The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-05-27
GIRLS In GOSSAMER.
Brides aid Graduates Dis
pute for Popularity
in June.
THEDIPL0M
A Cinderella Commencement Gown
The Serious in Literature.
Social aud Musical
Notes.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Especially tGritten for the JERSEY Citu Netrs.)
January may be the month for good be-
giunings, but June is the one for com
meucements. To be sure, it also Is the
month for weddings, but then weddings
have a habit of happening at almost any
time, while a school that did not send ou'
u delegation of wlite-robed maids and
b~lack-coated youths sometime between
Decoration Day and the Fourth would be
a rarity. indeed. 1t is quite the proper
thing to laugh at the wise speeches that
graduates are apt to make on these occa-
sions, and one does have some excuse fol
smiling when the gayest girl OF her class
fixes her eyes on vacancy and declares
that Life is real, life is earnest" while
the boy whose chief occupation IN the
halls of learning was playing practical
Jokes on his professors, af1irms that it is
tine duty of every citizen of this great
R-r-republic" to do various impossioll
tiles il the line of ballot reform. But on
the whole, there is no particular reason
why a commencement houla Oe the sub
ject of so many 'funnv paragraphs"
Some high literary authority recently
made an eloquent plea for the serious III
literature" aud ii these tiedgllngS are
not serious in their literary efforts, pray
who is? Goodbyes always have a shade
of sadness and the valedictorian is to be
forgiven II she makes her fareWells a
series of walls, growing more and more
doleful AS she addresses teachers, parents,
undergraduates and CLASSMATES. So long
as the salutatorians confne themselves to
their mother tongue, and do not display
their erudition IN Latin or Greek adj
dresses, the audience has no right to
complain.
AND GOWNS.
AS for the appearance of the stage at
commandments, the casual observer
wonders why he was old that a mixed
class was to graduate. All he can see is
Il parterre of gay gowns ana sweet faces,
much like a young ladies' seminary
Then, if he looks closely, he will see,
huddled in the background, u collection
of black coats, s~urmounted by leads,
which belong to the masculine contln-
gent. A young man is not In his element
at a commencement He becomes pain
fully conscious of his arms; he makes
his gestures like the stock-in-trade of the
renowned Mrs. farley. and if he does not
forget the lines OF his Grafton, 1t Is by Il
special dispensation of Providence. On
the other hand, his classwomen shine ut
Commencement above all other days.
They feel the safety that comes with
numbers, and the inward exaltatiou that
comes from n pretty gown. And SUCH
pretty W as the Jersey City girl grad
yates will wear in this year of grace 1892
One which will make its appearance on
the fourteenth at the High School is
almost the counterpart OF those gowns
which made the chorus such q pretty
feature of cinderella at School," 1t will
be of white China silk. and the gloves
anil slippers will be white suede. A
young lady who will graduate from one
of the private schools will yea q dainty
white silk null, simply made, and en-
tirely without ornaments. The atmos-
phere of mystery which always surrounds
a graduating class on the subject of
gowns does not permit the description of
more millinery, but In the course of a fe "
weeks, the secret will be open to the
public.
WORD TO THE WISE.
There are IA few points which guests
at commandments would do we'll to beal
in mind. Don't tell the young women of
the class too often that they are sweet
girl graduates" etc. They know it. And
besides. the remark is not original. Dom
use the expression, alma Mater" in re-
ferring to the school they are leaving
They are tired OF it, oh. so tiredl And
thirdly, if you are Intending to send ONE
of the graduating maideus a big bouquet,
take advice and don't. Invest the money
in Il little silver chain or Il pendant. or d
gauZe fan or anything pretty and dainty
and send it to her the day before the
event. 1t is so much batter form, and
besides, she will think of you much
longer.