Page 53 - 1912 February - To Dragma

118 TO DRAG MA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI

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list of scholarship honors in 1910-11 testifies. Proud as we are of these mem-
bers, their attainments do not compensate for poor scholarship accredited to
other members. Eta's and Alpha Nu's record of every active member doing
satisfactory college work for the year, is a better record than can be made
by any number of special honors in a chapter where there are also failures to
record. In the eyes of college authorities, in the opinion of the world at large,
in the judgment of alumnae, in the estimate of national officers, no chapter
can possibly be of first rank that has not a clean scholarship record. Such a
chapter may win rushees from all its contemporaries, it may have the largest
possible representation in college activities, its members may be the popular,
charming belles of all college social functions; but so long as its members are
failures as students, any claim to first place in its college is farcical—even if
its scholarship is on a par, or even better, than that of the chapters of other
fraternities in the college. The fraternity does not ask its college members
to attain distinction as scholars, it does not demand that members emulate the
college "dig",—but it does insist on a realization that work is the first purpose
of a college career, work on the college's prescribed courses, not work on its
extraneous activities. Honest, sincere effort, with passing grades, we must
have. If a chapter is so unfortunate as to have initiated girls whose mental
capacity is not equal to work and pleasure at the same time, those girls must
be allowed—nay required—to become "digs". A point system for activities
of members might save many an inexperienced girl, who is dissipating her
energies to the point of personal destruction. When sophomore pledging pre-
vails, our chapters will be largely freed from these parasitical members, who
ruin a chapter's position in spite of the efforts of all able members.—Kappa

Alpha Thela.

That there is much to be learned during our college days outside of books
goes without question. That character is developed and strengthened by
intimate association with minds of diverse talents is true. We can by our
sympathies and interests in outside matters do much to strengthen ourselves
and our fraternity but after all there is no quality so attractive, no power so
great as that which comes from devotion to duty. The strongest girl in
the fraternity, and one so regarded both within and without, is the girl whose
scholarship is above reproach. It is a pity this fact cannot in some way be
impressed upon the minds of the younger girls. It is all right to be popular
with the boys, to be a good tennis player, a dramatic star, but what does this
count when you are conditioned out at the end of the year. There is very little
glory in being the most popular girl in school though there may be some
notoriety in it. Believe me the things that will give you the most satisfaction
when the four years are over, will be the sense of having done your work well.
Some day a great light shines in upon the soul and we see things as they are.
Happy is she then who finds a record of honest work and honest play, for
there can be no honest play unless there is honest work behind it.—Anchora
of Delta Gamma.

Since the inauguration of granting Certificates of Honor to members of the
active chapters by former Worthy Grand Chief Dr. E . P. Lyon in 1907, there
has been a noticeable increase in the scholastic standing of the brothers. Many
of our chapters have set high standards of work for the undergraduate mem-
bers, with the result that a greater number of active members are now seeking