The Russellville Democrat., 1893-11-02
oo-EDucArlon IN THE WEST

It is, perhaps, difficult for persons living in the Eastern states, where the admission of women to men s colleges is an innovation and hard won privilege, to appreciate the ab- solHtely matter-of course way in which co-education is regarded in the West. Nevertheless, 1t is in the West, where the experiment has been most frankly tried, that doubts are beginning to arise among those best acquainted with the system. In order to see the experiment If CO., education tried fairly, fully and without prejudice, we should go to Western college town. There the girls are no older, no more ad- vanced and no more serious than the boys. They all go from the high school to the university. Some colleges have dormitories and boarding houses for the girls, but the more general custom, particularly in the larger institu- 1 tions, Is for them to select their boarding places quite independently. It Is aa extremely rare thing for a parent to ask any one to assume the least control over the girl She would resent it, and it is not consid- cred necessary. She is as inde- pendent as her brother, free to mako what friends she likes, to keep what hours she likes. Her comings and goings concern no one but herself. Luckily, she generally chooses to do well, according to her lights, put, frequently with the best intentions in the world, she makes unfortunate mistakes.
 believe it is claimed by the ad- vocates of co-education that the sys- tenn will tend to elevate young men, both mentally and morally, and will especially improve their manners. This latter claim scarcely seems we'll founded when one observes the ex- treme familiarity with which the young men in our Western colleges are apt to treat their girl class mates. Doubtless they do not mean to be indecorous or uncivil. They treat women as well as they treat one another and no better. But, unfor- tunately, it is just the old-fasbioned attitude toward women that is relied on to elevate college men. There are, of course, many who behave with perfect propriety and treat women with all the respect that can be desired, but en maSSe they have not a respectful manner, and in- stances of ll-bred familiarity can be multiplied by any one who chooses to take the trouble to use his eyes.
 In the matter of study, 1t may be doubted whether the lessons learned by young man and a young wom- an, sitting out of doors under the shelter of one sun-umbrella, are really as well learned as they would be under less distracting circum- stances. As to the claim that the standard of morality will be raised by the constant companionship of women, I think that any professor who has worked under both systems will say that there Is about the same element of lawlessness to contend with in one college as in another, and that gambling, for instance the great vice of the West-is probably not diminished by the fact that women are admitted to the colleges. In considering the effect of co education on women, it must be understood, once for all, that only the average college girl is con- sidered, and that there are brilliant exceptions to all thati is said of either boys or girls as a class. In respect to scholarship the girls are on the whole equal to the men, perhaps in some directions superior.--Jane Cooper Sinclair, in The North American Review for October.