Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1917 — Debutantes Old-Fashioned as Wakes. [ARTICLE]

Debutantes Old-Fashioned as Wakes.

Writing of American “society” as a woman-controlled caste, Elsie dews Parsons says in the New liepublic that it is growing out-of-date. “In early societies changes in life are met with ceremonials —with maternity, birth, adolescence, mating and death rites. In modern life this crisis -ceremonialism is passing, much of It has passed. Coming-out parties are ‘society events,’ weddings are described as ‘fashionable,’ funerals as years, however, debutante entertainments have been considered rather ridiculous affairs, and fashionable weddings a little vulgar. Funeral rings and scarfs and gloves are no longer presented to the mourners, friends are even asked not to send flowers. It will not be long before a wedding breakfast Will be as bourgeois as throwing rice in a railway station or as 5 funeral feast, and standing up’ all afternoon w ith a ‘bud’ as antiquated as; sitting up all night with a corpse.”