The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-06-02
FIVE USEFUL YEARS.
The Alpha Sigma of the
High School Ready to
Close Half a Decade.
AGLIMPSE OF ITS HISTORY
Notes From the Social World-The
Marriage Month is
Will Begun.

The annual banquet of the Alpha
Sigma. which will be held at It's rooms III
The High School one week from roda v,
will mark the completion OF its MIN
year of life and work. Since It's DeSin-
ming, in the year 1888 the weekly meet
ings of the Society have been held VIII
out interruption other thar that caused
by school vacations. Members may
come and members may go. as the sue
cesslye classes graduate from the school.
but the Alpha Sigma has so far gone on
without q break. and Its members, actiVe
and honorary, hope that, continuing the
brook metaphor, 1t may Ego on Tor
ever"
For some reason, societies for girls In
the Jersey City High School had been up
to The formation of the Alpha Sigma
more of 4 spasiDodic than settled charac-
ter. Even while the society was quietiy
taking form among the mbe OF tue
Junior class, 1t had an object lesson IN
how not to do it from an ORGANIZATION OF
girls that rose in a day, aud nourisheu 50
vigorously as TO flourish itself out or ex-
isteuce in something less than SIX weeks.
Preserved i'll the archives OF the forensic
were various ~self-contented accounts OIL
the short careers of ope twenty girls SO,
ciet,es that had fallen while the one boys
club had gone on with us t"euly
odd years of existence. Al
MOI fail to hear and near In such a variety
of forms that 1t is a wonder that tney
were not scared out of the place at the
start. But the perseverance, tha6 ulsiln-
puished the career OF the society WAS
evident even theu. la the tall OF
1883, ten girls, members OF the clasS OF
1890, met IN the classroom OF Prof. EcA-
noff after school hours, aud without say
ing much to anyone outside, drew up Sne
plans of fraternity.
HOW IT STARTED.
The meeting was to nave ueen held III
Miss Bevier's room, but the sweeping
brigade of the school was in possession OF
that, and the society..was potiyet.euougn OF
a power to stand against ths oroohis. Inc
meeting was distinguished for its levlty,
but iC was the lust one so distinguished
The COMMITTEES on Constitution was APP
pointed, and when it reported. Soule SIX
weeks after. the society was put Oh d
firm foundation OF good government.
Seriously speaking. the piau OIL the SO
clety was the result of CONSCIENTIOUS ei-
fort on the part of the origiuators 20
place the club on n self-governing basis,
so thai its existence woulu not
depend upon the presence OF any
out person or combination OF persons.
There were to be TWO classes OF officers.
primary, elected in June for the term OF 4
school year, aud secondary, minor execu-
tive officials, elected in January anu
June. Rotation in office is taciJly under
stood, The utmost care was to be exer-
cised la the selection OF members, winch
once admitted always rema MEMBER OIL
the fraternity. 1t is practically a secret
~society-that IS, the business session Is
not open to visitors. and there are various
mysteries 6nch as belong with a Greek-
letter chapter OF any sort. but the literary
session. which occupies all out forty-ive
minutes of the weekly meeting. Is open
to any friends of the society who may
choose to attend.
LITERARY PLANS.
The course of stndy is arranged by a
committee appointed in May, to report in
June. Each day is devoted TO the con-
sideration of some appointed author OF
the nineteenth century, after the follow
ing o~rder:-Sketch of Personal Character
istlcs, Sketch of Literary Methods. and
from four to six readings Eor recitations
in illustration. The society goes into the
Committee OF the Whole for discussion.
The remaining features are an essay on
some topic of current history. the report
OF the critic of preceding meeting, and
reading of the Ol0l, the society's paper.
Every fourth meeting the study. OF
literature is replaced by a debate. four
members participating. The only public
appearances of the society in the debating
field was in 1896, when they met aud con-
quered a delegation sent from q literary
society of young men then In existence on
the Heights.
WHO BEGAN IT.
The ten charter members were Misses
Florence and Clara De Hart, Eleanor X.
Woodward, Eleanor Buchanan, Virginia
Craig (now Mrs. F. Rawdon MARTINI /,
Laura Dominick, May Brady. Mary
Lanberton, Wayne Ormiston aud Addle
Jones. The first President was Miss
Lamberton, the first Vice President,
Miss Florence De Hart. These were the
two to issue the first call for the Society.
or the sixty or seventy graduate mem
bers. ninety per cent. are honor pupils,
some seventeen medals having been won
by the fraternity. This is the more re-
markable as the members are selected as
q rule from the sophomore year. After
winning salutatorian honors. Miss Eva
Bridgart, Secretary OF the Society, won
the first prize scholarship to Barnard
College, for which students from all
over the Unitei States competed.
Miss Van Reipen and Miss
Lulu Farrant, W. other members
are now at college. The First Vice
President received the degree OF Doctor
of Medicine in New York last night, win
ming a hospital appointment in Boston
Space is Insufficient To tell what the
members have done TO distinguish them
selves since leaving, but it is all retold in