The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-11

i On account of the anti-hfgh schoo
fraternity bill which was passed by tht
last state legislature and which be-
came a law upon publication in ths
statute books a few weeks ago tne
Owl sorority which was the pioneer
high school social organization in Kan
sas voted to disband at its annual con-
| clave in Lawrence last week Inc
| Owls organized in Topeka about nVe
years ago with a small and exclusive
m embership, but was soon estaDIlsheo
in the principal towns of kansas,
| where its members included the
| daughters of the first families OF the
state. 1t soon had a local rival in the
! Pf Pi, another Topeka high scnool
sorority, which afterwards was INSTALL
i ed as a chapter of lambda Alpha
| Lambda, national high school soro-
rity, which has Kansas chapters in
Topeka and Wichita. The lambda
Alpha lambda girls Immediately after
/ the passing of the anti-fraternity bill
| last winter changed their sorority
from a high school to a town organi-
| cation and will continue as usual ex-
cept that it will now have wider
latitude in the matter of taking in new
members and can draw recruits from
the College of the Sisters of Bethany
and Washburn academy.
But the Owls have decided to OBJ
serve the spirit as well as the letter OF
the law and the chapters in Topeka,
Lawrence, Kansas City, Kan, and EN-
poria will no longer continue as high
school organizations The old MEM
bers will keep up sort of club in each
town, but new members will not be
taken in and the rushing season and
the dances will be no more. The local
Owls have released their young
pledges, girls who would have entered
the high school in a year or two in
order to give then an opportunity to-
join other sororities which may seek
to evade the law if they SO desire.
One thing which may have recon-
ciled the Owls to the idea of disor-
ganization to some degree, is that
many of them are members or pledges
of the Sigma Delta Psi sorority of
Washburn, which it is believed will
soon be taken into the Kappa Alpha
Theta sorority; one of the strongest of
the national Greek letter college So
cieties for women. Most of the Owls
who have entered Washburn after
leaving the high school have become
members of the Sigma Delta Psi and
if a Theta chapter is esta blished at
Washburn it will go a long way to-
ward consoling the Owls for the aban-
donment of the privileges and prero-
gatives of sorority life during their
high school days which will soon be
over, anyway.
The passing of the Owls will be an
occasion of regret to high school cir
cles here and in other towns where the
sorority had chapters, for the Owls
were very popular, entertained de-
lightfully and were a powerful factor
in high school society. The disorgan-
ization of the sorority will doubtless
have a tendency to keep the daughters
OF some of the First Families out of
high school. for many girls who would
otherwise have attended Bethany or
the Washburn academy entered high
school on account of the advantage of
membership in the Owls. 1t is too
late, now, to thresh over the high
school fraternity controversy because
what's done is done. and the Owls have
shown a commendab1e spirit in a
graceful acceptance of the inevitable
but there was something to be said
for the high school frats and sorori-
ties. in spite of all that has been said
against them Their opponents will
find that even with the suppression of
these organizations all the evils with
which they blamed them will not
cease. There will be snobbishness.
class distinctions, frivolity and a love
of gaiety in the Mellins' Food crowd
as long as these are characteristics of
Grown-Up society and the anti-high
school fraternity law like other legis-
lative attempts to improve on the NOR
ais of the people, will prove unequal
to the emergency which it was in
tended to meet.
Mrs. ]. P Wahle and Mrs W. H.
Bowlby entertained this afternoon at
the home of the former for Mrs. James
of Minneapolis. MINI. They were as
sisted by Mrs. w. F. Bowen, Mrs.
Frank Mills and Miss Winifre6 Had
ley. The house and veranda were dec