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

THE SCROLL 345present day value in the old editions. This volume is unique andsets a standard."The Olympian" is a book of 316 pages from the press of theGeorge Banta Publishing Company. From a bibliophile's view pointthe volume is excellent. The binding is attractive and substantial, thetype face all that could be desired and the fine calendered paperbrings out splendidly the. wealth of illustrations. Excellent judgmentis shown in the selection of material used for purposes ofillustration. A very fair idea could be gained of the development ofthe Fraternity if nothing but the reproductions of photographs hadbeen printed in the manual. One ignorant of the fraternity systemcould gain a comprehensive knowledge of Phi Delta Theta and otherfraternities from a reading of the text.It is fitting that a book, written for the use of workers, should bededicated to the present day members and to the memories of othersof the Chapter Grand who labored with the author in the councils ofPhi Delta Theta. Brother Palmer's activities have brought him intoclose fellowship with many who have helped to direct the affairs ofthe Fraternity from the days of its inception at old Miami and thehonors he has bestowed on his co-workers are deserved. "The Olympian"is a text-book for the undergraduate Phi, an indispensableguide for spiking committees and a vade mecum for the fraternityworker. The terseness, the directness and clearness of the text areshown in the preface where in stating the object ot the manual theauthor writes:The History is a volume of 966 pages and contains a very complete accountof the career of the Fraternity from 1848 to 1906. I have endeavored to compresswithin a book one-third the size as much information of interest andvalue to Phi .Delta Theta as possible. The object of this smaller work is toprovide the means whereby members may conveniently become better informedin regard to what is of most importance in the past and present of the Fraternity.Those who have read Phi Delta Theta literature have learned toappreciate the orderly and systematic grouping of data which isshaped by Walter B. Palmer. In the new manual this feature isespecially pronounced. Under headings dealing with the objects ofPhi Delta Theta, the, founders, the birth, the parent chapter, thedevelopment and other features of the Fraternity's history, the storyof Phi Delta Theta is told in short chapters. The divisions of thebook number thirty-four. The student may find readily the informationhe is seeking by turning to the appropriate heading. Theauthor's plain and concise way of dealing with his subject is shownin the division devoted to "The Objects of Phi Delta Theta" wherethe whole story is told in two paragraphs which read:Phi Delta Theta was organized with three principal objects; First, the cultivationof friendship among its members; second, the acquirement individuallyof a high degree of mental culture; third, the attainment personally of a highstandard of morality. These objects are declared in "The Bond of the Phi