| Summary: | Essay about the Home and Day School at the northwest corner of Hamilton and Church Streets in Mobile, Alabama, written after Mrs. Wilson's first year as principal. In it, she criticizes the way the institution was run before her, particularly the indulgent parents who inadvertently hindered their daughters' growth: "That the standard of education has been lamentably low throughout the State, has been acknowledged by all, deplored by a few; and there must be some conditions underlying the school systems which account, in a great degree, for this unfortunate state of affairs. The most prominent cause, in my opinion, lies in the want of co-operation on the part of parents with teachers. It is seen principally in the disposition to indulge a child's whims in withdrawing her from school whenever she may desire it. . . . I have no doubt that there are parents who understand a private school to mean one in which they have the right to dictate what the pupil is to do, and the teacher, in too many instances, permits this interference, and thereby lowers his standard. Then the system of repression, that many girls are subjected to at home and sometimes at school, viz: telling a child she will never be able to do anything, and frequently laughing at her good humoredly. How absurd for a teacher to assign a task, and then persuade the child that she cannot perform it." She then lays out her plan for improving the school, discussing not only academics but also moral and social development. She also introduces her faculty members and provides "flattering testimonials of my competency" from local citizens. The courses of study for each grade are listed at the end.
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