Page:The Fraternity and the College (1915).pdf/157



Excepting in the case of freshmen, I believe that the fraternity has had little if any effect until recently with us upon a young man's scholarship. It has seldom raised it above what it would have been had he not joined a fraternity, and I do not know of many cases in which the fraternity was responsible for a lowered scholarship. In many cases the fraternity was little interested in scholarship; it chose its men for other qualities. The young fellow going into a fraternity carries with him his own ideals and personality and these do not materially change simply because he changes his lodging place. The fraternity man may develop but the fraternity seldom entirely makes over its men. They may be brow-beaten or encouraged in some degree, they may weaken in enthusiasm, but the total effect is gradual and is not great. The greatest influence will come through the traditions of the chapter, and through the example of the upperclassmen.

I am reminded of a young friend whom I had twenty or more years ago who had procrastination down to a science and whose conception of how much indebtedness his monthly salary would liquidate was exaggerated beyond any sort of realization. He was convinced that no matter how many duties he postponed until the future there would