The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-10
SHALL CO-EDUCAT|ON
Be CONTINUED HERE?.
THAT rs LIVE QUESTION IN MIN
NEAPoLIs TODAY.
Monthly Meeting Of Schoolmasters'
Club Is Scene of Spirited Discussion
Over ACCESSIBILITY of Educating Boys
and Girls Together in the Public
Schools After the Seventh Grade.

20 have or not to have co-education
above the seventh grade; that is the
live question: of today in the Minneapo-
lis public schools. 81
That fact was proved at last night s
meeting Of the Schoolmasters' club of
Minneapolis in Donaldson IS tearooms.
About forty public school principals,
members of the board Of education and
well-known educators met for this
monthly function, and after the dinner
a discussion was started on the topic
of the evening: "Co-education Above
Professor w. F. Webster was chairman
and started off with remarks against
co-education. His speech was the sig
nal for others and the most heated dis
cussion ever held at club meeting
followed.
The majority Of the members had in
clinations but not decided opinions upon
the subject. A motion was carried to,
appoint committee to send letters to
different cities in this country and IN
Europe with requests for information
upon the success or failure of coeduca-
ton in the public schools, and the ques-
ton was left open and will be taken up
again at the next meeting and probably
before, by individual educators. This
committee is composed of L. W. Raper,
E. Fl. Painter and w. F. Webster.
Superintendent G. M. Jordan made
some suggestions, but was mostly an in
e terested listener to the heated discus
sion. He said to h e J O. rnal: ~
cannot make public my personal feel
ings on this subject, which tonight g
meeting has proved to be real issue,
and one with which we must deal in the
near future in Minneapolis. I will say
that there are few local principals
mostly those who have been brought up
where co-education is tabooed-Who are
in favor of having separate schools for
boys and girls after they get past the
seventh grade. There are others who
are in favor of co-education and most of
these have been brought up under that
system, but the large majority Of the
members of this club are open to con-
viction. They recognize strong points
in favor Of both contentious, but have
not yet taken a decided stand on
either side.'
Robert Pratt, Professor Webster and
Others Endorsed DR.. Jordan's state
ments. They were not willing to make
public the names Of the men who had
taken decided stands on the question
but admitted there were a few. "We
thought it was dead issue when we
came to night,' said former Mayor
Pratt "Before we had been here long
we realized that it was live one and
we are goiong to study 1t in a systemat'
ic manner before we, make any move. .
The moral side of the question elected
the most attention and instances were
cited by those opposed to co education
where both boys and girls had beer
badly Influenced by their school associ
ates of the oppiste sex. On the Other
hand Professor Greer Of the Contra
high and Professor Hobbs Of the NORTH
high school told of the comments Of
two English educators who had visited
the local high schools and had said thai
nowhere in England was there nearly
such moral class of boys and girls il
the public schools as they saw here
They attributed this to the co-educa
tional training.