T H D
.. . .
PB:OT!ITIX
-.. .February . . . . a,. .l9lu ..• • -- -
• • • • • • • • • • VOLUME t •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ST. V.ALENTUIE 1 S DAY
. . .. . ... .....
• • • • • • • • • • • • NUI.!BER · ~
Sinoe St. Valentino baa been o0lecteG aa a ~atron snint of Alpha
3tsma Alpha, the membership will 'b e intereateG in renning all that may be learne~ about him and tho festival aay thnt bears his name. It is to be recretued that there iR not very much kn0wn abont thio saint beyona
the fact that ile was a hol:_r prie~t of Rome in the third century after Christ anc1 that he snffered mart:rrdom on Pebrnary 14. Some chroniclers place the date in 270, still others in 306. La it ~as customary to keep hol~r the <1ayR on which martyrdom had been suffered. Febrnar:v 14 bocame one of the dates in the ca.lendar of the ocorly Ch't~roh. Its being set asi~e for the purpose nou conne~tea uith it in the thousht of everybody oamc about in much the fJ&me \:ay as d i r~ the plncinr: of Christ111o.s in December. -· There is much aoubt in the minds ;.; f historians concerning necembcr 2Gt!l beinG the birth{1a~· o:r m1rist, bece:ntse the hills of J · daea are t a o ool~ for :Clocks to S?enC: t '! w night in the O!,)en during Deca:1ber. But the Romans had a fer;tivel calleCl. the 3n~nrnf.'. l in that vm:1 cele1>ra.tec1 at the time o:r the winter solstice O...'Ylc". '.:hioh Wl'e a acr:son of jollification. So fnncinatinc did thi::J festival seer:1 to the ~,. :·, uth in the er~ rly Chrintian Church th.D. t it ct lled him a\7a:r from churcl ly devotL•ns, and inc.idonta.lly atra.y from his i'aith, so the Chnroh Futhers ve ry \li:1ely deciil.ed to mvo a joy festival of the i~ovm near the end of De oemher. It tms nmoh the srone oose \7ith Febrttary 14th. · For centuries the Romans hnd ~lebrated their tu~ercalia on February 15th. Lupercus vms an an()ient Italian diYinity, wc.rshippod by shellherds as tho proteotor of their flocks ago.::i.ns-t; woJ.vcs, T'he Romans sometimes 1dentif1eo h:f.m with +.ho Arcadian Y.~l. Th~ festival una colebratod at the Lupercal ~ a Grotto . in the J!alat::ne B.i11. Go a h .; were sacrificed ana two youths were a:rrayed in. tho skins. Vii tb t ·.nengs in the i1· hands they ran thro the stroets of. the t)ity , striJ.r.J..ug a~U. r:ersons whom they met. It was suppc.s~d to be very lucky t~ be touched ·~"'lith th~ thor..s. One gf tho pag!'.n c-ustoms of thai; clsy lr,ta~ t ~ ~ uhoose i·T.t:' a. yenr to oome some. pers(ln to whom honor wafJ to be pa!d. Eefi chose from ~"'1. urn a pieee of pap~r o.n which was written ·tha name cf. aomB woman. She became his t love t :!or a year. :en order. to put down such a d~nge"i:"0'\18 custom, the Churc-h instltntod 1=h~ pJan of d:rawins th~.:~ no.moa ,-o.f saints .to be venerated for a yea!' on :ast. Vulneti:n~:~'s Dn:y· . uh7.uh di:..... octly p ~:-eceii.ed that ef the· pagan l.bt-d:-awing~ thus subotituting h~ :1:venly fo:r earthly love. All the later cus-toms sprang frC'm thtHHl begL-rmi.l.1BB ~ Gossipy Samuel Pepyo men·tie•ns vario us ou.r'ions Va'lBm·t ins \lust oms prgval~nt in his i'J.ay. He spen1ts of the mottoas on daint:r oolore<l paper o.Dl~ · also o:~ the giving of jm:relr-:r b~r men of i7er.l ";1h. In many parts of England certain customs prevailed thut were very Aimilnr to thoac in voeue at ITallowe'en. Lov~rs aometimeq pinned f our bay leaves to the four corners of their pillows, ann then, if t he~r dreamed of their S\7eethern·ta, they se id they uould be mo.rried before the :;tec:.r wo.s out. o:r oou.ree, girls in those da ..m felt it to be n terribl e misfortune n ot to be somebody' o vnlentino, for thero 'l"!C'.9 1 i ttle ,llave marriage in a. r;irl 's future yec.rs aGo• It wcs a ver:r- r .c oent poe t , inGeec1, \-rho r-w.id, If o.ll th~ folks shoulr. nj? ana marry Long t!1o ~Ullennium would tarry.
54. i'bere are mnnjr womcz; at ill livin: v:r1 CJ cc.n rcncr·11>er \7 hen the unmarried woman. \7&'3 re.::;c.rc1ec1. '171. th more . or lcs'l pity. 11lla. r-mr of the '60s changed all _ tna~, just !l:J ~he~ prc~cnt Euro~) c£.n v1: r i3 ourcly revolutionizin.rr tho statue .Jf vtoman.ttinu auroa.u.. .Any Wc.r of modern times ITi th its wholeso.lo killing an(! disabling of men, forcc :J the womnn out of the home into the worlti of bus ine3s. It vra3 :n;ern neces .') i t;r the.t opened the doors of higher ec'luo.ation to girla in the '70s G.Dd it is nece~n1tv that is still at work forcinrr the 20th Century Girl' to :fit he-rself for nlaae in tho \10rl~' s economy, thn t is postpon'L"lg marria.ee, and in man~ ~seo making it an impossibility. .. Alnho. Si a Alpha is a. combination of the old am~ ner1 wom .I.t beliaves in the home anc! 1n marr~u::"e. re 01Ce3 e:-:ceet1 iTlfi: 1T nhon one o its aug ers n s er rna e und he. ntn But AlplillSic;ma Al ha believes s1n·,·1e bles sa, indeed the :princ pr. sya o o the new Al-,ha Sigma A pha is 'the :Phoenix, _W hicll built its nest . ho a mute snd arose from it renewe rl a."ld 8 ~rengi;ha!le~ ~ Legend sa~ _ that he "P.hoenix fanno 1 i~,rln -_:~.d.§S "\?l"G. 1. :.-t ovm winga. .The , a.ta<i ASA..~ 11kowiee rise, o:n 't'ihe vrlngs of th~ir ·c i..!d J_)ro7ean insn ration to those who walk tlii'th · l ir o:z:Gs ou ·(; _e · ·o· ·1d. ~ ero s a bean"tif'u.l laae:-...:d l).o:c.oe ~tY.o.lng st. Valentine that haa oome adovm the aBes·. It is tha ::;to.r~r o! i .. Ette"Ciu:], who was sant to convert st. Valentine to pae;nnism. st. 'hJ.:i'.n·tLld 1 G answer was tba layint; of his ha.ndu on the blind eyes of the beaut;:i.frtl daught9r of Asterius. i7hen the saintl ~r 1iouoh made s1 ght ·posst-ol_e to ·t;he lov"'317! eyes of Asteria, the Star Maiden, her fe.ther became & Uh:':'i~tian and went forth to :;')reach the faith he had before des7isef. . .AsterJ.us had thou.gh·t that St. Vt:lentino wn1 blind. __£.. 3Si.mists WQJflc1 ha. p 3 't:H:tl.iev .. t T1ove. is inC.-. 1 but As·teria ·lea:r·noC, a!ld all "Star "kaidens ., krto·r(~·tha t Love s touch can m.: .ke cleo.r all thin gs to those that have l)aen unlkinr; in daJi}:nefHl.
a
**"'*
**"'*
**""*
The Phoenix is terribly excitcc1 e)Ver his fir~'t pictnre r:nd insists r1ill all want to gee it il'!lr!le<'iately. The Central 8f:fice w':,ulc bo 4i1f!.Y too deliehte~~ to Genii ou·t a. l')hotogre,l">h of the A~ flac1~eling-, but f"fnds it qui ta impossible to d0 tb.at. :I'he pi:1t ure 51 ven be ... ow cells for lots of imasina.tion. The desi~_;:ll of ths Phoenix , as m~C'.e by FettinG f.o..r the. . ,eco i tion n_, a:cd a.cosptec~ by tha l~u tional Council, is really mos't attractive, !Il11C.h more so, the Council thtnks, -~}H3.n the worriedlookinG and ruffle ( bird on the shia ll1 of ~he U:r_1 i"V;rn:. t-, of Chicago. The deeigb· calls for a pin, 3/8ths of a.n J.nch 1.n aio.n,cter, of 14h. gold . It shows the Phoenix in bas relief risinG f:com tha flames. Pctdn~' ·~ price is ::';2.50. Orders u..ay be sent only thr. ou.c;h ths !Is.tional Sac:::-etary. The acco:apanyin& illust:r.ation io about G Gimes as la:.:.::;e as the rBal des :!.rrn ana is mac:e by pricking the outli~e th.ro,?-&h tJ1e W6.X ntencil by meens of a very fine ~wmbric needle. It ~an g1v~ no idea to you cf the beauty of the pin, but may serve e~ a gtude, however, to the che.:;?ters 1n drawin& the outline for use in decorative pur~oses. JOU
Mny I be your Va lent i ne?
RYrriEim
t
~~~~&iorehta~t of Hygiene is Miss EliznbP-th aefe~ ~f Alphn . tfh 11e a .&:'1 .u:wu , s e ook the oourse n Domestic Eoenemy and gave muoh attention to th.is subject of ~ygione. Hia3 Schaefer' q home is in ~iddle town, I •, qtti te near OXford. sa she found 1t possible to attend the OonTention. She has been teaGhing. ntnoo Ne~ Year's at Merrow, o. and 11kL~c the work ~eneely, but she miosos the oollege life and the girlo greatly.,, so she looks forward eagerly to aeAinrs the PHOmiiX, wh1nh she says is aa B•od as getting a letter from heme." We are ver~ glad t• publish at this time her f .irst o.ontr1but1on to 1 ts pages. -.
HID YEARS l. mos~ important atm of personal hygiene ig the maintenance tf the h1ehc~·t~ rrorking effioieno:v o:r the body. We should not be content . . -J ith tho nvo 1danoe of serious mnlo.d ies, but should tr-:r to nvoicl tho::Je minor ills, uhich may 3eriously i nterfere, even fo~ a limited tu~e, uith our ocpco1 t~r for usefulness e.nd enjoyment. !iany of you hav e just aome thru the Vlnrs - tho terrible mid-year exnms - anG are: listed among the wounced. It may be but n brie~ attaek of indigestion bronc;ht on by studying duri~• B meal hours anci later satisfyinG the pa:nss of hunGer by P.ny.t hine handy - chiefly sardines and ohooola·ces. I ca.; even see some of you shiverinG in blankets over your books, long after the heat had been turned off for -~he ni 0ht, nn e~ the resul~.; a bo.cl cold. That oolG may have been a tcsult of thJ.t atJuack "f i ndigestitn. Did you knm1 thnt colds are often due to digestive distur"ua.nces, to irregular and insnfficiont excerci:1o, or irre gul~r habi t s of sleep and rest? I claresny that more than one hns bean at home or i n the hos~itnl room for a ~eek or more to recover from soncthing very like nervous prostra tion. ·· · . · Now that is all over, don't you have a sner kinc suspi~ion that you uoul{~ have gotten thru those exams without the cramming~ for you have uorkec1 fEJ.ithiully all the year. You \7ere Ju3t pnniostrioken. You heard soma of your friends (not ASA.a) groaning several weeks before the vrar, anu you just fell in line. Did it pay? Like loynl soldiers, you have been honorably discharcred ta enlist for another term. By faithinl ·wo::-k you will bo ready when the next uo.r oomes. Then, girls, kee? yourselves fresh with plenty of sleep and e~ oer~ise and see how much more ensily the battle will be won.
liisa Schaefor'B adviae is well ~orth taking and is right in line nith uhl:t one of the most pr(\minent physicinna 1n Beston said recently at a public lecture on oolds and their causes. One of his most empha.tio statemen·:is was to the effect that colds are nntnro 's wa ~r of trying to get rid of a.octnnnlations in the body ns a. result of over-entine. He instamot!El i'lle marl:ed increase of oolc1~ immed ie tely af"'.; er seasons of feasting, 1 il~e Thankscrivine and Ohri~tmas, when people ert more thnn t he bod y need3, more than thr; body cnn tFke onre of ~:ri t h the usual £'..mount of ex eroise. Acoordins to this physician's uay of thinking, t o pnt it simpl:;, the fever 1ncinentel to n cold 1q the result of heav y work done by t he germs to 3et riel of the suz:>lus by burning, work thnt \7e oura clves onght to have eone thrn burninG Ul) the 9u:rplu'J by ener 0 y. Whe re onr -;;ork is of tho kint: that makes vigorous cxcerci::;e ~~pos s ible, tho l o{)ical ie! c; c-. would be to ea:c lesa so the.t the body w·.Hl.ld n ot have a.ccnmulat ions. To he in '~erfeot fi,...htfn c:-· trir.11 ' one zho r:ld ta;;:e in J~o t !: c body only that nmount that the sy~tem ~eeds t; have on hanc1 f or tho r10r~: requ i~ed of it. . "~ow Thyself'' rms the form in which tho Greel:s , uho at ,:ainocl phys1cal l)er:Cection , put the same tho Pght, a trn. th so im _1o r·~ ant t ha:" ~hc,;r ourve cl it on t h eir temples and cr~· ved it on enduring bron ze, no tJu~.-~ t 11eir I!!.., Qhildr en•B chil dr en mi:·:ht n ot lose s i ::-:ht oi t he :Jecre t of ·.1 erf e ot h eu l t h.
nGrowth is n priceless cp _p ortuni ty, end 1t is an 0 ";1 1ortlm1ty f or c.l l It is prioeless, for it is th~ very first oondition. of otarnal hope !or men, thr...t they may zrov;. Grorrth is involved 1n lifo itself. Growth is the m~rk of life. Growth is the privilege of livinB thinBS· Endowment ni tb 11!& ia endornnent with poner to grov1. Gro't7th beloncrs pe~uliarl:r to the human endo.m nent. It is chcr~cteristio of men that they are made capable of endless development, that thoro is no fixed limit bavond whioh' they ~ay not progress. According to the Christian ~iew men need not be niraid o:r nge or o:t death. if they are living and '\7ork1ng 1n tha lin• of God's great purposes for them.. For both ago and death nre then only changing cronditiona for still lnrg6r growth. The Christian faith says~ 'RieA to your opportunitr of growth --the privilege of life, the privilege of oen, and the prom1s6 o:r God. Glory in it. ne '\7orthy of it. Expaot t~ . Plan for it. Plan for sndless growth and perm&nent achievement.' But an opporrtun1ty or privilege oarrias always oorres~onding o\11 cntions. If we can grov continuously, than we must et once drat/ the infer en~e that fle ¥light to grow. Ability is the measnre of obligation. Boreover, if grou is the mnrk of life, then he r-ho will not grow hns alreed y begun to die. The one seorot ox immortal youth is growth. It is by growth that God moans that 'Th;r youth ehnll be renewed lil::.e· the eagle' a.' If andless erowth is t1:e peculinr mark of 1!an, then just beoaue& v1e are men, \7e are bound aolltinuoualy to grow. Ot herwise we are turning our backs on ~ur human ~estiny, and have already bogun to dohurnanizn urselves nnd fall to tho anim&l stage. ~e are defeating in our oh~ cnse tho purposP. of nn ago -long evolution. Grouth is a universal oblige. tion. We O\'le it to oursfjlvos, to our fr1enGS, to the world, to G~d. We ove it to ourselves, first o:t all, thr. t memory sho".lld be enri ehed. the imnginntion stimula ted, the :pouer of perception enla rged, nnd tho ability to think steadily dee pen':}d, for vo must eternclly keep cotlpany wi'th oursolves, and no man oan {aaa gaily the vao&n~y of tmmartal yeurs. A man must wish to be deoont and reuarding compuny for himself'. men•
We owe growth to our friGnds nlso. .iio man ho.s the right to bring to his friend a salf no largor or finer thnn he brough t ln~t ya.ar. If wo are continually to bring much to our friends, we must bring a at eE:.dily richer an& more significant sol!. Our friends ought not to need t o tiro of us, beoause they havG long ago, exhausted nll that u e ha.d to give. Thera should be. for them, on the contrary, fresh surprise 1n the selfrCJvelati ons that w~ have to l'J.lO.k&. l{o lese surely do wo owe grouth t o tho World. In the last analysis, wo nono of us h a-ve anything to give but ourse'l ves, and those selves must bo worth while nnfi b o ~ovm. Th<:r o.omn:unity has a right to oxpe~t, ospeaially o:f tho privilege d man, that he \7111 bring to it in pe.ouliar degree the training ntt the tools or growth, an d that as the years go on, he will DQ nble to give incr easinely what was earlier 1mliosa1b.la to him. No mnn has fulfilled his obl1gntion to his God , oither, without grotrth. Just as surely na his life ~ s not from things, s o suraly his ultimate trust is not for things primarily, .but for himself. He ia bo·u nd, sbovo all, to bring back to Oc d, 1n fulfilling the trust of his lifat a personality that has realized the pos s ibilities thnt God put in it. · Only s0 is a man's grant and ultilnate trn3t f nlfilled.n The dnty of erowth lies upon us. upon overyone of us.