"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 baby, 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. He is a man whose judgement and patronage 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 opposite 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 Scriptural 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 for four hours. They could tell with ease the number of books in the old Bible; the number of books in the New Testament; the number of chapters in each; the number of chapters written by various writers; the name and order of every book in the entire Bible; the number 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 the 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 Gomorrah; the beautiful, thrilling, story of the Cross, etc."
But the crowning glory of the school is to be found in the certificate given to every student at the end of his or her course. It is described thus:
