Page 7 - To Dragma March 1932

10 To DRAGMA
Then finally, after Asia . . . home! She returned to New York the
latter part of November (1931) and installed herself once again in the
Chrysler Building Studio—high up with the gargoyles. Her Studio, by
the way, is an achievement which she might easily take pride in. I t is
thoroughly modernistic in atmosphere as well as "fixings"; yet, it is no
cold arrangement of office paraphernalia, but a place very capable of a
sense of "hominess" and coziness.
Of course, she is still connected with Fortune Magazitie—in the ca-
pacity of Associate Editor. But there are innumerable other things in
her work that keep her jumping about—such as a series of six articles on
Russia which she has contracted to write for the New York Sunday Times
Magazine, all amply illustrated by photographs gathered in her Russian
tour. (These are to appear shortly after this date—February 15—and it
might be well for you who have access to the New York Times, to watch
out for this series and see for yourselves the sort of work Miss Bourke-
White is doing.) Her Russian adventures and work do not represent, of
course, the entire run of her activities. I n summing up her general work,
Margaret mentioned having made a lumber-camp series, a series of the
Texas oil fields, and one of American limestone quarries. She likewise
produces the photographs used by the Republic Steel Corporation in
their Saturday Evening Post advertising.
And, now just a word about her "theory of photography." As an artist,
she is bound to have a "theory" about her work, and, in explaining hers
briefly, Margaret brought up the following points. She believes that the
art of the machine age—the age in which we live—will come from indus-
try. Most artists, she feels, are failing to realize this fact and are looking blessed her membership as affording an introduction to one whose friend-
for inspiration into the past, and are simply imitating it. But she herself
believes that the greatest art today is to be found right in the core of our
civilization—that is, in industry. Then, too, she is convinced that the
expression of that art is to be found in photography. " I t is so honest," she table, the scholarship cup, magazine notice and other artificial stimuli.
says, "and simple, and so truly representative of industry, with a clear,
black and white suitability." Naturally, Margaret recognizes that it is as
yet a greatly unexplored field and that there is still much to be done in
i t ; but that it will eventually succeed as a medium for the art of indus-
try, she has not the slightest doubt.
All this, she explains much more successfully and interestingly in the
tenth chapter of her book. And so, once again—the title is, "Eyes on
Russia"; the author, Margaret Bourke-White, Omicron Pi of Alpha
Omicron Pi.
MARCH, 1932 11
J-fow Qan We S f ya t i s ^f e
Conscientious ObjectorsI
Elizabeth Hey wood Wyman, Alpha
raises the question and answers it
REVALUATIONS are the order of the day. We are viewing things
soberly and carefully in an attempt to reach honest conclusions.
As fraternity officers or mature members we cannot ignore the
trend of the times. We have a starting point in the conscientious ob-
jectors, fine girls who have decided that fraternities are selfish and un-
democratic and who petition to be released from membership. I n fact
many of us are conscientious objectors in the sense that we feel deeply
the inadequacies and defects of our respective organizations and the sys-
tem in general. However we also see so clearly the tremendous influence
which they have exerted for good and their still greater possibilities that
we dismiss for ourselves the simple and easy course of repudiation in
favor of the harder road of facing the facts, admitting our deficiencies
and setting our course against them and toward the serviceability which
our rituals demand.
Our avowed ends are social, inspirational, altruistic. How have we
fulfilled them? Socially we have helped many girls. We have spared them
the difficulties and possible dangers of solitary adjustment. Even the
comparatively self-sufficient expand in the warmth of human comrade-
ship obtainable in the small group. After college days many a person has
ship might otherwise have been delayed or wholly missed.
Scholastically we encourage high standards; we make use of the study
The fraternity library is growing in popularity. We are establishing fel-
lowships, scholarships, and loan funds to assist girls of limited means.
We try to inculcate the principle that scholarship is the main ingredient
in fashioning the well rounded college career now as truly as it was when
organized activities were largely in the future and social dates were
merely delightful incidents in an otherwise purely scholastic regime.