The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1893-06-17

ate began years before when a fright
ened little girl was left for her first day
in school away from her mother. That
day was followed by hundreds of others.
each with it's own tasks and it's pleas
uros as we'll. There are a great many
Of the former and Il judicious sprinkling
Of the latter, enough to sweeten but not
to spoil the school life. Glass after class
is passed like the various stations on a
railway journey until at last the ter
minus is near.
Then there are many special preDara-
tions, mental as we'll as material, for the
sweet girl graduate isn't composed en-
tirely Of clothes, as many Of her para
graphers seem to think. Underneath
the silken OF muslin or lace gowns are
hearts full of purpose and earnestness-
hearts that lean out hopefully toward
the life that lies before them. The ma
jority look forward to time spent at
least partly in work, and the common
resolve made on commencement night is
to have that work good. It may not be
SO. Some of the girls may turn out to
be failures. but at least their purpose is
high and relieves them from the charge
Of being naught but distracting bundles
Of fine feathers.
Do you, oh, women in a thousand
walks of life, ever go buck to your grad
uation night? Perhaps you do when your
daughters last year at high school, SEM
mary or college is hurrying you in your
preparations for her commencement sea-
son. How it all comes back again! 1t
was the l1appiest as it was so far the
most important night in your young
life. Work lay behind, work lay before,
but on that June night there needed to
be only folded hands whose greatest bur
den was the white scroll, ribbon tied
your essay-or that other white scroll
marked with name-your diploma. At
most you would be laden with book
OF a medal or the floral gifts of friends
only such sweet burdens as these.
You sat surrounded by figures in white
dresses, like yourself, with dainty sashes,
gloves and few flowers for ornament
The sweet girl graduate never needs any
other. She is flower herself, and jew
els are out Of place on her. The boy
graduates sat behind. Alas, poor thingl
that he cannot be given more special
mention, and an august body of men
those who had in charge the adninistra-
tion of the schools aHairs-were near.
There was singing, and the boys showed
their skill in oratory on some stirring
subject, while the girls, you among the
rest, read essays on very pretty topics,
in which you had absolutely no expert
ence. but in which imagination played
an important part.
There was more music, then speeches
from the august body before mentioned,
every one of whom told you in substance
that your life work lay before you and
that school life was only d preparation
for it, and last the prizes aud diplomas.
Then friends crowded round to congrat-
ulate you on having finished school and
on your essay writing and reading. You
were whirled away home in a carriage,
and the great day was over.
It does one good to recollect all this
once in awhile Commencement day is
time dedicated to the celebration OF
success. No failures are evident then.
The pupils who tried and fell short in
the scholarship necessary to graduation
are of course too ashamed and disap-
CAAAo
only successes are present. Everything
goes smoothly and everybody looks we'll.
No matter how many plain girls have
lived in the senior classrooms for ayear,
somehow all look pretty in white dresses
under gaslight. There is q magic about
the two that transforms every one.
Do you know what is the very pref
tiest commencement costume that can
be devised for the sweet girl graduate!
i A simple white dress, with black Ok:
ford cap and gown. It is too bad that
only college girls are supposed to Wear
them and they.do not always don them
at commencement probably there
4 are 10 times as many highschool as college
graduates, and the caps and gowns are
SO bewitching. They make the plainest
girl look striking, and the prettiest one
well, words will not express it. But
no one ever saw girl who didn't look