The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-20

The regulation period for wearing
mourning has been somewhat short
ened of late.
A widow wear it for three years,
Crepe is generally worn for a year
and nine months. AT the expiration
of that time black, without crepe, is
worn. Widows caps used to be worn
for year, lawn cuffs and collars being
continued for the same period, but
the lawn cuffs have gone out of fash
ion, and caps are not so much worn
as formerly, except by elderly women.
The fashion of a widows cap was
introduced at time when every mar
ried woman, even If she were only
eighteen, assumed some kind of a cap
directly she was married. At present
caps may be viewed in the light of a
survival Of old times, and the custom
Is gradually dying out on account of
| its Inconvenience.
The veil is worn over the face for
the first three months after that time
it is thrown back and a face veil of
tulle, or net, edged with crepe, is
worn. For common use, and in sum
mer, silk yelling may replace crepe.
During the second year the veil is
shortened and the cap left off. Crepe
is discarded the third year.
For parents, grown children, broth
ers and sisters, mourning is worn for
two years, differing, however, in de-
gree. For parents and children deep
mourning for a year, for brothers and
sisters six months is the usual period
A man is expected to wear mourn
ing for a wife for eighteen months
but the mourning is lightened very
much after the first year. For his
parents he wears mourning for a
year, for brothers and sisters for six
months.
During the mourning period his
business suit should be of a rough,
black cloth. and his froek coat of the
same. His scarf is of duh black
without pin; the gloves are black
glace kid, except for driving. when
black castor or dogskin may be worn.
His handkerchiefs must be all white,
with only the narrowest of hem
stitched borders. They must not show
initials, monogram or embroidered
markings of any kind. The watch
chain is laid aside, and black guard
substituted, while his gold buttons
and studs have as substitutes those
enamelled to look like the linen it
self. His visiting cards and stationery
have narrow black borders.
To tighten his loneliness etiquette
allows him to visit his men friends
mourning. With a man friend, or
alone, he may go very quietly to
public place of amusement but on no
account can he wear evening dress,
go with a lady, or make one OF a
party. Nor may he marry under "a
year and a day" from the death of
his wife. Such an event shortens his
period of mourning six months.
A widow who& strictly regards les
lfI IGT
two years.
The discarding of mourning should
be done carefully and by gradations.
1t shocks people of good taste to
Sc a person who has had a great
grief suddenly jump into colors as il
he or she had been counting the
hours.
While crepe is worn, formal visits
are never made and invitations never
accepted. When crepe is laid aside
black borders on cards and stationery
are discarded or made narrower. The
width of the border is always regu-
lated by the degree of the mourning,
and the black edge to the visiting
card is half the width of that used for
note paper.
The fashion of having handkerchiefs
of a two-inch square of white cambria
and a four-inch border of black is
in poor taste. A gay young widow at
Washington was once seen dancing
at a reception a few months after the
death of her soldier husband; she
wore long, black veil, and held in
her black k-gloved hand one of these
handkerchiefs, which looked as If II
had been dipped in ink. "She should
have dipped it in blood" said a by
Stander.
1t is not necessary to put an entire
establishment of servants into mourn
ing, except in the event of the death
of the head of the family. When this
occurs all the servants should be put
into mourning, and they should wear
it as long as the family remains in
black.