The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-06
THE SMITH COLLEGE GIRL.
SIZE LIVES NOT Nv DoRMTTORIRs,
BUT IN CAMP Us COTTAGES.

Each Cottage IL Made Honeuke. ana enc
Social Life or Each Occupant Ceutrep
T~hero-somo Students Live In Tovr
Their Pleasures and Diversions
People arc always asking tho smith College
girls II they all live in one largo building, TO
which question the Smith girls always answer
emphatically and decidedly, No. Then they
proceed to inform the questionor that sn ia
very infancy smith adopted the cottsss syn-
tenn, in accordance with which nine dwellinn
houaos have been erected, holding from
eighteen to 0fty-two girls. The last house
built holds the larger number. and may be
taken ns an example of all the larger houses.
II you ring at the door II will be opened by q
maid, for at Smith all tho household work.
with the exception Of bed Is and always
has been done by servants. As you step in you
find yourself In q large hall, artistic in Its On.
ishing, and having q hard. wood floor. A cosey
reception room opens out OF this. and from that
the large parlor. II you ZONE on Wednesday OF
Saturday afternoons you will find the parlol
quite filled with young men and maidens. for
those are the afternoons on which Amherst
comes over to call on It's fair neiGhbor. Sat.
urday evening will find the floors of hall, recep.
ton room, and parlor all cleared of rugs for
dancing: the girls take turns playing the plano.
and have n happy evening OF gayety.
with the Amherst men p some one may
noh. oH' ~. IhooJ U tHo AmneTbt mou nbN0
gone back to Amherst and the girls dance with
each other. One OF the professors was once
asked by n friend. In great astonishment:
do they like to dance without men 2"
"Oh. yes" returned the professor. the young
things just enjoy the pleasure of motion"
Very often before tho dance begins on Satuf-
day evening some of the girls give a short play
to the other house girls and a few outsiders,
these plays. generally short farces. are given in
some houses once In two weeks. The other
evenings in the week the girls all gather in the
parlor for a half hour after supper. The teacher
there is always one in each house-reads aloud
from some novel, while the girls cluster about
the lamps. busy with fancy work. The scene
presented is really very domestic. although the
family is n trifle large. Indeed, an effort 10
made to have the houses as homcliko as pos
sible. They are not merely dormitories, but
real dwelling houses. A refined. motheriy wo-
man is always in charge, glad to do all she can
to make the life pleasant. There are almost no
rules-indeed only one OF i'm Importance. that all
lights shall be out at 10. q rule of which most of
the girls heartily approve. IL not while fresh
men at least rs seniors.
At some time during tho year each house
gives a dance in the gymnasium to which each
girl can invite three or four friends. There the
girls don their p~rettiest gowns. and an orches-
ira takes the place of the piano. On these
occasions some Of the brothers or cousins oppor-
timely, drop in. rs there is no objection to the
girls dancing with men. Then three times .
year come the house dra'nat!cs, given by the
houses in rotation. Many OF the plays at
tempted are quito ambitious. These also are
given in the gymnasium.
All Halloween and st. Valentines night are
great occasions on the campus. The girls ali
apDcar In fancy dress. in one house having a
cake walk. another n book party, &c. and on
Halloween night particularly strange figures
may be seen fitting o"er the campus from weird
hobgoblins TO larRe-siZed infants. After the
~gaye;ies Of the evening are over. the girls
gather in the different parlor-, the matrons fur
ntsh n treat. md the evening is wound up by
singing over the college songs.
Naturally every girl wants to live on tine
campus. but 1t will hold only Rbnut one-half of
the thousand girls. so mnny OF the houses in the
tho town houses are so large that the life in
them is much like that on the campus. In
small. quiet families the nervous girl NAV find n
%restful home. For a timid. homesick girl tho
campus houses is sometimcStrying. such can
find an intermediate state off the campus.
Recently IA house has been left to the college,
in which girls of moderate means may have
rooms and carry on Light housekeeping. A
teacher coming here from Weliesiev said that
one OF the features she most admired in Smith
broadening effect. and Furthermore. Il brings
the college in closer contact with the city. and
tire union of the two is very desirable here. for
Smith is right in the middle of Northampton.
campus. and also more luxurions quarters for
those that desire il. Under the latter head comes
more decidedly the new departure in dormi-
tories. a large fve-story structure now almost
There the girls will have such comforts as bell
boys. elevator. and the like. Much fear has
been expressed that this would bring into exist
ence an aristocracy. Rnt this seems scarcely
possible. as Smith is the most democratic OF
places. where no one hesitates to confess thar
her finances are at low ebb.