The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-08-06
COLLEGE FRATERNITIES.

One of the questions which is con-
Fronting the heads of institutions of
learning, as well as the student bodies
themselves, is the advisability of
creating what may be termed fra
ternity college. The existence of such
a college does not necessarily tend to
endanger the maintenance of class and
college spirit, a necessary requisite
for fourishing American institution.
A fraternity college, as such, is one
that has Greek letter societies, which
| own or rent chapter houses in which
the members board and room. On the
other hand there are numerous col
leges which support fraternities, but
these fraternities are not allowed to
own or rent houses in which the men,
bers shall room and board exclusively.
In colleges of this second class, in
New England as we'll as in the South
and West, the so called Greek letter
fraternities are run as secret oIganiza-
tions independent of the college in
regard to rules and regulations. These
organizations allow members priv
ileges of attending meetings and re-
ceiving and giving marked hospitality,
from and to members of the same fra
ternity in other colleges which support
chapters of the same organization.
In the first mentioned class of col
GY1 ln ol IF
izations with the same rights plus
still greater ones. The members of
the fraternities live, eat and room to-
gether in houses, some of which are
gorgeous affairs, in structure as well
as furnishings These houses accomo-
date only limited number of persons,
and it rests with the members to
choose for their fraternities from the
entering classes, those who seem of
their own kith and kin. These men,
bers clique together throughout their
course shut in rs it were, from their
classmates, and are greedy to attain
honors for their particular society, and
their college, only, as coming through
members of their own fraternity.
1t is at this point that opinions
clash and trouble arises from college
fraternities. Fraternities can attain
to their ideals. and fulfil their true
purpose only a. they are in every
way subservient to the college at large.
To say that fraternities are detri-
ment to the students and college at
large would be a sweeping statement,
with little or no foundation; for as
both a college and class, as a rule,
have large number Of members, it is
only right that an entering student
should select certain number of COM
panions. congenial to his own tastes,
and bound as it were by bond of
brotherhood. Such brotherhood is
found in the fraternity. This bond
even extends beyond college days,
when all the members have scattered
in their various professions. The old
aristocratic families OF the South pre-
vious to the War of the Rebellion
loved the old homesteads around which
their ancestors had been wont to live
and roam, and rightly too, for these
spots were dear to their memories and
had, as it WERE become very part of
themselves. These citizens rebelled
against their brothers to preserve their
lands even at the expense of their
country They loved their country
but they loved their homes and States
better. The country to them was sub
ordinate to the State, and this is
where the wrong existed. 1t was a
narrow patriotism.
So is it with fraterpities. Let them
live and flourish in their sphere, but
let them ever be subservient to that
greater, wider, and more important
institution, the college. The frater-
mites should never forget their place
and go beyond the bounds of right to
become menace to that which every
class and college cherishes more dear
than anything else, that upon which
it is founded, that upon which its sue
cess depends as an institution, and in
fact it's very heart-the class and col
lege spirit.