The Republican journal., 1885-11-12
A Day at Wellesley College.
BY MISS +, J, DYER,

BY MISS +. j. DYER.
1t was neither high day nor holiday, but
one of the ordinary working days in the middle
of the week. Mondays are set apart for visitors
and for occasional public receptions to some
distinguished person, but through the courtesy
of the president, Miss Alice E. Freeman, l was
permitted to see the college, not on dress par
ade, as it We're, but undergoing actual drill.
Even casual caller cannot fail to be impressed
with the marvellous beauty of situation, the no.
bic pile of buildings, and the magnificent equip
ments in the way of library, gymnasium, lab
oratories and art treasures But this kind of
interior view gives a new conception of the
real work undertaken by the students, and of
the moral and Christian forces at work in the
development of their character
/ Wellesley is fifteen miles from Boston, on the
/ Boston 4 Albany Railroad. The approach to
the college is through massive stone gateway.
and at the entrance is porter's lodge. A cir
cuitous drive through fine avenue of naples,
oaks and elms, brilliant just now In their Octo-
ber dress, brings one to the principal building,
a substantial brick structure, on an eminence
overlooking Lake Waban. with rooms for 1856
I nersons. Within the inclosure of more than
/ 800 acres are several other buildings. recently
/ erected 20 meet the growing needs of the insti-
| tuition. The largest of these, Stone Ball. is the
| gift of Mrs. Naleria G. Stone, who also left
/ $4,000 for scholarships. Another edifice is
! Music Hall, where all the practcing on organ
! piano and violin is carried on, thus securing
/ greater degree of quiet in the main building.
/ Stone and Simpson halls. Wood and Waban
| cottages. are all used for boarding purposes,
with accommodations varying from dozen or
! so to more than hundred, the students going
/ to the college for recitatiOns.
This combination of what is te rmed the scot
| tase system of boarding with the original plan
of having all the pupils under one roof has Op-
| Grated most successfully at Wellesley. Parents
( thus have the choice of placing their daughters
/ where they have almost hourly association with
! hundreds of Others--a needed stimulus for
/ some girs-0r in smaller circle, more sugges-
/ tive of home life. and less subject, perhaps, to
intense nervous strain. In Stone Hall there
are four dinlng-rOoms en- suite, but the doors are
closed during meal-time. A teacher presdes at
each table, and one table Is set apart for French
conversation. Breakfast. in all the houses, is
served promptly at seven O'Clock. and Is sub
stantial repa>t Of oatmeal, eggs, steak or chops,
and coffee, with an abundance of good bread
and butter, and delicious milk Lunch, at one.
/ is purely informal affair, the young ladies
coming in with their hats or If they choose
| The mej", the day | was there, consisted of
nouri>hing soup. cold meats, graham and wheat
/ bread, ginger cookies. tea and milk. Dinner,
at quarter past five. is more ceremonous.
The service at all the meals is by the young
ladies themselves. this being a part of the do
mestic training required. They do none of the
cooking or heavier parts of the housework, but
/ the performance of light duties is found to be
conducive to health, and materially lessons the
expense. thereby bringing the privileges of the
college within the reach of young women Of
moder rate means. This was one prime object of
the founder, Henry F. Durant, Esq. whose
name, by the way. appears nowhere upon the
! buildings. nor is there bust or portrait of him
anywhere to be seen. Occasionally, there
! comes along dantily bred miss who scorns
/ the washing of dishes as beneath her dignity,
| but She soon learns to recognize the truth that
it is the individual who gives character to labor
making it mental or ennobling, as she sees fit
| The system is a grand leyeer of social distnc-
! tionS
Most of the students have .ingularly free
and graceful carriage. Whether seen In the
1 abandon of the tennis court, walking TO recia-
tions or practicing in the gymnasium, they
move III manner indicative of vigorous health
lns is due. in part, to the wachful care of the
| lady physician. who wages constant warfare
| against corsets, high heels and ''5oXes." The
| last word has an innocent sound. but is fruit
| fu source of physical evils in many schools
| College spreads breed more mischief In sin
| gle evening than can be undone IN week.
| Hence. there Is strict prohibition against all
| eGihe>. except at meal-time. from the pound
/ package of caramels to the capacious box, filled
with indgestible dainties, from fond but inju-
| dicous friends.
Another noticeable feature is the custom. in
/ augurated at South Hadiey by Mary Lyon, of
having ">ilent time every night and morning
/ for private Bible reading, meditation and pray
/ er. OF course no reports are made and il can
| not be known positively how manv NAV sub
| vert the purpose of the hour, but there is abun-
/ dant testimony to its being Sacredly and gladly
! n of
| rooms to secure this end is admirable, two stu
dents being assigned both bedroom and ii par
/ lor. Attendance upon morning worship in the
! chapel, conducted by the president, is compul-
sorry. On Friday mornings the Episcopal form
OF service is used. A good deal of practical
| Christian work is done outside. particularly
among the factory girls in South Natick. by
members of the Christian Association, an or
| ganlzation with over 400 members. lis pledge
! resembles a church covenant in spirit and pur-
| pose. Naturally there is lively interest in
missions as the graduating class always sends
/ forth recruits to the home and foreign fields.
| sunday services are conducted in the chapel bv
ministers from different Evangelical denomina-
/ tiOns
More students We're rejected this year. for
/ lack Of room, than We're admitted They come
! from all parts of the world, there being large
| ,prinkling of missionaries daughters. Those
| from the South and from Canada have the poor
! t~t preparation for entrance, and those from
! Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois the best This
| fact may be surprise to New Enganders. and
a trifie humbng to class of BostoniaDs who
seem to feel that no doubt they are the people
and wisdom will die with them. The presence,
! here and there. of a colored girl, and also of
/ four Romanists, testities to the cathoicity of
| the institution.
| A peep into few of the cass-rooms reveals
a vast amount of hard work being done. Here,
| for instance, is a professor Of mental science
| making nice distinctions between consciousness
and perception, between the e9o and the R0a-eyo,
| TO some twenty or more earnest listeners. Dr
| Mark H0pkins's Outline Study of Man serves
| AS Il textbook, but instruction Is chiefly in the
| form of lectures, the students taking copious
notes. Descending to the basement, one sees
| the girls dissecting geological SD cimens under
the microscope; ascending to the upper floor,
others are found busy with an almost bewilder-
ing array of instruments for experiments In
physics. They make their own weather obser-
vaton>, receiving a meteorological chart daily
| from the Signal Service Bureau in Washington
for the purpose. In the department of classics,
| where all the instructors are so competent, 1t
would seem invdous to speak of any one pro-
fe>spr did not Miss Mary f. Horizons acknowl-
edged supremacy in Greek entitle her to honor
able mention. Said an eminent divine, Il know
of few men better qualified to give an exegesis
of New Testament Greek"
The faculty is not only body of accomplish
ed women, but of devoted Christians. They