New-York tribune., 1876-01-08
A REPLY TO THE PRINCETON ALUMNI.
CATD FROM THE KEW. DIT. FINOENI'
To the RAZOR OF The Tribune.

To the Edttor or The Trt6une
SIR: The proceedings of the Alumni COM
mtce secret societies. published in Friday mornngs
issue, call for few words which, as an old grad
uate and quondam secret society manyou will perhaps
allow to utter through your columns. Ii is most
unfortunate "rcsut" OF thcse much-lauded institutions
that as Mr. Edgar admits, "f from tine very nature OF
their secrecy" parents and others who are most int
rested knowing the facts can learn little or nothing OF
their inLer workings.
Tnc statements made in this meeng aet forth two lu-
damenal arguments the liberation Of secret societies
First that they have become Identified with the col
lcge stem and necessary to the college e or young
men, IN many TO relieve their conscience OF all
obligation to observe pledge not to belong to Them III
other words tho obligation the society Is paramount
the OBJ CATION to veracity IL seems to me
that any element OF student life which thus tends TO en-
courage and justify lying had better be eliminated from
the American college sy stem as soon as possible
The second argument Ql is These societies exist ana
will exist, therefore they ought to DO tolerated; ol
which process OF logic 1t need oay be said that to what
ever it may lead within college precincts, its practical
results in other spheres would entail certain conse-
quences somewhat unpleasant to society at large ana
entirely satisfactory to tho tenants OF Sing 6ng Oh O the
Tombs"
Secret societies. We arc told by Of these gentcmen
influence for good evil IN precise proper
ton societies controlled by g0Od OF Dad
men," But tho very marrow Of the question Is here
Are they habltually controlled by good meni
OF course this is question which rests wholly WIN
the students Tho secret societies have been practically
outside OF the Jurisdiction OF the Faculties ana hes'
societies fall into two classes-he liter ry and the con
yiyal. Ono class represents the studous ana steady
meu the other the fast men," One class carous.s in
secret debates and reads essays In secret ana
ere are few any societies OF the latter class which do
not mnge the cOHyiyial with the literary. The last
societies seldom become literary the literary
societies. unfortunately, sometimes graytate toward ul
due conyiy.aity. Somehow, get IN who crave
larger infusion Of the social element Men get In whose
habits unlcrgo change after they enter and heso carry
r change IN Themselves the very place where, from
the intimacy of the relations II Is most innuhtldl anu
does harm In associations Of this character the
conyiyal element tends to the ascendency Ihat "hth
begins with being exception easily becomes the RUE.
Ia ur the circumstances the secrecy, tne freedom
from pressure OF daily routine and official authority,
clement 10 tc wall At any rate. Whatever may be the
cn,Iccr AMI scholarship Of OF these as'0 0lttohs
tho point i, that tho system admits Of tho cAstcu'o ia
secreI bond, others whose members arc nilfcu Dy
ci loose iyc- ana whicn, everybody knows, exist iOr
"a uniuiS,akat,o. IL is against system TAi'n
tO!rIdtes sdch aes0cdtiUis ana "H'ch, 80 'i ~ 80
must tolerate these II H. tOitIates secret 'occho9d
~ are ,nd ss,n ~ college in which at period
WIS ptactca IL impossible To- student 10 remain M thr
Institution without being connected witn some secret SO
cciy. an further, ina at tnGt lime the college was ~
mos, sIrishiug sta.e. Mr. COo has certainly FURNISHED
his adycIslr,s with handle Il stud' Mt rrlA'lOh' 70
the college proper bc controlled by any force OUTSIDE
oi the college syseuil hc can be made uncoIuI'aDc
~ TIE pursuit OF .s auuies or driven iioh tLe ihsttu-
lion wirie % possibly necessary that hc
should remain does not belong to secret So
cety-lt surely tnue tie foot OF authority should
Dr ST upOn Tie whole business. IAat Inc nou'huhs
condition ui college should Gcpcnd III any dbltc 1poh
tAcs, ic student ciqu,si5 prcpostoiob' AAu 50 iar
"a, comfort Of The student Is c1uctihed tic tuh5 1
uti.fe po,.IDc. Nncn most OF class 10 distributed
nons y coterlcs It does not make the position oil tue
fsv Outndcis at all ~, liable.
gn tIii Ia Ilat uni,r ts system the natural adjust
ol relations an ong Students - indeiea @ alu o.n @
supesc Id Dy ah "dJ Jus', M iOl.u t'' Sc ~ i
tc., 1ue class teens "ith parry iSsse'' AM .;
ilpuss. St0NIu. not Uut Of any real dnthbolHh' ~
character 81 dihrirh'tS "a tWthlc' ~ ui' - -, f
nat one i. gua Tau auuihcr "A Kappa 1lu ahn
another an " lota Lambda Epsilon Many g'od .l'oNs
oIrn Lcttnu and helpful iht!maeies are helt "iooi
nf ,cl ohcr simply because th,y aWa iopAea through
The medium Of secret socriy prQulcns on tue other
hguI good men mot uLIrrqucnty brought AID hept
bv tn. artificial pressure ot soclcy pledges Hud bonus
t,,ipi.,rby ,ntimaoies and intO cooperation fOr
Xsain. LIS constraint upon student through the
society has Oscr results Not unile iieht-
ia student enters college under prohibition nom ms
parent to join secret society sueh pressure hs t"at
which, NE have been tOlu made II pr'c.cay ihp"s'lDo
flr "A society man 10 remain IA college, exposes hueh
student to infinite pam ana 10 dtnsrIour temptation
Further, II bears hardy oh poor students in''' s".'-
cIes are expensive. Badges, Initiation fees, Dandutts'
and "inch.en,al,' cost money. IL is hard hdeci II
stlent compelled I'D cdoat between chs7 'Stidcl,.l
and a drain a scantiy supplied pocket do not ray
ths alternative u Always ~, even OF Po9'hou m
Ioin that tho d"!chl' ga 'roict So',''c' nS '' -
tLaf sc ming t. possible; and stem hich renders
eucn re- c-ulis even remotely possible, Is q Did y stem
Sir. Edgar says tLcH' H"S,'lt' io ot 80 ~ 70,
tiou. tals suuarc issue "ith the statement, ana t"'
lnlt rAuf yt.
,o l.sipaton The college, have no more oihccnt pro-
mater. uf disslplOn ihcy Iufnish facilities anu tciHpd-
ON. by their very secrecy. INidcut! llf Idt4f du'-
when ne sli t-dl tnc tsiT"
d egps OF hi, society viii go nrthr III helping strh'
rr,ist tetpatun and eSll than ans other human inl
.uce" Tie secret society, on tbe contrary, LclpS 10
| cover up his dissipation. aud IN Too many
urecipltatc II To ts rlinots result " Inc
student -ays Mr. L., "ie,s the degradation oi bau
rputt nu In his society uucu more tuan ANY degree 81
COLL 20 dscipruc." Unfortunately, "a bdu reputation
ia "A spcic suc.ety Is term whioh needs dthht"h IL
IA un Ivay. lac eutnc tang ia the Ol college an
pf H., |.
two secret societies bad reputation IN some secret
societies would very hkoy Ia be tic d. - kill oi
reputation with the Fdcuy; aud no worse degradation
could btfdll student thah good reputation IOih H.
| standpoint og some ol these con'lyLh clilufS.
,Tantin. the common use o TIC tenn inc asscf-
tiou that Tin. -ludaId Of APPRECIATION IL hAgd ia IN
secret society and not I the legal authority OF Tue col
lege is Il damaging bloT ~ The whole ~ stem, ANA lays
open of ia great ralca deicc ts Ne developments o
| atiyled "A allegiance in the student Tie appreciation ot
l. true or noble ann as compared
with the appreciation of tBe constituted authority 10
which he pledges his allcs anco by signing the college
books.
once more we are told that secrecy renders the good ~
the ss associations morc exclusive Tray why shouid
good be made exclusive, when In ts very essenco II IS
diInsNei II young gentlemen can bring 10 pass
good by their COucldNcs they owe society the hthct
oi It, II might bee appalling to think OF the good locked up
in the archives the college societies for many wears,
II ne were tempted to ask, Cui bonO Come, let us
kuuw the good MHat h itf What good thing has Dc"n
brought pas by the whole array OF these societies,
thai could not as wei, have been done without the
crccyl indeed they nave contributed To Inc develop
mcnt OF those moral principles which lnculeaio such
Of ont III 'nls
not consider pledge "Of binding weight upon their
| "good - the brtter. MARVIN X. VINCENT.
80. 81 East ihirtyGJlh-st. Aew-lori, jan 7. 1876.