The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-02-06
coEDUcarIoN or MY AND WoMEy
what Teachers Of Experience In the Mat
ter Have 20 say.

I some OF the answers 10 these questions
may be interesting
First question-What effect has the
/ admission of women had upon me num-
/ Der of students i'm the institution
President Schurmann. OF Cornell Oniver-
/ silly. Il am not able 10 answer the
question. From Il COPY Of my annual
/ report you viii see what the hummer
/ OF students has been since the opening
of the University" rThe report shows
| that since the year in which women
were admitted the number Of students
/ has increased from about so TO LOO.
/ PRESIDENT Adams. formerly OF Cornell,
now OF Wisconsin University: Women
/ have been admitted here almost, IL not
quite, from the opening Of the institu-
uon. The growth has been steady"
Dr. W. H. Payne. president Of the
University of Nashville, for eight years
professor OF pedagogy IN the University
OF Michigan: The marvellous growth of
me University Of Michigan is undoubted-
~ cue IN large measure 20 the admission
/ OF young women. Ia this admission,
1here was an element Of simple fairness
ma justice which predisposed intell-
gent people toward an institution con-
Quoted on so catholic PLAN
PRESIDENT Angel in a letter 10 presi-
dent OF the Society Of the Extension
or the Higher Education in Virginia,
expressed an opinion similar to that OF
Dr. Payne, but the letter was sent to
the University Of Virginia and the ex-
act words cannot now be quoted
br. Is. W. Martin. professor Of chem
ls'ry at Fort Worth University. Texas:
! never heard parents or students allege
'oelucauon as a reason for giving or
Withholding patrcrege. II is customary
N...ff..
Ter by investigating the curriculum and
the character Of the professors. or the
seven hundred students at Fort Worth.
five hundred were men"
second question.-Has any moral evil
resulted from the presence Of women
PRESIDENT Schurmann: I'VE know of no
moral evll which has resulted from their
presence On the contrary. il is general
~ believed that they have exercised a
humanizlng and refining influence"
PRESIDENT Adams. mo. l doubt II any
one would claim that the moral stains
- any lower on account OF the presence
President Angel has said moro than
once I'm nearly twenty-five years Of
coeducation az Michigan University thore
mas not been a single case OF serious
Sednual among the male and female
Ut. fdyne: zone Of the strongest ar
sumenis IN favor Of coeducation os a
Wacucal system is its wholesome moral
lhluehce; young men are made pore
many young women more won,apf,,
ana the diilculties of administration ana
' ui9, lpiine are reduced to "A minimum
Ihis college is practically self-coverninr-
anu attribute the fact very largely ~
, OF the sexes in the chanel
ana I'D the class rooms"
DR. Martin: In answer n ,.o,. ...-,
question can return an emnbat,,. . ,'.,'il
i've The mingling Of the sexes an ~,
nlsh intellectual plane Of the colleoe io.-
,"ir room mas good moral effect 80,
' moreover. II dispels all the roman
~, si"Ilour with which young peopla ara
''"V'S 10 invest persons of the opposite
s'N' ana thus counteracts a very fr,it-
Iul cause Of evil and of unsuitable mar
rage" mar
ihifd Question. How does the grade Of
SsAo.arship of the women COMPARE win
iIat OF the mens
PRESIDENT schurmann: From an unoai-
e'"i III. es'isaton made last year IL would
'" the grade OF scholarship among the
young women OF the University IS bipbe,
IMAM that of the young men. This is
no doubt due TO the fact that while ,ta
average male student comes TO coilooo
II IL the exceptional female student who
comes" WIZ
PRESIDENT Adams: Every careful exorni-
nation that las been made with the ,.ioy,
OF comparing the scholarship Of the ,vo-
men with that OF the men has shown
that the standing Of the women is SLIGHT
~ higher than that OF the men. This
suppose. is 10 be accounted for nv the
fact that, as a general rule. the rrade
Of women seeking a college education g
more intellectual than the grade OF mon
In other words. a good many men ara
sent 10 college without any very definite
aim IN life or without any very earnest
ueslre Tor an education. Al least tho
number or such appears 10 be ereater
than the number of aimless women mo
experience here has been the same as the
experience an Cornell and at the rrniversl-
~ OF Michigan in that respect"
DR.. Payne: MY observations here ss
well as in the University OF Mjcbiran
convince me that the average oualitv ~
work done by young women is higher than
mat done by young men"
Dr. Martin: THE scholarship Of women.
so Tar as my observation goes is more
accurate than that Of men, although. rs
RUE they do not grasp underlying prin-
ciples 50 readily"
Fourth Question. What harm. - any
comes from the association OF the sexcs
In the classroom:
President Schurmann dn a former let
teri: NO harm. in my opinion. comes from
the association of the sexes in the
classroom"
President Adams: IT believe the tnnu-
ence Of women I'm the classroom Is alto
sethtr harmless. II not positively beneG-
cial. The classroom IS the place OF an
places where no harm can possibly take
place. The presence OF women tends ~
good order and 10 gentlemanlv CON
duct. IL may, perhaps. have some in
nuence IN rlcvating the grade OF scholar"
Dr. Payne: 'The generous and whole
some rivalry which naturally SPRINGS -,
when young men and young women are
engaged in common tasks almost snvor-
iably provokes higher intellectual effort
and higher grade Of scholarship"
Dr. Martin; MY experience would lead
me 70 say that no HARM comes OF the as-
ISOLATION OF men and women in the class
room. can not conceive why there
should be harm in their association there
any more than at prayer-mcetings, con-
certs, or popular lectures. TO which. now
adlys. no objection is raised by any one
although We have only TO go back a single
generation 70 find that promis ,uous MING
ling Of the sexes on such occasions was
generally condemned" C.S.P
Lynchburg, Feb. =, 1894.