18 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of refinement and intelligence. That he ordinarily becomes effeminized 

 by such contact is a fantastic theory of some critics which finds abso- 

 lutely no tangible evidence upon which to rest. Certainly his manners 

 leave much to be desired at times on the side of polite usage and sug- 

 gest very remotely the adoption of feminine habits, and judged by 

 athletic prowess, which is under the circumstances a very ambiguous 

 index, the facts tell quite another story. At all events, athletic teams 

 of western coeducational colleges have not infrequently defeated the 

 representatives of eastern colleges for men, e. g., Yale, Princeton, Har- 

 vard, Brown, etc. 



The complementary criticism that women necessarily suffer a loss 

 of refinement and feminine nicety seems equally difficult of proof. It 

 is certainly hard to point out any unavoidable features of coeducation 

 which should inevitably preclude the development or retention of good 

 manners and fine feeling. If the psychologists are correct, the acquire- 

 ment of what we call manners belongs largely to a period antedating 

 college life, and although a coarsening of the moral and esthetic fiber 

 during this period would unquestionably appear in less refined con- 

 duct, it is not obvious that any such change commonly occurs, much 

 less must occur under coeducational conditions. The fact seems rather 

 to be that the college must inevitably expect to reflect in large meas- 

 ure the manners with which its students come already supplied, and 

 these which are often admirable will be determined by the social 

 standards prevailing in the families and communities from which they 

 come. To be sure, the conditions of collegiate life afford an opportu- 

 nity for throwing into vivid relief acquired social habits. They fur- 

 ther afford admirable facilities for the discouragement of extreme varia- 

 tions from the accepted norm. But it is altogether problematic 

 whether they can radically alter the level of the mass, at least this is 

 doubtful under the prevalent conditions in most coeducational institu- 

 tions where little or no supervision is exercised over students outside 

 the class room. That the general tendency in all such colleges is 

 toward a greater nicety of appreciation for social cultivation, can hardly 

 be questioned. But the process of social leveling up is a slow one. 

 There are no courses in the conventionalities, and no one should con- 

 fuse the merits of such an institution with those of the young ladies' 

 finishing schools of a great metropolis. 



Much was said a few years ago of the certainty that the immediate 

 future in university education belonged to the great urban institu- 

 tions. It certainly seems probable that some of the most difficult 

 problems in the near future belong to such of these institutions as are 

 coeducational. If there is any serious menace contained in a predomi- 

 nance of the number of women over men in a college, these urban 



