Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-26
Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity House
Syracuse, N. Y.

over anotner that the accident of "frat" membership
should not impose handicap nonmembers.
Still, supposing Tau Sigma Tau to be reasonably
and decent group, it will further exercise su-
pervision Johns personal conduct. If he comes
reelng home at night he will find stern censors IL
he shows a disposition to be vicious he will find
strong restraining hand. Frequently frat" has
straightened young whose heads were little
turned by their sudden removal from home influence
Against this the opponents of the fraternity set an
equal chance of dangers. chapter is changing
quantity, varying constantly in tone according to the
character of its members. The strong men OF chap-
ter may all graduate this year and very d1nerenT
element may dominate next year. A shifting body
cannot be kept constant level of excellence. The
hurry of rushing and choosing is against accurate
Judgment The result is sometimes bad. There have
been ugly scandals in fraternity houses. In many
cases that have never come prominently TO view
freshman has been subjected to evil influence by
being thrown with a fashy crowd whose true value
he could not or would not gauge and whose bid he
had accepted.
But the opposition to fraernlties does not rest
mnch unon alleged i'll effects to the members as upon
alleged i'll effects upon the non-members. Besides the
social advantages, of nestfmable value, which frat
and women enjoy there is very real and pract'
cal education to be gained in the internal manage
ment of these remarkable organizations Discussions
of chapter affairs the running of the house and the
table, debates policy, the lessons to be gained
from cohesion and the manipulation OF the group as
a uut-these part of the lives OF the fraternltles
John may have these things, but Tom and Arthur
may not have them.
And why? John has done nothing to show his
sential superiority the others, intellectual or
physical He has done nothing to earn this secondary
college course which by some is held to be more
valuable than what he gets in the class rooms.
word look a way of wearing his Clothes an air Of
being at ease the known fact that he comes from
good family any of these things has swung the
pendulum his way. He may be superior to the Others
but in that they need the help and the privileges
more than he does.
High school fraternties find very few supporters
outside of their immediate members and never
seriously defended The advantc that -ome from
college secret society apply in but slight degree TO
the high school body, and there is excuse beyond
imitation for its The college fraternltles
do not favor the high school societies, have no con-
nection with them and in schools will not take
their members. But it has remained for a high school
principal to suggest solution that has been taken
up and urged the only way out of the whole PROB
lem admits certain points in favor or the frater
mites and would like to keep them. But
"Remove the false distinctions" he says. Have 1t
so that every freshman is expected to join some ira
ternty and leave the choice to him to her. Then all
NAV share the good and will be deprived or
shamed AS the situation stands now the fraternity
does more harm than good"
Thus the gravest charge brought against the ira
ternty as an institution is that 1t is unAmerican, un
democratic 1t is declared that the stigma Of unworth
mess brought by the artificial barb" and frat dis
tinctions against young and young women has
bghted many promising ambition. Students thar
in going to college have taken the first umid step
alone have found themselves apparently wanting IN
something because they were not included among
the desirable. 1t has been said that the resulting dis
couragement has ruined thousands of careers, that
thousands of others have not gained all they were en-
titled from college courses and that the eontinu-
of the power Of the fraternes constitutes dis
tinct threat to the nation through the caste system
and the snobbery it inculcates.