Evening star., 1924-09-07
BY MARY MARSHALL.

<" HIS little orphan Annie
- stuff doesn't appeal to me,
complained a young girl
few days ago when with
her mother she had gone
shopping for her boarding school
wardrobe, and her mother regarded
the neat uniform dinner frock that
the saleswoman was showing her
with a species of contempt. And
had my daughter entirely QUILTED in
Paris" she said. And now / must
buy all these frocks and things. Even
the stockings must be uniform. 1t is
absurd"
"You should have known, mazda m.
said the salesw woman. that imported
clothes would not be suitable for
fashionable American DO a I'd n
school. But really these things are
not SO expensive. At present 1t does
come to quite a bit, perhapS-but
next year there will be only filling
in, and the year after. that, if your
daughter remains a the same school.
In the end it is great economy"
This is typical of the attitude usu-
ally taken by parents and young
girls regarding the uniforms pre-
scribed by All ever increasing num-
ber of the highest class boarding
schools. But usually they end by
liking the idea. And then it is rather
attending a uniformed school-sinCe
1t is for the most part the most eX-
elusive schools that have adopted
the idea
Not manS years ago it was only
the convent schools that required
q uniform and these uniforms were
usually anything but attractive.
Heavy, dark. Stuffy bouseS and
pleated or gathered skirts certainly
did not appeal to girls of boarding.
school age, Any middle ground be
tween this and perfect freedom in
the matter of dress was practically
unknown. In every school there were
girls who attended class in frocks
that would have been more suitable
for matinee party or a luncheon;
at boarding schools there were girls
who wore frocks for dinner that
would have been far more appropri-
ate FOR their own mothers. And in
every school there were girls who
made themselves conspicuous and usu-
ally excited the envy of their class
mates by wearing profusion of
1ewelry. Always a minority, three
girls often spoiled the tone of an
entire classroom. and kept precise
school mistresses in a constant state
OF anxiety. Transparent blouses,
snort skirts, Scotched stockings eX-
aggerated ear puffs. earrings. pluck
eo eyebrows, exaggerated bobs-all !
the fads that have come along to
give dress censors d chance to scat
ter their criticism, have appeared to
mar the serenity of the classroom
X x X Y
CBILESS the question of solving
the dress problem in our public /
nigh schools will still be troublesome.
but many of the more exclusive pri- |
.Vate schools have solved their dress |
problem to the ultimate satisfaction
OF all concerned through the adopt
ing of uniforms. For eventually of |
course both girls and mothers are |
won over.
At one of the best known of the !
so-called fashiona BILE schools in the |
EaSt-where no established uniform |
exists-there is, nevertheless, strict |
regulation of the dress of the pupils. |
One ring and one pin is all the jew |
elry permitted and this must not rep
resent great intrinsic value High |
heels are never permitted and hair |
must be simply arranged-bobbed or |
even shingled if the girls wish-but |
always neat and simple. Aside from |
that the girls are requested, though |
not required, to wear pleated skirts |
and simple waists. To carry out |
such regulations as this is undoubted-
ly more difficult for the school mis-
tresses than to put through some