The Kevin courier. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1922, 1922-07-19

do not know any chapter of any fraternity-and !
know hundreds of them-which does not contain
men, respected by everyone in the chapter and IN
the college, who are earning their living in college
through their own efforts; but in general, unless
the man concerned has some special talent, TINS
is not so easy to do unaided when in a fraternity
as when out of it.
The man who joins a fraternity loses something
of his independence. Being a part of an organ
lied group of men. he is not so free to do as he
pleases as he would be if he did not have this
relationship. He must submit to regulations, he
must learn to adapt himself to the conditions of
home life, and to the idiosyncrasies of a score or
more of people. He will often have to yield his
desires and his rights, perhaps, to the will OF the
organization, for those who go into an organiza-
ton must be willing to do what will bring the
greatest good to the greatest number. He must
learn to get on with people, to give up. to be I'M
selfish. to do that which will be most helpful and
advantageous to his brothers. Many fellows do
not like to do this. and sometimes parents do not
wish them to learn, so that such men would make
poor fraternity men. and they would be unhappy
and make their friends unhappy in the making.
There is a tendency when a man joins a frater-
nity for him to be satisfied with the friends he
meets within it's membership, and so to narrow his
interests. to restrict his acquaintances and to I'M
dervalue the broader training which comes from
a more general contact with men. 1t is only the
weak and -narrow-minded man. however, who will
fall into this SnobbiShneSS and who will restrict
his acquaintances and his friends to the men
whom he meets within his fraternity. The num-
Der of such men is fortunately not large.
But there are advantages in fraternity life and
these | believe outweigh these possible evils or
disadvantages which l have mentioned. The boy
who joins a fraternity establishes himself in a
home with many of the same duties and comforts
of the home life to which he has been accustomed
before going to college. and the fraternity house
a,,oi +a4 him a homo pypp nftpr no oatc ont IF
college. He gathers around him Immediately a
group of friends who have his best interests at
heart. 1t has been said by those who oppose the
fraternity system, that his choice of friends is
made too quickly to be satisfactory; that it is a
very mechanical choice seldom based upon the
principles which underlie true friendships, and
that the friendship thus formed is an evanescent
one. But the fact that fraternity brothers in
every chapter in every college where fraternities
exist are not only close friends while they are in
college, but remain so throughout life, tends to
disprove such a statement. A fraternity man is
seldom dissatisfied with the friends he has chosen.
The ideals of life formally set before the fra
ternity man, and these as I have said, are prac-
tically always based upon Christian principles, are
the highest possible. The character of the men
who were responsible for the founding of these
organizations and the character of the national
officers who are now in charge of fraternity affairs
in each organization will substantiate this fact.
The interfraternity conference. which for the last
dozen wears has done more to bring fraternities
and fraternity men together than any other agency |
and which is constantly suggesting methods in The |
fraternity of developing good scholarship. %
strengthening moral principles. and of encouras
ing loyalt, to the college and cooperation viii =
officers is composed nf Il most reptesentarl !
group of business and professional men l9vve
doctors. ministers--nnd the best IT. the co,nIry.