Union College - Garnet Yearbook (Schenectady, NY)

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7 $ H:THE GABITET: P chosen attained by the older ones, and if this rivalry is suc- ]| cessful, draw upon the material which would have belonged M to the latter; or, they will fail to do this, and, by increasing U the number of society men without adding proportionate $ excellence, depreciate the privilege and dignity implied in I a fraternity membership. The former means the destruc- $ tion (in time), of one or more of the venerable and impor- tant societies, which over half a century ago at Union Col- lege, gave birth to the fraternity system ; a consumation which every fraternity man out of mere gratitude as it were due to parents, ought to deplore ; while the latter means the complete degeneration of fraternity standards and a re- duction of the system to the deplorable state already reached in some other colleges, where nearly every student good, t bad or indifferent, becomes a society man as a matter of course and where little or no benefit or honor attaches to the name and badge of a Greek fraternity. As this portion of the Garnet goes to press we are grieved P to add a mention of the sudden death of a veteran servant and friend of the students. When we returned after the § holidays, we were surprised by the intelligence, that dur- y ing our brief vacation “Colonel” Picket had passed away y from the scene of his labors. He served the college with y great fatithfullness for nea rly a quarter of a century and »:• his face had become dear to a long line of graduates, who i had learned by four years contact, of his many worthy quali- :• ties. He played a secondary part, perchance on the varied U stage of human life, but “ acted well his part, ” and there H we are told, “ all the honor lies.”

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6 having taught at various times classes in English, Ethics, y Latin, Metaphysics. The fact that, while more easy and y lucrative positions were attainable, he chose, out of love for y his Alma Mater, to retain an arduous and not over-paid one, p until thus dismissed, without the shadow of a pretext, so y far as the competent, faithful and successful discharge of his duties is concerned, makes his dismissal worthy of still :f more emphatic and indignant denunciation. Immediately :? upon his dismissal, Prof. Webster received and accepted a $ call to the chair of Natural History in Rochester University. $ We have also lost our professor of English and Rhetoric. f| Professor Geo. Alexander has received and accepted a call $ to an important position as a Presbyterian pastor in New York City. The news of his departure was received with universal expressions of sorrow. For, notwithstanding the $ severe thoroughness of his instructions, Prof. Alexander is generally liked, as he certainly is universally respected. Thus much as to the college and the students generally. In regard to fraternity matters, we are glad to note a more liberal and fraternal spirit among the societies. This year all the secret societies represented in Union College, have united in the publication of this book ; and in other C ways the old animosities existing among the fraternities are Q wearing away. || We must note also the advent of a new chapter, the N. Y. y Beta of Phi Delta Theta. While we tender to them a wel- y come, and wish them all the success consistent with the best y interests of the other societies, which, by right of preced- p ence, can claim the field they have for a longer time occu- p pied, yet we cannot refrain from expressing the opinion, p that the fraternity field at Union is already crowded. Ru- % mor also has it that still another new chapter is soon to sur- : prise (?) us. In the establishment here of two or three new y chapters at this time one of two things is inevitable : either the newly established chapter will aim at the standard $

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