For instance, the College Government Handbook for 1932-1933 states: "The college dormitories close for the night at ten o'clock, and every student is required to be in her house at that hour, except in the following instances: 1. Seniors and juniors, if accompanied by an escort or a chaperone, or in groups of two or more, may return from the moving pictures in Wellesley Hills or Natick until 11:00 p.m. and from entertainments in Boston until 1:00 a.m., registering at their dormitories. 4. A student registered for an overnight absence from the college must spend the night with an approved chaperone or at the Wellesley Club in Boston."

This is only slightly less lenient than the rules in the College Government Handbook for 1966-1967: "Current social rules require students to be in their residence halls by 11 p.m., unless they have signed out for a later hour or for the night. When away from campus overnight, all students are expected to stay in chaperoned places or respectable hotels."

Trends

The trends are contradictory. Since 1932, the representation of public school has risen 18 per cent over private schools and the number of students from New England and the Middle Atlantic states has shrunk from 75 per cent to 50 per cent. But at the same time there have been moves away from liberalization. In 1932, 20.8 per cent of the student body received financial aid from the college. Today, the portion of the students receiving financial aid has increased by only less than one per cent, although the average size of the financial "gift" has increased substantially more than the rise in tuition. This would indicate that the economic composition of Wellesley has changed little since 1936. The contention is supported by the fact that in the last ten years alone, the number of freshmen with alumnae mothers and grandmothers has barely changed.

The college rules are contained in the Gray Book. Years ago, the Gray Book was an inch thick and each freshman was given a written test on its contents. Now there are no such tests and the Book is thinner. But looks are deceptive. Some rules have been relaxed; others carry their exactitude to ludicrous lengths. If the Gray Book is any clue, Wellesley's heart is still back in the old days.

Tomorrow: The Gray Book, the production ethic, the folklore, and some prognosticating.