Page 45 - 1909 November - To Dragma

40 TO DRAG MA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI

regret, the freshmen need constant cheerful attention, and to them
we are dedicating our most precious time, trying to teach them how
to become loyal members of A O n.

RHO. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Rho's first letter to To DRAGMA ! Only our smile-wreathed faces
could tell you how happy we are to join the ranks of A O I I . I t
is really only a very short time ago that we were installed, and yet
we are already bound to our sorority by so many close and precious
ties, that the days when we were not Alpha O's seem only dreams.
Our installation came June 11, 1909, and that spring lost to us five
girls—two post-graduates, two seniors, and a sophomore, who is
studying this year at the University of Minnesota. That left but
five of our charter members to inaugurate the success of the chapter
for this year. The number was soon recruited by the initiation, Oct, 2,
1909, of three splendid girls, pledged the spring before—Faye
Smith, '10, Margaret Wyne, ' 1 1 , and Anne Curry, ' 1 2 . We also
affiliated Bess Medbourne from Theta chapter.

Such a busy time as we had our first two weeks! I suppose our
younger sister chapters will know what that means, when they recall
the vicissitudes of new chapter life, and when they realize that
pledging at Northwestern can be done any time after matriculation.
We have been very fortunate in having both Mrs. Alice Smith Thom-
son, Alpha, ' 0 5 , and Mrs. Lulu King Bigelow, Zeta, ' 0 4 , living in
Chicago, to help us in these strenuous times. Rho has already learned
to know the value of national bonds through her friendship with
those Alphas, she has been fortunate enough to meet. I n accord-
ance with our own by-laws under the lack of local Pan-Hellenic
"rushing" rules, we confined our "rushing" to two weeks, giving
in that time a series of informal parties, teas, breakfasts, theatre
parties, and drives. At the end of the period, we were delighted
to have ribbons on ten fine girls—Louise Norton, graduate stu-
dent, Marie Vick, ' 1 1 , Marguerite Mee, ' 1 2 , Elizabeth Hiestand,
'12, Caroline Power, '12, Lenore Thompson, '13, Blanche Babcock,
'13, Margaret Pitman, '13, Pauline Pearson, '13, and Edna Betts, '13.

On Oct. 10, we gave a luncheon for our pledges at Marshall
Fields, and have since been entertained at dinner by Mrs. Harris,
one of our patronesses—and at luncheon by Mrs. Carolyn Dorr and
by Mrs. Thomson. Both of the latter events were in honor of Jose-
phine Pratt, Alpha, ' 0 7 , who though Mrs. Thomson's guest, was
kind enough to spend some of her time with Rho. October 23 was
formal pledge-day. Five of our pledges will be initiated on Nov.
16, but the freshmen we cannot initiate until the second semester, in
accordance with a faculty ruling in force here. We are allowed two