Page:The Fraternity and the College (1915).pdf/118

 zations are not regularly met, and I have no doubt that if I were privileged to examine the books at the various chapter houses I should find that in many cases the house accounts of these members are sadly in arrears. The boy who "joins" easily generally feels that by some Midas necromancy he will have more money next month than this and he spends accordingly. Only this fall I called up the treasurer of an organization which had been reported to me as impossible to get money from and his explanation of the situation was "It costs more to run the bunch than it is worth. I'll agree to get the fellows together and pay the bill, but we're going out of business." As I have been engaged in the writing of this article I have been interviewed by representatives of a dozen business firms—liverymen, managers of orchestras, dance hall managers, florists—all who have bills against officers or individuals of these organizations. When I see the men concerned they say, "Well, we have so many bills this year that we simply haven't the money, and the fellows want to put off payment until next fall." All this in the vain hope that next fall they will have more money and more than twenty-four hours a day.

I do not wish to be understood as opposed to these organizations; I simply do not look upon them as so unreservedly good as they are frequently made out to be in chapter letters to fra-