The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-15

a
| differed from all early schools in
the West in no important features
UCESaX because the conditions here were
substantially the same every
where Hardly a dozen log cabins had been
built on the easx bank of White river
before the settlers spent two or three days
in building log school house on West
Maryland street. near Kentucky avenue. as
near the center of popula ton possible.
But this became more place for the meet
ing of the settlers for one purpose and an
other, than a school house, for school was
only occasional. while every possible oc-
casion for public meeting. including re-
ligious meetings. kept 1t well occupied. In
il all of the early churches were organ
ICED, and they all met there for religious
services until they had respectively pro-
vided better quarters. But none of the
churches remained long In debt to the
school. fer all of them became school
houses for more than a quarter of CEN
fury. none of them pretending that the
school in it was in any sense a denomina-
tional school on account of its locality. The
first of these was kept by Samuel Merrill,
a prominent Presbyterian, in the first log
meeting house; the Methodist Church was
the south side of West Maryland street
between Meridian and Illinois. 1t, how
ever, partook largely of the rank of a high
school, partly because the teacher was
treasurer of state, when not at the school,
and because he taught geography and Eng
lish grammar and Pixies arithmetic all the
way through if any ambitious boy ventured
so far.
Of h. sob 0gs 1f hot -f0I
kept in private houses by some grown
daughter or maiden aunt in some spare
room, which was supplied with a few
benches as school furniture for six hours
a day. These sometimes consisted of less
than a dozen little boys and girls from four
to eight years of age, who paid 10 cents
a week, or a s1.5 for quarter" of thir-
teen weeks, the curriculum consisting of
the alphabet and lessons in the primer to
"Constantinople." or words of five sylla-
bles. These schools were we'll patronized
for the double purpose of learning how to
read and of relieving the mother from the
care of the little ones for six hours out of
the twenty-four =
CO-EDUCATION A FAILURE.
In the early forties one of these schools
dence of Samuel Merrill, on Merrill street,
between Alabama and New Jersey, by his
daughter Catherine, yet in her teens, which
had history which is of more than ordi-
nary interest. She was much better edu-
Gated than the average teacher in that
kind of school, with such a remarkable
aptness to teach that the school, though on
the South Side, soon began to draw from
the North Side, as well as from the imme-
date neighborhood, so that by 1S49 she VEN
tured on a new departure as to education.
1t had come to pass that from about eight
years up girls and boys were educated sep
arately; hence until nearly the close of the
sixties no coeducation had been attempted
in the city except in what were known as
the township schools, which, though. like
all others, were pay schools, distributed
to their patrons once year from so to rs
cents from the meager school revenues.
But they were in bad repute among the
children of the city, as they were considered
the schools for the poor.
In 1S49 Miss Merrill determined to continue
coeducation beyond the regulation age, and
Of trumpets, as a coeducational school for
off well and quite full, with representatives
from most of the well-to-do families. But
it soon came to grief. She had to dismiss
the boys or go out of business. Her letter
to Mr.. Davidson apologizing for no longer
taking his boys is interesting at this date
from more than one standpoint. After
complimenting his boys for their many
good qualities she says: 81 find that in
order to retain any of my school must
part with a large portion-that portion
almost feel love the best-the boys. The
noise and dirt the boys unavoidably make
is inconvenient to some of the members OF
our family. 1t is their nature to be noisy
and, rub and serape as they may, mud
will stick to their boots. do not think II
is right to insist on their being as quiet
and gentle as little girls. A schoolroom In
a dwelling house is no place for any but
young boys and very good girls, and Their
only a few. If 1t is not now time it soon
| will be for Dorman and Preston to be al
a boys school and under the care of a
| man. / think when boys are nine or ter
they ought to associate" she remarked
with other boys"
The special significance of this letter con-
SioeS AZ eiiS A"Se 'iioe az ehdt tiiuc the lac
Of co-education was just beginning. In less
| than six months Miss Merrill had seen
| enough of it to reach the conclusion that
| the best of educators are now reaching
| after an experiment of more than fifty
years. Boys need man as teacher and
| other boys as associates-to be knocked
about with other boys. The hosts of woman
| ism men and mannish women which the
craze OF co-education has foisted upon the
world is stirring the best class of educa-