Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-19
LIFE OF COLLEGE GIRLS
HER INGENIOUS CONTRIvANCES-
COMFORTABLE ROOMS.
Sense of Proportion and Harmony
How She Expresses Herself
in Furniture.

One Of the finest qualities In the world fs
balance-the sense of proportion and har
mony. Like many another fine trait, It Is
evolved only through long process OF
survival and selection, and a distinct phase
In the evolution Of q college girl Is the
varying taste she displays in her room In
most of the women's colleges certain arti-
cles of furniture are provided; but the In
divfdual details. which give the cachet to
room. are left to the student herself. Here
she expresses herself. In the room of Ter
neighbor Is another self-expression perhaps
dramatically different. One acts upon the
other. Thus, the individualistic attitude.
Justly emphasized. leads to an understand
ing Of others and leads away from the
adoption Of ready-made standards, of ia
Gle. commonplace view.
Undoubtedly the average standard of
taste among the students is higher than
even a few years ago" says the president
of foremost coaiege for women. There
is an unconscious but decided improvement
in taste" 1t Is true. One does not see in
college dormitory rooms today so many
poster decorations, such multitudes Of pho
tographs and profusfon of parti-colored
pillows as of yOre. The dominant pictures
are less often copies of the prophet Hosea
or Bodenhauser Madonna. The pillows and
Of harmony.
Couch and Cot.
In one respect the college girl excels--in
her ingenious contrivances for more space
and for comfortable corners. Given a sim
gle room by herself. she will Danish the
upright bed and cheerfully sleep on a cot,
which by day is an inviting, pillowed couch.
Ii she has one of the modern commodes.
built like the old-time washstand, this she
Will use for tea table, and into her closet
put the toilet articles. Possibly she keeps a
trunk In her room. which, cushioned and
eeruf1ed. forms a window seat II two stu
dents are assigned to a double room suite.
one room becomes by common consent the
study and parlor and the other the sIeepine
room-so heartily in every case does the
student appreciate place of her own. at
tractive as may be, for her girl visitors
and irrespective Of the general dormitory
parlors.
But the girls room itself tells the story
better than talking about 1t. Take a typical
single room in an old fashioned doruitorv
1t has three windows, white muslin curtain
draped, safely distant from all possibilities
OF nre. 1t has fireplace and a double-
shelved mantel for the home king ne
mates, low. curtained bookcase with am
pie shelves, chifonier, center table, writ
Ing desk and couch bed. Four or five chairs
with the couch, suffice forany ordinary
number OF visitors-then, too, college girls
never desptse sitting on the floor The
walls or this room are of light, dull red
cartridge paper. the dark red wood floor
mas good mode colored and red brown
rug; table cover. bookcase curtain. couch
cover and pillows harmonize: and-remark
able point-on the soft background of wall
there is not one picture which would fail To
pass the criterion OF good taste.
Love for Pictures.
For large pictures there are a beautiful
S1st1ne Madonna carbon, an Oxford etcb
ing and one of old Gloucester wharyes. q
cool green water color and two charming
Japanese pictures in color: hung In suita-
BILE juxtaposftion to these. but nowhere
crowded, few smaller framed photographs
"a Baron Costine, a Titan ST. Christopher
none Of the conventional subjects-and
on the upper shelf of the manteI a row
of narrow, black-framed platinum photo
graphs. souvenirs of travel. For brtc-a-
brac. pair of brass candlesticks. a rare
plate, an Indian basket. a dainty clock
and just few vases-which always hold
some bit or other of flowers And for
greenness. a rubber plant, with a possibly
half-conscious adoption of the maxim that
a Boston maid always has "a rubber plant
as well as a Boston bag and a moral pur-
pose. The roOm-of a college senior-is
it is SO perfectly in keeping, it's brass and
irons, tongs and eandlesticks give 1t so
homeike a touch. that one carries away an
impression Of dainty charm and real Iva
bleness. This college girl In her room fur
niShfng has been quick to recognize the
passing OF the tea table. and her auondam
visitor feels that the students college work
Is undoubtedly better done without a run
ming accompaniment of fudge" and other
betweeu-time things to eat
a
two, in modern, up-to-date dormitory
A single room. with northeast exposure, has
it's walls, for five and one-half feet from
the floor, finished in dark red burIap, the
four feet above being papered with an eff
fective poppy design. plate rail marks
the dividing line, and in this room all the
pictures are hung from the rail. instead of
from the molding above, with an OCCASION
al bit of pottery, or a picture, set on the
rail. The effect is extremely decorative,
and the straight around-the-room line
gives a quaint touch, as of Dutch inte-
rior. The floor. in dark wood finish, has
several small red and green rugs; the
window shades are green. clear and light.
All the furniture is in the mission style,
with Flemish oak finish-book case, desk,
mirror, table, chiffonier and chairs-all
alcove window is utilized for the couch
bed, by day a broad window seat, in COM
Portable red and green, to rest and dream
upon in the other whites of study.
Decoration Of Walls.
Another room. on the south side of the
same new, dormitory, has dark green bur-
lap upon the walls, with charming pink
and green paper border above the plate
rail-. Here photographs untold appear
the students are freshmen. and have evil
IDENTIFY brought the lfkenesses of all their
preparatory school friends. Here. too. hang
&C llege flags-Yafe, Cornell. Harvard, as
well as that Of alma mater. new distinc-
ton. It Is double room, with one mantel
bed and one couch bed. bewitching bay
window. with diamond-paned glass and a
deep cushioned window seat, gives the es-
cape valve Of comfort which the student
heart demands. The furniture here, as
throughout the house. Is in mission style.
with the soft Flemish finish. Surmount-
ing the book case are a chatting dish and
sundry boxes-sure marks of the fresh
man. But the use Of chatting dish and al
cohol lamp Is made matter Of permission
now, in most colleges-a permission given
only for definite days and hours.
There is an earnest effort afoot, in prom
inent wcmen's colleges, which will possibly
dpva1on into concerfad action to do awav