Page 24 - 1925 September - To Dragma

TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 13

with Kappa Theta's gift of particularly lovely bouquets, and pro-
ceeded to the table where roses and candles and even the red and
white of the menu kept our colors and our flower before us. The
banquet was preceded by our Alpha Omicron Pi grace, sung by
six—or was it eight?—girls whom May Knight Liddell, chairman
of our Song Book Committee, had trained. Altos hitherto totally
unsuspected had developed, and the blessing was especially lovely
a s a part song, and especially appropriate with its "Make us
worthy A . O. Pi." A l l through the evening the fraternity singing
was led by this group, and though we all joined in—even the baby
members, who had apparently been practising frantically—we fell
silent at times, during "Let Others Sing the Lily Fair," f o r
instance, t o enjoy the blended voices. There were college songs,
too, songs of California and Stanford and of Southern Branch.

I have not introduced our toast-mistress, Mary de W i t t , of
Sigma chapter, member of the faculty at Southern Branch. I t
was she who read the messages of welcome f r o m chapters and
grand officers, grown into a formidable pile by this time, and full
of friendly greeting. Laura Hurd's and Melita Skillen's letters
will be remembered by us all, so much did they reveal of the real
meaning of our fraternity.

And it was of course M a r y who presided over the toasts
which followed. I am quoting f r o m a letter of hers, as it explains
so well the significance of the toasts. I t will give you, too, a
glimpse of Mary

" I am using the symbol of the cornerstone as a scheme to
bind the toasts together. We shall be in a way laying a spiritual
cornerstone, and into it will go nothing tangible. The first toast
will be given by Emma Black K e w — T o the Founders: Their
Ideals.' Then yours—'To Our National Organization: Its Tradi-
tions.' Then Muriel's—To the New Chapter: Its Purpose,' and
last Helen Shield, of Kappa Theta, will toast T h e Los Angeles
Alumnae: Their Support.' The two first toasts will be concerned
with the inward and spiritual, the last two with the outward and
visible."

The analogy of the installation of a new chapter to the laying
of a cornerstone seemed to us a particularly happy one. Muriel's
toast ended with the announcement to Kappa Theta of Los A n -
geles Alumnae's g i f t of a silver tea service, to arrive a few days