Page 27 - 1918 November - To Dragma

54 TO DRAG MA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI
The camp, together with the aviation ground school forms an extensive
army camp. The greatest problem was the housing and feeding of
these S. A. T. C. men; but everybody responded nobly when the
call came for workers and things are beginning to be more settled
by now. Most of the fraternity houses have been taken as barracks
and the traditional "fraternity row" is no more.
There is much opportunity for war work; and I am certain when
the call comes, Alpha O will be found near the front ranks. Red
Cross and similar relief work, as well as providing the proper enter-
tainment for these men at the camp will require many helpers. Our
local Y. M . C. A. has now been changed to a branch of the war
Y. M . C. A. with two war secretaries as well as a general secretary.
We are to have a Y. M . C. A. hut and all. The Y. W. C. A. is to
serve as a hostess house in case any is needed.
There isn't much that I can write since school opened two weeks
late; and we have really just begun. Iota wishes each chapter much
success in any undertaking of the immediate future. These are
trying times—times in which we must strive harder than ever to
overcome the difficulties in our path and in which we must keep more
firmly than ever the words of our beautiful motto.
H E L E N M . B R A U N S , Chapter Editor.
TAU—UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
As I am writing under dire threats from Mary Chase, I fear that
this letter will never live to see the printed page. I n some uncanny
way, she has an inkling of the fact that I am going to mention her
name too many times to permit her, with any modesty, to print it.
Despite her anger, I shall write. Selah! Since all the rest of you
chapters are deprived of Mary Chase that we may have her as our
chaperone, the least I can do is to give you a slight idea of her
abounding personality and dynamic forcefulness. I dare not say too
much, as Mary is a most unbending autocrat. Mary's intense love
of life is analogous to the jeweled ring of the great god Odin, which
every morning let fall ten other rings of priceless value. She creates
a terrific amount of vital energy from long tramps, heated discussions,
or even from instructing stupid freshmen in her rhetoric class. Every
time she comes into the room vibrating with life, she transmits by
some magic power a certain amount of her energy and enthusiasm
to every one about her. This small appreciation is an attempt to
show you why Tau has risen so rapidly at Minnesota.
True to our nomadic reputation, we have again moved; and though
not to the house of our last year's dreams, we are very happy with
our choice. Our house is a stucco house, most imposing without, being
TO DRAG MA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 55
tall of structure and brown of shade. A winding brick walk leads up
to our side entrance in the style of an old English tavern. And the
knocker came from Stratford-on-Avon! Over the entrance is Mary's
sleeping porch with its myriad casement windows. Our Dutch
dining-room is adorable; but best of all, we have a cook for whom
we give devout thanks three times a day.
Since college has barely started, and activities not at all I must
relegate my conversation to the happenings within our own four walls.
I cannot even talk of rushing parties and freshman rushees; for we
are to do no rushing at Minnesota until second quarter. We have
two nice little sisters living at the house, however, Frances and
Musetta Graham of Rochester, Minnesota. There are twelve girls
and a chaperone this year. We are especially proud of our two trans-
fers from Alpha P h i : Mary Danielson and Helen Rose. They are
both freshman medics, who regale us every evening with tales of
their cadaverous experiences.
The times that we love most of all are the evenings around the fire
after study hours, when Mary reads to us her stories in manuscript;
or we hold rapid-fire discussions upon questions of world import.
With Rhoda in the house, it could not be otherwise. She veritably
thrives upon argument. Mary Chase, the iconoclast, says,
" I t makes me laugh to see the way this sorority tries to solve the
problems of the Universe!"
We have entertained several lovely people this year; among whom
was Dr. Amy Hewes, head of the economics department of Mount
Holyoke. She was traveling through Minneapolis with our own Anne
Yates, who has stopped working for her Doctor's degree to inspect
factories in the Ordnance Department.
I hope that my next letter will contain more of college news and
less of personal affairs. The year bids fair to be the most promising
of all years for Tau. May the gods smile as unstintingly upon the
rest of you!
L I L A K L I N E , Chapter Editor.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Influenza conditions dictate lines of least resistance.)
CHI—SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
Dear Alpha O's:
After a delightful vacation of four months, all of the Chi girls
gathered once more at our new chapter-house on September 25th,
ready for work or* play.
Did I say "all"? Indeed, we seemed far from complete without our
nineteen-eighteen girls who have made such a large place all of their
own which can never be filled by others. We missed, also, two other