The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-20
Believes in Co-education of
Boys and Girls in the One
Building and Under the
Same Supervision.

Following IS tne paper lSdu DtAOAN ~AN
principals OF the city schools last week
bv. Principal George A. Eaton of the high
school. The paper was given in discus
sion Of the following paragraph from an
English publication Of recent date:
The demand. however, that boys
md Girls of more than II years of age
-bOuld receive the same instruction
hold 10 be mistaken. It appears 10
underestimate the differences, physi-
cal. mental and moral, between the
sexes and in particular 10 recognize
insufficiently the diversity of their So
cial functions. A system OF complete
-o-educatiOn would correspond to the
conditions in a society where no dis
tnctions. either legal or professional,
were drawn between men and women.
But the new conception of education
leads 10 greater emphasis being laid
upon specific preparation for definite
rallings or other social functions, and
encourages the differentiation rather
than the unfication of teaching meth
DDS We may therefore expect that in
The future both the curricula and the
methods of instruction will be more
carefully adapted to the social needs
of boys and girls.
naturally lead US into all the highways
and byways of that question so vital and
vet so difficult of solution-co-ed
uf the sexes. DR.. G. Stanley has devoted
fNe greater part OF one OF his idl St WI
u.nes on Adolescence 10 the subject. He
has mustered on his pages all the con-
ccivable pros and cons relating to the
argument and Yet is unable 10 decide pos
itively in favor either of congregation or
OF segregation of the sexes IN the public
school as now existing, although he I'M
doubtedlv inclines toward a separate edu-
cation of the sexes on an entirely differ
emit plan from that at present in vogue
Divergence in Studies.
IT would seem as if the author of the
auotation had in mind not necessarily the
seereya ton of the sexes in the high school
itsoif-abOve Il being the high school age
but that within the school at least there
should be a wide divergence in the nature
or the subjects taken by each, based
upOn the different social functions which,
iu after life each is called upon to per-
form. He is undoubtedly thinking of So
ral functions in the broad sense: in 9TH
er words the scope of the life work of
man and woman as units in our modern
civilization.
In a general way the soundness of the
authors contention cannot. / think. be
questioned. Just how far we should go
or where we should begin or end in this
MfurcatiOn Of high school instruction. are
matters much more difficult 20 decide.
We may never hope for ANYTHING like
Unanimity of opinion even among the fore
most educators as TO what would consti-
int the ideal training for the boy and
what for the girl. Woe TO him who would
undertake to lay down a curriculum-even
allowing a fairly wide range of subjects
beyond which the young lady might not
step without improperly, or loss OF sex
dignity. He would indeed be entering
UnOn ground which we are told even an
GELS fear to tread. And so it is that while
sc are comparatively free in our criti-
Csms of the present curricula and. while
we instinctively feel that all is not right.
yet we do not dare TO lift hand to lop
II.
for fear the animal might turn and vent
rs rage upon us ourselves. -a-. t--
"Eut after all il may not be expedient
even 70 limit the scope of training of eth
cr sex so far as special studies are con-
"erlrd. II seems 10 me that il is not
fhe matter so much as the manner of in
sruction that is essential in the differ
entiation.
Woman's Sphere Widens.
The sphere of woman's influence and
activities has widened measurabiy in re-
cont years and is still widening. Time
was when woman had TO read. Thou
shalt not over the door Of the medical
-nege. the law school. the theological
seminary. the engineering school. and in
AIT all Institutions of higher professional
learning. But that time has passed and
perhaps we may say happily passed.
Now. provided We admit that woman
may properly and effectively exercise her
calling in the fields just mentioned. we
must also admit that her training must
Dee Identical with that of the man in so
fal as il pertains to these callngs. That
is. when the end TO be reached is the
same the steps 10 attain this end must
he the same These cases. however are
characteristic only of a class which con-
stituteS q very small percentage of the
women of the country and so cannot be
adduced in support of any argument
against differentiation.
Alike and Yet Unalike.
II cannot be gainsaid that there is a
difference, and very wide one too be-
tween the social functions of the average
man and the average woman: that this
uhIcrence first manifeSts Itself partict-
AIRY I'D the unlike powers. aptitudes and
interests of boys and girls at the age OF
2u9iescence. and that this period calls
Tor a separate and special treatment of
The sexes. How mysteriously alike and
vet unlike are cur beings. Biologists tell
MS that these attributes are inherent in