Looking back on the posts in this thread, I was reminded of the awe in which we held kids who attended Catholic schools. They regaled us with vivid tales of the brutality of the Brothers and Sisters--what would happen to girls whose skirts weren't well below the knee, or who wore scarves to hide hickeys; or to guys who mouthed off. Later, when I entered the work force, I'd meet guys who'd gone through Catholic schools. "What was the teaching order?" I'd ask. "The Irish Christian Brothers," they'd spit out (in NYC, they had the reputation for being the most brutal--the Jesuits were considered too intellectual to get physical). "Did they beat you up?" "Dey beat da piss outta me!" "Would you send your kids to Catholic school?" "Yeah, sure! Teach 'em discipline."

As for jelly glasses: When I lived in genteel Summit NJ, the Central Presbyterian Church had a nice series of concerts at noontimes during Lent. People were encouraged to bring brown bag lunches. All the old ladies in town showed up with watercress sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper, and jelly glasses filled with milk.