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The Weekly University Courier
The Weekly University Courier.
The Largest College Jo. on Circulation in the United States.
Published Every Friday Morning by the COURIER COMPANY.
EDITORIAL STAFF:
J. C. FOX; EDITOR IN CHIEF.
ASSOCIATES:
S. M. SIMMONS,
E. B SMITH,
MAMIE TREASDALE,
THOS FLANNELLY
BUSINESS MANAGERS:
H. E. COPPER,
P. T. FOLEY, Printer, Lawrence, Kas.
Entered at the post-office at Lawrence Kansas, an second-class matter.
UNIVERSITY DIRECTORY.
PHI GAMMA DELTA fraternity, Meets in the Eldridge House block, third floor.
PHI DELTA THETA, Meets second floor of Opera House block.
PHI KAPPA PSi, Meets on third floor of Opera House block.
SIEMA NU, Meets in the Eldridge House block, third floor.
SIEMA CHi, Meets on fourth floor east of the Opera House block.
BHETH THETA Pi, Meets on the fourth floor of the Opera House block.
KAPPA KAPPA GAMMA, Meets every Saturday afternoon at the homes of members.
KAPPA ALPHA THETA, Meets every Saturday afternoon in the Eldridge House block.
PHIE BHI Phi, Meets every Saturday afternoon at the home of members.
ORATORICAL ASSOCIATION: L. T. Smith, President; C. P. Chapman, Secretary, Executive Committee: E. M. Munnford, Chas. Yoohis, Fred Liddeke.
BASE BALL ASSOCIATION: Manager, Abe Levy; captain of the nine, John Davis.
PHILOGICAL CLUB, Meets in room No. 30 every other Friday at 4 p.m.
TENNIS ASSOCIATION: President, F. E. Reed; Secretary, F. H. Kellogg; Treasurer, W. A. Snow.
UNIVERSITY SCIENCE CLUB, Meets in Snow Hall, Ed Esterley, President; E. E. Slosson, Secretary.
OPHILIAN LITERARY SOCIETY, Meets Friday evening in their hall, K. S. U. R. R. Whitman, President.
ATHENEUM LITERARY SOCIETY, Meets every Friday evening in their hall, K. S. U. President, W. D. Ross.
V. M. C. A., Meets every Friday evening at 7:00 room II, President, L. T. Smith; Secretary, Brown.
W V. C.A. Meets every Friday evening at 7:30 third floor of University, President, Flora Newlin Secretary, Anna McKinnon
COUCHER COMPANY: President, L. C. Pochler; Secretary, E. W. Palmer.
Beta Nappa Chi and Rho Kappa Tau are distinctively Kansas fraternities. None but new students of K. S. U. have the requisite qualifications for membership. It is sad to think that the number of members of each is so limited, it must necessarily be so, as not every one can be induced to stand the initiation. These two frats recall Lambda Upsilon, an organization which flourished here in 1884-85. Its objects were, "to promote the welfare and peace of the citizens of Lawrence, to rise h—in general and to catch fish in particular." To Lambda U. could be traced nearly all the overturned walks and painted buildings, all the hideous howls which make night awful, and Lambda U. organized the chapler, and initiated all the Beta Kappa Chis.
To Lambda U. belonged the gentle guileless P. R. Bennett, Preston and McAlpine, the Sigs who could outscream a locomotive, Will Brown, the great and only Brown of the Smithsonian Institute, Adam Dailey and others of the innocent who lived at the Highbargain house, and a select assortment of talent and wickedness.
They did not advertise, none who were not members had any idea of such an order being in existence, but it did exist. The members interfered with parties of all classes, they stole suppers of the greeks, they purloined the Betas first "Turkey" and well lived up to the principles expressed in their by laws. It is probably well that they have all gone and left no organization. The present Sophomore class is doing well enough,
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While the COURIER believes that strong measures should be used to prevent a repetition of the Rho Kappa Tau prank, we protest most strongly against the punishment of a few only, whom the faculty seems disposed to consider as the ring-leaders in the affair As a matter of fact, there were no ring-leaders. No individual took a more prominent part than another. Each one entered upon this scheme, clearly understanding that he was to assume an equal share of the responsibility. Since Rho Kappa Tau was presumed to be a Sophomore organization, none but Sophomores took part in that famous 'business meeting,' and Mr. Clarke has, therefore, been able to furnish the names of a few only who were implicated in the affair. For the faculty to punish these and allow much the larger mumber of offenders to escape without even a reprimand seems the height of injustice and we hope that the rumors, to the effect that this is the course which they will pursue in the matter, are unfounded.
The committee will no doubt make the University Ball a very successful affair. It would speak but poorly for the public spirit and enterprise of the students if these persons who have devoted themselves so unselfishly to this work, should not fully realize their expectations. You can give your support to no more laudable enterprise, for the funds raised
will be used for a purpose which will benefit no special clique or faction but the whole body of students.
VIEWS.
"EDITOR COURIER":—In writing a few words in reply to a recent set of views on the subject of Greek letter societies, the readers of the Courier will absolve me from any personal bias against Mr. White, as that gentleman is a total stranger to me, as far as personal acquaintance is concerned I am aware that amateur photography has been carried to a ridiculous, degree of indulgence. But that so foundless and featureless, so toneless, colorless and altogether ghostly, a set of "views" could be produced, I am pained to learn. They are an incoherent mass of "undeveloped negatives" like primeval chaos, "without form and void." They are rural in the most verdant sense of the word. There is a rurality which becomes president some day. And there is a rurality which luxuriates in the verdancy of crowded streets, of books of whose lessons are never learned, of a University whose mechanical apparatus is confined to a billiard cue and a cigarette and whose only text book is Hoyle. The views referred to are full of the latter sort of rusticity The members of Athaeneum are long suffering the readers of the Courier are entitled to an apology
Passing over the Miltonian egotism of the gentleman's windy exordium, which sets out with such philanthropic but fatiguing verbosity to unravel mysteries which the gentleman's hearers were far more competent to educate than his article proves him to be, we come to one startling statement that the members of the "boy" fraternities are gentlemen. I always supposed they were either hoodlums or ladies. The writer goes on to elaborate the process by which the fraternity "boy" acquires the polish which so strikingly differentiates him from barbarian erudition. I leave it to the gentleman himself whether Bixby's Best and the products of the Ottumwa mills are not preferable to the castor oil and the goose grease of the average barb, when I call to mind the countless instances where gourdline barbs have been transformed into something passably presentable in society, something tolerably attractive in manner and something less frightful everyway; when I remember the barbarian cowhides which have passed through the Grecian mill and come out with some resemblance to patent leather. I feel like giving the gentleman credit for whatever grain of sincerity may have been hidden away in his sarcastic tribute to the efficacy of the fraternity as a polisher and a refiner. I have seen the fraternity take to raise so many unkept tow-heads, wash their faces, put them through a course of training, rub off the glaring evidences of the barnyard and turn out a fairly presentable fellow, that I cannot help believing that the gentleman meant a little of what he said.
But the next paragraph of the gentleman's article passes from the unwilling utterance of an unmean truth to the deliberate insolence of bigoted hostility, of not disappointed ambition. "You may be a numbskull, you may be indolent, you may be without a spark of originality; and yet, if you are a Greek, you can edit our papers, preside over our societies," etc. I'll wager one of Abe Levy's four-in-hands that back of this statement, explaining it as the height of the bunch of grapes explained Reynard's indifference to their possession lies the fact that Mr. Hervey White has not been considered as an available candidate for Grecian honors (ED.—We think the writer is mistaken in this assertion.) The gentleman's attack upon the right, indisputed by any except those who can never hope to be the caucus nominees of any faction, though limited in number to a single pair, one of whom is the grumbler himself, of any members of individuals to agree upon a time of action, is so weightless as to be refuted by the stating.
As to controlling college papers my experience went that the frat men were the only men who had sand to stand by the Courier or Review. Had these papers been left to the opulence or the public-spiritedness of the barbs, they would long ago have lapsed into a desuetude more innocuous than any of which Grover Cleveland ever dreamed. I have a decidedly vivid recollection of the attempt to start a barb paper in lieu of the
Courier. The barbs abandoned the enterprise and forsook the means of their emancipation and the instrument of their independence with an inglorous and characteristic alacrity with which they usually abandon any scheme where accomplishing involves any mental or financial outlay.
If the frat papers represent the opinions of so ridiculously incongruous a minority as the gentleman alleges, why does not the barbarian majority rise to the dignity of the occasion? This is America, not Russia.
As far as being politicians is concerned, the barbs are notoriously gregarious in nature and carry their hostility to fraternities to an extent which reminds one of Hannibal swearing eternal hatred against the Romans. Of course, there are lots of little Hannibals who hope to be Romans (or Greeks) themselves, some day. Tnese do not swear so loudly; or if they have to, in order to keep fellowship with their fellow barbs, they swear with a mental reservation and get into a fraternity as soon as they can sufficiently disguise their jack-assy beneath the lion's hide of availability.
This much for the gentleman's first paper.
The barbs are notoriously faithful to each other. This is not a fault. It is a virtue, commendable in the highest degree, but fatal to the gentleman's charge of clanni hness and cliqueism on the part of fraternities. Those whose domiciles are of a vivacious fragility should be the last to throw stones. If you will pardon a personal allusion, I have a far-away recollection of being myself a barb candidate once, in the hottest fight ever known in K. S. U. I want to say that no candidate was ever supported with more unsweeping loyalty than was your humble servant. And he was elected, too!
The De Pauw Adz complains bitterly because not more than half the students or professors pay their subscriptions. If the business manager had ever been employed in a like capacity at K.S.U.he would look up on the matter with more indulgence.
We wish the students to remember that the columns of the COURIER are open to everyone. If you wish to express your views upon any matter of interest in University circles, don't hesitate, but send in your copy at once.
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