STUDENT LIFE AT GIRTON.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 434, 17 February 1909, Page 3

STUDENT LIFE AT GIRTON.

-There is nothing feminine or 'superficial '. about a" Girtoii' education',. sSys an. American cirl who studying there, arid who .fells a :■ if ;the :•. Girfcu;girl ; '/[-The' college wis; founded on :the only l Women -studying for' hDrioursj'. most of the men .do, for the;ordinary cxamiuation-,sliou]d- be enrolled "tliero.; •. So-all;Girton. girls :.iriust; woi ; k : harder '' ' than tho average Cambridge man. It is tho . V; only woman's college in: England where: such : an .ortraordiniii'ily -high .standard is a • vßity.'-Each' : studeht;,begins; to spccialisorat ;v-price in matheniaticsf economics, philosophy, : or whatovey her choice may be,, and keeps it o r:lhreo:7ca r tiori..:There is,■:therefore;'.#''''more-.'continual lighting of 'lamps .nnd girding ! of loinsvitiian almost of:the American colleges for women.. yAmerican ; colleges.';give, all's'drts of girls- an idea of-what .an' educated person' ought- to know—as well as a social stimulus, a "good ■ ■ time'ancL.thero'.'is - a hilarity : .ind richness ; i .:<pf ' : cpl6ur;''a';pleasirig.!.infusion' of gaily clad ;-:;/Vi41etsy>.wh6.|.-"Mhiti'ofor'.-thcUife,"-.wliicu does not, disturb, the real st udents,. but makes glad . .their sterner, lives.. The professor's daughter - from si poor New England village may room ../. next , door. to a hello of- Pittsburg, and while ( sho' explainsyithe "Vita ; Niiova''': of Darite to ,; ,'her ,afcluent, neighbour,: and, perhaps, 'opens Pittsburg's, oars, to the choir'invisible, sno.is ,•! ea rning^how.j tov fix .her : own. neglected ;.hair ' ;in'the splendid ;halo >fashion of i the: belle's. . But there is a sterner consistency of.'atmos- : phero.''at ! Girt6ii;'_ -Dancing' occurs ,ouiy ' ohce .a; week. -After, dinner you ought to be ■ not dancing but, .working : up material for tho dobating club. , "', - : -Girtonians rather; pride themselves on a . - Spartan-indifference to hixuryj and consider that if they .come, to college for. mental traiil- ■'' T?® thatiis all thoy iieed live for at, tho'time. ,:.: C ■K'Oiintl-hilts .with' o«o bow 'of ribbon on them,, thick. Ijoots,';;an;ulsteri,;npj umbrella;: is the - costume, of. , tho, day ; . and :at night;' though they dress:for';diniier-in-the low-necked drpss: ' , of ; ''tho gown is of some modest - b'ack vinaierial.. . There,is \ nothing, to .dis- . J.: tiriguish ithe costumes of a struggling: vicar's . • daughter. from , that of Lora So-and-So's • uicco, who may. sit -next to her. * • The buildings of ; the: college, long,low- . . structures, allconnected .and . standing at • : '■■ right.. aingles,.to. one another, like a -pocket ~ .ruler- uufoldcd, aro- also part of .the.Astern ascetic plan :of. .life. : You : will need - your. ' -bedroom candlo vrhen you go :calling. iii. some' remote"; part of: the •' .building, . ; /br the gas is put;:dut. at-10: 6'clock,i ; an'd..if-you happen' ..- :to. .ovorstay >thai : ;h6ur> ypu,.wi)l bo roaming. ■ . down . the. chilling ■ caverns of halU'ivav in P'tchy darkness, you. fall in with •some' .. wise .andi provideiit; student Who .has'brought ' her tin candlestick along, with' her. . ..'.\:',;VX.lt>is;a'''droUViight;'iit' , :an..\eyeninß party in ■ this, twentieth-century to , ; seo ' the, guests ■ stacking outside the 'door'their- candlesticks . for tho homeward journey. I'am not , quite - BUrej'biit litliirik it must be at lcast a mile's ; > from one - end. of tlio; Girton 1 ; edifice. to .tnp other-. Each'joint of it is only one room thick, so that thero will /be plenty of air, and .. - as - each, .student;has two. good sized rooms, !' " tho' lizafd : liko-:: ; structufe :crawls along: for. a -V 'V Beemihgly interriiinablp -length'- between.'one ... point or interest, like iho front door, to' tin- ; other -vital spot, like tho dining-room/ > - The ,two, rooms .make'for- a greater dignity . of . life, -though,: .than may be found .'in -most or tho American colleges ' for "women. 1 .'. The maid tiptoes in every morning before you aro -', U P 1 1 .'. softly. :- your door and >. tidies ■. up , the sitting-room, . the' coffee.- cups of last .night's .entertainment, ; .. sweeping ; the'floor, laying, your fire'..;- .-' And .then, after breakfast,':when you aro. working in your sitting : room, she does tho bcdrpoin. .v.. Tho decoration' of college rooms, tobj. is , moro-elegant and really comfortablo tlian the rigs'.;of'., niosl^ i; :jVnierican crvas. No Pririceton, banners ramp above :or;.Teddy,'bears;;', no formless hill of.pillows with excruciating femalo'heads .; machine ; embroidered. :;<m : them..-takes up all tho room, -left' oyer- from ;• the, tabourette laden with ;toy. elephants.-. Instead, -a pot:-' of •-. . .Mjchaelmas,daisies','a'copy of a-Gainsborough/ .' an-,open ,fire,, 'a; coffee, : muc.li and-niany-viieep i'.dld ; -ivillovr. -;-chairs,- ; comprise tho .Boothing and'^^quiet.furniture ;.. '.'..Girton " prides'itself .'on 'a. spirit' of ir- ' ' rbproachabld'dighity. and iv"good ; formj"; especially, in irespect;,t'o ,its relations'with the - Uniyersity.;,yln order to .keep out tho;sort of i' >, girl*.who thinks ;her..living' at college .may be ; thp;means:of carrying 'on-:fliriatibns^'with the Cambridge male ' undergraduates, tho ' wo'man's; college 'was - built', a good distance 1 out. of.: town,; ;on_ :i a . > ""J the, girls/drive in; to lectures in,respects ', v :a ?' e ,-? n four-wheelers,. very .slow in pace, renowned throughout Cambridge. • 'J'o ; see nil Girton .come into .Cambridge: iri Cox's ■ .cabs is. ono of the most; humorous things in' -the . world to the average Cantabrigian, : :who ■wolidcrs why in tho world' girls will put up ' with so many absurd inconveniences'in order - ito Set an etlucation that in his opinion . no-' cares about. - In a sort of. morbid dread of having their -. motives for, . being .at ..Camhridge' mistaken, . Girton' students never walk -with male undefi .': graduates,; and never go to Ma'tt-hews's tea--shop, or to tho Bull Hotel, or to any of the really clieery places .for" tea,", because they . "are frequonted by the men.' Tho girls be- , :tako;thomselves;.to" dull- arid dim bakeshops, ; ':'in.tho.less:fashionable.stroets.; There is.a rulo th'at tho samo male caller is not allowed to come.moro than oneo a term to Girton '•; / and in every other, v.av the; idea of social '.'.'.intercourse with the uni versity'is discouraged.