Show THAT SCHOOL fRAT QUESTION MUST BE MET BY PRINCIPALS i Salt Lake is by no means the only city which is agitated by tho the question of fraternities in the the high high school Action like that of the tho local Board of or Education Education I tion barring secret societies has been taken in a num number r of cities and in sev- sev oral cral places it has met with vigorous re roo ro- ro The question tion is d discussed in an arti arti- el eJ ci Are Secret Societies a l Danger Dancer to lo o Our High Schools School 11 by Marion Melius In th the th September i He Review of Reviews In the course of ot the tho art article ide the tho writer 1 A A really serious problem in our educational educational edu edu- system which threatens to endanger endanger en n pan danger er not only the tho future of our schools hut but aJ also o to affect adversely ely the spirit of American democracy b bv by emphasizing em em- da class feeling has bas been bee presented pre seated ent d to the American parent by hO thee tho the of the e establishment and dc development high school fraternity Some thirteen or fourteen years a ago o othere there sprang up in tho the hi high h schools of this country secret societies patterned after the college and university fra ira s The Tho high hish school fraternities frato were quickly followed by lw sororities and these or organizations thrived harmlessly for tor awhile The They were cro generally sill silly hut but they were ere innocuous As they increased increased in in- I creased in numbers and were ere strengthened strengthS strength oed coed h h all the bj- bj a l chapter pter system over o country they became a 1 more and more powerful til influence until today they are the dominating element in in the schools Charges Against Them Mr rr Melius refers to three charges on which these secret societies are arc arraigned ar ar- ar rrt That it is undemocratic c that it t r resorts orts to cheap hap politics and that it itIs is Is inde independent of school control He Ho I quotes quote irom from th the r resolutions a adopted h by 1 the E Educational n- n association in in I 1905 declaring 3 against th the toc t because I thc they are subversive to tho the principles of which should i prevail l in public schools because became they are selfish and tend to narrow nuro the minds and nd sympathies of the pupils because they stir fiti up strife and contention because because be be- cause they are snobbish because e they dis dissipate ener energy and proper ambition because they set up wrong standards because rewards are not based on merit but on fraternity vows because they inculcate a n. feeling of self among the members because secondary schoolboys f are too young oun for club dub life I bc because nu e they aro expensive c and foster f habits of a extravagance because c they I brin bring politics s 's into the tho Ic legitimate or organization organ of the school chool because they distract distract dis dis- I tract interest from study tu y and nd because nil all legitimate te elements for good good social social moral and intellectual which intellectual which these soC societies societies so so- C claim to possess can cnn better be supplied to the tho pupils through the school at largo large o in the form fonn of literary societies and clubs under the sanction and ami supervision of the faculties The Tho writer goes OC i on to say that that- out of ofis lS is letters sent to high school chool principals all ll over ocr the country asking an expression expression sion aba of opinion on tho the question only three in in favor of fraternities t three fifty expressed no po positive iti e opinion but were inclined to look on them with disfavor one ODe said they would do no harm if properly mana managed e and 23 spoke poke against them in in unqualified terms tenus The rue article continues Testimony Against Them In Indianapolis a high school Society Society So So- became a R gambling dub club wh which cb was only broken up when tho the parents were afraid the boys m might ht laud land in jail In a Massachusetts city a clubroom was was the scene of hi high h revel rc until lutH the wee co hours of the tho morning some of tIC tho members mem mem- hers bers then going homo home in a shocking Co condition rid i tio ii The undemocratic character of such societies is particularly particular emphasized in inthe the tile sororities Tho girls aro are guilty of all aU tho the petty pett cl unlovely nets acts of which the feminine mind at It tb the high school ago ae is capable Their cruelty toward the tile sorority non-sorority girls resulted rc most most disastrously dis us astro in the tho case ease of a a. San Francisco girl who committed suicide because she could not become a member of a soror soror- it ity II Membership is lar largely a a. matter of ab ability Jit to make a good showing wear good clothes spend money freely aud and I he be a good fellow generally l' l one principal principal prin prin- cipal puts it tt This Jea leads s to a spirit of 1 toadyism which is dc degrading a and ui suii- suii to self respect H In In the Central bi high h of cit Springfield Mass which has perhaps the tho organized best fraternity s system 1 tem of any high school in tho the country the tho fraternity fra fra- boys conducted the tho class clas meetIngs meetings meet meet- ings ns like young ou politicians an and aud there was no breaking thron through h the tho ring by non fr non frat t members They gained control control con con- also of or the athletic societies and md the funds were administered on a rc regu u Jar lar system of graft I I In other schools the author says athletics ath ath- Jet cs have haye been crushed conditions of entering contests haying having been based on fraternity membership bip lD instead of physical cal pro prowess cs This condition be he argues is disastrous to class spirit According to the tho testimony n of mal many principals debating de de- bating and literary societies have o gone ono down don before the tho frats and the best social activities of tho school have bac dis appeared V Effect on Scholarships II All AU te testimony bears bea heavily a against tho the claim that the secret society tends to elevate scholarship The pr principals of forty nine schools were interrogated on this point and only six of them answered answered an an- m in the affirmative The Tho forty forty- three others replied that the tendency was tas adverse to good scholarship or ne neu neu- t ra 1 V In In Kansas City the faculty of tho the manual training high school recent recently I passed a resolution barring fraternity members from all privileges outside the classroom and a father of ono one of the bO boys R brought suit a against the principal in a writ of mandamus The school board hoard employed its ita attorney to defend the principal and the faculty joined together to gether to employ an influential lawyer Ja to assist the boards board's attorney The Thc fraternities fraternities fra Ira employed two lawyers and all ull the chapters in Missouri Kansas ansas au and Colorado con contributed tribu ted to the tho prosecution on fund The rho writ was WM quashed b bj- bj tho the Judge who in makin making his decision said The rhe resolution was reasonable on its face and ono which boys bos having a n. proper prop prop- er or respect for their school should bonorand honor bonor and respect t 1 A principal triumphed in a similar case in Chicago o and a similar rule mJe by bj- bythe bythe the Seattle high school was upheld in inthe inthe the courts |