Page 14 - 1917 May - To Dragma

TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 213

THE CHAPTER EXHIBITS AT CONVENTION

B Y DOROTHY K . CLARKE, 5 , 14, Collector of Exhibits

One of the finest things about Convention is the feeling of unity
which one brings away—and this year, when it will be impossible
for me to attend, I have been lucky enough to have that same unified
feeling brought to my door by the mail man. The histories have been
fine and the loans interesting in the extreme (at least those that
have been sent to me so far have been so), but even better has been
the correspondence which has been pleasurably necessary in my capac-
ity as Collector of Exhibits. But that is neither here nor there, as
the question put to me by our Grand President was, "Could you,
would you write something about the exhibits?"

The histories are mighty interesting, the moulding questions having
been constructed with three ideas in mind—first, the history proper;
.second, the chapter and the college; and third, the chapter and its
services.

Part first of one history is very much like part first of the next in
its essentials. I was particularly interested in a preface to Rho's
history which came via the Chicago alumna? historian some time
before the Rho history itself appeared. I t tells of the determination
of one girl to establish a chapter "whose cardinal virtue should be
democracy." Without knowing anything of Alpha O or its ideals the
group which this energetic girl gathered around her petitioned for
a charter with the firm determination to make Alpha O, at least as
represented at Northwestern—democratic. Certainly the round peg
found its round hole that time.

Part two brings out many sides of that debatable question—
Should Greek-letter fraternities be abolished? One historian com-
pares the sororities on her campus to the Bible gourd, "which grew up
fine and beautiful, and gave shade to him who sat thereunder, but, at
the close of the day, when its service was rendered, died down."
On the other hand there is the historian who, rather naively claims
that it would be impossible to abolish the chapters on her campus
as such an action on the part of the authorities would almost mean
the death of the university. And between these two extremes there
are all shades of opinion. This part of the histories really affords
food for thought for the student of the ever-present and ever-grow-
ing fraternity question. So read the histories, or, i f they are read
to you pay close attention, for every campus offers a different situa-
tion, and each situation has a direct bearing upon the all-important
question.