St Josephs College - Footprints Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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Evolution of the Cap and Qown WITH noticeable lack of logic, educators have perennially decried the fact that the Catholic Church is opposed to learning. In truly para- doxical fashion, actions betray, or at least play havoc with, con- victions. If Mother Church has stilled the glowing spark of education, why cherish memories, nay even monuments, of her lack of wisdom? Why adopt, unfalteringly, those things which serve to disprove the thesis defended? If the progress of learning owes its uninterrupted course to other agents than Religion, why not adopt some of the relics of these agents? Why wear caps, gowns and hoods? They savor of religion; they were borrowed from ecclesiastical dress of medieval times. They stand as monumental proofs of the innocence of the Roman Church in regard to educational sterility. Caps, gowns and hoods — now so familiar as to be almost commonplace, were not always so. The first traces of education in class fashion, date back to the Cathedral or Monastic schools of the seventh century. These schools, saviors of learning (for barbarianism seemed destined to wipe it out), were conducted by the only learned men of the time, the clergy. Though these Cathedral schools were but harbingers of medieval universities (which were founded to meet the increased demand for higher education) they gave to the universities a splendid model of organization. The practice of granting academic degrees was begun by the Univer- sities of Paris and Bologna. The term bachelor, adopted in the thirteenth century, signified that a student had passed certain tests. The master degree signified only the license to teach. The emancipation from bachelor- hood, the time when a student was duly licensed to teach, was signified by a ceremony in which the instructor placed a birettum or cap on the head of the future master. It is said that the present day custom of conferring a hood for a degree had its origin in this practice. The history of the term doctor is uncertain. In the twelfth century the University of Bologna granted the degree of Doctor of Law. and at the same time the University of Paris conferred the degree of Doctor of Divinity. It was only natural (and this is the unqualified statement of both non- Catholics and Catholics) that the universities should preserve, as academic dress, an adaptation of the monastic habit — the wide robe, with its cowl or hood. The privilege of wearing such gowns as a mark of profound learning, limited at first to Doctors of Divinity, was later extended to students. Hoods, attached to the gowns, did not signify rank in learning. Not until the fifteenth century was an important step taken along this line. A disinction was made between lower and higher ranks. Hoods were separ- ated from the gowns and a border of color was added. A difference in length of gowns was also noted — the Master ' s gown being longer than the bachelor ' s. Doctorate, the highest rank, was signified by a small round cap with pointed front, an outgrowth or rather a replica of the ecclesias- tical cap worn over the tonsure. Since it is to England, Germany, and America that we owe most of our knowledge of the evolution of present-day academic dress, we shall consider the history and present status of the academic costume in these countries only. The best known universities of the British Isles have never adopted a uniform system of academic dress. Cambridge has clung to the seventh century type of dress even to the present day, with undergraduates ' costumes differinc; but slightly from Masters ' and Doctors ' costumes. The -4 12 )§►••-

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Horrors! Had my fears made me a subject of hallucinations? Could it be that my mind was no longer able to Eunction correctly? If I remem- bered rightly, the hands of the cluck were known to move not backward. hut forward! And yet, in this land of new experience they apparently moved backward. But nonsense, this could not be! 1 shuddered and roused myself a little from this lethargy of fear. My story was forgotten. I could do nothing but gaze steadfastly at the clock. The fiendish little instrument, though it continued to tick, now showed no perceptible motion of its hands. I could not tcdl what was wrong but, nevertheless. I sat very still hoping that this abnormal state would soon pass. My eyes burned painfull}- during the strained intervals between blinks. I kept them riveted on the clock. Finally, after what seemed hours, I heard the front door being noisily opened. The folks were returning from their night of pleasure. How quickly they broke my silly spell. Everything seemed quite friendly and natural again. The far corners of the room no longer suggested eerie sounds but rather reverberated with laughter and noise. I was greeted with surprise. (But why should they not express surprise at seeing me alive and well after what had befallen me in those few hours?) 1 ventured a timid remark about the clock. It was promptly taken down from the shelf and examined. As is usually the case with such phenomena. the explanation of this incident was almost shamefully simple. The minute hand of the clock had become loosened from its pivot and, instead of moving ahead, it slipped gradually backward until it reached the lowest point on the face, namely, the half-past mark. Consequently, though the small hand went ahead a trifle, the large one remained at this lowest point, motionless. EILEEN McLOUGHLIX. ' 27. M

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saint- type iif hood is often given for different degrees. Cambridge gives a scarlet gown and hood, the hood faced with pink, for D.D., LL.I).. and M.I). Cine is amazed cm seeing a gathering of English university men, for what the degrees are, and what universities have conferred them are difficult matters to decide unless one is familiar with the system of each university. In America, the country must familiar to us. it has long been the custom for jurists. Doctors of Divinity and officials of universities, t wear Mack silk robes. Academic costume has not long keen considered an important issue. It was but recently that there was inaugurated a move- ment to establish a uniform system of academic dress in America. At first it was limited only to students graduating. Then students decided to wear caps and gowns fur commencement. When the members of the faculties noted the democratic yet dignified air which caps and gowns lent, they encouraged the practice and in fact adopted this dress themselves. The notion spread, until now. at leading American universities and colleges, the cap and gown are used not only for commencement but also other occasions. Today, in most colleges, students are compelled to wear caps and gowns when appearing in official capacity. An intercollegiate commission, sum- moned in 1894 to adopt a distinctive costume, has left us the present simple, adaptable code which regulates shapes of gowns and colors of h Is. They adopted these types of gowns : 1. Doctors — Silk gown; full, round, open sleeve which may be faced with velvet. The color of trimming on the sleeve must correspond with that on the hood. ' . Masters -Silk gowns with long closed sleeve, square at the end. with a slit for the arm. 3. Ikichelors - I ' .lack , worsted material with long pointed sleeves. The uniform cap for all degrees is the Oxford cap or mortar-board, with a black tassel. The practice of moving the tassel to denote advance, is not mentioned in the commission ' s work. The only variation in the type of tassel worn is shown in the privilege given a doctor to wear a gold tassel. Moods, the most important and distinctive feature of the American scheme, have an interesting system. In order to combat the difficulty which the English system presents, a simple color scheme was arranged. The basic color is black. Bachelors ' and Masters ' hoods are Oxford style. Masters ' being a little longer than Bachelors ' . Doctors ' hoods are made with a panel. A colored band, about five inches wide, on the outer edge, indicates the degree. The lining of the hood signifies the college or university conferring it. In case a college has more than one official color, one color is used as a lining for the hood and a chevron of the other color is laid on this lining. For example, the colors nf Princeton are orange and black. The lining of the hood is orange; a black chevron or bar is laid on the orange. The colors signifying the various faculties or branches of learning have historical associations : 1. White, for Arts and Letters, from the white fur trimming of Oxford and Cambridge B.A. hoods. ' . Red. traditional color of the Church throughout all ages, for Thee ' li igy. 3. Royal purple, of Kings ' Court, for Law. 4. Green, color ol herbs, for Medicine. 5. Blue, color of wisdom and truth, for Philosophy. 4 1 3 j3