Microcosm

A 'Miscellany' section of the Microcosm included a story about a "night prowler" at Lloyd Hall. Apparently one night, one of the female students saw a man peering in a window at her. This of course caused quite a stir amongst the females staying in Lloyd Hall. To calm the women down, a man was asked to sleep in the Hall until the excitement was over. A Dr. Gooding explained the event in syllogistic form stating, "Man helpful in emergency. Emergency at Lloyd Hall. Man helpful at Lloyd Hall."

Yates Snyder, class of ’39, was not only a bright scholar as a member of the Harman Literary Society, and heavily involved in extracurricular activities, including chorus, athletics, and Greek life, but was also noted as an extraordinary campus beauty.  Her senior year she was crowned Queen at the Midwinter Ball and during her four years at Dickinson, “graced the pages of the beauty section of the Microcosm,” perhaps setting an example for future female students that it is possible to have beauty and brains.

The Microcosm has a section where they document some of the great and humorous quotes classmates have heard in the classroom. One of the quotes printed dealt with co-education. The one male student had inquired about the reason why people come to college, that they are to "be made men of, of course?" The second male then answers him, "How about the co-eds?"

The Microcosm writes a list of the top 16 reasons why parents should send their sons to Dickinson. One of the reasons is because of the co-eds on campus for "all lovers of beauty can find ample chance for gratification...at the co-ed house, situated very close to the campus." And because women are "admitted to all privileges of the college" it means that good society is "thus insured."

A fictitious meeting that the Harman Literary Society had was published in the 1905 Microcosm. The piece completely makes fun of the society, and some of the women involved with it. At their meeting, the women apparently held a debate on whether "Promiscuous Kissing is a Good Thing." One side argued that kissing is "conductive to good health...exercises the kissers" and gives personal experience.

A comic strip published in the Microcosm depicts a man's lament at the complications of dating at Dickinson. The 4 scenes show the man getting ready to visit his lover and how he wants to be close to her, but because of formal rules they have to be chaperoned by a Mrs. Love and have to distance themselves.

Long time contributor to the college, librarian, May Morris, earned the dedication of the 1939 edition of Dickinson’s Microcosm.  A woman who is praised as having contributed to the “advance and achievement of the college,” Morris helped to introduce to Dickinson’s library “a sufficiency of material and the efficiency of system unparalleled in its history.”

The 1905 Microcosm included a picture of an interior shot of Lloyd or Ladies' Hall.

The "Encyclopaedia Collegia" is a humorous and fictitious part of the Microcosm that defines common words in their own way. In this Microcosm, this section defines a "co-ed" as being a bird "similar to the mermaid" with a voice "usually soft and fluffy, but in some species resembles that of a screech owl." They are a "species" that apparently is friendly to man, but can inflict a "fatal wound, always in the heart" and many wonder if it "can be tamed." 

The Microcosm satirically writes about a fictitious debate on the question that is to be "resolved that the co-ed must go." The first "speaker" begins by complaining that there are too many co-eds around they are "to the right...to the left of us...co-ed doctors, lawyers, preachers, [and] wives..." and that they need to go. The second "speaker" argues against the first, saying that the co-ed "must be with us always" because college life would be "sad and dreary" without their smiling faces.