The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-09
Richmond Member to Present
Valuable Historical Paper.
THE FIRST GREEK FRATERNITY
1. Was Organized a, William aud Mary :
Few Mouths After the Declaration Of
ladcpeudeuce-A Great a!any Dis
tluguished Members North aud
south-Bauquet After Ad-
dresses.

The annual reunion and celebration os
the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Willtams-
burg tomorrow is looked forward to
with much interest by the members OF
the society. other literary people of this
city and other sections of the State.
The celebration promises to be one os
much value from 4 literary standpoint,
Ind tho social functions adjunct thereto
will also be brilliant and worthy Of the
traditional name of the ancient capital
and the college of William and Mary.
At q preliminary meeting of Alpha
Chapter of Phi Beta. Kappa. which will
be held at the college Mr. PIummer II.
Jones, of the Union Theological Semi
nary. of this city. and Mr.. Frank T.
Brent, secretary of the State Board oe
Education. will be regularly initiated
as members. This will increase the NUM-
ber of members of the society in this
city TO sixteen. After the meeting oe
the ctaptersthe celebration will be held
in the college chapel, probably the most
historic and inspiring assembly hall in
| the State.
The poem of the occasion will be de-
livcred by DR.. Robert Underwood john
son. a distinguished litteratsur, and
member of the staff OF the Century
Magazine. New York..
Tlic address of the occasion will be-
delivered by Mr. Frank r. Brent. of this
city. upon the theme, The Northwest
Territory and the Ordinance Of 17s1.
4 This address, coming, as " does, front
one OF thsSforemost thitTkerssand schoIafS
of the State. will undoubtedly provesui
immense value from d historical and
literary standpoint.
The banquet will be served in the hiss
toric college library Immediately atteA
the celcbra ton. In the invitations sent
out to members of the society it Is .eX-
pressed that "a collation. will be served
to which the married members will brina
the ladies of their Immediate families,
and the single members will bring ar3
orc lady they NAL care to invite. This
banquet will be a brilliant social func-
ton and will be sracel by the presence
of q number of prominent society ladies'
OF Williamsburg and elsewhere.
y number of the members OF Phi Beta
Kappa from this city. from Norfolk. and
from other parts of tho State, as well al
from Washington. are expected to hs
present Among the number will be DE-,
Thomas Nelson Page. the noted aHthors
FOUNDING OF, PHI BETA kAPPA.
The Phi Betta Kappa Society was
founded at William and Mary College.
Virginia's oldest and most noted insti-s
tuition of learning. on December 3, isib---
| Just five months after the Declaration &c
independence in Philadelphia. This easily
makes the society the oldest Greek letter
order in the world. No other Greek ira
| ternity even approximates itSin- age Or
approaches it in It's ideals. Back of tho
movement were a number of represerI-
tative young Virginia gentlemen. nearly
every one OF whom became famous latss
in life in some service to his country
The first minute of the orders records,
which are preserved at William and MARY
College in the possession of the orisins
Alpha Chapter. has this to say concerts.
| ing the founding of the society: lis
! Thursday. the 5th day of December. IN
| the year of Lord God one thousand seven
| hundred and seventy-five, and the FIST
I of the Commonwealth, happy spifts
| and resolution of attaining the end or
| society entering the minds of John Heath.
| Thomas Smith. Richard Barker. arfflt-5
| stead Smith, and John Jones. and after
| wards seconded by others. prevailed and
| was accordingly ratified The rscord
| then enters into an explanation OF the
socety's objects and gives the rules IN
| detail The first- rule says IN every,
| design or attempt whether great or
| This rule evidently gives a. light into the.
| serious character of the young men Hlf..
l. founded the fraternity. The minutes OF
/ the records are comprised In -aboas
| Twenty-Five or thirty pages. and at M.
| tervals is. mentioned the fact that the
society believed in an occasional pan.
| duet. The minutes also contain n1ileh
| allusfon to the politics of the time. which.
i as is well known. were very warm.
! The first stadium of Phi Beta Kapps
| was short In ISL Benedict Arnold sailed
| along the Virginia coast and spread CON
I sternation among the people. Williams
/ burg became frightened, the studenG
I dernoralized and the records of the so
+ cIety were sealed up and given into thu
hands of the college steward until tht
! desirable event OF the societys resur
| rection.'' This slu1nber of the paren
! chapter continued until 1919. or sixty
/ eight years after the Revolution, waet
| a representative of the society from tiis
| North came and revived the chapfer
| which continued until the Civil Wal
when it was again broken up. to be re
| vived in 1883 with q new and visoroc
| life.
The early history OF the society is
teresting. During the first tive years
| it's life at William ard Mary a bout fl
/ men We're initiated by the order. TheG
men were all brilliant in youth and NOR
or less famous In after life. It is aaiss.
remarkable how many great names pro-
Iceeded. from this group, DIR. Lyon q
i Tyler, who has written sketches OF caess,
j of these men. has sltQ&r that nearsS
i every one OF them we in the CoTsihentsd
Army that seventeen served terms IN.
/ the State Legislature. eight Were inesa-s
+ bers of the cc-.v vans ton VIII tif.sd the
i Federal Constitution, five weEssnealherG
cf the National Hesfse of RepreseEss;s-
4 tYea and two of the National Senate
SoIae of the names are EEsflrod Wash
inSton, Archibald stuart, Clemens.