Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-12

an antiquatcd watch key of gold to designate
their membership. Pressed little on the
topic, the average collcgian will tell you that
1t is society of "highbrows,' digs and
,grinds, who, he supposes, must have So
cicties like other people, and that he be-
levcs that it is in some way connected with
an unusual fondncss for Greek which he
personally cannot comprehend
TNllS is not history of this well known
society. but this much may be said: Phi
Beta Kappa was founded in the year of inde-
rcndcnce. 1776 at the Virginia college of
William and Mary, and It is today the oldest
college fraternity in America. 1t was
founded by way of species of protest against
group of fellow students who were banded
together for conviviality after a manner dear
to the roySterers of old time and, without
being rharisaical. Phi Beta Kappa set store
on scholarship and character from the first.
IT the witless were to have their associa
tions. why not those who strove at least to
be wise? BY 1900 their idea had spread to
Yale, Harvard and Dartmouth. BY 1850
there were fifty chapters in various American
colleges; the present number is just short
of ninety.
TI1lERE is an odd characteristic in the
American college boy of today which Is
not altogether uncngaging. He deprecates
the notion that you should think him too
good too law abiding. especially dilgent in
his studies or particularly serious. He does
not think it quite proper to be caught reading
Y+,,dicY ,r,,cb nr coroS for on,tI,;n, ;n,non
.+ IT. i; ,;..I it''a N.Y..
Witch consciousIr sot5 storo ~, snho,arSh;,,'.
:. soo,os Zoo ,,,,ol, I;I,o ~, ;4nrtonn,,aa ;,,
the functions of faculties. And hence he is
ShcCpish when found ont to be a sound
sohoior and o,,o,, +n;os 20 oxr,n;, :. 80,
orronr bis friords WY
-
FEW vcors ogo in n wostern co,,oce
n +u.o 49, thnoo .,...., 49,
,,1 - IN: '.ne ,'.n civ, ~ | ~ " 'ne
,';, W 49,. ~ 10y, 10y" N"pp"' ie'"eeu " W accti.'
I i 10 - .nt"s W.. a.iI
,i '%S roI .,' ,".'r no ul"'inc'ton .' aoo,e
@ .,, .!'oMs -, iiom Sa, l"I 'ltlS now. a.t,.uue
20 ~ L en;a,;, " VI. oo'.e,ists MISS
wv !, I, De " IVY ",ist' 'n Nun. y,
-, G'e'N Nv ~ ', NV'P ny" 81
however tnat no one OF thoSe young demo-
crafts "ouia nav" refused reward OF ms
'l'"'"' y" 'he "''','ll' "e'u anu ne uhuer-
''''"H '""' oiic W ''eSe very me-" WEARS
!"""H anu litnHt "'H'l Te"is' war u'to'a
~" "i"n u'S'ihE.,s"es MS hoNldual
''-''''a III un army Vi or"'e men,
a h'hE poElsh manifestation or TINS feel-
L ing. "Dou't let us look like goody-
goodies is to be found in the ironcal So
cicty tourishing at at least one well known
institution in Philadelphia known as Phi
Kappa Beta, necessary qualification for
membership in which. the GownSman was
once crcdibly informed, is failure in at least
two subjects to study each term. Here. at
least we are to have no pretensc of the
"highbrow. and gold watch key clipped
at the corners for distinction is the badge
marking this protest against the distinction
of distinction. 1t may be remarked that the
watch-key of neither the vcritable society
nor of its parody really winds or unwinds
anything. Which circumstance let the Phil
istine make what he will of. But more pre-
poSterous than this refined irony was the
position of an old professor, who regarded
this whm of childhood as an affront to learn
ing and wanted Phi Kappa Beta suppressed.
Small things at times disturb academic
equanimity.
NSSoClATlON for mutual content and the
n advancement of sound scholarship needs
no excuse and many youth who bushes at
his early honors lives to take solid salts
faction in the things of the mind A badge,
sign OF value IN proportlon as 1t represents
Soih''hins "c'u"i' 1nt war mas "'cuS'oNl"u
us TO theSc counters, theSe deSishatlonS DV
the way Oh UNIFORM button OF other enhoiem,
as TO Where we st"i,u ana "hat we are ana
II Is no more uh -A'llerphn 10 pear Such
sign th'n II Is un American 10 .u pc '"iiet OF
heaVler than announcer lian' 1he sigh itse'i
lS indeed nothins' ana tne deeper reason Tor
the dlstruSt OF some IN I'M 5eta happa lies
IN the NOTION that II stanus ior the malnte
nance OF dead learning as against progressive
IDEAS for the hulnahitieS' Whch are usually
interpreted to mean only Latin ana "reeN'
and these languages 10 tne excursion OF newer
and more practicai suoJects ana methooS IN
education. Inc Ola society does S'and Tor
t"e hNTah'titS am lpr malhttnnnce ." Oh
the study of the Old classics especially but
II STANDS not lof lH"Hc lhlhSS alone. pht ike