Co-education

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 33, 13 August 1903, Page 1

Co-education

Co-education— or the mingling of the sexes in our high schools and universities — is advocated in some ponderous articles in a Dunedin contemporary. But an ounce of experience is worth half a ton of a priori theory, and in this matter the world has, it seems to us, learned, at the cost of many mistakes, that the segregation of the sexes is found to be the only practicable method of conducting the higher education of young people. In its latest issue, our bright contemporary, the ' Aye Maria,' has the following remarks in point : ' The blending of the sexes in non-Catholic colleges and universities has proved an expensive and disheartening experiment. AtHarvard it is said that the professors who lecture at Kadcliffe, the women's college, become markedly feminised ; and protests against the young men who spend their time billing and cooing their way to a 8.A., when they ought to be " plugging " at their books, have been coming with monotonous regularity of late.'

The ' Aye ' then quotes as follows from an editorial article in the Chicago ' Tribune ' on the deplorable condition to which a prominent Western university has been brought by co-education : 'At certain educational institutions,' says the 'Tribune,' 'the girls dominate and dictate). They are not to be blamed for doing this : they can't help it. They stand still and college life revolves about them. They are away from home* Their men friends are also away from home. The students must depend upon themselves for society. 'AH this happens at a time when the social instinct is beginning to be especially strong. Who can be surprised at the) results ? The men who come from co-educational institutions of the pattern just described have one great de-

fect. They have known women, but they have not known men. The knocking about with men, which is the greatest merit of the older institutions, has been replaced in their case by a quandrennium of dances, strolls, theatre parties, and other similar completely feminised events. If co-education cannot find some way; in which to mitigate this kind of thing, it will lose many of its friends. When the college man is graduated he v/ill find that the world of men wants men's men. It doesn't want carpet knights.'