The morning call., 1893-02-08

TOT.
The university girls of to-day are just as
willing 10 crown the othing could
exceed the interest they take in the boys
outdoor spOrts-but they do not draw the
line there, they aspire to victories on ther
own account. too.
And the girls are quite right; nothing IS
better antidote fer severe mental gymnastics
than active physical exercise.
The sweet girl undergraduates at falo
Alto have not yet reached the summit OF
their ambitions IN the way OF boating. base
ball and football. The eternal grind OF lee
lures and examinations has handicapped
them a good deal, but the air IS thick with
TumOrs Of what is TO be done during the
coming year. Ii half these rumOrs take
definite form il will be we'll for the gitls'
health and will add 10 the reputation OF the
university.
Behind the clustered shades OF PalO Alto
stretches large pond or reservoir that
offers excellent facilities Tor boating
The students have been quick to see this
and have organized q boat club, TO which
the girls are admitted on an equal footing
with the boys.
Last year there was a little boating on
the pond, but the boats were owned by
private Individuals. In 1898 all that Is 10
be changed.
The club already numbers about 200
mem bers forty of whom are OF the fair sex,
and more girls are going 10 JOIN.
The boats are ordered and are being
built, and ii is stated on good authority
that bOa,house 10 cost $4,000 will soon be
commenced.
To meet these EXPENSES many OF the pro-
feSsOTs are making liberal subscription.
''We mean to challenge Berkeley to boat
race when the club is in working order
and We have had practice" say the Palo
Alto girls. and certainly they could not ind
q better place to practice on than their
ample reservoir, which has none OF the
treRcherous e1dies and currents that make
a river dangerous, even Tor experienced
oarsmen. II is splendid idea for the girls
10 join the boat club, for no exercise In the
world is better for them.
The football contest between Berkeley
and PalO Alto stirred both universities 10
the core; the girls were scarcely less en-
thuslsstic than the boys. Indeed. the in
terest IS still at fever heat, and the girls are
beginning to ask. why cannot we play
fOotbali?' Nothing has been done as yet;
II 10 even possible that nothing VIII be
done. Still there are dark rGmOrs atoat
that before the end Of the present year the
girls at Palo Alto will have a football
ground Of their own. for they dread crit
cism and ridicnie far too much 20 dispOrt
themselves upon the one belonging to the
steTneT sex.
Il do not see why the girls should be de-
barred from football, now that 1t is played
without kicking" observed one Of them,
when questioned on the subject, when l
FIRST saw a game, l thought the players
would never get cut alive, bat when it was
over l had quite different opinion. for the
men seemed none the worse. Football
would certainly be more or less Of q novelty
for girls, but If the men do not get seriously
hurt, Why should we? or course" she
added, Eve should have TO wear proper
costumes aud have them we'll padded"
Perhaps the most enthusiastic advocate
Of fOOtbal. ana baseball among the girls is
Ar =frr asa o. slFre lu
herself that she would not pretend TO be
more than an onloOker even il the rules
were established.
Z have no time" she said. shaking her
head rather TegreIully.
But how do the boys make time? ?" was
asked.
well, somehow they seem better able to
cram up for their examinations at the last
minute than We girls do" she replied.
Indeed. the reason why the girls as a
whole al PaIO Alec lake less outdoor exer-
else than the boys seems TO be that they
consider the examinations param to
everything, and the boys treat the examina-
tons with less awe and reverence.
The possession of a wheel is the Joy Of
some oil the Pale Alto girls.
There are so many lovely rides around
here" one student exclaimed enthusiast
ticslly.
the gymnasium cffers splendid exercise,
but ! cannot help thinking that there IS less
purity 10 the air, shut n by four walls, than
out in the open country" And her healthy
complexion and bright eyes spoke volumes
for the benefits she had derived from her
rides.
The girls gymnasium was only opened
last year, and everything in 1t looks as clean
and fresh as II II had only been opened yes
terday. Gymnastie exercises are not looked
upon a. frivolous and trifing subject at
PalO Alto; the girls g in for them seriously
sadly, almOst-as though It were a sacred
duty to use Indian clubs and swing from a
trapeze.
zone, two, three. four" counts a girl
balancing herself on an inclined pole and
clutching anXi0nsly at the air as though for
counts another girl who is lifting weights,
and everyone is as grave and absorbed as
though working out matthew teal problems.
There do not seem to be any future Lottie
D0dds among the PRlo 8 Ito girls, for tennis
Is rather neglected aud desDised. 1t is true
that Miss DOdd, and indeed most champion
players, use grass courts, unless forced by
stress Of weather to practice on asphalt
There is nothing ike a Velyety, clean shaver
lawn for developing tennis fever. The
spring aud elasticity in The grass give new
life to the player, whereas asphalt is a
WEAKNESS to the flesh. 1t is safe 10 assert
that a couple of perfectly kept courts
which in this climate would require constant
watering would make tennis take its legiti-
mate place among the outdoor games at
Palo Alto. As for the other field sports 1t
Will go hard with the girls If they have not
several new organizations before the end of
the present year. They are not going to let
the boys have the entire monopoly of the
Rlories of physical prOwess any more than
they are letting them win all the laurels for
learning.