Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-26
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Copyright 1902 by the All Rights Reserved
S the boy or the girl to join a fraternity or
sorority when he or she goes to college?
Some thousands of homes between the oceans
are about to hear an echo of this query within
the next month or two. In most of them the
question will be, pardoning the pun, just Greek
letter comes from the absent one, whom we will
suppose through courtesy to wear skirts.
"+ = And there is the incest lot of girls here, OH
Just lovely. They the Kappa Phi Kappa, quite
the incest sorority in college And what do you thnk
They want to join. They bid me last night and
told such lot about high ideals and the noble
sentiments they cherish and the beautiful uplifting
advantages of siserhood and everything of that kind
told them 1 would have to write home first. The
initiation fee is $25 and the dues 81 year. and
can get room and board at the sorority house for
just little than elsewhere. And, oh, do so
want to join"
On receipt of this father, mother and Aunt Jane
hold solemn conclave. Father demands to be in
formed whether his daughter has fallen In with an
esoteric missionary society band of female high
binders. Mother with superior wisdom and tntu-
ition, fills of the gaps The girl has been asked
to join Greek letter secret society. 1t is quite
the thing to do she has heard and only those of the
best families members. Aunt Jane thinks they
ought to know about this sorority house" and
who runs it. Perhaps the girl is asked to supply
details, which she does, fully If incoherenty.
The probable upshot is consent and $25 forked
by father.
What does it all mean, this talk of high ideals and
secrecy and Greek initials and initiation fees? To
father and mother and Aunt Jane it remains
shadowy mystery Perhaps 1t might be well if all
these thousands of homes throughout the country had
some preliminary knowledge of the situation before
the annual decisions made. incidentally the
slider, the general observer has interest in this
peculiarly American phenomenon of college life
The fraternity, using the word to associations
both OF young men and of young women In insttu-
tions of higher learning is the biggest thing in the
average college community. One must remember the
crcumscrbed horizon of the average college student
TO grasp the tremendous seriousness with which it
regarded Affairs of the school, the campus the
student body are Of first import. Such matters are
the be all and the end all of existence for the time
And here looms the fraternity, collectively the
social trust, the controller of social destnes the
circle Of the elect To make" frat" to become
one OF lts members Is the hallmark of eligibility
TO remain barb" or barbarian, to fail of gaining
such membership, is the stigma of low and
outer darkness. Roughly, such is the distinction
The question involved is whether not the student
is to have the advantage of social recognition. In
the typical American college university aside
the mossgrown institutions of the East where special
conditions obtain it is the simple fact that the frater
mites hold monopoly of the social activities the
little world.
What the Fraternity Ts2
In its organization a fraternity is somewhat akin
TO the usual benevolent fraterna order composed
OF anywhere from ten to seventy chapters, the field
of each chapter being college university. 1t Is
national body, holding national conventions, elect
ing national officers and frequently issuing preten
ous periodical devoted to the interests of the frater
nifty at large. Its Secrets, its name its ritual. its
badge held commonly by all its members who
active during their years at school. There are
twenty-five such organizations for and eight for
women.
An individual chapter of a fraternity is a close cor
poration of from ten to thirty students bound by the
bonds of "brotherhood' 'sisterhood" situated at
ssome one college. Usually it is lodged in house
either owned outright rented by the chapter. AT
any college from three to twenty fraternities
represented In relation to the college all the frater
mites represented at a given school compose the
cial trust.
At the ordinary institution, where the activities of
the raernities have not been nterfered with by fac
uty enactment, John, the freshman student, just
from home and entering the sacred precincts of the
object
avid eagerness as special cut at bargain counter
Ingratating young persons with large cuffs on their
trousers, rakish hats and pleasant smiles ask leave
to aid him in registering in moving his baggage in
finding quarters for him. The group that gets hold of
him first either carries him away bodily makes
appointment with him for the next day. If he is
well dressed, good looking and measures .p at first
glance to the frat" standard, he finds his engage
ment book full within few hours The Eta Pi Etas
want him to dinner. The Gamma Epsons have a
smoker for the next night. The Tau Sigma laus
have theatre party in preparation and will be
broken hearted if he does not attend.
Ordinarily the newcomer is not hard to impress
He is far from the old fresde usually for' the first
time In his life. He is lonely, little homesick He
faces the conditions the first great ordeal of
his experience. He is upon his own resources for
friends and companionship now. He Graves aid, a
welcome, little kindliness. There is nothing SO
empty so helpless, far off moorings, probably as
boy who comes from a good home and the home
high school and who is thrown out to swim for him
self in college community
John is steered, with his wistfulness and his all
gone feeling and his awkward manner into the Eta
Pi Eta house to keep his engagement for dinner
Here though he is happily unaware of it. an atmos
phere has been carefully manufactured, or at least
exaggerated for his benefit and that of other fresh
who, like himself, are being rushed" One en-
ergetic fellow Is tearing a ragtime from the plano.
Others grouped laughing and talking with an
ease and comradeshp that make him envious. Pen
nants football pictures all the little decorations asso
cated with college life, vague and sacred in his
line the walls. The living rooms look comfortable
homeike
Playing the Novice.
Presently some begins to introduce him. The
chap at the piano jumps up to wiring his hand like
that of long lost bosom friend. The others leave
their chatting and crowd around to greet him and
smile warmly upon him. Men much older than him
self. reverend seniors belize, descend to ask him
whence he came what courses he will take, reassuring
him as to questions he has not dared to ask His heart