Page 15 - 1913 November - To Dragma

20 TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI

can remove that from the lovely place in which it has been allowed to
get a lusty start.

In the first place, let us remember that the fault here is not only i n
the fraternities. I t is largely also in the rulings and restrictions
placed upon them by external boards and by the youthful over-se-
verities of Pan-Hellenics. Certainly this was true at Barnard. A
large proportion of the trouble,—perhaps nearly all of the trouble
—at Barnard came from the unnaturalness consequent upon too much
outside interference.

Nevertheless, the whole idea of rushing for members is fundamen-

tally absurd.
Look! Here is a college protesting, we are told, because the fra-

ternities hurt feelings by leaving girls out, because the fraternities think
too much of themselves and show their complacency and sense of
superiority. And here, on the other hand, are these, exclusive, snob-
bish, longed-for, high and mighty bodies tearing a very small group
of girls backwards and forwards out of one another's hands, mourning
if they lose one who prefers to go elsewhere. Is it an anomaly? Is it
not against all good sense and good taste? Is it ladylike? I t is
surprising that they think ill of us for it?

Let us stop it.
Let us not rush a girl of whom we would never have thought except
that another fraternity "saw her first". Let us look around for our-
selves and discover the merits in the quiet unintroduced girls whom
nobody has seen. Let us take in girls at any time during any of the
four years when we happen naturally to want them. No need to be
in a hurry,—look around, learn the student body, get to know a
girl first. I f she happens to be one whom other fraternities have not
noticed, so much the better for our acumen. So much the surer that
she is our sort. Let us be polite to one another if we do happen,
two or three groups of us, to like and desire the same girl. Let's give
her time and a chance to see which one she likes,—we cannot prove
it to her, nor can she justly decide, by arguments or giving parties.
I f she fits naturally into another group, let us not act as i f it
were an insult or a deadly blow to us. We want our natural con-
genial friends. There are many little quiet, unknown girls who
are going to develop wonderfully at college, especially i f we help
them. What's the hurry? What's the scramble?
I f we try to have character, scholarship as far as our ability, honest
friendliness and a desire to be useful, loyalty to one another and all
the worth while things, girls who like that sort of striving w i l l — i f we
give them time to discover that we do too—very probably come to
us. And those who prefer another chapter as being bigger or older