Page 10 - 1917 November - To Dragma

16 TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI
MY WORLD AND YOURS
H E L E N SANTMYER in The Association Monthly
Some grown-ups have forgotten all the nice things that are 'round;
They walk with solemn faces, and their eyes fixed on the ground.
What things will I remember, when I ' m old and good and wise,
And walk abroad with dignity, long skirts and downcast eyes?
The way a yellow wheat field looks on a breezy summer day;
The sweeping rush of the wind in your face when you're swinging
high and away;
And how the earth smell makes you feel when you plant your sweet-
pea seed;
And a leaping fire on a winter's night, with Ivanhoe to read.
The thrill of the first spring evening when the daylight lingers on
And the street is f u l l of us playing when the dinner dishes are done.
A l l these things I ' m sure I ' l l remember, and maybe some others too: Omicron Pi. After the holidays, Mary D. remained at home, entered
A coast on the hill on a moonlight night, that taught you how angels
flew;
A world all fair and far away, as seen from the hay-loft door;
The sound of a distant train at night, when you dream of adventures
in store.
And I ' l l always remember a falling star across a summer sky,
That made me hold my mother's hand and wonder i f I were I .
Some grown-ups have forgotten all the nice things that are 'round;
They walk with solemn faces, and their eyes fixed on the ground.
But the things that I remember when I'm old and good and wise
W i l l keep me loving children and the trees and summer skies.
I travelled far from pole to pole.
My eyes the world did span,
Yet I turned sadly, and I cried
"O little world of man!"
I wandered by the greenwood side,
The distance of a rod,
My eyes were opened and I cried,
"O mighty world of God!"
TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI
T H E INSTALLATION OF NU OMICRON AT
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
When news came that we were to have a chapter of Alpha Omicron
Pi installed in Vanderbilt University, I was pleased because it meant
more sisters in Tennessee, and was satisfied that it was the thing to
do because Mary D. Houston was behind the enterprise. Beyond
that I gave it little thought. When I went to Nashville, the condi-
tions, the circumstances, and those lovely girls inspired an enthu-
siasm that I want to impart to the whole fraternity.
I n the summer of nineteen hundred and sixteen Mary D. Houston,
as she said herself, "had the inspiration which Katrina Overall nobly
carried out." They got together this group of girls who were to
enter Vanderbilt, some as freshmen, some as upperclassmen, who were
not only their friends but were the girls they felt were suited to the
undertaking. Mary D . returned to Tennessee while these girls
formed the local at Vanderbilt, Alpha Alpha, which petitioned Alpha
Vanderbilt, and when the charter was granted they had her guiding
hand—and head, to start them off.
After various delays the date of installation was set for A p r i l 28th.
Miss Many was appointed to conduct the ceremony and I was sent
to lend my doubtful aid and moral support. I t had just been
announced that the University of Tennessee would close three weeks
early on account of the farmers and soldiers, and with examinations
so close at hand it was impossible for any members of Omicron Chap-
ter to be present.
On Friday morning, the twenty-seventh, I reached Nashville. Mary
D. took me to her home where I was to have a pleasant visit with her
charming family, aside from the pleasures attendant on installation.
That morning we visited the university, met the Alpha Alpha's and
many Kappa Alpha Theta's and T r i Delta's. Here I must speak of
the wonderful spirit in which those two fraternities received our new
chapter. Their cordiality and interest were splendid. I f the future
members of the three fraternities at Vanderbilt live up to the spirit
of good-fellowship and fair play that was evident in what those girls
had to say at that time, their relations will be ideal. I n the afternoon
the Kappa Alpha Theta's had a tea at their cozy house in our honor,
to which all the girls of the university were invited. The only
thing lacking at the party was the fact that the real lion was not
present. Miss Many had gone to visit N u Kappa and the dis-
tances from New Orleans to Dallas and Dallas to Nashville were so
great that traveling was uncertain. Interspersed with all the festivi-