New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-19
SMALL BOYS AND GIRLS
EUROPEAN LOOKS INTO THE QUESTION
OF EDUCATING THE YOUNG
PEOPLE ALIKE.
RRooKLYN's LARGEST CLUB OF WOMEN DEvorEs
AN AFTERNOON TO LIVELY DISCUSSION

AN AFTERNOON TO LIVELY DISCUSSION
MRS. KNOWLES SPEAKS HER MIND.
Chiropean's regular monthly meeting Yesterday
afternoon brought one Of the largest audiences
OF the season. The Committee Of Education fur
nished the programme. and the subject for discus
sion was Should Boys and Girls Be Educated
Alke?" Preceding this. the european Carol Club
sang Come Sisters, Come" by Mackenzie. Miss
Grace NJ. D. Holiam played the accompaniment
Following this was a recitation by Mrs S. w
Hurley OF the poem Death Of Summer" by Mrs
William Fawcett Mile. Henrieue 5 Corradi then
sang the three following songs AT Parting" by
James II Rogers: Dear Little Barnie." by Edgar
A. P Newcomb. and MY Thought" by Samuel
Eppinger. Mrs. Potter Paddock was tho accom-
PIANIST
In the absence Of Mrs Henry A. Powell. chair
man OF the Committee Education, the subject
for discussion presented by Mrs. Adolph Mol
lenhauer. The first speaker was Mrs Harlow r.
Brown. She said in part: "If the statement be
true that a childs education begins a hundred
years before It's birth, then We who believe that
boys and girls should be educated alike are sadly
Handicapped. We have not century only. but
many centuries OF prenatal education TO overcome.
Tacitus tells US that among pagan Germans.
women were admitted 10 the councils. were gravey
listened TO and that their advice often followed
This would indi cate at least acknowledged mental
equality such as has not been accorded 10 women
In the history OF civilization. We talk much Of
cultivating the mother spirit In our girls; what OF
the father spirit in boys7 Is there such
quality. and does ii grow and flourish OF itself?
We think boy is by nature more inclined to be
cruel thoughtess and unknd than his sister: that
he delights In tormenting what she caresses and
holds dear. Let US not Nature where we
ourselves in fault Let us develop the father
spirit IN boys. we do the mother spirit in
girls. and shall have fewer unkind. cruel and
thoughtlessy selfish men"
T wa
She said: "The first thing observe In looking
into the question OF educating boys and girls alike
Is that life is co-eiucaton. Co-educat'on begins in
the home the kindergarten, the school and the col
lego continue snd concentrate the process by
special curriculum. Society Mt last, approving or
dsapproving furnishes its tests, adding post
graduate course that all must take together. May
We not logically conclude that co-education is
perfected in eternity? The forced separation OF
the sexes is the long, lingering trail OF barbarism
the harem is Of its phases. the nunnerY and
monastery another The physical. moral and
spiritual violation Of nature by these institutions
admits Of no question. That Il Is not good for
to be alone will be more and more acknowledged.
Separate monastic schools and colleges will
be supplanted by those which follow the great law
what God has Joined together let put
asunder.' II men and women 10 spend their
lives together. II their experiences are one their
destiny the same, then IL il bad pollcy-bad educa-
tional policy-to deprive the student OF the
when different types OF mind engaged in the
same pursuit.
Sara Conant Ostrom was the third speaker She
said that co-education was necessary for the SYM
metrical development OF both sexes. The great en-
crossing object and aim In life OF both and
women was practically the same, and they needed
Identical training for attaining similar ends. II the
ideal woman could find the ideal man always lie
and Its problems would have different phase. But
this cannot be done. Ideals result from ideal train
feminine influence by being in the professions hlther
alterabe law, and SO long as woman is woman her
feminine influence will remain.
THE GIRL AND THE BOY.
Mrs. Lille Devereux Blake spoke last She
created ripple at the beginning by announcing that
she did not like the wording OF the subject under
discussion: instead Of It's being Should Boys and
Girls Be Educated Alike" 1t ought TO read. Should
Girls and Boys BE Educated Alike7" She said a
woman should always honor her sex. and she
was glad TO say that her daughter fully agreed with
her In thinking that. for her first children were
tw!ns-a girl and boy she did not propose TO put
one sex above the other. and she gave both an
equal showing. And the twins had always been
called By their grandmother the girl and the boy
never the boy and the girl. She said the In
eradicable and tremendous difference OF sex had
became differentiated thousand million years ago
She to I'm a
OF sex In so simple phase OF life as that OF the
taCpoIe III mad been shown c0ncluSlVely that we'll
fed. wel-deveioped tadpoles always became female
frogs; while the lean, hungry. starved tadpoles In
varably developed into male croakersi
Mrs. Blakes hearers laughed so joyousy this ]
Bit OF scentihc knowledge that II a minute or
before rhe could 90 on.
IT naturally follows" she continued that since /
the Inherent male principle Is always hungry before
he is created into material form, he will always be |
hungry, and therefore man Is the pushing aggres-
sive. fighting animal always after something 10 ap-
pease his hunger and never so genial and generous
and approachable us when he has Just had good |
meal Woman. developing from the ineradicabIe |
female principle that Is wel-fed and rounded has
naturally n calmer, less aggressive and more serene
in the higher PHILOSOPHERS OF life" She said she |
did not believe In women supporting themselves; |
men ought 10 support them. since men were the !
pushing, aggressive creatures.
The discussion was enthusiastically taken up by
Mrs Meeker Mrs. Rachel McAuley, Mrs Eleanor |
Kirk Ames, Mrs. Edwin KNOWLES Dr. Bishop. Miss |
Copperno and others.
MRS. KNOWLES SPEAKS OUT
Mrs. Knowles electrified the audience by saying
abe did not believe In co-education at all. Physi-
cally, a girl could not receive the same training
a boy And she thought IL was all fooishness for
a girl 10 waste her time and energy the study
of algebra; what earthly use will she ever have for
IL? And for that matter. what especial use does
a bow have for IL? She said she did not believe
a girl ever understood algebra any way. The
audience did NOT agree With her IN THIS ana a.,
Mrs Knowles said she always disagreed with poo
Die and so she held to her point
Among the guests were Mrs. Brockway. Mrs
Harris Miss Myra A. Chisholm OF Chicago, Mrs:
George Bergen OF Freeport. Mrs. w: J. Channel Of
kin Mrs " II Denslow. Mrs. j. L. Purdy, Mrs
7. d Hosford Mile. Corrali Miss q. Boston, Atss