The Washington times., 1911-06-26
RATERN|TY PUZZLE
PUT UP TO DAVIDSON
F ON HIS ARRIVAL HERE
New Superintendent in City
for Brief Stay Before As
Stunning Duties. !
FAVORS REGULATION
OF SCHOOL SOCIETIES
Must Look Over Field Here Be-
fore Deciding What
TO Do.

DR.. William NJ. Davidson, Washing
tons new superintendent Of schools,
arrived this morning and walked
squarely into one OF the most delicate
and perplexing Of the problems which
VIII confront him here-the question OF
high school fraternities. DR.. Dayidson
Is expected. by members of Tbe Board
of Education to attend a meeting OF thu
board this afternoon, at which will
come up the report of the committee of
the High School Teachers Association
favorIng the abolition of suca organi-
cations. DR.. Davidson will express his
views to board members On the general
question of high school fraternities
substantially the same as ne did this
morning in an interview, when ne de-
Cldred Ior their regulation in the most
stringent manner.
AS TO the general proposition of fra
ternIIles IN nlgn Schools, says the
new mead Of WasnIngton's schools,
there is no question InaI. ii not abol-
ished altogether, they must be SO regu-
Jated as TO preserve the spirit Of
democracy tor which the public schools
must always stand. Ihe fraternity Is
certainly extremely harmful to any
school In which its members feel they
must OBEY the mandate OF its officers
rather than submit TO the authority OF
the school.
Still Undecided.
AS between abolition or stringent reg
ulation of fraternities in the schools
here, DR.. Davidson will not voice an
opinion until he is more familiar with
the local situation.
In every city, said DR.. Davidson,
the fraternity question has presented
it's own individual angle, ana no one
can be in a position to discuss the
question as respects given city until
he has had time fully to study the
situation and to draw conclusions war
ranted by the facts
Under DR.. Davidson, fraternities were
abolished in the Omaha High School two
years ago. The question in all its as
poets came up then, and the Omaha
board of education, under recommenda-
ton of the superintendent, adopted
rule whereby no member of a fraternity
was eligible for student honors. This
rule was rigidly enforced. At first, fra
ternity members thought they would
stick it out, but not much time elapsed
before the boys and girls gave In.
Cannot Exist.
Under the plan formulated by DR..
Davidson in Omaha, no fraternity can
successfully exist in another guise. Fra
ternities and secret societies are rigidly
defined, and if a school organization
wishes to escape being officially consid-
cred a fraternity or secret society-witn
consequent penalties-its meetings must
be open to officials of the school, and its
| constitution must be allowed to be read
! by hiuh school authorities. Such plan
as this has been tried almost nowhere
! else than in the school under the Juris-
diction of Dr. Davidson, and in no high
/ school in the United States have frater-
/ mites been more effectualy snu1ed out
/ than in Omaha.
| DIR. Davidson will remain in Washing
! ton until Wednesday evening, when he
| goes to New York for a day Returnins
/ here then, he will go back to Omaha tne
| evening of July to attend a tnaA board
! meeting there July g. After that he Will
pack up his goods and chattels and re-
! turn to Washington to remain perma-
! nently.