Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Technique Yearbook (Cambridge, MA)

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32 TECHNIQUE 1915 talksf' they sayg and, when a uphi- lanthropistv extends a silver tray, upon which lies a choice 'cnest-egg in the shape of a couple of million dollars, and says, Abolish fraterni- ties, and it is yours, the trustees generally take the money. But not always is this the case. There are some college boards who have had this offer made them and refused. They are not all moss-backs. And in some cases the college author- ities, having a false impression of fraternity life, not having taken the time to investigate, conceive a de- sire to show their power-and the fraternities suffer. And so the storm rages, with here and there a spot where the enemy have not obtained a foothold. And amid all this strife the fra- ternity affairs at Tech run smoothly on. Aside from the fact that most things worthy succeed and run smoothly at Tech, there are several other reasons for the calm and serenity of the situation here. First and foremost among these reasons is the fact that we are blessed with a sane and broad-minded faculty, who are aware of the merits of fraternity life, and who know just exactly what they are doing in re- gard to it. Aside from this, the chapters at Tech are of a good substantial character, and under the leadership of men who have been through the mill and succeeded. The right attitude is taken toward scholarship, and the standard is sur- prisingly high. In all, taking into consideration the attitude of the faculty toward the fraternity, the standard of scholarship among fraternity men, and the good feeling that exists between the various chapters, the situation here is one of which we should be proud. And, though else- where legislators sit in judgment, faculties interfere, and chapters or whole fraternities cease to exist, fra- ternity life at Tech will run serenely on, uninterrupted by the outside turmoil. HOWARD LINCOLN COBURN, '98 INCE man began to express his moods and ideas to his - lg fellows, he has struggled to find tl1e word or phrase which would exactly convey his meaning, and has, from time to time, found names so terse, so exact, as to be hailed at Hrst as epigrams, and then, through custom, to be accepted as axioms of thought and expression. Thus, with apt precision, some one, knowing Howard Lincoln Coburnis rare wisdom and broad sympathy, called him Pa,', and since then the words Pa Coburn have become more than the name of a man. They mean a sympathy with the inconsistent ardors of youth which the mellowing of experience . -Y- N, J A ne --- - 1.55-f,,.... is :awmu4:miwc 17 1 5 -44.g.:zzcjg!w:-,:z,y:.e:7f,.4:-4ufbf:f.x::xi ,.. L: ,. ,:: HL a - :A A.: ,- 1an,pz,,,::i:,g i,f-ffff--x-- , ,fy A ...........:az'a.,.,ff115m1':.:um':f:L :-Tm:- V... . . ,,,,............,.....'--f..,.g,,. . .. n ,. 1,p.. fH'lllr1MVFPVlv1lIlfffllA -.-MR-Q.. . I I rg- ui I... I . ..A,,,i..i...l5-.-iss-..L.u...u-44 . .. 4,-: :-4., ':r..f'- - -H-A---'lffffffffywf--f - . -44... ..r::::ffe Q-1, ,,g..,,'9t.-L,:z,.. - . n 2 L -ffflwfwmffffffffff-ff411'l.1yaahil, nz.. E L Ama: Qggghg s 4. . L ,,,,,,f4f41ff1, lx ,ky .dig fl : Z I :,5-- - ,mmm miqugvhgixxxfjuiexcxatxxx E EH-.- n-..,..........,.,..,..,..m , f . 1 , , -' .FX Q K H-2 , , ' ',m,,,,, ,mmm 5 ,, .... . . . . . .. . ,I , K 1. , Y:,:.F..,,,, . .,.,., .... I 5,5..M, A A 1 .....,...-nPz:12:. .,,..FI,.,,.. ,,,,,,g,fE,5

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1915 TECHNIQUE 31 tion Whose sole object is to help men in right living. Through such men the Association expects to in- fluence the moral tone of the Insti- tute. And a disproportionately large number of the men who are bearing the responsibility for the various Institute activities, are mem- bers of the Technology Christian Association. The feature which brings the Association most prominently before the student body is the informal talk given each Thursday at 1.30 in the Union by some man of promi- nence. These meetings are Well at- tended, and are generally regarded as one of the most important of the regular occurrences at the Institute. The Technology Christian Asso- ciation always has several groups meeting regularly for Bible study and the discussions of practical topics dealing with a studentis eX- perience. While there are not nearly enough men interested in this department to satisfy the am- bitions of the Association oflicers, still some men ind these helpful, and voluntarily give an hour or so each Week to this study. One of the most successful lines of Work conducted by the Tech- nology Christian Association is the system of Freshman advisers. The aim is that each new student, when he comes to Tech in the fall, shall have some upper classmen who Will help him register, and then, in a general Way, aid him and exert a good influence over him throughout his first year. The Technology Christian Asso- ciation Wants to be recognized as a helpful organization. Its General Secretary and his assistant are both ready to help Tech men in any Way in their power. They Want you to let them know how they can be of service to you. And they assure every student in the Institute, Whether a member of the Tech- nology Christian Association or not, of a hearty Welcome Whenever he seeks their help. L. R. TALBOT. TI-IE FRATERNITY SITUATION AR and Wide throughout the F ' country, in nearly every f -' state and in hundreds of col- leges and universities, the frater- nity situation is at a critical point. By some it has been termed the great Anti-fraternity VVar. The opposing factions have taken it into the legislatures of several states and are seeking every means possible to Hcleanse' our American colleges of the Ucursev of the Greek-letter fra- ternity. Their campaign has been successfully carried into many col- leges and has succeeded in so tying them in with regulations that they cannot long survive, or have had them entirely abolished. lNIoney - J : . -,r.',-arenas, if EN ' E H-.. - si - :E . ,,ia:racers,--.z:.':.x-:'u::e.-'..1 ' - , . .Q -..........,..,....... N..,..H,,,f-,f5Jz:'5T-4 . . .. . - - - .1 Hg ffm--fi-H-'mggspgr-mi?--.K iv - -3- Y: ..'.l5E.LL'.i6?C'2??,,IHZZNQFUJ:-171.---1 ex -. ,A : .v : : REE Eff , , Agn, ,. ,.-am, -- 5 5,1 uf., ffl.f 1 '1- 5'j31'j? ' ' az ,-if iffy P , . :. , L ,.':L1::: Eilizw: ima. .ENE iiioioibigmgixuluwlnu E 5 1 Iii 573,-5-,15,-,nvannn r,ai6'::c6h?'?f?I5l.QXQa:xx:3 Q.h:....... R:.....,-.............,...'m - - - - - 1. :I ,fk wi 'ZH-, .X I EI T 'i 'L I 'FI1.'1':4'L1'1:z4'n'J':'.u:.'- m:'f' :::':E . , .... .. . .V Vjsqw , Jn E I

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1915 TECHNIQUE 33 has only broadened. Pav Coburn is the name of a kindly pilot who has helped many a young navigator to realize that the prudent proverbs which charted the sheltered pas- sages must not be ruthlessly thrown by the board, but must be wisely ap- plied for the broader seas. To many a boy, discouraged at the discovery that life's formulae always contain an uncertain variable, he has shown how good men use that very uncertainty to make the equation hold. Howard Lincoln Coburn is Pav Coburn because he is kind, but also because he is candid. His sym- pathy is real, but so, too, is his justice. His candor often stings, but his kindliness always heals. Quoting from one of his class- mates:- In his Freshman year, he showed himself an earnest worker and a successful student. His talent was well balanced, free from eccentrici- ties, social as well as technical. Every one of his associates was his friend, and these ties have ripened and become stronger with every year. His classmates naturally re- member little of his efficiency in passing examinations and obtaining good marks, but they do remember his ready assistance, his determina- tion to know why, and to press the instructing staH for an adequate reason. His closest acquaintance with many of his old classmates has come since the Reunion period, and these new old friends have found him as interested and helpful as of old. These last words express Coburn,s attitude not only towards his classmates, but to all Tech men. Probably no other man of Tech has as large an acquaintance or such a circle of admiring friends. Quoting from another friend:- 'iMy Brst real acquaintance with Coburn was in 1903, when he de- livered a series of lectures before the men of Course VI and Course II at the Institute, taking for his sub- ject 'Steam Plants., I was amazed at his insight into the minds of the students, and his knowledge of such subjects as were the most difficult for them to comprehend. His tal- ent, for such it seemed to be, of drawing from the men their lack of understanding, without its being apparent either to them or to their friends, was almost uncanny. His ready sympathy, his earnest desire to make matters clear, attracted all men to him. In a few days he had practically the entire class as friends, and they have remained so from that day to this, looking upon him as a source of information and in- spiration on all subjects. Years after leaving Tech, these men cor- respond with him about troubles of all characters, rarely, if ever, failing to obtain the information they may desire or the sympathy they need. f E ,F -.-1 . 5- - E -,-,fn gym' vi E M-E , ,-f hi H : , :- af ,- 1 I Qi, i1iffrwwa9uqgggggQ5,.a.m,,.,mg ggi-Eg!! - '-...,. LL ..'--1 lf- 2'1'i'::LZa7zU ' ' if e'-e-' 2 W., :. Q - ---4-- 'EQEW W., .as,,,,,Q4ai22? 'f3 -1 5136155 -.2 ' ' Nw 'vu' '- .' ' ... ' , Eilzmu- 'fe-I--1-1--ff---1-1--1-H! 1 f f - - : --l 'g :tM' .' M V: 'r 1 I5 2 .::::-:HI I I .. ,. . .... ..,.. ,..,..,,..,. ..... . . . , xjznm ,-12' . I , .-ei. I -