The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-19

toDef. ls0s, number OF Religious
Education, the official organ of the
Religious Education Association.
coming now to the question of
scholarship, statistics are at hand to
snow that the average OF scholarship
is lower among fraternity men than
among the non-fratcrnlty. The more
progressive fraternities, having lately
! mad this condition brought clearly
10 thcir attention, and realizing that
IL afforded just grounds OF criticism,
nave unhesit atiugly proceeded to in
aulre into the cause and adopt
methods Tor the correction Of the
evil.
They have discovered that while the
maternity man Is slightly below tie
hNwtge in point OF scholarship, he
IS enormously above the average IN
point Of other collegiate activities
In athletics, draInatics, musical or
CARNATIONS, college Journalism, so
oiety, etc, the fraternity men are the
leaders, probably 50 per cent, OF
these activities being In their hands
To some minds this statement Will
furnish conclusiv evidence OF the
hhnerul influence OF the fraternity, In
That II tends to divert the mind of
the student from his studies and to
center his activities upon matters I'M
scholarship. to others however. who
take broader view OF education and
regard Il college course as training
fer after lie, who look upon 1t not
so much as a means Of acquiring
fund of miscellaneous information
forgotten by most soon after leav-
Ing college,, but rather as pre-
urinary encounter 10 the real battle
to come in which the intellectual
- n TNFaI a.
mented by physical strength. moral
stamina. knowledge ri human nature
aud executive abiiity--to such. these
sO-callud diversions ~ college lie
Possess value scarcely less than that
to he ascribed TO intellectual training.
Ky what has been said. / would not
20 understood as rnndoning a low
average Of scholarship on the part
Of fraternity men, On the contrary l
am Of opinion (shared by most fra
ttrnjty men who have given the mat
ter serious consideration that the
average scholarship Of this class
should at least equal the average OF
the entire student body, although, in
view of the other activities pointed
out above II fs scarcely TO be expected
that their scholarship will be increas-
cd much above that point. In con-
sidering the question Of average
sch olarshtp, too, II must be remen-
hered that the students attaining the
highest scholastic honors are IN the
majority OF cases not mem bers OF
fraternity; this for the reason that
the grind or book-w orm Is seldom
desira BILE fraternity material. Such an
one is rarely a well-rounded, well
balanced and congenial character; he
Ia, as a rule. self-Centered. absorbed
in one line Of endeavor, without time
or inclination for other matters,
seldom seeking OF desiring COM
partnership. II Is obvious that the
tyne neither desires admission TO the
fraternity nor Ia sought by IT. but
his exclusion greatly reduces tha aver
age of fraternity scholarship.
Now. having recognized the evil,
inr estigated tho cause and fixed upon
the desired goal, what are the frater-
n.ties doing TO better conditions
While / am aware that the su'tect
has been carefully considered, ana &C..
ton taken by several of the moro
prominent and progressive organiza-
tons, am not in a position 10 present
the results accompHS by any ex-
Cept that ono OF which / happen 10
be member. The work OF improv-
ing scholarship conditions in nv own
was inaucuratcd some four
years ago by Grand Tractor w. T.,
Hardy, OF the Sixth Province. who had
the matter and found the
OF delinQ among fra
tnruity men in his province apour Ten
per cent higher than among the nom
fraternity element, MIR. Hardy i'm
sat about correcting this
condition With most gratifying results.
Tho chapters We're regularly visited,
carefully inspected. and required 10
furnish reports Of class standing as
a result OF which All enormous Inn
proEeinent was almost Immediately
noted a very interesting report or
the results attained by Mr. Hardy viii
be found in the sigma Chi Quarterly
May 1919. Vol, -, No. 3. p. $50.
So Impressed we're the general off,
GERS Of the fraternity with the snow
ing there made. that the other grand
praetors We're instructed to take up
the work along the lines adopted by
Mr. Hardy. ths pioneer. More recent
lY the whole matter has been placed
under the direct supervision Of an off,
etal 1T The headquarters Of the fra
terulty, and hereafter the class stand
ing Of every member. will be periodi-
caily reported to this officer, who VIII
the averages and, where In
dicated. take steps to see that the
average Is improved. Under such "a
system, IL - renewed that the SChOl- 4
arship Of the members of this parttcu-
lar fraternity viii shortly be consid-
eraby above the average of the stu
dent body N the colleges whore 1t has
chapters the suits already accom-
pilshcd. show that this ts tho iuevi-
table result Of The policy adopted.
This communication has, / FEAR. run {!
10 an unreasonable length, hut the
ffat&rnitles are So often unjustly ana
attacked by those nos
fully conversallt with their nature,
aims aud ambitions. that / felt that
others besides old Man Grunp might, F.
perhaps be Interested In Some account /
Of their purposes, and the lines along
which they have recently developed, /
and might be led to believe that they 7
are not as back as they have some /
times been painted
j, RANDOLPH TUCKER,
Elk Grand Praetor. Second PROVINCE !
Sigma Chi Fraternity.
Richmond. Va, Sept. s. 1911.
COLONEL HARDWOOD I