The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-18
EXPENSIVE Luxury.
It Costs Something For a Girl to Be
Graduated
From the Baltimore Herald.

commencement season is close at hand
and its approach has set the hearts of pros
pective graduates in h1tter. To pupils of
both sexes the event of graduation is one of
momeatous Importance. The boys regard
it as a rule as the day on which they turn
their back on period of financial unfruit-
fitness, in which, however, thew have been
accommodating a fund of information so
varied that they believe they know every
thing that is worth knowing, and which is
bound 10 at once promote them to fields of
| usefulness and money-making.
The feelings of the girl graduate differ
materially from those of the boy. She
sees herself gaily bedscked in a rich gown,
set OF with jewels and adorne with flowers
surrounded by a coterie of other girls not
quite as pretty or attractive as herself,
but still good enough to form a frame for
so charming picture; while before her are
other mounds of flowers and mysterious
| little packages whose contents she longs TO
discover, beyond all of which is
vast and admiring concourSs of papas,
mammas, sisters, brothers, cousins,
sweethearts and hosts of Others
besides; but it is great incident in the
greater event when she sweeps to the front
| OF the stage, courtesies with grace that
has cost her days and nights of thought and
practice, and reads that essay which must
ranks OF the army of literary workers 1t
has been written and rewritten and writ
| ten over again. Every 81" is dotted and
every st" crossed. How daintily she holds
| the manuscript-fne white linen paperl
Did you ever see such a bewitching bow of
| terra Gotta ribbon as that which binds leaf
with leaf? What sentiment What poetry |
'Geniusm exclaims the 20 lng mal with
the frail mustache, who has spent exactly
81 70 for that bouquet you see in the pile.
by George; she'll write a book some O.
these daysm
The essay is drawing to the close. The
author turns toward the teacher as only a
| graduate can. Observe the bushes on the
principal and the cynic smile that the liter
AZURE preceptress struggles to suppressl
| Nasty mean old thing-that literature
teacher The principals eyes grow moist ;
he has to use his new hem-stitched border
silk han lkerchisf. 1t is too touching, too
tender-this apostrophe to pedagogic great
ness. All! it's all over. Deafening ap-
plause) A perfect deluge of flowers, de-
| lighted parents, uproarous sweethearts,
music by the band, a rush for the stage, a
hack for the graduate and express wagon
for the flowers.
"Gooi gracious Toni How awkward
you are! VIII you never learn how to con
troll your feet when you are with girl?"
Tom is the sweetheart. He is handing
the gra 1uate of all graduates to him into
her hack. His excitement only rivals her
annoyance, for he has steppad on her $3.50
graduating dress, torn off a flounce or two
band caused such other damage to the gown
as man cannot describe and only woman
can understand. 1t is an incident that
dims the luster of the occasion. The fair
graduate cannot forgive it. Tom is C ushed
So is papa's pocketbook. Tom "gets the
shake" He is only a school girls lover.
He brushes with bitterness the bill for the
| 81 Is bouquet. So does papa when be gets
the dreSsmaker's statement, and remarks:
''Well. l guess I'll have to hustle for the
next six months to raise the money to wipe
out those notesl Lord, but hope Mary
Ann will succeed in making an eligible
match before this Tins next yearln
All this happens at female high school
| commencement. Everybody has been to
the graduating exercises of one of these
public institutions. Pleasant enough occa-
sion pretty girls; nice music.
But" remarks stranger, 81 though.
you said that this was public school COM
mencement."
Certainly What did you suppose ii
was?"
why" is the reply, 81 would suppose il
to be the graduating exercises of Nine. de
Rasaldaselle's fashionable seminary. Look
at all the inery. Look at the jewesl /
thought the public schools were the schools
for the masses"
''There are a good many people who take
| a similar view. Did you notice one plain,
placid girl, seated unconspicuously nong
her compartment She had no especial charm
of figure; she wore no jewels except a sin
gle gold pin her dress was good QUO and
cost at least $50. She stood at the head OF
the graduating class"
"Whats She didn't read the valedic-
tory"
'fNo, of course she didn't. She couldn't
sum up the courage to do 50. Her voice is
| thin as her figure. She couldn't be heard
even if she could master her nerves or con-
sent to permit an unfavorable contrast be-
tween her dress and the dresses of hand.
somer and richer girls about her."
"Then who read her essay for herr"
THAT handsome blonde with the i'm
ported dress aud diamond ornament You
remember how lovely she lookedw
Eyes, to be sure. Charming girl, wasn't
she? Such a melodious voice and entranc-
| ing manner She must be very talented. y
Ssh! just barely passed the examina-
tionp
"Whewl She'll get married first though. >
1.-THE valedictorian who didn't read her
| valedictory--do you know what'll become
of her?" She'll probably have to wait
month after month in a frutlsss effort to
l
because she has no beauty and can't get
enough political influence to help her
| through"
All this teaches one thing, that pub.
lie commencement exercises in public
high schools are an evil. This is not the
unanimous opinion of the school board, but
it is the opinion of a considerable number OF
members. Some are outspoken against public
commandments, but others, who do not ia
vor them, are afraid to oppose the II as there
are parents who can afford to furnish hand
some dresses for their daughters, and SO
like to have them app ar in public on an oc-
casion of this character.
| School Commissioner Burke, of the Fourth
ward, who is plain man, is very positively
opposed to the public commencement sys
| tenn.
at is altogether wrong" said Mr.. Burke
Yesterday. II only wish that I could make
the sort of speech against it that the mat
ter deserves. 1t has an injurious effect
more than one way. The public SCHOOLS
are for poor as well as rich. There should
be no distinction on account of financial OF
social position. But these public commence
ments, especially of the female high schools
do make distinctio S. The rich graduates
wear expensive clothes. Hundreds of dollars
are expended on these outfits They get
loads of flowers. How is it with the girls
whoseparents are poor? Either they have to
bear the humiliation Of wearing dresses that
look shabby and cheap when put beside
those of wealthy girls, or their fathers have
to borrow money, go In debt and starvt
themselves and their families for months