Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1907-06-05
forever Young
Is the Sweet
Girl Graduate.

and graduation ceremonies, finds
| new patches of brides and sweet
girl graduates each time the year
rolls round TO the summer solstice. The
years may come and the years may
I go, but the bridal professions and the
commencement essays and orations and
diplomas and bouquets keep on for
| ever.
| Not so very, very long ago there were
no such sweet things as girl graduates.
The boys went to college and got their
sheepskins at commencement season,
and their sisters and sweethearts adj
mired and applauded. But they never
dreamed of such things for themselves,
no, indeed. 1t would have been quite
improper. A young woman In those
days was circumscribed by great
many rules Of propriety, and college
| Dduca tion-well that was something
never heard of and for that reason Of
fourse absurd But times have changed,
rs Cicero remarked in language with
which all college graduates are sup
posed TO be familiar, and now n girl
may not only graduate from "A college,
but she may 60 through three or four
graduating functions before she par
ticipates in that most impressive and
solemn function of all, the march TO
| the altar
In days gone by the colleges were the
only institutions which had commence
ment seasons and held graduating ex-
ercises. But now the high shoots
and the seminaries and even the
grammar schools have their grad
uating exercises. For the girl this
means many elaborate preparations
and oftentimes expenses which n par
ent with large family and a small
salary finds IL hard to meet. Gradual
ing gowns, class receptions and din
ners and dances and photographs all
cost money, and money In these days
cannot be created by wave OF a
magic wand. nor is it usually I'm such
matters case OF everybody works
but father" A paterfamilias who has
| four or five daughters. not to mention
sons, who must all do the customary
| thing when they graduate from the
public school. the high school or sem
mary and the college and who. a lit
! tie later perhaps, must all be equipped
with suitable wedding trousseaux has
a task on his hands for which he needs
the support Of steady income and Il
/ good bank account.
Realizing the demands on the family
purse which this season necessitates,
/ the principal Of n school in Charles
/ town. Mass, recently made a sugges-
! ton TO the graduating class. Every
| family, he said. had a good many old
rubbers lying around awaiting dep
osition in the ash barrel and II these
were collected they might bring some
/ thing. The suggestion was made at
the psychological moment, just as the
| housekeeping season was setting in,
and the aggregation OF old rubber
turned Ia 10y the pupils weighed $50
pounds. A sympathetic junk dealer
paid S22.72 for the lot, which went far
to defray the cost Of the pictures.
White has long been the convention
al color for the dresses Of the sweet
girl graduates. and white is still the
| rule. lhONRN variation from the pure
white may properly be introduced by
using class colors in girdle or scarf or
shoulder knot a girl who gets a di-
ploma from college may pay less
attention to her graduating dress than
she who says formal farewell to q
high school or seminary. for at many
colleges attended 10y women seniors
wear the traditional mortarboard cap
and academic gown OH commencement
day, and this makes for democracy all
around. The ample folds of a costume
sacred 10 scholarship and worn by men
and women alike conceal that which
Is worn inside. and rich girls and poor
may receive their degrees in simple
shirt waist suits. The other functions
incident to commencement week at a
college are not in the case Of a woman
so conducive TO simplicity in dress, and
for these n graduating girl may need
n different gown for nearly every day
Of the seven.