New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-04-03
THE DECLINE OF CO-EDUCATION,


An interesting development of the
sririt of athleticism in high schools ana
colleges is to be observed in the note
worthy decline of co-educatiOn Ill this
part of the land. This decline-indeed
1t is a decline and fall-has been marked
in the last few years. in colleges ana
Seminaries which had long been c0nsld-
cred almost impIegnahle strOngholds Of
60 education and which We're under the
control of a denomination which was sup
posed TO be committed to the perpetulty
Of that system. Thus Wesleyan Uni
versity, after many years of experience
with IL. decided 10 abolish co-educatlon
altogether, while Dickinson College.
hesitating at so radical step, at least
placed strict limit upon the proportion
of women students to be received.
These are both Methodist Episcopal in
situations. And now in the last few
days two of the chief preparatory
schools of that denomination in this
part of the country have moved in the
same direction. Pennington deciding
hencef0rth TO receive only boys and
HackettstOwn to accept only girls. 1t
may he added that a year or two ago
reddie Institute. one Of the foremost
Baptist schools. abandoned co-educatiOn
and became Il school for boys alone.
Now the reason for these changes, as
frankly stated by the authorities of
most If not all of the institutions in
question. is not moral or intellectual,
hut financial. 1t is rot considered, as
some have affected to regard il. a crime
or moral lapse To educate boys and
girls in the same institution. nor is the
maintenance of morals and discipin"
more difficult in educational than in
separate schools. Neither has il been
found impracticable To give the two
sexes satisfactory instruction in the
same courses and classes. But il IL
frankly confessed that profitable pat
rOnage cannot be secured for a co-edu-
cati0nal school. 1t is increasingly diff
cult to get students for such inStitu-
tons. and also to charge as high fees
for their tuition as are willingly paid
ia separate schools. One of the institu-
tons named reports that while it al
ways had number of vacancies under
co-education. in the very first year after
becoming Il school for one sex only il
was overcrowded and had a waiting list
of applicants: and two others report that
under education they have had yearly
deficits and that they look to the ab0li-
ton of that system as their fiscal sal
Walton.
That reason for the change may be
regarded as convincing Bur what Is
the reason for that reason? Why is il
increasingly difficult Ia get students for
co-educational schools The answer is
probably best to be got from the stu
dents themselves. or from those who
have refused Ia he students in those
schools. and the answer which is gen
orally. almost invariably. given by the
boys is that cO-education interfereS with
schools standing and repute in ath-
letics. No matter how competent IA foot
ball or baseball III track team may ne.
il is looked AZ aSkant as from a girls
school As in recent years ( has he
come largely the ambition Of boys 20
enter schools which stand high in ath-
ietlcs, they generally demur to entering
a cO-educatiOnal school. II seems curl
Gus bit Of the irony of fate that II con
troversy which for years seemed in
soluble on religious, ped3 gogiCai or So
cial grounds should AT least Weld 10
arguments from the gymnasium and
the athletic Aeld. But II IS chiefly from