New-York tribune., 1876-01-22
COLLEGE FRATERNITIES.
THE POLICY OF PRINCETON.

-COMBINAIIONs
TO TIE Bd,tOr Of The tribune
SIR; The recent action Of the princeton
authorities has brought the subject Of college
before tie pubic for thorough discussion hi'nei'o
has bc,n ,he policy Of that college s ioeor lVs wv" ~
yary societies known the American W1g anu ChO'oPo
Halls by excluding the Greek letter faeefnees' """
have their branches in tho other colleges Of the Country
In order 90 secure ths student at his matrc
lst,on has been required sign apcdge not t")"h "'
seerr, society other than tho Clio or the wing "hio
member of college For twenty yeats thlS pe"so ""
ton exsced from entering class under ioh"! "
rroiaDt di,msSion IL it should he broken Ana 9e'' "
srI. t s,ch stringent measures tho forbidden fr"efh
tes arc said 20 have n0urished in the college uh' "
three years ago. when they were checked Dy eheue" ~
the two nails against them; AMI ~ tne VO "i 'o i"
cant Nyrt.gation ~ many Of them were etil IN
existence, including between 30 and 40 memoers vi
tins number for time dismissed aN young me"
o ba5 broken their word 10 than the laws OF the
eoI,eee II should be aided that some OF taem Weie
.rients Of high character who had Kept every o'noi
ol-l~o hnt his one and whose course during telr Va "
adm vile Iced to have honorable and paSe"or'hE
In view o; these extraordinary facts t"" fo'suons
-ssa What IL the true character OF college ratFfuhf"S'
and II ANY evils attend them, what IS thir o'' VIM"
As 90 the former qu Sion. il IA vcdY ol no'c' 'ud'
the oppcsition 90 these sc"'eiios hns 0saa3 c'e '
Hose vino do not belong 10 any of tfen am van ony
n.at t,cp tho nsitian of outside critics. II II i've sad
,on them ia enough TO condemn icn. the reply is "n
ytos thai in other il their anie gu"o"! an"
yIndicatiun They ARE known 70 COMPRISE '" aIso'N
,, tS Cover ef our educated class Their catalogues
reveal Tie names Of leading cersJmen, PhJ'ic'aN 1
ists merchants satcslner-ScboarS IN every walk OF
uia Their social reunions in large croS now ana
,leu lrfrr such men into pChc view. And II Is SmE
incredible that persons OF In H. u7mpcoC character
co;d have been drawn into crncioas organzat"n or
would continue to sanction one wAch was even O. dono'
ful value
If should also be remarked that the principles upon
which these frAterniues proceed obvious 10 all oh
eevers ana arc Of admitted power and advantage One
OF those principles and the most iundam, ntd IS at OF
conceniaty. IL is moro desirable IN college 'hah any
whore else to bs Intimate with ovey one. nor w0ld
be posle t. cheek that seec;lve tendency "ni'h per
vades al society and which ia peculiarly strong among
studen.s drawn together ia enthusiastic hnlshps th1
have mol yet been chilled by contact with t"e world
Thai distinctions OF various kmd'--eosaphc'i social
literary rclisous-wi assert themselves IN any large
academic community and within due limits. ouet TO be
rratihed seems plain 30 BE- argued Somehnos They
may form barriers shelter young nan from degTa
ing associations To allow scope in colieo Tor snci
seutncuts TO crush all distinctions, ana mass 10
cefhor five hundred students In two large heiay "Sso
caton where their intercourse coud Only be pupc ana
formal might be to fOrcgO some social elements
and influences which for general good II were wise
70 retain in their due place and measure lndood legal
Clos and Whs themselves beginning 70 Poai Tor
limited membership with special Guaa' sd'ns "hich
would simply be adopting the exclusive principle oi the
inuolAal,lScd GreeS letter fTateTpity.
As little need bo said in deiOse OF tho pincisos oI
secrcsy and afliaon which chaTaCteize these iraet-
mites Tue two Halls Princeton are based A. on an
oath OF secrecy aud IL is generally conceded td II thi
doors were thrown open much OF Their charm WoHa ne
lsnerd There Is probably no other American cOleg'
in which Greek letter chapters are not To be found com
prisins members Of Che faculty well a. alumni anc
stndels An almost universal practice would seem thu'
TO have sanctioned them: and 10 the undergraduate
uind at least powerful a~cn tion in the idea
of belonging 90 vast hidden Orctniztion Wn'h Sr's
Itsbr,3cnrs through our institutions Of learning, whici
selects its approved members from every g'nor1uon "
students pnd which designed for some laud2Aie obct
such as literary recreation, generous hte1 ealp, hsd
social culture and manly honor VOL AS mutual he
and good fellowship through after years. even IN distant
lands l. thu graduate member OF the association hhd7
such attractions waning he advances % liic. ioyonu
the rusearc region Of college romance a'o tic t'
common day yet no Oaey udnspJr; himself back
to the time whom thcy seemed more real ant substantial
and vii at least be prepared to reckon them among those
lunOoeut Of human natrio ana ot student h1'h
Tor which due allowance should be mde N leslHiuhs
apon this dflicalt question.
Tae evils whioh have boel charged against college iia
terres arc not inherent their Organization hut ore
manly such might AM do spring NJ 70 o;ner cream
stanccs ana whist parties mar so lsu, where no
Greek letters ana mischief ons rings ana e"Sh
q
the guse Of an esveIic pohty. Ia iart, .he fraternity o
ganzat OF alfpris X agsns such evils II Is ho
nj all t.,,lde that viJcly extended combination o.
eflatei societies could he maintained IN ru college,
year ast-r year for luere couviyal edoy ent alone. o
Tor any immoral purpose, even II occ.1a'! pc'eiiti
70 sue, ds ~ lci been proved by ~ ioQutie
showiuc uf facts thBt c 1niucnce Which t'se sae nj
ties exert college politics, dstribunC class oHce
and hcuos. and managing tie sporting incio" is o'e
hearing og more than voUl hc ieS.nma'eJ cGa 10 I'll"
same persona, nUit n otler relations Clil furnished
with b,ter evidences o thc contrary. must believe
that the moral and political objections 10 these aocedo
have been oyersatcd. il ucy not largely imaginary
The cotcIes and cahal, be drdet ore no' tdt
frafeinal L. nis of sume INTERCOLLEGIATE order. bnt he
roxiCus local oques which tho sQon'2ueons growth
Uf bad ons and neither restrained ~ hAcd
laws Dor moved ny honorable nprlscs ana traditions
1Le Only ALLEGED evils which peculiar TO these
fIatelnes, and therefore deserving 81 -roua ea'~
Grafton. are TIE two follow HS: l. That t''y icnd p"
iuure tie great literary halle which Aa'r ps'a iAr ti1
tae knowledge aud centrcl al thc college adt-"
Audit is fairly deiidiabl question Ia ,hei u'.u o.
these evils mSat no ne ceI teAIe iiel ~ ,' l" - ~
indicOus authorization t@u that OI inNsc INN ir pf"
h,btiGn. A 10 tle inst mentioned cFu, ID should 't "h
served tlat tIe luiI"m s 40 longer tAe oIi' on ma
on even I've years a-o lac d1cI 4, t,'tiEd,'
may think OF the Clio Eud mig sa'ioies a. - ~ aUir
.tnlcuts with Numbers OF each ii'A s"c.ing u
ward 300 AZ Il no longer possible for all 10 picde
equally ~ me ~dyauiS2 Ci tAese !Ii @
tons 20 ini in ihar iarge mixed hSSio,'-s !h!
% H., I,IPSt ieral STadnat,., have Themselves
lcter fraterit.es possible method 0f meeting NE
overflow OF students, already amounting to 30 OF 80 III
uUmOoT. How TO make duc p!ot son 10Y te Ho'ih !le
OF this GOwiug mass ~ Young men j. there ioie tHe
question which now lIe,sts upon b"iA ne adFOlaer
aid the opponents of collie ecruitlts and one which
i1'e r tlo ban II la, not yet been shown that the
organ cation of any new local literary or ecleHtihc
socieies would meet this problem; nor has u been been
proved that il the more select fraNlntes were duy
sanciiotd they could suly thhSJOrc prestige OF