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| Meta Chestnutt Sager (1863-1948) |
In the following poem by Meta Chestnutt, the pioneer educator makes clear her theology and conviction regarding co-education:
We stand on the open prairie,
Our grounds ten acres broad;
Minco to southward and eastward,
Along the Rock Island Railroad.
The site in the Chickasaw Nation,
Three miles from O.T. line;
Looks out over boundless prairies,
Where browse the lowing kine.
The work which our school proposes
Invites the girl and boy,
God gave them both in one family,
Shall man that union destroy?
Away the fad of temptation,
That co-education defiles;
Is the rose less pure and fragrant
Because of the thorn by its side.
Then welcome the youth of both sexes,
Change not heaven's eternal decree;
But side by side in life's conflict,
Till ended, their mission be.
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| El Meta Christian College in Minco, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, c. 1898 |
This is very interesting. How did it happen that you came across this information and posted it?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, this post chronicles some of the work I'm doing on Meta Chestnutt. She was a significant religious and educational pioneer in Indian Territory/Oklahoma.
ReplyDeleteGreat! Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteMy 2nd Gt Aunt and Uncle, Miss Ola M. Smoot and her brother, Temple Roberts Smoot, attended that college in 1898.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the religious/church affiliation of the college? Was it mostly lower grades or was there a college curriculum?
ReplyDeleteHello, Alan Garner. Thanks for your questions. The first one is a little tricky. The school was non-denominational. No student had to subscribe to a particular denominational viewpoint. Meta Chestnutt, the founding president, was a member of the Christian Church/Churches of Christ, which were growing apart into two separate groups at the time. The congregational autonomy of Meta's religious group meant that there was no headquarters to report to. Meta would have said that, because she was a Christian, nothing more and nothing less, the headquarters for everything she did was heaven, where the Head of the Church is.
ReplyDeleteTo your second question: Today, we would likely call the school an academy, not a college. However, the advanced students in the school were doing at least first-year college academic work.