Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-25
Many Chapters Of Greek Let
ter Fraternities Here.
DINNERS AND SMOKERS
WHERE YOUNG AND OLD MEET
ON COMMON GROUND.
Prominent Men Who Are Members
Organized at Union College - The
Famous Phi Beta Kappa.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

- BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Evening Star and the Chlcaso
Record Herald.
Many public men are members OF creek
letter college fraternities. The Alpna Deita
Phi has almost "a quorum of the supreme
Court, Justice Brown and Justice Day De-
ing from the same chapter at Michigan
University Psi Epsilon has enough sena-
tors to make UP strong committee III
Guiding Frye Spooner, Depew, Newlands,
Hawley and Wetmore. Representatives
Dalzeu and Allen of Maine, former Repre-
sentative Galusha A. Grow, DR.. Galiaudet,
president of the deaf-mute college, ana
clifford Pinchot. the chief of the forestry
bureau. are also Psi US. President Arthur
belonged to that fraternity. President Car
field was a Delta Epsilon. President NC
Kinley belonged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon
and president Roosevelt is an Alpha Delta
Phi. When the latter held its annual con-
yention here two or three years ago ne
invited the boys to the White House anu
gave them a very cordial reception. az, IA
remembered the grip so wen tnat ne w ~.
not have to be prompted, ana ne gave IL
to each one as they passed by TO snake
hands with him. He told them of ms m
terest in the fraternity and recalleo me-
dents of his college days. me F[esl ust'
mainly Is his strongest characteristic, anu
the vitality of his interest in his felloW
men, particularly young men, is SURPRISING:
Chief Justice Fuller is a member OF en-
psi and the late Speaker Reed belonged to
the same chapter at Bowdoin college. ne
late ]. Sterling Morton, Secretary OF Agri-
culture under the Cleveland administration;
Thomas w. Palmer, president OF the
worlds Columbian exposition; Don M
Dickinson of Detroit and other famous men
belong to this society. During the world
fair at Chicago it was the only college Ira
ternity that maintained a clubhouse Tor
visiting members.
Dekes Are Strong Here.
Delta Kappa Epsilon is very strong III
Washington and its reunions always attract
groups of distinguished men. Senators
Lodge. Beveridge, former Secretary Long
and former Secretary Herbert are members
of this fraternity.
JustIce Harlan, Representatives Hit.
lands and Miers are members of Beta
Theta Pi. Elihu Root and Andrew =.
White are Sigma CHS, and the late sen
ator ingalls, belonged to this society. Inc
late Senator Davis of Minnesota was
Delta Phi. Delta Epsilon is represented In
Congress by Senator Proctor and Repre-
sentative Payne, chairman of the HOUSE
committee on ways and means, ana on tie
federal bench by Judge Mott Of the Court
of Claims Other members of that fraternity
were the late Senator Morrill, and the late
Justice Field. Daniel s. Lamont IS
Delta U. Senator's Bailey, money anu
John Hay former Attorney General Grlggs
and Judge Peelle Of the Court or GAINS
belong to Theta Delta Chi. Senator fa4f-
banks, the Vice President-elect Is a mem
Der of Phi Gamma Delta; Senator Me-
Comas is Phi Kappa sigma ana senator
Foraker is Phi Kappa Psi,
Delta Epsilon has lot of college presl-
dents Including Jordan of Stanford An
drews of University of Nebraska Faunce
of Brown, Atherton of Pennsylvanla States
chancellor Snow of Kansas Washburn or
Robert College in ConstanuhopigG anu L
tobe. dean of the University of Japan.
Abba Delta Phi has long list OF college
presidents also. 1t is represented IN the
Senate by Mr.. Allison and Mr.. Quaries OIL
Wisconsin, and has nan d uoZel .Iln 90
dor to England; Edward Everett Hale ana
the late George William Gurus nave peen
presidents of that fraternity Inc late
Chief Justice Chase was member 1t was
founded by Samuel Eeils of Cleveland MT
Chases law partner
The Mother of Fraternities.
while tho first was organized at William
and Mary College in Virginia, Union Col
lepe is really the mother of Greek letter
,raternities. Six of the oldest were Or
ora nized there in the little town of Sche-
nectady on the principle that birds or
feather flock together. Kappa Alpha, the
first grew out of the Intimate association
OF a group of students who used 10 meet
regularly for social enjoyment AS pano
~ Union they adopted Greek name, which
with the youthful love of mystery they
pledged themselves to preserve secret
from all the rest of the word ~ was ~
he known only by it's initials. That was
az long ago as 1925 The new Idea pc
came SO popular that two similar organlza-
tinns were effected by other groups OF stu
dents in 1S27-Sigma chi ana Deta - ni o.
C,l,i a
tain the dignity of constitution anu
home, a special room having peen secuieu
for the meeting of it's members at Scnenec-
tady, which was furnished with great lux
NV for those days and was sealed with
seals and barred with double bars. so that
outsiders might not desecrate the sacIeo
mysteries within. In 1882 Samuei Eeiis
who was a student at Hamilton College, IN
troduced the feature there, and, Gaining
around him a number of congenlal spirits,
organized the Alpha Deta Phi fraternity
for literary Improvement, as wen as sociai
culture and enjoyment, and that fraternity
has ever since been recognized for the hlgn
scholarships and literary atta1nments OF IT'S
members. Psi Epsilon was organized al
Union the next year, Delta Epsilon at VIII
liams in 1894 Bet Theta Pi at Miami Uni
versity in 1899, Chi Psi at Union In 1871,
and Delta Kappa Epsilon at Yale in 1914
Twenty-eight Greek letter fraternitles
now have chapters in the prominent col
leges and universities of the country, and
have printed catalogues of their members
Princeton Is the only institution or prOml-
nence in which they are prohibited. The
late President McCosh was foe to all Sc
cret organizations. He was strongly anti
Mason and carried his prejudices so far as
to abolish them among the students In the
college. Several times since the fraternitleS
were suppressed attempts have been made
to reinstate all Of them, but the vigilance
of the faculty has been equal to the emer-
gencies. and Princeton Is still unique among
universities for that reason. The students
find fellowship in non-secret social clubs,
Phi Beta Kappa.
Phi Beta Kappa. which has the longest
catalogue Of great men. cannot properly be
classed with the other fraternities, because
its members are not selected for social rea-
sons, but purely for scholarship, and In
most of the universities there Is an arbi-
trary rule admitting to its membership
certain percentage of each graduating class
who have reached certain standing. The
members of Phi Beta Kappa do not usually
have houses like the other fraternties.
1t is interesting to know however, that
1t was the first Greek letter society ever or
ganized and that 1t was originally intended
to promote patriotism instead OF scholar
ship. 1t was organized in the Raleigh tav-
ern, Williamsburg, Va, on a bleak night
in December, 1776 by five students Of Will