Page 34 - 1918 November - To Dragma

68 TO PRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI
number from nine to thirty, gathered together for Red Cross work,
gossip, and A O ITs interest. Some of us have journeyed far, some of
us have just stayed at home, but all of us in one way or another have
tried to give visible evidence of the fact that we as college women, as
privileged members of a fraternity whose very corner stone is playing
such a large part in America's attitude toward the war, have a keen
sense of our privileges and responsibilities.
A t our April meeting, discovering that our supply of gauze was
exhausted, we decided to become an auxiliary chapter of the Red
Cross with the object of knitting for the soldiers. We have found
this to be the most satisfactory kind of work as we could take it home
to do as well as keeping our fingers flying while we conducted our
business, or exchanged news of brothers and husbands at "the front,"
ways of preserving fruit or using substitutes, or the baby's newest
stunt.
And right now I must tell you of the party to which some of us
went in response to a call from Panhellenic. Every Sunday after-
noon, Charles Keeler, a local poet, opens his beautiful home in Clare-
mont for the entertainment of one hundred and fifty enlisted men.
For one Sunday in August, Panhellenic was asked to send a corre-
sponding number of girls. Alpha O was well represented by a dozen
or more and those who did not go were sorry when they heard of the
games played, the basket suppers shared, and the friends made.
We were able to make quite a donation to the Red Cross from the
proceeds of a raffle which you might like to hear about. Pearl
Pierce's mother made a most beautiful filet centerpiece, which was the
envy of all the beholders. We sold tickets for it—two for twenty-
five cents (with two chances you would surely have the lucky number),
and each girl took ten tickets to dispose of. The drawing is to be at
the October meetings and we are all verv anxious to know whether we
O J
will be the fortunate one.
Our meetings since the last letter have been hither and thither—
at the chapter-house, where Margaret Dudley and Kate Foster were
hostesses and we had the best war cookies you ever tasted; at Marion
Strong's, who has two of the sweetest babies one could want; at Mrs.
Chapman's; at Rose Marx's; and in San Francisco at Ruth Carson's.
We were especially glad to receive the summons for a meeting at
Rose's; for not long ago, she tripped down the stairs with the baby
in her arms—tripped, not lightly, but most thoroughly—and in saving
the baby from a bump, broke her own shoulder blade. But when we
arrived, she proudly exhibited her skill at doing things with one hand,
even to picking up the small daughter, and is now well on toward
recovery. A t that meeting the officers for the coming year were
TO DRAG MA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 69
installed. They are president, Rose Marx; vice-president, Mrs.
Chapman; treasurer, Dorothy Clarke; secretary, Ruth Carson; Pan-
hellenic delegate, Ruth Langelier.
During our summer meetings, we had quite an addition to our
numbers when Lillian Rice from San Diego and Margaret Hurley
from Phoenix, Arizona, were here taking courses at Summer School.
Lillian and Grace Weeks worked might and main at naval architecture
and hope to soon have an Alpha O in the service at the navy yard at
Mare Island.
We greatly miss Rose von Schmidt Bell and Gladys Britton. Rose
moved to Washington, D. C , to join her husband who is doing govern-
ment work. We are all interested to know i f Rose finds living there
as complicated as traveling with an infant. The trip was accom-
plished with the aid of a refrigerator in the compartment and bottles
by the gross. Glad is travelling in the Orient with her husband,
while from Georgia Meredith Oliver come tales of Africa that make
us anxious to start for there tomorrow. The gap in our ranks was
partially filled by the return of Emma Black Kew from Washington.
We are so glad that her husband's geology field is in California so
we can have her six months of the time.
Greetings to you all,
RUTH CARSON,
Secretary.
LOS ANGELES ALUMN-ffi
Dear Alpha O's, One and All:
Another school year for the actives, another school year for us
Pedagogues who are alumnae, another year for all of us! Our first
meeting occurred today. Although the influenza has closed every-
thing in Los Angeles, we decided to have a little gathering at the
home of our new president, Florence Alvarez. I t was a small meet-
ing but a very happy reunion after the summer.
A l l during the month of September the members have been read-
justing themselves into the various phases of war work, becoming
integral parts of new positions undertaken, and between times knit-
ting, tending babies, and thinking of the brothers, husbands, and
other people's brothers "Over There."
Surely no meeting would be complete without a discussion of the
war. Somehow these days, we are drawing closer to each other.
Indeed we are trying to become more democratic in our viewpoint.
We were wondering away out here in the West i f some vital work
could not be done around each camp for the convalescent soldier.
We were particularly convinced of this great need because of Flor-