Page 9 - 1913 November - To Dragma

14 TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI

while most do not. What further need of proof that this evil, where
it exists, is not inherent in the fraternity system? I f many are guilt-
less all might easily be.

The cure, where needed, is in the fraternities themselves. But
the cure is also in the student body. My lords and governing boards,
if a chapter in your college continues to be snobbish and intolerant
and yet continues to attract membership from your student body,
seek further for the seat of your disease. You will not cure it by
abolishing the chapter. Purge of snobbishness your college itself and
the wicked chapter will become clean or die for lack of members.

It must also be remembered, in fairness to the fraternities, that here
as in all other phases of life, it seems to be a common human weak-
ness to ascribe to causes outside of ourselves failures in which such
causes have no part. I t must be remembered that girls who have
not been asked to fraternities simply because others have been more
admired by the chapter or more in harmony with its intent are known
to explain their position by making a false accusation of snobbishness
against the fraternities.

Just here, I will make a charge myself, a charge that is not gen-
erally made by our critics though it is quite true. For this is no
brief for the defense, but an honest self-searching.

While most chapters of all fraternities are innocent of snobbish-
ness, few i f any are guiltless of deciding against candidates for the
foolish personal reasons of individual members. That this is equally
true of any club or selective group we know. But it should not be
true of fraternities that pretend to stand for something high and
idealistic. This is as bad as snobbishness, this little bickering " I
don't like her," blacklisting for a selfish, self-righteous or trivial
reason. This is one evil in which the women's societies are much
more guilty than the men's. I t ought to cure itself, for it invariably
brings its own punishment and leaves the chapter mourning in the
end a valuable sister lost. Obviously it is a thing that can easily
be cured and does not need our death as the remedy. But obviously
too, it must be cured i f the fraternities are to deserve to endure.

Any girl, in life, in a club, and especially in a fraternity, who sits
in judgment on another for trivial differences in taste or any small
reason and decides offhand that she cannot love her, takes a ridiculous
attitude of self-glorification and uncharitableness. She exposes her
chapter and her fraternity to just reproach. We are not in fraternity
to decide whom we can like; one of the things we are here for is to
love the friends of our friends. I f a candidate is dear to a sister
that fact should make us desire her i f we can. I f it does not the
fault may be in us, not in her.