1912–13 Volume 37 No 1–5 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

THE SCROLL 139elude those in medical, musical, oratorical and normal schools. Thehonorary societies are intended for those who distinguish themselvesin scholarship, in oratory and college journalism, and in scientific,engineering, electrical, medical, educational and agricultural courses.In addition, there are brief sketches of many local fraternities 'formen and also for women, and of local professional and local honorarysocieties. The surprising completeness of the list is shown bythe inclusion of several local societies that are petitioning $ A ® forcharters. There are also brief sketches of inactive fraternities, including* 2, K 2 K, and W, W, W,, some of whose chapters united with*A© (not, however, including AK).Other features of the book are an article on the legal status offraternities, an extended fraternity bibliography, a directory of collegesand chapters and an index.THE YEAR BOOK FOR 1912Although the code provides that the annual circular letters of chaptersshall be dated February 1, the chapter letters for 1912, reprintedin the year book, are dated from January 23 to July 22, a differenceof six months. The circular letters are similar to those of previousyears. No one can complain that they do not give enough detailsabout the colleges or athletics, but more information about the chaptersis very desirable. New York Epsilon, for instance, has threepages about athletics at Syracuse, but only a short paragraph aboutthe chapter for a whole year. The best account of the chapter is perhapsthat of New York Alpha at Cornell and in this respect the lettersof the Amherst, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State, Allegheny,Michigan and Iowa Wesleyan chapters deserve praise.The most gratifying features of the chapter letters are the referencesto the efforts made by many chapters to raise the standard ofscholarship of their members, and the lists of college honors won byPhis. These lists indicate that members of * A ® are taking leadingparts in the activities of their respective colleges. It is quite probablethat some chapters were too modest to state their relative standingin scholarship, but we note that at Union, Ohio, Ohio Wesleyan andHanover * A 0 leads in scholarship, at California it stands fifthamong twenty-six fraternities, at Amherst it had a smaller number offailures in the mid-year examinations than any other fraternity, atCornell it did not lose a man by failure to pass the mid-year examinations,at Dartmouth it did not lose a man by the mid-year exodus, aremarkable record as compared with the experience of other fraternities,at Virginia it ranks in scholarship above the average of fraternitymen, and at Pennsylvania State the fraternity's requirements regardingreports of scholarship of the members are being observed.Among the items of special interest gleamed from the chapter lettersare the following: Missouri Alpha, California Alpha and WashingtonAlpha have each bought another lot and expects to build a