Page 76 - 1930 October - To Dragma

OCTOBER, 1930 75

make this as brief as possible and still elaborate enough to be of whatever help
it may. Of late I have become very word-conscious, and I looked up the verb,
t o organize.' The dictionary says, 'to arrange or distribute into parts with the
proper officials so as to carry out a scheme efficiently."

"In its early days Chicago alumnae chapter may be likened to an amoeba. As
you know, an amoeba is a unicellular structure which works very efficiently, getting
its food by putting out pseudopodia, and 'flowing around,' or ingesting whatever
object it touches. Such a primitive structure served very well for the chapter at
the time. Like the amoeba, however, these pseudopodia were also the only means
of locomotion, and as locomotion goes, it was pretty slow. Some means had to be
devised whereby it was possible to extend the field of operation. There were many
desirable potential members, but at such distance that, stretch it as one might, one's
pseudopodia were somewhat short. Imagine from six to ten persons meeting monthly,
representing a potential organization of at least a hundred or more. The result
was that a new chapter was formed on the south side of Chicago, by a sort of
spontaneous combustion method. This chapter became a complete neucleus with a
charter of its own, and it exists as such today. Chicago alumnae chapter struggled
on as best it could in the face of all the obstacles it had to overcome. A small
number of the members did all the work, receiving no great glory; the others could
only visit the meetings occasionally. We have promised to love and cherish our
chapter and its members, but it is hard to travel ten or twelve miles monthly to do
it. Most of the cherishing had to be done at respectable distance.

"Consequently nature's processes of evolution set in earnest and under the
able leadership of Cora Jane Stroheker (Iota), who was president in 1026-27 a very
paradoxical plan of organization came into being. In a large loose potential
membership there can be no feeling of unity because of the heterogeneity from
meeting to meeting. So contrary to the usual 'united we stand, divided we fall,'
Chicago alumna? says "Divided we stand, together we didn't amount to a hill of
beans.' In order that the paradox should be workable, the 'proper officials' began
to organize the various parts so that whatever scheme was in view might have a
chance of becoming a reality. I f I wax overly enthusiastic, or i f I understate the
efficiency of the organization, let me say that I have had nothing whatsoever to do
with it. I was not one of the attending physicians at the birth, merely an anxious
member of the family. But I believe that the preparation for this infant was pretty
complete; nearly every eventuality and contingency was looked after as would
befit a rise from such a single organism as an amoeba to the complexity of something
comparable to homo sapiens.

t " I t is understood, of course, that this organization might not apply in its
entirety to a smaller place with less members to work with, nor might it apply
jn large chapters where geography is less a factor in the working efficiency than
11 is with us in Chicago.

The present organization with Alice Thomson (Alpha), as president seems
to run beautifully. Cora Jane and her staff, then Alice and hers, have applied
fneir knowledge of nutrition and psychiatry, so that in a surprisingly short time the
infant is ready to foresake the stage of growing pains, and take its place as an adult.

" I have read through a lot of reports and much material covering the last four
years, but it is obvious that this cannot be included in an article such as this one.
nstcad I will copy the necessary parts of the present organization, which give the
clearest picture:

Organization

^ This chapter shall be composed of several smaller associations; to wit, Central,
°rth Shore and West Side Associations, and any new groups which may be added

"orn time to time.

me 1 ^ T^ese associations may be of two kinds: (1) Groups having a paid up
'mbership of ten which shall give them a voting representation on the General
me h, k? ' ' ^ P ' yai t l e r R 1 t 0 l h e their turn: (2) Groups having a paid up
res denc m

tKo J?ership °f less than ten which shall give them a consulting representation on
l"e General Board.