Evening star., 1938-02-20
By MarcelIe Lane.

years ago, on December S, 1776-
five months, almost to the day. after
the signing of the Declaration of In
dependence-flve students of the Col
lege of William and Mary met in con-
clave in Raleigh Tavern, Williams
burg. There, in the city that was at
that period the cultural and political
capital Of Colonial Virginia, and in
the Apollo room Of its famous hostelry
the first Greek letter society in Am
erica was born.
Next Tuesday the National Capital
will see its first Phi Beta Kappa chap
ter installed as Alpha Chapter of the
District of Columbia at the George
Washington University, coincident
with the university's winter convoca-
tion.
Today, with chapters in 130 colleges
and universities throughout the coun-
try, and with 100000 living members,
including men and women who have
attained eminence in every walk Of
life, the name Of that society-Phi
Beta Kappa-is synonymous the world
over with intellectual and cultural at
tainment. During the century and a
half since its foundation, election to
membership in Phi Beta Kappa has
come to be the hallmark of outstand-
ing intellectual capacity employed in
the acquisition Of liberal education.
1t has also come to be a safe pre-
diction that the student who wins the
coveted Phi Beta Kappa key will make
valuable contribution to society, for
the proportion of noted names on the
roll Of Phi Beta Kappa Is remarkable
With total membership of not more
than one in 3,000-or .03 of ! per
cent of the population-Phi Beta
Kappa has furnished nearly half Of
the Nations famous men. including
leaders Of the state, the bench. the
bar, art, letters and affairs.
or THE great Americans included
in the Hall of Fame nearly half
belonged to the society; of all those
in the long roll of who's Who in
America" Phi Beta Kappa has sup
piled one in five: it has, in fact, pro-
vlded leaders, thinkers, poets, orators,
statesmen and scientists so far be-
yond proportion to the size of its men,
bership as to be astoundingly past
expectation.
OF the so undergraduates of William
and Mary who were members during
the first brief period Of four years of
the society's existence and who are
revered as the founders, two became
members Of the Continental Con-
gress, two became Senators, two judges
Of the higher courts of Virginia, one
q diplomat and two-Bushrod WASH
ington and John Marshal-justices OF
the Supreme Court; Marshall, "the
expounder of the Constitution" be-
coming Chief Justice and perhaps the
greatest who has ever held that post
Of honor.
The later members have not fallen
below that high standard. They have
been great lawyers, like Chancellor
Kent, Daniel Webster. Joseph Story
and Rufus Choate; and no fewer than
26 have been members Of the Supreme
tioes. They have been poets like Long
fellow, Emerson, Whittier. Holmes,
Lowell and Bryant; historians like
Bancroft. Motley, Prescott and Park
man; scientists, like Joseph Henry, Eli
Whitney, Samuel F. B. Morse, Louis
Agassiz and Asa Grey; diplomats like
John Hay, Joseph H. Choate and
Whitelaw Reid.
In political life Phi Beta Kappa
men have not only played a distin-
guished part in the House, in the
Senate and In the cabinet, but the So
ciety has given the country no fewer
than IL PreSidents-John Quincy Ad-
ans, Martin Van Buren,, Franklin
Pierce, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A.
GARFIELD, Chester A.. Arthur, Grover
Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, Will
liam Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson.
Calvin Coolidge and Franklin D.
Roosevelt. OF the Secretaries of State
since Washington formed his first cab
met, Is have been Phi Beta Kappa
men.
THROUGH the years Phi Beta
Kappa has come to be not only
the mark of achievement of the indi-
vidual scholar, but the guardian of
the scholarly tradition in America.
With its quiet but effective and far
reaching influence upon the institu-
tions Of higher learning and upon in
dividual students, Phi Beta Kappa Is
q potent factor in the development of
that cultural and scholarly leadership
upon which rests the future of free
democratic society.
How highly Phi Beta Kappa Is re-
garded by the educational institutions
Of the country Is attested by the fact
that more than 200 colleges and uni
versities today are seeking chapters.
From this large number the society is
constantly striving to select those most
excellent from the point Of view Of
liberal scholarship. Only three to
eight new chapters are established by
Phi Beta Kappa every third year.
The problem of selection is dealt
with through exhaustive Investigation
by q standing Committee on Qualifica-
tions. During the past two years, for
instance, some As colleges and uni
versities were studied by the commit
tse. composed of Dean George H.
Chase Of Harvard. DR.. Frank P.
Graves. New York State commissioner
Of education and president of the
United Chapters Of Phi Beta Kappa;
Dean Guy Stanton Ford of the Uni
versity Of Minnesota, President Theo-
dore H. Jack Of Randolph-Macon
Woman's College. Dean Charles B.
Apman Of the, University Of Califor.