The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-08
A SMITH COLLEGE REVIVAL.
RELIGIOUS EMOTION At 4 MON
PITOH NO TIE STUDENTS.

Ehe Glass or 1907 WA Inclined to Gnyety and
the Reaction That Has set In Uader tho
Leadership OF zoe IL paarked-PraJc r Meet.
inEs In Piaco OF Dormitory Qualifications.
NORTHAMPTON. Mass, Nov. 5.-Smith College
70 In a state Of religious fervor that Is u surprise
TO oil who have concerned themselves In the
welfare of tho college since its foundation, and
II Is to many Of them n qualification. The cen.
tire OF the present lively interest OF the COLLEGE
90 a whole In other than earthly things is as
cribed to the influence of tho senior class.
Whether tho members Of the succeeding classes
will have the experiences that have been tho
privileges Of the girls now here depends upon
Tho strength of tho present movement whom
brought into conflict with the reactionary feel.
ing between class and class. just at present
the senior class seems to have impressed its
ideals on the whole college go thoroughly that
there Is reason to believe that within O few
years Smith will become recognized as having
q moro austerc and enthusiastic religious tone
than any institution in tho country which has
not a distinctly theological purpose.
The reaction between classes is held to DO one
Of the principal causes of the present state Of
affairs. Each class. from the beginning OF the
college. has had In college traditions certain
logues of Smith there is ut least one class whose
principal attribute is set down as stupidity. In
this same way, the class OF 1894 was :" serious"
One who is accustomed to Judge college affairs
by the worl ily standard of mems colleges may
be tempted TO sneer at the thought that any
academic body Of young women can be any
thing but serious. Let 1t suffice that some
Smith classes. are moro serious than others,
which are in the same unwritten catalogue set
down as frivolous.
The class OF ls95, was, to adopt the phreseology
OF tradition, practical. 1t had a freely expressed
ecorn for the emotional and thinly sentimental.
This general drift OF feeling was set BY the group
group in every class forms by natural selection
IN the sophomors year to run the class. The
work. The class Of 1896 was non-committal;
1897 was light-it was very nearly condemned
a. dangesronssl,y Eny;, The anth9ri,ies We're over;
from the parents OF undergrad yates, protesting
against the frequent dances and the incessant
The climax came with the graduation Of that
class.
mittins to the right OF tho more advanced
graduate social life. had been putting tho OK.
serious but pious. The result of this gradual
in organizing for the rcsponsibiiitiies OF senior
year, II was discovered that the girls who
the same girls who had by natural in
clination. taken up the management of the
Smith College Association for Christian Work.
t'aNhh '" Foo tAo "a
the history of the college. In the ordinary sense
OF the word 1t was not a coincidence at ali. It
was the product of the various influences that
had been working on the class from tho begin
ming. Tho reaction. added to the natural ten
dency toward religious tho ugbt. has brought
something very like an emotionally~ religious at
mosphere.
In the present term the feeling has increased
30 gradually that 1t is only by the comment of
those who mix with the undergraduates at in.
tervals Of Ave or six weeks that the growth OF
the emotional tendency is clearly perceptible.
Such observers say that there is a perfectly APP
parent atmosphere of suppressed excitement ut
ing down the rows of seniors one sees girl after
girl with rapt, tense ASSERTION clearly shown on
her face and with her hands clasp
Ing and unclasping in nervous ]cEntras-
There has been a, decided breaking down
of the reserve that has always tended
to withhold the most energetically religious girl
more worldly OF her classmates. Such evan
gelizing has been attempted and. what is more
remarkable. has. been successful. The conta-
Eious tendency Of such q movement cannot east
ly be overestimated. 1t has already reached tho
point where gatherings Of eight or ten students
In u dormitory room are as likely TO take the
whore candy making an ! story telling are the
most serious claims upon the attention Of those
present.
The problem before the faculty now is to pre-
serve the best elements Of the present state of
affairs without encouraging the growth OF emo
tional excitement. This problem Is the moro
difficult because there is a powerful influence
in the faculty fayoring the idea Of personal rev.
citation Of Christian truth ana beauty.
As an indication of the differences Of opinion
regarding the subject one OF the moro worldly
members Of the faculty said to-day:
II wonder how girls who. when they wero
bore 81 three or four years age; called each other
they Knew that there is an imminent probable
fly of that same phraseology being used on the
campus by girls who are altogether in earnest"