St. Paul daily globe., 1891-07-19
GIRLS AT SCHOOL.
Suspicious Chances Into the
Inside Of a st. Paul
Boarding School.
Dispositions Of Gay Girls
Break Out Under Sc
we're Restraint.
Little Serapes the Result Of
Constant Use Of
Slang Talk.
Girls Who Will Keep Diaries
Though the Heav-
ems Fall.

Those who imagine that attending a
boarding school is a whole round of
pleasure would find themselves much
mistaken if they really knew what life
in seminary is. The training schools
for boys and girls are much alike. but
this article has in view school for
young ladies that is situated not many
miles from st. Paul. Of course, when
seventy-five or eighty girls and young
ladies are gathered together for longer
or shorter time, they cannot help but
find some manner of enjoying them
selves and making many weary hour
pass away; but there never was a case,
perhaps, in which the young gradua te
was not happy that her school life had
ended.
The preceptresS of this school was
strict iScplinarian, and woe betide the
scholar that oYerstepped the ironclad
rules. 1t is true the grounds belonging
to the school were extensive, but the
girls were seldom allowed to wander
through them, and they were incloSed
by high wooden fence, the gate of
which was always locked. Their whole
exercise consisted in walking about the
square under the charge of the teachers.
Formerly they had taken longer walks,
but the
Girls Would Flirt
with the boys of the town. and the boys
would wait for the procession of school
girls at every corner. This so shocked
the preceptress that she forbade them
taking longer walks than just around
the square enclosing the school grounds.
Being shut off from the rest of the
world the girls naturally love to gossip,
and each new student is more than a
nlne-day's wonder to the rest. Nor are
the teachers behind hand in their desire
to know all about the antecedents of the
new conner. A young lady entered
about the middle of last term; she had
been III the school but a few weeks
when she was called aside by one of the
teachers, who said MY dear, do not
take it ill, but | wish to put you on your
guard; there is rumor in the school
that you were sent here because you
were about to run off and get married.
Another young lady who had entered a
short time before was said to be an
actress because she had several pairs of
differently colored slippers to match
her gowns. Such is the foundation for
gossip.
Many schools advertise that the food
they offer the students is plain and
wholesome. What does mother think
of her daughter, a young, healthy girl,
being fed OIL coffee, bread and molaSSeS
every morning throughout the year?
For dinner, pork is offered nearly as
often as is
MOlasses for Breakfast,
while coffee and bread constitute the
evening meal. The food is plain enough,
but one would hardly consider it whole
some. After supper, of course, comes
bed time. One need not fear that the
young ladies will become accustomed to
late hours, for they must retire at
o'clock during the week and at 7:30 OH
Sundays. Except during the winter
months each one is able to creep into
her little bed without the use of artifi-
cial light. but when such is needed
couple of old lanterns furnish, or are
supposed to furnish, the necessary
illumination.
Each dormitory is presided over by
teacher, who has her couch at one end
of the room and takes care that the girls
don't talk too much, and perhaps snore
too much. while abed. But she cannot
prevent the girls having some fun when
they set out to have it. One night one
of the young ladies got syringe and a
pail of water, which she hid near her
bed. As soon as it became dark she be-
gan to dOuse her neighbors, who dared
neither laugh nor cry; for if there is
any disturbance in dormitory all who
sleep there are held responsible. The
moon was shining through the window
and made it just light enough for the
young lady to effectually soak her
friends. It was but few minutes be-
fore all the heads had disappeared
beneath the clothes to find shelter from
the showers.
Girls are often sent off to boarding
school to get rid of their
Slang Expressions
and 20 become acquainted with the
queens English. But the effort is usu-
ally fntile; one young lady, who had
been sent to the school for this purpose,
confessed when she returned that she |
had added just twenty new slang words !
to her already large vocabulary. Each |
girl in the school introduces new word /
or two, which find more or less favor !
among the girls. and are, accordingly, |
adopted or discarded. Some of them, |
which are especially expressive, become |
institutions and landmarks of the school, |
and are handed down from class to |
class. A rather inelegant. but express
i've phrase that is used to designate a |
man is "a pair of pants" If young |
man is seen by one of the students, she |
shouts out to the rest. "Oh, girls. here's |
a pair of pants" and they all rush up to !
see the wonder. 1t happened one
day that by some mischance the !
gate that leads to the grounds had
been left open, and somehow drunken
man had aimlessly wandered in and |
about the place. The sun had set and
it was Just becoming dusk. The girls |
had been playing tag and. naturally.
had become tired from the exercise.
One of the girls was about to throw her
self upon a rustic seat when, to her
astonishment, she saw that it was al
ready occupied by a man. ''Girls," she
cried in frightened tone, ''Oh, girls, |
here is pair OF pants" and away she
ran. After her fright was gone she
laughed heartily over the joke; the girls
had become so used to the slang ex-
preston that she forgot that a member
of the opposite sex was called man.
VIII Keep Diaries.
1t is very natural that the students
should desire to keep an account of the
facts worth remembering, but the
keeping of diaries is strictly prohibited
by the rules of the school. But that
doesn't trouble the girls any. They
manage to smugge into the school
small narrow books. in which all re-
markable events ale religiOusly
recorded. That the books may
escape the attention of the teacher,
they are kept in the hem of the skirt.
But as all the garments of the young