The Washington times., 1914-11-04

Thumbs up or thumbs down on the
high school fraternity?
In all likelihood, the fate of the
fraternal organizations in the pub
lie schools will be settled before the
present session has passed. That
much has been indicated around
headquarters Of the Board of Educa-
ton, although DR.. Ernest l.. Thurs
ton, superintendent of schools, will
not discuss the subject at present.
AT this time. / do not deem 1t
advisable to reopen the question OF
fraternities," he replied when asked
whether it was his intention to set
tie the question once and for all.
There are other matters more i'm
portant to the administrative side
OF the Washington schools whicn
must be disposed of. and to take up
such q subject as the fraternities at
present would mean the obstruction
Of these matters.
But. although the school officials
themselves are not prepared TO say
when they will consider and pass
upon the question of whether the
fraternity shall continue to exist In
the schools the parents associations
are evincing quite an interest, and
the Home and School Association or
the Western High School, Of which
DR.. w. d. Bigelow is president,
have already decided to appoint a
committee to look into and report
upon the fraternity question.
Parents Seek Information.
The committee was authorized.
said DR.. Bigelow. discussing the ac-
ZION Of his organization, simply be-
cause some of the parents who are
members wished TO be informed of
the scope and general character Of
these organizations. There is no pre-
meditated idea Of criticising the fra
ternity principle. There has been no
opposition, so far as l am aware,
among the members of our associa-
ton to the fraternities. But the
fathers and mothers Of the boys and
girls who may be asked to identity
themselves with the secret societies
IN the schools feel that they would
like some information before they
either approve or disapprove OF
them
The fraternity question in the
Washington schools presents a rather
divided problem when it comes to deal
ing with the giris' soroitfes and the
pan-Hellenic Congress. comprised of
ihe women's college fraternities Phi
Beta Phi. Sigma Kappa, Chi Omega,
and others, rather lifted the re-
sponsibility from the shoulders OF
the local school officials when they
dealt what was intended to be
death blow to high school chapters.
This consisted in declaration that
girls who were members Of high
school frats would not be admitted
tc national college frats after No.
Tember /.
This ultiruatum was communicated
10 serorities in the Washington pub
=, schools through the college chap
ters in George Washington Uni
versity. and the warning was read to
all high school girls by the different
principals.
Little Heed Is Taken.
But strangely enough, so far. there
have been no signs that the order Of
the Pafl-H Hellenic Congress has
planted the seeds of speedy death in
declaring against the high school
organizations.
Emory Wilson. principal OF the
Central High School. where there
are several sororIties. when asked
whether he had noticed any results
from tho Pan Hellenic order, said:
Maybe one or two girls who hope
to go to, college have been deter
red from entering a school frat
by this warning. But the percent
age of girls who go to college from
the Washington High Schools is
too small to make the Pam-Hel-
lenic warning any very great de-
terrent"
DR.. Small. principal of the East
ern High School expresses a sim
liar opinion. as does Frank Dan
ieI. principal of the Mckinley
Manuel Training School, from
whose institution very few girls
enter college.
But whether the action Of the
college frats directed against
those in the schools will have any
ultimate effect toward lifting from
the shoulders Of the educators the
necessity Of approving or con-
exist in their schools. the local Of
fcials are not able TO say.
No Antagonism To Boys.
There has been no open antag-
onism to the boys frats evidenced
by the national college frats as
far as Washington is concerned.
and il is thought likely that the
fact that the male frats exist un-
hindered in the schools today, even
by such disapproval az that eX-
pressed of the girls organizations
by the Pan-Hellenic Congress may
force the school authorities to de
eide either for or against the frats
as an institution before the pres
ent year is out
The question of the girls frats.
as well as that of the boys', prom
ises to be a hard fought struggle.
Many members Of the faculties in
Washington schools insist that the
sororities should not exist. They
declare that II breeds snobbish-
ness instead of performing
worthy social service in bringing
out backward girls. and that II is
a source of unwarranted expense.
in that IL demands Of its members
new dresses for every dance and
social function.
On the other hand, the members
Of the girls frats in the Washing
ton schools deny that snobbishness
is the rule rather than the excep-
ton.
There is certain amount of
snobbishness bred in the girls
frats, but il is not the general thing"
said one of the members Of a Wash
ington high school organization.
1T seems to me that this is the
time when something should be done