University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-09-23


when my daughter is married it
will be nothing new to me to make her
trousseau" said the mother of a l6-
year-old girl;'I am now getting her
ready for boarding school, and I'm
wondering how 1 can stand three more
times like this, and trousseau in addi-
ton, because, of course, she's going to
marry!"
The difference will probably be lot
of hand work on the trousseau," was
replied, but you do not seem to take
into consideration that she will help
you"
''Oh, no, I'm afraid her education in
that line is being neglected. You see l
do not like to tie her down to sewing
when she is having her vacation"
This seems to be the sentiment of a
good many modern mothers with regard
to both boys and girls-that they are
not to have any responsibility of any
kind.
One wonders how, with such lack
of training, they meet duties which de-
volvc upon them suddenly, later on.
Fine sewing is as much of science
and accomplishment as ever and very
many intelligent women make it an i'm
portant part of daughters education,
knowing that a little responsible work
and incidentally unsetish thought of
her mother need not mar her pleasure
! They are sure on the other hand that
it helps to develop her character.
Every girl is certainly proud of pret
ty, dainty belongings and if she is con
suited and encouraged in doing so she
will take pride in assisting with their
making
The fault to which college girls in
cline are three: Extravaganza in ex-
pendture and dress; carelessness of
health; and lack of preparation for wise
adult living. As TO the first. the al
lowance of girl is everywhere larger
than it was a decade ago; so much is
admitted by all. The girls with small
allowanccs-and these are in the ma
jority-find themselves handicapped un-
doubtedly.
To dress. there are still some colleges
where this counts for little But in
most colleges quite the opposite is true.
Take. for illustration. one small de-
tail, that of the jackets and coats a
girl needs. Once one Jacket to be worn
with her street suit in winter and one
for spring would have been enough
Today she needs not only these two to
begin with! but long coat to wear
over dresses without jackets. a sweater
a white coat to go with white skirts
one of colored linen to match a skirt of
the same, an evening coat for winter
and another for spring and fall, and an
ulster for extreme winter days.
1t would indeed be discoura ging to
small pocketbooks if all schools, re-
quircd such an outlay. The large col
leges and fashionable finishing schools
are those she has in mind, where the
extravaganza in dress is only an item
Club dues, laundry, tickets to this or
that, afternoon teas at tea-room
drives, an occasional afternoon in town
small gifts of flowers, count up appall-
ingly. There are other schools of high
standard, where both the dress and the
life ar kept more simple, but one must
acknowledge with the writer of the
foregoing article that the tendency
everywhere is toward extravaganza.
Simple in appearance, some of the
girls evening frocks are extremely ex-
pensive. With good taste and a nat
ural facility for making things, girls
can manage on much less than they i'm
agine.
Any number of good models are ex.
hibited which are adaptable for the
use of school dresses The discrimina
tion between utility gowns and those
which are to be kept for daintier weal
most girls have the good sense to pre-
serve in wearing their school ward.
robes. Some of them. however. seem tc
be always out at elbows and no matter
how large wardrobe they start will
Christmas finds them without a pre-
sentable frock These are the girls who
ought to know something about tn,
money expended and the work en-
tailed in getting them ready. The kline
of clothes to wear are appropriate one:
not snowy ones and not necessarily fin,
ones.
Since the school term covers practi
cally three seasons and often times
few summer gowns are necessary fo
early hot days and late hot days
These days are pretty sure to come
excepting in the Northern and North
eastern schools. 1t is seldom necessary
to make up new thin summer gown