Page:BairdsmanualofAmericancollegefrate8.pdf/21



OLLEGE students have always shown a more or less marked tendency to form themselves into societies. Whether founded upon a national, literary or social basis, such organizations seem to have been coeval with the colleges themselves. Throughout the United States and Canada there is a class of student societies, usually secret in their character, which have rapidly grown in favor, and have become of much importance in the college world. They are composed of lodges or branches placed in the several colleges, united by a common bond of friendship and a common name, generally composed of Greek letters. From this latter fact they were at first known as "Greek-letter Societies," or, from their secrecy, "College Secret Societies," now they are usually called "College Fraternities." Before tracing their origin and progress, it will be well to give some description of their customs and practices.

The name of each fraternity is usually composed of two or three Greek letters, as Kappa Alpha (ΚΑ), Chi