Show p rt a r r. r t. t t t t at t J q A any u error ft 1111 III ra r a r sp a t rt t r r t vt s I V. V REFRESHING OPINION ON FRATERNITIES SHOWING THAT THEY ARE NATURAL ORGANIZATIONS Serious minded people often ask the question What is wrong with the fraternities It is a question which I I J have heard in one form or another another another an an- other several times the past few days a question too which I suppose should be he considered in all all college communities but I must admit I refuse refuse refuse re re- re- re fuse to become excited oy oyer over r it as many good people do i li liIn In the beginning all of ofus fus us who know fraternities at all well vill have to admit that there are several things the matter with these secret organizations organizations organizations dangling awkward Greek names But faults are largely local and not genera general How shall we meet the main charges of the indict indict- ment It is charged that they foster snobbishness That accusation could be made with greater against colleges as such than against fraternities It is true that fraternities fraternities fraternities seem to spoil some men by showing showing showing show show- ing up the qualities of snobbery which lay under the surface It has lias been my experience however that there are as many snobs in schools where the fraternity system does not exist as in schools where the system is well established and entrenched by years of custom and tradition It is further charged that they encourage immoral practices In some cases this is unfortunately true but bu in the great majority of instances if the local chapter cannot regulate the conduct conduct conduct con con- duct of its members the national body will do so It is charged that membership membership membership mem mem- in a fraternity brings about a lowering of scholarship Sometimes tl this is is true but just as often fraternities fraternities fraternities operate to raise scholarship But this is au all ail by the mark marlc Those good people who get excited as soon as the word fraternity is mentioned fail fall In the main to grasp the real situation situation sit sit- nation as regards these organizations They look at them so seriously that it is laughable As a matter mattes of or fact Your pardon Gentlemen these fraternities fraternities fraternities fra fra- are only a lot of boys playing playing playing play play- ing at being men They pay pray the game so well welI that these serious minded minded mind mind- ed reformers mentioned above ac ac- forget that they are dealing with boys and come to look upon them as men College is supposed to tofit tofit tofit fit them for life and they are learning learning learning learn learn- ing the game The fraternity offers excellent coaching along the very lines they wish to purs pursue e. e Of course there is a vast deal of f tommyrot about these organizations Their secrets do n not t amount to any more than the secrets of two little girls who assure a third that they have a secret which she is not permitted to know For that matter the secret secret secret se cret of any secret order is is worth absolutely nothing after you know it and half the boys in any given fraternity fraternity fraternity fra fra- fra- fra in the University of Utah probably could not translate the Greek motto if their life depended on it That is all right It So what is the use of remembering They bind themselves together because because because be be- cause men have always done it and the gregarious instinct is one that does not wither from education Damon and Pythias did it So did David and Jonathan and Tom Saw Sawyer er erand and Huck Fin Nothing unusual in that is there It seems to me that about the real function of a fraternity is that of ofa a catalytic agent It hastens action and reaction It brings out what there is in a man and his continual contact with other men of the same age and similar interests hastens his development Of course there will be foolishness The members are at that gorious glorious stage of development when the earth seems to them a place to conquer Every Everyone one of them feels feel that Moab is my wash-pot wash over Edom will I cast out m my shoe over Philistia will I When there is so much doing there is bound to tobe tobe tobe be some foolish things Dont Don't worry about it There is a stage in a mans man's career when it is more or less appropriate appropriate appropriate ap ap- that he make something of ofa a fool of himself Dont Don't take the fraternities fraternities fraternities fra fra- fra- fra too seriously In the main they are not such bad institutions as some people think THE TI-IE SPECTATOR |