luii
THE FIIANTWIIMTY MAN AND
TlUfl NON-FIUTEIWITY MAN
Tho following skotchea woro wrltton for
tho Rnlndow, ft fratornlty publication, by
mon, who liuvo nohlovod buoooss nlnoo
thoy loft eolloiro. Thoso llttlo nrtloloa
contain good words of advloo, for both
fraternity and non-frntornlty mon. Thoy
oom pnrtloularly nppllonulo lo life at tho
unlvorai.y of NnbrnaKn, no thoy nro given
bolow.
r.
Tho Editor of tho Unlnbow has naked
mo, aa a non-frntornlty mr.i to pay nf fow
worda that may help a llttlo toward re
lieving tho ombnrrnaamont that often ox.
lata botwoon tho monitors of Boorot aoclo
tlOH and tholr tmlnltlatrd friends, I am
not at nil auro that la can bo wholly ro
moved. Much of It nrlaea fiom tho natur
al and, no fn.' an I oan son, nocoasnry con
ditions that prevail, No snob ombnrrnat
mont In folt after college llfo botweoti
mombora of th grent secret ordora nnd
non-mombor. I linvo novor Joined nny of
thoso orgnnlxntlona, yet It novor ontora
my tlioiiRhi In donllng with a man to no
tlco whether ho be a mnaon or not.
But tho world Ih n vory dltToront place
from the coIIpko hall, nnd tho mombora
of thoao orgnnlr.nttone aro mon, whllo ne
tlvo fraternity mombora and non-mom-bora
nro, In a certain aonao, not yet men
but belong to that unique cntogory of tho
humnn family-College atudenta.
If you will allow mo frankly to nnnlyzo
my own ombarraaament In dealing with
fraternity men I think wo can get at the
matter more simply nnd correctly. My
paronts wore bitterly oppoacd to tho frat
ornlty ayatom nnd, while In acndemlo
work, I myaelf bad Imbibed from aomo of
my nasoclatoa a strong feeling, possibly
of projudlco. ngnlnst them. This would
probably have kept me- from accepting
nn tnvltntlon to Join a fraternity; nnd,
perhaps, my own principles had some
thing to do with tho fact I did not receive
that lnvltatlon.-though with tbo moro nc
ourato self-know ledgo that comes with
years 1 auspeot that tbero may havo been
reasons leas complimentary to myself.
However, tho fact that I had not bad an
opportunity to Join was, I bellow, the
main source of my embarrassment.
Rightly or wrongly.-ln many cases. It
must havo boon tho lattcr.-thero was al
ways tho feeling, a sort of aub-consclous-
vm- fairly nut Into words and ad
mitted to myself, that theso mon looked
upon mo as one below their standard. I
folt loo, that It I woro not caroful they
would think I was anxious for an intui
tion to Join. Tho fraternity seemed to con
stitute a sort of college aristocracy, and.
whllo tho standards of admission were as
diverse a? tho poles, ono fraternity nl
ways recognized members of another as
follow aristocrats. I now recognize that
this must havo been grossly unjust to
many, perhaps to moat of tho fraternity
mon; yet tho feeling was real to mo and
to others.
Now what can be done to bridge this
gulf? 1 rccognlxe fully that In a large
college It la not practicable that evory de
serving man should havo a chance to
Join a fratornlty you will thus havo to
ixdmlt with mo that this limitation must
necessarily tend to establish a casto lino,
and I am very sure that a casto lino can
not exist anywhere and especially In col
lego llfo, without somo sensitiveness on
tho part of the ono loft out. Nor need
this sensitiveness nrlso from a fooling of
envy; It may bo simply tbo assertion of
one's own self-respect. With this clear
ly in mind, It only remains for me to ask
that you mako this caste He as llttlo ap
parent as possible. Lot tho non-frator-nlty
man feel that tho limitations of
your choice have not arisen from unfit
ness, but simply from tho necessity of
the caso. He has a circle of friends and
you in your fraternity "have yours, but
neither should be allowed to feel that this
circle of friends includes all that are
worth having. In this, It seoms to mo tho
fraternity man should take the initiative.
It will require great tact and considera
tion; but I bolicvo tho dlfllculty can bo
largely surmounted and that tho result
ing good feeling would make It worth
whllo. One llnal word; make the non
fraternity man feel, if possible, that you
value him as much as you would If ho
were a member of dome other fraternity.
That aftor nil Is vory near the heart of
tho matter and would work toward a
gracious solution. J
II.
I havo cheerfully accepted tho kind in
vitation to mo as a non-fraternity man
to "point out tho changes in the action
and sentiment of fraternity mon that
would mako the system less embarrass
ing to that fine large class of mon -who
do not Join." Inasmuch as several years
have elapsed since I left college I find
myself somewhat out of touch though not
out of sympathy, with college life. But
my memory Is fairly good along the line
of thought which is proposed.
My first suggestion would be that frat
ernity men avoid any unnecessary ap
pearance of secrecy. Doubtless tho aver
ago fraternity man has fewer real se
crets than his non-fraternity brother of
ten Imagines. Yet It is easy for frater
nity men to congregate together outside
of their hall and talk in whispers, wner,
humnn heart ohafcB under tho notloo of
thoHo subdued convocations, Tliui If lto
pnhllo pnrndo of aooreoy could bo dimin
ished or ollmlnatcd, It would bo a groat
.drldo toward tho goal of harmony.
Then too, I would HUggeat that frator
nlty mon ahnld avoid tho nppenrnneo of
narrowed sympathy, Whcro mon aro
bound toRpthor by obligations and con
gonial eompanlonahlp In Becrct orgnulaa-
Una thoy nro apt to loao much of their
Intoruat In thoso outside of their olrolo.
Even mou by nnturo of broad aympathloa
soon llnd thoniHOlves yielding to this ton
tlonoy. Non-fralornlty mon notice tbla
vory qulokly. 1 recall moro than a few
Inatnncea whore mon wro ndmlrod by nil
bconuao of their brond sympathies, yul on
utitcrlug a fratornlty a marked ohnngo
onnie over thoni In this regard. Theso,
howovur, woro excoptlonnl cases; yet In
general, fraternity men should show a
wider sociability.
1 do not any that fratornlty mon should
give the aamo proportionate time nnd at
tention to non-frntornlty mon na to tholr
own fraternity members. 1 urn speaking
moro now of tholr nttltudo than of their
action. There aro countless opportune
tlca In college llfo where fratornlty mon
oan provo their sociability to tho non
fraternity mon without loss. Such a
course would greatly roduco nnlmosltleH
and misunderstandings.
Sociability Is an offectunl lubricator
and will roduco friction. A great part
of men's bitterness nnd Jealousy towards
oach other arlaes from misunderstand.-;
Ings rather from real grlovnMcos. Separ
ation only Increases, while association
generally defcreosca, such uuplcnaunl re
lation. Finally, 1 would suggest to both mem
bers and non-membors that men bo pro
moted to collcgo honors only on merit.
Both classes need this buksuoUuI). It 2a
not needful to say which have been tbo
greatest offendors. A class or society
orator is lo bo elected each fraternity
feola n pride In having tho honor, nnd the
tomptntlon Is strong to push tho candi
dacy of ono ot tnolr own members. This
surely should not be done unless It Is
plainly a caso ot merit. If fraternities
would Inflexibly mnintnln such a rulo of
promotion only for merit, thoy would
again tnko a long step townrds tho solu
tion of the problem for which this nrtlclo
Is written.
In closing 1 wish to say that many ot
my best end oven Intimate collcgo friends
woro fraternity men. 1 sincerely trust
which now stand In tho way of a better
relation bolweon tho two classes of col
loglnns, Tho writer would lay down tho
general principle tltnt anything whloh
tends to onibarraaa a non-mombor lends
also to strnln tho relation botwoon tho
two. Thoroforo wo would respectfully
suiigcat that hiomhcrs i-afrnln from all
oxcesalvo exhibitions of fraternal lovo In
tho prcaciiup. of uon-mombora; also that
thoy wear tbo unduly badge In some mod
oat place whore U can bo aeon, If thoy
ohooao, but not whoro It will stnro non
members In tho face and constantly ro
mind thorn of tho existing harrier.
At tho university which 1 havo especial
ly In thought, Hm Hientoat omlmrrnaa-
mont cornea to the non-mombor on olasa
day, when ho retires that ho has no
placo to tnko his rrothor, hla alslor, or hla
(Inni'Cfl, Ills nuorta do not understand
what It moans not to bo a fratornlty man,
and uuH unturnly they nak him why
ho doua not take tlom to tho grnnd-atand
or Into tho social gatherings. What oan
ho say7 To the wilier It would aeem that
no grontor opporttnlty ofrors Itaolf ror
fratornltlea to clow tho gap that oxlats,
thnn to arrange their class-day feallvl
lea so that every sollcgo man may havo
a ahnro In thomnnd thus be allowed
that happy aiulsficilon of fooling him
self not ostracised tail admitted lo tho
beat that thero Is. As It now Is only a
few non-membors tlond tho receptions,
the greater nutulnr bolng not Invited,
Why could not thovnrloua chapters agree
upon aomo plan vheroby en oh member
of tho collcgo ahoild receive two tlokota
for nt least one spiond? Some such llttlo
courtesy shown by tho societies would do j
a crcat deal toward putting nn end to
enmpus feuds and nnkoGrook-lotter frat- I
oinltles popular tmong non-fraternity!
men.
The writer has gven hla vIpwh hnaoO j
upon his own obso'vatlona. He hna not
tntonded to bo other thnn friendly In hla
criticism. Ho bellivcs college aoolotloa
nro grand good lurtltuttona for tho for
tunnto fellowa wh belong, but be do
plores tho fnct that they often bring em
bnrrnaament to suol as are not members. '
Perhaps tho above suggestions can bo
rend and do no bnnn; ho hopes they will
do somo good. T,
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Over 243 dozen sprlm? stiff and soft hats
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Joseph Slnkulu of IIowclls Is a great
hunter. He roctntlv killed twenrv-onn !
that nothing I havo written will bo con- I jackrabblts In a short halt day, and j
strucd as hinting at my personal grlev- wuld j,avo done even bettor but ran out !
perhaps the aubject for discussion Is one
that thev Would willingly announce to
tho world. Tho natural curiosity ot the I whlch m,'"
nnccs of my collcgo llfo. I havo written
sincerely, frankly, and kindly, and 1 hopo
my suggestions may bo received In tho
same friendly spirit. M.
111.
Although the writer was a non-fraternity
man throughout his collcgo courso,
ho could never qulto apprcclato thojustlce
which many maintained that thero was In
tabooing fraternities, and In insisting that
the whole GreeU-lotter system be des
patched "to that undiscovered country
from whoso bourno no traveller returns."
To tho writer thero wus a certain mysteri
ous charm about tuhu subect that made
It not only attractive but extremely fas
cinating; and he believes Unit Truth, If" It
should speak, would say that many of
thoso who nro loudest In their anathemas
against secret societies hnve but ono rea
son for their abuslvo epithets, vli., they
nro Jealous and disappointed because thoy
ore not Invited to become members. No
person, however brilliant, if he harbor
personal grievance, can criticise, with any
thing like fairness tho fraternity systom.
On tho other hnnd, It Is equally true that
though a fratorlty "bo as chaste as Ice
and as pure as snow It wbnll not 'scapo
cnlumny."
From tho writer's observation, however,
it would appear that for tho most mm,
fraternity mon allow too sharp a lino to
be drawn between themselves and non
mombors. Thoy hold thotnsulves too much
aloof and seem diminish hi public Non
members often are allowed to feel that
they aio not qulto as good as tho frat
boys are, which Is certainly a very great
roproach on the gentility of men who be
cause of some superiority are selected by
the chapters out of the studont body to
become members. Outside of college tho
true gentleman is ho who mukes others,
even his inferiors, feel comfortable in
his presonco. Why should less bo expect
ed of him who Joins a college fratornlty?
Doubtless another reason for tho fric
tion that exists between members and
non-members is that fraternities often
take tho reins of power into tholr own
hands. College politics, college publica
tions, collcgo bookstorer. and tho llko are
too often managed largely, If not entire
ly, Dy ana tor rraternlty men. This is
not as It should be, and Is bound to breed
contention. Of all communities in this
tcrrestial sphore the college community
ought to bo tho most thoroughly demo
cratic; ad when fraternities awako to
this fact, concede It, aha act according
ly, there will be praotlcally no longer any
cause for strife; and with the cause re
moved all unfriendly feeling will pass
away.
So far what has been said Is general
and applies for the most part to all chap
ters alike at the college in mind. There
, uuvvovor, eerta n minn nt,atn..i..
of shells.
A young man was lately sent lo the
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later his father became violently Insane
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General Manager lildwcll ot tho Elkhorn
1b booked to deliver an address to rail
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Mr. Btdwcll Is qulto a religious and tem
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Tho music lovers of Clmdron aro ex
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practicing two nights a week and an or
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Dr. S.E. COOK, practice limited to
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