The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-29
NO LONGER In PALE GRAY
THE QUAKER DAMSELS ARE NOW
WE4RING BRIGHT C0LORS.

It's a Mistake for a Pretty Girl to Dis
card the Simpler D~ress-They Also
Show "a Tendency to Episcopalianism.
The fair damsels of Philadelphia,
whose parents belong to the Society
of Friends, are breaking away from
the traditions of their elders. As a
rule when they become sixteen or sew
enteen years old they acquire a taste
for dressing in gay c%olors, and a little
later on it will strike them that going
to an Episcopal Church is more fash
ionable than attending the meeting.
The result is there, and in many other
places, that, while the parents are
Quakers, the daughters wear colors
and are Episcopalians.
The young men do not care so much
about being considered stylish, and If
they marry in meeting" continue to
attend, but if they marry out of meet
ing they are ruled out. The girls
made a great mistake, for the real
Quaker dress is downright fetching on
a pretty girl, and in attempting to
vie with others they are not very sue
cessful, as the old Quakers r pain
fully frugal and do not waste much
furnishing a variety of fancy clothing
on their daughters.
At the Friends meeting house, on
East Sixteenth street and S~tuyvesant
Square, New York, they do not any
longer attempt to require any particu-
lar style of dressing from the young
women, letting them do as they like,
and they also have further injured
their old traditions by allowing the
men and women to sit together, in
stead of on different sides of the meet
ing house, as in former years.
The meeting house in New York,
like all other Quaker institutions, is on
a substantial basis. There are two
large brick buildings. One is devoted
to a school. This can be attended by
the children of the members without
expense, further than their necessary
through this school they can go also
to the Friends College, Swarthmore, in
Pennsylvania, without cost. They have
always quite a large number of
scholars of a different belief, many Sc
lecting the school when one would
think that it was out of their line en-
tirely. For instance, Harry Miners
son was educated there. The school
house has several fine large rooms in
it, and they are made use of for all the
various entertainments going ON every
season. There is one sociable held
every two weeks, called a Literary
meeting" Readings, ~recitations and
discussions on the topics of the day
make up the entertainments.
Then they have n or two fairs
during every season called by any
new tangled nam that is in vogue.
But at this time every year there is a
great excitement, although every
thing is conducted in a calm, placid
and orderly manner. 1t is the yearly
meeting time; the whole of the last
week in May is devoted to this bust
ness. For a month in advance of the
time meetings and consultations are
held. Money is appropriated and
both buildings are turned into hotels
for the occasion. The large rooms,
and small ones, also, are lined with
| cots, everything being as neat as wax,
and provisions are laid in by whole
| sale, the ladies of the sect turning to,
and doing or seeing to a lot of adj
vance cooking. Hams are boiled,
cake made and lots of nice pies.
The old Quakers, and young also,
come to the city from all over the
State. and most of them live during
their stay at the meeting house, the
women being in one of the buildings,
and the men in the other. The old
ladies and the men also enjoy their
yearly meeting very much. Nearly
all of them are we'll to do, and some of
them very rich, but they would not go
GU this occasion to a regular hotel for
anything. Theymeet old friends that
they have not seen for a year., and go
see the sights together, and talk over
each others affairs, their own, and
those of their mutual friends.
The women are generally great
hands for nice fancy work, and the
new wrinkles are passed around at
this time. Some of the young people
usually volunteer to assist at waiting
on the tables. Que of the most clever
women of the sect, Deborah Wharton,
of Philadelphia, usually opened the
meeting with some remarks, but she
has passed away since the last ami
versary. Mrs. Wharton was little
short of a hundred years old, and was
perfectly active and in possession of
all her faculties to the last.
One of the yearly meeting troubles
on the Sunday appears to be always
that some old, long winded country
Quaker will get the start on the other
and more shining lights, and expound,
and it is apt to take him the whole of
the time devoted to the meeting to ok
plain his doubts, hopes and convic-
tions. One of the Quaker customs that
always surprises the outside world
is that of calling even a perfect
stranger by the Christian name when
first introduced. The Friends that at
tend the New York meeting have very
pleasant times together, as they are
all more or less acquainted with each
other. Most all of the older members
have been to the school, and the
younger ones meet there daily during
it's sessions now.
A Royal Baby.
From the Advance.
TS--La11r 49, n0nniGano ctatn re