THE BUILDER APRIL 1925

AMERICAN COLLEGE FRATERNITIES
BY BRO. CARL A. FOSS

NATIONAL SECRETARY OF THE INTERCOLLEGIATE MASONIC FRATERNITY OF
SQUARE AND COMPASS, NEW YORK

Concluded from March

IN 1825 the Kappa Alpha Society was founded at Union College and,
in many respects, was a copy of the Phi Beta Kappa that had been
established at Union eight years before. Within two years, two
other fraternities, Sigma Phi on March 4, 1827, and Delta Phi on
Nov. 18, 1827, were established. There were a number of other
college fraternities founded at other colleges about this time, but
we shall speak only of those through whose example and influence
have arisen the large number of college fraternities to-day.
Calling itself the Alpha of New York in 1831, Sigma Phi established
a Beta chapter at Hamilton College (Clinton, N. Y.). This resulted
in Alpha Delta Phi being established at Hamilton one year later
and, in November, 1833, Psi Upsilon was founded at Union. Also in
1833 Kappa Alpha placed a chapter at Williams College
(Williamstown, Mass.) and this was followed one year later by a
third chapter of Sigma Phi being established at Williams. In 1837
the Mystical Seven fraternity was founded at Wesleyan College
(Middletown, Conn.). In 1835 Alpha Delta Phi established its second
chapter at Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) and, in 1839, Beta Theta
Pi, the first western fraternity to be founded, was established at
Miami to compete with the earlier Alpha Delta Phi. In 1841, the
Mystical Seven fraternity (without a Greek name but similar to its
predecessors in the college world) established a chapter at Emory
College (then at Oxford, Ga., and since removed to Atlanta) and, in
1844, another chapter was established at Franklin College, now the
University of Georgia, at Athens. The extension of the Mystical
Seven fraternity to the south led to the founding of W. W. W., or
Rainbow Society. Neither the Mystical Seven nor W. W. W. exist
to-day as separate societies. From these beginnings have come the
present college fraternity system. In almost every case, the
foundation of a new fraternity has been the result of the
establishment of a new chapter of an existing fraternity and there
has been considerable similarity in the character of the
organizations.

All college fraternities, even including Delta Upsilon which was
founded as an anti-secret society at Williams in 1834, are more or
less secret. We say "less" for during the course of many years of
college rivalry, chapters have stolen the rituals of other
fraternities and the secrecy is more theoretical than actual,
although, of course, attendance at meetings is limited to members
and business transacted at such meetings is not known to others.
Most of the social fraternities have grown to such limits, in
membership and wealth, that secretaries, office and travelling,
stenographers, inspectors and editors are employed, a far cry from
the time when the work was done by the students themselves.

In 1869 there was founded at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
the first so-called professional fraternity. This was Phi Delta
Phi, which was limited in membership to those studying the
profession of law. Since then fraternities have been founded for
almost every profession under the sun. There are fraternities for
chemistry students, journalists, women medical students, male
medical students, commercial, dental, veterinary, architectural,
homeopathic medical, women educational, pharmaceutical, women
musical, textile, women osteopathic, art, women normal, scientific,
public speaking and actors, music and oratorical, women legal,
physical education, home economics, geology, mining and metallurgy,
dramatic, and engineering students. Many of the professional
students have a large number of professional fraternities, notably
legal and medical, to which they are eligible for membership. The
principal characteristic of difference between the social and the
professional fraternity is that one can only belong to one social
fraternity, but he can belong to as many professional fraternities
(not of the same profession) as may care to invite him, and he can
also belong to a social fraternity as well as the professional
fraternity. The membership of the latter is confined, principally,
to the upper classmen.

In very few cases do the members of a professional fraternity live
together in a chapter house. Nearly all of the chapters of social
fraternities maintain homes in which the members live, and because
of this fact and that many of the members of the professional
societies are also members of the social fraternities, the former
could hardly maintain chapter houses with the small number not
already living in fraternity homes.

Then there are the honorary fraternities, and of these there are a
couple of dozen. Among them must be included Phi Beta Kappa, of the
highest rank; Sigma Xi, an equally fine honor society for
scientific students, and others of less and, in some cases, of
doubtful merit. We have just learned of a college organization
founded to honor Masonic college students, by membership, who live
up to the principles of Freemasonry while in college. We have
always thought that Freemasonry honored its own, either by election
to office or, in the case of the Scottish Rite, election to the
governing body of the Rite; or else one was honored by the esteem
in which he was held by his brother members; but, seemingly, to
some it may appear to be an even greater honor to be elected to
membership in another organization.

PROS AND CONS ARE DISCUSSED

In the course of years through which the college fraternity system
has existed there have been praise and condemnation, loyalty of the
highest quality from its members and bitter opposition from its
enemies. With no exceptions that we know of, the enemies of the
Greek-letter fraternities have been those who have not belonged to
any fraternity. Against the college fraternities has been raised
the cry of undemocracy and in some cases the charge has been well
founded. However, on the whole, the Greek-letter system is worthy
of existence and is controlled by serious minded men of high
character and citizenship. Attacks have, however, led to the
banishing of college fraternities at the state institutions in
South Carolina and Mississippi and, at the University of Arkansas,
members of college fraternities are not eligible for college
honors.

The contest is whether fraternities, intercollegiate in character,
shall exist, or clubs having no connection with any organization at
another institution. The evidence seems to bear with the
fraternities. These are controlled, almost entirely, by alumni who,
being more mature than undergraduates, are not likely to permit
things to go on that would be permitted in a club, the only control
of which is exercised by the members in college. Many of the
fraternities exercise a control that would be impossible for a
local club to' assert. The Greek-letter fraternity to which the
writer belongs has, for many years, enforced an edict, under
penalty of expulsion, that no member shall gamble in a chapter
house or shall bring liquor into that house or introduce a woman
therein for immoral purposes. For some years prior to the adoption
of the 18th Amendment to the Federal Constitution, Delta Tau Delta
made a determined fight against drinking among college men. Other
fraternities have made determined efforts to increase the
scholarship of their members.

In answer to the condemnation of being undemocratic it must be
conceded there is considerable truth in the assertion. The system
of "bidding" is, in the first place, the principal cause and
considerable undemocracy will continue so long as "bidding"
controls the manner of election to membership. This is especially
true when the "bidding" is practiced on boys who have just landed
at college, their true characteristics being almost unknown to the
members of the various fraternities. Another evil is occasioned by
the social fraternities laying too great a stress upon the social
qualities of the candidates. Social heroes are not always desirable
fraternity brothers in other characteristics. However, it is
noticeable that where there are so many fraternities in an
institution that considerable rivalry results and a large
percentage of the student body belongs to the fraternities, there
is little cause for charging the societies with lack of democracy.
At Washington and Lee University (Lexington, Va.), with over twenty
social fraternities for a student body of about 600, students are
invited to join fraternities even when they have only a year
remaining in college. The charge of undemocracy can only be made
rightfully where college fraternities do all of their "bidding" in
the first week of the freshman year and later refuse to take in
students, no matter how worthy they may be, after they have made a
name for themselves in college.

ACACIA WAS FOUNDED IN 1904

Organizations limited to Masons have existed in American colleges
for years but, until 1904, these were entirely local Masonic clubs;
no intercollegiate organization existed until the founding of The
Acacia Fraternity at the University of Michigan in 1904. At the
present time, Acacia has 27 active chapters, a membership of 6,130,
and property valued at $830,000. At some time prior to 1917, Acacia
adopted the provision that college Masons who were members of
Greek-letter social fraternities would no longer be eligible to
membership. Acacia practices "bidding" and is considered a rival of
the Greek-letter social fraternities, being a member of the
Interfraternity Conference, which accepts as members only those
college societies that are rivals. Its chapters are approximately
of the same size as those of the Greek-letter fraternities and,
consequently, only a limited number of the Masonic students in an
institution can become Acacians.

The second intercollegiate Masonic fraternity to be founded was
Square and Compass. Its establishment was due directly to Acacia's
prohibition against having as members any Masons who were already
members of social Greek-letter fraternities. In 1916-17, the
Masonic Club at Washington and Lee University, wishing to
strengthen itself and increase the interest of its members, set out
to petition Acacia for a charter, but found itself unable to do so
with success on account of the large proportion of Greek-letter
fraternity members in the club. (It should be remembered that
whereas the average age of college freshmen is perhaps eighteen or
nineteen, he is not eligible to become a Mason until he is
twenty-one. It is, therefore, natural that he should become a
Greek-letter fraternity member if he has the opportunity.)
Consequently, the club determined to organize another
intercollegiate Masonic society, which it did. The organization
laid dormant during the War and the second chapter (called a
square) was not founded until 1920. since then the fraternity has
grown rapidly until it has entered 47 institutions all over the
country, publishes a magazine, has a paid secretary, and property
of a value of about $75,000. Square and Compass has been
extraordinarily successful because the local Masonic clubs have
quickly seen the advantage of the intercollegiate form of
government offered by Square and Compass. This fraternity does not
practice "bidding" but any Master Mason who is eligible to
membership on account of his connection with the institution where
Square and Compass is established may apply for membership, and his
application can only be rejected by a majority vote based on
un-Masonic conduct.

There was, formerly, an organization known as The Trowel
Fraternity, membership in which was limited to Masonic students in
dental schools. Its scope was confined to the Pacific coast, and
whether it is still in existence is not known. Another college
Masonic organization has recently been founded that has two
chapters. It practices "bidding." There are in addition to these
perhaps a hundred or more local college Masonic clubs. Many of them
are in good condition, have homes and the loyalty of their members.
However, most of them do not have a strong, continued existence.

We know of no chapters of the Order of Builders or of the De Molay
being established at an educational institution with membership
limited to the students, but when a chapter is established in a
college town, a large proportion of the membership is necessarily
made up of college students. At Central College (Fayette, Mo.) no
fraternities are permitted and so the local chapter of the Order of
De Molay has taken on very much of the character of a college
fraternity.

In closing we wish to assert that, with the exception of
Freemasonry, no organization commands such undiluted loyalty from
its members as the American college fraternity. Regardless of what
is said about it, the college fraternity must have features of
value in order to make men, grown old and engrossed in the affairs
of the business world, willing to take of their time to devote it
to an organization they joined years ago. And many of them have
gone even further; they have given of their wealth to erect costly
fraternity houses that provide a home for the youngsters of today
and tomorrow. For college men and for those who have not been
privileged to go to college, the American college fraternity is a
subject of increasing attraction, the more one reads. For many, the
college fraternity has started the interest that has led to
membership and active interest in the Freemasonry of the years to
follow after leaving college.

NOTE--The writer wishes to express his thanks for the assistance
obtained from Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities for
the preparation of this article. For one interested in the subject,
no better or more trustworthy book on the American college
fraternity system can be obtained. The book is published by James
T. Brown, 363 West 20th St., New York city. Another publication of
value to those interested is Banta's Greek Exchange, a quarterly,
published at Menasha, Wisconsin .

JUSTICE
A keen blade makes an open wound
And crimson stains are bright,
And laws are made for blade and blood, 
To keep man's conduct right
But what of those who stab and slay
A human heart--and go away?

An open wound is red and raw
And everyone may see
And those who use a knife, the law
Will punish lawfully;
But those who only stab the heart
May strike in safety and depart.

A keen blade makes an open wound
A cruel wound and red
And every man will cry that law 
Upon its course be sped;
But souls are murdered everywhere
And men but smile and call it fair.
--Grace E. Hall.

