The San Francisco call., 1896-10-01
They Become a Local Society
in Spite of Strenuous
Opposition.
BUT THEIR ALUMNI APPROVE.
Whole College World Affected and
Very Severe Censures Sure
to Follow.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CAL, Sept.
30.-A sensation unequaled in the history
of the university, and without parallel in
club-life OF other colleges, has just devel-
oped here. The "Fiiis,' a branch OF the
National college Greek-letter fraternity OF
Phi Gamma Delta, announced tonight
that they have surrendered their charter,
renounced allegiance to the National order
and have become local society without
other affiliations.
This action comes Unexpectedly. 1t is
certain to be far-reaching in its effects
throughout the college world. The men
participating in it will, as a natural re-
suit, be expelled from the order, that being
the only way, it is said, in which mem bers
OF college secret societies can be officially
divorced from their oath-bound obliga-
tions TO the fraternity and permitted 10
join another order
Phi Gamma Delta is one of the oldest
Greek-letter fraternities, having been
founded in 1913. 1t has chapters in forty
eight of the larger colleges and universi-
ties in the United States, graduate chap
ters in several of the larger cities and an
active membership of 600 collegians. with
hundreds of graduate members in the pro-
fessional world, many of them of consider
able prominence. Among such are col
lege presidents and large mum ber of col
lege professors, jurists and statesmen,
clergymen and litterateurs. Of the last
mentioned Rldpath, the noted historian !;
Eggleson of ''The Hoosier Schoolma ster''
and Geleral Lew Wallace of Ben Hur'
are familiar names, while the Right Rev.
McLaren, the venerable Episcopal Bishop
of Chicago and one of the earliest initiates
of the fraternity, stands at the head of
a numerous representation among the
clergy.
The Stanford chapter, organized only
few weeks after the university opened it's
doors, was one of the first in the field.
Early establishing itself in the clubhouse
it assumed and maintained the lead in
the social and fraternity life of the uni
versity. As an example of its relative
standing it is only necessary to cite last
years record. With a chapter mem ber-
ship of about fifteen men among HOO
students and in competition with some
ten or more other fraternity chapters it
received many of the most coveted
positions attainable through individual
fitness captain and two other
men of the Varsity football eleven,
captain and another player of the Varsity
baseball team, the intercollegiate cham
pion hurdler, president and three other
members of the glee club, president of one
of the four classes, captains OF two class
football teams and representatives upon
the college publications and in various
student organizations. And this chaper,
we'll known by reputation 10 the college
fraternity world because OF its unique
position in new university to which
great deal of attention has been attracted,
is now a thing of the past SO far as its
name and its National associations are
concerned. 1t has severed the fraternaI
links binding it to great family OF college
chapters and it has come out alone as an
independent local order under the name
Sigma Rho Eta
There are many results to follow from
this act. Every one of the forty-seven re-
manning chapters must suffer more or less
in its particular college because of the loss
10 the fraternity of one of its star chapters.
In some colleges it may disturb the rela-
tive positions of the different fraternities.
1t is sure to give rise to great deal of
comment and unfavorabIe comment, too,
for the National fraternity most affected
will condemn the move, and others, to
guard against its repetition elsewhere, will
denounce it roundly in their fraternity
magazines.
In Spokane, Wash, there is graduate
chapter of this fraternity with a Superior
Judge, capitalists and professional men
among the mem bers whose college days
were spent in the East In this State there
are said to be about a hundred old mem
bers, many of them in San Francisco,
where there is another graduate chapter
with Chief of the Weather Bureau Ham
mon at its head, and lawyers, doctors,
ministers and others among its older rep
resentatives from Eastern colleges. There
are also graduates of the University of
California, for at Berkeley there has long
been a chapter OF Phi Gamma Delta, and
it is reputed to stand among the first.
In spite of all these disagreeable COM
plications the Stanford "Fijis," as they
are best known, have taken this step.
counseled, they say, after a thorough
understanding of the case, by their own
alumni and not opposed by members of
the fraternity in the Stanford faculty.
There are three such members, Professors
Ross Newcomer and Kriehn.
1t is surmised that the men here con-
template alliance ultimatel ly with one of
the best-known and most conservative
Eastern fraternities.