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Kansas University Weekly.
some of the societies. A new society may be organized before December 1st if desired. All who are interested should come out to form second elevens and help train the leaders. Now is the best season for the work and everyone should help, that we may score another "8 to 4" next May.
WE HAVE heard of but one Senior class meeting this term. The class of '96 are missing a large part of the pleasure of being Seniors. If they will begin now by meeting once or twice a week they will be in good form by next spring to hold daily sessions with committees between times. If each class is to be greater than all before, the standard must naturally continue to rise. And some of the old classes no not propose to rest on their under-graduate record. The class of '90 has just added to the small
store of art works in the University a collection which will be one of our chief treasures and we hope the gift will spur the other classes to a generous rivalry. '96 should be laying plans. Whatever they do should be with the purpose of leaving to the University something of permanent value. First of all, they must have money, and while they are considering ways and means, let us offer a word of warning, gathered from the costly experience of our own immortal class and of others. Beware the annual! It doth much cost and little returneth it unto the class treasury. The purchaser taketh it that he may be freed from the seller and tomorrow he maketh a fire of it. The printer and the class jester—they alone advocate the annual. Beware their counsel! Let '96 follow the money getting schemes, for with money they can do great things.
LITERARY.
College Fraternities.
[Portions of a paper read before the Old and New Club of Lawrence.]
The avowed object of all college fraternities is essentially the same—mutual improvement. There is probably very little variation also in the statement of the direction in which this mutual improvement is to be pursued. It is to be moral, mental and social; mutual helpfulness in building up character and achieving excellence in scholarship are invariably put before mere amusement and social gratification. In the case of some of these societies the purpose is furthermore distinctly announced of working for the credit and advancement of the institution in which the fraternity exists.
For the purpose of advancing these aims the young people in a fraternity band themselves together by solemn pledges and more or less childish mummery, which latter is in theory to heighten the solemnity of the pledges, into an organization whose meetings are strictly private and whose membership is recognized by means of secret grip and pass words.
Whether plainly expressed or not, the object of most organizations among students is probably the same as that of these fraternities, and it is therefore of importance to note carefully the points in which the fraternity differs from an open society or any spontaneous grouping of students called together by harmony of tastes. In the first place, though not necessarily of the greatest importance, there are the elements of secrecy, the interpretation of the name and motto of the society, the grip and the pass-word; secondly, the fraternity differs from the open society in the more limited nature of its membership, the greater deliberation with which new members are selected, the permanence which it is attempted to give to this membership, and lastly the connection of the local chapter with the chapters of the same fraternity in other universities.
It will be generally conceded that the purposes of the fraternities, as of the open literary society and of the unorganized group of students, are good. It is likewise generally con-