The Indianapolis journal., 1903-03-22

there except when they are ordered, and
never as a means of escaping work. She
said this state of things contrasted broadly
with that obtaining in masculine colleges.
where the fnfirmaries are often filled with
men lodging recitations and examinations.
asked her about the general health of
the Vassar students, which she said was
excellent. She remarked that the book
worm a smaller quantity every year
and was on the way TO becoming extinct.
"A girl" she said, "who comes TO Vassar
College physically deficient through lack Of
exercise and sport speedily gets ashamed Of
IL and sets herself to work TO remedy her
defects"
THE CALM VASSAR MANNER.
This interesting conversation was cut
short by the entrance Of a young woman.
who announced in a mild, impersonal man.
ner that she had swallowed a needle, and
what would she better do about it! And.
perhaps, this is as good an opening as an
other for some discussion Of what seemed
to the writer the vassar manner. 1t may
appear excessive to claim for girls VINO are
gathered together from all parts of the
United States a particular and typical
manner, but, as the impression that such
two visits to the college, and has been in
tensified by the second one, it is perhaps,
not idle to record that impression. II the
Vassar girl has not a completed manner
she certainly has one in process of forma-
tion. 1t is manner almost judicial in its
calmness and composure. but something
more than judicial in it's alertness and ami
nation. 1t seems to say, I'm open to all
new impressions, but won't be swamped
by them" No matter what happens. its
owner has well-bred air which tells you
that she wouldn't for the world have you
think that she's not up to that. The self
control implied in this description was
spoken Of approvingly in the reports Of the
Vassar-Wellesley debate, which took
place at Wellesley a year ago. The best
exponents Of this manner produce a charm
ing impression. They realize, in varying
degrees, the combination of sweetness and
light. I did not see the reverse side of the
picture, and, perhaps, there isn't any. A
virtue cultivated too strenuously may lead
astray, but perish the thought that any
thing so gracious as the self-control of the
vassar girl should ever lead to an unbecom-
ing or unpleasing result
The writer tasted the quality of instruc-
ton offered at Vassar by visiting numer-
Gus classes, and found it singularly good
In one case even piquant- The success at
Vassar in the Vassar-Wellesley debate has
given additional zest to the study of argu-
mentation. On days when a formal debate
Is ION" the class in that subject, of hun
dred or more girls, represents the United
States Senate. The subject for debate on
the day / attended the class was the Chi
nese exclusion bill, which was alternately
upheld and combatted by eight members of
the class chosen for the fray. Four min
utes a speech was allowed, with an extra
four minutes at the close to the respective
leaders for purposes of refutation. 1t is
not an easy matter for young woman of
twenty to speak her mind before one hun
dred listeners. The writer viewed with ad-
miration the combination of ease and dig
nifty which distinguished the manner of the
combatants. Again she was made aware
of a certain fairness in the mental attitude
of these young women-an air which seems
to convey the sense of an additional COM
mandment-thou shalt not take advantage.
One of the leaders was a Southern girl,
whose speech was equal in mental quality
to the others and was graced further by a
particularly spontaneous and impulsive
manner. She created laugh by the de-
liciously unconscious manner in which she
referred to ''the niggers.'
An hour spent in the augmentation class
opens up the way for some reflection to
the observer. One does not care for this
sort of thing as preparation for the "fo-
rum," but it is excellent preparation for the
work in charity, churches and clubs, into
which intelligent women naturally drift.
One likes to see woman able to think
easily and quickly on her feet. If literary
clubs are not worn to frazzle and swept
from the face of the earth during the next
ten years such training as that received
at vassar College should put new life into
them.
1t was the writer's luck to spend two de-
lightful hours with a class studying Chau-
cer-"that little fat robin of a poet" as
one of it's quick-witted members dubbed
the sweet singer of early English. The
breadth of knowledge, tact and vivacity
displayed by the instructor In conducting
this recitation made every minute a pleas
ure No dullness on the part Of pupil
was allowed to clog the recitation. If girl
was not ready to deal sensibly and in good
form with the question put her it was taken
out of her hands Immediately and dealt
with most delightfully."- by the instructor
herself. Not a minute was lost, and the
time spent in the classroom gave one
sense of time richly spent. The writer had
a auickened apprehension that the classics
are not overrated conviction that she
ought to forsake the moderns and return
to the ancients, a mournful knowledge that
she would do nothing of the kind. 1t
seemed a far cry-almost wail-from
Chaucer to the bard of Alamo.
A "CROWNING GLORY"
Chemistry is a subject on which the au-
thor has opinions only-having no knowl
edge. 1t seemed a little late to begin ac-
auiring the facts in the case on the day
when she was invited to attend lecture on
that subject. Consequently she did not at
tempt to pay attention to the trend of the
lecture though the wise and persuasive
manner of Professor Moulton almost tempt
ed her TO believe that she could learn chem
istry IL she tried. 1t was pleasant to watch
him turn pink liquids into amber and pur-
pie. yellow ones into blue ones, or perhaps
il was the other way about. 1t was almost
as nice as attendance on one of Hermann's
performances. The writer sat near the top
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