Page:The Fraternity and the Undergraduate (1923).pdf/17

 organization of the modern college fraternity. It has a ritual—simple, dignified, and full of high ideals usually, but the ceremony of initiation when carried on seriously as it now is in most fraternities worth consideration is one which tends to inspire the initiate and to make him thoughtful rather than otherwise. It has its secret work—innocent, harmless, and appealing to the imagination of youth for the most part; but if all the secrets which are a part of the initiation ceremonies of such fraternities were published in the daily press, if all the grips and signs and pass words were forgotten, the fraternity would not be materially affected. These details are not a vital influence either for good or for evil. They simply appeal to the youthful imagination; they throw a certain glamour of mystery and romance about the organization, that makes a strong impression upon youthful minds. Anything that is locked or that is hidden by a curtain always arouses curiosity. It is the same sort of innocent appeal that is made to every young person by the so-called secrets of the fraternity.

A good many fathers look upon a fraternity merely as a lodging house and a boarding club, and though it is both of these it is much more; it is a home. The college student, young, inexperienced, and away from home usually for the first