In the Spring an Editor's Fancy Used to Turn to Thoughts of His Feminine Neighbors--"Herald" Told of Vassar Society

That Vassar, the resort of New York collegiate femininity, prided itself forty years ago on being a family college with a distinctive home atmosphere is evident from an article in the "Harvard Herald" of May 4, 1883. In that issue appears a dispatch, apparently from the "Herald's" Poughkeepsie correspondent, on outlining the delights and drawbacks of social life at the feminine academy on the Hudson.

The personal element in collegiate journalism of the period is plainly seen in the printing of this article. In these late times it is not the fashion for the journals of the larger masculine universities to run special dispatches from their dainty neighbors, but in the Elegant Eighties the editors decided that news was scarce, and after all it was spring, and gave out bulletins calculated to cheer the hearts of their readers. The social revelation of Vassar follows:

"There is not much formality about the social life at Vassar, as all the students live in one building. There is always considerable fun and enjoyment in the Senior class, as a certain corridor is their exclusive property. They have a class parlor, also sacred to Seniors, which is used as a room for both business and social meetings and is finely furnished.

"Outside of the Senior class, the pleasantest life is the parlor life of the students. A few girls room alone, but a great majority have parlors, five girls constituting a "family", each with her own room, but all having the same study parlor. The nature of the girls determines whether or not the room is really for study. Perhaps this system is conductive to eliques, but it afferds a good chance to learn human nature, and to adapt one's self to circumstances. Then their is the chapter life, neither very social nor very interesting, the spreads, much fun but discouraged by the faculty and class and club life, whose interest varies with different classes.

"Vassar is divided into many cliques. This is a deplorable, but unavoidable fact. It is not possible, it seems to me, for any general sociability to exist, for birds of a feather must flock together' and you cannot make them do otherwise."