Kansas University Weekly.
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ceded that there are certain serious evils connected with the fraternity system, whether unavoidable or not is a subjet for discussion. But in view of these good purposes it is a serious matter for those in charge of educational institutions, or having the welfare of these institutions at heart, to ascertain if possible whether the secret elements of the fraternity are responsible for the evils, and to consider whether the evils can be mitigated or abolished either with or without the abolition of the secret element; or, finally, if it be admitted that the evils are inevitable, whether they are so serious as to make the abolition of the fraternities desirable, and still further, whether if desirable this abolition is feasible.
It is a noteworthy fact in connection with the history of several of the fraternities existing at this University that they have been founded by young people of excellent character, high scholarship and laudable purposes but that in the course of a few years the character of their membership has changed for the worse and the high purposes have degenerated into boyish sportiveness or something more harmful. An examination into the causes of this degeneracy may throw some light upon the evils attaching to the whole system. In the case of two of these fraternities I have talked over the matter with some of the charter members and these points seem to be admitted: that the young men who founded the fraternity derived mutual benefit from their close association, and if the group could have remained of the same character as in the first place there seems to be no reason why the tone of the fraternity should not have remained what it was in the beginning and its results beneficial for its members and the University. I have asked these charter members, where, then, was the flaw in their methods. Their answers have given two or three important points. "We were too hasty in the selection of new members; we allowed the spirit of competition to drive us rather than guiding ourselves by our own judgment; and in determining upon candidates for admission to the fraternity we allowed ourselves to be influenced by unsafe considerations, among them: the urgency of certain of our members who made the appeal for the candidate on personal grounds; taking into consideration the candidate's relationship to an existing member or the social or financial standing of his parents; waiving objections to the fitness of the candidate on the theory that the existing membership was sufficiently strong in character or steady in habits to over-weigh and correct what was recognized as a weakness or a fault in the candidate." When asked what suggestion could be made for the cure of these mistakes, one remedy had unanimous approval, to wit: the postponement of the time of determining upon the candidates, either to the end of the first term or until the close of the first year. I have asked representatives of several fraternities what they thought would be the effect on any single fraternity of adopting and carrying out a rule against the selection and admission of new members until they had been in the University at least one year. The reply given me has generally been at first a dubious shake of the head with a remark that the fraternity could hardly stand it, but after a little reflection it has been added that the result would in the end be beneficial to the fraternity. If the members of a fraternity adopting such a rule, presuming that they were men of fair ability to start with, should devote themselves strictly to making the best use of their time in the University thus securing for their fraternity a record for scholarship and good behavior, as well as to the more immediate purposes of the fraternity, companionship and mutual helpfulness, while at the same time it was known that new members were not admitted to this fraternity until after a year's experience in the University, I have no doubt that this fraternity could stand it; not only could stand it but would in a short time have a reputation such that any earnest serious student who was disposed at all to join a fraternity would willingly resist all blandishments of other societies to secure him at an earlier time.
Presuming that decent time and due deliberation precede the selection of a member, it remains to consider the influences that work to