New-York tribune., 1912-01-21
High School Students
Find That Shirtwaists
and Skirts Cost
Money.

"yo Horace Mann High School girl has
r,eh, IN .uend more than SIS for a nat
and her whole wardrobe should not cost
more than 800"
This is a scientific truth arrived at only
after painstaking investigation on the par'
Of the persons most intimately concerneu-
namely. the high school girls themselves
Did some one rudely interrupt TO say ne
should think father was the person iIloS'
intimately concerned, as he pays the ollls
That Is an archaic idea. Modern though'
teaches that the wise virgin knoweth her
oxn needs better than any male. Heed
less indulgent fathers who were wont 10
hand out $50 for a hat, or TO remark In
differently. "Oh. just spend as much as you
like and send the bill to your old daddy
are now snapped up short by the miss VINO
saws in disapproving tones, THANK you'
father. but shall need only SO II is
obvious that father is a secondary agent,
daughter is the person who counts; out as
Ta,b.r stands to make money out of the
transaction, he will not complain after ne
recovers from the blow to his prloe al oeihs
told what's what by his baby
How did daughter learn so much aooul
what her clothes cost? Most girls nave no
idea about II; have you? NO? wen, the
Horace Mann High School girls didn't nave
either a month ago. When MIS- Charies n
Farnsworth, who teaches the class III
.'practical arts" put the question 10 thern
thew had to confess that they mao never
thought about the cost Of clothes. Where-
upon they were told to find out. They
must take a notebook and pencil and 20
,hroupb their wardrobes taking down the
cost OF each garment What they didn
know about themselves they must ask thelr
mothers. and II mother didn't kno" 'hey
must 90 10 the store or get catalogue
and find out from that
When these totals were added up lne
girls found TO their amazement that most
OF them were spending between $S" anu
500 a year. They looked themselves over
and decided they were dressed ABOUT as
high school girls should be dressed IN
shirtwaists and skirts, or simple serge
dresses. 30 500 was accepted as the maxi
mum dress allowance for properly De-
haved high school girl OF moderate means
There was one girl, however, VINO was
horror stricken TO find her expenditures
mounted up to $500. In the classroom that
day she looked much as the other girls
did. Close examination showed her waist
10 be OF fine linen and real Irish lace her
skirt perfectly tailored and her stockings
silk but she wore no expensive jewelry or
anything unseemly for a school girl she
was ashamed though-s8OO just for clothes!
isn't It dlsgracefulo" she confded to the
teacher after class And that doesn't in
clude my fur coat. That cost S3OO but l
simply could not count 1t in. I'm going
TO make father cut down my allowance TO
SOC"
Il wouldn't do that, II ! were you" the
teacher suggested "You have right 10
ell the money your father can AFFORD TO
let you have You need not spend 1t all
for clothes Keep a reasonable amount
for them. and do something really worm
while with the rest. For Instance you
might take charge Of little girl In one
Of the settlements, see that she has clothes
and send her to the country in the SUM-
mer How would you like that?"
The girls Dyes grew big. Il never thousht
OF that she gasped.
Another girl came 10 the teacher peiore
class. looking very unhappy.
DO / have 20 tell how much SPENT
che begged III was only $40. i don't want