RELATIVE COST OF OUR COLLEGIATE SCHOOLS 
UR topic seeks to include only our collegiate 
schools for women and coeducational institu¬ 
tions. The facts here given are taken from a full 
article on the subject in Harper’s Bazar. They are 
given partly in the language of the writer, Lida Rose 
McCabe, partly as we must condense them to fit our 
space. 
To touch at once the heart of the question, the com¬ 
parative cost, aside from extras and incidentals, may 
be expressed in the following table : 
WOMEN’S COLLEGES. Tuition alone 
Mount Holyoke. $200 $75 
Woman’s College. 300 1 00 
Wellesley. 350 150 
Smith. 350 100 
Vassar. 400 115 
Bryn-Mawr. 475 100 
CO-EDUCATIONAL. Tuition. 
Boston University. $100 
Cornell. 100 
University of Michigan. 20 
Northwestern University. 40 
Oneriin College. 45 
Syracuse.’. 00 
Wesleyan. 75 
The student who is hoping to attend a college, needs 
first of all to obtain the catalogues of the institutions 
between which the question “which” lies. The most 
concise and practical information is obtained thus, and 
it is always reliable. But—and this is a rock that 
many do not suspect—perhaps there never was an 
institution where “extras” did not spring up to con¬ 
front the unwary. Sometimes these are for things 
that are absolutely necessary. Again they may be 
merely suggested by the spi> it of the institution, or 
by the social instincts or the pride of the ones con¬ 
cerned. 
According to Miss McCabe, who gained many actual 
facts from chats with students and peeps into account 
books, an uncatalogued article that confronts the 
student, often with embarrassment, is the toilette. 
At Bryn-Mawr and the Woman’s College mortar-board 
and gown are obligatory, while at the olher colleges, 
excepting the Seniors, who wear them on special 
occasions, as Tree day at Wellesley, or Commence¬ 
ment at Harvard Annex, the greatest independence in 
d^ess prevails. This very independence is misleading 
to a Freshman. College authorities and graduates are 
wont to reiterate that a girl requires no more, no less, 
dress at college than at home. No less sweeping than 
unsatisfactory is this assertion. Consider the social 
occasions of college life, then trust to common-sense, 
individual taste to govern you in preparing the Fresh¬ 
man wardrobe. One year’s assimilation of the college 
atmosphere will be a safe guide in matters of dress 
for the ensuing college course. Vassar gives two 
annual balls which require full dress. “Three gowns 
for recitaf.^n will last me a year,” writes a Vassar 
girl of liberal income. Light dresses are worn a great 
deal at Wellesley. More variety of toilette prevails 
there than elsewhere. But a Wellesley Senior, whose 
gowns always bespoke the lady, says that $50 covered 
the cost of her last year’s college wardrobe. 
Miss McCabe presents the theory that no girl can 
afford to neglect her toilette in or out of college. It 
is not only a personal but a public duty to present at 
all times the most pleasing and attractive appearance. 
When nature has not given a woman taste in dress, it 
is the place of education to supply it. The college 
that overlooks it fails to fulfill its whole duty. Aside 
from this view of the question, there is no doubt that 
it is a great crucifixion of both the flesh and the 
spirit to be obliged to dress on a scale below that 
which prevails. Yet to many the necessary amount 
for board and tuition, often so hardly attained, repre¬ 
sents almost their full thought as to necessary ex¬ 
penses. And many must mortify their pride for the 
sake of acquisition of knowledge. 
There are numerous temptations, too, in the way 
of concerts, lectures and plays at Vassar, Wellesley 
and Bryn Mawr. Class fees, society fees and decoi a- 
tion of rooms are other extras. At Smith, however, 
the student is restricted to one society, whose initia¬ 
tion fee is but $1 and yearly dues $1 additional. 
It is in board, lodging, laundry, laboratory and 
library usage that greatest variation of expenses is 
noted. Vassar aims to avoid all extra charges in its 
proper work. With that purpose in view, the charge 
to all students who reside in the college is $400. This 
includes tuition in all college studies, board, and the 
washing of one dozen plain pieces weekly. This sum 
also provides board during the vacations, which at 
Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr and the Woman’s Col¬ 
lege involves an additional expense at the rate of $0 
to $8.50 per week. This item to a student who comes 
a long distance and is obliged to remain at the col¬ 
lege during vacations, is not without import. Use of 
chemicals, breakage in the laboratory, library, and 
admission to all concerts and lectures are also in¬ 
cluded in the $400. 
While chemicals and laboratory breakages are 
“extras” at Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr and the 
Woman’s College, extra nominal charge is made at 
Vassar for medical attendance, both for office and 
private consultation. Office consultation is free at 
other colleges. 
Vassar students supply their own towels and nap¬ 
kins for the table, as is required by all other colleges 
except Bryn-Mawr and the Harvard Annex. Text¬ 
books, stationery, drawing materials, etc., are to be 
had at current rates here as elsewhere; and mus’c 
and painting and the use of instruments are the lux¬ 
uries of all colleges, and entail an average additional 
cost of $100 a year. 
The total charge at Mount Holyoke is $200. This 
leads in economy of outlay, followed closely by the 
Woman’s College. Bryn-Mawr and the Harvard Annex 
are the most expensive, with Vassar in close prox¬ 
imity. An Annex girl confesses that by the most 
rigid economy she pulled through one year on $800. 
Wellesley and Smith are about equal, with economic 
margin, if any, in favor of the latter. A Wellesley 
student states that $500 covered her entire expenses 
last year ; $800 is the average at Vassar. 
It will be seen that even with rigid restriction to 
necessary expenses, the cost of education in these 
higher institutions is not small, while the tone that 
prevails in most of them calls for much additional out¬ 
lay if the student is to find any comfort outside of 
absorption in her work. 
THE DEMAND FOR GENTEEL OCCUPATIONS. 
HAVE been considerably interested in the discus¬ 
sions in one of the magazines on “What Society 
Offers Mary Crew ; ” also in the comments on Mary 
Vaughn’s article in Tim R. N.-Y. on “ Working to 
Live.” “ Mary Grew,” wholly uneducated, belonged 
to that pitiable class of girls who failed to find em¬ 
ployment because she knew not where to iook for it, 
except in the shops and factories, directly in the 
district where she lived. If those philanthropically 
inclined people who claim to be friends to the working 
girls would help them to obtain work outside of their 
immediate environments, even out in the country, 
where no one who is willing to work need starve, how 
happy they might be, and how their mental horizon 
would widen and their physical strength improve. 
The one girl spoken of by Mary Vaughn belongs to 
an entirely different class, though not more worthy. 
Provided with an education and some knowledge 
of the world as well as acquaintances able to help her 
along, she makes the common mistake of depending 
on the influence of rich, influential friends to procure 
an advantageous situation rather tnan on her own 
strength and capabilities. If her knowledge of the 
world had been greater, she would have known at the 
outset that 99 times out of 100 rich and influential 
friends are the most useless kind of friends for a poor 
girl to have, unless they pay her expenses gratuitously; 
for their influence in other directions is not worth a 
row of pins. They only stand between her and inde¬ 
pendence, and usually disapprove of any honest pay¬ 
ing work because it doesn’t come under the head of 
genteel employment. There is no kind of work that 
pays so poorly and requires so much labor as these 
so-called genteel employments, and any one who is 
entirely dependent on her own exertions, cannot 
afford to accept a situation which will leave her 50 
cents in debt for board alone at the end of a month, 
be the employment ever so genteel. I have no sym¬ 
pathy or patience with young ladies who tramp miles 
over country roads on a rainy day canvassing for com¬ 
plexion powder or an improved make of corsets, be¬ 
cause their health is so delicate that they are unable 
to do heavy work, and they are tryirg to earn a living 
by doing some genteel work. Genteel begging I call 
it, as one purchases what they offer only to keep them 
from starving. Talk about health ! None but the 
most robust could stand genteel work of that kind. 
Taking in washing would be easier and far more 
lucrative ; while a position as chambermaid, waitress 
or nurse would be much more independent and self- 
respecting, and preferable to being a governess in a 
shabby-genteel family. In these days of schools and 
schools, there are comparatively few governesses em¬ 
ployed. 
Doubtless the rich, influential friends would shut 
out a nursemaid, waitress or chambermaid from their 
select circle ; but those are positions which mean good 
board and fair pay for doing light work, and one need 
not be vulgar or uneducated necessarily. To be sure, 
one’s circle of acquaintances may be limited, but books 
are free to every one, and the daily companionship of 
the best authors will be less expensive than an hour 
a week with those rich friends whose influence is not 
always of the best. While as nursemaid one has the 
companionship of such as make up the kingdom of 
heaven, namely, Christ's little ones, who oftentimes 
learn to love their nurse better than their own 
mothers of whom they see so little. As for being de¬ 
graded by such work, a girl may meet with actual 
insults while seeking “genteel ” employment. 
ALICE E. PINNEY. 
MISS PARLOA’S DEMONSTRATION LECTURE 
ON ICE CREAM. 
HE RECIPE.—One generous pint of milk, one 
quart of cream, two eggs, two cupfuls of sugar, 
one-third of a cupful of flour. Put the milk in the 
double boiler and on the fire. Beat the eggs, flour and 
one cupful of sugar together until very light. Stir 
into the boiling milk. Cook 20 minutes, stirring often. 
Take from the fire and cool. When cold, beat in the 
rest of the sugar and the cream. Add the flavors and 
freeze. Some maraschino cordial, etc., added con¬ 
verted this recipe into the distinctive “ Maraschino 
Ice Cream ; ” but Miss Parloa recommended its use for 
all ordinary creams, the variations being made chiefly 
by flavorings. She declared it to be the best of all the 
creams except the French creams, and a certain brand 
known as “Philadelphia.” Her proviso was, however, 
that measurings must be accurate, cooking correct, 
and order of putting together as per recipe. The chief 
points made were that the milk must be boiling when 
the mixture of egg, flour and sugar is put into it; and 
that the cream must be cooked 20 minutes, and not 
longer, this method giving a much sweeter, finer 
flavored article. After removing from the stove the 
remaining materials must be beaten , and not merely 
stirred in. 
Fruit Creams. —For these, Miss Parloa said that she 
preferred cream rather than custard. Peaches, for 
instance, to be stewed with sugar, mashed, put 
through a strainer, mixed with cream, and frozen; 
strawberries to be covered with one-half as much 
sugar as berries, and left to stand one hour. Then 
after mashing and straining, as much cream as fruit 
is to be added before freezing. 
Freezing. —In freezing the creams, the lecturer 
insisted that the ice and salt should not be mixed. 
One-third of the ice to be used must be covered with 
a layer of one-third the salt, and pounded down firmly. 
Then the second third, and the last, packing each 
solidly. A mistake often made is in removing the 
stopper at bottom of freezer. This is not to be removed 
unless there is so much water as to render the stirring 
liable to throw it into the freezer, as the water is a 
dintinct help. Gentle turning, she averred, can never 
make a well-grained cream. The first five minutes 
may be slow ; then scrape down the cream from the 
sides and turn rapidly, as rapidly as possible, with 
short rests between to regain breath. If the cream is 
to stand after freezing, the water is drawn off, more 
salt added, the ice packed solid again, the freezer 
covered and set away in a cool place. 
The ice must be fine—not coarser than small hickory 
nuts. Miss Parloa illustrated this by complaining of 
the ice that was given her to use, and sending for the 
duck bag and wooden mallet, and pounding it to suit 
her requirements. The average woman would be 
likely to find the output of strength insisted on by the 
lecturer throughout the process beyond her slight 
powers. One present commented: “ I shall buy my 
cream.” myba y. norys. 
A cream of tartar baking powder. 
Highest of all in leavening strength. 
—Latest United States Government 
Report. 
Royal Baking Powder Co., 
106 Wall Street, New York. 
