Howe, whose convention poem is given the place of honor in the magazine. Mrs. Howe is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the poem on-were we to give it a name-The Key-no doubt found a responsive welcome in every heart claiming loyalty to that symbol. If honorary members are to be chosen-concerning which opinions differ-women like Mrs. Howe are, as the name implies, truly honorary. The number is an enthusiastic Convention number and so more interesting to Kappa Kappa Gammas-than to others. Under the head of exchanges the editor expresses so well what we were intending to say that we quote the following: "Gush" is, without doubt, an undesirable characteristic of many women's journals; but even if the remedy were not worse than the disease, when the remedy consists of that one unpleasant word four times repeated in the course of one editorial, its force would be considerably impaired by the space devoted in the same magazine to-let us say— objectionable enthusiasiasm over "grubs" and "cooky shines" which, says one enthusiastic correspondent, make all nature kin. ” It has also occurred to us, after reading certain journals, that sororities having attained to the dignity of publishing a magazine representative of their order, might do well to occasionally think of St. Paul's confession : "When I was a child I spake as a child, etc," and to remember that however appropriate certain expressions seem in the privacy of the chapter household they look far different when set in cold type and seen by the outside world. Affection is proper and "gush" is perhaps allowable in private, but do not let it be said of college journals as of some others in the country published by women that they produce a feeling akin to sea-sickness. One of these lately admitted that the list of laudatory adjectives had been exhausted to apply to one of their leaders. Then, too, an unwritten law has ordained that a college or university should be spoken of as a college and not as a school, and that the students are not scholars, as in preparatory schools. We notice in chapter letters. in certain magazines these expressions frequently occur. However it would be very unfair to ourselves to leave the impression that only women fall into these errors. One of the fraternity editors speaks of "boys fraternities" and of college women as "school-girls." After reading the November number of the Kappa Alpha Theta Journal, we are of the opinion that many another exchange editor might really enjoy being sick if assured that the department would be so ably cared for. Instead of troubled dreams of sleeping on a pillow of fraternity magazines, of a banquet where nothing was served but the dry leaves of the exchanges, of being pinched and pronged by little imps saying it was time the copy was sent to the printers or the magazines would not be out on time, we could positively enjoy poor health." However, to some of us who know how strong a fortress surrounds Smith, Wellesley and Vassar Colleges, and how impregnable the Greeks. have ever found the walls, a smile will be pardoned when we read of the agitation on the subject of entering these institutions. Commenting upon the question asked by the editor in the March number of The Arrow, "Is the idea of making an effort to enter such schools as Wellesley, Vassar and Smith a good one?" the Theta Delta Chi Shield says: "It seems strange that the "sisterhoods" have not already entered such institutions. It would seem that such a course would give them a standing not yet attained, or at least an independence and strength which cannot be felt while they exist in mixed institutions. An elegant field is open. Seize the opportunity, girls" The Journal adds the following: "Kappa Alpha Theta is heartily in favor of making such an attempt. Not only would the national reputation of our fraternities be largely in. creased by their introduction into the destinctly feminine institutions of acknowledged standing. but the actual strength and influence of women's fraternities would receive an immense impetus from the addition of strong members from these famous colleges. Where should we look for support for organizations which tend toward the mutual improvement of women, if not to those institutions which devote themselves exclusively to that object? It is true that the woman's fraternity is a child of the co educational colleges, and that the same necessity for it does not exist in a woman s college as in an institution for both sexes. Moreover, it is true that the conservatism of eastern colleges would probably present a serious barrier to the immediate introduction of fraternities into their midst; and only a thorough conviction that these societies are essentially "womanly," with no trace of the "mannishness" so dreaded by certain eastern educators, would induce these colleges to open their doors to women's fraternities. But the effort is worth making; aud as Kappa Alpha Theta takes the lead in age among women's Greek Letter Societies may she not be the first to introduce these societies into the colleges of Smith, Wellesley and Vassar? The fields are white to the harvest; let us not lose the grain through negligence." Alas, "an elegant field is not open." To any sorority desiring a sub rosa chapter the "field may be open" and "white to the harvest." But how would the national reputation of our fraternities be largely increased "thereby? Less red tape, correspondence, and entreaty would be needed to wrest Siberia from Russia or to gain possession of several thousand square miles in the interior of Africa than to convince the trus、 tees of certain colleges for women that it would be to their advantage to allow sororities to enter their institutions. Having anticipated and pro vided for every possible, and impossible, mental, moral and social need of the students, they look with suspicion upon any society whose transactions are secret and from whose meetings they would be debarred entrance. The very knowledge that the sororities flourish in co-educational soil is enough to condemn them, and to stamp them as "mannish." But "No rock so hard but that a little wave May beat admission in a thousand years." So get out your battering rams, sister sororities, and storm Gibraltar. The October and December numbers of The Arrow are before us. The latter opens with an interesting article on Collegiate Alumnæ, an organization born during the last decade and destined to attract considerable attention as the years go by. From the contributions to the symposium on "Fraternity as an Educator," we are enabled to catch a glimpse of Pi Beta Phi behind the scenes-among other good things we find the following: "That this fraternity influence be good intellectually and morally, should be the aim of every chapter. Each member should feel himself individually responsible for the highest possible realization of that idealshould feel that with him rests the welfare of the chapter, and in a broader way. that of the whole traternity. The fraternity must be an educator socially and morally. It has before it its ideal of womanhood or man hood, and if each member continually strives to approach that ideal its influence as an educator will be most potent and grand. It must teach unselfishness, patience, self control, charity, sympathy, purity, love; friendship in the true sense will result. The influence of the fraternity must go beyond its members; it should be such that others will feel its goodness and greatness, and they will, for 'No life can be pure in its purpose and strong in its strife, We are in receipt of a circular from a publication calling itself "A Pole star of Christian Reform! The Christian Cynosure. The National Representative of the Movement against Secret Societies," which modestly asks us to mention that it will be sent free to all college reading rooms that request it during the coming year. This would seem to savor faintly of an advertisement, and as nothing is said in the circular about payment we suspect an odor of the innocent but seductive "free ad." The mission of our enterprising contemporary aforesaid, which the circular announced to be twenty two years of age, seems to be the utter annihilation of secret societies, Masonic and otherwise. The "Pole star of Christian Reform " seems not to have darted its rays at the Masonic fraternity with conspicuous success during the twenty two years it has illuminated the journalistic firmament, since its circular deplores the fact. that the lodges silently crept back into power. It therefore proposes to focus those rays upon the luckless college fraternity, in the hope that they may penetrate the surrounding atmosphere and drive from the face of fair America, these horrid instruments of the devil, these hideous, horrible, oath bound, orgie-stained, secret, mysterious, destructive, criminal, ghostly, atheistic, powerful, revolutionary, and exclusive college fraternities; these foul excrescences upon the body politic in college life—we beg pardon, in our newborn enthusiasm to involve the college fraternity in utter and hopeless ruin, we have forsaken the lines of the circular and are reading between them.-Chi Phi Quarterly. The leading article in the Phi Delta Theta Scroll for October is devoted to reviews of the Annuals put forth by different colleges, illustrated by plates from the same. This is a novel feature, and adds much interestR to an already interesting article. Numerous quotations of parodies and poetry are also given. As a supplement The Scroll publishes the article on Phi Delta Theta, prepared for the new edition of W. R. Baird's work on American College Fraternities. At Miami University, in 1848, the fraternity was founded and now numbers 66 active chapters, 17 inactive, with a membership of 6,761. The inventions and improvements in photographic reproduction and printing, which the past decade has produced, have opened up a new era in journalism. The great literary magazines within the past few years have blossomed out as artistic productions. The great press has caught the infection, and now the quarterly, which does not include portraits or sketches, is behind the times. The Delta Upsilon Quarterly has rather eclipsed all other fraternity periodicals in the profusion and elegance of its productions, but others are beginning to include at last portraits of distinguished alumni. These add much to the value of the journals and give evidence of progression. There is no reason why fraternity journalism should be slow in feeling the pulse of advancement. As the journals are indicative standards of their respective fraternities every effort should be made to disseminate progression The Shield of Theta Delta Chi. The Delta Kappa Epsilon Quarterly for October is a number that will attract the attention of many readers outside of the fraternity for which it especially speaks. Its articles of general college news and fraternity gossip are very entertaining. It calls at ention with pardonable pride to the fact that eighteen members of the present Congress (three Senators and fifteen Representatives) are Dekes. Dr. Wilcox, of the Wesleyan and Yale chapters, has an article on the American School at Athens. His description of life in modern Greece is very pleasing, and Greek students. will be especially interested in what he has to say about the school that is maintained there by an association of twenty American colleges. The Quarterly calls attention to the fact that the new D. K. E. catalogue will soon be issued. It claims that it will be one of the most complete fraternity catalogues ever published. Greek and College Gossip. A course of histology has been added to the curriculum of Rochester University, for the benefit of those intending to pursue a medical course. Northwestern University now enjoys the presidency of Henry Wade Rogers, late Dean of the Law School of Michigan University. The Young Men's Era is authority for the statement that Yale Uni versity would sanction the establishment of an annex for women, if money were provided. The University of Pennsylvania is to have a new department of Hygiene, with a $50,000 building and an endowment of $200,000. This chair is to be devoted exclusively to the study of bacteriology and preventative medicine and its pursuit is to be obligatory in the medical course. The trustees of Barnard College, in the report of their last meeting call for an endowment of $200,000. The success of the institution is demonstrated and great credit given Columbia for the aid given in establishing it. We quote from the report the following: We desire to emphasize as publicly as possibly the fairness with which every effort of Barnard College has been met by the President, trustees and faculty of Columbia College. It is not so well known as it should be that Barnard College has never had to work against any opposition from the University. The trustees of Columbia College, in granting the degree, gave first of all what other universities had persistently refused -equal honors for equal work. Also from President Seth Low's speech: Columbia undertakes to do for Barnard three things: To shape its curriculum, to maintain its standards by conducting its examinations, and to give the degree. This relation offers a guarantee of thoroughness and progressiveness. Every improvement which finds itself placed in the curriculum of Columbia will equally be found in the curriculum of Barnard every elevation of the standard at Columbia will also be reflected in the work done at Barnard. |