Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-24

Iug HCtlon ny tne incoming board
Fraternity men hoped that the new
board would be inclined to view their
case in kindler light, but these hopes
were doomed to disappointment.
Roger Page, chairman of the high
school committee, by which body action
soon will be taken, expresses himself
as being in favor of acting favorably
on the recommendation of the princi-
pals and Director Moore, which is that
the societies be abolished.
May Regulate Organizations
At the same time, the question of
regulating" all the high school or
ganizations, class and literary, will
also be raised. The present move is
not because of any recent troubles of
the fraternities, but simply in accord
ance with a general tendency all over
the country looking to the extinction of
the frats.
Prof, Housh suggested that this be
accomplished gradually by forbidding
the societies to take in any more new
members. In this way the societies
could be disbanded within four years
without violence. The question with
the board is no longer whether the
societies will be abolished, but the
best way of bringing about that re-
suit.
AS late as 1900 the fraternities occu-
pied a prominent place in high school
life. Each society had a special place
in the school publication. the Blue and
White, and on class days they had
their own boxes at the theaters. For
long time. all the school offices and
honors were controlled by the fratern-
ity men, who distributed them among
their own members. Gradually the re-
naming pupils who We're outside of the
fold began to unite to defeat the frats.
and at school elections the issue was
made frat man" or "non-frat." The
non-frats triumphed and the fraterni-
ties began to decline.
Prof. Housch had always been a
staunch upholder of the fraternities,
but this year when the board asked
him for his opinion as to their worth
he recommended that they be abol-
ished, this recommendation being the
source of the opposition they have had
since.
The Professor Shocked
A story is af1oat at the Los Angeles
high school as to why Prof Housch
changed his former recommendation
of satisfactory" to Injurious" 1t is
said that some of the boys who be-
longed to the fraternity of which Prof
Housch is an honorary member, trust
ing in his VOWS of fraternity to keep
him quiet" arranged a little affair
which should "shock him" AS the
high school story goes, it did, and
hence the adverse recommendation.
In spite of this frat men declare that
the loss of their orders is due to their
own members. At the time the ques-
tion was first discussed one of the
fraternities which kept a down town
room, the Alphi Pts was severely
criticised as being productive of scan
dal. Wild tales of midnight debauches
and orgies were connected by report
with this order, and Representatives of
the other fraternities requested them
either to expel the offending members
or discontinue their society for the
sake of the good name of the other
frats. This the Alpha Pts refused to
do, and mutual recriminations fol-
lowed
The Chapter Disbands
Since then the Alpha Pts have had
trouble even within the confines Of
their own society. eliminating in the
disbandment of the local chapter in
the high school.
More than year ago Charles Reid
came from Ohio with a charter from
the grand chapter and proceeded to
found the Beta chapter. Articles of
incorporation We're filed with the state
secretary and the society ensconced it
at First and Spring streets.
AS the organizer and general head of
the local chapter Mr. Reid controlled
the finances and ran it, the members
say, much to suit himself, the young
fellows who were officers felt jealous
of the founder, and Walter Moore
openly charged Mr. Reid will influence
ing the other members against him.
January all the boys, with the ex-
ception of Moore and a companion,
Clarence Bricker, resigned, intending
to secure a new charter.
The two members remaining charged
Reid with misappropriating the funds
of the society and claimed that he was
living i'm the chapter house at 329 West
Adams streets.
Reid's Friends Make Denial
Friends of Mr.. Reid in the society
were staunch in their denlals of these
charges. They said that he paid many
bills out of his own pocket to save
the boys expense and during the win
ter paid 81 a month for room which
he occupied to assist the boys.
When the question of abolishing the
fraternities was brought up last year,
Mr.. Reid grounded his society on the
laws of the state and the articles of
incorporation which they held, and
dared the school board to compel them
to disband. Internal wars have sec
ceeded in doing this more effectively
than official orders In the future, the
Alpha Pi fraternity will be confined
exclusively to Harvard school.
Reid had always been a strict disci-
plinarian, and his friends claim that
il was his suppression of all trough
housing" that caused the other faction
to dislike him,
Pupils who had no interest in the
suppression of the frats are beginning
to worry about the class organizations