The New York herald., 1922-10-10
CITY REQUESTS STATE LAW
TO BAR FRATS IN SCHOOLS s

a lifetime. Great college fraternities
have headed movement to discourage
high school societies. especially high
school Greek letter societies, and some
OF the college fraternities will not ad-
nit to membership any student who has
been member of high school Greek
letter society,""
result of the agitation was that the
Board of Education put teeth into Its
ruling by adding. in 1914. this sentence
to the bylaw:
"The committee on high schools and
training schools may provide appropriate
penalties for violations Of this bylaw
which shall be enforced by the principals
of the several schools
All principals were notified that all
secret societies must forthwith disband
and must surrender their charters OF
other authority under which they exist,
and that "all pupils who haverbeen mem
bers must withdraw and furnish assur-
ance to their principals that they have
done So" Principals were also directed
to prohibit the display of badges, ban
ners or symbols OF any Greek letter so
ciety or other similar secret society II
any high school building or function
wherever held. The nigh and trainint
school committee further exercised 1t!
disciplinary power by ordering that:
"If any pupil persists Gin secret 80
ciety membership he shall be ineligibl,
to membership In any honor society o.
organization, to receive any scholaSt
honor in the school, to hold any schoo
or class office. to participate in an.
school or class elections or in any publi
school exercise or athletic contests"
I'm fnfn
Fraternity banners that once grace,
the assembly halls of high schools disap
peared as a result of this order A few
societies disbanded but most OF the i'm
portant fraternities got around the rule
or thought they did. by changing thei
constitutions so that they appeared II
the new guise Of general boy or girl frat
composed of members without as we'll a
within the schools. They pursued tn,
more or less even tenor of their exist
more secret than ever, in view of tn,
penalties In case of discovery.
Occasionally a culprlt was brought tc
light and disciplined in the manner
prescribed by the high and training
schools committee. This went on until
Jack ID. Eldert, a member OF the Sigma
lambda Nu fraternity in the Jamaica
High School. was excluded from the
school rife team by Principal Vosburgh
because OF his membership in a secret
organization. This was rather a Joke
on the Sig Lams, for they had made
Mr. vosburgh an honorary member OF
their chapter.
The Sigma Lambda Nus made a fight
Their counsel Edwin &. Schiffmacher
who had been a member of the fra
ternity in the Brooklyn Manual Train
Ing High School. appealed to Clarence
f. Meleney, superintendent In charge of
high schools. When DR.. Meleney upheld
the Jamaica principal, Mr.. Schiffmacher
appealed to the State Commissioner OF
Education. He sent the question to the
Corporation Counsel OF New York city,
and the Corporation Counsel ruled last
year In favor OF the fraternity, holding
that as the disciplinary measures of the
high and training school committee had
never been adopted by the Board of
Education they lost their validity when
the old board OF forty-three members
was legislated out of office and re-
placed by the new board. SO Jack Eldert
was entitled to shoot with his rifle team
after all and the fraternities felt much
encouraged.
Another article dealing with the high
school secret societies will be publis he'd
IN the near future.