The herald., 1922-08-03

of the evils of the college fraternity without any
of its advantages l have seen good deal of the
high school fraternity and the product which 1t
turns out and l am free to say that if ! had son
/ should not want him to Join such an organiza-
tor
The college fraternity first came into existence
almost one hundred years ago when college at
tendance and the conditions surrounding college
life were very different from what they now are
In those days colleges were small. and the under
graduates were housed in college dormtories or
scattered about the town and fed at boarding
houses There perhaps no thought in the
minds of the men who founded the first Greek let
ter fraternities of developing a home and home
life for their members. The main purpose was to
strengthen character, to develop good scholarship
and to emphasize and encourage certain qualities
of friendship. Often there was literary purpose
The men who founded the first fraternitIes wore
mostly very religious men who believed sincerely
in the principles of life and conduct as expounded
by the founder of the Christian church.
Fraternity rituals today still emphasize these
principles and hold up to fraternity members the
highest standards of daily life The teachings of
fraternities distinctly religious in their nm
ence. and the secret work to which some of tho
enemies Of fraterniies object has nothing sinister
or vicious In It, but Is really of the most harmless
and innocent character
II was not until within very recent wears whom
the attendance upon colleges began TO Increase
TO change materially. that fraternIties begon .,
expand and to emphasize as they had never dona
before the function of the fraternity in deveopinp
for The undergraduate in college a normal ond =
- healthy home life ~
In fact, fraternites not only increasing tbeir
own membership but they are doing everything
they can to encourage the organization of now fro
ternties, SO that every man who wants IN ioin
may nave chance to do so. Colleges also vrbosa
uooIs nave hltherto been closed to the admission
OF fraternities are relaxing their regulations and
are giving permission TO fraternities 70 como In
ana all this because those who know most obou,
1raternltles think their influence a good ono
Al the present time national Greek letter fro
'eihtles Oh Whlch there are perhaps fifty are rho
organized force in college activities Tho .,.
the pace that was once occupied by the CoIlega
literary society which taught men to sneak which
interested them IN the politics of college and
VIM" III general controlled and directed what
went on in Undergraduate affairs outside of ,bo
classroom But the fraternity does stiu me-. III, 'l'
thls. There are very few fraternitIes now, h;ah
90 not nave their own houses on every cop,n,,s
1hese houses form centers of home life ,,bioh
no ihuch 10 take the place of the life which m.
boy has known with his own family beforo ;
away to college. e'iHs
III often costs more to live in a fraternity bo.
than II does outside. The food at the fratarni,r
''oie Is ordinarily better than that the str,on,
gets at boarding house. and the penaroI IT,,
conditions are more comfortable and convap,ort
one has to pay for these. The social life Of fa'
ternity men is more active and so ra,riro. a,
penuiture OF more money for clothing and so.,I
measures. Sometimes the living conditions hove
oeen maze 100 luxurious for the doing of GOOD
WIN anu III tunes the social life is excessive and
the expenditure of money extravagon,. nm, ,boa
A' uo hot frequently or generally exist /