The semi-weekly messenger., 1900-11-20
PREVAILING EDUCATIONAL VIEWS

III every section OF Ine nOrLn Ine
opinion appears to be we'll nigh uni
versal that the best educational plan is
to send young women and young men
to the same schools. This opinion has
been steadily growing in the north for
perhaps half century. The south has
taken to the idea with relish, and
readily adopts this northern view, as it
has adopted pronunciation as "isms"
and "fads'' that have come down from
the same source. Whether the co-edu-
cation plan is an unmixed blessing and
great success may be doubted, but that
it is vastly popular is beyond doubt.
The south has not gone into the mix
ing business so much as the north has,
but the plan is widening and will be-
come the fashion no doubt. In primary
schools the mixing is widespread, and
no evil has come from it perhaps. We
have confessed to prejudice against CO.
education, but it has already swept so
widely that all may agree to let the
movement go on unopposed and let it
work out its results. Heretofore the
Messenger has given some signs that
show that the experiment has not been
invariably satisfactory. President
Eliot, the distinguished and very able
president of Harvard university, is op-
posed to mixing the sexes, but other
presidents are wholly in love with it,
as much so as they are with foot ball
and other refining games. President
White. of Cornell university, several
years ago said that Il was "a great
success President Fairchild, of Ober-
lin college, likes it prodigiously and
says there ''is no prevalent opinion
among us that it is inexpedient for
young ladies to take the college course.
Even so, but how take it-in mixed
colleges, or in superior separate COL
leges?
No one can favor more than we ia
vor the best possible education for the
girls and young women. Their capa-
bility is not in question at all. They
not only beat the boys, as we have
shown from statistics, but they are
probably more devoted to study, more
conscientious, and more self-respecting.
We are satisfied they can learn we'll
the books that are taught in colleges,
and that many can attain to emil
nence in scholarship. like Mary Somer-
VILE, Elizabeth Barrett Browning,
LordColeridge, Marion Evans CGeorge
Eliot'O and many others, who become
famous. But we do not believe that it
will either conduce to woman's physi-
na1 haa tn cyln aS a
woman to be mixed up at a formative
period with young men, some of whom
are rude, immoral, susceptible, and un-
principled. She may shine the brighter
by the contrast, as a precious jewel
may appear the more lustrouS in a
coarse setting, and she may even Sc
cure higher honors by the competition
with males, but she will do this at a
great risk of impairing those exquisite
charms, that perfect grace, that deli
cate refinement. that engaging modes
ty, that chaste reserve those correct
manners which so adorn and beautify
woman's character. The German poet,
Richter, says that 1.-The purer the gol-
den vessel the more readily it is bent;
the higher worth of women is sooner
lost than that of men, And did not
the great English master say, that sit
is beauty, that doth often make women
proud; it is virtue, that doth make
them most admired; it is modesty, that
makes them seem divine" 1t may be
that intimate association of the sort
referred to with men of diverse char
acters and principles, might be delete
rious to manners; might to some ex-
tent discrown her of the highest attrac-
tion-her pure womanhood; and might
really interfere with her pursuit of
ENTHUSIASTICALLY if she were to fall
in love with some handsome young fell
low who was learning to conjugate
amo. We think that all young lady
might gain in knowledge of books and
Of men, would not compensate for the
loss sustained by robbing herself of
that lofty courtesy, that perfect respect
that men of the south have ever cher
ished in their hearts and extended to
their fair countrywomen-the ladies Of
our land. No woman ever truly gain