The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-16
High School Frats In Court.

IA decision In the supreme court or
t$the state of Washington declares con-
stitutional recent legislation in that
state calculated to check the secret
society abuse.
a. IN 1900 a secret society made appli-
Eas,catian to use the name of the Seattle
high school. The school board, after
an investigation, denied the application
and forbade the pupils Of the high
.ischool to join the Organization. In de-
fiance of authority, however, the society
took root in the school. In 1905 the
school board, recognizing that a condi-
}ttion existed, made an offer granting
com plete immunity to the students who
then belonged to the fraternity in de-
SSfance of the rules on condition that
they would agree to join no other. fra
Eternity nor solicit anyone to join theirs.
This compromise was refused by the
fraternity members. The board there
upon enforced the rule, to which OBJ
lection has been made in court, depriv-
ing fraternity students from all priv
sileges of the school except that Of at
4 tendance and instruction. A fraternity
member, thu his guardian. brought an
action to abrogate this rule as in excess
Of authority. This applicasion~the court
denied and on appeal the decision was
s9snstained by the supreme court. The
two. decisions swept aside the conten'
F!tions Of undue discrimination between
students, making H:perfectly clear that
IS In depriving students Of the right tc
belong to fraternities, bands, drill corps
ball teams, the school board deprived
them Of no substantial right. The priv
I ilege of attendance and instruction
which was the onlysessential right, wa:
II still preserved to- them. 2-.:'z =. !. .
1.-THE decision, it appears, establishe'
something legally, something which ed
*9ucators have long suspected ETHICAL,
4 that the various "functions Of higl
4 school life were something engraftet
upon the: educational system and some
thing which might be cut off withou
iniuring the parent stem. It confirm
!, in school boards the right to cut Of
these 'excrescences. That they may ez
-, .ercise practical methods of getting a
u: their will goes without saying. De
/ batting clubs have been generally rec
ognized as valuable, adjunct Of
school, but they are not a necessar
or legal adjunct. They may be cut Of
=. by the school authorities when, in thei
Judgment, deemed subversive Of disc
pline or tending to lower the scholar
= ship. The same is true Of athleti
teams, Of glee clubs, Of fraternitie
The latter have been found in practic
most useless addenda and some scho,
boards have exercised their right
cut them off. The courts uphold thu
right and uphold the right Of the scho'
authorities to make the privilege {
membership in glee or debating clubs {
even appearances, on the commencement
program a dependent upon, abstentic
from fraternities. The law appears
be that all these things are. frills upc
the educational system, and it lis. Il
duty Of school boards from time i
time to consider whether they shall
permitted to remain No substanti
right. Of any pupil is attacked shou
any or all Of them be cut off,,
It follows logically that if these rul
are proper, legal and necessary, Il
pupil who defes them may be cut Z
from the school entirely so long as
declares himself above the regulation
These are the days when the icem,
ssz-