University of Virginia - Corks and Curls Yearbook (Charlottesville, VA)

Page 30 text:

, ,Y . .. ..-,..f ,,....-,.........?.----T-f---v---f f 'rv--v-fre. -1. 22 CORKSAIQDGURLS VOLXXVI The fraternity thus formed from they amalgamation of kindred characters, becomes a unit in the college world. It provides a home for its members, Where thCY are thrown closely into contact with one another, although there is an additional and unrestricted inter- mingling with Outsiders. At frequent intervals, they give soirees, to which they invite their friends from the college at large. These functions are in the nature of. informal recepti-ons, and are sometimes largely attended. The objection that the fraternity at the University is undemocratic can not rationally be advanced under the present system of things. It is rather an agency for increased intercourse among the student body.. Nor is there any confli-ct or differentiation between the so called 'ifrat man and the man who does not belong toa fraternity, first, because there are so many gradations of fraternities that their membership is not necessarily one of ultra-selectness, and secondly, because many who could become members see fit not to do so. Often, moreover, a man is passed as acceptable by all but one member of'an organization. The fact that he is secretly black-balledn by that hostile soul does not disturb his relations with the others. It is more to be wondered at that so many initiates win an unanimous approval. It is a hard test to be required to meet with the general favor of a reputable organization. , sprinkled around these stable and compact clubs and more or less animated by the same-spirit of competition, is a plethora of societies founded upon various principles. Many of these fulfill a useful function in the form of entertainment provided. Some are the self-confessed leaders of the social realm, others offer subjective reward to ardent seekers after knowledge. The class fraternities figure in department politics, and some of them enliven festive occasions with their public skylarking. Beyond question, a few organizations are superfluous. They are, likewise, secret societies. Through the years, their secret has remained concealed in an impenetrable mist. The deepest investigation has failed to reveal it. Wise men have abandoned their search, baffled and disheartened. Sages have been unable to divine it. ilt is the riddle that for these few will never be solved-their raison dietre, the secret of their reason for existence. u . But the useful are not to be condenmed with the futile and it Soc1et1es and . . . . . . ' . IS not for a critic to carp at the things not dreamt of in his philos- ophy. Some of the societies have a definite place to fill in the social scheme, and they serve their purposes well. Take the ribbon societies, and ask what Easter Week would do but for their allegiance to the dance and the assistance they give to the German Club. Not that their ideals are altogether those of saltatory grace! If they .were definitely known, they would be impartially defined, but Baird's Manual contains nothing about these local orchid growths-T. I. l... K. A, and Eli Banana. beliefTil3earici1E1: jiollurnjxlbership in t-hem, speaking purely from the' uninformed popular ' CIUOI, Or, It may be ventured, an appreciation of savozr faire andicomrric il faut. But in the combination there must be nothing cle trop. And a manner JISUUEUC IS likely to Will YOU, eh, a blue or red ribbon for your waistcoat to Show! When Organizations. X -:Lay 1' - -. . . 1 Y t '1 :.i '-'- '-'r-'e.1'lu....:..-....L '. c.. .....,...1-f-. 1 ,- ' . c..c...... ....-..s,... ,,,. . .,.--,.,,.,g,, ,M

Page 29 text:

X X . -.,. Q . 1913 CORKS AND CURLS 21 one another indiscriminately upon the back or engage in boyish , ,, , pranks. There is, nevertheless, a . . . . 11.4 ,.. : sociability and esprzi cle corps, 1 which he has failed altogether to find. Among eight hundred and - twenty-two students, fregistraris figures for February 7, twice the , enrollment under Dr. Smith's charge? an individual acquaint- g r ance can not extend to the whole LAMBETH FIELD community, but friendships are sin-cere,.the enjoyments of social intercourse considerable, and there is no snobbery. A man chooses his own friends, and is estimated at his own worth, more than which can hardly be asked of the most democratic spirit. There is no class distinction. . . Among the social organizations, the broadest' classification is that Fratern1t1es .. . . , . of the twenty-three general fraternities. These include in their member- ship about one half of the student body. Each is labelled with distinctive letters of the Greek alphabet, and in the course of time each has come to stand for a definite thing. The part that the fraternities play in college life usually amazes the first year man, who often has but a vague idea 'of their existen-ce.i All but two of them have chapter houses, and all have their meeting places for the transaction of affairs. Within the past few years, many of them have put up handsome buildings and the rest have but one obsession, viz., to change their rented halls for homes owned outright. The day is not farndistanz when all will be enclosed between walls of masonry fronted by impressive columns, so firmly has the desire for proprietorship taken root. All fraternities are alike in their basic fundamentals. In the cellar or loft, each stores in a sacred crypt its symbols of inviolable secrecy. In its archives are related the circumstances of the birth of a new spirit in freemasonry and the dissemination of the doctrine abr-oad to other pure-souled adherents. There is a chart showing how to trans- mute an ordinary hand clasp into a grip by intertwining the fingers in a -characteristic vise. It is well, also, to have a skull or two lying around for state occasionsg an iron chain that will clank significantly in ominous suggestion of the terrors of the Inquisition, and a few chemicals with which to make a spectral light at initiations. Thus, a glamor is thrown over the cementing of the Hbondsf' It was once said by Deacon Hemphill that the fra- ternity throws around firm and lasting friendships the strong and enduring chain of mysti- cism. Well may the disclosure of the occult bind by vows taken in trepidation amid awe- some surroundings! . 1 - ,Y V W-,N HA--,W , ,.,,.,. ...-.,..--. .... M... -- . n-as -

Page 31 text:

5 Q 'x .51 3,51 2 L f' F 1 rf 5 ff 1 V . s 1913 CORKS AND GURLS 23 Browning wanted to get over a situation that required idelicate handling, he lapsed into poetry that nobody could understand, but the French language, as per above, is a good enough disguise for the average reader as long as the Gallic holds out. F or those who have not gotten any further than Dr. Kent's English VIII-C, it may be predicated that a ribbon u. ,, ,, ALL ROADS LEAD TO ITS Renew society denotes class. When- KINDLY RENDEZVOUSN ever an exponent of the beau monde is discovered-to use an expression traced to that other man of fashion, Count Boni de Castellane, of the province of Champagne-he is placarded with a cloth decoration. The ribbon societies include many leaders in college life, especially those who can scintillate at a pink tea or go through a ten course dinner without missing the right fork. There is a premium on athletes, but an artless gridiron hero without ia touch of fashion could not wedge his way in by breaking a bone in Costello's leg or making three touchdowns in the Vanderbilt game. Fame is not an open sesame, for fame reveals every trait, and who is there without blemish in character or demeanor? The next fall's initiates will be those young gentlemen-sober, steadfast, and demure-who combine a modish dress and extreme propriety with a per- sonality of either reserve or attractiveness. Or, perhaps, one or two bluff characters may compel admission by sheer force of inviting uncorcern. The distinctive badge of the ribbon' secieties is a five or six inches length of lettered silk, worn on the left breast right over the seat of pride. A recent schism in the Legion of Honor, the ambition of all Frenchmen, illustrates the serious differences that may arise over a point of taste. M. Le Bargy and M. Fallieres contended in the press: Good form lays down the principle that a decoration ought not to be worn either on a short coat or an overcoat. Evening dress should alone show it. To which Mme. Henri Lapause, arbiter of elegancies and famous authoress, replied with the usual feminine acumen and insight: Whoever has been honored by a decoration like the Legion of Honor has not merely the right but the duty to wear it on all possible occasions where it can be seen. And so the custom of some at Virginia is unreservedly lent the authority of a lady. The HIT' Club is a step removed from the ribbon societies-going up!-the pink of fashion made pinker and the height of fashion elevated to a more cloud-kissing altitude. On the ill-om-ened days of the months, the initiates wear dark suits and have the sign of the baker's dozen chalked on their backs for public scrutiny. This is their sole form