Page 44 - 1925 November - To Dragma

124 TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI

EDITORIALS

W E TAKE a note from the daily press in this announcement; Vital sta-
tistics : to Alpha Omicron Pi, Kappa Omicron, at Memphis, Tennes-
see, on November 20. For our first new chapter of this year, this fra-
ternal year, was installed on that date by Josephine S. Pratt, our Grand
Vice-President. And speaking of fraternities and vitality, what is more
important to the vitality and strength of a fraternity than a strong expan-
sion policy. A too rapid growth, of course, is not at all desirable, but
statistics show that Alpha Omicron Pi .has not sinned in this respect.
Ultra-conservatism is the other extreme to be avoided. Sometime we will
make for our book a map showing the location of our active and alumnae
chapters, and the dates of installation. A pictorial analysis, we think,
showing up as it will, wide gaps in time between installations and in what
would seem to be extremely favorable fields for expansion yet unfilled,
will show you more clearly than ever words will do, just what our policy
is, has been, and should be. In the meantime every Alpha O extends to
Kappa Omicron, our youngest chapter, all the best wishes that could possi-
bly be and a hearty welcome into our sisterhood.

" ' - p u E FIRST YEAR is always the hardest." This old saw, familiar in the
A first chapter of baby books and in the mouths of grandmothers and

other experienced beings, applies to groups of individuals as well as to the
individuals themselves. With babies, germs are first to be guarded against,
and the instructions tell how to sterilize the bottle, boil the milk, and add
a dash of lime juice, or is it water, now and then for varieties' sake. With
new groups, the chief adversary is debt, the germ of disrepute and discon-
tent. An important way for us to make sure that a new group will be
as free from financial obligations as possible is to encourage the presenta-
tion of simple petitions to the Grand Council as against the more elaborate,
impressive, but very expensive ones so often thought necessary. The pres-
ent administration advocates a much simpler form of petition than is
customary. Such a petition can be just as impressive, just as representa-
tive, complete and adequate, as its much more expensive type. A beauti-
fully made up petition does not necessarily mean that a fine group backs
it. Or, if you prefer the older way of saying it, "Fine feathers do not
make fine birds." (Our figures do seem a little mixed; we began with
babies and now we have switched to birds but we beg you to note that we
are still within the limits of the Animal Kingdom. Anyway some people
are queer birds.) A new chapter unhampered by debt is much more able
to meet the demands made upon it than one saddled with a printing bill
mounting up into the hundreds. Shall we not keep this in mind when our
next petition is presented?