The Girls They Like

A New York social club discussed : " What kind of a girl does a college man like best ?" It led the New York Press to invite undereraduates of the eastern colleges to send in letters in answer to the question. The invitation met with a surprising response. A few of the letters have been published. Only two of the many contained any coarseness, and the result demónstrate, The Pres? thinks, that the "standard of womanhood of the growing men of America is as pure and lofty as our mothers could wish." The number of Ann Arbor girls annually borne away as wivesof students or alumni of the Universiiy is large. It has been suspected as one reason why the city does not increase faster in pcpulation. Plenty of new people come to reside here, but the marriageable daughters are taken away as fast as they become marriageable. Whether this is a reason worthy of mention or not, the sumber is so large as to demónstrate that U. of M. students don't forget the heart in their endeavor to enlarge the mind. They evidently don't believe that "the first sigh of love is the last of wisdom ;" for they keep right on falling in love with Ann Arbor's daughters and growing in the wisdom and knowledge of our great fchool. What kind of a girl a U. of M. man likes beet is not answered in the letters to the New York Press; but t is to be presumed that the average Ann Arbor girl filis the bill, and for the benefit of anxiou9 mothers and sisters who are af'raid that their darling sons and brothers will be snapped up by some " horrid girl" before they gradúate, The Reoistkr would attempt to describe that average girl if human ingenuity were equal to the task. Jackjon and Lansing girls might be described, but ADn Arbor's never! As it i?, we must be content with finding out what other colleges think on this interesting question. Some of the letters would anger the objects of their remarks ; but the sweet creatures would have sweet revenge if the letters were published. For in8tauce, one Yale undergraduate wrote that he could not ''indure" an eriucated girl ; neitber can the " mijority " of his sex. One college representative deolsres that the average college boy likes best the girl described by Suckling: She is pretty to walk with, And witty to talk with. And pleasant, too, to think on. Another from New Btunswiok gives his 8entiment9 in the following: Azure eyes, perfect nose, Hairof gold, graceful pose, Dimpled chin, full of mirth, For such a girl I'd give the eartb. These letters exhibit great scorn for "cc-eds" which make them not so reliable as they might be. The blondes, too, do not seem to be a favorite among eastern college men. The brunette, with her darkly glonous attnbutes of hair and cheek and lip, is described with al) the varyino; degrees of ardor incident to freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniora. " Billy Benford," of Oolumbia, comes into sharp conflict with another Columbia man. "Billy" is a very enthusiastic admirer of American girls, but the other one, - who probably is vain and has hadsome slight from a gay and graceful girl, - declares that "American girls are stuffed with vanity and ignorance." " Billy" bursts out in this pass-age : " A college student would have but a rude, uufinished edunation were his associates confined to his own sex. His endeavors to please the opposite sex polishes and refines him. He loves women for the beauty of their characters and the charms of their wit, and he loses no opportunity to declare that American girls excel all others as tnueh in virtue and good sense as in loveliness." Paul C. Phillips, of Amherst, has some very decided views: "A college man's ideal is high. He is foolish enough to like a girl who is natural. We say it without fear of contradiction. Ttie sentiment in favor of the waspish waist, frizzled hair, and high heeled boots, is not ot his creation. JMeither is he charmed by decollete dresses and the ab ecce of gleeves. We like a girl who is spinted, yet modest; aspirine, but not politieally so; religious, but not sectarian ; social, but not steeped in society." One student writes: Now, down at Johns Hopklns anothor sort takes- There they faucy a girl from the land of corn catee; She's a tall, slender creature, wlth a wealth of dark tresses, And a sweep in her walk that bedraggles her dresses. Her clothing is rlch and is gracefully tossed on, Not at all like her spectaeled sister from Boston, But in her dark eyes there's an inkling of power To hold and entrance a poor " soph" by the hour. IIow this girl frora the " land of corn cakes" would affect a freshmaD, junior, or senior, the verses say not; but the writer tells of his own preference as follows: I than't say what college I hall from, but then We're not quite exempt from the foibles of men. There's one Hule girl I admire inyself, And that not because of her learmng or pelf. She's noi very tall, she has bright wavy bair, Bhe'i not very dark and she's not very fair. Her complexión Is more like the down of a peach ; Bhe has lovely brown eyes, half a tear drop in each. She moves like a queen, with her straight little figure, And when she's offended I'm glad she's no bigger. A New England student admires the vigorous girl. He writes : " I saw my ideal a few days ago after the great snow storm. Her sickly brother, a clerk in one of our large manulacturing establishments, f was too feeble to remove the ten feet of snow that had fallen during tbe night. Hig' sister undertook the task. Words are too weak to picture her as she worked away with the great woeden shovel. Her hair hung in a long, loóse braid down her back. She wore a rough jacket, mitten? andajaunty little Tam O'Shanter on her head. The strong wind powdered her face and hair, and the exerciae made the color mount to her cheeks. The heartiness with which sbe refused aesistance f rom a gentleman ehowed she really enjoyed the exertion, nor did it detract from my ideal accomplishments for a lady." Of Harvard, it is claimed that The girl that they think the rightsort to admire Is a prim httle malden in ueat drab attire,- ■ an opinión which was probably expressed uuder the desperate necessity of saying something and of making a rhyme. A Pennsylvauia University man was not very discriminating un'il his father shortened his a'.lowance. Then the girl who could 6nd favor in his eyes was the one who takes no pleasure in ice cream and costly flowers; whose eye9 don't glisten at the sight of theater tickets, and who is made sick by the sight of candy. Such a eirl, he says, is hard to find, as they are not indigenous to American soil. Union college has the prevailing sentiment very strongly that " the society ut women is the element of good moráis." Union college men go through the freshman year " chippie hunting," and make most of their acquaintances without the formality of an introducüon. But they soon forget that class of girl acquaintances. They go through the wbirl and excitement of parties, and then they mke their choice in plain view of a very high ideal of perfect womanhood. While these letters are interesting and more serious than one would expect, yet they display no astonishing amount of oiiginality. An equal number of bright young women ought to produce a better batch of letters in regard to their preferences.