Page:BairdsmanualofAmericancollegefrate8.pdf/37

Rh it pleased, even at times in opposition to the expressed wish of the fraternity of which it was a member. It was not uncommon for one chapter to establish another at a neighboring college without going through the formality of asking the consent of other chapters or of any common authority. Means of intercommunication were inadequate and not used, and chapters were often established and became inactive before the fact of their existence became generally known throughout the organization of which they were supposed to constitute an integral part. Again, many chapters were organized in such an imperfect manner that they learned little of the organization to which they belonged, and, being swept out of existence by some cause, their fraternity lost sight of them, and remained ignorant of their existence.

In a few instances chapters were established at places which did not meet the approval of the fraternity when the fact of such existence became known, and the chapters were repudiated, leaving perplexing questions of membership to be settled by future historians. Few of the fraternities had any centralized form of government, and fewer still thought of pursuing a settled policy in any of their actions. The idea prevalent was that each chapter was to work out its own salvation.

The first step towards an organized government in most of the fraternities was the selection of one chapter, either the parent chapter, if living, or the other chapters in turn, to be what was called the "Grand" chapter. This chapter was supposed to be the repository of facts, from which other chapters could derive information,