E~DUCAT'IOIN OF- WVOMLAN.
p
BACCALAtHETlJ~,,k   A,)I)DRESS
( —F
ThlOiMAS  ll()L-.IES, 1). D.
PRESIDF,NT (-)F
UJNION CIIRIsTTA-N COLbl,GL.
DAYTO-N, 01110:
CI-IRJL,TTA'-, PTTBLISIITG AgsO('ATTIQN.
I I,, I' I
.. 0,  
EDTDUCATION OF WOMAN.
Among the great questions to the consideration of which Christianity has forced the world,
is the proper education of womanai.  InI the mind
of a servant of God, all that is necessary to secure action in any given direction is rational
conviction that God is working in that direction. In reference to the design of Providence
in the creation of woman,a   a few points, at least,
are plain.  " I will make himn a helpmeet (helpmnate) (see Webster) for himn," said the Creator.
Woman is designed, thlen, to be, in the language of Webster, "An assistant; a hlelper; a
companioni; a consort; a wife."
This admitted, and thle sequence is necessary
and natural tha,t the true improvement and
elevation of man will not only carry with it,
but involve in itself the improvement and elevation of woman.  The proper companion of
an intelligent being must possess intelligence.
Culture of one demands culture-of the other.
A l:,ockl of rough,l unpolished marble would
,,,  1
3. I
..,.. 
ED)UCATION OF
appear no wvorse as a companion altar-piece to
a well wrought statue than a coarse,  uncultivated woman as thle companion of an educated
and refined gentleman.  If thlere is to be con'panioniship, there must be similarity.  "tVhat
fellowship hath li,ght with darkness?"
"'te that believeth" can consort more  agreeably with "an infidel" than a well-bred mnan
with an ill-bred woman.  Nor is thle case iimproved if we convert the terms of the proposition. A well-bred woman  con]sorts no more
fittiungly with anl ill-bred man.
Solomtoni's "jewel in a hog's snout" is only
the more forcibly suggested.
This argument, basing the necessity of thle
education of woman upon the fact of her beiiig
created a     companion for man, mnight be amnplified,  aa     d tlie subject elucidated at great length;
butt le   t u s 1 owon. inquire,
WIIAT IS EDUCATION?
The word educate is derived firomn twvo Latin
words, c, out, and d(teere, to lead.  The mleaning
of the word is clear from its etymology.  Its
application is, primarily and properly, to the
reariong of chlildren.  Hlence WVebsterdefines it,
"To bring up, as a child; to lead out and trai
the mental powers of; to inform and enlighteii
the understanding of; to form and regulate the
4 
WOMAN.
principles and character of; to prepare and fit
for any calling or business, or for activity and
usefulness in life, as, to e(lu(ate. a child.'
This definition gives us an idea of the ends
ailimed at, the results secured in education, but
leaves the nature of the changes wrought, and
the means by which those changes are effected
yet to be discovered and described.   It is a
nominal definition, a definition of the tern).
The real definition, the definition or descriptioni
of the thing; and the genetic definition, exlibiting the mode of producing the thing, are yet
to be given.  These may be developed together.
In order to ascertain and understand just
what that change is that is effected in a child
by its education, we must pursue a course similar to that adopted by the chemist when he
would explain  what fermtentatioll is, or any
other change that is wrought upon one portion
of matter in combining chemically  witlt another.  We  must know  so much of the base,
and of the agent affecting it, as to be able to
explain the action by which the two are united.
Now, we may not be able to tell definitely what
the mind is; nor are we able to tell definitely
what a particle of matter is; biut we may know
enough of both to enable us to understand some
of the changes through which they pass. Of
mind, -we  know that it is finite, and,  couse
5 
EDUCATION OF
quently, excepting a few intuitions,  knows
nothing it has not learned; that it is quite inperceptible in the new-born infant, weak in its
first manifestations, and  exhibits  abundant
evidences of growth and  increasing  strength,
as it acquires gradually a knowledge of its suirroundings, nature, and wants.   This growth,
this increase of strength, we call education. It
is not writing facts and principles onl the fabled
"tablet of memlory," nor "storing the mind with
knowvledge" as the cells of a honey-comb alre stored with honey. These favorite illustrations are
fundamentally and injuriously wrong.  Education is a process of growth, and is well illustrated
by the growth of the body.   The tiny, feeble
body of the infant grows by the digestion and
assimilation of appropriate food; and the tissues
are knit together, giving compactness, firmness,
symmetry, and strength, by means of exercise,
to which nature prompts as irresistibly as she
does to eating and drinking.  The playing and
racing of animals, the throwing about of the
hands and feet of the little infant, the subsequent springing on its mothler's lap, and the
still later running and violent muscular exercise, taken voluntarily for mere sport, are nature's means of weaving inlto firmness and
strength the particles of matter that enter into
and become portions of the body, through as
6 
WOIA'N.
similation of food taken into the stomach. Thus
the mind grows.   Knowledge is its aliment.
Facts and principles enter into it, and become
constituent parts of it, thus giving increase to
the mind; and the hard study requisite to obtainll knowledge, together with the use made of
it in thinking and reasoning and other mental
exercises, gives it firmness and strength. Thus
we say of one who possesses a well-developed
and well-disciplined mind, lie or she has a strong
mind, a mighty intellect.  lie is a great man, a
strong man; she is apowerfil and noblle woman.
How they have grown.
Such expressions recognize and plainly accept
the idea here advanced, that education is growth.
As well developed physical powers mnay be applied to any labor requirinig muscular force, so
the well developed mnind may be directed to
any object requiring mental force.
The means of acquiring education are various,
and always at hand.  Scholastic advantages are
great assistants, but they are not absolutely
necessary.  The world is full of well educated
men, whose names have never been enrolled in
college records, and who might not be able to
teach successfully a common  school.   Each
passing event is a teacher; and he is a happy
man, and will become a wise man, who appropriates its lessons to his  own growth  and
strength.
7 
EDUCATION OF
The education obtained by the hard knocks
and severe reproofs of experience alone, is not
apt, however, to secure symmetry in the development of the man. As nourishment for the
body must include material adapted to the different parts of the body-bones, muscles, nerves
-so the facts and circumstances that constitute
the food and discipline of the mind should not
nourishl and develop a hard, bony form only,
such as we sometimes see in the school of rougli
experience; nor a soft, pulpy, flimsy character,
without any backbone, such as we see at other
times in the same school.
It is only when - scholastic opportunities, social advantages, and practical experiences unite
in furnishing the material, that all the faculties
of the mind are properly nourished, and all the
beauties of the soul fully expanded and developed.  To produce the true gentleman or the
true laldy, the mind must be educated to the
vigorous use of all its faculties, the heart to the
cheerful and prompt exercise of all the Christian graces, and the mananiers to that refinement
which enables one to adapt himself with ease and
grace to all necessary circumstances, and to feel
equally at home and at ease in' the presence of
wealth, intelligence, refinement, on  the one
hand, or poverty, ignorance, rudeness on the
other. Let us now iinquire
Is 
WOMAN.
WIlY 1)0 WE LEDUCATE?
On this point, the prevailing errors are still
more injurious, and at the sanie time  more
subtle than on the other.  The present age is
so utilitarian in its tendencies, and its utilitarianism is so short sighted, looking to proximnate instead of ultimate results, that it is difficult to lay,a broad, solid, and sure foundation
for real advancement in any direction.  The
love of money, haste to be rich, notwithstantding
the warilnings of the inspired Word, is so great
and controlling upon the minds and hearts of
the American people, that the youthl of our land
have not time, as theyerroneously and foolishly
think, to develop their mental and moral powers,
not time to reachl the stature of a symmetrical
and propel nianhood, before they plunge ignorantly, self-conceitedly, rashly, and nearly always fatally, into business.  An estimate made
a few years ago, showed that of ahundred young
men who entered into what is properly called
trade, in one of tlhe great cities of our land,
ninety-six failed.   Only four were successful.
It is dloubtful whletler the percenttage of success
is even so great as that nowi.  The prevalence
of commercial schools, and the effect of tlheir
widely scattered hand-bills and cir ulars, lhold
9 
EDUCATION OF
ilg out the wonderful advantages of a cornmercial education, while as yet  the miental
powers are undeveloped and undisciplined, the
judgment not yet matured, nor the general
growth of mind yet attained, filling the minids
. of thle young, ignorant, and inexperienced with
visions of mercantile success, day-books, cashbooks, joturnlals, and ledgers, large accounts,
foreign trade, banlking, telegraphing, railroading, stock-jobbing, gold speculations, with large
profits from each source, and inspiring dreams
of fine houses, splendid  estates, fashionable
dresses, grand turnouts, plenlty of. money, and
the whole catalogue of mneans by whichi greed
for gold and love of display are usually gratified
at the expense of bankruptcy-deluded and infatuated creditors paying for the luxuries and
extravagances of deluded and infatuated speculators-this prevalence of comtmercial and other
sham schools, with the errors that sustain them
and the evils that grow out -of themi, constitute
the fruitful source of the false b)usiness principles and false habits of life, that bring about
financial crises, domestic wretchedness, social
degradation, political corruption, and moral
ruin.  My  object in this paragraph is not to
condemn,' utterly, commercial schools, but to
discourage the attendance upon them of boys
who are ignorant of other branches just as
10 
WOMAN.
nlecessary to success in life, whose mental faculties are undeveloped, and to censure the extraordinary nmeans employed, advertising, and
personal persuasion, to induce their attendance
upon these schools.  So long as the people are
made to believe, or left to believe, that the
object of education is to fit one for some sphere
in life, and that one needs no more education
than he or she can turn into gold, these evils
will continue.
What, then, is education for? what is its
object? I answer, To develop the intellectual
powers, to promote  growth  and strength of
mind, to rear men.  The infant soul, placed by
the divine hand in the infant body, is not
created, like the body, for a temporary p)urpose, to grow, fulfill a mission, and die.   It
must grow, indeed, as already stated, by the
acquisition' digestion, and assimilation of
knowledge; but  its missioli is an eternal
mission; its increase in knowledge, its growth,
eternal. Its infancy, its schoolday, its formative
period, is in this life; its manhood, its great
mission and work, the grand object of its existelce, the end for which the All-wise Creator
gave it being and all its wonderful endowments
of capacities, faculties, and functions, will be
fully known, and fully attained only in the
world to come.  God has created us (not our
bodies only, but our souls, ourselves) infants.
II. 
EDT/CATION OF
Symmietrical growth, harmonious development,
proper manhood, will be attained only through
knowledge acquired, digested, assimilated; and
this growth, this development of capacities, this
expansion of powers, this attainment of strength,
self-control, self-direction, manhood in its highest sense, constitute the object of education, the
object of life itself.
How wonderful, hoiw noble, how glorious a
gift is life, when thus viewed. Hiow grand, how
exalted, how important a work is education, ill
the light of these great and wonderful factsfacts and considerations usually ignored, or utterly unappreheuded.  HIow the mere accumulation of wealthl, the filling of a station, the
pursuit of an employment, success in a profession, civil position, political influence, royal
honors, fall into the background, and take
their proper places respectively and perspectively, in tile great picture of human life, when
these nobler objects and hfigher motives are
placed in the foreground where they belong.
A man who is qualified for a position is higher than the position he occupies. The real man,
the true manl, magnifies and honors the station
he fills, the office he holds, the'sceptre he sways;
while he who seeks only the special attainments
that qualify for a particular situation, however
elevated the position may be, will find the sta
12 
WOMAN.
tion greater than the man, the official wig and
toga quite too large for him.  htis appearance
is that of a boy dressed in the coat, hat, and
b)oots of his father, shambling about Nith manly
pretense, withl this striking, difference: the boy,
ill his play, is all object of amusement; the ape,
in his pretense, ail object of disgust.  Let educators fully orient themselves by these principles, aind devote their energies wisely, patiently,
constanlltly, to the cultivation of a true, real
manhood, and future generations will,,rise up
and call them blessed.
Froni what has now been said, it will be readily inferred thlat neither rank, condition, employment, or sex, has any bearing whatever upon
the propriety or necessity of education. Mind is
made for growth, for development, for strength,
for service, for tiime and the work of time, but
chiefly for eternity and the work of eternity;
for the -relations and duties of this life, while
passing througho this life, but more especially
for the higher relations and more important
duties of the life to come.  The mere  ciricumstanee of being rilch or poor, employer or employed, ruler or subject, legislator, magistrate,
lawyer, preacher, or teacher, male or female,
has really nothing to do with the great question, Why do we educate?
This point settled, and the question whether
i3 
EDUCATION OF'
woman should be educated is answered. Is she
a human being?  Is she a person?  IHas she an
intellect? Is she born for eternity? Has she the
power of choice? Is she a responsible agent or
actor? Can she reason? Can she distinguish right
from wrong? Can she choose good in the presence of evil, or evil in the presence of good? Has
she a, moral nature? May it be that the Creator
has given her a mission, a field of labor, a work to
accomplish for herself and others, and that he
holds her responsible for that work, and will call
her to account for its performance or nieglect?
An affirmative answer to any one of these
questions will involve not the propriety only,
but the necessity the duty, the obligation, to
afford her  every  facility, every inducement,
every encouragement, to obtain that mental
nutriment,  that  mental  exercise, and those
moral influences, that will enable her to acquire
growth, strength, and moral purpose-a syrnmretrical, well balanced development  of her
soul, a noble fiill manhood, fitted for the work
of God in this life and in the life to come.
Whatever may be her special sphere, whlatever
her peculiar duties, the first demand of her nature, the first duty others owe her,the first duty
sile owes herself, is the development of her
manhood.  As there is no sex in mind, none
in mnorals, this simple accident of this life only,
14 
WOMAN.
can have no bearing upon the question of her
education.  WVhen the public minitd is fully instructed on this point, this whole question will
be viewed fromn a higher point of observation,
and the obljections now often urged against the
education of woman, and all those who move
ill the humbler spheres of human life, will be
seen to have no relevancy at all to the real
question. Let us neat inquire
HIOow?
The means by which the education of girls v
should be accomplished, and the circumstances
by which they should be surrounded, during
the growing, plastic period of their mortal
lives, involve questions of the greatest moment,
and should be considered with great carefulness
and candor.  Like all other questions that involve the interests and welfare of a race of
immortal beings, they must be decided, not in
such a mainner as to gratify selfish whims and
caprices but in the light of the broadest range
of facts and the profoundest principles of philosophy.   Birth, wealth, position, aristocracy
in any form, have no bearing u.pon this question, except as they mnay have power to furnish
or to withhold the means that facts and philosophy dictate.
The general proposition, that woman should
15 
ED)UCATION  OF
)be reared, from lher infancy to thie time of her
maturity and the assumption of the responsibI)ilities of life to whichl Providence may assign
her, in such a mannler and under such circumstances as  will most  fully  and  completely
develop all her natural endowments of body
and spirit, provided thle imeas and circumstances are witllim  her reach, will not, I presume,
b)e disputed by any one. r Where Ilcaven' has
furnished sight, who will dispute the right to
see  and, where the Creator has implanted a
faculty, who will ever presume that it is not
the privilege of its possessor, and his duty, if
(irculmstances permit, to develop, cultivate, and
use reasonably, that faculty?
But a few years ago many seriously doubted
vlwhether a human intellect in connection with
a female.body was capable of makiing the same
attainments and performing the same labors as
t humlan mind iin connection with a male body.
iNumerous  and  well conducted  experiments
have, however, set aside all doubt  oni this
point, in the minds of most of the leading
educators, both of this country and of  the
world.  Thlough some colleges and academies
still exclude women  from their advantages,
that exclusion is usually made on otler grounds
than the inferiority of hler intellect.
In those institutions  where shle h1as been
] 6 
WOM AN.
admitted to equal privileges and advantages
with her masculine competitors, she has fallen
behind in no particular. In history, natural
science, languages, pure mathematics, rhetoric,
logic, constitutional law, metaphysical philosophy, and Christian ethics, she has skimmed
over the plains, penetrated to the profoundest
depths, and soared to the sublimest hights with.
as little apparent effort of mind or strain of
body as her masculine classmates; and, having
won and received her classical degree, she has
grappled the specialties of professional pursuits,
mastered the intricacies, met the responsibilities,
performed the duties, and endured the hardships,
of practical life in these pursuits, with as good
judgment, as sound sense, as firm a purpose,
and as skilful a hand as those who have been
accustomed to arrogate these specialties all to
themselves.
Since,  then, reason  and observation fully
agree oni the point of the ability of girls to
stand, without disparagement, by the side of
their brothers, in the attainment of knowledge,
in acquiring mental growth and strength, in
being, indeed, what the Creator designed, the
companion and helpmeet of man, who  shall
forbid, or what shall be allowed to hinder the
full accomplishment of tihe will and eternal
purpose of God?
17 
EDUCATION OF
Physiology, psychology, sociology, and ethics
bear united testimony, harmonious in every
point and  particular, that neither  men nor
women  reach their best conditions in body,
mnincd, society, or morals, without the companionship, co-operation, and influence of each
other. Why, then, should schools, and' particularly our highest institutions of learning, put
asunder those whom  Heaven has so inseparably
joined in the greatest of human interests?
It has long been confessed that, in the rearing
of children, in the' family, the best results are
secured where both sexes are reared together,
and where several of eachl sex are found.
In colleges where only youing men are admitted, slovenliness, vulgarity, uncouth malnners,
awkwardness in society, and low tastesgenerall]y,
are almost sure to be contracted.
Many a graduate from those colleges, on
finding himself away from his college companions and among strangers, has discovered,
greatly to his mortification and disadvatage,
that he did not knlow how to act, nor how to be
at ease in society, particularly in the society of
ladies.
Ministers of the gospel, educated inI such
.institutions,  have  been  graceful,- attractive,
talented in-the pulpit, before an audiences; but,
in the families of their parishioners, in the
i. s 
WOMAN.
sewing circle, at the sociable, their awkwardness
and embarrassment were painful, both to them
selves and others.
Young ladies, educated in ladies' seminiaries
and colleges, experience not inll every -respect
the same, but similar evils, and emerge from
their convent life no better fitted for the sober
realities of this practical  world than their
monastic brothers.  Education, obtained under
such unnatural and unnecessary, or rather,
damaging, crippling restraints, is partial, fragmentary, and can never secure a well-rounded,
full, symmetrical character, fitted for such a
world as ours, and adapted to the end for which
each human soul is created.
Since, then, nature  herself demands  that
ladies be permitted a place in the same classes
of the same institutions of learning with their
brothers, and experience has shown that'neither
the -dignity nor progress of those ambitious
brothers is in any degree compromised by her
presence there; let us next notice.a few of theq
important advantages that will be gained by
their
CO-EDUCATION.
Under this head I shall mention only such
considerations as seem to me most important,
and are usually omitted in the discussion of
this question.
19 
EDUCATION OF
].  Co-education  secures  mutual  respect.
Whatever may be said, and even truthfully
said, of man's adoration of woman, of his
gallantry towards her, of his willingness to
imperil his life to defend her froln danger or
avenge her when wronged, one fact stands
boldly out upon the face of all history; a derisive sneer has found emphatic expression on
the countenance of man, "lord of humankind,"
whenever any considerable degree of intelligence has been claimed for woman.   It has
been granted that she had "a fibre more in the
heart," but claimed, as an offset, that she had,
also, "a cell less in the brain." She has been
the pet, the plaything of man, the companion
of his leisure and of his light talk, to be protected because of her v weakness, to be housed
from the sunshine that she might be fair and
delicate, to be relieved from toil that her soft,
lily-white hands might be the more grateful to
the aching brow of her weary lord and provider, to be the show-window wax-figure on vwhichl
to exhibit the evidences of his wealth or extravagance, the vine that climbs, entwines, leans
upon, and ornaments the sturdy oak; to be,
indeed, the mother of his children, the mistress
of his household, skilled in nursery rhymes,
pound-cakes, and plumb puddings, but also
acquainted with the gossip of the neighborhood,
2o 
WOMAN.
the latest style of dress, and the most recent
sensational novel; all of which is in perfect
keeping with contempt for her intellect and
reckless disregard of her soul.  It has even
been claimed that not to her good sense but to
her weakness is attributable the readiness with
which she usually embraces the gospel, and the
zeal, boldness, and patience with which she
devotes herself, when imbued with the spirit of
Christ, to the good of others. So short sighted
are such cavilers (they are not worthly to be
called reasoners), that they do not perceive that
Jesus, the blessed Christ, must have been, on
that hypothesis, the pattern and perfection of
weakness. Such is the contempt in which the
intellect and reasoning powers of woman have
been held, and are still held by many of the
leading men, evenii educators, of the world.
Now, what we maintain for coeducation, on
this point, is that it will revolutionize all this,
and secure for woman that genuine respect
that constitutes the only foundation of true
love and real companionslhip.    Young  men
who have been compelled to put forth their
utmost exertions to hold their wyay, pari passu,
with young ladies, in the%arious branches of a
college course of study, or who have, after their
most strenuous efforts, gallantly (?) yielded the
palm to their fair competitors, will freely con
21 
EDUCATION 0OF
cede to their rivals a muchl  higlher degree of
esteem, if it be not even of a different kindan esteem based so clearly upon  worth as to
fulfil every condition of true hlonor.  This is
the foundation of true -.respect, and  without
respect true love, conjugal  companionship), can
never exist.
WThen stuch persons pass a friendly hour withl
each other, their conversation' is not confined
to the weather, the gossip of the neighborhood,
and the last novel.  Neither attempts to will
the good graces of the other by senseless words
of flattery.   Their friendship is intelligent;
their companionship real, and worthy of the
name; and, should intellige't friendship ripen
into love, how  vastly superior is that love to
the sentimental passioni, excited by a downy,
rosy cheek, a languid eye, a soft, spongy,
amorous hand, that so often and so falsely
bears  that  liamen.  Such  companions  niever
become weary of each other.  They are companionis in the highest and broadest sense of
that deeply signlificanlt word.    Each is the
counterpart and helpmneet of the other.  She is
the companion, even the stimulator of his best
thoughts; he is the participator and encourager
of her best feelings.  Thus thev live in each
other's affections, and ripen in the soul-fellowship of thlis life for that higher, purer, holier,
0-2 
WOMAN'.
diviner fellowship of the saints in heaven.  If,
then, moral results are to be aimed at in the
work of education, and if co-education leads
directly to the mutual respect claimed under
this head, and if mutual respect is the natural
antecedent of intelligent friendship and genuine,
holy love, there is no evading the conclusion.
that ladies and gentlemen should be educated
together; unless, indeed, it canl be shown that
educating them  apart from  each other  will
secure the same result.  On this point I have
to say only this: Educatioln apart is vastly
better than no education, and will go far toward
securing these results, but can never mneet fully
the demand.
2. Co-educationi will secure mutual interest
in the same things and in each other.
The wife whose husband pursues aii erm ployment in which she feels no interest is ail
unhappy woman; and the husband whose wife
feels no interest in his business is an unhappy
man.  This is one of the most prolific sources
of domestic infelicity.   Where the wife of a
minister of the gospel is uninterested in his
preaching, and wishles lhe would follow  farm ing; the wife of the faTrmer dislikes life in the
country, and wishes her husband would move
to the city and keep a dry goods store; any where,. indeed, where interests are opposed,
23 
EDUCATION OF
synipathies languish, and the fires of affection
burn low and feebly. Often, in such cases,
from regard to the sacred marriage vow and
the precious memory of early love, the parties
tolerate each other, never collide directly, move
around in the same world and in the same part
of it like two fishes in the same pond; but the
penetrating glances through which soul once
spake to soul are exchanged no more;  the
caressing hand that once fell fondly upon the
shoulder or stole lovingly around the waist,
and the busy fingers that once dallied among
dangling curls or chafed playfully the blushing
cheek, are withheld from all such trifling and
childishness; while a heavy burden rests upon
an aching heart, and sadness sits gloomily upon
the countenance. What is the trouble? There
has been no quarreling.   No unkind words
have fallen from the lips of either. Neither
means to neglect the other, nor be guilty of
unfaithfulness in any form or degree.   Still
they are not happy. They scarcely correspond,
fittingly, to the words of our Savior, "And
they twain shall be one flesh."  If one flesh,
they fall far short of being one spirit, one
heart, one life.
No one will dispute the truthfulness of this
picture, in the cases supposed, nor the deplorablehess of the facts. Hle who shall discover a
24 
WOMAN.
remedy for but a part of this evil will surely
deserve well of his fellow-men.  Just such a
remedial influence we claim for co-education.
Similar training, under similar circumstances
begets sirnilar tastes, similar opinions, similar
forms of expression and modes of thinking, fits
minds for each other, and prepares them for
harmonious action and responding sympathies
while they live. Depend uponi it, ignorance is
the mother of discord as well as of superstition,
and education, under widely differing circumstances, is but a partial cure of the evil.
The harmony between brothers and sisters is
due more to the fact that they grow up together
and are trained to the same habits of life, tastes,
and modes of thinking than to their consanguinity.   Diversity of education, years spent
apart, attendance at different colleges and seminaries, have often resulted in views, tastes, and
sympathies differing so widely as to create
coldness  and even discord  for life between
brothers and sisters who would, if educated
together, have passed through life without a
jar. The bearing of these facts upon the question of co-education is too manifest to be denied
and too important to be ignored.   Let them
have the full weight to which they are entitled.
Remember the fact of sex is not designed to
create alienations, but sympathies; and woman
25 
EDUCATION OF
was created to be the helpmeet, not the burden
nor the mnere ornament of man.
3. Co-education is the natural reoledy for
slavery to fashion.   Men are slaves to their
appetites and love of gain: women, to their
tastes and love of show.   Drunkenness and
gambling are the principal instrumentalities ifi
the degredation of man: vanity is the great
task-master of woman. Men submit themselves
to a bondage more loathsome and bestial; but
the slavery of woman to fashion is as potential
to dwarf her intellect, warp Iler judgmient, cripple lofty aspirations and ennobling thought, and
hinder the growthli and beauty of soul for which
Heaven designed her as arc the vices of men in
effecting similar ruin uponi them.   No other
obstacle to the thorough education of woman
is to-day so great as her abject and reasonless
submission to the degrading empire of fashionii
-a tyranny as abitrary as that of Ahasuerus,
as relentless as that of Nero, acnd more damaging to the public weal than that of the bloodiest
imonarchl of history.
Please do not mistake my position.  I am no
utilitarian, regarding a flower garden as so
much of God's precious  earth wasted, and
means and labors  expended in ornamentation
as thrown away. On' the contrary, I wish many
dollars were devoted to the realization of the
26( 
WOMAN.
beautiful where one dollar is now devoted to
that end; and many hours expended in such
labors, where one is thus expended. The institutions of gospel benevolence would be better
endowed and supported than they now are; and
the poor, what few might be found in such a
state of civilization, would be better cared for
than they are to-day.
I have no doubt that grand old Niagara, roaring and thundering his eternal anthem of praise,
and awakening in the minds and souls of thousands abroad, deep, heart-moving, soul-enriching
sublimity, a thought and an emotion of grandeur,is accomplishinig far more for the elevation
of the race than if its wild and mighty forces
were tamed and harnessed to flour-mnills, cotton
manufactories, and machine works.
Nor am I an "old fogy," thinking that the
world is growing worse, every day, and that, if
we would return to the simple manners and
modest virtues of our ancestors, we would shlow
ourselves wise.  My heart is continually filled
with joy in the unwavering confidence I have
that every setting sun looks back upon a better
world than it greeted with its rising rays.
Nor  am  I an ascetic, supposing religious
consecration, a devout heart, can be found in
monastic  seclusion  only, clad in sackcloth,
closing the senses to the beauties of the works
27 
EDUCATION OF
of God himself, and crushing tihe finer sensibilities and higher tastes of the soul that is made
in the image of God. The sooner the world is
emancipated from all that kind of piety the
better. Let beauty and taste and refinement,
flowers and painting and sculpture and music
be cultivated, the idea of the beautiful be realized as fully as the finite conception of fallen
man is capable of realizing it.  That is not
pride nor vanity nor impiety in any form.  On
the contrary, it is progress, improvement, approach to the divine likeness, just what God
wants us to do.
Let tile women study taste and beauty, in
their physical development, in the style and
ornamentation of their attire, in the discipline
of their minds, in the cultivation of their hearts,
in the acquisition of every grace of manner and
virtue of soul.  Let them change the fashions
oftener than they now do, if they choose; but
let each change mark progress, each new style
unfold new ideas of beauty, shlow more perfect
taste than the preceding, approach a little nearer
the perfect ideal as it exists in the divine mind,
and for the attainment of which he has implanted in man a longing, insatiable except in
its attainment.,,No enlightened Christian will
object to this.
Let them not, however, deform their bodies,
28 
WOMAN.
dwarf their minds, and degra-de their souls, by
following fashions that have been suggested by
lust, are offensive to pure minds and good taste,
and even disgusting to themselves, when for
such following they can find no better, in fact,
no other reason than, "It is the style." 
Sure as you live, mny sisters, nothing else
to-day, opposes so great hindrance to your
progress, to your thorough education, as this.
It is not that you like gay colors, nor even that
vour attire is expensive.  The hindrances that
excesses in these directions oppose, are slight
in comparison, and would soon be surmounted.
It is an enslaved mind. It is submission to that
tyranny which you yourselves acknowledge,
when you don a style which your own taste
and sense of propriety condemn. I lhave seen a
lady actually weep at her "horrid appearance,"
as she termned it, when she put on a new style;
ashamed of its lack of taste and beauty, yet submitting to the bondage.
Depend upon it, an enslaved mind can not
grow symmetrical and strong.  It is in the
same condition as the body with a girdle drawn
tightly around the waist. Deformity and weakness must be the result.
Education is the remedy for-this weakness,
the only emancipator from this bondage; and
education in female schools, whether of low or
C)(-,4 
EDUCATION OF
high grade, is found especially defective in this
particular.
Enslavement to fashioii and rage for the
society of young men  are the especial vices of
ladies' seminaries.  Co-education furnishes the
proper balance of social, intellectual and moralforces, and is the natural remedy for both these
evils.
As we move freely and easily in the atmosphere, unconscious of the vast weight pressing
uponi us (about fifteen pounds to every square
inch of the surface of our bodies), because the
pressure on each side is balanced by a corresponding pressure on the opposite side, so the
proper  balance of formative influences. will
make the advancement of the mind in the right
direction easy and natural. The thoughts of
young ladies, while struggling in ennobling
competition with young men, and still more
ennobling efforts to be worthy of themselves
and true to the higher instincts and  nobler
aspirations of their own souls, are effectually
withdrawn from bondage to mere style and
fashion.  While taste is improved, and ideas of
true beauty developed, devotion to the "latest
style" is broken forever. Daily association with
young men of thought and taste and high pulpose will show themn that the most potential
argument they have ever yet offered, viz., that
30 
WOMAN.
young men are as fond of seeing tile ladies
dressed according to the latest styles as young
ladies are of dressing thus; and that the young
lady who is not fashionable is neglected; is
true of only light minded, vain, and worthless
young men. The worthy and noble minded
young man, who wants a companion and helpmeet instead of a toy and a playmate, will
prefer intelligence, good sense, and good taste
to mere fashion. At least, so we believe, and
so we teach.
Let sensible young ladies make the experinient, and see what will be the result.
4. hlitherto, we have spoken of the education
of woman as a class of intellectual beings, born
for development and a, destiny  beyond  and
above the affairs and,interests of this life, as
well as for an imnportant mission here.
our treatment has been of a general nature,
demlanding education for her as a human being.
In conclusion, I suppose myself asked directly,
"Is not woman constituted for a particular field
of social duties; and ought she not to- be educated with direct reference to those duties?"
My answer to this question is just as direct
and positive as the question.'Assuredly she is
so constituted, and should be thus educated.
For this very reason, to, reach this very end,
she must, however, be first recognized as a
3-1 
EDi CATION OF
human soul, created for an endless existence.
Paramount to all other duties, as a means to
this very end, is the work of growth, strength,
the power of self-subjection, self-application,
and self-consecration to the good of being, the
glory of God, that which is true and beautiful
and worthy and right and noble and benevolent.
Such is the fundamental fitting for all spheres,
ill this worldand in the world to come; and is
as essential for one human soul as for another,
whether that soul dwell ill the masculine or in
the feminine physical organism. Special preparation, then, for a special sphere is a subsequent
work, to be viewed in the same light, and puirsued upon the same principles as special preparation for a profession.  A general education
develops the powers of.the mind, and lays the
foundation for successful application to any
special work that man may choose or Heaven
appoint.
I would, indeed, that all -women might be
better instructed in the duties of wife, mother,
helpmeet, companion, than they are; and, that
they may be thus instructed, and qualified to
occupy honorably and successfully their special
sphere, I commend, yea, exhort most earnestly
and sincerely that they be encouraged and
required to obtain all the education within
their reach, and that the doors of Colleges, and
32 
WOMAN.
universities, as well as schools of lower grade,
be thrown open to them as freely and as invitingly as to men. I also recommend and urge
young ladies to avail themselves of every facility
offered them for the acquisition of knowledge.
I desire them to escape from the darkness of
ignorance and the chains of vanity, and take
their places by the side of man in every thing
that is noble, worthy, benevolent, as his companion, helpmeet, equal.
Thus, and thus only, will the design of the
Creator, who has given existence and special
endowments to us all, be accomplished. Thus,
and thus only, will the high aspirations of a
noble nature be realized. Thus, and thus only,
will that true nobility and grand progress of
the race to which the prophetic eye looks forward so anxiously and expectantly be secured.
Only mothers of sound minds, developed faculties, matured judgment, true hearts, and noble
purposes, can give to coming ages the grand
specimens of noble manhood which those coming ages are sure to demand.
Young ladies, arouse yourselves, and "lay
hold of the hope set before you." I fear the
way is already opening before you more rapidly
than you are advancing in it.  " Heaven's last
best gift" to man, the Creator has given you
a mission to which no high estate of official
3
33 
EDUCATION OF WOMAN.
dignity or honor attainable by human beings
can compare. Fit yourselves for any thing to
which kind Heaven may call you. Enter any
field of usefulness, the cultivation of whose soil
may seem inviting to you, and. for which your
endowments and attainments fit you. Still, despise not, "neglect not, the gift that is in you"
by the special calling of the Creator himself-a
gift, a calling, more marked in its evidences,
more noble in its nature, more weighty in its
responsibilities, more glorious in its successes,
than any other within the range of human
specialties.  Rejoice that you were born to be
women.
34 
THE PHILOSOPHY OF ATRUE LIFE:
GRADUATING ESSAY.
BY MISS AMANDA JOSEPHINE BUFF.
In view of the incomprehensible nature of
Him who is the life of the universe, David exclaimed, "What is man that Thou art mindful
of him, or the son of man that Thou visitest
him?" This language of the Psalmist, so forcible and concise, is testimonial of the fact of
consciousness that in this life of ours there is
something worthy of divine recognition. There
is intuitive evidence to every mind that the
universe has its eye upon man. All things concur in his existence, and are in sympathy with
his being.  Not only are the necessary conditions of animal life supplied, but all things are
evidently the conditions of something noble to
be attained through human effort.
When breath was given to man, and the culminating handiwork of God was displayed in
his mechanism, and the crown of supremacy
placed upon his head, all nature acknowledged
the scepter duly bestowed. Human life was
3       5  
THE PHILOSOPHY
made a sacred trust, and to its possessor was
given authority to appropriate all things, animate and inanimate, to its support and comfort.
If all lower forms of existence are subordinate
to man, and are only relative interests, means
to his well-being, upon him depend the issues
of creation.  If such is the weight of responsibility attached to human life, as indicated in
the order of nature, in revelation, and in the
testimony of consciousness, the sentiment of
the immortal Pope, "An  honest man's the
noblest work of God," is a rational conclusion.
Success has been the watch-word of individuals and of nations.  Under whatever difficulties and obstacles he toils, however conscious of
failure in the past and inability for the future,
there exists in the bosom of man the hope of
final triumph. In pursuance of this purpose,
youth builds air-castles, and manhood makes
ingenious plans. Who would not solace the
declining day of life by the consciousness of a
completed warfare? Yet, failure has stained
the pages of history, and has blighted the fairest names. Why grope in darkness and delusion, while to every one is furnished the material for a virtuous character?  iHe who would
realize a successful life has only to fulfill its
conditions.
What, then are the conditions of a true life
36 
OF A TRUE LIFE.
a life devoted to the end of its existence? The
grand theater of action and the laws which condition success are furnished by the Creator; but
at the foundation of worthy action in man must
be an act of will, the ruling faculty of mind.
Through the all-controlling power of this faculty, the soul is directed into the way of life. The
voluntary commitment of the heart to truth is
the first and grandest step toward the attainment of a perfect manhood; and he who hopes
to gain this height by basing his action upon
another foundation will never have a view from
its summit. From this platform must proceed
all virtue, for only upon this can the faculties
of mind act in harmony.
Where there is no unity in action there can
be no unity in result; hence, a life devoted to
one end would be impossible. But a true life
is a life devoted to an exclusive end; therefore,
the will must submit to truth. When this
primary condition is fulfilled, growth begins.
Perverted desires and ill-directed action no
longer deprive the germ, planted in every
bosom by nature, of vitality, but reason permeates the soil with the essential elements of
growth, and a new life arises whose freshness
and beauty make void the old. At every step
Reason dictates, and Will executes.  Reason
affirms one principle to which all action may be
37 
THE PHILOSOPHY
safely conformed. It reveals to man the end
for which he was created; and, in view of tlis,
obligation arises from which no one can ever
absolve himself. Philosophy assures us that in
the satisfaction of the wants of sentient life
there is intrinsic value. The claims of a physical nature are also subordinate to the claims of
Reason. The brute lives only in the present,
has no proper memory of the past, or hope for
the future. Man has experience; he has desires in common with the brute, the gratification of which is a good to him; but this is not
his highest good. He forms plans for the years
that may attend him in his mortal state, and
even looks forward to an immortal existence.
Any course of action which contravenes these
purposes and hopes is detrimental to the highest interests-of his being. But obedience to his
highest prerogative bestows upon him all honor,
and provides for him ultimate happiness. This
great truth being apprehended, there is an imperative upon every rational being not only
to regard, but to promote it. The mind, being committed to truth, immediately acknowledges this fact, and the will elects the good of
being, affirmed by reason as the ultimate end
of man's existence. This ultimate intention
becomes a criterion for all action, and is a fountain from which issue the waters of life.  Like
38 
OF A TRUE LIFE.
the grand central point about which the millions of solar systems are harmoniously and
silently describing their circuits, benevolence
forms the center about which revolve all systems of moral action and human duty, regulating and controlling the principles of a virtuous character. It gives to life a new meaning,
and to labor a wonderful and important significance.  The intellect goes forth on a new mission. It discloses the secrets of nature, and
proclaims the facts of spiritual existence, not
alone to win the favor and approbation of man,
but to promote happiness and enhance the value
of being. It computes the elements of a heavenly body which produces a known disturbance
in the planetary system, and determines its relative position in the sky, not merely for the
gratification found in suchl a wonderful achievement, but to show forth the nature of Him who
has so perfectly completed a universe, and so
wisely endowed man. It makes intricate mechanical combinations by which distance is
made inconsiderable, and the rapid wing of
time left behind, that blessings may be distributed to the needy, and civilization and intelligence carried to the barbarous and ignorant.
The natural sentiments, which beautify charac ter and make society desirable, but are without
virtue, regulated by benevolence, are the means
39 
THIE PIIILOSOPHY
by which most desirable ends are reached. Under this controlling power, the baser passions,
which, unrestrained, degrade character, become
occasions for higher worth and sublimer virtue.
A new motive is furnished for manual labor.
The husbandman pursues his humble calling
with the view of elevating the standard of his
moral nature, and not for miserly gain. All
vocations are worthy of rational creatures only
as they are vitalized and sanctified by a regard
for the absolute good of being; and the pursuit
of any office irrespective of this great end must
inevitably result in a failure to realize life's
noblest import. Regulated and controlled by
this principle, self-culture becomes a means and
not an end. The discipline and strength of
mind secured in the varied channels of mental
activity, and by the close application of thought
to the facts of a classical course of study, are
only data from which the beautiful problems
of a holy life are solved. Music, falling from
careless, unmeaning lips, delights the ear as
superficial, flattering words; but gentle, unos- 
tentatious strains, from the depths of a pure
heart, reach the soul as noble, inspiring words.
The artist, as he looks upon his masterpiece
complete and beautiful, asks not that it may
win laurels for him alone, which shall be fresh
40 
OF A TRUE LIFE.
in the memory of the latest generation, but
dedicates his treasure to the elevation of human
desires. The sculptor may boast of the beauty
of his workmanship, and pride himself in his
artistic skill; yet he breathes a blessing upon
the cold marble, and fervently prays that the
lifeless figure may elevate some groveling
spirit.
When the heart has thus been brought permnanently under the influence of truth, and its
directing light is diffused into all the offices of
life, the claims of animal nature may appeal to
Reason for gratification. If consistent with the
highest good of the subject, indulgence is elevating and virtuous; if not, Reason must have
the mastery.  A true life, then, is a reasonable
life.
But what are the inducements to the attainment of moral worth?  Is there a demand for
true lives? Does the world need noble men
and women? Every rational-creature needs to
be all he can be in excellence and wisdom.
Such attainments are consistent with his highest happiness. Society needs strong, honest
men, whose hearts embrace all interests, and
artless, pure women, whose hands are skilled
in worthy deeds. Such lives will elevate liter ary tastes, and accomplish for the world a re form which shall open the way for glorious
41 
THE PHILOSOPHY
results.  The extreme sentimnentalisml diffused
into current literature poisons the mind with a
fatal narcotic. A wholesome force is in de mand which shall-inspire the public mind with
high thought and benevolent intention. Our
Government needs moral support.  Farmers,
mechanics, doctors, and lawyers are needed
whose minds are alive to the interests of man kind, and whose hearts are open to truth. Min isters are needed who are willing to enter the
dens of the Bushmen, and endure the scourge
of persecution. Legislators are in demand who
will exercise the right, conferred by the people,
with fear and conscious responsibility. Congressmen need to be spiritualized. Those are
needed who can not be bribed, who will walk
solemnly in the presence of the people, discharging duty with justice and fidelity. Rulers
are needed who spurn not the welfare of their
subjects, and whose lives are dedicated to
noblest ends.
But what may he expect who dares launch
his vessel upon this broad ocean?  Is there a
recompense? Is there a goal? The satisfaction of such a life can not be expressed, for it
passeth understanding.   It is the fullness of
peace, forever the same.   It can not be iniparted nor taken away. Such a course of action
makes upon the world a wonderful impression.
.42 
OF A TRUE LIFE.
It blesses each generation with the richest blessings a race could covet. It builds up living
monuments, and diffuses holy influences. The
result is not accidental. Though for a season
man may despise and scorn, the tomb will bring
laurels, where laurels have been merited. A
true life bestows upon age a crown of honor,
and makes death the slumber of a weary, hopeful child, whose wakening dream is the dawn
of an eternity of rest and improvement.
Fellow-students, with solemnity we offer a
word to you on this last day of our association
in school. You have often given encouragement by your presence, your tokens of respect
and love. In return, we hold forth to you the
principles of a true life, urging you to build
your education and your future upon them.
You will realize the highest success, for the result is not accidental.
Teachers, to you we offer our thanks, the
simplest tribute of respect and reverence which
we can offer, for all you have done for us, and
for all you have added to our wealth of happiness. We shall remember you gratefully, and
cherish the desire that you may be successful in
the work of life.
President, I thank you for what you have
done for mne. For your service as an instructor,
for your advice, for your kind]y interest, for
43
I::.!i I.
,,. i, 
:.ow   f:?IsO~,~Y o~- E I   ~~
t)he            a    tey   ui t   t        tle
offer only the assurance that the honest effort
of life shall be, to be a true, usefill woman, believing this will most richly reward you, and
honor Union Christiau College.
Students, teachers, president, trustees, and
friends, we ale indebted to you all, and ask
for you the most valuable of blessings-the
favor of God.
I.'          *         I