The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-16
VARSITY HAT FADS
Domes of Thought Lidded With
Most Fantastic Gear.
THE MORTAR BOARD is PAssE
Seniors Now Dfsport In Tams Which
Look Modest Beside Other
Class Rigs.

American young people are quick to
take up with fad and particularly is this
true among the higher institutions OF
learning of the country where college
spirit and class rivalry often lead to the
Introduction of dress fads as a dis
tingushing feature of the institution or
as class insignia, The idea took root
among eastern colleges and quickly spread
to the west where it has been taken up by
colleges large and small and by many in
an extreme manner.
Stanford university locate in the pleas
ant climate of California did not escape
the craze and last year the men of the
university adopted the sombrero and linen
buster, the women the sunbonnet as
style of dress during the last months OF
the university year. Until 1902 Minnesota
university has pursued the even tenor OF
her way practically untouched by these
extreme fads but now the nstitution has
gone wild over 'faddy DRESS. The aca-
demic seniors started the craze early in
the spring when they voted to cut OUT
the classic cap and gown except upon
state occasions and to wear huge SOM
brero as a covering for their 'domes OF
thought The radical ones in the class
went so far as to suggest corduroy trou-
sers as a fit accompaniment but the sober
heads prevailed. Some of the 'timid ones
feared to spring the sombrero, saying that
trouble would be sure to follow with the
underclassmen who seem to have forgot
ten the dignity attaching to fourth year
men. And so a compromise was erected
whereby-the members were to wear blue
cap of Tam, OShanter style with the hg-
ures "02" neatly worked in silk upon the
front. No sooner did these caps appear
than they were dubbed bakers caps.
In the mean time the senior engineers
effected a split with the academies, their
old time companions and on bright April
| -. l.oI o~,iSo Lowe
white plug hats, relics of a former presl-
Dental campaign. One Of the prominent
Minneapolis matters had stock on hand
and considered that the gods were smiling
on him when he was able to dispose OF MIS-
entire stock at good figure to the var
| sity engineers.
| After the hat craze had had this intro
duction it spread rapidly to all college
circles until at the present time there are
no less than a dozen distinct styles of
head adornment, to be seen fitting about
| the campus. .r
At first the fever was so contagious that
each new style that was sprung aimed to
| be a trihe more striking than the last.
The girls of the Junior class held several
| secret sessions to make. choice but the
proverbial weakness of woman's nature
manifested itself and soon the word went
| abroad that real SURPRISE was in store
for the girls has voted to wear a large
| white sunbonnet tied under the chin witt
a green ribbon, the colors being those OF
| the class. But trouble with thetmanu.
facturer led to a change and finally the
| girls appeared in a neat white Tan
O'Shanter of white flannel material will
the "03'' monogram done in green SILK
The next victims of the fever were thu
sophomore engineers and academies, boil
boys and girls, who adopted a navy blu
cap. The sophomores as natural guard
ians of the freshmen forbade the naughty
f1ves to adopt distinctive head dress an
the ultimatum was accepted.
Then the medic upperclass men took tn
craze and one bright morning crowded
into the amphitheater wearing yachtin
, cap made Of a bright red material wit
, a conspicuous monogram Of skull an
. cross bones done in white silk The 'sur
} prise was attended with series. o
blood curdling yells. =
The latest additions to the ranks of tn
faddists came last Saturday when tn
members of the victorious track team re
: turned from Iowa City, wearing whit
4 hats With Manager Mike Luby at thei
head, the athletes marched to the campu
and then to the library building wher
= the chapel exercises were about to begi1
= Just as the opening. hymn was bein
4 played the crowd thronged into chapel an
all removed their white hats and sat dow
: while the students let out series {
5 cheers.
The craze for 'faddy hats" has the IN
versity in it's grip and where it will a
end no one can venture to say at tn
= time 1t may extend to the dignifle
= ranks of the faculty and it may wear il
y self out among the students. The resu
y only the future can tell. - ...