Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-14
SCHOOL AND COLLECE WORK
Another Hot Blast Against High
School Fraternities.
ACTIVITIES OF UNIVERSITIES
increasing ENROLMENT, New Build
inRs and Departments Mark h
Advance-EducRtiOnal
Notes.
Notes.

That high school fraternities should be
absolutely abolished Is the strange state
ment Of Prof. John N. Greer in the House
keeper series of papers on The Truth
About the Public Schools He says In
part: These societies are fractional and
stir up contention. They form premature
and unnatural friendships. They are self
ish and snobbish. They dissipate energy
and ambition and set up wrong standards
OF excellence. They inculcate a feeling OF
self-sufficiency in the members, lessen
frankness and cordially toward teachers,
foster dark-lantern methods. encourage
habits of extravaganza, introduce politics
into the schools and detract attention from
study. More baneful perhaps than the re-
suits just named Is the undemocrat inflG-
ence in an institution where not only are
all on an equal footing, but where the
most valuable and important lesson to be
taught is that OF equality.
In my own experience all that has been
said about these societies is true, and
more. 1 have noticed that when a boy
joins a fraternity he soon leaves his Sum
day school. 1t is not long thereafter be-
fore he smokes. A year later he knows
the ms and outs OF gambling, When he
graduates he may have been drunk
more than once or otherwise d~issipated.
This picture may not be a general rule,
but 1 have had personal knowledge OF
many instances.
Many of these are boys who never would
have gone that way had they been kept
home and not have had this opportunity
to get entirely away from adult influence.
This opportunity to get out from under
all restraint is the step which leads to
many a fall. Their pledge keeps them
from telling on one another. This vow Is
one that is in their minds superior TO
home, school, church or state. The way
they keep it is often quite humorous were
1t not so disastrous to character.
All member do not go to the bad OF
course. Yet I can truthfully say that there
is a decided depreciation Of ideals, a loosen
ing of moral standards and a lessening Of
their respect for authority in about all in
stances. Possibly there are parents who
will say that their daughters have been
members of sororities and they have never
observed anything out Of the way. They
also know that their daughters have had
some grand good times with much whole
some fun out Of them. We have had occa-
siorally, an active membership in a sorority
that was made up of as fine a type of girl
hood as you will find anywhere in the
United States and they had good old times
when they got together, and in having that
good time had nothing that was question
able. Now let them go to school next day.
They flocked by themselves. They wanted
no intruders. They drew their skirts close
to themselves should any of the 'hoi
pollot' pass near. Now this group OF beau
tiful girlhood, and there is not one of them
but that you would be proud to call your
daughter, this group. I say. had absolutely
no business to be found in that attitude
in a public school room. They did not
! represent a single essential of true demo-
cracy. No part OF a school should repre-
sent the favored few. The public school
should afford no opportunity for superiority
Of class or condition except that which is
won through individual attainment.
I believe there is not a parent, however,
in the city who can say about his son what
may truthfully be said about a few daugh-
tors. Therein lies the danger. The boy in
his teens has very much less judgment and
reason than the girl. There is a much
greater tendency in the boy to sport" and
dissipate when not under restraint.
I could illustrate by individual examples
how boys of the finest abilities and tastes
have just gone down to the bad, the frat
being the open door behind which they
took their first step. Behind this frat door
Is oIten lurking the ternpter waiting for
the innocent lamb. The lamb has taken
his VOW to forever nourish and protect this
tempter under all and every circumstance
1t is not long until he is meat" for the
tCmpter and he soon IL taught the ropes
SO much of this kind of daatardly work
is accomplished before the parent, pastor
or teacher knows anything about It. To
have this thing happen and to have II
happen in connection With a public school
is preposterous. A school management
should have the authority to annihilate It
The home and the church should provide
happen in connection with a public school
should assist the home and the church In
building up the highest ideals of character
and scholarship. The school should never
in any Instance afford the slightest op-
portunity to lower or defeat the ideals OF
home or church. The resulting conditions
brought about by the facts SURROUNDING
these societies demonstrate that they are
destructive OF the wholesome ideals for
which very church, home and school should
stand.