The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-16
THE COLLEGE GIRLS
 REAL STUDENT LIFE
Different from the Kind of Thing Described in NovesA Multitude of Interests to Fill the Idle HOurs---Rad-
 cliffe's Twenty Clubs and What They Do

day are passed and plans for the even- ing made. s Of the clubs the Idler. for which
 every student is eligible and to which
 practically all students belong. Is pure
 ly social with no more serious purpose than having good time" At It's fortnightly meetings, when the tea and talk" are over, there is nearly all
 ways play, frequently one written
 by member of the club, for Radciine
 has developed several playwrights
 whose names are already we'll known. Beulah Marie Dix, who wrote The
 Rose of Plymouth Town" and Jose
 phine Preston Peabody. author of Mar low" among them. Twice a year the
 Idler has open meetings to which 1t
 invites its outside friends and these are
 the great social events, next to Class
 Day and Commencement. There Is
 weekly tea given by the college of-
 ficers and nearly every afternoon one
 or another of the clubs is in session.
 Many of these are devoted to one de-
 partment of study or another--the Eng
 fish Club. the Deutscher verein. the
 French Club; the Classical Club, the
 Science Club. the History Club and the
 Semitic Club. for example. They are
 developed very largely along the same
 lines as similar clubs at Harvard. hay-
 ing their talks by professors and dis
 tinguished visitors to Boston, their lec-
 lures. dramatic performances, and 50
 on. The Dramatic Committee is per-
 haps unique. for it has charge of all the plays given at Radcliffe and works in the direction of more organization and higher standards in college dra-
 matics. Closely associated with 1t are the Music. Mandolin, and Glee Clubs | and thorn iS m rf C1rb xxrtlt lt1h tre | architecture in its scheme. The col | lege branch of the Young women's Christian Association and the Elm | manuel Club are both largely interested
 in philanthropic as we'll as religious | work.
 The athletic interests of Radcliffe are | not so we'll known as those of some | girls colleges. There is no crew, and
 the basket ball team confines it's atten- | tion largely to games within the col | lege and with the teams of neighbor- l ing girls schools. But there is Ten | his Club with large courts of it's own
 which are crowded in all the sunlight l hours when t-of-door sports are in | season. and English hockey is played
 here more than anywhere else in the country, 1t Is said. The Radcliffe Ath-
 letic Association is very busy insti-
 tuition, managing the general sports
 and holding open meetings for gym
 nastics at which cups are offered. In
 fact. the gymnasium is prominent to
 an extraordinary degree. the building
 itself being the finest provided for wo- | men in the world. Skating and canoe-
 ing each have their season. for ponds | and rivers abound hereabouts, and
 even the bicycle Is still in good repute as a means to the exhilaration of fresh
 air exercise.
 | In the early days the purposes of | Radcliffe attracted rather older stu
 dents. many of whom had previously | taken degrees at other colleges and
 came here for advanced work, while
 others were already engaged in teach- | ing or some profession. Then 1t was
 the delight of the Harvard student
 weeklies to picture the Annex. as the | college was familiarly known before 1t 1 took it's present title, as a bespectacied l lady of more intellectually than grace. | But now the student body has come to resemble very strongly in the general 1 character of its makeup that of Har- | ward. There Is still an important l group of advanced students. but the | girl fresh from high school. seeking | her first college training, has become
 the typical Radcliffe girl, Indeed. of l the seventy members of freshman class
 who registered the first day this year the average age was eighteen and a half years, and the average age at graduation of the class which took degrees last June was under 23-quite as young as that at mems universities. | As for the healthfulness of the student l life, 1t long ago put to flight the fears | of those who thought the exactions of | higher education too severe a srain on l the physical strength of women. Of l rirIa Huhn studied at fha l "woman's Harvard" in the quarter cen- | tury since 1t began it's work all but | seven are now living, and the college l was we'll on toward it's twentieth year l before the first death. which was that ] of member of the original class of l 1888. This is a record that perhaps no mems college equals.