Flora Stone Mather College - Polychronicon Yearbook (Cleveland, OH)

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rest, were merely air-castles. It was not until our last year that even one of them became a material thing and took on form of brick and stone. The ideal of the past has truly become the real of the present. Every one was very lovely to us, though, and it is a wonder that we were not spoiled. We had tennis courts in the old orchard where We played to our hearts' content. A house on Cornell Road was converted into a comfortable College home, where we had most delicious luncheons. The barn was fitted up for a temporary gym, and here We practiced, danced and fenced. One thing must not be left unmentioned. We all studied. That could not be avoided. Any college has its drawbacks, and in ours, al- though We learned to love our Alma Mater dearly, it is true that in those days there was absolutely no chance to loaf. The President, for instance, gave a course in Modern Philosophy to the majority of our class. Our beloved Dean had sighed, telling me that it was only another name for Metaphysics. She even quoted what the old Scotchman had said, If a mon dinna ken what anither mon is talking aboot, an' if he dinna ken himself what he is talking aboot,-thot's metaphysics! Youth is rash, however, and I went bravely on. Suffice is to say that I got through somehow,--explanations being lengthy and generous in number. The other girls had their troubles, too, but occasional spreads and parties kept us from breaking down. The Minority deserted me in Chemistry and I had to recite alone in that subject also. It was certainly fortunate that Dr. Morley was a pa- tient man-but one can understand that I naturally was forced to study a little. There was never the least chance in the World that I might not be called upon. It certainly was a disadvantage. Once in a while, however, we had a reception or a lawn party. The Advisory Council was more than kind. Everything possible was done for the good of our young institution. One can hardly realize now how hard they worked to make her what she is. No task seemed too great for them to undertake, no matter pertaining to her welfare was too trivial for their kindly interest and their aid. When our class was graduated, Mrs. Mather opened her own home for the reception. To her, to the other members of the Council, to our President and Faculty, we shall be ever aiectionatel y grateful. Cordially yours, . HELEN H. COWING, '92 To the Editors of the Annual: My wife thinks that a reply to your letter from me, the husband of a college girl, would probably interest you more than a letter from her, and as she is busy with household aiairs, and probably not in a mood to write, I take it upon myself to Write in her behalf. It was in the year 1898 that I left Yokohama, Japan, for the United States, and having spent about a month in New York City, decided to hurry over to Germany to pay a visit to my brother and sisters. A few days after our departure I met a young lady on the steamer Who had been graduated from the College for Women in Cleveland. The sea trip gave me suiiicient time to find out that the Cleveland College girl would make a good wife for me if I could get her. The fact that she is now my wife proves to you that I was successful in my tactics, although we were not married until two years later when I had to cross the Pac1fic.Ocean again from Yokohama to San Francisco to Cleveland to accomplish 1t. We were married in 1900, and started for Japan, which we reached on an April day just at the famous cherry blossom season. page twenty-five

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.1-4, I X -A N 05 W' V yt X' aegigbws 4, a w. a re 2 mfg W,m'4'4,y!wl ffl 5 X' .-:if gi s - .1-1.11-1 I- nf It' rs- ,ffaf:si:-5H'i11- . 2 ww ,- mt . at-:ff nb -. ' mf,-,.y.q. 5 n g,-, jg U -, - V1 ' - i : :Ak - ,VI s ,,l fi-i. Q 1. . 'lf V-1. 'f ?T' , Pi 'Jil' l f' 9 1 may ' m g..- -- , gi 5 ' ,th 'cn ' .4 . - l A 1,,l .1 h ' fir Q. . . A 4 'W - f f a ' ' A ' fl 1 I 1'T'-'fr - Officers of the Alumnae Association President ....... . . .Augusta W. Reichert 97 Vice-President ........ ....... G race Oviatt '99 Recording Secretary ..... . . .Helen Smith '06 Corresponding Secretary .... ...... B ertha Lee '03 Treasurer .............. . . .Winifred Storer '00 Alumnae Letters Dear College People : Having had the honor thrust upon me of being one of the oldest liv- ing alumnae, it may not seem amiss to be somewhat serious even in an Annual, a proper vehicle for fun. Reminiscence is certainly the prerogative of age, and college days are, always happy ones. The old house on the corner of Euclid and Adelbert, the first home of our Alma Mater, might tell many an interesting story. There were very few of us in that early time. I entered as a Soph- omore and there was one other in my class-Mary Johnson. She was much smaller than I, who happened to be tall, broad and athletic, so they called me the majority. Mary was a dear, and always let the majority rule. There was a Junior class,-but there was only one of her,-Mary French. Being so young, we of course, were lacking entirely in college tradition. We always found comfort in Mary, however. She had come from Wellesley and invariably knew exactly what was proper. I have almost forgotten to mention the Freshies. There were a number of them, -half a dozen, I think, and for the sake of company, we upper classes allowed them to associate with us somewhat intimately. Special students also were allowed to attend, and some of them, having plenty of time at their disposal, were able to make things interesting for the rest of us socially and often-times even threatened to outshine us regulars in the honors of the class-room. It was all new and interesting. The college was really an experi- ment-Guilford House, Clark Hall, Haydn Hall, the Chapel and all the page fwenly-four

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After two months in Yokohama we undertook a trip to China, and were there at the outbreak of the Boxer troubles. Those were very ex- citing times, and my young wife who saw in every peaceful Chinese hotel- servant a savage Boxer, slept with a loaded revolver under her pillow. After our safe return to Yokohama we settled down there and en- joyed the pleaures and attractions of the far East. The fame of J apan's victories in the Japanese-Russo war, brought many interesting visitors to us, among them the President of your college and his wife. In 1906 we proceeded on a holiday trip to Europe and spent the spring in a small town in the Harz mountains which fascinated us so much that we decided to come out here to live. Shortly before I left Japan I was introduced, to the late Mr. Harri- man of New York. He asked me about my business and I told him that I exported Japanese products, but that my principal product was im- ported from America. I-Ie was anxious to know what that was, and laughed heartily when I said I meant my wife. After settling down in Heidleberg we soon- found that life and home cares here were very different from those in the far East, and my wife found out that one must take charge of things oneself if they are to be done properly, especially in the kitchen department. However cooking has to be learned, and as she had sadly neglected this science in her youth and as colleges for women dowft include it in their curricula, she has had hard times here, but-I just had an Easter dinner which could not be beaten by any good German housewife, and that she has been able to ac- complish all this in such a short time is in my opinion due a great deal to the education she received at your college. Yours faithfully, ALFRED UNGER, for MARY BABBITT UNGER '93 The request for a letter representing the class of '94 called to mind vividly days spent as one of the pioneer students of the College for Women, at Hrst, in the apple orchard on the corner of Adelbert street, then later on, in the new buildings which meant so much to us. When one considers the college equipment which has increased great- ly since our day, and the improvements in many less material ways, one might suppose that we had missed many of the things which go to make college life delightful. There were, however, many compensations and one large enough to outweigh all was the fact that while under many of the present faculty of whose scholarship we are proud, we were also the privileged students of some no longer there, whom we ever increas- ingly appreciate: Professor Morley, Professor Perrin, Professor F. M. Warren, Mr. C. H. Page, and the late Professor Edward Bourne. Previous Alumnae letters have probably preserved all the amusing details of the pleasant life of the early days, therefore instead of giving reminiscences, I prefer to comment on our college life which is, in a way, peculiar to us because of our location in a city, and because of the gen- eral system of co-ordinate education. Our college life differs decidedly from that of most of the Colleges for Women in that we are not a separate community set apart from the rest of the world. We lack, therefore, much of the spirit of such a com- munity, most of the tradition, and many of the potent influences which it exerts. On the other hand our college life is in itself interesting. The un- naturalness of the almost exclusively feminine community is avoided, the system of co-ordinate education adds to its many pleasant and distinctive page lwcnly-six