1930–31 Volume 55 No 1–5 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

THE SCROLLPHI DELTA THETA March, 1931lege. Two years later, legislative actionreduced the state school again to"South Carolina College." By thistime there was an attendance of onlyninety-five, to furnish material for tenfraternities!South Carolina Beta initiated butone man during 1891-92, and in thefall of the following year only threePhis returned. None was initiatedthat year. Only one, an affiliate fromGeorgia Alpha, returned in the fall of1893, and on October 1 the GeneralCouncil voted to withdraw the charter;The South Carolina legislature of1897 adopted a law prohibiting fraternitiesin state-supported institutions.This blot of their 'scutcheon remaineduntil some five years ago. Hence, theSouth Carolina fraternity list is dottedwith many withdrawals, althoughnumerous fraternities have in the pastfew years re-established their chapters.The chapter roll contains but fortynames. Outstanding among them allis that of David Franklin Houston,former president of the University ofTexas and of Washington University,former Secretary of Agriculture andof the Treasury, and now head of oneof the country's largest insurance companies.Other prominent members includeProfs. A. C. Moore and W. T-Aycock (of biology and law, respectively)of the University of SouthCarolina, and Commander John B.Patton, U.S.N., Retired. Chapteralumni have manifested considerableinterest in the activity of a grouppetitioning in recent years for the reestablishmentof a chapter. The mostrecent development was the unsuccessfulvote of this group at the DetroitConvention.Delta Tau Delta at Hillsdale inMichigan had an undisputed existencefor fifteen years following its establishmentin 1867. It was a rocky path,though, due to faculty opposition.Since this opposition had died down bythe early 'eighties, an opportunity waspresented for the formation of anotherchapter. Early in the fall of 1882 anumber of literary 'society members[380]banded together for the purpose ofobtaining a second fraternity charter.After a thorough study of fraternitiesthey decided to petition $ A 0 and didso with the high recommendation ofPres. D. W. C. Durgin of Hillsdale.The application was dated November15, 1882, and was granted by the GeneralCouncil two days before Christmas.A very welcome Christmas present! For two years after the charterwas granted the Hillsdale memberswere known as "Fijis" because of thesupposition existing for a time that thelocal organization had joined * P A,since efforts had previously been madeto induce the students to apply to thatfraternity.Michigan Gamma celebrated its anniversaryon Christmas Eve, 1883,with a banquet to which were invitedthe members of K K P. The banquetcame during the college vacation andthe chapter hence thought it unnecessaryto obtain faculty consent to invitethe feminine guests. The facultythought differently. All save onemember of the chapter were suspended.The chapter weathered thestorm, however.The Convention of 1896 ordered theGeneral Council to investigate conditionsat Hillsdale and W. B. Palmer,P. G. C, visited the chapter in November,1897. He reported that the collegehad suffered a great falling off in thenumber of students and that MichiganGamma was weak owing to the scarcityof good material. After an affirmativevote of the other chaptersof the Province the General Councilwithdrew the charter, effective at theend of the college year 1897-98.The chapter had initiated a few overa hundred men. Among them wereJames E. Davidson, shipbuilder andbanker, head of the Palmer Endowmentcampaign, George K. March,president of a Detroit Fire Insurancecompany, and L. P. Davis, Houston,Texas, "SCROLL correspondent extraordinary."The alumni have held togetherin a remarkable way and stillhold annual reunions at commence-