THE
TRIA GRAM A SUPPLEMENT TO THE TRIAD OF ACACIA
AS ACACIANS WE ENDEAVOR : TO STRENGTHEN THE TIES OF FRIENDSHIP, ONE WITH THE OTHER, TO PREPARE OURSELVES AS EDUCATED MEN TO TAKE A MORE ACTIVE PART AND HAVE A GREATER INFLUENCE IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH WE MAY RESIDE, AND ABOVE ALL TO SEEK THE TRUTH AND KNOWING IT, TO GIVE LIGHT TO THOSE WITH WHOM WE MAY BE ASSOCIATED AS WE TRAVEL ALONG LIFE'S PATHWAY.
JUNE
•
1938
AT HEART WE UPHOLD The motto of the present day would seem to be: Get yours while the getting is good; and its war cry, "Oh, yeah?" and yet, deep down within ourselves, we know that the real values have remained unchanged; that love, honor, courage, loyalty, kindness, justice, patriotism, respect for motherhood and religion are eternal; as long as social values have any meaning at all, these will be the cement which keeps society from disintegrating into chaos and anarchy. And one of the chief of these is loyalty; it is loyalty which preserves homes, which builds up communities, which makes nations; it is the basis of friendship; and it is one of the ideal qualities which I should look for in the members of my ideal fraternity. Loyalty to fellow members, loyalty to one's own organization, loyalty to one's school, loyalty to one's country, loyalty to one's ideals . .
Kenneth Kaufman
THE TRIAGRAM A Supplement to The TRIAD of Acacia Edited by Herschel L. Washington, National Editor. Printing by the Ovid Bell Press at Fulton, Missouri. Designed by E. Hubert Deines, Kansas City, Missouri.
NoTE TO ALUMNI: This copy of the TRIAGRAM is being sent to you in the hope that you will pass it along to a prospective member of Acacia. Please keep in mind Acacia's high requirements as to scholarship and character and endorse only those boys who will measure up. Send the names to the National Editor or to the rush captains whose summer addresses are listed on page 15.
The Tria d of Acacia, official publication of the Acacia Fratemity. Publication office, 120~ -05 Bl1;Jff St.~ Fulton, Missouri. Editorial Office, 710 Land Bank Bldg., Kansa s C1ty, M1ssour1. Entered as second class matter at Fulton, Missouri.
POINTS THE PROSPECTIVE MEMBER WILL APPROVE PEOPLE of any age develop best in a congenial, stimulating atmosphere, and this is especially true of young men in their late 'teens and early twenties. The fraternity chapter, with its 20 or 25 to perhaps as many as 45 or 50 carefully chosen men, supplies this environment. THE FRATERNITY is the college man's response to the need for good fellowship and sociability. It lends grace to the rigors of pure scholarship. It is a natural grouping of men at their most impressionable age. It inspires personal loyalties and encourages intimate friendships of lifelong duration and carries on from class a spirit of devotion to group idealism. THE WAY that you meet your scholastic obligations is an index to character, and the character of its members is a fundamental consideration of any organizatiop., and particularly of a college fraternity, whose raison d'etre is to assist in character building. '•. LEISURE TIME properly spent brings satisfaction and a refreshed self eager again for work. Improperly spent, it leads to loneliness or to evil practices. The fraternity offers through the individual members an opportunity for wholesome companionship and refreshing activities. NEXT TO the training in getting on with other people at close quarters and the moral improvement that comes from fraternity ideals, the advantage most widely and justly claimed for frater. nities is training in self-government. MEN SHOULD BE able and allowed to govern themselves. Even now the fraternity is the nearest approach to democratic self-government that we find on the campus. THE FRATERNITY is a training school in the finest citizenship. As a part of its work it is the training school in manners, in urbanity- the dramatization of good will. THE FRATERNITY is a non-profit-bearing organization. It was created for, and continues to function completely for the benefit of its membership. ~¡ THE PROBLEMS of each Acacia chapter are the problems of every chapter, for Acacia is a true brotherhood that recognizes no state boundary. WHAT FINER and more enviable basis could any organization or society have, for its basic foundation, than Freemasonry? And what other college fraternity, except Acacia, has a foundation built upon the Masonic tradition? THE ACACIAN finds within the selective circle of the fraternity, a band of brothers united to uplift one another. Personal appearance, social and table etiquette and manners, unselfish helpfulness, congenial companionship, and the joys of physical, mental, and moral education inspire the Acacian to aim for the highest ideals in education, in service, and in "the pursuit of happiness." IS fraternity membership too costly? The only fraternity that costs too much is one that does not give a full return.
A
Brief
Introduction
to:
¡-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------ACACIA IS A GREEK WORD and the name of an eastern evergreen signifying everlasting life. Thus, strictly speaking, the Acacia fraternity is not a so-called "Greek-letter" fraternity. The name is easily remembered, euphonious and distinctive and sets the Fraternity apart from the "Greek-letter" organizations. This name was adopted in preference to the characteristic Greek letters which are in themselves meaningless, generally confusing and now so common that no distinctio:O: is gained from their use. Many business and non-university organizations now use a combination of greek letters to name their organizations.
Minnesota Chapter House
Oklahoma Chapter House
THE MASONIC BACKGROUND of the Fraternity is one of its strongest assets. Until 1931 the membership was restricted to Mason~. Since then, the membership requirements have been altered to admit Masons, sons of Masons, and any person recommended by two Masons. Thus Acacia is, in college and fraternity circles, known as a general college fraternity whose membership is limited to those of the Protestant religious faith. For thirty years only Masons were admitted to membership and, as a result of this early influence the men of Acacia are traditionally older, more conservative and more democrati.c than are most of the members of the "Greek-letter" fraternities. The Masonic Fraternity is devoted to God, brotherhood and relief, and these high ideals traditionally, by precept and by the laws of the Fraternity, guide Acacia men to, and keep them in, the sphere of laudable and commendable human relationship. HIGH IDEALS ARE LIKEWISE handed down from the Masonic Order. The fraternity was founded as a protest against the excesses of the Greek-letter fraternities as they existed in 1904 and prior thereto and the chapters of Acacia have traditionally and consistently adhered assiduously to the high motives which prompted the founding of the Fraternity. They rigorously and unrelentingly enforce the rules prohibiting gambling, the use or possession of intoxicating liquors in the chapter houses and the taking of women for immoral purposes into the chapter house. For the violation of any of these rules the penalty is expulsion from the Fraternity. SCHOLARSHIP HAS ALWAYS been stressed in Acacia. Almost without exception since the Fraternity was founded Acacia has had the highest scholastic standing of any national social fraternity. Surveys by the Fraternity show that Acacia graduates more men in proportion to its membership than does any other social fraternity. Statistics compiled by the Interfrater-
Aims and Ideals of Acacia ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------nity Conference for the year 1937 show that Acacia stands highest in scholarship of all of the national social fraternities. All of the publications of Acacia, the TRIAD, the HANDBOOK, the chapter manuals, etc., place great stress on the attainment of a high scholastic average. High scholarship is a prerequisite to initiation into the Fraternity and no pledge may be initiated unless he attains better than average grades. In addition, most chapters provide tutors, usually members of the Fraternity who are graduate students and who live in the chapter house, whose duty it is to aid those who are not attaining suitable grades. BEING A UNIVERSITY FRATERNITY is a distinction which Acacia alone can claim. All of the chapters are located at the larger and better universities and schools. There are no chapters located at small colleges where standards may be lower. The distribution of the chapters is national rather than sectional. It has always been a desideratum in Acacia to quality rather than quantity in chapters. THE CHAPTER HOUSES of Acacia, in proportion to the number of chapters, are exceeded in value by few fraternities. Most of the chapters own their houses and it is a source of satisfaction to the members of the chapter to know that they and their predecessors have been foresighted and thrifty enough to ¡purchase and own the home of the chapter. As a result many young men get splendid training, under the supervision of the alumni. and chapter advisor, in the matter of budget and finance. A HIGH CREDIT RATING with the tradespeople wherever Acacia chapters are located has so long been the rule that the financial responsibility of the members of Acacia on the respective campuses is traditional. Members are not permitted to "run bills" with the chapter or with downtown tradesmen. M ORE FACULTY MEMBERS than any other fraternity is the record of Acacia on all campuses where the Fraternity has chapters. This is one of the reasons why Acacia is able to maintain the highest scholastic standing of all unlimited social fraternities. Members are able to secure the best counsel and advice from men of experience who are sympathetic and who have a personal interest in the members of their own Fraternity. ACACIA IS A LEADER in all branches of fraternity activity as has been recognized by many leaders in the college fraternity world. Mr. George Banta, formerly editor of BANTA'S GREEK
Illinois Chapter House
Michigan Chapter House
EXCHANGE and former president of Phi Delta Theta, a famous fraternity leader, speaking before the 1923 Conclave of Acacia at Plum Lake, Wisconsin, said: " . . . I believe Acacia, more than any other American college fraternity, should take the lead, a commanding lead, in the fraternity system . . . . Acacia is in an actual physical position to do more good, to be of greater strength to the American fraternity system than any of the other college fraternities." Thomas Arkle Clark, the first dean of men at any college and later famous in that capacity at the University of Illinois, formerly president of Alpha Tau Omega, once made the statement to one of the national officers of Acacia that of all fraternities with which he had come in contact Acacia was the only one above reproach. This challenge of leadership every Acacian has accepted; Acacia men sedulously strive to hold fast to this high mark of distinction which has been achieved.
A PROFESSOR'S IDEAL FRATERNITY "The ideal fraternity from the point of view of the faculty member. What is it? I suppose nine people out of ten would envisage the professor's ideal of a fraternity as a sort of Phi Beta Kappa, made up of a row of immaculate, budding geniuses who know all the answers. Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know what the faculty member's ideal of a fraternity is, but I have thought about this a great deal. I suppose the entire topic is a personal one. "I should look for good average students, who are interested in books because they are one of the gateways of life ; who are capable of great effort in the pursuit of an ideal. I should spend more time in making associations, friendships, contacts ; for , after all, books are only a substitute for life. " If a man has nothing but scholarship for his ideal he had better try to get the Beta Kappas to rush him; if he is looking for nothing beyond the social graces, let him join the country club. But there is one thing that I sh ould insist upon, and that is that my fraternity men should have the capacity to sacrifice themselves for the object, whatever it might be, that they have in view. "A great many men have made what the world calls a success without much ability of any kind. But no man ever made a real success, who failed to give every ounce of endeavor that he had in him to the task which he chose for his life's work. As a matter of fact, that is my idea of what a successful life consists of; the capacity to put all of oneself into whatever one may be doing. "But what is even more important, that fraternity will be an ideal one in the eyes of its own members ; and that sort of satisfaction is very important. For it is one of the substances of which life is made."
K.K.
DEMOCRACY OF ITS MEMBERS toward outsiders is one of Acacia's finest traditions. The time and effort spent on the publications of the Fraternity and in the training of pledges has proven justifiable for, generally, when an Acacian is a candidate for a campus honor, he is more successful in securing the support and votes of non-fraternity students, as well as the active support of the members of other fraternities, especially when his opponent is a member of some organization whose members have a "snobbish" attitude. THE ALUMNI INTEREST is as keen, if not more so, than that of any other social fraternity. Every chapter has an alumni chapter, the members of which have the right to vote on matters passed upon by the Conclave. There are alumni associations in all of the principal cities where Acacia men meet, usually every week at luncheons, and at least once each month at evening meetings. These organizations serve to strengthen the bonds of fellowship and are particularly helpful to Acacians who have occasion to travel about or who move into strange and new localities. Such men are always assured of a hearty welcome in a new community. ACACIA IS A CHARTER member of the Interfraternity Conference which is an organization comprised of most of the national social fraternities of recognized standing. The conference meets annually to discuss the problems and promote the welfare of all fraternities. THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION of the Fraternity, issued four times during the school year and once during the summer months, is the TRIAD. It is devoted to the dissemination of general news of the Fraternity and its members and to upholding of the high ideals and purposes of the organization. The sub-
scription price is $1 per year or $15 for a life or endowment subscription. HOUSE MANAGEMENT and ownership is usually vested in a group of alumni who are members of the board of directors of a house corporation which holds title to the real estate. Funds are collected from the alumni for the payment of any indebtedness or for the accumulation of funds for repairs, purchase of furniture and equipment, etc. The active chapter pays rent to the corporation which in turn applies the proceeds of that income to the payment of taxes, interest and other expenses.
SPIRIT OF PERPETUITY
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE Fraternity is vested in the National Conclave and the National Council. The National Conclave is composed of the National Officers and two delegates from each chapter, one of whom shall be the chapter advisor and the other the venerable dean. The National Conclave is the supreme legislative body of the fraternity , subject only to the referendum vote of the chapters upon constitutional questions. Each delegate is entitled to one vote. The chapter advisor is elected at a joint meeting of the active chapter and the alumni and his election is subject to the approval of the National ' Council. It is his duty to supervise the activities of the chapter and he is the direct representative of the National Council. The Conclaves convene biennially, usually early in September, at points designated by the National Council. The National Officers , i.e., president, counsellor, secretary, treasurer, and editor comprise the National Council, which is the supreme executive and judicial body of the fraternity. THE LOCAL CHAPTER .GOVERNMENT is vested in the members of the active chapter. Each chapter has the aid and advice of an alumnus who is a member of Acacia, usually a member of the faculty or a local business man, the chapter advisor. The advisor usually meets with the chapter each week and discusses plans and policies with the members. Although they have no specific authority and act in purely an advisory capacity, they are able to guide the chapters on a wise course over routes which have been laid out beforehand.
" BY NECESSITY, MAN MUST LIVE IN AND WORK WITH GROUPS. THE FRATERNITY IS THE BEST OF THE VARIOUS EFFORTS ON THE AVERAGE CAMPUS TO INCULCATE A SUCCESSFUL TECHNIQUE FOR DOING THIS. NOTHING THAT YOU DO OR ACQUIRE AT COLLEGE HAS MUCH VALUE IF DIVORCED FROM ITS SOCIAL IMPORT." Dr. Harry Woodburn Chase, Chan cellor of New York University
The surest sign of growth in any organizat ion is to b e fo und in its ability to adapt itself to new conditions; the surest sign of its disintegration and probable early demise is its insistence on maintaining its original form in a changing world. If Acacia were content to live only on past achievements and t o h old to regulations th at h ave ou tlived their usefulness, I should long ago have lost interest in it and sou gh t new association s. F ortunately, h owever, it h as proved itself not only a living organism b u t a constan t ly developing force w ithin its sphere of u sefulness. Acacia per sists in its ideals; they remain r egardless of th e age of its m embers, th eir pr evious affiliations, th eir paren tage, or their blood relation sh ips. Those ideals were built on a stron g fou n dation ; their derivation from Masonic ideals is but incidental. They migh t h ave been derived quite as well from som e other institu tion, for the world h as seen high-minded men with enviable ideals in oth er fields. Those of u s whose lot h as been h appily cast among yo ung men , wh ose work h as been with th em , h ave learned th at young m en still aspire to high callings, th at th ey still ch erish fine sen timents, that they still stru ggle manfully toward th e truth so that they may give ligh t to th ose w ith wh om th ey may be associated as t h ey traverse life's path ways. They make mistakes as we wh o h ave preceded them have made mistakes, bu t th ey still covet fa ir dealings, t hey still h onor achievem ent, th ey still demand honesty and integrity. They, even in th eir y outh, despise th e ch eater, the base, th e unw orth y, t h e h ypocr ite. We who h ave preceded you , you new young men of A cacia, h ave tried to keep th e faith . We h and t o you , still brightly burning, the torch of Acacia's ideals. We know th at so long as th e ch oice young manhood of America fills th e h alls of learning in our colleges and universities, you wh o are chosen to becom e members of Acacia will keep that torch br illiantly aligh t.
W ilHam S. Dye, Jr., Penn State, in "T he Epic of Acacia"
In most cases a man simply does things as he has been used to doing them before. H he has been a nonentity in high or "prep" school, he will probably continue his seclusion in college.
ON STARTING IN
A
"POCKET EDITION" College and fraternity life are in a sense a "pocket edition" of social evolution, and when a freshman enters either he superficially goes through all the transformations his ancestors have experienced from the rigorous traditions of boyhood training and initiation into the state of manhood to acquisition of supreme wisdom and admission to the council of the patriarchs. Along with review of the social progress of the individual, is a vague summary of the whole history of social development as it pertains to the associations of men, for many present-day college and fraternity traditions may be traced directly to specific historic practices long since discarded in practical societies, to survive only in the ritual, tradition, and literature of academic life. The student society is hard on the newcomer. Acceptance of its standards and adaptation to its demands are necessary in order to receive sanction. It has many faults, but it is effective, and it seems to be as natural as the play instinct and as universal as the social urge. It has endured for centuries, always fundamentally the same, and there is nothing to take its place. Youth has the glorious attributes of exuberance and daring and frequently enjoys also the brilliance of ingenuity and industry, which is a natural accompaniment of freedom from care, too seldom seen in later life. But youth has also the handicaps of inexperience and immaturity. Acacia, like all modern American college fraternities, is one expression of age-old ideals and human tendencies. It makes its demands as student societies have ever done, but it allows also for the rights of the individual. On assuming the character of "Pythagoras" (an ancient Greek student, renowned for his persistent search for knowledge), a man surrenders none of his legal or social rights, none of his family or personal ties, none of his moral or religious ideals and standards. His status as a free individual changes only in that he has voluntarily taken on a new responsibility, which means, or should mean, commensurate inspiration and opportunity.
Fraternities are rendering a valuable service to the undergraduate and to the college by furnishing living quarters where the discipline and tradition of the group take the place of the former parental restrictions. To maintain the reputation and standing of the chapter on its campus by insistence on gentlemanly behavior is a matter of pride and a guarantee of selfpreservation. Both the pride in their good name and the selfish interest of a fraternity leads them to do their best to keep their members in college and in good standing. There is no place in a well regulated fraternity chapter for the man who expects to "loaf his way" through. No man may be initiated into a fraternity until he has attained certain standards of scholarship. In spite of the best home training and example set by parents, personal habits are not completely crystallized, as a rule, when a student enters college. The vows an initiate takes on entering a fraternity and the constitution which guides him, are such that any parent would be proud if he had had the opportunity of writing them. Most parents while having the same sort of unselfish thoughts for their sons, sometimes lack the ability to put into writing some of their most worthwhile emotions. Fraternity rituals express in permanent form just such emotions. It is these thoughts of service to others, of honor and of truth, which influence an initiate directly through his study of them and indirectly through the lives of other and older members who use the same pledge and constitution as a part of their pattern of life. Personal problems in college are numerous. Chapters close the gap caused by the breaking of family ties and supplement the advice in letters from home by first-hand contact and help. In each chapter upper classmen have solved most of the problems facing freshmen. They are available for help with difficult studies, with friendly suggestions or advice. Acacians are proud of good scholastic records, by which they best prove themselves worthy to wear the right-angled triangle. It is the goal of every Acacia chapter to win first place each year. One of our chapters has the wonderful record of having done that twenty consecutive times, and the records of many other chapters are almost as good. Those who in high or preparatory school have excelled in athletics, debate, journalism, music or drama, generally need no urging to participate in these activities in college; others are likely to be diffident because of their lack of experience and skill. They are afraid of failure. Fraternity chapters encourage their members to enter such activities. Even a man who has entered a competition and lost has the satisfaction of knowing
that his chapter appreciates the effort he made. Chapter teams of all kinds, particularly in large universities, are the mainstay of intramural programs. Intramural athletics find an ideal setup among the fraternities. Fraternities, however, can control their members in these intramural activities. If a member de· votes too much time to outside affairs the house committee will check him and slow up his participation. Quoting from the Acacia pledge manual: "Ordinarily a man should not become a pledge to a fraternity unless he can give a reasonable amount of time to its affairs." After every candidate for initiation has been pledged, and before he has been initiated, he is obliged to stand before the chapter and answer, among other things, two questions: "What do you consider you should do for the fraternity and your local chapter?" and "What should the fraternity do for you?"
WHAT ABOUT SNOBS?
Snobs are those who wish for themselves privileges denied to others of equal intrinsic merit; calculate the value of friendships on the basis of their aid in gaining such privileges and seek • to magnify their own importance by public disdain of those they think they are helping to exclude. In general, the fraternity man is democratic; He has nothing to be "high-hat" about since a normal student who desires to be in a fraternity can usually attain membership. He does not have to come from a wealthy family, nor need to be a good athlete, nor the best-dressed man on the campus. Fraternity men continually have independent men as their guests, and interclass and interactivity relationships between fraternity and non-fraternity men are more common than uncommon. A fraternity of snobs is likely to become ridiculous on any American campus, as it should be, and college executives, within the bounds of good taste, may very properly help along the ridicule in the hope of therapeutic effect. But the maintenance of standards is not necessarily snobbish. Most of us like to have about us men of cultivated sense and, other things being equal, men who use good English, dress with some esthetic propriety, and who observe reasonable rules of courteous deportment. "Courtesy and consideration, the foundation of manners, and to a large extent, of morals, should be primary principles in the behavior of Pythagoras in his 1·elations, not only in the chapter house and among fraternity brothers, but everywhere and with everybody. He should avoid the appearance of becoming bigoted and snobbish by refraining from ostentations, from display of Acacia and insignia." This paragraph is taken from the "Handbook"-the Acacia pledge manual. Quoting further expression of Acacia's ethics in the matter, by one of om· alumni members, that might well express the sentiment of om· whole membership: "We don't pass the tambourine or call attention to the things we do. The average Acacian just goes along quietly doing anything he can to help encourage those about him, and more particularly his brother Acacians."
INSIDE OBSERVATIONS
There are imperfections in all fraternity chapters. One of the first things a pledge learns about a college fraternity is that in the true sense of the word it is an ideal and not a fact. Fraternity men, being human, are subject to all the errors of ordinary mortals, and fraternity chapters are not blissful examples of human brotherhood, nor are fraternity members exact counterparts of the perfect fraternities of history and legend. The code of the chapter- which exists outside of any constitution and by-lawsshould attempt to provide for and correct the mistaken notion of its initiates. That code should include principles dealing with the college relationships, with chapter relationships, and with morals. No man is a moddy-coddle who insists that his brethren be clean, honest, decisive. Acacia, like all college social fraternities, purposes to give its members that intimate, beneficent fellowship with good men, so necessary to their full development, and to supplement their cultural and professional education and training in those qualifications for citizenship and leadership which are not definitely or directly part of the university function. The fraternity's primary duty is the support of the University in its effort to give the membership the education and training they desire for the work which they have chosen as theirs. Membership in Acacia must not impose any demands or restrictions that will in anywise retard or prevent the full achievement of this goal. A chapter of Acacia must be a positive, active support to the university. Only by the fullest realization of this duty can Acacia-or any other fraternity-justify its existence, its presence in any college community, or the time, thought, money and effort expended upon it. The code should teach him his obligations as a social being to his fellows, for "no man liveth unto himself."
WHY SECRET CEREMONIES Human nature is a complex of urges, impulses, likings, aversions, appetites, desires, and yearnings, all of which have probably had their utility at some stage of man's evolutionary history, yet many of which can no longer find gratification in reality because of the restrictions imposed upon human conduct by the standards of civilization. Just so, in the fraternity initiation we may find expressed age-old customs, practiced through the long vistas of prehistoric time, which have left their embers smouldering in the caverns of the human psyche -embers which, if too closely there imprisoned may flare out in .a consuming flame; but which, if their light be caught and reflected in the symbolic mirrors .of ritual art, and sport, may contribute nourishingly to the maturity, the adornment and the enrichment of life. Foolish and artificial as the make-believe of these ritualistic forms may seem to nonbelievers when compared to the actual garb of present-day life, they may be as fraught with meaning, as beneficial and nourishing in their symbolic significance, as were the actual experiences which they represent in the prehistoric or legendary situations to which they were native. Just so, the college fraternity with its selected and limited circle of members, its dimly lighted chapter room, its initiations so tr~ing to body and spirit, its solemn oaths and its conjuration of gruesome penalties, symbolizes the primitive brotherhood of the tribe, or perhaps more likely that of its dominant priesthood, meeting in the caves which nature provided them, exacting the moral and physical fortitude that nature itself demands of its members, laying upon them the obligations deemed vital to their collective solidarity. It symbolizes to the group that this lad has been willing "to go through fire and water" to win a place among them accordingly, and this endears him to them.
Excerpt from: Initiation, by H. B. Teegarden, Columbia
There are some who object to fraternities, it seems, because not all students enjoy their advantages. This sentiment is not quite so illogical as it sounds. It implies that the non-fraternity man is oppressed with a sense of denial. It may be assumed that there are men who are not fashioned for co-operation and do not care to get or give it. Geniuses, for example, are not generally gregarious. Many think fraternity engagements would limit their sphere of friendship. To this I may say that any fraternity man who confines his friendships to his chapter or fraternity men in general is exceedingly foolish. If a fraternity house is the only place on the campus where a man may draw up an easy chair beside a fire and talk with other men, the only place in the college where he can eat an inexpensive meal with dignity, then it is the college that is at fault and not the fraternities. On the other hand, neither the college nor the fraternity, can do much for the social experience of the man who has to make a day school of the college, the man who has to hurry from a distant home in the morning, satchel and lunch-box in hand, and hurry home in the afternoon. He may be getting a rich cultural life at home, but he is not a full member of the college community as we know it.
. TO JOHN DOE-RECRUIT: A fraternity wants men who do things and if you are lucky enough to be asked to join one its means that you have been looked over and show promise of being something more than a house decoration. Ordinarily a man should not become a pledge to a fraternity unless he can give a reasonable amount of time to its affairs. In pledge days this may consist largely of doing odd jobs about the house, caring for the lawn, etc. After initiation it may take the form of service as one of the chapter officers, as chairman of important chapter committees or of devoting time and effort to outside activities. The first few months on the college campus, inside as well as outside the classrooms, are probably the most important in your whole college life. In that time the new man not only establishes, to a large extent, his relations with classmates and others, but also unconsciously lays out the course of action he will follow all the way. A bad start is hard to overcome. During the years, every chapter of every fraternity has accumulated a vast fund of information gained from experience. The active men in the chapter have profited by the aid and advice of those who preceded them and the pledge should ever keep in mind the fact that he, too, may save much time and effort by consulting the older men and by cooperating with them in every respect. The active men will give you the proper start if you will consult them.
"The difficulties and escapades occurring in some few fraternity chapters have had entirely too much publicity in the press, and has led many people to assume that fraternities today are no different than they were supposed to be during the pegged-top pants, Rah, Rah, Rah, era. J. A. T.
The Acacia Pledge . . . Objectives and Obligations • That he is confident he will have the time to give proper at-
WE ARE PROUD
tention to the interests of Acacia. • That he is confident he will
OF THEm ACHIEVEMENTS
be able to pay his bills as a member. • That he regards the fraternity with a spirit of sincerity and respect, and that he desires to give its teachings his earnest consideration. • That he intends cheerfully to perform whatever tasks may be assigned him for the good of the fraternity. • That he will at all times conduct himself with becoming dignity as a Christian and a gentleman, showing courtesy toward all and avoiding any unnecessary display of his affiliation with Acacia. • That he will strive at all times to support the interest of Acacia. • That he will labor with diligence to maintain his scholarship. • That he
HARRY G. LESLIE, Member Indiana House of Representatives, 1923-27 (Speaker of House, 1925-27) ; Governor of Indiana, 192933. PROF. ARLIE MucKS, former holder of world's record for shotput, is professor of animal husbandry at the University of Wisconsin, Secretary of the Wisconsin Livestock Breeder!> Association. DR. LAWRENCE B. CHENOWETH, prominent Cincinnati physician and radio lecturer ; head of the Department of Hygiene of the University of Cincinnati.
will take part in worthy college activities. • That he will receive every member of his chapter as a brother, without reservation or evasion.
DR. M. L . BURTON, former President of the University of Minnesota ; former President of the University of Michigan. WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN (deceased) , candidate for President of the United States; famous orator and barrister. DR. WILLIAM BENNETT BIZZELL, Ph.D., LL.D., President of the University of Oklahoma; prominent Mason. LEW WENTZ, noted philanthropist; thirtythird degree Mason; Ex-chairman of State Highway Commission.
The Acacia lVIember Learns to . . . • Respond to persons addressing him, with dignity, poise and proper salutations. • Enter in conversation with proper dignity, voice modulation and reserve. • Speak with proper respect to his superiors, elders, associates, friends, parents and relatives. • Give proper respect to those of a different race, creed, language, social position, economic position, etc. • Treat with respect the maimed, the blind, the deformed, the sick, the aged, and the unfortunate. • Show proper respect for people, property, and personal opinions. • Mingle with social groups without injurying others' feelings, person, or property. • Respect the political, social, religious, and economic beliefs of others. • Keep personally clean and neat. • To obey the social, moral, and ethical dictates of the group with which he is concerned. • Know and abide by the provision of the local, state and national requirements relating to personal and social behavior. • Know the laws of good health, good dress , and good manners and to conform to these laws. • Know proper attitudes and responses necessary for all types of social intercourse. • Acquire habits of punctuality, promptness, accuracy and determination.
ALEXANDER WETMORE, Washington, D. C., Eminent Scientist, Director of the National Museum , and Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. K. C. LEEBRICK, Dean of the College of Letters and Arts, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, President Kent State University. GEORGE A. MALCOM, Manila, Philippine Islands, formerly Dean of the College of Law, University of Philippines ; formerly President of the Philippine Bar Association; Justice of the Supreme Court of Philippine Islands, 1917- . DR. HUGH POTTER BAKER, President of the Massachusetts State College. R. E. BucHANAN. Dean of the Graduate School and head of the Experiment Station, Iowa State College; internationally recognized bacteriologist.
GEORGE E. NITZSCHE, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Recorder of the University of Pennsylvania, member of the Bar, philanthropist, prominent in musical circles. JOHN R. LAPHAM, Dean of the George Washington University School of Engineering.
OPINION WEARE PROUD
IN PROMINENT PLACES
OF THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS WILLIAM HowARD TAFT, Yale , (deceased), former President and Chief Justice of the United States. FRANCIS CASE, publisher and editor of the Custer Chronicle, Custer, S. D.; Congressman from South Dakota. PAUL V. McNUTT, Harvard, National Commander of the American Legion, 1928-29; Dean of the Law School, University of Indiana, 1929-33; Governor of Indiana, 193337; Governor General of Philippines, 1937-. RoscoE A. PouND, Dean of the Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts ; noted law teacher, author and contributor to legal publications; noted authority on the Common Law; Founder. WALTER G. THIELE, Topeka, Kansas, Justice of Kansas Supreme Court. EDWIN WEIR, All-American Football Tackle '24, '25 ; Assistant Coach, University of Nebraska. RoBERT L . HILL, Columbia, Missouri, Alumni Secretary, University of Missouri; President Rotary International, 1934-35. DAVID SHOLTZ, Yale , prominent attorney; Governor of Florida, 1933-; Grand Exalted Ruler of B. P . 0. E. Lodge, 1936-37. ARTHUR CAPPER, publisher of farm periodicals, former Governor of Kansas, United States Senator from Kansas, 1918- . STRATTON D . BROOKS, Kansas City, Mis- . souri, President of the University of Missouri, 1923-30; President of the University of Oklahoma, 1912-23; Executive Director of tht: Order of DeMolay, 1931. MAJOR JOHN L . GRIFFITH, Illinois, Commissioner of Athletics, Big Ten Conference, President of the Chicago Rotary Club, largest club in Rotary, 1933-34. · EvERETT L. BRADLEY, Kansas, American Olympic :team of 1920; secon\i in pentathlon at Antwerp Olympiad; American and Penn Relays pentathlon champion; twice captain of Kansas track team. OscAR C. HuLL, Detroit, Michigan, vicePresident American Bar Association and former President of both the Detroit and Michigan State Bar Associations ; former member of the Michigan legislature and prominent lawyer. WILBUR CARTWRIGHT, Oklahoma, Congressman from Oklahoma, prominent attorney.
" For one hundred years fraternities have been the greatest socializing force in our educ·a tional institutions. Potentially they come nearer to furnishing the ideal nucleus for the socialization of the undergraduate than anything the college may hope to create."-C. J. W. " I believe in the college fraternity . I think it has done good work in the past. I believe it is honestly attempting to do better work than ever before."-F. H. T . "You have nothing to be concerned about in the future of the American college fraternity if it will continue to render such a service as it has in the past."-R. L . W. " I conside1· character, the art of being a gentleman, and mental efficiency the three most important qualifications of a college man, and among the essentials for a career of social usefulness. Fraternity chapters offer an excellent opportunity for training in the social graces."-N. M. B. " I would rather trust my son to the code of conduct prevailing in most fraternity chapters than to the standards of the usual dormitory or tmorganiz ed student body."-J. 0 . M. " It opens up to him new values in life and frees him from backwardness and prejudice that stand in the way of a full life." C. V.B. " Educators are turning more to the concept that the fundamental purpose of education is the socialization of the individual. The college cannot compete with the fraternity in this task because the college cannot socializ e the tmdergraduate; it can only give him an opportunity to socialize himself, and that he has already given himself through his fraternity."-A. E. D. " Every college executive well knows that fraternities can and do help in the general conduct of the educational institution. ·Few administrators could provide with college resources so rich a social life as members of the better fraternities now enjoy."D.R.F. " It is hazarded as a true statement that fraternities and national organizations make the most aggressive infiuence in college ciroles today in the direction of higher scholarship attainment of the student body, considered as a whole."-F. W. S. " It assists the freshman in the crystallization of his philosophy of life so that his standards of self and social relationships shall be clearly defined instead of chaotically dispersed."-A . R. P. "The college graduate who is an Acacian will enter the great field of Ame1·ican opportunity imbued with the determination to serve the best interests of community, country and humanity. He will not be an intellectual egotist intent to make self-aggrandizement in wealth, in place, in power, the ultima Thule of his life's endeavors. He will stand ever for progress, peace, and true prosperity against every destructive agency on earth."F.H.E.O.
Football, basketball, hockey, tennis, golf and all the other intramural sports flourish in the fraternity. Athletics for all, for those who are interested but who have
II IIIII
neither the ability nor the time for varsity sports, is the objective of the intramural plan. Chapter social functions are of a varied nature from intimate informal smokers to formal balls. In all however, good breeding is usually in evidence and fraternity dances do conform to a high standard of conduct. The recreational facilities of t he average house, including the r adio and piano,
are su ch that the man who has little money for outside recreation need spend little for it. There can be no question abou t the fact that fraternity men make the best alumni of any institu t ion. They have a dou ble tie to their alma mater : first the institu tion; and, second, the fraternity. The link between th e alumn us and th e college is strength ened by the h appy experiences of ch apter life w hich become a part of one's recollections of college days.
• SCHOLARSHIP RATING
"'~
The chart at the right is taken from the magazine, PHI GAMMA DELTA, and based upon statistics compiled by that fraternity. During the school year 1936-37, Acacia competed with 44 social fraternities at the various universities. Alpha Gamma Rho is restricted to agricultural students and the next five fraternities on the list are restricted to Jewish students. In seventh position, Acacia stands above all of the general, unrestricted social fraternities. In 1936, on a similar list, Acacia stood sixth, in 1935 seventh, in 1934 fourth, and in 1933 fifth . In the years previous to 1933 for which records are available, Acacia has never been below fourth place and held first position many years.
C O MMON
FRATERNITY
0
JO
zo
CENTILE JO '10
RATIN& .fO
GO
70
8D
I ALPHA GAMMA RHO l PHI EPSILON PI J PHI BETA DELTA 4 PHI SIGMA DELTA 5 ZETA BETA TAU ' SIGMA AlPHA MU
7ACACIA TAU EPSILON PI DELTA TAU DELTA BETA THETA PI TAU KAPPA EPSILON ll TAU DELTA PHI 12 PH I KAPPA TAU 14 PHI GAMMA PE LlA 15 DElTA CHI 16 PHI KAPPA PSI 17 LAMBDA CHI ALPHA 18 DELTA UPSILON IS THETA DElTA CHI 20 SIGMA NU Zl PHI DELTA THETA 12 ALPHA CHI RHO Z3 PI KAPPA PH I 24 DELTA PHI 25 SIGMA PI 26 THETA XI Z7 KAPPA ALPHA (SO) ll KAPPA OELTA RHO ZS SIGMA ALPHA EPSILON 30 PHI SIGMA KAPPA I KAPPA SIGJ1A I CHI PSI 33 Al PHA PHI DELTA 34 OELTA SIGMA PHI PI KAPPA ALPHA 35 THETA CHI SIGMA PHI EPSILON PHI KAPPA SIGNA ~9SIGMA CHI 0 ALPHA TAU OMEGA 41 ZETA PSI 42CHI PHI 43 DELTA KAPPA fPSILON f44 PHI KAPPA 8 ' 10 II
INTERESTS
In earlier years the sharp rivalry among fraternity chapters fostered clannishness and led to much bitterness of feeling, but in 1909 representatives of the organizations met in New York and formed the Interfraternity Conference, which has held annual meetings since and has had wide influence. It has secured acquaintanceship and cemented friendships among leaders of the co-operating societies, improved relationships among fraternities, and secured common action in needed advances. This interfraternity movement has practically wiped out opposition to the fraternities, the sincerity of purpose of the leaders having made strong appeal to college administrators, as the common interest of college and fraternity has been emphasized in friendly conference and co-operation.
rs
fll
iJa
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Clra rt draw" by G11y S . Sof!old, Jr. (A laba ma 'Jl (_
FRATERNITY CRITERI A We consider the fmternity responsible for a positive contribution to the primary functions of the colleges and universities, and therefore under an obligation to encourage the most complete personal development of its members, intellectual, physical, and social. Therefore we declare:
1. That the objectives and activities of the fraternity should be in entire accord with the aims and purposes of the institutions at which it has its chapters. 2. That the primmary loyalty and responsibility of a student in his relations with his institution are to the institution, and that the association of any group of students as a chapter of a fraternity involves the definite responsibility of the group for the conduct of the individual. 3. That the fraternity should promote conduct consistent with good morals and good taste. 4. That the fraternity should create an atmosphere which will stimulate substantial intellectual progress and superior intellectual achievement. 5. That the fraternity should maintain sanitary, safe, and wholesome physical conditions in the chapter house. 6. That the fraternity should inculcate principles of sound business practice both in chapter finances and in the business relations of its members.
•
•
•
These criteria should be applied in close co-operation with the administrative authorities of the institutions. Detailed methods of application will necessarily vary in accordance with local conditions. It is the purpose of the National Interfraternity Conference to offer detailed suggestions, after further study and investigation, regarding practical steps to make this co-operation effective.
Adopted by the National Interfraternity Conference in November, 1934, of which Acacia Fraternity is a charter member.
THE HERITAGE OF AN EXEMPLARY NAME
Masonically, "Acacia" has a significance of immortality, of hope for a future life. , There is a strong sentimental attachment to our name. While this may be decried by some, it cannot me denied that sentiment plays a very im· portant part in the affairs of any fraternal organization. The traditions of a fraternity are an integral and substantial part of it. ,-r Rather wide observation leads to the belief that our alumni have a much greater interest in their fraternity than have the alumni of the average Greek-letter fraternity. ,-r The present fraternity is a legiti· mate and worthy successor (even if not entirely the same) of the Acacia fraternity founded in Ann Arbor in 1904. It was founded, in part, as a protest against the excesses of other fraternities. It assumed a moral leadership and has definitely raised fraternity standards all over the nation. ,-r Our name is distinctive, and it can, and should, be made a source of strength! J. Arthur Thompson Denver
LOCATION AND ADDRESSES OF RUSH CAPTAINS !Uichi g·nn VERNON G . POEST 1923 Geddes Ave. , Ann Arbor, Michigan (Zeeland, Michigan, after Aug. 20) 1\::tnsns
ALLEN ANDERSON 1200 Tennessee St., Lawrence, Kansas Nc brn s ka Eo . SHERWOOD Oxford, Nebrask a C nlifornia FRANCIS WoRCESTER 4027 Brant St. , San Diego, California Ohio BLAKE STAUFFER 1835 Indianola Ave., Columbus, Ohio Illinois JOHN BULLINGTON 528 Tremont St., Hillsboro, Illinois
1\lissouri RoBERT A . McMILLAN 5930 Kingsbury Ave. , St. Louis, Mo .
Oklaho•nn HowARD LEWIS Ada, Oklahoma
Cornell RUFUS J . VAIL Homer Ave., Cortland, New York
WILLIAM DAY 1722 DePa uw Place, New Albany, India n a
Ptn'<lue WILLIAM F . GARTEN 5434 Pennsylvania Ave., India napolis, Indiana Iowa Stnte KENNY FISHER 3311 E . 11th S t. , Kansas City, Missouri Penn Stnte J . ALLEN McAFoos 127 Yorkshire Rd., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Washing·ton THOMAS MURPHY 8541 Island Drive, Seattle, Washington
Intliuna
Georg·e '\Va s hingto n GEORGE w. SPANGLER 2900 Connecticut Ave ., Washington , D . C . Oklahomn Stn te Bus WALKER 418 Duncan, Stillwater. Oklahoma ALBERT DORR 323 Husba nd, Stillwater, Oklahoma C incinnati
WILLIAM BERTSCHE 2617 University Court, Cincinnati, Ohio '\Vnshing·ton Stnte ROBERT ANDERSON Route No .2, Garfield, Washington
WALTER WELSH 224 Berkshire Rd. , Hasbrouck Heights, N . J.
Not·thwester n JOHN R . ADAMS Acacia F raternity. Lincoln at the Lake, Evanston, Illinois
S:n·neu se CLIFFORD B . D EmLER 204 Kinsley St., Sherrill, New York
1\linnesotn JAMES N. ZELLMER Sleepy Eye, Minnesota
Color:ulo JACK LEWIS 2930 14th Ave., Denver, Colorado
Texu s H . B. JONES 511 W. 3n2 St., Austin, Texas
Wisconsin
Knnsas State BILL SELLERS 1502 E . 3rd St., Winfield, K ansas
EMERY B . GEBERT 536 W . 114th St., New York, New York
Frunklin
PETER G . PAPPAS 363 South 20th St., L a Crosse, Wisconsin
C ohnnbiu
THE ACACIA MOTTO:
HUMAN
SERVICE
â&#x20AC;¢ FOR WHAT MEN LOVE IN YOUTH IS PROMISE AND EXPECTATION OF WHAT IS TO BE FULFILLED Dr. Henry Noble MacCracken