SPECIMENS OF EDUCATIONAL LITERATURE. 715 



"J. M. Cunningham, of Hamburg, Tennessee, boarded one son and two 

 daughters at the Institution during the first session. During the second session 

 he boarded one son and four daughters there. He seemed to regret his inability 

 to do more for the school, but considered little Emma^ the ball/, rather too 

 small to send to a boarding-school. He thinks, however, that the school is a 

 good one, and deems it the duty of those who are blessed with more children 

 than himself, to lend a more helping hand. Re is a man whose judgement and 

 jyatronage are both valuable.^'' 



This remarkably italicized passage shows at once that Mars Hill 

 Academy believes in the coeducation of the sexes. In another portion 

 of the circular, however, we learn that, although the boys and girls are 

 frequently brought into the presence of each other, the strictest care 

 is taken " that all observe a proper distance." Furthermore, every 

 pupil signs an elaborate pledge never to " seek or accept a private or 

 secret conversation or correspondence with any pupil of the oj)posite 

 sex from my own, and that I will never receive a proposition for such 

 correspondence or conversation, or anything tending thereto, without 

 immediately committing the same to the principal," and so forth, and 

 so forth, and so on. Thus we see that coeducation, at least in this 

 school, can hardly be considered dangerous. The morality of the 

 scholars is also advanced by a Scriptui-al exercise of an hour in length 

 every morning before breakfast. Here is a part of the result : 



" At our last examination we examined the Bible class before the public for one 

 hour without one unsatisfactory answer being given, and might have continued the 

 examination with honor to all the members ior four hours. They could tell with 

 ease the number of hooh in the old Bible ; the nnmer of bool's in the New Testa- 

 ment ; the number of chapters in each ; the number of chapters written by 

 various writers; the name and order of every booTc in the entire Bible ; the num- 

 ber of chapters in every book in the entire Bible ; the origin and meaning of 

 the names of the books ; the history of the creation in detail ; the history of the 

 first family ; the history of i\\Q flood; the history of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 

 the twelve patriarchs, etc. ; the history of the Egyptian bondage and deliverance ; 

 the number and order of the plagues of Egypt ; the history of Sodom and Go- 

 morrah ; the beautiful, thrilling, story of the Cross, etc." 



But the crowning glory of the school is to be found in the certifi- 

 cate given to every student at the end of his or her course. It is 

 described thus : 



" To every pupil, great and small, will be presented a vert elegant cer- 

 tificate, containing a concise statement of the progress of the pupil, with the 

 name. State, county, and post-office, of the same. These certificates are very 

 beautiful ; they are beautifully printed in four colors. In the centre is a rep- 

 resentation of the earth, showing the equator, tropics, and polar circles. Around 

 the horizon of the northern hemisphere is printed in green, ' Blessed are they 

 that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and 

 may enter in through the gates into the city.' The southern hemisphere is 

 bounded by ' Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole 



