The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-10-15

national council of the fraternity. Each
delegate is, responsible to the national
council for the scholarship and good
conduct of the chapter in his charge.
These alumni attend the chapter meet
ings. Each chapter has a dance once
year. The Brooklyn dances are usually
held at the ST. George Hotel. The grand
council has two dances year vt the
Hotel PENNSYLVANIA. Tickets for the
New York dances usually cost So and
for the Brooklyn dances $3.50. Each
boy in a chapter pays an initiation fee
OF So a year. which is split between the
chapter and the national council. and
dues of rs cents a month. The pin
which he buys. but is not allowed to
wear at school, costs less than $40. Our
East Orange chapter has raised 5000
toward a $1,000 scholarship to send
some needy boy to college from the East
Orange High School, and the Paterson
chapter $500 for a similar purpose.
1T is charged that fraternity boys
are the lowest in scholarship. In
Manual Tran.i.3 High School. Brook
iyn, a fraternity Loy has always been
the leader of the scholarship society.
Arista. The student boty at Manual
ization, has elections twice year for
faculty. In all but two of the twenty
six elections that have been held a
fraternity boy or sorority girl has been
elected president. And, mind you,
candidates have to be approved by the
faculty as to scholarship as we'll as
character before they can even be
nominated. Then there is the Hinch
scholarship trophy awarded to the mem
Der of the football squad. who. during
the fall term averages highest in all
subjects. A fraternity boy has won it
every year.
Don't Control Elections.
cit is also charged that the Greek
letter societies control student body
elections. In Manual Training High
/ am speaking of the school I know
most about-there are about 5000 pupils.
Not more than sevcnty-five of them
belong to fraternites. There Is no
question that the members of fra
ternity hang together and vote as a
unit. but il is ridiculous to say that
seventy-five boys can dominate 5000.
Another charge is that fraternities
have no use for fellow unless he has
money. In all my experience in the
local chapter and the national council
have never heard money or the lack
of it discussed. 1t Is one of the cardi-
nal principles or our society tnat money
must not count For five or six years
the poorest boy in our Brooklyn chapter
was it's president.
1.-THE accusation oftenest heard Is
that these societies are undemocratic.
They are not. They are merely a mani
festation of human nature. Wherever
you go, / don't care what school 1t Is,
or whether it's in school at all. boys
of similar tastes and training will flock
together as sort of clan. and so will
girls, and so will men and women for
that matter. They will continue to do
that no matter how many laws are
passed.
Our fraternity would welcome faculty
| supervision and I believe that many OF
the teachers would like to Join with us
as faculty members If the rules Of the
Board Of Education did not forbid 1t
We are willing to get together with the
Board of Education and determine rea
sonable fees for the boys to pay II the
present fees are thought to be too high
| We would cheerfully accept any reason
| able regulation. In fact, II would be Q
| good thing, for any fraternity man will
| admit that although the ideals Of hi,
society are right they are not always
realized, and they would come nearer L
being realized If the fraternities and thu
schools could cooperate instead of tn,
latter carrying on the pretense of OBJ
literating the former.
THE secrecy Of fraternities is a myth
The boys may have queer way o.