The San Francisco call., 1897-10-03

" II there is any prettier sight of the kind
in: the wide world than the ladies room
in North Hall of the University of Cali
foTnia between the hours of u and 1 OF
college day, ! should just like TO see 1t,
that's all -..-.:
Talk about "rose bud gardens" that
Iuom, at that particular time. is rosebud
conservatory. that's what it is, and full of
the very prettiest and sweetest and choic-
est blossoms on this earth-sweet, lovabIe,
bright and altogether charming girls.
But roses surely never make such a
buzz and hum and rustic do these
young women when they turn their minds
from the study of the arts and sciences,
the 'ologies and the 'isms and the living
and dead subjects. Knowledge of which
constitutes a modern liberal education,
>. and come back TO the plain, everyday
facts of girlhood, a good appetite and the
lunch hour.
Some OF them, il is true, select secluded
corners-aI. least as secluded as can be
found under the circumstances-and ex-
hume their refresh ments with one hand
from the eayeTnous. depths of the over
grown satchel,. which is fashionable
among the eo-eds, while their eyes and
the; other hand are occupied with tones
which seem to frivolous person like N.Y.
self about as hard and dry and heavy as
geological specimens of like size. These
unsocia Bile individuals, with a faith in
their: cooks which is almost sublime, put
their food in their I'M ouths without vast
= ing glance upon it, and dispose of it as
=: hurrledly as possible. There are Grams"
II more senses than one, and the ques-
ton arises in my mind, as Iotserve them,
if:an education plus a case OF chronic dys-
= pepsia is really going to be worth while.
However, there are only few of these
unco srudious, and decidedly foolish vir-
: g:ns-just enough to give an artistic hint
Of shadow to the picture. The great
majority of the girls at the noon hour
sensibly lay aside their work and their
youthful worries and ambitions and at
tend strictly to the business in hand,
M king the most of the period of rest and
recreation which is to help them to go
credltably through the remainder of the
day.
:: And how they do chatter to be sure;
and how they do Taught And what, by
the way, is sweeter to hear than the light
laughter of happy hearted girls? And
how they do crowd into the big chairs,
. three and four of them at time, and
. what delightful little impromptu picnics
they arrange in their laps or on pre-
j: empted portions OF the wide tables. And
when lunch is disposed Of, the fat, brown
: satchels-the satchels must be brown to
: be good form at Berkeley-are repacked
and left standing in orderly rows and
their owners gather in little groups to dis
cuss college and personal affairs before
going. back to their work.
r Ordinarily the pronouns "he' and
him, +" save as referring to those in au-
.thority, are rarely heard in these sympo.
siums, for the average coed has quite got
!. over the idea of there being any novelty
in her position and sees only the business
side OF the arrangement
Her object is to secure collegiate edu-
cation and to make the most of her oppor.
tunities-theyoun men with whom she
rs brought in contact are simply facts
whichhave no special bearingon the situa-
ton: There is an unwritten law among
our: college girls VI ich is SO strictly
though silently enforced that the most
firtatious of young persons hesitates to
openly transgress it, or to seem to fall in
theIeast below the high standard which
the girls have set up for themselves in
these matters. ::..:'
> Tbe day that l visited them, however.
was a n exec ption as far as talking about
the boys" was concerned, for Editor Allen