Inter Fratres by Beta Theta Pi

INTER FRATRES

INTER FRATRES “THE BEST OF SETH” A collection of the outstanding mes sages of Dr. Seth R. Brooks, St. Lawrence ’22 from his Inter Fratres column in The Beta Theta Pi magazine —

1951 to 1986

Edited by JO H N R. McCLUNG K a n s a s S ta te 1937 E d i to r — T he B e ta T h e ta P i

PUBLISHED B Y BETA THETA P I OXFORD, OHIO 1986

C o p y rig h t, 1986

BETA T H E T A PI F R A T E R N I T Y

P rin ted in th e U n ited S ta te s o f A m erica By O x fo r d P rintin g Co. 12 W est Park Place O xford, O h io 45056

INTRODUCTION When Columbus S. Barber, West Virginia ’20, was Editor of The Beta Theta Pi, he asked A rthur C. Wickenden, Denison ’15, to write a brief spiritual message for each issue. Dr. Wickenden did for a short time but found he could not continue. Columbus Barber asked me to take on the endeavor. I said I would. Out of the blue, I said, “Let’s call it Inter F ratres and have clasped hands as we do on the back of the badge.” Thus began my contributions. Hope Dixon was my secretary for years. I would say, “Hope, take an Inter Fratres.” I mention this because almost every Inter F ratres is just as I dictated it. None was rewritten or changed. After Hope Dixon retired, I wrote longhand. I sent the copy to the Oxford Office where my kind friend, Virginia Preston, h as typed them for me. Above all, I thank my dear Beta friend, Editor Jack McClung, for his support and generosity to me. I th an k all, near and far, who have called or written me about the articles. One thing I cannot forget is th a t an outstanding U niversity President never goes on a trip without a copy of In B eta’s Broad Domain to use Inter Fratres material therein when he speaks. I thank Beta Theta Pi for giving me this great joy and privilege. Gratefully, Seth R. Brooks, June 12,1985

TABLE OF CONTENTS F R E E D O M ’S T W I N S .......................................................................................................................... L ONG, I L L U S T R I O U S L I N E .......................................................................................................... L O O K I N G A H E A D ............................................................................................................................... GI VI NG O F S E L F ................................................................................................................................. C H A P T E R V I S I T A T I O N S ................................................................................................................. S I L V E R G R A Y S ................................................................................................................................... L I F E M O V E S ON ................................................................................................................................. G E T I NTO T H E G A M E ! ................................................................................................................... W H A T A R E W E ? ................................................................................................................................... H E R I T A G E A N D DE S T I N Y .......................................................................................................... A 1953 V I E W ............................................................................................................................................ T H E Y A R E I M P O R T A N T T O O ................................................................................................... BETA T I E S .............................................................................................................................................. A L L 97 A R E O U T P O S T S ................................................................................................................. T H E L E G A C Y Q U E S T I O N ............................................................................................................... A S O U R C E O F I N S P I R A T I O N ...................................................................................................... T H E G A U G E O F E X C E L L E N C E ................................................................................................. F I R S T F I R M M O O R I N G S ............................................................................................................... G R E A T S A T I S F A C T I O N ................................................................................................................. T H E R I G H T T O A S S O C I A T E ........................................................................................................ K E E P C O O L ............................................................................................................................................ C O N V E N T I O N R E F L E C T I O N S ................................................................................................... G E N U I N E A T T I T U D E ........................................................................................................................ BETA' S HI GH A N D L O F T Y P U R P O S E .................................................................................... T H E T R U T H A B O U T Y O U T H ...................................................................................................... AL L HAVE A D D E D ............................................................................................................................ S I N C E R I T Y .............................................................................................................................................. C O N C E P T , A T T I T U D E , A N D R I G H T J U D G E M E N T ...................................................... F O D D E R F O R C R I T I C S ................................................................................................................... T H E P E R I L S A N D P R O M I S E O F BI GNE S S ........................................................................ B E T A ’S S T A N D A R D S ........................................................................................................................ T H E O L D P O R C H C H A I R S .......................................................................................................... S E P T E M B E R T H O U G H T S ............................................................................................................... O U R F I R S T A D M I N I S T R A T I V E S E C R E T A R Y .................................................................. F R A T E R N I T Y P A R A D O X E S ........................................................................................................ T O M O R R O W ’S L E A D E R S ............................................................................................................... I N W A R D T R E A S U R E S ...................................................................................................................... R E F L E C T I O N S ON V I S I T A T I O N S ............................................................................................. T H E R E A L F R A T E R N I T Y M E A S U R E M E N T ...................................................................... A C L I MA T E F OR F R A T E R N I T I E S ............................................................................................. A M E S S A G E T O P A R E N T S .......................................................................................................... WE AR E AL L H E R E .......................................................................................................................... BETA IS “ U S " .......................................................................................................................................... O U G H T A N D O U G H T N O T .......................................................................................................... T H E C H A L L E N G E O F T R A D I T I O N .......................................................................................... T H E G E N E R A L F R A T E R N I T Y ' S C R U C I A L R O L E ........................................................... T H E C R I S I S O F C H A R A C T E R .................................................................................................... C O M P O S U R E U N D E R P R E S S U R E .......................................................................................... P H Y S I C I A N , H E A L T H Y S E L F ! .................................................................................................... IN T R A N S I T ............................................................................................................................................ S O U L S O F T H E B U I L D E R S .......................................................................................................... U N M E R C E N A R Y L O V E ................................................................................................................... A R T O F A D J U S T M E N T ...................................................................................................................

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 27 29 31 32 34 35 37 39 40 42 44 45 46 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 60 62 64 65 67 69 70 72 73 75 77 79 81 83 84 86 88 90 92 93

AN U N W R I T T E N B O O K .................................................................................................................... 95 F A I R P L AY ............................................................................................................................................ 97 A G U I D I N G S T A R ............................................................................................................................... 99 " W E A R E T H E P E O P L E ” ................................................................................................................. 101 T H E F R A T E R N I T Y W A Y ................................................................................................................. 103 O N E BIG F A M I L Y ...............................................................................................................................105 A G R E A T GI FT: R E C A L L ............................................................................................................... 107 P O S I T I V E L Y S P E A K I N G ................................................................................................................. 109 A C A N D L E O F U N D E R S T A N D I N G ...........................................................................................I l l A F R U I T F U L F I E L D .......................................................................................................................... 113 H A V E T H E Y L E A R N E D ? ................................................................................................................. 115 T O BE B E T T E R ......................................................................................................................................117 T H E M O R E D E S I R A B L E D E M O N S T R A T I O N .................................................................... 119 F R O M T H E S E D O O R S ......................................................................................................................121 P E D E S T R I A N V I R T U E S ................................................................................................................. 123 O B L I T E R A T E D ......................................................................................................................................125 L I S T E N T O T H E B I R D S ....................................................................................................................127 T H O U G H T S ON C O U R T E S Y ........................................................................................................ 129 W H A T IS A U T H O R I T Y ? ....................................................................................................................131 I N F I N I T E O R D E R A N D W I S D O M .............................................................................................133 W H A T WI LL WE B E C O M E ? ...........................................................................................................135 I N S T A N T B U S Y N E S S ........................................................................................................................ 137 B R O T H E R H O O D ................................................................................................................................. 139 " O P P O S E A N D P R O P O S E " .............................................................................................................141 C O M M I T T E D T O E X C E L L E N C E ............................................................................................... 143 A L L T H E T H I N G S YOU A R E ........................................................................................................ 145 T H E R E A R - V I E W M I R R O R ...........................................................................................................147 W H A T D O YOU G E T O U T O F I T ? .............................................................................................149 “T R A N S L A T E D ” M E N ......................................................................................................................151 C E R T A I N T Y O F E X P E R I E N C E ....................................................................................................153 “ W H A T S O E V E R T H I N G S ” ............................................................................................................. 155 R E D I S C O V E R Y ......................................................................................................................................157 “ MY R I V E R B E C A M E A S E A ” ...................................................................................................... 159 I N D E S C R I B A B L E F R A T E R N A L F E E L I N G S .........................................................................161 T H E I M P O R T A N C E O F O R I G I N A N D D E S T I N Y ............................................................. 163 T H E O L D P O R C H C H A I R S ...........................................................................................................165 BETA' S E N D U R I N G G E N E R A T I O N S .........................................................................................167 T H R E E L E G G E D C H A P T E R S ...................................................................................................... 169 T H E C O N T I N U I N G C H A I N .............................................................................................................171 W H A T IS H I M ? ..................................................................................................................................... 173 E L E G A N T I N T E G R I T Y ......................................................................................................................175 AN U N D Y I N G S P I R I T ...................................................................................................................... 177 O L D F A S H I O N E D F R A T E R N I T Y M A N ..................................................................................179 IN H O N O R O F S P I G .......................................................................................................................... 181 Q U E S T I O N S , A N S W E R S A N D C L I C H E S ............................................................................... 183 N E E D E D : A S E Q U E L ........................................................................................................................ 185 BEI NG “ W E L L F U R N I S H E D ” ........................................................................................................ 187 G E T T I N G R E A D Y ...............................................................................................................................189 R E A C H I N G Y O U R D E S T I N A T I O N ...........................................................................................191 BEI NG B E T T E R ......................................................................................................................................193 U N M E R C E N A R Y M E M B E R S H I P ............................................................................................... 195 T H E BETA G U A R D I A N ....................................................................................................................197 T O H E A R T H E M U S I C ...................................................................................................................... 199 G R O W I N G T O O B I G ...........................................................................................................................201 P E R C E I V I N G F U L F I L L M E N T ...................................................................................................... 203

A M A T T E R O F W O R T H ................................................................................................................. 205 B I R T H O F A C O L U M N ....................................................................................................................207 T H E G R E A T E S T C O M P L I M E N T ............................................................................................... 209 T H E C H A L L E N G E O F F R A G M E N T A T I O N ........................................................................... 211 A G O L D E N E V E N T .............................................................................................................................213 A G R E A T BE TA E X P E R I E N C E ....................................................................................................215 A R A D I A N C E O F M E M O R I E S ....................................................................................................217 T H E C A S E F O R T H E C R A N K ...................................................................................................... 218 E X P E C T — A N D YE S H A L L R E C E I V E ..................................................................................220 T E N D I N G T H E S O I L .......................................................................................................................... 222 D I S A P P O I N T M E N T ’S S I L V E R L I N I N G ..................................................................................224 T H E S I G N I F I C A N T “T H A N K Y O U ” ........................................................................................... 226 A I M I N G F O R T H E L U S T R O U S L I F E ...................................................................................... 228 A M A T T E R O F M A N N E R S ............................................................................................................. 229 T H E R E W A R D I N G F I R E ................................................................................................................. 231 W H O M A K E T H T H E M A N ? ...........................................................................................................233 A M A J O R F R A T E R N A L P U R P O S E ...........................................................................................235 T H E F A B R I C O F BE T A T H E T A P I ............................................................................................. 237 T H E F R A T E R N I T Y ’S G O L D E N D O O R .................................................................................... 239 T H I N G S A C H I E V E D , T H I N G S W I L L E D ..................................................................................242 T H E T I E T H A T B I N D S ......................................................................................................................245 O U R T W O W O R L D S .......................................................................................................................... 247 E N D E A V O R , E X P E C T A N C Y A N D H O P E ............................................................................. 249 50 W O N D E R F U L G E N E R A L C O N V E N T I O N S .......................................................................251

FREEDOMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TWINS

Freedom is the cry and demand which rings throughout the world. Everybody wants freedom. It is a passionate desire for men to be free from all kinds of real and im aginary bonds. Some men know it is not just freedom from which hum anity needs, but freedom for. We ought to be free for service to m ankind, our Nation, our home, our church, and those things which build society and character. If freedom is coupled with being free from and being free for, it cannot exist long without freedom with. Freedom was born a twin. J u st as Liberty was born a twin with eternal vigilance, freedom was born a twin and history knows freedom cannot long exist without its twin. Freedom was bom a twin with responsibility. A free nation can survive only if free people accept responsibility to m aintain laws, whether they like them or not, until such laws are changed by legal processes coming through a free democratic electorate. There is a responsibility to m aintain order and not create disorder, and there is responsibility to preserve civil peace because all people live within a civil structure. Education as it prompts freedom can create anarchy unless those it educates show responsibility in the realms of both ideas and actions. Freedom was born a twin with disipline. The self-disciplined person is the free person. The disciplined person understands the bounds and limits in which he can move for his own good and for the good of all others. Freedom is the first casualty of undisciplined persons and society. Shouters, rioters, libertines, and unthinking passionate fools without discipline wreck and ruin. Freedom was born a twin with common sense. Common sense dictates th a t persons do not go too far. It is restraint in making impossible demands and always being aggrieved, injured, and the object of unfair treatm ent. The trouble with all our dreams of Utopia is th a t throughout history there have never been enough people who would voluntarily pay the rent to live in Utopia. Common sense is awareness of the blessings we have received through freedom, and the desire, through reasonable means, to extend these blessings to all others. Common sense tells one th at freedom m ust be deserved, earned, and m aintained through good, hard, honest effort. 2

Freedom was born a twin with gentleness. The revolutionary forces of mankind have not understood this. They overlook the fact th a t violence breeds violence. Violence destroys. Violence is self-defeating. Freedom is not established through punitive methods. Freedom is not rushed roughshod into being. It is extended, spread and established through leaders and ordinary persons who have the patience and kindness to show gentleness. Freedom was born a twin with purpose. W hat do we w ant freedom for? What will we do with our freedom? The purpose of freedom is to grant all persons movement, growth, latitude, a chance for development and reach. The purpose of freedom is to give persons room to find the fullest and most complete form of existence for them. Freedom for the person has the purpose of making th a t person free for the largest opportunity in the largest spheres of dedication. The purpose of freedom is to give man freedom for his body, mind and soul, but at the same time to bind him to those services, duties and toils into which the free man knows he must enter. The world today is disordered and disturbed. These are sad and difficult times. As Carlyle said in his day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a time of despair, but a time of hope.â&#x20AC;? We can say th a t in our commitment to freedom we believe it was born a twin. There m ust be freedom with responsibility. There must be freedom with discipline. There must be freedom with common sense. There must be freedom with gentleness. There must be freedom with purpose. February 1966 This article brought Dr. Brooks his greatest honor. He was awarded the George W ashington Medal by the Freedoms FounÂ dation in 1967.

LONG, ILLUSTRIOUS LINE My dear friend of many years, C olum bus S. B a rb e r, West Virginia ’20, has asked me as General Secretary to write an article on Rushing for this first issue of the college year. Before going further I wish officially to congratulate Brother Barber on becoming editor and publisher of The Beta Theta Pi and to congratulate the Fraternity on having a new editor of the calibre of the one who opens what I know will be a brilliant career. Without any boastfulness it can be said th at in the college year 1950-51 Beta Theta Pi had one of its most successful years in Rushing. The General Secretary’s office was flooded with reports from all over of the phenomenal good fortune Beta Theta Pi had enjoyed. It is my belief th a t this fall we shall again have another recordbreaking Rushing season, provided each undergraduate Beta and each chapter will persistently discharge his duty to pledge only the best men. One of the District Chiefs told me a story which is classic. One day, in the early fall, a very youthful freshman rang the doorbell of a certain Beta House. He asked the person who responded to the bell if he would be kind enough to tell him who the chapter president was. The information was gladly given and, in time, the young visitor stood before the chapter president. Then the young man proceeded to say, “I have come here to tell you I am ready to pledge Beta.” The chapter president made an immortal reply. He said, “Beta Theta Pi has been getting ready for 111 years to pledge men.” If our undergraduates will keep this story in mind, then I have no fear. A boy is not conferring an honor on our Fraternity when he pledges. Our fraternity is conferring an honor upon him. For over a century we have been getting ready to pledge this delegation. To be sure they bring us something — but we offer them years of history, tradition, lore and ideals. We pass to them the story of great Beta personalities, the account of w hat our Fraternity has done on nearly 100 campuses and the way in which Beta Theta Pi has always been one of the leaders among American college Fraternities. To the Pledge we hold out the Beta Songs, the Beta Library, Beta Conventions and in time the Beta grip, a Beta shingle and the Badge of Beta Theta Pi. As you enter this Rushing season remember th a t in pledging a 4

m an to this Fraternity you are conferring upon him one of the greatest honors of his college career. I, personally, would rather have a chapter pledge three men who are worthy of our good name and will become worthy Betas th an I would to have a chapter pledge thirty-three men and get three not worthy of so great a name and so great a heritage. To every chapter and to every undergraduate Beta I would say, enter upon this Rushing season with determ ination and prayerful consideration. Resolve th a t the delegation you pledge shall be an honor and a credit to the Founders and those who have followed in a long, illustrious line. September 1951

LOOKING AHEAD According to our procedure at a General Convention, it is the duty of the General Secretary to open and close the Convention. The Ritual says th a t for the closing exercises the General Secretary will make a brief address, summoning the Chapters to enter upon the work of the year ahead with enthusiasm and zeal. When the 112th General Convention at Old Point Comfort came to its close I made, as the final appeal, th a t we look to the future. On the Archives Building in W ashington, I reminded the Delegates, there is the quotation, ’’The past is prologue.” The 112 years of the life of our Fraternity is now the prologue to the year and the years ahead. One thing th a t impressed me deeply and poignantly at the Convention was how m any of the men I had begun my Beta work with were no longer in the active leadership of the F raternity. The moral is simple. Every great organization needs an infusion of new blood and younger men must" take the torch from older hands. We have in our Fraternity today, in our chapters, men who will some day be District Chiefs, General Officers and inspiring leaders. In Beta Theta Pi no one seeks an office, rather the office seeks him. Nevertheless, I would urge every undergraduate to realize th a t in time he must carry the burden and the leadership of Beta Theta Pi. U ndergraduates and recent graduates should be preparing themselves to render service to the Fraternity when the calls come. It was said of Napoleon, “He had so much future in his mind.” There must be future in the minds of our present-day leaders. The world is in such rapid transition th a t we know not w hat a day may bring forth. The American educational system is not static. One of the real powers of our Fraternity in the past has been its ability to map its course wisely for the future. A friend of mine told me a story of a group of men who became lost on a desert. Mirage after mirage appeared before them. They followed those mirages until finally reaching safety. My friend pointed out th a t a mirage is caused by certain light conditions but it is the projection of something which exists beyond the horizon. He wisely said, “Those men on the desert were saved by feeling the pull of the beyond!” Let us feel the pull of the beyond! Let every Beta be thinking 6

sanely and soberly about the future of the Fraternity. Let us be wise enough to have plan and purpose in where we are going. Let those of us who have served the Fraternity m any years realize th a t in the colleges today are the Betas who m ust take up our work. Let us give them solid foundation and let us have faith th a t they in their time shall build upon it and ever feel the pull of the beyond. November 1951

GIVING OF SELF

AN EXPRESSION well known in Beta’s Broad Domain is, “devotion to the cultivation of the intellect.” I have often felt in hearing and reading these words th a t their first impression of importance came in reverse order. The ear and eye seem to catch “intellect” first, “cultivation” second and “devotion” third. At least so it has often struck me. But it is on the word “devotion” I ponder more often than I do on the other two. Devotion has many meanings which a dictionary will supply. However, I think of devotion as “the surrender of self to some person or thing.” Hence, “devotion to the cultivation of the intellect” is to surrender ourself to cultivating intellectual gifts and powers. Devotion as “the surrender of self to some person or thing” has profound meaning for a real Beta. It is the giving of self to the ideals of our Fraternity. To build friendship and brotherhood men m ust give of the loyalty, fidelity, helpfulness and steadfastness which are in them. Over more than a century Beta Theta Pi has grown in the affections of legions of its members. Its life as an association has deepened in meaning and gained in influence for good because so m any have devotedly served it. The long illustrious line of servants to the ideals of the Fraternity has built up a treasury of Beta spirit and tradition. Wherever we have outstanding chapters there is the record of those who as undergraduates and then as alum ni have given themselves to making a chapter excel. Without devotion to the high standards which Beta has always held we cannot have great chapters. It has been my privilege over m any years to know the leaders of our Fraternity and m any chapters and undergraduates. I can testify th a t the devotion of individual Betas has made our Fraternity w hat it is. No pessimistic or apprehensive thoughts about our future trouble my mind. I know our leadership. I know our chapters and our undergraduates. I know th a t Beta Theta Pi has those who have surrendered themselves to our ideals and purposes. Our ideals and purposes are right and eternal. With devotion to them 8

we cannot fail, for our devotion means we give ourselves to the values which must prevail as long as men have high goals and noble purposes. January 1952

CHAPTER VISITATIONS

As General Secretary there is nothing which is more pleasing th an chapter visitations. It has been on my mind th a t the Magazine readers might find interest in a brief account of a few visits. In recording these visits let me say, if space permitted, I could give the same testimony about m any other chapters where I have been welcomed. I met District Chief H arry Easton in Boston. We proceeded to Bangor, Maine, where we were met by members of the Maine Chapter. The trip to Orono takes but a few minutes. Our first appointm ent at the U niversity was with the President and the Dean. Both are fine men and the visit with them was pleasant. The Maine campus is friendly and impressive. Our chapter House is large, comfortable and in good repair. Some fifteen alumni returned to join the chapter at dinner and to attend the meeting at which I spoke. The Maine chapter is strong today and I was impressed by the chapter personnel and the alumni interest. Bowdoin was next on our schedule. The Bowdoin campus always impresses me. We had a delightful visit with the Dean of College Presidents, Dr. Sills, who for so m any years had guided Bowdoin. The Dean of Admissions is a Beta of the Bowdoin chapter and he was most helpful. The House was recently painted outside and redecorated within. It is an attactive chapter house. Several alumni were present. I spoke before the chapter and I felt th a t the Beta spirit is still strong in this historic chapter. With District Chief Clark Gordon I arrived at Williams on a perfect fall day. Fred Copeland, who was in the chapter when I was Chief, is Dean of Admissions. Fred gave us a cordial welcome. The Williams chapter today is made up of a group of very fine men. I was greatly pleased with w hat I saw. Our next stop was Amherst. The House has been beautifully refurnished. The Library which Frank M. Lay, Knox â&#x20AC;&#x2122;93, Amherst â&#x20AC;&#x2122;93 gave in memory of his son, is one of the most inviting rooms I have ever seen in a chapter house. While I was at Amherst I spoke briefly at a chapter meeting. I was most favorably impressed by the whole attitude of the men I met. I thought th a t the group was very outstanding and I felt th a t the chapter spirit was excellent. District Chief Don Beaman could not go with me to Colgate. General Treasurer Charlie Dykes drove up from Ithaca and met 10

me at the Colgate house. Much redecorating and refurnishing have added to our attractive house which faces the Colgate campus. Brother Earl Daniels, Chapter Counselor, was present and added much to our visit. I have known the Colgate chapter for m any years. I do not think I was ever so favorably impressed by the personnel and spirit of this chapter as I was on this visit. Charlie Dykes and I then visited Cornell. District Chief Worth Probst had planned to be present but was delayed and could not attend. The chapter had arranged an appointm ent with the new President of Cornell University, Dr. Dean Malott, Kansas ’20 who is a loyal Beta. It was my misfortune not to meet the President as he had been called out of town on im portant business. The Cornell chapter house is beautifully situated and is spacious and most attactive. The chapter is composed of an excellent group of Betas who have strong alumni backing and the inspiration of great chapter traditions. It was my pleasure to sit down with the chapter at a delicious dinner after which I spoke briefly on Beta Theta Pi today. The miles of travel, the days away from home, the work which piles up in my absence are all over-shadowed by memories of the boys of today who “make you feel a kind of something warm —and make you glad th a t you’re a Beta too.” March 1952

SILVER GRAYS

OVER the years I have heard m any heart-warm ing and inspiring Beta talks. In fact, some of the best talks I have ever heard were given by the alumni in my chapter house, in my undergraduate days. I have heard superlative addresses at Beta dinners and Beta conventions. Beta Theta Pi has never lacked men who could put the Beta story into words. It is not hard to talk about Beta because the stories about Betas and Beta experiences are inexhaustible. It would take a whole library to contain the stories Betas could tell about things which happened to them only because they had been initiated into Beta Theta Pi. These stories have to do with men who were leaders in the Fraternity and leaders in education, government, science, bus iness and the church. Some of the stories are recollections of days long ago. Others have to do with Beta ideals, Beta friendships, Beta history and Beta lore. Still others relate to the Beta Badge, the Beta Songs, the Beta Grip, the Beta Stars and the Beta Dragon. Strange to relate, there is an im portant part of the Beta story which is seldom told. It is the way undergraduate Betas feel about those Betas who are ever moving farther away from their own Commencement. It is the way Betas no longer in college feel about the active Betas. I have never known a Beta chapter which w asn’t thrilled and honored to have alumni return. I have never known a real Beta alum nus who w asn’t vitally interested in “w hat the boys in the chapter today” are doing. Here is one of the strongest links in Beta Theta Pi active and alumnus - the boys in the chapter and the silver grays. Much of our strength is the vital interest between a col lege generation and the generation which went before. In our case it is an interest cemented and kept fresh through the Beta story which is ever being written. Each year another page is added. Those of the present w ant to know the earlier chapters. Those long out of college w ant to read the latest edition. It may be th a t the silver gray looks back to his chapter house and in the boys of today sees his youth again. It may be th a t the boys in the chapter see in older Betas something of the kind of mature men they want to be. 12

â&#x20AC;?So from cherished sire to son, the links of a bond fraternal run.â&#x20AC;? April 1952

LIFE MOVES ON ART WICKENDEN has done such an inspiring piece of work with his meditations, which appear in this Magazine, I have hesitated before writing this article. Art will forgive me this once, if I turn to The Acts for the theme of my message. You may remember th a t in the 21st chapter, the 16th verse of The Acts, one reads, “one Mnason, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.” T hat is all we are told about Mnason, but it is enough to convey m any thoughts. M nason was now an old man. He had started m any years before with the new Faith. He had stood by it, been loyal and devoted to it, and had lived it. We see him in his late years as a tried and trusted member of the association and fellowship of C hristians. Knowing as little as we do about M nason, this terse reference to him gives us the feeling th a t here was one of “the faithfuls” of the brotherhood. Beta Theta Pi is an undergraduate college Fraternity. The active Betas and the active Chapters are the life blood. Alumni Associations are important. Conventions are enriched by alum ni attendance. The General Officers are all men out of college, who devote time to the Fraternity. But our emphasis is always centered on undergraduate Chapter performance and excellency. Beta Theta Pi has as a goal -“to be the best college Fraternity in existence today.” That, of course, means th a t on the 96 campuses where we stand we seek to be the recognized leaders. The story, however, does not end there. Four swift years and the undergraduate passes from th a t status to alumnus. For 113 years this process of moving from active to alumnus has gone on. One of the shocks of life is how quickly ones’s 10th 15th - 20th reunion arrives. So the active soon joins the ranks of those moving away from college days. M nason reminds me of two most im portant facts in the his tory of Beta Theta Pi: First, when it is said, “He’s a grand old Beta” we express much about some wearer of our Badge. He was initiated long ago. He never forgot his college fraternity days. He stood by and remained faithful over the years. He never lost his sense of w hat Beta Theta Pi m eant to him and to thousands of other Betas. He grew older in years but the 14

Diamond’s light shone as bright as it did in days of yore. He still saw the lustre of the stars. “He was once a Beta, always a Beta, everywhere a Beta.” Second, life moves on. The undergraduate Betas of today stand where Mnason did in his youth. If they love the Broth erhood and continue through the years to keep strong their Beta Spirit, the years shall strengthen and increase their devotion. They shall become like Mnason, who in later years was looked upon with confidence and affection by the younger disciples. If my Greek is not too faulty, Mnason comes from the root “mindful.” Let us be “mindful” of him who is “a grand old Beta.” Let us be such loyal Betas th a t these words of brotherly affection may in our later years be spoken of us. June 1952

GET INTO THE GAME! A MIDDLE AGED friend told me of an experience he had when he was about twelve years old. His father had taken him and his older brother one Sunday afternoon to one of the historic New York City churches, for the M assing of the Colors. With them was an intim ate friend of his father’s. This friend had been born in New York of German im m igrant parents. He had grown up in one of the German neighborhoods and had been forced to go to work on completing gram m ar school. The ending of formal education had only spurred him on to read and study, widely and deeply. He had become a “self-educated m an” in the best sense of the term. My friend stated th a t would always remember this man as one of the most cultured courteous and best read persons he had known. As they stood in the church th a t Sunday the Processional moved up the center aisle. First came the choir, then the flags and color guard and finally, the clergy in academic gowns and hoods. It was then th a t this man turned to my friend and his brothers and said, “Boys get into the gam e.” My friend then did not know w hat an academic gown and hood m eant or symbolized. He did however, understand th a t a man who had educated him self was telling him to get into the arena of higher education. It is with deep humility I speak of higher education, for nothing can be more offensive than an educated snob. Never theless, I venture to say to our undergraduate Betas, “Boys, get into the game. ” Learn the meaning, the value and worth of the higher education. Get into the game and accept the duties and responsibilities of the educated man. Accept the rules, penalties and victories. Above all, realize th a t one must keep himself intellectually fit just as the athlete keeps himself phys ically fit, if he stays in the game. “Boys, get into the gam e,” has deep m eaning in relation to Beta Theta Pi. Those who have loved and served our Frater nity were all men who got into the game. If one wonders why some men became such enthusiastic Betas and received from it the richest satisfactions, it is because these men got into the game. Indeed, our Fraternity might be likened to a very inspir ing game. But in our game there is room on the team for every Beta. Those who have stood by the Fraternity in its 16

trials and trium phs would say to the Betas coming after them “Boys, get into the gam e.” For this Rushing Issue of our MAGAZINE the words, “Boys, get into the gam e” are significant. Each chapter should realize its new opportunity and its old responsibility to get the right men into the Beta game. The boy who is being rushed should be made to feel th a t he is being considered for membership in one of the most honorable and historic College Fraternities. He can never grasp in advance the full m eaning of w hat this experience can mean to him, but he can be told of those men who attained the highest positions in life, but always held their membership in Beta Theta Pi as one of the rarest and highest honors which had ever come to them. October 1952

WHAT ARE WE? ONE OF THE common practices for m any fraternity men is to claim greatness “by association.” Hence, one may hear, “Our Fraternity has forty judges, thirty college presidents, ninety great scientists, twelve explorers, six senators, seven major league ball players, thirteen movie actors and sixteen eminent authors.” To be sure, a fraternity w ants its members to excel and achieve usefulness. No one admires the m an who doesn’t care whether he attains anything. A fraternity can take justif iable pride in its members who reach pinnacles of success. No one looks up to failures. It is good for undergraduates to know th a t former or earlier chapter members have won recognition. It may be good rushing technique (although I wonder) to tell rushees, “We have more prominent men in American and Canadian business than any other fraternity.” Let there be no m istake th a t high place in governm ent, business, science and the professions is to be admired and, if possible, emulated. Phi Beta Kappa and public honors are all most commendable. Giving due recognition to achievement and success, we need to turn our thought to something else. T hat something else is - are we a Fraternity - a real Broth erhood? Do we associate ourselves as Brothers? Have we real Fraternal ties? Do we have Ideals and uphold them? Does the m an who wears our Badge think of him self as a member of a Fraternity great and good? And again, do we respect men for their worth and charac ter? Are we concerned for every member? Do we know th a t any m an who serves faithfully, serves well? Are we helping one another to carry life’s burdens? Yes, are we considerate of all men in our brotherhood? We w ant men to excel in the worthy and honorable pursuits of life. We w ant men to bring credit and, if possible, fame to their country, college, profession and name. However, we want all men who are Betas and who are invited to become Betas, to feel th a t above all, they are brothers. For in a brotherhood we help one another and experience w hat life is m eant to be when each helps all and all help each. The ultim ate appeal of Beta Theta Pi should be th a t it is an 18

association in which brothers are brothers for life. December 1952

HERITAGE AND DESTINY Two words constantly come to mind when I think of Beta Theta Pi. These two words are heritage and destiny. The terms have in them a sense of historical movement. Heritage is the accumulated store of achievement, history and attainm ent built in the past and given as a legacy to present. D estiny is th a t toward which persons and things move in terms of their fortune or fate. Although destiny often connotes the propelling power of a predetermining agency, it also in the historical sense means th a t end which a person or thing is rightly m eant to fill. In speaking of the American heritage, one m eans the blessÂ ings he receives as a birthright because of the kind of legacy his American forebears bequeathed. In speaking of Am ericaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s destiny one means the fulfillment of the role the American society is historically m eant to play. Reduce Beta Theta Pi to its simplest terms. Define it as a Greek letter college fraternity which is organized around obliÂ gations voluntarily taken to certain enduring moral principles and spiritual ideals. The definition may be simple, but the inherent values in the definition are the profound things of hum an existence. The fraternal values we have today are our heritage. They have been cherished and passed on for over a century. They were upheld, supported, avowed and lived by those who went before us. They have been handed down in our Ritual. They have been enunciated in the greatest addresses made by our speakers. They were transparent in our long line of exemplars. So we o f the present have a heritage. It is w hat our Fraternity in the past built into a body of tradition, performance and purpose and has given to us as its testament. The Fraternity also has a destiny. It is the part we are m eant to play on the campus, in the Chapter house, in our Alumni Associations and in the world. Commitment to w hat is our rightful destiny excludes anything unbecoming our high and noble purposes. Devotion to our destiny means th a t we will strive to see th a t we move toward the accomplishment of our mission. No one can honestly question the value of an association like ours, if it carries out those ends for which it 20

was created. They are ends which spell better intellects, lastÂ ing friendships, mutual assistance and more moral and useful men. We have a great heritage. T hat has been established and is ours by inheritance. The question for us of the present is, will we give ourselves to the fulfillment of our destiny as a great and good fraternity. The Beta heritage and the Beta destiny go hand in hand. February 1953

A 1953 VIEW

Dear Columbus: As the dead line for another Inter fratres nears, I am not going to write one. Variety may not be the only spice of life but it is a relief. Through you, let me tell our Beta readers a little about the Fraternity as I look at it on Jan u ary 26,1953. I would say there are about 45,000 Betas on this planet this winter afternoon. Of this number about 4,500 Eire undergraduates. Each year we initiate about 1,900 men. Our magazine is mailed, roughly speaking, to 30,000 Betas per issue. We are in 97 of the finest institutions of higher learning in the United States and Canada. We are exceedingly well housed. Our new Chapter (Western Ontario) has just acquired its own house. Some of our chapters need a house. Some need additions and repairs to their present house, but let me say th a t I marvel at the roofs and walls which surround undergraduate Betas. Betas are campus leaders. We are first nationally in scholarship and we hold more th an our share of campus honors. Of our 97 Chapters there are five who, like Nicodemus, need to be “born again.” Ten others could take some vitam ins. But generally speaking our strength and health are such th a t the doctor would starve to death if he depended on us for his income. We have the Oxford Office running in perfect synchronization with undergraduates and alumni. Here credit is due Ralph Fey and his staff. The Board of Trustees is united, harmonious, dedicated and progressive. Finances are sound but we cannot go hog wild in spending. Plans for the Pasadena Convention are shaping up beautifully. I predict one of our greatest Conventions in California in September. I was a Chief in the late ’20s and ’30s. Some of us who served then have lost all modesty and say, “T hat was the greatest group of Chiefs we ever had.” Now I have to change my position for the present group of Chiefs is as good as I could ever imagine being brought together. I have been to 73 chapters as General Secretary. I ’m off to Texas and ahead of me are the Brown Initiation, the Ohio Wesleyan Centennial and visits to N ebraska and the Iowa Chapters. How 22

pleasantly I look back upon a day at W & J and the fine Betas I met there. From W & J, I went to B ethany where I saw the new house and our strong Beta band. Carnegie Tech deserves much credit for a valiant battle in a city chapter. I shall long remember the afternoon at the lovely W ashington (St. Louis) House. Days at Colorado College, Colorado U. and Colorado Mines brought me into the company of three powerful chapters. The Denver Chapter and the Special Alumni Committee deserve much praise for remarkable progress and advancement. Trips to Columbia and Stevens gave me encouragement as these two chapters have shown real achievement. We should not forget the work done by Lee Webber with chapter finances; Joe Romoda’s work as Scholarship Commissioner; Karl Fischer’s with the Centennial Chapters and John Baker’s with the Archives. We should also remember the expert work of our Fund Trustees. Columbus, I could write on for hours but you didn’t ask for a novel. Which reminds me, Herb Smith has revised “Son of the S tars” and Paul Van Riper has gotten out a new Pledge Training Procedure Manual. Isn’t it time someone wrote another Beta Story? I wish someone would pick up where Shep left off and tell of those great Betas since we began our second century. The Beta Story never ends — so long to you. I’m glad I’m a Beta! April 1953

Columbus S. Barber, West V irginia’20, Editor. The Beta Theta Pi 1951-1955.

THEY ARE IMPORTANT TOO

Dear Columbus: In the capacity of General Secretary, I have now made 75 visits to Chapters. The common viewpoint about Chapter Visitations rests pretty largely on the routine m atters. Has the chapter its Charter, Rituals, Roll Book, etc.? W hat about Scholarships, Finances, Rushing, Pledging, Initiation Ceremony? How is the condition of the house? Are Alumni relationships good? These are all very im portant, but there are certain things rarely absent in a real Chapter of our Fraternity. Appreciation and gratitude are present. The chapter members appreciate being Betas. They appreciate their chapter home, alumni support, their opportunity to be part of an honorable Association of college men. Affection can be felt. The chapter members have an affection for their college, their house, their Chapter Hall. The men are devoted to one another and to common aims and goals. Loyalty plays a large part. In strong chapters the members are loyal to their college, to the whole Fraternity and to one another. Loyalty is a cement which binds the individual members together into a unified whole. Ideals are believed in. There are the ideals of intellectual attainm ent, excellence of performance, right conduct and high purpose. Our best chapters exude a faith th a t they can attain high places through the consecration of each member, to w hat m atters most in undergraduate life. Fellowship is sensed. There is a group spirit. Men realize th a t they are associated in a corporate endeavor and enterprise. A first rate chapter is a community with fellowship lifting it to a plane of good companionship. A high opinion of the objects and benefits of fraternal life is held by the individuals who make up a real chapter. There is the implicit conviction th a t this is worthy and calls out the best th a t is in us. Character gives refinement. The gross things are recognized as gross. There is an artisticness in the way men conduct the affairs of their common undertaking. Conduct is a m ark of an outstanding chapter. It is, of course, 24

right conduct. Such chapters have nothing to hide. Their behavior is out in the open where all may see it, for there is nothing to be kept under cover. Wisdom is there too. T hat is the right judgem ent as to the relative value of things. The wise chapter knows it is a part of a long tradition. It separates the wheat from the chaff. It believes in the wisdom which our forebears showed in the ends they picked as the ones to merit continued devotion. Reverence lives through the sense of things pure and undefiled. It is not priggishness. It is the historic sense th a t in life above the secular are things sacred because of their own inherent worth and purity. Now, this may be a strange letter, but through you I w ant our readers to know th a t in a real Beta Chapter there are things not often mentioned. The degree to which they exist and are lived determines the m ark of where a chapter stands in the respect and regard others Eire caused to admit rightly belong to it. Best wishes to you. May 1953

BETA TIES The St. Lawrence Chapter has a very fine custom. Each year during spring vacation a dinner is held in New York City for alumni and chapter members, home for the holiday. This year the dinner was held on M arch 31 in the Williams Club and I had the pleasure of being the speaker. One thing I missed was more Betas of my college generation but I guess they have been so successful in life th a t Florida and other lands of sun had called them away. I was impressed by certain facets of the evening th a t apply in general to us as Betas. Betas, regardless of age, are always glad to get together and to feel again the common bond of Fraternity and Chapter. Certain loyal alumni are always present. Their continuing interest and devotion never wane. The active members are proud of their Chapter and w ant the alumni to know th a t the old Chapter is in there competing for campus honors. Those members we often wonder about and have not seen for years are still missing from the latest gathering. But beyond the pleasure of the evening, next day as my train sped back to W ashington m any thoughts kept crowding my mind. I thought of a chapter much as I would of a great w ater wheel. The youth flows into the chapter and during four years is the propelling power. Then, like the water, it flows out into the stream of alumni. When did I first hear of Beta Theta Pi? Why did I w ant to be a Beta? Why did they pledge me? Where was I when I received my pledge button? How did I feel when I was initiated? W hat kind of a Beta have I been across the years? The Beta experience is a varied one. It runs through the years. It is both corporate and individual. It is looking back and seeing ourself as a youth coming up the road. It is looking forward and knowing th a t although it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any fun to get old, it is blessed to have the Beta ties th a t still bind us to the boys of our day. June 1953 26

ALL 97 ARE OUTPOSTS

A letter came to me recently saying, “We hope you’ll visit our Chapter for we are an outpost.” The w riter’s statem ent can be understood. Here was a chapter which geographically was far away from the center of our Broad Domain. One sensed a feeling of being “way off here,” or isolation. There are no outposts in one sense. Each chapter is joined to the other chapters in its District and to the 97 other chapters. Each District is joined to the other 24. No Beta is really alone. He is part of a chapter and part of the entire Fraternity. On second thought, yes, each chapter is in a different sense an outpost. It is the representative of the Fraternity on its own campus where it stands on its own merit. It is an outpost of all the other chapters, but in th a t it has a commonality with all chapters (for each is an outpost). The outpost idea has to be looked at again. Travel through our 97 chapters and w hat strikes one? Their difference and their alikeness. Each has its own history, traditions and membership. Each also has the same letters B0I1. Each h as the same Ritual, Badge, songs, Magazine, grip and password. We have diversity among unity. There are the boys of Maine, Florida, British Columbia, Texas and Miami. There is also the oneness Beta Theta Pi gives. The amazing thing about the Beta picture is th a t an idea could spread to 97 different campuses and retain its own uniquesness. The richness of our experience is the different contributions our various chapters make. The opponents of Fraternities never grasp the unifying principle of a far-flung association of college men. They do not understand how thousands of men over more than a century have found a larger experience through fraternal ties and bonds. Miami, our Alpha Chapter, was the first outpost of Beta Theta Pi. T hat was in 1839. The Beta idea was carried to Cincinnati, which became the new outpost. In 1952 when we installed the Western Ontario Chapter th at became our latest outpost. So the history runs. We would do well to think of each chapter as an outpost, but as a part of the whole. Each Beta would be wise to think of his life as an outpost of our ideals, but related to the entire membership. 27

There are no outpost chapters as such. Paradoxically, all chapters are outposts. To grasp th a t in terms of standing out front is to add progressive leadership and creativity to Beta Theta Pi. October 1953

THE LEGACY QUESTION

Mary Calkins eminent psychologist, used to talk about “the persistent problems of Philosophy.” I venture to say th a t one of the most persistent and aggravating problems of the entire college fraternity system has to do with legacies. A legacy is a person who enters a college where there is a chapter of a fraternity of which some member of his or her family was a member. The legacy may be a grandson, granddaughter, son, daughter, brother, sister. For some reason it has always been assumed th a t legacies would follow in the fraternity of their relatives. Why, I do not know, for there have been thousands of deviations. Personally, I wish th a t all legacies could, if they wish, be in the fraternity of those members of their family who attended college before them. Now in this persistent problem of legacies two things constantly stand in juxtaposition. Very often a chapter will go out of its way to be nice to legacies and very often a chapter will go out of its way to be rude to legacies. Very often legacies will arrive on campus, never expecting any consideration, because they are legacies, and very often they arrive with the feeling th a t the whole deal is a foregone conclusion -- signed and sealed on their behalf. Many years of fraternity experience have taught me some im portant lessons on this legacy question which has worried me very much. I would enumerate those as follows: 1. No child should be brought up with the idea th a t when he goes to college he m ust join dad’s fraternity and dad’s fraternity must pledge him. 2. A chapter is very rude and very wrong if it discriminates against a man because he is a legacy. However, no chapter should have to take a man because of a family membership in a given fraternity. 3. A chapter should show every courtesy to a legacy and certainly approach him with the strong feeling th a t he is potential material. The family tie is a vital thing in life and in fraternity life. 4. The legacy should not take the attitude th a t he is to be shown any special favors nor should he act coy. Many legacies have hurt themselves very much by assuming th a t they entered college with a certain claim staked out. 29

5. Parents should realize th a t there are a great m any good fraternities and often a child will be better adjusted in some fraternity other than the one dad or mother joined. 6. Kindness, consideration and good m anners are desperately needed. A chapter in voting should do some soul-searching and each member should ask him self — “How would I feel if I were a legacy and were turned down?” Moreover, before casting the ballot the member should realize th a t in about 25 years he may be dad with son entering college hoping to become a member of dad’s fraternity. Boy, w hat a different story th a t is! 7. Objectivity is needed in this whole matter. The chapter should judge a m an for his own worth; a chapter should have enough heart to think of parents and relatives and the individual himself. The student entering college should be objective about the pledge system. If he is pledged, well and good; but often many of the things in life we have wanted most, and have not gotten, have turned out to be the biggest builders of our character. Parents should be objective about it and not float into the air when the pledge pin is finally delivered or sink into the slough of despair if it is withheld. Perhaps this persistent and aggravating problem would always be met correctly if it were handled as so m any other things in life should be handled. Long ago there lived one who perhaps had the prescription when he said — “Do unto others as you would be done by.” Surely, th a t spirit can never hurt a fraternity, a chapter, a member or a prospective pledge brother. It may well be that w hat has ailed us in the legacy question is not so much whether Joe had his h air cut by the right barber or w hether Sally got her dress from the right modiste, but whether we really believe th a t as a m an thinketh in his heart so is he, for out of the heart are the only real and lasting issues of life. October 1953

A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION The writer has been attending Beta Conventions for m any years. The first was at the close of his Freshm an year and the number of Conventions attended is just short of twenty. Every Beta Convention brings new experiences. What a pleasure it is to meet new personalities and always to have things happen which have never happened before. The 114th General Convention produced for me an experience th a t was unique and deeply gratifying. Friday night after the close of the Convention, I think almost all the undergraduates came to me, gave me their hand and expressed w hat the Convention had m eant to them. I spoke to A.J. about this and he said he had had the same experience and th a t his hand fairly ached. The pleasing thing is th a t the undergraduates felt close enough to us to come and call us by name and say a personal word. Beyond this, they all seemed so satisfied and elated by the Convention. It evidently had m eant a very great deal to them. They had both felt and caught something. Never have I seen such fine relationships as existed between the younger and older men. There was the feeling in my mind th a t going back to our chapters was a zealous and inspired group of young men. If the Convention m eant all the Delegates said it did, we will have great leadership in our chapters. A new spirit of determination to build better Beta Chapters was crystal clear. The 114th General Convention cost a great deal of effort and money. However, I look upon it as one of the finest investm ents we could make. Something was planted in the lives of young men. Beta became a living force. New friendships were made. Both the past and the future were caught within our gaze. The Beta experience is one we all cherish. It is not static but dynamic. The days in Pasadena taught me again th a t here is something th a t goes on. It never stops growing and bringing new insights and meanings. I would th a t every Beta could have been present and have had the thrill th a t came to me from Betas young and old from thoughout our Broad Domain. December 1953 31

THE GAUGE OF EXCELLENCE

On one of my Beta trips a Beta alumnus, who is President of a large coal company, invited me to see the city he proudly calls his home. The tour was extensive and at one point we came to the electric plant which supplied light and power for the entire city. It happened th a t the coal for the plant came from this Beta’s company and th a t he was well acquainted with those who operated the plant. He felt we should stop and th a t I should see the am azing and in tricate m achinery and m echanism s which produced light and power. My knowledge of machinery, boilers, electricity and industrial operations is very deficient. However, one of the engineers showed me a gauge which indicated exactly how the entire plant was performing. I left with not much more grasp of running an electric power plant - but the gauge has lingered on in my memory. The wandering of my mind days later brought the thought there m ight be value in having a gauge on a Beta chapter to indicate its performance. Of course no such gauge has been invented, but wouldn’t it be simple if one could look at a gauge on a given chapter and know w hat was happening in the chapter’s operation? The gauge m ight be read to determine m any things. Is the chapter working at top efficiency? Does the Ritual mean anything to the initiates? Are chapter meetings of value? Is the chapter a real brotherhood? Is pledge tra in in g being well conducted? Are chapter officers doing their job? Is scholarship being properly emphasized? Are alumni relations as good as they can be? Have the members of the chapter caught the Beta spirit? How does the chapter stand among its competitors on the campus? It is undoubtedly best th a t a Beta chapter never be reduced to mechanical operations and scientific readings of gauges and meters. Never-the-less, there is a measurement but it is w ithin the individual Beta and within the corporate body of the chapter. This measurement is in terms of the light and power Beta Theta Pi generates in a m an’s life and in a group of undergraduates. No gauge could ever tell w hat Beta m eant to ROBB, CAL HANNA, SISSON, SHEPARDSON and a host of others. No gauge has been devised to record the performance of our consistently great 32

chapters. Outward results and achievements are seen but no eye searches out the invisible power w ithin which makes power charged Betas and Beta chapters. The true measurement of Beta Theta Pi, a chapter or a Beta is w hat they produce in terms of things excellent in the sight of all men. Our goal is nothing less than every chapter excelling in those departments of chapter life which make a chapter recognized as fulfilling the Beta ideal. February 1954

FIRST FIRM MOORINGS A letter from Otho E. Lane, M iami ’01, contained a thought I cannot forget. He spoke of “A return to the first firm moorings of the founders of our Fraternity.” In this age of bigness, speed and activistic patterns, the word “return” is shunned by m any who worship the gods of change and newness. Personnally, I differentiate between w hat is popularly referred to as progress and w hat I think is the true picture. Much th a t is called progress isn’t progress a t all, whereas running though the history of the race are columns of progress. I am reminded of the answer of Henry Thoreau when asked if he didn’t think the railroad (just come to M assachusetts) was a wonderful thing. “I don’t know,” he said, “I’ll have to wait and see whether persons who ride on railroads are better th an persons who ride in stage coaches.” We can have improved means to an unimproved end. Jefferson once said, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects w hat never was and never will be.” If our Fraternity expects to cut loose from its first firm moorings and fulfill its purpose, it expects w hat never was and never will be. But w hat was the first firm mooring of our Fraternity? I believe it was a group of men associated together because they had affection for each other and in th a t affection could help each other to grow mentally, morally and spiritually. Such a mooring is a firm one to tie to. Daniel Webster spoke of the tossed m ariner, on the first sight of the sun after the storm, taking his bearing. Webster used the figure in a call for a return to first principles of our Government. Beta Theta Pi cannot hope to have great m eaning to its members unless they know w hat the firm m oorings were. Intram ural sports, extracurricular activities, parties, week-ends, bigger houses, new recreation rooms are all right! Behind these, mutual aid and assistance, the cultivation of the intellect, true and lasting friendships, spiritual ideals, moral behavior, character and high purpose, are the reasons why we exist. Believe these moorings are non existent, or do not aw ait our return, and we become but another vessel drifting we know not where or why. April 1954 34

GREAT SATISFACTION At the outset I ask the reader of this Inter Fratres to forgive me if I sound exceedingly personal. I venture to do so with the hope th a t w hat I am to relate will convey to the reader a real Beta experience and a fraternal lesson. My sermon topic for my 11 o’clock service on February 14 was “The Remedial Power of Satisfactions.” It was my intention to attem pt to show th a t persons who have the best chance of keeping their m ental equilibrium and emotional balance are persons who have found satisfactions. I had many illustrations in term s of satisfactions we can find within ourself, in other persons, in the daily routine and in the world about us. I am happy to say th a t there has hardly ever been a time when there have not been Betas in my congregation. Some of these are regular members of my congregation and others are Betas who have come to worship in my church while they have been on a trip to W ashington. N othing in my experience has thrilled me more than the Beta boys who have come in on Sunday from Quantico, F ort Belvoir and Fort Meade to atten d church and m ake themselves known to me. On the 14th of February, as I stood at the close of the service greeting the congregation, there came up to me a very large man. He was accompanied by his wife and a gentleman friend. He said, “I have been a Beta for fifty years. We were in W ashington and I wanted to attend your service.” There followed this rem ark which I shall not forget - “As I listened to your sermon, all I could think of was the satisfactions you m ust find in working with the young Betas of today.” I replied, “It is true, but from the moment of my initiation Beta Theta Pi has been one of the greatest satisfactions of my life.” T o which my Beta Brother replied, “I can say the same thing.” I am referring in this story to GEORGE B. McKIBBIN of the old Iowa Wesleyan Chapter. Brother McKibbin, if I am correct was of the class of ’09. He is a distinguished Chicago lawyer and has been head of the great YMCA of th a t city. He is a m an of large achievement and a devoted public servant. To those who read this Inter fratres may I say th a t there passed between Brother McKibbin and me w hat I think is the height of our experience in the Fraternity. I simply mean the realization th a t to wear the Badge and bear the name of Beta Theta Pi has 35

been one of lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great satisfactions. If anyone seeks the reason for the power of our Fraternity, he can find it often in men who have come from chapters which are now defunct. I think, for example, of CLARENCE CAMPBELL of the old Boston University Chapter, of CHARLIE MODERWELL and RAY IRVIN of the old Wooster Chapter and GEORGE McKIBBIN of the old Iowa Wesleyan Chapter, and I could mention many, many more. These men, although their chapters cease to be, never fail to find the continuing satisfaction of the Fraternity. To undergraduates I would say such men can hand you a valuable key. May 1954

THE RIGHT TO ASSOCIATE I was the luncheon guest of the President of a large publishing company. My host was a graduate of a famous college which does not allow fraternities. Over the dessert my host asked me w hat I had been doing. I made a passing reference to a trip which I had made for our Fraternity. I was rocked back when with a show of wounded feelings he said,“I can’t see how you can be associated with anything as undemocratic as fraternities.” Being a guest I dropped the m atter but I did recall th a t my host lived in an exclusive community, sent his children to private schools and headed a very tight corporation. A little later a young m an who attends a college where 90% of the students are in fraternities but does not belong to one, said to me, “On the subject of fraternities is where you and I part company.” Anti-fraternity feeling is strong in m any quarters. I grant persons of this persuasion the right to hold it but I can’t discover th a t they grant me the democratic privilege of believing in fraternities. The reasons for anti-fraternity feeling are many, but the most widely promulgated is th a t fraternities are not demo cratic. I wonder whether a lot of this talk isn ’t sheer poppy cock and twaddle. Suppose in a neighborhood, two friends decide to build an outdoor fireplace. They like to be together, putter together and build a fireplace together. They don’t ask every m an on the block to join them in building the fireplace. Are they undemocratic? Suppose a group of friends form a Bridge Club. They invite twenty congenial friends to make up the club. Twenty is the limit their homes will accommodate. They don’t ask every person in Springwood (whether they like bridge or not) to join. Is this club another horrible example of the modern lack of democracy? A group of persons who hold common beliefs organize a church. Many persons don’t hold their beliefs and don’t w ant to be in a church. Are the church folks undemocratic because they go ahead and have a church resting on their beliefs? Some of us believe persons have a right to form a nature group, a ski club, an astronomy club, a dancing class or a philosophical society. We believe they have the right to set their purpose, choose 37

their members and carry on as long as they do nothing untoward, traitorous or immoral. The anti-fraternity mind will brand my argum ent piffle and hogwash. I still contend th a t fraternities are not undemocratic per se, because they are organizations of kindred spirits, and because men associate themselves in a common purpose to attain goals and retain the right to invite others to join them in the fun and effort. I think our Democracy will be stronger as we believe th a t all persons have the right to organize and carry on their organization. The real democratic spirit is to g ran t others the right to the freedom to be wrong about fraternities being undemocratic, or to be wrong about fraternities being democratic. June 1954

KEEP COOL

Ralph Waldo Emerson is to me the most quotable of all American writers. Emerson went to H arvard and I am quite sure he never heard of rushing for a fraternity as rushing is known today. Often when I think of our rushing seasons two quotations from Emerson come to mind. The first quotation is, “Why so hot little m an?” Emerson, of course, was thinking of finite m an’s impatience and excitabil ity. We m ight well put it, “Keep cool.” The chapter th a t is in a white heat or dither can do all m anner of foolish things. Rush ing should be a carefully planned and well executed enterprise. With dignity and confidence the chapter should present itself to men of the finest quality. Likewise, the freshm an who runs around looking for bids needs a cooling off period. My first advice is simple. It is for a chapter to work the rushing season with plan, purpose, calm and deliberation and to avoid heated and frantic burst of power th a t may be regretted. The second quotation is, “Hear w hat the ages are saying to the hours.” Emerson m eant to listen to the Eternal. We might say, “You pledge men who are to be Betas for life.” Look men over on the basis of how they will wear, fit in and grow. See men in terms of their possibilities. Remember a m an has four years in a chapter. See him as a sophomore, junior and senior, and as an alumnus. See him as a Beta for life! My third suggestion would be th a t we raise this standard. Let us bring into our membership men who want to be Betas. Let us want the men who will honor and enjoy membership in a fraternity which offers rare satisfactions to those who believe in it, and which asks o f a m an that he be a true and worthy Beta all the way. October 1954

CONVENTION REFLECTIONS

I think I had the distinction of being one of the h alf dozen men who traveled to the 115th General Convention by railroad. It was an automobile Convention. As to the return trip, NEW T, IR V W ENSINK and I were the only persons I could find who made our way home in the lowly Pullman. I am a great believer in going to Beta Conventions by train. Here is the reason. The return trip from a Convention for me is a time of reflection. When Ralph Fey and John Dolibois saw me off at Cincinnati, I was about bushed and was soaking wet with Ohio humidity. I was alone and sank down in my seat before going to the diner. First, the return from many other Conventions - Pasadena, Old Point Comfort, Mackinac Island, Hot Springs, Va., flashed through my mind. I re-lived other Conventions and other early autum n days when I headed home filled with Beta spirit. Second, I saw Oxfordtown. I thought of the beautiful Miami campus, with its splendid buildings and gorgeous trees. I thought of the Beta Campanile, the A dm inistration Building, the Alpha House, and the wonderful Beta Comer on High Street. Third, I called the roll of the cordial Oxford folks - townspeople, University people, Beta wives and children, our Office Staff, and all who welcomed the Beta influx and seemed to w ant us there. Fourth, I recalled the presence of the Convention of so many loyal Beta Alumni, many my friends for over a score of years. My, w hat Beta possesses in her devoted sons! Fifth, I thought of the Delegates, their youth, attractiveness, love of the Fraternity, and extra good sense. Beta’s future is assured! Sixth, I remembered those no longer present who in life never failed in their love of Beta Theta Pi. Seventh, I felt the inspiration of our Brotherhood. I thought of the Ritual on Thursday night when the Alpha and Beta Nu boys put on the finest initiation I ’ve ever seen. Well, I thought through dinner in the dining car and through the evening in my compartment. The train rolled on toward W ashington and before me rolled more of the Beta Story. Cadillacs, Buicks, Packards are nice, but I’ll take the train 40

home and let the engineer drive while I think it over and say again, “I’m glad I’m a Beta!” January 1955

GENUINE ATTITUDE One of the men who had a very large influence upon me was Willard L. Sperry, who for many years was Dean of H arvard Divinity School. All along the way there have been men who through their influence have seemed to open for me whole new vistas of life and at a given point add a new dimension to my living. This Dean Sperry did for me during the period th a t I worked for him. He said so many wise things th a t I wish I had jotted them down to pass along to others who never knew him. In this connection I remember Dean Sperry making a tremendous point. He said, “There is a difference between a pose a position and an attitude.” We all know the person who poses as an American a churchman or an intellectual. We all know the person who takes the position “This is it ” and inflexibly without budging one iota stands by it. We all know, I hope, persons whose attitude is generous, kind, inclusive, friendly, positive. W hat I am leading up to is th a t in our Fraternity these three words mentioned by Dean Sperry are very important. There can be the person who poses as a “red-hot” new edition of the great Beta tradition. I remember one such brother some twenty years ago. He was the exponent of Beta at its zenith and was “Mr. Beta Theta P i” on the campus. Since his gra duation from college he has never been heard from. I remember a Beta who was so indoctrinated th a t he held the position (with pride) th a t he had never been inside another fraternity house on his campus and th a t he had no close friends in college outside his own chapter. Let me say I have known this man over the years and from such a position he has grown into a m an of the broadest and most inclusive sympathies. But it is about attitude th a t I speak chiefly. Our attitude determines w hat we are. Beta Theta Pi does not w ant any m an posing on the campus, downtown in the snack-bar, or for th a t matter, anywhere else. It does not, I think, approve of a position of fraternity parochialism or isolationism. It w ants men filled with the right attitude. I mean the kind of attitude th a t has been demonstrated by our long line of great Beta leaders. The kind of attitude th a t has been demonstrated 42

by alumni and the undergraduates at our great Conventions. It is the attitude th a t we are proud to be members of Beta Theta Pi. Our Fraternity means a great deal to us. However, we will keep open minds; we will be broad in our sympathies; we will live not prim arily to am ass wealth, but to be useful. In other words, we will develop the genuine attitude of urbanity in deportment, courtesy in all the inter-personal relationships of life and steadfastness in our devotion to the highest and the best th a t we can know. February 1955

BETA’S HIGH AND LOFTY PURPOSE There is an unforgettable story in one of the great novels about an old monk who was given the responsibility of training novitiates. He always began his instruction - “This above all, don’t lie to yourself.” I suppose th a t if a person could live up to th a t he would be not only real and genuine but inwardly at peace. On a broader scale, I apply the admonition to many corporate bodies or organizations to which I belong. Does our nation commit a kind of lying to itself about where we will arrive if the course is not determined by clear thinking, moral behavior and the refusal to be flattered or browbeaten into a slap-happy or whipped-dog attitude? I could ask the question about many other institutions even our most sacred, the church - is it lying to itself? I come now to the question - “Is Beta Theta Pi lying to itself?” Is the wave of modernity against Greek letter societies? Should we concede th a t we have no right to pick our own members? Are State Legislatures the determining forces in fixing the “bounds of our habitations”? Are Fraternities undemocratic and cruel? Are they chief among drinking societies? Are their members in brief, “a bunch of bums”? After sitting with the Board of Trustees of Beta Theta Pi, through many General Conventions and with countless Betas, I am not afraid of the old monk’s admonition for us. We are facing reality. We know a high and lofty purpose. Our product is in those who bear our name. Our Fraternity cannot be proud of some things, but it can be proud (justifiably proud) of thousands of men, like myself, if I may be personal, whom it has made infinitely richer, broader, truer and better hum an beings. March 1955

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUTH In a poor section of a western New York City, I passed a movie theatre which looked about thirty years old. On the marquee the daily feature was announced as “The Truth About Youth”. For a long time after I thought of th a t very catching and intriguing title. I thought, too, how strange th a t in a poor, rundown section of a city, the film industry should reveal the truth about youth. Surely, I would rather rely on wise parents, doctors, teachers and ministers. But does anyone know the truth about youth? We know it is often a very poignant time, often a time of foolish escapades, often a time of radical ideas. We know, too, th a t it flies by, all too quickly, and soon the youth is a mature person. Beta Theta Pi ought to know some tru th about youth because for 116 years she has been dealing continuously with young men of college age. It is my humble belief th a t Beta Theta Pi has suffered from youthful pranks, indescretions and worse misdemeanors. How ever, our Fraternity has ever gone on the correct theory th a t youth is a time of idealism and most young people are idealists. Stronger than the follies of youth, or its mistakes, and even sins, our hope is in the idealist who believes in ideals and will not let them go. My faith is strong th a t we in Beta Theta Pi have the ideals, the youth, and the will to carry on our great association. If you ask me w hat I think is the truth about youth (in an oversimplification) I would say if youth will believe in its ideals and th a t the believer can see the ideal realized, a new generation may be the power to take the world out of back streets and run down cities, into a more hospitable and anti septic kind of human society. May 1955

ALL HAVE ADDED For five years I have been writing these messages. I thank Columbus Barber for the privilege and opportunity he has extended so generously to me. Whether the thoughts I have put down have had any merit or value, is for others to say. I do know th a t I have enjoyed the assignm ent and have tried to convey a brief thought among our brotherhood. A boy once wrote his father, “I pray I may bring one stone to the frail wall of hum an knowledge.” The boy was Louis Pasteur. How many stones he brought we know well. The Beta experience is not a wall but a mosaic. How many thousands of men have brought stones of various shapes and colors to place in it. It is a real blessing to see the Beta mos aic. It is made up of countless experiences, m any years of existence, over a hundred chapters, officers, alumni and undergraduates. The m aster design has been our brotherhood held together by friendship and fidelity. Boys of 1839 and 1939, boys of Maine and Miami, Toronto and Texas, boys in peg-top trous ers and in charcoal gray and cordovans have all helped to fill it out. In the design are lads in gray and blue, in khaki, in olive drab, in uniforms of seamen, fliers and marines. Teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, ministers, business men, artists, musicians, poets and inventors have all added to the design. Some day another book may well be added to our Beta Library. It could be called “The Beta Mosaic.” Such a book could record the longer and more complete story of how Beta Chapters, Beta Alumni, Beta Undergraduates, Beta Editors, Beta Officers - all of Beta’s Sons have brought their stones and placed them in the design of a great and good Fraternity. Let us never fail to attem pt to bring one stone, at least, and add it to those brought by Betas before us. The mosaic of our Fraternity has shape and beauty but it is not finished. Constantly the picture grows and takes on more meaning through the single and combined acts of those who love the brotherhood. June 1955 46

SINCERITY Dwight W. Morrow, Am herst 1895, showed over m any years his loyalty to his Chapter and the Fraternity. He was a man of large success in the field of finance, in the post of A mbas sador to Mexico, and in the United States Senate. When I was Chief of District II, his son was in the Amherst Chapter. Anne Morrow Lindbergh a Beta daughter, has recently pub lished her first book in eleven years — Gift From the Sea. This beautiful and artistic work contains m any profound thoughts. I think the one which I shall never forget is the statem ent th a t nothing is more exhausting than insincerity. If Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s Gift From the Sea contained nothing else, th a t one sentence-thought would make me find outstanding value in her book. I have given a lot of thought to sincerity and insincerity. If insincerity exhausts us and drains us dry (as it does), then sincerity should inspire us and fill us with moral strength. This no doubt was in the mind of the writer of a Beta Song when he said, “Friendship gave our order birth, pure and last ing as the earth, Strong devotion to our motto gave us life.” Man is a strange creature. At first the insincere person may seem to have a lot of front and presence. He is often in early meetings quite attractive and quite captivating in his ways. It is not long, however, before all this wears off and one knows it was only veneer. It is not uncommon to find th a t sincere men at first are not prepossessing, noisy, self-assured and charming. The fact is, th a t sincere men don’t have to be for they have no urgency to bother to impress anyone. They have reserve and their sincer ity to life and all th a t m atters have given them this reserve of inner strength. They do not have to put up a facade to cover the inward exhaustion they suffer. They are at home with themselves and with others because they have nothing to fear. They are not pretending, acting, making believe or trying to be something they are not. They are sincerely themselves. What does this Inter Fratres have to do in a college frater nity magazine? If we think of it, it has a great deal to do with our present situation. In college a m an should learn the m ean ing of the sincere life. If higher education doesn’t teach th a t 47

there is something wrong with higher education or with the stuff it deals with. If a m an doesn’t learn th a t in college he has wasted his time in going and has been a drag on the edu cational system. Our Fraternity should teach the undergradu ate to be sincere. If it doesn’t, it is failing in its mission. If the young men we get don’t already know how to be sincere or cannot learn how to be, we are not getting the right kind of men. There is no doubt th a t in world relationships, in our national life, in business, in professions, and in every hum an relation, we need to be sincere and we need as the persons we deal with men and women of sincerity. May the year ahead in the history of our Fraternity teach us all the importance of w hat the daughter of a member of our Fraternity has said: th a t there is nothing more exhausting then being insincere. May we learn there is nothing more inspiring and strengthen ing than sincerity. October 1955

CONCEPT, ATTITUDE, AND RIGHT JUDGEMENT On the campus of a certain well-known University are two chapters of two well-known Fraternities. An officer of the University, where these two chapters are located said to me, “If there is anything disgraceful and disrespectful done by a chapter here, we know it is —, and, if there is outstanding, gentlemanly, performance, we know it originates with — chapter.” What a commentary! But let us think — Both of these chapters are made up of young men, both are well housed, both well established, both units of a large National College Fraternity. Both have behind them history, tradition and distinguished members. What is the difference between the chapters? My answer is concept, attitude and right judgment. One chapter has the concept of fraternity as a bunch of dis respectful persons. Other words come to my mind. Such per sons depending on their environment would be called “muck ers,” “hoods,” “loose caps” or plain “ill-bred boors.” The other chapter has the concept of fraternity as an asso ciation of men of the highest decency and most honorable standards. Again, one chapter has the attitude th a t it is sm art to be disagreeable and a nuisance. (This may be a compensation for a hidden sense of rejection.) One almost says, “Act your age.” “Grow Up.”“We really could dowithout you and you wouldn’t be missed.” The other chapter has men who have a positive, healthy and antiseptic attitude toward group-living (University and chapter). One chapter has made a grave error of judgm ent. It thinks it is clever, cute, sophisticated, the envy of the campus. One day light will break through and the keener will realize they were only boys with men’s bodies acting like Junior, who in a rage throws his milk in the cook’s face. The other chapter has made the discovery th a t wisdom is the right judgm ent as to the relative value of things. Such judgment makes for real persons. Here in capsule form is the chapter at its worst and at its 49

best. May I state I report a true case and th an k Heaven the chapter referred to so appreciatively by the University Officer is a chapter of Beta Theta Pi. January 1956

FODDER FOR CRITICS When Frank Craven played in Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” he had a few words to say to the audience about the stars. He reminded the audience th a t scientists didn’t agree to whether there was life on the stars. Then he would come back to the long-life process on earth and say, “But this old earth will keep right on trying.” Periodically speeches are made and articles are written condemning the fraternity system. Fraternities seem to be vulnerable and defenseless targets for sling-shot, bow and arrow, musket, machine gun and fiery darts of oral and written invectives. As long as anyone can remember, there have been those persons who have kept right on trying to convince others th a t the Greek-letter fraternities are an evil. Well, let these persons keep right on trying and let fraternity men fully understand some bold facts. Every time a chapter gets on social probation, every time it runs wild parties and every time it is down in scholarship it supplies ammunition. Every time a fraternity member brings disgrace to his college, chapter and himself he is helping the critics of fraternities to prove their point. There is the other side of the case. For over a century great and good fraternities have kept right on trying to make the fraternity a valued part of college life. There are in fraternities graduates and undergraduates who will keep right on trying to demonstrate the high purposes of the Greek-letter fraternity. Such purposes are clear-cut in high scholastic attainm ent, in true brotherly feeling, in cooperative endeavor, in training for life’s duties and in friendships th a t extend over the whole country. Let no critic of fraternities think he can intim idate or take pot shots at Beta Theta Pi. Some of the finest men in business and professional life and some of the finest undergraduates are proud of their affiliation. Beta Theta Pi has had leaders over the years who have stood for the highest ideals and prin ciples among men. It has believed in objectives worthy of the highest hum an endeavor. It is composed of countless persons who will keep on trying to show w hat Saint Paul so vividly 51

expressed, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If then I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be to him th a t speaketh a barbarian, and he th a t speaketh will be a barbarian to me. So also ye, since ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek th a t ye may abound to the edifying of the brotherhood.â&#x20AC;? February 1956

THE PERILS AND PROMISE OF BIGNESS In March I made one of my returns to my chapter, and I could write at length about the contrasts between my time and the present. This is, of course, w hat the alum nus of any col lege or chapter constantly does — compare. The contrast I do wish to emphasize is the size of m any of our present-day chapters. I knew a chapter of 35, whereas the chapter today will run 80 in number. The larger chapters pres ent, I think, a very real problem in m any ways. There cannot possibly be the same closeness, and perhaps, united will. How ever, we are going to face larger fraternities and larger chap ters. We would be blind not to see it, and we would be foolish not to ask ourselves how can we best handle it. There is no doubt in my mind th a t young men and young women going to college should have the opportunity to join a fraternity if they wish. It takes a long time to get new chap ters established; there are problems of housing and organiza tion. Probably existing chapters render a service when they take a maximum number they can handle. Let me say very frankly th a t it is suicidal to take a maximum number or crowd a house unless there can be assim ilation, unity, under standing and full realization of w hat our fraternity stands to uphold. By assimilation I mean th a t every m an should become integrated with the group; should know he has become a part of an extensive and im portant association. By unity I mean cohesion, oneness, and, above all, lack of factions or cliques. By understanding I mean th a t the member of a chapter should know w hat the college fraternity system is. He should know the history of his chapter and th a t our great fraternities have not just happened, but have developed through leaders who have believed in the noblest kind of association of gen tlemen and scholars who gathered together in an academic surrounding. By realization of w hat the fraternity stands for I mean th a t it is not just a business th a t provides a place for a m an to eat, drink, sleep, dance, play cards and loaf around. Fraternity chapters are under obligation by virtue of their heritage to 53

stand for a particular m anner of living and way of doing things on the campus and in the life of an educational community. There are perils in bigness, but bigness need not frighten us if we understand it for w hat it is and have the skill and genius to use it to right advantage. June 1956

BETA’S STANDARDS One of the very pleasant things about the General Secre ta ry ’s office is th a t it includes chapter visitations. I have now gone over the 125 visitation mark. Usually there is a very interesting after-dinner hour. The chapter members and the alumni present gather in the living room and I am asked to say a few words about the Fraternity. More and more, I have come to the question and answer method. “ Ask me,” I say, “any questions and I ’ll give you a candid and honest answer.” This technique has brought out w hat the undergraduates want to know, and has given me the opportunity to give fac tual information. It is w ithin this framework I can emphasize w hat Beta Theta Pi is standing for. 1. High moral standards. This means men who are moti vated by the desire to have a morally sound chapter. 2. Good housing. We do not w ant m ansions, but well-kept and well-ordered, decent homes for our active members. 3. Rushing. This is done according to the Rules and to get the right men to become members of our Association. 4. Pledge Training. The end purpose is to teach pledges w hat Beta Theta Pi is and w hat it expects of its individual members and chapters. 5. Ritual. Our aim is to impress upon the initiate the ideals th a t guide our brotherhood. 6. Scholarship. We believe in the “cultivation of the intel lect.” Good scholarship is one of our aims. 7. Alum ni Relations. We have learned th a t weak chapters have usually poor alumni support; strong chapters have sound, solid cooperation with their older brothers. 8. Public Relations. The chapter and Fraternity should be cordially related to neighorhood, community and campus. It should be “ likeable” and liked by others. 9. Cooperation with the College. Each chapter should have goodwill of the college officers and faculty because it has earned it. 10. Cooperation with the General Fraternity. Chapters 55

should work with general officers, the A dm inistrative Office, the District Chief, other chapters, and for the upbuilding of Beta Theta Pi. I hope some evening to meet you at one of these after-dinner sessions! Best wishes to you. January 1957

THE OLD PORCH CHAIRS One day at the 117th General Convention I had a memora ble experience. Down at the far end of the long porch at the Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, a small group of us sat in “the old porch chairs.” I was invited to join Stanley Hornbeck, Denver and Colorado ’03; John Baker.Miami ’04; Otho E. (Billy) Lane, Miami ’01, and George Chandler, Michigan ’98 in a relaxed sitting-and-rocking bee. We just sunned, sat, chatted and rambled on about anything. All four of these men have been Betas for more th an h alf a century. All four have been great Betas. First, I thought of the long years of being a Beta each one had known. What experiences they could recount. Second came to mind the hundreds and thousands of Betas they had met and known. Third, I realized th a t each could write a Beta history of his own. Behind these men were years and years of loyalty to their college, chapter, General Conventions, officers and individual Betas. All four were outstandingly successful men in their field and had made a big contribution in their communities and the nation. These men, like many others, were lovers of Beta Theta Pi. The Fraternity meant more to them th an they could ever express. Our Fraternity can be proud of countless sons. We have had men who ever thought of bringing credit and honor to our good name. As my brothers talked on I felt the power of the Fraternity in their lives and w hat a power they had been to make Beta Theta Pi ever more glorious. Beta Theta Pi is a total of us all, but it is very individual. The individuals in our group make us w hat we are. The hour went by, and I felt I had been blessed to sit with these four men so representative of the most loyal, devoted, consecrated Betas of whom there have been thousands and of whom there will be more. 57

No wonder we say, “I’m glad I’m a Beta.” I was more glad th a n ever during th a t session in “the old porch chairs.” March 1957

SEPTEMBER THOUGHTS

When fall returning you’ll see again the campus nestled in the little town or standing like a citidal of light in the great city. Etched on your mind will be each hall and building and to your ears will come the chime or stroke of bells or clock. The old walls and paths will stretch before you. Going by you, as if in parade, will be the faces of professors and fellow stu dents. Did I ever dress th a t way and was I once th a t young? Were girls ever so gay and breathless? Was life ever so bur dened with a thousand things and yet so utterly carefree? When fall returning you’ll see a score of large houses stand ing in a row. On their doors you’ll see Greek letters, above their doors Coats of Arms and hanging from their poles brightly colored flags. On the porches will be groups of young men apparently terribly busy and im portant but doing nothing. When fall returning you’ll remember the blue sky, white clouds and hot sun at noon and the chill of night and the bright stars over head. By day, there come the hoarse grunts from the practice field and the rattle of dishes thru open kit chen windows. In the evening there is the song of men as they swing down into town. When fall returning you’ll remember going thru “rush.” Who are these fellows — w hat’s his name — faces, faces, faces — it doesn’t make much sense. When fall returning you’ll recall a knock on your door, a lit tle white card of invitation, a bid. Your walk to the chapter house, your greeting and your welcome. You move to the near est mirror to look at a little white Grecian shield with three gold stars there in your lapel. When fall returning, you’ll go back to when you were pledged and it all began. You’ll meet yourself coming up the road and remember one of the great hours of your life. When fall returning you’ll know once more why you and other men have loved Beta Theta Pi and why men love their college and chapter. You’ll know why these things will go on living as long as youth is youth. October 1957 59

OUR FIRST ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY

Jan u ary 1, Ralph N. Fey, our first A dministrative Secretary, will leave office to enter upon a private business career. This is a milestone in the history of our Fraternity for several reasons. I was not on the Board of Trustees, but I was at the Conventions which led to undertaking the program of an A dm inistrative Office and an A dm inistrative Secretary. I can tell you it took great courage to initiate this endeavor which was so foreign to anything in our past history. Once the decision had been made and backed by the necessary legislation the major problem was who is the man and where is he to undertake the new departure? I do not know w hat star Beta Theta Pi was born under, but it was a star th a t pointed the way to the wisest selection th a t could have been made. Ralph Fey, Miami â&#x20AC;&#x2122;40, accepted the challenge of leaving his own business for a five-or-six-year period and organizing from the ground up, the Administrative Office. Ralph faced all the renovation, rebuilding and equipment of the new office in Oxford. He had to gather a staff of workers. It was his duty to take from the General Secretary and the General Treasurer the multitudinous duties they could no longer handle. The Administrative Secretary was to be in charge of all business arrangem ents for Conventions and all contracts which the Board would ultimately pass upon. I will make the extravagant statem ent th a t there was no one in our entire membership who possibly could have done a better piece of work th an th a t which has been done by Ralph Fey. I have worked daily with Ralph for over seven years. He has been one of the wisest and most friendly men I have know in all my associations. At the same time, he is very determined; and once he has decided the right policy to be pursued, he is a hard man to flip over. He has run a happy, efficient, productive Administrative Office. He has added to it dignity, character and a touch th a t should be tendered so great an Association as ours. He has been tactful, courteous, considerate; but woe unto the m an who has tried to slip over anything on him as he has safeguarded the interests and possessions of the Fraternity. Ralph Fey has made countless persons happy at General Conventions; he has looked out for the comfort of everyone and 60

has thought of things th a t have brought added pleasure to many. He has never been in the foreground, has never had his name on any Fraternity stationery and has retreated from every head table sitting. If time permitted, I could write much more. I would like to add th a t above all his other accomplishments and contributions for and to the Fraternity, he stands before me as a real m an and an example of w hat the best members of Beta Theta Pi represent. His warm friendship, his sympathetic approach, his dedication to fine and lofty things mark him as citizen, churchman, gentleman and Beta. He will always have the deepest affection of every undergraduate, alumnus and general officer who has worked with him and known him. May Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s richest blessing be upon Ralph. We shall welcome his successor and give him our support, and we shall remember th a t Ralphâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife, Bonnie, and his two sons, Tommy and Doug, also made their contribution to our first and unforgettable Administrative Secretary. January 1958

FRATERNITY PARADOXES In 1927 Dean Willard L. Sperry of H arvard Divinity School delivered two lectures in England under the title The Paradox of Religion. These are in book form and contain an amazing thought. It is th a t religion shows a great paradox. On the one hand, religion is always telling how dissim ilar m an is to God; on the other hand, how much like God m an is. To put it in my words, the first is m an evil, whereas God is Perfect, and the second is “He made us in His own image.” The more I see of the Greek-letter fraternity world, the more I read about it and the more I come in touch with it first hand, the more I realize it presents a series of paradoxes. One such paradox is the phenomenal growth in fraternity membership, in the number of chapters and in the size of chapters in the face of the prevalent, bitter and often unreal istic criticism of fraternities. A second paradox is th a t often those who shout most voci ferously for civil rights, freedom, liberty and all unshacklings of the hum an body and mind, are the most undemocratic about other persons’ rights of free association. Such persons not only would refuse one the right to choose his friends, they would go far beyond. If they could not obliterate fraternities in the nam e of freedom, they would put them in handcuffs, chains, straitjackets and any other form of binding m an’s freedom. A third paradox is seen within fraternities themselves. This is demonstrated by men who didn’t have to join a fraternity, but did. They took the place of someone who wanted to join but didn’t get the opportunity. The persons to whom I refer, by some religious passion, burning of conscience or social zeal, suddenly attack from within their own association and friends. They do not say anything about the ideals, the pur poses, or the good which fraternities have done for countless individuals. A paradox is one of the most powerful things of life. To be frank about Jesus, he was, as someone has said, “An infinite paradox.” Many of the greatest teachings of St. Paul were cast in paradoxical form. Much of everyday life is a paradox; and through the paradox, we often see more deeply and come to 62

understand more widely the complexity of life. Is it too much to say th a t the complexity of a paradox simplifies? To get back to the paradoxes the fraternity world faces, we can come to certain conclusions. In the first instance, growth which is because of popular acceptance is met with bitter opposition by those with whom the fraternity idea is unpopu lar. I will place my confidence in the former h alf of the paradox. Fraternities will grow more and more. In regard to the second paradox “Liberty bum s brightest in dungeons.” I will place my confidence here th a t m an will not surrender because of threats to his right of freedom of association. In regard to the third paradox there are in every classification of life, persons who hate w hat they are. They w ant to be some thing else. They believe they can improve everything. They can find fault with anything. As to fraterities, they came into one voluntarily; the solution to their problem is to withdraw from it voluntarily. Perhaps one of the commonest maladies of our day is ambivalence, or trying to do, or to be two things at the same time. This dilemma our Fraterntiy should avoid. As the YMCA should be a Young-Men’s-Christian-Association, Beta Theta Pi should be w hat it is supposed to be: a Greek-letter college fra ternity. It should admit with pride its origin, roots, history, ideals and achievements. It should take pleasure in saying what it is, even though at times it may have to endure brick bats for th a t reason. May it never say th a t it is something it isn’t to save its skin or to win someone’s favor. June 1958

TOMORROW’S LEADERS Clarence L. Newton, Wesleyan ’02, and Ray W. Irvin, Wooster ’08, known throughout our Broad Domain as “ N ew t” and “ Shorty,” died a few days apart. The service of both these men to and their love for the Fraternity will ever be models and inspirations. It would take pages to tell of their service to Beta Theta Pi in Boston and Cleveland and on the scale of the General Fraternity. They loved their colleges, chapters and brother Betas. Newt had an unbroken record of official positions held going up to the Presidency. Shorty made his contribution through the portraits of great Betas in the Knox Library, his singing and Convention attendance. These men were blessed with charm ing wives and Newt with a devoted daughter, Dorothy, and Shorty with a fine Beta son, Frank as well as a daughter, Jean. These men made a greater Beta Theta Pi and were ever lifters of the level of our performance. Letters now come to me asking, “Is Beta Theta Pi today attracting and raising men like these two? Are we getting boys who are like Newt and Shorty were in the early 1900s? Will today’s Betas ever show such loyalty and love for our Association as did these two men?” My answer is yes. I say yes because I’ve seen hundreds of present-day Betas who will lead us tomorrow. However, I say yes on another score. The two men I write about had many gifts and large attainm ents. Both were truly successful men, but they had something else: the faith to know others would be like them in devotion to the Fraternity. W hat they did not know was the extent to which they inspired younger men to become great and good Betas. To know Newt and Shorty moved one to say, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, Yea, I have a goodly heritage.” October 1958

INWARD TREASURES During the past several months a number of new and beautiful chapter houses have been dedicated and occupied. The first thoughts th a t come to mind are from Scripture and from one of our earthy poets: “Unless the Lord build the house, the building is in vain,” and “It takes a heap o’ livin’ to make a home.” In these new homes we hope for the spiritual values th a t may surround college men and direct them toward being most useful and worthy persons. May there be for those who dwell beneath these roofs and within these walls inward treasures mined from common living together: H appiness should be found by all. Not just selfish contentment from the comfortable and modern appointm ents, but the kind a popular song expresses: “I w ant to be happy, but I can’t be happy unless I make you happy, too.” A happy home is where persons make others happy, too. A ppreciation for the work and generosity on the part of alumni and friends which made available for coming generations of Betas houses of which to be justly proud. L oyalty th a t flies its flag at the m asthead and makes a home as C hanning Pollack said, “the house beautiful.” B eh avior th a t is the m ark of discipline, educated, cultivated men who are well groomed without and within; behavior th a t is right conduct at all times. Ideals th a t are not up in the clouds but among living, thinking, walking men on their daily missions, w hatever the missions are and where ever they lead. U sefu ln ess of the kind N athan Hale m eant when as a lad of 20 he said, “I w ant to be useful.” Those five words should have a priority in our individual and group endeavors. P o sse ssio n s as expressed by Obadiah, “The House of Jacob shall possess its possessions.” Legally, we may own these houses. It is another thing to possess them and make them our own to the fullest. It is not enough to say, “We have a wonderful house.” We must possess our possessions. In tellect th a t is not just acquiring knowledge, but is the right judgment as to the relative value of things. Intellect should give man the wisdom th at is the desire for discipline. 65

F riendship th a t rests upon men revealing their light to one another. To know the priceless gift of friendship, we both receive it and give it. R everence th a t is awe before th a t which is sacred. A court house, a church, a science building on a campus, a chapter house will never reach its highest m eaning and purpose unless those who enter it know when they are standing before something th a t is sacred. In our m agnificent new chapter homes may the Beta boys of today and tomorrow know, th a t the formal dedication over, it will depend on them ever to dedicate the house anew through w hat they are and do. February 1959

REFLECTIONS ON VISITATIONS Since I began my term as General Secretary in August 1950,1 have made over 225 chapter visitations and have addressed about 30 Alumni gatherings. I could not compute the number of miles I have travelled, the different beds in which I have slept, the thousands of Betas I have met, and the hours which have been involved in these trips. It has been a thrilling experience and, although there have been hardships, I look back with the deepest gratitude th a t such an experience could be mine. Oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reminiscences run something like this: The beauty of the United States and C anada is beyond description. God truly blest us. The American and C anadian complex of universities and colleges is almost unbelievable from the standpoint of size, variation, beauty, and I believe, the noblest dedication to the loftiest concepts of learning. The college presidents, deans and faculty members are, generally speaking, scholars and gentlemen. The college town, community and campus has its own charm. We are a people tied to traditions and blessed memories. Loyalty and pride for Alma Mater are builded up in the college m an or woman. For Beta there is always admiration for history made by Betas at an educational institution. There are the stories the boys still repeat about Betas who went before them. There is the Beta house which one from another chapter feels is, nevertheless, his house; and here he relaxes in a comfortable chair amid congenial spirits. These are active experiences, but they continue to crowd in as afterthoughts. Yet oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief impression has to do with th a t most precious of all things, hum an personality. One remembers the outstanding alumni and undergraduates he has met. One knows th a t our Fraternity has been a molding force in m any lives. Sometimes one almost stands in awe of the deep devotion and compelling loyalty which have seized the lives of so many in our Clan. This long thought always comes to a central realization th a t men of great dignity have been the builders of our Fraternity. These men had a dignity of their own. They expressed it in their profession, their business or their community; but always someÂ how they carried it over into Beta Theta Pi. Our heritage has been the heritage of great hum an dignity. The thought th a t perhaps lingers longest, therefore, is the 67

feeling th a t the lines have fallen unto us in pleasant places; we have a goodly heritage; and to travel abroad in our Domain is to have the privilege of knowing and mingling with real persons who have enriched life. The other thought is th a t in some way, we in turn have expressed to those we have met as much th a t is inspiring and purposeful as we have received on w hat we call our Beta trips. June 1959

THE REAL FRATERNITY MEASUREMENT The question is heard, “What is the best fraternity?” Some persons have even worked out schemes whereby they have published lists of the standing of fraternities: first second, third, etc. My position would be th a t no one knows the best or second best. There are simply too m any persons, known and unknown factors involved to pinpoint the fifth or eighth in standing. Various fraternities emphasize as most im portant different things. Again fraternities can be strong in one geographical location and weak in another. Some chapters are consistently outstanding or weak, and some chapters go up and down. Are age, size, numbers, financial assets, scholarship, athletes, publications, alumni association the criteria? A sober second thought brings me to the conviction th a t as much as we w ant to excel in outward attainm ents, something else calls for our evaluation. The real measurement of a fraternity is: Is it a fraternity? Old or young in years, do its members behave as a brotherly corporate body? Large or small in numbers, do the wearers of its badge have cohesiveness and dedication? Are its scholars or C students cultivated gentlemen? Are its athletes well-rounded men? Do its publications print something worth printing? Are its alumni still loyal to group effort th a t is mutually beneficial? The only thing th a t ever beat a bad idea is a good idea. The test we must apply to ourselves is, “Do we really know who we are?” Are purposes and aims high? Is our operation sound? Do we build better persons? Do our ideals motivate men? Are we willing to be known by our products? Are the members of our Fraternity the finest, highest-minded, most dedicated and most useful persons we know? The best fraternity is best because it has the best record of persons of the best character. The fraternity should build this in its members. The fraternity man shall give this testam ent in the name of his fraternity. January 1960

A CLIMATE FOR FRATERNITIES

Words are things. Those who remember World War I will never forget, “They shall not pass.” These words sustained a French Army and the French people. Prior to World War II, “Why die for France?” was insidiously circulated by persons who knew, if the suggestion took, it could defeat France from within. Slogans are powerful. History has turned on a word, phrase or sentence. Think of “Blood, sweat, toil, tears.” There are words and cliches which are overdone but which express something we all feel. Think of “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit,” “The Organization M an,” “The Hidden Persuaders,” “The Aspirin Age,” and now “Im age.” We have been made conscious of “A National Image,” “A Presidential Im age,” and all the other “images.” The Founders of our Fraternity, who never heard these words in our context, were conscious of something of which we should be aware. Instead of the m an in the gray flannel suit, they believed in persons who would develop individual personalities, leadership and the self-discipline (which alone is freedom) through “the cultivation of the intellect.” They would have abhorred a waisthigh culture or hidden persuaders, because through “m utual aid and assistance” men were to help each other to build strength of character and personal integrity. They had an image of w hat their Association should be; but it was not an image set up like a Golden Calf, nor was it merely a reflection of their composite picture. It was an ideal of w hat young men on the Frontier, richly blest by teachers in humble educational institutions, and further blest by undergraduate brotherhoods, should make as their offering to our young Democracy. These lads heard from elders who had taken part in it, about the Revolution. Their generation, they knew, m ust produce leaders for this Nation. They knew they must take a full share of responsibility. They were not mixed up in their concept of Democracy. If Democracy m eant equality and the rights of man, implicit in Democracy was the right of association. This Nation was to benefit in time from every conceivable sort of association with its own standards, demands, restrictions and characteristics. Our Founders would have deplored a society in which all were reduced to being no better than the mediocre, and the denial of the right of men to determine the complexion of their 70

organizations. An eminent historian has asked where the great statesmen of America are today. He pointed out th a t in the beginning of this Nation, as in ancient Athens, statem en flourished because everyone was thinking about state or city. He further said th at there was something contagious: in a period of statesm anship, other men caught the spirit. Now, he continues, we exalt the business executive; from the Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cabinet to Boards of Trustees in educational, civic and charitable fields and in the giving of honorary degrees, the business executive is the soughtafter man. The lesson for us is th a t college fraternities, if they are to fulfill their rightful place must have persons who think about them. They must create a climate in which, w hat originally motivated the fraternity system in this country becomes contagious and is caught. They must know they will reap th a t for which they stand â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as is a case in the state with statesmen and in a country with business executives. The multitudinous fraternities and fraternity men have a common front upon which they can honorably sustain one another. It is the front where fraternities as voluntary social organizations produce leaders and men of responsibility who have learned these from living with other men in fraternal association. March 1960

A MESSAGE TO PARENTS

This Inter Fratres has nothing to do directly with Beta alumni or Beta undergraduates. It is written for Beta parents. Through the wise suggestion of former Administrative Secre tary, Ralph N. Fey, we began sending our MAGAZINE to the parents of undergraduate Betas — about 5,000 in number. It has been my pleasure to greet and meet Betas recently out of college who are in the W ashington area. I usually ask them if they are receiving THE MAGAZINE. Again and again they say, “No my father and mother won’t let me change the address. They w ant THE MAGAZINE and when it comes they read it from cover to cover and then show it to friends.” This is high tribute to THE MAGAZINE and to Editor Robert T. Howard. We are proud of Beta parents whose sons became Betas. We w ant you parents to be proud of your son’s Fraternity. Beta Theta Pi has had and has now m any great men in its membership. No end of these men deeply love their Fraternity. They were once undergraduates, learning the Beta Story. At the chapter level we are not a school of perfection. We have problems, some troubles, but generally speaking, 95%, I ’d say, of our undergraduates are real solid, idealistic men. They know the General Fraternity admires them, but also th a t the General Fraternity expects high performances from them. We will not tolerate untoward behavior. We are trying to build men who are leaders — unselfish, useful, cultured and cultivated. We want a Beta to shine forth because of his worth. We w ant a Beta to be outstanding. You can help Beta Theta Pi to be known as a Fraternity which believes in the highest for young men. You can be sure we are teaching brotherhood as one way to make men help each other in the effort to be finer and nobler persons. As you read about Betas old and young we hope you will say, “I’m glad my son is a member of Beta Theta Pi.” I wish I could meet you Beta parents. As much as we believe in the bonds between the Brothers, we believe, too, in the ties between our Beta families. May 1960

WE ARE ALL HERE

The Acts of the Apostles is frequently exciting reading. We m ight well wonder why it is not read more for its sheer enjoyment and why more persons have not developed fam iliarity with some of its scintillating statements, which make good companions for periods of reflection. For example, there is the account of P aul’s being in jail. During the night a severe earthquake almost shattered the jail and so great was the upheaval th at the doors of the cells were sprung open. The jailer knew th a t the penalty for any prisoner’s escaping would cost him his life as an incompetent guard. In terror with torch and sword the jailer rushed to Paul’s cell. Paul fearing th a t the jailer in desperation might use his sword upon himself said, “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.” In the Acts we find such graphic stories th a t we cannot forget them. We also come upon some of the finest language we will ever read. We find examples of masterful usage which strike immortal notes. The latter part of the statem ent by Paul to his jailer is a gem of usage and insight — “For we are all here.” If I understand Beta Theta Pi, these five words are imbedded in its history and still in the present day are for us a touchstone. In 1839 when eight young men at Old Miami founded our Fraternity, they were in spirit saying, “For we are all here.” This was the mood of their early meetings as a brotherhood. Through the years our Fraternity has never lost this sense of our being together as one. A m an’s Roll Number reaches back to the first m an on his Chapter Roll, and then reaches to the latest number given an initiate. As a chapter member, a Beta thinking to earlier classes and then to those after his own should be able to say, “For we are all here.” This is the feeling for our corporate life as a chapter. The m an of unselfish devotion to his chapter w ants it to succeed in the spirit of oneness and unanimity from the oldest member to the youngest. This m an cannot separate himself from his chapter or work to lead it down the byway where there is no feeling, “For we are all here.” When we gather four or five hundred strong in a General Convention we should be able to say, “For we are all here.” We represent our chapter, class and section of the United States or 73

Canada. Regardless of our ages, colleges, names or backgrounds, a Beta Convention is a time crowned by the feeling — “For we are all here.” Those of us who have watched leaders of our Fraternity in our gatherings have sensed th a t they transm it to each of us their elation at being again in such goodly fellowship. Our Fraternity has grown and prospered because the cement which has held it together might be called unity, harm ony and accord. The m an or chapter causing devisiveness, seeking selfish ends and impervious to our corporate good has never known the meaning of the Fraternity and has created only discord. This is a confused period of history. Men vehemently espouse causes. Men seek to use cherished organizations as instrum ents for their own advantage. Men seek to win by pressure, blackmail and scheming. The greatness of Beta Theta Pi in the past has been its almost one hundred percent freedom from such moti vations. Our present and our future can only give men the pleasure which our Fraternity has for more th a n 120 years given if we keep param ount w hat is implicit in — “For we are all here.” The Fraternity, in this day of pressure, will have difficulty surviving even with rich measures of unity, harm ony and accord, and without them one can plot the date of its demise. March 1961

BETA IS “US” One of the most foolish things an officer of a Fraternity can do is to tell undergraduates, “Thou shalt not.” This certainly does not mean a General Fraternity has no prohibitions or limits relating to the conduct and behavior of undergraduates and chapters. Nor does it mean officers should be weak, spineless or ineffective in enunciating what a Fraternity has stood for and does stand for in upholding its honor and good name. It may be a psychological reaction, but it is immediate when on a chapter visit an officer throws down the gauntlet and announc es, “You can’t do that.” The m atter would be simple, if we could go on the theory th a t the antidote was to lead by positive suggestion and persuasion, automatically accepted by the undergraduates. Not long ago in a chapter house two officers were meeting with the chapter. Two opposite points of view emerged -- one the undergraduates’, the other the officers’. Two hours of discussion did not resolve the impasse; the chapter members were glad to say adieu to their guests, and the officers upon reaching fresh air, gave thanks. Shortly thereafter a letter came from the chapter to one of the officers saying, “We hope nothing will happen to end our beloved General Fraternity. ” T hat statem ent carried a poignant note. A note which hits bed rock in the question, “What is the General Fraternity — officers, alumni, chapters, undergraduates, something vague, unseen or in books of lore?” No, the General Fraternity is us — all of us, and each of us. In microcosm it is I. Here is the most common breach between chapter and General Fraternity, U ndergraduates think of the General Fraternity as “th ey” rather than “us.” Officers too often forget their own undergraduate complaints about “the Board,” “the Fraternity,” “ H eadquarters.” They forget th a t a day out of college m any an undergraduate will meet stark reality and see his chapter not from within, but from without. The duty of the officer is, if he can, to give scope and perspective to his presentation of the Fraternity. It is to show its entirety, history and total operation. It is to show th a t a private association which invites men to join is not and cannot be operated like a 75

public institution supported by the taxes of all citizens. To remind officers long out of college of present campus thinking and aims is the chapter’s duty. To remind chapters th a t a F raternity is a brotherhood in which all have a common stake and interest is the officer’s duty. There are always alternatives to a Greek Letter College F ra ternity — a club, a student association, the abolition of fraternities. But a Fraternity is its founders, history, ideals, membership, code, generation after generation living in a chapter house AND officers duly elected to guide the Fraternity -- officers who were once active in a chapter and will be followed by those active today! June 1961

OUGHT AND OUGHT NOT

In my daily work, I long ago instituted The You-Ought-To Club. As the years have gone by, enrollment in this club has ever increased. Its members are those persons who at all times and under all circumstances have had something they wanted done —by someone else. Their technique is simply to say, “You ought to — ...” One is wise to inure himself to the You-Ought-To Club, and simply let its tribe increase. If a You-Ought-To Club exists in daily life, there is real need in the fraternity world for a You-Ought-NOT-To Club. First, we m ight address parents: “You ought not to bring up your son or daughter with the idea he or she will become a member of father’s fraternity, or mother’s sorority.” Next, we would speak to a chapter: “You ought not take a negative attitude toward legacies, for many legacies who have been passed up would have been the best chapter member.” (A Senior said to me of a legacy in his class who had been passed by, “The worst mistake this house made was th a t it did not pledge th a t m an as a Freshm an.”) We next would address ourselves to a chapter when voting is taking place on prospective members. The m an in question is going to become a member of an historic Fraternity which has had in its membership leaders of men who have held the Fraternity close to their heart. This m an is to receive a great honor in being asked to become a member. He will live in intim ate association in the chapter house with members of a brotherhood. If there are any doubts about his character, soundness, ability to get along with others, gentlemanliness and capacity to make a contribution to chapter and Fraternity, “You ought not to elect him.” I would address all those who are entering colleges and universities where there are Greek-letter fraternities. I would invite each entrant to think about him self as a member of a fraternity. If he thinks the Fraternity System is a disgrace, but nevertheless will join a fraternity, I would say to him, “You ought not.” If he thinks he is going to join a fraternity and make it a laboratory of social experiment, I would say “ You ought not to join.” If his purpose in joining is to force through the issue of minorities, I would say, “You ought not to join.” If his desire is to join something and try to wreck it from within, I would say, “You ought not to join.” Two facts appear out of my years of fraternity work. First, 77

fraternities have too m any men who resign and too many who are expelled. Would th a t there had been some voice to say to such men before they joined — “You ought not to join.” Second, I have known members of a fraternity who privately and openly have talked against it. In my office I have offered such men the opportunity to resign. I have told them, if they are displeased, it is better for them to have their nam e taken from our Roll and to return their Badge and Shingle. N ot one m an ever acted upon my suggestion. Some father, mother, brother, sister, wife or sweet heart should say to this man — “You ought not continue to be a member of something you profess not to honor.” The fraternity picture would be clarified if we could say to persons who are its critics, “You ought not to talk so freely about something about which you know nothing from the inside.” A great boon to fraternities would accrue if they would institute a You-Ought-NOT-To Club for all those who should never have become members. In a free country, I suppose we have the right to say — “You ought to” and “You ought not to.” Jan u ary 1962

THE CHALLENGE OF TRADITION Toward the close of a day-long visit to one of our chapters a very young looking pledge asked if he could have a word with me. He said he wanted to tell me w hat had impressed him most about the Fraternity to which he had pledged. In simple terms, it was th a t “the men in the chapter were all gentlemen” and all the older men who wore our badge, whom he had met during his days of pledgeship, had impressed him “as outstanding gentlemen.” At a chapter visit I had one of those inform al hours in the chapter president’s room with a few other officers who sat around. These men said to me th a t they had such an outstanding pledge class “we are trying to live up to it and to set the highest example of w hat our Fraternity is.” These two experiences were inspiring and will long be remem bered. However, having dealt with Fraternity m atters over many years I am ever reminded of one of our greatest writers, William Raimond Baird. To me Baird was a genius. His greatness in many fields could be explained in no other way. He once remarked th a t all the Beta writing he had done would not be complete until he wrote on “Betas I Know Who Are In Jail and Betas I Know Who Ought To Be In Jail.” Along with other rare gifts Baird possessed a sense of humor. It seems to me th a t w hat we all need to understand is th a t hum an beings are frail. Men and institutions are imperfect. It would be utter folly to think th a t there were only “gentlemen” in our Fraternity and it would be unfair to have too large a figure of those who could be included in Baird’s suggested work. There is not only a moral, but enlightenm ent for us all in the two experiences with which this Inter Fratres opens. First, we should hope th a t every Beta is trying to be a gentleman. We should look for the marks of a gentlem an in every Beta we encounter. Above all, each one of us should resolve th a t being a gentleman is our aim, for we wish to be urbane in deportment, courteous in expression and steadfast in friendship. The second thing we should realize is th a t we are always an example to someone. There are things a m an must live up to because other men are looking at him. Probably one of the most im portant things in the democratic process is th a t men who advance to positions of authority and trust, if they are real men, 79

find th a t their leadership requires of them th a t they be examples of honor, character and gentlemanliness. We who are in this Fraternity with its long history of great men who have been outstanding gentlemen, should realize two things. We would not revere our past as we do, had not our sires left the unending example and inspiration of the cultivated man. Again, if our Fraternity is to have the great future we hope for it, then those of the present hour must be living up to the best of our tradition so th a t those who come after them will see the light of the stars and follow in the path trod by those who led our Fraternity in the past to its heights and points of distant vision. March 1962

THE GENERAL FRATERNITY’S CRUCIAL ROLE Anyone who serves Beta Theta Pi in an elected or appointed office discovers th a t he has grown very fond and proud of countless undergraduate Betas. Nothing has been much pleas anter than my friendship with succeeding groups of under graduates. Some of these friendships have lasted and grown deeper over more than three decades. Affection for the undergraduate is at times mingled with surprise, shock, alarm and mild indignation when one hears undergraduates say, “We feel no part of the General F raternity,” or “We have a close brotherhood in the house, but the General Fraternity means nothing to us.” To a man who has a deep involvement in the General Fraternity such remarks as these are not only disturbing, but painful. Not only are there the undergraduates who do not feel a part of the General Fraternity; there are those who ask, “What has the General Fraternity done for us?” Still others complain, “The General Fraternity just leaves us off here with a feeling of isolation.” Let us think about the undergraduate, the active chapter and the General Fraternity. 1. Each of us was initiated into Beta Theta Pi, not the local Skull and Bones. 2. Each wears a Badge worn by 70,000 men. 3. Each undergraduate when a Pledge receives “Son of the S tars” which tells about the history and many personalities in Beta Theta Pi. 4. Each of us when a Pledge gets a Song Book to learn Beta Songs which have been sung for years by Betas all over the world. 5. Each of us has a Shingle which is a sign we are a member of a great Fraternity. 6. Chapters are visited by General Officers, District Chiefs and Alumni. 7. THE MAGAZINE telling about Betas is received by a member for life. 8. There are the Shepardson books and Fawcett’s Marching Along. 81

9. There are Beta Conventions where Betas from every chapter gather. 10. There are mailings to the undergraduate chapters from tht General Secretary and the Oxford Office. Thes offer m any aids. 11. There is General Fraternity concern in every Betaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grades, paym ent of house accounts, conduct and success on campus and in life. The Board of Trustees and Alumni are keenly aware of the status of every chapter and the undergraduates. The General Fraternity rejoices in the accomplishments of every undergraduate and suffers when undergraduates fail to live up to the ideals of the Fraternity. The man who is not aware of his General Fraternity and of w hat it is, means, does and offers him m ust share in any blame. The General Fraternity expects a m an from the time he is pledged to know about a great Association which for nearly a century and a quarter has been getting ready to confer upon him the honor of membership. The General Fraternity has reached hundreds and thousands of men who testify to it through their devotion to and unselfish service of the Fraternity. How did the men who have held such affection for the General Fraternity develop th a t affection? The answer is they sought found and responded to the great offering Beta Theta Pi made to them. The way to know our Beta Theta Pi is to make the effort to know it. The most outstanding men who have been devoted Betas throughout their lives did not wait to be spoon-fed. They were hungry to know more and more about the Fraternity, and they never stopped trying to satisfy th a t hunger. May 1962

THE CRISIS OF CHARACTER “There is nothing new under the Sun” is one of the oldest and most firmly-established maxims. Also, who can live without agreeing with the ancient Greek who said all things can be expressed in the one word Change? In a sense this is m an’s dichotomy. If he thinks clearly and wisely, he realizes there is nothing new — sunrise, sunset, the seasons, birth, fear, hope, passion, instinct, slavery, freedom, good, evil, death. He knows too, th a t all around he sees change. N othing is the same today as it was yesterday. We change and our fellowmen change. The surface of the E arth, the destiny of Nations, the face of the Community change. In the life of a college student and fraternity member there is nothing new. Those who went before on this campus or in this Chapter House tried all these things, although in a specifically dated form —beards, stove pipe hats, tight trousers, bell bottom trousers, racoon coats, tweed jackets, swallowing gold fish, packing telephone booths, the Charleston, the Twist. (The rule applies to all moral conduct, too.) The most serious confrontation comes in regard to character. Character is character under the Sun and character as character never changes. Yet the depressing fact is w hat happens to character, which seems to have vanished, be unknown or not present in so many persons. The real crisis of our lives is a crisis in Character. “There is nothing new under the Sun.” Quite so. Character is not new. However, w hat should worry us is the changed climate in which character is so often absent or where we find a poor excuse for it. The world situation, our National future, the Home, the College, the Fraternity will be w hat character is in persons. Our gravest problem is not the Atom Bomb or the Cold War, but whether m an — you and I — has character th a t stands as only character can; character which makes the difference between real persons, and those who always seem to be in the h a lf light of who they are and w hat they will stand for, live for and even die for. June 1962

COMPOSURE UNDER PRESSURE Dean Willard L. Sperry of H arvard Divinity School used to say of Rufus Jones, the great Quaker leader, th a t he had “the non rattle mood. ” If there is anything the college fraternity needs, it is poise, stability, strength and self-assurance, the guarantors of “the non rattle mood. ” Too often persons looking at the college fraternity gather, rightly or wrongly, the impression th a t fraternities are worried, on the defensive and trembling in their boots. There should not be, and in m any cases there is not any justification for one’s having this impression of the college fraternity. An unfriendly press or misguided legislation tem pt us to slash back, to charge trifling with the truth, to tell the instigators to let fraternities set their own policies. Those who have had experience on a Board of Trustees have felt the attacks of persons who have had little knowledge of reasons leading to considered conclusions. Feeling the brunt of these attacks one would like to request “these angry m en” to ask for facts before m aking pronouncements which could have dire effects on the fraternity. Some undergraduate chapters seem to arrive at the point of no return through their conduct and regrettable campus image. Persons charged with safeguarding the good nam e and reputation of the fraternity in which such chapters exist are prone to be outraged and shout for “a house cleaning.” There is the tendency when persons of lofty intent in the fraternity are put upon or abused to come out swinging and ready to fight. Years ago in a Preparatory School the students got into a small riot. When sanity returned, some parents threatened to take their sons out of school and drum some sense into them. However, one wise father sent his son a telegram: “Steady, boy, steady.” The affairs of a General Fraternity are complex and often trying. Alumni relations leave lots of room for misinterpretations. Undergraduate communications can be misunderstood. Questions of membership, expansion and Board action can create panic. Fortunate is the Fraternity which through its history during war, depression, unemployment and inflation has had “the non rattle mood.” 84

Fortunate is the Fraternity which elects Trustees, appoints District Chiefs and Officers who are conditioned to “the non rattle mood. ” The long record of our Fraternity is one of being steady. We have not become rattled nor have we set off a panic when we have faced difficult times and painful decisions. The present generation of undergraduate Betas would do well to remember th a t they are in a Fraternity which does not go off in rages or tantrum s, but rather says, “Steady, boy, steady.” It would be well for young Betas to know th a t when they take over the offices make the decisions and lead the Fraternity they will serve most effectively if they emulate the leaders of the past and like them are men of “the non-rattle mood. ” October 1962

PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF!

Once again fraternities are coming under the lash of those who hate them and would if they could decimate them. A special feature in The New York Times Magazine was written by a David Boroff. The writer told of the death knell to fraternities at Williams College and elsewhere. A President Eddy of C hatham College for Women delivered an address calling for the elimination of “the worn-out system of fraternities.” His theme seemed to be, “Get rid of fraternities, or higher education cannot succeed. ” In regard to the first writer, one wonders about the experience of the author. Did he ever belong to a real chapter where men had high regard for each other, worked for high scholarships, de veloped men in leadership and were gripped by the noblest ideals? Did he ever have membership in a great and good fraternity? Did he ever serve as an Officer or a Trustee of a fraternity which was ceaselessly busy to quicken and inspire young men to useful and honorable living? The second writer reminds one of the position of m any religious fanatics. Men have said, “If this dogma isn’t believed, religion has no validity.” Other once said, “If the Volstead Act is repealed, there is no hope for Christianity.” Any person has the right to say, “If this dogma or article of the Creed isn ’t professed, religion is not valid for me.” No one has the right to speak for all other men. Fraternities m any be considered an abom ination for the person so believing. However, no person has the right to say th a t fraternities are an abom ination for total education and all other persons or th a t if fraternities are not abolished, university and college life are doomed. The whole caste of demons is brought on to the state again. Fraternities are undemocractic. Fraternities have wild parties. Fraternities take too much of a student’s time. Fraternities do not foster high grades. How can fraternities be undemocratic when state legislatures and college adm inistrations have ruled there can be no restictive clauses? (Can’t men and women select their own friends, colleges, churches, President, Governor, Senator?) No real fraternity officer sanctions wild parties. W hat goes on in dormitories and 86

student apartm ents without a word from university or press? How about the time taken by athletics and social action groups? Why not mention the high scholastic record of m any fraternities and fraternity chapters? Can all the outstanding men and women in this nation who had a great fraternity experience, loved and still love their fraternity, serve it for decades without money or price be so wrong? No, they cannot be. They have had nothing to say against nonfraternity colleges or persons. They have been the victims of the most bitter prejudice and animosity based on half-truths of almost any group in our land. Were higher education today more certain of its own case, and more sure where it is going or wants to go, perhaps there would be more willingness on the part of fraternity leaders to take eduÂ cational leaders as the Law and the Prophets. The best answer to the person who cries for the burial of fraternities is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Physician, heal thyself.â&#x20AC;? Too much of w hatat/s an institution of learning is passed on to Fraternity Row as an incurable malady. February 1963

IN TRANSIT Over the years my Beta experience has given me a two-fold Beta friendship and acquaintanceship. In the first category are Betas I have met and known from the time I was pledged up to the present. In the second category are members of our Fraterntiy I have not met, but whom I have come to know through letters they have written me and which I have tried to answer. In the company of members of the F raternity (in a chapter house or at an Alumni gathering), there are m any questions about the present state of the Fraternity, its operation and policies, and even about the justification for a fraternity in 1962. If these questions are address to me, I attem pt to give succinct and clear answers. On the other hand, Betas I have not met or known often write me. It is not infrequent in these letters to come upon the statem ent, “Things sure weren’t like that when I was an undergraduate and in the chapter.” With this I immediately agree. When some of us were in college the automobile, the airplane, the radio and countless appliances we take for granted were just coming into being or beginning to stir in the inventor’s mind. The United States was different when some of us wore V arsity Sweaters, soiled white flannel trousers and saddle strap shoes. (This was the campus uniform of prestige and acceptance by the “big men and women on campus.”) College students take off today from the Midwest and drive non-stop to Florida. Some of us remember when it took planning and a day’s travel to go from New York City to the Catskill Mountains. We all know the difference between decades, college generations, pre- and post-automobile and pre- and post-atomic worlds. How ever, one who knows our Fraternity can stand in amazement before the number of men who have seen their years as Alumni unroll but have been able to adjust themselves to a present day campus and chapter. It is also amazing th a t almost universally in our chapters there is real desire to know more about the History, Lore and stories relating to past generations and past personalities in Beta Life. Who has not heard the remark, “I’m glad I was in the chapter when I was, for I’m sure the chapter has gone down ever since.” Such an evaluation is honestly made and m arks something nostalgically cherished. However, the undergraduate of today 88

could not understand chapter life in the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;20s or â&#x20AC;&#x2122;30s any more th an men of those years could fit into the tempo and habits of an active chapter today. The wise m an who enjoys the fruits of wisdom, practices the art of adjustment. Adjustment means giving up something one holds dear, taking hold of something new and going on with it. Such persons also know the folly of trying to tran sp lan t oneself into a day and generation not his own. Grief, despair and cynicism result from the attempt. This person knows as he looks a t Beta Theta Pi th a t it presents hum an values. This Association of men of different ages, backgrounds and faiths respects the individÂ uality of each member but requires loyalty and allegiance of each member to an associated, mutual effort. This Association has lived for twelve and a half decades. It has known change, external pressure, internal eruptions, but has never lost its meaning, purpose and ability to endure. The Beta who enjoys the highest return from his Fraternity sees it in transit and realizes th a t his own life and time in the Fraternity are in transit as well. He comes to appreciate and recall with affection some hour, day or year in his Fraternity experience as he comes to realize th a t the Fraterntiy goes on from one generation to another. It is at this point he recognizes th a t the abiding continuum of Beta Theta Pi rests on ideals and values which never become warped or out of shape because they are of the substance without which there are no high values, deep inw ard satisfactions and precious memories to be garnered from life. March 1963

SOULS OF THE BUILDERS GIBBON in The Decline and Fall o f the Roman Empire tells in detail of C onstantine’s almost unbelievable desire to fashion and build a new capital which would be an eternal monument to him. Constantinople was the result of the Emperor’s over-riding ambition and insufferable pride. Gibbon devotes almost a chapter to his fascinating description of how the new capital was built. No am ount of money was spared. Endless laborers and artisans were drawn to the city to hasten the construction. It was a scene of monuments, lavish buildings and unbounded extravagance. Some of the treasures of art were brought from the known art centers of th a t age. Looking at the scene Gibbon is true to his amazing perception and appreciation of the foibles of man. He says the city contained all forms of expressions of artistic creations but the one thing the new capital lacked was the souls of the artists who had been the creators. In other words, the City of C onstantine had everything th a t could meet the eye —but no living soul. Is there any lesson more im portant for our day? Is it not so much of life external and lacking the souls of men who made us the kind of Nation we are? The fraternity cannot long exist if it does not do something to prevent the very thing which Gibbon records happened in the reign of Constantine. W hat good is it to have a fraternity of international scope in 1963 if the souls of the founders are not resident in it? W hat do a group of general officers am ount to if they have not souls which are sensitive to w hat a fraternity should preserve and perpetuate? W hat good is it to have a $400,000 chapter house if those who bask in its magnificence are only bodies not anim ated by any soul power? The th reat to our age is enormous. The throughw ay is the soulless road. The giant corporation run from two thousand miles away rarely warms the soul of man. The skyscraper into which men swarm at 9 a.m. and out of which they pour at 5 p.m. can symbolize the lonely crowd. One should look to education as th a t which has in it the dom inant desire to keep in all hum an construction and enterprise 90

souls, not just minds and bodies. Education, the daughter of religion, should realize the direction it must take to teach men not to build something th a t is without the soul of the builder. This is one reason why in m an â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience, external w ealth and magnificence can be empty and shallow. The fratern ity finds itself in an educational institution. Everything in the fraternity should be colored by education. The fraternity chapter cannot be a real chapter unless actively it insists th a t the current of education flows through it. The chapter, then, th a t has wisdom and depth will be one which sees to it th a t it builds nothing and possess nothing which are devoid of the souls of the builders or creators. No worse indictment could be made than to have even an unseen hand record th a t the college fraternity of 1963 was a work which represented the building of many decades but it no longer possessed the souls of the builders. October 1963

UNMERCENARY LOVE

The Medieval Mystics had, I think, the concept of w hat would make the most religious person. They believed in “the unmercen ary love of God.” The unmercenary love of God m eant to them loving God without any expectation of reward for loving Him and without any fear of punishm ent for not loving Him. The unmercenary love of God is loving God to love Him — nothing more, nothing less. In the same way the Scientist in his search for Truth, no m atter w hat it costs, practices the unmercenary love of Truth. He loves Truth as Truth — facts as facts — nothing more, nothing less. It may sound almost sacrilegious and naive to jump from the unmercenary love of God, and the unm ercenary love of Truth, to the unmercenary love of one’s Fraternity. Nevertheless, I have the boldness to make the leap. No doubt many men have received m aterial benefits from their love of their Fraternity. These benefits could be undergraduate life in a fine Chapter House, recognition, acceptance and office and comradeship deepening into life-long friendship. Also, men have known heartaches from their love of their Fraternity. These could be th a t one was never elected to office, one was dej ected by returning to his campus and finding the Chapter House near a shambles and the Chapter composed of under graduates who had no reponsibility, regard or spirit when it came to Chapter or Fraternity. Perhaps it is too much to be taught generally and too much to be grasped by the rank and file. However, there can be, I am persuaded, the unmercenary love of one’s Fraternity. It is loving the Fraternity as the Fraternity -- nothing more, nothing less. The unmercenary love of the Fraternity (if practiced by only one man) lifts the Fraternity experience to a level the detractor of Fraternities can never reach and can never assault for no weapon has been forged to assault it. I am of the deep conviction th a t Beta Theta Pi has had members over m any decades who have had for it an unmercenary love. January 1964 92

ART OF ADJUSTMENT

My Beta experience has taught me th a t I have a two-fold Beta acquaintanceship. The first is comprised of all the Betas I have met and known from my undergraduate days up to the present time. The second is made up of Betas I have not met, but have come to know through letters which they have addressed to me, and which I have always tried to answer. With the Betas I have met and know I have ample opportunity to attem pt to answer questions which they raise about the Fraternity, its History, its operation, its policy and its reason for being. Very often the Betas I have not met or known personally will write me about something which evokes from them the exclamation, “Things sure weren’t like th a t when I was an undergraduate in college!” To which I must make total assent. When some of us were in college the automobile, the airplane, the radio and countless other things were just beginning to be recognized. The United States of America was entirely different. It would take one all day to reach from New York City some place in the nearby Catskill or Adirondack M ountains if he hoped to pass a two-week vacation in the uplands. I need not compare the differences between decades, college generations, pre-automobile and post-automobile and pre-atomic and post-atomic worlds. I can raise my voice in amazement th a t those of us who are spinning out the years as Alumni have been able to adjust ourselves so well to the modern campus and chapter house. It is equally amazing th a t almost universally in our undergraduate chapters, there is real avidity to know the History, Lore, Myths, Stories and Romantic tales related to past years of the Fraternity life. So often there comes to my attention those who say, “I’m glad I was in the chapter when I was, for I ’m sure we enjoyed the best time to be in college.” T hat evaluation is not only honest, but an evaluation to be cherished. The boy of today could not understand chapter life in the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s any more th an men of those years could fit themselves into the present tempo and mores of an active chapter. The wise person who is a member of our Fraternity and the wise person who enjoys the fruits of his wisdom values and practices the art of adjustment. He has learned th a t adjustm ent 93

means giving up something one holds very dear, taking hold of something new and going on just as bravely with it. He knows also th a t the most foolish thing to do is to try to tran sp lan t oneself into a day and generation not his own. For only grief, despair and cynicism can result from the attempt. He knows as he looks at his Fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, th a t it presents one of the most concrete evidences of hum an values he can find. Here is an Association of men of different ages, backgrounds, nationalities and faiths who without losing their individuality, have found loyalty and allegiance to an associated, m utual effort. This Association itself has lived for twelve and a half decades, changing, feeling external pressures, stirred by internal eruptions, but never losing its shape, meaning, purpose, and endurability. The Beta who enjoys the highest return from his Fraternity can appreciate it in transit and can realize th a t his life and time in the Fraternity are in tran sit as well. He comes to appreciate the moment th a t is or the year th a t is or the four years th a t are whatever the personal experience may be, but he comes to know th a t the Fraternity lives from one generation to another because its abiding continuum rests upon ideals and values which never become warped or out of shape because they are of the very substance of th a t without which there can be no high value or high prizes to be won in lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arena. February 1964

AN UNWRITTEN BOOK This is a story about one man, but it is also a story th a t could be repeated countless times. It is a story which makes those who understand realize again the strange alchemy of the influence of a fraternity chapter on one life. Larry Conover entered Penn State in 1915. He was a naturalborn athlete and through one of the coaches had been urged to come to college. On reaching the campus he reported to the Field House. It happened th a t some of the members of the Beta Chapter were there when he arrived. As these men now in advanced years tell the story, Larry Conover was one of the rawest, crudest hum an beings they had seen. However, something in him flashed through to them. They took him to the Chapter House. Later he was pledged and initiated. During the years th a t followed when he was an undergraduate he become not only the star athlete, but an outstanding person. Before he graduated, he told a member of the Chapter th at he had a $2,500 Life Insurance policy. He knew he could never repay the Chapter for all it had done for him. However, he had made the policy payable to the Chapter. For several summers Larry Conover had been a Life Guard at Jersey Coast resorts. The summer after his senior year, while serving in this capacity, he saved the life of a young man who was drowning and in so doing lost his own life. The Insurance Policy was paid to the Chapter and the money over all these years has been kept intact th a t each year the interest from it might be awared to an undergraduate in memory of Larry Conover. Countless men have been transform ed as was this man. The number is legion of those who in some chapter found growth, development and polish. No record records w hat chapters of all fraternities have done for the inexperienced, lonely and frightened youth who was accepted as a Brother. The tragedy is th a t anti-fraternity talk has some basis in fact. Like every other institution, government, education, and church included, there are things th a t are unfortunate and could be improved in fraternity life. The Book th a t has not been written and perhaps should be written is about the tens of thousands of boys who arrived on some campus scared to death. They were very young. They had 95

left home for the first time. They were homesick. They wondered whether to stick it out. Then something happened. They were invited to a fraternity house. They met other young fellows of their class and older classmen. They were invited to join a fraternity and they did. A new world opened to them. They found new meaning in college. They sensed an expanding life for themselves. They discovered th a t others were interested in them. They realized they were part of a great heritage. They felt impelled to carry on the tradition of their Chapter and Fraternity. Four years later they were different hum an beings. They knew they could never repay their debt to their chapter. They knew it had played a large part in making them w hat they were. They knew they had found life-long friends. They realized th a t through membership they had been given both a privilege and an honor. I said this Book had not been written - on second thought it would be better if it werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. It is better th a t these stories are not in cold type but rather arise out of the deepest feelings th a t have been known by men like Larry Conover. March 1964

FAIR PLAY Man has had a fairly long residence on earth. He is m an and carries with him the weakness and frailties of being man. The Bible in its early chapters shows us w hat happened in the case of Adam and Eve. Men have been dwelling on our continent for a long time. The Pilgrims were Puritans who came to get away from the licent iousness of their home and associates. It was soon after these new arrivals had come here th a t they began to found colleges, like William and Mary and Harvard. In these colleges there have existed for over a century and a half Greek Letter Fraternities. These have been made up of hum an beings and have shown the virtues and the evils of the hum an mind, passions and emotions. The fraternities grew in size and number into w hat is known as “The Greeks,” “The Greek System” and “Greek Letter Fratern ities.” The history of the Greek Letter Fraternity has not been an easy one. The fraternity must adm it th a t it has done many things to arouse criticism and censure. It m ust also be aware of the fact th a t few things in this country have been more readily pounced upon by more biased and prejudiced critics. So the fraternity is loved by many who have known its full rewards, and it is despised by many who simply think it is a ridiculous, outmoded, childish institution th a t somehow has continued to exist when it should have been buried long ago. Whenever a fraternity chapter gets into any trouble, one can be sure no mercy will be shown by adm inistration, faculty and news media. I for one believe in mercy, but I do not believe in covering up geniune proof of wrongdoing. I would ask th a t the same exact measures be applied to the total campus life and not just to fraternities. T hat would be fair play and true democracy. Whenever one chapter or one fraternity is guilty of misconduct, the entire fraternity system is again smeared and it will take a hundred good deeds by fraternities to eradicate even some of the unfavorable feeling the unfortunate occurrence created. Knowing the grave danger fraternities are in I have thought about some positive steps. I certainly think colleges and uni versities should be asked to lay down a rule of behavior for parties and gatherings which applies to every form of campus life. Then, if infraction takes place, punishm ent should be meted out to any 97

group and the same bitter things which are said about fraternities should be said about any campus organization, if applicable. I think fraternities should hold before their members and chapters the highest ideals and have rigid rules about morals and conduct. No one can enforce morality but a declaration of principle can be made. Each fraternity should do this â&#x20AC;&#x201D; boldly and clearly. Now when fraternity people get together and there is drinking, intimacy, rioting and all the things mentioned in the news media, a clarion call should go out from the fraternities themselves. They should say, we do not approve of this. We condemn it. However, we have not lost our perspective. We know th a t m an is man, youth is youth, and often w hat begins as an innocent affair ends in a disgraceful brawl. We also w ant to say th a t we wish th a t colleges would take a stand in many cases on undergraduate drinking. We wish some colleges would realize they allow students of opposite sexes to entertain in dormitory rooms. We also are quite eager to have parents come forward and say to fraternity leaders - we will join you in enforcing moral principles and noble ideals on our sons and daughters. The tragedy of any time is when men do not think clearly and soberly. There is a need today for persons, who with broad minds, can evaluate a college generation, a student body, Greek Letter Fraternities, student behavior and parties, and come up with sound conclusions, honest criticism, positive suggestions and the bigness of mind to see th a t w hat makes a bad situation better is a better means of inspiration to be caught and transform ed into daily life. June 1964

A GUIDING STAR The three stars are part of Beta Theta Pi. They add lustre to our Coat of Arms and Badge and provide inspiration in our songs. Once when the Fraternity was confronted with a vexing situation I happened to say, “I believe we were born under the right star and we will come out of this.” We did emerge not only unscathed but wiser and stronger. As time has passed in speeches and conversation I have referred to “the star under which we were born.” Persons who have heard me make this statem ent have come to say when we have been at some anxious point, “ Remember th a t star.” When we think of our Eight Founders their concept of a Fraternity, our unbroken line of leaders, our wise expansion, and our achievements, we must have been born under the right star. The Fourth Star is a picturesque symbol to fascinate and enliven our thoughts. “We can thank our stars.” We can believe we have “a lucky star.” We can say, “Star dust fell on us.” We need to keep the sober rationalism of Calvin Coolidge, “F ate bestows its rewards on them who put themselves in the proper attitudes to receive them.” Our Fraternity was founded by men who put themselves in the proper attitudes to receive the reward of the brave, young dream of enduring and life-long friendships. Our leaders have had the proper attitude to take from past leaders their gifts and multiply these before handing them on. Our Chapters and Undergraduates, which have excelled, put them selves in the proper attitude to receive the inspiration of our ideals, the compelling force of our mutual association, and the cohesive ties of a common gratitude for a common endowment. The Fourth Star has influenced our history. Those who have believed th a t we have been not only richly blessed but capable of using wisely our blessings have seen the growth of a great and good Fraternity. It has been the attitude to appreciate a superior association with other men which has been a motivating power to keep our friendships and fidelities on a superior plane. Through external problems, unfair interference in our affairs, unjust criticism, we must believe in the attitude of self respect, dignity and behavior, the hallm ark of w hat brought us into, and kept us in, existence. The principles of the Greek Letter Fraternity will enable it to 99

endure. There is a guiding star over young people who wish to associate and affiliate. There are ties formed among underÂ graduates which are stronger than the general associations of campus. There are those who believe they can do better in their intellectual pursuits joined with others in the endeavor and there are those young people who wish to feel closeness in helping one another. Were all fraternities to be done away with tomorrow the cry would go up for them to be founded. They are not abnormalities of campus life; they are normal expressions one would expect to be given encouragement. It is a curious thing th a t there should be so m any who seek delight or relief from some sense of guilt by pouring their invectives on fraternities. The fact is fraternities will exist because there will be the demand for them. In our case we should think often of the Fourth Star under which we were born. But above all, let us fully understand there will be no right for us to endure unless we follow the light of common sense, lofty purpose and deep, abiding affection for one another which this Star sheds. October 1964

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;WE ARE THE PEOPLEâ&#x20AC;? W hat is a f r a te r n ity ? It is people - just people. There is no mystery or secret about w hat a fraternity is. The Democratic Party, Republican Party and every party, organization, society or club is people come together for some reason. The fraterntiy is people who make up a corporate body. The fraternity being people is subject to everything people think and do. People have feelings, passions, virtues, weaknesses, foibles, loyalties, good and bad judgment, likes and dislikes. There are those critics of, and commentators on, fraternities who discuss them without any allowance for the hum an context in which everything finds itself. These persons forget people in fraternities are the same people who make up a student body, a family, a Synagogue, a Church and a neighborhood. One can expect from fraternities just w hat he would expect from people. This is so because people in fraternities are people from homes, schools, churches, villages, towns and cities. Fraternities as people must meet the test of how decent people should behave. In this regard there is no fraternity which does not promote ideals of intellectual attainm ent and increased growth in noble character. People who are the membership of fraternities are encouraged to follow ideals, become more and more exacting about their own behavior, and to live usefully, nobly and wisely. Fraternities being made up of people get their share of people who are ill-bred, vulgar, indecent, immoral and amoral. Alas, some people are like that! Fraternities also are composed of people of character and above-average ethical standards. Such people are not afraid of life. They walk with heads high. They do not take a Fifth Amendment on the subject of fraternities. They adm it wrong because it is wrong. They nevertheless recognize how much the guidance, teachings and spirit of some fraternity touching them in formative years did for them. They know the ever-increasing riches through the friendships which have endured through fraternal association. Such persons in their fraternity experience met people whose lustrous lives rubbed off on them. The fraternity may have a Greek name, chapter houses, alumni, endowment funds, hold conventions and print its pubÂ 101

lications, but it is people. These people may “walk in darkness” or “have seen great light.” Their path may be through Sodom, down M ain Street, on a campus walk or along w hat the Apostle calls “a more excellent way.” The world, our nation, our university, our church and our fraternity will always be just w hat people make it. Therefore, there is no hum an organization or society which is any better than the people who compose it. Many years of close association and work with Fraternity men and Sorority women leave me unafraid to give the strongest vote of confidence I can give to the people who lead, work for, and take justifiable pride in their badge and Greek name. Jan u ary 1965

102

THE FRATERNITY WAY

One of the greatest interpreters of the Bible has said, “The Bible is a book of motion.” True, the Bible cannot be read without one’s getting the feeling th a t m an is moving toward something. One of the most common expressions in the Bible is “The Way.” In the Old Testam ent and in the New Testam ent there are constant references to “The Way.” One recalls “The way of holiness,” “the way everlasting,” “the way of righteousness.” Again, the earliest name given C hristianity, the Daughter religion of Judaism , was “The Way.” In constant usage is “Our Way of Life.” This usage carries an implicit idea of a well-worn and beaten path. “Our Way of Life” has behind it history and the unconscious development of habits which became ingrained. Most of the things one does are done from habit. Therefore, there is not only the chronic alcoholic, but the chronic gentleman. The college fraternity has been in motion since the founding of Phi Beta Kappa in 1775. The fraternity has come a long way and has passed through many stages — the Literary Society, the first Chapter Room over the store on Main Street, the first converted Chapter House, the large neo-classic m ansion on Fraternity Row, college housing and college supervision. Few things have passed through more radical changes and survived than fraternities. One who thinks seriously today in his devotion to the fraternity knows no one can predict w hat may befall the fraternity in the future. Some persons think fraternities will die out in a decade or two. Other persons think they will exist only on a friendly campus. Still other persons believe they will come under complete University domination and exist merely as a college-supervised activity. Whatever the future holds there is no doubt th a t the fraternity has represented a way of college life. There is no denying th a t critics of fraternities can find in th a t way vulnerable spots. There is no question th a t many fraternity members have made th a t way a distortion from its original purpose. There is the further fact th a t many persons with no personal experience in a fraternity see in it only a way th a t is undemocratic, unfair, immoral and archaic. Beyond and above the present situation in which fraternities 103

find themselves they need not be on the defensive. They have more to say th a t is positive about their way than do their critics. They can still talk sensibly about “the fraternity way.” It is a difficult way, but one in which countless persons still believe. It is measuring up to the test to be selected by fellow students to be pledged. It is an Initiation through a Ritual which is based soley on intellectual, moral and spiritual pursuits. It is building lasting friendships. It is fidelity to one’s friends. It is doing one’s share in group or corporate effort. The way leads to developing leadership, team play, justifiable pride in victory and a stout heart in defeat. The fraternity way can begin in a m an’s teens and be followed as long as he lives. It is a way of loyalty to an historic group which has found for more th an a century deep satisfaction in common endeavor. The way leads to duty and responsibility to younger men. The way sometimes leads to disappointm ent when things are not w hat they should be. The way leads, if one understands it, not on a march where all one does is look at his own feet, the ruts and pebbles. Rather, it is a way along which one raises his eyes to the light th a t ever shines from things which are nobler because they have spiritual value. Because on this way m any have seen the stars which have guided them they know the good fortune which set their feet to go in this way. March 1965

104

ONE BIG FAMILY

In 1964 I addressed the N ational Panhellenic Conference at Hot Springs, A rkansas and the N ational Interfraternity ConÂ ference in New York City. The total attendance was far in excess of 1,000 persons. Since I had the privilege of addressing these two conferences I have often asked myself, who were these people I addressed and did I run a real risk in going among them? I had w arning for I had read and heard so m any awful things about sororities and fraternities. Had I exposed myself to contam ination? Were these people sane citizens and were they to be trusted? The passing months have strengthened the lingering impresÂ sions th a t at Hot Springs and in New York City I had met and visited with outstanding ladies and gentlemen from all over the United States and Canada. The ladies I had met were daughters, sisters, wives, mothers and grandmothers. They were loyal American and C anadian citizens. They were leaders in their churches, charitable and civic organizations, Red Cross, YMCA, and all the honorable societites women join and then make succeed. The men who gathered in New York City for the N.I.C. were sons, brothers, husbands, fathers and grandfathers. They were men who in their own right had achieved success. They were in executive positions in business, industry and banking. They were leading educators, lawyers, clergymen, doctors and engineers. Here were men and women who had attacked no worthy and honorable association or society existing in their country or community. Yet for years these men and women had been, through their fraternity and sorority membership, victims of misrepresentation, bitterness and plain mischief-making from the press, feature writers and advocates of the levelerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream and process. At both of these Conferences I realized th a t I belonged to all Sororities and Fraternities. For each one like all the rest, was an association created on ideals. Each believed in intellectual attainm ent and character-growth in its individual members. There came to mind an interesting experiment which m ight be conducted. Let those persons who violently oppose fraternities and sororities choose the organization which is dearest to them 105

and closest to their ideals. Then take the history and membership of the organization and measure it with the history and memberÂ ship of our great sororities and fraternities. I predict it would be an unforgettable experience to see how our college sororities and fraternities shine, and how productive their fruits have been. I am also aware th a t certain institutions are slowly but surely forcing fraternities and sororities from the campus which they represent. It is my personal opinion th a t the day may well come when such institutions will awaken to the fact th a t they delibÂ erately abolished something which had great value for the student in college and in his later life. For years I have watched the internal operation of a college Fraternity. T hat Fraternity is a century and a quarter old. It has had nearly one hundred thousand members. It has brought together young men on more th an one hundred campuses in the United States and Canada. It has built up funds in the millions of dollars. Yet this is secondary to the character which I have seen in existence. This Fraternity has not been two-faced. It has not resorted to the devious method. It has adm itted its faults, weaknesses and disappointments. Beyond and above this, here is an association of men ever striving for self-improvement and higher attainm ent in scholarship, morals, leadership and useÂ fulness. It is safe to aver th a t this latter statem ent cannot be made about many institutions and organizations today. June 1965

106

A GREAT GIFT: RECALL

The College Fraternity and Sorority as much as any insititution or organization calls for endless speakers and innumerable articles. The Fraternity or Sorority is speaker prone and always strong in the area of the printed word. As one who has been guilty on far too many occasions of speaking about Fraternities and writing about them, I am both fully aware of the trend and I am, I suppose, quite immodest about my own part in this phenomenon. We have all, at chapter houses, District Conclaves, General Conventions, and Interfraternity gatherings, heard the occasional speaker and the banquet speaker. This speaker might have been a college president, college dean, head of a foundation, president of a corporation, clergyman or government official. We have read our own magazine and the publications of other fraternities and sororities. Many of the articles could be switched from one magazine to another. Speaking in public has its genesis in giving one person the opportunity to say w hat he would say to each person in the crowd if there were time or opportunity. The one speaking to the m any is a form of economy and expediting conversation. The printed word is th a t means whereby the writer may call upon countless persons he cannot talk to, to read in type his expressions on some subject. The fraternity themes have to do with rushing, pledge-training, presentation of the ritual, scholarship, chapter financ'e and public relations with the administration, community and campus. When alumni come together they are usually told how well the old fraternity is doing, who the new officers are, why dues have been raised, and why the magazine didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell about the promotion of brother Jones to the presidency of the Acme Supervising ComÂ pany. At the interfraternity level there comes up for discussion the behavior of the foes of fraternities, government interference, selection of members, university housing, and the various ultim atum s th a t have been thrown in the teeth of fraternities and sororities. One who has spent a good many years w atching the fraternity system on our Continent and working with it at times is caused to do some serious thinking. He sometimes wonders about the 107

handling by speakers and writers of m any of the themes which are so well-known. In some moment of wild imagination, when he permits himself to break with tradition, he may wonder about questions like these. Why don’t fraternities hasten to get into institutions of higher learning in Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, the M aritime Provinces and for th a t matter, England, France, Germany and Sweden? Why is there not a push to develop chapters through the junior colleges? Why isn’t there a merger of more fraternities and sororities? Why is publicity so poorly handled on the total good done, and selfless service rendered by fraternities and sororities? This would run from help to handi capped children to hundreds of thousands of dollars of scholar ship assistance. Again, why is it th a t in the land of the free the one thing we should be most free for — our coming together with our most cherished friends and associates — should be almost immoral, indecent and sinful? Back to the theme of the fraternity speaker and writer, I venture to say th a t the one universally overlooked theme, and yet, most universally im portant, is recall. This is one of the greatest gifts chapter life and after-chapter life bequeath to one who is a member. It is recall with great satisfaction of being pledged, initiated and living in a chapter house. It is recalling chapter members, returning alumni, traditions and myths which were handed down. It is recalling great hours spent together, persons who enriched one’s life, mutual assistance, the bonds th a t held one together in an association of which he was justifiably proud. It is the recall of how much one would never have received or known had it not been for his fraternity membership. It m ight be th a t fraternity and sorority speakers and writers have neglected one of the most im portant things th a t the public should know about us. There are so many, m any things so well remembered by us who knew what it m eant to be in the dear old halls. October 1965

108

POSITIVELY SPEAKING

Fraternities came into being as the Greek Letter outgrowth of the College Literary Society. The early 19th Century was Classical oriented. The Greek influence was dom inant in college and university teaching and thinking in the United States. At first the fraternities were thought of as natural forms of student organization. There then followed a period when on some campuses fraternities had to exist sub rosa. This status ended, fraternities emerged, and a period of vast expansion and growth took place. World War I ended one concept of life in the United States and C anada which has disappeared into history. At the same time what was known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The F ratâ&#x20AC;? idea ceased to be. The major change in campus life began with Word War II and no end is in sight. Whither? is the question every educator and student is asking. Fraternities have always faced some opposition, animosity, hostility and antifraterntiy feeling. Some of this has been fully justified, but a great deal of it is completely ill-founded and, if studied, makes no sense. Probably the greatest error fraternities have made is to be on the defensive. They have tried to fend off those who have opposed them instead of paying little attention to such persons and making clear the positive record of fraternities at their best. Let us look at some of the positive things which can be said about sound, progressive, useful, creative fraternities. 1. Some of them have been in continuous existence for nearly a century and a half. 2. On many campuses for decades fraternities furnished the only decent housing and the only recreation on campus where they existed. They long predated dormitories, student centers, stadia and outing clubs. 3. Fraternities have spent millions and millions of dollars in providing housing. 4. The history of many colleges cannot be written without writing the history of a given chapter or chapters on th a t campus. 5. Fraternities provided a training ground for group dynamics, house management, leadership training, and competition. 6. Fraternities provided intercollegiate friendships and ex109

perience through chapters often on more than 100 other camÂ puses. 7. Fraternities provided members with a common experience of singing the same songs, wearing the same badges, taking the same vows, and receiving the same publications. 8. Fraternities provided a sense of on-goingness through the alumni of a chapter and certainly a most unique experience at its annual conventions. Through the latter there has been a mingling of men of different ages from different colleges and universities. From m any this has provided a rich and memorable experience. 9. The frate rn ities have done an enorm ous am ount of community, charitable and welfare work. This has extended from an entire chapter being blood donors to adopting orphan children on an adoption plan. 10. The list could be extended ad infinitum. Time and space do not permit such a procedure. Therefore, the final and most significant thing the fraternity has to say positively to society will conclude this Inter Fratres. The fraternity (and this can be said of countless of them) has produced men who have been the leaders in every walk of life. Let any college or university which has had fraternities take the roll of its alumni and see who have been its most loyal servants, most faithful alumni, largest donors and had the greatest number of buildings, fellowships and chairs named for them. The over-whelming percentage are fraternity men. The day is here when any person has the right not to join a fraternity and any educational institution has the right to ask fraternities to leave its campus. The day is also here when fraternity men should tell their story, produce their record, and make clear the tremendous contribution fraternities have made to the lives of their individual members and the enormous contriÂ bution these individual members have often made to the common good and life of man. November 1965

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A CANDLE OF UNDERSTANDING The Book of Esdras, found in two parts in THE APOCRYPHA, is not well known. However, some of the most inspiring thoughts ever expressed by man appear in the Books of THE APOCRYPHA as out-croppings of sensitive minds and hearts. So it is th a t the writer in Esdras speaks of, “A candle o f understanding in thine heart, which shall not be put out. ” It is interesting th a t the candle is used as a figure of speech, it is placed w ithin the heart, and it is stated th a t the light of the candle of understanding shall not be put out. As we evaluate the present fraternity situation there is probably no one who knows w hat the future holds. Let there be no doubt the future of fraternities can go one way or the other very quickly. Moreover, the wise person will be prepared for unexpected future developments. It does appear th a t the writer of Esdras has a message for us who are involved in fraternity life. He speaks of understanding which shall not be put out. There i« the danger th a t no end of trouble the fraternity suffers today revolves around understand ing. The negative side is misunderstanding. Perhaps this mis understanding has been given far too much support. Be th a t as it may there is no question th a t fraternities have been guilty of not trying to understand a College Adm inistration, the wild growth of the student population, changed mores, and the nature of their opponents. It is equally true th a t from the University standpoint there had been little understanding of the expenditure of effort and devotion on the part of sincere fraternity leaders. There has been lack of understanding of the graduate who still admires his fraternity, and the undergraduate who thinks fraternity men should not always be blamed for things which other members of the student body do without University condemnation. There has been a failure to understand th at many fraternity leaders admit fraternities are not perfect; nevertheless, they say nothing is perfect (education, government, politics, business, the church). In regard to their system they ask their opponents to propose a better one. They are like Bruce B airnfather’s Alf in the famous World War I cartoon who said to his companion in a shell hole in Flanders, “I f you can find a better ’ole, go to it.” The candle of understanding has to do with life of a given 111

chapter. It is here th a t the validity and value of fraternity membership is tested. Can the undergraduate understand not just the history and lore of his fraternity, but can he understand the duties and responsibilities which membership has brought? Can he understand th a t his fraternity is encouraging him to participate in total University life? Can he understand th a t he is supposed to be exemplary in his m anner and behavior, according to the ideals of his fraternity? Can he understand th a t he helps form the image his chapter gives? The indubitable fact remains th a t fraternity chapters must have enough understanding to realize th a t those who behold them often understand them by outward appearance alone. It therefore behooves the fraternity m an to show certain marks of refinement, dignity and culture which could be understood by those who saw them as being the traits of a person who was trying to make life a most valuable adventure. Finally, understanding depends very largely on another factor â&#x20AC;&#x201D; communication. One may understand his own feelings about his own fraternity membership and why he thinks college men should enjoy a similar experience, but can he make the person to whom he speaks understand w hat he is saying? One who has travelled extensively from campus to campus and addressed countless gatherings of undergraduates and pledges knows th a t in the first two or three minutes he m ust overcome the skepticism and â&#x20AC;&#x153;you show meâ&#x20AC;? of his audience. But once the speaker can communicate his understanding to those who are listening an amazing awakening takes place. So it is th a t this candle of understanding must be lighted. Once lighted it must be a candle th a t will burn, and which has within it the power to give a glow which cannot be put out because it is a light which man not only needs but must have. May 1966

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A FRUITFUL FIELD In the 17th chapter of Ezekiel there is a fascinating story. It has to do with the great eagle. It perched on the highest branches of a cedar. Cropping off the top young twigs it carried them into a land of traffic. It also took “the seed of the land and planted it in a fruitful field and by great w aters.” One can well think of the application of this ancient account to the College Fraternity. Beta Theta Pi began in Oxford, Ohio. It was “carried into a land of traffic.” Its seed was “planted” in more th an a hundred places, and it grew. The writer in Ezekiel uses a phrase which sounds beautiful, but arouses concern. He says “in a fruitful field and by great w aters.” Here is the meaning our Fraternity has found. The soil has to be ripe and fruitful for the life and development of a fraternity. First, time must afford a fruitful field. This was so for many decades. However, if our time or any future time is not fruitful for a fraternity, the fraternity should refuse to continue. A campus must provide a fruitful field. Where a campus is hostile to fraternities, takes away their right to be a fraternity and legislates them into a club with three Greek letters the fraternity should withdraw. There is no use in granting charters to groups which are not “a fruitful field.” The group which w ants us to conform to their demands is no bargain. The local group must provide soil in which the seed of our ideals will grow and bear fruit. But most im portant, the fraternity has had its largest meaning in lives in which there was “a fruitful field.” Frankly, a fraternity’s name is exalted by relatively few men who are its leaders over the decades. They personify the fruits of the seeds planted in their lives. All fraternities know “the great ones.” Beyond and above all the evident examples of w hat the fraternity has m eant to and done for those who have been its devotees are the undisclosed fruitful fields in thousands of lives. For one who has met with, corresponded with, and come to know, a large area of our membership there is the constant discovery of the seed th a t grew. 113

It is a bitter truth we face. No one to carry the seed, no fruitful field, nothing worth planting, and nothing worth growing -- the fraternity should wither and die. However, if the seed is wholesome, the field fruitful, then th a t seed carried to distant places and lives in succeeding generations, can spring up into fruits meet for thanksgiving. June 1966

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HAVE THEY LEARNED? On a Late Spring m om ingthe buzz of children at their lessons came through the open windows of a one-room school house near Concord, Mass. Through the open door stepped a m an the teacher greeted, “Good morning, Mr. Olcott. Won’t you speak to the children?” Olcott began, “ Children, w hat are you here for?” A little girl replied, “Sir, to learn.” “To learn w hat?” asked the guest. “To learn to behave,” volunteered a small boy. “To learn to behave how ? No answer came. “Children, you are here to learn to behave usefully, nobly and wisely.” The visitor departed, having made one of the greatest statem ents ever made on the reason for and the purpose of education. Standing on the steps of one of the early buildings at Amherst College, and looking across the valley before us, a friend said to me, “The men who made this college great chopped their own wood and carried their own water from the well.” Walter H avighurst closes The M iami Years with the statement, “It was here they lit the old lamps of learning and piety in a new country.” When St. Lawrence University was founded in 1856 the speaker said, “Here we will light a candle in the wilderness.” Agnes Sligh Turnbull, in The Rolling Years, tells of an Academy in Western Pennsylvania started by a Presbyterian m inister with two students about the time of the close of the Civil War. She says, “The boys from th a t academy were destined to be among the ministers, lawyers, captains of industry, judges and senators who thirty years later held the fortunes of the country in their hands.” Today we have the Multiversity. The campus is a city of huge buildings erected with Federal funds. Student enrollment reaches into the thousands. Grades are recorded by computers. Fraternity houses may cost $400,000. Chapters number a hundred or more members. Student protests and strikes are commonplace. College adm inistrations are often uneasy and uncertain. Fac ulties, with all their salary increases, are rarely the happy men who taught for a lifetime in a small church college. Students come as old young men. By fourteen years of age they have been to Europe and the Orient, seen everything, had everything, done 115

everything and known all the affects of affluence. So it is that, for the old young men, college holds no thrill or novelty and the fraternity can rarely be comprehended as it was by boys who came to college with far less. The words of Olcott hang over every campus and fraternity chapter. For the indubitable fact is th a t Amherst College, Miami University, St. Lawrence University and every university and college on our continent was founded th a t men and women m ight learn to behave usefully, nobly and wisely. This too, was the purpose of the Greek Letter Fraternity. Together in m utual bonds â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as a brotherhood â&#x20AC;&#x201D; young men were to learn behavior which in the world of their afteryears would make them citizens of the city of God and the city of men where usefulness, nobility and wisdom were exalted. The challenge to the university, college and fraternity is both exacting and inspiring. Have those who passed these portals learned to behave usefully, nobly, and wisely? This is the sine qua non, for a negative answer is the acknowledgment of failure or betrayal. October 1966

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TO BE BETTER M any Centuries Ago a m an named Elijah lived a turbulent life. He was finally cut down to size and confessed, “After all, I am no better than my fathers.” Elijah’s confession has singular m eaning to anyone who thinks about the college fraternity. Fraternities had Founders. It is right and honorable we should remember and praise their deeds. Through the years fraternity leaders and servants of stellar ability and devotion have crossed the horizon. Their names and deeds must not be blotted out. In all fraternities a few towering figures rise to give new m eaning and dynamics. Such men may appear each decade, each half century, or once in a century. They are historical facts. Also, one m an of unique gifts and insights may personify in his sole contribution the total meaning of the fraternity. The quality of such a person is almost mystique and charismatic. Elijah with his remark pulls us up with a jerk. Too much worship of the past is a mistake. All the Great Ones did not appear in earlier decades. Great Ones can be of the present. The line is not completed “once and for all.” We have to be in our day, or try to be, as good as our fathers. If possible, men must strive to be better th an their fathers. For this, time and again, true fathers have hoped for their children and their children’s children. Elijah makes real three things for the member of the University community and the college fraternity. The U niversity m an and the fraternity member must see clearly how these three insights will be a shaping force in their future. First, one’s heritage is large. Because it is also bequeathed by others it must be received with gratitude and forever cherished. Second, one m ust build through one’s own efforts w hat will add to the heritage which has come into his possession from those who went before him and passed it on as their testament. Third, one who stands with his feet in the present is required to understand the measure of his heritage and appreciate his own dedication and devotion toward its increased dimension. However, beyond these there is the further demand made upon one to pass 117

on to succeeding generations the heritage he holds. There are four necessary requirements for the full appreciation of the heritage held within the U niversity and fraternity. Men must have the vision to recognize w hat this heritage means. They m ust have the courage to lay hold upon it in their own lives. Having made it a possession of their own they m ust have the power not to lose it. And finally, m an m ust himself try to translate this heritage into life. “After all, I am no better th an my fathers” — perhaps so — maybe not as good — but the challenge persists — we must try to be better than our fathers. Jan u ary 1967

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THE MORE DESIRABLE DEMONSTRATION

So They Came Together. There were eight of them. It was long ago in a little college in a small town in our expanding West. They came together at night by prearrangem ent to carry out serious business. They met this night as eight young men to found a fraternity and to make vows which would last through life. Looking back to this night later generations would say, “And so our Fraternity was born.” This happened hundreds of times and in hundreds of places. They were different groups and the original number of men differed, but overall their purposes were the same. They wanted a fraternity in which brotherhood would be the binding tie. Looking back we say, “And so Greek Letter Fraternities were born.” These founders took the noblest name they could conceive. They fashioned a motto which would express their loftiest thoughts and intentions. They wrote rules which were to be obeyed because they had deep significance for one’s conduct" They chose three or four towering ideals to be their lodestars. They said we join together in allegiance and loyalty to one another. They said we are now brothers through our vows. They developed a ritual which was to impress upon the initiates the lasting meaning of becoming part of the brotherhood. Intellect must be cultivated. Character must grow in stature. Mutual aid and assistance must be the signs and seals. Truth, honor, loyalty, nobility, trust, devotion, and affection were to be promoted and exalted. Reverence for God and man was the crowning virtue. Over the years these brotherhoods grew. Men loved and served them and found in them a precious part of the experience of life. Today on campus after campus disorder, disrespect, yes, nihil istic groups are active and almost terrorizing. Those who compose these groups seek to destroy the educational system. They have no regard for decency or positive aims. They eschew the past, tradition, ideals, men of character and vision. W hat they perform they refer to as dem onstrating. Their demands disrupt. Their very appearance as they march and carry 119

their placards is an agonizing and frightening spectacle. So fraternities, for so long the target of malice and attack, now begin to look different. Compare the dem onstration of the fraÂ ternity to the demonstration of those who on the University campus seek to destroy. The dem onstration of the fraternity is silent and inward. Every fraternity has tau g h t its members to uphold and exalt university, learning, ideals, right conduct, enduring values, and high aims. The sensible m an will thank God th a t long ago there were founders of Greek Letter college fraternities. These fraternities over the years have professed and preserved ideals. These fraternities have developed real leaders of men who have taken their place in life and have been the builders of nation, comÂ munity, home, church, and moral force. February 1967

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FROM THESE DOORS

The City looked seedy and grimy. It was only forty miles from a great metropolis and it had never gotten over being a poor relation where small plants and factories had been built. But there was in the center of the city a very old college. The red sandstone buildings were ancient. Later, additional buildings had been erected. They were nondescript or hideous. (Now a new campus was being built ten miles away.) The street was lined on both sides with large detached frame houses dating back to the turn of the century. In these houses the propserous of the city had once lived. Now for decades these had been the “fraternity houses” of the college. Today these houses and the grounds around them were far from inviting. To be frank the street had run down and it all made one think of a dirty, tired child who needed to be given a bath and put to bed. Inside these houses the floors as one entered from the porch were covered with worn carpets. The rooms had over-stuffed furniture with breaks in the leather. Rickety lamps stood around and the marks of hard use and wear were on everything. The dining room was furnished with austere tables and chairs. It smelled of decades of food. The former card room was now the TV room. In the basement there was a so-called game room and the collection of things no longer useful but not discarded. The second and third floors had bedrooms which only an undergraduate could so disorganize and there in retreat study, sleep, and perfect idleness to a degree which a t this point in his life must have been for him a simulation of Nirvana. Three hundred miles away amid green hills a small village with a very old small college nestled on the valley floor. The buildings were uniformly beautifully Colonial. Two or three buildings of “heaven knows w hat” had been added, but now had come the modern functional to rob the scene of its uniqueness and to break the spell of loveliness. On the broad street, high on terraces stood enormous columned Neo-Classic houses -- Fraternity Row. The grounds around the houses were well kept. Inside on the first floor there were spacious rooms with fireplaces and inviting and comfortable furniture. The dining room offered attractive tables which at meal time were 121

attended by waiters. Maids kept the upstairs rooms and made the beds. These were only two of hundreds of places where chapters of Greek Letter college fraternities “lived, moved, and had their being.” Forth from these houses over m any years had come: Men who would look back on their four years in their chapter as one of the most priceless experiences of their lives. Men who in the world of affairs would again and again identify themselves by the name of their fraternity. Men who would devotedly serve their college. Men who would become officers and leaders of their fraternity. Men who would never forget the impression the ideals of their fraternity had made upon them when they were boys in their late teens. Men who learned w hat deep, abiding, unbroken, rich, and inspiring friendship can be. Men who here learned th a t in brotherhood men can accomplish things which no man would ever w ant to accomplish alone or could. Forth from these doors came m any men who would never think of their chapters again. Men who would say, “I never took much interest in my fraternity and I have never been active in it.” Yes, forth from these doors came men with all the differences found in the commonalty of man, but the fact rem ains and it is now a part of university and history th a t the Greek Letter fraternity has had a large part in building men. Forth from hundreds of houses standing near the campus of hundreds of universities have come men who if they were asked to name possessions in life most real and cherished by them would say, “My membership in my fraternity.” October 1967

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PEDESTRIAN VIRTUES Fraternities from their birth have been inseparably bound to ideals. We can say th a t the name, motto, pass word, and obligations of every fraternity relate to ideals. Over the years fraternities have emphasized ideals. Fraternity speakers have extolled ideals. The avowed purpose of fraternities is to develop young men who will follow ideals. It has often seemed to me th a t as much as we m ust believe in and look to ideals we all too often overlook something which in a sense is equal to the value and importance of ideals. T hat something is dedication to and unself-conscious commitment to pedestrian virtues. These are the virtues one carries with him every hour on the sidewalks, the highways, the roads, and the by-ways. Let us think of some pedestrian virtues fraternity men could well wear as they wear their badge. Friendliness Toward Persons One Meets. Friendliness conquers the im personality of life. We are not talking of intim acy or brashness, but of a friendliness which is recognized for w hat it is, but which carries such dignity and reserve it would not be imposed upon or treated lightly. To Keep A Nature Which Is Unspoiled.To be one the world’s slow stain cannot tarnish. To be unspoiled by the noise, din, dirt, and traffic of our cities. To be natural with others, unspoiled by success, affluence, hardship, disappointment, and failure. Not to lose one’s unself-consciousness. To Be A Neighbor Of Honorable Coracem.This does not mean a meddler, busybody, do-gooder, or lady bountiful. It means concern for everyone in his joy, success, sorrow, and trials -concern for the neighborhood in which men live. To Work For A Better Community.This calls for common understanding, sympathy, cooperation, and loyalty. It is courag eous upholding of laws and of those things which are clean and decent and can be respected by all men. To Think O f Each Person As O f Great Importance. No one is insignificant. Every person one meets may be the most im portant person in the world. No one knows w hat genius is. It has eluded man as to how there will come, out of oblivion, towering figures of h i s t o r y . No o n e c a n e v e r e x p l a i n h o w u n k n o w n people of London arose to such heights in the Blitz. If Winston 123

Churchill was great, there was something equally great in the unnamed and unsung of th a t embattled city. To See The Spirit Within The Institution. Beyond the outward appearance of the university is the spirit of teaching and learning. Beyond the outward appearance of the church is the true church of holiness, awe, and saintliness. Inside of houses are homes. To See Big Values. The tragedy is th a t so m any persons have no values or mean values. A real person has found great values which shape, guide, inspire, and bless his life and the lives of others. To Be Moved By The More Perfect Wi//.Beyond philosophy, science and theology there is a spirit, a life, a light which, invisibly moving through men, can turn pedestrian walks into highways of thought and experience. To Know N othing Surpasses Love.By this we mean love which is secure in the Infinite. Love which endures sickness and sin. Love which does not fail in danger and death. Love for others who like ourself are finite and temporal. Let us strive for and ever uphold ideals and let us know ourself as one who in his daily life carries with him and puts into operation pedestrian virtues. Jan u ary 1968

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OBLITERATED

George F. Kennan in a profound and memorable statem ent made during an address at Swarthmore College said, “Respect for the law is not an obligation obliterated by the willingness to accept the penalty for breaking it.” T hat is a powerful assessment of the ground upon which any democratic society and hum an freedom must take their stand. Every word of this classic and highly moral judgm ent from Mr. K ennan should be weighed over and over. Think of the words in their individual meaning --respect -law - obliterated - willingness - accept -penalty -breaking. Perhaps much thought should be given to the word obliterate. For m any years persons in our nation have deliberately been trying to obliterate all sense of loyalty and patriotism for our government, flag and laws, and wrongly thinking th a t if they went to jail (and were martyrs), they had fulfilled a lofty duty. But, of course, they had n ’t! They had wiped out only themselves as guarantors of our nationhood. They had not obliterated the great principles of national self-hood. Strange it is th a t persons who have often received the most advanced benefits, made possible only because of the type of society developed in the United States and Canada, have been the first to destroy th a t which provided them their opportunity. N othing is more obtuse in hum an nature than the hum an being who would obliterate the system which gives him the opportunity to be the obnoxious person he is and even tolerates him in his ranting and raving. One cannot obliterate the duty as an enrolled student in a great university or college to uphold in an orderly m anner the teaching and learning process, even if one is willing to be suspended and kicked out of college. No provocative acts of lawbreaking and unruliness obliterate the steady burning of the lamp to knowledge lighted long ago among ancient people in far-off lands for it is a lamp th a t will continue to burn and its light cannot be put out permanently by the undisciplined. One cannot obliterate the history, standing, contribution, life long friendships and cherished experiences of fraternal life by negating his membership. He cannot do it by wishing to rid the campus of fraternities when he has nothing of equal of superior value to offer to fill the vacuum their departure would leave. One who has grown up in some of the great cities knows the 125

threat and danger to decency and safety caused by an element best described as “young punks.” The two nations in which our Fraternity has chapters in the ever-expanding and now gargan tuan system of higher education m ust be keenly aware of a sobering fact of modern life. It is th a t there can be “intellectual punks” too. They are often recognized in those who refuse to uphold law and order and believe their obligation to do so is obliterated by their being carried off in a patrol wagon and placed in jail. June 1968

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LISTEN TO THE BIRDS At the height of the riots in April a day of burning and looting was coming to a close. It was dusk made earlier by the pall of smoke hanging over the city from nearly one hundred fires. I had looked over the city many times th a t day, too heartsick, too shocked, too disconsolate to express w hat I felt. I went to my window again to look out over the tortured city, wondering w hat the night would bring. As I stood at my window a bird began to sing his evening song. I had heard th a t song each spring I had lived in W ashington and now it came again through the dusk, smoke and fear which gripped our N ation’s Capital. As I stood listening to the song of the bird I thought how these notes defy the violence, destruction and m adness of man. This bird was of a species which for centuries had found its way South and then by some mysterious instinct back North. It knew it was giving its call. Soon small beaks with tiny pieces of paper and thread would build nests. Eggs would-be laid and another brood would hatch. The cycle of life would go on and succeeding generations would sing their song above the chaos, confusion and clamor of man. I thought as I stood there how far men have strayed. We were endowed with bodies which could be “temples of God.” We m utilate and destroy them in war, violence and self-abuse. We were given minds to be trained to be used in the service of hum anity. Yet trained minds become as warped as those which have had no education. We were given spirits to rejoice in things pure, beautiful and holy, but we scratch obscenities on walls, print filth and befoul the air with vulgarities. We have th at mysterious thing which men call a soul. No one knows w hat it is or where it is, but tied to it is m an’s homing instinct to God. Also within his soul man knows right from wrong. He knows he is different from other anim als and th a t his Creator has given him special endowments. Yet knowing this, m an has wandered far away from the paths of righteousness. Only the strong and the brave can stand for those things th a t will never bring public recognition, shouts or plaudits from the throng, but are like the notes of the bird. These are the things without which man cannot survive. These are the things which keep the race in existence and without them the end is not far away. 127

Like the song of the bird heard through the smoke and haze of fire and dwindling day there is in every ordinary m an of good will and honorable purpose the extraordinary characteristics which the Psalm ist may have had in mind when he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;He h ath made thee a little lower than the angels.â&#x20AC;? The extraordinary gifts are perpetually in m an and instinctively in him as the m igration of the bird and his spring song are perpetual and instinctive. The extraordinary m an knows life m ust go on. Seasons must come and go. Generations rise and fall and pass away. Of the faithfulness of God there is no end for those who give their hearts to Him. There is nothing more beautiful th an perpetual acts of kindness toward others, giving of self for others, humility of spirit, hatred of evil and love of good. As I stood listening to the song of the bird I thought when will men rise in their majesty? When will they know th a t we all are born and die? When will they know th a t we are the same and cannot escape the chains of our hum anity, even if we would? In the long last there is no hope or salvation until men know their good is a common good. The Faith of our church again rises out of almost insignificant status to proclaim its eternal message -- with God there must be Universal Salvation. September 1968

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THOUGHTS ON COURTESY Strange to say as we talk about our vices and our virtues we do not often hear sermons on courtesy. I have never preached on the subject. I choose this topic because it is my belief th a t the bedrock of m anners must always give the intim ation of an ingrained spirit, attitude and m anner which rest on courtesy. There is the courtesy of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s religion. Each person confesses w hat to him is his religion, but on an historic scale we cannot think of great and wonderful religions lacking in courtesy. Take one of the greatest religious and spiritual leaders of all time, Jesus of Nazareth. He was not a bore, oaf, impolite, indecent or a crude person. To be sure he was sharp in dealing with some persons he met and called some of them hypocrites and vipers, but he leaves the impression of the courteous person. Consider how he dealt with Mary Magdalene, Mary and M artha, and the Woman of Sam aria. Behold him at the Last Supper with his Disciples and standing alone in the Judgm ent Hall. No m an in the ministry of this country influenced his time more th an Phillips Brooks. As a young m an I knew older men who had known him. In conversation my friends never failed to refer to Phillips Brooks without speaking of his charm and courtesy to persons, no m atter who they were. There is the courtesy of a reply -- this is response to kind deeds, acts and gestures. It is reciprocating or rendering back good will, affection and kindness as a m atter of courteous response. The courteous person is polite, but he is also eager to be polite not because he w ants recognition, but because his politeness is a form of self-giving to other persons. No excuse can exonerate the person who does not reply when good m anners require one. I have written hundreds of letters of sympathy, congratulations, encouragement and appreciation but very, very rarely have I received the courtesy of an acknowÂ ledgment. This applies not just to young people, but to adults, college presidents, professors, clergymen, cabinet members and members of Congress. I have to conclude th a t m any persons are often disgracefully indifferent to the feelings of other persons and to building courteous relationships. The United States of America can become a nation of crude, ill-bred, discourteous hum an beings if persons surrender to 129

selfishness, self-centeredness, laziness, I-don’t-care and “I ’m too busy to go out of my way to be courteous.” The courtesy of being uncomfortable. Very often being courteous means th a t for a time one can suffer boredom with good grace. The world is full of tiresome people. They are irritating and annoying, but they should not be the victims of discourtesy. This means a t times being annoyed. There are so m any annoying people but often one is tested to continue as a courteous person even though he feels for the moment hounded and harassed. Being courteous carries with it now and then the penalty of uncomfortableness caused by being imposed upon. The courtesy of kindness. Mobocracy is a terror. For in the mob kindness goes and no one knows the meaning of courtesy. No m atter how just some of the grievances of m an may be, when kindness and courtesy are disregarded tragedy awaits. In these agonizing times much needs to be done. Each day each person can do much by refusing to phase out m anners. The courteous m an can be one of the most helpful men. He can bring calm and comfort to his fellowmen. Above all, if a m an is courteous, it tells other persons a great deal about th a t m an’s religion. Jan u ary 1969

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WHAT IS AUTHORITY? Early in my ministry an elderly gentlemen asked me, “W hat is authority?” I have never forgotten th a t question or fully resolved it. I have thought of it thousands of times and persistently with the challenge of authority today -- governmental -- civic -ecclesiastical -- parental -- educational. By a negative approach we get some m eaning about authority if we ask, “Without authority where does m an go?” Imagine no authority in any nation, no authority in our nation, city life. The race would plunge to self destruction. I began a pastorate near Boston when fresh in the minds of people was the Police Strike which carried Calvin Coolidge, Governor of M assachusetts, to the White House. It did because thirty minutes after the police struck Boston Common was a scene of terror -- thugs, hoodlums, thieves ram pant without authority to control them. Persons who saw th a t applauded a Governor who took action to end it. The challenge of authority is seen in cities, on TV screens and in news media. Not only governments and universities, but Organizations, Unions, Fraternities, Political Parties, have felt the challenge of authority. There are young people who challenge a government which carries on a war which they think immoral and inhum an. Stuffy universities with untouchable adm inistrations and faculties were ripe for the challenge from students who felt stultified. The church has been challenged by persons who think its requirements archaic. Young people have left home as a challenge against the “old m an” and a mother who lived in another age. One cannot live without authority. But w hat is authority? For Roman Catholics it can be the Church, for some Protestants the Bible --Scriptural authority, in Islam the Koran, in C hristian Science the writings of Mrs. Eddy, for Quakers the Inner Light. For some, authority is conscience. I agree in part, but it is dangerous. Whose conscience? W hat about those with no con science -- murderers, rapists, thieves? No people can endure if they are obsessed with challenging authority and never accepting the self-discipline of living under authority which justly; equally, reasonably, developed out of experience and wisdom for the good of all. Anarchy cannot 131

provide progress or survival. In its desire to do away with organizations with authority it must contradict itself and organize into its own warped and curious Establishm ent. I accept authority as a safeguard, guarantee and discipline. I love my country. I believe its two hundred million people must accept the authority of the Constitution and those elected by democratic process. I accept the authority of a city government as the best way for all --black, white, rich, poor, educated, ignorant, to continue. Being a member of a club I accept its rules. Everyone in the club can ’t do as he pleases. There cannot be the chaos of perpetual challenge of gentlemanly conduct. A university has to have an adm inistration and trustees who have authority if it is to continue. It is asinine to think it can be run by students - who are students. Persons who have served a fraternity h alf a century are not enthusiastic about someone who has been a member a year and finds its authority must be challenged. Such a person should be told this fraternity would not be here if m any had not preserved it carried it on, and guaranteed your membership. If you are not at home with the authority you feel is so out-moded, you have the right to form your own organization, but don’t endeavor to ruin ours. He who comes to join our fraternity should remember it has been getting ready for thirteen decades to receive him. He would do well to believe in building it up and not tearing it down. Most people in the United States and C anada are good, decent, kind, and for m aintaining the fabric of society. One trouble is good people are not activists doing their stuff for the things they know are safeguards of civilized society. LIFE M agazine said, “We have to know the most valuable treasures m an can have, be guardians of them and defend them with good conscience.” M argaret Kennedy, the author, tells of a woman who “turned a brutal occasion into a civilized proceeding and made it possible for everyone to behave decently.” The authority in which I believe is not oppressive, dictatorial, cruel or coersive. It is the product of hum an experience and a regulator for turning brutality into civilized proceedings wherein everyone behaves decently. Progress comes through fearless revision of an established order, but the worst mistake one can make is to confuse destruction with revision and be deluded into thinking anarchy is a substitute for authority. June 1969

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INFINITE ORDER AND WISDOM One of the most profound thinkers in the mid-twentieth century was Reinhold Niebuhr. His influence as a teacher, writer, speaker, preacher, theologian and philosopher was enormous. He affected a whole generation of young men then entering the m inistry or some form of social work or teaching. His books were numerous. His appearances were multitudinous and his presence would fill any college chapel. Reinhold Niebuhr was a dynamic mind. He did not hold stubbornly to worn-out ideas but, in fact, often moved from one position to another. However, through all his speaking, writing and teaching there was always his certain reliance on bedrock foundations which testified to the fact th a t m an is man, hum anity is hum anity, and God is God. He had the gift of putting m any of his profound ideas in epigrammatic form. It may be th a t one needs only eight or ten towering thoughts which are grounded in the Universe itself to guide one through life with assurance, direction, conviction and faith. In the 25th Anniversary issue of TIME Magazine (March 8,1948) Dr. Niebuhr pointed with incisive insight to a strange crisis m an faces. In substance he said man sinned by denying his finiteness and by his refusal to understand his freedom. N othing is more finite, temporal and mortal th an man. No creature so tries to push aside his finite nature as does conscious man. This is evidenced in arrogance and pridefulness which seem to be indigenous to the nature of man. Think of this in different stages. The child does not have the capacity to understand finiteness. The young person full of energy, passion and physical strength does not think he is finite. With the heady stuff many experience in college -- athletic hero, beauty queen, super-scholar -- there is not much bending to oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finiteness. The Junior Executive rapidly rising or the young professional m an making giant strides is not concerned with his finiteness. The middle aged man, who has attained success and m aterial possessions, just begins to see the shadow of finiteness. M an is to be pitied because he is so finite and it takes him so long to learn it, if he does. It could well be th a t the cure of m any of our maladies will not be found in m any of the proposals and programs for society, but in man himself when in his finiteness he 133

sees his place and conducts his life against the background of an Infinite Order and Wisdom. Freedom is m an’s greatest blessing and a t the same time his greatest challenge. The ageless cry for freedom has been uttered by all men. Men w ant to be free and they should be free, but this does not solve the problem or conclude the story. The fact is th a t when m an denies w hat freedom involves he becomes a libertine and often causes society trouble, to say nothing of himself. Freedom has to be understood, m anaged and handled by man. If man denies th a t his freedom does not entail duties, responsibilities and self-discipline, he is in grave difficulty. The freedom so often expressed in our generation is a misnomer. It is a m iscarriage of freedom. It does not take into account or act upon the principle th a t only he is free who sees his freedom as a guardian for the highest hum an impulses and loftiest aims of society. We m ust not confuse freedom with destruction, freedom with anarchy, freedom with a cruel assault upon those things which have endured out of hum an experience because of their rightness in the institutions and establishm ents of civilized ways. Again the Bible is to be taken seriously. “The true beginning of wisdom is the desire for discipline.” It may not be the most cheerful or easiest thought to hold, but we m ight well paraphrase the Biblical insight -- “The true beginning of wisdom is the desire to know we are finite and how to handle our finiteness in such a grand scheme as life and how to assure ourself th a t our freedom makes us and others free and does not lead to insidious thraldom .” September 1969

134

WHAT WILL WE BECOME? H arry Emerson Fosdick, who died in October 1969 at the age of 91, was one of America’s greatest preachers. Throughout his adult life he was a major influence in the lives of countless persons. His preaching was masterful, his teaching at Union Theological Seminary inspiring, his adm inistration of Riverside Church wise, and his books stim ulating and enlightening. The thing he deserved most credit for was his character, humility and exemplary life. It would be impossible to catalog all the profound insights Dr. Fosdick shared with others. When I heard of his death there came to mind something he often said. He believed not only in w hat m an had been and is, but in w hat m an could become. He would quote, “Being now the sons of God, we cannot guess w hat we yet shall be. ” He held before men this thought of w hat they m ight be, grow into, develop into and become. The Greek letter college fraternity, is undergoing a difficult era. There is solace in remembering fraternities throughout their history have known difficult periods. There has never been a time when they haven’t had to face opposition, hostility, hatred, bias, and prejudice. There have been those who were against fraterni ties, who wanted to get rid of them, and who attacked them. For nearly two hundred years there have been college fratern ities. BAIRD’S MANUAL must impress any reader with the extent, organization, distribution and membership of fraternities. No one can deny fraternities have had devoted servants, enthusi astic members, and persons who have cherished their membership throughout life. There are those who believe the contribution of fraternities to college men and women was enormous and th a t it will be difficult to find their equal in campus organizations and campus life if fraternities cease to be. Today when fraternities are facing disruptive and revolutionary forces such as our nation has never seen there is reason to ask whether they can survive. Some persons feel they are obsolescent, useless, and fit only for memories. It is foolish to be casual or doctrinaire. Fraternities are a long way from their demise and for those who would put them to death there are those equally vehement and dedicated to keep them alive. Fraternities have traditions. They have histories. They have 135

written records. Memory peoples their mystic shrine. T hat which has gone before has w arm th and meaning. There have been persons in fraternities whose lives have inspired others. The present is important. A fraternity must renew itself with each entering class. A fraternity is competing for cam pus standing. It lives in the present through activities and programs. The insistence Dr. Fosdick placed on becoming may be one of the im portant keys to fraternity existence. It m ay be a key not used enough. W hat will a fraternity become? W hat will a chapter become? W hat will a fraternity member become? Will fraternities become influences in the changing campus scene? Will they make above average students? Will they become known for morals and decency? Will they become servants of useful service in their community? Will they become known by their good fruits? Will they become builders of men? Will they become introducers of new thoughts and ideas? Will they become a dom inant influence in shaping a responsible and accountable democratic society? Will they become positive forces in sound education? Will they become builders of agencies which serve humanity? Will they become such im portant factors in building the future th a t they are needed? Will they become upholders of morality, ethics, ideals, and reverence? Maybe such talk is unrealistic. Yet fraternities have had this influence and Dr. Fosdick m ight be a guide to teach us again th a t the im portant thing about institutions and men is -- w hat will theybecome? January 1970

136

INSTANT BUSYNESS

A MEMBER of My church was a faithful attendant. Sundays after the service as I greeted the congregation he would say, “Let’s have luncheon together -- I ’ll call you.” We never had luncheon because he never called. I have tried to understand why anyone would say the same thing in ritualistic m anner Sunday after Sunday and never act upon it. The passage of time has added similar cases to my experience. Persons like the m an who constantly proposed th a t we have luncheon are sincere. They have to eat. They intend to telephone, but never do. Why is it? No doubt m any persons say things out of h ab it with no intention of putting the pleasantry into reality. People say the perfunctory thing and in an instant forget it. As I have thought of this weekly suggestion of a meeting for luncheon and a decade in which it never happened, I think it is part of a m alady which I call “In stan t preoccupation, in stan t forgetfulness, and instant busyness.” For example, everyone knows there has been a decrease in persons visiting their friends, telephone to inquire about someone, answering letters and writing acknowledgments of gifts and kindnesses. The reasons are m any in our urban life. However, we should look to w hat is happening in terms of the disintegration of individual and group relationships. Lodges, which once brought persons of the community together as brothers; the church which made one feel he belonged and was affiliated; and long time neighbors who rarely moved away, have all largely disappeared. Young people complain th a t parents won’t listen to them. Students say college adm inistrations won’t listen to them, and in general no one seems to be listening. I wish I knew how to reach persons who never enter the church, and young people who fade away and with whom I can have no association because they will not have it. Walter Lippmann, now eighty years old, said he would like to have more association with young people, but young people were not interested in older people and were hardly aware of the existence of an older generation. There are persons who would like a return to closer hum an relationships in community, 137

church and neighborhood, but the mood of life is against it. Many factors contribute to this breakdown in individual and group relationships -- one of the most obvious is television which poses one of the gravest problems today. It can take all of one’s time and m any persons feel th a t they do not w ant to miss much of w hat it offers. It adds to the isolation of persons before the screen and results in further breakdowns of relationships with others. The experience with my friend who was always suggesting we have lunch together, said he would call, but never did, carries a lesson. It is th a t we should make an effort to continue friendships. We should not say things we don’t mean. We should not be “in stant livers” captivated by the preoccupation and busyness of the moment. We should not be a weather vane turning with every breeze. We should persist in carrying out good intentions. In considering the breakdown in hum an relations we might ask the New Testam ent question, “Is it I Lord?” Do I really w ant to be left alone and leave others alone? W hat can possibly be gained by not enjoying the companionship of others? Can a solitary life be compared to brotherhood and fellowship? Which shall we choose -- isolation or renewal of more friendly activities, more intim ate living and more time together while the opportunity exists? “Let’s have luncheon together.” “When?” “I ’ll call you.” April 1970

138

BROTHERHOOD

A visit with a friend who had been a member of the Fraternity as long as I brought the remark from him, “You don’t hear much about ‘brotherhood’ anymore.” The statem ent continued to puzzle me. “Brotherhood” -- w hat is it? We hear about “the brotherhood of m an.” In the Old Testam ent there are illustrations of brotherhood and in the New Testam ent such references as, “Love the brotherhood.” Lodges and fraternal orders, numerous and widespread, have based their existence on “brotherhood.” The statement, “You don’t hear much about ‘brotherhood’ anymore,” was a comment about a climate in the college fraternity. This was an accurate observation in the sense th a t in the Greek Letter College Fraternity today brotherhood is not dom inant in the thought of members. One of the reasons is growth of population. The enormity of cities, crowds, student bodies has pushed into the background the sense of belonging, closeness, bonds, ties, and fraternal spirit. Eight young men in 1839 at Miami could feel they were brothers, and such feeling was a reality when colleges and chapters were small. Pascal, a most religious man, said, “There is no word which can be so easily used and mean nothing by it as God.” Brotherhood can be used as a word by persons who do not understand its meaning and whose behavior is contrary to it. Often great words of our language are the easiest to use as a m ark of noble conversation, but frequently one cannot discover w hat the user means. At the time of M ahatm a G andhi’s death Walter Lippmann wrote a classic editorial on saints and sainthood. The thesis was th a t the saint is above the masses. The sain t is needed by the general body of persons to show an example of an ideal the population knows is pure, noble and holy, but which is rarely exemplified at a pedestrian level. There is a comparison between the saint and brotherhood. Brotherhood is the fraternity’s reason for being. A fraternity is a brotherhood, yet in a chapter there may exist rivalries, dislikes, quarrels, cliques, and animosities. In the membership of a general fraternity there may be fissures, rifts, chasm s breaking 139

the smooth plane of the ideal of brotherhood. Brotherhood is an ideal higher than the daily operation where men’s feet are. It is a beautiful ideal frequently threatened by brutal facts. In spite of all one may say about the cliche' of brotherhood, sham attached to it, unfortunate examples of behavior in fraternal bodies, and the tide of materialism which drowns ideals, brother hood exists. It is an im portant fact. It should not be discarded, thrown away, or sneered out of court. In a chapter one can derive from his chapter’s continuity the feeling th a t over the years men were held together by a badge, name and vows which grew out of brotherhood. The chapter within the fraternity is founded on the desire to be with other men who found th a t brotherhood had meaning. Brotherhood is paradoxically ephemeral, but not unrealistic. It has value which men exalt in speech and song. Its power wonder and undeniable right to be, if men were only good enough to put it into practice, go on through time. Brotherhood is a cement which binds men together. It is a desired quality, although often treated like an outcast. Its totality does not exist among all men at all time or among all fraternities and all chapters at all time, or among even the two or three gathered together at all times. Brotherhood may not be shouted from the housetops, but it is strength and power in men who believe in its enduring beauty and quality. Brotherhood is an ideal. It is a point of assent among persons of good will. It is an unseen spirit in the hearts of those who feel and love deeply. It is known by all who say, “We are members one of another.” Without it life would be less, with it life is more. It is limited, yet unlimited. It often seems to be absent having vanished, but of its power it lives in fraternal bonds of those who know th a t brotherhood can never die as long as there is the experience expressed in the Book of Genesis -- “And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said I am Joseph your brother.” June 1970

140

“OPPOSE AND PROPOSE”

Eric Sevareid in a commentary referred to a French philosopher who said th a t youth is usually right in w hat it opposes and usually wrong in w hat it proposes. Each m ust make his own judgm ent as to the philosopher’s observation. More interesting for consideration is the understanding of w hat persons “oppose” and “propose. ” Since the Second World War the mood and action expressed in opposition have come down on society like an avalanche. When something is swept away in the social, political, economic or spiritual order by those who oppose, w hat is it in its place they propose? The history of the Greek Letter College Fraternity carries on every page the account of how someone has always opposed them. It is remarkable fraternities have survived the opposition from those who would sweep them out of existence. From the founding of fraternities there were those who opposed their emergence. Anti-fraternity sentim ent has come from those who have not been members and occasionally from persons who resigned from membership. Fraternities have been opposed on the basis they were exclusive, snobbish, undemocratic, and selective. The m ain opposition has been to the right of fraternities to choose their own members. Again, they have been opposed because they were Christian, white, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, black. In other words, opposition has come when anyone has thought a particular group composition of a fraternity excluded him. This is often expressed in the battle against restrictive clauses and the unanimous vote for membership. This has been the standard around which to gather fraternity oppo sition. Fraternities have been opposed, and often rightly so, because of their misdemeanors, indecent behavior, and ideas of something “th a t was funny.” They have been opposed for taking too much time from study and an interest in broad college life. There are other reasons opposition has mounted its anti-fraternity attack. Not by way of excuse, but to keep balanced thought, a person of integrity admits some creditability in the complaints, but knows there is no perfect system be it a nation, government, college, church or individual life. The targets of those who have opposed and do oppose fraternities are well known. No one has been permitted to have any doubts 141

about the objectionable nature seen by those who oppose. W hat is proposed in a climate where fraternities do not exist is another matter. About all one can honestly do is draw an im aginary picture. The composition of th a t picture would be something like this. It is proposed th a t students belong to organizations which have no general or national affiliation. This is expressed by many persons who feel the national fraternity idea is a campus interference. Instead of chapter houses where members of fraternities have arranged their own living there will be university assigned living units. The residents of these dormitories and houses will be residents. Group tradition which members of fraternity chapters have known will not be found, for this kind of tradition has been extinguished. The ideals commonly recognized and around which fraternities were founded will no longer be in existence. There will be no continuing chapter organization where officers are elected, given training through responsibility, and no chapter meetings. There will be no fraternity songs which other men for a century in more than a hundred chapters of a given fraternity have sung. There will be no alumni relationships. There will be no general conventions, there will be no pride in building and furnishing a chapter house and keeping it a credit to the college community. The friendships made and lasting through life in fraternal bonds will become only a memory and then lost. No group will continue with its Greek name, its chapter letters, and its part in building up an association in which men find rich rewards and never fail to look back upon the days which fraternity membership alone has provided hundreds and thousÂ ands of men and women in the United States and Canada. The answer lies with each person who faces life today. W hat do I oppose? If I can end its existance, w hat in its place do I propose? September 1970

142

COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE At the time of the death of Vincent Lombardi numerous tributes came from persons in various walks of life. Edward Bennett Williams, renowned trial lawyer, teacher of law, and President of the W ashington Redskins, was shaken by the death of his intimate and dear friend. I heard Mr. Williams make the statement which was printed in newspapers and magazines. He said, “More th an any other m an I have ever known he was committed to excellence in everything he attempted. Because he was so com mitted he was able to lead other men to commit and to discipline themselves to reach heights of which they had never dreamed.” In hearing the statem ent by Mr. Williams and reading it several times I thought of our Fraternity. There came to me the old conviction I have had th a t the young men who founded Beta Theta Pi were “committed to excellence in everything they attem pted.” This was true of their founding idealism, their spoken and written words, and the example they set. Following them our Fraternity had men who in their time were committed to excellence. The Fraternity was permeated with a spirit which gave it the drive toward excellence. Our membership had the highest goals and aims and seemed to be captured by a vision of excellence in the performance of men’s lives and through them the performance of the Fraternity. In our history there has been an unwritten code which has had to do with men committing and disciplining themselves as a wise way of living. One may wonder how w ithin our membership so many men have been successful in their undertakings as profes sional men, businessmen, or men committed to public service or philanthropic endeavor. There was in these men commitment and self-discipline. No one will deny th a t in our Fraternity there have been episodes, incidents, and practices which have been immoral, indecent, and disgraceful. The Fraternity has had its share of uncommitted and undisciplined persons who instead of bringing honor to themselves have brought only sorrowful disapproval from their fellowmen. Nevertheless, there is within our history a long line of men who have committed their lives and the course of the Fraternity to most honorable labors and pursuits. These men never thought attainm ent could be made without discipline “which is the true beginning of wisdom.” 143

Mr. Williams in his statem ent said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;To reach heights of which they had never dreamed.â&#x20AC;? Life is an adventure. Many persons start out with charm and dynamic personalities and soon lose their way. There are other persons who go about so far and level off on their plateau. There are others who reach heights of which they had never dreamed. It may be th a t native ability, gifts and grace carried them along. Some may have had fortunate breaks and even luck may at times have been a factor. It is a continuing fact of the hum an adventure th a t many persons attain heights they never even vaguely imagined in the passage of their days. Any person can point to men and women who had a d isadvantaÂ geous start in life and for years seemed to go nowhere and then suddenly rose to unexpected achievement. There are those persons who not until m aturity pulled out of mediocrity and began to excel. It is my belief th a t our Fraternity has played an im portant role in the lives of m any men in terms of bringing them to heights of which they never dreamed. This is not a gratuitous or prideful statem ent. It has been my experience to have more members of our Fraternity th an I could count tell me th a t it was because of their membership in Beta Theta Pi they reached heights of which they had never dreamed. Should anyone doubt this statem ent, let it be said th a t the writer of this Inter Fratres gives the same witness. January 1971

144

ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE There was a line in a popular song, “You can’t take th a t away from me,” and a line in another, “All the things you a re ...” No m atter how disturbed and uncertain we may feel about society today and w hat it may portend, we should have the strength and conviction to know the things which cannot be taken from us. We should be willing to stand on our feet and say that, if any generation thinks it can disregard w hat made life rich for us (and most of us had little m aterial wealth compared to today), it will find destitution of spirit past generations did not know. For there are still those who say, “You can ’t take away from me my love of Country, its Flag, and my gratitude for those who gave their lives for it.” You can’t take away from me my reverence for God and the eternal message of Christian hope, even though these are carried in such an earthen vessel as the church which often is frail and shows chips and cracks. You can’t take away from me my belief th a t in spite of American aggressiveness and search for world markets, the American people have given more than any other nation has ever given to people outside its borders. You can’t take away from me my belief th a t people, in spite of our social ills have known more freedom, justice and happiness within our shores than man has ever known. You can’t take away from me the belief th a t in the American system, if a person will work, be honest, respectful and decent he will be appreciated and within his ability make progress. You can’t take away from me the knowledge th a t the hours must listen to the ages. Men may think they can flout the movement of history or manipulate it, but they will find they are wrong. It is a stern judgment but we should remember, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.” The broad and wise interpretation of this ancient Biblical insight is th a t ultimate judgm ent is with God and not with man. If man sows chaos, disruption, anger and hate, the growth of these will be his harvest. If he sows patience, kindliness, understanding, self lessness, the rich harvest of these will be consistent with w hat the Universe and Eternity have at their heart. 145

If there are things which cannot be taken from us, it m ust be because men have great love and devotion for “all the things you are.” Yes, m any of us can look to America, our Flag, our character-building institutions, our church, our friends, vows we made, obligations we accepted, the smile of a friend, and the embrace of one we love and say, “As I look on you I give thanks for all the things you are.” April 1971

146

THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR If young people today could list products produced by the Establishm ent, one wonders w hat the choices would be. Perhaps leading the list would be an automobile. This m ight out-rank in priority the Hi-fi and guitar. Many persons who know young people today are aware they suffer great impatience to get their driving license, their hands on the wheel, and to own their own car. Persons now in the older generation will never forget the emergence of the automobile into everyday life. There were Sunday afternoon drives into the country. These took one over narrow, crowned, black-top roads, or dirt and gravel roads. A good speed on the road was thirty-five miles an hour. Gasoline was cranked out by hand and there was practically no winter driving. Traffic jams, parking problems and car thefts were unheard of. Many persons who knew this period in their society feel it was one of the happiest times in which they lived. The automobile did as much as anything to change modern life. It brought door to door speedy transportation, made possible the suburb, changed farm life, and put into the hands of the public a lethal instrument. It is about one piece of equipment on the automobile th a t persons might concentrate and give sober thought. It is the rearÂ view m irror without which driving would be not only dangerous but perhaps impossible. The driver looks through the windshield, constantly changing his focus from w hat is j ust in front of his car into the distance up the road and back again to w hat is immediately ahead. During all this the driver almost instinctively keeps looking into the rear-view mirror to see w hat is behind. There is the view of the road one has been over. There are other vehicles on the road behind. They may be disappearing from sight or trying to catch up and pass a car ahead. The rear-view mirror has a great deal to do with any trip by automobile. Man is a person who in a figurative sense is dependent upon, if he is wise, a rear-view mirror. Looking in the rear-view mirror there is the past. The present moment does not appear out of nowhere. It is the latest moment in an unfolding process called the passage of time. The present stands upon all the foundations laid and the strata of history, 147

experience, culture, mistakes, tragedy, invention, discovery, and revelation through intuition. The rear-view mirror enables one to look back into his heritage. One has ancestors. To live, a person has sprung from the long, long line of the hum an family. A well-known surgeon whose parents immigrated from a small European country to the United States returned to visit the village where his parents were born. He said, “I wanted to go back and see where my plasm a had come from.” Not only does the past show us where we came from, it shows the kind of persons who preserved civilization th a t later generations might be surrounded by it. A wise m an said th a t as he looked back and remembered the men and women who were his parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, he realized they had not attained fame. However, they had given something perhaps more im portant than names of renown. They had m aintained a decent society in which the famous could blossom and persons were sensitive enough to appreciate their flowering in terms of genius, greatness and goodness. The rear-view mirror should be used by those confused about higher education. No end of buildings (before Federal money poured in) on any campus were given by persons who worked hard to make money and wanted young people to have the opportunity for higher education. This is true of Endowments and Chairs which were established. They were given by persons who often were sacrificial in w hat they donated. One woman who had no education left her life savings to a college with the statem ent, “... th a t it may help young people to enjoy and receive w hat I never did.” So, the university and college are objects of great affection and sacrifice. They are not something which came to pass without effort nor were they built to be burned by arsonists or torn down by anarchists. The rear-view mirror shows th a t on campus after campus fraternities and sororities came into being. These were idealistic associations which held before young men and women at a sensitive time of their life the noblest concepts of the mind and the spirit. Let man be wise enough to look each day into his own rear-view mirror. June 1971

148

WHAT DO YOU GET OUT OF IT?

At the 131st General Convention at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island we had a Registration Desk in the hotel lobby. There was a sign which called attention to attendants to be sure to register for the Beta Theta Pi Convention. Late one afternoon I was standing near the Registration Desk. A middle aged man, who evidently was a tourist on the Island and walking through the hotel to see it, asked me how I pronounced Beta Theta Pi and w hat did it mean. I made answer and then was asked a further question which went as follows. “I guess I better look into this because I have a boy going to college. He should know about this. If he joined it w hat would he get out of it?” The inquiry just quoted revealed a good deal about the person who asked the question. He was not fam iliar with Greek Letter college fraternities. He was thinking of his son’s entrance into college and he wanted to know w hat his son would get from any affiliation he made. The spirit of the man was contentious and surly. Nevertheless, I tried to tell him in positive terms w hat fraternity membership could mean. I spoke of membership spread through many chapters, tradition, affiliation with outstanding men, the give and take of chapter life, corporate living and effort, but above all, I emphasized friendships many of which would last through life. It was both unpleasant and upsetting to see this m an shrug his shoulders, move away, and as his final contribution to the conversation say, “None of those things would be enough for my boy to get out of joining a group like yours.” We can be thankful this m an’s opinion is not universal or general. It does represent far too many people who have, I think, a warped attitude toward life. First of all, there is th a t unending m ania to get. What can I get out of it? W hat can my son get out of it? W hat is there in it for me? This permeates society and is reflected in the attitude and mood of all persons who look to government, social agencies, church, and anything they behold in terms of w hat they can get from them. Let me say th a t as this man moved from me I made a final remark he may or may not have heard. I asked, “ Have you ever thought th a t instead of getting your son might be trained to meet life in terms of g ivin g ?The boy who w ants to give to his fraternity and 149

chapter is the one who has found w hat it means to belong.â&#x20AC;? I found this encounter with a man who had such a lack of appreciation very distressing. I wonder w hat his values were, if he had any. How could any m an take lightly such a thing as friendship which lasts through life. W hat did he w ant for this son of his? Only money, competition, mastery over other men? How could any m an fail to know th a t the lessons of life are learned through living with other people who have m utual interests and are eager to aid one another in making each life better and more dynamic than it might have been without the group influence? As time has gone by and I have thought of this experience at our convention I have been both sad and quickened. I was sad to meet this short-sighted man. No doubt he was eager for his son to have all life could give, but he was selfish. He revealed very quickly th a t he was not a learner, but had every preconceived notion which rested upon â&#x20AC;&#x153;getting.â&#x20AC;? He might have said th a t this thing is no good - if lifelong friendships are all he can get out of it. I have the urge to see our Fraternity do a useful piece of work. It may be in terms of publicity or advertising of w hat it is. It certainly is necessary to impress upon all our members the importance of losing oneself in giving to the Fraternity. It is putting in and being thankful one can. It is coming to appreciate as never before th a t Beta Theta Pi offers the m an not power, wealth, fame or success. It offers him, if he will give him self to it, imperishable gifts of life with kindred spirits, association with dedicated men ideals th a t inspire and those friends who along this road of life are friends until one comes to the end of his earthly way. September 1971

150

“TRANSLATED" MEN

A leading commentator wrote with almost ridicule about his fraternity membership when in college. (It was one of the oldest with an honorable name.) In contrast to this churlish outpouring, I thought of our 132nd General Convention at Sun Valley, Idaho, in late August and early September. Those who were present will remember the Recognition Banquet. It was am azing th a t out of more than 500 present so many older Betas were there. A large number of alumni out of college twenty years or more stood up. Then many who had attended from twenty to over forty General Conventions received an ovation. The enthusiasm and expressed love for Beta Theta Pi was not confined to older Betas. From the youngest Beta present there was demonstration of intense spirit. Older Betas at the Convention were there because of their devotion, affection, and love for the Fraternity. They had had more time in the Fraternity than the young men. What was it these older Betas revealed without saying a word? It was memories of chapter life, the proud history of fraternity and chapter, ideals which they learned, and wonderful experi ences. Above all, it was the feeling for great men who had been, and are today Betas. What of the young Betas at the Convention? Rufus Jones once told me th a t as a boy in an unforgettable experience of life, “My mother translated me.” At the Convention many who came as undergraduates were “translated.” They saw men who had served the Fraternity. They heard men tell w hat the Fraternity m eant to them. They felt “a kind of something warm.” They were moved to admire real men who were genuine. They took justifiable pride in Beta’s achieve ments. They found companionship with their peers. They talked to older Betas as equals. They recognized devotion. They touched unfaltering friendship and fidelity. They beheld transcendent criteria for brotherhood. So let men take lightly their fraternity membership. We who were at Sun Valley could say, “I’ve heard much about Beta Theta Pi. Now it is real to me for I lived it. It is a part of my record and my 151

history. I ’m proud and thankful th a t I can be a p art of such an association of men.” January 1972

152

CERTAINTY OF EXPERIENCE

The number of convention addresses I have made I do not know. The same is true of Inter Fratres I’ve written. Memory does not fail me in recalling how I have agonized over each speech before giving it. After mailing each Inter Fratres to the editor I’ve felt like Katherine Mansfield who said of her poems, “Not one of them is good enough to show God.” None of my addresses or Inter Fratres have been “good enough” considering the honor and responsibility of being heard or read. So I have searched to discover w hat I was attem pting to say or write to those in Beta’s Broad Domain. In Carlyle, who speaks of “the fixed indubitable certainty of experience,” I come near an answer. The certainty of experience is central in w hat I would say about w hat is known as being a member of a Greek letter college fraternity. As a speaker or writer one can develop thoughts and ideas on rushing, pledging, initiation. There are always the m atters of housing, scholarship, chapter finance, ritual. The Work Shop topics are quite standard. Testing and scoring oneself are not unfam iliar offerings. Professionalism and headquarters services are evident. All organizations increase activity and produce guides, aids, reminders, and ready helps for chapters and officers. von Ranke said, “To know how things came to be as they are.” There is much merit in that. How did we grow, arrive here, become w hat we are? How does a fraternity come to be w hat it is a century removed from its beginning? To come to be involves certainty of experience. Reflections on our Fraternity are not filled with all the sentiment and glory expressed by orators and song writers. Many men joined a fraternity and it never m eant one thing to them. The experience was a blank. Some who joined a fraternity experienced mediocrity in a mediocre chapter house among mediocre companions. Others who joined a fraternity had a good experience which ended Commencement Day. W hat has made the college fraternity unique is not its chapter houses, headquarters, and famous alumni. It is the unique 153

experience it has afforded men who have known no other experience to match it. Willa C ather in her near-classic MY ANTONIA says, “T hat is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great.” T hat kind of experience comes to one. Perhaps one has made prior preparation for it and was conditioned to receive it. Nevertheless, the great and unique experience (no critics of fraternities can gainsay) is found largely in the words of Willa Cather. “T hat is happiness,” experienced over m any years. “ To be dissolved into,” as the experience of total identity. “ Something complete and great,” through experience with ideals and men who always stand tall. I guess I’ve been trying to say w hat Carlyle says. For to me our Fraternity gave me long ago the fixed indubitable certainty of a unique and blessed experience. April 1972

154

“WHATSOEVER THINGS”

Paul of Tarsus as a writer has not been surpassed and rarely equaled. His Epistles are monuments of lucidity, verbal power, and compelling argument. Disregarding his theology and thinking only of his style as a master of expression, his words carry a quality -- classic, unique, and eternal. (13th chapter of First Corinthians, the Sermon on Mars Hill, Acts 17, His Defense before King Agrippa; Acts 26.) In his letter to the Philippians he writes, “W hatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good rep o rt...” The word “whatsoever” has not been employed as it should in the realm of the Greek letter college fraternity. Whatsoever a fraternity takes for its ideals defines the criteria, aims and reasons for its being. The fraternity speaks to its initiates: Whatsoever cultivates the intellect use. Whatsoever creates brotherhood employ. Whatsoever develops mutual aid and assistance put into action. Whatsoever makes a person improve himself take for growth. Whatsoever a chapter chooses as its standards determines the nature and conduct of the chapter. The chapter ought to say to its members: Whatsoever things are affixed to a good name and honorable reputation forsake not. Whatsoever things mean solidarity and harmony let not slip away. Whatsoever things are marks of manners, responsibility, respect, discipline, urbanity, courteousness, let not escape. Whatsoever makes a great and good chapter in the eyes of those who see it from within and from without build into the life of every member. Whatsoever the badge, name, and ritual of a fraternity mean to a person m ark the length, width, height, and depth of his experience. The wearer of th at badge and bearer of th a t name should counsel himself: Whatsoever I give of myself in brother hood, devotion, and loyalty will add to the group. Whatsoever I strive to achieve will not go for naught. Whatsoever I learn from exemplary men will enhance my being. Whatsoever made men before my time love the brotherhood is available to me, if I will be as they were. Paul ended the list of whatsoevers, “If there be any virtue, and 155

if there be any praise, think on these things.” Well-known is the controversy over the value of fraternities. P ast and present provide persons ready to say, “Whatsoever fraternities are must be uselss, undemocratic, and the la te stis passe.” The fact is th a t whatsoever a fraternity is reflects the endeavor of persons in their belief in something which to them has value. W hatsoever critics may say against fraternities does not alter one fact. There are those who through membership in a fraternity found th a t through the passing years whatsoever they did continued to be influenced by the memories of early training in some chapter where men banded together through common ideals and purposes. “Whatsoever things ...” How the fraternity, chapter, and individual member need to learn them and never let them go. June 1972

156

REDISCOVERY

In the A nnals of a Fraternity there is the recurring story about men who rediscovered their fraternity. It is interesting reading and voluminous. It does not confine itself to any year or decade in the history of a fraternity. It is not confined to any geographical area, chapter, or age group. It is wide-spread, general, and evident. It is well to sketch salient points in the rediscovery of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fraternity. It begins with a m anâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s graduation having been an enthusiastic, average, or indifferent member of a chapter. He goes on to further study or takes a position. Events follow -- marriage, children, advancement in professional or business careers. The fraternity isn â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t thought about. The fraternity m agazine comes on its appointed rounds and may be skimmed or an article read. Now and then one runs into an old chapter mate or hears a bit of news about someone who was in the chapter. Maybe the chapter house burns down or a new house is dedicated. Still things are pretty much the same and the fraternity continues to be as yet an undiscovered country. One day something happens. A man may by chance go with friends to some fraternity event. One may be asked to do something for his chapter. There may be a professional service or business transaction which can help the fraternity. Whatever it is, men again and again rediscover their fraternity. This rediscovery has been made by men away from the chapter five, ten, fifteen, twenty years. It occurs constantly and when it takes place it is profound. One now sees a new land opening. It was there, but one had forgotten it. He rediscovers it. It becomes realty with appeal, dynamic, meaning, and purpose. When one rediscovers his fraternity he suddenly sets foot upon territory he had once trod, but then had become to it a prodigal or an alien. In the rediscovery process one realizes how much this fraternity means. There is its long history. Great chapters have existed at mighty centers of learning. There have been outstanding men of large attainm ent who have served the fraternity. The group spirit has survived. Ideals are still dominant. Older men are interested in younger men and vice versa. The years have not dimmed the love and affection of m any men for this fraternity, and the generation gap even has a haze of doubt hanging over it. The rediscovery of a fraternity applies not only to fraternities. 157

There is the rediscovery of a church a m an has neglected for years. Likewise, there is the rediscovery of a loyal and true friend one somehow forgot. There is the rediscovery of moral and ethical behavior by men who for a time blotted them out. There is rediscovery of the old learning and piety which the immediacy of now had obscured. The rediscovery of a fraternity! Ah, yes,what an am azing thing it is. No end of men have undergone it and landed again upon this heretofore lost continent. Countless men have found a new interest in life. Rekindled have been the old fires of brotherhood, loyalty, tradition, friendship, and devotion. Once again college, chapter house, alumni association, and affairs of the fraternity take on color and light. Man can have this experience and it is one of the beautiful things of life, th a t having lost something for a time man can rediscover it. Each one who has been in a fraternity and attentive to its operation will recall how he has seen men rediscover their fraternity. Where was this man over the years? W hat awakened him? How did he happen to set out again? How did he find he was a discoverer of a land he had left long ago? How did he feel to rediscover so many memories alive with such moving power? It is never too late! Any m an can be a discoverer, not only of new territory, but a rediscoverer of something he let slip away. Tom Wolfe tells us, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go home again.â&#x20AC;? In a sense th a t is true. On the other hand, life blesses us by permitting us to rediscover our country, home, family, friends, church, college, fraternity. Many fraternity men have shown their deepest ardor and devotion when after years away from college they have rediscovered th at they wore a certain badge and bore a certain name. September 1972

158

“MY RIVER BECAME A SEA” When the twentieth century dawned there took place in Boston, M assachusetts a public observance. With New England restraint and Boston decorum it was brief, simple, dignified, and reverent. Before the State House on th a t Jan u ary night, seventy-two years ago, unnumbered men, women, and children crowded the streets and spread over Boston Common. At the minute the Twentieth Century began Edward Everett Hale, who was one of the best-known and most beloved citizens of Boston, stepped out onto the upper balcony of the State House and read the First Psalm, -- “Blessed is the m an th a t walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful...” With this issue of THE BETATHETA PI we celebrate a century of continued publication of the oldest Greek Letter College Fraternity magazine. We cannot take lightly this achievement. It calls us to reflection and evaluation. It has about it a touch of the sentimental. Those who feel justifiable pride in this accom plishment are not to be blamed for pridefulness. As many persons must have pondered over a long period of time how to observe publicly in the Commonwealth of M assachusetts the start of the Twentieth Century, we in Beta Theta Pi m ust ask, how shall we begin a second century of publishing the magazine, which is an unbroken account of men in our membership of chapters at various colleges, at General Conventions, and of Beta inspiration, idealism, and individual attainm ent? H aving been given the honor, and it is a great one, to write this INTER FRATRES for this particular issue I would give as my testam ent two things: First, is a tribute to w hat m ight be called the m echanical or business end of such a century-old undertaking. Our thought goes to all the editors, their pushing against the grain to get out issues, and their unsung work. We think of contributors, photographers, typesetters, proof readers, pressmen, binders, mailers, postmen, and, of course, readers. One hundred years of THE BET A THET A PI in statistical terms of weight, lineage, pictures, costs, paper, ink, and corrected galleys, is beyond our ability to grasp. Second, there is our text as we begin the second century. It comes from a little-known, but amazing book. It is the Book of 159

Ecclesiasticus. The text -- “I also came out as a drain from a river, as a conduit into a garden. I said, I will water my best garden, and will water abundantly my garden bed; and, lo! my brook became a river, and my river became a sea.” So it is th a t the first issue of the magazine was a tiny rivulet. Through the century, issue after issue, this rivulet became a river. It watered the ground in which Beta idealism grew. Through the story it had to tell it watered abundantly the lives of thousands of readers. Truly the brook became a river and the river became a sea. We can think of this Magazine in the past century and in the new century as something like the sea. In the sea are so many forms of life. The sea is a highway for communication. The sea has in it great riches. The sea ever inspires man. The sea brings to man a thought of power, greatness, and majesty. In the century ahead may Beta Theta Pi look to this Magazine mindful of the text from Ecclesiasticus --“And my river became a sea.” Those who read the magazine will w ant to read about the lives of Betas. They will w ant to know the magazine as a medium of communication. They will want it to pour out the riches of friendship and fidelity. They will w ant it to inspire brotherhood. They will read it to feel again the power, greatness, and majesty of Beta Theta Pi. May those who have in their keeping the M agazine in the years ahead fulfill their responsibility by making it “a sea.” And may those who are readers find th a t here is “ a sea” th a t shall ever be for them a source of continuing interest in the bonds of Beta Theta Pi. * Ecclesiasticus 24:31 January 1973

160

INDESCRIBABLE FRATERNAL FEELINGS “The Greeks had a word for it.” There was a time when this statem ent was current. There was a play, THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR IT. The Greeks had many words. Their language was beautiful, expressive, and graphic. Some words in classical Greek have a meaning too sharp and subtle to be translated accurately and completely into English. Life is full of every form of paradox. One is th a t as “the Greeks had a word for it” of equal truth, significance, and mystery is, “There is no word for it.” If speech is a marvelous invention or gift of m an for expression and communication, it is also true th a t man is confronted with the realization there are things which cannot be expressed in words. They escape and elude words to tell the inner meaning of what one may know and feel. “ Words are things.” They are! Man has used words to turn hum an events and to rally men to action -- “They shall not pass” “With malice toward none, with charity for all” -- “End the war.” The business world through advertising uses catch words, slogans, and rhymes. If the Greeks had a word for it, in the English language today there are unlimited words for it. Realizing the significance, meaning, and force of words, there is the obverse. If words are things, there are the things words cannot express. This is the meaning of “there is no word for it.” This idea is found in a popular love song -- “Not a word was spoken.” Persons know when they have been in situations in which not a word was spoken, but the m eaning and significance of w hat transpired was felt and comprehended. The paradox comes to mind, “Words are things” -- “Silence is golden.” The world has had orators from Cicero to Churchill. The world has been moved by combinations of words which can never be forgotten -- The Twenty-Third Psalm - The Gettysburg Address. On the other hand, there is th a t area of experience not dependent upon words. Someone has called it, “The empire of silence.” The poet has said, “The heart stood up and answered, ‘I have felt.’” Not to be forgotten is Goldsmith’s, “Silence gives consent.” Greek Letter college fraternities have depended on speakers who have articulated fraternal ideals and inspired listeners. The fraternity convention has on its program the keynote address, banquet address, and presentations by officers and undergrad 161

uates. The Ritual of a fraternity is carried out with spoken words. The fraternity magazine or publication uses words as its coin of exchange. It is also true th a t w hat the fraternity has done for untold numbers of men is of another dimension. It is th a t the fraternity gives many men something no words can express. The highest moments and most profound encounters of one’s member ship in a fraternity are beyond words. Let us list some of the things the fraternity has m eant to men. Things felt too deeply to be told in words: The elderly m an living with the reveries of his youth in a chapter he loved. F raternal Fifties and Silver Grays sitting in a convention and hearing young men argue in different words most of the same old issues. Life-long friendships between men of different chapters. Love for the fraternity which has about it a touch of the inexplicable. Adm iration for men with whom one has worked in the fraternity. Affection for one another. Taking example from exemplary figures in one’s association. Gratitude for membership. Sympathy for those in trouble and grief for those who are stricken with sorrow and loss. Awe before things th a t are sacred. No doubt writers of memorable fraternity songs did m agnifi cently in terms of expression, but they knew there was something for which they could not find a word. This, too, has been an underlying factor in the experience of editors, officers, and speakers. Today a fraternity would be wise to teach its initiates and undergraduates to know this other dimension of fraternity life. It is th a t which cannot be spoken, uttered, or expressed. It is felt. Beyond externals -- chapter houses, meetings, conventions, badges - the great moments and the true meaning of w hat the fraternity is come in terms of being felt. One who has felt deeply and found along the journey of life fraternal inspirations, incidents, and individuals “beyond words” has found membership in a fraternity is one of life’s supreme gifts and unending satisfactions. April 1973

162

THE IMPORTANCE OF ORIGIN AND DESTINY In the 16th chapter of Genesis there is a story about Hagar. She comes to a well and an angel asks her, “ H agar, whence comest thou? and whither wilt thou go?” In this account one finds in succinct form the range of origin and destiny. Where had H agar been? Where was she going? This applies to institutions, nations, societies, and individuals. Man cannot escape the past and the future. I am not knowledgeable on nautical matters. I must rely on the accuracy of the person I quote, “When a ship at sea is signaling, it carries at its m ain peak the house flag of the owner of the ship, at its stern rail it carries the flag of the port from which it has hailed, and at its fore peak it flies the flag of its port of call.” This figure is a symbolic illustration of tradition and of origin and destiny. There is the ship or vehicle or institution, the place from which it has come, and the place whither it moves. An unexpected invitation came to me to visit a chapter. Those who extended the invitation suggested I arrive an hour before dinner, eat with the chapter, speak briefly, and following the meal sit and exchange ideas. I received a very warm welcome. The chapter house was of average size and furnishings. The meal was satisfying. The atmosphere was one which impressed a guest as being possible only among men who were congenial and friends. It was a splendid group of young men of different backgrounds who were pursuing various educational disciplines. One thing which impressed me deeply was th a t all the men I talked to individually were bright, serious about education, and although having a good time, were out to make high grades. (The chapter had a high scholastic standing.) As we sat around after dinner two things became apparent: The first was th a t these young men were conscious of the contemporary. They knew a great deal about the present. They could talk about national events. They were aware of w hat was happening in the world. They had a knowledge of businesses, professions, and arts. They knew sports. They were alive to everything happening on their campus, among other chapters and in their chapter. They were conscious of the contemporary scene. 163

The second thing which impressed me was they had no consciousness o f continuity. When I asked about the history of their chapter, there was ignorance. They didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know any of the famous alumni of their chapter. There seemed to be only the present chapter with no relationship to any past. It was the same about their General Fraternity. The more I told them things I knew about their chapter and some of its outstanding alumni, the more avid they became to hear more. I thought w hat a tragedy! What has happened th a t a situation like this could take place? I repeat w hat I have felt. There m ust be realization of tradition. Men m ust know history and lore if their lives are to be full. They must know from whence they came and whither they are going. I left th a t chapter house with a feeling I had been with delightful and promising young men. I felt bereft th a t these young men did not know the background of a great chapter or about men on their chapter rolls who had lived in their chapter house. I decided to write this INTER FRATRES and plead for an awakening throughout our Fraternity to the meaning of origin and destiny through a great tradition. The late Dean Willard L. Sperry said th a t the institution, no m atter how stuffy, (university, fraternity, church, chapter) is the fulfillment of unfulfilled individualism. May I add it is awareness of origin, destiny, and tradition which fulfills the unfulfilled individualism of those who are brought under its influence and complusion. January 1974

164

THE OLD PORCH CHAIRS When I was pledged I was told to learn ten Beta songs. Among the ten I selected was “The Old Porch C hairs.”* There was something even then about th a t title which attracted me. Over the years it has always had a special place in my Beta thought. “The Old Porch C hairs” grew out of the experience of a certain period in the Fraternity. No doubt when it was written we had wooden chapter houses with front porches. This was true of the Beta House a t St. Lawrence and all of us had real feeling for the porch which extended across the front of it. In spring and fall chairs would be moved out onto these chapter house porches. The chairs were inviting and gave the house a home-like appearance. A lot of chapter life centered around “the old porch chairs.” They became part of our Beta V ocabulary and symbols of our Fraternity. There was something melodious and nostalgic in hearing about or talking about “ the old porch chairs.” Times change and to a present Beta generation there will perhaps never be the full understanding which men who went before them had about ’’the old porch chairs.” Chapter house construction is now modernistic and utilitarian. Often there is no front porch. The tempo of life has changed the leisurely gathering which in part inspired the song. “The old porch chairs” were usually straight backs or rockers and these are no longer around. Students today have over-stuffed chairs or modernistic furniture. The floor has become one of the inviting places to sit or lie. There are so m any attractions on a campus and there is so much excitement most students are too busy for the past custom of hours spent in “the old porch chairs.” We are in a period when we are trying to preserve m any things in our past. Henry Ford was a pioneer in gathering Americana at Dearborn Village. At Sudbury, M assachusetts he saved Long fellow’s Wayside Inn, a one room schoolhouse, an old mill, and a country store. There have come into existence museums of early automobiles, old trains, cowboy gear, and almost everything from earlier days in the life in the United States and Canada. To preserve our history as a fraternity we established long ago our archives. These are housed in the A dm inistrative Office in Oxford, Ohio. Much credit is due our archivists who over the years gathered and arranged the choice collection we have. Anyone 165

visiting Oxford and viewing our archives will find deep satis faction in the old Badges, minute books, photographs, and memorabilia. “ The old porch chairs” about which the song was written can never be forgotten by those who knew them. The chairs were inviting. No one had to use them. Sitting in one was a voluntary matter. One could drop down for ten minutes or hours. He could sit there and think about his alma mater, the co-eds, his girl, or anything else. He could look off into space and not think. He could watch the passing parade. He could recall the history of his chapter and contemplate his future. Sitting in “the old porch chairs” one might be alone or with a group. The time might be morning, noon, or night. The day m ight fade away and the shadows lengthen. The moon and stars might come out. There in “the old porch chairs” there could be visiting with other members of the chapter. Someone m ight begin to sing and all would join in with some Beta songs. The mood was relaxed. There was nothing frantic about it. N othing was urgent. It just had to do with being alone or together and feeling all th a t college days and fraternity life meant. “ The old porch chairs” provided a m an with an experience. After undergraduate days th a t experience brought nostalgia. Sometimes as one’s thoughts went back over the miles and years to the chapter house, the porch, the chairs, the friends, the conversation, the songs, he knew th a t these hours were ones he wanted to hold forever, for with them few things could compare. Now th a t I think about it, I’m going to see if I can’t have an “old porch chair” put in the archives at Oxford. *Words and music by Horace G. Lozier, Chicago 1894. June 1974

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BETA’S ENDURING GENERATIONS

In a memorable prayer, which will find its way into the prayers which continue through time, there is an unforgettable address ~“0 Thou before whom the generations rise and pass away, age after age the living seek Thee and find th a t of Thy faithfulness there is no end.” Man is conscious of the movement of generations, yet he cannot fully grasp it. He knows there was a time under Pharaoh rule when Egypt was a mighty power and created architectural monuments. There was Rome ruling the world. There was Greece in a Golden Age. The Middle Ages came and passed. Pilgrim and Colonial days along with days of exploration, and on the continent south of us brutal conquest, all took place. This is history tied to generations. In one’s life reference may be made to “my parent’s generation, my grandparent’s generation, my great-grandparent’s gener ation.” One becomes aware th a t his children, their children, and their children, are of other generations. This is mobility of life. These generations rising and passing away make one think of waves coming on to a sandy beach and receding. The privilege of writing INTER FRATRES is a precious responsibility and gift. I as a writer of several have had certain rules. I have tried not to “strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.” I have endeavored not to go into flights of unreality. I have made the effort to relate INTER FRATRES to a specific milieu encompassed by this Magazine, which would not be without the campus and Greek Letter college fraternity. Moreover, its readers have as a prime concern finding within its pages th a t which will instruct, inform, and increase their knowledge in these two fields. Any institution, and I confine our thought to one - university or college -- must have movement. This is w hat is m eant by “generations of students.” The old buildings on a campus may stand. The ivy may continue to grow. The songs may still be sung. Traditions may be of help. In this environment class after class enter and graduate. F acuity members retire, as do members of the adm inistration, and are replaced. The life of the university or college is found in the prayer, “Before whom the generations rise and pass aw ay.” The institution is renewing itself with new life, lived by those who come as the prayer says, “seeking and 167

finding,â&#x20AC;? as I would paraphrase it, th a t there is â&#x20AC;&#x153;no endâ&#x20AC;? to knowledge, learning, and understanding. I have observed our Fraternity for years. I have thought and thought about it and w hat it is th a t h as given it enduring life. I find my thought ever turning to the words of the prayer with which we began. Our Fraternity has had movement. It has had its generations -the Founders in 1839 -- the great leaders of the eighties and nineties --the pre and post World War I men -- the World War II generation -- and on to the present. Each generation has been distinct. It has made its contribution. It has not been a replica of anyone before it. It has come into time and then passed away. The strength of our Fraternity has been th a t we have had respect for the contributions of past generations and have applied ourselves in terms of mobility and renewal. We have had the wisdom to preserve our history, ritual, library, lore, tradition, songs, badge, flag, magazine, and anything which has a right to endure and we feel we would be poorer if it did not endure. On the other hand, we have been alive. We elect new officers. We trust undergraduates alone with crucial votes at our General Conventions. The Corps of District Chiefs has new men coming into it. We welcome new ideas and try new enterprises. We are in motion. We are dynamic. We are self-sustaining. As our Fraternity looks to the future its life will be assured as long as it welcomes the rising generations and knows th a t in each generation there are those who seek through our Fraternity w hat our fathers before us found in it. September 1974

168

THREE LEGGED CHAPTERS

It is my pleasure and responsibility to attem pt to write a m onthly editorial for a Parish publication. It has been exciting and I have tried to cover a wide range of subjects. Last summer I had an experience which gave me in stan t m aterial for an editorial which would be printed in October 1974. It was a hot summer day and I was walking on 16th Street, N.W. in W ashington, D.C. I noticed ahead of me a large woman in house dress and house slippers walking quite slowly. As I came up beside her I noticed she was holding a leash which was attached to the collar of a little white dog. As I passed the dog and looked I noticed its front right leg was missing. So, I wrote about â&#x20AC;&#x153;The three-legged dog.â&#x20AC;? I pointed out how much the woman with the dog loved it and felt no pain from its handicap. She was not conscious of it and simply having an outing with her pet. The dog was most interesting. It held its head high. It gave no appearance of suffering from a handicap. It was oblivious to the missing leg. It carried in its very bearing dignity and a quality of heroic performance. I thought for a long time about how much of life m ight be described in terms of the three-legged dog. I also thought of a great lesson, for this woman was treating her dog normally. The dog was carrying out its life at top performance. Many years of fraternity work have taught me th a t we have had, and no doubt will have three-legged chapters. Moreover, we need to understand a lot of things about three-legged chapters. We w ant perfection in our Fraternity and top performance. It is not possible for all people at all times. It is possible to take w hat we are and w hat we have and give the best performance with it. Some of our chapters have always been fortunate. Others have had to walk on three legs. Some chapters have been unable to m aintain an earlier standard of excellence. It has not always been their fault. There are such reasons as urban blight, change in college adm inistration, wild faculty members, totally different student body, and a complete transform ation of an institution which works major handicaps on existing fraternities. We should have sym pathy with m any three-legged chapters and encourage them. They may be the ones who need the extra help and push. 169

The best Latin teacher I ever had lost his right arm at the shoulder when he was a small boy. It made no difference in his teaching. In The Acts of the Apostles we read th a t after a shipwreck some of the people reached land on broken pieces of the ship. We are all more or less swimming toward land on broken pieces of ship. The three-legged dog was pure white and had been washed and cared for and almost shone. He had a red bow on his collar, which I think he liked. He held his head high and looked straight ahead. I could feel he was proud to be out and had deep, affection for the one with whom he was enjoying the outing. So, if there be three-legged chapters, they can perhaps have four stars in their crown. They can hold their head high and look ahead. They can m aintain dignity. They can have love of the brotherhood. All of our chapters are not the same and never will be. The demand is th a t each chapter keep its gait as best it can. If it has to walk on three legs, th a t can be done to the honor of the Fraternity and with the development of character and nobility in each person who composes such a chapter. The thing we should not praise is the chapter th a t deliberately destroys its stature. On the other hand, we should ever be ready to give all the praise we can to those chapters which through no fault of their own are fighting the good fight and keeping their flag flying. January 1975

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THE CONTINUING CHAIN

An amazing thing about the college fraternity and sorority is th a t they have survived. It is more remarkable fraternities have endured than it would be if they had ceased to survive. In a sense they have carried an abiding continuum. Well-known is the story of the beginning of Phi Beta Kappa at William and Mary College in 1776. There is also knowledge of the founding of several fraternities in the early and mid18th Century. Most of these are in existence today and have grown and enlarged the number of their chapters and their role of an expanding organization increasing in membership. It would seem logical as one thinks of the beginning of the first fraternities within our borders th a t they might have died out after the first enthusiasm which brought about their original existence. This is so because of two factors and possibly three. The first is the vast change on the American Continent. When fraternities were 'first founded the Nation and C anada were sparsely populated. Life was mostly rural with farms, villages, towns, and small cities. Communication was slow and transportation was limited in terms of roads, rivers, railroads, and telegraphs. The second thing is th a t the colleges in which fraternities were founded were small. There would be one or two buildings, a small student body, and a minimal faculty. Think of two colleges where fraternities were founded -- Union and Miami. W hat m ust Schenectady, New York and Oxford, Ohio have been in those days? In the third place the type of student who founded fraternities belonged mostly to a homogeneous student population. The literary societies, which often became fraternities, could have had no future in a changing college climate. Reasons given for the survival of fraternities are ideals, founders, early outstanding leaders, shapers and molders of fraternity organization. This is true, but there is another supreme reason. The supreme reason fraternities have endured is th a t their life has been passed on continuously to younger men. As a walnut has two halves there are two halves to the story of the continuation of fraternities. The second half is the youth who always came after and followed the older members. We sing, â&#x20AC;&#x153;And so from 171

cherished sires to sons the links of a bond fraternal run.â&#x20AC;? Fraternities have lived because younger men and succeeding generations have been willing to carry them on. One who has attended general conventions of a successful fraternity has seen the enthusiasm and hard work of undergraduate members at such conventions. A chapter may be a hundred years old. The fact is a hundred years after it was chartered young men can be just as dedicated and fervent as the original members. Young men catch the vision. They w ant to become leaders and officers. They move up the ladder and in time take over the leadership and shaping of the fraternity. Let us never fail to appreciate th a t fraternities have endured because of the ideals on which they were founded and which they made real to young men. Equally so, fraternities have endured because of outstanding personalities, men of character, power, and exemplary living who have fired with enthusiasm and nobility young men who have known them. Young men are the life blood of a fraternity. In a chartered chapter every member is young but they will be followed by succeeding generations who want to join and want to be members. Young men see w hat the founders saw -- ideals, fidelity, brotherhood, and most of all, the inspiration th a t flashes like sacred fire from leaders of men. Fraternities endure because young men w ant to wear the badge and bear the name, serve, labor, lead, and pass on the legend. All honor to the great ones and all honor to the youth of the eternal NOW who make the fraternity live, move up in its ranks, and someday may be looked upon themselves as the great ones. April 1975

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WHAT IS HIM? W aiting for a plane in W ashington N ational Airport I stood by a woman and her daughter and her daughter’s three-year old son. My surmise I later learned was correct. This lady had been visiting her daughter and grandson and was on her way back to her home in K ansas. As we stood there along came a figure in a broad-brimmed hat, long hair, beard, bush jacket, high boots, and a shawl thrown over the shoulders. I saw the child behold this apparition and then addressing his question to no one in particular asked, “W hat is him ?” I immediately thought, “Out of the mouths of babes...” The child’s question remained with me. He did not know w hat this was. He was puzzled, baffled, and unable to recognize anything which had meaning and reality for him. “What is him?” Consider the m atter as a question about humanity. “What is him ” as a human being? Persons in different lands dress differently. The child m ight have asked this about an Eskimo in his parka, a veiled woman in Algiers, a Ku Klux K lansm an in his hood, or an Indian in a loin cloth at the burning ghats on the Ganges. However, from an adult viewpoint there should be something which makes one recognized as a member of the hum an race. Not conformity, identicalness or stereotypeness, but something basic which persons recognize by th a t “ordinariness” which makes every man the same as me and makes me the same as every man because we are in our “ordinariness” of the hum an race. As a person in a time culture. Cultures change as do dress and styles, but subcultures and anticultures are totally outside w hat persons recognize in the continuing importance of culture. “What is him?” can become lost in a masquerade and eradication of the person in the continuing allegiance to culture as a great tradition of civilized ways to be safeguarded, transm itted and exemplified. “What is him ” in terms of one’s allegiance to his country? I know of no typical American or Canadian. I do know th a t we can recognize a person who has respect for a nation’s past and history. Such a person is grateful for those who gave their lives for him. He admires great men and women. He accepts 173

the duty of upholding a heritage which is often carried on in institutions men have wisely fashioned. He is one who can be recognized for service, sacrifice, honorable life, and guardian ship of those things without which a city cannot long be inhabited. “What is h im ” as a person who upholds the spiritual in man? This is dangerous ground. It is difficult to define w hat is m eant by spiritual and wherein the spiritual person is recog nizable. Yet there have been and there are persons who have left their m ark and have been thought of by their fellowmen, not for their m aterial attainm ent, but because of a spirit th a t shone in their daily living. A dean of a theological school in Boston some years ago took his sm all nephew to one of the churches in th a t city which had beautiful figured stained glass windows. When the child returned home after a happy day with his uncle his mother asked him w hat they had done. He replied th a t in their tour they had visited a church and had seen saints. His mother curious to know w hat the term saint could m ean to a small boy asked, “W hat are saints?” He replied, “Saints are men the light shines through.” “ What is him?” Some of us know th a t there have been those lives which have been seen by others as radiant, lustrous and illuminated by the light of spiritual power, great dreams and visions which have shone through men. June 1975

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ELEGANT INTEGRITY At a general convention I was walking from the Convention Hall with a middle-aged alumnus I did not know well. With a broad grin and mostly in jest he said, “Well, I know one thing. We are surely the most conceited fraternity.” I understood the remark. It was not critical. It was the reaction of one who was pleased with the accomplishments of his fraternity, but felt there were bounds beyond which self-praise and adulation should not go. For years I have thought about the m atter of conceit and egotism. There is nothing new about it. The Ancient Greeks felt there was little worse than over-weaned pride. Greek dram a is full of the calamitous results of arrogance. Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr at the height of his influence constantly emphasized th a t m an had no worse sin th an pridefulness. Deeper consideration assures us that there is a saving correction which is needed when we consider the subject of conceit. It is not to say th a t pride is to be admired or th a t persons should wring their hands in abject humility. Nations must feel their greatness. W hat nation is there where its most ardent followers are not believers in its superiority? Pride plays a large part in the historical development of institutions of higher learning. Pride in “the old school tie” is a reality. Pride also plays a large part in competitive sports. It is the old shout, “We are number one!” The same thing is true in family life. W hat is more contemptible than the person who despises his family and name? Fraternities and sororities have grown in strength and influence through members who have been proud to belong. There are those who gladly tell of their membership, wear their badge, and w ant their children to follow them in membership. Still my thought goes back constantly to the experience with which this IN TE R FRATRES opens. I for one would not w ant us to be “the most conceited fraternity.” I would speak against pridefulness. I would want us to be modest, humble, and free of boastfulness and arrogance. W hat then can we say about the difference between being the “most conceited fraternity” and being justifiably proud of w hat our fraternity has done and is doing? I would suggest a 175

positive and remedial thought for our dilemma. Stewart Alsop in S T A Y OF EXECU TIO N tells of his adm iration for Winston Churchill. Alsop says of Churchill th a t the best way he could sum up w hat he represented was th a t Churchill had “elegant integrity.” I would th a t we might have “elegant integrity.” This would take the form of a genuine appreciation, estimate, and critique of our fraternity. It would lead us to be like Israel Zangwill’s fish peddler who was “glad to be alive” and “terribly glad to be selling fish on Maxwell Street.” I would be terribly glad for our history, library, ritual, badge, membership, great men, past and present, friendship, achievements of members, and above all, the undying and unforgettable hours we have spent together in a great and good fraternity. September 1975

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AN UNDYING SPIRIT It seems only yesterday th a t there was wide agreement th a t the college fraternity system had run its course and was finished. M any college Presidents, Deans, and Facuity Members were sure the demise was at hand and the death-watch had been set. One could find this opinion among many fraternity men and women. The signs were all bad. Rushing was down, initiations were fewer, chapters had low morale, alumni interest had waned, and the whole wave of the future seemed to be against the continuation of Greek Letter Fraternities and Sororities. Today, but a few years after this gloom and pessimism, the talk is about the growth and expansion fraternities are undergoing. It has been another resurgence and revitalization more pronounced than any fraternities and sororities had experienced. Why is it th a t those who would not listen to the talk of the extinction of these Greek Letter societies or join the death-watch have been proved right? The reasons are many and let us mention several -- not all to be sure. Evidently many universities and colleges wanted fraternities. Their Adm inistrations no longer took the attitude of toleration but of encouragement, welcoming and even urging more chapters to make a home on a given campus. The growth and size of the student population made it more attractive for students to find small groups in which they could find identification. There they knew others and were known. The huge dormitories made chapter houses more and more attractive. The chapter house was not a high-rise, but usually a house with grounds and porch and individual rooms, plus facilities for small social events. The chapter offered competition with other chapters of other fraternities. This m eant rivalry between groups which had a certain honor and tradition to uphold. There was to be found in a fraternity chapter an international and national connection. One found a knowledge of other instiÂ tutions of higher learning where there were chapters. One became acquainted with members in other chapters in other parts of the country. There was the unbroken line of alumni, which went back to the 177

founders of a chapter. Sometimes this extended well over a century. District Conclaves and General Conventions gave a fraternity man the opportunity to meet and know m any other members of his fraternity. At these meetings life-long friendships are often begun. Within the chapter there were meetings at which free discussion was carried out. On a democratic basis officers were elected to m anage chapters. One had training in the history and lore of the fraternity. There were valuable periods of training which helped in one’s development. Group spirit and cooperative effort were valuable lessons which could be learned. There was the Ritual of the fraternity which introduced young men and women to the purposes and principles of the brotherhood or sisterhood; moreover, every initiate had gone through this Ritual and this gave a community of experience. Param ount in the continuity of fraternities and sororities is the fact they are based on ideals. These ideals will not die and they continue to inspire young people. It is probably safe to say th a t every fraternity and sorority introduces its members to these two ideals --improvement and cultivation of the intellect and growth and development in one’s personal standards of individual and social behavior conduct. Finally, there is no measure which can permit one to put on paper the importance of towering personalities in fraternities and sororities. These dedicated and selfless leaders cannot be for gotten. They have been men and women of fine minds, moral rectitude, m anners and courtesy, self-discipline, and service to country, community, church, and alm a mater. They have been guiding stars young people have seen and they will continue to be the most im portant thing fraternities have produced. The most valuable thing in life will always be outstanding hum an beings. *“The spirit of m an is the candle of the lord.” The spirit th a t fraternities and sororities have produced their loyal members is their witness today and for time to come. *Proverb 20:27 April 1976

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OLD FASHIONED FRATERNITY MAN K. Warren Fawcett, who, with his wife, Ginger, has produced over m any years this outstanding Magazine, has given me the honor of writing this INTER FRATRES. W hat an honor it is, for this issue marks the Bicentennial of the founding of the Greek Letter College Fraternity. At William and Mary College in 1776 Phi Beta Kappa came into existence. I suppose because of my years of preaching I am a creature of habit. We pick a sermon topic (although the sermon often says little about it). I have picked a topic for this INTER FRATRES. It is “An Old Fashioned Fraternity Man In A Modern World.” We do not fail to realize the time in which we live. It is beyond anything known in the past. It has destroyed m any things and brought into being many, many things never dreamed. It cannot destroy the old fashioned spirit of those who know the history of the Greek Letter College Fraternity. As an old fashioned fraternity m an I pay honor to all the Founders of fraternities and sororities. W hat they wrought in their time and w hat a legacy they left! “Let us honor famous men and our fathers who begat us.” Let it never be said of us, “They knew not Joseph.” As an old fashioned fraternity man I give thanks for the ideals on which all fraternities and sororities were founded. These ideals were usually the same. They were always words of aspiration. They were to stimulate young men and women to become better and better. They were guiding lights and lamps unto the feet. They still shine. They still give light. They still illumine and help make lustrous lives. As an old fashioned fraternity m an I see men and women who have given their best to the service of the fraternity or sorority they have loved. These men and women have been willing servants. Often they have been exemplary characters and inspirers of youth. As an old fashioned fraternity man I am thankful for the books, magazines, poems, songs, letters, which have been written for one reason -- because there was membership in a fraternity or sorority. As an old fashioned fraternity m an I’m thankful th a t after two hundred years time, wars, earthquakes, revolutions, protests, 179

forms of insanity, campus madness, educational uncertainty, governmental bungling, inflation, affluence, wild youth, bathtub gin, permissiveness, and all the other things persons groan about, have not destroyed w hat is most precious. For the most precious is brotherhood, sisterhood, friendship, fidelity, mutual aid and assistance, cultivation of the intellect, right attitude toward life. As an old fashioned fraternity m an I look back with justifiable pride on two hundred years of the Greek Letter College Fraternity. I joined with men and women who over the history of the United States of America since the Declaration of Independence have known indestructible societies on the college campus. In these societies there has been at times things we have deplored. Standards have not always been m aintained. Ideals have been tarnished, but for two hundred years the story of the Greek Letter College Fraternity is one of the great chapters in American history. In its membership have been m any of the greatest men and women in the N ation’s history. They have been proud to wear the badge and bear the name of th a t goodly fellowship into which they came when youth and campus life made them say with Carlyle, “It was a great time in which to be alive and and to be young was Heaven indeed.” June 1976

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IN HONOR OF SPIG K. Warren Fawcett, Minnesota ’26, after ten years of devoted and outstanding service as Editor of THE BETA THETA PI and Historian-Archivist of the Fraternity, has resigned. I have been asked to use this INTER FRATRES space to write an appreciation of this loyal and consecrated Beta. I consider it an honor and privilege to express some of the things I deeply feel about Spig and Ginger Fawcett. When an undergraduate in the Minnesota chapter, Spig lent his talents and wisdom to the strengthening of th a t historic chapter. After graduation, he continued to show interest in the chapter and to take part in the alumni activities in Minneapolis. It followed naturally th a t his work was recognized, and he was appointed a District Chief. It was then I came to know him as one of the most respected and industrious members of the Corps. Again recognized as a leader in the Fraternity, he was elected a Vice President and Trustee. I sat with him on the Board during his term and know how he inspired the Board with his judgment, calm, and far-sightedness. He spoke at various chapter obser vances and surveyed colleges where we might establish a chapter. When an Editor was needed, the Fraternity turned to Spig. All who know him and have read THE MAGAZINE over the past decade realize he has been one of the best Fraternity editors in the field. His influence has been felt by other editors. Surely, we can never pay our debt to Spig and Ginger for the memorable work they have put into the publication of THE MAGAZINE we all look forward to receiving. Words cannot describe the major development which has taken place through Spig Fawcett as Historian-Archivist. He has spent days in the Adm inistrative Office in Oxford. There he has arranged valuable files. He has sorted out piles of material. The displays and exhibits are the work of his im agination and artistry. During all the time he has been serving as Editor of THE MAGAZINE he has revised SON OF THE STARS. His book MARCHING ALONG brings the history of the Fraternity up to the time of its publication. I have no way of thanking him for the magnificent job he did in editing IN BETA’S BROAD DOMAIN. The time we worked together on th a t was one of the happy 181

experiences of my life. I would not have anyone forget his reporting of Conventions, chapter installations, and annivers aries, along with m any of his feature articles. I have attended many Beta Conventions. I have come away with feeling the most important thing the undergraduates received was m ingling with Beta alumni. This was true, if those alumni were men of character, dignity, and left an impression of exemp lary idealism. The same applies to undergraduates who see visiting Officers of the Fraternity and alumni. I think of few men in our Fraternity who are better examples for our undergraduates th an Spig Fawcett. He came from a fine family. He is a devoted husband and father of two daughters and a son. Some of his greatest hours were hunting and fishing with son, David. Spig is looked up to. He is a quiet m an with a dry wit. He is m aster of his own life. He is a person of trustworthiness, honesty, fearlessness, and dedication to noble ends. Spig Fawcett is popular with his fellowmen. He is judicious. He could not do or say any unjust thing. He is respected. He is creative, positive, and has built his own monument. I remember a trip by train Spig and I made to install the chapter at Puget Sound. Going West we sat for hours in the dome car as we crossed M ontana. It was a vast country. It was a wintry scene. It had grandeur and at the same time haunting loneliness. The train moved on. I realized th a t I was sitting beside a m an of breadth, depth, warmth, and a person who had grown enough to behold both the grandeur of life and the drabness th a t attends it. In H arvard Memorial Church over the door of the M inister’s Room there is a plaque to Francis Greenwood Peabody. On the plaque is this inscription -- “For forty years he moved among faculty and students and wist not th a t his face shone.” Spig Faw cett has moved among us and has not known th a t to us his face has shone. September 1976

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QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND CLICHES Persistent questions, patent answers, popular cliches. These have been common for years, are common, and will be. They seem to be indigenous to social, economic, political life. The fraternity world had in no way been immune to persistent questions, patent answers, popular cliches. The fraternity world has found these present always and has not been able to shake the fetters of them. Because this INTER FRATRES appears in a fraternity publi cation, we might with profit think of these three ever-present companions. There is no doubt m any questions are asked in seriousness, m any answers are given with conviction, and many cliches - although threadbare - are presented with freshness. Among the persistent questions fraternities know are these: Why join a fraternity? Why become part of anything as un democratic as a fraternity? Why pay dues to a national organi zation? Why associate with those fast guys? There are many more questions: Why don’t fraternities grow up? How can fraternities justify their record of hazing? How can fraternities be exclusive? These questions have been asked and asked. They can be answered, and, although some of the questions do contain truth about some long ago, m any of them are irrelevant to the fact and distorted. The patent answers are far from being untruthful, but they miss w hat the essence and substance of w hat the real fraternity is. One might agree with statem ents as: A boy learns to live with others. He becomes part of an international organization. He learns leadership. He is encouraged in scholarship. He learns group spirit and action ... True though these are, there is something above and beyond them. The popular cliches are: The rich guys are in the fraternities. Fraternities grab the athletes. Fraternities try to run the campus. Fraternities build big houses with white pillars. The fraternities and sororities are made up of a bunch of snobs. They go together and these fellows and girls deserve each other. The above is no attem pt to gild a lily verbally or evade any honest criticism fraternities deserve. It is background for some thing far more im portant about the reason countless persons have had affection for and pride in their fraternity or sorority 183

membership. The first is the continuing pleasure of being in a fraternity. This has nothing to do with any mercenary gain like using the fraternity to get a job or to belong to an organization in which the President of the United States was a member or to call a mayor by his first name. The heart of living is the pleasure of living. It goes beyond anything ever recorded on the New York Stock Exchange, advanced degrees, titles, and awards. It is the pleasure as one member of our Fraternity for sixty years wrote, “From the hour I was initiated to this moment, one of the greatest pleasures of my life has been my membership in the Fraternity.” The second is the desire to be a member. This is not because our son m ay come after us. It is not as a boy in one of our chapters said, “I don’t believe in fraternities, but I joined to reform this one.” There are those who desired to be a member of a church, seeking no passport to heaven. There are those who desire to give themselves to good causes. There are those who take a stand on issues without fear of punishm ent or seeking reward. So, there are those who desire the life, association, spirit, ideals, friendships of being in a fraternity. Finally, there is the fun of being in a fraternity. We do not mean parties, alumni weekends, nights on the town. We mean a mood in which we are not burdened down. The fun of being natural. The fun of knowing college men who come from colleges, universities, and institutes of technology where we have chapters. The fun of being with persons who hold ideals in common. The fun of “great years we spent together.” The fun of being in the fraternity’s broad domain and marching along. M ahatm a Gandhi was asked,”Do you believe in prayer?” He replied, “I can say it has helped me.” Certainly not in any spirit of irreverence to Mr. Gandhi or Prayer, we would leave this thought -do you believe in being a member of a fraternity? I can say: It has given me pleasure. It has fulfilled a desire. It has afforded me great fun. Jan u ary 1977

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NEEDED: A SEQUEL

The B rid g e B u ild er is a poem k n o w n w idely in th e Fraternity for m any years. It has been printed in our publications. Speakers have quoted it again and again. U ndergraduates seem to love it. To date The Bridge Builder has not become passe. The popularity and use of The Bridge Builder are a little puzzling. It is not great poetry. Strong sentim entality runs through it. It is in a figure of speech of a much earlier day than the present generation of undergraduates. The Bridge Builder tells of an old m an who near the end of his life built a bridge over a chasm deep and wide. A fellow traveller said to the old m an th a t he was w asting his strength and labor. His journey was about done and he would not have to cross m any more bridges. The old m an lifted his old gray head and told of a youth who was coming th a t way and said th a t to the fair-haired youth, the chasm m ight be a pitfall. The poem ends, “Good friend, I am building this bridge for him .” I have thought about The Bridge Builder - the poetry, philos ophy, and popularity in our Fraternity. The more I have thought, the more I have been challenged by a vital question. The old m an is venerated. He is honored as a selfless person. His nobility shines out. Although his life is near its close, he w ants to serve youth. The old m an is the very symbol of the story of age unselfishly bestowing w hat it has earned upon youth on life’s threshold. W hat troubles me is why don’t we think about the youth for whom the old m an built the bridge? W hat did the youth do on the other side of the chasm, having escaped the pitfall? Here are my questions: Was the youth thankful for the bridge? Did he appreciate a path made ready for him? Did he remember throughout his life w hat the old m an did for him? Did he say, because I ’ve known such kindness, I will be kind? Did he realize th a t in his heritage he was an object of affection, sacrifice? How did he decide to spend his life, having been the recipient of a safe passage over such danger as he might have faced? If The Bridge Builder is taken seriously, we m ust find in it an admonition. It is th a t our colleges and universities are 185

bridges. They have been given us as a legacy. We m ust be grateful and appreciative and usefully employ the tooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of education. We must be grateful for the advantages we enjoy because of the bridge builders in science, art, the hum anities, discovery, medicine, education and religion. A final thought is th a t there is nothing in life of greater value than for the young m an or young woman to learn lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supreme lessons from older men and older women. These are the lessons youth will hear if youth will listen. Such lessons provide sound advice, simple guidance, profound wisdom, tested experience, deep concern, and disciplinary correction. Everyone of us is in debt to those who have been the builders of our bridges. This Fraternity of ours has been a bridge for thousands of young men. May it continue to be for long to come. April 1977

186

BEING “WELL FURNISHED”

Paul, the brilliant author of several Epistles in the New Testam ent, felt free to give advice. This was evident when he wrote young men whose future he knew lay before them. An example is found in one of his messages to a man, much his junior, named Timothy. Paul spoke of the importance of being “well furnished.” Another translation is “thoroughly furnished.” It is a commendable and wise thing for anyone to be “well furnished.” It was said of a certain man, “He was well groomed without and w ithin.” It is certainly equally true th a t an associ ation - fraternity - should be “well furnished.” W hat are some attributes, characteristics, and qualities of the “well furnished” person and association? We will not consider externals or tangible assets. We will consider the inner or inside furnishings. Intellect - the mental ability to know why an association exists. Has it a legitimate reason for being? Is its existence needed and how does one justify intellectually his relationship to it? Tradition - is the tradition strong enough to speak to the present and future? Is the tradition a living reality? Is the tradition just a myth or is it the outgrowth of the need, experience, and per formance of those who built it? One might say th a t our heritage forms a continuing and inspiring tradition. Vision - this is the ability not to know the future, of course, but to believe there is a future. To prepare for it. To keep alive the present furnishings to be carried into tomorrow. To know th a t as time marches on, an association must constantly renew itself and continue to justify itself. Purpose - is this noble, reasonable, worth asking persons to support? Is the purpose in line with demands made upon people for time and support in our busy and multiple-interest society? Respect - are the aims something one can respect? Is the behavior, plan, pattern of this association something which calls forth the respect of its members? Does it uphold w hat is respectable th a t there may never be w arrant for disrespect. Is it exemplary? Common sense - is it free of the fuzzy, weird, and bizarre? Is it so reasonable it doesn’t insult the intellect? Does it find itself where men of good sense can say there would be no harm to one’s good sense, and reputation for being active in such an association? It 187

m ust have wisdom and full realization th a t understanding is the principal thing. Humility - is there freedom from arrogance, conceit, and “we are the people” or “we are number one”? Does it escape boast fulness, pridefulness, and thinking of itself more highly th an it ought to think? Does it keep its sense of proportion and escape a feeling of inferiority? Has it learned the importance of balance, not to feel superior and not to feel inferior? This is the mark of one who can walk in self-confidence and dignity and feel one’s purpose is being fulfilled. Morality - which may be another way of saying th a t an association must be furnished with a code of behavior or great and good living. It is the knowledge th a t all are not good enough to police themselves and th at in an association, there must be norms and standards held in common. It is the morale factor. It is plain everyday decency. It is rectitude of mind and spirit. It is belief in perfection, although no one has attained it. It is unconquerable faith th a t although the Kingdom has long been deferred, man must never give up trying to take steps th a t will lead him higher to bring into clearer view a society of more perfect peace and perfection. Many can aver and witness th a t in some associations in which they have been members, they have found them “well furnished.” June 1977

188

GETTING READY

In the time past there was a story known by m any in our Broad Domain. It may have been fictional but it was a good story often related. One version of it went like this: In a well-known university where we had an outstanding chapter, there appeared a freshm an at the door of our chapter house. He said th a t he had looked over all the fraternities and had decided th a t he was ready to join our fraternity. According to the legend, the chapter president said th a t he felt honored but he m ust tell the young m an th a t our fraternity had been getting ready for more th an a hundred years to receive members, and persons had to wait until they were asked. I have never heard the conclusion of the story. Did the young m an receive an invitation and become one of our members? Did he become a Chapter President, a District Chief, a member of the Board of Trustees, an Officer, President of his Chapter Alumni Association? However the story ended, if the chapter president made the statem ent th a t we had been getting ready for a hundred years to receive members, he should be numbered among our members of renown. W hat a tremendous thought is contained in the words “getting ready for. ” Parents who long to have children get ready for their arrival. It is the way of parents and nature. The first day we attended school we entered a first grade which had been getting ready for us. Completing elementary school there was a high school th a t had been getting ready for us. One reason we should have devotion to our alm a mater is th a t for years and years it was getting ready for us - building buildings, furnishing libraries and laboratories, and m arking off gym nasia and playing fields. We enter no end of institutions which have been getting ready for us. M an’s debt to those who have gone before is real. We enter into the labors of earlier people and receive the gifts passed on to us. By all means a general fraternity, a chapter, and members of a fraternity should keep clean in their vision the process of growth and development and preparation coming out of the past. No one should take lightly the thought th a t in a sense we are all “ Johnny come latelies.” We enter through portals th a t permit us to be beneficiaries of th a t prepared for us. All history has its p ast and all great men and women have their precursors. 189

This account would not do justice to the profound thought expressed by the legendary chapter president did we not add an im portant admonition. Succinctly it is a responsibility resting upon those of the present to make ready for those who shall come after them. This is the im portant thing in keeping a fraternity or any organization strong and vital. It is not enough to enter into w hat those before us made ready for us. In addition we must make ready for those who will come after us. How wisely an author of one of our beloved songs wrote, â&#x20AC;&#x153;And the sons th a t shall come after them.â&#x20AC;? It is true th a t our fraternity has been getting ready for more th an a hundred years to receive each wave of intitiates. It is incum bent upon each present generation to continue the preparÂ atory process and make ready the ground in which the fraternity shall grow and bear fruit even after they are no longer carrying its burdens and enjoying its privileges. September 1977

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REACHING YOUR DESTINATION Years ago the late Dr. H arry Emerson Fosdick related a story which may have been fictional. It made little difference because it was an interesting story and served as a vivid introduction to a sermon he preached about making a good beginning and having an unfortunate ending. According to the story, a traveler took a sleeper out of New York City for Chicago and by some misfortune awoke in a sleeping car which had been detached from the train and was left on a siding in a city far from Chicago. A fraternity has so m any facets one can constantly think about it. Its variations, twists and turns, ins and outs, ups and downs, are endless. All the things th a t happen because of a fraternity cannot be adequately covered. It may be th a t one reason fraternitites have survived all the changes in our country and the educational system is because men have found in fraternities something which fascinated them and gave them satisfaction. One of the facets which is always intriguing, has to do with the beginning and the ending of a fraternity experience. Does a fraternity fail to reach its destination and find itself on a siding in the cold, gray dawn? Does an individual member of a fraternity reach his destination or does he discover th a t the beginning he made really came to very little? To illustrate this thought, let us take the boy who is pledged. In his pledge group, he is full of enthusiasm. He reaches the end of the pledge period without flagging. He is initiated and his enthusiasm runs high. He is keen on the chapter and devoted to its members. He canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do enough, but one day the fires of enthusiasm burn out and, when he comes up to Commencement, the old drive and devotion are gone. For him the faternity experience is over. Then there is the lad who from the day he is pledged and later initiated on to the end of his life is still enthusiastic about his fraternity and his membership. He continues his interest in his chapter, alm a mater, and as best he can the General Fraternity. He reads every page in THE MAGAZINE. He m ay attend conventions. He is often tapped to serve as an officer. W hat is it th a t makes the difference in these two cases? Why does one chap start out with enthusiasm and then get off the train from a siding where the sleeper was left when the train proceeded 191

to its destination, which was the point he originally intended to reach? Why does another young man begin his fraternity experi ence with devotion and when he is at the end of his career still proudly tell people about his fraternity and inwardly give thanks he was invited long ago to become a part of it? We do not have the space to discuss the first case. We will make a brief statem ent about the second because we have known so many men who as “silver grays” were even more devoted to the fraternity as the years brought more understanding of w hat it m eant to them. Here are generalizations we would make which usually apply in the case of the m an who gets the right train and reaches his destination - the fraternity man who makes a good beginning and a good ending. First of all, as a lad he loved his college and his chapter. He had a happy undergraduate experience. He was captured by the meaning of education, teaching and learning. He saw older men in his fraterntiy who inspired and led him. He made the richest friendships of his life. He enjoyed the com panionship of men who grew old with him. The ideals of the fraternity lived. He was warmed as he kept in touch with his alma mater and chapter returned to them when he could. He was quickened when he saw young men with the same devotion in his chapter as he and his contemporaries had in their time. He watched young men come up and take the responsibility and leadership for the fraternity. He knew th a t in his fraternity life he had met and lived with in chapter days m any of the finest men and gentlemen he had ever been permitted to know. Board the right sleeping car. Be sure you are never side-tracked in the cold, gray dawn. Go on to your destination. Make the ending as glorious as the beginning. Winter 1978

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BEING BETTER Samuel Johnson in his late years was consulted on countless questions by his friends and admirers. On one occasion a friend confessed to him a contemptible thing which he had done. To expiate some of his guilt feeling the confessor exclaimed, “I am a dog!” Dr. Johnson replied, “Dog or no dog, you did it.” Herein is a monumental lesson. Man is a creature who seeks and needs relief from guilt. Man knows the meaning of confession and in the fabric of our mortality, we believe in forgiveness or at least th a t one can purge himself of an overwhelming sense of guilt. The statem ent, “Dog or no dog, you did it” is burning, but it enkindles a flame which gives light. W hat men have done they have done. Drive a nail into a board, pull the nail out, the hole remains in the board. Organizations, being made up of hum an beings, are not examples of perfection. They err, do wrong and a t times commit grave errors and acts of serious misconduct. Fraternities being made up of hum an beings are in this pattern. One of the difficult lessons fraternities had to learn and in this regard they have done very well, is to adm it their mistakes. To cover up, deny, brush it away, is a grave mistake. Strong and wise is the fraternity which admits when in error and when it has made mistakes. Equally there is wisdom in hastening to see th a t there is not a recurrence of w hat caused former censure. When a chapter has gotten into trouble in the community or with the adm inistration, general fraternity, on the campus, or with its neighbors, there should be the forthright admission of wrong. Chapters which try to hide any wrongdoing are making m atters worse and prolonging agony and suffering. Compassion is a virtue. Generosity of spirit toward errors and mistakes carries with it a certain nobility. However, any chapter is foolish not to admit when there has been conduct and behavior unworthy of the ideals and purposes upon which fraternities were founded. The same spirit should be shown toward members. Sanctimony and holier than thou should be avoided. Nevertheless, there is no denying th a t there comes a time when it has to be said to a person, “You did it.” The person who has had experience in organizations recognizes a group attitude. So often man thinks the way out is to say, 193

“Everybody does it,” or “All organizations do it.” There is awareness th a t young men at times get from older men tales of exploits and escapades carried out when these men were on the campus or in the chapter. An officer of a fraternity on a chapter visitation was talking to the chapter officers about avoiding dangerous, degrading, and dirty initiation practices. He later learned th a t preceding him had been an alumnus of the chapter who had regaled the undergraduates about almost barbarous acts which he thought were clever and hilarious. In F irst Kings Elijiah bemoans, “I am no better th an my fathers.” It is interesting and instructive to know th a t this attitude could not prevail. No m atter how much men may admire their forebears and their fathers, there would be a static society if men were no better than their fathers. Men should be better than their fathers. It is a stiff dose to take, but it is the way of growth, improvement, and progress. College generations ought to be better than those who went before. Let us never teach people th at they can’t be better. Those in a fraternity may not be, but should strive to be better than their fathers. This is true in chapter life. It ought to be true in all departments of life - government, education, religion. There is no “past” to excuse wrongdoing in a general fraternity, chapter, or life of one who wears a fraternity badge. We face present and future. We must learn to say, “P ast or no past, we are called upon to do better than our fathers.” Spring 1978

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UNMERCENARY MEMBERSHIP

When Albert Schweitzer made his first visit to Harvard, a friend of mine was given the honor of acting as Dr. Schweitzer’s host and guide. My friend asked in advance w hat his guest would like to do, for the duration of the visit would be only one day. In general terms, the request was for a free day. When Dr. Schweitzer arrived, he asked permission to play the Baroque Organ in the Germanic Museum, and the organ in the Memorial Church. Of course this was granted. Later, at his request, he visited a well-known company which built organs. My friend told me th a t the experience of th a t day would never be forgotten. The thing, however, which made the deepest impression upon him was Dr. Schweitzer’s presence at the organ console. My friend said th a t here was an artist totally oblivious to whether anyone else was present. He was lost in the music. He had become absorbed and m aterialism had no significance. He was “totally unselfconscious.” It may seem poor taste to make a comparison between an experience such as my friend had in listening to Dr. Schweitzer’s playing the organ and membership in an organization. I risk the chance of being misunderstood, for I am sincerely trying to resolve for myself a hum an problem. Why is it th a t some men and women find membership in an organization so satisfying? Why is it th a t so m any find some satisfaction and others find none at all. Is it too much to say th a t in every organization (even ones th a t are religious), there is a hard core which is not a large percent of the membership who find a return for which they are thankful? How is it th a t in fraternities and sororities there are persons who, thoughout life, never lose their enthusiasm , appreciation, and pride in their membership? We all know th a t m any persons get from organizations recognition, companionship, m aterial and financial return. We have observed, too, th a t when these are no longer afforded, there is lowering of interest and loyalty. The old flame burns low. It is about the man or woman in an organization of value and worth who continues devotion and interest, plus service, of whom we are thinking. This person receives no m aterial return. Such a one may never be recognized or elected to office. Few people in the organization may know there is such a person on the membership 195

rolls. Yet we will guarantee two things: One, th a t no organization can be of strength and influence without the type of member we are thinking of. Second, th a t the person who gets the full meaning of membership and the unbroken satisfaction of it is this person. The Mediaeval Mystics understood “the unmercenary love of God.” It is a beautiful thought and again on penalty of seeming to go too far, it is with sincerity we speak of “the unmercenary membership.” Through years of fraternity association, there are those whose membership is an example. They have never failed in their devotion. They have asked nothing. They have been members and proud of it. They have upheld the name and they have worn the badge always to the honor and credit of the fraternity. They have been totally unselfconscious. They have been lost in their membership. They found something th a t made them the kind of member the idealists dreamed of when they said th a t on the basis of friendships th a t would last through life, men could build up a fraternity th a t would be a truly great and good brotherhood. Summer 1978

196

THE BETA GUARDIAN

I write of one of the most valuable men in the history of the Fraternity. I will not name him. I will let the reader nam e him. I will not give his Chapter or Class. Again, the reader can supply that. For decades, this m an has been in our chapters and throughout our Broad Domain. He is known by General Officers, District Chiefs, Alumni, and Undergraduates. He is known by members of college administrations. He may be young, middle-aged, or old. He usually grows old in the service. Every chapter has had such a m ainstay. Sometimes he has been there from the day a chapter was granted its Charter. Sometimes he has started his interest as an alum nus and continued to serve. He often gives more time and spends more of his money than he should. His return is the stature and record of the chapter. Yes, we all know this man. He is the one who stands by the chapter through good times and bad. He is the one who has helped shape the image of the chapter. He is, perhaps, married and has children. He may live in town or away from town. He has a position or a profession. He has his counterpart in other chapters. In his own chapter he holds a most im portant and vital place. He is always there to be reached by phone, always there to see, and always ready with answers. He attends initiations. He works with other alumni in the House Corporation. He attends some chapter meetings and is usually there at the big celebrations. He is a pillar of wisdom and understanding. For years, yea, decades, he has affected and influenced our chapters. Our Fraternity would never be w hat it is without his devotion. Sometimes he is honored. Sometimes he is not. It makes little difference to him, for he is not seeking applause. He loves the chapter. It is in his fiber and he gives it of his fiber. We all know him in many chapters over m any years. All honor to him and eternal thanks. The old college, the house, the chapter, the undergraduates, are ever in his heart. Sometimes, somewhere in his chapter life he caught the vision and held it. He has been a worker and steadying force in the long years of a chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history. 197

Someday, when our Beta Library is expanded there will be a volume which will stand with The Beta Story, The Great Ones, Marching Along, In B eta’s Broad Domain. Its title will be, “Guardian of Our Altar Fires.” Fall 1978

198

TO HEAR THE MUSIC

A friend born and brought up in a small growing Northwestern city graduated from the state university and law school. He went E ast and became a successful leader in the legal profession. He would make trips home to see his mother, who lived into her eighties. After one of these trips he told me a poignant, heart-rendering and memorable story. It had always been a secret desire to do something when he went back home, but over a half a century he had not done it. Outside his home community there was a dance pavilion. During the summer on Saturday nights the young people would all take the open trolley car and go out and dance until the last trolley headed home. There was gaiety, laughter, pretty girls, handsome young men, music, the sound of dancing feet, and now and then a thunder and lightning storm. They would all sing on their way back home and once in a thunder storm, they were all soaked. He had always wanted to go back, but never had. On this particular trip he decided not to put it off any longer. The open trolley had been gone for 50 years, but with a friend he found his way out by automobile to where Saturday nights had been so happy. He found the place, but not a thing was there but a grove of rather sparse and scraggy trees. On the return trip he was heartbroken, overwhelmed by nostalgia, memory, disappointment, emptiness, and loneliness. But as he drove along, something happened. He said he could hear again the music, the laughter, and see the happy faces of young boys and girls. “To hear again the m usic—th a t is w hat makes great nations, universities, institutions, and fraternities. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Where people do not “hear the music,” there are no foundations, roots, history, or tradition. It is w hat the Scripture means when it says, “They knew not Joseph.” A traveler searching for springs mentioned in the Old Testament, finding them wrote, “They were still running.” Fraternities are tradition, memory, sentiment, and the m antle th a t falls from one generation on to another. To remember the music and to hear its sound carry one back to Founders, their original purpose, their ideals “To hear the 199

music” carries older men back to their college days and chapter life. Perhaps the old house is gone. The campus is entirely different. The dark chapter room is non-existent. For him who can “hear the music,” see the faces of yore and hear the laughter ring through the house does “people the mystic shrine.” A present generation in a fraternity will face the same experi ence as did the m an who returned to where the dance pavilion once was. Years will go by. Class after class will follow. The chapter roll will lengthen. Youth will turn into manhood and age. But behind it all, one should be able “to hear the music.” Not a thing stood. The dance pavilion was gone. The open trolley might stand in some museum. The essence of those hours built its way into corporate experience and enriched the treasury of life. Fortunate is anyone who can still “hear the music,” the laughter, and see the happy and smiling faces of youth. Winter 1979

200

GROWING TOO BIG

It is an old story and universally known. Its age does not diminish its poignancy. In fact, it grows sadder with passage of time, and increased experience of hum an beings. It is the story of the person who becomes “too big,” too successful, too famous, too renowned, too im portant, to remember old friends, acquaintances, and neighbors. When a person is “too big” to remember the past, he is “too big” for comfort and companionship. The real losers are not those of the past he can no longer recognize. They are not hurt. He is the one who has lost by lifting him self up, walling himself out, and losing touch with persons who helped him along the way. It happens to be as passage from the Gospel of St. M atthew and m ight be thought of as having C hristian orientation. The fact is th a t in any language a t any time, it would be of supreme importance for any person who came to know it as a basic preachment. To quote, “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Here in capsule is a supreme relationship between one person and another. On the one hand there is the person who for the time being is in need. On the other hand there is the person who remembers, does not forget, is aware and concerned and ready to respond. Some years ago I had left a community luncheon in a downtown W ashington hotel. I walked a block with one of the most prominent, busy, and overworked men in the city. As we passed his office, he said, “Come in and visit for a few minutes.” I replied, “Oh no, you are too busy.” In response he said, “When I’m too busy to visit for a moment with a friend, I’m too busy to have any use to myself or anyone else.” How true it is th a t the person who is too busy to remember his old friends, to answer letters, return a telephone call, extend congratulations or sym pathy, is too busy and ought to take a long vacation in the Yukon where no one will bother him. Fraternities are not councils of perfection, but they do have something to teach those who will learn. One lesson is th a t once a member of a fraternity, one should not forget his early days, his progress along the way, and other members of the fraternity. The 201

biggest men in a fraternity are those who never forget and who have equal regard for and interest in the most renowned name and the latest youth to put his name on a chapter roll. When General Douglas M acArthur stood on the deck of the Battleship Missouri for the signing of the Japanese surrender, he made brief remarks. Included in w hat he said was the statem ent th a t the problem for the furture was basically theological. Would th a t m an could understand th a t many of our problems are basically theological. What is the relationship between man and the Eternal? What is the responsibility between hum an beings? W hat should one m anâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attitude toward another be? Fraternity means brotherhood. If men are brothers, they have one and only one Creator. The scale of life may vary. Men may be successful or not. Some may gain renown, fame, wealth, but no man ever becomes so im portant th a t he has the right to forget the old days, friends of the past, and those who once called him by his first name. The Gospel of St. Matthew puts it in shocking and penetrating words Inasm uch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.â&#x20AC;? Spring 1979

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PERCEIVING FULFILLMENT “It is a city of light, he said to himself. The tree of knowledge grows there, he added, a few steps farther on. It is a place th a t teachers of men from and go to. It is w hat you m ight call a castle, m anned by scholarship and religion. After this figure he was silent a long while, till he added, It would just suit me.” In this passage, Thomas Hardy in Jude the Obscure describes the first glimpse Jude gets of the Towers of Oxford. There are few descriptions more powerful than H ardy’s telling his reader what the young man sees as in the distance the renowned center of learning appears. Most im portant in this passage is the reaction of Jude when he says, “It would just suit me.” Thomas Hardy never m eant th a t the reaction of Jude sprang from smugness. If Jude went to Oxford, he would not like everything he encountered. He m ight not care for his quarters, tutor, fellow students and the grind of the Oxford routine. Jude did see the Towers of Oxford representing fulfillment. His utterance had to do with completeness. It was not what daily life in Oxford would be. Rather, it was th a t he beheld there something which represented w hat might be called “climate” or “atmos phere.” Fortunate is one who can look back upon an experience and say, “It just suited me.” Such a feeling does not spring from the fact th a t everything had been ideal. Rather, it comes from the feeling of fulfillment and completeness. Fortunate is the person who is told before entering college all will not be perfect. There will be courses, professors, fellow students, events and surroundings which will leave something to be desired. The im portant thing is whether one finds a spirit and attitude which speak of a community of kindred spirits, endeavors and purposes. One who becomes a member of a fraternity will not find th at Paradise has been recreated. There will be black days, blots, unfortunate experiences and uncomfortable hours. There has never been a perfect group of hum an beings. No Chapter or General Fraternity has yet produced a total of persons completely 203

acceptable and admired on a corporate or universal basis. On the other hand, no end of persons have found in their fraternity experience, something which moved them to say, “It just suits me.” Fortunate, again, is the one who finds a satisfying career, profession, House of Worship, comrades and associations which just suit him. The aim of a college of General Fraternity should be a development which provides persons coming to them with a sense of fulfillment and completeness. Why is it th a t some persons have over the years been extremely loyal to their college or fraternity? One answer is, there are those who feel unpaid indebtedness for an education. There are those who cannot forget the happy memories. Others found in those years, lifelong friendships. The other side is th a t such loyalty, devotion and affection spring from an intangible. It can be expressed by saying th a t these were hours and days when one knew fulfillment and completeness. Jude could say “It would just suit me” because he knew he had found th a t which had ended his search. One who has found completeness and a hunger being satisfied can enter into the experience Thomas Hardy reveals in the classic moment with Jude approaching Oxford—‘It would just suit me.” Summer 1979

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A MATTER OF WORTH

A wise m an said he knew how to make a fortune - “Buy people for w hat they are worth - sell them for w hat they think they are worth.” One may evaluate this prescription as he wishes. The point is, it raises the question of worth. W hat is the worth of a government to its people, the world and history? W hat is the worth of a corporation to its stockholders, the public, and common weal? W hat is the worth of a university to students, knowledge, posterity? W hat is the worth of a religious communion (church, denomi nation, community) to its communicants, social welfare, moral and ethical enlightenment? W hat is the worth of a fraternity to an educational institution, to its initiated members past and present, to the development of trained and committed hum an beings? W hat is the worth of a fraternity in terms of the things about which it is always talking, namely: friendship, brotherhood, loyalty, character, cultivation of the intellect? What is the worth of a faternity in terms of its sprawling operation, elected or appointed leadership, proposed programs, ends to be accomplished, public and private image? What is the worth of a Chapter which is an intregral part of a fraternity? Alas, some Chapters have had brief periods of exist ence. Some Chapters have never gotten out of the doldrums or risen above mediocrity. On the positive side, some Chapters have recognized records of excellent achievement. Likewise, some have made vital contributions to a university, community and members. W hat is the worth of a fraternity member? There are members who never, never are part of the fraternity into which they were initiated. Many members in name rem ain in the misty middle. Others make a mark, leave a name for those who follow and bring honor to their fraternity through a successful career. Fraternities invest in headquarters, spend money on publi cations, program conventions and develop for their members simple or elaborate ritualistic practices. Conscious of this, one who keeps his head knows the principle asset a fraternity has, 205

and maybe the only enduring asset, is found in its leaders and members, who without question, have personal worth. One thing a fraternity official should know is - he can ’t fool young people. The moment they see him they have his number and know whether or not he has personal worth. Dean Wicks of Princeton once said, “Tragedy always follows when men accumulate more power th an they are personally worth.” T hat is true of everything we touch. Personal worth is the only controlling influence over the power men am ass and the mysterious and unknown destiny they seek. A century ago a rich m an looking for a skullery boy visited an orphanage in London. His eye fixed upon a lad, to whom he said, “If I buy you, will you be honest?” The boy replied, “Sir, I’ll be honest whether you buy me or not.” The worth of institutions and persons can be understood when they cannot be bought or sold, are above price and stand or fall, never bartering their supreme value - character. Fall 1979

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BIRTH OF A COLUMN In 1949, Columbus S. Barber, West Virginia ’20, became Editor of the Magazine. He told me th a t he wished to have an essay which would have a spritual em phasis to run in each issue. He made the wise choice of asking A rthur C. Wickenden, Denison ’15, who was a professor in the Depart ment of Religion, Miami University, to contribute such an article on a regular basis. Art did this with power and beauty of words and thought for such a short period. He then told Columbus th a t he would like to be relieved of this responsi bility. Columbus discussed the m atter with me and I made a suggestion. It was th a t he get different persons to write an article which would be on the inner cover of the Magazine. I suggested th a t it be called Inter Frates, and I said I thought there could be a symbol representing the clasped hands on the back of the badge. Columbus carried out my suggestion. At the time, and it was not until long after, I did not know th a t in much earlier issues of the Magazine, there had been a departm ent “Inter Fratres.” M any of the articles which appeared were written by William Raimond Baird. For a few issues, different persons wrote. If my memory is correct, I wrote the first essay. In a short time Columbus came to me and asked if I would take as a regular responsibility contributing the “Inter Fratres” essay. I accepted his request. Many years have gone by and m any of these articles have brought comments from a very wide range of men and women. In fact, I have heard of the articles being printed and quoted by people who knew nothing about our Fraternity. We have had numerous requests to reprint these articles in other publications. The above is history and I would like to put on the record a few things which might be of interest to readers in the present and to someone in the future. In writing these articles I have kept in mind all fraternities and sororities. I have believed we have all had two things implicit -improvement of the mind or intellect and improve ment of one’s character. I have known th a t basically our fraternities and sororities are built on ideals. None has 207

escaped misfortunes we wish could be blotted out. All have had great moments and milestones. Sometimes we have been under pressure. Other times we have been welcomed as an honored guest. Our fraternities and sororities are no better th an the men and women who hold membership in them. The fact is th a t these organizations have had lustrous leaders and devoted sacrificial followers. There have always been those who have found in their membership experience an enrichment of their life. They have been thankful for this as long as they have lived. It is also a fact th a t the negative things said about fraternities and sororities have some credence. It is also true th a t these organizations have existed in the atmosphere of education, have continued because they have turned to youth for the replenishm ent of membership and th a t no end of persons in their latter years still carry memories th a t people a mystic shrine. One final thing I would mention about writing these articles is I have discovered th a t hum an emotions are the same. None of us is an island. We are bound together in the bundle of life. We share each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s joys and sorrows. We hunger to hear someone say the thing we believe. We hunger more to know th a t greatness is found in goodness, and goodness is the only thing th a t will make greatness. Life is complex, but it is simple, and as a fraternity or sorority thinks and feels in its heart, so is it. Winter 1980

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THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT The 140th anniversary of the founding of the Fraternity was held at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio in August 1979. It was a time of inspiration and unforgettable hours. In the planning there was the feeling th a t a ceremony should be held at the Campanile. This would correspond to w hat had taken place at the 125th Anniversary. The more thought given to the gathering at the Campanile, the more insistent it became to keep it brief. When the night of the Campanile service came, the weather was perfect -blue sky, clear, crisp air, and because it was to be early in the evening, there was still sunlight. One standing at the Campanile could faintly hear, far in the distance, men’s voices singing “M arching Along.” The sound grew louder as 400 or 500 men reached the Campanile and with the guidance of m arshals arranged themselves in rows standing before the Campanile. Ju st as this happened, the chimes in the Campanile sounded and the sun’s rays lit the dome. There was one song, an address on Reflections emphasizing the theme of the plaque on the Campanile - 125 years after the founding of the fraternity its members gathered here to reaffirm their devotion to the ideals of cultivation of the intellect, friendship and fidelity. There was another song and a m arch from the Campanile back to the University Center. The entire service took 17 minutes. Thinking back to the impression of those 17 minutes and th a t most of the persons who participated will never forget them, one might think about time and brevity. All who attend meetings are faced with sessions which can go on until m idnight when a 10:00 o’clock cut off would serve two purposes. It would give rest to the weary and stop the abrupt waking up from naps. There are reports th a t run 19 pages when two pages would be far more effective. A blue pencil is a valuable aid. There are speeches which have no term inal facilities. They seem to be in the hands of persons who do not know the Gettysburg Address, never to be forgotten, lasted but a few minutes. There are introductions which go on and on until one thinks 209

he is listening to Freem an’s Life of Robert E. Lee. Often after the address is over, there is a kind person who gives a complete summary and tells everything the speaker has said. Of course the clergy has a burden to bear and should have a guilt complex in connection with the message without end. There was an old Southern, uneducated preacher who used to say th a t his sermons were like freight trains, he could cut them in half and put on the caboose. It is sound wisdom. Seventeen minutes reminds us of Ernest Hemingway who said: “The finished writer does not use adjectives.” It also reminds us of an English teacher whose m anual was used by thousands of freshmen. He counselled: “Use the simplest words the subject will bear.” Above all, brevity in writing or speaking is the greatest compliment one can pay a reader or listener. It is the recognition of the intelligence of someone other than oneself. Spring 1980

210

THE CHALLENGE OF FRAGMENTATION Comparing today to yesterday is a common way of looking a t life. It is almost a general habit in aging generations of college graduates. I endeavor not to write in the first person. This time I ask indulgence of the reader. In my undergraduate years, our chapter never exceeded 33 in membership. We did not have automobiles. We had no University Center affording recreational facilities. We came to college to stay until vacations. Because we were there, m any things followed. In my four years we had total attendance a t all weekly Chapter Meetings. At luncheon and dinner, all who lived in the house sat down together. Weekends one or two m ight go home. All members would go on a serenade, a picnic or to the local movie theatre. The change in chapter life is something like a high-speed bullet hitting a plate glass window. Glass splinters into fragments. Chapter life with large membership presents a more difficult situation than does the small membership chapter. Huge university student bodies are common. The major change is found in the illustration of the shattered plate glass. Fragm entation offers hundreds of choices earlier generations never knew. Travel by auto and plane is available. Weekends away from the campus are outlets. The university offers everything from swimming pools to world-famous lecturers on tour. The chapter is unable to be the compact group of years past. Members have schedules which keep them from chapter meetings, meals and weekends on campus. Activities, projects, causes, diversions are so numerous the chapter is another fragment. W hat to do about it? Many of us donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t w ant fraternities and sororities to pass from the scene. M any persons believe chapter life has a great deal to offer undergraduates. There are positive things which can help! One is a sense of a compelling force within the chapter moving it toward definite goals. A second is a feeling of affection for the chapter, its history, its attainm ents and w hat 211

it stands to profess. A third is belief in the ideals upon which the Fraternity is founded. A fourth is spirit, which holds a group together. (The pride of the Yankees -- motto of the Marine Corps.) A fifth is a central loyalty to the group, a core of devotion, a tough of selflessness. N othing will change the on-going life of universities. Chapters will not experience the small, close-knit, on-campus, away-from-home groups they once were. The pieces of the shattered window cannot be put together. The fragm entation of life is here to stay. However, in th a t fragm entation may we have the wisdom to know the value of chapter life. May it have a pull, central purpose, and call for mind and heart which will go beyond fragm entation and hold men and women together in their chapter life. Summer 1980

212

A GOLDEN EVENT

Fifty years ago a t Old Point Comfdrt, Va., I was chairm an of the Committee on Charters which recommended th a t Beta Theta Pi grant a charter to a local group at the U niversity of Florida. April 12, 1980 at the Golden A nniversary of th a t chapter by its invitation and by appointment of the Board of Trustees of the Fraternity, I gave the address. Attendance was large. Most notable was the presence of alumni of the original group and alumni with low numbers on the roll of the chapter. John W. Prunty, first chapter president, spoke. A history of the Installation was read by one who was initiated at the Installation. Present in 1930 to install Gamma Xi were President Francis W. Shepardson, General Secretary Harold J. Baily, General Treasurer Jam es R. Gavin, District Chief Sumpter D. Marks and Betas from several chapters. The chapter today is strong and well-housed; however, it was announced th a t $100,000 was in hand toward building a new and larger house. Many Beta wives and coeds were present. Again one realized how much Beta girls have helped the Fraternity. An A nniversary gift of $500 from the General Fraternity was presented to the President of the U niversity by District Chief N. M. Ellison. Previous to the banquet there was a Fraternal Fifties service and initiation. Both were well-planned and carried out. The enthusiasm of the active chapter is unlimited. The banquet was noisy and boisterous but one sensed the thoughts and feelings of those whose strength and joy were bursting. One was impressed with the quality of the alumni. They were men of achievement, dedication and character. In 50 years the student body has grown from 3,200 to 32,000. Our country has gone through wars, depressions, campus protests, riots, and revolutionary educational change. Another major change has been in morals and life styles. One wondered how a chapter had survived the changes of 50 years and at the same time initiating over 1,300 members. I can only conclude th a t in spite of all th a t is said and w ritten against fraternities, there m ust be something powerful and good 213

in them. Beyond films portraying the worst behavior in fraternity houses, there is a compelling force for idealism. I felt th a t few associations command such continuing loyalty, devotion, affection and support as do countless fratern ity chapters. At this Anniversary one heard calls to uphold standards, to make a better record, to live up to the honor of being in membership with the great and loyal men who gave so much to Fraternity. An A nniversary is a group experience. In Gainesville I also felt each one of us has a personal experience no words of his can fully express. After the Banquet an undergraduate came to me and asked, “Won’t you write an Inter Fratres about Gamma Xi?” I do because at Florida on April 12, 1980, one knew Beta Theta Pi has been and is a powerful force for good in the lives of m any who wear our Badge and bear our name. Fall 1980

214

A GREAT BETA EXPERIENCE

A Beta General Convention is an experience m any who attend one never forget. Beta Conventions have been held each year, usually in mid-summer. They cover m any decades and have generally met in large resort hotels from coast to coast and from the Gulf into Canada. There is always the statistical feature-total attendance, number of officers, delegates, wives, children and guests present. Business sessions, committee meetings, luncheons, banquets are ever on the program. Sports events, recreation, exhibits, displays are routine. Conventions are a part of our life. M any persons love them and find in them a total experience of fun and fellowship. Photographers abound. They snap pictures everywhere and whenever they see a possibility. The professionals take group after group and sometimes the total group. It is not about a site, business, banquets, speeches or sports events I write. Rather, it is about something the photographers never capture even though their pictures may appear in the Magazine and end in the Archives. I write about the lingering radiance o f lighted lives. For when a site may have burned down, the chefs and waiters moved to another resort and the business and reports forgotten, the radiance of lighted lives lives on. It may be the joyous face of a child m istaking someone and calling him â&#x20AC;&#x153;grandpa.â&#x20AC;? It can be a teenage girl at a banquet in her first evening dress. It could be a lad selected to give a speech at the banquet or an aged m an telling how his father was a Beta in a class 80 years ago. The lingering radiance of a life one knows is good, solid and built on granitic foundations continues long after adjournment. The lingering radiance of character, dignity, refinement, poise and social grace endures. The lingering radiance of someone one can trust, look up to, depend upon and gain stature from is remembered. The lingering radiance of an illumined life is never forgotten. The lingering radiance of selflessness, humility and unselfconsciousness needs utter no word. The perm anent and enduring treasure of Conventions is the 215

memory of lighted lives and the radiance which time does not dim. A great and eternal thought from Scripture comes to mind-â&#x20AC;&#x153;He wist not th a t his face shone.â&#x20AC;? Winter 1981

216

A RADIANCE OF MEMORIES

I came upon an interesting and memorable essay. Its title was, The Lost Radiance of Faith. Remembering Emerson’s Compensation I thought, for every loss there should be a gain so I formed a topic, The Lingering and Lasting Radiance of Great Hours. My topic may explain why men and women have had a lingering and lasting love for their college and fraternity. It also may reveal why colleges and fraternities have had devoted servants, unfailing workers and generous donors. Many campus buildings, Chairs and Endowments have been given or bequeathed by someone who had the lingering and lasting memories of college personalities, old buildings, campus walks and hours of inspiration. We should not deprive the Saturday hero, now an alumnus, of reliving his glory. Nor should the phantasies of college dances and parties be thought naive. There is no sham e or disgrace in remembering golden hours. I believe nothing is more dynamic or motivating in the m ature person th an the memory of some uplifted hours long ago--the first glimpse of a campus, like Thomas H ardy’s Jude coming upon the towers of Oxford, the first step through an open door of a fraternity house, the smile from a breath-takingly beautiful freshm an coed. Universities today are huge. Higher education is economic. Impersonality reigns. People are ships which pass in the night, often unlighted and nameless. It is imperative for the future of college and fraternity th a t there be the lingering and lasting radiance of great hours. I can express it by relating w hat a m an who entered a college penniless and became a donor of millions said, “As a lad of 17,1 fell in love with my college.” Colleges and fraternities should see to it they are worthy of such love and devotion. Our colleges and fraternities are not just the results of Federal Grants. They are monuments to those who held the lingering and lasting radiance of great hours. Spring 1981 217

THE CASE FOR THE CRANK

Travelling with a friend, a not-unusual situation took place. My friend had a medium-sized leather bag with two handles which met for carrying. As the bag came along a conveyer, a baggage handler grabbed one handle and slung the bag away. Rip went the handle. My friend yelled, “Don’t you know a bag with two handles is not to be yanked by one handle?” He turned to me and said, “T hat guy will say there’s another crank but I’ll go on being a crank.” “Crank.” Not a nice appellation. There are all kinds of cranks on m any matters--food, health, exercise, medicine, government, religion and other subjects. Frankly, one can let such cranks go as fadists or1extremists or prescribers for a run toward Utopia. My friend did not mean th a t kind of crank. By saying he was a crank, he m eant he would not fail to object to behavior which flew in the face of common sense, practicality and reasonable rules and responses and intercourse in the daily round. John Reily Knox asked seven--not five or 11--men to form a fraternity. Seven met with Knox. He set the date of meeting Aug. 8, 1839, not Aug. 4 or 12, 1840. The meeting was held Aug. 8,1839. The place selected was Old Main, Miami University, not a tavern on High Street, Oxford, Ohio. So the record shows the first meeting in Old Main (later Harrison H a ll), Miami University. The crank is the person who is on time for a 10 a.m. appointment. He waits half an hour for the other person to appear. The crank believes 10 a.m. is not 10:30 a.m. The crank is promised a reply tomorrow to a question. A week later the reply comes. The crank believes tomorrow is tomorrow. We need go no farther. The story is well-known. We therefore turn to our Fraternity. We believe a college education is a privilege not all are given. Education means learning, discipline, order, m anaging one’s affairs and serving. The crank believes receiving an education and being a 218

member of an association which prides itself on excellence and ideals carry responsibilities. Here are a few from an old crank. Such suggestions are for the good of anyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development and to help lubricate the machinery of society and make it purr, not skip and sputter: Open an 8 p.m. meeting at 8 p.m., not 8:45 p.m. Have a 4 p.m. initiation at 4 p.m., not 5:30 p.m. Answer a letter with a question or request today, not a month later. Write letters of appreciation in the present, not months later. We press the illustrations no farther. R ather we conclude with a plea for the crank. He believes a bag with two handles should be lifted by two handles. To him 10 a.m. is not 10:30 a.m. Monday is not Friday. The promise of a prompt reply is a promise. Maybe the crank is not loved. Nevertheless, he is a helmsman who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t neglect the wheel, an officer who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t arrive with his troops when the battle is lost and a m an for all seasons, all days, all hours and all the reasonable and acceptable rules of the game. Summer 1981

219

EXPECT - AND YE SHALL RECEIVE

In a city where team s rarely won, a sports writer wrote of those who followed the teams, “They quit expecting anything.” The comment is two-edged. Those of whom nothing is expected are dulled into producing nothing. Those who don’t expect anything rarely receive anything. A nation which doesn’t expect from its citizens loyalty, devotion, discipline and responsibility can only blame itself for a disloyal, indifferent, disobedient and irresponsible citizenry. A religious institution which does not expect dedication, consecration and sacrifice from its adherents can look for people without religious compulsion and commitment. Parents who expect nothing of their children in purpose, effort, attainm ent and achievement can find within their own walls the reason so few honors have been brought home. Expectation is a subject which can easily be overlooked in a General Fraternity. It is not a typical to note how as a m atter of habit some chapters are expected, on a basis of their history, to continue excellence. Other chapters are never thought of being heard from for stellar performance. Chapter officers who don’t expect much of a chapter usually do not get much for the record. Chapters which expect little of their officers have little of which to be proud. The lad who pledges a Fraternity with no expectation of the rich rewards of which brotherhood and chapter spirit can furnish rarely sees the light. Alumni who never expect to be enriched by lifelong friendships and comradeship in a broad domain won’t know how “the links of a bond fraternal run.” A General Fraternity is a complex association. It may exist in two great countries. Its membership always includes several thousand college undergraduates. Chapters extend from east to west, north to south, and in huge universities to small colleges. Members are of every race, religion, color and background. Members are pursuing a multitude of courses and degrees. A great and good fraternity must have standards and ideals. 220

It cannot fail in holding our great expectations. In turn it must expect exceptionally high response from its members. A fraternity true to its founders purpose and the ideals it swears to uphold is constantly watched by those not its members. Therefore, it must through excellence never permit anyone to have the right to say, “We quit expecting anything of it.” It is well to remember, “Unto whom much is given, of him much will be expected.” Fall 1981

221

TENDING THE SOIL A century ago a prominent visitor to our shores asked a leader in national affairs, “How long do you think the Republic will endure?” “As long as the ideals of the founders remain domi nant,” was the reply. Habitually one hears references in Fraternity life to “The Founders” and “ideals.” So, one may believe a Fraternity will endure as long as the ideals of Founders remain dominant. When Fraternities were founded a century or more ago, 10 or 12 men in a very small student body could easily identify with ideals. In their Literary or Debating Society on a winter night, ideals could be expressed in glowing rhetoric. When colleges were young, small, isolated and reached only by a few, ideals could be real. Then there was hard liquor, but alcohol was not the campus commodity it has become. Chemicals and drugs were an un known. Weekend or winter and spring-break hegiras were not imagined or possible. Freedom, liberation, license, equalitarianism were not even consciously weighed. Today with the multiversity, introduction of new courses, transferring from college to college, years abroad, computerized records and loss of “a person in college” to a purchaser of so many hours, how can “the ideals of the founders remain dom inant?” Considering the overwhelming change fraternities have out lasted, their existence is phenomenal. For th a t reason fraternities have a present and future. Maybe the ideals of the Founders have survived the growth and spread of higher education--in physical growth and diversification. If a nation is to keep the ideals of the founders dominant, it must have ready the soil in which the ideals will grow and bear fruit. Such soil must have as nutrients-belief in the national purpose and the future, patriotism, standards of morality and ethics. It must have the will or desire to endure and survive. Likewise, the ideals of the Founders will remain dom inant because succeeding generations w ant them to survive. The land (milieu) cannot lie fallow. The soil in which a fraternity lives and grows is ready for it. Great wisdom and care must go into cultivation of th a t soil. There has to be a conscious realization of the requirement for productive 222

soil in the amazingly rapid changing scene. The fraternity which is to keep the ideals of the Founders dominant must see each chapter as a soil bed. In th a t soil bed there has to grow regard for the foundersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; vision. There must be appreciation of the past record. To survive, responsibility, discipline, devotion, steadfastness m ust flourish. To put it bluntly, the ideals of the founders can rem ain dom inant in soil where their survival is nurtured, cultivated, tended, fertilized and brought to fruition. Let us never forget--â&#x20AC;&#x153;And some seed fell on good soil and brought forth fruit a hundredfold.â&#x20AC;? Winter 1982

223

DISAPPOINTMENT’S SILVER LINING Disappointment. Every normal person knows the word. Thi experience is universal. No sane m an or woman escapes totally from it. It begins in childhood. A lad w ants to play baseball on Saturday and rain pours all day. A little girl w ants to go on a promised Saturday trip with her father and business calls him out of town. One w ants to make the team, glee club, honor society and doesn’t. Bitter disappointments! Selections are made for college but many applicants don’t get their first choice. One wants a particular fraternity or sorority but no bid comes. Then one is disappointed in the college he or she attends. Disappointed in courses and professors. Disappointed in fellow students. Disappointed in the fraternity or sorority experience and prevailing attitude and behavior. In thinking about disappointment, there is some absurdity. If one is disappointed in others, maybe others are disappointed in him or her. Children often disappoint parents and alas, parents often disappoint offspring. A college disappoints a student, a fraternity or sorority disappoints a member but maybe th a t person disappoints a college, fraternity or sorority. D isappointment will not end as long as m an is human. Therefore, is there any philosophy, therapy or theology to help? D isappointment being real, don’t think it isn’t there. Know all persons are disappointed at times. Try not to cause disappoint ment. Don’t let the hurt of disappointm ent grow and sting. Admit some disappointments will never fade away. Don’t be too critical and expect all to share one’s disappointments. Because this message goes to college, fraternity and sorority readers, let us look at an up-beat summation. Often disappoint ments can kick us into our kingdom. (Saint Paul wanted Bythinia-got Troas and did his great work there.) A chapter th a t dis appoints can rise like a Phoenix. The disappointed alum nus or alum na (or undergraduate) can sit down--write a song or essay and tell how his or her disappointm ent opened vistas to meeting disappointment. Maybe the original motivation in founding a fraternity was th a t this happy band of brothers or sisters will help each other. 224

Help each other to avoid disappointments and support each other if disappointments come. Spring 1982

225

THE SIGNIFICANT “THANK YOU” In the Gospels there is a story well-known. One who reads or hears it may become vexed but one also realizes the reality of this century old account. The story has 10 men afflicted with a dread disease. Together they go to one seeking a cure from him. They are cured and go off laughing, jumping and rejoicing. Later, one of the 10 returns to thank him who performed the cure. Then follows the question, “Were there not nine others?” In this story one faces thankfulness, appreciation, gratitude and the absence of them. First, a donor, giver, benefactor, being hum an is grateful for thanks. True, one should not give to receive thanks but an emptiness, disappointment and regret often linger in one who has opened heart and purse and did for others. The giver who is not thanked does not receive the giver’s due. Second, those who did not return to express gratitude missed much in life. They were selfish, gross, mean, ungrateful. They did not count their blessings. Their own lives suffered from the completeness gratitude gives. They were there to take and never think of giving back a thank you. Third, the one who returned to give thanks was a m an of humility, gratitude and grace. He discharged a duty. He made his benefactor feel better. He was at peace w ithin and knew all are in debt for help others give. It is true th a t those who love and serve their country are those thankful for it. The grateful citizen gives thanks for pilgrims, pioneers, heroes, martyrs. He appreciates character-building institutions, cultural and spiritual bequests. The person who serves his Alma M ater is the thankful person. Daily thoughts return to founders, givers, early years. One is grateful a college survived. One remembers all given him by endowments, builders, teachers, fellow students. The person who returns to a campus to say “ Thank you” will bring a thankoffering large or small. It may be there is a lesson here for fraternities. Some men found nothing in fraternities to be thankful for. Other men were selfish. The truth is fraternities have been built and sustained quite often by the one and not “the nine others.” 226

It is for fraternities to teach gratitude. It is their duty to make chapter life and the years of membership so memorable th a t 1020 - 40 - 60 will return gratefully, and there will be no â&#x20AC;&#x153;nine others.â&#x20AC;? Summer 1982

227

AIMING FOR THE LUSTROUS LIFE A memorable day in my life was one I spent with Rabbi A braham Heschel, renowned author, teacher, scholar, lecturer and speaker. During our conversation Rabbi Heschel said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The greatness of The Bible rests not alone on its allegories, historical events, proverbs, psalms, prophetic wisdom but on the lustrous lives one meets within its pages.â&#x20AC;? Those words have ever since been to me a goad. I am not too modest to say I w ant to live, if I can, a lustrous life. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t w ant to be covered with mud and smeared with muck. Our Fraternity, and I know other Fraternities, has had a long line of lustrous lives. Over nearly a century and a h a lf we have been led by men whose lustre shone. (They are too numerous to list.) Speaking for our Fraternity or writing for it, I am bold to say and write--try to shine as the stars. Let the Fraternity inspire lustrous lives. Em ulate the cultured, refined, educated, humble men who have worn our badge and borne our name. My belief is simple. It is th a t an anim al house, a bunch of booze fighters, a crummy bunch have no real place in a great and good fraternity. With the foundations for Fraternities-university and education (the home soil), ideals, privilege and heritage-lustrous lives should be the product. I know not the Rituals of other Fraternities th a n my own. I will wager every ritual upholds learning, understanding, character, self-improvement and points to something higher for all. The most rewarded persons in the United States and C anada are those who receive higher education. Lustrous lives created Universities and gave their lives to teaching. The founding purpose of a fraternity was not just brotherhood but brothers who would excel and shine together in m utual helpfulness. A great hour comes to one when he or she resolves to be lustrous. For a Fraternity chapter and its members, w hat could be greater th an to shine forth amid the darkness th a t would blot out the lustre of which Rabbi Heschel spoke. Fall 1982

A MATTER OF MANNERS “ M anners Maketh M an” is carved in a stone arch over a gateway to the quad of an English college. Behavior is the way one acts, covertly or openly. Behavior moves from the uncivilized to the civilized. It goes from gauche to refined and from degrading to elevating. Fraternities and sororities possess Greek letter names, rituals, ideals, chapter houses, officers and funds. Beyond these, and much more fraternities and sororities possess, they are totally dependent on m anners and behavior. All the past glorious history, all the members of achievement, all the “country club chapter houses,” all the income and funds can be negated by crude m anners and bestial behavior. Every fraternity and sorority in their ritual, bylaws, name, purpose have only th a t which is to elevate, inspire and hold up for acceptance the loftiest ideals and examples of courtesy, m anners, civility and decent behavior. When disgrace comes, the fault is not with the structure, ideals and teachings fraternities and sororities have. The fault is with individuals who have no m anners and behave like clowns. There is no excuse for a chapter having no m anners. How far from the ideals of founders are littered houses, sloppy dress, men eating with h ats on and no greeting or welcome to former chapter members and guests. Nothing in the idea and ideals of fraternities and sororities is in line with, compatible to, or related to drunken brawls, anniver saries, special events, initiations and weekends th a t are Roman orgies. It is not easy to say and write these things. One m ust remember college students today are in one of the most lush, extravagant surrounds on earth. One m ust remember fraternity and sorority officers are going all out to uphold the ancient good names of their association. Let us be unafraid to say th a t the ill-mannered and misbehaved should find their companions elsewhere and be a therapeutic in getting out of a chapter. Financing, bigness, carelessness get in the way of selecting members. “We’re the best house on cam pus” is often 1982 Rah Rah stuff. When, as an undergraduate said, “M anners have gone 229

out of style,” the vacuum is filled by crude, cheap and often vulgar behavior. There was a m an of whom it was said, “He is well-groomed within and without.” One may have all the intellectual grooming in the world but without grooming in gentle manners and exacting behavior, he or she is not the persbn founders of fraternities and sororities believed their brotherhood and sisterhood would inspire. There is supreme wisdom in the words of Orwell who said, “If men would behave decently, the world would be decent.” Winter 1983

230

THE REWARDING FIRE

I was 17 when I was initiated. It was the time of World War 1.1 recall how with wonder I looked at the men in town and on the faculty who were Betas. I was 18 when I attended the 81st General Convention. With awe I watched the-then great leaders of the Fraternity. As years went by and I served the Fraternity, I never overcame my amazement th a t so m any older men could continue their love and loyalty for their chapter and the Fraternity. W hat was it th a t made men long out of college still so intense and involved? What was the fire th a t burned in them? Throughout my Fraternity experience, I ask myself how can older men retain such devotion? Why do they read the Magazine, visit their chapter, attend conventions and write and phone old Beta friends? Why are they always conscious they are Betas? If it seems a miracle th a t so many older men retain their loyalty and devotion on into old age, there is another miracle. It is the vast number of young men who early develop this loyalty and love for the Fraternity. Many lads just initiated are fired with intense loyalty. In past years I’ve had endless letters from young Betas expressing their devotion and pride. A letter comes from a lad initiated last year. He tells of a tough trip with eight others in a van from San Diego to the Convention at French Lick. The group grew closer. The men shared food and money. Above all there was the great pride in being a Beta and the almost-worship of the Fraternity. It is one thing to see an old seasoned Beta still aglow with his love and devotion--it is another to see a young lad wih the lighted fires in his heart. Whatever is said against fraternities (and much can be), they must have in them great good, power, inspiration and spirited value to be so loved by men of 90 and lads of 20. Prominent career diplomat Stanley K. Hornbeck, Colorado ’03, wrote me at the end of his life, “I am thankful I was asked to be a Beta, pledged Beta, became a Beta and always will be a Beta with pride.” “And thus from cherished sire to son, the links of our bond fraternal run, While Beta sons of Beta sires are guarding forever 231

our altar fires.â&#x20AC;? Spring 1983

232

WHO MAKETH THE MAN?

An invitation was received and accepted to a testimonial luncheon. The luncheon was for a man who had achieved much in several fields. Attendance a t the luncheon was made up of a large number of men who knew well the one being honored. After the luncheon, one m an acted as presiding chairm an. He announced th a t there was no m ain speaker. Anyone could be recognized and pay a brief tribute to the one for whom the luncheon was given. Man after man arose and told of some outstanding thing our guest had done. I did not speak although I could have. R ather as I listened I thought of how I have heard from our guest the great influence his father and mother and an itinerant Methodist minister had had upon him as a boy and youth. I realized again th a t behind successful men and women are those who have influenced their lives--given them wisdom, ideals, morals and faith. J. M. Barrie in a rectoral address at St. Andrews, Scotland, said to graduates, “There are not three great universities in Scotland but four. The fourth is the poor proud homes from which you have come.” How often some father of little formal education has given his all to educate his children. How often a widowed mother has toiled to educate a son or daughter! Here is a teacher who never wins fame but unknown to him, he influenced some boy or girl who won a high place in a life of service. Here is a doctor not known for medical prowess who saved a child who in time became a benefactor of mankind. Here is a preacher never recognized as a profound orator who reached a child or youth who attained renown. Shakespeare said, “The past is prologue.” The past also is platform on which one stands. The past touches succeeding generations. Roy Chapm an Andrews, after his work on the Gobi desert said, “The past goes far back and is warm with life.” Daniel Webster when asked to define Christianity said, “My old 233

aunt in New Hampshire.â&#x20AC;? The m an we honored was the result of a father and mother who gave him the ideals of usefulness, nobility and wisdom. A fraternity is fortunate to have had Founders and builders who have influenced later generations. A chapter is blessed if earlier members have bequeathed a legacy of decency, pride, morality and reverence. The present generation m ust look to the future. Will men and women today in fraternity life inspire those who follow them to be examples of the highest? In honoring a m an or woman of achievement, we m ust ever see those who are responsible for much of the success. There is no such thing as a self-made m an or woman. One may do much on his or her own but behind it all are earlier lives never to be forgotten. Summer 1983

234

A MAJOR FRATERNAL PURPOSE When I was a district chief, I was standing one day w ithin the H arkness Q uadrangle at Yale. At my eye level I saw, carved in stone, “I w ant to be useful” N athan Hale, class 1773.1 have never forgotten those words and often have used them when speaking or writing. Over the years there has deepened in me a companion thought-“ I w ant to help someome.” It is a wonderful thing to be useful. All honor to persons who are. The world is such th a t much help is needed. Life’s real reward comes from helping others. Many, many men in our Fraternity have lived helping others. Two men come to mind because their names are so well known and because of uniqueness. William Raimond Baird was to me a genius. He possessed great knowledge in many fields-engineering, law, patents, education, fraternities, editing, writing, geology and more. Baird was a m an who always was helping others-family, friends, students, and his basic idea about fraternities was they were vehicles to help others. Francis W ayland Shepardson holds a place in our Fraternity no other ever will hold. He had rare gifts. He was an educator, historian, writer, editor, speaker, leader of men. No one who met him ever forgot him. Shep wanted to help others-his Fraternity and other fraternities, universities, historical societies, Phi Beta Kappa, his church, his friends and young men in their student years. In our fraternities we emphasize brotherhood, loyalty, fidelity, morality, scholarship and rightly so. We must emphasize helping others. It is my belief fraternities were founded by those who wished to help each other. Over decades, men who have served as officers have tried to help younger men to find a richer life. Chapters th a t excel are dedicated to helping to build up better men. The pledging and initiating of a young m an should carry the idea he will be helped, and in turn he will help. A General Convention issue of the Magazine, chapter visita235

tion, speeches, should aim to help others. When Mr. Truman, suddenly President, called on Mrs. Roose velt to express his sympathy, her first words were, “W hat can I do to help you?” In the Bible there is a text; “Every m an helped his neighbor and so built they the wall.” A part of being a Beta consists of knowing brotherhood is striving to find the way to say, “I w ant to help others.” Fall 1983

236

THE FABRIC OF BETA THETA PI

The Apocrypha has as one of its books., Ecclesiasticus (not to be confused with Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament). In Ecclesi asticus there is this text, “They will m aintain the fabric of the world and in the labor of their hands is their prayer.” The writer was referring to all men and women who worked, labored, toiled with their hands. For our thought, let us consider from this wonderful text the word fabric In this profound insight, one faces fabric holding together and preserving the substance th a t holds everything together. N ations are held together by a national fabric. T hat fabric is government, protection for a population, opportunity for citizens to grow, learn, find peace and happiness. The national fabric is m aintained by devotion, loyalty, service and sacrifice on the part of its people. In a homely way such fabric is m aintained by those who take the 7:15 a.m., to work and return home on the 5:15 p.m. By police men, postmen, firemen, watchmen, and all who keep a govern ment in operation and worthy of allegiance. The fabric of the home is held together by those who go to their daily work, by mothers who make a home with meals, beds, clothing, w arm th and happiness. The fabric of the home is the bond between parents and children and family. It is found where Dad puts out the flag early each national holiday and mother has the band-aid to cover the latest cut or bruise in the family circle. The fabric of the home is consideration for each other, sym pathy, concern, assistance, devotion and love for each and all. The fabric of our schools has been woven by teachers often underpaid and long-suffering and by boys and girls eager to learn. Likewise, our colleges and universities have been in exist ence through the devotion of those who gave a lifetime to teaching and students terribly glad to be in the academic world. There have been Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, priests, famous preachers and great theologians. However, the fabric of the church has been m aintained by countless unknown priests and ministers and millions of unsung and unknown worshippers. The fabric of the church has been preserved by ladies on the chancel committee, deacons, ushers, janitors and choir members who rehearse Wednesday nights and sing each Sunday coming 237

through rain, ice and snow, and in summer heat. The church never will die because the fabric always will be kept in tact by selfless spiritual leaders and the ever faithful. The F ounders of our Fraternity wove a fabric of ideals, fidelity, friendship and strong devotion. T hat fabric has endured for 144 years. There is the unbroken fabric of Beta Theta Pi because of those who have loved the brotherhood and in their time served it th a t others after them m ight enter into a heritage of friendship th a t lasts through life. The fabric of Beta Theta Pi has been kept whole by officers, district chiefs, editors, historians, archivists, song writers and orators. Beta parents, wives, daughters and sisters have helped keep the fabric strong and inspiring. The fabric of a chapter is in the hands of its alumni and underÂ graduate members. Responsibility is laid on every member on the roll of his chapter to m aintain the chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fabric through the years. Each member should be woven into the fabric of the F raternity. It is through the character of each member the fabric will not be torn or destroyed. There is our fabric to cherish, keep unsullied and safeguard. It is our duty today to pass on the fabric of Beta Theta Pi we hold from the ever honored Imm ortal Eight and the Loyal sons who have followed them in friendship and fidelity. Winter 1984

238

THE FRATERNITY’S GOLDEN DOOR The Statue Of Liberty is known by people around the world. It is a symbol of liberty, freedom, justice and opportunity. Emma Lazarus wrote a moving poem about the Statue of Liberty. One who goes to see the statue will find a copy of Em ma Lazarus’ poem. She spoke of those who came to the New World, finding a new home, new opportunity for a new life and above all, an opportunity to find opportunity. In the poem there is this memorable line, “I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” A lamp is, of course, a symbol. We read, “A lamp unto our feet.” We’ve heard the expression, “The lamp of learning or the lamp of knowledge.” In m any fraternal orders, the lamp is used as a symbol of lighting the way to a higher life or to truth or understanding. It is not about the lamp we write but about the door. “I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” The door is a symbol. St. Paul said, “There is open before me a great door and effectual.” We find in fraternal orders, the door or gate being used as a symbol of opening the way to higher adventure, greater accomplishment and larger achievement. We write about the door. Let us begin with the statem ent th a t any of us who have been born or live in the two nations where our fraternity has chapters, entered through a golden door. The United States and C anada have provided people with the opportunity to live in a land of freedom and a place where peace has been its aim. These are lands where people of few possessions could accumulate great possessions. Lands where people could dedicate themselves to doing good. Lands where laws are supreme and men and women build their lives with confidence and tru st in the laws there to protect them. Beyond being born in these two great countries, the first day we entered school, we passed through the golden door. W hat a day it was when we began our learning. We began to be taught. We were students, listeners, there to learn and go on grade after grade. The golden door was opened unto us when we entered high school. It is amazing to realize what opportunities high school has brought no end of persons. Study became more difficult. Opportunities for growth were larger. The vision was lifted. The golden door was opened to us when we entered college. The world seemed to 239

expand. Knowledge and learning increased. We sat under learned men and women. We were given hard tasks. Our minds were expanded and we reached out with elevated thoughts. The golden door of college opened unto us all kinds of associations, underÂ takings and interests-athletics, literature, art, religion and many other ways. For many, the golden door was opened when one went to graduate school and specialized in certain fields and became honed for the service and work of our life. The professions are a golden door. Medicine opens the golden door of healing. The m inistry opens the golden door of preaching, pastoral work, care for others. Engineering opens the golden door of building and developing. The arts open the door of increasing the beauty and adding to the accumulation of the artistic creations. Business is the golden door for many. As they pass through it, they go into firms or companies which develop new products. Business is an opportunity to make money, to serve the public, to do good. We should be frank and say this Inter Fratre is written to bring to our attention the fraternity as the golden door. Some persons who do not like fraternities and are anti-fraternity think a fraternity is a door to evil, wickedness, rowdyism, drinking and the deplorable things th a t have been found in segments of fraternities over the generations. A friend of mind, a minister, said to his son who was going to college, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I ask one thing of you, th a t you never join a fraternity.â&#x20AC;? One of the fine women I have known said to me th a t she would never send her daughter to any college where there was a sorority because of her feeling th a t fraternities and sororities ruined men and women. These may be extreme positions but they exist and we have to admit th a t fraternities and sororities have brought a great deal of criticism unnecessarily upon themselves through bad conduct and misbehavior. Nevertheleess, the fraternity is the golden door for many persons. It is the golden door of friendship where persons can develop friendships th a t last through life. There the friendships can be so real th a t nothing breaks them. There friendships can enrich a hum an being as long as he lives. The fraternity is the golden door to idealism. M any young men have caught the idealism of their fraternity and th a t idealism has lifted them and made life much more meaningful. The fraternity is the golden door of horizons. No end of young men in their fraternity through association with other men, have found great 240

horizons. Sights have been lifted, desires made greater and dreams expanded. Through fraternities, horizons have given m any young people the desire to live a larger more useful and richer life. Fraternities are the golden door to loyalties. For in fraternity chapters no end of young people have learned loyalty to the group, their alm a mater, friends and to their responsibility. The fraternity is also the golden door of a community experience. For as one becomes a part of a chapter, lives with other persons, so m any of the things which are undertaken are community enterprises. We do these things together, work to gether, strive together, hope together. We close with the thought by Em ma Lazarus about the statue th a t stands at the gateway to the New W orld-the one who holds her lamp high in the sky and beside the golden door th a t leads into a new world of opportunity. We should remember, “The lamp unto our feet” and as St. Paul says, “A great door and effectual open unto me.” And with these, “I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” Spring 1984

241

THINGS ACHIEVED, THINGS WILLED

Thomas Hardy once was widely read. Few people read him today. There is no doubt th a t he was one of the most outstanding authors of his time and, although not read today, his works will rem ain near classics in English Literature. I think it was Hardy who said, and I may be wrong, “ The beauty and ugliness of a character lay not only with its achievements but in its aims and impulses. Its true history lay not among things done but among things willed.” This essay is about two things. One, things achieved and two, things willed. First, let us look at things achieved so far as our fraternity is concerned. We have a book in our fraternity library titled, Betas of Achievement. If one reads the book, he is impressed by the number of members of our fraternity who have achieved great things in life. They may have done it in the field of education, the field of the ministry, the field of business and commerce, the field of science or in any number of other fields. Men of our fraternity have achieved. They have achieved large and outstanding things, and some have become world-renown through their achieve ments. The General Fraternity has achieved m any things. We have gone from eight young men to more th an 100,000 members, from one chapter at Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, to nearly 115 chapters spread over the United States and Southern Canada. We have achieved in the form of accumulation of wealth and building foundations for scholarships. We have achieved a superb library of books about the fraternity. We have achieved the publication of an outstanding magazine relating to affairs of our fraternity. We have achieved an Administrative Office in Oxford, Ohio. We have achieved in stant communication with our chapters. We have achieved in interfraternity life. We have had presidents of the N ational Interfraternity Conference and are recognized as a leading fraternity. We’ve achieved m aturity, more finesse and a sense of mission. We try to give young men in their college years a start and an impetus toward higher and nobler things of life. Our chapters have achieved. Many began as just a group and have developed into strong unified bodies. Many started without a chapter house and today are well-housed. Many had little 242

concept of their relationship to other chapters across the lands but those relationships have been strengthened. Chapters have sent representatives to General Conventions, workshops and have participated in the life of the General Fraternity. Chapters have been awakened to taking an active p art on the campus in service groups, religious groups and welfare projects. So chapters have achieved. Alumni have achieved. They have gotten behind building new chapter houses. They have given scholarships. They have sent students and helped finance them through college. They have given generously to their alma mater. And so it is with the individual in our fraternity. Many have achieved much. They achieved recognition as undergraduates and participated in college life. Many graduated with scholastic honors. M any went on to graduate school. M any have partiÂ cipated in the life of the fraternity as chapter advisers, district chiefs, general officers. Individuals in our fraternity have achieved scholastically, professionally, in the business world and without money or price served the fraternity. Now, claiming we have achieved, w hat is willed? W hat does the General Fraternity will? Ju st to be the largest, to have the greatest number of chapters, to have the most beautiful chapter houses, to have the largest funds? W hat is willed for the future? Is it th a t we will the fraternity to be a brotherhood-a group of men come together because they are interested in each others welfare? Do we will to make the good name of our fraternity always a good name never tarnished by the misbehavior and the stupidity of men who should know better? W hat is willed for the future? It is a tremendous question but one th a t must be answered. So it is with a chapter. W hat does a chapter will for its future? W hat does it w ant to be? Does it w ant to be just another bunch of fellows living together or does it w ant to be known as a group of men banded together to achieve and go beyond what, in the past, has been accomplished? Does the chapter w ant to have a record of decency on campus? Does it w ant to have people say it is a place they would be proud to have their sons as members? What does a chapter will in terms of intellectual attainm ent, college activities, a larger outlook on life where things are done for more unforÂ tunate people? What do the alumni will? Do they will their chapter shall have a standing of dignity and respect in the college community? Do 243

they will the house shall be kept from dilapidation and disrepair? Do they will their chapter is a place to which parents may bring their children and teenagers? W hat do the alum ni will about the ongoing chapter and the reputation of th a t chapter in the community and on campus? If nothing is willed, nothing will be attained and nothing accomplished. W hat does the individual will? What is his idea of the future? W hat does he think he can do as an undergraduate? W hat does he believe he is capable of attaining? It is the individual in the chapter who wills to make th a t chapter better. It is the individual in the chapter who w ants to bring it honor. It is the individual in the chapter who is grateful and thankful he is a member of th at chapter and the fraternity. It is the individual who wills, th at because of his gratitude and his thankfulness he will make a vital contribution, bringing honor to the fraternity, honor to the chapter and honor to himself. Fall 1984

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THE TIE THAT BINDS This is a personal account and I hope the reader will forgive me, if he or she can. For m any years I have been an early riser. During my active days in the church very often I would be at the church by 6:30 a.m. At m any Beta conventions I would be up and around w atching the early morning tennis players, swimmers and joggers. Others like myself, would be up waiting for coffee and breakfast. At the latest convention at Tan-Tar-A, I went out into the huge lobby about 6:00 a.m. Only one young m an was to be seen. He was from one of our Texas chapters. He greeted me and said, “I was told, if I got out into the lobby early, you would be there. I wanted to meet you and get to know you.” Needless to say, we had a delightful visit. We talked about his career, his chapter and the General Fraternity. Looking back at this meeting, I’ve been asking myself, why should one in his twenties w ant to meet an old veteran like me? More thought has led me to realize m any things: First, youth and age do not separate in our fraternal zeal and interest. The line goes on from sires to sons. Second, geography makes no differences--Texas--New York State (in my case) bind us rather than separate us. Third, a convention is a time and place where we are bound together in a common interest. The Fraternity is central and goes deeper than chapter or roll numbers. And of age. Fourth, a meeting of two men can be an unforgettable expe rience in life’s journey. It could even change two lives with new visions. Fifth, the older men w ant to know the young men. There is great interest on the part of older men in the welfare of the Fraternity NOW and in each active chapter and its individual members. “Does the altar’s light still bum as bright as it did in days of yore?” Sixth, one of the m ain reasons our Fraternity has lived is through young men looking at older men. Strong chapters have strong alumni. Men who continue interest in the Fraternity as undergraduates and beyond is because they knew inspiring men of early times. At a gathering in a chapter house or at a convention--" The silver grays” tell their story of loyalty, devotion 245

and affection without speaking. All my life, I have been blest with the guidance and advice of older men. This was true in my boyhood and youth. In college, I looked up to older men who taught. In three parishes I had the help and experience of older men. Older men can lead, direct, encourage, correct and inspire younger men. Likewise, young men can give older men strength, courage, faith and add “future to their m inds.” This is w hat happens when the hand of age grips the hand of youth. I’m glad the young Beta from Texas wanted to meet me. I’m glad I’m an early riser and was up and met him. Winter 1985

246

OUR TWO WORLDS

A fraternity lives in two worlds at a time. There is the world of anti Fraternity feeling. It is made up of those who dislike, despise, hate fraternities. It is the world of ridicule and dragging down by newspapers and those always publishing the regrettable wrong fraternities commit. There is the world of Fraternity history and lore which shines of accomplishment. It is made up of those who love their fraternity and are ever grateful to it and proud of its achievements. Fraternities live in two other worlds at the same time. One is outward and seen by all. It is composed of a Greek name, badge, songs, magazine, chapter houses, headquarters and much th a t is symbolic. It is fraternity rows with flags flying on a Saturday with a home football game and alumni back on campus. The other world is unseen. It is within the lives of members. It is made up of those ever grateful for w hat a fraternity has added to them and for a rich fraternity experience. They are thankful they became and are members. Such persons found friends for life. They knew men they admire and look up to as guiding lights in a good and idealistic performance. It is a brotherhood of real men who really mean much to each other. This is a world of loyalty, honor, trustworthiness. Disgrace and indecency are abhorred and the aim is to hold high noble standards. Some of the finest persons higher education has produced are fraternity men and women. Their influence is ever felt. Even when gone, the memory of their exemplary lives reaches and inspires later generations. No one can deny th a t fraternities have done much to mold persons who have been the useful, selfless and devoted upholders of education, the college and university. Such persons found the good and idealistic m eaning of being a member. They carried to a larger context, goodness, truth, honor and piety. Fraternities must live in the world of their m istakes and often act with tragic results. No evasion should be practiced. Fraternities live on because they have and do fill a place in the lives of students. They survive because many men long out of 247

college continue their loyalty, devotion and affection for their fraternity. Most im portant is the fact they have produced men whose lives far outshine and stand above and beyond the unforÂ tunate acts and memories of those who never lived up to the real purpose and ideals which brought a fraternity into being. Spring 1985

248

ENDEAVOR, EXPECTANCY AND HOPE

M y Antonia by Willa Cather is a superb novel. It is about early settlers in Nebraska who came from the Eastern Seaboard. There were Bohemians, Swedes, Norwegians and Russians. The story is told in retrospect by a lawyer in New York as he remembers his childhood and youth in Nebraska, where he was brought up by an uncle and aunt. The relator of the story went to the U niversity of N ebraska when it was a young institution. He recalls the happy years he spent there and says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;There was an atm osphere of endeavor, of expectancy and bright hopefulness about the young college th a t had lifted its head from the prairies only a few years before.â&#x20AC;? In the founding of fraternities, there was endeavor. It was to bring together a group of friends for brotherhood with mutual aid and assistance. The endeavor did not rem ain local. It soon began to spread to group after group on campus after camapus. In this m anner fraternities became nationwide in their scope. Chapters developed the endeavor to own their own houses. They endeavored to continue their existance through annually adding new members. As growth continued, there followed the endeavor to build a central headquarters, to publish a magazine, to hold conventions. Chapters found the endeavor to excel, to uphold the name and honor of their association. All was not always bright. Dark periods came but there continued the endeavor to uphold the good and true in academic life and in the life of the fraternity. Chapters can find their record in w hat their endeavor has been and is. The endeavor of educated, privileged men should reach beyond college days and fraternity houses. It should be seen in the kind of leadership and service so badly needed in society and humanity. The founders of fraternities held great expectancy. It was thought ideals inspire and direct men. It was thought group effort would produce greater action and duty. Expectancy that, in the future, the brotherhood would continue was early envisioned. Expectancy had to do with men of dignity, refinement and culture. There is in a general fraternity the expectancy th a t chapters will bring honor, not disgrace. The expectancy toughes individual members. They should be enriched by membership and bring 249

value to the name they bear. The expectant chapter is alive. Expectant alumni send a message to their chapter. The expectant chapter looks up and forward. It reaches out to help others. It believes in itself and in improvement. It has pride and seeks to win honor in college life. From such experience men should go into the world with expectancy about their ability to meet the endless hum an problems we all face. A chapter should be a training ground for vision, dedication and service. This may sound like twaddle. The fact is m any men carry the impetus of some chapter th a t pointed them to an expectancy of a useful existence. Bright hopefulness was in the hearts of the founders of fraternities. Over the years, bright hopefulness has carred fraternities onward. Chapters should cultivate bright hopefulness. For chapters can grow through it and overcome mistakes, conquer a poor repu tation and turn to honorable pursuits. Ours is a perplexing world. “So m any voices and none without its significancies.” The wonder is fraternities exist in the changes of society and the staggering changes in higher education. Nevertheless, an amazing thing can take place on a visit to a chapter house, reading fraterity publications or attending a fraternity convention. For in all these cases one can find bright hopefulness. No death knell is heard. Instead, one finds confi dence, elan and spirit. Fraternities have many assets and not the least of these are endeavor, expectancy and bright hopefulness. Fall 1985

250

50 WONDERFUL GENERAL CONVENTIONS Fifty Beta conventions I am told I have attended. How I did it, I don’t know. Looking back, the travel earlier was by train. One could spend three or four days and nights going and the same train time returning. Long hauls. Officers and families often went for a week or 10 days — even sent trunks. Everyone knew everyone and it was a big close family reunion. How we loved each other. I think of the thousands of miles I’ve traveled—Bigwin, Ontario; Sun Valley, Idaho; Pasadena, California; Homestead and Old Point Comfort, Virginia; Bretton Woods, New Hampshire; Swampscott, M assachusetts; Phoenix, Arizona; Oxford, Ohio; Mackinac, Michigan; Poland Springs, Maine; Biloxi, Mississippi; Muskoka, Ontario; French Lick Springs, Indiana; Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Could name more but enough. Some hotels superb, some very poor. Food usually excellent. W eather rarely poor. But oh the miles and miles of travel, baggage and railroad strikes and all the rest. Will not name a name, if I missed one, I ’d be heartbroken. Oh, the great men and wives, etc. Great Presidents, General Secretaries, General Treasurers, Trustees, District Chiefs, Chapter Advisors, Historians, Archivists, Editors, speakers. W hat outstanding men and women this Fraternity has had. Greatest! Alumni-loyal, devoted, sacrificial-men of achievement coming to Conventions—year after year. How proud one can be of such outstanding C anadians and Americans. Real Betas. U ndergraduates—year in, year out, the cream of the crop. Wonderful young men—many going on to be Chiefs, officers, leaders of our brotherhood. It is an endless river of power and service for the future. G reat m om ents—too num erous to cover. We rose to the heights—our hearts were touched and we had hours only a Beta Convention could produce. In conclusion, for me—thankfulness th a t I am a Beta, could be an officer, now 50 Conventions. My love of the brotherhood and all my Beta families is so great. I thank God. God bless you all forever. 251

P.S. Forget not the great singing of Beta songs, the great speeches, the great banquets, the great marches and always the sad farewells. Winter 1986

252