Evening star., 1925-05-10
Phi Beta Kappa, Honor Fraternity,
To Observe Its SesQuicentennial
Of
Its liam andMa

brother, Mr.. Elisha Parmele, for es-
tablishing a meeting of the same In
the college of New Haven in Con-
necticut, to be of the same rank.
to have the same power and to en-
joy the same privileges with that
which he is empowered to fix in the
University of Cambridge"
Thus the movement for the growth
of a Greek letter fraternity was
fostered and since that day we have
seen many organizations among col
lege students for the promotion OF
friendship and socia ability; but Phi
Beta Kappa has become the great
honorary fraternity and is not a com
petitor with any Of the college fra
ternitieS.
After only four Years of existence
the organic Alpha Chapter of the Phi
Beta Kappa at William and Mary
College. owing to ''the confusion Of
the times:" discontinued indefinitely
it's sessions and was not revived
until 1849. Toward the close OF
December 1880. a British fleet ap-
peared in Chesapeake Bay with a
force on board commanded by the
traitor Benedict Arnold. He at once
proceeded up the James River pillag
ing and burning. The entire pen
insula was threatened
The concluding meeting was held
on January 6, 1881. when the Brit
lsh army, approaching Williamsburg,
caused the suspension of the college
and of the society. Five members
| met on that date and decided. in view
of the "dissolution which threatens
the university, to place their papers
in the care of the college steward to
remain with him until the desirable
event of the society's resurrection"
oil L..
| deposit they make in the sure and
certain hope that the fraternity will
one day rise to life everlasting and
glory immortal"
| But when the records of the old
original William and Mary Phi Beta
| Kappa were deposited with the col
| lege steward the Phi Beta Kappa
| had gone North in 1880, and on No
vember IL of that year had estab-
| llshed at Yale the Alpha of Con-
necticut, in which "a persons were
initiated. Though the first chapter
! to college was granted to Har-
ward, Parmele, himself a Harvard
alumnus. had found it more con-
venient TO establish the first chapter
at Yale, and in 1871 the Harvard
| Chapter, the Alpha of Massachusetts.
was inaugurated.
Thus. from it's very beginning on
| December 5. 1875. to the present day.
| there has always been an active Phi
| Beta Kappa organization.
x
{ consider the three presidents of
/ that first, organic, Alpha Chapter:
/ First. John Heath, considered as the
| founder of Phi Beta Kappa. was for
/ four years a member of Congress:
| second, Thomas Smith. the first clerk,
, was for many years a member of the
General Assembly and member of the
| State convention of 1888 to ratify the
| State constitution, and. third, William
| Short, who was the second clerk, was
for II years engaged in the diplomatic
| service with distinguished success
Short prepared himself carefully for
| this service by going on a French
man-ofwar that he might. by associa-
! ton with the officers of the fleet per
feet himself in the French language
| Two years after the close of his col
| lege duties he was associated with the
| Government as a member of the
| executive council and the year fol
lowing, 1884. he accompanied Jeffer
| son to France as secretary of lega-
| tion.- When. four years later, Jeffer-
son returned to this country to be
come Secretary of State, Short was
| made charge d'affaireS. his commits
| sion being the first one signed by
| Washington as President. In Janu
| ary, 1894, he became Minister to The
| Hague. He was next appointed
| commissioner to treat with the Span
| ish government concerning the Flor
| ida and Mississippi boundaries, the
| navigation of the Mississippi and other
open questions. A treaty of friend
| ship. commerce and boundaries re-
suited.
| His state papers, especially those re-
lating to the Spanish negotiations, are
marked by ability and research.
He did not return to the United
States until 1901.
When in 1S49 the records of the So
ciety were brought to light, he, as its
last president, gave encouragement to
the plan for it's revival. He did not
live to see this event, but died on
December 5. 1s4s, having been presi-
dent since 1878.
| OF the vice presidents in those Revo-
lutionary days-we know that Archi-
| bald Stuart preserved the seal of the
| Phi Beta Kappa, and after studying
law under Jefferson, he was for sew
| erai sessions member of the Virginia
| House of Delegates, and a member of
the convention of 1888 and Judge of
| the General Court of Virginia.
| Isaac Hite, treasurer of the Alpha
! Chapter, was a lieutenant in the Rev
| olutionary War and a prominent citi-
zen of the northern valley of Virginia.
| William Cabell. another treasurer.
rose to the rank of colonel in the Rev
| olutionary army.
John James Beckley. a secretary,
afterward became secretary of the
State convention of 1888 and of the
first House of Representatives Of Con-
gress, and the first Librarian of Con-
| gress.
But this gives no idea whatever of
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