New-York tribune., 1903-02-01
DANCES At COLUNBI4.
Ho,0 tile Cards Of tie Girls Are
Filled Up in 4dUance.

This Is the season OF the year on Morningside
Heights when the students OF Columbia are busily
engaged In giving dance after dance IN the spacious
quarters of the university gymnasium. Almost
weekly they holding balls. and these will con-
tinue at short intervals from now until the middle
OF March The occasion for these festivities Is usu-
ally the occurrence of athletic function. such
gymnastics basketball. after which the stu
dents engage in tripping the light fantastic toe.
The managers of the various athletic teams have
discovered that their sporting contests assume
much more interest 10 the undergraduates when
they are followed by a dance, and with wisdom
born OF deficits in their accounts of previous years
they are willing to do ali in their to cater to
the wishes of the student body. The only difficulty
that presents itself is that those dances which
come off In the latter part OF March are likely to
be rather scantlly attended, as functions of this
kind by that time pail on the students. ana many
will not dance in Lent.
one of the most interesting features of the
dances is the way in which the undergraduates ar
range the dance cards OF the girls who go with
them to the affairs 1t is a feature characteristic
of college life, and that is almost entirety ao-
sent in ordinary balls.
When the average girl goes to a dance. II sne is
especially pretty or particularly wei known II
is always her Utmost fear that she may De thal
feminine horror-a wallfiower. At the Columbia
dances they have changed all that-always how
eyer with the provfso that her escort is decent
sort of chap A man who takes girl to one CT the
Columbia dances has her card all arranged Tefore
the dance occurs. II the girl is not known TO the
students a man usually engages every one Of the
twenty-four numbers. so that from start 20 nnlsh
,he girl is constantly the go. which is commonly
believed to be the ambition OF the feminine heart
II however the young woman is friend of several
NJ the undergraduates her escort leaves blank some
of the dances so that they may have opportunity
IN dance with her In OF the more formal
affairs the students busy arranging their cards
q week or two weeks before the dance but for the
smaller functions a few days is considered Sufh
c,ent to decide upon satisfactory card
Some aays before the dance the "fussers'' Cf the
,,riversity are busy with their arrangements Hey.
puI one student calls across the campus, can i
have the fourth for Friday And so IT goes AT
lectures the campus. ct luncheon. at accidental
meetings at their fraternity houses the
ers A good fellow. in the best meaning Of that
ambiguous term. who has good friends no
d,fscuIty in deciding on an agreeable card; but
other students who popular 20 well
known sometimes confront great difficulties ir get
ting dances for their particular girls A Grind
for example who IN moment Of recklessnesS sud
denly emerges from chrysaiis and decides 10 go
10 dance .s usually met with polite reoufrs. not
an much because there Is any personal objection
to him as because students who do things socially
are .keptIcal OF the beauty OF the girl that the
average grind is likely TO bring TO dance IAe
,,rLrovn who asks the known II he spare
dance for Friday is generally greeted with Aw-
fuIiv sorrv old man. but my card Is all tuil Tor
Friday" or Yes indeed. old man. I'd Ike TO- very
much hut don't know yet whether shall De there
o. not M Most OF my card is nlled. but will nix
:, ~, ,a, vou-make it the fifth extra and there
are only four extras
Tb, night OF the ball there are usually conphca-
ton, galore among this men that cannot ma one