abuse them, if through continued ab-
sence from class and college we fail to
maintain the standard, then we ground
our own claims to maturity and prove
ourselves young, irresponsible and in-
capable of planning or keeping to a
plan without a set of compulsory rules.
Therefore, few classes are cut with-
out sufficient reason, and extra-curri-
cular activities have to single out
only a few of the applicants. The feel-
ing that [ am doing this because I
want to and not because 1 have to
adds enthusiasm, greater willingness
for work, greater pride in accomplish-
ment. However, with twelve hundred
girls, from all over this country and
trom others too, and where each fol-
lows her own bent; the range of acti-
vity 1s bound to be broad and varied.
The situation i1s analogous to a con-
federacy rather than a federation.
There is no great feeling of unity, and
none is wanted. College 1s a part of
your life and not your whole life. You
may remain aloof-—your participation
is welcomed. Vassar College 1s more
a collective name to include all the
various activities of the campus—a
group of ladies—some interlocking--
some independent, rather than one or-
ganic whole. There, I think, 1s the
main difference between it and [Fox-
croft. Foxcroft i1s a unity—all its
parts conform to make one whole.
Everyone knows everyone —everyone
does everything, and above all, every-
one loves Miss Charlotte. It is her
forceful personality that binds it to-
gether, and gives one common purpose
instead of many individual purposes.
At Foxcroft, tradition is alive and vit-
al and a constant spur onward. At
Vassar, there is no great traditior.—
instead there are many little tradi-
tions; ceremonies that are handed
down, but they are complete in them-
selves and individual, There is no feel-
ing of the heritage of graduated clas-
ses. You work for yourself and your
companions, but are unaware of mak-
ing any impression on Vassar as 2
whole or of affecting its history. This
is due in part to the fact that it is a
large college and not a school, but
even more to the attitude that Vassar
is a basket that holds the fruit you
want, and that it is not the fruit itself.
In these ways, Foxcroft and Vassar
are utterly different, and each is right.
The absence of a central bond at Vas-
sar 1s not a lack, for no bond can well
exist, nor is it wanted where everyone
values her independence so highly. y
independence, I don’t mean that the
attitude is purely every girl for her-
self. To the contrary, you welcome
cooperation; you gladly work with
people, and there is certainly com-
munity of purpose, in fact, of many
purposes ; but what you do prize is the
tact that all this is voluntary—that
you do it because you want to and not
because you are forced.
To me, Vassar is a lot of fun and
very worthwhile, and certainly not
just one long grind. Here there are
great possibilities for every one, from
the girl who wants serious study and
she who merely wants a pleasant ex-
istence; in other words you can get
what you want out of college if you
really want it enough to go after it.
KATHARINE MILBURN.
FOXCROFT SOCIAL SERVICE
One of the most interesting and
successful things Foxcroft has ever
done is its Social Service work.
Having worked hard for 18 yeurs
over the Loudoun County Public
Health, the State and County suddenly
withdrew its aid and Loudoun County
was left stranded so that the schcol
formed a Social Service all its own
and undertook to care for all the poor
in Mercer District. This is 100 square
miles surrounding the school. Mrs.
Sands gave us a little house in Pot
House Corner and there we opened an
office with a tiny dispensary and a
give-away closet. We engaged Mrs.
McDonald, a graduate nurse and wel-
fare worker. She has supervised the
7 white and 5 colored schools that