New-York tribune., 1905-02-05
FINE FOR THE "INS."
Fer the "Oats" Only Is the Frater-
nity a G'ieCance.

TO the Editor or Tho Tribune.
SIR: The modern college Creek letter fraternity
is ike fixed rouiet.e game. It's mighty hno
shng for those who are in and cold, heartess
proposition for those who are out The little COL
seEe world to-day. with all its athletic social and
other butterfly hcaors. is ois5. after all, really
analogous TO tie roulette wheel-aud the little
honor bail usually Gnda its professionally liked way
into the ilddy fraternity groevo. Those there
fore. whom frsternai fortune has favored are the
fortunate among the few. TO them to fall the
spoils ot youthful competition and triumph To
shen IS 10 come the cUinsessen1e OF university
pleasure. For them there will be wholesome, I'M
selfish camaraderse which though assuredly net
% be reckoned II dollars and pennies, will have
such profound influence c1 the moulding OF their
future careers. Natural Il Is. then, that those
without the folc-thc neglected. victims of the
EoTnetmes 100 frenYc8 nnesse Of their fellow col
iegians' critical choce-should feel grieved. And,
though down IN the bottom Of their hearts they
realize what they are, and viii be, missing. they
cynicaliy force forth the assertion: "Ha! We
don't care Fra ste-nides are 10 good. anyway
The old EsopiaH text Of the tart malagas.
The college fraternity Is intrnsically not at all
the outsider believes It 10 be. The bejewelled
badge with its CHASTITY ias,sna; the rheumatic it
The vide meaning Of the principles of Sigma. Rho;
lambda or Tau. as the case may be- The wen
ballroom, billiard room, libraries. ve.andas-wlth
rs dining hail opening out onto terraced lawns
with its park of surrounding well groomed shrub
bery-this is not the fraternity eithe-: The fra
ferriNy IS. paTadOScdllv- nOtA!n2+ NOtninS tanSl-
bic Il is solidfed feeling alone The sort of feel
ing that opens fellows heart to another in the
Gay OF defeat and trouble, tha sort of feeling that
opens one fellows pocketbook TO the other in the
day of celebration. 1t is feeling undednabe.
But there is. too. tangib lty TO benefits
derived. for the practical benefits many. The
coegian can live far better and for much less in
bis chapter lodge than can the outsider in the
dormitory. Els credit is given stability; his man
ner Is Jap-a-lac'd until he is turned out thor
o9ghly polished; he learns much from intercourse
with his brother professors equal footing.
and. finally. in time Of sickness. trouble fnan-
cial straits, be has several upon whose shoulders
DC can readily lean
With apologies TO Rudyard we are neither gods
nor children. but boys in a world of boys" after
all. The fraternity is The nasculator of youth
and the rejuvenGtor Of age. The old grad" who
returns TO his college town IN later years. feels
young again he mineles easily with fraternity
bruthers twenty years his junior. He is doubly
bound 70 his university. by the spirit Of his col
lege and by the spirit Of his society.
For those infdeis. however. who supericially be-
heve that the fraternity is OF no use would
recommend surrepfjtious peep some cold.
wintTy night into the chapter house OF z crowd OF
fraternity men The hearty good cheer in those
fellows faces they st there, silently. before
the roaring. cracking dre-felows whose hearts
and thoughts are and the same-that picture
viii be the strongest a current of which I know
FOR the college fraternity Of to-day, G. j. N
Cornell University Club. New-York.