The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-26
THE WAKE FOREST SPIRIT.

| lege. There have been 313 students
enrolled during the year and the grad
uating class is large and embraces men
who will be heard from in North
| Carolina. There is an air of hope,
confidence and progress. President
Taylor's health has not been very good
| of late, but he is the same wise and
useful leader he was when in his prime
he took the helm and guided the ship
| into safe waters. He is worthy of all
the esteem and regard in which he is
held here and all over North Carolina.
May he live long to see how grateful
the people of this State are for his
noble service
Work is going forward upon the new
building which is to cost twenty thous-
and dollars The roof will be on by
| July 18th, and it will be ready for use
at the beginning of the next session.
| The entire sum has been subscribed,
one half has been paid and the ball
ance will be paid in by the early fall.
In the successful raising of this fund,
contributed in small amounts from
alumni all over the State, Prof. Car
lyle has shown that he possesses a pc
culiar talent that is indispensable in
college leadership in this day when
the needs of colleges have been great
ly multiplied. To raise twenty thous-
and dollars in small sums (the largest
was 81, 00O) is no easy task, and Prof.
Carlyle is receiving the congratulations
and thanks of the alumni for his sue
cessful accomplishment of the work.
One of these days-after he has fin
ished his work and gone to his reward
lit will come to be known as The
Carlyle Building as a fitting monu
ment to his successful efforts.
An intirmary will also be built this
summer and made ready for occupan-
cy by the fall session.
The trustees have under advisement
the ways and means of putting in a
heating plant and an electric light
system, which are needed.
The chief matter of interest, aside
from the regular exercises, of this
commencement occasion, was the de-
bate in the meeting of the board of
trustees, over the fraternity questions
That question has troubled every col
lege since they were first organized.
In most of them the authorities, after
trying to keep them out, have capitu-
lated and given them open recognition,
often because they found that they
would exist in secret If put under ban.
At Davidson College they are not per-
mitted. During all the years there has
been more or less contest here as to
fraternities. Twenty-Five years ago
they existed-whether with the APP
prevail of the faculty or not do not
know Afterwards they were abolish
ed by the board of trustees. During
the closing year the fraternity spirit
has grown among portion of the stu
dent body, having existed more or less
sub rosa. About a year ago an earn
est effort was made to have the Greek
letter fraternities legalized. A substi-
tute motion was adopted, allowing the
continuance of the local social organ
izations then in existence on the con-
dition that each should have a MEM
Der of the faculty in its membership.
Following that action, much opposi-
ton developed among many of the
alumni and UNCONVENTIONAL leaders.
After a full discussion in the board on
Wednesday the organizations now here
were abolished and the formation of
any other was forbidden. The Greek
letter fraternities refused to encourage
sub rosa fraternities, but were along
the line of those fraternities There
are 80 men in college out of 313 who
are members of the fraternities. The
majority of the boys are strongly OPP
posed to the fraternity spirit and the
action of the trustees meets the APP
prevail of nearly all the student body.
But the boys who believe in fraterni-
ties are quite as strongly in favor Of
them.
"They say" that the debate in the
board of trustees on the fraternity
question was a pretty lively one and
that it was spicy at times. But
nothing more than a hint leaked
out 1t was also said that nearly every
trustee present, who has boy in col
lege, found that his son favors frater-
mites That was dilemna-the ma
jority of the people at home are hos
tile to fraternities and the trustees
own son a staunch advocate of frater-
mites and some of the trustees them
selves members of fraternities. But
the voice of the majority prevailed and
Wake Forest closes it's doors to Greek
letter fraternities because it believes
the tendency of these organizations IS
toward destroying the pure democratic
spirit of college life.
The past success of this institution is
but an earnest of it's future. 1t has
strong hold upon the church that es-
tablished it, upon it's alumni, and
strong claim upon the gratitude of the