The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-22
SOCIAL AMENITIES FOR
 THE SCHOOL GIRL,

The freedom of the average school girl was recently discussed by a young woman in this city who has two younger sisters still of school age, but who, she declared enjoy social life almost as much as she does.
 Tt is not that 1 do not want them to have some enjoyment but that I de- plore the fact that it seems almost im possible for a girl to enter social life nowadays and find anything to enter tain her. She may go through the for mality of making her debut, but in real ity she has already gone out so much that nothing is new to her. She really enters society satiated with going to parties, and she has seen all the good plays and operas either here or on her visit to New York, or Europe, so that she discusses everything with the wis dom of a woman of the world.
 My mother is old-fashioned in her ideas of bringing up girl, but she ad- mts that the present tendency is for the school girl to have too many social privileges Many of the schools encour- age the idea of a girl going to dances.
 
 mother, while giving her consent reluct- antly, is placed in a position where she would appear to be overly strict with my sisters were she to deny them the little pleasure that comes up through the season.
 q am dreadfully old-fashioned about the way a girl should be reared, and it seems to me that more should be written about the social amenities for the school girl'
 In this connection an exchange says:
 'srhe matter of social diversions TOT school girls from the age of If until they are out is one about which parents should be extremely rigid. There are many things a girl of that age may do and many places to which she may go, always provided that the details are prop erlv arranged. But those things which she should not do should be most sternly prohibited, chief among them being any thing that brings her before set older than herself in society and that savers of being grown up.' It is never 10 De forgotten that a school girl is child until she makes her debut-this thanks to the influence of English etiquette, that orders all girls kept in the schooiroom until they are young ladies'
 with all this, however, school girl should still have her own amusements She wishes to go to the play, as, indeed, she should. If properly selected for her the theatre may give unconscious lessons in manners and department from which she can gather much. She has her danc- ing class, of course, at which she amuses herself one afternoon each week, even though it is called lesson, but, once in while she loves a real evening party, and there is no objection to her having it. Only the time must be most carefully se- lected for both theatregoing and dancing, and during holidays is the only season that may be countenanced for anything which takes the school girl out in the evening.
 Her only time for going to the play should be at matinees.
 ''Going to matinee, however, need not be confined to holiday time. It is quite good form for school girl to go almost any Saturday, only judicous mother will be careful that nef uauSHter uoeS hot So so often as to become tagestruck tempo rarily and also to permit of herself being known by regular theatregoers. A mati- nee should be a treat for a school girl, not a habit.
 .In no circumstances, however, should she go withouts some old person or a maid not even though there may be half a dozen girls together. An attendant is absolutely required if the rules of good form are to be observed, for young girl