The Arvada enterprise., 1922-07-20

Of the evils Of the college fraternity without any
of its advantages. have seen good deal Of the
high school fnternty and the product which II
turns out. and am free to say that II I had son
I should not want him 70 5o;n such an organxa.
tiOn.
The college fraternity hrst 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 dormItories
scattered about the town and fed at boarding
houses. There was perhaps no thought in the
minds Of the men who founded the first Greek let.
ter fraternlties Of developing a home and home
life for their members. The main purpose was to
strengthen character. to develop good scholarship.
and to emphasize md encourage certain qualities
Of friendship Often there was a literary purpose
The men who founded the first frnternities were
mostly very religious men who believed sincerely
In the principles Of life and conduct az 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. Tie teachings OF
frnternIties are distinctly religious in their inu.
ence and the secret work to which some of the
enemies Of fraternitics object has nothing sinister
or vicious In IT, but II really Of the most harmless
md Innocent character
II wns not until within very recent years when
tho attendance upon colleges began to Increase
and the conditions Of undergraduate living began
to change materially that frnternities berau to
eSpnnd md to emphasize they had never done
before the function Of the fraternity In developing
for the undergraduate In college a uor,unl and =
healthy home life.
In fact fraternities not only increasing their
own membership but they doing everything
they can to encourage the organization Of new fra.
ternlteS 30 TINT every man who WANTS to i0in
may have chance to do 80. Colleges niso whose
doors have hitherto been closed to the admission
Of fratcrntlcs arr relaxing their regulations and
are giving permission to frnternIties to come in
and nil this because those who know most nlout
fraternIties think their influence a good one
At the present time national Greek letter fra.
ternites Of which there are perhnps fifty are the
organized force In college activities. They take
the place that wna once occupied by the college,
literary society which taught men 70 speak which
Interested them In the politics Of college ma
which In general controlled and directed vhnt
went on In undergraduate affairs outside OF ths
classroom But the frnternity does still more thnn
this. There are very few frntcrnIties now which
do not have their own houses On every cnmnu.
These houses form centers Of home life which
do much to take the place Of the life which tho
boy has known with his own fnmily before going
away to college.
II often costs more to live In a frnternItv bou..
than II does outside. The food Mt the fraternity
tnble Is ordinarily better thnn TINT the stutIen,
gets at boarding house. and the general living
conditions are more comfortable md conyen enicnt:
one has to pay for these. The socinl life Of IN.
teruity men II more active and ~ requires the 81.
penditure Of more money for clothing and socIni
pleasures Sometimes the living conditions hnvs
been made too luxurious for the doing of FOOD
work and at times the social life IL excessve ana
the expenditure Of money extravagant; hut th~se
eoodltious DO not frequently or generally exist I