Page 79 - 1920 February - To Dragma

162 TO DRAG MA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI

ALUMNA CHAPTER LETTERS

(Los Angelos Alunmae letter arrived eighteen days late and therefore sub-
ject to the fine.)

NEW YORK A L U M N A

There is one circumstance that invariably accompanies the meetings of the
New York Alumna:—it rains. Sometimes it pours, depositing pools of water
among the torn-up slates on the roof of New York University, thus rendering
dangerous our path to the N u chapter rooms; and sometimes it merely driz-
zles, enveloping the square in a thick gray mist, softening the lights, and
d i m m i n g the outlines of the arch so that i t stands shadow-like at the entrance.
But always i t rains—October, November, December; I suppose also January,
February, March, and so on to the end of the calendar. The New Y o r k
Alumnre, however, are brave spirits, and nothing daunted by wet and weather,
they sally f o r t h to dinner at Aunt Clemmie's, leaving umbrellas dripping in
the hallway and slimy goloshes strewing the floor. (Perhaps this is one of the
reasons w h y those inhospitable doors are now closed against us.)

The October meeting was delightfully informal—of course, our meetings
are always i n f o r m a l , but this one was especially. Piloting one another
through puddles and slates and kegs of nails on a roof invites a certain
friendliness of spirit. I n place of the usual appointed speaker, Miss Henry
and M r s . Perry discussed certain phases of convention. Miss H e n r y explained
various points concerning constitutional amendments, and Mrs. Perry described
the historical exhibit and outlined her plans for the history of the fraternity.
As we all eagerly begged f o r i t , she also told us the story of how A 0 I I was
founded at Barnard. I wonder i f all the chapters know one fact that w i l l go
down i n our history; namely, that the $2,050 sent by A 0 I I f o r the rehabilita-
ting of a town in the Chateau Thierry region was the largest sum sent abroad
by any woman's fraternity. I t is amazing, when one stops to think, how
rapidly our fraternity has grown f r o m its unpretentious beginning at Barnard
to an organization whose interests are world-wide and whose influence is felt
on two continents.

At the November meeting Miss Rembaugh gave us a spirited narrative of
her campaign for judge, revealing many bits of information not exploited by
the New Y o r k newspapers. Though she was not successful as a candidate, she
received an unusually high percentage of votes. That fact is significant.

The New York Alumnre is at present facing a difficult question. Where
shall we meet to dine? Aunt Clernmie declares vociferously that we drive
away her regular customers f o r weeks; and our old resort, the Green Witch,
refuses to reserve tables. For the December meeting, as i t f e l l on the night
after Founders' Day and as we wanted to celebrate the occasion, we had a
picnic supper in the N u chapter rooms. Were i t not so much trouble, this
would be an agreeable way out o f the difficulty; but salad and sandwiches and
creamed oysters are a weariness to the flesh i f you have to prepare them—
hence we must seek some other solution.

Our December meeting was a decided success. M r s . Perry spoke again o f
the f o u n d i n g of the f r a t e r n i t y and of her hopes and ideals f o r the future. I t
is a joy to have M r s . Perry w i t h us and an immense satisfaction to realize
that we can have her f o r the year. Several of the Alpha girls were there on
this night, and Anna Many of Pi, who was passing through New York on
her way home f r o m Trieste, where she has been w i t h the Y . M . C. A . , came