Page 7 - 1917 September - To Dragma

298 TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI
Someone has said:
"The man worth while is the man who can smile
W h e n everything goes dead w r o n g . "
T h e n let us as A l p h a O girls show our determination to be
" w o r t h w h i l e , " and i n doing this we w i l l be an asset to our sorority.
There is another thing to be considered i n rushing. I t is the
proper employment of the black ball. I consider i t a weapon which
should be employed i n some instances. Let us imagine that a popu-
lar g i r l is being rushed by the chapter. One of the Alpha O girls
who has come to know her well has discovered some well-defined
reason w h y she w o u l d be an undesirable addition to the chapter.
I n such a case i t seems best to place the facts before the sorority
members, and they should remember that she who points out the
flaw does i t not f r o m personal feeling, b u t f o r the good o f her
chapter. She "keeps her head" when she goes against the popular
current, and shows others what seems to her sufficient reason f o r
b l a c k - b a l l i n g ; and no resentment should be shown her f o r so doing.
A n d while the rush season is at its height let us say w i t h K i p l i n g .
" I f you can keep your head
While all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you
*******
Yours is the earth, and everything that's in it,
A n d what is more—you'll be a man, m y son."
O f course, we can't be "men," but we can "keep our heads" and
be "womanly," w h i c h is every b i t as fine.
BARBARA D U N N , r '20. simple f o r this f a l l at least; perhaps—who knows? we may find the
TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 299
RUSHING UNDER PRESENT CONDITIONS
W i t h a m i n d filled w i t h thoughts of Red Cross w o r k and vexing
itself w i t h the many possible ways of food conservation, I find i t
difficult to realize that, of course, there w i l l be " r u s h i n g " to be done
this f a l l . ( N o t i c e I do not say "rushing as usual," f o r I feel that
our college girls w i l l be blessed w i t h keener insight and more feel-
ing than some of our business men have shown w i t h their "business
as usual" slogan.) B u t rushing of some k i n d there w i l l necessarily
have to be, and the problem that every chapter w i l l have to solve f o r
itself w i l l be how to rush w i t h as l i t t l e expenditure of time, energy,
and money as possible, and s t i l l bring the desirable girls into our
ranks. I am sure you a l l feel w i t h me that under the present circum-
stances expensive and conspicuous rushing w o u l d be most improper
i f not absolutely w r o n g . I f at this time we show ourselves to be
fonder of gayety and carried away by our own selfish interests, we
cannot expect the people about us to hold us i n much respect. T h i s
is a time, rather, when we have every opportunity to show the world
about us that our ideals are so high that of themselves they help us
bear our share of the Nation's burden, and that our fraternities are
f a r f r o m being the mere social organizations which so many people
have judged them to be.
N o w is the chance to use the simplest methods f o r meeting the
new girls; to let natural friendships take the place of feverish
"crushes," and to show the new girl the compliment of believing
that she is capable of choosing the group w i t h whom she w i l l be
happiest and most congenial without the whirlwind accompaniment
of dinners, dances, and expensive "eats." T h e impressionable young
g i r l who comes into college this f a l l , i t seems to me, is going to be
struck most of a l l by that crowd of girls that is laying aside thoughts
of self f o r those of service to country, and she w i l l readily realize
that expensive entertaining f o r her w i l l mean less time and money
f o r the more essential duties before us now. Let us keep our rushing
plan so much better after a l l that our old methods of rushing w i l l
seem obsolete and ridiculous, and i n a f e w years we w i l l look back
and wonder why we tolerated them so long.
District Superintendent MERVA DOLSEN HENNINGS,
of Middle Western Chapters.