The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-30
COLLEGE HOOD LORE.


Washington Post.
With the great advance in recent years
in popular education throughout the coun-
try, especially through the munifcent en-
dOwments of colleges and libraries by
philanthropists, there has arisen also a
hitherto unknown popular interest IN the
fine distinctions made between the various
degrees conferred by the leading universe
ties. Years ago the bachelor of arts or OF
science was content to wear the cap and
gown as the insignia OF his academic at
tainments. But with the universal tendency
toward specialization in every sphere of
activity the college man has found him
self called upon TO devise some distinctive
method by which he can distinguish his
learned brother at a glance by the cut and
color of the hood attached TO the gown
worn on occasions of ceremony.
The wearing OF the traditional academic
costume by college officers and students or
by those holding academic degrees on &C.
casions OF ceremony is to the American
public still a novelty. 1t is true that on
the statute books of Columbia and Of one
or two other colleges there were inscribed
long ago prescriptions for distinctive and
appropriate dress, but the custom of wear
ing the cap and gown and the hood belong
ing to the different degrees soon died out,
if ever 1t was at all generally adopted.
Later came the movement for the gradual
ing classes in colleges to wear caps and
gowns at their cOmmencement-at Yale the
practice was introduced In lS9l-but onlY
then was the academic dress seen, and
that, too, of the simplest type. But it is
only within a very few years that the bril-
ldnL cOlOTS anu ITCH uldl6Ildlh Oh the Co.'S
tunes appropriate to the grades higher
than the bachelors have been worn, and
even now the sight is so unwonted that the
popular mind is not aware of what the
various blues and scarlets and blacks sig
Nifty or why one gown is silk, another OF
serge.
Confusing as the colors are when seen in
! procession or massed on the platform, it is,
however. not a difficult matter to interpret
them. They are almost all arranged ac-
cording to a simple but highly effective
nlan Whiph a reDraSpnfafiVa ha1u of col
lege delegates drew up some six years ago.
First of all, 1t Is interesting to know,
every faulty or department of the unversi-
ties has adopted distinctive cOlOrs, appear
ing as facing or trimming on tke hoods,
show whether the wearer has received his
degree from one or the other. Thus, to
name the chief ones, a hood faced and
trimmed with scarlet means a degree of di-
vinity, purple stands for law, blue for phil
osophy. green for medicine, white for arts
and letters, orange for science, pink for
music, brown for the fine arts. Secondly.
the hoods are lined with the distinctive
color of the college comforting the degree.
Thus, a doctor of laws of Yale wears a
hood lined with blue, edged with purple; a
doctor Of philosophy from Columbia ap-
pears in a hood lined with the pale blue and
white with dark blue velvet or satin around
wide. The body of these hoods is all black.
and those for an Ii. D., or d. D., are cut
rather more amply than those worn by,
say, a master OF arts, and have panels at
the sides. There are some small differences
in the hoods of some of the colleges, but,
broadly speaking. the patterns and color
plans above described are those adopted by
all the largest and most famous American
institutions of learning. I
The gowns are of serge for bachelors.
silk for masters and doctors. The lowest
| degree has open long pointed sleeves. the
masters gowns have long square-cornered
| extensions on their sleeves. and a Doctors
gown always is faced down the front with
velvet, and barred with three stripes of
velvet on the sleeve. These trimmings may
be black, or black piped with color Of the
wearer's degree, or all Of scarlet, or blue,
or purple, as the degree was given by this
or that faculty. The gowns. all black. are
most effective foundations for the brilliant
coloring of the hoods hanging from the
shoulders.
AL the colleges affect the traditional NOR
tar-board cap; and here, too, an easy dis
tipguishing mark exists in the gold tassels
the doctors are allowed TO wear instead OF
the black ones worn by the bachelors and
masters. More and more frequently these
costumes are being adopted for use at the
more elaborate of academic functions. Their
use was very general at the Princeton an
niversary celebration and at the recent in
auguration Of President Hadley, of Yale.
There was hardly an official or n delegate
who did not appear in his appropriate dress.