The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-11
WOMEN'S FRATERNITIES.
"FRAT" LIFE IN CoEDUCATIoN-
AL INSTITUTIONS.
Over 100 Chapters Are in Existence
Today, With an Active Member
ship of 10000 Young Women.

When. some 30 years ago. woman wa.
first allowed the privileges of higher
education. she started out boldly tC
form a Greek letter secret society. TINS
first organization of this nature was
the l. o. Sorosis, established at Mon
mouth college, in Ohio, in 1861 But as
this was only a local college society for
several years before it changed its
name 10 Pi Beta Phi, Kappa Alpha
Theta claims the distinction OF being
the oldest woman's fraternity. 1t was
formed in the spring of 1870 at Depauw
university. Indiana. by and for women,
with a national charter. and in the fall
of the same year Kappa Kappa Gamma
was organized at Monmouth. This is
the largest and most prominent of all
the feminine fraternities, numbering 26
active chapters in various colleges. be-
sides several alumnae associations.
| Next in prominence are Kappa Alpha
! Theta, Pi Beta Phi. Delta Gamma and
Alpha. Others are Gamma Phi Beta
and Epsilon Kappa Pi, while Delta
| Delta Delta, established in 1889 at Bos-
ton, is the youngest of the sisterhood-
FORBIDDEN BY OTHER CHAR
TIERS.
These fraternities for the gentler sex
| are IOunQ IN CO-eQuCdllOudl INSTITUTIONS
only. as the charters of the women'S
colleges forbid them. They are organi-
cations similar to those found among
students at mems colleges, but they
have no connection with the Sterner
brotherhoods.
The officers and government differ in
each fraternity. but most of them are
governed by o grand council of officers
who are either the usual OneS-presi-
dent. secretary, treasurer, etc.-or the
heads of divisions of the fraternities
called districts or provinces, and with
the aid of annual or biennial cOnven-
lions govern the fraternity.
The best of these societies form
branches or chapters in co-educationnl
ing only. There are now over 100
chapters and a membership of some TO-
600 Young women.
Many of the fraternities publish mag
azines, and all have their colors, badge,
flower, song, secrets, grip. password
and other characteristic features. The
Kappa Alpha Theta's journal. edited by
the Iota chapter, is called the Kappa
Alpha Theta. The society's colors are
black and gold, the flower is the black
and gold pansy, the badge is something
of a kite-shaped ornament of gold and
enamel, its secrets, grip and password
are a deep-dyed mystery to the uniniti-
ated. The Key is Kappa Kappa Gam
mas publication, this fraternity being
the first to bring out a magazine. This
latter is in charge of the Psi chapter at
Cornell university. Kappa Kappa Gam
mas colors are dark and light blue, the
fraternity stone is sapphire. the flower
fleur de lis, while its insignia or pin is
a pretty little key of quaint design Pi
Beta Phi publishes the Arrow at Ann
Arbor, Mich; its badge is a dainty ar
row with a chain and long mystic pin
attached, its colors are wine and silver
blue it's flower the carnation.
THE CREAM OF SOCIETY.
The frat" life, as it is termed in
college vernacular, is the social cream
of the college. and the student VINO is
without the charmed circle is some
what looked down upon, and certainly
misses much pleasure in her college
career. At the opening of the college
year. when the new girls begin TO put
in an appearance, the fraternity girls
spot" any newcomer that may hap
pen to strike their fancy. She is
brought up before the fraternity as a
body and voted upon. If she receives /
one black ball she is forever excluded, I
but if she finds favor she is admitted /
with flourish of trumpets and hence /
forth is somebody in particular upon 1
the college horizon. These secret Co /
terdes do much toward forming and /
friendships, and in /
the girls in cl0serA.tOuCn With !
the college life. The fair young men, /
bers have very jolly times among them /
selves and do a gOOdly amount of mer
rymaking Each fraternity meets once /
a week usually in the evening. and /
after the business is transacted the
girls have dances, games, plays and
other varieties of amusement. No out
slider is admitted, but once during each
term an open meeting is given to the
''frats" in the evening, and
an afternoon reunion to the ladies of
the college.
THE BASIS OF THE FRATERNI-
TIES.
The secrets are not the dark and
grueSome things that are conceived in
the minds of the outsider, but are real
~ mild and scholarly and often an
incentive to unselfiSh and noble actions
and ambitions. No one knows how the
novice is initiated, not she herself I'M
til she joins. that is a frat" secret
Of fraternities if made of principles
which teach right living and right
thinking. The initiate must dwell upon
these until they become a fact of her
life and are reflected in her conduct.
This is the deeper significance of the
The initiation is a beau
-iful ceremony and the vows taken are
n accord with the principles of truth
Some of the Greek letter societies
nave built chapter houses where they
hold their meetings, and which serve
is clubs or resting places for the mem