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

488 THE SCROLL.a frightful accident to occur. The following comments areclipped from fraternity exchanges:There is no question that the death was wholly accidental,but it seems evident that it was due to the introduction ofinitiatory features wholly foreign and repugnant to the ritualand ceremonies of any self-respecting fraternity.—'K. A. Journal.The first lesson then should be that under no circumstancesshould any part or any concomitant act of any fraternityinitiation ever take place outside the chapter hall. In thechapter hall the members know their ground. They also allknow where the candidate is, what he is doing, what may behappening to him. If he is to be killed, they will have todo the killing, and they will know just how it happened, andthey are to blame.—2 N Delta.The lamentable death of young Pierson at Kenyon is thefourth occurrence of this kind within our memory and whichhas arisen from the circumstances surrounding an initiationinto a college fraternity. Fortunately, B 0 II has been freeas yet from anything of this kind. This is not our fault,however. It is well known that in many of our chapterssilly, awkward and foolish actions are required of candidatespreparatory to their real initiation into the fraternity. Wevoice the sentiment of the bulk of the alumni when we saythat these things do not please the alumni and ought to beentirely eliminated from our procedureIt willbe noted that all of the deaths occurred outside of the fraternityhall. The remedy is for the fraternities absolutely toforbid any initiatory practices of any kind, official or unofficial,outside of their own premises, where dangers arisingfrom the existence of precipices, canals, moving vehicles andunexpected railroad trains do not exist. We have no sympathyor patience with tricks of this character, which are basedupon the lowest elements of human nature and have absolutelyno place among people who pretend to culture andeducation.—Beta Theta Pi.The fraternity which thus brought a candidate for admissionto his death was not 2 A E, but it might very well havebeen. The men concerned in it were of no different sort,character or habits from our men, and were engaged in nodifferent practices from those which our raen engage in.Like us, they were merely following the traditions of an old,very foolish and very unseemly custom. From this terriblecatastrophe let us learn, while there is time, our lesson. Let