receive in the course of a year several thousand books, pamphlets and maps, sending in return our various publications-bulletins, professional papers, annual reports, etc. It is perhaps this feature of the library that marks its scientific spirit, receiving weekly hundreds of contributions from learned scientific societies of England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Norway-in fact from every civilized country on the globe. It keeps in touch with the modern scientific thought and activity of the world. Our files of society publications and scientific and technical periodicals are remarkably complete, and form in fact the backbone of the library. Does all this strike you as rather dry reading at best? But if our fossils have no attraction for you, and even our bird and tree books seem dull, perhaps you would enjoy those of travel and exploration. Here are Nansen's, Peary's, Stanley's, DeWindt's, and Livingstone's narratives of exciting voyages and discoveries. And on another shelf you will find descriptions of the fearful delights of mountain climbing, of perilous trips over glaciers and ice gorges—altogether cool and refreshing reading on a hot afternoon. For those of you who are history students as well as adventurous explorers we can provide books describing early expeditions into the wilds of our own country in the days before the West was subdued. The accounts of the Lewis and Clarke expedition are here in various editions, including those in German, French and Dutch, some of which are rare and costly-a delight to bibliographers. I should like also to tell you of the publications of the Survey, its bulletins, professional papers, monographs, water supply and irrigation papers, topographic maps-but can only mention them in passing. The maps are perhaps of the most general interest. These may be obtained by purchase at the rate of five cents a piece. If you wish to know all about our series send us your scientific publications and we will gladly enter you on our exchange list, mailing you every other month a printed list of our publications, from which you may choose those which specially interest you. The Washington Smith ELLEN HEDRICK '92, Cataloguer in the U. S. Geological Survey Library. For many years the only bond of union between the Smith women of the capital city was an occasional tea. After a while a more ambitious attempt was made in the shape of a luncheon, which occurred at Christmas time when many friends from the college were likely to be in the city. The growing custom of going south to meet the spring has increased the number of visitors from the north, so that this year the Christmas greeting is deferred until the Easter vacation in the hope that representation from the college will be larger. A year and a half ago, when there was a prospect that President Seelye would be at Washington, the club organized formally and permanently. Its first official function was a reception given President Seelye, an occasion most gratifying to the club because it called forth many expressions of interest in the college and of highest regard for President Seelye. Other meetings have been held at the homes of different members. Many of them have been devoted to a discussion of college matters which were suggested by the Annual Report and the admirable address of President Seelye at the Mount Holyoke Founders' Day celebration. It seems well worth while to get the point of view of the graduates in this way and it helps to make the alumnæ feel that they are really in touch with college matters, while their opinions are helpful to the alumna trustee who represents them in the official board. Plans for the annual reunion, which comes in the second week of April, are not quite matured, but it is hoped that the attractions of a more southern city will bring a generous representation from the college. This club, though small, has pledged itself to meet its share of the fifteen thousand dollar fund which it was voted to raise to strengthen the scholarship at Smith, either by establishing a fund for a graduate fellowship or a non-resident professorship. J. R. HILL '80. All alumnæ visiting the college are requested to register in a book kept for that purpose in the Registrar's office. The list of visitors since the last issue is as follows: Contributions to this department are desired by the last of the month, in order to appear in the next month's issue, and should be sent to Ellen Richardson, Hubbard House. ex-'86. Florence Merriam Bailey has recently published a Handbook of Birds of the Western United States". (Houghton, Mifflin & Company.) ex-95. Martha Reynolds Clarke was married March 9, to Mr. Leonard Worcester Williams, Ph.D., assistant professor of comparative anatomy at Brown University. '96. Mabel Landers was married February 27, to Mr. John Mason Ross. '00. Alma Hoegh has announced her engagement to Mr. Frederic Murray Ayers of Indianapolis. 01. '02. Grace E. Lord has announced her engagement to Mr. Donald Palmer Juliet C. Patten has a desk at the National Museum, Washington, D. C., BIRTH 97. Mrs. M. D. Dunning (Mary Kingsbury Ward), a daughter, Dorothy DEATH '01. Mrs. Walter A. Dyer (Ethelind T. Childs), died March 10, at Brooklyn, ABOUT COLLEGE On Wednesday evening, March 9, Der Deutche Verein presented Hans Frei, by Otto Ludwig. The club deserves hearty German Club Play praise, for the scenery, and more especially the acting, made the play a remarkable success. as follows: Theophilus Pirkheimir, Ratsmann in Nürnberg.. ....... Sibylle, seine Base, eine reiche Wittib... Engeltrant, seine Enkelin................ The cast was .Marjorie Allen .Florence Lord ...Olive Beaupré Freund und Nachbar Rosamond Denison ..... Elsie Elliot . Belle Lupton Fellicitas, seine Base und Engeltrauts Gespielin. Zwei, Bursche Leblanks....... ..... { Florence Mann Susie Starr Ruth Fletcher Committee; Chairman, Helen Marble 1904, Elizabeth Biddlecome 1904, Emma Hirth 1905, Anne Alden 1905. At no point did the play drag. The by-play on either side of the wall which separated the two lovers, Albrecht and Engletrant, was well managed; there was always some incident to claim the attention. Elizabeth Babcock made a very attractive hero. Her voice was low and well modulated, as indeed were the voices of all the actors. By her facial expression and gestures she conveyed her meaning to those who could not understand German. She was always the center of interest when on the stage. Florence Lord's acting was stiff in the first part of the play, but in the scene where Albrecht feigns drunkenness she made it amusing, and not at all jarring to the audience. Florence Mann, by her expression and excellent pronunciation, made her part one of the best in the play. Engeltrant and Fellicitas lent much charm and gaiety. Elsie Elliot was particularly good in her scene with Albrecht over the garden wall. Belle Lupton made a clever, vivacious little heroine. She did her part remarkably well, and was always a match for Hans Frei. Olive Beaupré made the most of her part, and her scene with Leblank received hearty applause from the audience. The minor characters were well chosen, and contributed to the general excellence of the play. The Italian department of the college has received a gift of photographs, engravings and etchings from the Italian University of Public Instruction. The collection contains forty large photographs of Roman Faculty Notes architecture and sculpture from the Roman museums; forty etchings and engravings reproducing the Piranesi etchings of monuments and ruins of Rome from the original plates now in possession of the Italian government, the Raphael and Michael Angelo frescoes in the Vatican, and famous pictures in Roman museums and palaces by Guido Reni, Leonardo and others; also a set of richly illustrated official publications and reports on the monuments of Italy. Mr. Chalfant Robinson, Ph. D., lecturer at the Yale Graduate School, has taken the place of Mr. Sioussat of the history department. Miss Wood attended the meeting of the American Mathematical Society at New York in February. Mademoiselle Vincens was present at the meeting of the Federation of the Alliance Française, New York, March 31. At the annual meeting of the New England Association of Teachers of English, Boston, March 19, Smith College was represented by Miss Jordan, Miss Cheever, Miss Rumsey and Professor Mensel. Professor Mensel read a paper entitled "The Affiliated School in Theory and Practice: Its Influence on Examinations in School and College". Miss Jordan gave the first part of the Report of the Standing Committee on College Entrance Requirements; her subject was “Facts and Fiction." These addresses will be published in the School Review for May. On March 18, Miss Jordan attended a meeting of the School Masters' Association at Boston and led the discussion upon the topic, "College Preparation in English". At Northampton, February 11, Miss Hubbard gave an address before the Library Association of Western Massachusetts upon "Reference Material for the Study of English Literature." 66 Miss Williams gave a lecture at the Holyoke High School, February 13, on "The Development of Painting in Italy," and on February 20, on 'The Development of Landscape Painting". On February 20, Professor Mensel addressed the New England Modern Language Association at Holyoke on "Text Books in Each Year of the Preparatory Course in German". On March 5, Miss Berenson gave an address before the Amherst Institute at Holyoke upon "The Ideal of Physical Education ". Professor Pierce gave an address, on March 17, at Wesleyan University, on "The Doctrine of Submerged Consciousness". Professor Sleeper has been invited to read a paper before the New York State Music Teachers' Association at its annual meeting in June at Niagara Falls. Miss Bernardy has been asked to be one of the staff contributors to the new literary and historical review, La Romagna. A recent number of the Kritischer Jaresbericht über die Fortschritte der romanischen Philologie, edited by Professor Varntragen of the University of Erlangen, Bavaria, contains an appreciative criticism of Miss Scott's studies in Comparative Literature. The German reviewer mentions as of especial interest and value a monograph on Poetry, Plays and Metrical Romances, in Miss Scott's Elizabethan Translations from the Italian. (Publications of the Modern Language Associations of America, 1896.) Science for March 11, contains a full account of the Philadelphia meeting of the Society for Plant Morphology and Physiology, with abstracts of the papers presented at that time by the secretary, Professor Ganong. |