Page:Stanwood Pier--Harding of St Timothys.djvu/233

Rh once refused to join our society—and how some of us accused him of all sorts of motives. I happened to hear the other day—from his mother—that in his delirium he'd been trying to explain why he felt obliged to refuse—trying to put it so it would n't hurt my feelings. We all know now there was just one reason why he refused—and that was because he thought a secret society like the Crown was a poor thing in such a school as this.

"Now I want to say to you fellows that in my heart I believe Rupert was right! I could n't help believing it at the time, but I would n't own up to it. A secret society like this is apt to give its members a false idea of their importance, and make them jealous of the success of anybody outside. And it is a cliquey, undemocratic kind of thing, no matter how well it's run. Some day, if it's kept alive, a discontented crowd will organize an opposition society, and that will mean a continuous split in the school.

"Now I propose that we disband—and not