1905-06 Volume 30 No 1–5 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

I30 THE SCROLL.published) lists of general officers anddelegates to conventionssince 1891, and a bibliography of the fraternity since 1891.The sketch of the founders savs:Sixty-seven fruitful years have passed since, ina little dormitory room atWilliams College, thirty serious-minded young men met to organizes protestagainst college clannishness. Out of that organized protest on November4, 1834, has sprung a broad national fraternity, based on principle, vigorous,enduring—the fraternity of A T. One can scarcely dare to feel that, intheir earnest conference over the unhappy college politics of their own time,those pioneers cast even one look ahead at the possible future of their undertaking.It will be remembered that K A established a chapter atWilliams in 1833, and 2 * established one there in 1834. Itmay also be recalled that an anti-secret society, sometimescalled the "Social Fraternity," sometimes the "EquitableFraternity," was organized at Williams, 1834. Negotiationslooking to a union with similar societies was begun, 1840, andthe "Anti-Secret Confederation" was formed in 1847. Amonogram of the letters A and Y was chosen as the badge,1858, but the name A Y was not incorporated in the constitutionuntil 1864. The convention of 1881 eliminated "antisecret"from the constitution, substituting "non-secret." TheWilliams chapter withdrew from the fraternity in 1862 anddisbanded in 1863; in 1883 it was revived.The sketch of the founders gives the following details aboutthem. Of the 30, 21 were born in Massachusetts, 5 in NewHampshire, 2 in New York, i in Vermont, i in Connecticut.Only I was a city man; he hailed from Boston. Five didnot graduate. Seventeen became clergymen, ' a commonpercentage in those days among college men," 3 became lawyers,3 teachers, 2 journalists, i physician, 1 dentist, i manufacturer,I merchant, i died before choosing a profession.When the catalogue was published four yet survived, aged respectively96, 93, 90, 88. The sketch closes with the followingparagraphs:There is a pretty story that comes to us from Athens. Two rival sculptorswere ordered to fashion statues of Minerva. One came on the day appointedwith a beautiful work of marble and ivory, the other with whatlooked uncouth and unshapely in simple granite. The populace clamoredfor the first and it was lifted to crown the high pedestal. As it ascended,its beauty lessened and lessened, and when it reached the top, it was shapelessand ugly. Then the crowd called for the other. As it was lifted, theseemingly harsh lines softened into beauty, and when it was set upon thesummit, all acclaimed it as one of Athen's masterpieces.Is not this story an allegory of our fraternity? The secret societies have,by virtue of their secrecy, a certain glamour for many minds—a first-appearanceattractiveness. Our guiding principle may seem too blunt and positive