Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-11-27

lied in q secret and mysterious fashion,
each is highly jealous of its own rights
and Of its superiors.
This Is exactly what you see in col
leges. The freshman, If he is a likely
fellow, with money in his pocket, makes
a fraternity his first year. In one typic-
al college, he may make a certain rib
bon society his second year, another his
third year, and still a higher and more
esoteric organization his fourth year.
Each of these organizations is a step on
the social ladder Each of them puts him
through more or less narrowing initia-
tion, and each gives him the right to
wear certain decorations, and to deal in
certain mystical signs, passwords, and
hand grips. And the chiefs of these
various organizations are the high
priests of the college. They are looked
up to and venerated by all. They hold
the power of social life and death.
College Boys Like Indians.
All of this is almost exactly like the
organization Of a Pueblo Indian village.
The analogy cannot be here described
in detail, but it is striking. The same
secret organizations, the same high
priests, the same cruel and extravagant
limitations, and the same mystic grunts
and grips are found in each.
d4l pSopie, are
innumerable taboos. The same is true
may not eat this, nor touch that nor do
the other. So the young midshipman
may not be seen on the street carrying
a suitcase or a package, in a certain
southern college the students may not be
seen with certain village maidens sup
posed not to be of the highest social
status, and in many colleges a freshman
dare not appear In public with q hat on.
The taboos, both Of college boys and of
barbarians elsewhere. are strange and
many. The one difficult thing that the
aspiring freshman always learns is the
complicated list of things that are 'bad
fern" Bad form means in college ex-
aetly what taboo does in the life of
barbaric tribes.
Athletes Are Warriors.
The barharic tribe always has it's
special class of warriors who go out
and do battle against other tribes, and
these are of course represented by the
college athletes. and the college football
hero is the exact prototype of the bar
barrie war chief. Just as the man who be-
longs to five different secret societies
has all the mysterious dignity of med
icine man.
Among barbarians the association of
the sexes is a very elaborate and for
NAL proceeding. and so is it in colleges.
The best college society is the most for
NAL in the world. and has the most rules
and regulations which it is social sui
eide to break. Many college career
has been ruined by the wrong kind of
necktie, just as Pueblo warrior might
damn himself forever by wearing an
owl feather at the Buffalo dance.
Naturally, all of this leaves the stu
dent very little time TO study. The
more money, personality and athletic
prowess he has, the more he is con-
strained to look upon the classroom as
an unfortunate interference with the
real business of life The greasy
grind" is either the poor boy, or the
boy who lacks the grace and strength
for social or athletic conquest.
1t should not be concluded from all
this that college is useless. On the
contrary, it develops student in way.
Perhaps it is an excellent training for
many phases of American social and
business life. But it certainly is
blow to the theoretical function Of col
lege to impart a knowledge of science,
literature and art.
What is the remedy? Maybe there
isn't any, but it seems to one alumnus
that if the professors would make study
a little more interesting, it would help.