Page 62 - 1917 February - To Dragma

188 TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI
EXCHANGES
We are sorry that lack of space demands fewer good things from
the journals of our neighbors. We are, however, calling attention to
those that are given, as they have been selected especially for the
Home Number. We are also acknowledging with thanks the receipt
of the following magazines:
The Delta Chi Quarterly, the Caduceus of Kappa Sigma, the
Rainbow of Delta Tau Delta, Banta's Greek Exchange, the Garnet
and White of Alpha Chi Rho, the Palm of Alpha Tau Omega, the
Key of Kappa Kappa Gamma, the Themis of Zeta Tau Alpha, the
Scroll of Phi Delta Theta, the Phi Gamma Delta, the Mask of Kappa
Psi, the Anchora of Delta Gamma, the Crescent of Gamma Phi Beta,
the Sigma Phi Epsilon Journal, Kappa Alpha Theta, the Lamp of
Delta'Zeta, the Eleusis of Chi Omega, Beta Theta Pi, the Lyre of
Alpha Chi Omega, the Arroiv of Pi Beta Phi, the Adelphean of
Alpha Delta Pi, the Alpha Chi Delta, the Triangle of Sigma Kappa,
the Shield of Phi Kappa Psi, the Tomahawk of Alpha Sigma Phi, the
Record of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the Aglaia of Phi Mu, the Sigma
Pi Emerald, the Shield and Diamond of Pi Kappa Alpha, and. the
Alpha Phi Quarterly.
The following selection is taken from Banta's Greek Exchange.
and written by R. Louise Fitch, Grand President of Delta Delta
Delta.
THE HOUSE MOTHER
The position of house mother or house chaperon is rather unique in the list
of available positions for women. Until rather recently the sentiment seemed
to favor for such a position a woman past middle age, preferably a widow
of independent means who wanted a home for her declining years. Her duties'
were few, consisting largely of being in the house when men were guests at
the house. Her authority—perish the thought—she had none! Just let her
try to use a little, and she was quite apt to find her services were no longer
needed. Within the last few years the sentiment regarding this position has
changed. Sorority officers—many of them—have discovered that the best house
mothers are members of their own organizations, usually younger women who
can live more of the life of the girls with them. After a year's close study
of the position, its needs and possibilities, it is my conclusion that this is a
very much underrated and undeveloped position. A house mother should be
a college woman and preferably a member of the sorority whose chapter she
mothers. She then has a dual hold upon the girls—as the house mother and
as an older sorority advisor. She should be thoroughly familiar with all the
methods and ideals and facts regarding her own sorority, and the main facts
of all others including the methods of the National Panhellenic Congress. She
should know something of house management to be able to advise the manager,
stop "leaks" so that the manager may keep within her appropriation. She
should know how to dance and dance well, and should expect her program
TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 189
to be filled at the dances. I n that way she can know wherein the fault lies
if the dancing is not what it should be. She should know something of the
general life and ideals of the college where she is then located and where
possible she should meet the professors under whom the girls in the house take
their work. She should, of course, know the ideals of the dean of women and
help work them out through her group. The question often arises: How much
authority should a house mother have? I f she is tactful and keen of observa-
tion she does not need any specific authority. The less she apparently assumes
the better. Everything that can possibly be done through the chapter president
and thus the chapter itself should be done, the chapter thus being its own
authority. Frequent conferences between chapter president and house mother
will give the president the ideas which the house mother would like to have
carried out and by presenting these to the chapter for discussion, the chapter
apparently runs itself as I T wishes. Creating chapter sentiment is the best
possible method of enforcing chapter rules. Few girls care to persistently
defy chapter opinion. A house mother can tell when there is friction in the
house, when there are misunderstandings and can tactfully straighten out
tangles. The interesting part of her work with the girls, however, comes in
discussing their college work. Here she can often settle serious problems,
advise a girl as to her course, change her into more congenial departments, tell
her of the many fields open to women and the qualifications necessary for
holding such, in fact, disclose to her entirely new branches of study and possi-
bilities of life. She also can win the confidence of the girls and in a skillful
manner hold before a girl her pet fault in such a manner that she is willing
to discard it and will seriously try to do so. She should at all times expect
the utmost courtesy—and get it—even to the little attentions which are perhaps
unnecessary but which are the outward signs of refinement. She should dis-
tinguish carefully between doing things F O R the girls and doing things W I T H
them. The latter is the better. She should keep in reserve a good many
opinions both as house mother and chapter advisor and should give them
rarely enough to have them of much consequence when given. The hardest
part of being a house mother is the waiting to see conditions develop. She can
see ahead and realize what certain methods would mean if adopted at once.
She must learn to expect things to move slowly. Girls must try them out in
perhaps twice as much time, but the results are far more satisfactory in the
end, for the girls then see the wisdom of the suggestions, and try them as
their own. No kind of public sentiment can be changed in a moment and the
sorority is no exception. But invariably a chapter adopts in the second semester
what it rejects in the first, and the result is obtained—more slowly to be sure,
but willingly, which is the great consideration.
It may seem that the subject of house mothers will interest but few, but many
are the applications for this position received each year. Seldom are the quali-
fications extended beyond " I am very fond of girls." The possibilities are great
for those who will study them. I n fact, the work is really that of a dean of
women on a small scale. We need more women who are intelligent, cultured,
tactful, jolly, sympathetic, and young to fill just such positions.