gazette.
Is she fitted for any special calling
In lifei
In a majority Of instances she has
received no practical instruction what
ever. She is scarcely able to put her
clothes on, much less to make or re-
pair them. She may be able to parse
q sentence, but too often she cannot
write good English, nor does she
speak it.
She can chatter in French so as to
be understood by her teacher but to a
born Frenchman it would be about as
intelligent as Choctaw. She probably
knows an omelet from a steak, but
has only the faintest idea of the pro-
cesses by which they are made.
To her the world consists OF books
and good looking young men, and in
the more or less distant future stands
knightly looking man in the shadow
Of a vine clad cottage, surrounded by
all the evidences OF wealth and com.
fort.
Two years after the s. e. 2. has re-
tired from the schoolroom French is a
dead language to her, geometry a puz-
zle and history sealed book.
What has she gainedi
II she really studied hard she has
probably won a place in the ranks Of
the nervous host OF women, deep
seated dyspepsia and an irritable tenn
per.
II she didn't study hard she is prob
ably an expert coquette or chatter
box. The four or Ave years that she
spent in school were the years in
which she was growing out Of girl
hood into womafihood, and the years
/ in which she should have been under
the personal care Of her mother.
Common sense teaches US that girls
should not 30 sent TO college or sem
mary until after they are 10 years old.
From IL to 10 they should be subject
to physical culture, and only incident.
| ally 70 mental culture.
This view Of the case il ct variance
with the modern idea ON this subject,
but our head school mon are slowly
coming to Il Medical scientists and
experts in physical culture condemn
ths modern idea in unmeasured terms
They know that girls should not b.
put to hard study before they are 16
and they can give the best Of reasons
for it
Even II no other reason could b
given than that they are better able 4
comprehend their studies. it would b,
sufficient. What 10 tho use Of rushing
q girl through course Of studies tina
i incomprehensible to heri It is ar
unnecessary waste Of vital energy, To-
which she must suffer for the balanc'
Of her natural life.
4 Tho healthiest, happiest and mos
useful women in the land today ar
not graduates Of a seminary or higl
school.
The best teachers and best scholar
among our women are those who en-
tered upon their collegiate course ate
they had passed the verdant periot
known as sweet 16. Then they knew
what they were doing, and why the!
were doing it.
There is no doubt but the presen
system Of educating young women
the cause Of their imperfect physica
development. i'll health and genera
unfitness to become the wives Of bust
ness men and mothers of race Q
stalwart men and handsome women.
This is gospel truth.
The average young man stands tn
college ordeal better than his sister
because he INDUCES in more physica
exel else and leadsa less unnatural life
II he is endowed with a REASONABLE
amount of common sense he has
profession in view and studies to e
: himself for it, and in that direction q
least he Is permanently benefited.
His sister, however, has no profes
sion in view, and can see no purpos
whatever in her education. And it
, fact that there is little in her Who'll
> seminary course that will be of tn
. least practical use to her when sh
: becomes mistress of home and Ina
! the cares Of q family thrown upon hel