The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1908-07-17
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF STATE FEDERATION
OF IDAHO.
Edited by Mrs. Byrd Trego, Of Blackfoot.

Clubs of Idaho, Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Dear Mrs. Reesor:
In answer to your favor of recent
date, asking me to state my position
on co-education with reference to in
dustrial and reformatory institutions
l beg to submit the following brief
statement.
The coeducation of the sexes is
largely an American system, and
generally prevails in the elementary
public schools of the United States.
Many of the private elementary
schools however, are either for girls
or boys alone, but the percent of
these has greatly decreased within
the last two decades. The English
elementary schools have also since
1891, become largely coeducational.
In France, however, and few of the
other European countries separate
schools are generally established.
In recent years the system of CO.
education in the United States pre-
! walls not only in elementary schools
| but has extended to our colleges and
universities and even to the profess
sional manual and trade schools.
/ find also that the same system is
baino ;ptroducad into our rofOrmo-
tories and industrial institutions.
The following list of reformatories
is reported by the United States COM
missioner of education for 1907, as
having both boys and girls.
Territorial Ind. School, Benzon,
Ariz.; Whittier State School Whittier
CAL; Kentucky Houses of Reform at
Greendale, KY, Industrial School of
Reform, Louisville, KY, State Pub
lie School, Coldwater, Mich; State
Reformatory, st. Cloud, Mimi;
State Training School for Boys and
Girls Red Wing, Mimi. st. Louis In
dustrial School, st. Louis, Mo-; Mon
tana State Reformatory School, Miles
City, Mont; Nebraska Industrial
School, Milford, Nebr; New Ham
shire Industrial School, Manchester,
N. H.; New York Juvenile Asylum,
Dobbs Ferry, N. Y; Society for the
Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents,
New York, ~ Y; Rome State Gus
todiel Asylum, Rome, N. Y; House
of Refuge, Cincinnati, Ohio; Penn
sylvania Reform School, Morganza,
Pa; Dakota Reform School, Plank
ington, s. Oak; Hamilton County In
dustrial School, East Chattanooga,
Tenn; Tennessee, Industrial School,
Nashville, Tenn; State Industrial
School, Ogden, Utah; Vermont In
dustrial School, Vergennes, VT. State
Reform School, Chealis, Wash; Sc
attic Parental School, Seattle, Wn.;
State Public School for Dependent
Children, Sparta, Wis.
The reason that these schools are
conducted on the coeducational sys-
TEN may be and doubtless is finan-
cial one, and yet my observations
since taking charge of the Idaho In
dustrial Training School leads me to
believe that aside from the financial
viewpoint, the mingling of the sexes,
to certain extent, is wholesome for
both the boy and the girl.
We have found that both the boy
and the girl are DESTROYS to appear
well in the presence of the opposite
sex, and so they are a little more
careful, and heater in their attire,
and besides there is refining infiu-
ence exerted each upon the other.
1t was through the efforts of Hor-
ace Mann that the coeducational sys-
TEN was first established in Massa-
chusetts in 1926, and from that time
on such schools have spread, at first
slowly, then rapidly throughout the
Republic until today they extend to
almost every branch of education.
In schools such as the Industrial
and Reformatory institutions, each
sex is especially helpful to the other,
since the work of the institution is
largely carried on by the inmates,
the boys thereby becoming farmers,
dairymen, stockmen, market garden
ers, florists and landscape gardeners,
shoemakers, blacksmiths,
tailors engineers. masons, electri-
clans and indeed all the trades which
properly should be carried on by
men; while the girls make house
keepers, dressmakers. milliners, gen.
eral needlework, culinary work and
all that pertains to domestic science.
This of course separates the boys
from the girls while at work, but |
they meet In the same dining room,
and in the assembly room for Sun
day school, chapel services, lectures
and entertainments of all kinds