0\^^ ACT ^^Wu.l6V/-ps i-- JOHNM.-^A -^ OLIN 2 J^ UBRARVSy :/; ^iCI^ ^^ CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 1924 104 752 625 Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924104752625 In compliance with current Copyright law, Cornell University Library produced this replacement volume on paper that meets the ANSI Standard Z39 .48-1992 to replace the irreparably deteriorated original. 2006 C^urnell Hitioerattg aiihrarij 3tljata. Jfiui fork Gaorge Banta Publishing Company HISTORY OF ALPHA CHI OMEGA FRATERNITY (1885-1921) BY FLORENCE A. ARMSTRONG A. B. (Simpson) A. M. (Radcliffe) WITB MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Third (Revised) Edition All rights reserved 1922 >1 |\S^\*^ 7.-^ Copyright 1922 by Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity To All Alpha Chi Omegas Who Seek the Heights This Volume Is Dedicated By the Author CONTENTS Chapteh Page 1 Educational and fraternity conditions at the time of the found- ing of Alpha Chi Omega, 1885 1 2 Organization of Alpha Chi Omega 7 3 Early years 15 4 Expansion into state universities as a general fraternity with musical traditions 26 5 Colleges in which Alpha Chi Omega has chapters 30 6 Material possessions of Alpha Chi Omega 46 7 Present scope 52 8 Chapter house ownership 107 9 Government 117 10 Fraternity expansion 131 11 Fraternity conventions 139 12 National Council meetings — . 189 13 Insignia and heraldry 201 14 The Lyre 212 15 The Heraeum, the Argolid, and The Songbook 227 16 The History 230 17 The Daily Convention Transcript, The Directory, and the Calendar 233 18 Official forms and supplies 235 19 The Alumnae Association 243 20 Alumnae chapters 253 21 Alumnae clubs 264 22 Endowment funds and scholarship funds 279 23 National altruistic work 285 24 The Macdowell Colony studio 291 25 The fraternity in the World War 297 26 The influence of Grecian culture upon Alpha Chi Omega .... 326 27 Traditions of the fraternity 337 28 The National Panhellenic Congress 340 29 Some interesting members 351 30 The contribution of Alpha Chi Omega to American life 400 Appendix : Directory of national officers 405 Honorary members 408 List of Tables Table Page 1 National Greek-letter fraternities for women existing at the time Alpha Chi Omega was founded, 1885 3 2 Colleges having women's fraternities in 1885 4 3 Growth of 35 large universities, public and private, excluding summer and extension students, 1914-1920, estimated for 1950 31 4 Opportunities for study of the Fine Arts where Alpha Chi Omega has chapters 34 5 Honorary fraternities open to women in colleges where Alpha Chi Omega has chapters 39 6 State colleges and other colleges in which Alpha Chi Omega has chapters 40 7 Universities in which Alpha Chi Omega has chapters . ... 41 8 Colleges on eligible lists of educational associations ... 43 9 Analysis of material possessions of Alpha Chi Omega 46 10 Material possessions of twelve women's fraternities. 49 11 Organized groups of Alpha Chi Omega, July, 1921 52 12 National officers of three or more years' service. . 129 13 Extension of National Panhellenic Congress fraternities to 1920 132 14 New chapters established by National Panhellenic Congress fraternities and percentage of increase, 1910-1920 133 15 Geographical distribution of National Panhellenic Congress fraternity chapters, 1900-1920 135 16 Winners of 'Eklekta prizes 219 17 Alphabetical index to official forms used by the fraternity, 1921 241 18 Numerical index to official forms used by the fraternity, 1921 . . 242 19 Results of collection of alumnae notes 249 20 Loans made by Scholarship Fund 280 21 Average wage of children leaving school at age Wand at age 16 286 22 Women's fraternities represented in institutions where Alpha Chi Omega has established chapters 345 23 Chronological list of National Panhellenic Congress 350 List of Maps Map 1 Distribution of organized groups , 51 2 Provinces of Alpha Chi Omega 121 PREFACE In the pages that follow will be unfolded the story from the beginning of a dignified and noble sisterhood, now large and flourishing — in the memory of some once small and limited ; throughout all these years to be an Alpha Chi Omega has meant to "seek the heights" — falteringly per- haps at times, but ever seeking higher ground — in the life intellectual, in artistic attainment, in personal development. The problems of the nineteenth century were not those of the twen- tieth. Obstructions faced and surmounted then were left behind for all time. Nevertheless, the present and the future hold problems, for the leader and the lay member, no less taxing than the questions of several college generations ago. The wider the sphere of a fraternity's life, the greater the power required of national leaders, to weld together and-devel- op into distinction the larger number of units ; the more constructive and responsive must be the loyalty of each collegiate and alumnae group; the keener and wiser' must be the long look ahead. As our sisters increase in number, our hearts must enlarge to receive them, our minds to know and understand them; as the fraternity becomes more diversified with the growing complexity of universities, the bond fraternal simplifies our rela- tions with our sisters by helping us to hold fast to the simple fundamen- tals^ — both of fraternity and life — loyalty, sincerity, generosity, aspira- tion, cooperation, and harmony. In this story of the growth of Alpha Chi Omega, the author has been given the cooperation and assistance of many members. The History committees of each organized group with much patience and much skill supplied data regarding their own institutions and groups; to them especial thanks and expression of appreciation should be given. It is regretted that necessity compelled the elimination of the cuts of the members of these committees. To the History Board acknowledgment is cordially made: Ina Weyrauch, A, collected the material and wrote the sketches of over-seas workers; Alinda Montgomery, Z, revised the chapter on Grecian culture and collected some data; Gretchen Kane Elder, S, made constructive and valuable suggestions in the planning of the book, assisted in gathering data, and classified the honors of undergraduates, which had to be omitted at the last to save space ; Myra H. Jones, then Alumnae Vice President, revised the three chapters on the alumnae work of the fraternity, performed some research at the Library of Congress, compiled several of the tables that appear in the book, made the excellent index, as well as helping and encouraging the author con- stantly and generously during the heavy task of writing a large volume in the fringes of time remaining from a busy professional life; the National Council aided the work by means of their annual reports of the work of their offices; the History Advisory Committee, comprising Gladys Livingston Grafif, Alta Allen Loud, and Myra H. Jones, assisted the author in deciding matters of policy and details of publication, reports of which appeared in The Heraeum of 1921 and will appear ip TheHeraeum of 1922 after the volume has reached the reader. To L. G. Balfour Com- pany the author is indebted for the cut of fraternity novelty jewelry and desires to acknowledge this generous courtesy. To the publishers, the George Banta Publishing Company, the author is grateful for many helpful suggestions, and for their sincere endeavor to follow out the committee's plans. The present volume will be found greatly changed from the 1916 History. The five years between the two volumes have not passed lightly over the fraternity; those years constitute an era of accelerated activity, of preoccupation with world affairs, of abnormal emotional strain, of economic pressure, in short, of war. The fraternity emerges from the period stronger and more earnest in its desire to serve and to ennoble its members. In the pages that follow, the author hopes the readers will find, as in the 1911 and the 1916 editions, useful data in convenient form; a clear narrative of the development of Alpha Chi Omega in its environment in the academic world among contemporary fraternities; information adequate to enable members or casual readers to evaluate the organization properly; and the body of tradition and high standards so dear to all the fraternity's builders in the past. The fraternity's opportunities never were wider than today, its prob- lems never more complex; its need for intelligent, high-minded leaders of wide and true vision has never been more imperative, nor has the interest among its members and their willingness to serve in positions of responsibility ever been more gratifying. , The World War perhaps has shown many members their capacity for responsibility, as well as the unparalleled satisfaction that comes from constituting a vital factor in a worth-while cause. It is principally for the member in college that the History \s written. If these pages therefore add somewhat to the general understanding of the real meaning and place of the college fraternity, if they help a little to solve the many problems that arise in the rich and crowded days of an active chapter, and if they strengthen the determination to live and to perpetuate the noble principles and traditions of Alpha Chi Omega, personally and as groups, as active or as alumnae members, then this book will have accomplished its end. Florence A. Armstrong. Washington, D. C. October 6, 1921. Hera Patron Goddess of Alpha Chi Omega CHAPTER I EDUCATIONAL AND FRATERNITY CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE FOUNDING OF ALPHA CHI OMEGA, 1885 Five national Greek-letter fraternities for women existed in 1885; Alpha Chi Omega became the sixth. Some information of the college and fraternity world at the time Alpha Chi Omega was founded may be illuminating. A new era was beginning in the education of woman- kind. "Interest in provision for the superior instruction of women shows no abatement," reports the American Commissioner of Education, in 1885, after investigation of conditions in the thirty-eight states of the Union, "although the year has not been characterized by any special action in reference to the subject. The importance of full provision for this work is indeed so fully recognized that the discussions which it excites no longer turn on that question, but on those which pertain to it as a part of superior education in general." The movement toward woman's higher education had been propelled, throughout the two decades just passed, by the need for women to take the places of the soldier- pedagogues of the Civil War. The East had established separate institu- tions for the training of women, and the standards of scholarship had not been injured. "It is my hope," Mathew Vassar had said, "to be the instrument, in the hands of Providence, of founding and perpetuating an institution which shall accomplish for young women what our colleges are accomplishing for young men." Vassar College was opened in 1865; a decade later Smith College was opened ; Wellesley was established in 1870 (the date on which the first national Greek-letter fraternity for women was founded). The state of Massachusetts granted to Wellesley in 1877 the authority to grant degrees. Doubt concerning the mental capacity of women had been allayed. Long treatises, however, inquired into the physical limitations of the feminine constitution. The Commissioner of Education pointed tri- umphantly to cases in Europe where women had endured collegiate labor with impunity. Some institutions had introduced physical exercises for women, and these he recommended to all colleges. The era of experi- mentation was drawing to its close. Steadily the standard of women's colleges improved. In 1885 Bryn Mawr was founded, and from the first had a high academic standard. Already much change had occurred since a youth had ventured his opinion in 1872 to Alice Freeman that "girls' colleges were a contrivance for enabling women to pretend that they had the same education as men." 2 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity In the western part of the United States women's education had more nearly kept pace with that of their brothers than in the eastern section. Accepting the advice of Horace Mann many western states made their state universities serve both their young men and their young women. The Universities of Iowa (1847), Kansas (1866), Minnesota (1868), and Nebraska (1871) were estabhshed for both sexes. About the same time Indiana (1868), Michigan (1870), Illinois (1870), California (1870), Missouri (1870), Ohio (1873), and Wisconsin (1874) opened their doors to women. One of these western universities was destined to exert a moulding influence upon the education of women in the older East. Alice Freeman went as a pioneer worhan student to the University of Michigan, and there received her bachelor's degree. As president of Wellesley College (1881-1887) she "developed and dignified its depart- ments * * * systematized instruction, and drew up a certificate (for admission from certain accredited schools), and then conducted exam- inations in Wellesley courses in such a way that there was a general rise in standards. A new atmosphere of exactitude, work, and insistence on what a college should mean, succeeding a sort of boarding-school loose- ness." She assisted in the organization of sixteen preparatory schools in many of which Wellesley graduates became teachers. The systematization given Wellesley and the boarding-schools was needed in most of the many academies, female seminaries, and female colleges in the country. In the West the colleges themselves un- dertook to supply the deficiencies of the preparatory education of their students by giving preparatory courses. The country west of Missouri was still sparsely settled, and consequently transportation in the Middle West had improved but slowly. Most western young people had been educated, therefore, near their homes. Numberless academies, semi- naries, and colleges had sprung up for this purpose. With the great im- provement of railroad facilities, however (1885-1890), many students entered the state universities. These institutions have grown with mar- velous rapidity in the past three decades. The educational development of the western states, after the pioneer period in the Mississippi Valley, is one of the most extraordinary phe- nomena in American history. Alpha Chi Omega, most fortunately, was established at the psychological moment. She was spared struggling years of weakness, disfavor, and uncertainty in the education of women that would have been encountered two decades before. And she entered the educational world at the exact time when coeducation was a rising tide. It was in the colleges admitting both men and women that the woman's fraternity, logically, had its rise. In De Pauw University, where the first national Greek-letter fraternity for women had been Conditions at Time of Founding established fifteen years earlier, Alpha Chi Omega was founded. The following table illustrates the early location of their first chapters by the national Greek-letter organizations prior to 1885. Table 1. — National Creek-letter fraternities for women existing at the time Alpha Chi Omega was founded, 1885. Number of Name. When Where founded. Founded second chapters founded. chapter. in 1885. A * 1872 Syracuse 1881 3 A r 1872 Univ. of Mississippi 1881 13 r*B 1874 Syracuse 1882 3 K A e 1870 Asbury (De Pauw) 1870 IS K K r 1870 Monmouth 1871 22 In the coeducational universities the fraternities had long been the most important feature in the social life of the men. 'These organizations had begun a century before as literary orders, like the "Speaking Club" at Harvard which was formed for debating purposes. Important librar- ies were collected by them, and they were considered to be of great intel- lectual value. But by the time that women's fraternities were founded the term "literary" had been long since outgrown. Development of the curricula of the universities themselves had rendered unnecessary pedagogical functions in students' groups. The fraternity had become social in its function, providing comfortable living quarters for its mem- bers in congenial company. The old phraseology slowly gave way among both men's and women's fraternities. The term "general" has supplanted gradually the confusing and incongruous term, "literary." Some of the earlier generation still cling, however, to the old phrase. The notable development and scope of the modern university, in response to the needs of modern life, have broadened fraternities until now a chapter includes students of all undergraduate departments on equal footing, and have rendered impossible the appropriate use of any phrase other than general to designate its members. To the student of today the term "literary society" connotes a meaning far different from a twentieth century fraternity chapter. Women's fraternities were modeled after the existing men's frater- nities, and were formed to secure social position for women students in university life. By the time Alpha Chi Omega was organized, this original purpose included also the desire for mutual improvement, for social experience through congenial companionship, and in the case of our fraternity, for the advancement also of an art. The modern frater- nity has "that close relationship, that clannish spirit and mutual help- fulness, that high regard for morality, which characterize an old and History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity respected family, proud of its history, and anxious that no member shall fall below the standards." The colleges into which women's fraternities had entered in 1885, including S K (1874), I. C. (nB$, 1888), Philomathean ($M, 1904), and Adelphean (A A II, 1906), were the following institutions: Table 2. — Colleges having women' s fraternities in 1885. "' College. Fraternity. College. Fraternity. KKr St. Lawrence University . Ar (d. 1887) Akron University Ar, KKr KKr Albion College Ar Simpson College KAG (d. 1891) Allegheny College KAG KKr ( d. Boston University A*, KKr 1890), I. C. Butler College KAS, KKr South Iowa Normal School I. C. Carthage College I.e. Syracuse University A*, r*B, KKr Cincinnati University KKr Trinity University Ar (d. 1887) Colby College 2K University of California . . KKr Cornell University Ar, KAG, KKr Univerity of Colorado . . . Ar, I. C. DePauw University KAG, KKr University of Illinois .... KAG (d. 1895) Denver University I. C. KKr Fulton Synodical College. Ar (d. isss) University of Indiana KAG, KKr Hanover College Ar(d. 1881), University of Iowa KKr, I. c. KAG (d. 1889) University of Kansas. . . . KAG, KKr, Hillsdale College KKr I.e. Illinois Wesleyan Univ. . . KAG (d. 1895), University of Michigan . . Ar, r*B, KAG KKr University of Minnesota . Ar, KKr Iowa State College I.e. University of Missouri. . . KKr Iowa Wesleyan College . . I. C. University of Nebraska . . KKr I. C. KAG Lombard College I.e. University of Wisconsin . . Ar, r*B, KKr Louis School Ar (d. 1889) Wesleyan University .... KAG (d. 1887) Mt. Union College Ar (d. 1908) Western Reserve Ar (d. 1888) Northwestern University. A*, Ar, KKr Wooster College KAG (d. 1913) Ohio University KAG (d. 1886) KKr (d. 1913) York College I.e. ^ statistics in this table are based on 1920 edition of Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. o The date signifies that the chapter became defunct at that time. Of these forty-five institutions, but thirty-five proved to be permanent fraternity fields. Many of the early chapters became defunct in a few years (thirty-four, according to the data available). The fraternities which became later very strong were at this time in a state of flux. Of twenty-four chapters which Kappa Alpha Theta founded before 1890, she lost eleven. I. C, in 1885, legislated to restrict extension to colleges in the future, thus depriving herself of nine city chapters in that year. In 1888 I. C. adopted a Greek-letter name, Pi Beta Phi, and became a national Greek-letter college fraternity in the conventional sense of that Conditions at Time of Founding 5 term. In 1885, the first number of the Kappa Alpha Theta Journal appeared (June), and the editors claimed "700 members, enrollment." At this time the fraternity just mentioned possessed fourteen active chapters. L. Pearle Green, National Secretary, estimated in 1916 that the early chapters had "an average membership of ten, or a total active membership of 140 in 1885." Alpha Phi and Gamma Phi Beta had but recently established their second chapters (1881 and 1882, respec- tively,) and so were just entering upon national problems at the time of the founding of Alpha Chi Omega. Kappa Kappa Gamma established thirty-one chapters before 1890, and lost nine of them. The first issue of their magazine, The Golden Key, appeared in May, 1882, and was published by chapters until 1904 when it was placed in the hands of an editor; in 1886 its name had become The Key. Delta Gamma, like her contemporaries. Kappa Alpha Theta and Kappa Kappa Gamma, was generous in her early bestowal of charters. Twenty-two chapters were established before 1890 of which twelve were lost, ten of them becoming defunct even before 1890. All three of these fraternities became very conservative in extension after the nineties. Alpha Chi Omega followed their later practice, it seems, for she was extremely cautious from the first in the granting of charters. As a result she possesses the distinction of having an unbroken chapter roll. Only two chapters have been temporarily inactive: Epsilon (1898 to 1905) and Eta (1899 to 1921). The minutes of the early years are shot through with discussions of the granting of new chapters, but nothing was done hastily or in an ill-considered way. Perhaps the early members profited from the experience of their contemporaries; perhaps Dean Howe's advice, "to steer their course carefully, attend closely to their own aff'airs, and in good time all would work to their success," taught them discretion. At any rate, the foundation years were solid and permanent in their activity. We may regret the early ultra-conservatism; we may also rejoice for it. Fraternity experience, then, before 1885, had demonstrated need for wisdom and for discretion in extension, and had proved the popularity and the real value of the fraternity system for women. Educational experience had shown the wide demand for higher learning and the necessity for state support for women's education. In such favoring conditions as these, in the section of the country most pregnant with potentiality, Alpha Chi Omega was destined to appear. Z !» o S u. < a 5 CHAPTER II ORGANIZATION OF ALPHA CHI OMEGA At the time when Alpha Chi Omega was established, the fraternity system was ineradicably entrenched, though women's fraternities had not approached their present vigor of organization and national prestige. In 1885 but five national organizations for college women bearing Greek-letter names, Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa A'pha Theta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma, had been established. I. C. had not yet become Pi Beta Phi in name nor had she yet restricted her chapters to the college field. For all practical purposes, however, she was, at this time, a college fraternity. Philomathean (later Phi Mu), and Adelphean (later Alpha Delta Pi) were still literary societies in a southern woman's college, and Sigma Kappa, at Colby, was not yet national. Altogether there had been established eighty-seven chapters of these nine organiza- tions located in fifty-six institutions. The five national Greek-letter organizations in 1885, relatively weak though they were in numbers, compared to their present strength, and on an average but thirteen years of age, had placed seventy chapters in forty-six colleges. Thirty- six of these colleges proved to be permanent fraternity fields ; into seven- teen of them Alpha Chi Omega has entered (June, 1921). The colleges entered by the women's fraternities were widely dis- persed, and as remarked above, often contained but one women's frater- nity.* The groups, on the average, were small compared with the present size of chapters. The total number of women students in frater- nities, therefore, was relatively small. Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities estimates the entire number of alumnae and under- graduate members in 1883 as 1,033. This table is, however, confused and incomplete. Estimating from various sources and including the members of I. C, Adelphean, and Philomathean, which Baird omitted, we conclude that there were, perhaps, four or five hundred active fraternity women in the American colleges in 1885. There existed manifestly a need for more fraternities for women. In the social life of both men and women the fraternity system had grown important, but the percentage of women in fraternities was small. In the autumn of 1885, therefore, James Hamilton Howe, then Dean of the School of Music of De Pauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, con- ceived the belief that a new fraternity for women would be a genuine * Seventeen (including I. C, nineteen) institutions contained more than one woman's fraternity in 1885, See Table 2. Id " CC _C ._j Q < IE u < Organization of Alpha Chi Omega 9 benefit both to the university and to the young women students. Filled with enthusiasm over this idea, he called together several representative students, and presented to them his plan for a new national fraternity for women. As a result, seven young women banded themselves together. As Dean Howe was not a member of a college fraternity, he consulted James G. Campbell (B 6 n) as to the proper procedure in forming a Greek-letter society. Assisted by the knowledge and experience of Mr. Campbell the group drafted a constitution and by-laws. After other preliminaries had been arranged, on October 15, 1885, Alpha Chi Omega came into an organized existence, with the following members enrolled as her founders: Anna Allen, Olive Burnett, Bertha Deniston, Amy Du Bois, Nellie Gamble, Bessie Grooms, and Estelle Leonard. The new fraternity was very cordially received into the Greek world at De Pauw University, the other "Greeks" oifering their hearty congratulations and pledging their support to the "baby sister." An "overwhelming ovation" was given by the students to the new society on their first appearance in a body at chapel in Meharry Hall. Four months later, February 26, 1886, Dean Howe formally introduced his proteges by a soiree musicale. Dean Howe continued to maintain a deep interest in the new frater- nity, and manifested his feeling in many tangible ways, doing everything that lay within his power for the advancement of Alpha Chi Omega. The fact that his interest never waned is illustrated by the following epistle, which was received in response to a request for a letter for publica- tion in the History -describing the founding of Alpha Chi Omega. Because of mis-statements that have been made concerning the nature of Alpha Chi Omega in its early days, this letter is valuable. "It is fortunate," says Dean Howe, "that I have lived long enough to be on hand to give decisive evidence." His letter reads as follows: Hotel Burlington, Seattle, Washington, September 6, 1916. Miss Florence A. Armstrong, Author of History of Alpha Chi Omega, Macdowell Memorial Association, Peterborough, N. H. Dear Miss Armstrong: I am glad to be able to comply with your request for a few affidavits as to the organization and early situations of Alpha Chi Omega. The Alpha Chi Omega Sorority was not organized as a professional fraternity. At its organization in 1885, it was a regular university fra- ternity, upon the same basis as the Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and other fraternities of De Pauw University. 10 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity I was very careful that, from the first, every step should be taken in accordance with the accepted traditions and methods recognized by other fraternities. I employed a regular fraternity man, a Beta, to lay out a constitution and set of by-laws, such as were generally approved at that time. These, I understand, have been thoroughly revised and brought up to meet the requirements of modern times. I watched over the young sorority, as one would over one's own child. It was my only child, and it is the only child I have at the present time. I can assure all present members that not a step was taken that was not in harmony with the rules and regulations incumbent upon our other regu- lar university fraternities. Members of other fraternities were not invited to become members, nor did the Alpha Chi Omegas ever accept invitations from other sorori- ties. From the first, the membership was drawn freely from the Liberal Arts Department of the university, the only specification being that they should, in some degree, be connected with the School of Music, some courses of which received liberal arts credit from the university. The School of Music was an incorporated and integral part of De Pauw University; and enrolled among its students many members of other fraternities and sororities. The only difference between the Alpha Chi Omega and other fraternities was, that music was the chief tradition of Alpha Chi Omega; and that some music culture, as well as literary culture, was ex,pected of its members. When I took charge of the De Pauw School of Music in 1884, I arranged courses leading to Certificate, Diploma, and Degree of Bachelor of Music. These were granted as the students passed certain grades or completed certain courses. I believe our first degree of Mus. B. was granted to a Miss Kelly, a Kappa Kappa Gamma, in 1885. The members of the Alpha Chi Omega more often received degrees in other departments than in the School of Music. We included about 150 stude?nts in the School of Music, around 1885. These numbers, under my incumbency, were increased to about 300 in 1891-92. The "hard times" of 1893-94 struck us, and the "World's Fair" coming at the same time, tended to curtail the attendance during the last two years of my deanship at De Pauw. I trust that the above will assist in clearing matters that some may believe to have been open to question. With kind regards to every member of Alpha Chi Omega, I close with the assurance that my services are at your call at any and all times. My best wishes for the Alpha Chi Omega, Very sincerely, Jas. Hamilton Howe. The seven founders of Alpha Chi Omega were all studying in the De Pauw School of Music, but the fraternity they established Was not a "strictly musical" organization. On account of some misunderstand- ing on this point in the past, it may be wise to describe the nature of the university in which the. fraternity was born. The relationship between the liberal arts courses and the musical courses was close, and the school of music was not, as is often the case in the larger universities of today, a separate college, somewhat removed from the life of the university, but it was a regular department of the undergraduate work of the university. An integral part of its work was in the courses of the liberal arts 'depart- ment, so that students in the music department were students also in the liberal arts department. There were, in addition to this fact, no arbitrary musical requirements for membership in Alpha Chi Omega beyond the one condition that a student be in some way connected with the School of Music. The interests of those students who carried work in music, as a consequence, included both the liberal arts and the fine arts. Their friendships, growing out of daily association with students in the differ- ent courses of the university, included, as a matter of course, women in the various courses. Women whose courses lay mainly in the liberal arts carried frequently work in music also and were eligible to member- ship in Alpha Chi Omega in precisely the same way that women whose major work lay in music were considered eligible to membership in other fraternities. This reasonable basis of membership, including both musical-minded and literary-minded students, was not peculiar to Alpha Chi Omega. She simply accepted a plan already followed, but went one step further by insisting that all her members have some musical culture. Thus Alpha Chi Omega emphasized the principle that music is at least as important a factor in a college woman's education as Latin or mathematics. In time, no doubt, all great institutions of learning will take the same position. For, in the words of William H. Alexander, "When Plato said that musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the secret places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making graceful the soul of him who is rightly educated, he uttered a sentiment which each succeeding age has increasingly emphasized, until it stands as truth." For a time Alpha Chi Omega debarred from her membership women who were not in some way connected with the musical department of the university; the so-called "literary" students, in order to be eligible in the early days, registered for some university course in music. But contrary to the false and repeated statements in Baird's Manual, at no time in her history has Alpha Chi Omega ever been a "professional" 12 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity fraternity. In 1889, indeed, a national "literary" fraternity extended to Alpha Chi Omega an invitation to merge the membership of the two organizations. Alpha Chi Omega never considered inviting to member- ship those who belonged to other fraternities, a practice which Baird's Manual cites as a prominent characteristic of professional fraternities. In no way, in fact, was Alpha Chi Omega at her birth at all different from other general fraternities except in her insistence that members possess some musical culture. This requirement was too advanced for the time. For as early as 1891 Beta Chapter requested permission to initiate freshmen without requiring them to study music. No immediate change was made in the constitution, but the trend of the practice of chapters was toward freedom in the matter. The expansion of the fraternity into state universities, beginning in 1889, was the signal for a forced change in requirements for membership because of the highly specialized and separate character of the departments in a state university as described below. Had there been even a tendency in the direction of professionalism, Alpha Chi Omega might have developed into a professional organization during a youthful period of four years in her life (1893-1897) ; during this brief period the constitution of the fraternity permitted the entering of any college, university, or music conservatory of high standard; under this very liberal policy one chapter was established — Zeta — at the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston. The well-balanced curriculum and high grade ,of instruction of New England had made its appeal to the fraternity, and caused it to be regarded as a desirable field for exten- sion. Of the liberal training given by this remarkable institution Alta Allen Loud, National President, once wrote in The Lyre that she was much impressed with the literary requirements exacted of the students. "Many of the students go there from other colleges . . . ," she con- tinued, "and when we recall the fact that one of Zeta's members served us six years in the capacity of treasurer and later as business manager of The Lyre, and that two of our editors have been chosen from her ranks, we feel like paying tribute to an institution that produces the artistic results that the New England Conservatory does and still develops the literary and all-round nature of its students."* After the establishment of Zeta Chapter, however, the original law was reverted to which authorized the entering only of colleges and universities. Ultimately, all constitutional regulations regarding the distribution of courses among the various departments of a university were removed, so that all collegiate courses leading to a degree, whether in fine arts, liberal arts, science, or industrial arts, are on a par. * The Lyre^ November, 1910. Since the above was written two of the members of Zeta Chapter have served as National President of the fraternity. Alpha Chi Omega, Hke other fraternities then, was founded on the basis of mutual helpfulness and of congenial fellowship. Her purpose, like that of others, was the advancement of the intellectual, social, and moral culture of her members, and in addition to the aims common to other fraternities, included specifically the furtherance of and cultivation in one of the fine arts. Her constitution, after numerous changes which began immediately after the first draft was made, now reads: "The objects of this fraternity are to encourage the spirit of true sisterhood, to develop through personal effort a high moral and mental standard, and to advance the appreciation and practice of the allied arts among its members." The first constitution read : "The object of this fraternity is as follows: To attain to the highest musical culture and to cultivate those principles that embody true womanhood." The beloved Founders of the fraternity have seen the little group so precious to their own .undergraduate days grow into an organization of power and scope; they have seen duplicated, thousands of times, the joy and development that come to young women from congenial com- panionship, loyal cooperation, and high ideals. Fraternity has been made possible to other "g;enerations of college women by means of the agency that the forward-looking seven created in 1885. The main facts in the life of each Founder have been included in the chapter entitled, "Some Interesting Members." No more loyal and enthusiastic Alpha Chis may be found than they, who bore the first burden and experienced the first benefits of the fraternity. Beta Charter Members and Installation^Officers Florine DefFcDdorF Jennie A. Worthington Emma Crittenden Harriet Reynolda Mary Jonea Teimant Bertha Deniston EJizflbetb Smith Flora Aldgate CHAPTER III EARLY YEARS As is probably the case with all fraternities founded in the seventies or eighties, the early records of Alpha Chi Omega are rather meager; charter members did not realize to what proportions the organizations they were founding would grow in several college generations. The minutes of the meetings of the first few years although incomplete are intensely interesting and often quaint as compared with the records of recent sessions. Of some of the most significant of these early meetings, the minutes are quoted, entirely or in part; they tell vividly the story of those early business meetings which were held at least once a week, and often rriore frequently. Programs of a musical and literary nature were an important feature of these gatherings. De Pauw University, Greencastle, Tnd., October 15, 1885 Organization The Dean of the School of Music, Prof. James H. Howe . . . called together a few young women students, for the purpose of forming a society for musical and social improvement, and of assisting in the furtherance of the cause of Art. After naming several objects for which the proposed society might work and rehearsing their benefits, a committee was chosen to meet and to formulate a plan for future development. The committee chosen to consult with the dean comprised Misses Estelle Leonard, Bertha Deniston, Nellie Gamble, and Amy Du Bois. Miss Estelle Leonard waschosen president of the proposed society and Bertha Deniston, secretary. This committee was ordered to meet on Monday evening at six o'clock. The meeting adjourned to October 22, at eight o'clock. Bertha Deniston, Secretary. De Pauw University, October 19, 1885 Report of the Formulating Committee Meeting was called to order by President Estelle Leonard, Misses Bertha Deniston, Amy Du Bois, Nellie Gamble, and Professor Howe being present. Since the meeting of Thursday, October 15, 1885, members of the committee met together and talked over the subject of the proposed society, what it should embrace, the needs of such a society, and how the work should be carried on. It was voted that a Greek society be formed similar in character to the Greek fraternities of the College of Liberal Arts. Mr. J. G. Campbell (a member of such a fraternity) was called in to give the general information in regard to the management of fraternities. Mr. Campbell was asked to formulate a constitution and by-laws for the proposed fraternity, to be handed in at the next meet- ing. A vote of thanks was tendered to him for his kindness. Additions were made to the list of officers: Miss Amy Du Bois was elected treasurer, Miss Nellie Gamble, corres- ponding secretary. The name "Alpha Chi Omega," was presented and adopted. The colors chosen to represent the fraternity were red and bronze green. As there was no further business requiring attention, a motion to adjourn was in order, which was carried. Bertha Deniston, Secretary. 16 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Adoption of the Constitution, December 5, 1885 An irregular meeting was held and was called to order by the president, Miss Fuqua, the following members being present: Bertha Deniston, Nellie Gamble, Rose Meredith, Ella Farthing, Estelle Leonard, Bessie Grooms, and Ollie Burnett. The president made a few remarks as to the reason of the meeting. As the secretary was absent, the presi- dent appointed Miss Burnett to take her place. The secretary then read the constitu- tion which was accepted. The next question brought before the house was in regard to the concert, and the secretary read the program; but as several of the members were to leave soon, it was decided to postpone the concert until the middle of the next term, when every member was to take part. Next the De Pauw Monthly was brought forward, and the article which appeared in regard to the fraternity was read by the secretary and dis- cussed for a few minutes. Then it was decided to have it corrected in the next copy. The president then directed Miss Grooms, the corresponding secretary, to bring before the next meeting the letter she had been directed to write to a young woman in Kansas in regard to the starting of a Sister Chapter. Next in order was a motion to adjourn which was carried. Amy Du Bois, Secretary. Constitution Rewritten, February 5, 1886 Next in order the president, Estelle Leonard, appointed Suda West and Florence Thompson to rewrite the constitution and the form of initiation to be read at the next meeting. A motion was then put before the house that Florence Thompson write the words for a fraternity song and Estelle Leonard write the music. The motion was carried. Amy Du Bois, Secretary. Opening Ceremony, February 11, 1886 Meeting was called to order by the president, Nellie Gamble. The roll was called and the following members were present. . . The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved, after which a motion was made to have a regular form with which to begin the meetings, the form suggested comprising singing, scripture reading, and prayer. The motion was carried. Amy Du Bois, Secretary. First Fraternity Song, February 26, 1886 The new fraternity song which two of the members had been appointed to write, was then presented and accepted. Then there arose some discussion in regard to a name for the song and it was decided to call it Alpha Prima. Another song, the words of which were written by Mr. Campbell and the music by Mr. Howe, was then brought forward. Amy Du Bois, Secretary. Revised Constitution Adopted, April 9, 1886 The constitution having been rewritten was now read and adopted. The by-laws were also adopted unanimously. £.?/e//e Leonard, Secretary. Initiation of Madame Julia Rive-King, April 23, 1886 The usual order of the meeting was changed and a discussion held regarding the admittance to the fraternity of Mme. Riv£-King, America's famous pianist. Having signified to Professor Howe her willingness to be one of us, on the same afternoon Mme. Riv^-King was consulted in regard to her initiation. As she was to give a concert that evening in Meharry Hall, it was thought best to have a brief initiatory service immediately afterward, if agreeable to her. Estelle Leonard, Secretary. w Sq en w » o ,2^>, p- -a § n c. 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CO r- 1 ^ p- § d i o r- s 1 CO oo CO o 3 ;» iS 1 ^ 1 .2 o u 5 m 2 o oo oo J3 i Tt< (S £ >< 1 og.oS o o CO CO s co' CO ^ 1 - >i II o >> O i oo s in CO =s 3 >- 1 ^ 1.2 5" 5 1 i i 2 J2 J3 m oo g ;- 1 o 2; ^ s .2 o. 1 1 1 o t c 1 J •o 1 1 1 •l T 1 "o a i a c o £ 1 c '. s J > J g c 1 d c a C c 1 c 1 1 1 'e .1 1 i E c i < c c 1.2 < , gtClS - qoo cm n . a. . ■S=3S = «OS — CO 000 iir^ OJ OS o* 42 History of Alpha Ca{ Omega Fraternity Beta Kappa, we might find that the competition relatively remains pretty brisk. Unless the honorary fraternity is to make of itself a less significa,nt institution, however, very careful direction and correlation will be required in the next decade. The accompanying data (Table 5) presents the leading intercollegiate orders, in colleges where Alpha Chi Omega has chapters, to which women are admitted. The table would have been almost endlessly extended by including honor societies not intercollegiate. The increase of honorary fraternities has been along the line of the growth of large technical schools such as journalism, commerce, educa- tion, home economics, although there also appears one for forensics, and one for music. These societies have appeared in answer to a real need for honorary societies to recognize superior excellence in fields not included by Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. The Strength and Weakness of our Colleges One can not study the colleges where Alpha Chi Omega has placed her chapters without admiring their magnitude, the excellent work of their administrators and their faculties; the rare opportunities to survey the treasured wisdom and the attainments of the human race from the beginning; the delightful social life and the chance to know well many worth while men and women of one's own generation; the training in various sports accessible; the beautiful environment; and the aesthetic culture at hand in the fine arts courses and in the dramatic and musical events of the college. Little cause for wonder is there that so many thousands of American youth expect to go to college. In preparing this history of Alpha Chi Omega, the author invited each chapter to enumerate the strong points and the weak points of its institu- tion. One commentator sent the information that no weak points were obvious in that college; the others replied with definite analyses of their academic community. Their criticisms agree very well with those of expert educators, and indicate over-expansion, shortage of funds which means loss of able professors, too much inexperienced and immature instruction, too great emphasis on practical subjects or the applied sciences, inadequate housing for women, and too little expert advice for new students in formulating their four-year plan. Some colleges employ a well-equipped woman whom they call the student adviser, and the result has been extremely successful; but the plan, so far as I know, has not extended to the colleges discussed in this book. The proper headship of fraternity and other student houses, of course, is an ever- present problem in all colleges. As alumnae, or as prospective alumnae, all members of Alpha Chi owe it to their Alma Mater to study its weakness as well as its strength, and to assist by criticism and support in improving it. For the woman The Contribution of the Fraternity to the College 43 now in college, an intelligent understanding of the weak spots in her institution will enable her better to discriminate to her own advantage in selecting courses. (See Tables 6, 7, and 8). Table 8. — Colleges on eligible lists of educational associations. Name of college. A^ociation of Univer- sity women (A. C. A.). Association of Ameri- can Colleges. Association of Ameri- can Universities. ^^■orth Central Associa- tion of Colleges. X X X X X Baker X Brenau Bucknell* X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X DePauw X IllinoU X Kansaa X Millikin X X Mt. Union X X I New England X X X X X Oklahoma X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Washington State College Washington State Univ. . . Washington (St. Louis) . . . X X X X X X Drake ? 7 "When the Southern Association of the Collegiate Alumnre of which Bucknell was a member was absorbed by the A. C. A,, Bucknell's graduates were granted membership in/ the American Association of University Wotnen (formerly A. C. A.). It is generally considered that the college student of the present asserts a good deal of freedom in disposing of creeds and religious for- mulae, with an air of nonchalance very alarming to the church and painful to the parent. This characteristic may be a wholesome sign, provided the student recognizes this freedom for what it really is, and continues to guard carefully her personal religion, as her individual anchor in a w^orld that grows increasingly perturbed. The college student has the opportunity of a lifetime to test her own ideas of religion, through courses in science and in history, to follow the development and concepts of man from the beginning, and ultimately to discard what 44 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity religious ideas she can not hold, and to treasure the more carefully the faith of a free mind. Marion L. Burton, president of the University of Michigan, insists that the American college should lay more emphasis on accuracy and thoroughness in scholarship. Besides an understanding of international relationships, President Burton also points out the need, at the present critical situation in America, for the educated person to understand the labor movement and to be in a position to interpret the various proposals for an industrial democracy. "The student of the new day," he says, "must be brought as fully and completely as possible into a sympathetic understanding and appreciation of the distinctive movements and regnant ideas of our time." The aim of the college should be to "help in the process of becoming virile, wholesome human beings, thoroughly alive and all aglow with the passion for service." The Contribution of the Fraternity to the College The fraternity system has developed with such a steady growth that today no coeducational institution seems complete without it. Faculties used to be skeptical as to the benefits to the college or the student of the large degree of associative life and self government that results from the presence of chapter houses as part of the college environment. These fundamental questions however have long since been answered unmis- takeably. The advantage of fraternities to the college can not be lost sight of — the added prestige brought by good national fraternities, the perpetual interest of alumnae in the college that the fraternity fosters, and the unfailing response of the fraternity groups to faculty dreams of progress for the institution. The main aspect of official sentiment, in the most distinguished sources, is approval and appreciation. Women's fraternities still meet occasionally in the dean of women from an Eastern woman's college a cool friend or an open antagonist; this objection to women's fraternities grows out of the limited experience of women in Eastern segregated colleges who have had no previous intimate knowledge of the complex life of the coeducational university. If she is open- minded the dean from the Eastern woman's college gradually relinquishes her purpose to remake the customs of the university into traditions similar to those of a woman's college, as she learns to know at first hand the extreme value of the very system that evolution has pro- vided for the university. The wise fraternity assists the dean in learning fraternities by helping her to a close acquaintance with the system, and by cooperating warmly in all feasible plans. The well governed fraternity aids systematically and strongly in the development and maintenance of high scholarship standards among its The Contribution of the Fraternity to the College 45 members. Alpha Chi Omega's definite policy in this matter manifests itself in the following methods analyzed by Miss Griffith for an N. P. C. magazine : 1. To require for initiation a scholarship grade equal to 80 per cent of perfect work in 12 hours of college work, the grade being determined for each institution in coopera- tion with college authorities. 2. Not to repledge a pledge who fails to make her scholarship grade for two semes- .teTs, unless there are extenuating circumstances. 3. Not to initiate girls who are not taking a regular course leading to a degree or a regular course in fine arts. 4. Not to initiate girls who come to college without any intention of remaining to receive degrees. 5. Not to initiate a girl within six weeks of the close of college. 6. To secure scholarship grades of each member of the chapter from college authori- ties at least once each semester, these grades being furnished to the local alumna ad- viser. 7. To secure scholarship grades each fall for each member of the chapter on the N. P. C. scholarship blank, these grades being furnished the National Inspector. 8. To present a scholarship cup to the chapter showing the greatest improvement each year. 9. To encourage the giving of scholarship cups to individual members by the local chapters. 10. To encourage study tables where delinquent members may be helped by members of the chapter or forced to study regular hours. 11. To limit the number of college activities in which a member is engaged if her scholarship is below par. In a few words the contribution of the fraternity to the college may be mentioned in outline as follows: It provides in chapter houses the socializing influence of college home life; it offers organized support of college activities, stimulus to scholarship, broadening outlook to its members by close association with a number of fellow students as well as a casual acquaintance with many; the fraternity also brings its members into touch with other colleges; it teaches the invaluable lesson of real cooperation, and enables members to adjust themselves more readily to any environment; it makes permanent and keeps fresh the interest of alumnae in the college, a contribution that at no time in the history of colleges is so vitally important to their welfare as today. Lastly, and less obviously, the best of the traditions of the fraternity make for immensely better college citizenship. As the things of the spirit constitute the most important element in our lives and are the least dis- cussed, so with a college fraternity: Its high idealism, its democracy, its lessons of sympathy, patience, and loyalty to individual associates, its insistence on loyalty to the group, on guarding the good repute of the group, and on the necessity of making the very most of one's individual capacity — all these fine concepts properly cultivated in the fraternity chapters make the campus a better place in which to live. CHAPTER VI MATERIAL POSSESSIONS OF ALPHA CHI OMEGA A summary of the financial statements of the National Treasurer and of the chairman of the House-building Committee compiled in 1921 shows that the wealth of the fraternity is $259,407 or about $8,000 per chapter. As chapters, however, are making energetic plans for the acquisition of dignified, comfortable chapter houses, and no reports are available on the possessions of Alpha Chapter and of chapters established after Alpha Eta, these figures will be subject to early and considerable revision. The following tabulated statistics denote the different aspects of the possessions of the fraternity. Table 9 — Analysis of material possessions of Alpha Chi Omega. Property Owned. Chapter houses and lots: Alpha (no report) Beta (Albion College) lodge Theta (University of Michigan) house and lot. . Iota (University of Illinois) house and lot Kappa (University of Wisconsin) house and lot . Lambda (Syracuse University) house and lot . . . Omicron (Baker University) lot Pi (University of California) house and lot Phi (University of Kansas) lot Chi (Oregon State College) lot Omega (Washington State College) lot Furnishings of chapter houses and rooms Permanent Funds. National Reserve Fund . Lyre Reserve Funds ... Scholarship Fund Chapter House Funds. Cash Alumnae pledges (not owed for houses) Equipment of National Officers. Equipment. Total value of assets in funds, property, and equipment owned by Alpha Chi Omega % 4,000 27,500 25,000 24,700 23,000 2,400 25,650 3,000 2,000 3,750 60,785 16,000 15,000 6,000 10,022 9,600 1,000 $201,785 37,000 19,622 1,000 $259,407 Material Possessions of Alpha Chi Omega 47 The main items of the above table allocate the principal material possession of Alpha Chi Omega to three forms: Permanent funds, prop- erty owned, and chapter building funds. The permanent funds are three : The Reserve Fund, The Lyre Reserve Fund, and the Scholarship Fund. All these funds have been established since 1910. The convention which celebrated the passing of the quarter century mark crystallized by legislation the long-felt desire of the fraternity for a scholarship fund to stimulate and reward scholarly attain- ments of members. The fund was well begun, at this time, by pledges from individual members. At the next convention the committee to which the care of the new fund had been delegated recommended that its purpose be changed. In their opinion a general fund could be used with greater returns to the development of the fraternity as a whole than a scholarship fund, the returns from which were of individual character. A scholarship fund, it was suggested, might well be established later, perhaps by the following convention. The recommendation was adopted with enthusiasm, and the fraternity loyally supported the determination of the committee to reach the $5,000 mark by the time of the next convention (1915). The first few thousand dollars, the chairman of the committee, Mrs. Loud, predicted would be the most difficult part of the fund to raise. The 1921 report to the National Council showed over $15,000 in the fund. Individual pledges were made, and Mu Chapter offered her share of the proceeds of a recital by Maud Powell to be given the next season as a specific pledge of cooperation. Thirteen of the active chapters gave one hundred dollars each ; four gave fifty dollars or more ; each of the twelve alumnae chapters gave twenty-five dollars or more; eight alumnae clubs gave ten dollars each, and three gave smaller amounts. The calendars, symphony postcards, and convention labels were published for the benefit of the fund. Other sources were found for increasing the fund so that the goal set for 1915 convention was reached and passed. The report of the Reserve Fund Committee set the sum of $8,000 as the goal for the fund for the 1917 convention. This sum was reached and passed. The fund has been managed most ably by the chairman, Mrs. Loud, and has yielded a good rate of interest by investment. The amount of the fund ha^ been at the disposal of the fraternity since the $5,000 was reached and has been used carefully and wisely as loans to chapters for house building or for house furnishing. Fifteen chapters have been aided in some way by such loans at a reasonable rate of interest. The terms upon which the fund has made loans to chapters for building pur- poses are reasonable and encourage the chapters to enter upon the large task of house ownership. A more complete description of these terms will be found in the chapter on House Ownership. 48 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity The ultimate end of the Reserve Fund is for an endowment for the development of the fraternity; the desire for a Scholarship Fund therefore was not abated, as its helpfulness to the individual member was thor- oughly understood. After the successful launching of the Reserve Fund the attention of the fraternity was turned toward the possibilities for the long desired Scholarship Fund. A committee which had been appointed previously recommended the establishment of such a fund to the 1915 Convention. Personal gifts were made by members of the convention. The adoption of a sole official jeweler resulted in a slight profit on every badge purchased and this amount, payable semi-annually, was turned into the Scholarship Fund. A portion of the proceeds from Alumnae Notes was appropriated likewise for the fund. After one year the Alumnse Association was enabled to make the following report of the Scholarship Fund receipts: Profits on sale of fraternity badges $228 . 00 Proceeds from alumnse notes 228.22 Daily Convention Transcript 42 . 36 Personal Pledges 52 . 50 Total fund in 1916 $551.08 In 1921 the Scholarship Fund reached $6,000 and had granted 36 loans. The third of the permanent funds is in the form of an endowment for the magazine. The Lyre Reserve Fund. Its growth and purpose are described at length in the section concerning The Lyre and will not be repeated in this connection. Like the other funds it is the result of hard work and persistent economy, and is pregnant with large good to the fraternity in the future. The property owned by the fraternity is the main body of her wealth. Chapter house ownership began when the fraternity was eight years old. In 1895 Beta built the substantial brick lodge which she still uses for all fraternity purposes. The financial interests of all the other chapters were, for a period, directed toward house furnishing and general frater- nity responsibilities rather than toward house-building. In consequence, while the chapters accrued considerable wealth in possessions, not until 1910 did they report house-building funds, and not until 1916 were any more chapters in actual possession of their own homes. At the present time, Theta (University of Michigan), Iota (Univer- sity of Illinois), Kappa (University of Wisconsin), Lambda (Syracuse University) and Pi (University of California) own comfortable and dignified homes in keeping with the needs of a fraternity. Other chapters, Phi (Kansas), Omicron (Baker) (now owns a small house), Alpha (De Pauw University) , Epsilon (Southern California) , Xi (University of Ne- Material Possessions of Alpha Chi Omega 49 braska),and Rho (University of Washington) are well on the road to house- ownership; several other chapters are working toward the same end. All chapters of Alpha Chi Omega reside in fraternity houses except in the cases (B, T, A, Z, H, AA, AE, AZ, A H), where chapter houses are debarred or are temporarily impracticable. All possess valuable furnish- ings and all will own their homes as soon as it is possible to do so. The large sums exacted for rental for fraternity houses makes ownership of homes a good investment as well as a great satisfaction. The matter has developed in an unhurried way so that the dangers might be avoided which attend hasty house-building, such as the deterioration of standards of membership, over-emphasis on material interest which gives a bad perspective in the college period, and the financial over-burdening of under graduates. Now that Alpha Chi Omega has reached the stage when house-ownership is a safe and sane proposition, the renting of fraternity houses is fast giving way to the purchase or the building of beautiful homes. Every chapter has its building fund which is increased annually by the proceeds of the Alumna Notes; in the few instances where chapter houses are not practicable, these funds are allowed to be appropriated for the equipment of the chapter's fraternity rooms. The financial projects of the future include a Memorial Hall in honor of the founders to be erected at Greencastle, Indiana, as a home for the mother chapter, and as a "treasure hall" for the archives of the fraternity ; ten new chapter houses; the increase of the endowment funds; the main- tenance of a fraternity vocational bureau; and national altruistic work in the form of vocational scholarships for children. Table 10. — Material possessions of twelve women's fraternities. Fraternity. Total wealth. Average per chapter. Date founded. Number chapters. KKr $135,000 165,000 211,000 122,000 97,000 118,000 61,000 75,000 115,000 60,000 20,000 38,000 $3,068 5,500 3,516 2,837 4,619 5,130 1,452 2,777 1,885 3,157 1,052 1,583 1870 1874 1867 1870 1872 1874 1895 1893 1888 1904 1874 1897 44 AT 30 n B * 60 KAe 43 A * 21 r * B .... 23 Xfi ASA 42 27 AAA 61 ATA 19 S K 19 A n 24 50 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity By the preceding table, compiled from Baird's Manual for 1920, some idea of the relative ranking of Alpha Chi Omega in the subject of material possessions may be gained. The basis for Baird's figures is different from and more restricted than that used in our compilation of the possessions of Alpha Chi Omega. Some relative conception, however, though imperfect, is thus to be attained of the self-respecting financial condition of Alpha Chi Omega. CHAPTER VII PRESENT SCOPE Alpha Chi Omega has chapters in thirty-four carefully selected edu- cational institutions in America, well distributed over the continent. A list of all chapters (and alumnae groups), with date of establish- ment, name of institution, and location follows. Table 11 — College chapters of Alpha Chi Omega, with location, and date of founding. Date of found- Chapter. Institution. Location. ing. Alpha De Pauw University Greencastle, Ind. Oct. IS, 1885 Beta Albion College Albion, Mich. May 27, 1887 Gamma Northwestern University Evanston, 111. Nov. 14, 1890 Delta Allegheny College Meadville, Pa. Jan. 29, 1891 Epsilon University of Southern California Los Angeles, Calif. June 16, 1895 Zeta New England Conservatory of Music Boston, Mass. Dec. 15, 1895 Eta Bucknell University Lewisburg, Pa. June 16, 1898 Theta University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich. Nov. 19, 1898 Iota University of Illinois Urbana, 111. Dec. 8, 1899 Kappa University of Wisconsin Madison, Wis. Dec. 18, 1903 Lambda Syracuse University Syracuse, N. Y. Dec. 18, 1906 Mu Simpson College Indianola, Iowa May 13, 1907 Nu University of Colorado Boulder, Colo. Sept. 6, 1907 Xi University of Nebraska Lincoln, Neb. Nov., 1907 Omicron Baker University Baldwin, Kans. Sept. 17, 1908 Pi University of California Berkeley, Calif. May 7, 1909 Rho University of Washington Seattle, Wash. Oct. 14, 1910 Sigma University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa June 10, 1911 Tau Brenau College Gainesville, Ga. Nov. 24, 1911 Upsilon James Millikin University Decatur, 111. May 9, 1913 Phi University of Kansas Lawrence, Kans. Sept. 15, 1914 Chi Oregon Agricultural College Corvallis, Ore. Feb. 25, 1915 Psi University of Oklahoma Norman, Okla. Jan. 14, 1916 Omega Washington State College Pullman, Wash. Sept. 22, 1916 Alpha Beta Purdue University La Fayette, Ind. Apr. 27, 1918 Alpha Gamma University of New Mexico Albuquerque, N. Mex. June 6, 1918 Alpha Delta University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Apr. 25, 1919 Alpha Epsilon University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pa. May 10, 1919 Alpha Zeta Washington University St. Louis, Mo. June 7, 1920 Alpha Eta Mt. Union College Alliance, Ohio June 11, 1920 Alpha Theta Drake University Des Moines, Iowa June 10, 1921 Alpha Iota University of Vermont Burlington, Vt. June 14, 1921 Alpha Kappa University of Oregon Eugene, Ore. June 23, 1921 Alpha Lambda University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. Sept. 30, 1921 Location of Organized Groups S3 AlumncB chapters and clubs, location, and date of founding. Chapter or Club. Location. When founded. ALUMNA CHAPTERS. Alpha Alpha Chicago, 111. May, 1906 Beta Beta Indianapolis, Ind. January, 1906 (?) Gamma Gamma New York, N. Y. November, 1907 Delta Delta Los Angeles, Cal. September, 1908 Epsilon Epsilon Detroit, Mich. May, 1909 Zeta Zeta Boston, Mass. November, 1909 Eta Eta Madison, Wis. June, 1911 Theta Theta Berkeley, Cal. June, 1913 Iota Iota Seattle, Wash. March, 1913 (?) Kappa Kappa Lincoln, Nebr. January, 1914 Lambda Lambda Grand Rapids, Mich. February, 1914 Mu Mu Kansas City, Mo. September, 1914 NuNu Denver, Colo. April, 1916 alumnjE clubs. Albion Albion, Mich. May, 1914 Alliance Alliance, Ohio September, 1920 Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, Mich. Spring of 1915 Atlanta Atlanta, Ga. November, 1915 Bellingham, Bellingham, Wash. August, 1920 Boulder Boulder, Colo. December, 1915 Buffalo Buffalo, N. Y. March, 1917 Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio May, 1919 Cleveland Cleveland, Ohio May, 1914 Decatur Decatur, 111. September, 1914 Des Moines Des Moines, Iowa October, 1914 District of Columbia Washington, D. C. April, 1915 Eastern Oklahoma Muskogee, Okla. November, 1914 Evansville Evansville, Ind. October, 1920 Fresno Fresno, Calif. April, 1921 Galesburg Galesburg, 111. March, 1916 Grays Harbor Aberdeen, Wash. January, 1917 Greencastle Greencastle, Ind. January, 1916 Greensburg Greensburg, Ind. November, 1915 Indianola Indianola, Iowa November, 1916 Iowa City Iowa City, Iowa November, 1916 Lawrence Lawrence, Kans. April, 1919 Meadville Meadville, Pa. March, 1915 Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wis. September, 1915 Monticello Monticello, Ind. January, 1921 Oklahoma City Oklahoma City, Okla. June, 1921 Oil City Oil City, Pa. November, 1915 Omaha Omaha, Nebr. May, 1915 Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pa. February, 1921 Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pa. November, 1915 Portland Portland, Ore. April, 1915 Pueblo Pueblo, Colo. December, 1915 54 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Chapter or Club. Location. Wh^n founded. Salem Salem, Ore. February, 1921 St. Louis St. Louis, Mo. September, 1914 Spokane Spokane, Wash. January, 1921 Syracuse Syracuse, N. V. May, 1920 Terre Haute Terre Haute, Ind. February, 1916 Tri-Cities Davenport, Rock Island, Moline November, 1918 Twin Cities St. Paul-Minneapolis . October, 1916 Expansion has been conservative and unhurried. Rather than place chapters unwisely or prematurely, the fraternity has refused scores of in- vitations to enter institutions of which either the petitioning group or the curriculum did not meet the comprehensive requirements of the extension policy. At the 1919 Convention, for instance, there were reported, of thirty-four requests for chapters received since the 1915 Convention, but six new chapters established. Alpha Chi Omega, as a result of this con- servatism, has no defunct chapters; two chapters, Epsilon and Eta were inactive for a time, then reestablished. Internal organization, moreover, is well ordered and effective, that the fraternity may be able to guide and develop, in the best possible manner, old and new chapters alike. In the first thirty-one years of her life, the nomenclature of the under- graduate chapters of Alpha Chi Omega appropriated the whole of the Greek alphabet, and has since covered about twenty-five per cent of it on a second round, with double letters, as Alpha Beta, Alpha Gamma; yet we feel that she stands merely at the beginning of the greatest phase of her existence. Excellence in academic work has been stressed by the fraternity as of great importance. High scholarship has been sought for consistently. Many chapters rank first, second, and third in scholarship averages among the women's fraternities of their respective colleges. All chapters do creditable intellectual work as a rule; many achieve brilliant records. For names of the members of various chapters who have served as Council members, see Appendix. Alpha Chapter Alpha Chapter, located at De Pauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, was founded October 15, 1885. There were seven charter members: Anna Allen, Olive Burnett, Bertha Deniston, Amy DuBois, Nellie Gamble, Bessie Grooms, Estelle Leonard. Although she received a proposition to become a part of another national fraternity in 1889, Alpha bravely shouldered the heavy burdens of her position as the mother chapter of a new fraternity. Her history for several years is the history of the organization. In 1889 Alpha entered the chapter house at 408 Elm Street which she still occupies. Alpha Chapter SS fraternity to enter De Pauw, Kappa Alpha Theta having been founded there in 1870, and Kappa Kappa Gamma having preceded Alpha Chi Omega by ten years. The attainments of the individuals of Alpha and of other chapters may best be traced elsewhere in the records of dis- tinguished members. Alpha had a total membership of 440 in 1920. She has the record of entertaining the national conventions of 1891, 1897, 1906, and shared in the entertainment of the 1919 Convention. Alpha's Chapter House, De Pauw University, Greencastle, Ind. Besides the early national officers in its roll, the chapter has two Province Presidents, Helen Wood Barnum and Beatrice Herron Brown. The chapter has entered on its large task and privilege of erecting a me- morial to the founders of the fraternity in the form of the Alpha Memorial house which will serve as a home for the chapter, as a safe and spacious hall for the fraternity archives, and also will contain a guest room for visiting Alpha Chis and officers. The National Chapter voted funds and support to the enterprise ; the members of the Convention, as their tribute to the retiring national president decided to establish the Alta Allen Loud room and to offer every member of the fraternity the opportunity to cooperate in expressing the fraternity's appreciation in this beautiful way to Mrs. Loud, who though not a founder of Alpha Chi Omega, stands out as its greatest builder. The finished house will cost $25,000. It is expected that the house will be erected in 1922. Founders' Day celebration, 56 History of Alpha Chi Omega pRATiiRNiTY alumnic reunion, and the state banquet at Indianapolis are annual Alpha festivities of importance. In 1921 Alpha Chapter published Volume I, Number 1, of the Alpha! plia, an illustrated eight-page newspaper for the alumna letter. Alpha Chapter and the fraternity at large have suffered great loss in the passing of two founders, Amy Du Bois Reith, in 1915, and Bessie Grooms Keenan, 1920; also of Maud Powell, 1920. BETA CH.VPTliR Beta Chapter was established on May 27, 1887, by Mary Jones and Bertha Deniston from Alpha. The charter members were Flora Adgate, Emma Crittenden, Florinne Defendorf, Harriet Reynolds, Elizabeth Smith, and Jennie Worthington. The meetings of the chapter were held at the homes of members until September, 1888, when a hall on the third floor of one of the college buildings was granted to the chapter for a fraternity hall. This served as a meeting place until October, 1895, when a new five-room brick lodge was erected. This lodge is still owned and used by the chapter for fraternity functions and meetings. The college authorities prohibit fraternity women from living in chapter Beta's Lodge, .'\lbion College, Albion, Michigan houses, and it is feared the chapter will never be permitted to own a house for living quarters. In 1887 Beta gave an entertainment with Pi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta. The next year but one, howe^ver, she began her series of annual concerts, which have been a unique feature in Beta's history. Until 1908 an admission fee was charged, and the pro- ceeds used for furnishings for the lodge. In 1915, by faculty consent, admission was asked again, for the benefit of the local Y. W. C. A., and in 1919 and 1920 for the support of the chapter's French orphan. Beta was the second fraternity to enter Albion College. Beta Chapter 57 Beatrice G.Austin, Be/a Irene Ward Austin, Bf/a Alpha Chi Molliir and Daiighlcr Beta's philanthropy for several years was directed partly toward the Starr Commonwealth, a home for so-called incorrigible boys, founded HORTENSE OSMUN MiLLER, Beta AND HORTENSE OsMUN MiLLER, Theta Alpha Chi Mother and Daughter Ja Nette a. Cushman, Beta and Dorothy M. Cushman, Beta and Pi Alpha Chi Motlier and Daughter 58 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity near Albion by Mr. and Mrs. Floyd A. Starr (Harriet Armstrong, B), and the little boys from this school were entertained at times on Hera Day; in cooperation with the Albion Alumnae Club, Beta contributes Hera Day offerings to the support of an Alpha Chi Omega room in the local hospital. The chapter has also taken an interest in local families that needed assistance and particularly in children from a settlement in the town. The unstinted war service of the chapter and of all groups will be found in detail in the chapter on war work, page 297. Beta Chapter has furnished three National Presidents, Ja Nette Allen Cushman, Kate Calkins Drake, and Alta Allen Loud, a National Inspector and National Panhellenic delegate, Nella Ramsdell Fall, a National Treasurer, Esther Barney Wilson, and two Province Presidents, Myrtle Hartswell Bow- man and Esther Barney Wilson, to the fraternity. The total member- ship was 285 in 1920. GAMMA CHAPTER Gamma Chapter was established at Northwestern University, Evans- ton, Illinois, November 14, 1890, by Alta Roberts, A, and Jean Whitcomb, B. The charter members were Lizzine Stine, Mae Burdick, Mary Stanford, Mary Satterfield, Mary Walker, Lulu Piatt, and Jeannette Marshall. Gamma had initiated 235 members in 1920. Since no women's fraternity houses for many years were permitted at North- western, Gamma Chapter held the weekly meetings in different rooms in the Woman's Building until April 1, 1895, when a room was rented in the Hotel Monnett. For several years the chapter has had a room on the fourth floor of Willard Hall, where other fraternity rooms are likewise situated. A joint committee from Gamma and Alpha Alpha are laying careful plans for owning one of the women's fraternity houses that Northwestern University proposes to erect upon a quadrangle during the next five years. These houses will be practically uniform in design, and, it is said, will be "unsurpassed" in beauty and adequacy. Because of the absence of women's fraternity houses at Northwestern, Gamma has been forced to look for social life in other ways. Rushing parties in the autumn, held at the homes of active and alumnae members, supply a delightful bit of social life to the chapter as a whole. Another enjoyable time is assured Gamma's members every Friday afternoon when they gather at the home of some Alpha Chi Omega for a weekly "cozy" in the delightful home atmosphere which is so often lacking in a college dormitory. The Gamma girls enjoy greatly the joint parties with Alpha Alpha, which take the form of get-togethers at the time of initiation, luncheons, and Christmas parties. A plan has been devised for getting the pledges acquainted with the men of the freshman -'"--• -^"-^ — ' -.- ^' Delta Chapter 59 series of Sunday afternoon teas and to invite the freshmen of each fraternity in turn to spend Sunday afternoon with the pledges and a few active girls. A formal dance in the winter and an informal dance in the spring, to which representatives from the various women's fraternities are invited, are two of Gamma's more elaborate social events. The annual banquet given by the juniors of the chapter to the seniors has been a custom for many years, and the last fraternity rneeting of the year is marked by the presentation of gifts to the seniors and of an especial token to the outgoing president. The active members make it a custom to assist in every way possible at the annual picnic given for the children from Northwestern University Settlement. In 1920 two Gamma girls were in charge of the entire group of two hundred children, and were assisted by many Gamma members. The beauties of Lake Michigan are utilized by the chapter when an annual beach party is held on the shores of the lake. This party usually occurs after the five o'clock fraternity meeting — ^just when the lake is at its best. The usual beach supper is followed by songs of the fraternity and university. A recent custom which is becoming a chapter tradition is the engrav- ing upon an honor plaque of the name of the girl who has done most for the chapter during the year. Thus far (1920) Catherine MacPherson, Kathryn Purcell, and Elizabeth MacPherson, have received this distinc- tion. DELTA CHAPTER Delta Chapter, Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania, was founded January 29, 1891, by Mary Satterfield, r, and Libbie Price, A. Mrs. Zannie Tate Osgood says: "I am sure no girls since could have had better or happier times than we did. I was the first girl in Meadville to know about the founding of a new chapter of Alpha Chi Omega. My cousin, Mary Satterfield, T, wrote to me asking me to found a chapter at Allegheny College and the Meadville Conservatory of Music which were affiliated at that time." After the work of organization and initia- tion came the welcome from the other Greeks and the college who welcomed the new chapter at chapel with the Chautauqua salute, and later by receptions and teas. For the first two years the chapter held its meetings in a small room in the Conservatory building, but in 1894 the third floor of the same building was secured by the chapter and turned into a very unique room, which was occupied by the chapter for seven years. In the fall of 1901 a room was secured in the Mosier building on Chestnut Street, where the chapter met until 1906, when a suite of rooms was fitted up on Highland Avenue, and since the fall of 1908 the chapter 60 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity has occupied a beautiful suite of rooms in Hulings Hall. In her first 29 years of existence Delta initiated 239 members. Delta carries out every year several social traditions. The birthday of the chapter as well' as that of the national organization is celebrated. The chapter entertains at an informal spring party. A Christmas party is given in honor of the pledges each year before going home for the Christmas vacation. In philanthropic work, Delta observes Hera Day by visiting the Old Ladies' Home and the County Farm, and assists the Associated Charities financially. The girls take flowers to the hospitals and read to the patients. During commencement week all the fraternities have alumni banquets. In August a mid-vacation reunion of members has been generally held since 1907 at Conneaut Lake. EPSILON CH.\PTER Epsilon Chapter was established at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, June 16, 1895, as a result of correspondence started through the efforts of two Sigma Chis, who recommended the university as a promising field for a chapter of Alpha Chi Omega and at the same time directed the members of a local club how to organize and CO petition for the national charter. The charter members were: Louise Davis, Lulu Johns, Cornelia Keep, Flora Parker, and Bertie Phelps. After 1898, the university, owing to financial difficulties, did not flourish for some years. Delta Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta withdrew their charters. In 1898, Epsilon, after initiating fourteen members in the three years of her activity, became dormant, remaining so until the fall of 1905. During this time, however, meetings with musical and literary programs were held, and the town members did not drift apart. In October, 1905, several students, eager to organize a fraternity, consulted Dean Walter ¥. Skeele, who, knowing that Alpha Chi Omega had existed there, advised them to interview Louise Davis Van Cleve. The result was that after an investigation by the Grand Council, Epsilon Chapter was reestablished October 30, 1905, six alumnae initiating the following members: Maude Hawley, Carrie McMillan, Carrie Trowbridge, Essie Nefl, Erna Reese, and Flora Barron, the service being conducted by Mrs. Van Cleve. The chapter has flourished with the splendid development of the university. In 1909 Epsilon entered a chapter house which had always been looked forward to by her members. The enthusiasm which marked its establishment has never waned in spite of the difficulties which attend the maintenance of a chapter house in a city university. In 1918, however, the chapter house with its accompanying pleasures was given up on account of the pressing times, and the money was devoted Epsilon Chapter 61 to worthy purposes. In the autumn of 1919 Epsilon again obtained a chapter house, the appreciation of which was greatly enhanced by the sacrifice of the year before. Epsilon's philanthropy consists of an annual contribution to the upkeep of the Alpha Chi Omega bed in the Children's Hospital, Christmas work for the needy, usually a gift to the Lark Ellen Home for poor boys, and varied minor services, such as the gift in 1017 of jellies and jams to the Newsboy's Home. Epsilon Chapter House, 1920, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California Chapter meetings are held every Monday night at seven-frfteen in the living-room of the chapter home. The first quarter hour of these meetings is devoted to a short talk given by a different member each week on national fraternity matters, or current topics of interest about the university. Epsilon makes it a custom to have as dinner guests two alumnae every other Monday night. On the first Sunday evening of the month open house for the town girls is held. After pledging, which occurs two weeks after the opening of the semester, the pledges entertain the 62 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity active chapter in some clever and unique way. They also entertain the pledges of the other women's fraternities on the campus at tea. The chapter gives one large reception to which the faculty and the fraternities on the campus are invited. Two formal and several informal dances are given throughout the year, and teas for special guests, mothers, and patronesses are also given. At Christmas time alumnae and active members give a shower for the house. The chapter is entertained each spring at a house party at the mountain cabin of one of the faculty members. The crowning social event of the year is the alumnae banquet usually given at one of the clubs of the city, to which come active and alumnae Alpha Chi Omegas from the city and its environs. As Los Ange- les is a very cosmopolitan city, as many as twenty chapters have been represented at the banquets. At this occasion the seniors are presented with Alpha Chi Omega rings as a gift from the chapter. The membership of the chapter in 1920 totaled 164. Ann Shepard has served as Province President. ZETA CHAPTER Zeta Chapter was installed in the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, Massachusetts, December 15, 1895. The chapter was not a local, and the charter was obtained through the efforts of Barbara Strickler, T, who was studying in the Conservatory at that time, and of Belle Sigourney. The installing delegates were Mary Janet Wilson and Mildred Rutledge, both of Alpha. The charter members were Jessie Belle Wood, Nelle Durand Evans, Helen W. Laflin, Bertha Thompson Buchanan, Elsie Louise Ellis, Susan Anne Lewis, and Belle Maurose Sigourney. During the year Zeta gives several formal and informal affairs, and numerous teas. In the autumn of each year a pledge "show" is given by members initiated at that time and in the preceding year. On the last Sunday of the a,pproximate months of December, January, February, and March, concerts are given at Settlement house, at hospitals, and homes. In the spring a luncheon is given for the active and alumnae members, and for patronesses. The chapter gives an annual public musical in Jordan Hall, the members taking entire charge. The faculty, other fraternities, and friends, are guests. Zeta has given to the frater- nity, among other national officers, two National Presidents, Evangeline Bridge Stevenson, and Gladys Livingston Graff; two National Editors, Edith Manchester, and Florence Reed Haseltine; and three Province Presidents, Anne McLeary, Mima Montgomery, and Gladys L. Graff. Hera Day is observed in the same way every year by Zeta Chapter. Each girl does entertaining at the Home for Aged Men and Women, at Eta Chapter 63 the Children's Hospital, at the Seamans Friend Society, or at the North Bennett Street Settlement House. Usually two or more girls go together, perhaps one to sing, one to play the piano, and another to play some instrument. For the first time in its history, Zeta began in 1920 to work toward chapter house ownership. In 1920 Zeta had initiated 238 members. Her membership is remarkably cosmopolitan, being drawn from all sections of America. Three of her members — Sara Helen Littlejohn, 1914, Martha Baird, 1917, and Naomi Bevard, 1919 — ^have won the greatest honor in the conservatory, the award of the Mason Hamlin grand piano in a competitive concert. Many distinguished musicians, as will be seen later, have come from Zeta's ranks. Although she is the only chapter which is distinctly musical, Zeta's interests are unified with those of the other chapters in a truly fraternal spirit. Her distinguished service in the war reflected her enterprise and talent. ETA CHAPTER Eta Chapter was established at Bucknell University, Lewisburg Pennsylvania, June 16, 1898, the ceremonies being conducted by Mildred Rutledge, A. Unfortunately, the chapter had but a short existence owing to a faculty ruling for sophomore pledging, which was passed soon after Eta's installation and with which the new chapter found it difficult to comply. This ruling and other difficulties caused the chapter to become inactive June, 1899; in the hope that the chapter might be revived the charter was left until March, 1904, when it was recalled. Until 1921 the chapter was considered defunct, although the National Council followed the growth of the university with sincere desire to revive at some suitable time the lost Eta. In the year 1920 correspondence with surviving mem- bers of Eta chapter and with the dean of women at Bucknell resulted in visits of inspection by national officers at three different periods, and in petitions from two groups. After a year of striving a strong group of young women were granted the restoration of Eta's charter, and the chapter was reestablished on April 1, 1921. The members who received the charter in 1898 were: Bell Bartol, Amy Gilbert, Jessie Steiner, Mary Wood, Ida List. The chapter members of Eta re-installed, 1921 were: Anna R. Carey, Beatrice Fetterman, Matilda Bell, Clara Casner, Freda Mackereth, Ruth Brown, Eva Bunnell, Rhea Burgett, Lillian Derr, Hulda Heim, Reba Mackenthun, Carlotta Courad, Mildred Hayden, Elizabeth Hurst, Vivian Livingstone, Martha Shafer, Isaballe Webster. 64 History of Alpha Chi Omp.ga Fratf.rnity THKTA CHAPTER Theta Chapter was installed at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, November 19, 1898, through the influence of Hortense Osmun Miller, B, a resident of Ann Arbor. The installing delegates were Ethel Calkins, Jennie Dickinson, and Mrs. Miller, assisted by Ada Dickie, Lina Baum.^and Kate Calkins, all of Beta Chapter. The charter members were: Winifred Bartholomew, Lydia Condon, Alberta Daniels, Virginia Fiske, Flora Koch, Rachael McKensie, and Florence Spence. The total membership in 1920 was 212. In the fall of 1899 Theta occupied as her first home a house on Monroe Street. The beginning of the next Living-room of TniiTA Chapter Housb year, a house was rented on Forest A^-enue near the campus. A house was next taken on Wilmot Street, and in 1902 another change was made to Tappan Street, where the chapter remained only one year. In the fall of 1903 they moved back to Wilmot Street, where they remained until 1905. A delightful home was then secured on the corner of Law- rence and IngallsStreets, which was the home of the chapter until June, 1916, when it was given up for the new house. Theta was among the first chapters to erect a home of her own. The house is located on the corner of Cambridge Road and Olivia Avenue, one of the best and most beautiful residence sections in Ann Arbor. Theta's handsome brick < o X u H 66 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity house is well fitted for a fraternity home; all the rooms are of good size, with plenty of window space, meaning fresh air and sunshine. The house has capacity for twenty-five girls. Theta holds meetings every Monday evening during the college year at 7:15 o'clock in the large chapter room in the basement of the house. During the year Theta gives two formal and several informal affairs. Each autumn an informal dance is given in honor of the freshman mem- bers; in 1919 this dance took place on the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day. Theta also holds an annual Christmas party at which active members, alumnae, and children of alumnae are present. All dress as children and each receives a gift from the Christmas tree. One or more children of a poor family are clothed by the girls, and share the good time of the evening, and the gifts from the tree. Wednesday night of each week is known as faculty night, a few of the professors and their wives being entertained at dinner, thus giving the girls opportunity to know the faculty outside of the classroom. At Sunday night all pledges and members living outside the house enjoy a few hours with the girls. Besides teas and dances given in honor of alumnae and friends, each girl who wishes to announce her engagement gives an announcement dinner to the active members. In the new home there is a special room known as the "alumnae room" where Theta's alumnae are always welcome to spend a night with the house girls. A senior breakfast is held each year, often on the boulevard, and serves almost as a reunion between alumnae and active members. Songs are sung and the breakfast is cooked over a great bonfire. The seniors present the house with a gift, usually some suitable household article. Such a gift is also given by the newly initiated members each year. The chapter sends a spoon to each new Theta baby, as soon as the announcement is received. Theta observed Hera Day at one time by doing something for the poor children of the city and by giving a musical entertainment at the Old Ladies' Home of Ann Arbor. For several years Theta girls assisted the Ladies' Hospital Association in their annual "Tag Day," the proceeds of which went toward the upkeep of the Children's Hospital. For two years, 1918-1920, Theta celebrated Hera Day by giving financial assist- ance to the work of Dr. Sargent in China. The chapter initiated 248 members to 1920. IOTA CHAPTER Iota Chapter was installed at the University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, on December 8, 1899. On December 7 five delegates from Alpha — Wilhelmina Lank, Raeburn Cowger, Gertrude Wamsley, Claudie Hill, and Mary Janet Wilson — cajne from De Pauw to install the new chapter. On that night a reception was held for them at the home of Charlotte L. 68 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Draper, whose father was president of the university. The next night installation was held at the home of Mrs. Daniels. The charter members were: Alison Marion Fernie, Kate Neal Kinley, Eunice Dean Daniels, Emma Quinby Fuller, Clara Gere, Charlotte L. Draper, Edna Louise Collins. For the first few years Iota did not have a house, but in 1902 a house was rented at 3073^ Green Street, Champaign. In the fall a move was made to 309 Green Street, and in 1904 the chapter again moved, this time to 507 Green Street, where it remained until 1906. A home was built in that year for the chapter at 309 E. John Street, Champaign, after the plans drawn by Imo Baker. The chapter occupied this house until the autumn of 1917, when the new house was ready for its occupants. Life in her beautiful new home seemed to stimulate lot^is mental life, for immediate improvement in scholarship appeared, and continued. She rose to first place in the university in 1918 and has held first or second place, alternating each semester, to date of writing. lota's place on the campus is indicated by her holding at the same time in one year six presidencies of different campus organizations. The interests of lota's members are varied and far reaching, and in almost every activity the chapter has given leaders. Seven trophy cups adorning her mantle tell a pleasant story of triumphs. The social affairs vary from year to year. During the rushing season in the fall the chapter entertains every day, either at the chapter house or at the homes of town girls and patronesses. The university has limited evening social affairs for each organization to two a semester. A fall dance and a Chriscmas dance are usually held the first semester and a formal function in March or early April. "Open House" for men is held once each semester, the first one being the Sunday after pledge day. A formal senior banquet in the spring is given in honor of the seniors. Once a semester Iota entertains the other sororities and the faculty at tea, and almost every week she has patronesses, faculty, and friends as dinner guests. Iota Chapter edits an excellent chapter newspaper called the Eyeota which bears the words Published as best we can, whenever we can. Its purpose is to acquaint the alumnae with what the chapter is doing, and the only "subscription price is the interest and loyalty of the alumnae." This publication shows journalistic skill, dignity, cleverness and good spirit. It was not issued from 1917 to 1919, but publication was resumed in 1920, announced by a few stanzas in the following measure: Though many things these recent years Have been extinguished quite. It takes much more than carnal war To put me out of sight. o Q 'A o z u < H O o a H < 72 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Every year Iota celebrates Hera Day in the way that seems most needed at the time. Hera Day, 1920, was observed by Iota girls by giving aid in whatever way they could to the poorest persons in Champaign and Urbana. The names of needy families were obtained from the United Charities. The girls took baskets of food and clothing to their homes and wherever it was possible, took their children to the "movies" and bought them candy and ice cream afterwards. Some of the families received aid at different times during the year from the girls. In past years the Cunningham home for orphans was the seat of many of lota's activities on March 1. Girls who can not give personal service on Hera Day find it convenient to send a check to the Champaign United Charities. The chapter celebrates every birthday occurring during the college year among the active girls with a dinner accompanied by birth- day cake and wishes. Every year in the early part of May the girls in the active chapter breakfast at Crystal Lake. The usual picnic breakfast is enjoyed around a big bonfire. An exciting ball game usually follows. Founders' Day is celebrated by entertaining resident alumnae at a formal banquet at the chapter house. The banquet is followed by a program planned to be of particular interest to the alumnae. The alumnae in 1910 presented the chapter with a scholarship cup upon which is engraved each year the name of the freshman who has the highest scholastic average. The total membership of Iota in 1920 was 218. KAPPA CHAPTER Kappa Chapter was established at Madison, Wisconsin, at the University of Wisconsin, on December 18, 1903, by Mabel Dunn, r. The charter members were: Elizabeth Patten, Edna Swenson, Leora Fryette, Julia McGrew, Elizabeth Davis, and Esther Concklin. For the first few years the chapter held its meetings at the homes of the members. In the fall of 1907 Kappa moved into its first fraternity house at 702 State Street. As this place did not prove satisfactory, the chapter moved into a desirable home at 430 Sterling Court, a short street near the campus, which contained the fraternity houses of five other women's fraternities. In 1916 the chapter purchased a dignified and spacious home at 146 I-angdori Street, a wide and prominent street "running parallel and immediate to the beautiful Lake Mendota." The grounds, extending to the shores of the lake, enhance greatly the attractiveness of Kappa's new home. The chapter has a large number of athletic honors, and has been much interested and consistently prominent in university dramatics. In June, 1912, Kappa was hostess to the national convention. Like most university chapters, Kappa has a well- regulated social life. There are usually seven dances given during the year, one of which is formal. A number of receotions and tpas are given each year, including one for mo I 3 O X i< 74 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity nities. In the autumn open house is held in honor of the new girls, to which men from all the fraternities in the university are invited. At Christmas time a party at the house for active members and town alumnae contributes to the cheer of the cheerless, for the gifts and the tree are carried off the next day by the Associated Charities. An annual reunion is held at commencement time. There are many Alpha Chi Omegas in Wisconsin, and the reunion becomes each year more of an event. On Monday evening pledges, town girls, and house residents gather for lunch and a social hour, after which both active members and pledges have their respective meetings. Hera Day has been celebrated by sending flowers to the hospitals in the city until 1915-16. During March and April of that year members of Kappa spent part of each Saturday after- noon at the day nursery teaching the poor children to sew. In the three years following, the chapter aided charity organizations in the city. In 1920 Hera Day was observed by a gift of money for Near East Relief. Kappa Chapter has given the fraternity one National Council mem- ber, Lillian G. Zimmerman, who served as National Treasurer and National Alumnae Vice-President; and a Province President, Louise Hud- son. Kappa initiated 168 members during her first seventeen years of life. LAMBDA CHAPTER Lambda Chapter was installed at Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, December 18, 1906, by Mary Jones Tennant, Inspector. The charter members were: Olive C. Morris, Nellie Rogers Minott, Frances Louise Waldo, Jessie Beatrix Lansing, and Adelaide Durston, following the initiation of whom seven other girls were initiated. Lambda had added to the membership of Alpha Chi Omega in 1920, 166 young women. A house was rented in September, 1907, at 606 Ostrom Avenue. May 1, 1908, the chapter moved to 405 University Avenue. This house was occupied until September, 1911, when the chapter moved to 727 Univer- sity Avenue. From there they moved in 1915 to 402 Walnut Place. In 1916 the plans of many months bore fruit in the purchase of a charming chapter home at 123 College Place in a good fraternity district. Lambda entertains each year with a formal dancing party. During the semester informal dances are given at the chapter house. Each class entertains the chapter annually with original plays or with indoor picnics. The seniors give a Christmas party. The juniors assume full charge of the alumnae banquet in June. Financial support has been given by the chapter to the university settlement which is doing effective work in Syracuse. Several members teach gymnasium, sewing, and cooking- classes in the settlement. Hera Day has been observed in a number of o <; D O w o en "•< Q CQ s < ►J 76 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity ways. For several years about twenty-five or thirty children from the Onondaga Orphans' Home between the ages of five and ten were invited to a party at the chapter house. The children played games and enjoyed a delightful supper after which they received favors. On leaving each one was given a red carnation. In 1920 Lambda gave a party for twenty- five girls at the State Institution for the Feeble-minded. In 1921 part of the chapter sewed for children in the hospital, sent them flowers, and entertained them. The rest of the chapter gave a party at the chapter house for forty orphan girls. Lambda has held a prominent place in athletics as well as in other university activities. The tennis championship of university women rested for several years in Lambda's ranks and was again won in 1920. Lambda, in the perfection of her alumnae organization, for a time led all other chapters. Lambda has contributed two National Council members to the fraternity: Mary Emma Griffith, National Secretary and National Secretary-Editor, and Myra H. Jones, National Treasurer and National Alumnae Vice-President. MU CHAPTER Mu Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega was organized as a local fraternity Alpha Alpha Gamma, in October, 1905. She petitioned for a charter of Alpha Chi Omega, which was granted in April, 1907. On May 13 Mu was installed by Alta Allen Loud, Grand President, and Marcia Clark Howell, Grand Vice-President, assisted by Elizabeth Patrick, r. Since women's fraternities have not been permitted to own fraternity houses at Simpson College, Mu Chapter so far owns no house but plans to buy or build as soon as feasible. For several years, however, a number of the girls filled all the rooms at the home of Mrs. S. A. Silliman, a mother of two of Mu's charter members, thus keeping closely associated with each other. During the war Mu rented the Alpha Tau Omega house, and since that time has continued to have a real chapter house. In the years that Mu has lived in Alpha Chi Omega, much has been accomplished and many college and national fraternity honors have come to her. Of her fifteen charter members — Florence A. Armstrong, Emma Jane Brown, Myrtle Bussey, Ellen Conrey, Lena Dalrymple, Lora Hagler, Nell E. Harris, Carrie McFadon, Ethel MacFadon, Bessie Reed, Ada Schimelfenig, Margaret Schimelfenig, Effie Sillima'n, Mayme Silliman, and Lois Smith — three have won national fraternity distinction: Nell E. Harris, serving as Business Manager of The Lyre; Lois Smith Crann as Business Manager of The Lyre, National Inspector, and Chairman of National Panhellenic Congress; and Florence A. Armstrong, for nine years National Editor and also chairman of the Editors' Conference of the National Panhellenic Congress. Mu Chapter 77 Mu usually holds first rank at Simpson in scholarship, and high rank in all college activities — literary, athletic, forensic, religious, and social. She has developed a remarkable number of leaders in the chapter. Mu never fails to have outstanding girls in every college activity, particularly in literary, forensic, and musical fields. The social restrictions accom- panying the smaller denominational institutions intensify the efTorts expended along intellectual and athletic lines. Several of the gradu- ates from Mu Chapter have followed graduate work at the large Middle Western universities and at universities and women's colleges in the East. The limited numbers — an average of 500 — make close acquaint- ance common on the campus. Social affairs are ingenious and recreative. Mu Chapter House, Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa Rushing parties, and an annual formal banquet, teas for various occa- sions, an annual Christmas party, and the traditional house party at the close of the college year are the important functions. In 1921 after Christmas vacation Mu seniors entertained all Simpson seniors at a much appreciated party. A high grade School of Music provides the chapter with an excellent opportunity for musical culture. Mu had initiated 157 members in 1920. NU CHAPTER Nu Chapter was installed at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, September 6, 1907, Mabel Harriet Siller, T, Grand Historian, 78 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity acting as installing delegate after having made a previous investigation of the petitioners. The charter members were: Irene Hall, Ethel Brown, Jessie Rodgers, Frances Foote, Helen Rice, Willa Wales, Bertha Howard, Flora Goldsworthy, and Mollie Rank. Alpha Chi Omega was the fifth fraternity to enter the University of Colorado. From the beginning, Nu has lived in a^ chapter house having occupied several houses; her present home is at 1058-13th St. .^ i Hera Day is generally observed at Nu by the giving of clothing and food to some needy family. One year a ten-year old girl was brought to the chapter house and the girls devoted the day to the making of Nu Chapter House, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado woolen and gingham dresses for her. Fruit and money were sent to her invalid father. In 1920 two convalescent chairs were given to the Children's Ward in a hospital which was then being furnished. Each year some of the girls have visited the sick in various parts of the city. Nu Chapter is well represented in athletic, musical and social activities. She usually has a member on the Athletic Board. Attractive dances and teas, picnics in the picturesque mountains near Boulder, and Xi Chapter 79 a share in the annual university Y. M. C. A. and Y. W. C. A. fair consti- tute the most important part of Nu's social events. She has a keen interest in the activities of the institution, and has developed much along all lines during the thirteen years of her existence. She had initiated 128 members in 1920. XI CHAPTER _ ^^ Xi Chapter at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, was established Thanksgiving Day, 1907. Laura Howe, Z, National Treasurer and Mable Siller, National Historian, assisted by Mrs. P. C. Sommerville, r, and Grace Slaughter Gamble, F, installed the chapter. The eleven charter members. Vera Upton, Emma Farrow, Harriet Bardwell, May Xi Chapter House, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska Bardwell, Lilah David, Beulah Goodson, Linna Timmerman, Nina Beaver, Alice Lesher, Irene Little and Beulah Buckley, met at the Lincoln Hotel, where the ceremony took place. Panhellenic immediately invited the chapter to become a member of that body and later gave a dance in its honor. Including Alpha Chi Omega, Panhellenic was represented by nine national sororities at that time. There are now fourteen members. 80 History of Alpha Chi Omec.a Fraternity Xi Chapter has from the first taken a prominent place in university affairs. The chapter usually ranks either first, second, or third in scholar- ship among the women's fraternities in the university. It is nearly always represented on the Y. W. C. A. cabinet. Women's Self Governing Association, Senior Advisory Board, Student Council and Black Masque (Senior Honorary Society). In 1920-1921 all of the officers of the W. S. G. A. were elected by the student body from Xi Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega. Xi is also represented as a rule in the Student Council, the Daily Nehraskan and Corn-Husker staffs, and in the May Queen crown- ing festivities on Ivy Day. Since 1909, the alumnae have had charge of the banquet and it is now always understood that they preside over the occasion. It is usually held in May, and it is a time for alumnae and actives to meet one another as well as a time for a happy reunion of old friends. The annual banquet serves to keep alive that interest and cooperation between alumnae and undergraduate members which is so necessary for the life of a chapter. In 1910-1911 77;e Lyre Loving Cup was conferred on Xi Chapter. Since 1913, the home of Xi Chapter has been at 1410 Que Street and it will probably remain there until some time in the near future when the chapter hopes to build a chapter house of its own. Payments are already being made upon a lot for the house. Annually, Xi Chapter has a Christmas party for its own members, obser\'es Mother's Day, has one formal and one informal party outside of the house, and the usual house parties and rushing parties in the autumn. Xi has contributed two Province Presidents to the fraternity, Alice Lesher Mauck and Dale Pugh Hascall. 178 members had been initiated to 1920. OMICRON CHAPTER Omicron Chapter was installed September 17, 1908, at Baker Univer- sity, Baldwin, Kansas, being formed from a nineteen year old local organization, Nu Alpha. The investigation of the petitioners was conducted by Alta Allen Loud, Grand President. The installing dele- gates were Mary Jones Tennant, Inspector, and Kate Calkins, Beta, formerly Grand President. All the active girls of Nu Alpha were initi- ated on the evening of the 17th, together with several Nu Alpha alum- nae. The charter members were: Birdean Motter Ely, Marie Moorhead Ebright, Aletha Kelley, Laura Nicholson, Edna Pearce, Bonnidell Sisson, Minerva Bragg, Eula Smith, Grace Davenport, Edith Bideau, Zula Green, Stella Morton, Mae Dennis, Beulah Kinzer, Iva Riley Farrer, Alice Reid Bacon. Since 1909 Omicron lived in the same house, until in January, 1920, it was destroyed by fire. For the rest of the college year another house yH HHJ^HH 11 Hi M ■^IM 1 I y» W|^m ^^^ J I ■'i t ^^^bSj i^MflHHffiH j^t ^^H ' y(^Bi ^Pj^j|^H|K2 Oi M^Hil HB '^■f^^^^M ^^Esy jay i^^^K^f .-^JBH 11 *■! i^^^K -"^I^^H Ilii^O JM iaSa^^Si gaeSi 1% \' M^ I^^^B 0^^m ^^^'^HH^^ ll HH B ^B 1 1 1 • ^KbM ^^^^^BS ^■f'il H wm / ] I^H ^^^Sl ■ ii ■ ^ BHHK#%£ 1 1 ClEf*. MMilJilWKiffliffMJKJCTE H^^M 'm g[|^^lgg||^ggH^^ )^^MJhi*.'t^m| i^M 1 ! ^m -y^BlJi^j(jfci{jjB|ij^^^jjgjg i^H^''li9 1 ^ m ^^^B^H ■T^H hbH Im •/ ) ^E 1 ^^^ ^B- ~H5 I'l ^^nV'-juSfl ^ *yM ^IhH|^^^^^H ^Hbs'-^Jj^H ^^ ■ i'?\ ./^^ ^ksS^S^^mHI^^I^^^I ^^Bk^^HuR SBmI B ^ \ .^f^ M^I^^K^^^^H ■H mV'i'-^ •^Tl^lg I^^^HB BHfeiiil^SB 1 H ^^ ^^^^^M^H kI ^% r^^S |mJm|^j^W|| He wR ^ ,.;3 HH^Hb H ^1 z o b J -<: u P3 U o o X X u 82 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity was rented. In the fall of 1920 Omicron moved into her own home, a small home which accommodates only nine girls. To house the other members of the chapter, another house nearby, "The Annex," was rented for the year. As soon as building conditions become more favor- able it is planned to remodel and enlarge Omicron's house. The manage- ment and financing of Omicron's house is in charge of a board of trustees chosen from the alumnje. University rules entitle each fraternity to two informal parties and one formal party during the college year. The Christmas party is held, according to tradition, on the first Tuesday evening after the return of the students from the holidays. The formal function is held in the spring. For mothers, patronesses, and friends, a Kensington is given. Omicron celebrates Hera Day by taking fruit and flowers to the sick and "shut- ins." In the fall of 1914 Omicron received the Alpha Chi Omega Loving Cup for highest ranking in fraternity relations. Two of Omicron's charter members have served the fraternity as national officers, Birdean Motter Ely, National Secretary, and Bonnidell Sisson Roberts, Province President. Omicron Chapter (1920) has a total membership of 193. PI CHAPTER On May 7, 1909, at the University of California, Berkeley, California, La Solana House Club became Pi Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega. The installation was made by Mabel Harriet Siller, then Grand Historian, assisted by Carrie Trowbridge, and Anne Shepard, both of Epsilon, Delta Delta delegates. The inspection of the petitioners and of the field had been made by Alta Allen Loud, Grand President, assisted by resident alumnae. On May 7, the initiation ceremony took place, conducted by Miss Siller. In this she was assisted by the other installing delegates, and by Lida Bosler Hunter, A, Theo White, A, Lucretia Drown, B, and Nellie Green Wheeler, Olive Berryman, and Rowena Hall, E. On the afternoon of May 8, a reception was given for the faculty, and members of other fraternities, and in the evening the installation banquet was held in the chapter house. Pi Chapter had eighteen charter members — Beatrice Bocarde, Edith Brown, Dorothy Burdorf, Rue Clifford, Marguerite Creighton, Fern Enos, Ethel Louden Gillis, Marion Hitchcock, Byrd Howell, Leone Lane Kelley, Bess Kentner, Eda Long, Clare Norton, Gertrude Rice, Mary Stafford, Alice Streets, Elsie Williams, and Elizabeth Wright. During the first few years of the chapter's existence, the members lived at 1711 Euclid Avenue. In spite of various enlargements which were made later, the house proved to be entirely too small for the chap- ter's needs. In August, 1912, therefore, the chapter moved to a large Pi Chapter 83 frame house at 2421 Le Conte Avenue, about five minutes walk from the college campus. As the chapter grew, the Le Conte Avenue house became too small, and a beautiful private home, set in extensive grounds, was purchased and remodelled for Pi's own chapter house at 2627 Virginia Street. The fondest, and at times it seemed the remotest, hope of the girls was realized, when in August, 1920, they settled into their own home, with rents and leases things of the past. The new home is far superior to anything that the chapter could have built, and the Upper Section of Pi Chapter's Garden two beautiful gardens, one formal and one natural, are things that took the former owners years of individual care and thought to develop. Pi Chapter's entertaining is now one of its greatest pleasures, and many delightful parties, as well as the annua! formal tea, are held in the garden. As for the Japanese Tea, without which the college year would be incomplete, it could have no more perfect setting than this same garden, which is electric lighted, and furnished with five charming old iron Japanese lanterns, hidden among the ferns. The setting for the three or four dances of the year also could not be improved upon as the 84 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity house is so arranged that it is possible to dance over the entire lower floor of the house and out onto the wide veranda. Pi's altruistic work is varied. The chapter adopted two French war orphans, assisted the Travelers' Aid, and provided a college home in the chapter house for two French honor students holding Carnegie Foundation Scholarships at the University of California. The chapter gives service or financial aid as need arises in the fraternity or the univer- sity from time to time. For three successi^'e years Pi entertained children from an orphanage in Oakland on Hera Day, and one year made toys and scrapbooks for a day nursery. Other delightful deeds mark the arrival of March 1 in Berkeley. Perhaps one of the things which gave Pi girls most pleasure was making possible the ultimate cure of a little cripple whose parents were unable to supply the necessary money. Pi Chapter has provided the fraternity with a National Deputy Inspector, Leigh Stafford Foulds. The total membership of Pi Chapter in 1920 was 173. RHO CHAPTER On October 14, 1910, Delta Nu was installed as Rho Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega at the chapter house. The installation ceremonies were conducted by Alta Allen Loud assisted by Ada Dickie Hamblin, B; Rho Chapter's Living-room Rho Chapter 85 Louise Stone, Z; Bess Kentner, U; Gaea Wood, T; Pauline Drake, I; Ernestine Heslop, N; Susan Hovey Fitch, 9; and Florence Clemens Kemp, e. The charter members were: Vera Cogswell; Edith Greenberg; Mar- jorie Harkins; Hazel Hawks; Edith Hindman; Ethel Jones; Theodora Maltbie; Gertrude Niedergesaess; Gretchen O'Donnell; Emily Rogers, Jennie Rogers; and Bess Storch. Rho's first chapter house was a large three-storied structure of brick and Spanish plaster, planned and built for the chapter just before their Rho Chapter House, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. installation into the fraternity. In 1919 the chapter moved into a new home at 4543-1 8th Avenue Northeast, which the chapter planned and which is considered one of the most attractively furnished fraternity houses at Washington. It is a large three-storied wooden structure. The chapter is making plans to own its home. One formal and three informal dancing parties are given during the college year. It is also a custom for the chapter to give an informal dancing party for the pledges in the fall and also for the freshmen of 86 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity the house to give a dance for the rest of the chapter during the winter quarter. The social affairs held in the autumn are devoted to rushing parties such as teas, luncheons, and dinners. The chapter observes several traditions during the college year. An annual Founders' Day banquet is always given. At Christmas time the sophomores give a Christmas party. During the spring the seniors give a house party. During the spring quarter of the college year the univer- sity observes Homecoming Week, when the water carnivals and sports and junior week-end affairs take place. The chapter invites all its alumnae to spend this week-end and holds the alumnae banquet at the chapter house. During the last week in May the chapter gives its senior breakfast at which a loving cup is presented to the girl who has attained the highest scholarship, has shown the best fraternity spirit, and has been most active in college activities. In the autumn a reception is held for the house mother; receptions are also given for visiting national officers. Patrons' and patroness' dinners are given and also faculty dinners, by which the girls may become acquainted personally with professors and their wives. Hera Day was observed more closely by Rho chapter from 1916 to 1920 than previously. Their service comprised making of layettes for babies in charitable institutions, in giving fruit and clothing to children's homes, donations of money and clothing to the Japanese Settlement House, the adoption of two French war orphans, and the gift of a bed to the Orthopedic Hospital. The membership of Rho in 1920 totaled 141. SIGMA CHAPTER Sigma Chapter was installed at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, on June 10, 1911, the fifth women's fraternity to enter the univer- sity. The charter members were: Marie Bateman, Nina Shaffer, Ina Scherrebeck, Grace Overholdt, Myrtle Moore, Mae Williamson, and Bertha Reichert. Winifred Van Buskirk Mount, National Treasurer; Myrtle McKean Dennis, National Inspector; and Florence A. Armstrong, National Editor, who had organized the group, performed the installa- tion. The first chapter house was situated on Iowa Avenue, a beautiful street full of flowers and foliage. A large sleeping porch, and, back of the house, a stream crossed by a rustic bridge, added to the pleasure of the site. In 1919, after two years of planning, the chapter moved into the roomy, beautiful house formerly occupied by Professor Aurner, whose wife is Dean of Women and a patroness of Alpha Chi. The house was remodelled according to the chapter's specifications. It is located in a district of fraternity houses at some distance from the campus. The chapter expects to build or purchase a home at the termination of their five-year lease. Sigma Chapter House, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa View of North End of Living-room — Sigma's Chapter House 88 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Sigma had the distinction of standing at the front of the fraternity ranks in scholarship throughout the first two years of her existence. In 1918-1919 Sigma again attained high scholarship rank and received the award of the Scholarship Cup at the 1919 Convention. Hera Day has been observed by Sigma in much the same way every year. Perkins ward, of the University Hospital, for poor children has been visited on March 1 annually and material help given; also members have gone on Hera Day to the children's hospital over the river with gifts of fruit and candy. Sigma's members have taught elementary school subjects, sewing, drawing, and painting to these children through- out the year, and have provided music for the old ladies in a home on Hera Day. In 1920 Sigma had initiated 108 members. Home of Tau Chapter, Brenau College, Gainesville, Georgia TAU CHAPTER Tau Chapter was installed November 24, 1911, at Brenau College, Gainesville, Georgia, being formed from Kappa Chapter of Eta Upsilon Gamma. The investigation of the petitioning chapter was conducted by Winifred Van Buskirk Mount, Grand Treasurer; Mrs. Leroy Childs (Nell Schuyler), 6, Ethel McCoy, A, Josephine Blanchard, 0, and Mary Thankful Everett, Z, assisted in the installation. The charter members were: Montine Alford, Sara Lee Alford, Jewel Bond, Mary Carson, Mary Dortch, Aileen Deaver, Margaret Brown Tau Chapter 89 Holder, Opal Overpack, Her King, Faye McGee, Willie Kate Travis, Virginia Hinton, Willie Hamilton, Constance Miller, Nan Osborne, Emma Partlow, Nell Quinn, Janie Russell, Laura Horton. The total membership of Tau Chapter in 1920 was 133. From the installation of the chapter until the fall of 1915 Tau occupied a house at 65 Spring Street. In September, 1915, the house was changed to 75 East Washing- ton. Tau Chapter has had a most desirable record in scholarship from her installation; since 1916 to the date of writing, Tau has held steadily to the first rank in scholarship among Brenau fraternities. Each year Tau's membership holds two or three major offices in college activities. The chapter is proud of its influence in Panhellenic in which Alpha Chi Omega is known to stand for maintenance of the rules and for straight- forwardness in rushing and fairness in all inter-fraternity relations. Dur- ing the war and until 1921 Tau supported three French orphans and bought Liberty Bonds. From 1916 to 1919 Tau held the Panhellenic Loving Cup and won also the Council Trophy Cup 1917-18. Tau Chapter gives an annual dance and reception of a formal nature to which the faculty, other fraternities, and friends are invited. A chapter reunion is held on the week-end of November 24, during which various entertainments are given, the most important being the banquet of the last night. Numerous teas, picnics, and informal evenings occur during the year. For several years Tau Chapter has observed Hera Day in a simple but useful way. In the mountains of North Georgia there is a little school known as "Nacoochee Valley Institute." The people of this section are of very limited means, and in great need of the real necessaries of life. Each year a box is sent to them from the chapter. In this are put such articles as the girls will contribute, clothing generally. The girls enjoy getting the box ready because they know the joy and pleasure their small gifts will bring. About a week after pledge day the chapter gives its patronesses a musical tea to meet the pledges, and only the pledges take part in the program. Just before the Christmas holidays, the chapter has a Christ- mas tree and each girl presents the chapter with a book. Tau's members have been the leaders in practically all of the college activities since its installation. The only chapter in the far South, Tau has much in common with the Northern chapters, and is intensely loyal to all national under- takings. Tau much desires however to have some sister chapters in the Southland. After the usual summer house party, there are permitted three parties for rushing in the fall; the last is a formal banquet with prospective pledges. Informal teas on Sunday afternoons at the chapter house 90 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity have been an excellent means to gain solidarity and influence. According to Panhellenic rules each fraternity has the privilege of giving one large party each semester. Tau's party, a dance and banquet, is given annually in the spring. An informal annual affair is the May breakfast, and on May 9 comes the chapter anniversary banquet. UPSILON CHAPTER On the afternoon of May 13, 1908, eight girls, spurred by faculty influence, met and made of themselves an organization which should fill the need of a third sorority in James Millikin University. This group called Phi Pi existed locally until May 9, 1913, when it became a part of the national organization of Alpha Chi Omega. The National Council combined a Council meeting with the installation of Upsilon Chapter, and therefore almost the entire council assisted in the ceremonies — Alta Allen Loud, National President; Birdean Motter Ely, National Secretary; Lillian Zimmerman, National Treasurer; Florence A. Armstrong, Editor of Lyre; Lois Smith Crann, National Inspector, assisted by Bonnidell Sisson Roberts, President of the Central Province; Alice Watson Dixon, President of the Eastern Province; and Myrtle Hatswell Bowman, B, in charge of the music. They were assisted by twenty-five members from Iota and eight from Gamma. Eight chapters were represented in the ceremony. The other fraternities at Millikin entertained the new chapter and its visitors very hospitably during the week. The charter members were: Efifie Morgan, Laura Kriege, Helen Mof- fett, Alice Hicks, Anna McNabb, Margaret McNabb, Rowena Hudson, Estelle Du Hadway, Blanche Redmon, Sadie White, Florence Kriege, Elsie Springstun, Julia Owings, Laura Weilepp, Marie Hays, Ruth Seifried, Ora Bellamy, Celia Still, Louise Naber, Clara Randolph, Hilda Smith, Helen Hopple, Blossom Redmon, Dee Worrell, Irene Staley, Mary Scott, Elizabeth Putnam, Mildred Cushing, Hazel Grady, Helen Heald. Upsilon's home during the year 1912-13 was the somewhat overflow- ing house in West Wood Street. The associations of the glad young days are built round that house; the chapter moved in the fall of 1913 to a larger place just ofT the campus in 1158 West North Street. In 1917 the chapter changed its quarters to West Main Street just across from the campus and in 1918 again in March into larger quarters at 125 Cobb Avenue. Meetings are held at seven o'clock on Thursday evenings at the chapter house. Each month a buffet supper is given in connection with the special program to which the pledges and the Decatur Alumnae Club of Alpha Chi Omega are invited. A faculty ruling requires all but one Upsilon Chapter 91 monthly meeting to be held in the afternoon. In college activities Upsilon chapter is particularly prominent in dramatics and in athletics. The pageant for the University's Founders' Day celebration in 1920 was written by two Alpha Chis— Ruth Osmonson and Evelyn Cole. The chapter had the highest rank in scholarship in 1918, 1919 and 1920, and second rank in 1907. Of their altruistic work Upsilon writes: "That one of our customs which has endeared itself most to us is the one which represents our annual 'newsie' Christmas party. One would say that it replaced a dance with us, but for the fact that it fills a place many times larger than a Upsilon Chapter House, James Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois dance could ever fill. We commandeer enough automobiles to carry our invited guests, whose number is usually in scores, and enough Alpha Chi Omega fathers, husbands, brothers, and friends, to drive the auto- mobiles. When we have supplied ourselves with an entirely alarming stock of refreshments, we bring the young horde to our house. They produce a vast noise, are fed, are amused, are presented with miraculous gifts by Mrs. Santa Claus, they write their names in our guestbook, and depart yelling and enraptured. Certainly we shall never find a custom closer to our hearts than our 'newsie' party." On October 15, Upsilon 92 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity has a Founders' Day celebration with a cake and candles and a prepared program. Upsilon Chapter had initiated 106 members in 1920. PHI CHAPTER Phi Chapter is located at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. The chapter was established September 15, 1914, with the following charter members: Marion Blake, Bessie Baird, Eva Stone, Marie Nelson, Hedwig Wulke, Aileen Anderson, Marjorie Kennedy, Tryne Latta, Myrna Van Zandt, Winona McCoskry, Helen Stout, Elsie Fleeson, Josephine Jacqua, Claribel Lupton, and Virginia Weldon. The in- stalling ofiScers, Lillian G. Zimmerman, from the Council ; Marie Moore- head Ebright, and Jennie Oechsli Haggart, 0, were assisted by Omicron Chapter. This chapter has since initiated 84 members into Alpha Chi Omega (1920). The chapter is now living in a spacious house and has ample room for all its social affairs. The house is a rented one, but has been especially built for fraternity puposes. Phi has purchased a lot in a desirable location and plans are under way for the construction of a permanent home. Of the chapter's activities on the campus, the history committee writes in 1920: Since the last edition of the history, 1916, Phi has made rapid progress toward becoming a real factor in our national fraternity. In the Women's Athletic Association, which is perhaps the largest and most popular organization on the campus, we have one governing officer, before this year we held the presidency, and euery girl in the chapter is a member. Most of Phi's members are good athletes. The chapter is well represented in aesthetic dancing. We have a representative on W. S. G. A., the president of Y. W. C. A. with three girls on first cabinet and numerous others serving on committees; four Alpha Chis are members of the Dramatic Club and one of them is an officer; Delta Phi Delta, honorary painting fraternity, claims our art students; one of our upperclassmen in music is an active member of Mu Phi Epsilon; several of our girls majoring in Home Economics belong to Omicron Nu, honorary economics fraternity; Theta Sigma Phi, national journalism fraternity, has had a large number of girls who wore the Lyre, and one of them became a national officer of it; every year we have had at least one senior elected to Phi Beta Kappa. One of our seniors, Irene Tihen, who has steadily brought honors to us during her college career, was elected May Queen by her class. In nearly every club and society formed in the various departments of the University Alpha Chi Omega is actively represented. Mothers' Day is observed every year early in May; all out-of-town mothers are invited for the week-end and ample entertainment is provided for by all the girls. A spring custom is that of giving a week-end house party for a group of high school girls over the state who may attend the University the next year. Some time before initia- tion after the first semester, the pledges give the actives an entertainment. The nature of their program is left entirely to the pledges and is kept secret until the time of the event. No established custom of celebrating Hera Day has been developed by Phi but she has in some way contributed each year to the homage due our patron goddess. In the years 1917-1918 the girls observed Hera Day by presenting some of their more talented o o w ai O > o u o o u o f- J D u s < 2; o o w c; O o u 94 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity members in a musicale to which friends were invited; and contributions from each mem- ber and pledge helped to maintain a bed in Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Mo. In 1919 the true spirit prevailed to a greater extent than in previous years and Hera Day work netted very profitable returns. Every member of Phi devoted as much of the day as possible to selling tags for the Belgian Relief in the business district. In the spring of 1920 the Presbyterian Charity Hospital at Lawrence was nearing completion and on March 1, a call was sent out for aid in sending out letters to the parents of all Presby- terian students of the University of Kansas. Phi gladly accepted this bit of work as a Hera Day offering and each member worked diligently. The very spirited war work of the chapter is described in the section on the fraternity's war service. CHI CHAPTER Chi Chapter was founded at Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis, Oregon, on February 25, 1915. The installing officers were Alta Allen Loud and Leigh Stafford Foulds, assisted by Myrtle Harrison and Edith Hindman, P; Beatrix Andrews Hopkins, E; and Myrtle Wilcox Gilbert, G. She has the honor to be the first national fraternity chapter established at Oregon Agricultural College. The charter mem- bers were: Lystra Tagg, Verna Tagg, Elvia Tagg, Dorothy Fassmore, Louise Williamson, Cora Ueland, Mildred Crout, Elizabeth Howitt, Faith Hanthorn, Edith Catherwood, Vesta Kerr Reynolds, Ruth Morri- son, Bertha Davis, Leonora H. Kerr, Ada Reed, and Miriam Thayer. Not until early in the fall of 1915 was Chi's chapter house opened, for by faculty ruling a fraternity group must be organized for a year before a chapter house may be occupied. Chi Chapter held first place in scholarship for the first four years after women's fraternities entered the college. The chapter leads in campus activities, and emphasizes democracy, physical, social and scholastic attainment and harmonious chapter life. The social functions have been unique in their simplicity and in- formality. On alternate Sunday evenings the chapter has served tea to faculty members and to students. Dinner parties have been numerous, but simple. There have been "hikes," picnics, and country dinners in the beautiful foothills of the Coast Range Mountains. Hera Day was observed in 1920 by a gift to the College Student Loan Fund. Occasional formal parties are given. The total membership of Chi Chapter, active and alumna in 1920, was 94. PSI CHAPTER Psi Chapter was Installed at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, January 14, 1916. The installing officers were Maude Staiger Steiner, Extension Vice-President; El Fleda Coleman Jackson, Extension Psi Chapter 95 Officer for Oklahoma, and Jennie Oechsli Haggart, Extension Officer for Kansas; assisted by Mrs. R. E. Bennett, Mrs. R. J. Roberts, Mrs. Charles Odell, Miss Marion Blake, Mrs. F. D. Brooks, and Miss Bess Snell. The charter members were fifteen, as follows: Gladys and Dorys Hollenbeck, Vivian Sturgeon, Alice Dunn, Ruth Snell, Lucy Clark, Jessie Stiles, Rosa McComic, Carmen Hampton, Mildred McClellan, Elizabeth Richardson, Ruby Russell, Dona Falkenbury, Mrs. Frederick Holmberg, Minnaletha Jones. Psi girls have a large attractive home which was built especially for them. On the first floor are a reception hall, music-room, living-room, and dining-room which can be thrown together for entertaining and Psi Chapter House, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma dancing. In addition to these rooms are a chapter room, two bedrooms, kitchen, servant's room, and bath. On the second floor are eight bed- rooms, a large sleeping porch across the west end, and a balcony on the east. Psi's observance of Hera Day has varied from year to year. In 1916 and 1917 programs were given at the Oklahoma State Hospital for the Insane. Clothes were donated to needy families the two following years. In 1920 the chapter made a gift of money to the Norman Provi- dent Association. Psi contributed to the war work of the fraternity by supporting two French orphans for two years. Psi has added 68 members to the fraternity (1920). 96 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity In 1918-1919 Psi held ihc cup awarded for highest scholastic ranking in the university. In other years it has ranked second, third, and fourth in scholarship on the campus. OMEGA CIIAPTKR Omega Chapter was estabUshed at Washington State College, Pull- man, Washington, September 22, 1916. The installing officer was Alta Allen Loud who was assisted by Edith Hindman, P, of Seattle, Extension Officer for Washington ; Alice Rey- Omega Chapter House, Washington State College, Pullman, Washington nolds Fischer, G, Elizabeth Steine Casper, T, Cora Irene Leiby, T, and Ethel Jones, P, Emily Rogers, P, Hazel Learned Sherrick, P, and Alberta Cavender, X. The charter members were the following nineteen young women of whom the first four were alumnae: Beryl Campbell of Walla Walla; Iva Davidson, of Reardon; Lydia Champlin of Tacoma; and Winnie Shields, of Milton; Jennie McCormack, Irene Palmer, Helen Holroyd, Leila Nordby, Beryl Wadsworth, Emma McCormick, Rachel Schumann, Dorothy Alvord, Anne Palmer, Doris Lay, Elizabeth Henry, Grace Stonecipher, Gertrude Stephens, Beulah Kelley, and Mary Setzer. On October 12, 1908, nine girls met in Room 42 of Stevens Hall and organized the local chapter which was known for eight years as Alpha Beta Chapter 97 Alpha Theta Sigma. Shortly after organization the chapter moved to an attractive bungalow on College Hill where they were installed in 1916 as Omega Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega. Since then they have moved into a large house one block from the campus and have purchased a very desirable piece of property on which to build a permanent home. Omega Chapter has grown steadily in strength and prestige. In 1920 the chapter had more members and officers of honorary organizations, both local and national, than any other group, and has also ranked high in scholarship. In the second semester of the year 1919-1920, the first year in which they graded the fraternities according to scholarship, Omega held second place. In 1919-1920 Omega had the privilege of sharing her home with a French student attending Washington State College, from Thanks- giving until the close of the semester. During the second semester she had her meals with the Omega girls until her graduation in the spring. Omega had a total membership of 80 in 1920. The chapter has contrib- uted one Pronvince President to the fraternity, Josephine Heily Parry. ALPHA BETA CHAPTER Alpha Beta Chapter was established at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, April 26, 1918. In the spring of 1916 the beginnings were made of a local fraternity with the object of petitioning for a charter of Alpha Chi Omega. On Hera Day, 1918, the La Fayette alumnae of Alpha Chi Omega pledged the Alpha Betas, and on April 26, 1918, the installation occurred. The installing officers were: Maud Staiger Steiner, 0, National Extension Vice-President; Lillian G. Zimmerman, K, Alumnae Vice-President, assisted by Helen Wood Barnum, Beatrice Herron, Meta Horner Malsbury, and Maude Mason Stoner, A. The charter members were: Nelle Parker Jones, Katherine Mavity, Myrtle Boyer, Inez Deardorff, Mary Clark, Paulina Scott, Uldine Clarkson, Elizabeth Meyer, Vera Kent, Effie Thompson, Irene Carlisle, Hortense Barnett, La Greta Lowman, Thelma Shelburne, Iva Christie, Monelle Baker, Charlotte Peckinpaugh, Marion Titsworth, Virginia Stemm, Pauline Lewis, Vada Laudaman and Lucille Dorner. The chapter lives in a large three-story house which they have leased for a term of three years. It is located about three blocks from the campus. Alpha Beta had brought 73 members into Alpha Chi Omega in 1920. During the year Alpha Beta gives one formal dance. In the fall an informal dance is given in honor of the freshman members, as well as several other informal dances on different occasions throughout the year. Alpha Chi also holds an annual Christmas party at which active members 9S History of Alpha Chi Omilca Fraternity and alumna' are present. Every fall "Open House" for men is held. A formal senior banquet in the spring is given in honor of the seniors. Alpha Beta entertains the other sororities at a tea once a year, and almost every week she invites patronesses, faculty, and friends as dinner guests. In the spring Alpha Beta has a house party, which is of great help as chapters are allowed but one large party during the fall rushing season. Alpha Beta Chapter House, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana Hera Day was celebrated in 1919 by visiting the Soldiers' Home in the afternoon. The different houses were visited. Homemade candy and fruit were distributed at the different houses. In 1920, the chapter visited the Children's Orphan Home taking them pop corn and home- made candy and spent the afternoon singing and telling stories to the children. ALPHA GAMMA CHAPTER Alpha Gamma Chapter was installed at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 6, 1918. Myrna 'Van Zandt Alpha Gamma Chapter 99 Bennett, the National Extension Vice-President, was the national officer in charge of the installation, assisted by El Fleda Coleman Jackson, r. Eastern Province President, Marion Blake, $, Lillian Christensen, *, Ethel Tyler Huning, E, Lucile Johnston Steele, B, and Suzanne Porter Nutt, A. The charter members of the chapter were Fern Reeves, Vera Kiech, Helen Latamore, Daphne Cobb, Hortense Switzer, Gladys Hayden, AUene Bixler, Alberta Hawthorne, Louise Wilkinson, Rebecca Graham, Josephine Monsley Weese, Mayme Hart, Pearl Hayerford, Eunice Latamore, and Flora E. Chess. Two women's fraternities preceded Alpha Chi Omega into the university: Phi Mu (1911), and Kappa Kappa Gamma (1918). Cordial relations with these two fraternities were in e%'idence from the beginning. Alpha Gamma Lodge, 1920, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico A member of Alpha Gamma thus describes the campus: "The style of architecture physically, poetically, and historically harmonizes with the surrounding country. Upon ascending University Heights and view- ing the Administration Building in the midst of green trees, the observer likens it to an old Spanish mission, for the buildings are modeled after the Indian pueblo style. The chapter had a lodge during their first year, and all business and social affairs took place there. Later the chap- ter lived in a chapter house, which like the lodge conforms to the pic- turesque qualities of Albuquerque." 100 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity ALPHA DELTA CHAPTER Alpha Delta Chapter was installed at the University of Cincinnati from the local Theta Phi Sigma during the last week in April, 1919. On Monday, April 21, Nellie Dobbins Dresser of Alpha arrived in Cincinnati, and in the evening pledged twenty-seven members. On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings fraternity examinations were given. On April 25, the installation took place and the following 27 young women became members of Alpha Chi Omega: Appolona Adams, Helen Arnold, Ruth Berting, Amy Diefenbach, Grace Flannagan, Julia Hamm- ler, Loretta Hanlon, Aline Hesterberg, Velma Hoffman, Christine Hoschaw, Helen Kahler, Florence Kane, Charlotte Kehm, Katheryn Lindner, Mary McDowell, Edna Merz, Ruth Norris, Mary O'Connell, Elvira Paul, Mary Anne Ries, Francis Runch, Gladys Schultz, Inez Tracy, Elizabeth Tucker, Alice Wasmer, Bess Waldman and Gertrude Waldman. The installation was in charge of Maude Staiger Steiner, National Extension Vice-President; who was assisted by Helen W. Barnum, Eastern Province President, and the following members of the fraternity: Olive Burnett Clark, A, Indianapolis; Mary E. Bruce, 9, Eva Sutton, A, Elizabeth Meyers, A B, and Nellie Dobbins Dresser, A, La Fayette; Beatrice Herron, A, Angola; Helen Keys, 9, Vera C. Didlake, A, and Mabel Davis, Z, Cincinnati; Gladys Amerine, A, Greencastle. A feature of the installation banquet was the presence of Olive Burnett Clark, one of the founders of the fraternity, who gave an interesting account of the founding of Alpha Chi Omega. As most of the members live in the city the chapter does not maintain a house, and house ownership is not probable in the near future for this chapter. Alpha Delta holds high rank in scholarship, and in 1919-1920 was awarded the Panhellenic cup for first position. The chapter takes a prominent part in the university life and has its share of offices. Alpha Delta has a total of 34 members (1920). ALPHA EPSILON CHAPTER Conditions at the University of Pennsylvania prior to the year 1914 were so unfavorable to women students that comparatively few enrolled for undergraduate work leading to a degree. Two national fraternities easily provided for those who came. With the opening of the School of Education in 1914, however, a great influx of women began; and the co-ed ceased to be a curiosity on the campus and became a factor of some importance in college life. Delta Delta Delta and Kappa Kappa Gamma no longer were able to supply social life and a college home to Alpha Epsilon Chapter 101 all desirable comers. It was a natural consequence, therefore, that the year of 1916-1917 should see the birth of a number of new local sororities. In that year were formed the organizations that were soon to become Alpha Omicron Pi, Chi Omega, Zeta Tau Alpha, Kappa Alpha Theta and Alpha Chi Omega. In May 1917, nine Pennsylvania women began to plan carefully Zeta Chi. Throughout the following vacation they held meetings, worked out a strong constitution, and procured the necessary furnishings for their new sorority home. When in the fall of 1917 they introduced to the campus Zeta Chi, it was fully organized and ready to compete in the season's rushing. In 1918, investigation had led its members to consent unanimously to the petitioning of Alpha Chi Omega for a chapter. "The first letter of general inquiry to Alpha Chi Omega, "writes the committee, "met with an answer so gracious, yet so exacting in requirements that Zeta Chi awoke to a new enthusiasm and a new realization of what membership in Alpha Chi Omega would mean." Early in 1919, Mrs. Fall paid a visit of inspection, and on April 26, 1919, Elizabeth Dunn Prins pledged Alpha Epsilon Chapter. The group comprised twenty-two members: Helen Angelucci, Helen Bailey, Laura Bee, Marie Dougherty, Elsa Erb, Anne Forster, Dorothy Forster, Margaret Frankeberger, Miriam Grammes, Rhea Helder, Ruth Lassen, Rita Lenders, Beulah McGorvin, Edith Miller, Mary Purcell, Mary Ratigan, Elsie Stevens, Eleanor Thompson, Sara Waller, Lillian Webster, Angela Weiss, and Marion Wixson. On May 9, followed what every Alpha Chi alumna present agreed was the most impressive installation she had ever witnessed. Sixteen alumnae were present including three present and two former members of the National Council: Mary-Emma Griffith, Secretary, Florence A. Arm- strong, Editor, Nella R. Fall, Inspector, Myra H. Jones, former Treas- urer, and Fay Bamaby Kent, former Vice-President. Others who assisted in the ritual were Annie May Cook, Z; Louise Chase, A, Custodian of the Badge; Miriam Kennedy, Grace Griffith, Evalyn Peterson, A; Mabel Keech, B; Suzanne Mulford Ham, T; Lucile Lippitt and Elizabeth McAllister Donnelly, A. The installation music was in charge of Fay Barnaby Kent, who had arranged in 1910 the old Greek melodies that are used in our service; she was assisted by Alta Moyer Taylor and Theo White, A; and Violet Truell Evans, Z. While Alpha Epsilon was active on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania as a local fraternity for two years, she earned many honors. The chapter has continued its good records and has an assured standing in the university for high scholarship, and the greatest honors available in campus activity. "Best of all," says the chronicler, "Alpha Epsilon enjoys . . . the good will of the entire university." 102 History or Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity The chapter possesses fraternity quarters in a well-equipped room containing a piano, a library, and adequate furnishings that later will be used in their permanent home, "when Pennsylvania becomes really a dormitory college for women." The chapter celebrated its first Hera Day in raising funds by means of a theatre benefit for the adoption of a French orphan and for a contribution to the Alpha Memorial House. In 1920 the chapter numbered 28 initiates. ALPHA ZETA CHAPTER On June 8, 1920, at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, Alpha Zeta Chapter was installed by Myrna Van Zandt Bennett, Exten- sion Vice-President, assisted by the following members of the fraternity: Esther Barney Wilson, Central Province President, El Fleda Coleman Jackson, T; Ruth M. Miller, S. Augusta Taylor, Lillian Gleissner, and Ella M. Bainum, -j^; Cora Ault, 0; Marguerite Grimmer, Dorothy May Smith, and Gladys Meserve Ranney, I, and Flora Campbell Upshaw, N. The charter members numbered 22: Luella Quinn, Marion Meyer- sieck, Gertrude Kipp, Annabel Remnitz, Jeannette Brinkman, Maud Guhman, Inez Schageman, Hazel Farmer, Gertrude Lucas, Adele Scherrer, Elfrieda Uthoff, Harriet Gibson, Martha Gibson, Hilda Herk- lotz, Gladys Jones, Delphine Davenport, Janice Fenton, Helen Kirk- patrick, Elizabeth Smith, Ruth Ward, Aphrodite Jannopaulo, Caroline Mellow. Of Pi Mu Alpha, The Lyre says: The local was organized in March, 1916, but its existence could not be made known until the other existing local had been initiated into Gamma Phi Beta in January, 1917. Pi Mu Alpha then took its place in the fraternity rank. In accordance with custom it furnished a suite of rooms in McMillan Hall, the women's dormitory, and accepted Panhellenic's invitation to membership. Then the history is a record of Red Cross and Y. M. C. A. drives, relief funds, benefits and Liberty Loan campaigns, for fraternity women took the lead in all war activities. Certainly it is to the discredit of no organization that patriotic activities overshadowed merely local ones in those war days. When it no longer seemed selfish to consider personal interests. Pi Mu Alpha busied itself with the selection of a national fraternity toward which to aim, a national of which its members and the university might be proud, and Alpha Chi Omega was finally chosen. Correspondence was begun; a visit from Mrs. Bennett came, and then Pi Mu Alpha worked and planned with its national goal constantly in mind. It came into Alpha Chi Omega with seven alumnae, fifteen active members and two pledges. Alpha Eta Chapter 103 Perhaps it would be fitting to mention some of the members who stand out prominently. There is Aphrodite Jannopaulo, who will be one of the first women to graduate from the Medical School ; Gertrude Kipp who finished in Law, and Caroline Mellow who is in the School of Com- merce and Finance. One of the members was eligible to Phi Beta Kappa 1919, and in 1920, Hazel Farmer. Three, Annabel Remnitz, Marion Meyersieck and Inez Schageman graduated with special honors, and three others, Gertrude Lucas, Adele Scherrer and Elfrieda Uthoff made their thousand-point W in athletics and became members of Delta Psi Kappa, the national athletic honorary. The group is well represented in the May Day plays, in short, in all student activities. Here the history closes, or rather opens into something bigger as Pi Mu Alpha becomes Alpha Zeta of Alpha Chi Omega. ALPHA ETA CHAPTER In the spring of 1916 nine girls met at Mt. Union College and dis- cussed plans for a local sorority. Permission from the faculty to organize such a sorority was granted and in the fall Phi Delta Pi was organized with nine girls. At the end of rushing season nine new girls were pledged. A discussion of various national sororities resulted in the choice of Alpha Chi Omega and correspondence was at once begun. In the spring of 1918 Nella Ramsdell Fall visited the local. A later visit made by Mary-Emma Griffith in February, 1920, resulted in the granting of a charter to Phi Delta Pi and on June 11, 1920, it became Alpha Eta of Alpha Chi Omega. The installing officers were Gretchen Gooch Troster, National Inspector, and Helen Woods Barnum, Eastern Province President, who were assisted by the following Alpha Chis: Katherine Stewart Armington, E, Lilian Elliot Valentine, B, Margaret Megirt Barkley, Julia Jones, and Helen Munhall, A, from the Cleveland Alumnse Club; Ruth Nebinger, Martha Nebinger, Lillian Nelson, Irene Wood, Esta Ebaugh, A, and Harriet Watson, T, from the Pittsburgh Alumnae Club; Ethel Moore Miller, A, from the Meadville Alumnae Club; Coral McMillin, Ida and Helen Galbreath, from Delta Chapter. The charter members were the following thirty-two young women, eleven of whom were alumns: Velma Olga Workman, Mildred Walker, Grace Sanderson, Mabel Hisey, Stella Stackhouse, Evangeline Liggett- Bowers, Mary Elliott- J anson, Lydia Elinor Kirk, Marjorie E. James, Edith McBride-Purviance, Carrie M. Clark, Mary Ellen Pluchel, Inez V. Summers, Mary E. Yogel, Mary Pauline Borton, Leah L. Keyser, Clara E. Johnson, Marian A. Stone, Wilma E. Knox, Rosalind Russell, Helen Patterson, Priscilla H. Alden, Gertrude Cramer, Helen I. Shaw, Gaynelle Lisle Hanna, Blanche Marie Leach, Nora A. Smith, Wilma B. Ray, Lucile Halverstadt, Irma Isabelle Hoopes, Margaret Arnold, and Eleanor Hancher. 104 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity As a local Phi Delta Pi maintained high scholarship and its members were active in all college activities. Within three years three class presi- dents, six class secretaries, one May Queen, besides numerous other important offices were chosen from its membership. It has always been well represented in dramatic activities and in the Girls' Glee Club. Alpha Eta does not own a home but rents a chapter room located conveniently near the campus, as faculty provision requires all the girls of Mount Union to live in the dormitory. The chapter owns the furniture for the room and the members spend many pleasant evenings there together. ALPHA THETA CHAPTER Alpha Theta Chapter was installed at Drake University, June 10, 1921, at Des Moines, Iowa. Alpha Rho Omega which became Alpha Theta Chapter was organized in December, 1914, by Dean Holmes Cow- per of the Conservatory of Music. Mrs. Gertrude Huntoon-Nourse, a professor in the Conservatory, was chosen as faculty adviser. In the fall of 1915, the first house, located at 2920 Brattleboro Avenue, was opened, and in the fall of 1917, the fraternity bought its own furniture and moved into the house at 1336 Twenty-third Street. From the origi- nal membership of seven, the group grew until there were sixty alumnae and twenty-three active members. Formal pledging, which was held in the home of Alpha Rho Omega, the local organization, took place on June 9. To assist in the installation twenty-three members of Mu Chapter went from Indianola and five members of Sigma Chapter from Iowa City. The following resident alumnae assisted Mrs. Bennett in the ceremonies of the week: Mrs. L. E. Humphrey, M, Mrs. Charles F. Nutt, M, Mrs. R. G. Harrison, M, Mrs. L. E. Smith, K, Mrs. K. G. Carney, A, Mrs. J. M. Dudley, M, Mrs. L. K. Meredith, 9, Mrs. Henry Kroeger, S, Mrs. G. R. Locke, 2, Elma Forbes, 2, Gladys Slininger, K, Marjorie Schuler, 2, Bess Down- ard, M, and Louise D. Hudson, K. The charter members of Alpha Theta Chapter were: Gertrude Hun- toon-Nourse, faculty adviser, Mrs. Ezza Pullman, Pearl Van Orsdel, Marjorie Hanson, Ruth Bell, Ruth Weisbrod, Lela Lingenfelter, Kather- ine Jacklin, Elberta Soule, Ellen Meline, Faye Wilkinson, June Wilkinson, Vernice Nelson, Bernice Nelson, Laila Stickler, Myrna Hicks, Helen Albert, Rhoda Clause, Ebba Clause, Ruth Lindsay, Elsie Cecil, Helen Phillips, Wilda Augustine, Leone Moorhead, Elva Nelson, Mildred Nelson, Ethel Mak, Wilma Winey, Grayce Kent, and Mildred Baker. Drake University had only recently been opened to fraternities, and the first groups were established during April, 1921. Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Delta Gamma, and Chi Omega were installed on the same date. Alpha Kappa Chapter 105 ALPHA IOTA CHAPTER Alpha Iota was installed on June 13, 1P21, at Burlington, Vermont. With the installation of Alpha Iota Chapter, Alpha Chi Omega enters the oldest distinctively state university in the United States. The charter of the University of Vermont was granted at the first General Assembly after the state became a member of the Federal Union, November 2, 1791, and the university first opened its doors to students in 1800 and to women in 1872. Pi Alpha Alpha was organized at the University of Vermont, Novem- ber 22, 1919, with a chapter roll of thirteen members. The group gradu- ually added to its membership during the next two years, during which time it made for itself a place on the campus, its members being active in all phases of college life. Pi Alpha Alpha has been informally petitioning the fraternity since its creation, and after inspection by our National President, Mrs. Graff, permission was given in the spring of 1921 to present its formal petition to the fraternity. There are four other national women's fraternities at the University of Vermont: Kappa Alpha Theta, Delta Delta Delta, Pi Beta Phi, and Alpha Xi Delta; and two locals: Sigma Gamma, and Phi Delta Zeta. The men's fraternities include Tau Epsilon Phi, Zeta Chi, Phi Chi, Alpha Tau Omega, Kappa Sigma, Lambda Iota, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Mu Delta, Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi, Delta Psi, Delta Mu, and Alpha Kappa Kappa. The young women who are the charter members of Alpha Iota Chap- ter are: Helen Gertrude Aiken, Jennie Gladys Armstrong, Flora Alice Emerson, Amy Luella Hammond, Ida May Johnson, Kathleen Helen Keenan, Mary V. Kelly, Gaynell Bessie Ladd, Martha Emma Leighton, Mildred Frances Loper, Annis L. Mack, Frances Maynard, Fannie Mae Peabody, Marjorie Louise Perrin, Maybelle Pratt, Priscilla Rose Sails, Doris M. Sidwell, Hazel Irene Stanhope, and Vivian Frances Waterman. Installation services were in charge of Beatrice Herron Brown, Atlantic Province President, and Gladys Livingston Graif, National President, the pledging service being held on Monday, June 13, at eight- thirty. The following day, the 14th, initiation was conducted at the Athena clubrooms at two in the afternoon, the installing officers being assisted by Annie May Cook, Z, Cambridge; Carlotta Slater, Z, Essex Junction, Vermont; Carol Simpson, Z, Virginia Beach, Virginia; Jean Davis, A, Beacon, New York; Marion Dyer, Z, Portland, Maine; and Naomi Bevard, Z, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. ALPHA ICAPPA CHAPTER Alpha Kappa Chapter was installed on June 22, 1921, at the Univer- sity of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon. The installation was held in connection 106 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity with the Pacific Province Convention at its meeting in Portland. The installing officers were Hazel Learned Sherrick, president of the Pacific Province, and Gretchen O'Donnell Starr, National Treasurer. Sigma Delta Phi, now our Alpha Kappa Chapter, was organized in January, 1918, by a group of women in the university who met with Dean Straub for the purpose of perfecting an organization for town girls not otherwise affiliated. At the beginning of the spring term, it was decided to take in out-of-town girls, provide a residence, and petition for a charter of Alpha Chi Omega. The first Emerald of the new term announced to the campus the presence of the local. The following day Pi Beta Phi entertained the members of the group, and Kappa Kappa Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Gamma, and Alpha Phi entertained them later. The splendid efforts of the girls to establish on the Uni- \ersity of Oregon campus a group that would merit the recognition of Alpha Chi Omega culminated in winning the highest scholarship honors for the year and numerous other individual honors during the year 1919- 20. After two visits of inspection by Alpha Chi Omega, the group was allowed to present its formal petition early in the spring of 1921. On Wednesday, June 22, the twenty-eight Sigma Delta girls met in Portland, Oregon, where the ceremonies took place. The girls were pledged the evening of Thursday, June 22, at the home of Beatrice Andrews Hop- kins, I. The following evening. Myrtle Harrison Bates, P, and Portland Alumnae Club, assisted by fifty active and alumnae members, performed the initiation ceremony in the assembly hall of the Multonomah Hotel. The installation banquet was postponed until Saturday, June 25, and was combined with the Pacific Province Convention banquet at the Tyrolean room of the Hotel Benson. Agnes Hobi Nelson, P, and Aber- deen Alumnae Club, presided as toastmistress, over a hundred Alpha Chis making the occasion a merry and impressive one. Other Panhellenic fraternities at the University of Oregon are Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Zeta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gam- ma and Pi Beta Phi. The charter members of the new chapter are: Mary E. Moore, Leola Gore Green, M. Alice Hamm, Mary Turner, Germany Klemm, Dorothea Boynton, Bess Shell, Leah M. Wagner, M. Elsie Marsh, Bea- trice Hensley, Eunice Eggleson, Wanna McKinney, Charlotte Clark, Annabel Derm, Ruth Sanborn, Edyth Wilson, Margaret Jackson, Alice Curtis, Hilda Hensley, Florence Jagger, Frances W. Moore, Mildred LeCompte, Monna Marie Courtney, Henrietta Hanson, Georgene Crock- ett, Gladys Keeney, Nita Howard, and Truth Terry. CHAPTER VIII CHAPTER-HOUSE OWNERSHIP At the opening of the college year 1920-1921, all chapters of Alpha Chi Omega were residing in chapter houses except those in institutions where fraternity houses were debarred or not feasible. Of these twenty- one chapters, five had entered into house ownership, and were in posses- sion of their own homes. Five chapters (including Alpha whose purchase of a lot has occurred but figures are not available) have already purchased sites and will build soon. Ten chapters altogether are preparing funds with which to build as soon as possible. Still another owns a comfortable brick lodge which is used for fraternity purposes, but which cannot be occupied by the chapter members because of faculty ruling. In brief compass, then we can read that Alpha Chi Omega, as a whole, believes that the time for chapter-house ownership has come to the fraternity. In figures, the present possessions of the fraternity in terms of chapter houses are as follows : Beta, Albion College, brick lodge $ 4,000 Theta, University of Michigan, house built by chapter, corner lot ... . 27,500 Iota, University of Illinois, house built by chapter, dull red brick. . . 25,000 Kappa, University of Wisconsin, house purchased, red brick, in new fraternity district 24,700 Lambda, Syracuse University, house purchased, stucco and tile. . . . 23,000 Omicron, Baker University, corner lot opposite university 2,400 Pi, University of California, house purchased 25,650 Phi, University of Kansas, purchased lot 3,000 Chi, Oregon Agricultural College, purchased lot 2,000 Omega, Washington State College, purchased double lot 3,750 In her reports in 1919 to the national convention the Chairman of the Chapter House Committee, Miss Zimmerman, said: May I preface my report with the remark that in giving same, the figures mean more than a grand total of so many material possessions — they mean that our chapters are encouraged wherever necessary and possible to raise the standard of their surround- ings by the acquisition of suitable homes. Since 1915 the following chapters have purchased or built: Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Pi has purchased a lot; Omicron a lot, and Beta owns her brick lodge. In 1915 there was $3,000 in all building funds; in 1919, $18,000 with an additional $14,008 pledged for future payment. All chapters have successfully met their annual principal payments, and were some of the homes to be duplicated today they would cost at least fifty per cent more. I wish to commend Iota especially for making a payment of over $5,000 in two years, or about twenty-five per cent of her debt in two years. A strong committee is formulating plans for a Memorial Building to our Founders at Greencastle, subject to the approval of the faculty, at a probable cost of $25,000. It is the wish of your National Council that action be taken at this convention for a 108 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity suitable gift to tlie Alpha Memorial Building which will commemorate the gift of fraternity to Alpha Chi Omega and which will also enable the committee to properly install fire-proof vaults for the fraternity archives commensurate with the future growth of the fraternity. Other chapters which show promise of chapter-house ownership are Pi, Sigma, and Phi. For the benefit of those chapters which wish to know what procedure to follow for a successful beginning toward house ownership, the following suggestions are given: 1. That the active chapter raise $1,000 to show your alumnae that you are capable of managing funds. 2. Ask your most capable local alumnae to help you to take up the matter with the chairman of the Chapter House Committee. 3. Your alumna chairman should select a capable local committee, which will incorporate according to the laws of your state. 4. The alumnae committee will obtain not less than sixty fifty-dollar pledges payable over a term of five years. 5. Pledges from every initiate of fifty dollars payable in five years are required to make successive payments on principal yearly. In 1921 reports it was announced that Pi Chapter had purchased a home at a cost of $25,650, Omicron had Hfted a mortgage of $1,650; Phi had purchased a lot at $3,000, and Omega a double lot at $3,750. The property of the chapters of the fraternity amounts then in 1921 to $141,000. Already projected, with funds partly in hand, and plans nearly completed for beginning construction in 1922, is the Memorial Building to our Founders at the mother chapter in De Pauw University. This building will cost about $25,000. All chapters have building funds that increase regularly. The furnishings of chapter homes add over $60,000 to the possessions of the chapters. Including the cash in the building funds of chapters not own- ing their own homes, and pledges to house funds, we must increase the wealth of the chapters, by a conservative estimate, by $19,600 for 1921. Data compiled for this volume indicate that the chapters' possessions, including alumnae's pledges soon to be paid, amount to $160,600. Since these figures were compiled Epsilon Chapter has taken active steps toward house-ownership. It has been with the help of the Reserve Fund, and under the direction of competent national and local building committees that the chapters have worked, in a businesslike way, for the attainment of comfortable and suitable homes of their own. Their alumnae have been willing to cooperate with these efforts, both by financial aid and by personal over- sight in business matters. CHAPTER HOUSE AT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Katherine Anderson Mills superintended personally every detail of Theta's house-building operations. She wrote in 1916 of the entire project thus: "To own our chapter house has been an air castle of Theta's for a great many years, even back in the days when I was active. To have our dreams come true at last scarcely seems possible. Chapter House at University of Michigan 109 "It has been a comparatively short time that Theta has gone after her dream in an organized, systematic way. Some three or four years ago the active chapter appointed an Alumnse House Committee to worlc up the project in cooperation with the chapter. Quite a little was accomplished by this committee in the actual collection of money, and in getting the project before the alumnae. A year ago last June the girls had the offer of a lot at such an attractive price, and in such a charming location on the corner of Olivia and Cambridge Road, that the Alumnae House Com- mittee could not resist the temptation to borrow money from the National Council to add to their funds and invest. "With the buying of property the organization of the Alumnae House Committee dissolved into a Board of Directors for Theta Corporation, since the girls found it necessary to take out incorporation papers, at once, to hold property legally and to incur indebtedness. Their Articles of Incorporation demanded that there be seven directors selected to carry on all business for the corporation. By-laws had to be constructed determining method of election of this same Board of Directors; and for the purpose of designating how the affairs of the corporation should be conducted. The members taking out the corporation papers, and forming these first by-laws, decided that the Board of Directors should consist of four active members, and three alumnae members, selected for one, two, three, and four years; that the treasurer of the sorority shall always be a member of the Board of Directors; that the treasurer of the Board of Directors shall always be an alumna. "Plans for building the house were presented to this Board of Direc- tors one year ago. They finally decided in February, 1916, to accept plans drawn up by Herman Pipp, of Ann Arbor, as the most satisfactory for a convenient fraternity home, and they immediately set about financing the building of a house estimated at $15,000 complete. "In February, the directors got out a circular letter showing the plans for the new home, and asking the alumnae to contribute, or buy notes of any amount from $50 up. Our notes were second mortgage bonds on the house bearing 6% interest, payable semiannually'. A local bank con- tracted to loan $10,000 on first mortgage, and we hoped to raise $5,000 among the alumnae by selling our notes. "By April the alumnae and active girls had pledged the $5,000 in bonds and we felt ready to go ahead. We are especially indebted to Miss Eusebia Davidson of Beta Chapter, Miss Marguerite Coley, and Marie Phelps for large shares of second mortgage notes, amounting from $500 to $1,000 each. The rest of the second mortgage notes were sold in $50 and $100 notes, mostly to active girls. The alumna subscribing for notes were: Jessie Paterson, $100; Fleeta Lamb Cooper, $100; Persis Goeschel, $50; Mildren Staebler, $50; Maude Bissel, $100; Mrs. C. O. Davis, $100; 1 10 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Maude Kleyn, $100; Emma Freeman, $100; Katherine Anderson Mills, $100; Vera Burkhart Hill, $100; Edith Leonard Miller, $50; Marion McPherson, $50; Helen McPherson, $50; Florence Staiger, $100; Elma McDevitt, $50. "Then there were donations of $50 or less by alumnae: Mrs. Hoff, Mrs. Kyer, Edith Miller, Mary Hyde Huntington, Isla Jones Hall. Many of our alumnae have promised to respond generously later on in donations of money and furniture, so we feel that Theta will be on a sound basis, financially. "The bank loaning money to us has been very kind in the privileges offered us. They promise that we may pay back our alumnae or second mortgage notes first. They gave us eight years or more in which to do this. Mr. Seyler, head of the Mortgage and Bonds Department of the German and State Savings Bank, was appointed as trustee for all second mortgages, to see that the interest is paid promptly, and rights of the second mortgages are not overlooked. "Mr. Freeman, father of one of the local alumnae, has done all of our legal business, drawn up the first and second mortgage notes, negotiated the loan from the bank, procured the Superintendent of Construction, and has had general charge of the supervision of the building, buying materials, and so forth. We have great confidence in his ability, for he constructed five houses of his own, aggregating in amounts from $70,000 to $80,000. We feel that we have derived great benefit from his exper- ience. "It has been the writer's humble duty as treasurer of the Board of Directors, to collect the money and pay the bills each week. Though there has been quite a little more work attached to this position than anticipated, I feel more than repaid in the valued experience gained." The exterior of the house is buff stonekote with crushed marble pebble dash, bottle green roof, white casements, red brick chimneys; the style of architecture, English. The interior is in quartered oak on first floor, and Georgia pine on second and third floors. Modern vacuum system is installed throughout house, dumb-waiter lift to move trunks, vapor system of heating, modem shower bath on second and third floors, electric floor plug for study purposes in each bedroom, system of call bells for each floor. CHAPTER HOUSE AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS Iota Chapter describes her home which she entered in the autumn of 1917. Elizabeth Leitzbach writes: "The rough, dull-red brick, English colonial structure with its green- stained roof on the corner lot facing the campus is the new Iota home. Trees which are already growing as high as the house will furnish ample Chapter House at University of Illinois 111 shade for the summer. The side lawn slopes away through two vacant lots which have been promised to the girls by their owner for a miniature park or tennis court, to a quiet, little, vine-covered church. There is an atmosphere of peace and rest in Urbana, very different from the bustle of John Street, Champaign. "Whether we glide up the curved cement driveway and arrive at the side entrance or enter sedately by the front walk, beneath a black lantern which hangs above the colonial door, green carved shutters proclaim that we are entering the home of the wearers of the lyre. The prevail- ing characteristic "of the house is the presence of many windows which are augmented by double French doors opening onto the south porch from the dining-room and living-room. If we should enter in the rear we would pass through a white-latticed door into a neat enclosure from which the back porch and cellar door open. We come through a high- panelled colonial door into the brick-tiled vestibule. From this by an inconspicuous door we may descend to the large chapter-room with its fireplace. We climb the four steps leading to the hall. This is a cozy little place with its mirror, window-seat, grandfather clock, and stairway leading to second floor. "On the right we may enter the solarium, gay with bright rose cur- tains, wicker furniture, and chintz pillows which are scattered about on the window ledge completely surrounding the room on three sides. But keeping straight ahead we enter through double French doors the large living-room with its mammoth fireplace bearing the inlaid crest, its comfortable davenport and leather chairs, the baby grand piano. The rose-shaded piano lamp, the old blue velour hangings and old blue and rose cushions supply pleasing touches of color. On either side of the fireplace swiss-curtained, double French doors open into the dining- room, which, like the living-room, extends the entire width of the house. On the dining-room side of the chimney is a built-in buiifet. The curtains here are midnight blue with transparent orange designs. Both large rooms are lighted by two showers of chain-suspended lights with the addition of small side fixtures. "Through tvvro swinging doors we enter the butler's pantry which opens into the kitchen. The presence of many shelves makes these rooms a delight to housewifely hearts. The pleasant room for the cook opens from the back hall which contains a telephone booth and a lava- tory for the waiter's use. The back stairway leads from this same hall. "On the second floor we find a study containing four windows which are convenient for serenade listeners, the chaperon's dainty room, six girls' rooms, and two white-enameled bathrooms with three lavatories, shower, and tub. Each of the bedrooms contains two closets. 112 History of Alpha Chi Omr(;a FiiATrcRMTv "On the third floor, beside the bathrooms and five bedrooms is the dormitory where fourteen girls sleep. Almost every room is shared by three girls as there are twenty-nine girls rooming here. The house is rendered safe in case of fire by two complete stairways from third floor to the basement." CHAPTER HOUSE AT UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN The home of Kappa Chapter was a purchase so that the members were saved the endless work incident to building a new house. Kappa wrote of her home : "For some time, Kappa Chapter considered house-ownership. Serious contemplation occurred in the spring of 1916, when a desirable proposition presented itself. Some of Madison's best homes are located on Langdon Street, a wide prominent street running parallel and imme- diate to beautiful Lake Mendota. It was on this street, that a wealthy man's home was placed for sale. Kappa Chapter heard of it and at first had only vain hopes of buying it. The chapter immediately appointed a committee consisting of Mary Sayle, chairman, and Floy Humiston, to investigate the proposition. They did so and came back airing glowing reports to the girls. The chairman conferred with Lillian Zimmerman, one of our alumnae and chairman of the National Building Committee, and Ann Kieckhefer, Kappa's able adviser. Both women came to Madi- son to investigate the situation. After much deliberation and extensive business sessions. Miss Zimmerman and Miss Kieckhefer made Kappa's house-ownership more than a vain hope. It was in June that these able helpers presented, in reality, a home to Kappa. Our new home is 146 Langdon Street, the spacious home of the late D. K. Tenney. a wealthy Madisonian. The house is of dark red stone and brick, with large sleep- ing porches overlooking our large open lawn that extends to the banks of Lake Mendota. One can scarcely describe the beauty of the whole and we only ask you, when an opportunity affords itself to come and see Kappa and her own home. "The main floor comprises a reception room with a fireplace, a parlor, living-room with a fireplace, a large library overlooking the lake, a dining- room, and kitchen. There are four bedrooms, a bathroom, and large hall on second floor, and five bedrooms, bathroom, and hall on third floor. All the rooms from top to bottom are richly finished. The large lawn to the lake will be the spot for many good times. The accompanying photographs and cuts will give you only a faint idea of the beauty of Kappa's new home." CHAPTER HOUSE AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY Lambda's new house was purchased with the help of the personal supervision of the National Council, and the solendidlv nrcram'^o/-! ■.■.r^~^- Chapter House at Syracuse University 113 of the alumnae association of the chapter. The active girls have cooper- ated in every possible way with the alumnae. Miss Griffith, to whom was given the actual task of making the purchase of the house describes the beautiful new home in the foUowiiig words : "The house recently purchased by Lambda Chapter at Syracuse University is located on College Place facing the campus, on what might well be called 'fraternity block,' as at least ten of the fraternities have their homes in this block. This is in one of the most beautiful sections of Syracuse, is very convenient to the college buildings, and the house itself is probably the most beautiful chapter house in the city. "The house is a three-story building of stucco of Elizabethan design. Well-planned grounds lie between it and the street, and a wide porch on the side overlooks the front lawn and the gardens and pergola in the rear. Window boxes, lattice work, and growing vines add a decorative touch to the exterior, and quaint stepping-stones along a raised terrace faced with brick lead the way to the porch from the front entrance. On the first floor is a long hall, from which one may enter all the rooms of the lower floor. To the left, is the reception room with its dainty cream- tinted woodwork and its exquisite fireplace built of mosaics of Caen marble. Opposite this room, on the other side of the hall, is the long living-room. French doors lead from this room to the porch at the side, and another beautiful fireplace, modeled after a fireplace in Canterbury Cathedral, is the most attractive feature of the room. The living-room, as well as the library adjoining it, is finished in mahogany. In the library, bookcases line the walls. They are fitted with leaded glass doors, each one of which bears a different facsimile in colored glass of an old English bookplate. Glass doors lead from this room to the porch, the living-room, and the dining-room. The large dining-room at the end of the hall has a very pretty conservatory with walls and floor of mosaics of terra cotta. A well-planned butler's pantry and kitchen completes the first floor of the house. In the basement is a beautiful chapter room, finished in oak, with an attractive fireplace and a huge drop-light of Tiffany blend glass and hammered brass. "At the curve of the stairs leading to the second floor, one sees again the motive of the house expressed in the stained glass window, with its pictured representation of St. George and the dragon. On the second floor are the rooms for the girls, each one of which has several large windows, and the chaperon's room with its private entrance, porch, and bath. There are two other baths on this floor. On the third floor are more bedrooms — the house accommodating twenty girls altogether — and another bath. "Although the house was not built for a fraternity, it is scarcely two years old and is well fitted for use as a fraternity home. Hardwood floors 114 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity are laid throughout, the electric light fixtures are of hammered brass, and expense was not spared to add mapy convenient features to the equip- ment of the house. The great care which has been given to details in the construction of the house, and the effort made by Mr. Ward, the architect, to create a harmonious whole have given the chapter at Syracuse a home which they are very happy to occupy." CHAPTER HOUSE AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA In 1919, Pi Chapter purchased a lot just across the street from the chapter house with a view to building there Pi's long desired home. In April, 1920, however, the attention of the chapter was called to a beauti- ful private house, set in extensive grounds, well arranged for a fraternity house, and in a desirable location, that was to be placed on sale. Through the efforts of the alumnae working with the active members, the necessary funds were procured for the purchase, and in June the chapter took possession of its new home. The dining-room was at once enlarged, a very large sleeping porch was added, shower baths were installed, and a sun room made. In the words of the chapter's historian, "words cannot describe the fascinating details of the house and garden. The greatest asset in the new home, however, is the huge chapter room, which has a rustic fireplace, window seats, and a wall lighting system. This room occupies the entire lower floor of the house, the main floor being approached by a wide brick walk and steps." All the chapters that have entered their new homes, as well as all those working toward house-ownership, are under the direct supervision of their alumnae and the Council. This is extremely important in order that our chapters shall avoid dangers that may attend such projects in the way of overburdening active members with financial cares, and the deterioration of standards for the sake of increasing the size of the chapter and its pecuniary assets. Alpha Chi Omega has approached the house-ownership project in an unhurried and careful way. To illustrate the working Of the relation between chapter and Council, we herewith append the agreement used in the case of Lambda Chapter. An agreement between the National Council of Alpha Chi Omega and Lambda Chapter {Syracuse University) under the terms of which $ — from the Reserve Fund is loaned, with interest at 5 per cent, to the chapter. 1. Rent shall be $ — per month for ten months, payable to the treasurer of the Alumnae Association of Lambda Chapter, $ — to pay all interest, taxes, insurance, and repairs, and $ — on the principal. 2. No repairs shall be allowed except through an alumnae house com- mittee, one member of which shall be the president of the Alumnae Asso- ciation. Chapter House at University of California IIS 3. Each girl shall pay — a month room rent for nine months and — a week for board. 4. The house must always contain not less than twenty girls ; a surplus number must be ready to move in should vacancies in the house occur. If a girl leaves and her place is unfilled, one-half of the room rent remain- ing for the year must be paid by the girl and one-half by the active girls as an individual assessment. 5. The board must pay for itself and make a profit. 6. Dues shall be — per month for twelve months. 7. The finances of the chapter shall be in charge of two treasurers, one of whom shall have charge of house and fraternity expenses, and the other of board. 8. Any surplus of summer rent over expenses (if the house is rented during the summer) shall be sent to the treasurer of the Alumnae Associa- tion to be applied on the principal. 9. Any amount in excess of — remaining in the chapter treasury at the end of the college year after all expenses for that year have been paid shall be sent to the treasurer of the Alumnae Association to be applied on the principal. 10. Each girl who is now an active member or shall hereafter become an active member of Lambda Chapter shall sign five notes of $10 each, or ten notes of $5 each, payable beginning with March 1 after she shall leave college. 11. The Alumnae Association is to pay off $500 or more yearly, it being understood that improvements or repairs can not hamper the yearly payments on principal. 12. The National Council reserves the right to order the sale of the property should the chapter fail in any of the above agreements. Signed, Chapter President, Chapter Secretary. A supplemental contract was drawn up with Theta, Iota, Kappa, and Lambda with the consent of the Council whereby these chapters would return their loans to the Reserve Fund at the average rate of $100 per year, according to the 1920 report of the chairman of the Chapter House Committee. The budget system enables the chapter treasurer and the national treasurer to work together with clear understanding, and simplifies the local financial system. Another type of desirable proposition is one used frequently by several fraternities — the building of a new house by a business man according to the desires and for the extended use of the chapter. When a 116 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity chapter is not in a position to erect its own home, this plan is a good one. Psi Chapter, University of Oklahoma, entered in 1916 a house built expressly for her occupancy. The home of Rho Chapter also was con- structed for the chapter. The home designed by Alpha Chapter for erection in the near future is to be a Memorial Hall in honor of the Founders, and is to contain an archive hall for the storing of the valuable records of the fraternity, and the Alta Allen Loud room for the use of visiting alumnse and other guests. In 1921 several groups are working for new homes; those that will probably achieve house-ownership in one to three years include Alpha, Gamma, Epsilon, Zeta, Xi, Omicron, Rho, Phi, Chi, Omega, and Alpha Epsilon Chapters. CHAPTER IX GOVERNMENT The present system of government of Alpha Chi Omega evolved through three well-defined stages. From 1885-1891, the legislative power of the organization was vested in Alpha Chapter as the Grand Chapter. From 1891-1898 general officers were elected from the chapters in rotation, and the legislative power rested in the National Convention. In 1898 the Grand Council (later called National Council) was inaugu- rated. Thirteen years were destined to pass before the original plan of government was materially altered to meet the demands of a growing and progressive organization. During that time, with the exception of a two-year period for Beta, 1896-1898, out of loyalty to and as a tribute to the mother chapter. Alpha was vested with the title of Grand Chapter. The duties and powers of this body differed materially from those of the present Grand Chapter (the National Convention). The convention which met preceding the assembly that established the present system of giovemment decided "that Alpha be Grand Chapter always." This legislation not only speaks of the fraternity's confidence in the mother chapter, but testifies eloquently of the futility of legislating for eternity, for in 1904 the National Convention was christened the Grand Chapter. Under the guidance of the officers of Alpha the original Grand Chapter had legislative power until the first convention, 1891. The first cabinet of general officers was elected at the initial conven- tion. For seven years succeeding the first National Convention the assembly convened annually until 1898 with the exception of the years 1892 and 1895. During this period the government of the fraternity was vested in the conventions, with advisory power divided between the general officers and Alpha as Grand Chapter. The official element of these conventions was composed of one delegate from each active chapter, each member having one vote. In 1898 two decisive changes were wrought in the governing system of the fraternity, the creation of a Grand Council and the provision for biennial instead of annual conventions. From that year to the present the National Convention, or, as it was christened in 1904, the Grand Chapter, has constituted the supreme ruling power in Alpha Chi Omega. It is composed of the National Council, the Province Presidents, and one official delegate from each active and alumnae chapter, each member having one \ote. Official attendance on the part of the members of the 118 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity National Council and the delegates is compulsory. Each chapter is per- mitted to send other delegates as alternates, but this does not increase the number of votes allowed each chapter. In 1908 the voting privilege was extended to the ex-grand presidents, and in 1916 to the Founders. The powers of the National Convention are stated in the Constitution as follows : "The National Convention shall have power to transact all business of the fraternity and to enact, subject to this Constitution, all laws, rules, and regulations necessary to promote the welfare of the fraternity; to provide for and define in the Code the duties of the chapters, chapter officers, and members of the fraternity; to provide in the Code for the creation and disbursement of all revenues of the fraternity; to grant charters to active and alumnae chapters subject t© the rulings of the Constitution; to suspend or revoke the charter of any chapter subject to the rulings of the Constitution ; to establish the provinces of the fraternity ; to elect the members of the National Council ; and to amend this Consti- tution. A three-fourths vote of all voting members present shall be necessary." The National Council has continued to be the balance in the internal fraternity mechanism which has maintained a true adjustment in policies and in the countless matters which must be dealt with in the intervals between conventions. It is composed of six officers elected from alumnae of proved ability, by the National Convention, to the positions of National President; National First Vice-President or Alumnae Vice- President; National Second Vice-President or Extension Vice-President ; National Secretary; National Treasurer; Editor The Lyre (since 1919 combined with the office of National Secretary) ; and National Inspector. During the interim between conventions, the National Council is the supreme governing power of the fraternity, and possesses "all the powers of the National Convention, except the amendment of the Constitution." It is thus the real administrative force of the fraternity. For five years after the organization of the National Council, its business was transacted entirely through correspondence. As this method of procedure proved inadequate, the convention of 1902 ordered the convening of the Council in the inter-convention years, the time and place of such meeting to .be determined by the Council itself. Since that time the Council has also met for conference immediately preceding conventions, which custom makes their meetings annual occurrences. Aside from performing the duties naturally incumbent upon officers of their respective titles, the national officers are constantly occupied with a vast amount of committee work of various descriptions. Naturally the President is an ex officio member of all committees; for seven years one president, Mrs. Loud, was chairman of the Reserve Fund Committee. Government 119 The First Vice-President, or Alumnae Vice-President, has charge of rela- tions with the alumnae, both organized and unorganized ; the Scholarship Fund; the permanent altruistic work of children's scholarships; and supervision of chapter Vice-Presidents who keep in touch with chapter alumnae. The Second Vice-President is chairman of the Extension Committee, and though that officer has not always been the one to investigate and to install new chapters, the matter of extension and investigation is, to a great extent, in her hands. The Treasurer handles the finances of the fraternity primarily, but two of these officers have also filled the position of business manager of The Lyre in addition to performing the regular duties, and one treasurer had charge of the finances of the 1916 History. The Grand Secretaries have frequently managed conventions as well as attended to the correspondence. At pres- ent the Secretary is also the Editor and business manager of The Lyre, The Heraeum, and The Argolid, chairman of the Committee on Official Supplies, and Custodian of the Badge, which was for a time held by a separate officer. The Inspector, in addition to her duties of visiting the active chapters, was for many years also the delegate of Alpha Chi Omega to the National Panhellenic Congress and did valuable committee work in that capacity. Since 1919, the fraternity has been represented by a long term Panhellenic delegate, who serves also as Panhellenic adviser to chapters. In the early days of the journal the Editor of The Lyre acted also as the Business Manager, but with the growth of the fraternity as well as the growth of the journal, the separate office of Business Manager was created, giving the Editor the needed time to devote to her literary work and to serve on numerous committees. The Editor of The Lyre was editor, also, of The Heraeum, for three years was editor of The Argolid, and at two conventions was Editor of the Daily Convention Transcript. In 1911 she was Editor of the History of Alpha Chi Omega, and the author of the 1916 volume. For the sake of assisting in the establishment of a central office for the fraternity, the work of Editor and Business Manager of The Lyre was merged in 1919 with that of national secretary into a new office called the Secretary-Editor. The purpose of this step was to provide the fraternity with a paid officer who should devote her entire time to the fraternity's work and who should develop and supervise as an expert the regular business of the organization. When the 1904 Convention in Meadville created the office of Inspector in the Council, a new era dawned in the fraternity, and an important step was taken towards a closer understanding and cooperation between the National Council and the active chapters, and a firmer stand was made for high scholarship and for thorough business methods within the 120 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity chapters. The Inspector, or a delegate appointed by her, visits each active chapter in the interim between the biennial conventions. During these visits she not only becomes closely acquainted with the active members of the chapter and inspects their books, records, and fraternity equipment to see how the business of the chapter is being conducted, but she holds conferences with the dean of women, the Alumna; Adviser, the chaperon, the mothers (when possible), and with various professors in order to learn the standing of the chapter in the college, and the scholar- ship of the individual members. When possible she meets with the local Panhellenic Association, sometimes addressing that organization, for, as she usually attends the National Panhellenic Congress, she is well versed in matters of vital interest to that bod\-. At least once a semes- ter a report from the dean of ■women and scholarship reports of the individual members of each chapter are sent liy the chapter secretary to the Inspector. The results of her investigations are reported by her an- nually to the National Council, and biennially to the National Convention. The close relation existing between the chapters and the adminis- tion of Alpha Chi Omega has always been a source of gratification to the Council, and when in 1908 the system of ofhcial inspection was supplemented by the constitutional requirement of Alumnse Advisers, the ofificers felt assured that an e\en closer and more personal communion had been secured. Formerly the office of Alumnee Adviser was optional with the chapters, being regulated by chapter policies, but now that it is required and is an annual elective one, to insure harmony and sympathy, the small local difficulties that confront any chapter ha\'e been greatly minimized and a sound, co6perati\e, working basis established between active chapters, alumna?, and the National Council. Although the Alumnje Ad^•isers form an advisory committee who work with the Inspector, conduct the annual fraternity examinations and post-initiation examinations, furnish reports to the Province Presidents at stated intervals, secure the individual scholarship reports at least once each semester, and act as alumnse representatives to tlie local Pan- hellenics, their duties are otherwise left to their discretion and good judgment. In a word, they act as sympathetic guardians to the chapters by whom they are elected and are chosen to their positions because of their ability and loyal fraternity service. In 1912 the complex and voluminous duties of the National Council were simplified by the adoption, upon the acceptance of the revision of the Constitution, of the province system of government. The fraternit}- had grown too large for a small number of officers to do satisfactorilj- the entire work of super^•isio^. As may be seen easily from the accompany- ing map of the provinces, the United States was subdivided into logical groups or sections. This di\-ision was made with foresight as well as with 122 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity practicality. No change in the provinces will need to be made for several years. The divisions were made as follows: Pacific Province: Washington, California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Ne\ada, Utah, Arizona. Western: Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Wyoming, New Mexico. Central: Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Minnesota, Missouri. Eastern: Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Vir- ginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland. Atlantic: Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Ontario, Maine, X'ermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware. Southern: Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina. The Southern Province was combined with another group until three chapters lay within the Southern Province; until 1919 it was combined with the Eastern, but was then combined with the Atlantic Province, in order to arrange more equitable distribution of duties among Province Presidents. The president for each province inspects "the chapters within her province once in two years in the year alternating with the visit of the National Inspector, or at any other time deemed advisable by the National Council"; she keeps "a correct card index directory of her province" ; grades "the second and third-year examination papers of each chapter"; cooperates with the extension vice-president in matters of extension and alumnje work; and forwards a detailed report to the National Inspector of the condition and welfare of the chapters within her province on the first of December and the first of April of each year. With the increasing development of the fraternity has come the need for sectional meetings of chapters to decide upon matters of minor and local importance. Therefore it has been provided that such gatherings may meet, to provide this additonal opportunity for inter-chapter discussions. In the Code (Title VII, Clause 5) occurs the provision: "The chapters in a province may hold a Province Convention at such time and place as they may agree upon provided said agreement be approved by the president of that province. Each chapter shall make separate provision for meeting the expenses of its delegate to said con- vention, but no penalty shall attain to any chapter for lack of representa- tion in such convention. No Province Convention may enact any legislation to conflict with the Bond, Constitution, Code, or Ritual of this fraternity." Accounts of the province conventions appear in the chapter on fraternity conventions. Josephine Heilv Parry, Omega Paciac Province President, 1919-1921 El Fleda Coleman Jackson, Gamma Eastern Province President, 1916-1919 Beatrice Herron Browx, Alpha Atlantic Province President, 1920-1921 Pearl Armitage Jamieson, Alpha Western Province President, 1920- 124 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity The results of the pro^•ince s%!,tem of government ha\'e been most satisfactory. The pro\incc presidents stand in the close, personal rela- tion to the individual chapters in which the Council members wish to be but cannot be on account of distance and of the heavy burdens of their offices. As the province president through her own efforts and through the cooperation of the alumna adviser brings Council and chapter into closer understanding with each other, so in a more personal way, does the mystagogue bring to the indiA'idual member advice and sympathetic interpretation of the meaning of fraternity and of its responsibilities and opportunities. A mystagogue is appointed for each pledged member from among the upperclassmen in the chapter. All details of a personal nature are referred by the girl, or by the chapter, to the mystagogue. Usually such matters need go no further; and the new members attain adaptability with the minimum expenditure of time and nervous energy. The chapter, therefore, is guided by its own members, by its alumna adviser, by its province president, as well as by the National Inspector, and the National Council. Each chapter officer has direct relations with the corresponding national officer, that is, the president of a chapter dis- cusses her problems directly with the National President, the chapter treasurer's business is transacted with the National Treasurer. Harmony and the deepest interest, sweetened often by strong personal affection, characterize the intercourse between the National Council and the various chapters. Cooperation is our strength. Following is the list of Province Presidents, 1913-1921 : Atlantic Province: Grace Hammond Holmes, April, 1913; 1914-1915; Anne Woods McLeary, 1915-1918; Gladys Livingston Graflf, 1918-1920; Beatrice Herron Brown, 1920-1921. Eastern Province: Alice Watson Dixon, 1913; Myrtle Hatswell-Bowman, 1914- 1915; Frances Kirkwood, 1915-16; El Fleda Coleman Jackson, 1916-1919; Helen Wood Barnum, 1919-1921. Central Province: Bonnidell Sisson Roberts, April, 1913; 1914-1915; June Hamil- ton Rhodes, 1915-1917; Myrna Van Zandt Bennett, Nov. 1917-Sept. 1918; Erna G. Goldschmidt, Sept. 1918-Nov. 1919; Esther Barney Wilson, Dec. 1919-Nov. 1920; Martha Y. Bennett, Jan. 1921 to date. Western Province: Alice Lesher Mauck, 1913; Bonnidell Sisson Roberts, 1913- 1915; Dale Pugh Hascall, 1915-1918; Myrna Van Zandt Bennett, 1918-1919; Mima Montgomery, Jan. 1920-June, 1920; Pearl Armitage Jamieson, Sept. 1920, to date. Pacific Province: Virginia Fisk Green, April, 1913; 1914-1915; Anne Shepard, 1915; Minerva Osborn Donald, Sept. 1915-Nov. 1917; Gretchen O'Donnell Starr] Nov. 1917-Sept. 1919; Josephine Heily Parry, Sept. 191?-March, 1921; Hazel Learned Sherrick, March, 1921, to date. The finances of the fraternity are managed by the National Treas- urer, who is assisted by a Deputy Treasurer, and the Finance Board. The budget system is used in the handling of national funds, and in the Government 125 financial management of chapters. The National Treasurer has custody of all current monej's, and oversight of all minor funds of the fraternity. She also has direct superA ision of all financial matters of active chapters. She receives monthly reports,- on printed forms, of their expenditures, their receipts, and their liabilities. By wise direction in the use of the budget system she makes possible uniformly businesslike and discreet financial management in all the chapters. Therefore we find, at the outset, that careful super\-ision and uniform method which in a large organization are essential to orderliness, economy, and progress. The development of the finan- cial system has been correlatiA'e with the growth and progress of other departments within the fra- ternity. During the first two years of the existence of Alpha Chi Omega the finances were controlled by Alpha Chapter. A\'ith the increase of chapters, installation fees and annual chapter dues have been paid into the National Treasury for the general maintenance of the national organization. This fund proA'ides for the large volume of business carried on by the national officers, for the inspection and installation of chapters, for the railroad fare of the chapters' delegates to national conventions, and for the expenses of the national officers to their required assem- blings. Until 1908 the National Treasury also assisted in the fi- nancing of The Lyre, but at the convention of that year the Busi- ness Manager of The Lyre reported to the great satisfaction of the fra- ternity that the magazine had become self-supporting. Since 1910, The Lyre ha^ been able to return the courtesy of early assistance by loans without interest to the National Treasury, by the sharing of various items of expense, by the publication of the membership directory at the loss of over two hundred dollars to TAe Lyre, and by contributions to national funds. These national funds, the Reserve Fund, The Lyre Reserve Fund, and the Scholarship Fund, have swelled steadily, and will become, event- ually, a useful endowment for the work of the organization. Although Ern.v Goldschmidt, lota Central Province President, 1918-1919 Died November 1919 126 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity small, so far, compared with college endowment funds, they have proved, and will prove increasingly, through wise management, of great value in constructive enterprises. The chief sources of the revenue of the fraternity are four: The per capita tax paid by active members ; the alumnae notes paid for two years by non-active members; a slight profit on the sale of fraternity badges made in quantities by a sole official jeweler; and from gifts. The first- mentioned tax is paid in February by all members in active chapters. Alumnae notes are a comparatively new source of income. In common with general fraternity practice, Alpha Chi Omega asks alumnae to contribute to the support of the organization, for a short period at least after severing active relations with their chapters. This support takes, with Alpha Chi Omega, the form of two notes for five dollars each, made out at initiation, and payable annually the two years after leaving the college. One-fifth of this amount, or more if possible, goes to the Scholar- ship Fund, one-fifth to the convention fund, and the remainder to the building fund of the chapter of which the alumna is a member. The profit which accrues to the fraternity from the sale of all badges by one jeweler, instead of by three jewelers, is slight on each badge but con- siderable on the purchases of a year. This income goes into the Scholar- ship Fund. The gifts from individual members have been made for specific purposes, such as for the Reserve Fund, the Scholarship Fund, and the Memorial House Fund. The chapters and clubs have made gifts as groups for the Macdowell Colony Studio and for the Reserve Fund. Through these various avenues, have come into the coffers of the national organization, the funds which through sagacity and economy in adminis- tration, have made possible wide development of internal affairs. Another important feature of the fraternity government is the examination system. "Know your own fraternity, and your neighbor Greeks" is the theme of the system. The Official Examiner may seem at times a rather hard taskmaster with her searching questions and her effort to ascertain precisely what each member thinks upon matters of Panhellenic policy, and of college and fraternity relationship. Never- theless, there is no member of the fraternity who does not find that the thought she was forced to give such questions has made her a better, rfiore intelligent Greek and a more loyal alumna of her college. The examination system now in use consists of three sets of questions. In the spring of each year, suggestions for study are sent to the alumna adviser of each chapter, who in turn transmits them to the chapters. Every member of the fraternity, except those who have been in the chapter for four years, is required to take one of these examinations. For the newly initiated, there is an elementary set of questions based on the history of the national fraternity and the local chapter, of the Government 127 National Panhellenic Congress and the college Panhellenic, and questions of general collegiate interest. For the second-year member an examina- tion has been prepared which requires a very accurate and definite knowledge of the constitution and code of Alpha Chi Omega. Questions are asked on all phases of local and national policies. The third-year examination requires little statistical knowledge, but endeavors to make the members of the fraternity express their attitude on Panhellenic questions, scholarship in its relation to fraternities, the Interfratemity Conference, honorary and professional societies, and other matters of general interest to all college as well as all fraternity women. These outlines cover more detailed and more comprehensive matters than those of the early examinations. Wider intelligence in fraternity and educational affairs has been required each year by the questions asked. The first uniform list of questions appears in the minutes of the Eighth National Convention (1902) in the report of the committee to prepare a list of questions "to be used for the examination of pledged girls before the initiation." The list of questions decided upon were the following twelve : 1. What was the first fraternity founded in the United States? When? Where? 2. State in a general way the development of the fraternity system. 3. What was the first sorority founded in the United States? Where? When? 4. Name the national sororities in the United States and describe the pin of each. 5. In what institutions in this state are these sororities represented? 6. Name seven representative national fraternities. 7. Name the national honorary fraternity and describe its badge. S. Where was Alpha Chi Omega founded? When? By Whom? 9. Name the chapters of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority in order of their establishment, and name the institution, city, and state in which each is located. 10. Name the fraternities represented in this institution. 11. Name the sororities represented in the order of their establishment. 12. In talking with a person unacquainted with or prejudiced against fraternities, what good practical reasons would you give in favor of fraternities? Give at least seven reasons. (The answer to be based upon the article in Baird's Manual of American Fra- ternities.) This old list seems very elementary when compared to the well- developed system of present day examinations, but as a beginning of the system it served a useful purpose. Prior to 1902, fraternity examinations in Alpha Chi Omega were optional with the chapters, the general custom being that of giving them only to pledged members immediately prior to their initiation. During the period from 1902 to 1908, official fraternity examinations were held annually for both pledges and active members. As the lack of necessity for requiring active members to take these examinations every year soon became apparent, the 1908 Grand Chapter ordered that a system of graded examinations be adopted, and appointed Alta Allen Loud and 128 History of Alpha Chi Omega pBATERNitY Mabel Harriet Siller to prepare the sets of questions. This plan provided for a preentrance examination to be given immediately before initiation, a second examination to be given in the second year of fraternity life, and another in the third year, the members active for four or more years to be exempt from further examinations. The questions are not confined to facts concerning Alpha Chi Omega, nor even to fraternity matters in general, but they include points of general collegiate interest which every fraternity member should know. The preentrance examination covers the organization and history of Alpha Chi Omega; the second covers the constitution, by-laws, ritual, and ceremonies; the third deals with policies, alumna; chapters, Panhellenic, American Association of University Women (formerly A. C. A.), and general fraternity and collegiate matters. For several years a committee of the National Council had charge of the examinations, but as this extra work prmed too great a tax upon these officers, in 1909 the Council authorized the appointment of an official examiner. This office was held by IVIary Ferine, B, in 1909-1910; by Mary-Emma Griffith, A, in 1910-1915; by Bertha H. Reichert, 2, 1915. The examinations are conducted by the alumna; advisers of the respective chapters, who correct the preentrance papers (as these exami- nations are given at divers times of the year) and send the other papers to the province president who corrects them and sends the grades to the Official Examiner. A report of chapter averages is published annually, usually in The Heraeitm. The system of examinations is accomplishing its purpose. It is con- summating the desire of the national officers of the fraternity that mem- bers shall know something about every member of the Panhellenic Con- gress, shall be able to talk and think intelligently upon questions of general fraternity interest, and have a general knowledge of the various agencies connected with the educational and professional advancement of women. The policy and methods of Alpha Chi Omega in expansion are dis- cussed in a separate chapter on that subject. With the development of every part of the fraternity, one sees distinct though gradual changes in the administrative policies. The duties of members of the Council have increased tremendously ; the correspondence alone of a Coxmcil member is equal to that of a thriving business firm. The powers of the body have been increased also, and are in every way equal to those of the National Convention, even to the granting of charters; but it may not amend the constitution. As the administrative duties of the order have increased so greatly, the division of labor has multiplied remarkably. Instead of half a dozen women engaged in national work, there are now more than one hundred and fifty. The Government 129 personnel of the administrative force clianges less rapidly, as the following table illustrates, even though the burdens of the officers are heavier than formerly. Table 12. — National officers of three or more years' service. Name. Yrs. in Each Office. Total No, Yrs. Service. Obenchain, Raeburn Cowger, A: Grand President, 1808-1900; 1900-02 Grand Historian, 1902-05 Tennant, Mary Jones, A: Inspector, 1906-07; 1907-09; 1909-10 Grand Vice-president, 1906-07 Wilson, Mary Janet, A: President, 1896-97; 1897-98 Editor of Lyre, 1897-98; 1898-1900 Drake, Kate Calkins, B: Grand President, 1902-05; 1905-07 Loud, Alta Allen, B: Secretary, 1897-98 Grand President, 1907-09; 1909-10; 1912-15 1915-19 Dennis, Myrta McKean, T: Grand Treasurer, 1909-10 Inspector, 1910-12 Nafis, Mabel Siller, T: Grand Secretary, 1900-02 Grand Historian, 1905-07; 1907-09; 1909-10 Stanford, Mary, V: Treasurer, 1891-93 President, 1893-94 Fleming, Gertrude Ogden, A: Treasurer, 1896-97; 1897-98; 1898-99 Harper, Florence, A : Grand Treasurer, 1899-1900; 1900-02 Hayne, Bertha Sackett, A: ' Grand Secretary, 1903-05 Grand Vice-president, 1905-06 Kent, Fay Barnby, A: Grand Vice-president, 1909-10; 1910-12 1912-15 Seiple, Charlotte Weber, A: Vice-president, 1893-94 Secretary, 1894-96 Griffin, Edith Manchester, Z: Editor oiLyre, 1900-02; 1902-05; 1905-06 . . Haseltine, Florence Reed, Z: Editor of Lyre, 1907-09; 1909-10 11 5 13 130 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Table 12. — National officers oj three or more year's service {.continued) Name. Howe, Laura, Z: Grand Treasurer, 1905-07; 1907-09 Greene, Virginia Fiske, 6: Grand Vice-president, 1902-05 Grand Secretary, 1905-06 Howell, Marcia Clark, 6: Grand Vice-president, 1907-09 Grand Secretary, 1906-07 Zimmerman, Lillian, K: Grand Treasurer, 1912-15 First Vice-president, 1915-19 Armstrong, Florence A., M : Editor of iyre, 1910-12; 1912-15; 1915-19 Crann, Lois Smith, M : Inspector, 1912-15; 1915-16 (Jan.) Ely, Birdean Motter, O: National Secretary, 1912-15 Fall, NellaR. B: Inspector, 1916-19 Steiner, Maude Staiger, 6: Second Vice-president, 1915-19 Griffith, Mary- Emma, A: Secretary, 1915-19 Secretary- Editor, 1919- Jones, Myra H., A: Treasurer, 1915-18 First Vice-president, 1919-21 Yrs. in each Office 9 3 Total No. Yrs. Service 9 3 3^ 4 6 The trend is toward the retaining of proved officers in position for a long period of time, and on the part of all the persons in positions of responsibility, toward insistence that the fraternity be a more powerfully beneficent force in the practical experience of individuals; that the organized groups serve more widely the communities in which they live ; and that the entire national organization, in all its strength, its influence, and its prestige, be each year of greater help in the attainment of right social conditions. CHAPTER X FRATERNITY EXPANSION A marked change has made itself apparent in the development of college fraternities; from aloofness and a more or less superior attitude of reluctance to grant charters to new groups — a position which made it a major adventure for a local to surmount the walls of a national frater- nity — the leading fraternities are now showing not only intelligent interest but an enlightened willingness to absorb as many new chapters as they can conscientiously accept. This change in "extension policy," which is general, though not universal, may be traced perhaps to the following causes. (1) The internal organization of national fraternities has improved greatly, and central offices have been established by many orders, with an expert fraternity official in charge who devotes his or her entire time to fraternity business ; such a plan makes possible a more intensive and also a wider study of fraternity and educational conditions, and a more intelligent application of timely measures. (2) Interfraternity cooperation has broadened the vision of all, and discussions of common problems and dangers have been accompanied naturally by consideration of common opportunities for growth. The women's fraternities organized the National Panhellenic Congress, then the men's fraternities formed the Interfraternity Conference, both resulting in increased mutual understanding, in keener insight into conditions, and in valuable constructive methods of improvement. (3) Recurring waves of anti-fraternity agitation in state legislatures, and dangers of increased anti-fraternity legislation, with occasional spurts of anti-fraternity legislation, forced fraternities to seek the cause for such antagonism, and to find it in the objectionable exclusive features of the old system. Mr. Walter Palmer, for a generation a constructive force in the Greek world, repeatedly urged more rapid expansion. "It is human nature," he said, "for people to be dissatisfied when they see others enjoying pleasures which to them are denied. When there are chapters for 80 or 90 per cent of the students of the Western universities, practi- cally all that wish fraternity affiliations will be able to obtain them. The talk about fraternities being undemocratic will then quiet down, agita- tion will cease, and there will be no danger of anti-fraternity bills being introduced into State legislatures." And Dean Thomas Arkle Clark, Alpha Tau Omega, says concisely, "It is a choice between expansion and extermination." I,i2 History ov Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity (4) Lastly \vc must recognize tlie effect on fraternity expansion policies of the country-wide enthusiasm for higher education stimulated by the war, and the increase in enrollments at American colleges and universities. At both the Inlerfraternity Conference and the National Panhellenic Congress mention has been made that new national fraternities would soon become ncrcssar\' and should be aided, although many national orders already existing might fairly feel that cooperation among fraterni- ties in assisting present fraternities to expand would be more logical than to urge the creation of new bodies. Marked progress in expansion has in fact appeared among both men's and women's fraternities. Recent developments in expansion have been summed up in figures given by the Anchora of Delta Gamma for January, 1921. "The number of active chapters of general college fraternities (men's and women's) in 1912 was 1,141. There are n(jw 1,629, an increase of nearly 50 percent in eight years (488 chapters)." The last figure understates the number of chapters, which in 1921 total over 1,900, but it indicates distinctly the trend in the Greek world. The following statistics, compiled early in 1920 by Kappa Kappa Gamma, and arranged in tabular form by the author of this volume shows the progress fraternities made in expansion from 1910 to 1920. Table 13. — Extension of National Panhellenic Conference fraternities to 1920. Name. Date of Founding. Number of chapters. Total Member- ebip. 1890 1900 1910 1920 A X a 188S 18.51 1!104 1893 1897 1872 189.5 1888 1872 1902 1874 1870 1897 1870 1852 1867 1874 1898 3 1 8 1 16 9 9 15 12 1,5 24 31 19 6 15 30 15 37 11 43 8 10 27 27 20 28 24 44 60 30 14 25 45 26 45 30 60 20 14 A A n 4,000 A r A 2.000 1,850 3.000 A E A 1 2 10 7 10 15 A n A •!> 6 X D 3,500 AAA 13 A r A Z 5,361 2,000 r B 5 16 8 21 1 27 1 35 1 1 K A K A (Baird, 1920)... 2,360 K K r 23 1 15 1 * M n B * 10,700 2,100 1,8,50 Z K Z T A From a perusal of Table 13 we can make the following deduction as to the extent to which the separate N. P C. fraternities responded in 1910-1920 to the obvious need and opportunity for further expansion of the fraternity system to the fast developingeducational field for women. Frateiinity Expansion 133 Table 14. -New chapters established by N. P. C. fraternities and percentage oj increase, 1910-1920.* Under 5 Exact 5 to 10 E.tact 10 to 13 Exact 15 to 20 E.'iact Over 20 Exact Chap- Num- ?c Chap- Num- % Chap- Num- % Chap- Num- % Chap- Num- % ters. ber. ters. ber. ters. ber. ters. ber. 33.3 ters. ber. Z T A 4 28 5 A 7 .fl 7 A r 11 36 6 K A e 15 AAA 29 48 3 :! Z 8 .57.1 A X n 11 40 7 n B * 17 28.3 K K r 8 17 7 A r .\ 11 .5.5 A A 'I' 18 66.6 r * B 10 40 K A 2 K A n ASA 11 12 12 13 42.3 60 50 46.4 I. M 19 20 63.3 45.5 Percentages of increase have been figured on 1920 chapter roll given in Table 13. Average percentage, 44. The geographical distribution of the nearly six hundred chapters of N. P. C. fraternities, though fairly thorough, shows still many weak spots. Alpha Chi Omega has chapters in only 19 states, Kappa Kappa Gamma in 27, Kappa Alpha Theta in 28, Pi Beta Phi and Delta Delta Delta in 31 each. In four states, according to the N. P. C. Press Committee, in an article in Banta's Greek Exchange in December, 1920, there are no sorority chapters — Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and South Carolina. The last-named state is closed at present by anti-secret-society laws. The article continues: "Illinois has the most chapters, forty; but they are divided among six colleges. New York comes next with thirty-six chapters in seven colleges. Ohio and California tie for third place, with thirty-four chapters each ; but since California's thirty-four are all in three colleges, while Ohio's are divided among seven colleges, the banner goes to California. In fact the average number of chapters per college is higher in California than in any other state, except Minnesota, where one college holds all the state's fourteen chapters. "The sorority idea is represented by a single chapter in Rhode Island and in Utah ; Sigma Kappa being the pioneer in the first, and Chi Omega in the second. California and Illinois are the only states in which all the N. P C. sororities have chapters, and only in the first, California, do they all meet within one college. Wisconsin and Washington run a close second though, for each of these states needs only one more chapter to have them all represented, and that too in one institution, which is far from the Illinois situation. "That eighteen sororities should have a total of 592 chapters, located in 112 different colleges, is a bit startling to the normal sorority woman, who is accustomed to think sorority colleges identical with her sorority's own chapter roll, plus a few colleges where groups are importuning her sorority for charters. Even the largest sorority. Delta Delta Delta with sixty-one chapters, is represented in less than 55 percent of these sorority 134 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity colleges. If the chapters were evenly divided among the N. P. C. soror- ities, each sorority would have thirty-three chapters, save two, who would have thirty-two chapters each. "At least 350 institutions in the United States offer a college course to women. It is certain that at least 300 of these colleges would fulfill the requirements of the most critical sorority as to numbers, endowment, scholastic standards, and student personnel. In at least that many sororities would be welcome." The most conservative Panhellenic fraternities have awakened at last to the necessity as well as the desirability of possessing speedily, numerous new chapters. No longer can it be considered a virtue to acquire only thirty chapters in eighty odd years, as certain men's frater- nities have done. Modern requisites of supervision, of service to mem- bers, of higher standards for fraternities, demand adequacy and scope of organization such as was never thought of in the early days of the fraternity system. Too small an order can not manage its affairs with a high degree of efficiency on account of its restrictions in personnel and equipment. Never was the college fraternity so well supervised, so well ordered, so full of possibilities for individual development, as today. Of the 1920 chapter roll of N. P. C. fraternities, statistics tell us approximately 40 per cent have been added since 1910. How these chapters each came to affiliate with one of the 18 Congress fraternities seems an affair of mystery to the uninitiated. Why did one fraternity acquire 66 per cent of new chapters, and another only 17 per cent? The methods employed by the 18 fraternities really constitute no mystery at all. College women are much the same everywhere; when they think of national fraternities, they think of the orders whose mem- bers they happen to know. If they know no Greek-letter women, their friends may mention to them certain fraternities whose members are known personally to them. Or the interested students may have access to a copy of Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, or to a copy of Martin's Sorority Handbook, from which an order may be chosen that seems to conform most closely — in outline — to their preconceived ideas of fraternity desirability. Usually, back of a new chapter stand alumnae, whose influence, prestige, or effort, directly or indirectly, have made their fraternity seem desirable to aspiring students. Non-fraternity women may form a chapter of an N. P. C. fraternity by one of five distinct methods, followed either by their own choice or by the preference of the national order concerned. 1. The unannounced petition. Occasionally a local sorority obtains all the information it desires from one source or from several sources, makes its decision in favor of a certain fraternity, votes to apply to that fraternity for admission, and then communicates with the national officers VIZ - - IN - - - - - - - - ^eo j :— - : i S 3 Z «>-« -_ M^ - - M M " \ - : - - i -,— h i ea * a u ^'-i«eq -« WSCO-^lM - ^^cqi-t CO „- CO WIMW* M ■ 1 eq cq M •-< CO -H i-H g M * cs - - „^-_. ^N -« - i-i(N Oil • ■ CO f-teo ] ■ eq (N * N • s ^' J H a - M^ ^ CO ■* -H o» r-. « ^CO—l^ «« ^Tt< eot-Hi-t-^ - ; ; r ^^ :„ «s V a - (MM " M ^ «-H -,„ - cq^H «- cq " \ jeq ; ■ :- CO ?> a * J NM ^ ■% c ' 1 .1 i ( 1 ° 5 1 is 'c c ■j 1 i 'Is 1 1 i .1 :£ u ?2 :2 1 '7 !3 j i 1 13 c I : 3 ?1 5p -1- 2- : It 20 i i 3 it yi g.al ill Mi 5 § ^M'*r'*eooo-*oo«>T^ooar---*ooooot-.-nu5'*«eco--a'OMw-*tjoroco - 1 11 Iz a Cs 1- - p" sc 3C c - ftf tf sw ■^ c ic- »c* 5^ ^T- ■IC IC ic- 1^ -' HC 3-- Ht- -fi- -^^ -0 qc ^« S'r hC St - 7, O u -<: z o H < 142 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Jennings, A, Mary Stanford, T, and Lulu Keller, B, to make up forms for the resignation and expulsion of members. In case of the death of a member, mourning was arranged to be worn for two weeks by the chapter to which the deceased had belonged. Extension was discussed with reference to one of the western state universities and several large eastern colleges. It was decided to "place chapters in conservatories of good musical standing as well as literary" centers. Gamma Chapter was appointed to publish the first edition of an Alpha Chi Omega songbook in pamphlet form. For the first type of pledge pin, "a very small lyre stick pin with white enamel chapter head on it," was authorized. Matters of varying interest were discussed such as the frequency of conventions ; the representation of Alpha Chi Omega at the World's Fair in Chicago, Mary Stanford and El Fleda Coleman being instructed to make plans therefor; the appointment of a committee to write an account of Alpha Chi Omega for Baird's Fraternity Record and for the World's Almanac. A pleasant interfraternity courtesy is briefly recorded thus: "A piano lamp, the gift of A T A's Epsilon to Beta, was found in the hall." The delegates were: Alpha, Mrs. Best, Mayme Jennings, Ida Steele; Beta, Ethel Calkins, Lulu Keller; Gamma, Mary Stanford, El Fleda Coleman; Delta, Fern Pickard, Virginia Porter. The social features were : Second evening — Musicale at the home of Ja Nette Allen, to which the faculty, the fraternity, and other friends were invited. Third evening — Banquet at the Albion House. The convention was also entertained informally by Delta Tau Delta in their fraternity hall. Favors: Pansy stick pins (Pansy — the Delta Tau Delta flower) were pre- sented to the guests. Third National Convention Evanston, Illinois, was the scene of the Third National Convention, February 28 to March 3, 1894, Gamma Chapter being hostess, and Mary Stanford, r, chairman. Beta became in rotation the Grand Chapter, and the election of officers resulted thus: General President, Charlotte Weber, A; General Vice-President, Mayme Jennings, A; General Treasurer, Ella Strong, T; General Recording Secretary, Virginia Porter, A; General Corresponding Secretary, Irene Clark, B. The suggestion that the treasurer remain in the same chapter as long as possible was offered with the intention of giving the finances a settled basis for growth. The motion carried that "the present treasurer, Ella Strong, r, keep her office." o z o 144 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Special discussion was devoted to tlie initiation and installation cere- monies, and the system of membership card files was introduced whereby personal record of individual members could be conveniently maintained. The new price set for charters granted was twenty dollars. Discussions of desirable fields for extension resulted in the elimination of many colleges because of the fraternity's insistence on good musical oppor- tunities as well as literary opportunities for study. A letter from Los Angeles was read and discussed regarding a chapter at the University of Southern California. Alpha was authorized to edit a fraternity journal, and Gamma announced the publication of the new songbook. The fact that Alpha Chi Omega was not represented at the World's Fair because of the report that "none of the fraternities were" impels us to compare the lack of intercourse in those days with the present close relation of every National Panhellenic Congress fraternity. The delegates were: Alpha, Mayme Jennings, Laura Marsh, Minnie McGill; Beta, Hattie Lovejoy, Irene Clark, Cora Harrington; Gamma, El Fleda Coleman ; Delta, Charlotte Weber, May Graham. The social features were : First evening — Informal gathering at the home of Miss Stanford. Second evening — Reception and musicale at the home of Miss Young. Fourth National Convention Delta Chapter in Meadville, Pennsylvania, was hostess for the Fourth National Convention, April 8-10, 1896. The delegates convened in the fraternity room, and the business sessions were presided over by Margaret Barber, A, chairman, and recorded by Lulu Johns, E. Epsilon and Zeta had been installed in the meantime and were repre- sented in the convention and given their share of responsibilities in the organization. The motion proffered that "Alpha be Grand Chapter always" is illustrative of the impossibility of legislating for eternity in the light of the fact that the following convention superseded the Grand Chapter system of government by creating a Grand Council. It was moved and carried that "a list of subjects to be discussed at convention be sent from each chapter to the General Secretary and that she send a list to the different delegates before they leave their chapters that they may fully know the desires of their chapters." Following is the result of the election of officers : General President, Mary Janet Wilson, A; General Recording Secretary, Ida Steele, A ; General Treasurer, Gertrude Ogden, A. The non-musical cheer was improved, and in addition a new musical cheer, formulated by Gertrude Rennyson, Z, was adopted. Both are still in popular use. Fourth National Convention 145 The convention laid plans for installing chapters in different parts of the country. This extension work was, however, from necessity, left to individual chapters to carry forward in the absence of a central governing body. It is not surprising, therefore, that their really excellent plans "gang aft aglae." In the minutes of this Fourth Convention we find "Beta in favor of having a journal published periodically." Since the journal was again insisted upon, the convention took up the matter of financing a magazine, to be called The Lyre. Alpha was given authority to continue the work of publication and to decide upon the cover design and form. The bur- dens of the work were, nevertheless, wisely shared by all the chapters, a committee being "appointed in each chapter to take charge of journal Zannie T.\te Osgood Secretary, 1891-1893 Effa Simpson Parmenter Secretary, 1893-1894 Ida Steele Barrett Secretary, 1896-1897 work, both financial and literary." Gamma Chapter was also ordered to publish the second edition of the songbook. The matter of fraternity jewelry was investigated in all its details. There was even the minor consideration of choosing a design for social stationery, and so a monogram was adopted "consisting of the Greek letters in center at top of page." The desire to substitute the broader term fraternity for sorority in designating the organization was, for a time, thwarted. The business sessions closed with a vote of thanks extended to the different fraternities for sending flowers to the assembled convention. The delegates were: Alpha, Ida Steele; Beta, Josephine Parker; Gamma, Lillian Siller, Florence Harris; Delta, Gertrude Ogden, Florence Harper; Epsilon, Lulu Johns; Zeta , Barbara Strickler, Gertrude Renny- son. > z o U J < z o p < X a o 148 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity The social features were : Wednesday evening — Reception and musicale. Thursday evening — Reception at home of Mrs. Walter Harper. Friday afternoon — Receptions by Kappa Alpha Theta and Kappa Kappa Gamma in their fraternity rooms. Friday evening — Banquet at Commercial Hotel. Fifth National Convention The delegates to the Fifth National Convention were the guests of Alpha Chapter in Greencastle, Indiana, March 30-April 2, 1897. This time the sessions were conducted in Alpha's fraternity hall, and Mary Janet Wilson, President, took the chair with Ja Nette Allen Cushman as substitute. Promptness was urged upon the chapters in "responding to business letters." Ofificers elected were: General President and Editor of Lyre, Mary Janet Wilson, A; General Secretary, Alta Allen, B; General Treas- urer, Gertrude Ogden, A. The convention placed the task of selecting a secret motto in the hands of Beta. Very' businesslike arrangements were made regarding payment on November 1, February 1, and May 1 of national dues and receipts for the same by the Grand Treasurer who should henceforth hold office for two years. The Lyre was financially strengthened by the enforcement of subscription upon all active members. Here, too, the legislation was reversed which had temporarily allowed the entering of a conservatory of "good musical standing." Henceforth, as originally, chapters should be established only in institutions where a good college and a good conservatory were connected. The Fifth Convention moved and carried that "at least three jewels be required in the setting of the pin," exception being made "in the case of * * Deaconesses who desire plain pins." Three official jewelers were selected, and Alpha was appointed to copyright the badge. At this time the word sorority in the Constitution was changed to fraternity. Delta received orders to make arrangements for a register of Alpha Chi Omega to be placed at Chautauqua. Thanks were sent to Kappa Kappa Gamma for the courtesy of flowers sent to the convention. Delegates — ^Alpha, Helen O'Dell, Mildred Rutledge; Beta, Alta Allen, Ada Dickie; Gamma, Mabel Harriet Siller; Delta, Susanna Porter; Epsilon and Zeta not represented. The social features were: Tuesday evening — Lorelei Club Concert. Wednesday afternoon — Musicale at Music Hall. Wednesday evening — Reception in Ladies' Hall. Thursday afternoon — Reception by Kappa Alpha Theta. Thursday evening — Banquet at Mount Meridian "Half Way House." o < 2 150 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Sixth National Convention The Sixth National Convention was held with Beta Chapter in Albion, December 1-3, 1898, delegates being present from all the chapters except Eta. As Beta had occupied her own lodge for three years, the con\-ention now assembled there. The sessions were presided over by Ada Dickie who substituted for Mary Janet Wilson, National President, and Ina Baum recorded the minutes. The motion that conventions be held "e\'ery two years" passed anfl has been constitutional ever since. A most important decision was made "that the grand officers compose the Grand Council and be the governing body of the fraternity." The Council, then, would consist of "Grand President, Grand Vice-President, Grand Secretary, Grand Treasurer, Editor of Lyre, and delegates from chapter with whom ne.xt convention is to be held." But a later motion was passed "that there be no chapter delegate in Grand Council." The election of Grand Council officers then resulted as follows: Grand President, Raeburn Cowger, A; Grand Vice- President, Winifred Bartholomew, 9; Grand Secretary, Ethel Eggleston, Z; Grand Treasurer, Gertrude Ogden, A; Editor of Lyre, Mary Janet Wilson, A. Hitherto every member had, wisely, been furnished with a copy of the constitution. It was now ordered that "each chapter ha\-e a typewritten copy of the constitution and by-laws which shall be read once every term." Mock initiations and courage tests, if used, were ordered on different nights from the formal initiation cere- mony. The sentiment toward honorar;^- membership, which was, in the early days an accepted custom in fraternity circles, had been very conservative, and at this convention crystallized into legislation that Alpha Chi Omega "have honorary members of national repute only." Each chapter, it was decided, might have patronesses, who were "not to wear the pin or to have the privileges of the chapter." Associate members, too, were permitted them. Constructive measures were passed Raeburn Cowger Obenchain, Alpha for the welfare of the fraternity maga- Grand President, 1898-1902 zinc. The Convention legislated that each chapter should "elect an associate editor who will compose the Editorial Board of The Lyre; Alumnae and "wMSf iife#i' . '^[^^P^ o H cn O m •£ o z Id > Z o u < z o 152 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Exchange Editors to be elected from the chapter in charge of The Lyre. The motion carried that all future Alpha Chis be compelled to take The Lyre and all members be earnestly urged to subscribe." The chair appointed Beta Chapter to define the significance of the badge, subject to the Grand Council. Again the question of nomenclature for a women's fraternity arose and "it was decided that each chapter be allowed to call itself either fraternity or sorority." The delegates were: Alpha, Raeburn Cowger; Beta, Ora Woodworth; Gamma, Ethel Lillyblade; Delta, Fay Barnaby; Epsilon, Stella Cham- blin; Zeta, Mary Johnson; Eta, not represented; Theta, Winifred Bartholomew. The social features of the convention were: Thursday evening — Reception at the home of Miss Baum. Friday afternoon — Reception by Delta Gamma in their lodge. Friday evening — Musicale. Saturday afternoon — Tea given by Kappa Alpha Theta. Saturday evening— Banquet in the chapter lodge. Seventh National Convention December 6-9, 1900, was the time appointed for the assembling of the Seventh National Convention with Zeta Chapter in Boston. Spicie Belle South, Z, took the chair in the absence of Raeburn Cowger, A, National President. The following women comprised the second National Council of Alpha Chi Omega: Grand President, Raeburn Cowger, A; Grand Vice-President, Spicie Belle South, Z ; Grand Secretary, Mabel Siller, V ; Grand Treasurer, Florence Harper, A; Editor of Lyre, Edith Manchester, A. A change was made in the initiation ceremony by the order for robes to be worn at the service. The Seventh Convention arranged that two-thirds of the expenses of the Grand President and Grand Treasurer to the convention be paid by the Grand Treasurer. She was also ordered to pay off the debt of The Lyre. A forerunner of The Heraeum was introduced when the order was issued that "a private bulletin, discussing matters that cannot be published in The Lyre, be started by Alpha, circulating through all the chapters." Lyre legislation consisted of fixing the subscription price of the magazine at one dollar per year, and arranging that "there be a paid editor, the remuneration to be decided by the Convention." A complete register of all members was ordered to be kept by Alpha. J. F. Newman presented a diamond-shaped pledge pin for considera- tion, and it was accepted as the authorized style. Virginia Fiske Green Grand Vice President, 1902-1905 Gertrude H. Ogden Grand Treasurer, 1898-1899 Imo Baker Bent Grand Secretary, 1907-1908 Mayme Jennings Roberts Grand Vice President, 1894-1896 Editor The lyre, 1896 Spicie Bell South Grand Vice President, 1900-1902 154 History of Alpha Cai Omega Fraternity The officers and delegates of the seventh National Convention were: President, Raeburn Cowger, A (not present); Vice-President, Winifred Bartholomew, 9 (not present); Secretary, Elizabeth Eggleston, Z; Treasurer, Florence Harper, A (not present); Editor of Lyre, Mary Janet Wilson, A. Delegates — Alpha, Mary Wil- son ; Beta, KateCalkins ; Gamma, Mabel Dunn; Delta, AltaMoyer; Zeta, Spicie Belle South; Theta, Virginia Fiske; Iota, Clara Gere; Eta, not repiesented. The social features were: Wednesday evening — Concert of Cecilia Society at Symphony Hail, followed by supper in Zeta's hall. Thursday evening — Musicale in Sleeper Hall, followed by a reception and dance by the Sin- fonia Society. Friday evening — Banquet in Flokenxe E. H.arper, Delia the chapter hall. Grand Tre.iaurer, 1899-1002 Eighth Natio.nal Con \ ention Since Theta and Iota were of too recent establishment to be prepared for the entertainment of a convention. Gamma was privileged to act as hostess again, October 29-November 1, 1902, at Evanston, Illinois. Raeburn Cowger conducted the business sessions which were held in the' University Guild Rooms in Lunt Library. Mabel Harriet Siller was then Recording Secretary. The Grand Council, hereafter, was ordered to meet in the years alternating with convention as well as with that assembly. The office of Historian was an innovation to the Grand Council, and a subscription editor was added to The Lyre staff. Officers elected for the term from November, 1902, to January, 1905, were: Grand President, Kate Calkins, B; Grand Vice-President, Virginia Fiske, 6; Grand Secretary, Alta Moyer, A; Grand Treasurer, Laura Howe, Z; Grand Historian, Raeburn Cowger, A; Editor of The Lyre, Edith Manchester, A. Several momentous changes were made at the Eighth Conven- tion. In the minutes of these sessions a few important reports of Eighth National Convention 155 committees and officers were given in full. Thus the present wise method followed in The Heraum was antedated in Alpha Chi Omega. A list of examination questions for pledged members before initiation was made out and accepted. This list appears above in the account of the development of the examination system in the chapter on government. For the initiated active members there was to be an annual examination upon the constitution and vital matters of Alpha Chi Omega, the ques- tions to be sent by the Grand Council upon request of the chapters and the answers to be submitted to the Grand Council. Reports of the examination grades were to be published in The Lyre. The Grand Council should hereafter issue a certificate of membership signed by the President and Secretary and by the local President and Secretary, each member to pay for her own card. An annual report from each chapter was required upon a uniform blank provided by the Council. Yet the most significant step was taken when, in order to enable chapters to invite students without requiring them to carry a course in music, the important decision was made that Alpha Chi Omega should call herself a musical- literary fraternity, and that both musical and literary members be required to have full freshman standing before they should be eligible to membership. A move toward the systematizing of extension work was the appoint- ment of "a committee on new chapters," composed of Kate Stanford, A, Marcia Clark, G, and Mabel Dunn, V. In the future alumnae chapters as well as active chapters might be chartered and conducted under a definite organization. The finances of the National Treasury were now in a sufficiently pros- perous condition to warrant the decision to contribute a fixed sum annually toward the running expenses of The Lyre; and thus The Lyre became still more secure financially. A new edition of the songbook was ordered published. The first meeting of the Intersorority Convention had occurred five months before, but through a mistake Alpha Chi Omega had not been represented therein. The date of the second session of this progressive body was set for the following May (1903), and so Alpha Chi Omega now elected Miss Mabel Siller, r, as its delegate. Thanks were extended by convention vote to the University Guild, the Dean of Women, and the Dean of the Music School, for courtesies extended; to Kappa Alpha Theta and to Kappa Kappa Gamma for hospitality; and to Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta, and Delta Gamma for flowers sent to the convention. The officers and delegates were : Grand President — Raeburn Cowger ; Grand Vice-President — Spicie Belle South; Grand Secretary — Mabel u Ninth National Convention IS? Harriet Siller; Grand Treasurer — Florence Harper; Editor of Lyre — Edith Manchester. Delegates — Alpha, Kate Stanford, Grace Guller, Sara Neal; Beta, Nella Ramsdell; Gamma, Carrie Holbrook; Delta, Anna Ray, Florence Harper; Zeta, Edith Manchester; Theta, Marcia Clark; Iota, Imo Baker, Lillian Heath. The social features were: Wednesday afternoon — Receptions by Kappa Alpha Theta and by Kappa Kappa Gamma. Wednesday evening — Musicale in Music Hall, followed by a reception to meet faculty and students. Thursday evening — Dance at the Evanston Boat Club. Friday afternoon — Thomas Orchestra Concert at the Auditorium, Chicago. Friday evening — Hallowe'en supper at the home of Grace Richardson. Saturday afternoon — Reception by Gamma Phi Beta. Saturday evening — Banquet at the Auditonum Annex, Chicago. Ninth National Convention On November 2-4, 1904, Delta for the second time. The meet- ings of this Ninth Convention, held in Delta's Fraternity Hall, were conducted by Kate Calkins, Grand President. Another significant office in the Grand Council was created, that of Inspector. The chief duties of the incumbent were to visit each chapter once in two years, and to act as official dele- gate of Alpha Chi Omega in the Inter-sorority Conference. Ar- rangements were made for official delegates to represent the alum- nae chapters at conventions. The following officers were elected : Grand President, Kate Cal- kins, B; Grand Vice-President, Bertha Sackett, A; Grand Sec- retary, Virginia Fiske, 9; Grand Treasurer, Laura Howe, Z ; Editor of Lyre, Edith Manchester entertained the convention assembly Mabel Dunn Madson, Gamma Grand Historian, 1905 > a z 9. Tenth National Convention 159 Griffin, Z; Grand Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant, A; Grand Historian, Mabel Dunn Madson, T; Subscription Editor of Lyre, Mabel Gere, I. The convention appointed the Grand Council as a committee to revise the Bond, Constitution, and Ritual. It was decided that the Constitution should be public and the Ritual secret. As a precautionary measure, identification blanks were adopted for those who desired to procure badges. The motions carried that the fee for alumnae chapters and the expenses of delegates to convention be paid. Lyre legislation took place to the effect that "active chapters send in subscriptions to The Lyre from alumnae members amounting in number to one-fourth the alumnje of the chapter." Consideration of the subject of an account of Alpha Chi Omega in Baird's edition of American College Fraternities resulted in appointing a representative who should "be sent to interview Baird with regard to his manual." Delegates — Grand Council, Laura Howe; Alpha, Adah McCoy; Beta, Jessie Blanchard ; Gamma, Frances Meredith; Delta, Clara Lord; Zeta, Blanche Crafts; Theta, Florence Bobb; Iota, Ola Wyeth; Kappa, Edna Swenson. The social features were : Wednesday afternoon — Reception by President and Mrs. Crawford at their home. Wednesday evening- — Musicale at the College of Music. Thursday afternoon — Reception by Dr. and Mrs. Flood at their home. Thursday evening — Reception at the home of Miss Harper. Friday afternoon — Receptions by two sororities. Friday evening — Banquet at Saegertown Inn. Tenth National Convention Representing the nine active and two alumna; chapters, every delegate was present at the Tenth National Convention, November 1-3, 1906. Alpha, for the third time hostess, welcomed the visitors to her chapter house in Greencastle. The important work of selecting a Grand Council of willing workers resulted thus: Grand President, Alta Allen Loud, B; Grand Vice- President, Marcia Clark Howell, 0; Grand Secretary, Imo E. Baker, I; Grand Treasurer, Laura A. Howe, Z; Editor of Lyre, Elma Patton Wade, A; Grand Historian, Mabel H. Siller, T; Grand Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant, A. The work of revision of the Bond, Ritual, and Constitution, carried on by the Grand Council Committee, was accepted. In order that it should be necessary for the chapters with the liberal arts members in the ascend- > z o Eleventh' National Convention 161 ant to limit a part of their membership to students carrying some musical courses, the follow^ing article of the constitution was adopted : "Any person of good character having finished a course in a secondary school, who is taking a regular course in music; * * in fine arts or in liberal arts * * (not to exceed 33}i%) ; who is carrying * * twelve hours of work and has had the equivalent of regular freshman music work ; any person who is taking twelve hours work, three of which are in regular music courses; may be initiated into the Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity." The system of Grand Council expense was much improved. An Assistant Editor for The Lyre was appointed and it was ordered that "each chapter be fined one dollar a week for every week that her material for The Lyre is overdue." The convention adopted a uniform die for the badge and asked the Grand Council "to look into the matter of having a crest designed for the use of the fraternity." The report of the fifth Inter-sorority Conference was made by the Alpha Chi Omega delegate, the Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant, and will be noted in the section of this book devoted to the Panhellenic move- ment. Notes of appreciation were ordered sent to Dr. Hughes, Mr. Black, and other members of the faculty, and to fraternities for courtesies shown during the convention. The officers and delegates present were: Grand President, Kate Calkins ; Grand Secretary, Marcia Clark Howell (not present) ; Grand Treasurer, Laura Howe; Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant; Grand His- torian, Mabel Harriet Siller; Editor of Lyre, Elma Patton Wade. Delegates — Grand Council, Laura Howe; Alpha, Edna Walters, Maude Meserve; Beta, Lulu Babcock, Mildred Sherk; Gamma, Romaine Hardcastle; Delta, Olga Henry; Epsilon, Mrs. Louise Davis Van Cleve; Zeta, Winifred Byrd; Theta, Edith Steffner; Iota, Jessie Mann, Kate Busey; Kappa, Hazel Alford; Alpha Alpha, Myrta McKean Dennis; Beta Beta, Alta Roberts. The social features were: Wednesday evening — Concert at Meharry Hall. Thursday evening — Reception at the chapter house. Friday morning — Chapel Service. Friday noon — Luncheon at the College Inn. Friday afternoon — Musicale. Friday evening — Banquet at Florence Hall. Eleventh National Convention Certain legislative bodies stand out conspicuously because of unusual progressive measures adopted. The Eleventh National Con- 162 History of Alpha Chi Omixca Fraternity ventioii was (inc of those lor Alpha (Jhi Omega. The sessions, held in lota's chapter house in Champaign, Illinois, November 26-30, 1908, were presided over by Alta Alien Loud, Grand President, with con- scientious parliamentary observance so that much of importance was covered in a short time. There were present delegates from fourteen actiYC and three alumna; chapters. Among matters pertaining to government were the following dis- cussions and decisions: Past Grand Presidents were to be allowed a vote in Grand Chapter meeting; "whenever expulsion of a member fr(jm the fraternity is recommended by the chapter iinohed," the matter was t(j be left to the Grand Council for action; recommendations from the Chapter House Committee for the regulation of the life of chapter houses Helen Wright Grand Secrelarj-, 1908 Laura A. Howe Business Manager The Lyre. 1907-1909 Grand Treasurer. I90,j-I909 Mary Jones Tennant Inspector, 190.5-1910 were submitted to those chapters concerned. The election of officers was conducted for the first time by the successful method of a nominating committee and resulted as follows: Grand President, Alta Allen Loud, B; Grand Vice-President, Fay Barnaby Kent, A; Grand Secretary, Frank Busey Soule, I; Grand Treasurer, Myrta McKean Dennis, T ; Editor of Lyre, Florence Reed Haseltine, Z; Grand Historian, Mabel H. Siller, T ; Grand Inspector, Kate Calkins, B. Important improvements and additions in connection with the traditions, ceremonies, and constitution were numerous. Most note- worthy was the legislation in w^hich the percentage of possible liberal arts members not studying music nor having a musical education equiva- lent to qualify for freshman music courses was increased to fifty per cent. X u > z o u 164 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity This action recognized by legislation what most of the chapters them- selves had long recognized ; namely, that the strength of Alpha Chi Omega lay primarily and necessarily in the liberal arts departments of the colleges rather than in the fine arts departments. Thus, by constitutional action, was established the ascendancy of the liberal arts over the fine arts in numbers, an ascendancy which had from early days been evident in a majority of the chapters represented. It was "made a constitu- tional requirement for the Inspector to secure an official report on the individual scholarship of each chapter annually, by March 1, and that chapter scholarship reports be secured at least each semester." A system of graded fraternity examinations was suggested and adopted in the following order: preen trance, first, second and third year. Each chapter was ordered to keep a card index directory and rollbook. The Grand Historian received instructions to prepare an Alumnae Letter, the expense of the same to be met by a chapter tax. A new chapter office was created, an Alumnae Adviser, who should be elected by each chapter to look after its interests and to conduct the fraternity examinations. Con- vention credentials, report blanks, affiliation certificates, and a secret motto were adopted, and Custodians for the Badge and the Songbook were appointed. The holly tree was chosen as the fraternity tree. Colors were ordered to be worn on such occasions as the installation of a new chapter, initiation. Founders' Day, and the chapter anniversary. The entire railroad expense of the Grand Council to Grand Chapter and Grand Council meetings was ordered paid from the Grand Treasury. Lyre reports showed excellent financial and literary condition. It was made a constitutional requirement that any chapter failing to send a chapter letter to The Lyre be fined therefor ; and that each active chapter "send annually to Editor of The Lyre the plate for group chapter picture to go in The Lyre." The Editor of The Lyre was voted a salary, and was given the privilege of choosing her assistants. Instead of making each chapter responsible for twenty-five per cent of its alumnae Lyre subscrip- tions, the convention passed the requirement that each prospective member of Alpha Chi Omega pay upon initiation a five-year subscription in advance. Provision was made for the compiling of the first edition of a history of the fraternity. Thanks were voted to the official jewelers for gifts; to Dr. Moore and to the alumnae of Iota; to Kappa Kappa Gamma, Delta Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, Chi Omega, and other fraternities who had extended courtesies during the convention. The officers and delegates at the eleventh National Convention were : President, Alta Allen Loud, B; Secretary, Helen Wright, I; Treasurer, Laura Howe, Z; Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant, A; Historian, Mabel Harriet Siller, V\ Editor of Lyre, Florence Reed Haseltine, Z. Twelfth National Convention 165 Delegates — ^Alpha, Edna Walters, Mayme Guild; Beta, Florence Fall, Edna Newcomer; Gamma, Myrtle Jensen, Alice Watson; Delta, Louise Chase; Epsilon, Katherine Asher; Zeta, Evangeline Bridge; Theta, Irene Connell; Iota, Ruth Buffum; Kappa, Marguerite Bower; Lambda, Martha Lee; Mu, Ethel McFadon; Nu, Flora Goldsworthy; Xi, Lilah David; Omicron, Stella Morton, Grace Davenport; Alpha Alpha, Cor- delia Hanson, Kate Calkins; Beta Beta, Helen Dalrymple Francis; Gamma Gamma, Virginia Fiske Green; Delta Delta, not represented. The social features were: Wednesday evening — Informal gathering of Alpha Chis at chapter house. Thursday afternoon — ^Tea at home of Imo Baker. Thursday evening — Reception and dance at College Hall. Friday afternoon — Model initiation at chapter house. Friday evening — Musicale at Morrow Hall. Saturday afternoon — Tea at the home of Mrs. Kauffman. Saturday evening — Banquet at Beardsley Hotel. Twelfth National Convention The Twelfth Biennial Convention of Alpha Chi Omega was invited to meet with Theta Chapter at Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the year of 1910, but since faculty legislation did not allow conventions to assemble at any time during the college year, and as fraternities did not follow the custom of offering their houses in vacation, and no other places among the homes of the chapter were available, it was unanimously decided to hold a summer convention in Detroit. Accordingly, on the 29th of August, 1910, the Grand Chapter assembled at the Hotel Tuller in that city for a period of five days, Theta and Epsilon Epsilon acting as joint hostesses. ■ During that time the sessions were held in the assembly halls of the hotel, which remained throughout the convention the headquarters of the Grand Council, all delegates and many visitors. The success of this convention demonstrated the advisability of summer gatherings, and the matter of arranging for the Thirteenth Biennial Grand Chapter was therefore placed in the hands of an investigating committee within the Grand Council. Though not obliged to enact as important legislation as its predecessor, the Twelfth Grand Chapter, guided by Alta Allen Loud , Grand President, successfully dispatched its program of business and added many essential features to the general welfare of the fraternity. The most interesting, as well as important, matter of this convention was the unanimous adoption of the beautiful initiation ceremony, pre- sented by the Committee, Fay Barnaby Kent, Nella Ramsdell Fall, and Virginia Fiske Green, with the assistance of Theta and Beta Chapters. The fraternity was also made richer by the acquisition of Hera as patron X TwBLFTH National Convention 167 goddess, an official flag, and the revised open motto, "Together let us seek the heights," a new charter form, new membership certificates, identification blanks for the purchase of badges, an honor pin for past Grand Officers, and instructions and model pages for chapter officers' work. For the first time the Grand Chapter discussed the question of the establishment of a Scholarship Fund, to supplement the funds of the Alpha Chi Omega Studio, which was reported practically finished; the matter was placed in charge of a committee, as were many other move- ments of present and future interest. The subject of extension received its usual amount of interested attention. But one out of several petitioning groups was granted a charter, and this conditionally on a still further personal investigation by the Grand Council. To handle this large and important subject of extension properly, and to assist the Vice-President, a committee was appointed representing the various sections of the country. Another important feature of this Grand Chapter was the unanimous vote to grant limited legislative power to the National Panhellenic and the decision to go on record as favoring sophomore pledg- ing. Officers and delegates pres- ent were: President, Alta Allen Loud; Vice-President, Fay Bamaby Kent; Secre- tary, Frank Busey Soule; Treasurer, Myrta McKean Dennis; Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant; Historian, Mabel Harriet Siller; Editor of Lyre, Florence Reed Hasel- tine. Delegates — Alpha, Harriet Lessig; Beta, Susie New- comer; Gamma, Esther Se- mans; Delta, Wilhelmina Anderson, Ruth Dorworth; Epsilon, Anne Shepard; Zeta, Annie May Cook; Theta, Katherine Anderson ; Iota, Lucy Lewis; Kappa, Hazel Myrta M. Dennis (Mrs. R. B.), Gamma Peterson; Lambda, Mj'ra Jones; Mu, Myrtle Schimelfenig; Nu, Ethel Brown; Xi, Vema Hyder; Omicron, o ci C Z: O > Thirteenth National Convention 169 Beulah Kinzer; Pi, Fay Frisbie; Alpha Alpha, Mary Vose; Beta Beta, Elma Patton Wade; Gamma Gamma, Nella Ramsdell Fall; Epsilon Epsilon, Etta Mae Tinker; Delta Delta and Zeta Zeta not represented. The social features were : Monday, August 29 — Informal evening, Convention Hall. "Rush Party" and "Stunt Night" in charge of Theta Chapter. Tuesday, .August 30 — Boat ride to St. Clair Flats. Wednesday, August 31 — Automobile ride. Convention Musicale, Roof Garden, Hotel Tuller. Thursday, September 1 — Convention picture. Chapter reunions. Convention dance. Friday, September 2 — Convention banquet. Saturday, September 3 — Trip to Ann Arbor. Visit to University and Theta Chapter House. Automobile ride. Luncheon. Thirteenth N.\tional Convention The Thirteenth Biennial Grand Chapter was entertained by Kappa and Eta Eta Chapters at Madison, Wisconsin, "on the shores of fair Mendota," from June 26-28, 1912. The meetings were held in the beautiful new women's building, Lathrop Hall. The outstanding busi- ness was the presentation of the revision of the constitution and code which had been thoroughly made by the committee, Mrs. Fall and Mrs. Green. This revision was put on trial until next convention and ordered printed. With the further changes made by the Fourteenth Biennial, the constitution and code were thoroughly suited to the needs of the fraternity. Another step of great importance was the change in purpose of the Scholarship Fund to the Reserve Fund to meet any especial emer- gencies of the Grand Council or of active chapters. "A splendid spirit of cooperation was shown from the moment the report of the committee was presented." The recommendation was adopted, "and in almost as short a time as it takes to write of it, pledges to the extent of $315 were secured — additional pledges soon swelled the amount to S327." Those "who helped make the Fund a possibility" were: Alta Allen Loud, Florence Reed Haseltine, Laura A. Howe, Evangeline Bridge Stevenson, Fay Bamaby Kent, Florence A. Armstrong, Winifred Van Buskirk Mount, Lois Smith Crann, Nella Ramsdell Fall, Elma Patton Wade, Frank Busey Soule, Estelle McFarlane Dunkle, Lillian Goulston Mac Masters, Edna Walters, Birdean Motter Ely, Jennie Oechsli Haggart, Arminda Mowre, Edna Mowre, Jean K. Ripley, Lucile Schenck, Grace Morgan, Rachel Williams, and Margaret Letzter. The convention sur- plus of $334.99 was turned over to the Fund by the delegates, and the increase in the annual per capita tax made possible an appropriation of a c V. 2 X Thirteenth National Convention 171 part of it for the Reserve Fund. The Committee announced that they had set the amount of $5,000 as a goal to be reached before the next convention. The purpose of the fund was stated to be loans to chapters for building and other purposes. Mu Chapter pledged her share in the profits of a recital to be given by Maud Powell in Indianola. It was understood that a Scholarship Fund would be established later. Mrs. Loud was persuaded to retain the chairmanship of the Reserve Fund. In order to familiarize initiates more thoroughly with the vows which they had taken, it was decided to hold a post-entrance examination on the ritual and ceremonies within two weeks after initiation. Uniform house rules were adopted. Action which should link together more closely in effort the council and chapters was the establishment of a trophy to "be awarded yearly by the fraternity under council supervision to the active chapter showing the greatest excellence in all fraternal relations." Four new charters had been granted since 1910: Rho at the University of Washington; Sigma at the University of Iowa; Tau at Brenau College Gainesville, Ga. ; Eta Eta Alumnae Chapter at Madison, Wisconsin. The publication of the fraternity history, one of the first and best of the histories of women's fraternities, was reported and welcomed. The Con- vention extended "a vote of sincere thanks to Miss Siller and Miss Armstrong, in particular, and to their able assistants, Mrs. Loud, Mrs. Dennis, Mrs. Haseltine, and Miss Vose, in compiling the History of Alpha Chi Omega." Appreciation was also expressed to Kappa Kappa Gamma and to Alpha Xi Delta fraternities for gracious courtesies extended during the convention. Increase in the per capita tax was made, a part of this tax"to constitute a convention fund, a part to go into the Reserve Fund," and a part for current expenses of the national organization. A special dispensation was made to hold the next convention three years hence, in 1915, in order that a greater number of members might attend a Pacific Convention, and a longer time might elapse for preparations to finance a coast assem- bly. Both the Berkeley Alpha Chi Omegas and the Los Angeles members strongly urged the convention to accept their respective invitations. The retirement from the Council of four invaluable members made the work of the nominating committee a very responsible task. The in- auguration of the province system of government, and the carrying into effect of the revised Constitution, a work which calls for large fraternity experience and wise generalship caused the insistent call for Mrs. Loud to take up again the work of national president. It was a clear, irresist- ible call which would not consider the personal desires and preferences of Mrs. Loud, but sounded over and over the one word. Duty; the dele- gates of active and alumnae chapters joined in a unanimous written petition to Mrs. Loud to consider the request favorably. To the great 172 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity joy of the fraternity, Mrs. Loud responded to the need for her, and took up the work of National President of the fraternity for which she had already given whole-souled and epoch-making service in the office from 1906-1910. The election of officers resulted as follows: President, Alta Allen Loud; Vice-President, Winifred Van Buskirk Mount; Secretary, Birdean Motter Ely; Treasurer, Lillian Zimmerman; Editor, Florence A. Arm- strong; Inspector, Lois Smith Crann. Shortly after convention the resig- nation of Mrs. Mount was tendered as Vice-President, and Fay Barnaby Kent, the incumbent of the office since 1909, was prevailed upon, in spite of family illness, to perform the duties of that office for still another term. A hundred and eighteen members were registered at convention. The social pleasures included the convention banquet at which greetings were read from Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Pi Beta Phi, Delta Delta Delta, and Ida Shaw Martin; convention musicale; an automobile ride along Lake Monona; a launch ride on Lake Mendota; a play by Kappa Chapter; a convention dance; and a picnic and matinee dance at Esther Beach. The following officers and delegates were in attendance : President, Evangeline Bridge Stevenson; Vice-President, Nella Ramsdell Fall (for Mrs. Kent); Secretary, Helen A. Hardie; Treasurer, Winifred Van Buskirk Mount; Editor, Florence A. Armstrong; Inspector, Lois Smith Crann. Delegates— Alpha, Allene Nopper; Beta, Lucile Schenk; Gamma, Bess Wiley; Delta, Ruth Thomas; Epsilon, Clara Stephenson; Zeta Sara Helen Littlejohn; Theta, Helen E. Hilliker; Iota, Jean K. Ripley; Kappa, Ann Kieckhefer; Lambda, Bernice Taylor; Mu, Mary Shaw; Nu, Ernestine Faus; Xi, Flora Boyles; Omicron, Bertha Nusbaum; Pi, Ethel Beard; Rho, Jennie Rogers; Sigma, Margaret Kane; Tau, Emma Partlow ; Alpha Alpha, Hedwig Brenneman ; Beta Beta, Margaret Wynn ; Gamma Gamma, Nella Ramsdell Fall; Delta Delta, Olive Berryman; Epsilon Epsilon, Ora Woodworth; Zeta Zeta, Evangeline Bridge Steven- son; Eta Eta, Sarah Morgan. Fourteenth National Convention The Fourteenth Biennial National Convention convened at Hotel Virginia, Long Beach, California, June 28-July 2, 1915. The convention special train had enabled the delegates from east of California to become acquainted, and discuss many questions of fraternity interest both with the Council and with each other. Business sessions moved much more quickly in consequence. From every point of view, the convention was the greatest in the history of Alpha Chi Omega. The 'attendance was the largest, since about 240 members were present, 234 of whom we.-e Fourteenth National Convention 173 registered. The convention lasted five days, so that there was more time for the transaction of business. The work presented to the con- vention by committees in reports was more exhaustive than hitherto, and the ground covered quickly was thus very extensive. More petitions (19) were reported than at any previous convention. The first newspaper (the Daily Convention Transcript) was published, carrying the news of convention tliroughout the land. A larger number of national officers (more than one hundred) had been accomplishing results for the frater- nity than had been true at any former biennial. The delights of natural environment, needless to say, far surpassed those of other gatherings. It was felt deeply, by all that the spirit of loyalty, enterprise, and idealism manifested throughout the session, and the definite progressive measures continued or inaugurated by the con- vention meant greater usefulness and power for the immediate future of Alpha Chi Omega. The Herceum and The Lyre for November, 1915, and the Daily Convention Transcript record from various points of view the details of the remarkable convention. Announcements of the special train, including the convention qrogram, had been sent to all members of the fraternity so that the interest in the assembly was widespread. The outstanding business was the broadening of our extension policy to include as eligible all first-class universities and colleges ; a budget for national council expenses was adopted; the scholarship requirement for initiation was ordered to be adjusted in cases of great differ- ences in the marking systems in the different universities by a Na- tional Scholarship . Committee created for that purpose. The office of Alumnae Vice-President was created, and the work of the Exten- sion Vice-President was restricted to extension work; a sole official jeweler for badges was decided upon and J. F. Newman and Co. was appointed; it was ordered that none but initiated members of Alpha Chi Omega be allowed to wear articles bearing the coat-of-arms. Initiates were required to purchase a badge within a specified time after initiation, and also to purchase a history, a songbook, and a directory, together with a life subscription to The Lyre by annual installment. These require- ments of initiates will render it very unusual for members of Alpha Chi Omega to be or to become uninformed and uninterested in the fraternity. They will in time, it is believed, eliminate forever "out-of-touch" alumnae. As provided at the preceding biennial convention, a Scholarship Fund was instituted and contributed to generously. A slight profit to the fraternity on each badge purchased was made possible by the con- centration of the manufacture of badges. This annual profit was devoted to the Scholarship Fund and will guarantee a steady increase to it. Other sources of income will in a short time be turned into the same channel. Other standing committees of significance which were created were the a^^^^' <-'¥:. , CQ O z o J z" o p z u > z o u J <: z o a (- z o Fourteenth National Convention 175 National Vocational Committee to assist members of the fraternity; and a Traditions Committee "to enforce the traditions of the fraternity in individual chapters." A second edition of the Alpha Chi Omega History was authorized to be written "from a combined personal and statistical standpoint," to be published in the fall of 1916. Miss Armstrong, editor of The Lyre since 1910, was "asked to serve as author of the second edition of the History with full authority vested in her." The principal need of the fraternity, as reported by delegates and officers alike, was for wider alumnae organization. This need had been felt keenly since the passing of the first quarter century of fraternity life, during which period Of development the greatest thought and care had been devoted to the undergraduate members. But with the enormous increase of alumnae membership the call for a further alumnae organization was too persistent to be ignored. . The office of Alumnae Vice-President, who should form an alumnae association and foster alumnae organization, was created enthusiastically. The rapid growth of this department of Alpha Chi Omega through the last decade is related elsewhere in the present volume. The election of officers resulted as follows :' National President, Alta Allen Loud ; National First Vice-President, Lillian G. Zimmerman ; National Second Vice-President, Maude Staiger Steiner; National Secretary, Mary-Emma Griffith; National Treasurer, Myra H. Jones; Editor The Lyre, Florence A. Armstrong; National Inspector, Lois Smith Crann (succeeded shortly by Nella Ramsdell Fall). The reports from four chapters who had taken definite steps toward chapter house ownership were of particular interest, as well as of ten others who were making plans toward the same goal. The following sum- mary of the work of the years immediately preceding the Fourteenth Biennial was given as part of the address of the President at the opening of the Convention. "The fact that we have been able to add to our roll eight new chapters and thirteen clubs testifies to the steady, consistent growth of our frater- nity. The membership in our alumnae organizations has more than doubled and the unusually large number of petitions and informal re- quests for consideration which have reached the Executive Committee prove the value of the systematic, efficient extension investigation which has marked the last three years. An Extension Board authorized at our 1913 Council Meeting and composed of representatives from each state in the Union has been a powerful aid both to our expansion work and to an awakening of interest on the part of our alumnae women. A compara- tively new feature of alumnae work is found in a steadily increasing list of nonresident members. It may surprise some of you to hear that we now 176 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity have about one hundred women engaged in our national work. However we need many more workers and your president believes that the time is now at hand that the work of the Council can no longer be accom- plished by the few officers guiding its destinies but that we must find at once within our alumnae ranks a number of capable, devoted women who will enlist for national work. "The province government is still in its infancy but already it has justified itself. We have been unfortunate in having only two province presidents able to do the necessary traveling and inspection work of their office but all have done efficient desk work and have helped materially in bringing about a more careful oversight and loving understanding of our undergraduate members. It is the belief of your president, however, that in the future this province work should be given to young alumnae who will be able to inspect or assist in the extension work when needed. "Four appointments of interest have been made since the 1912 Convention; that of Miss Meta Kieckhefer as deputy to the treasurer, Mrs. Steiner as deputy to the national vice-president. Miss Kathryn Morgan as keeper of supplies, and Miss Ann Kieckhefer as keeper of archives. Each of these women has rendered valuable assistance and as a result of their labors we have today a creditable convention fund made possible by the collection of alumnae notes, a thorough extension investi- gation and recommendations for a definite expansion policy, a well- organized, workable system of official supplies, and the archives of the fraternity safely stored and catalogued. "The work of systematization has been well carried on as is shown in the adoption of a uniform filing system, the publication of rushing rules and outline of study, the revision of chapter officers' instructions, a revised, graded system of examinations, the revision and publication of a book of ceremonies and prescribed forms, the publication of alumnae by-laws, the adoption of a new seal, the adoption of uniform handbooks and the appointment of the George Banta Publishing Company as our official supplies firm. It has been the intention of the present Council to adopt thoroughly businesslike methods in the work of our national organization. "I always find difficulty in repressing my enthusiasm when speaking of our fraternity journal which, under the efficient management of our editor, has become a publication of which we are very proud and which fully represents the standards of our fraternity. Since Miss Armstrong will not mention these things in her report, I take pleasure in telling you that fraternity leaders constantly speak of The Lyre as one of the very best fraternity journals, while Mrs. Martin, editor of the Sorority Handbook, does not hesitate to pronounce it the very best journal pub- lished by a woman's fraternity. Fourteenth National Convention 177 "The Argolid has been inaugurated and four volumes have thus far appeared. This private journal has been helpful but its length and infrequent appearance have militated against an enthusiastic welcome on the part of our members. The recent purchase of a mimeograph will enable much more frequent publication of the Argolid and it is the hope of your president that it may be a monthly or even semi-monthly visitor next year. In this way it will be possible to keep our members informed as to the doings of the national workers and we believe that with such knowledge will come a greater interest and enthusiasm. "Two calendars have been published, by Kappa and Delta Chapters, respectively. A new songbook of which we are very proud and which we hope you will thoroughly test at this convention has been published and investigations regarding the feasibility of a new edition of our history have been made. "Financially — thanks to the splendid ability and untiring efforts of our treasurer — ^Alpha Chi Omega is in the best condition she has ever known. With possibly two exceptions, every chapter will report entire freedom from indebtedness, a goodly number have creditable beginnings on house funds, and two of our chapters are to tell us of actual accomplish- ments in the matter of house-ownership. "The Lyre business manager will tell you of a splendid Lyre Reserve Fund, and the National Reserve Fund Committee has a happy report to make. In the matter of material possessions Alpha Chi Omega has received a very low ranking; but while we have, indeed, been desirous of stressing the more vital things of fraternity, we are glad to report chapters and the national organization on a sound financial basis which will enable us to branch out and accomplish some of the broadening altruistic work which we have longed to do. "For the past three years the Council has worked incessantly for an intensive development of our members, and with this in view we have earnestly stressed three points: Scholarship, a loyal participation in college activities, and an earnest representation in the Christian life and work in the various institutions where we are represented. I am confi- dent that the ruling as to the required participation in college activities and our deferreci initiation with a definite scholarship requirement have furnished the necessary impetus to our younger girls and have brought us the kind of recognition we desire from student bodies and university authorities. The list of honor students for 1914-15 is most encouraging. It has been gratifying to learn of the growing interest i^ the Christian life of the school on the part of most of our chapters and I am sure you will rejoice with me when I tell you that during the three years just closed Alpha Chi Omega has had six Y. W. C. A. presidents and eighty-four members of Y. W. C. A. cabinets. 178 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity "The past three years ha^•L■ in the opinion of your president been the best in the history of the fraternity. Progress has marked every phase of the work. The work of my office could not have been continued without the splendid support of my co-workers and the loyal response of our thirty-three chapters." The social features of the convention were most delightful. They included a beach supper, chapter stunts, and a launch ride on the sea; the Mission Play at San Gabriel; an automobile tour through the en- virons of Los Angeles; the convention musicale followed by a reception; the convention pageant by Doris E. Mclntyre, at Bixby's Park; the chap- ter reunions; the convention dance; and the convention banquet. The officers and delegates present were as follows: President — Alta Allen Loud; Vice-President — Fay Bamaby Kent; Secretary — Birdean Motter Ely; Treasurer — Lillian Zimmerman; Editor — Florence A. Armstrong; Inspector — Lois Smith Crann. Delegates — Alpha, Margaret Robinson; Beta, Esther Barney, May Darrow ; Gamma, Ruth Neal, Florence Tyden ; Delta, Marguerite Beatty, Agnes Van Hoesen ; Epsilon, Ruth Eveland ; Zeta, Mildred Rutherford ; Theta, Adele Westbrook, Alice Blodgett ; Iota, Gretchen Gooch ; Kappa, Louise Hudson, Floy Humiston; Lambda, Pauline Griffith; Mu, Phyllis Phillips; Nu, Mary McGehee; Xi, Clara McMahon; Omicron, Hazel McClure; Pi, Doris Mclntyre, Coe McCabe; Rho, Arlie Anderson, Dora Fredson; Sigma, Pauline Peters; Tau, Lee Cheney; Upsilon, Martha Redmon; Phi, Leonora Jennings; Chi, Geraldine Newins. Special features of convention : Monday — Exemplification of the Ritual by Rho Chapter; beach supper, chapter stunts, and launch ride. Tuesday — Mission Play at San Gabriel. Wednesday — ^Automobile tour through environs of Los Angeles; convention musicale followed by informal reception. Thursday — Convention pageant written by Doris Mclntyre, Pi, and produced by Pi Chapter, Bixby's Park; chapter reunions; conven- tion dance. Friday — Convention banquet in Gothic dining-room of the Hotel Virginia. Fifteenth National Convention "Long Beach— 1915 ; Chicago— 1919. What a stretch in years as well as in distance ; four years in which the interest of every member has been at high note from the recent war. But now with the signing of the Armistice our activities regain their normal trend and hence — our long- deferred convention." The chapters who were to entertain the conven- tion in 1917 again planned out the details of a meeting of the national u c u z < pa z o z o U 180 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity chapters, Alpha, Gamma, Alpha Alpha, and Beta Beta — and true to Alpha Chi Omega form, gave us the best convention ever held. The business achievements of the 1919 Convention are given in full in the Heraum of November, 1919. One of the most gratifying points brought out by the reports of officers was the growth of the fraternity special funds and of the national treas- ury. The Reserve Fund passed the $10,000 mark, the Scholarship Fund, begun in 1915, totaled nearly $4,000, and The Lyre Reserve Fund showed an accumulation of about $7,000, the combined resources repre- sented by the three funds then exceeding $20,000. When it is recalled that in 1910 The Lyre had but $100 in its savings account and the other funds had not come into existence, the financial progress revealed by the figures just given is realized. A need of the fraternity which had been felt by national officers and chapters alike was met at this convention by the establishment of the central office of Secretary-Editor at a salary which would enable the incumbent to give her entire time to fraternity business. The rapidly increasing volume of correspondence that passes over the desks of national officers each year and the greater complexity in fraternity administration had made a trained executive, capable of bringing about centralization of responsibility, not only desirable but imperative. The Council especially felt that without such a full-time paid officer, the fraternity would be greatly hampered in its development. The creation of the office of Secretary-Editor, therefore, if properly carried out, may be con- sidered one of the important steps taken by the 1919 Convention. The office of Secretary- Editor combines the duties of National Secre- tary, Editor, and Business Manager of The Lyre, keeper of supplies, and such other duties as seem desirable from the standpoint of efficient administration. The Secretary-Editor was empowered to appoint a deputy from each of the provinces to aid her in her work. An important detail of chapter organization was perfected in the pamphlet on pledge organization prepared by Mrs. Fall and distributed during convention. This pamphlet gives a form to be followed in con- ducting meetings of pledges, and should be of much help to chapters in developing this vital phase of chapter life. The terms of the Scholarship Fund were made more liberal by lower- ing the interest rate from 5 to 3 per cent, and by giving girls who take advantage of the fund an option of two methods of payment: (1) In full within two years after leaving college, with interest at 3 per cent; (2) in monthly installments of $10 without interest, beginning three months after graduation and continuing until the entire debt is cancelled. It was also provided that when the fund has reached $10,000, one-half is to be set aside as an endowment fund, the interest only to be used, and the other half to be kept in circulation as at present. Fifteenth National Convention 181 Alpha Chi Omega strengthened her representation in the Panhellenic world by a provision authorizing the appointment of a long-term Na- tional Panhellenic Congress Delegate, thus separating the offices of National Inspector and N. P. C. Delegate. This provision will obviate the disadvantage of changing the N. P. C. Delegate whenever a new inspector is elected. As familiarity with National Panhellenic Congress procedure, which can be gained only by frequent attendance at its ses- sions, is an essential qualification of a competent delegate, the wisdom of this provision will be recognized. The National Inspector was author- ized to attend sessions of the Congress, in order that she might be better fitted to meet local Panhellenics during her visits. At the 1919 Convention the work and the place of the alumnae assumed new importance and significance. Miss Zimmerman's report showed that the alumnae, for the first time in the history of the fraternity, were well organized and that they had accomplished much in four years, both in war work and in service for the fraternity. That they were ready for further service was shown in the alumnae meeting at which all delegates expressed their desire for some form of national altruistic work to be adopted by the fraternity. This feeling crystallized during convention in the authorization of a committee to investigate possibilities for some form of national altruistic service to be undertaken by the alumnae, and to make a report in the fall. It was recognized that the plans of such a committee necessarily would have to be carefully laid, since the form of service to be adopted should fill a permanent not a temporary need of the country, and its appeal should be as compelling in the future as at the moment of adoption. In developing plans for this new work, however, the fraternity had no intention of abandoning the orphans from its two French districts. Through the vivid words of iVIrs. Graff, chairman of the French Orphan committee, the need of continuing our support of these orphans was shown to be as great now as during the war. The convention recognized the continued responsibility of the fraternity for the orphans it had supported during the past two years, by voting to continue and to increase largely its support during another two years, when the French govern- ment would doubtless be able to take over the responsibility. During this period, it was thought, the plans for the permanent service to be un- dertaken would be in a more or less formative stage, but after two years would have so developed that the entire altruistic effort of the fraternity could be concentrated in one permanent form of service. In recognition of the debt of gratitude which the fraternity owes to its members who responded to the call for overseas service, the con- vention voted to present to each overseas worker an appropriate gift, the selection of which was left in charge of a committee. A bronze 182 HisTOBY OF Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity tablet bearing the names of our many overseas workers will be placed in the archive room of the Alpha Memorial House. The convention very fittingly completed the gift made to the artists' colony at Peterboro, New Hampshire, by voting $1,000 for a permanent endowment of Star Studio, for the maintenance and upkeep of the studio. Elthea Snyder, Gamma, was chosen to occupy one of the studios at the Colony in the summer. Miss Snyder is the second member of our fraternity to be given this honor, Miss Armstrong having worked on the history in Star Studio in 1916. In the report on the history it was announced that the present edition would be exhausted within two years. The convention authorized the writing of a new edition, with Miss Armstrong as author, to be ready at the exhaustion of the present edition. A change in the requirements for new alumnae organizations was made by providing for twenty instead of twelve names on petitions for alumnae chapters, and ten instead of six names for alumnae clubs. Dues for alumnae clubs were placed on the per capita basis, fifty cents being due annually from clubs for each member, instead of $3.00, the uniform amount of dues from all clubs previously. Thus the national obligations of clubs are now proportioned according to their numbers and strength. An action of chief interest to active chapters was the appointment of two new firms as novelty jewelers, the Burr Patterson Company, which was authorized to make novelty jewelry; and L. G, Balfour Company, which was given the privilege of selling novelty jewelry and stationery. The J. F. Newman Company was retained as sole official jeweler for the badge and pledge pin for the following two years, with the understanding that the company fulfill certain definite conditions to be prescribed by a committee. A committee was appointed to select designs for uniform china for use in chapter houses, the use of such china to be optional. No movement projected by the convention aroused more discussion than the plan for the Alpha Memorial Home to be erected at Green- castle, Indiana, as a memorial to our founders. The house is to be built by Alpha Chapter for use as a chapter home, but in addition there are to be several features of interest to every member of the fraternity. In the basement of the house a fireproof room will be constructed for the storing of the fraternity archives. For this purpose the fraternity voted $500, or as much more as may be needed, to be paid in two yearly installments. The need of a permanent and safe home for the archives has been recog- nized for some time, and the convention felt that it was most fitting for Alpha, the mother chapter, to have them in custody. There is also to be an alumnae room or rooms in which any alumnae, without regard to chapter, will be made welcome. This room is to be Fifteenth National Convention 183 furnished by the members of Alpha Chi Omega as a gift to Mrs. Loud as an expression of affection and in appreciation of her remarkable service to the fraternity, and will be designated the Alta Allen Loud room. Keen regret was expressed by all visitors that so many members of the Council must be relieved of national service: Mrs. Loud, who had completed eleven years of service as National President; Miss Arm- strong, for nine years editor of The Lyre; Miss Zimmerman, who in her seven years on the Council had filled two positions, serving three years as National Treasurer, and four years as Alumnae Vice-President ; Mrs. Fall, who had given the fraternity four years of service as National Inspector; and Mrs. Steiner, who completed four years as Extension Vice President. The nominating committee presented the following slate for the com- ing term, which was adopted by the convention : National President, Elizabeth Dunn Prins, I ; Alumnae Vice-President Myra H. Jones, A ; Extension Vice-President, Myrna Van Zandt Bennett, $; Secretary-Editor, Mary-Emma Griffith, A; National Treasurer, Gretchen O. Starr, P; National Inspector, Gretchen L. Gooch, I. Of these newly elected officers, three had seen service on the National Council and were familiar with its methods and policies; and two had national experience as province presidents. A resume of the progress of the fraternity during the four years preceding the 1919 Convention is contained in the National President's report to the convention, excerpts of which are given below: Under the eiBcient direction of Mrs. Fall, the province system has been splendidly developed. Several changes in personnel of province presidents have been necessary, but it is a pleasure to report the presence at this convention of all five presidents, each of whom has rendered loyal and efficient service in her province. In the last four years nearly every chapter has been visited by the National Inspector and every group has had a visit from a national officer, while several have received the favor of a number of such visits. I feel that most of the gaps between our chapters and national officers have been bridged and that today there exists the best understanding and general relation between active girls and Council members that have been known in the history of the fraternity. Some changes in national workers have been made necessary and I am pleased to report the following appointments made since 1915: Miss Myra Jones, Deputy to National Editor; Miss Mary Lawson, Deputy to National Treasurer; Miss Beatrice Oakley, Official Examiner; Mrs. Elna Clifford Sweet, Equipment Officer; Miss Louise Chase and Miss Virginia Sanderson, Custodians of Badge; Mrs. Estelle MacFarlane Dunkle and Miss Jessie Cushman, Custodians of Song- book. Progress has marked every department of the fraternity in the last four years. Among the achievements that can be recorded are: The successful working out of sole official jeweler plan with a new system of order blanks and entire change of methods, which has meant reduced prices and better service for chapters and a goodly profit for the Scholarship Fund; equipment of province 184 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity presidents and alumnae advisers with uniform handbooks and instructions; formulating of instructions and outline of proceedings for both extension workers and installing officers; completing of all officers' equipment; revision of Rushing Rules, Constitution and Code, and Initiation Service; uniform chapter stationery; inauguration of budget system for chapter finances; successful working out of Lyre life subscription plan; dual membership with Mu Phi Epsilon; perfecting of pledge organization ceremony and instructions to be presented at this convention; new recognition pin; five new chapter houses and several chapters in possession of good-sized house funds; new edition of the Songbook; splendid new edition of our fraternity History, written at the Star Studio by our talented author and Editor, Miss Armstrong; successful inauguration of and splendid results from Scholarship Fund; fine growth of Lyre and general fraternity Re- serve Funds; financial condition best in history of fraternity; noteworthy patriotic service which has enabled us to own thousands of dollars worth of Liberty Bonds, render distinctive service by chapters and individual members to Red Cross, and take care annually of nearly 100 French orphans; and finally, definite establishment as one of the very best general women's fraternities, on the same basis as other general frater- nities, but enriched by our musical traditions and our love for the Fine Arts. The Lyre has maintained its high standard and the fraternity is fortunate indeed in having retained for a period of nine years our devoted, gifted Editor, Miss Armstrong, whose graduate work at Radcliffe and summer at the MacDowell Colony have brought her a much deserved recognition. The Argolid has formed a needed connecting link between chapters and Council, The Herceum has kept the fraternity membership in touch with work of the National Council, and the monthly letters between province presidents and their chapters have done much to break down barriers and establish a happy relation between chapters and national officers. Perhaps the most noteworthy achievement of the four years has been that of the alumnae organization and work. A surprisingly large number of alumnae clubs have been organized. Many alumnae have been brought into the chapters and clubs, in spite of war conditions, and with the better organization has come a quickening of interest that has been truly gratifying. There has been developed a card catalogue system for the entire fraternity and a Directory, arranged by chapters and geographically has been published. There has been a much appreciated response on the part of our alumnae and the devoted thanks of the fraternity are due our capable Alumnae Vice-President, Miss Zimmerman, and her committee, for strengthening one of the weaknesses so frankly admitted at our 1915 convention, that of alumnae organization and interest. The extension work under the able direction of Mrs. Steiner, assisted by the mem- bers of the Extension Board, has been efficiently conducted. That we have been able to add to our roll seven new chapters and 19 clubs testifies to the steady, consistent growth of Alpha Chi Omega. That the fraternity occupies an enviable place in the Greek-letter world is evidenced by the large number of informal petitions and requests for considera- tion. Extension investigations have been made at approximately 25-30 institutions and had we cared to abandon our policy of conservative extension a chapter roll twice as large as our present one would be possible today. Thanks to the careful management of our two Treasurers, the fraternity is in the best financial condition ever known. With one or two possible exceptions, delegates' reports will show entire freedom from indebtedness except in cases of those chapters which have borrowed money for house building or furnishing purposes. This convention will be entirely financed by the Convention Fund, leaving a splendid balance in the national treasury and invested in Liberty Bonds. Our three special funds, Scholarship, Reserve, and Lyre Reserve, total over $22,000. It is with justifiable pride that the Fifteenth National Convention 185 retiring officers conteriiplate turning over the work to their successors with the fraternity on so sound a financial basis. For the past four years the Council has continued to work for the intensive develop- ment of our members and we have earnestly stressed the following points: scholarship, devotion to the college and participation in its best activities, everyday development of the Hera Day spirit of unselfish, altruistic service, an intense spirit of patriotism arid devotion to our country's need, and an earnest representation in the Christian life and work in the various institutions where we are represented. The list of honor students is encouraging, deserved recognition in the way of college officers and honors has come to many of our girls, our members have given loyally of their time, strength, money, themselves, to patriotic service, and I know you will rejoice when I tell you that during the last four years Alpha Chi Omega has had 16 Y. W. C. A. presidents and 233 members of Y. W. C. A. cabinets. The past four years have, in the opinion of your President, been the best in the history of the fraternity. Every department of work has shown marked development. It has been a privilege to serve you during this important period in the world's history. We have worked under abnormal conditions, have found unusual trials and difficulties, but the spirit of Alpha Chi Omega has remained triumphant and success has crowned our efforts. The work of my office could not have been continued without the splendid support of my co-workers and the loyal response of our forty chapters. Intensive development, constructive growth, and external recognition have char- acterized the term just closing. We have builded wisely, have gone forward, but much remains to be accomplished, and we must work unceasingly if we are to keep Alpha Chi Omega in her rightful place among the leaders in the Greek-letter world. There is im- portant work to be accomplished at this convention and I appeal to you, 1919 Conven- tion delegates and visitors, to do your full part in the way of loyal cooperation and loving service as we continue in our journey toward the Heights. The hostess chapters have provided a most attractive social program which we wish you to enjoy to the utmost. We want this to be a joyful convention. We have not had this inspiration of a national meeting for four years and must make up in full measure for the loss. May I urge you at this first session to remember that you are not among strangers, but with your sisters in the Bond? May chapter interests be submerged in the larger interests of the national organization. May there be no East, no West, no North, no South — just Alpha Chi Omega. We want you to learn to know each other well, to seek out the girls from other chapters, and to avoid everything that might savor of localism, so that when the week is over you may return to your homes, enriched by new experiences, fresh information', happy memories of typical Alpha Chi Omega good times, true friendships which will enrich your lives, and an inspiration which shall be lasting. Let us play hard in our good times and work hard during business sessions. Need I remind you, officers, delegates, visitors, that we are convened for a serious purpose and that we shall fail in that purpose unless we work together loyally in the solving of problems that confront us, and if we do not pass such legislation as will make for a greater, better sisterhood? There is important constructive work to be done at this convention. We expect you to be prompt and loyal in your attendance at every business session. I ask of each official delegate, preparation, promptness, a brief, clear expression of honest opinions and convictions, open-mindedness, faithfulness in the discharge of every duty, and a happy, loyal acquiescence in the will of the majority. The Fifteenth National Convention enrolled the greatest number of visitors in the history of the fraternity. The registration Wednesday morning showed 383 members from different active and alumnse groups. 186 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity The national officers and delegates present were: National President, Alta Allen Loud; First Vice President, Lillian G. Zimmerman; Second Vice President, Maude Staiger Steiner; Secretary, Mary-Emma Griffith; Treasurer, Gretchen L. Gooch; Inspector, Mrs. Frank A. Fall; Editor, Florence A. Armstrong; Business Manager Lyre, Nell E. Harris; Atlantic Province President, Gladys Livingston Graff; Eastern Province Presi- dent, El Fleda Coleman Jackson ; Central Province President, Erna Gold- schmidt; Western Province President, Myrna Van Zandt Bennett; Pacific Province President, Gretchen O. Starr. Delegates — Alpha, Mary Mutschler; Beta, Caria Kennedy, Gertrude Pratt; Gamma, Vera Corneliussen; Delta, Anna Nelson, Ruth Lermann; Epsilon, Jeanette Green; Zeta, Caroline Rice, Naomi Bevard; Theta, Jean Butcher; Iota, Caroline Manspeaker, Elizabeth Bailey; Kappa, Lucile Nutter; Lambda, Olga Johnson; Mu, Mary Bingaman; Nu, Helen Sloane; Xi, Fae Breese; Omicron, Elizabeth James; Pi, Vera Chatfield, Miriam Marks; Rho, Frances Martin; Sigma, Gladys James; Tau, Lois Holt; Upsilon, Mildred Wiley; Phi, JuneCaffrey; Chi, Irene Brye; Psi, Frances Miller, Amy Remmers; Omega, Ada St. Peter; Alpha Beta, Ramoth Huff, Greta Lowman; Alpha Gamma, Gladys Hayden, Pearl Hayerford; Alpha Delta, Mary Ann Reis; Alpha Epsilon, Helen Bailey; Alpha Alpha, Martha Bennett; Beta Beta, Faye Silver; Gamma Gamma, Ruth E. Hutchins; Delta Delta, Marion Moses; Epsilon Epsilon, Vera Fox; Zeta Zeta, Blanche Brocklebank; Eta Eta, Mary Sayle; Theta Theta, Rue R. Clifford; Iota Iota, Mrs. Lloyd T. Coder; Kappa Kappa, Mary Bardwell; Mu Mu, Agnes Hertzler. Special features of convention : Tuesday — M usicale . Wednesday — Chapter reunions ; convention dance. Thursday — Evanston Day — automobile trip to Evanston; dinner at Evanston Woman's Club; Gamma pageant. Friday — Stunt night. Saturday — Matinee; banquet. Eastern Province Convention The Eastern Province Convention, the first convention to be held by any province of Alpha Chi Omega, was entertained by Beta Beta at the Claypool Hotel, Indianapolis, Indiana, February 26 and 27, 192L At the business session of the convention which was held Saturday morning February 26 talks were given on the following topics: Our contempo- raries, Francis Marks; Fraternity examinations, Eva Sutton; Chaperon and house rules, Minnie M. Kimball; Organized state rushing, Daisy Wedding. The morning session ended with round table discussions by active and alumnee members. For these discussions members were Atlantic Province Convention 187 divided into actiAe and alumnae groups. The convention went on record as favoring, for trial, an organized system of rushing for the province, the details to be worked out by a committee. The national altruistic work was also endorsed and the convention voted to support it as a province. The proposed Alpha Chi Omega European tour was dis- cussed. The total number of guests and delegates at the Eastern Province Convention was 143. The national officers and delegates present were: Eastern Province President, Helen Woods Bamum; Deputy Province Secretary, Bess Sanders. Delegates — ^Alpha, Mary Louise Stork ; Beta, Beatrice Austin ; Theta, Bernice Rowe; Alpha Beta, Pauline Lewis; Alpha Delta, Hildred Brazel- ton ; Alpha Eta, Clara Johnson ; Ann Arbor Alumnae Club, Maude Kleyn ; Alliance Alumnae Club, Marjorie James; Greensburg Alumnae Club, Margaret Robinson Wyant; Greencastle Alumnae Club, Ella Mahanna; Monticello Alumnae Club, Raeburn Cowger Obenchain. Three founders were present, Olive Burnett Clark, Anna Allen Smith and Estelle Leon- ard. The social features of the convention were luncheon and dance, which were combined with the annual state luncheon and dance given by Beta Beta; informal reception. On Sunday the visitors and delegates went to Greencastle, Indiana, as the guests of Alpha Chapter. Atlantic Province Convention The Atlantic Province Convention, the second of the fraternity's series of province conventions, met at Wallace Lodge, overlooking the "lordly Hudson," Yonkers, New York, April 8 and 9, 192L Gamma Gamma Chapter of New York was the hostess of the convention. The national officers and delegates present were: National Officers — Presi- dent, Gladys L. Graff; Inspector, Gretchen G. Troster ; Secretary- Editor, Mary-Emma Griffith ; Panhellenic Adviser, Nella R. Fall ; Atlantic Pro- vince President, Beatrice H. Brown. Delegates — Delta, Marjorie Abbott; Zeta, Marian Dyer and Marian Hare; Eta, Hulda Heim; Lambda, Kathryn Olmsted; Tau, Sena Bost- wick; Alpha Epsilon, Margaret Frankeberger ; Zeta Zeta, Estelle M. Dun- kle; Gamma Gamma, lone Wright Baldwin; Philadelphia Alumnae Club, Helen Bailey. Visitors — Delta, 3; Zeta, 4; Lambda, 2; Tau, 1; Alpha Epsilon, 5; Eta, 1; Gamma Gamma, 5; Eta Eta, 1. The following points were discussed at the business sessions: Expla- nation of scholarships for children; discussion of ways of interesting alumnae; Alpha Chi Omega European tour; discussion of means of helping active chapters; Panhellenic discussion; round-table discussion 188 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity on general fraternity information, scholarship and activities, rushing parties — ways of rushing, how to talk fraternity, methods of sending bids, pledge problems. The social program included a theater party to New York to see Frank Bacon in Lightnin', a trip around Greenwich Village, a tea at Furnald Hall, Columbia University, as the guests of Gamma Gamma, and a banquet at Wallace Lodge. Pacific Province Convention On June 24 and 25, 1921, was held the first Pacific Province Conven- tion in the Library Hall, Portland, Oregon. The convention was pre- sided over by the Pacific Province president. Hazel L. Sherrick, and the National Treasurer, Gretchen M. Starr. A musical and luncheon at the home of Beulah Buckley Withrow, Xi, was followed by an after- noon business session and picnic at the home of Katherine Honey, Rho. Saturday was devoted to business sessions, with chapter gatherings and reunions being held at the lunch hour. The final gathering was at the Tyrolean room of Hotel Benson, where more than one hundred members attended the joint convention banquet and the installation banquet of Alpha Kappa Chapter, on June 25. The Pacific Province welcomed in Alpha Kappa Chapter the sixth member of the province. Central Province Convention On June 21 and 22, 1921, occurred the first province convention of the Central province, at the Edgewater Beach Hotel, Chicago. The convention was planned by Martha Bennett, president of the province, assisted by Florence Tyden, deputy secretary for the province. No information regarding the work of this convention is available, as the History goes to press. CHAPTER Xn NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETINGS As was stated in the chapter on "Government," the National Council was created as the governing body of the fraternity in 1898. This body meets annually, assembling as a part of the biennial Grand Chapter and holding, also, separate conferences in the alternating years. The following is an outline of the various Council meetings, with places, dates, officers present, principal business transacted, and social features. First Grand Council Meeting The First Grand Council meeting, which was the beginning of steady development in Alpha Chi Omega, was held in Albion, Michigan, August 25—28, 1903. The principal matters under deliberation during the sessions at the home of Kate Calkins, were the revision of the constitution and ritual; Alpha Chi Omega's representation in, and attitude towards, the Intersorority Conference; improvements in The Lyre; alumnae chapters ; extension ; and the surrendering of the Eta charter. The following officers were in attendance : President, Kate Calkins; Secretary, Edith Roddy (for Alta Moyer) ; Treasurer, Laura Howe; Historian, Raeburn Cowger; Editor of Lyre, Edith Manchester; Assistant Editor, Mary Ferine; Intersorority Con- ference Delegate, Mabel Harriet Siller. The social features were an informal gathering at the home of Kate Calkins, a dinner at the Beta Lodge, and a trolley ride with dinner at Battle Creek. Second Grand Council Meeting The Second Grand Council meeting was an informal one immediately preceding the Meadville Convention, November 1, 1904. The principal matters discussed pertained to constitutional and ritualistic rulings, and to the business of the Convention. The following officers were present: President, Kate Calkins; Secre- tary, Bertha Sackett; Treasurer, Laura Howe. The social features were those of the 1904 convention. Third Grand Council Meeting The Grand Council met for a second time in Albion, Michigan, Sep- tember 11-13, 1905, with Beta Chapter acting as hostess. At this time the Council considered such matters as a card index system for the directory of members; the reestablishment of Epsilon Chapter; charters 190 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity for alumnae chapters, and the Intersorority Conference. It was here that Elma Patton Wade was appointed to succeed Edith Manchester Griffin as Editor of The Lyre. The following officers attended : President, Kate Calkins; Secretary, Marcia Clark; Treasurer, Laura Howe; Historian, Mabel Harriet Siller ; Inspector, (also Intersorority Delegate), Mary Jones Tennant. The social features were a progressive checker party at the home of Lina Baum; a dinner at the Beta Lodge; and a trolley ride to Battle Creek with dinner at Post Tavern. Fourth Grand Council Meeting The Fourth Grand Council meeting assembled in G-eencastle, Indiana, October 31, 1906, immediately preceding the convention. The minutes of these meetings, which were held at the home of Anna Allen Smith, record important decisions concerning forms of petitions for charters, many financial matters, constitutional changes, and charter forms, as well as many minor matters, aside from the usual routine work. The officers in attendance were : President, Kate Calkins; Vice-President and Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant; Secretary, Marcia Clcirk Howell; Treasurer, Laura Howe; Editor of Lyre, Elma Patton Wade; Assistant Editor, Jennie McHatton. The social features were those of the 1906 convention. Fifth Grand Council Meeting From October 31 to November 2, 1907, the Fifth Grand Council met at Indianapolis, Indiana, Beta Beta Chapter extending cordial hospital- ity. The sessions were held at the home of Lena Scott Wilde, and were the means of much good to the fraternity, as it was owing to the action of this Council that petition forms and scholarship reports were adopted ; the requirement was made that each active chapter should elect an alumna adviser; that the charter was granted to Xi Chapter; that the publication of a fraternity directory was authorized; that the project of selecting a coat-of-arms was undertaken under the chairmanship of Alta Allen Loud, and that the appointment was made of Florence Reed Haseltine as Editor of The Lyre. The officers attending the Council meeting were : President, Alta Allen Loud; Vice-President, Marcia Clark Howell; Secretary, Imo Baker; Treasurer, Laura Howe; Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant; Historian, Mabel Harriet Siller; Editor of Lyre, Elma Patton Wade (retiring), Florence Reed Haseltine (incoming); Assistant Editor, Jennie McHatton (retiring). Seventh Grand Council Meeting 191 The social features were a Hallowe'en party at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Thompson, a theater party and a reception at the home of Helen Dalrymple Francis, to the fraternity women of Indianapolis. Sixth Grand Council Meeting The Sixth Grand Council meeting was held in Champaign, Illinois, November 24-25, 1908, following the usual custom of such a conference preceding the convention. At the sessions, which took place in lota's chapter house, the entire Grand Chapter program was carefully con- sidered and special attention was paid to finances, a system of graded examinations, plans for the publication of a history of the fraternity, better equipment for the work of the Grand Officers, afifiliation blanks, the report of the flag committee, and of the recent publication of the Directory. The officers attending the meeting were : President, Alta Allen Loud ; Secretary, Helen Wright ; Treasurer, Laura Howe; Historian, Mabel Har- riet Siller; Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant; Editor of Lyre, Florence Reed Hazel tine. The social features were those enjoyed by the whole convention. Seventh Grand Council Meeting The Seventh Grand Council assembled in Evanston, Illinois, October 27-29, 1909, with Gamma and Alpha Alpha Chapters as hostesses. Among the many matters that came before the sessions, which were held at the home of Mabel Harriet Siller, were the finished report on the coat-of-arms ; the chapter, membership, and visiting report forms; the Alpha Chi Omega Studio ; the authorization of model books for chapters ; the appointment of Mary Ferine as official Examiner, Ruth Buffum as Chief Alumna, Mary Vose as Custodian of the Songbook, and Myrta McKean Dennis as Business Manager of The Lyre; the authorization of a salary for the Editor of The Lyre; and the decision reached for Alpha Chi Omega to adopt second semester or sophomore pledging if all the other fraternities would be bound by the same agreement. The following officers were present: President, Alta Allen Loud; Vice President, Fay Barnaby Kent ; Secretary, Frank Busey Soule ; Treasurer, Myrta McKean Dennis; Historian, Mabel Harriet Siller; Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant; Editor oiLyre, Florence Reed Haseltine. The social features were an informal gathering after Gamma Chapter meeting in their chapter hall ; a reception to the members of the faculty and the fraternities in University Guildrooms; and a Hallowe'en luncheon at the home of Mabel Jones, followed by informal musical program and automobile ride. 192 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Eighth Grand Council Meeting The Eighth Grand Council meeting was held August 29, 1910, at Hotel Tuller, Detroit, Michigan, immediately preceding the Twelfth National Convention. Aside from the planning for the business of the Grand Chapter and the usual routine of committee reports, which embraced the adoption of the official flag, of Hera as Patron Goddess, of the new forms for the charter and membership certificates, petitions from local fraternities, the matter of sophomore pledging, and a higher scholarship standard received serious consideration. All the officers were present, as follows: President, Alta Allen Loud; Vice-President, Fay Barnaby Kent; Secretary, Frank Busey Soule; Treasurer, Myrta McKean Dennis; Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant; Editor of Lyre, Florence Reed Haseltine; Historian, Mabel Harriet Siller. In addition to the social features which were enjoyed by the entire convention, on August 28, a luncheon was given by Winifred Van Buskirk Mount for the members of the Grand Council. Ninth Grand Council Meeting The Grand Council went into session at the home of Mrs. H. M. Kent, 508 W. 122nd St., New York City, June 27, 1911, and adjourned July 1. All the officers were present as follows: President, Evangeline R. Bridge; Vice President, Fay Barnaby Kent; Secretary, Helen McQueen Hardie; Treasurer, Winifred Van Buskirk Mount; Editor, Florence A. Armstrong; Inspector, Myrta McKean Dennis; Historian, Grace Ham- mond Holmes. At this meeting the Honor Pin, the head of Hera in gold, was conferred upon Mrs. Loud, Mrs. Haseltine, Mrs. Tennant, Mrs. Soule, and Miss Siller, in recognition of past service as grand officers. To Newman was granted exclusive power to manufacture this pin. Effort was made to protect the Alpha Chi Omega copyright of the coat-of-arms, and to prevent the prohibited display of the lyre bird as an Alpha Chi Omega symbol for stationery or for decorative purposes. The President, Editor, Secretary, and Historian were empowered to publish a secret journal, the need for which had long been felt. The alumnae letter, it was ordered, should be incorporated therein. Various recommendations of great importance, such as the adoption of a system of province presidents, were made to the committee on organiza- tion, and incorporated into the revised Constitution presented at the National Convention of the following year. The policy of entertaining convention by chapter groups was recommended to convention. Eleventh Grand Council Meeting 193 Complimentary copies of the forthcoming History oj Alpha Chi Omega were ordered to be presented by the fraternity to the university libraries of institutions where there are chapters of Alpha Chi Omega. The Alpha Chi Omega Studio at the Macdowell Colony for artists was reported as nearing completion. The furnishing of the studio was dis- cussed. An important feature of the session was the planning for a Coast Convention at the time of the Panama-Pacific Exposition. A pleasant social feature was a tea at which Gamma Gamma Chapter entertained the Council at the home of Miss Northcroft. Tenth Grand Council Meeting Just preceding the National Convention, the Grand Council held its session at the Kappa Chapter House, Madison, Wisconsin, June 22-25, 1912. The ofificers were all present except the Vice President, Mrs. Kent; President, Evangeline Bridge Stevenson ; Acting Vice President, Nella Ramsdell Fall; Treasurer, Winifred Van Buskirk Mount; Secretary, Helen McQueen Hardie; Editor, Florence A. Armstrong; Inspector, Lois Smith Crann. It was decided that the HercBum be published each year and sent to Lyre subscribers, to contain Council and Convention minutes and the inspector's reports, that the alumnae letter be sent out every two years (a few months before convention), and that these be financed by the grand treasury. The committee on chapter by-laws was ordered to turn its attention to uniform house rules, and the report of the committee on model accounts was recommended to convention for adoption. Upon request, dispensa- tions were granted to various chapters permitting them to reduce their percentage of musical membership because of their need, in university centers, for a more flexible basis of membership. Much time was spent upon the discussion of the new constitution to be presented to the convention. One of the external changes involved in the new constitution was in the nomenclature of officers, henceforth to be known as "National" officers, instead of "Grand" officers, as formerly. Eleventh Grand Council Meeting Preceding the installation of Upsilon Chapter at James Millikin University, the Council helds its sessions at 976 West Wood St., Decatur, Illinois, May 14-17, 1913. With the exception of Mrs. Kent all the Council officers were present : 194 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity President, Alta Allen Loud; Secretary, Birdean M. Ely; Treasurer, Lillian G. Zimmerman; Editor, Florence A. Armstrong; Inspector, Lois Smith Crann. At this meeting the Council authorized the publication of a second private organ for the presentation of such other additional private mat- ters as are not provided for by The HercBum, the frequency and financing of the publication to be left to the discretion of a committee consisting of the editor, treasurer and president. Other publications authorized were a Handbook oj Rushing Rules to be compiled by the Province Presidents with Mrs. Roberts as chairman; a new Alpha Chi Omega Calendar, the proceeds of which should go to the Reserve Fund ; a book containing the ceremonies and prescribed forms ; and Miss Armstrong was appointed to compose an Alpha Chi Omega symphony for publication. The chapters were requested to subscribe annually to Banta's Greek Exchange. Important steps were taken toward the further systematization of the ever increasing volume of the business of the fraternity. Mrs. Crann was appointed "to decide on a uniform system of filing"; a committee was ordered to formulate a uniform system of report blanks ; Miss Zimmerman was authorized to revise and distribute chapter officer's instructions; uniform handbooks for the use of Council members were ordered ; and a standing committee of one was authorized "to have charge of all the official supplies of the fraternity." Stenographic help for Council members, particularly the Inspector, was authorized. In order to uphold the standard of the fraternity for high scholarship, it was required "that the initiation of sophomores and freshmen be deferred until scholarship records, ranking 80 or above, be made for preceding semester." And to insure broadmindedness and college loyalty among the members, it was required that each active member "take part in at least two different lines of college activities." Responding to the need of many local chapters in their work of acquiring ownership of chapter houses, the Council decided that a chapter house committee from the Council should serve as an advisory committee with the local committees from the chapters, and formulate plans for financing the building of the houses desired. The Council desired very much to further the interest and activity of the alumnae. The formation of alumnae clubs was, therefore, recom- mended in small cities or college towns. Such clubs were to consist of not less than six members, and to be organized after an informal petition has been accepted by the Executive Committee of the fraternity. A deputy to the National Treasurer was appointed to assist her with the matter of alumnae notes. Twelfth National Council Meeting 195 A communication from the Delta Upsilon Fraternity was read request- ing representation from Alpha Chi Omega at an interfratemity conference at Chicago, May 30, for the discussion of anti-fraternity legislation. Mrs. Loud and Mrs. Crann were chosen as Alpha Chi Omega representatives. Incidental to the Council meetings and the installation of Upsilon, numerous courtesies were extended, during the stay of the council, from faculty members, from fraternities, and from resident and neighboring members of Alpha Chi Omega. One of the greatest of the pleasures of the week was a day spent with Iota Chapter and her alumnae in Champaign. Twelfth Grand Council Meeting The Council meeting of 1914 was held following the National Pan- hellenic Congress at the McAlpin Hotel, New York City. All Council members were present : President, Alta Allen Loud; Vice-President, Fay Barnaby Kent; Secretary, Birdean Motter Ely; Treasurer, Lillian G. Zimmerman; Editor, Florence A. Armstrong; Inspector, Lois Smith Crann. The Council, at this session, accepted, with regret, the resignation of Alice Watson Dixon, President of the Eastern and Southern Provinces. Mrs. Hatswell-Bowman was appointed as her successor. The Council Trophy, which had been won by Omicron Chapter in 1913, was awarded to Alpha Chapter. Appreciation and commendation were expressed of the work of Mu and Zeta Chapters, which ranked high in general fraternity relations. It was recommended to convention that a second edition of the Alpha Chi Omega History be published. A committee to compile and present preliminary information to the 1915 Convention was appointed, to consist of Miss Armstrong, Mrs. Ely, Mrs. Nafis. The balance accruing from the sale of the first edition was ordered kept separate as a History Fund. Chapters were informed "that the present edition of the History is so nearly exhausted that the initiates will be excused from the History requirement, and that at the time of publication of a second edition each active member not owning a copy of the earlier edition will be required to purchase a copy." Various committees on publications reported on their work. Among these reports was one on the Official Symphony recommending that the present Symphony, by Celia E. McClure, A, be adopted as official. This recommendation was accepted. The Calendar Committee reported that the calendar was taken care of by Kappa Chapter for 1913, and by Delta Chapter for 1914, funds to be used for the Reserve Fund. A new seal, designed by Mrs. Ely, was adopted as the Official Seal of the fraternity. 196 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity The matter of chapter house building was discussed thoroughly, and the recommendation made to the Reserve Fund Committee "that when a chapter petitioning for a loan has raised one thousand dollars or more toward a building fund, an equal amount shall be loaned to them from the Reserve Fund." Regulations for loans, and for the compilation of instructions for house building were passed. After the results of exhaustive investigation had been reported, the Council voted to accept the invitation of Epsilon and Delta Delta to hold convention the last week in June, 1915, at the Hotel Virginia, Long Beach, California, because of the greater adaptability of this city. The appointment of a joint committee on arrangements was ordered from Epsilon and Delta Delta Chapters, a local manager to be selected from this committee. The Chair appointed the following convention committees: Conven- vention Publicity Committee, Miss Armstrong, Mrs. Kent; Advertising Committee, Mrs. Ely, Miss Armstrong; Finance Committee, Miss Zimmerman, Mrs. Loud; Special Convention Train Committee, Miss Zimmerman, Mrs. Loud; Convention Program Committee, Mrs. Crann, Mrs. Loud. The Council was delightfully entertained at dinner by Gamma Gamma Chapter at the Peg Wofifington Coffee House, and enjoyed their hospitality also at an opera given by the Century Opera Company. This chapter had represented Alpha Chi Orpega most efficiently and acceptably as hostess of the National Panhellenic Congress at its sessions throughout the preceding days. Thirteenth National Council Meeting The formal Council sessions of the Thirteenth National Council meet- ing were held on June 28, 1915, at Hotel Virginia, Long Beach, California. On the special train en route to California, numerous informal sessions of the Council were held, and a great amount of discussion pending action was finished. Problems of various chapters were carefully discussed, with reference, when desirable, to the delegate of the chapter concerned, who was on board the special train. Numberless conferences were held with delegates and alumnae, and between them, so that the business, both of the National Council and of National Convention, was facilitated greatly. The roll call at the Council session on June 28 showed full attendance : President, Alta Allen Loud; Vice President, Fay Barnaby Kent, Secre- tary, Birdean Motter Ely; Treasurer, Lillian G. Zimmerman; Editor, Florence A. Armstrong; Inspector, Lois Smith Crann. The action of the Council, after the hearing of officers' reports, con- sisted of recommendations to the convention to follow : A budget system for Council expense; a life subscription for initiates; the appointment of Fifteenth National Council Meeting 197 J. F. Newman as sole official jeweler of the fraternity; the purchase of a badge at initiation ; the adoption of a uniform die for badge to be made in gold set with three pearls, three diamonds or any desired combinations of these stones beside the three required jewels. The Council adjourned to meet with the National Convention the next day. Fourteenth National Council Meeting The National Council met at the Lambda Chapter House, Syracuse, New York, June 20-26, 1916. All members were present as follows: President, Alta Allen Loud; First Vice President, Lillian G. Zimmerman; Second Vice President, Maude Staiger Steiner; Secretary, Mary-Emma Griffith; Treasurer, Myra H. Jones; Editor, Florence A. Armstrong; Inspector, Nella Ramsdell Fall. At this session the resignation of Frances Kirkwood, Eastern Province President, was accepted with regret, and Mrs. W. C. Jackson was asked to serve in the office for the unexpired term. After the consideration of the reports of chapters, Alpha Chapter was awarded the Council Trophy. It was decided that in the future two or more nominations for alumnae advisers should be sent to the National Inspector for appointment. A formal petition from Alpha Theta Sigma, an eight-year old local at the Washington State College was granted. Other petitions were considered but not granted. A National Scholarship Committee and a National Vocational Committee were added to the list of Standing Committees. Fifteenth National Council Meeting The fifteenth National Council meeting was held at the Edgewater Beach Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, November 5—8, 1917, immediately follow- ing the N. P. C. Convention. All members of the Council were present, as follows: President, Alta Allen Loud; First Vice President, Lillian G. Zimmerman, Second Vice President, Maude Staiger Steiner; Secretary, Mary-Emma Griffith, Treasurer, Myra H. Jones; Editor, Florence A. Armstrong; Inspector, Nella Ramsdell Fall. The resignation of June Hamilton Rhodes as Central Province President was accepted and Myma Van Zandt Bennett was appointed to fill the vacancy. Gretchen O'Donnell Starr was appointed as Pacific Province President. The customary review of active chapter reports was made, and chap- ters were commended for strong points, criticisms to be embodied in a letter to each chapter. General suggestions for the guidance of all chap- ters were published in the Argolid for the information of active and alum- nae chapters. The Council trophy for general all-round excellence was 198 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity awarded to Tau Chapter. Pi and Iota chapters ranked second and third respectively, and honorable mention was given to Beta, Zeta, Mu and Phi. The award of the Epsilon Epsilon scholarship cup for the greatest improvement in scholarship for 1915-1916 was made to Lambda Chapter, and of the Lyre cup to Theta Chapter. A Social Customs Committee with Mrs. Fall as chairman, was ap- pointed to formulate suggestions regarding the social life of chapters. The alumns work of the fraternity was discussed and it was decided that the alumnae committee prepare a system of application blanks to be sent to seniors to encourage them to join alumnae organizations after graduation. An honor roll was instituted to contain the names of all alumnae who have held or shall hold membership in an alumnae organiza- tion for five consecutive years. It was voted to recommend that the alumnae groups concentrate on the scholarship loan fund, war relief work, and extension. The report of the Extension Vice President showed that fourteen informal petitions had been received. No petitions were granted at this Council meeting. It was voted that a blank on extension possibilities and information be compiled for every institution on the approved list and copies be sent to each Council member. Various reports on the publications of the fraternity were given. The chairman of the committee on organization and laws reported that the new edition of the constitution and code had been issued and copies distributed and Miss Armstrong, the author, reported that the history had been written, 2,100 copies printed, and 730 distributed. The chairman on the recognition pin reported that the pin had been designed and was being manufactured. Because of war time conditions it was voted that the alumnae adviser of each chapter make a survey of the chapter in order to determine which girls were not intending to graduate, with the reasons for leaving college, and make a full report to the National Inspector. A committee was appointed to make plans for war relief work, to be submitted to the Council by December 1. Convention plans were discussed, and in view of the probable length of the war and the need of maintaining chapter organization and welfare, it was decided that a convention be held at the end of the 1917-1918 college year. OtherCouncil action taken at this time provided that a pledged member who fails to attain the required scholarship grade for two semesters be dropped; the required affiliation by chapters of all transfers who have been in the institution in which they are registered one semester and have attained the scholarship grade required in that institution for initiation. Sixteenth National Council Meeting 199 A pleasant feature of the 1916 Council meeting was the tea given by Gamma and Alpha Alpha Chapters at the home of Zella Marshall to the members of the National Council. The various women's fraternities, and members of the faculty at Northwestern University were invited. Sixteenth National Council Meeting The National Council convened at the Congress Hotel, Chicago, III., from June 28-30, 1919, immediately preceding the Fifteenth National Convention. All members were present, as follows: President, Alta Allen Loud, First Vice President, Lillian G. Zimmerman; Second Vice President, Maude Staiger Steiner; Secretary, Mary-Emma Griffith; Treasurer, Gretchen L. Gooch; Editor, Florence A. Armstrong; Inspector, Nella R. Fall. In addition to the Council members, the following province presidents, though having no voting privilege, were present at some of the sessions of the National Council: Gladys Livingston Graff, Atlantic Province; El Fleda Coleman Jackson (outgoing) and Helen W. Barnum (incoming), Eastern Province; Erna Goldschmidt, Central Province; Myrna Van Zandt Bennett, Western Province; Gretchen O'Donnell Starr, Pacific Province. Officers' reports were given and business in connection with the con- vention were discussed. Among the recommendations made to the convention the following are the most significant: The elimination of the clause in the Constitution providing for honor- ary members ; the provision for endowment funds from the scholarship fund, and new terms on which loans may be granted to applicants; dual membership with Mu Phi Epsilon, except at New England Conservatory; a change in the requirements regarding affiliation, making it compulsory for each chapter to invite to membership all transfers from other colleges who have fulfilled certain specified requirements; the establishment of a central office with a paid Secretary- Editor in charge; that initiation privi- leges be refused to any chapter during the last six weeks of college except by special dispensation granted by the Province President; that the entire amount of the life subscription to the Lyre be included in the initiation fee ; the requirement of twenty charter members for new alumnae chap- ters and of ten members for new alumnae clubs; the adoption of a per- manent national altruistic work for the fraternity. The Council trophy cup was awarded to Iota Chapter, Tau and Pi Chapters receiving honorable mention. Eight chapters were considered in making the final award. The Council adjourned on June 30 to meet with the National Con- vention the following day. 200 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Seventeenth National Council Meeting The National Council met at the home of Gretchen Gooch Troster in Yonkers, N. Y., September 24-28, 1920. The officers present were: President, Gladys Livingston Graff; First Vice President, Myra H. Jones; Second Vice President, Myrna Van Zandt Bennett; Inspector, Gretchen Gooch Troster; Secretary-Editor, Mary-Emma Griffith. Gretchen O'Donnell Starr, Treasurer, was unable to be present because of the distance from her home in Seattle, Washington. The active chapters and their problems were thoroughly discussed and a general letter to chapters embodying the recommendations of the Council was authorized. The National Inspector was given authority to write each chapter regarding its particular points of strength and weak- ness. In order to bring about closer relations between active chapters and alumnse groups it was decided that whenever possible the official visitor to active chapters visit neighboring alumnaj chapters or clubs. The problem of the scattered alumnae in the fraternity was discussed in the report of the Alumnas Vice President. On the recommendation of the Alumnae Vice President dues of non-resident members of alumnae chapters and clubs are given to the national altruistic work. Because of N. P. C. difficulties that had arisen chapters were in- structed to take up immediately with the national Panhellenic delegate all matters which involve an interpretation of N. P. C. rulings. The Council approved a new system whereby each initiated member was given a number immediately after signing her name in the Bond Book which will be used in ordering all supplies for her, including the History the Songhook, the Directory, and Lyre life subscription. After much discussion decision was reached to postpone convention from 1921 to 1922 because of the increased railroad fares, and to recom- mend to provinces the holding of province conventions in 1921 to take the place of the deferred national convention. Plans for an Alpha Chi Omega European tour were discussed and approved. The question of affiliation fees was discussed and it was decided to present the matter to the next convention for decision. The Council trophy for general excellence was awarded to Zeta chapter with honorable mention to Chi and Tau chapters. The Lyre cup was awarded to Gamma chapter, with honorable mention to Phi and Tau. k- ,, On Sunday afternoon, September 29, the Council was delightfully entertained by Nella Ramsdell Fall at her home in Colonial Heights, N. Y. Members of Gamma Gamma Chapter and other friends were invited. CHAPTER XIII INSIGNIA AND HERALDRY Nothing in fraternity symbolism holds more permanent memories of fraternity ideals and vows than their outward emblem, the badge. Into its selection, its component parts, its entire whole, have been breathed the hope, the love, and the loftiest aspirations of which young hearts are capable, and which, because grounded in noble essence, exert an influence that can outlive life. The beautiful badge of Alpha Chi Omega is a Greek lyre of gold, having three twisted strings spanned diagonally by a raised and slightly rounded scroll of black enamel bearing the Greek letters A X fi in gold. The badge may be jeweled or may be of plain or chased gold except that, since the ruling of the 1897 Convention, it must contain the three required jewels, one at each upper, outer corner and one in the center just below the strings, at the head of the triangular base of the lyre. The 1910 Grand Chapter restricted the choice of jewels to pearls or diamonds or a combination of both. This lyre may be accompanied by an attached pin in the form of a Greek letter to signify the chapter. The badge may be worn only by initiated members of the fraternity, to all of whom the "mysteries of the lyre" have a deep significance. The original badge of Alpha Chi Omega is in its integral parts identical with the one now constituting the official die. The differences are that in the first badge the size is larger than in the present pins; the choice of jewels conformed to the taste of the owner; the strings are plain, not twisted; the scroll is flat and of gold, bearing the three Greek letters in black, just the reverse of the present scroll. In the interest of future uniformity and of a closer kinship of pins, the 1906 Grand Chapter ordered an official die for the badge, and, further to safeguard its exact design and individuality, provided for the use of identification certificates which must now accompany all orders. The badge is made only by the official jewelers who receive the certificates through the Custodian of the Badge, since 1919 the Secretary Editor. As the custom of pledging Greek novitiates with ribbons has survived even to the present time, it is evident that a pledge pin was not considered necessary in the early fraternity days. The small bow of scarlet and olive green served then, as it does now in some institutions, to proclaim its wearers "followers of the Queen," but in 1893 the less conspicuous and more dignified system of pledging with a pin was instituted, at which Eaklv and Contemporary Badges Insignia and Heraldry 203 time the design selected consisted of a gold stick pin in the shape of a lyre bearing a white enamel chapter letter. As this design was not entirely satisfactory, the 1900 Grand Chapter adopted the pledge pin now in use — a small diamond shaped pin half of scarlet and half of olive enamel, bear- ing in the center an inlaid golden lyre. This pledge pin may be worn by any pledged member of the fraternity. The custom of using pins instead of ribbons is constantly gaining favor among the fraternities and is, in some institutions, a Panhellenic requirement. The Honor Pin was adopted by the 1910 Grand Chapter to be awarded as a token of appreciation by Alpha Chi Omega to her retiring National Council officers who have faithfully served one full term of office. Wini- fred Van Buskirk Mount and Fay Barnaby Kent (with whom the idea originated) , as a committee, selected the design which they felt the most significant mark of honor, a tiny head of the Patron Goddess, Hera. This is a very fine production in solid gold of one of the old sculptures and is perfect in detail. On the back of the pin is engraved the name of the recipient, her special office on the Council, and the dates of its fulfilment. The plate illustrates the official pins of Alpha Chi Omega, showing the various stages in the transition of the badge from 1885 to 1921. In the upper row are the pins used at the present time, the first being jewelled wholly with diamonds, the second with crown set pearls. With these are attachments serving as guards, a jewelled chapter letter, and the coat of arms. The next row illustrates badges made in 1911 from the official die, exemplifying the sizes used and the forms of settings — the first of chased gold with diamonds as the three required stones, the second of unusually small size set with pearls, the third with crown set pearls and three diamonds. The row in the center of the plate is composed of a pin with crown set opals, used about 1899; the diamond badge presented to Maud Powell by Alpha, and the badge of a mem- ber of Beta Chapter purchased about 1888. The last four pins represent the recognition pin, the honor pin, the pledge pin, and the chapter guard stick pin worn by Maud Powell. To Alta Allen Loud (Grand President), Mary Jones Tennant (In- spector), Florence Reed Haseltine (Editor of The Lyre), Frank Busey Soule (Grand Secretary), and Mabel Harriet Siller (Grand Historian), the first Honor Pins were awarded with a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude for the energy they had given to fraternity work. They have since been presented to Myrta McKean Dennis (Grand Inspector), Winifred Van Buskirk Mount (Grand Treasurer), Helen M. Hardie (Grand Secretary), Lois Smith Crann (National Inspector), Birdean Motter Ely (National Secretary), and Fay Barnaby Kent (National Vice President), Lillian G. Zimmerman (National Treasurer, National Vice President), Maude Staiger Steiner (National Vice President), Mary- Some Alpha Chi Omega Jewelry {By Courtesy of Bat/our) Insignia and Heraldry 205 Emma Griffith (National Secretary), Myra H. Jones (National Treasure^ National Vice President), Florence A. Armstrong (National Editor), Nella Ramsdell Fall (National Inspector), and at the 1919 Convention to the Founders. Hereafter they will wear the head of Hera beside the lyre as a symbol of their unselfish devotion to Alpha Chi Omega and as a token of the love, regard, and appreciation of the sisters to these, her highly honored members. May the wearers of the Honor Pin always meet with special recognition and hearty welcome! The coat-of-arms of Alpha Chi Omega, which was adopted by the 1908 Grand Chapter, attests to the careful work of the committee ap- pointed at the 1907 Grand Council Meeting, under the chairmanship of Alta Allen Loud, then Grand President. The following exposition of the coat-of-arms was given by Mrs. Loud in The Lyre, for January, 1910. Heraldry, in the restricted sense in which it interests us, may be defined as the art of blazoning or describing in proper terms armorial bearings. A coat-of-arms is com- posed of charges depicted on an escutcheon representing the old knightly shield. Particular symbols have in all ages been assumed by the various families of man- kind civilized and uncivilized. All good heraldry is symbolic. In the heraldry of a fraternity there are used only those symbols which express its ideals and which have a deep significance for its members. The rules for blazoning, or describing in the technical language of heraldry, a coat- of-arms, are remarkable for their precision, brevity, and completeness. The first thing to be mentioned is the colors or, as tl|fy are heraldically called, the tinctures of the field. Tinctures are either of metal, color strictly so called, or fur. The colors are denoted by lines — i.e., heraldically speaking, gules, by perpendicular 'Hnes; green, or vert, by diagonal lines. Next, the character of the partition lines when parted — i.e., chief, the upper part of shield, separated from the rest by a line; a fess, or horizontal band in the middle of the shield. Next follow the charges — everjrthing contained on the field of an escutcheon being Ccdled a charge — their names, number, [xjsjtion, and color are given. Besides the heraldic devices depicted on the shield, there are the appendages, including whatever is borne external to the shield, such as the crest, and a scroll bearing a motto. These mottoes were originally the war-cries of the bearers. Heraldry, though arbitrary, is very exact, and the rules of blazoning are observed on all occasions with the most rigid precision. Repetitions are avoided and as few words as possible used. On the following page is the Blazon of the official coat-of-arms, pre- sented by the committee, and approved and adopted by the fraternity. For the benefit of those to whom heraldic description and technicalities are a foreign tongue, the following translation of Alpha Chi Omega heraldry is given : The shield proper is red (gules — perpendicular lines) and divided by a fess or bar of olive (vert). At the top of the shield field ("of the first" meaning red) is an open book in gold<{or) , and at base point is a garb or sheaf of wheat in same color fastened with a knot. The fess or bar has on it three white (argent) stars (mullets). The crest of lyre bird is in its natural color (ppr). Below is the scroll, containing the Greek wordi of our revised open motto, 'LxxntovSaaaiitv to. avirrara — "Together, let us seek the Heights." The shield is square and is divided into three parts, the number three being significant in our fraternity. 206 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity z o H iS u s u U u o Blazon of Alpha Chi Omega Arms Gules — a fess vert — Of the first in middle chief an Open Book Or — in middle base a Sheaf of Wheat corded of the same. Of the second — three mullets — argent. A Lyric Bird — ppr. As described in Greek letters. Your committee has striveil to give you a coat-of-arms absolutely correct from an heraldic standpoint, marked by the simplicity and dignity for which our fraternity stands, and bearing those symbols known and honored by every wearer of the lyre. Shall we not then buckle on our armor, and like the knights of old, go forth to battle for Alpha Chi Omega, keeping her fair name untarnished, her standards high? The colors of the fraternity selected at the time of the founding were scarlet and bronze green, but owing to the difficulty encountered in obtaining the correct shade of bronze green, the olive green was sub- stituted during the first year of the fraternity. Olive Burnett Clark writes of the selection of the colors as follows : "I suppose you have heard how we happened to decide upon our colors. We found them in the maple leaf, the October maple, beautiful with the tints of autumn, the scarlet and the bronze green — we found them the day after our first meeting, under a maple tree in the east college campus just opposite the girls' dormitory, where we girls were standing debating the many phases of the new fraternity — little dreaming, however, of the place the future would hold for us." Insignia and Heraldry 207 In a conversation at the time of the 1910 Convention in Detroit, Estelle Leonard gave an interesting account of the formal selecting of the colors (October 19, 1885). She had been appointed to bring samples of various colors to the meeting, and after trying many combinations, the scarlet and bronze green were adopted. Doubtless this selection was the result of the conversation mentioned in the above paragraph. As the choice of a flower for a secret organization involves many con- siderations, it is a matter of deep satisfaction in Alpha Chi Omega that the founders incorporated into the insignia of the fraternity, so beautiful, so significant and so adaptable a flower as the scarlet carnation, and with wise forethought, added as its accompaniment, the graceful smilax, with its message of hope. They not only typify the colors of the fraternity, and at all times of the year lend themselves with cheery brightness to the joys and festivities, and even to the more solemn occasions of the fraternity ; but their symbolism reaches far deeper, in the ritual, and in the hearts of the members of Alpha Chi Omega. Alpha Chi Omega should never lack inspiration to reach the "Heights," from the legend of the scarlet carnation and smilax alone. The holly tree, also eloquent of the scarlet and olive, as well as of many beautiful thoughts, was adopted by the 1908 Grand Chapter as the fraternity tree. The symbolism of this tree is well expressed in two poems written respectively by Florence Fall, B, published in The Lyre for January, 1909, and by Lucy Loane, A, published in The Lyre, for January, 1911. Ever since Alpha Chi Omega enthusiasm was born in 1885 it has con- tinued to express itself in tangible forms by the acquisition of many fra- ternity emblems, none of which have held a more prominent place in college rooms and in fraternity halls than the various Alpha Chi Omega flags. These flags have usually been expressions of personal taste in the adaptation of the colors, the Greek letters — A X Q, — and the lyre. As the fraternity developed in uniformity, it was thought best to have an official flag, which would be individual, significant, and which would at the same time, conform to heraldic principles. Hence in 1908, a commit- tee, consisting of Fay Bamaby Kent and Mabel Harriet Siller, was ap- pointed to select such a flag. This committee studied the matter thought- fully and carefully, submitting to the Grand Council many drawings, both professional and amateur, with the result that a design drawn by Mabel H. Siller was selected and adopted by the 1910 Grand Chapter as the official flag of Alpha Chi Omega. The flag is a rectangle of olive green with a scarlet chevron extending from the center of the top to the two lower corners and bearing three olive stars with white tracing, while below the chevron on the olive field is the 208 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity lyre-bird charge in scarlet. The flag is made to be suspended from a horizontal bar. Although the earlier members of the fraternity no doubt had ample means of expressing their enthusiasm without a uniform cheer, the National Convention of 1894, realizing that fraternity ardor could best be vented by means of a universally adopted cheer, accordingly selected the following ones: Ah! Ah! Ah! Alpha Chi! Hio! Hio! Alpha Chi Omega! As a test of this cheer showed the difficulty of vocalizing the first line with sufficient vim, the 1896 Convention revised it, presenting the one which is now in use and which for fifteen years has continued to raise echoes in every section of the country, in answer to Alpha Chi enthusiasm. Hi! Hi! Hi! Alpha Chi! Chio! Chio! Alpha Chi Omega! The omnipresent musical spirit in Alpha Chi Omega also demanded a share in this happy means of expression for fraternity enthusiasm; consequently the same Convention (1896) adopted a musical cheer which has continued to grow in favor with the years until it has become a popular feature of Alpha Chi gatherings. tfc i^^\ ,-:]<) ^ a A-L-p-H-A- c-H-i Al-pha-Ctii O-me-^a. The national whistle of the fraternity was first recorded officially May 24, 1887, when a motion was passed that it should be inserted in the constitution. This whistle which has summoned Alpha Chis for the past thirty-four years and to which one never fails to respond , is as follows : CAUL ANSWER w When Alpha Chi Omega was founded the significance of the name selected was considered the secret motto. The matter of a separate motto was discussed at several conventions, but nothing was definitely deter- mined until 1908, when the Grand Chapter adopted a distinctively secret motto, suggested by Florence Reed Haseltine, thus preserving forever the "Alpha Chi Omega," as the larger meaning of the name alone. Insignia and Heraldry 209 At a meeting held May 24, 1887, Alpha Chapter selected the open motto, "Ye daughters of Music, come up higher," presented by Mary Jones (Mrs. Tennant). It became advisable later to consider an open motto which would be equally representative of the various elements composing the fraternity membership. As the open motto had become very dear within the fraternity, it was considered best to retain its thought as far as possible. After much consideration, the matter was satisfactorily adjusted by the adoption in 1909 of the motto, "Together let us seek the Heights," suggested by Alta Allen Loud. Seal of Alpha Chi Omega It is the work of years to establish traditions, to gain a proper perspec- tive of events and values. The early members of any organization are too much occupied with construction to linger in admiration of what lies close at hand. Rather it is given to those who succeed to the heritage of their labors to pause in contemplation of their achievements and rever- ently to do homage to the love, skill, and uncounted time which so generously have been given. Hence such customs as the celebration of Founders' Day and chapter anniversaries, and the more quiet courtesy of anniversary letters from the National Council to the Founders and to Dean Howe, grow in importance and significance with each passing year. Founders' Day is celebrated throughout the fraternity by chapter letters to the Founders, by alumnae reunions, programs, and reminiscences, and often by informal social affairs planned in honor of the day; chapter anniversaries are celebrated by special ceremonies and festivities of individual chapter choice, often including the exchanging of college pennants, chapter pictures, and letters among the active chapters. The colors of the fraternity may be 6^ = 5 u s^ I a t ;? = "•- -5 a a _. =3 C 23-g.l |_amS O c^'^ O If 1 o 6 o Insignia and Heraldry 211 worn by the active members on both Founders' Day and on chapter anniversaries, as well as on the days of the installation of new chapters. Other customs of recent years are the awarding by The Lyre annually of a prize for the best undergraduate article in the 'EkXhcto. department of The Lyre; the annual presentation of The Lyre Loving Cup to that chapter which ranks highest in its Lyre relations, the decision resting upon literary excellence of contributions, and upon promptness and businesslike methods, the name of the winning chapter and the year being engraved upon the cup ; the presentation of a loving cup by the National Council to the chapter entertaining Grand Chapter, the cup to be retained until the following convention ; and the presentation of a trophy cup by the fraternity to that chapter which ranks highest in fraternal relations. In 1909, Iota Chapter inaugurated the custom, which has since been followed by some chapters, of awarding a loving cup at the annual chap- ter reunion, to the freshman having the highest scholarship for that year. This cup also rotates from year to year, each time having engraved upon it the name of the honored freshman. Several of the chapters have the custom of holding annual reunions, usually at commencement time, when every effort is made to secure a large attendance. At these times banquets and other social affairs add to the natural pleasure of meeting with old friends amid the familiar college scenes. Aside from the beautiful and impressive initifition service the fra- ternity has appropriate ceremonies including pledging, installation of officers, opening and closing of chapter meetings, anniversary, vale- dictory, memorial, and affiliation ceremonies. CHAPTER XIV THE LYRE Alpha Chi Omega first formally considered the matter of a fraternity publication when there were but four chapters. At the first convention in Greencastle (1891) a motion was carried that "the fraternity publication be put in the hands of Beta Chapter, the name of it to be decided during the year and the publication to be introduced when Epsilon and Zeta Chapters shall have been established." As these chapters were not installed until four years later, the records contain no further mention of a journal until 1894. The minutes of the convention of that year record the passing of a motion authorizing Alpha to undertake the publication of the journal, and specifying that all items should be sent to Alpha in April of that year, by which motion it must be inferred that the ruling of the 1891 Convention, authorizing a publication when the chapters Epsilon and Zeta should be established, was set aside. Alpha at once transferred the responsibility of general management of the journal to one of her members, Mayme Jennings, as editor, assisted by Adeline Rowley and Zella Marshall. In June, 1894, Volume I, Number I of The Lyre made its appearance, the name being selected as that of the most significant emblem of Alpha Chi Omega. In this number the editor writes, "Since there were no e.xplicit direc- tions given at the convention, I have followed what I felt to be the unex- pressed wishes of all — that is, that The Lyre should be convenient and simple, though not elegant in form." But one number was published that year; it contains historical sketches of the chapters, chapter letters, personals, an account of the 1894 Convention, and programs of Alpha Chi Omega musicales. The forty pages of that number are of the same dimensions as in the present journal (six by nine inches) ; the cover design in pale blue is very simple. As there were at this time but four chapters, having an average existence of only five years, with a correspondingly small membership, and as there was no obligatory financial support provided for the journal, it is not strange that the next issue of The Lyre bears the date of March, 1897, and that it is Volume II, Number I. This number was published under the management of Alpha Chapter, with Mary Janet Wilson as editor-in-chief, thus fulfilling the ruling made at the 1896 Convention, which provided for the publication of the journal by the mother chapter. This number of The Lyre followed the same general plan of composition as Covers of The Lyre 214 History of Alpha Chi OmiiGA Fraternity the first issue, differing only in having an olive instead of a blue cover, and in containing several articles of general musical and fraternity interest by various contributors, and more advertisements. In this year (1897) it was decided to publish The Lyre quarter- ly, and it is a matter for sincere gratification that in spite of a crude and insufficient financial system, the deep loyalty and self- sacrificing efforts of the early editors carried every number of The Lyre through to pub- lication, with the exception of two issues, numbers 3 and 4 of Volume VIII. Mary Janet Wilson continued her suc- cessful work as editor until 1900, when with deep regret the 1900 Convention was obliged to accept her resignation, realizing that no greater example of the tireless sacrificing work necessary to successful fraternity achievements, had come within its experience. Motions were passed at once requiring better chapter support for the journal, and Edith Manchester, Z, was elected editor. A sum was appropriated from the Grand Treasury for the publication of the journal, the surplus to be retained* by the editor as remuneration. With this provision and with the increasing circulation made possible by the growth of the fraternity, the editor and her assistant, Mary Ferine, B, Mary Janet Wilson, Alpha General President. 1896-1898 Editor The Lyre, 1897-1900 Edith Manchester, Zela Editor The Lyre, 1906-1906 Elma Patton Wade, Alpha Editor The Lyre, 1906-1907 The Lyre 215 appointed in 1902, were able to furnish the fraternity with a magazine constantly improving in its many phases. More articles were added to the contents, an exchange department was instituted, the quality of paper and composition was improved, and a general spirit of enthusiasm and loyalty pervaded the journal. There were still serious, continuous, and often discouraging difficulties to be overcome, and the spirit which for five years held this staff to its task is but another instance of the inspiring devotion which enables the few to work willingly for the many. The Grand Council Meeting of 1905 regretfully accepted the resigna- tion of Edith Manchester Griffin and Mar}' Ferine, and elected to their respective positions Elma Patton Wade and Jennie McHatton, both of Alpha Chapter. After a persistent circulation campaign had been con- ducted, the system of bookkeeping reorganized, and more advertising secured, this staff was able at its termination of service in 1907 to transfer the publication to another management in a better condition than it had yet attained. Only two years of service could be given to the frater- nity by Mrs. Wade and Miss McHatton, but it was a two years crowded with unceasing labor and growing efficiency for The Lyre. Florence Reed Haseltine (with children) Editor The Lyre, 1907-1910 210 History of Alpha Cm Omega Fhaternity At the Grand Council Meeting of 1907, Florence Reed Haseltine, Z, was elected editor of The Lyre with power to appoint her assistants. The first of these appointments was that of Laura Howe, Grand Treasurer, as business manager. The Lyre continued under this efficient business management until the Grand Council as its meeting in 1909, after accept- ing with reluctance Miss Howe's resignation, appointed Myrta McKean Dennis, Grand Treasurer, to succeed her. During the three years that Mrs. Haseltine was editor. The Lyre showed a remarkable, steady devel- opment. To her, high tribute should be paid as a "Maker of The Lyre," for she raised the standard and the purpose of the journal. Besides a marked improvement in the general composition of the magazine, with Florence A. Armstrong National Editor. 1910-1919 Author of History, 1916, 1921 Editor of History, 1911 Its Size nearly doubled, a better quality of paper and type, and the addi- tion of many illustrations, there was evolved by the editor and the busi- ness manager a gratifying business system which produced greater promptness, greater loyalty and better business methods on the part of chapter editors and Lyre assistants. Chapter letters, personals, and alum- nas articles grew in interest and individuality. Active loyalty and pride were stimulated by competitive tests of representation in the 'E/iXtKra department. To Mrs. Haseltine is due the creation of the. office of Chief The Lyre 217 Alumna, successfully held under her by Mary Ferine, B, and Ruth Buf- lum, I, through whose efforts the interest of many alumnae was revived and their cooperation secured. The exchange and collegiate departments showed much growth. Mrs. Haseltine's editorials, showing the writer's strong character and personality, carried many a message to members of Alpha Chi Omega and were widely quoted by other fraternity journals. In the words of her successor: "She succeeded in making The Lyre literary and artistic, as well as personal and practical — a journal of beauty and of great usefulness to the fraternity." The Grand Chapter of 1910 was loath to accept the resignation of Mrs. Haseltine and Mrs. Dennis from their offices of editor and business Mary-Emma Griffith National Secretary, 1915-1919 Secretarj'-Editor, 1919 - manager, realizing that the positions would be hard to fill. The fraternity elected as editor at the time Florence A. Armstrong, M, who served until 1919, completing nine full years of editorial service. This period comprises the longest continuous service contributed by any officer of the fraternity to date, although Alta Allen Loud's three periods of service aggregate almost thirteen years. (See also page 360.) At the close of this period, the growth of the fraternity necessitated a central administrative ofifice, and the post of National Editor was com- 218 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity bined with that of National Secretary to make possible the employment of a full-time paid officer. With Miss Armstrong, therefore, the old order of a National Editor as a member of the Council as such came to an end. In 1919, Mary-Emma Griffith became editor of The Lyre, as secre- tary-editor. She serves also as business manager. Miss Griffith had gained preparation for her editorial work by service as exchange editor, as well as by experience along editorial lines in the U. S. Department of Agriculture. (See also page 357). The Lyre has shown a remarkable and steady growth. It has always been published in the same size, six by nine. From the first number containing forty pages it has increased to an average size of more than a hundred pages. The journal today is composed of the following departments: A fraternity calendar added November, 1919; a directory of officers and committees; 'EicXeKTa (meaning, the chosen) containing selected articles cleverly arranged by the subjects into which they seem to group themselves; letters, news of alumnae, and special articles by alumnae in different lines of work; vocational articles in each issue prepared under the direction of the National Vocational Committee have appeared since January, 1920; "Interesting Alpha Chis" constitutes a popular section featuring alumnae distinguished in some way; the editorial department, which is filled with pertinent discussions and is eagerly read; Personals, giving news items of active and alumnae members by chapters; Engagements and Marriages; "Er)6a Kai "EijGa, or Exchange department giving news of other fraternities; Announcements, and advertisements. For the annual alumnae issue, the November number, articles are con- tributed by alumnae chapters and clubs. Each alumnae group is asked to send one article for the Autumn issue, and from those sent the editor selects the best as in the 'ExXe/cra department. The Chicago convention authorized the editor to change the requirements for the 'ExXeKra articles which hitherto each active member was required to contribute. On account of the increased duties of the editor in the central office, fewer articles are received from undergraduates. Articles are sent by each chapter to the magazine. These contributions may be selected in any of the following ways: (1) Each member may contribute an article, as before, to a com- mittee of the chapter who makes the selection for the magazine; (2) the editor may select contributors to prepare articles for The Lyre; (3) writ- ers may be appointed by the chapter president; or (4) they may be elected by the chapter. The 'E/cXxeTd prize has been offered since 1909 and awarded year by year as follows: The Lyre 219 Table 16. — Winners of 'EfcXexTd prizes. Name. Chapter. Name of Article. Date of issue. Ruth Buffum I Be sunny Nov., 1909 Jane Harris e The way to all-roundness Apr., 1920 Lucy Loane A An allegory In ritual Myra H. Jones A Chapter finance Apr., 1911 Celia E. McClure A A fraternity symphony Jan., 1912 Esther Joy Lawrence H Sharing July, 1913 Esther Kittredge n The half hour of music July, 1914 Bess A. Will p Fraternalism and paternalism July, 1915 Isabelle M. Wineland A Do you know your girls? July, 1916 Ruth Lange n Can anybody tell me? July, 1917 Robin Wilkes p What we did for our soldiers' hearts July, 1918 Mildred Christensen n Factions July, 1919 Helen Gold A I'd love to Jan., 1920 For several years the prize has been a gold coat-of-arms pendent, a less elaborate prize than the early awards but one that is held precious because of the honor which attaches to it. Since 1910 also a Lyre Loving Cup has been awarded to that chapter whose Lyre relations for the year have been most worthy both as to literary quality of contributions and to general efficiency in cooperation. Six awards have been made: Xi, 1910-11 ;Xi, 1911-12; Kappa, 1912-13; Delta, 1913-14; Zeta, 1914-15; Beta, 1915-16; Theta, 1917-18; Pi, 1918-19; Gamma, 1919-20. The cover designs of The Lyre were at first very simple, containing little more than the lettering on the first numbers. There have been nine different covers, some, however, varying only slightly from the others. Chapter Letter S Sft For many years an olive cover bearing a small Grecian lyre in scarlet was used. With the January, 1908, number an attractive new cover design (the work of Mr. Haseltine) was adopted, composed of a Grecian temple bearing the letters A X fi. With the number of January, 1910, a more elaborate and attractive design was selected, containing the new 220 History ov Alpha Chi Omuga Fratrrnity coat-of'arms and a Grecian design representing the artistic character of Alplia Chi Omega, the artist being John W. Norton, of Chicago. Mrs. Haseltine also showed artistic judgment in selecting designs for the headings of the different departments. For man>' years The Lyre was necessarily a financial burden, though a welcome one, to the Grand Treasury. Today it is self-supporting. Chapter support, both financial and literary, has been increased at the various conventions until now every initiate takes out a life subscription, and several alumnae chapters require Lyre subscriptions of their mem- bers. The management of The Lyre announced in the April, 1911, number that it was ready to ofTer life subscriptions (twenty dollars) to alumnae, thus saving the subscriber the trouble of annual renewal as well as considerable expense; at the same time the management saved the expense of obtaining renewals, while the interest from the accumulated fund would make the plan possible and practicable. In 1915 the lower rate of ten dol- lars for life subscriptions was adopted. In 1919 the final step was taken to require of e\-ery member full payment for a life subscription at time of initiation. Thus all lapses and renewals of subscriptions will in time be done away forever, and every Alpha Chi some day will be a Lyre sub- scriber. A great increase in fraternity solidarity will result — has in fact, resulted already. The Lyre has paid from 1910 an annual salary to the editor, and also allowed the business manager a certain percentage of all money handled. As a fraternity is largely judged, outside of its own membership, by its magazine, it is a source of general grati- fication and pleasure to all Alpha Chis to know that The Lyre has justly worked its way into its present place among the best of the frater- nity journals. Sincere grati- tude and appreciation are felt by the entire fraternity for the loyal work of the editors and other members of the staffs who have accomplished this worthy end. Too much praise cannot be given to Florence Reed Haseltine and Lois Smith Crann BusineHB Manager Lyre, 1910-1912 The Lyre 221 her successors for what they accomplished, although The Lyre could not have reached its high place under their leadership if a strong foundation had not been laid by their predecessors. The staff of The Lyre in recent years has seen few changes. In 1912 upon succession to the office of National Inspector, Lois Smith Crann, who had been a most efiScient business manager from 1910 to 1912, was followed by Nell E. Harris, who served until 1919. The splendid work of these two assistants enabled the magazine to reach a high plane of businesslike systematization and prosperity. The office of exchange editor has been filled since 1910 by four efficient members: Mary-Emma Grif- fith, A, 1910 to 1912; Kathryn Morgan, H, 1912-1916, who was relieved in order that she might devote her time exclusively to the office of Keeper of SuppHes; and Margaret Grafius Birkhoff, I, 1916-1919. Miss Griffith and Miss Morgan were in close touch with educational work through their own profession of pedagogy; Mrs. Birkhoff is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the wife of a Harvard professor. She, too, as a consequence, was in touch with current educational movements. Frances Marks, a teacher of English and Journalism who had served as Chapter Editor and at two conventions on the staff of the Convention Trans- cript has served from 1919 to date. Gladys Livingston Graff Margaret Grafius Birkhoff, /o(a Edna Boicourt, Zeta Chief Alumna, 1911-1915 Exchange Editor, I91G-1919 National Alumni Editor 1915-1919 Through these exchange editor's contributions concerning educa- tional and fraternity questions, The Lyre contained much timely infor- mation which has been appreciated by readers in Alpha Chi Omega and in other fraternities. Gladys Livingston Olmstead, Z, (now Mrs. S. D. Graff) served brilliantly as chief alumna from 1910 to 1915. Her sketches of celebrated members of Alpha Chi Omega, and of her travels, are among 222 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity the most sparkling of the contributions to The Lyre during its history. In 1915, she was reHeved for work on the new history. Edna Boicourt, Z, succeeded her as National Alumnje Editor. Miss Boicourt had studied at Baker University, had graduated as a member of Zeta Chapter from the New England Conservatory of Music, under Carl Baermann, and has since been prominent in fraternity circles in Los Angeles both among the graduate and alumnae members. She had a wide acquaintance, there- fore, with alumnee throughout the United States. She cooperated with the alumnae editors of The Lyre in building up the alumnae news depart- ment. Nell E. Harris ■iness Manager The Lyre, 1012-1017 Kathryn Morgan E.xchange Editor, 1913-1916 Miss Boicourt was succeeded by Alinda Montgomery, Z, (University of Colorado and Wellesley College) who has been very successful in getting Alumnse Editors interested in their section of the magazine. "Each number," said the Secretary-Editor, "shows a steadj' growth in this interest." The Board of Alumnae Editors was established previous to the Novem- ber, 1913, edition which featured alumnae news. The success of the issue was so pronounced that the November issue became thereafter a regular alumnae issue. For it the alumnae editors endeavored to secure news of every alumna. The Board of Alumnae Editors was founded to supple- ment the service rendered by the active chapter editors who were unable, The Lyre 223 with the tremendous Increase of alumnae membership, to keep in touch with all these valued members. The office is filled by election of the active chapter upon ratification by the editor of The Lyre. In the phenomenal growth of alumnae interest and service in the fraternity during the past few years, we see the fruits of the striving of these editors, as of many other laborers, and to them as to the others who have served to the same end, is due a great debt of gratitude. To every magazine the question of finances is a matter of serious concern. In 1908 The Lyre had reached, through the sagacity and indefatigability of the management, a self-supporting stage. In that year, as hitherto recorded, the National Convention passed a ruling, not unheard of among fraternities, that each initiate should be required to subscribe to the magazine for one year after graduation besides during her undergraduate years. The law was arranged with foresight, more- over, to require, at initiation, the payment for the entire five years, to save trouble in collection, and to have the use of the amount, without shrinkage, during the period. The experiment was triumphantly success- ful. The list of alumnae subscriptions steadily increased. From the publication of about 750 copies in July, 1910, the list lengthened to 1,750 copies published in July, 1915. The increase continued steady thereafter. The size of the April, 1921, issue, was 2,500 copies. The rise in alumnae support was not sufficient, however, to meet the reasonable expectations of the management. Repeated subscription campaigns, in which the chapters faithfully and laboriously cooperated, raised, by means of the "Whirlwind Campaign" in 1913, the percentage of alumnae subscribing to 67 per cent. The editor's report in 1914 expressed dissatisfaction with the campaign method, however, in spite of its temporarily gratifying results, in the following words: "The Whirlwind Campaign was a success but at a startling expendi- ture of time, energy, and money. (Much of this had devolved upon the members in college.) We need badly an automatic system of subscrip- tion — only a general life subscription will ever answer, and the editor hopes to see the day when every Alpha Chi Omega will be a life sub- scriber." The prizes of this campaign went to Mu (twenty dollars in gold) who achieved 100 per cent renewals, and to Beta, Zeta, and Iota, who received coat-of-arms spoons for especially good work. The life subscription offer (twenty dollars), begun in April, 1911, had led to but few remittances, although the plan itself of a life subscription system met with universal favor. The price was too high for general acceptance, and the management longed to be able to offer a low rate with a large and steadily growing life subscription list to make safe the reduction in price, and to eliminate the necessity of subscription cam- paigns. 224 History of Alpha Chi Omf-ca Fratehnity The 1915 Convention, therefore, at the recommendation of The Lyre Finance Board adopted a system of life subscriptions for all initiates. The price of the subscription was placed at ten dollars', or eleven dollars in three annual installments of five dollars, three dollars, and three dollars. Since the first payment of five dollars at initiation did not increase the fee already in force, and the succeeding annual payments of three dollars were simple to manage, the remarkable advantage to the individual and to the fraternity were obvious. The rates and terms to initiates were applicable also to alumna;. The measure was passed most enthusiastically by the convention, which pledged a large number of individual life subscriptions on the spot, a number that was increased to one hundred before the next issue of The Lyre appeared. By this action The Lyre was benefited greatly, provided always, of course, that its funds shall be managed with care and foresight. The management was of the conviction that The Lyre Reserve Fund, should be increased annually at a scientifically correct rate and serve as an endowment fund. The Lyre reported in 1915 a Reserve Fund (begun three years before) equal to the amount of its advertising receipts for the past three years. The editor had stressed persistently the possibility and advantage of a paying advertising department. The Lyre, it was seen, was a valuable advertising medium, both for local and national advertising, and with the support of the chapters this fact was demonstrated. The editor hoped for the inauguration of syndicated advertising for all fraternity magazines, by which system the combined circulation of all N. P. C. magazines would make a strong appeal to conservative national adver- tisers. Such a system would insure a high grade of advertising and increased revenue for all journals. Much hard work and research regarding possibilities of syndicated advertising failed to result in concerted action on the part of the N. P C. journals. Following the 1919 Conference of N. P. C. editors in Wash- ington, D. C, a new committee, including Miss Grifiith, as Alpha Chi Omega's representative, thoroughly investigated again the possibilities of syndicated advertising. No successful plan has yet been evolved. In order to compensate partly for the increased cost of publication and to prevent if possible an increase in the subscription price, the 1919 Convention required a fixed amount of advertising for The Lyre from each active chapter. A percentage is paid by the management to all advertising furnished above the required amount. The Secretary-Editor reports excellent cooperation from the chapters who ha^■e by this means increased notably the revenue of the magazine. On their side the chapters have gained valuable business experience, and at least postponed the day of increased subscription rates. The Lyre 225 Besides the conduct of The Lyre in general and in detail, on sound business principles, the policy of the management of The Lyre is definite and progressive. Quoting from an editorial of Miss Armstrong's from the Argolid headed "The Policy of The Lyre," its well-defined purpose is disclosed. To be of constructive value, a fraternity must show a definite impress, powerfully made. This definite impress constitutes the character of the fraternity. The impress which Alpha Chi Omega makes is altogether noble, spelling attainment, idealism, and service; it must be the work of the fraternity membership to increase the dynamic of a fraternity's inspiration, that her impress may be powerfully made, and may count for social progress. This is especially the function of the fraternity magazine. To increase the dynamic of the inspiration of the fraternity is, then, the purpose of The Lyre, and the policy of the staff follows that direction, by several distinct roads. All these roads alike travel the region of good citizenship — college citizenship, and community citizenship. The fraternity journal is a dual creature — half newspaper, half magazine; therefore our policy is dual. We stress news, because The Lyre is the sole correspondence between most of the members of the fraternity; the prestige and expansion of Alpha Chi Omega depend directly on the attitude and cooperation of our members. If we are able to keep Alpha Chis in close touch with each other through all kinds of news of each other, we not only give them much happiness, but we keep them linked up with general fraternity interest and advance steps, through The Lyre. Hence, the page of Alpha Chi babies! It is the news department that alumnae most enjoy, and most regret if it is inferior. In the matter of our attitude toward our fellow-Greeks, and all fellow-students. The Lyre has a distinct duty; a certain attitude is characteristic of a gentlewoman, in a fraternity or out of it. Fairness, sincerity, generosity, and loveliness are in our chapters everywhere; they should characterize every member of every fraternity. The Lyre helps to bring Alpha Chi Omega nearer that standard. There is the claim of the greatest dynamic in the whole life of this old world, the Christian religion. A college woman's career is a farce unless she has fairly considered that force. Every kind of college publication has a share in the responsibility of present- ing that claim to the college world, which is a world of choices and high resolves. Increasing numbers of college women enter professional life; alumnae of professional experience can render us great service by pointing out the way, and the means. So we need vocational articles from every walk in life. The college woman in private, as well as professional life, has widening opportunities to make her community a better place to live in ; we need to know how to use those opportunities, to help meet civic issues. Social service, while now one of the professions, devolves largely upon the volunteer local worker, except in the more highly specialized cities. Playgrounds, campfires, settlement and club work of all kinds need the college woman — therefore The Lyre should acquaint us with those of our sisters who are leaders in civic and social service, and should point us to our own opportunities. Life all over the world is becoming more cosmopolitan ; our generation will face more international problems than any generation has yet met; to be good citizens we must have the international attitude, which will lead us into intelligent acquaintance with world issues. The Lyre directs your thoughts occasionally to world conditions and world organizations; if you have alumnse engaged in some professional service across the seas, we beg of you to keep the fraternity informed of their work. In its pages, the magazine depicts "personal achievements, and opinions, and experiences" also subjects of special interest to fraternity 226 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity and college women generally. "Whatever is published," says the editorial "we try to keep The Lyre dignified and in good taste." The Lyre goes to members in all states of the Union and to Alaska, Canal Zone, Hawaii, China, Holland, and Germany. The size of the issue for April, 1921, was over 2,500 copies. Twelve hundred and sixty-seven of these went to life subscribers, and two hun- dred fifty more to members who were paying for their life subscriptions on the installment plan. In time the entire fraternity membership will pos- sess life subscriptions. The Lyre has long been, and will be, we trust, for- ever, a popular and well-beloved magazine. Scores of members contribute to each issue. Through the support and devotion of the many hundreds of its readers and contributors, "it has become," to quote from the President's address to the 1915 Convention, "one of the very best fraternity journals, a publication of which we are very proud and which fully represents the standards of our fraternity." CHAPTER XV THE HER^UM, THE ARGOLID, AND THE SONGBOOK The HercEunt and The Argolid are the private bulletins of the frater- nity. The nomenclature of both is in harmony with the sentiment that Hera is the patron goddess of the order. The meaning of the word "Herae- um" is "the secret precincts of Hera" ; the meaning of "Argolid," "from the headquarters of Hera." These names were selected, at the time of the establishment of each bulletin, by Miss Armstrong, editor of The Lyre and editor of both bulletins, with the help of Professor Joanna Baker, head of the Greek Department at Simpson College, and one of the early presidents of Alpha Chapter. Miss Baker also assisted the committee in the choice of the present open motto, "Together, let us seek the Heights." The HercBum was authorized in 1910, and later established as an annual supplement to The Lyre. It goes, therefore, without cost, to subscribers to The Lyre. The minutes of the National Council and the reports of committees, the minutes of the National Convention and the reports of committees constitute the contents of this magazine. The expense is borne by the National Treasury, except the cost of mailing which is carried by The Lyre. The work of editing The Herceum is also performed by the editor of The Lyre. The publication in available form of Council and Convention minutes, and their distribution among the members of the order interested in them makes for unity of understanding and compactness in effort which are invaluable. The publication of the reports of committees is most valuable as a matter of reference, and provides all readers of The Lyre, which some day will mean all members of 1;he fraternity, with a workable knowledge of the details of the business of the whole order. A file of the volumes of The Herceum forn:is an available current history of fraternity policies and legislation of utmost interest. The writing of the History has been much facilitated by the accessibility of a mass of detail in The Heraum. The Argolid is the private bulletin to which is consigned all private material to be printed but not included in The Herceum, and communi- cations, either announcements or requests, from national officers to chapters. It is supposed to be issued bimonthly, or more often if neces- sary, by the National Secretary, who, since the 1915 Convention, serves as editor of The Argolid. At first this bulletin also was printed, but in 1915, in an attempt to expedite its appearance, and decrease its cost it was mimeographed on the fraternity machine, and the expense borne 228 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity by the national treasury. Previous to 1915 half of the expense and the work of editing was provided by The Lyre. The ArgoUd furnishes a frequent priN-ate bulletin for the discussion of fraternity policies and of Panhellenic problems, and it likewise provides a means for national officers to communicate through its pages with active and alumnae chap- ters, and alumncC clubs, thus eliminating a part of the enormous corres- pondence carried on by a national officer. Almost from the founding of the fraternity there existed a strong desire for significant songs of Alpha Chi Omega. The first formal record of this sentiment is found in the minutes of the meeting of Alpha Chapter, February 5, 1886, when a motion was passed that Florence Thompson write the words and Estelle Leonard the music of a fraternity song. The name selected for the composition was Alpha Prima. From time to time other songs were written by members of the early chapters but no definite plan for the collection of these was made until the first convention, 1891, when the publication of a fraternity songbook was discussed and founda- tions were laid, each chapter being required to furnish at least four origi- nal songs within the next year. The convention of 1893 appointed Gamma Chapter to publish a songbook; accordingly at the 1894 Con- vention that chapter reported that the first Alpha Chi Omega Songbook had recently been published in Evanston. This simple little pamphlet contains eleven songs to be sung to familiar airs, no music being printed in the book. Although the early collection of songs served its purpose as a founda- tion upon which to build, the need of a larger and better songbook, containing music as well as words, soon became evident. Accordingly the convention of 1896 appointed Gamma to publish another edition of the songbook, but as the matter of collecting the songs proved to be a long task, it was not until 1904 that Gamma Chapter published the second edition of the songbook, Mabel Dunn serving as chairman of the committee. This edition shows a very "marked advance over the first one, being bound in an attractive, durable cover and containing thirty- one songs of excellent quality, twenty-six of which are set to original music. Owing to the popularity of this book the edition was soon exhausted; consequently at the 1906 Convention a committee, with Myrta McKean Dennis, V, as chairman, was appointed to publish a new edition of the songbook. The result of the careful work of this committee was the third edition of the songbook which was welcomed heartily by the 1908 Convention when Mrs. Dennis presented it for use during that conven- tion. This volume, attractively bound in light and dark green, contains sixty songs, thirty-one of which are set to original music, and an original Initiation March. The songs, as in the previous editions, were contrib- The Her^um, the Argolid, and the Songbook 229 uted by both active and alumnae members of the various chapters, practically all of the songs of the first two editions being incorporated in this edition. Considerable credit is due Mrs. Dennis for her painstak- ing work, from a musical as well as from a business standpoint. The revision of the music manuscript, and the adaptation of the words of many of the songs to appropriate music, required a comprehensive knowl- edge of harmony such as she possesses. The successful financing of the edition is evidenced by the fact that all the money borrowed from the national treasury for the publication was returned. Mrs. Dennis was appointed Custodian of the Songbook in 1908, but other duties made it necessary for her to resign the position the following year, and Mary R. Vose, r, was appointed her successor. Lucile Morgan Gibson, r, was appointed Custodian of the Songbook in 1912. The subject of a new edition was broached in the spring of 1914. The National Council appointed Mrs. Gibson chairman, and approved the following names for the committee: Annie Woods McLeary, Z; Myrta McKean Dennis, T (who later found it necessary to resign); Blanche F. Brocklebank, Z; and E. Fay Frisbie, II. All chapters were requested to send in the names of fifteen songs in the third edition in the order of their choice. From the lists every song receiving five votes was retained. There was a total of twenty-six songs chosen. Some of these, which formerly had no accompaniment, were harmonized, and several were transposed to bring them within range of the average voice. A competition was arranged, open to all members, offering a ten-dollar prize for the best original music and words, and a five-dollar prize for the best verses. The first prize was awarded to Gretchen O'Donnell Starr, P, for the song / am an Alpha Chi, and the other prize was awarded to Lucile Lippitt, A, for the Invocation. The competition brought a number of original songs, many of which underwent numerous changes in harmony but in spirit remained as sub- mitted. Other songs were received through the direct solicitation of the committee. The fourth edition offered twenty-seven new songs all of original music and covering subjects such as banquet, loyalty, invocation, and toast songs and comprised fifty- three songs; forty- three of them are of original music. The edition was ready by April, 1915, and proved to be very popular. Three hundred and fifty books were sold by the time of the convention in June. Blanche F. Brocklebank, Z, was appointed Custodian of the Songbook in 1915, and was succeeded by Annie May Cooke, Z, who served until obliged to give up the distribution in 1918. In 1918 appeared the fifth edition, and in 1921, the sixth edition, both under the direction of Estelle M. Dunkle, Z, Custodian of the Song- book to date. About 4,000 copies of the Songbook have been issued. In some respects the Songbook is the most popular of the publications of the fraternity. CHAPTER XVI THE HISTORY The history of a national organization is not alone of value as a record for reference, but also as a volume of vital interest as a story of the purpose and achievements of earlier sisters, and as an incentive to strive more intelligently and more earnestly toward their and our goal of high ideals. Since the history of a fraternity is largely made up of the annals of the separate chapters, such records are eminently worthy of preservation; for this reason historical sketches of the various chapters of Alpha Chi Omega have been printed in The Lyre in different years as follows: Alpha, Beta and Delta Chapters, Vol. I, No. 1, June, 1894. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Epsilon Chapters, Vol. Ill, No. 3, Septem- ber, 1897. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon, Zeta,Theta, Iota, Kappa, Alpha Alpha, and Beta Beta Chapters, Vol. IX, No. 5. In order to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the found- ing of the fraternity. Volume XIV, Number 1, November, 1910, of The Lyre was published as an historical number. It contains personal reminis- cences of Alpha Chi Omega covering five-year periods, written by alum- nae; interesting descriptions of the early days of Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta; letters from the Founders; greetings from Dean Howe, as well as reminiscences of the Grand Presidents, the Editors, and the Inspector, and a sketch of the policy of expansion of Alpha Chi Omega. Realizing the need of a national history of the fraternity in book form, the 1908 Grand Chapter appointed "Mabel Siller, Grand Historian, to compile and to publish a history of Alpha Chi Omega with assurance of financial support and compensation and with the privilege of choosing her assistants." This History of Alpha Chi Omega, offered to the frater- nity in 1911, was the result of six years of work on the part of the author, the first three in gathering data for the historical records, and the last three in compiling and publishing this volume with the able assistance of the Editorial Board. It represented an earnest effort to give as compre- hensive an outline as possible, from the material available, of the history of Alpha Chi Omega's steady development during its first twenty-five years of existence. Of this volume Alta Allen Loud said , in the Foreword : ' 'To appreciate properly the work of our Founders and to leave to our successors accurate records of what has been done, is a work of great importance. As a co- The History 231 worker of the author for many years, I have had the pleasure of watching the launching of this, our first published History. The obstacles and dis- couragements have been many, but tireless energy and an infinite patience and perseverance have overcome them, and the comprehensive History which Miss Siller has given us is a monument to her unbounded loyalty and will for all time endear her to every member of our fraternity. "The early records portray vividly for us the devotion and the earnest- ness of our founders, and as we read of their struggles and achievements, we are able to catch the spirit of the early days and are brought to a greater appreciation of the gift that is ours — to a deeper devotion to the principles set forth in our sacred Bond. "May this History serve the purpose — acquaint its readers with the founding of the fraternity and its cherished traditions, bind together more closely our seventeen hundred members, make its appeal to all, young and old. To the alumnae, may it bring fond memories and renewed loyalty. To the undergraduates, may it serve as an incentive to carry on with earnest purpose the work that is theirs. To all of us may it prove an inspiration to press on toward the higher, better things of life, and Together, seek the Heights." The first edition of the History was exhausted in four years. It was the second fraternity history to be published by a woman's fraternity and was of special value, in libraries and in fraternity archives, for that reason. It was a beautiful volume and very valuable for reference as well as an object of pride. At the exhaustion of the edition, therefore, a committee was appointed in 1914 to investigate the matter of publishing a second edition. A report containing preliminary information was submitted to the 1915 Convention and a second edition, to be a revision of the first edition "from a combined personal and statistical standpoint was authorized." Florence A. Armstrong, who had assisted in compila- tion and had edited and published the first edition, (as one of Miss Siller's assistants) "was asked to serve as author of the second edition with full authority vested in her." The five months of hard work which had been expended on the first edition as editor had paved the way to a ready grasp of the problems involved in a revision. Six years of work as editor of the fraternity magazine, during all of which period research had been made into the history of the past, had furnished a broad acquaintance with the personnel of the organization and with the facts of its career. Personal acquaintance with twelve of the twenty-three institutions wherein the chapters were located simplified the task. The author was emboldened, therefore, because of these facts and the inspiring enthusiasm of the convention which asked it, to undertake the herculean task of a statistical revision, and the incorporation of the personal feature that meant practically the writing of a new volume. The 232 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity changes that had transpired since the first edition of the book were marked. The third edition, also by Miss Armstrong, includes a new section on the war work of the intervening period, a chapter on fraternity expan- sion, a full description of the national altruistic work of the fraternity, a discussion of current educational conditions, besides other numerous new features, and statistical revision. (See also page 361.) Through the courtesy of Mrs. Macdowell the 1916 edition of the History was written largely in the Star Studio, at the Macdowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire. Over the door of the studio hangs an artistic shingle bearing the three stars from our Coat-of-arms, and the Scroll upon which is inscribed Alpha Chi Omega, 1911. Written largely in these fitting and happy surroundings, the second edition was the result of an earnest effort to present a clear picture of the condition of women's education in 1885, and of the early life, the problems, progress, ideals, and characteristics of the fraternity. The third edition has been written during editorial labors in Washington, D. C. CHAPTER XVn THE DAILY CONVENTION TRANSCRIPT, THE DIRECTORY, AND THE CALENDAR The Daily Convention Transcript For the first time, in 1915, the National Convention supported a daily convention newspaper. On the night of the arrival of the special train, in Long Beach, California, the delegates received at the time of their registration a copy of the Daily Convention Transcript. Five editions were issued during the Convention, more than half of which were mailed to members not present. The issue contained accounts of each day's sessions, stories of the social functions of each day, humorous incidents connected with the assembly, articles of general fraternity interest, news items of all kinds, and announcements. The ConventionTranscript was considered one of the important accomplishments of the Biennial and was the beginning of a regular publication for the purpose of disseminat- ing quickly information of the work of the convention in the real spirit of the occasion. It makes possible, also, a more compact body of con- vention members as all present are readers of the daily newspaper. The first volume of the Daily Convention Transcript was issued by a staff consisting of Florence A. Armstrong, Editor-in-chief ; Clara Stephen- son, E, Managing Editor; Marion Green, E; June Hamilton Rhodes, M; Nell E. Harris, M; Frances Kirkwood, I; Frances Marks, I; Laura Wei- lepp, I; and Maude Staiger Steiner, 0. The paper was of four pages — in size and style like a university daily newspaper. The second volume of the Daily Convention Transcript appeared at the Chicago Convention in 1919 and consisted of five numbers. The second volume showed marked improvement in news value over the first, and each successive volume doubtless will be superior to its predecessors. Excellent summaries of selected official and committee reports provided not only to distant members, but to those present as well, brief and pungent discussion of the significant facts in the fraternity's records between conventions and of each day of convention. The 1919 staff comprised two members of the 1915 staff: Florence A. Armstrong, Editor-in-chief and Frances Marks, Managing Editor. The associate editors of Volume II were Mary-Emma Griffith, National Secretary; Louise Ludlum, K; Myrta McKean Dennis, F; Jean Ripley Johnson, I; and Essie Tichenor, P. The reporters were lone Ballinger, I; Helen C. Bailey, AE; Elizabeth Ulrich, $. Agnes Martin, T, served as Business Manager, assisted by Florence Tyden, V. The circulation managers ably cared for the distribution, both to members at convention 234 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity and to absent members by mail: Kathryn Purcell, T; Jean Rich, K; and Martha Bennett, T. The newspaper has paid for itself at both conventions and has made a small profit. ' The surplus from the first volume helped to swell slightly the Scholarship Fund; from the profits of the second volume, two French orphans were adopted for a year. The 1919 Convention authorized the publication of the Daily Con- vention Transcript at future gatherings, and voted as a requirement that each active member should subscribe for it. By this ruling, our popular and valuable little newspaper became a permanent member of the fraternity's system of publications. The Directory The early records of the fraternity show that the names and addresses of all the members were kept separately by the chapters, arranged according to the years of initiation. As this method did not prove satisfactory the 1900 Convention provided for a register of all members of Alpha Chi Omega to be kept by Alpha Chapter. From these lists the editor of The Lyre compiled and printed in the journal a complete alphabetical directory by chapters of the names and addresses of all the members of Alpha Chi Omega as follows: Vol. II, No. 2, June, 1897, Alpha — Zeta Chapters, inclusive. Vol. Ill, No. 1, March, 1898, Alpha — ^Zeta Chapters, inclusive. Vol. IV, No. 1, March, 1899, Alpha — Zeta Chapters, inclusive. Vol. V, No. 4, January, 1902, Alpha — Iota Chapters, inclusive. Vol. IX, No. 5, October, 1906, Alpha — Kappa Chapters, inclusive. Vol. XI, No. 1, October, 1907, Alpha — Mu Chapters, inclusive. Since this method of printing the names and addresses of the members proved inadequate, the Grand Council Meeting of 1907 appointed the Grand Historian to compile and to publish a separate fraternity directory. Accordingly in July, 1908, the first Directory of Alpha Chi Omega was published in pamphlet form by Mabel Harriet Siller. This book contains the names and addresses of the Grand Council members then in office, a list of the active chapters (Alpha to Xi, inclusive) with addresses of the chapter houses or halls and the dates of installation of the chapters, and a list of the alumnee chapters (Alpha Alpha to Gamma Gamma, inclusive) with the dates of establishment, besides an alphabetical catalogue by chapters of names and addresses of all Alpha Chis. It also included a list of the honorary members with their addresses. Two catalogues of members were printed in the first History of Alpha Chi Omega, one by chapters, including the chapters from Alpha to Sigma, inclusive, and containing the years of initiation, and addresses ; the other an alphabetical list giving chapter only. The Calendar 235 Annual directories were published thereafter by The Lyre in 1912, 1913, and 1914; twice in pamphlet form, and in April, 1913, in the regular issue of the magazine. Since there was no provision for purchase of the directories, The Lyre lost heavily, although the advantage of an annual, carefully compiled directory was of incalculable value to the fraternity. In 1916 the Alumnae Association took over the publication of a directory in a pocket edition as recommended by the editor of The Lyre; and provided to all new initiates, by constitutional require- ment, a copy of the same. The 1916 Directory contained a catalogue both by chapters, and by geographical location. Its convenient size rendered it of greater practical value than preceding issues. In 1920 the Secretary- Editor issued a new directory, slightly larger in page size than the 1916 edition, and similarly arranged. Members are arranged alphabetically by chapters and by geographical location, according to maiden names. The Calendar The first official Calendar of Alpha Chi Omega was presented shortly after the 1910 Convention, the committee in charge being Florence Reed Haseltine and Mabel Harriet Siller. The attractive cover design in tan and brown bore the coat-of-arms and the Greek letters A X fi, while the pages contained the dates of all the chapter installations, the significant national dates of the fraternity, and blank spaces for chapter dates. This calendar, aside from being an artistic addition to the chapter halls, furnished an excellent reminder of the dates when the annual tax, The Lyre material, and other matters of fraternity support, were due. The second Alpha Chi Omega Calendar was a daily memorandum pad of small size, for desk use, issued by Kappa Chapter. The cover was olive green tied with scarlet silk cord.. The pages contained the fraternity dates of importance. This was issued for 1913-14. The next calendar was a four-page calendar, published by Delta. It was in olive green, printed in gold. Each page contained three calendar months, and a poem by an Alpha Chi Omega as follows: A Fraternity Symphony, Celia E. McClure, A; Enter Spring, Mar- garet Barber Bowen, A; The Sun and the Rain, Ellen Beach Yaw, E; The Holly Tree, Florence Fall Miller, B. The 1915-16 Calendar was published by Zeta Zeta Alumnae Chapter for the benefit of a convention fund. It was a brass desk calendar and paper-clip of great convenience. The Greek letters A X i2 were embossed on it. The calendar service was a perpetual one. The publication of the next year's calendar was granted to Zeta Zeta also. The design was made and painted by. Olive Cutter, Z. It was a beautiful peacock device of special appropriateness because the peacock was the bird of Hera. Between two magnificent birds are the Greek letters A X fi. These calendars have all been in good taste, and artistic in effect. CHAPTER XVIII OFFICIAL FORMS AND SUPPLIES No two documents are dearer to the heart of every loyal Alpha Chi Omega than the charter and the membership certificate. The first charter was drawn up by Mary Jones and Estelle Leonard, and was adopted after slight revision in May, 1887. The original charter was lithographed on imitation parchment. The names of the charter members and of the general officers were signed by those members, and on the lower left-hand corner was affixed the gold seal with small pieces of scarlet and olive ribbon. This early charter was not suitable for use by the alumnae chapters, so with the establishing of the first alumnae chapter in 1906 it became necessary to prepare a new form. Laura A. Howe, Edith Manchester, and Mable Harriet Siller prepared this form, and while similar to the one used by the active chapters, it was more simple in design. As the fraternity grew, and new active and alumnae chapters were frequently added, it seemed desirable to have a uniform charter for both chapters. Laura Howe, Z, was appointed a committee to select the design for such a charter. In 1910 the Grand Chapter adopted the charter now in use. The extreme simplicity of the design adds much to the dignity and beauty of the document. It is engraved on parchment, and bears the coat-of-arms at the top. The names of the charter mem- bers are embossed in uniform lettering and on the lower left-hand corner the gold seal and the colors of the fraternity are affixed. Nothing can give an Alpha Chi Omega the feeling of "belong- ing" as quickly as the membership certificate. Our first membership certificates used at the installation of Beta Chapter, were termed "cards of admission to the fraternity." This was in 1887, and no effort was made to have a more dignified certificate until 1902. Edith Manchester drew up the form which was used until 1908, an attractive printed card. A lyre, the facsimile of the badge, embossed in white, adorned the top. The Grand President, the Chapter President, and the Grand Secretary signed these certificates. In 1908 the Grand Chapter appointed Laura Howe to select a new form for the membership certificates, and the present form was adopted by the Grand Chapter in 1910. It is a beautifully engraved card, bearing the coat-of-arms in the upper left-hand comer. The name of the initiate, of the chapter, and the date of initiation is inserted in uniform lettering. A space in the lower right-hand corner is reserved for the signatures Official Forms and Supplies 237 of the National President and National Secretary. These certificates are ordered for initiates on the ISth of April and November. The fraternity has developed a complete system of official handbooks and blank record books. These books are of the greatest value to both old and new national and chapter officers. Besides the Council hand- books, each Alumna Adviser and Province President is furnished with completely equipped handbooks, containing much of interest and value to her in connection with the work of her office. Additional sheets frequently appear. Each new chapter at its installation is equipped with uniform books for chapter records. All chapters are equipped also with carefully pre- pared handbooks containing individual instructions for each officer in order to enable new officers to gain a ready grasp of their duties, and old officers to check their own work and thus to avoid errors and omis- sions. By means of these handbooks and of supplementary instruction chapter officers, by exerting themselves to master their work, gain experience and proficiency in group organization and direction that prove of utmost value to them in their wider life outside college. n.O.T.M.X.T. Cbarter from tbe Hlpba Cbi ©mega jfratcntit^ GRANTED A. D. 10 m ^^^a -^iji0^j(,g^ ^j .and S-//Mw3fv£!*rmZri/ij '//*/" /un?!/' Present Charter Official Forms and Supplies 239 The official forms upon which various reports go to national officers constitute a very important part of the fraternity's equipment, and facili- tate the smooth and proper conduct of the large business of Alpha Chi Omega. . i Until 1914, the business of ordering the supplies used by the chapters and by the Council members fell to the lot of the different national officers. As the fraternity expanded, it was thought wise to have a committee attend to the purchasing and distributing of the supplies. U-- i- AT^PirA cm OilEdA SOKORITY ^..K«^ « -..-.™ ™-n~..». .-^„.. .^ .-. oooRiTr. THESE PBESENTa CCHTIFr THAT 13 A MCMO^ OF TH€ Al_OMA CHI OMCOA a »Y..l.i. B BEEN INITIATEO M l^^.^'L-i ■,.''.' ^ .-- iM-^' " i,p-^-i.-!^-f*f^^ CMARTER AT ^^ . -y^/w X'-^?-: »r«-iVJ- *-;;^fe.-=--i*::V<— — ANO that she .S ENTITI.ED TO ALL. THE right's AIMO PBIVH-EseS OF THt S OBORIT"'- A^ ^:. ^^. ^^- ■ ■ V;-,,4:>:r^ ^--r-i— ■ ■■""•■' 1 Old Membership Certificate ,Alyk€lti ((Dinfga.iFrithntih4 • ///.jr. //Y.'ji'///6 I '/■////// //r// ////.)■ y////i'f//i'tr y/ fr//f/ /////■ //r-/j^t///Y//ff//f' ///////■■ yif/z/zA rfj//f- //■//■f//'i'//:j fi/ ///r^ //■////■/■////// 'A,,,,,/ :f,r.„,/^u/ Present Membership Certificate 240 HisTouY OF Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity For the five years 1914-1919 Miss Kathryn Morgan, E, served the fraternity as Keeper of Supplies. All orders were written in duplicate on official order blanks, signed by the officer in charge, and sent to the official printer. Bills for all orders went to the Keeper of Supplies who approved them and forwarded them for approval to the National Presi- dent. The chapters then remitted for their bills to the officer in charge. Miss Morgan accomplished much in simplifying and systematizing the whole business of distributing the fraternity's official forms. This plan was followed until 1919 when the Secretary-Editor assumed the duties of the Keeper of Supplies as a part of the work of the central office. Since the establishment of the central office, chapters and national officers send orders for forms and supplies to the Secretary-Editor, or to the officer designated, who instructs the printer on the official order blank to forward the supplies, or the officer herself forwards them from her stocks on hand. Acknowledgment of the chapter's or officer's request to the central office for official supplies is sent by the Secretary- Editor on a postal-card form. Bills are approved by the Secretary- Editor and the President. All the forms used by the fraternity are either mimeographed at the central office or printed, with the exception of (1) Form of dismissal, (expulsion) ; (2) form of dismissal, (notice to chapters) ; (3) pledge release notice. These forms are typed as needed. An important step was taken in 1920 when the Secretary-Editor established the system of using initiates' numbers in the distribution of supplies and in the records. Each member of a chapter bears a certain number in the Bond Book in the order of her initiation. Her number goes to the central office with the first order for supplies of any kind; henceforward her records appear under that number and further supplies are ordered for her under her number. The Secretary-Editor keeps a list of all names and their numbers by chapters, also data of all supplies sent, in a handbook that shows all initiates of each chapter in chronologi- cal order. The Secretary-Editor knows at once that she has not received a life subscription if an initiate's order is omitted by mistake, without checking all names; when she adds cards to the catalogue of the frater- nity, she knows immediately if a name has been omitted. The system also helps her to distinguish between names that are alike and so to avoid confusion and inconvenience for the members. The corresponding secretary of each chapter files in her handbook a page or pages showing supplies ordered for each initiate. If this simple record is carefully kept, no initiate will be deprived of her legitimate fraternity possessions, nor will mistakes or confusion occur. As a fraternity grows until its records cover several thousand members, the economy and indeed the necessity of simple, adequate data, are obvious. The following initiates' record makes clear the numbering system, which has been found very useful. Fraternity Supplies 241 Alpha Chi Ouega, Recokd of Initiates Chapter Number. Name. Dat« initi- ated. Alum' Notes. Badge Direc- tory. Initi- ate's Record. His- tory. Mem- bership certifi- cates. Lyre Per capita. Song- boolc. The following forms are used (Tables 17 and 18). Table 17. — Numerical index to official forms used by the fraternity, 1921. No. Name. 1 Lyre initiates' subscription blank 2 Badge order blanks 3 History order blanks 4 Membership certificate order blanks 5 Songbook order blanks 6 Directory order blanks Use. Required initiate's equip- ment forms. 7 Initiates record forms 8-1 Alumnae notes I 8- II Alumnae notes II 10 Supplies order acknowledgment 11 Supplies order blank (Central office use) 12 Statement blanks for national officers National officers use 15-a-m Inspectors report blanks (Chapter records) 16-a-b Inspectors report blanks (Members record) 19 Alumnae chapter by-laws form 20 Alumnae club by-laws form Al f ' Alumnae forms 25 Scholarship loan application blanks 26 Scholarship loan notes Scholarship Fund forms 30 Active chapters annual report blanks 31 Alumnae chapter and club annual report blanks Annual reports forms 32 Alumnae advisor's annual report blanks 35 Active chapter petition forms 36 Alumnae chapter petition forms 37 Alumnae club petition forms Petition forms 38 Active chapter petitioners records 40 Budget blanks 41 Treasurer's report blank pads 42 Treasurer's cash book Chapter Treasurer forms 44 Statement blanks for chapter use 45 Membership list blanks (General) 46 Inventory forms (Chapter house) 50 Lyre advertising contract blanks 51 Membership list blanks Lyre Lyre forms 52 Lyre subscription blanks (Alumnae) 55 Membership certificates 56 Affiliation blanks 57 Card catalog cards 58 Membership report blanks (Historian) Membership records 59-a-b Expulsion forms 60 Pledge release form 65 Convention credentials 66 Convention vouchers Convention forms 242 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Table IS. — Alphabetical index to official forms used by the fraternity, 1921, Name. Custodian. Form number. Active chapter annual report blanks Secretary-Editor 30 Active chapter petition forms Extension Vice-President 35 Affiliation blanks Secretary-Editor 56 Alumnae adviser's annual report blank 41 II 32 Alumns chapter and club annual report blanks II II 31 *Alumnae chapter by-law forms l( II 19 Alumnae chapter petition forms Alumnae Vice-President 36 *Alumnse club by-law forms Secretary-Editor 20 Alumnae club petition forms Alumns Vice-President 37 Alumnae notes I and II Treasurer 8-1; 8-II Badge order blanks Secretary-Editor 2 Budget blanks Treasurer 40 *Card catalog cards Secretary-Editor 57 Convention credentials II II 65 Convention vouchers II II 66 Directory order blanks II II 6 Expulsion forms II II 59-a-b History order blanks Treasurer, History Board 3 *Initiates record books Secretary-Editor 7 Inspector's report blanks (Chapter) II II 15-a-m Inspector's report blanks (Members) II II 16-a-b Inventory forms (Chapter house) Treasurer 46 Lyre advertising contract blanks II II 50 Lyre subscription blanks (active) II II 1 Lyre subscription blanks (alumnae) II II 52 *Membership certificates II 55 Membership certificate order blanks II II 4 Membership report blanks II II 58 Membership list blanks (Nat. Pres., Treas., Sec.) II II 45 Membership list blanks (,Lyre) II II 51 Petitioners records Extension Vice-President 38 Pledge release form Secretary-Editor 60 Scholarship loan application blanks Alumnae Vice-President 25 Scholarship loan notes II 11 26 Songbook order blanks Custodian of Songbook 5 ♦Statement blanks for chapter use Treasurer 44 Statement blanks for national officers Secretary-Editor 12 Supplies order acknowledgement (Central Office) II II 10 Supplies order blanks (Central Office) 1- 11 ♦Treasurer's cash book Treasurer 42 ♦Treasurer's report blank pads Secretary-Editor 41 ♦ Nominal price charged for forma so indicated. The charter and stationery are also furnished to officers and chapters upon order to the Secretary-Editor. CHAPTER XIX THE ALUMNA ASSOCIATION A fraternity, it is believed, is as strong as its alumnae; its government, extension, journalism, wealth, and prestige depend upon them. All of the older fraternities, therefore, the mass of whose membership is beyond college halls, have extensive organizations of their alumnae. This is true as well of many newer fraternities who wisely seek to conserve their assets in alumnae influence from the beginning. Pi Beta Phi (as I. C.) formed an alumnae chapter in 1881, and, in 1892, a separate alumnae organization. In 1889, Alpha Phi established two alumnae chapters. In 1892, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Gamma Phi Beta formed similar chapters, Kappa Kappa Gamma establishing a national alumnae organization in 1906. In 1893, Kappa Alpha Theta began its roll of alumnae chapters. Delta Gamma in 1895, following with the second chapter in 1903, and Chi Omega founded its first alumnae chapter in 1900. Alpha Chi Omega provided for alumnae chapters in 1902, but did not establish them until 1906. The outcome has shown the wisdom of the practice. Through close association the alumnae retain their sympathetic, well-informed interest in the fraternity. Their grasp of fraternity questions widens as their fraternity develops fresh problems. Their continued identification in interest with the welfare of the undergraduate members results in re- sponsiveness to appeals for advice or, it may be, for funds from their respective active chapters, and makes chapters well knit, not only for the acquisition of desirable members and the enforcing of traditions of high scholarship and fine social standards, but even renders possible the ownership of dignified and tasteful chapter homes. National undertak- ings, such as scholarship funds, as well as local efforts, are financed with willingness. And, what is of vital importance to a well-governed frater- nity, the intelligence of organized alumnae concerning fraternity condi- tions and policies renders them adaptable for national service, and solves the ever-present question of efficient and available material for national officers. The beginning of the organization of the alumnae of Alpha Chi Omega may be traced directly to traditional chapter reunions. From the early nineties the older chapters began to hold annual reunions to which as many alumnae as possible returned to visit the chapter and the college. Alpha and Beta, of course, are the pioneers in this custom; and it is 244 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity noteworthy that no chapters equal, in enthusiasm and in elaborate preparations, the annual reunions of the oldest chapters. Upon her biennial reunion. Beta lays the most emphasis. For this gathering she sends cordial invitations to every alumna, keeps open house throughout the day, usually giving both a luncheon and a dinner in the chapter lodge. A program is given sometimes for the guests. Beta, more- over, celebrates more than one reunion each year. The annual reunion of Alpha, given by Beta Beta alumnae chapter, is held at the Claypool Hotel, Indianapolis, and is a brilliant function. About a hundred persons attend the banquet. Delta's most characteristic gathering is an August outing at a convenient lake where both undergraduates and alumnae assemble for a gala time. A reunion in commencement week also takes place near Mead- ville. Mu's annual assembling of alumnae is in the form of a house party during commencement, or immediately following, and serves to keep many alumnae in close touch with the college as well as with the chapter. These annual gatherings, which are now customs of practically every chapter, have kept strong the tie which bound the alumna, in the early days, to her chapter and her university. Apart from any invitation from the active chapters, in the large and in the smaller centers of the United States, informal groups of alumnae members of Alpha Chi Omega early tended to gather occasionally for social or altruistic purposes. The advantage of organized alumnae association had long been understood by the Greek-letter world when Alpha Chi Omega laid plans, in an unhurried way, for alumnae organiza- tion several years before actual steps were taken toward its realization. The first duty of an alumna, it was thought, was to her active chapter, and for twenty-odd years the main channel of relationship between the alumnae and the national organization was by way of the college chapter. Two facts, however, urged the need for independent alumnae organi- zation : in increasing numbers, members resided at great distances from their own chapters, and, finding close, personal touch with them im- practicable, wished for association with those members of the fraternity in convenient proximity; experiments had proved, moreover, that alumnae engaged in national work were more vitally interested than before in the progress of their individual chapters. As a result, therefore, of pressure both from beyond and from within the national council, definite steps were taken for organizing members beyond college halls. The first legislation was passed at the Evanston Convention in 1902. This action provided for the chartering of alumna; chapters. In 1904 a further step was taken in the decision by the national convention that alumnae chapters should be on an equal basis in national conventions with the undergraduate chapters through representation by a voting delegate. The following convention legislated that alumnae chapters The Alumna Association 245 should have a separate form of charter. In that year, 1906, two alumnae chapters were chartered. Alpha Alpha at Chicago, and Beta Beta at Indianapolis, in both of which centers alumnae had long met informally. Informal meetings preceded organization also in New York, Boston, Lincoln, Berkeley, and Seattle. In the year after the founding of Alpha Alpha and Beta Beta, 1907, occurred the establishment of Gamma Gamma in New York City. Across the continent, in 1908, Delta Delta Chapter was founded at Los Angeles. In 1909, as in 1906 and 1913, two new alumnae chapters were established: Epsilon Epsilon at Detroit, and Zeta Zeta at Boston. In 1910 the revision of the charter made it possible for both active and alumnae chapters to use the same document. The Madison alumnae were granted a charter as Eta Eta Chapter in 1911. Two years afterwards, Theta Theta and Iota Iota were founded at Berkeley and Seattle, and were followed in 1914, by three groups. Kappa Kappa at Lincoln, Lambda Lambda at Grand Rapids, and Mu Mu at Kansas City. In 1916 Nu Nu was established at Denver. Alumnae organization had, by this time, become very popular. As a result of the action of the National Council in 1913 recommending the establishment of alumnae clubs in small cities or college towns, twenty- two alumnae clubs were established during the three years of 1914, 1915, and 1916. During 1914 alumnae of Decatur, 111.; Eastern Oklahoma; St. Louis; Des Moines; Albion, Mich; and Milwaukee petitioned for and were granted organization as alumnae clubs. In 1915 twelve clubs were chartered at Ann Arbor, Mich., Omaha; Portland, Ore.; Washington, D. C. ; Pittsburgh ; Greensburg, Ind. ; Oil City, Pa. ; Atlanta, Ga. ; Boulder, and Pueblo, Colo. ; Meadville, Pa. and Terre Haute, Ind. Six or more alumnae were then necessary for the formation of an alumnae club and the dues and duties were made lighter than for alumnae chapters. Legislation in 1914 provided that each alumnae chapter should, henceforth, first exist for one year as a club. In all, since clubs were first authorized in 1914, 39 alumnae clubs have been established (April, 1921) or an average of more than six each year. A list of these clubs appears on page 53. The Denver group, organized as a club, became Nu Nu Chapter after a year. In 1919 by convention action the number of names required on petitions for alumnae clubs was increased from six to ten and on petitions for alumnae chapters from twelve to twenty. The rapid growth in alumnae organization may be traced to the recent policy of the fraternity to unify its ranks for the sake of the accomplishment of specific national aims. To this end the 1915 Conven- tion established an alumnae association, and created in the Council the officer of alumnae vice-president who serves as chairman of the alumnae association. To this office was elected an experienced member of the 246 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity preceding Council, Miss Lillian G. Zimmerman. The other officers of the Association were Mrs. R. J. Dunkle, Treasurer, and Miss Vera South- wick, Secretary. After the 1919 Convention Miss Myra H. Jones as National Alumnae Vice President became chairman of the committee, Mary-Emma Griffith, Secretary, and Mrs. R. J. Dunkle, Treasurer. The requirements which the Association makes of affiliated associa- tions are such as will enable the alumnae to follow closely not only the work of their own active chapters but likewise the national proceedings of Alpha Chi Omega, and the work of the Panhellenic movement. Through frequent letters from the Alumnae Vice President they are kept in touch with the national work of the fraternity and given a share in it. Groups labor definitely for at least one division of national work. What they have achieved separately along these lines will appear in the individual accounts of the alumnae chapters and alumnae clubs and in the chapter on war work. Alumnae are urged to keep abreast of educa- tional progress generally by taking part when convenient in the endeavors of the American Association of University Women, (formerly the Associa- tion of Collegiate Alumnae), college clubs, and city Panhellenic Associa- tions. In the various branches of the last-mentioned movement, alumnae of Alpha Chi Omega have been concerned vitally both in their formation and in their administration. The scope and plans of the Alumnae Association were covered in the 1916 report of the Alumnae Vice President to the National Council, part of which we quote : "The general alumnae work covers an extensive field ; a mere summary of what has been done during the past nine months includes the desire of the chairman firstly to extend alumnae interest by the addition of new clubs, secondly to strengthen those groups already organized, and thirdly to help to broaden the outlook of all groups not only to embrace specific work for Alpha Chi Omega, but also to represent us in city Panhel- lenics, college clubs, and the Association of Collegiate Alumnae, and by field work to further the general interests of the fraternity. That our activities have been broadened is evinced by the number of city Pan- hellenic offices held by our alumnae groups. Fully one-third represent us in these by holding offices: Cleveland, Decatur, Mu Mu, Pueblo, Eastern Oklahoma, St. Louis, Theta Theta, Omaha, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Port- land. * * "Each alumnae group was asked to identify itself with at least one special branch of Alpha Chi Omega work chosen by the group. Several groups are to be commended for their interest along every Alpha Chi Omega activity, notably Theta Theta, Kappa Kappa, Eastern Oklahoma, Mu Mu, Portland, and Pittsburgh. Since the facts concerning the The Alumna Association 247 service of the different associations may serve as an inspiration to other groups, their activities are here enumerated. "The Milwaukee and Eastern Oklahoma Clubs are' furnishing guest- rooms in the new homes of Kappa and Psi. Kappa Kappa and Albion are campaigning for life subscriptions to The Lyre, the latter for twenty- five. Kappa Kappa also maintains a scholarship for Xi and is endeavor- ing to prepare more girls in Xi for Phi Beta Kappa. Alpha Alpha and Delta Delta are working on convention funds. Those successful in gaining non-resident members are Portland and Pueblo. Extension work is done by Iota Iota, Atlanta, and Gamma Gamma. Equipment work was cared for by Theta Theta. Diligent in helping to raise chapter building-funds are Eta Eta and Theta Theta. Four additional clubs, Galesburg, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Washington have pledged to the Reserve Fund. Theta Theta has pledged twenty-five dollars to the Scholarship Fund, and Milwaukee, ten dollars; Kappa Kappa, Washing- ton, D. C, and Gamma Gamma have signified their intentions of con- tributing their share toward the same. Zeta Zeta is active in French relief work. Omaha, Delta Delta, Iota Iota, Mu Mu, Des Moines, and Cleveland are interested in local charities. Milwaukee and Beta Beta give successful annual state luncheons to Alpha Chi Omegas in their respective states. Those eleven interested in Panhellenic affairs are elsewhere enumerated. Epsilon Epsilon is to present a scholarship cup to the chapter making the greatest improvement during the year. * * " The emphasis in alumnae groups during the period of the war shifted to patriotic endeavor and has been described somewhat in the section devoted to war work. The Alumnae Association, as an organization, has published the 1916 and 1920 editions of the fraternity directory, and has assumed charge of the Scholarship Fund and of the altruistic work, scholarships for children. Alumnae organization has been traced to its source in the traditional chapter reunions. There have been, in addition, a number of other forces that have affected vitally alumnae interest, and have helped to make possible the broad existing system. , Among these forces the publications of the fraternity rank first. The Lyre, authorized when the fraternity was but six years old, and issued three years later, has, from its first appearance, contributed, to an incalculable degree, to the maintenance of a living bond among the members. In The Lyre for March, 1897, occur these words in an editorial : "The inspiration which we receive from association in our respective chapters is intensified by the union of the chapters. The Lyre should be the connecting link which binds all who wear the Scarlet and Olive." Such a link the magazine has ever been. It has published news of alumnae, and has presented accounts of their achievements and their avocations. 248 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity It has included in its pages expressions of their opinions on artistic and educational subjects. It has persistently campaigned for financial support. With the system of the life subscription for all initiates, The Lyre will be a still greater power in cementing the relation between mem- bers and their fraternity. The Alumna Letter, issued in 1908, 1909, 1911, and, in different form, before the conventions of 1912 and 1915, has done its share in informing the alumnae of the progress of Alpha Chi Omega. The Directory, published three times each by the national treasury and The Lyre treasury, has been of greatest value. Though often incorrect in addresses because of an imperfect system in the keeping of the fraternity records, it has been a practical guide to the renewal of correspondence between many sisters and to personal calls from many travelers. The private journals, the Herceum and the Argolid, since their first appearance in 1911 and 1913, respectively, have accomplished much in awakening response from alumnae regarding the inner workings of the organization. The Songhook, first published. in 1894, is the veteran among the publications of Alpha Chi Omega. It has been published in six different editions, and is destined to run through many more before its service shall be ended. The Songs of Alpha Chi have kept warm in numberless hearts the sweet memories of fraternity associations, and sympathetic enthusiasm for fraternity progress. The History of Alpha Chi Omega provides data of value in convenient form. It is the present policy of the fraternity to equip all new members with this volume, as well as with the other important publications, to prevent the possibility of ignorance or lack of appreciation of the signifi- cance and the traditions of the organization. Three editions have been published in 1911, 1916, and 1921. The Daily Convention Transcript made its appearance and found a warm welcome in the circle of fraternity publications, at the Long Beach Convention in 1915. It ran through its second volume at the Chicago Convention in 1919 and shows every sign of doing its share in letting Alpha Chis know what is going on, at each successive national conven- tion. Its news of convention, to delegates and to the distant active and alumnae members, reaches its readers promptly. Like all the publica- tions, it is self-supporting. Two chapters, Iota (University of Illinois) and Alpha (De Pauw University) issue a newspaper, The Eyeota and the Alphalpha, to their alumnae. They are well edited publications, overflowing with enthusiasm and interesting news, containing about as much composition as an enterprising university newspaper. The Alumna Association 249 Lambda (Syracuse University) has a separate alumnae organization, with officers, and with definite responsibilities connected with the active chapter. This organization is thoroughly businesslike and efficient. It has accomplished much, and has made possible for Lambda the ownership of a new home. Theta (University of Michigan), Kappa (University of Wisconsin), Omicron (Baker University), Pi (University of California), and Iota, all have effective, workable alumnae organizations. All of these chapters, except Iota, work without a chapter publication. All chapters cooperate actively with the management of The Lyre in conserving the attachment of their alumnae to the national magazine. Another force that has contributed to the enlistment of active alumnae support has been the foundation of national funds for specific purposes. The Reserve Fund received contributions from numerous alumnae while most alumnae chapters and many alumnae clubs have contributed to it. The Scholarship Fund is largely an alumnae enterprise. And the system of Alumnae Notes, authorized by the 1912 Convention, which is managed by the Deputy to the National Treasurer, benefits not only the active chapters, but the alumnae, who are practically interested in the use made of their contributions. The following statement shows the results obtained from the alumnae notes signed by every initiated member: Table 19. — Results of collection of Alumnce Notes. College Year. Total amount collected. Amount to active chapters. Amount to National Treasury. 1913-1914 $316 $186 113 1914-1915 828 495 311 1915-1916 1,182 708 456 1916-1917 1,640 984 627 1917-1918 1,985 1,191 782 1918-1919 2,385 1,431 902 1920* 1,699 996'' 664'' Totals $10,035 $5,991 $3,855 a To September. 1920 ° Approximate. Accordiiig to the provision in the Constitution three-fifths of each note collected is sent to the college chapter to which the alumna belongs, the remaining two-fifths now being divided equally between the Scholar- ship Loan Fund and the Convention Fund. For the first two years two-fifths of the proceeds were used to defray the expenses of the national treasury. After the 1915 Convention one- 250 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity half was given to the Scholarship Fund, and the other half to the Convention Fund. During the college year 1917-18 and part of 1918-19 on account of the postponement of convention, by Council vote the entire amount received by the treasury was given to the Scholarship Fund. The entire amount of alumnae note proceeds received by the Scholarship Fund has been approximately $2,106. The figures in this table show clearly the actual present and the potential value to the fraternity of the alumnae note system. The Reserve Fund, which will be of increasing service in the building of chapter houses, and ultimately for an endowment for the fraternity, appeals deeply to the alumnae because of its practicability. By co- operation with the Reserve Fund and the Scholarship Fund, the alumnae members find it possible to render large service of an attractive nature that they could not attempt to offer as individuals. Not merely through, and for the sake of financial support did the remarkable awakening of alumnae interest manifest itself. It is to be seen most impressively in the development of the committee system of service. During the first years of the fraternity, tasks were frequently assigned to a chapter to perform, and the appointment of needed commit- tees was made within that chapter. Much of the work of committees was done at conventions. When the Grand Council was established in 1898 as the governing body of the fraternity, the important committees neces- sary to the work of the organization were appointed, for a number of years, principally within that body. 'Of the first official meeting of the Grand Council, in 1903, Kate Calkins Drake says in The Lyre several years later: "Much of the work to be finished was left to committees. From the work of these came the first examinations, the revision of the initiation ceremony, some system of identification and affiliation, and a successful struggle for proper recognition in Baird's Manual." These committees, we find, which Mrs. Drake designated, were seven in number, and all were Council members. But while the fraternity was still in the first decade of the twentieth century, the volume of work was too large for these committees of the Council. Committees made up of alumnae and one member of the Council appear on the minutes, and occasionally alumnae who had no official connection with the Council were commissioned for a large service. The amount of service rendered by all these committees was noteworthy ; but it was not continuous. Thestaff of The Lyre constituted a standing committee of a kind, it is true, from early days. Not until the beginning of the chartering of alumnae chapters in 1906, however, did standing committees appear. In 1907 it was legislated that each chapter should elect an alumna adviser. Since these officers stand in close relation to the National Council, and their duties are continuous, we may consider them as standing commit- The ALUMNiE Association 251 tees. In 1908 a committee for the revision of the Initiation Ceremony was appointed which developed into the Ritual and Equipment committee of the present. In 1908 the president appointed a committee on constitu- tional changes, which by 1910 had become the permanent committee on Organization and Laws. Like the one on the ritual, this committee had been preceded by a number of committees which had served briefly in the same cause. These two important committees mark the beginning of distin- guished service by standing committees. They were both composed, as it is interesting to note, of members of Gamma Gamma Chapter who could gather frequently and could work together with limitless resources at hand in the libraries of the metropolis. Mrs. Kent, Mrs. Green, and Mrs. Fall made up the former committee; the personnel of the latter was Mrs. Fall and Mrs. Green, until 1914. In that year, however, the work for a new edition of the Constitution and Code fell into the hands of two Council members, Mrs. Loud and Miss Armstrong, and after the convention of 1915, was completed by Miss Griffith, the National Secretary. The stories of these two committees are similar to those of others of our list of standing committees. For, about the year 1910, the twenty- fifth anniversary of Alpha Chi Omega, the policy of standing com- mittees appears unmistakably in several of the thirty-three committees announced at that convention and announced at each subsequent con- vention. These committees work with the Council, often without a Council member among the appointees, or it may be, including all the members of an alumnae chapter. The availability of alumnae in organized groups for national service has been repeatedly demonstrated. The steady development of Alpha Chi Omega in many directions during the past decade may be explained by the cooperation of alumnae with the Council in committee service. The members of the Council still serve on many committees, and commit- tee service still looms large upon the horizon of Council work; but few appointed committees now are constituted entirely of Council mem- bers. In fact, over a hundred alumnae are engaged in national work today, in the following Standing Committees: Executive, Organization and Laws, Extension, Chapter Houses, Reserve Fund, Macdowell Studio, Alumnae, Finance, Publications, Official Supplies, Examinations, Lyre Finance Board, Ritual and Equipment, Panhellenic, Schlarship Fund, altruistic work, History, and Advisory Investment committees. The time will come when every alumna who is willing to give ever so little time to the national work may be able to find congenial tasks. Such volunteer work will add to the already significant volume of alumnae service, and will increase greatly the power of the fraternity. 252 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity The Alumnae Association, we believe, has but begun its work. In the future what seems to us now a remarkable growth of alumna; service will seem a mere humble beginning. The Scholarship Fund and National Vocational Committees both pregnant with possibility for the good of undergraduates and graduates alike, are largely alumnae enterprises. The national altruistic work but just begun will be carried on by alumnae groups and directed by a committee made up of alumnae. Extension work will be developed on all sides in new college fields, by means of the alumnae. In a very few years we shall see, no doubt, an alumnae associa- tion with a self-supporting department of its own, with its own offices, and sessions of its own at national conventions of which the beginning was made in 1915. That day is already in sight, and it means far greater usefulness and prestige than Alpha Chi Omega has yet seen, even in prospect, in her years of achievement. CHAPTER XX ALUMNA CHAPTERS Alpha Alpha Chapter, Chicago, Illinois, was established May 23, 1906, as the Chicago Alumnae Chapter, the first of the chartered alumnae groups. The organization was effected through the efforts of Gamma alumnae, who for several years had maintained an informal alumnae association, assisted by alumnae of several other chapters. The banquet in honor of the founding was held in the Women's Clubrooms in Evanston, Illinois, May 23, 1906, and was preceded by a card party at which the Gamma alumnae entertained the local active chapter as well as alumnae from other chapters. At the business meeting that ensued, the chapter officers were elected and plans were made for the year, which included two business meetings and two musicales, besides monthly luncheons in Chicago. The schedule was changed in 1908 to four business meetings a year instead of two, and in addition, monthly gatherings at the homes of members. At the annual banquet of that year Madame Zeisler was guest of honor, "and gave a delightful informal talk." Characteristics of Alpha Alpha's history have been the annual elaborate banquet; the two musicales each year, at times with Gamma Chapter and other resident and non-resident Alpha Chis as guests; and summer "porch parties," held every two weeks during the months of June, July, and August. Luncheons in Chicago tea-rooms are given frequently for the sake of convenience. In 1910 Madame Julia Rive- King was guest of honor at the annual banquet. Alpha Alpha has often had occasion to meet national officers of Alpha Chi Omega. In 1909 she entertained the entire Council, who were assembled in Evanston, at a "large formal reception, to which the faculty and all the fraternities were invited, in the rooms of the University Guild." Again in 1915, Alpha Alpha extended hospitality to the national officers and also to the delegates to the California convention at a "send- off dinner" just previous to the departure of the convention special train for California. On November 8, 1917, a tea was given at the home of Miss Zella Marshall for the members of the National Council who had been holding a session at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. Alpha Alpha is well represented in the Chicago Panhellenic, having held the presidency of that association. Members take an active part also in Chicago and Evanston club and musical life. In 1919 Alpha Alpha, with Alpha, Gamma, and Beta Beta chapters entertained the National Convention at the Congress Hotel in Chicago. 254 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity The following members served on convention committees: Mrs. Harry Osborne, Mrs. Willard Dixon, Mrs. Neff, Mrs. Fred Windoes, Mrs. Ralph Dennis, Miss Cordelia Hanson, and Miss Florence Tyden. Their careful plans and attention to details were evident in every phase of the convention program. Alpha Alpha has furnished a number of national officers to the fraternity and alumnae advisers for Gamma Chapter. Assistance in rushing, at initiation, and at social affairs is rendered Gamma, and joint gatherings of the active and alumnae chapters are held two or three times a year. In 1920 Alpha Alpha was given the responsibility of making and assembling the fraternity ritualistic equipment. In 1921 Alpha Alpha undertook the administration of the Children's scholarship for the Central Province. By virtue of her cosmopolitan membership. Alpha Alpha is a very representative chapter. The following members of Alpha Alpha received the Pi Kappa Lambda key (honorary musical society), that was established at North- western University in 1919: Myrta McKean Dennis, Edith Ericson Defty, Grace Ericson Spearman, Mary Marshall, Julia Marshall, Mabel Dunn Madson, Elthea Snider Turner, Ruth Bradford, Elizabeth Cotterall, Muriel A. Brachvogel. The charter members of Alpha Alpha were: Elizabeth Tompkins Bradstreet, Ora Bond Burman, Juliet Fauck Colwell, Theodora Chaffee, Myrta McKean Dennis, Grace Ericson, Emma Hanson, Marjorie Grafius, Tina Mae Haines, Cordelia Hanson, Blanche Hughes Hinckley, June Ogden Hunter, Mabel Jones, Irene Stevens Kidder, Mabel Dunn Mad- son, Ethel Calkins McDonald, Carrie Holbrook Miller, Lucie McMaster Miles, Gertrude Ogden, Ida Pratt, Marion Ewell Pratt, Grace Richard- son, Elizabeth Scales, Katharine Scales, CoraSeegars, Mabel HarrietSiller, Mary R. Vose, Florence ChildsWooley, Lillian Siller Wyckoff, Ella Young. Beta Beta Chapter, Indianapolis, Indiana. Early in 1901 the resident alumnae of Indianapolis, Indiana, conceived the idea of entertaining the members of Alpha Chapter who came to the city at the time of the State Oratorical Contest. Mrs. Joseph Taggart offered her home, and a reception was held on the fourth Friday of February. Regular gather- ings followed, meetings being held once each month. A program was usually rendered, after which a social time was enjoyed. In January, 1906, a charter was granted and Beta Beta Chapter was installed. The charter members were: Jennie McHatton Barnett, Lillian Moore Cottingham, Bertha Deniston Cunningham, Helen Dalrymple Francis Laura Adams Henry, Alta M. Rogers, Florence Thompson Taggart, Ella Hill Thomson, Elma Patton Wade, Lena Scott Wild, and Daisy Steele Wilson, Monthly meetings have been held at the homes of members, with an occasional downtown luncheon. Gamma Gamma Chapter 255 Two social affairs are held each year — a banquet, the fourth Friday of February, the anniversary of the organization, for the members of Alpha and Alpha Beta Chapters at the Claypool Hotel. The banquet is among the most noteworthy events given by any of our alumnae organiza- tions and the attendance exceeds one hundred. At the 1919 banquet five of the Founders were present. Beta Beta is proud to claim two of the fraternity Founders as members, Olive Burnett Clark and Bertha Denis- ton Cunningham. Mrs. Clark has served as the chapter president for a number of years. The second annual function is a picnic in June at the country home of Mrs. Joseph Taggart, at which time the husbands and children are entertained. Some years the husbands are entertained at an evening party. Beta Beta has assisted Alpha in many ways. The chapter for the past two years has been in charge of the plans for the Alpha chapter house and Founders' Memorial to be built at Greencastle. The Grand Council was entertained by Beta Beta in October, 1907, at which time a reception was held at the home of Mrs. J. R. Francis. Invitations were extended to all the fraternity women in the city, to meet the members of the Grand Council. A Panhellenic organization was formed in the city in the spring of 1914. Mrs. Daisy Steele Wilson was elected a member of the Board. In 1915 Maude Meserve Stoner was a member of the Advisory Board and in 1919-1920 Icy Frost Bridge was elected president of the Indianapolis Panhellenic association. Beta Beta has been most cordial in her support of national fraternity projects. Many of the members of Beta Beta are active in the church, artistic, and club life of Indianapolis, holding the most responsible offices in the prominent clubs ; some are also active in the work of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Beta Beta Chapter has received several national honors, and has been represented at six national conventions. Gamma Gamma Chapter, New York City, was established November 6, 1907, by the alumnae of New York City through the influence of Fay Bamaby Kent, A, and Nella Ramsdell Fall, B. The charter members were: Lillian Dodson Brown, Emma Crittenden, Daisy Snell Echlin, Sara Evans, Nella Ramsdell Fall, Jean Whitcomb Fenn, Virginia Fiske Green, Harriet McLaughlin Gunnison, Margaret Kellogg Howard, Violet Truell Johnston, Fay Barnaby Kent, Olive Porter, Fern Pickard Stevens, Alta Moyer Taylor. Gamma Gamma meets monthly either for luncheon or tea the second Saturday of each month. For two years the chapter met at the home of Jess Northcroft. Another winter the meetings were held at the apart- ment of Anne McLeary. For the last spring meeting in June the chapter is usually entertained at the country home of some member. Until 1909 monthly meetings were held at the Martha Washington Hotel. 256 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity As altruistic work, the members gave a concert in 1910, the proceeds of which were used for the Macdowell Studio Fund. Mrs. Kent was the first to propose the Macdowell Studio Fund, and through her ambition and enthusiasm inspired the chapters to assist in making possible the studio at Peterborough. Gamma Gamma extended her hospitality to the National Council in meeting assembled in New York, in the summer of 1911, in 1914, and in 1920. She represented the fraternity as hostess to National Panhellenic Congress in 1914, making possible what many considered the most comfortable and enjoyable of all Congresses. The comfort of the guests was largely due to the care shown by Gamma Gamma in planning for the Congress and to Mrs. Fall as chairman of the local arrangements committee. Several members of Gamma Gamma assisted in the program of the open session at which a new Panhellenic song, written by Jess Northcroft, Z and T T, was sung. The chapter is so scattered that it has never been able to observe Hera Day as an organization, but each member plans her own observance of the day. Delta Delta Chapter, Los Angeles, California. Delta Delta Chapter was chartered in Los Angeles, California, September 25, 1908, Louise Davis Van Cleve, E, and Ja Nette Allen Cushman, B, being especially influential in bringing about its organization. All interested in the establishment of an alumnae chapter were asked to meet in the committee room of the Y. W. C. A. building. This number consisted of members from chapters all over the Union. To establish an acquaintance and a common interest it was decided to begin the meetings as purely social gatherings. The first roll included the following names: Louise Davis Van Cleve, Ja Nette Allen Cushman, Ruth Dunning Young, Leila Skelton Brown, Glenna Shantz Mills, Myrtle McArthur, Faye Buck, Mabel Chalfin, Katherine Saunders, Blanche Gregg, Louise White, Hazel Hearne, Mauneena McMillan, Marie Smith, and Carrie Trow- bridge. Convenience and pleasure soon established the second Saturday of each month as the date of the meetings, a custom which is still followed. These gatherings soon took the form of a luncheon, sometimes in tea- rooms, sometimes at the chapter house of the Epsilon girls, but most frequently at the homes of members, who were the hostesses of the day. The formal meeting followed. In 1915-1916, a delightful part of the meetings was the program given by fraternity talent, often supplied by Epsilon Chapter. From twenty-five to .thirty-five attend each meeting. The earliest outside work, a search of the history reveals, is a sub- scription sent to the Macdowell Studio. Then the group tried to find local philanthropic work. Attempts were made to render assistance to needy families, by supplying food and clothing. In 1911, interest was fixed upon the Children's Hospital. An afternoon tea at the Log Cabin Epsilon Epsilon Chapter 257 proved successful and made possible a gift of ninety-two dollars. A year later, a musicale and reception at the Ebell Clubhouse enabled the purchase of a set of X-ray instruments, to be given to the same institu- tion. Another year a bed was endowed in the name of Alpha Chi Omega at the expense of $250 together with a promise of a gift of fifty dollars each year following, for yearly upkeep. This bed has been maintained ever since. One of the most enjoyable activities has been the annual Christmas shower to Epsilon Chapter. Not having any house of its own to furnish, the chapter takes delight in providing happiness to the younger sisters. Some pressing need or unhoped for luxury each year carries its love to Epsilon. The accompaniment of a Christmas tree with candles, and candy, and songs and much laughter, and babies, makes the Christmas party an affair to be looked forward to. In September, 1914, both Delta Delta and Epsilon spent the afternoon and evening at the beautiful home of Ellen Beach Yaw at Covina. In 1915, Delta Delta had the pleasure of assisting Epsilon as hostess to the convention of Alpha Chi Omega. Realization in the minds of the guests equalled the anticipation of the anxious hostesses, and the convention of 1915 performed its every function successfully. In March, 1916, Delta Delta was accorded the pleasure of entertain- ing the honorary members, Mrs. Macdowell and Ellen Beach Yaw, at the home of Rowena Huscroft. The year 1917-1918 found Delta Delta deep- ly interested in war work, a brief account of which appears in the chapter on war work of the fraternity. Home charities were not forgotten at this time, however, for the chapter gave ten dollars and a jelly and jam shower to Madame Ellen Beach Yaw for her Lark Ellen Home for Boys, beside the regular fifty-dollar pledge for the Children's Hospital. Mrs. Fall, National Inspector, visited Los Angeles in February, 1918, and Delta Delta joined with Epsilon in giving a reception for her to all fraternity women. In 1918 Delta Delta gave $25.00 to the Scholarship Fund. In 1919 during the stay of Mrs. Loud and Mrs. Bennett in Los Ange- les Delta Delta joined Epsilon in giving a large reception for them at the chapter house, to which were invited all the women's and men's frater- nities, faculty members and mothers of Alpha Chis. In April, 1920, Delta Delta gave a card party to raise funds for the national altruistic work. Successful banquets which both Delta Delta and Epsilon attended have been held in 1919 and 1920. In 1920 eighty-five Alpha Chis, representing the chapters, sat down to the banquet table at the Jonathan Club. Delta Delta gave a bazaar in 1921 and raised $550 for local charities and the national altruistic work. Epsilon Epsilon Chapter, Detroit, Michigan. At the convention of 1908, Ada Dickie Hamblin, B, and Frank Busey Soule, I, were appointed 258 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity a committee to organize an alumnae chapter in Detroit, Michigan. Accordingly five enthusiastic Alpha Chis met at the home of Mrs. Hamblin on March 17, 1909. On March 24, 1909, twelve met at the "Copper Kettle" for luncheon and signed a petition for a charter for the Epsilon Epsilon Chapter. The charter was signed May 18, 1909, and Mrs. Soule served as the first president. The charter members were: Myrtle Wallace Allen, Ada Dickie Hamblin, Grace Lynn Hamer, Florence Wocxlhams Henning, Mabel Allen Renwick, Bessie TefTt Smith, Frances Dissette Tackels, Florence Hoag White, Etta May Tinker, Frank Busey Soule, Winifred Van Buskirk Mount, and Ora Woodworth. In 1910 Epsilon Epsilon aided Theta Chapter in enter- taining the National Convention at the Hotel Tuller, Detroit, in cele- bration of the fraternity's twenty-fifth birthday. The meetings, both social and business, are held on the second Saturday of each month, except in July and August, at the homes of the members. For the sake of convenience it has become the custom to serve a one o'clock luncheon after which the business meeting is held. Of their altruistic work, Epsilon Epsilon says: "Each year just before Christmas we forget to be sufficient unto ourselves and, in fact, quite forgetting to be interested in each other, think about those who are less fortunate. We usually delegate a committee to look up a family of goodly number, and supply them with warm new underwear." In 1921 Epsilon Epsilon was one of the first five alumnae chapters to undertake the work of administering a child's scholarship. She has had several national workers. Zeta Zeta Chapter, Boston, Massachusetts, was organized as an alumnae chapter November 9, 1909. Through the efforts of Estelle McFarlane Dunkle and Evangeline Bridge, both of Zeta, a sufficient number of alumnae were found in the vicinity of Boston, and the charter was granted by the Grand Council in the spring of 1909. On November 9, in Boston a business meeting and luncheon were held, and the charter was signed. The charter members were: Estelle McFarlane Dunkle, Evangeline Bridge, Sarah D. Morton, Gladys Livingston Olmstead, Blanche Ripley, all of Zeta, and May Allinson, Iota and Gamma Gamma. The chapter is in close touch with Zeta Chapter which she assists socially and finan- cially. Zeta Zeta was the pioneer in the war work of the fraternity and from her ranks the chairman of the French Orphan Committee was chosen. Zeta Zeta supported one orphan for five years and two orphans for three years. In 1921 Zeta Zeta again became one of the pioneers in the new altruistic work undertaken by the fraternity by establishing one of the children's scholarships. This chapter has given the fraternity several national workers, including two national presidents. Zeta Zeta provided the fraternity with the annual calendars of 1915 and 1916. Theta Theta Chapter 259 Eta Eta Chapter, Madison, Wisconsin. Eta Eta, the seventh alumnje chapter, was organized on Friday, June 16, 1911. The installation was held at the Kappa chapter house at 430 Sterling Court. Mrs. Dennis, the National Inspector,, presented the charter, which was signed by Alice Alford, Hazel Alford, Margaret H'Doubler, Helen Jennings, Lucille Simon, Sarah Morgan Bell, Sarah Sutherland, Mae Theobald, and Edna Swenson Mayer, all of Kappa, Florence Kelly Baskerville, F, and Inger Hoen Emery, N. It was planned to hold all meetings at the homes of Eta Eta members on the first Monday evening of each month. This time was later changed to the first Wednesday evening of each month. The chapter at first studied various topics and had musical or other programs at its meetings. Later it devoted its energies to social service work. A hospital box was planned for each Hera Day and funds were raised for the Reserve Fund. Much assistance has always been given Kappa Chapter, and Eta Eta was particularly helpful when Kappa bought her new home. Eta Eta was active in war work and in 1920 made a contribution to the fraternity's new altruistic work. In 1912 Eta Eta • and Kappa Chapters were hostesses to the National Convention in Madison. Theta Theta Chapter, Berkeley, California. During the fall of 1912 the desirability of forming an alumnee chapter of Alpha Chi Omega was felt by the girls who had graduated from Pi Chapter, and who seldom had a chance for reunion. On June 11, 1913, at a meeting held at the Pi chapter house, Theta Theta Chapter was duly installed by Mrs. Virginia Fiske Greene, G and rr. The first officers were as follows: Rue Clifford, President; Mrs McKay, Vice-President; Lottie Bocarde, Recording Secretary; Mrs. Wm. Kelley, Corresponding Secretary; Mrs. S. J. Vogel, Treasurer; Mrs. L. W. Layne, Historian; Elizabeth Wolfe, Lyre Editor. From this time on till 1916 the monthly meetings, held at the houses of the members, were largely of a social nature, though charitable work, discussions of Panhellenic questions and, in 1916, preparation of equipment of installation of chapters, shared in giving the chapter a busy as well as a social life. In the period following 1916 the date of the monthly meeting has varied. For the years 1916 to 1920 the meetings have been held on the first Saturday afternoon in the month. In 1919-1920, this time was changed to the first Monday evening, and the place to Pi chapter house in order to bring about closer relations between the girls of Pi and Theta Theta. As few married members of the chapter could attend even- ing meetings, the time of meeting was again changed to Saturday after- noon while the custom of meeting at the chapter house was retained, so that there is still ample opportunity for the alumnae to meet the girls of 260 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Pi. In 1919-1920 Theta Theta and Pi were drawn even more closely together by the cooperative effort of both chapters in purchasing a chapter house for Pi. Under the loyal and efficient chairmanship of Leigh Foulds the purchase was completed and the financing so arranged that both chapters bear the burden and share the responsibility, while understanding and friendship have increased through working together. Besides the work of its members through Panhellenic, Theta Theta has made each Hera Day an occasion for some work for others. In 1916, 1917, and 1918 boxes of clothing were packed and sent to poor families in West Berkeley or Richmond. In 1919 a gift of money was made to Roberts College of Constantinople. 1920 saw another box of clothing packed and sent, with some money, to the Berkeley Day Nursery for the children there. The chapter hopes to continue its attempt to help the children of the Berkeley factory district to the warm clothing that they need for school. This chapter work has been carried on with an average yearly membership of twenty-five. Iota Iota Chapter, Seattle, Wash. Iota Iota was organized as an alumnae chapter March 8, 1913, through the efforts of Ada Dickie Hamblin, B. The charter members were Alice Mustard Adams, Z, Gertrude Babcock, B; Ethel Lilyblade Brown, V; Gertrude Neidergesaes Bryce, P; Jennie Rogers Cole, P; Leora Fryette Evans, K; Jean Whit- comb Fenn, B ; Alice Reynolds Fischer, and Z ; Ray Gallagher, r ; Ada Dickie Hamblin, B; Marjorie Harkins Matzen, P; Louise Stone Hick- cox, Z; Edith Hindman Johnson, P; Nellie Allen McCafferty, A; Vera Cogswell Rogers, P; Gretchen O'Donnell Starr, P. Since that time many new Alpha Chis have been added to the chapter, and though many have moved away the membership has more than doubled, numbering in 1920 thirty resident and twelve non-resident members. Meetings are held the first Saturday of each month at Rho's chapter house. Two members act as hostesses. Part of the afternoon is devoted to business and the remainder given over to a program of a social nature. An interesting variation of this social program has been five-minute talks about their work, given by professional members. Iota Iota has presented Rho Chapter with several gifts, of which the last was perhaps the most elaborate. It included a davenport table, two pic- tures, a vase, a statuette of Hebe for the living-room, and a small table for the hall of the new chapter house. Funds for these gifts and for charity are provided through Iota lota's annual bazaar, which has been increasingly successful each year. In 1919 it netted $218 and a part of the sum was put in savings on the alumnae chapter's account as a start toward a convention fund. The scholarship trophy given Rho in 1915 has many new and deserving names inscribed upon it. Lambda Lambda Chapter 261 Iota Iota has tried not to be self-centered, and many pledges have been made to the National Reserve Fund and to theWashington Scholar- ship Fund. It has taken an active part in the organization and direction of the Northwest Alpha Chi Omega Corporation. All of the officers of the corporation are members of Iota Iota, and are devoting their efforts toward raising a fund with which Rho Chapter may pur- chase a site for its future home. Hera Day has always been interest- ing, usually being observed by giving a musical at some Home, or visiting the Children's Hospital. In 1920 the committee appointed to investigate worthy fields reported that the Social Welfare League of Seattle would welcome help from university women. Accordingly, the members offered two afternoons of their time the Week of Hera Day, their aid being largely of a clerical nature. Four members of Iota Iota became so interested in this work in 1920 that they con- tinued it as a personal charity, devoting one afternoon a week or more to it. The chapter felt that here was evidence of a constructive good arising from organized effort. In 1920-1921 Iota Iota made generous contributions to the national altruistic work of the fraternity. Kappa Kappa Chapter, Lincoln, Nebraska, was granted a charter on January 31, 1914. Lois Smith Crann, National Inspector, was the installing officer. The alumnae in Lincoln had been meeting for four years before the charter was granted, so the enrollment at the time the charter was granted was large. The charter members were: Lilah V. David; Alice Lesher Mauck; Helen Boggs Alexander; Metta K. Yost; Lillian E. Stevens; Jane Chandler Bishop; Etta Brothers Mosley; Harriet M. Condra; Rebanis Sisler; Marie Minor; Kathryn Morgan; Isabel H. McCorkindale ; Endora Marshall Esterbrook; Florence Davis; Harriet E. Bardwell; Mary Noble Bardwell; Margaret Kellogg Howard; Beula Jennings; D. Dale Pugh; Grace M. Holman; Vera Cox Bavinger; Beulah Bell Minnich ; Vera A. Upton ; Maude Thomas Larson ; Beulah Buckley. The meetings have always been informal, comprising a luncheon, with the business meeting following. The chapter's work in general has been to support the active chapter, financially and in its various activities. Kappa Kappa takes charge of and plans the annual banquet for Xi, and gives one of the four rushing parties that Xi has each autumn. During the war all efforts were turned to war work, and many members held responsible positions in various departments of patriotic endeavor. Since the war Kappa Chapter has cooperated very effectively in the national altruistic service of Alpha Chi Omega by supporting and administering children's scholarships to needy students in the Lincoln high school. Lambda Lambda, Grand Rapids, Michigan. During the Christmas holidays of 1912, all Alpha Chi Omegas known to be living in Grand 262 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Rapids were invited to meet at the home of Millie E. Fox. Plans were then made for regular meetings during the year. A petition for an alum- nae chapter was sent to the National Council and granted. On February 7, 1914, Lambda Lambda of Alpha Chi Omega was installed at Grand Rapids, Michigan, by Nella Ramsdell Fall, Yonkers, New York, at the home of Ruth Birge Byers, the charter members being: Millie E. Fox, B; Mary Hyde, 9; Ruth Birge Byers, T; Enid Holmes Ellis, 0; Ida Billinghurst Hume, B; Josephine Moore Shaw, B; Pearl Frambes Shedd, B; Mame Hale Ward, 6; Myrtle Watson, B; Helen Hilliker, 0; Lulu Fairbanks, B ; and Lillian Elliott, B. A banquet was served in the even- ing at the Morton House to which husbands and friends were invited. Out-of-town Alpha Chis present were: Nella Ramsdell Fall of Yonkers, New York; Mildred A. Moore of Rockford, Illinois; Lucile Schenck of Clinton, Michigan. The chapter holds at the homes of members monthly meetings that are social in character. Mu Mu, Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas City Star of September 20, 1914, stated that "Mu Mu Alumnae Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega was installed by Miss Lillian Zimmerman, National Treasurer, of Alpha Chi Omega, September 19, at the home of Miss Frances Gould, 2809 Charlotte Street. The officers are: President, Miss Clara Chesney; Vice President, Mrs. Spence Apple; Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. J. W. Colley; Historian, Mrs. Alexander Haggart; Lyre Editor, Miss Frances Gould; Warden, Miss May Jaggard." The installation was performed with impressive dignity and the charter received with much pride by the fifteen charter members. The first few years of the organization were almost entirely devoted to social functions but more recently while still the chapter continues social affairs, community work has absorbed interest. Child welfare work in Kansas City is sponsored largely by the Pan- hellenic and the American Association of University Women. Two Alpha Chi Omegas, Charlotte Boutwell Jones and Helen Hertzler have done especially valuable work in this department. Panhellenic is also active in the Anti-tuberculosis Society giving her support in supplying funds also active personal aid in establishing, maintaining and equipp- ing open air schools in the city. Mu Mu has always been active in the Panhellenic movement in Kansas City. In 1916-19]i7 Mrs. Fred Hoover served ably as president of the Association. Since Mrs. Hoover's term of office, Anna Church Colley, Louise Chesney, and Agnes Hertzler have represented Alpha Chi Omega in the Kansas City Panhellenic Association. Nu Nu Chapter, Denver, Colorado. On April 22, 1916, a meeting of Denver Alpha Chi Omegas was held at the studio of Shirley Lewis, N, for the purpose of organizing an alumnee association. The Denver Club Nu Nu Chapter 263 of Alpha Chi Omega was the result of that meeting. The club early took steps toward securing a charter as an alumnae chapter and at once identified itself with the Denver Panhellenic. Meetings were held regularly each month at the homes of the members and several luncheons were given at the Daniels and Fisher Tea Room. In August, 1916, a meeting was held in honor of Mrs. Robert Dunkle (Estelle H. McFar- lane), Z, who encouraged the club to apply for a charter as an alumnae chapter. In March, 1917., Mrs. Frank Fall (Nella Ramsdell) B, National Inspector, spent two days in Denver and assisted at the installation of Nu Nu. There were ten charter members, as follows : Ray Gallagher Feagans, T; Pauline Thomas Arnold, A; Pearl Armitage Jamieson, A Muriel Lough Woods, 0; Shirley Lewis, N; Edith W. Noxon, N Sophia EUsberg, N; Charlotte Boutwell, $; Ruth Hamilton Loupe, N Leona Petef s, N ; Mildred McFarland, N. Meetings were held regularly until the end of the year. The following year a number of the charter members left the city and the work of the chapter became somewhat disorganized. In 1919-1920 the chapter was reorganized and again became ready for work. The twelve members represented Alpha, Beta, Iota, Chi, and Nu Chapters. Nu Nu in 1920- 1921 began to make plans for the National Convention of 1922 to be held in Colorado. CHAPTER XXI ALUMNA CLUBS Albion Alumna Club, Albion, Michigan. The Albion Alumnae Club was formally organized in May, 1914, at the home of Lucretia Drown Gardner. The first officers of the new organization were: President, Augusta Eveland Dickie; Secretary, Ethel Calkins Drake; Treasurer, Margaret Smith. For many years prior to the formation of the club the ties binding the resident alumnae and Beta Chapter were unusually strong. Support to the active chapter was loyally and happily given by the alumnae and in turn the courtesies extended by the younger sisters were many. This cordial relationship was made more effective by the organized club which has always given aid to the active chapter in rushing and in other social activities. The two groups have frequently combined in observance of Founders' Day and in annual reunions. The alumnae group takes charge of the alumnae reunion at commencement time. Support is given regularly to the city hospital. Alliance Alumna Club, Alliance, Ohio. The Alliance Club was granted recognition in September, 1920. The following alumnae, all of Alpha Eta, signed the petition: Stella Stackhouse, Mabel Hisey, Mildred Walker, Lydia Kirk, Grace Sanderson, Evangeline L. Bowers, Marjorie James, Carrie Clark, Edith McBride Purviance, Mary Ellen Pluchel, Inez Summers, and Mary Pauline Borton. The club holds bimonthly meetings and plans as its main work to be of active assistance to Alpha Eta Chapter. Its first efforts have been directed toward helping the active chapter in its rushing and toward raising a fund for a chapter home. Ann Arbor Alumna Club, Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Ann Arbor Alumna Club was organized in the early part of 1915. As with the other alumnae groups in small college cities where active chapters are estab- lished, the majority of the members are alumnae of the active chapter, Theta. The Club has as its chief purpose the giving of assistance to Theta Chapter. It aids the active chapter in rushing, in annual reunions and other social activities and by gifts to the chapter house. During the vital years in which Theta was planning and building her beautiful chapter house the alumnae association stood back of the active chapter in giving advice and financial assistance. The alumnae members of the board of directors of the house building project are chosen from the alumnae club. In 1919-1920 the Ann Arbor Club had a membership of twenty-four. The club has observed Hera Day by sending gifts to the city hospital and by earning money for other altruistic work. Buffalo Alumna Club 265 Atlanta Alumna Club, Atlanta, Georgia. The alumnae living in Atlanta, Georgia, met at the home of Willie Kate Travis, Tuesday afternoon, November 23, 1915, for the purpose of effecting a permanent organization. The following alumnae were present and constituted the charter members of the Atlanta Club: Edith Bradley Sheppard, B; Nellie Schuyler Childs, ; Vie Strickland, T ; Mary Disbro, T ; Vera Southwick, A ; all of Atlanta ; Virginia Hinton, T, Reynolds, Ga. ; Laura Bell Bostwick, T, Arlington, Ga. ; and Lucile Bean Smith, T, Columbus, Ga. The club meets monthly at the homes of members. Because of the absence of a nearby active chapter the activities of the club have been mainly social. In 1919- 1920 the club had eleven members. Bellingham Alumna Club, Bellingham, Washington. The alumnae of Bellingham, Washington, in the spring of 1920 began to make plans looking toward the organization of an alumnae club. The petition sent to the Executive Committee was signed by the following alumnae: Gertrude Hopkinson Cotterall, P, Mary Barker Vincent, I, Adeline Titcomb Hook, P, Irene Thomas, P, Cosby Jackson, P, Irene Palmer, 0, Genie Watrous, P, Lenora Thomas, P, Arlie M. Anderson, P, and Annie Palmer, 0. The club was formally organized in August, 1920. Because of the short time the club has been established no work can be reported. Boulder Alumnce Club, Boulder, Colorado. When Dale Pugh Hascall, then Western Province President, visited Nu Chapter in the fall of 1915 she called a meeting of the local alumnae to discuss plans for an alumnae club at Boulder. Much enthusiasm was aroused and after a number of preliminary meetings the club was organized in December, 1915, with the following members, all alumnae of Nu Chapter: Ethel M. Brown, Anne C. Coulehan, Elma Curtin, Irene Hall Curtis, Clara Bancroft Curtis, Mildred Nafe Kerr, Ella Noxon, Lena Powelson Ridgeway, Ruth San- born and Ethel Tresize, of Boulder; Jessie Davis, Fort Collins; Margaret Frazer Home, Denver; and Ruth Tomblin Martin, Nederland. From the first the club recognized that its first duty was to help tlie active chapter in every way. Meetings were held once a month at the homes of members. The club has been most active since its organization. It has entertained Nu Chapter frequently and has made numerous gifts to the chapter. In 1920 the club contributed to the Armenian Relief Fund as its Hera Day work. In other years Hera Day has been observed by individuals but not as a group. In 1920 the club numbered eight members. Buffalo Alumna Club, Buffalo, New York. After several previous attempts at organization the Alpha Chi alumnae residing in Buffalo formed an alumnae club which was granted recognition by the Executive Committee in- the spring of 1917. The original club numbered ten 266 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity members representing several active chapters. Although handicapped by a small and changing membership the club has held meetings with regularity and has served a useful purpose in keeping Alpha Chis in that city, both active and alumnas, in touch with one another. Cincinnati AlumncB Club, Cincinnati, Ohio. On May 21, 1919, a meeting was called at the Hotel Sinton for the purpose of forming a per- manent alumnae organization. On this same day a petition for recogni- tion as the Cincinnati Alumnae Club of Alpha Chi Omega was signed by Appellona Adams, Helen Arnold, Ruth Berting, Grace Flanagan, Julia Hammler, Loretta Hanlon, Mary McDowell, Edna Merz, Elvira Paul, Frances Runck, Gladys Schultz, Gertrude and Bess Waldman, all Alpha Deltas, Helen Day Keys, B, Vera C. Didlake, A, and Mabel Davis White, Z. Two weeks later when the club petition was granted the first business meeting was held. The following ofificers were elected: President, Helen Day Keys; Vice President, Mabel Davis White; Corresponding Secre- tary, Ruth Berting; Recording Secretary-Treasurer, Gladys Schultz; Editor, Mary McDowell. Cleveland Alumnce Club, Cleveland, Ohio. Due to the efforts and the enthusiasm of Ruth Harlow-Osborne, A, the Cleveland Alumnae Club was formally organized May 27, 1914. There had been two meetings pre- viously. The first was a luncheon at a downtown tea room and the next with Mrs. Ray M. Colwell. The charter members were: Julia Finch-Colwell, A; Beatrice Breckenridge-Cushman, B; Hazel Leach- Gallimore, A; Mabel Dunn-Madson, T; Ruth Harlow- Osborne, A; Dorothy Price, T; Mabel McHane-Schaffner, A. During the war the Cleveland Club as a separate group undertook no war work, but met with Panhellenic at the Y. W. C. A. for Red Cross service. Every member was doing as much as she was able to do in the various organizations that were active in war work, and it was thought wiser to combine efforts with the Panhellenic than to attempt separate work. The Cleveland Club was glad to make a contribution toward the support of the French war orphans. For several years it has been the custom of Cleveland Panhellenic to provide a scholarship for a girl at the College for Women of Western Reserve University, and to this work the Alpha Chi club gives financial support. But it is as a social group that the club finds its greatest interest. At a convenient downtown tea room, or at the home of one of the members, ten or twelve members gather for a few hours of friendly inter- change of news, once a month, realizing and appreciating what the bond of Alpha Chi Omega means among alumnae in a large city. Decatur AlumncB Club, Decatur, Illinois. The alumnae residing in Decatur, Illinois, organized for the purpose of assisting Upsilon Chapter Des Mqines Alumna Club 267 in September, 1914. The club meets once a month at the homes of mem- bers either for luncheon or for afternoon tea. The alumnae assist the active chapter in a number of significant ways: by gifts to the chapter house, by help in rushing, and by other social activities. In the spring of 1920 the club entertained the seniors of Upsilon Chapter, a number of whom expected upon graduation to become active members of the alumnae club. Upsilon in turn frequently invites the alumnae to the chapter house, and the relations between the two organizations are very cordial. On Hera Day, 1919, the club had a bakery sale, the proceeds of which were given toward the new altruistic work of the fraternity. The club has taken a prominent part in the activities of the city Panhellenic which chose as its work the raising of funds for a scholar- ship at Millikin. In 1920 the Decatur Club had a membership of twenty. Des Moines AlumncB Club, Des Moines, Iowa. During June, 1914, when several Des Moines alumnae of Mu Chapter were entertaining at an all-day picnic at Des Moines Golf and Tennis Club, in honor of the alumnae and active members of Mu, the idea was conceived of having a permanent alumnae organization of Alpha Chi Omega in Des Moines. During the summer plans were made and committees ap- pointed. In October, 1914, the Des Moines Alumnae Club had its first meeting. Rather an elaborate schedule was made for the years 1914- 1915 of business and social meetings, including one affair to which other fraternity women in the city were to be invited. Committees were at work during the entire year to enlarge the membership, the goal being to include as many fraternity sisters of Iowa as possible. The charter members numbered thirteen, including: Mrs. B. F. Clayton, M; Mrs. Grant Kimer, M ; Florence A. Armstrong, M ; Georgia Watson, M ; and Nelle Harris, M, of Indianola; Mrs. R. G. Harrison, M; Mrs. K. G. Car- ney, A; Besse Patrick, T; Mrs. John Merrill Dudley, M; and Mrs. Lloyd Humphrey, M, of Des Moines; Miss Berdena Hughes, M, Fairfield; Mrs. Leonard Smith, M, Ida Grove; Mrs. Fred Barker, M, Jefferson. Many members of other chapters signified willingness to attend whenever possible. Notification of the time of meeting was sent hence- forth to about thirty sisters. The meetings were held monthly from October, 1914, to May, 1915. Some altruistic work was done in the city; and a pledge was sent to the Reserve Fund. The season 1914-1915 was very successfully planned and carried out, the members being brought closely together in fraternity work and also in a social way. The club meets now twice a month : at a luncheon and business meeting the first Saturday of the month and at a social gathering in the middle of the month. Besides the support of two French orphans the club made a pledge to the national altruistic work. In 1919-1920 the club had eight resident members and a number of non-resident members. 268 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity The club endeavors to keep in touch with all Alpha Chis in the southern section of the state. Besides its own club work the group has always identified itself with the Des Moines Panhellenic. In 1916-1917, Janette Royal served as president of Panhellenic. A number of other members have done committee work. The District of Columbia Alumna Club, Washington, D. C. The District of Columbia Alumnae Club was formally organized April 23, 1915, at the home of Mrs. W. F. Ham. The signers of the petition were Suzanne Mulford Ham, V; Sue Graecen, B; Mary-Emma Griffith, A; Myra H. Jones, A; Eddie Dickert, T; Beulah Dickert, T. Although the Alpha Chi Omegas had met together several times previously, no effort had been made to have regular meetings of any kind, until Myra Jones and Mary-Emma Griffith invited the other Alpha Chis in the city to meet at a tea on Washington's birthday, in 1915. Only three Alpha Chis re- sponded to the invitation in person, notes being received from all the others regretting that absence from the city prevented attendance. This scattering of members is so characteristic of the residents of Washington, that in the early days of the club it was often true that a meeting of the club one month would consist of members none of whom were at the meet- ing the previous month. Monthly meetings were at first held at the beautiful home of Suzanne Mulford Ham, where an attractive room was called the "Alpha Chi Clubroom." The entry of the United States into the great war brought many Alpha Chis to the city and resulted in greatly increased activities of the club. From a membership of twelve to fifteen the club increased rapidly in numbers, and had on its list fifty or more names. ' As practically all the members were engaged in war work throughout the day the club as an organization did not attempt war work other than to support its French orphan, its main purpose during the war being to assist all the new Alpha Chis in the city in any possible way, whether to improve living conditions or to find more suitable and congenial work. For more than a year the club endeavored to solve the housing problem for its members by renting and maintaining a chapter house, but long search was unsuccessful in finding a suitable home at a reasonable rental in the congested city. Since the war,, although the membership has decreased, the club has maintained its activities undiminished. Monthly meetings are held, usually alternating an evening meeting with a downtown luncheon. A picnic is held in the middle of the summer for those Alpha Chis re- maining in the city. On the anniversary of the founding of the club — Washington's birthday — a luncheon is given to which Alpha Chis living in nearby cities are invited. Because of its location the D. C. Fresno Alumn* Club 269 Club has numbered among its members alumnae from practically every chapter in the fraternity including several Council members. The club has contributed toward the Reserve Fund, the national altruistic work, and a local orphan's home. Eastern Oklahoma AlumncB Club. In May, 1914, four loyal Alpha Chis met at the home of Jessie Richmond Shipley in Haskell. Three of them had never met before, since they all lived in different towns. It was decided at this first meeting to come together twice a year in Musko- gee. On November 28, 1914, occurred the first luncheon and election of officers. El Fleda Coleman Jackson, T, was elected President, Lucy Andrews Odell, A, Vice-President, Gladys Meserve Ranney, I, Secretary, and Eula R. Smith, 0, Treasurer. The club planned with El Fleda Coleman Jackson as its organizer and first president to hold its meetings on the day of the Panhellenic luncheons, thus meeting the sorority women of the eastern part of the state. The club now has twenty-five members scattered all over northeastern Oklahoma, who meet two or three times a year at some central place. In spite of its scattered membership the Eastern Oklahoma club has kept up its interest in the work of the fraternity and has responded loyally to the calls of the fraternity. The group made the largest contribution of any alumnae organization to the fund for the Founders' Memorial and Alta Allen Loud room at Green- castle. Hera Day is observed in some way by every member of the club. Evansville AlumncB Club, Evansville, Indiana. On June 24, 1920, a group of enthusiastic alumnae met at the studio of Alda McCoy Honig, A, to discuss plans for organizing an alumnae club in Evansville. Several subsequent meetings were held, officers elected, and in October, 1920, the petition which had seventeen signers, was granted. Those signing the petition were: Alda McCoy Honig, A; Mrs. R. H. Humphreys, I; Feme Wood, A^ Imogene Warner Hare, A; Myrtle Knudson Noelting, E; Mary Stewart, A; Enid Hedden, A; Enid Van de Veer, A; Laura Whit- man, T; Mrs. E. C. Landgrebe, A; Ruth Miller Hart, A; Mrs. W. R. Black, I; Irma Brady, T; Mrs. J. F. Seller, G; Grace Mitchell, V; Eleanor Mitchell, V; Opal Tislow, Z. The Evansville club selected as its first activity the organization of a city Panhellenic. In this endeavor it met with immediate enthusiastic response from the other fraternity women of the city and a Panhellenic association was organized in December, 1920, Imogene Warner Hare, A, being elected president. The Pan- hellenic Association has had one function, a tea on New Year's Day for the college girls who were home for the holidays, and plans were made for a party in the spring of 1921 to interest high school girls in fraternities. Fresno Alumna Club, Fresno, California. In November, 1920, alumnae living in and near Fresno, began steps toward the organization 270 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity of an alumnae club in that city. The petition, signed by ten alumnae was sent to the Executive Committee for action in March, 1921, and was approved by them at the Executive Committee meeting just preceding the Atlantic Province Convention, held April 9 and 10, 1921. The charter members of the Fresno Club are as follows : Elsie Bean Docker, I ; Miriam Bonsel Cowan, X; Minnie Lisk Busey, U; Mama Lewis Ficklin, I; Ina Sopher Shirts, A; Helen Beck Bell, E; Laura Olschewsky White, P; Amy J. Ayres, 11; Florence E. Marvin, II; Ina Gregg Thomas, I. GaleshurgAlumncB Club, Galesburg, Illinois. The Galesburg Club was organized in March, 1916, with the following charter members: Mary Ethel Todd, I; Edyth Boyd, I; Hazel Hill, B; Agnes M. Olson, I; Helen H. Birch, A; Helen Rhodes, 6. The club held a number of meetings and made a pledge to the Reserve Fund. Because of the small number of nearby alumnae the club was not active from 1918 to 1921. Grays Harbor Alumnce Club, Aberdeen, Washington. The alumna living in Aberdeen became organized in an alumnae club in January, 1917. The club since its organization has cooperated with the nearest college chapter, Rho, by helping them with their annual bazaar and by making gifts to the chapter. They also aid in rushing by sending to nearby chapters names of desirable new members. Hera Day is observed by taking flowers to the sick. The club is active in city organizations and a number are members of the Association of University Women. In 1919-1921 Margaret Wilson and Agnes Hobi Nelson were Vice President and Secretary respectively of the local A. A. U. W. and Muriel Brachvogel was on the music committee. The Grays Harbor Club holds regular meetings on the third Tuesday of each month at the homes of members. Greencastle Alumnce Club, Greencastle, Indiana. The Greencastle Alumnae Club came into being in January, 1916. Made up as it has always been, of alumnae of Alpha Chapter, the club has given first attention to the needs of that chapter and has assisted in social ways and by gifts and pledges toward the new chapter house that is planned. The club holds regular monthly meetings and a program is usually given. In 1919 a definite program along fraternity lines was outlined and followed with much benefit. In June of that year a picnic was given to the seniors of Alpha Chapter. The Greencastle Club contains many representative women of the town who are active in local organi- zations. A number of the members are members also of the American Association of University Women, formerly the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. The club is fortunate in having one of the Founders of the fraternity, Anna Allen Smith, as a loyal and interested member. Greensburg Alumnce Club, Greensburg, Indiana. The alumna club at Greensburg, organized in November, 1915, is made up of alumna Lawrence Alumna Club 271 living in the city and in nearby towns. Because of the scattered mem- bership meetings are held but four times a year. The summer gathering is an all-day picnic to which local college Alpha Chis are invited. Because of the distances that members of the club have to travel for the meetings they usually are planned for the entire day and are held at the homes of members or at a hotel. In 1919 the active girls were entertained during Thanksgiving vacation. The club maintains an active interest in the affairs of the fraternity and has supported a French orphan for three years. Plans have been made to assist Alpha Chapter in acquiring a house and also to aid in the national altruistic work. Indianola Alumna. Club, Indianola, Iowa. The alumnae living in Indianola were organized in November, 1916, with the following charter members, all alumnse of Mu Chapter: Neva Hardy, Mabel Galvin, Mary Shaw, Nell E. Harris, Efiie E. Kimer, Regna King, Emma Hamed, June Hamilton Rhodes, Leila Watson, Julia Watson, Martha Guthrie Keeney, Mrs. B. F. Clayton. The club was formed for the purpose of assisting Mu Chapter. The relations between the college chapter and the alumnae have always been extremely cordial. When Mu Chapter furnished a house in 1919 the alumnae gave much assistance. Iowa City AlutnncB Club, Iowa City, Iowa. As a result of the visit of June Hamilton Rhodes, then Central Province President, to Iowa City, in November, 1916, steps were taken toward organizing an alumnae club in the city, which should have as its chief purpose assisting Sigma Chap- ter. The petition to the Executive Committee was signed by the fol- lowing alumnae: Irma Watson Hance, Z; Nina R. Shaffer, S; Agnes G. Flannagan, 2; Florence M. Hier, M; Florence E. Cook, 2; Rachel Parrott Myers, 2 ; Margaret Kane Thompson, 2. The club held meet- ings for a time and then because of the loss of members who had moved from the city, became inactive for a time. In the fall of 1920 steps were taken to reorganize the club. As none of the members of the former club remained in the city a new petition was prepared and sent to the Execu- tive Committee for action. The reorganized club was granted recogni- tion in March, 1921. The following are the members of the new club: Nell E. Harris, M ; Edna Patzig, 2 ; Blanche McGovern, 2 ; Corinne Cham- berlin, T; Edna Mowre Swords, K and P; Esther Barney Wilson, B; Arminda Mowre, K and T; Gretchen Kane Elder, 2; Florence O'Connor, 2 ; Clara Weller Brigham, 2. The club as reorganized plans to do definite work for Sigma Chapter. Lawrence Alumna Club, Lawrence, Kansas. The Lawrence Alumnae Club was organized in April, 1919, with the following charter members: Stella Morton McKeen, O; Jane Oechsli Haggart, O; Margaret E. Lup- ton, #; Josephine F. Stimpson, #; Sarah Delano Owen, Z; Hazel Cook, $. 272 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity The club chose as its national work the giving of assistance to Phi Chap- ter and the alumnae in Lawrence have been able to accomplish many things for the chapter both as individuals and as an organized group. Meadville AlumncB Club, Meadville, Pennsylvania. The Meadville Alumnae Club was informally organized at the home of Miss Anna Ray in March, 1915. A month later the petition for recognition as the Meadville Alumnae Club of Alpha Chi Omega was signed by Anna C. Ray, Ruby Marsh Eldred, Arline Winslow Lane, Rebie Flood Irwin, Florence Irene Moore, Ethel Moore Miller, Mary Thorpe Graham, Blanche Carver Davenport, Mary Gibson Brock, Gertrude Sackett Laffer, Florence E. Harper. The Meadville Club organized for the pur- pose of having informal get-togethers and to assist Delta Chapter socially. The first official meeting was at the home of Anna Ray, May 3, 1915. The same month the club entertained Delta at the home of Mrs. Manley O. Brown — one of Delta's charter members. A happy reunion followed on July 10 at Ruby M. Eldred's home. Mrs. Louise Lord Cap- peau of Cincinnati, Miss Mary Lord of Denver, Mrs. Clara L. Study of Neodesha, Kansas, Mrs. Mary R. Philp of Oil City, and Mrs. Harriet Veith Robson of Ann Arbor, were present as visitors of the club. On July 22, 1915, a six o'clock dinner was given at the Country Club in honor of out-of-town sisters. The club entertained, also, in honor of Nella Ramsdell Fall, National Inspector, on May 5, 1916, and took the opportunity to. show hospitality to Delta at the same time. A mid- summer picnic to which college and alumnae Alpha Chis are invited is held each year. Milwaukee AlumncB Club, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For a number of years the Milwaukee alumnae met regularly at picnics and weekly bridge-parties, though not as an organized club. In September, 1915, seven Alpha Chis met at the home of Lillian Zimmerman, K, for the pur- ■ pose of organizing and applying for a club charter. The charter members were: Lillian Zimmerman, Meta and Ann Kieckhefer, Marie Tolleson Frey, Leah Deutsch Grell, Edna Swenson Mayer, Vivien Verbeck Si- mons, Else Landeck Adler, all of Kappa, and Ella Shirk Harris, B. During the first year the members met to play bridge and nothing of importance was done. In the fall of 1916, they again started out as a bridge club, but soon decided to do some fraternity work. On Novem- ber 27, 1916, the club gave its first annual luncheon in the Colonial Room at the Hotel Wisconsin. After an auto ride which followed the luncheon Meta, Ann and Hilda Kieckhefer entertained the visiting Alpha Chis at their home at tea, the resident Alpha Chis assisting. Thirty-seven Alpha Chis from all parts of the state attended the luncheon. MoNTiCELLO Alumna Club 273 It was planned to make the luncheon an annual function to which all Alpha Chis in the state would be invited. For Hera Day work the Club made scrapbooks for the Milwaukee Children's Free Hospital. In March, 1916, they began to have meetings, at monthly luncheons down- town in one of the grillrooms. Then came the news of Kappa's new house and the Alumnae Club decided to furnish a Milwaukee Alumnae Room, so that they might have a place of their own when they visited Kappa. A plate above the door was engraved with the Club's name. A pledge was made at this time also for the Scholarship Fund. From 1919 to 1921 because of a number of removals from the city the club has been inactive. Monticello Alumna Club, Monticello, Indiana. Miss Merle Acker- man, one of the organizers of the club gives the following account of the organization and plans of the Monticello club. "The Monticello Alumnae Club was organized in October 1920, at the home of Merle Ackerman, with the following charter members — Raeburn Cowger Obenchain, A, President ; Merle Ackerman, r, Vice President ; Abbie Biederwolf Carson, A, Secretary-Treasurer; Emma Raub, A, Editor; Ida Raub Vanatta, Edna Dye Gardner, Lula Dye Gardner, Bernice McClurg Breckenridge, A; Hortense Bamett and Dorothy Jane Alkire, Alpha Beta. "Our petition was granted by the National Council, in January, 1921. Plans were made for a celebration in the form of an all-day meeting, April 16, 1921, with a luncheon, tea, banquet, and dance for our guests whom we invited from towns within a radius of fifty miles. "Our guests of honor were Olive Burnett Clark, one of our founders and President of Beta Beta, and her daughter, Maryellen; Frances Marks, Exchange Editor of the Lyre; and members of our nearest active chapter, Alpha Beta. The meeting was most gratifying and proved an inspiration to both old and new alumnae. "We feel that we are particularly fortunate in having as our President, Mrs. Obenchain, Alpha Chi Omega's first president under the Grand Council arid first Historian. We are very proud of this distinction and to add to this honor. Miss Marks has become a member of our club. We certainly could ask no more, and with these, and such a group of loyal and enthusiastic Alpha Chis as is ours, surely much good can be done and our influence felt in some way in this great and growing organization of alumnae. The kindly interest that our National Coun- cil has shown, gives us an incentive to do big things which will bring honor and credit to our 'beloved fraternity.' "Club meetings are held the first Monday in each month and are open to all members and visiting Alpha Chis. At present, we are doing all in our power to interest young people in college careers and to give them 274 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity the new and broad vision of fraternity life. In addition to assisting in the national altruistic work, we have planned an intensive study of the Ritual, initiation ceremony and music of Alpha Chi, to bring us back to our old understanding and relationship. "Mrs. Clark gave us as one of her messages — 'Nothing in your whole life will keep you as young as will your interest in your fraternity.' Youth means strength, and may we then always be young!" Oil City Alumna Club, Oil City, Pennsylvania. The Oil City Alumnae Club was organized in November, 1915, at the home of Mrs. Robert Philp. The following officers were elected: Mrs. Robert Philp, Presi- dent; Mary Greene, Vice President; Rose Piatt, Secretary, and Celia McClure, Editor. The charter members. Delta alumnae living in Oil City, Franklin, Titusville, Rouseville, were Celia E. McClure, Edith M. Askey, Mary B. Greene, Wilhelmina Anderson, Myrtle Crouthers, Mar- ian Whipple, Ethel M. Graly, Rose A. Piatt, Mary R. Philp, Bertha Cribbs, Lucy Loane Wolf. The meetings were held every third Saturday. The club has kept in touch with the active chapter at Meadville, and has given assistance whenever needed. From 1919 to 1921 the Oil City Club has been inactive. Omaha Alumnm Club, Omaha, Nebraska. The Omaha Alumnae Club was established at Omaha, Nebraska, in May, 1915, as a social and philanthropic organization. During the first year the meetings were held at the homes of the members. The second year luncheons were held monthly at the University Club. After that the club returned to the afternoon meetings at the homes, feeling that it should accomplish something worth while, aside from pleasure. These meetings are inter- spersed with occasional luncheons at one of the clubs or hotels. Under the leadership of Mrs. Robert Adams, N, as president, the club sewed for the Visiting Nurses Association at afternoon meetings, also took work home. A great deal was accomplished as the members bought all the material and made the garments. The club supported a French orphan for three years, and sent her Chrismas boxes. The club has been active in Panhellenic work and several members have served on important committees. This organization purchased a silver loving cup to be presented each year to the fraternity that has the highest scholarship at the state university. A rushing party was given in September, 1919, which included a luncheon at the Athletic Club, followed by a matinee. In June, 1920, the club assisted Xi Chapter with a rushing party at Happy Hollow Club. The evening was spent in dancing. The club had full charge of the annual banquet at Lincoln in April, 1920. Pittsburgh Alumnce Club, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Through the energy of Katherine Stanford Hair, A, the Pittsburgh Alumnae Club was Portland Alumnae Club 275 organized in November, 1915, with the following charter members: Flora Goldsworthy Streamer, N; Lillian Nelson, A; Mary Patterson, A; Ruth Nebinger, A; Mildred Eiler, Z; Myrtle Porter Faas, A; Julia Jones, A; Caroline Parsons Boyd, A; Virginia Porter Nesbit, A; Mabel Leffing- well Walraven, A; Marjorie Fowler Fitzhugh, A; Francis Riethmiller, A; Alice Faunce Bigham, Z. During the years that the group has existed as a club regular meetings have been held, either at the homes of members or at a hotel, and Alpha Chis living in the many -suburbs of Pittsburgh have found in the club a center of fraternity life. Because of the scattered membership the main purpose of the club has been social. In 19^19-1920 meetings were held on the second Saturday of each month at the homes of members. Alpha Chis aided in the organization of the Panhellenic Association which was formed in Pittsburgh in the spring of 1916, and Mrs. Hair, A, served as its first recording secretary. Portland AlumncB Club, Portland, Oregon. The Oregon Alumnse Club was organized in April, 1915. Just before the installation of Chi Chapter, Mrs. Loud made a visit to Portland. At that time she dis- cussed with the Portland Alpha Chis the possibilities of forming an alumnae club to which any Alpha Chi Omega living in Oregon would be eligible. The girls were enthusiastic over the plan and two months later the club was a reality with Beatrix Andrews Hopkins, I; Beulah Buckley Withrow, E; Myrtle Harrison, P; Ernestine Heslop, N; Leonora Kerr, H; Myrtle Wilcox Gilbert, 6; Gertrude Nolan, 11; and Mae Steusloff, X, as charter members. Since the organization of the club monthly meetings have been held at the homes of the different members. During the summer there have been informal social gatherings and picnics and a formal tea in October. One of the pleasures of the summer is a drive out the beautiful Columbia Highway, followed by dinner at the home of Katherine Honey. The annual spring luncheon is held in June at one of the leading hotels or at the University Club, which is attended by Alpha Chis from all parts of the state. In June, 1920, forty-eight Alpha Chis were present. During the Christmas holidays a luncheon or tea is given to which all Alpha Chis in the city are invited. In 1920 the luncheon was held in the Portland Hotel and covers were laid for forty. A matinee party followed. During the vacations many active girls from Chi and Rho are in the city and this adds very much to the pleasures of the summer activities of the club. Portland has a strong Association of University Women and eight Portland Alpha Chis are members of this association, and several of them have served on important committees; in 1918-1919 Beulah Buckley Withrow was Secretary. The total membership since the organization of the club is fifty-nine. In 1920 the club had a member- ship of forty, of whom seventeen were resident members. 276 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Philadelphia Alumna Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In February, 1921, nine Alpha Chis met on a stormy day at the home of Eleanor Thompson to discuss preliminary plans for the organization of an alumncc club in the city. As information as to the proper procedure had already been obtained from the alumnse vice-president the alumnae present signed the petition and after obtaining the additional names required forwarded it to the Executive Committee for approval. The petition was granted in February, 1921. The charter members are as , follows: Helen C. Bailey, A E; Elsie Kiefer Catlin, A; Edith Wells Bly, Z; Ruth Ellis McKay, A; Mandelle Germonde Walk, 9; Mary Frances Ratigan, AE; Mary E. Purcell, A E; Laura R. Bee, AE; Eleanor W. Thompson, A E; Evalyn C. Peterson, A. It was decided to hold business meetings bimonthly at the Alpha Epsilon chapter room and to meet socially in the alternate months. The immediate aim of the club is to aid Alpha Epsilon in her efforts to obtain a chapter house, and all the club energies are to be devoted to that end. Pueblo AlumncB Club, Pueblo, Colorado. The Pueblo Club was organ- ized in December, 1915, with the following charter members: Mary C. McNally, I; Helen G. McGraw, N; Elizabeth Fugard Presley, N; Hedwig Brenneman Heller, V ; Esther Olson Storer, N ; Vera Flynn, N. Meetings were held the last Saturday of each month at the homes of members. Hera Day is observed by giving food and clothing to some destitute family. The club has been active in the Pueblo Panhellenic Association since its organization. During the presidency of Hedwig Heller, V, the association began charitable work in the city. Mary McNally served as Vice President of the association in 1915-1916. The Pueblo club has a membership of eight to ten. In 1920 ^ contribution was made for the national altruistic work. Salem Alumna Club, Salem, Oregon. In February, 1921, a group of alumnae living in Salem began correspondence looking toward the establishment of an alumnae club in their city. Most of the alumnae had been members of the Portland Club but felt that the nearby alumnae were numerous enough to support a separate organization. The petition was forwarded to the Executive Committee in March and was granted in April, 1921. The charter members are: Leonora Kerr Shinn, 11; Dorothea Steusloff, X; Dorothy Chambers, X; L. May Chambers, X; Grace M. Holt, X; Maimi V. Victor, X; Myrtle Wilcox Gilbert, 0; Lorraine Scott Smart, I; Gertrude L. Walling, X; Hazel Seeley, X. As the club had just been recognized as the History went to press, no report of its activities can be given. St. Louis Alumna Club, St. Louis, Missouri. On September 16, 1914, six Alpha Chis met with Maude Staiger Steiner and signed the petition to Terre Haute Alumna Club 277 the Executive Committee for a club of Alpha Chi Omega. Leo Fuqua Ruckle, A, was elected President, Bernice Caldwell Tucker, A, Lyre Editor, and Maude StaigerSteiner, 9, Secretary-Treasurer. Because of small numbers the club held irregular meetings which were social in character and finally became inactive. Early in 1921, steps were taken to reorganize the club, and with an active chapter in the city from whose members after graduation the reorganized club may draw upon, the future of the new club appears promising. A petition, signed by fourteen alumnae was sent to the Executive Committee in March, 1921, and the approval of the committee was obtained in April. The signers of the petition were: Annabel Remnitz, Gertrude Lucas, Adele Gussow, Jeannette Brinkman, Carrie Mellow, Inez M. Schageman, M. Lucella Quin, Marion C. Meyersieck, all of Alpha Zeta; and Margaret E. Grim- mer, I; Mabel Murfin Walraven, V; Ina Scherrebeck, 2; Dorothy M. Smith, I; Frieda R. Davie, A; and Flora C. Upshaw, N. As the History goes to press the club is taking steps to petition for an alumnae chapter feeling that the number of Alpha Chis in the city justifies such a step. The group will work to strengthen the active chapter. Spokane Alumna Club, Spokane, Washington. A group of alumnae living in and near Spokane, Washington, petitioned for recognition as a club in January, 1921. Two months later the club was organized with the following thirteen charter members: Edith L. Greenberg, P; Ruth M. Tewinkel, P; Anny White Melrose, P; Lucile E. Tarbet, fi; Helen Stewart Williams, P; Estelle M. Downer, fi; May Powell, fi; Jennie McCormack, 0; Hertha Wiegman, P; Dorothy L. Chamberlin, fi; Lena A. Wilson, fi; Mary Catherine Glen, Z ; Bertha E. Green, I. As the Spokane club is nearer Omega Chapter than any other alumnae group, it plans to give assistance to that chapter. Syracuse Alumnce Club, Syracuse, New York. The Syracuse Club was organized in May, 1920, with the following charter members: Anita L Wright, Ethel Brooks Quick, Janette TenEyck, Janet Rinehart, Ruth Sanderson, Clara Appleby King, Mary-Emma Griffith, Gladys Wood, Elizabeth Sill, Paola Schilly Glanert, all of Lambda. A number of meetings have been held and the club plans to do definite work for Lambda Chapter. Terre Haute Alumnce Club, Terre Haute, Indiana. On the sixteenth of December, 1915, a few Alpha Chi alumnae met at the home of Mary Jones Tennant and over the teacups discussed a club. In February, 1916, an organization was formed with the following ofiicers: Mrs. Fred Powell, President; Mrs. Richard S. Tennant, Secretary; Mrs. Jas. M. Hoskins, Treasurer. Other charter members were Shellie Smith Allen, and Effie M. Miller. The membership later increased to ten 278 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity resident and four non-resident. It was decided to have a combined meeting and luncheon the third Wednesday of each month of the college year. As a number of the members later moved from the city, the club is at present inactive (1921). The Tri-City Alumna Club, Davenport, Iowa, Rock Island and Moline, Illinois. The Tri-City Alumnae Club was organized November, 1918, at the home of Florence Tyden, r, at the Rock Island Arsenal. It was due entirely to the efforts of Louise Hudson, K, and Florence Tyden that the club became a reality, but it had existed in imagination for several years previously. The charter members were, Florence Tyden, V; Louise Hudson, K; Joan Watkins, 9; Ruth Buffum Maucher, I; Erna Goldschmidt, I; Edna Stark, 2; Addie May Swan,' E, and S; and Cora Berger, I. Officers were elected, and it was decided to hold monthly meetings at the homes of the members. The meetings have been almost purely social, but the club has assisted poor families at Christmas time through local charitable associations. In July, 1919, a Tri-City Pan- hellenic Association was formed, and Alpha Chi Omegas have been very active in it since its initial meeting. Rhoda Reinhardt King, I, was its first Secretary, Cora Berger, I, its first Vice President, and three other Alpha Chis present were appointed to committees. In June, 1920, Cora Berger was elected Treasurer. Panhellenic meetings are held the last Saturday of each month and take the form of a luncheon or dinner followed by a business meeting. Twin Cities Alumna Club, St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. For several years the Alpha Chis of Minneapolis and St. Paul had kept in touch with each other and had met informally whenever convenient. In October, 1916, a petition for recognition as a club was sent to the National Council with the following signatures: Nathalie L. Thomp- son, V; Amy Martin, V; Ethel Lovell Thompson, B; Mary Mowry Pick- ett, V; Verna Tyler Kroh, K and V; Helene de Golyer Sorlein, V; Esther Grannis Schmitt, V; Olive Crawford Morris, A; Dorothy Goodner, N. The club has grown in members and has progressed steadily. A contribu- tion has been made to the Scholarship Fund and to the national altruistic work of the fraternity. Meetings are held at the homes of members. CHAPTER XXn ENDOWMENT FUNDS AND SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS Scholarship Fund The endowment and scholarship funds of the fraternity have made creditable progress since the inception of the first in 1910 and of the second in 1915. The leaders of the fraternity fortunately have understood the importance of solid financial foundations for an organization, and con- structive effort of a high order has gone into the establishment of the separate reserve funds. No fraternity can serve its membership properly, house its undergraduates comfortably, protect its publications, conduct its current affairs with dignity and with freedom from hurtful restric- tions, not to mention carrying on valuable altruistic work, unless it possesses adequate endowment. The Scholarship Fund which was instituted at the 1915 Convention had a two-fold purpose. The vice president said to the National Chap- ter in 1915 that to her personal knowledge at least eight girls in the frater- nity the preceding year would have been eligible and worthy of a loan from such a fund had one existed. Therefore the first purpose of the fund is to help members of the fraternity finish their college courses. A second class of loan would make fraternity life possible to other girls who had adequate funds for a university course, but not enough to pay fra- ternity dues and initiation fees. Accordingly a plan was devised where- by in the future both needs could be met. The convention pledges of $75, individual gifts, and official jeweler rebates on badges, constituted the nucleus of the Scholarship Fund. By 1916 the fund reached $550 which had already been lent to five selected members. The future growth of the fund also was provided for with foresight by the 1915 Convention and by its Scholarship Fund Committee; it was decided that one dollar from the proceeds of each alumna note and the profits from the sale of Directories should go to the Scholarship Fund. The fund has grown steadily year by year. In 1919 the total reached $3,843.12, and the committee had made seventeen loans to young women. The following year and a half witnessed a marked acceleration in the rate of applications for loans : the total number of loans increased to 32, made to 27 members, or 87.64 per cent as many loans granted in a year and a half as in the entire first four years of the fund. This increase in the number of applications may be traced to several causes: 280 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity (1) The growing popularity of the fund itself from wider information con- cerning it. The following table shows the growth of the demand for loans from the Scholarship Fund : Table 20. — Loans Made by Scholarship Fund. Academic year. No. loans made. No. chapters represented. No. chapters requesting first loan. Average amount of loan. 1916-1917 7 5 5 9 9 4 5 5 7 7 4 3 4 4 3 $110.83 1917-1918 111,60 1918-1919 100.60 1919-1920 187.00 1920-1921 155.55 (2) the advance in the cost of a college education ; (3) the growth in the determination of women to attain their college degree; (4) the more liberal terms of repayment authorized by the 1919 Convention. One chapter has made use of the fund each year with grants of six loans to four members; one chapter has been represented three years with loans to five members; and two groups have been represented two years with four loans to three members and two loans to two mem- bers, respectively; thirteen chapters have used one loan each. The maximum amount of any loan, or of loans to any one member, has been $350; this maximum might well have been higher but for the present limitations of the Scholarship Fund. The minimum grant has been $18, borrowed to help a desirable student pay her chapter dues. To twenty- seven members it has made possible fraternity life or the continuation of their college work. To February 1, 1921, the total amount granted in loans was $4,396 or an average of $133 .50 for the entire 32 transactions. Two loans have been granted to members pursuing graduate work. A change in the terms of payment has been referred to above; the committee and the Council desired that anxiety in regard to payment might be reduced to a minimum during the period of academic work, and therefore the earlier terms of five per cent interest from date of the loan were changed by the Chicago Convention to much easier arrange- ments. A business-like attitude toward obligations was requisite, however, if the borrowers of future years were not to suffer from the depletion of the scholarship endowment. In order to insure the integrity of the fund, therefore, and at the same time to lighten the burden of the young woman in college, the National Chapter settled the terms of pay- ment as follows: (1) The amount of the loan is to be returned two years after the applicant leaves or finishes college, with the annual interest rate Scholarship Fund 281 of 3 per cent; or (2) the loan may be repaid at the rate of ten dollars monthly without interest, payment beginning 3 months after leaving col- lege. The applicant indicates her preference at the time of requesting a loan. The procedure of procuring temporary use of the Scholarship Fund is simple. The applicant communicates her desire for a loan to the Alumnae Vice President, describing her work and her reasons for wishing to make use of the fraternity fund. A formal application blank then goes to her upon which she states her year in college, her recent marks in her courses, the amount asked for, and '"an expression of opinion from the chapter president as to the local and national relations of the applicant." The Scholarship Committee then votes on the application, and if the decision is favorable, as it usually is, the applicant receives the money and signs a note for the amount. Thus she finds cooperation in her financial affairs, as in all other phases of her college life, in the social group that stands closest to her next to her own family — namely her college frater- nity. To date the fund has been administered most carefully and wisely by Miss Zimmerman, Alumnse Vice President (1915-1919), Miss Jones, Alumnae Vice President (1919-), and by Mrs. Dunkle, Treasurer of the fund from its beginning. The possibilities of such endowment challenge our attention. The 1919 Convention provided that, when the fund reached $10,000, one-half should be held as an endowment — the interest only to be used — the other half to be granted in loans as before. The sum of $1,500 was withdrawn and invested in 1921. As the fund enlarges, the current portion of it probably will be able to supply the loans requested; the interest from the endowment might go to increase the small number now existing of fellowships for graduate work, both in American and in foreign universities. To the woman fitted and eager to become a college professor, for example, it grows more and more difficult to attain the broad and deep development necessary for her to distinguish herself in that exacting profession. As a result, the names of relatively few women appear among the distinguished names of American faculties, not because women lack mental power, but because they are deficient in wide cultural and scholarly experience, as well as in the advanced degrees enjoyed by their brothers in the profession. Not only to the pedagogically inclined, of course, should the Alpha Chi Omega fellowships of the future go. A devotion to the fine arts as well as to letters and science would doubtless lead the fraternity to adopt an administration policy that would recognize artistic talent in any field, and to foster it by encouraging advanced study in all lines. The field of research has been opened to women in the past few years, particularly during the war. In industrial, social, historical, political. 282 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity and scientific research women are proving themselves adequate. Research requires extensive background and intensive study; wide graduate study must follow undergraduate work, to make possible brilliant results in research. As women enter also upon political and diplomatic careers in the future, liberal training must prepare them for their work, as it prepares their brothers. The fraternity could hardly refuse to assist its graduate members to attain their maximum development and to make their maximum contribution to society. Scholarships for Children Recent tendencies in the Panhellenic world have favored the oiTering of fraternity scholarships to college women at large rather than exclu- sively to their own members. This movement lies in the general direction the fraternity woman is traveling — toward broad interest and close cooperation with all her sisters in progressive social endeavor. A descrip- tion of Alpha Chi Omega's interesting scholarships for children — ^both girls and boys — appears in the chapter entitled, "National Altruistic Work." The Star Studio Peculiarly expressing the personality of the fraternity in its devotion to the fine arts as well as to the liberal arts is the Star Studio and its endowment fund. The Studio was built by the fraternity in 1911, and at first was maintained by periodic contributions; the 1919 Convention decided to endow the Studio permanently, and to that end instructed the National Treasurer to remit one thousand dollars to the Macdowell Association. The original studio fund was contributed by the chapters in the early days of the Macdowell Colony, and the Star Studio was the sixth to be erected. It was during the summer of 1908, through the efforts of Fay Barn- aby Kent, A,, a former pupil of Edward Macdowell, that active steps were first taken to raise the money to build a studio at the Macdowell Colony. One of Mr. Macdowell's most cherished ambitions was to found an artists' colony — similar to the American academy at Rome — on the farm at Peterborough, New Hampshire, which had furnished the inspiration for his later masterpieces. Into the development of this project he put much loving thought and the greater part of his savings. At his death Mrs. Macdowell deeded the property to the Macdowell Memorial Association which is endeavoring to realize his ideals. Persons possessing marked creative talent in any one of the fine arts, who have published their work, may be awarded scholarships by the committee. The artists live in the "Lower House," which was for- merly the nucleus of the colony, and Jn three other houses. Use of isolated individual studios is provided free to the artist by means of the colony's endowment. Application by Alpha Chi Omega for the The Reserve Fund 283 studio scholarship at Peterborough should be approved by the Alpha Chi Omega Macdowell Studio Committee before being forwarded to Mrs. Macdowell, who is a permanent member of the Committee on Award. Failing a properly qualified Alpha Chi applicant, the studio may be awarded to any deserving artist. A detailed description of the Colony appears in Chapter 24 of this volume. Current illustrated reports of the work done at the Colony are issued annually. The Lyre Reserve Fund The Lyre Reserve Fund, on September 1, 1921, totaled about fifteen thousand dollars, most of which is invested at a good rate of interest. For a number of years this fund has benefitted from the wise guidance of Mr. H. W. Cushman, the husband of Ja Nette Allen Cushman, the first president of the fraternity. By his assistance the maximum return from the fund commensurate with safety has been received. This fund will increase rapidly as each initiate takes out a life subscription, so that eventually The Lyre reserve, in order to protect the life sub- scriptions, will probably amount to a larger sum than any other part of the fraternity endowment. The Reserve Fund Last but by no means the least interesting is the Reserve Fund. Inaugurated in 1912, with a committee of three, of which Alta Allen Loud was the chairman, its purposes are to make possible the awarding of loans to chapters for house-building and to finance other fraternity pro- jects. The first thousand dollars was speedily raised, and the five thou- sand dollar goal set by the committee to be reached by 1915 exceeded that sum by $261 .08. The system pursued in swelling the funds by pledges from active chapters of $100, alumnae chapters, $25, and alumnae clubs, $10, was supplemented by generous subscriptions from individual mem- bers. In addition one dollar per capita from each active chapter and the proceeds from the installation of new chapters are turned into the fund. The Reserve Fund Committee in 1916 reported: "Again the Reserve Fund Committee desires to express its apprecia- tion of the interest taken in and the support given to the fund. We are glad to announce that twelve active chapters have given the one hundred dollars asked. Rho Chapter has pledged one hundred dollars and has already given forty dollars of this amount in monthly payments, while four other chapters have contributed smaller sums. Those chapters which have not pledged have been struggling with financial burdens and it has not seemed wise to press the matter. Every alumnae chapter has pledged the twenty-five dollars asked, several have given more, and all but one have fully redeemed their pledges. This one will be paid in full before the 1917 Convention. Six alumnae clubs have paid ten dollars or more into the Reserve Fund Treasury, two have given smaller amounts, 284 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity and two more have pledged ten dollars each. We earnestly hope that the coming year will bring pledges from those clubs which have not yet contributed, and that eventually every active and alumnae chapter and alumnae club may have a share in the building up of this fund. "The hopes of the committee for a five thousand dollar fund for the 1915 Convention were more than realized. We now ask for the support of Council, chapters, and all members of the fraternity in our work toward the realization of our desire for an eight thousand dollar fund which is the goal set for the 1917 Convention." As the 1917 Convention was postponed on account of the war, the next report of the Reserve Fund chairman to a national convention occurred in 1919. At that time the fund had reached $10,741.42. Fifteen active chapters had each contributed $100 to the fund, two, smaller amounts, twelve alumnae chapters had contributed $25 or more, and fourteen alumnae clubs had made gifts. The committee made two particularly significant recommendations to the fraternity at this convention: (1) That interest on the Reserve Fund, as it had reached $10,000, be used for furthering the administrative work of the fraternity by helping to defray the expense of the central office inaugurated in 1919; (2) that individual members of the fraternity who desire to express in a definite way their loyalty and gratitude to Alpha Chi Omega should arrange to make bequests of $100, payable at the convenience of the giver, to the Reserve Fund or to the Scholar- ship Fund. A little over a year later the committee reported that the sum of $11,920.67 was helping nine chapters "to make their dreams come true." The increase in the Reserve Fund since the 1919 Convention to September 10, 1920, was $1,819.50, making a total of more than $12,000 in the endowment fund for house-building. In September 1921, the fund totaled approximately $15,000. The number of chapters helped by the fund since its beginning in 1912 is thirteen; the result to the fraternity in improved living conditions of the chapters cannot be measured by numbers. The aim of the Reserve Fund committee at its inception and throughout its arduous, efficient labors, has been to assist the chapters to house ownership until every chapter of Alpha Chi Omega resides in a comfortable and satisfactory house of its own. At least two members of the fraternity have arranged in their wills a bequest for the fraternity endowment in addition to those who have made bequests to theirchapters; others are urged to do likewise if possible. A small bequest of one hundred dollars made by many other members would mean in the aggregate a much larger endowment that would for- ever work for the good of Alpha Chis. It is a simple and easy way to perpetuate one's own good will and service for the sake of the futnrp advantage of the fraternity. CHAPTER XXIII NATIONAL ALTRUISTIC WORK Scholarships for Children The Chicago Convention decided with much enthusiasm that, at the conclusion of the fraternity's overseas work, Alpha Chi Omega would undertake some form of permanent altruistic work in the United States. The committee sought, both from private and from oflficial sources, to discover in the wide field of human needs, the one opportunity for service that would give the fraternity the greatest scope for usefulness and would be of the greatest constructive value to the country. Various forms of service were suggested: Americanization work, the establishment of nurses at railroad terminals, work with immigrants, a summer camp for children, dime lunches for children in congested centers, work for better child labor laws, milk siirveys in various communities to improve the milk for the very poor, scholarships for children, and hospital library service. The fraternity desired to adopt work that could be undertaken immediately, would not need large funds at the outset, would be of permanent interest and value, and would be flexible enough to permit expansion as our alumnae groups grow. Also, only such service could be approved that would be accepted with enthusiasm by the entire frater- nity and that alumnae and active college girls would become a unit in working for. A large majority voted in favor of scholarships for children. Scholarships for children in the United States became then the national altruistic work of the fraternity. Miss Myra H. Jones, then National Alumnae Vice President, as head of alumnae work, became director of this service. She made a thorough study of the operation of scholarships for children in those cities where they exist, and gained much assistance in perfecting plans for the work from the United States Children's Bureau in Washington, D. C, which had first suggested the work as a suitable one; from the Henry Street Settlement in New York; from the Education Department of the General Federation of Women's Clubs of Chicago; from the Employment Certificate Bureau of the Chicago Board of Education; and from the Vocation Bureau of the Cincinnati Public Schools. The purpose of the scholarships is to help children, whose parents can not send them to school after they become of legal working age, to become better prepared for future employment, to aid them to develop 286 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity into skilled workers rather than unskilled, and thus to become, through increased efficiency, more useful citizens. The Children's Bureau says: Scholarships for school children are increasingly recognized as a means by which the community can give its children a fair chance. The public schools are for all chil- dren; but often children are unable to attend them becau.se of financial pressure at home. Scholarships are the result of common effort to give children a square deal. They make it possible to keep in school exceptionally bright children who would like to continue their education but without financial aid would have to earn their livelihood; they offer an immediate, practicable plan for helping; the situation described by the economist Alfred Marshall, who points out that "A large proportion of genius is lost to society be- cause it is born among the children of the poor where it perishes for want of opportunity." Most children who must leave school for work at the age of 14, whether they are gifted or ungifted, are doomed to perform unskilled labor which offers little opportunity for development and slight prospect of increased wages. These children, already handicapped by poverty, are further handicapped by lack of training when they enter the labor world. One of the cities where scholarships are given compared the wages of 51 children who left school at 14 to go to work with the wages of the same number of children who were given scholarships and had two additional years of training. The following table shows that after three years of wage earning the average wage of the child who stayed in school until he was 16 was two and one-third times that of the child who left school at 14 years of age: Table 21. — Average wage of children leaving school at age 14 and at age 16. Time of work. Average weekly wage of children who left school at 14. Average weekly wage of children who remained in school until 16. 6 months or less 1 year 2 years 3 years $4.30 S.IO 5.85 6.85 $ 6.85 9.50 10.24 16.00 Thus the scholarship experiments have shown that education through the 16th or 18th year really pays. By giving scholarships to children, the community is training them to fill the better paid positions that require some skill and is thereby raising indus- trial standards with benefit to the children, to industry, and to the Nation. Some of the features of this enterprise especially adapted to fraternity organization are as follows: Simplicity and ease of administration. — ^The fraternity does not have to expend its energies in detailed executive work. By working through effective agencies that are already organized, the fraternity funds can be used directly and without waste or loss of energy. Also we are enter- ing a proved, not an experimental field of service, the need for which is unquestioned. Its character as true Americanization work. — If desired, the fraternity groups can choose children of foreign parentage. This might be adopted Scholarships for Children 287 as a national policy or each group could be left free to make its own choice as to nationality and sex o£ the child to be aided. By thus reducing the number of uneducated, unskilled citizens, the fraternity is helping the country in a very constructive way. Miss Marion Lombard, vocational scholarship adviser for the Chicago schools says, "I feel that the children of foreign parents seem to be more ambitious and eager to stay in school than those of American-bom parents. The parents seem willing to make a larger sacrifice and the children do not seem to give up so easily as American-bom children. There are many exceptions, of course. The children feel the handicap of coming from homes where a foreign language is spoken, and it has been interesting to me to watch their methods of Americanizing their parents. Many of these parents are attending English speaking classes, and seem most eager to cooperate in any way." The scope for individual work by alumncB chapters and clubs. — ^A group chooses the child it wishes to help, keeps in touch with him and gets reports as to his work. A group may wish to give an especially gifted child further opportunity for college, professional or technical education. By thus identifying itself with local community work, and perhaps being the pioneers in some communities in this form of service, a group does valuable work within the community and yet its work is identified with a national movement. Although tested and adminis- tered through another agency, this work is new and is distinctive. Flexibility of the plan. — ^As many children can be given scholarships as funds permit, and the number can be increased indefinitely as our alumnae grow in numbers and as the work becomes well established. Scholarships cost from $3 to $6 per week for each child. Many aliunnae groups can not support a scholarship alone, but smaller groups located near each other can work together to support a child within the same state. Miss Jones, by graduate study and research in industrial conditions and by many years of city residence as a professional woman has devel- oped an intelligent understanding and sympathy regarding the problems of the young American. She is convinced that scholarships for children properly administered are a very real contribution to the amelioration of social maladjustments. In her opinion the child selected should be made proud of his scholarship, as a reward of good work like a college scholarship, or as the means to make the most of his exceptional ability for the sake of society. The working plans that Miss Jones has evolved to guide the fraternity groups in administering the scholarships, and to unify the fraternity's program throughout the United States, indicate clearly the general lines of procedure in this significant service. 288 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity A good deal of time and thought has been spent in working out the plans, because the beginning of any such work on a national scale is important, and it is necessary that all the groups administering the scholarship follow more or less uniform plans. The plans should not, of course, be too inflexible to provide for local variations ; however, the work can be conducted along certain broad lines which can be followed by all the groups. The plans are briefly, as follows : First: Appointment of a committee consisting preferably of three members, one of whom should be a teacher, another a home-keeper, and a third, if possible, a social worker. All should have more or less knowledge of educational conditions, and should be tactful and sym- pathetic. Second: In choosing a child to whom a scholarship is to be given, the committee should get in touch with a local high school, preferably one giving vocational education, and obtain from the superintendent, or from one of the teachers, information regarding children who need help. The choice of the child should be left to the committee, who can make the selection after consulting the school authorities. The child should be either an exceptionally bright one, or one physically handicapped, and dependent on special training to earn a living. Third: The child's home should be visited, to find out whether his earnings are needed, and whether the parents are in sympathy with the child's ambition and eager to give him the opportunity to remain in school if the scholarship is provided. The amount of the scholarship should depend on the family income; probably $4 a week will be the average amount needed. Fourth: A member of the committee should also talk with the child to find out whether he is really ambitious to continue his work in school. Fifth: After the child has been chosen and is started in school, a member of the committee should talk with the teacher of the child regarding his work, his aptitudes, and any special needs. Sixth: A record should be kept of the child, his home environment, his progress in school, etc. Blanks for these records will be sent to the committee. Seventh : The child's money should be sent to him regularly, weekly or monthly. The child should report regularly at some convenient place with his school report card. Observance of Hera Day An older and a very successful form of altruistic service is the observance of the Heraea. Hera day! What profound significance has the coming of the first of March to Alpha Chi Omegas young and old! Observance of Hera Day 289 As in ancient times when festivals celebrated the Heraea with pro- cessions bearing gifts to Hera's temple, so now wings across the con- tinent on March 1, an unending procession of Alpha Chis intent upon distributing happiness to many for at least one day in the year. One day is scarcely correct for the "March first" spirit is contagious and likely to become a habit. After the war was over the emphasis on war relief disappeared, of course, and in 1919-1920 somethingof the pre-war merriment and gayety was resumed in Hera Day observance. Parties for children delighted little boys and girls at Beta, Lambda, Pi, and Upsilon Chapters; Pi's annual orphan guests appreciated the new chapter house as keenly as any guests. Beta's guests came from a foreign settlement. Lambda's from an orphan home, Upsilon's were newsboys. Children's homes received assistance from Delta, who makes annual visits to an old ladies' home, a children's home, and the poor farm, carrying good things to eat and entertaining the "homes" with music and fun. Epsilon contributed thirty new shirts for the boys at the Lark Ellen Home, an institution founded by our own Ellen Beach Yaw. The District of Columbia Alumnae Club sent garments and entertainers to an orphan home that is much in the mind of Suzanne Mulford Ham, F. Hera Day stands out as a bright day in many hospitals. In the year of the armistice Alpha and Beta Beta gave a tea at an Indianapolis hospital, the chapel was thrown open and music cheered the patients who could be brought to the festivities. Epsilon and Delta Delta for many years have maintained a bed in the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, which is dependent on private contributions. This bed has been supplemented by an X-ray, a sun-porch, and by other needed gifts. Zeta's talented members never fail to brighten hospitals and settlements in Boston by lively programs. Nu gave convalescent chairs to a children's hospital. Phi gave volunteer service and financial aid to the Lawrence Hospital during a stringent period. The Pueblo Alumnae Club cooper- ated with the Associated Charities by carrying good things to eat to certain families on Hera Day. Alpha Epsilon gave money on Hera Day for the women's clubhouse at Pennsylvania; Omicron, in groups, enter- tained "shut-ins" in Baldwin on March 1, and Xi contributed and aided in raising funds for the national Y. W. C. A. Secretary to China, a Nebraska graduate. Omega rendered practical and unique service of a high order, by assisting a French student who was a guest of the chapter for the year. Eta Eta contributed to Armenian relief, and Eastern Oklahoma, whose members live far apart, renewed their pledge for a French orphan as Hera Day work. Gamma, near Ft. Sheridan, provided some good things for the soldiers to eat on March 1. These isolated altruistic deeds, of course, do not include the "regular" altruistic service of the chapters. Until January, 1921, the fraternity 290 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity continued its war work of caring for nearly one hundred adopted French orphans. The details of this sustained endeavor to make the world better and happier have been given in the chapter entitled, "War work." In peace, as in war, the fraternity seeks to perform its share of patriotic constructive service, to the end that the youth of America may develop into self-reliant and reliable men and women ; and that the spirit of service and fine development for which Alpha Chi Omega stands may not only permeate the chapters but extend beyond them into wider circles. CHAPTER XXIV THE MACDOWELL COLONY STUDIO Through an aperture in the stone wall bordering one of the forest- roads of the Macdowell Colony, lies the path to Macdowell's "Log Cabin." From the road one steps into the marshy path through golden- rod and tall grasses, under dense maple shrubs and old apple trees. Masses of ferns stretch into the distance on either side of the shaded path. Boulders of moss-grown granite are strewn thickly among the trees. Through the ferns and the delicate ground-pine that twines about rocks and roots of trees, one sees the rich-brown pine cones and needles; cen- turies of season have drifted them into a soft mysterious earth -rug. It clings even to the gnarled roots of those colossal pines which are so aged and towering that only the topmost branches are green. The slender poplars rise as high as the firs. Through such wild beauty begins the approach to the deserted log cabin. Soon the wet path gives way to a narrow board-walk, a rather uncertain but dry bridge which depends now upon boulders, now upon logs. Winding through the dense woods, the way is bordered by mosses, wild lilies-of-the-valley, and brilliant fungi, orange-colored, yellow, wine-red, or waxy-white. After rains there appear a few livid sala- manders. On the horizon the sky, like a glittering sea, shines through the tangle of branches. The forest path is but a few steps from Hillcrest, the Macdowell home; by it Macdowell climbed to his "Log Cabin" which juts out from a steep hillside. On the veranda of the cabin, facing Mt. Monadnock, the composer was close to waving treetops, and could hear melodi- ous airs in the rustling of poplars and the deep whirring of swaying pines. Here he composed his greatest works. The Log Cabin, now so hallowed by great productions, was a gift to Edward Macdowell from his wife, Marion Macdowell, who designed it secretly and supervised its erection. She had perceived that even in the music-room of Hillcrest, superior though it was to any workroom he had possessed in his harassed city life, Macdowell could not achieve entire isolation and concentration. To the studio in the deep woods she one day led Macdowell, and presented it to him, as a new workshop. In the hearthstone before the enormous fireplace are engraved the words, "Edward and Marion, August, 1899." These simple words in the Log Cabin connote real historical signifi- cance. For the studio in the forest was not only the inspiration of great 292 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity music, but was also the beginning of an institution for the wide fostering of creative art, for which the name of Macdowell will eventually, per- haps, be as noted as for musical composition — The Macdowell Colony. In the same spirit of loving though tfulness, wisdom, and enthusiasm with which Mrs. Macdowell designed and built the Log Cabin, she has erected since the composer's death, fifteen studios, so that a distinguished artists' colony has come into full fruition. Thus has the dearest wish of Macdowell 's heart been fulfilled. The colony contains the following studios: The Bark Studio, given by Mrs. Macdowell, in memory of Caroline Jumelle Perkins. The Barnard Studio, given by students in Barnard College. The Peterborough Studio, given by Mr. and Mrs. William H. Scho- field, Mrs. H. A. Chamberlain, Mrs. Andrew S. Draper, and Miss Ruth Cheney. The Cheney Studio, given by Mrs. Benjamin P. Cheney and Mrs. Carl Kaufmann. The Pine Studio, given by some of Mr. Macdowell's students. The Star Studio, given by Alpha Chi Omega. The Louise Veltin Studio, given by the alumnae of the Veltin School. The Helen Ogden Wood Studio, given by Mrs. Frederick Trevor Hill. The Monday Music Club Studio, given by the Monday Music Club of Orange, N. J. The Myra McKeown Studio, given by the friends of Miss McKeown in Youngstown, Ohio. The Adams Studio, given by thirty-one of the pupils of Mrs. Charles Sprague-Smi th . The Regina Watson Studio, given by Mrs. Frederic S. Coolidge, Mrs. William Loomis, Mrs. J. Rosenwald, Mrs. A. A. Sprague, Miss Cornelia G. Lunt, Miss Margaret Lunt Moulton, Mr. August Blum, and Mr. Clarence M. WooUey. The George Alexander Chapman Studio, gift of Mrs. Alice Wood- rough Chapman, supplemented by the proceeds of a memorial concert arranged by Joseph Regneas. The John W. Alexander Studio, given by Mrs. Elizabeth A. Alexander and Mr. James W. Alexander. The Barn Cupola, converted into a studio. The total property of the Edward MaCdowell Association comprises five hundred acres of land, farm buildings, five dwelling houses, Colony Hall, the Alexander Memorial Building, and fifteen studios. The Edward Macdowell Association was established in 1907 by friends of Macdowell to make^possible to other creative artists the perfect conditions that Q i- OS < u H H 294 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Macdowell himself had discovered. For, in the words of Robert Haven SchaufHer, creative artists in general like "American poets, despite their genuine love of town and their struggles to produce worthy lines amid its turmoil, have almost invariably done the best of their actually creative work during the random moments that could be snatched in wood or meadow, by weedy marsh or rocky headland." Since these ideal surroundings were bequeathed to the cause of American art, the decennial, 1917, declared to a skeptical public that one idealistic community in New England had proved its practicability. Two elaborate pageants, in 1910 and in 1914, have been produced on the picturesque outdoor pageant stage; annual musicales have acquainted many guests with original compositions of members, and have resulted often in recognition for the artists. A hundred artists had done creative work at the colony, before the season of 1921. The amount of artistic production of consequence accomplished in the colony will be understood more clearly by the public, we predict, when the Alexander Memorial shall have been completed. For in that studio, which is designed after a chapel in Switzerland beloved by both Macdowell and Alexander, there will be an annual exhibit for visitors of the finished work of artists of the association and of other artists. Book-shelves, also, in the new Colony Hall, will contain permanently volumes written by the authors of the colony. The principal part of the proposed colony library will be two private libraries which have been bequeathed to the association. The section to be devoted to the works of the authors of the association will be of conspicuous interest, for the colony has been favored with the presence of many writers. The Star Studio has been occupied mostly by literary artists. Mr. Parker Fillmore, a writer of stories about children, one of the directors of the Edward Macdowell Association, returned to the Star Studio many seasons since its erection by Alpha Chi Omega in 1911. Belle McDiarmid Ritchey, a lecturer on poetry and a writer of stories for chil- dren under the nom de plume "Elizabeth Wier," wrote in the Star Studio for a part of one season. The author occupied the studia for the season of 1916 throughout much of the composition of the 1916 edition of the History of Alpha Chi Omega. In 1919 Elthea Snider, V, composed songs and other pieces in Star Studio; and in 1921, a talented playwright, Dorothy Kuhns, occupied it with great pleasure and profit. The Edward Macdowell Association is unprejudiced so far as the different arts are concerned. A number of distinguished composers, most fittingly, have worked in the studios, but they have been no more numerous than the poets. Painters and sculptors have found the colony as pregnant with inspiration for original composition as have the musi- cians and writers. Macdowell was convinced that close association of The Macdowell Colony Stxjdio 295 the various arts, similar to that found in the American Academy at Rome, was fruitful of good for all. The experiment of an artistic com- munity based on such a principle was of great interest to Alpha Chi Omega, because she, too, was grounded in the same belief. Shortly after the death of Macdowell in 1908, the National Council of Alpha Chi Omega decided, in council session, to propose to the fraternity coopera- tion with the Edward Macdowell Association in carrying out Mac- dowell's dream. To the Association Macdowell, shortly before his death, had deeded his wooded estate near Peterborough, New Hampshire, and the enterprise was put under way as soon as possible. In 1909, therefore, a member of the National Council of Alpha Chi Omega, Fay Bamaby Kent, of New York, a former pupil of Macdowell was given charge of soliciting an Alpha Chi Omega fund for the erection of a studio at the colony. The chapters responded immediately and generously. In 1911 the Star Studio, one of the most desirable studios in the colony, was ready for its first occupant. In 1920 by a gift of $1,000 to the Association the fraternity permanently endowed the studio. Like Mrs. Macdowell herself, Alpha Chi Omega in so doing builded better than she knew. How little anyone grasped in the beginning the far- reaching importance to American art of these workshops in the forest! As illustrations of it show, the Star Studio is in the heart of the forest. Giant pines conceal it completely from the road that passes Hillcrest a very few rods distant. Only when a traveler is near can he see from the path the green walls and the slate roof through the branches. But two other studios are in the same part of the wood. The isolation and quiet are perfect. The only sounds that enter the windows throughout the day are the songs of the birds and the music which constantly plays in the treetops — a soft, rich melody that never intrudes. The chief charms of the studio within are the large fireplace and the large north window. Hangings of exquisite browns and greens are at the windows. The floor is of brick-red tile. Beside the window stands the heavy table for writing. As the occupant of the studio sits at the table nothing can be seen but the dense forest and patches of sky through the thicket; sunshine and rain lend beauties to that vista. The sun brightens the lofty tops of trees which are dark with shade below, and the mottled, pulsing shadows on pine-needles and on brake, the flickering silver of light-beams on black moss-stained trunks of trees provide ever-changing delights. But the rain brings its own excitement and loveliness ; the trees sing wilder and more solemn strains in a storm, and the copse emits a radiant sheen through its misty veil. Such is the atmosphere about the Star Studio. But as each studio has its own marked individuality, so is the vista from each different. The general program of the day, however, is the same for all. A basket 296 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity of lunch is left at each studio at noon, so that the worker's day need not be broken. An early breakfast is served at different parts of the colony near the dormitories. In the evening most of the colonists dine at Colony Hall, and an occasional impromptu concert or reading follows. The Sunday evening tea at Hillcrest with Mrs. Macdowell is the most delight- ful of the colonists' social pleasures. Then happy hours are spent in the music-room which is redolent with memories of Macdowell, in the composer's own flower garden, or on the rambling piazza, overlooking the estate. Whether the colonists are at work or at play, there is manifest the spirit of contentment and of eagerness to achieve work worthy of their environment. Through contact with each other, all the workers find that their artistic horizon is broadened. All sections of the United States are represented : the East, the Middle West, and the Far West. A spirit of appreciation toward the work of their fellow-colonists warms the tone of the association. A banal clique spirit among certain artists well known to each other and mutually approving each other's efforts to the extent of depreciating what lies beyond their circle is a vitriol that would endanger the noblest community. The spirit of the Macdowell Colony is practically free from this menace not only because of the power of the generous idealism of Mrs. Macdowell, the business manager of the association, but also because of the Association's tradition that encouragement of striving artists is more productive of results than depreciation. The struggles of the colony itself are regrettably far from their end. In equipment more than |50,000 has been given to the association. But the crying need of the present hour is for endowment to insure the permanency of the enterprise. The annual deficit has been met by the personal toil of Mrs. Macdowell in lecture recitals. In the season of 1915-16, Mrs. Macdowell filled fifty engagements from Massachusetts to California. It has been the privilege of numerous Alpha Chi Omegas to lend their cooperation during numerous tours by their presence and by their influence. In Los Angeles Alpha Chi Omega held a reception for Mrs. Macdowell, and at Seattle a dinner was given in her honor. Mu Chapter in 1912 presented Mrs. Macdowell in recital, and other chapters and clubs will, no doubt, have the same pleasure and opportunity of supporting many such recitals as listeners. The members and friends of the Edward Macdowell Association face, in their loyalty to the cause and their enthusiasm for its success, a large task. The colony has rendered distinctive service to the unrecognized artist and to the famous one ; it remains the work of the nation's art-lovers to render a service to the colony by encouragement and financial support. Alpha Chi Omega is happy to be able to cooperate in this, "the greatest art-jnovejnent in America." CHAPTER XXV THE FRATERNITY IN THE WORLD WAR Work of the Colleges The history of the war service performed by the American colleges yet remains to be written. The tale deserves a talented chronicler and should be recorded before the facts have lost their sharpness of detail. Already fraternity chapters have forgotten some of their own war work ; how soon will the exact story of the work of the colleges become dimmed and gradually forgotten in the stirring and absorbing life of today. Here and there lie figures, paragraphs, letters, in college presidents' annual reports, in the report of the Commissioner of Education, in the report and the archives of the Secretary of War, in dean's and registrar's offices. Even in the vast Library of Congress it is difficult to obtain as many data as those contained in the files of fraternity magazines concerning the colleges in war time. When the historian appears who is to compile an adequate account of the war service of the American college he will find in fraternity journals a rich source of material; and all members of college fraternities might well treasure with especial care their war time journals. To observers of broad experience, the similarity and uniformity of the patriotic expression of the colleges appears astonishing. The more one studies the subject, the more surprisingly alike seem the activities of very unlike institutions, notwithstanding the fact that many colleges performed services entirely unique, not to be compared at all with the work of others ; these unique contributions must be classed as such, however, and added to the usual types of activity. Before the United States entered the war, ambulance units and hospital units were formed here and there in many large universities; various contributions for specific purposes, such as the Prison Camp Relief, found their way now and then to the Allies from the American colleges. After the beginning of American participation the scene shifts. On May 4 and 5, 1917, in Washington, D. C, occurred a meeting of the presidents of colleges and universities to decide upon the relation of the college to the country's struggle. To this meeting no doubt, and to subsequent cooperation of deans of women, may be traced the fortunate and remarkable unanimity and efficiency of collegiate endeavors as well as to the unifying influence of various governmental agencies. For college men, the establishment of Reserve Officers' Training Corps in about a third of our collegiate institutions, paved the way to broader 298 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity opportunities of service, and the Student Army Training Corps enrolled 142,000 students. As a matter of course the presence of this large number of soldiers "on active duty" in 525 colleges, to be fed, housed and instructed by the college, under contract with the War Depart- ment, created a new and difificult problem for faculties. The S. A. T. C. "had a brief ten weeks' life" and was demobilized between Novem- ber 11 and December 21, 1918. "College officers," says the Commis- sioner of Education, "relieved of discipline and deposed from their ordinary authority, were nevertheless in a measure responsible for the academic progress of members of the corps. There was divided responsibility, therefore, and an unfortunate dualism of authority which was never remedied before the demobilization of the S. A. T. C." For non-official collegians the problem of the S. A. T. C. centered in their entertainment, their comfort, and their nursing during the influenza epidemic of October and November, 1918. Fraternity houses, women's halls of residence, all kinds of quarters were requisitioned for the S. A. T. C, and the college world cooperated in helping make successful those difficult ten weeks. To quote again the Commissioner of Education regarding this educational experiment: "The S. A. T. C. saved colleges from virtual extinction. In the letter announcing the plan the Secretary of War alludes to the preservation of higher education as one of the two important purposes to be attained. In spite of the difficulties of readjust- ment to a peace basis and in spite of the financial losses (in case of some institutions very great), the higher educational machinery in the United States emerges from the war in more nearly normal condition than that of any other country." In financial help to the Allied cause the colleges contributed very large sums, the aggregate of which is not available. The faculties and students made gifts of money to every kind of patriotic appeal, and when their funds gave out, students cheerfully performed manual tasks for each other to replenish their store. In Liberty Loan and Victory Loan drives the colleges performed excellent service which was described officially as being remarkable. Throughout the land simplicity in dress and in social affairs became the rule, and rigid economy was practiced in many directions. Red Cross units or affiliation with units utilized every spare minute of college women's time. Some colleges "required" at least an hour a week of work on surgical dressings of every girl. In food con- servation, even Mr. Hoover was surprised at the response made by the colleges. Courses on food conservation and on the science of foods were offered by experts in most colleges; first aid courses were generally made available to students; historical and political science courses enlightened the academic mind on foreign affairs, and numerous changes appeared in the curriculum to meet the needs of the day. Food oroduc- War Work of College Women 299 tion also received serious consideration; many college students served as farmers and gardeners in different sections of the country. The con- tribution made to the national cause by the professor, in the Army or Navy, or as a civilian, is altogether too large to consider here. In a general way the usual work of the colleges has been touched; the unique service of at least one institution should be mentioned in detail to indicate the versatile and invaluable quality of the collegiate contribu- tion. The University of Washington supplied 60 per cent of the country's supply of sphagnum moss for surgical dressings ; the university girls were required to spend two days per week in making sphagnum moss pads. This university provided also most of the digitalis for heart stimulants, a service described in a contemporary 'E/cXeicTa article from Rho Chapter under the title, "What We Did for Our Soldiers' Hearts." A four year military, aeronautic, and naval curriculum leading to the degree of Bachelor of Military Science was adopted by the university. Two government schools, the United States Radio School and the United States Shipping Board Navigation School, were established on the campus early in 1918. Various departments in the university contributed support in special activities. The economics and business administration departments made valuable surveys of economic conditions, and heads of these departments served on arbitration boards in averting strikes. The pharmacy and bacteriology departments furnished trained workers to the government, and made valuable analyses. A gas experiment labora- tory was conducted in chemistry and at least two important gases were invented there. The faculty cooperated in giving war courses and instruction at Camp Lewis, and in doing extension work among the citizens of the state. The home economics department conducted courses in food economy throughout the state. These services were in addition to the S. A. T. C, R. O. T. C, and a Naval Aviation Unit. The work of college women, like that of the colleges, deserves particular mention. In no previous national crisis did women or college women serve so conspicuously and perform such important government work as in 1917, 1918 and subsequent years. On January 28, 1919, the Secretary of War wrote the following letter regarding the war work of college women, which was made public by the War Department: January 28, 1919. My dear Mrs. : *************** No statistics are as yet available showing the numbers and distribution of college women in war work; but the records of the colleges, of the United States Civil Service Commission, of the professional section of the United States Employment Service; and of various personnel offices, show many hundreds of college women in the war service of the Government and of affiliated and private organizations in positions of 300 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity every type from those involving expert leadersliip to routine clerkships. The impression that I have received from my own personal observations, supplemented by reports from many other sources, is that the quality of the work performed by these women was exceptionally high and was a very important factor in filling the gaps caused by the presence in France of so many thousands of our young men in military service. The whole country certainly owes them a debt of gratitude for the spirit in which the women entered upon so many new tasks and for their accomplishments in these tasks. The leaders among college women have been predominantly in work connected with the maintenance of adequate standards in working and living conditions during the war emergency. The Women in Industry Service of the Department of Labor under Miss Mary Van Kleeck, who has had a seat on the War Labor Policies Board; the women industrial experts of this board and of the War Labor Board; the forty field supervisors of women munition workers of the Ordnance Department; the inspectors of the Board of Standards for Army Clothing; the industrial hygiene work of Dr. Kristine Mann, of the civilian workers' branch of ordnance; the women graduates of the intensive courses in employment management of the War Industries Board; the Women's Service Section of the U. S. Railway Administration, under Miss Pauline Goldmark; the field staff of over ISO college women familiar with the problems of the delinquent woman and girl of the Law Enforcement Division of the Commission on Training-Camp Activities under Mrs. Jane Deeter Rippin; the 30 women lecturers of the Social Hygiene Division of the same division under Dr. Katherine Bement Davis; the food experts and dietitians of the Food Administration, the Surgeon General's Office, and the Red Cross; the canteen workers, recreation workers and social case workers of the War Camp Community Service, the Y. M. C. A., the Y. W. C. A., and the college women nurses and reconstruc- tion aides, all show the participation of college women in the meeting of critical war and community problems. In other fields college women have done important statistical, scientific, investiga- tive, and executive work, often specializing in the newer subjects and techniques. In some fields they have been the only replacement supply for professional men, as in industrial chemistry, accounting, psychological testing. Some have been map-makers, draftsmen, engineers of tests; others have become experts in shipping, railroading, and the supply, purchasing, and distributing of various essential commodities. Many have been secretaries to important military and civilian executives; many others have been office managers, heads of file rooms, and experts in different types of publicity and information. From these varied contacts of college women with the operations of Government and of large public and business affairs are bound to result important modifications in their outlook and subsequent work, and in college education itself. Cordially yours, Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War. War Service of N. P. C. Fraternities Like their sisters all over the country, fraternity women and all college women in or out of college halls, answered the call to help win the war. Before describing the war work of Alpha Chi Omega a brief survey of the service of our fellow Greeks shows that each one endeavored in its own way to lend direct and effective aid. The information here given has been taken from a table compiled from replies by national officers of each N. P. C. fraternity to a questionnaire sent out by Pi Beta Phi. War Service of N. P. C. Fraternities 301 Kappa Alpha Theta: In 1917-18 equipped the nurses of one base hospital giving the Red Cross $3,800 for that purpose. In 1918-19 supported one Red Cross canteen worker in France — about $2,500 for the time she was abroad, 15 months. Kappa Kappa Gamma : Performed reconstruction work in Bellevue- Meudon, France, under the direction of Dorothy Canfield Fisher. This work consisted in a free dispensary, doctor, visiting nurse, and free meals for the sick and underfed children of this district. Many tons of clothing shoes, toys, soap, and medicine were sent. Underclothes, dresses, suits layettes, etc., were made by the chapters and alumnae associations for the children and women of Bellevue. Alpha Phi: Maintained for two years a foyer in Roanne, France, for French women munition workers. Delta Gamma: Raised $28,000 in 1916-18 for Belgian relief. The $11,500 remaining will be devoted to, (a) education of an Armenian girl; (b) a contribution to a Belgian hospital ; (c) the proposed establishment of a Delta Gamma Home for three or four waifs to be supported and managed by the fraternity. Gamma Phi Beta: From a milk-bottle campaign to help Belgian children sent $5,000 to Baron De Cartier of the Belgian Legation at Washington and raised another thousand for the same purpose. Gave $500 to the hostess house fund of the Y. W. C. A. Several French orphans were adopted and all the various lines of war work were done by chapters and individuals. Delta Delta Delta: Helped to support a foyer at Tours besides all the usual war work in which the general organization, chapters, and individuals participated. Alpha Xi Delta: All war work was done by chapters as individuals. Chi Omega: During the war, undertook the support of two workers in the devastated areas of France. In addition to this the individual chapters did Red Cross work and aided in the sale of bonds. Sigma Kappa: A fund of several thousand dollars was distributed, one-half to the American Red Cross recreational fund and one-half to the relief of French orphans. Each active chapter adopted a war orphan. Alpha Omicron Pi: Put $2,050 into relief work in the Chateau Thierry district. Zeta Tau Alpha: Chapters and individuals supported fifteen war orphans, did Red Cross work, bought bonds, had charge of food work in several counties. As a fraternity, sent Grand President to France as a doctor. Alpha Gamma Delta: Active and alumnae chapters raised a fund for the Red Cross. Usual work done by all. 302 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Delta Zeta: Every chapter did the regulation war work which included Belgian Relief, Red Cross, adoption of orphans. Alpha Delta Pi: Worked for Armenian Relief. Practically every club and chapter adopted an Armenian orphan. Kappa Delta: Each chapter had its own work. The fraternity owns the limit in Wcir Savings Stamps and also several Liberty Bonds. Phi Mu : Established a nurses' hut at one of the base hospitals and placed a Phi Mu there as hostess. Pi Beta Phi: Contributed money to the Red Cross and bought Liberty Bonds. They "adopted" soldiers from the Tennessee Mountains, near their Settlement School. War Service of Alpha Chi Omega ADOPTION OF FRENCH ORPHANS The national war work of Alpha Chi Omega consisted in the adoption of nearly a hundred French orphans from the districts of the Marne and the Meuse. This work began in 1916 and proved so popular that the fraternity adopted it as its national war philanthropy and placed it in the hands of a national committee of which Gladys Livingston Graff, then Atlantic Province President, became chairman. At the Chicago Convention of the fraternity the committee's exhibit of letters, pictures, and small gifts from orphans to chapters created much interested comment. Posters that were reproductions of original draw- ings by the French artists, Brangwyn and de Maris were displayed and post card copies of them were distributed as individual mementos of the happiness the fraternity was able to give to the orphaned children of French soldiers. Most pathetic and impressive stood out the de Maris drawing of two weary children, a burning village in the background, bearing the legend "Avez vous place dans voire coeur pour nous?" Nearly a hundred original letters in French script, also communica- tions from the orphans published in The Lyre, reminded the convention delegates that the fraternity's orphaned little ones unanimously were sending "love and kisses" to their "beloved benefactors." Contemporary articles descriptive of the French orphan service may be read in The Lyre in the issues for July, 1916, January, 1918, and April, 1918. In the last mentioned journal the committee (Mrs. Graff, Mrs. Birkhoff, and Miss Armstrong) announced the substitution of "districts" for "villages" in carrying out the original plan to care for all the orphaned children in one or more villages. A few paragraphs of Mrs. Graff's interesting story should perhaps be introduced here. The first act of the committee was to secure from Miss Crafts, official head of the OrphMnat des Armies in Boston, an entire village to be adopted en masse by Alpha Chi Omega, and negotiations were opened to this end. It soon became apparent that Adoption of French Orphans 303 this plan was not feasible for the excellent reason that fortunately an entire village was not orphaned all at one time. Instead of a village, therefore, a list of fifty names was submitted for approval from the Paris Headquarters. This gave us the chance to aid that many farmers' children, driven to take refuge in Nantes and quartered in one section of the city. Though appealing, it was so different from the original idea that the committee hesitated, and while debating received a second list of children, this time from the devastated districts of the Marne and the Meuse — twenty-five from the same canton of Ligny-en-Barrois, twenty-five from the Marne sector. With the names came the following letter poignant in its irresistible appeal. Dear Madam: A short time ago you asked me for the names of fifty children from the devas- tated section, if possible from the same commune. We have collected the names of fifty orphans from the invaded districts all from two groups of more or less neighbor- ing places. This was the nearest we could approach to fulfilling your request. It proved impossible to find any great number of children in one such village. Those who returned to build the ruined hamlets are in general those not hindered by the care of little ones, or who have left the little ones in the kindly shelter which had gathered them in when they were refugees. Nevertheless a few of the children have come back, here and there, to the strange bare regions that bear scant resem- blance to their dreamy memories, to the regions where the seed of springtime will be sown in ground which is ploughed as ground was never ploughed before. We have gathered some of these children and are sending their names to you, with gratitude for your request, and with the hope that the interest of your generous American Marraines will continue to increase. With much appreciation of your splendid work for France, Very sincerely. La Secretaire G6n6rale. The opportunity to assist with any form of reconstruction work proved a great temptation, and the committee unanimously decided to adopt for Alpha Chi Omega the children of the Marne and the Meuse regions. During these negotiations pledges and generous responses were received almost daily from the majority of the chapters and from many of the alumnae chapters and clubs. By Hera Day over half the list had been subscribed. A surprising and gratifying number of gifts came in from individuals, amounts varying from one to five dollars, more than enough to pay for half an orphan being received in short order. Several individuals adopted children, clubs who could not contribute the full quota enthusiasti- cally promised to send stated amounts, and from all sides came interested inquiries and promises of aid. Requests for full information about "our child," expressing the wish to make clothing, and to serve otherwise, proved numerous and inexpressibly touching. One girl, assuming with a friend the entire responsibility of an orphan, writes excitedly for information about "our child," assuring us she adores children and is eager to cor- respond. Such letters are not only stimulating, but they augur well for the success of Alpha Chi Omega's Unit. The direct correspondence with the French boys and girls themselves constituted one of the happiest elements of the enterprise, and provided an unusual means of not only holding but increasing the interest of the contributing members. The following epistle from the D. C. Alumnae 304 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Club's child seems fairly typical of the hundreds of appreciative letters received by Alpha Chis. ■cMt. fia. vC^oJ^i ^^ ■^*- ^"^ ''"^ ' ' ,„,4m): yuinu e-ocpAMHci -yyva, QtaljUiukJ fuhi/^ (/L- i-enlc out- -voui cvve^ IwKVl. ■ynoi- 6rt acO^lMt 'r^O- oA A«^,- t'tMe^ a, lum^vaU^ /« 'eleyueA, ,*e^ ^utAjt vnu aM-UAe4^ aue. H^ CaiL" Lcu.b -yrz-^yK fU>^- ■} Jti&^ pjouA^UZe. dUcy^x. da. --ucKCyVoii^ The funds of the fraternity were administered speedily and effi- ciently by the Committee of the Fatherless Children of France. The work of this committee was carried out by local committees in every town and village. The committee appointed "a guardian to follow each child's course at school, to note its tastes and aptitudes and decide with the mother on the career best suited for it. The best possible training will then be afforded to the child, whatever it is to become, from a manual laborer to a professional or an artist." The small state allowance was supplemented by the committee when necessary to enable the mother to keep the home together. The children thus were brought up "with a mother's care in the little town or village where the father lived and where there is a tradition of valor and honesty to be upheld." The national committee of Alpha Chi Omega supervised the work of the organized groups of the fraternity and when desired that of individual Alpha Chi contributors. Much thoughtful and helpful assistance went to the fraternity's children beyond the regular remittance of $36.50 per year per child. The "extra" gifts of money, clothes, toys, and such things varied with the personality of the group as well as with the exigencies of the postal service. Local Work of College Chapters ■■ 305 So satisfactory and flexible did the war work with the children prove to be that the fraternity with one accord chose the education of American children as its national altruistic service beginning at the conclusion of the support of the French orphans. The scholarships for children are described on page 285. Other financial help as an organization was given by lending $8,583.00 in Liberty Bonds and War Savings Stamps to the government, as follows: active chapters, $6,259.00; alumnae groups, $324.00; National Treasury, $2,000.00. Local Work of College Chapters In the colleges the active chapters supported the campus war work, like all other college women, but being organized the fraternity women accomplished more than they could have achieved if they had been working separately. The colleges unified the service of their women as well as of their men. Their method of doing so appears in the begin- ning of Wisconsin's organized war activities for women described in a report sent in 1918 to the United States Committee on Public Informa- tion. The dean of women called in the presidents of the Y. W. C. A., the S. G. A., and the W. A. A., and planned with them the establishmeiLt of the Women Students' War Work Council. The committees appointed by this council numbered five: (1) University council of defence; (2) Regulation of student activities; (3) Emergency war work; (4) Red Cross; (5) Publicity. At Northwestern a member of Garhma Chapter served as a member of the War Council of that university which divided its activities into (1) Child welfare; (2) Financial campaigns; (3) Home service; (4) Red Cross; (5) Settlements; (6) War Camp Community Service. This chapter's work represents fairly well the usual work done by Alpha Chi chapters everywhere, yet it also illustrates admirably how the geographi- cal location and the character of the institution made distinctive the service rendered by each group. Gamma Chapter in 1917-1918 made kits for Northwestern University Hospital Unit No. 12; gave money usually expended for dances to war-time demands; made surgical dressings in the University Red Cross rooms; sent fruit and books to Fort Sheridan ; individual members served as part of War Camp Commu- nity Service by singing at Great Lakes Training Station and at Fort Sheridan; $100 in bonds and $5 in War Savings Stamps purchased by chapter as a unit; individual members did knitting for Red Cross; individual members assisted in War Stamp and Liberty Bond campaigns ; two members ' served in Ordnance Department ; one member served in War Record Service. Throughout the war the active chapters of Alpha Chi Omega had two specific types of service to their credit, giving and doing — and both 306 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity to an extreme degree. The many manuscripts gone over in compiling this History show a long list of causes contributed to by Alpha Chis in the colleges — and out of them — Liberty Bond drives, United War Work drive, Armenian relief, Belgian relief, Prison relief fund, Thrift Saving Stamps, Allied Bazaars, War Relief Bazaars, and all kinds of minor appeals that afforded the richest and most variegated field for altruistic investment the world has ever witnessed. Not only did the Alpha Chis give their money, but in many cases they earned it to give, and also they worked, with spirited team play, to procure as much money from everyone else as possible. All chapters spent a great many hours in Red Cross work rooms; in some places each girl in the chapter spent a part of each day rolling bandages or performing other work in the Red Cross headquarters. Rho Chapter and Iota Iota were organized into a Red Cross auxiliary in 1917, and every member spent two days per month in making surgical dressings. Theta spent thus sixty hours per week. All Epsilon members worked regularly in the university chapter of the Red Cross, and some served also in a city Red Cross Chapter. The chapters everywhere did the same, and all were knitting, knitting, endlessly knitting. All of this giving of themselves involved time and strength, the two most precious elements of college women's equipment. Even a superficial mention of the work of the chapters of Alpha .Chi Omega should include certain unique services rendered by some of them. Kappa sent Christmas boxes to Wisconsin men in France; Pi Chapter was chosen by the dean of women to furnish a home to two French honor students holding Carnegie Foundation Scholarships and registered at California. Psi gave its chapter house for barracks, and moreover provided programs of songs by the chapter, readings, and solos. At the close of college in 1918 several Lambda Alpha Chis joined the Women's Land Army and the following autumn the entire chapter made clothes for the Belgians; during the epidemic of influenza at Kansas, the members of Phi who remained in the city went to the barracks to cook for the soldiers and to nurse in the wards. Alpha sent a huge box of cake and candy to Fort Benjamin Harrison. Beta made scrap books and sent them to soldiers in the hospitals. Omega helped cook food at the Home Economics building for the S. A. T. C. hospitals during the epidemic of influenza; one of the Omega members had charge of the preparation of the food for the hospitals. Iota entertained the School of Aviation with weekly dances in 1917-1918, and in each of three years assisted, with definite responsibility as a chapter, in making a success of university money-raising functions — the Allied Bazaar, the Mardi Gras, and the Follies. Zeta Chapter did excellent and unremitting work in entertaining the men in service in and War Work of the Alumn« Groups 307 near Boston, and several Zetas also went overseas to do entertaining. As New England definitely chose as a college to do entertaining as its field of war service, Zeta's work fell naturally into the plans of the school. Rho took a responsible part in the Seattle Girls' War Relief Bazaar which netted $100,000 for relief funds. Gamma Chapter eliminated the formal dances for the year 1918 and contributed the money saved — four hundred dollars — to war relief. Other chapters practised similar econ- omy annually, in fact no chapter failed to save in this way according to the national policy of the fraternity, and of most Panhellenic frater- nities. College Panhellenics also showed the right spirit of cooperation with the general purpose of their colleges and rendered more effective the endeavors of the local War Councils. At Washington University (St. Louis) Panhellenic was put in charge of the various drives among the women and carried them through admirably. Instead of the annual receptions given by each sorority, Panhellenic used the money to give a Icirge card party at the Buckingham Hotel ; all the prizes were donated and the proceeds were given to the Red Cross. Panhellenic was put in c harge also of various entertainments for the soldiers passing through the city. At California, Panhellenic regulated rushing in order to conserve food and stimulated interest in all the houses in university war work. The Northwestern Panhellenic limited the cost of rushing parties, as was done also in most other colleges. The De Pauw Panhellenic enlisted fraternity support for the Red Cross and cooperated with the dean in plans for a hostess house. Washington State College Panhellenic superintended Red Cross work among the Greek-letter groups. The Purdue Panhellenic bought a Liberty Bond and responded as an organization to university assessments for war work. Work of the Alumna Groups The organized alumnae of Alpha Chi Omega performed a great deal of their war work of course apart from their Alpha Chi Omega afifiliations. The Portland Alumnae Club says: "During the war every member of the club was active in many war activities. They assisted in all Red Cross work. Liberty Loans, and Thrift Saving Stamp work, and in many other ways." This outline of war activity is the usual one of all the individuals in the organized groups. To relate the excellent and very eflfective team work of Alpha Chis in these lines would require the History to be publighed in two volumes ! Therefore, only the work of the groups as groups is mentioned, as a rule, though it forms only a part of the war endeavors of the members. Yet their work as groups stands out as a real contribution to the winning of the war. 308 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity All the alumnae chapters supported French orphans as groups except three, Lambda Lambda, Mu Mu, and Nu Nu, the members of which contributed to orphans through other agencies. Thirteen alumnae clubs adopted orphans through Alpha Chi Omega, or contributed toward the fund and jointly supported orphans; others contributed to French orphans through other organizations. Both chapters and clubs here and there supported Armenian orphans also, and contributed to Near East Relief and to other appeals. Epsilon Epsilon, Zeta Zeta, and Alpha Alpha supported the largest numbers of orphans, in the order named. Of the alumnae clubs, those who joined in the support of the orphans were Albion, Boulder, Cleveland, Decatur, Des Moines, District of Columbia, Eastern Oklahoma, Grays Harbor, Greensburg, Oil City, Omaha, Oregon and Twin Cities. All active chapters except Xi, Omi- cron. Alpha Beta, Alpha Gamma, and Alpha Delta shared in the national work. Although installed after the Armistice Alpha Epsilon joined the ranks of the "marraines" and adopted one French child. In Red Cross work several alumnae groups worked as units. Iota Iota was granted a Red Cross Chapter in Seattle in connection with Rho Chapter at the university; Mu Mu was organized as a Red Cross auxiliary, and made garments for the hospital department. Mu Mu also supported the work of the Kansas City Panhellenic. The Pueblo Alumnae Club writes of its Red Cross work: "Those of us who stayed at home did what we could to help the Liberty Loan, War Saving Stamps and Red Cross drives to go through. Mary McNally, I, was in charge of much of the clerical work which had to be done preparatory to these campaigns, and she usually recruited her helpers from among our num- ber." In the autumn of 1917, Nu Nu had a regular day for Red Cross work at the Colorado Museum. Delta Delta maintained their interest in the local Children's Hospital, supported their orphans, and "besides," wrote Miss Jessie Cushman, "bought two fifty dollar bonds and twenty dollars in war stamps; this was not enough, however, so we tried several plans of doing 'our bit;' making French layettes appealed to the chapter and Delight Stevens Dodds was appointed chairman. She would purchase the material, cut the garments, and bring them to the meetings for the girls to make and return by the next meeting. In this way we made eight full layettes besides many odd garments." Delta Delta supported a French orphan for two years. Epsilon Epsilon being a very large chapter carried on their relief work on a rather extensive scale. They were very active in canteen serv- ice and on draft boards. "When requests began to come in for aid in the French Relief work," writes the chronicler, "Epsilon Epsilon adopted a war orphan. The next year this number was increased to six. At present War Work of the Alumna Groups 309 (1920) we are supporting four, A Liberty Bond of the second issue was bought." To Zeta Zeta goes the honor of inaugurating the national altruistic service through their own enthusiasm, and that of Zeta Chapter's, over their French children. Zeta and Zeta Zeta each supported their children for five years. They also sent regular letters to the orphans, and extra gifts of clothing, lovely toys, and Christmas money. The National French Orphan Unit Committee was appointed from Zeta Zeta's ranks. The chapter also did Belgian and Polish Relief. Eta Eta Chapter adopted two French orphans and contributed to the Armenian Relief, Red Cross, and to the other war organizations, besides doing much individual work, as did all the other members of alumnje groups. Theta Theta found themselves for two years "largely immersed in war work. Although retaining their social character," writes the chap- ter, "each of the meetings accomplished either its active bit of work, or brought reports by the Theta Theta girls in active service. Among the former Theta counts the sending of a box containing 350 pounds of clothing to the Commission for Belgian Relief, and the adoption of a French orphan." Theta Theta also sent money to the Constantinople Women's College, and helped to raise funds for Americanization. Albion Alumnse Club gave a Red Cross benefit, netting $100; Boul- der contributed to Armenian Relief as well as to French orphans; Des Moines aided in the entertainment of soldiers at Camp Dodge and at Fort Des Moines; Eastern Oklahoma, who are scattered over the state, maintained an orphan; Greensburg supported its orphan for three years, and the club worked strenuously on all local drives. The Portland Club, besides adopting a French war orphan, met twice a month to sew for Belgian orphans, formed a Thrift Stamp Club ; during the summer of 1917-1918, the club, joined by the active girls at home on vacation, assisted one day a week in "Uncle Sam's Kanning Kitchen" where fruit was canned and sent to soldiers in nearby camps and hospi- tals. The Pueblo Alumnae Club was represented in all the various branches of civilian war activities in the years 1916 to 1918, and provided a member of the board of Red Cross civilian relief in Hedwig Brenneman Heller, T, then president of the Pueblo Panhellenic Association. Twin Cities Club made and sent a complete outfit of clothes to their little French orphan. One of their members, Nathalie Thompson, had charge of the Juvenile Red Cross at the State Agricultural College of the University of Minnesota. 310 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity War Services Contributed by Individuals Of the large number of Alpha Chis who worked in positions of leader- ship or who performed particularly interesting work we append a list, with sincerest regret that we cannot utilize the space to share with all Alpha Chis, for all time to come, the details of the service of our individ- uals. Alpha Chi Omega is too large a fraternity for this detailed account to be possible; in the files of The Lyre from 1916 to 1921 appear many thrilling tales of the world-wide service of our members. And of the individual contributions to the winning of the war, the writer of this volume has at hand but a minute part of the entire service rendered by our members in their patriotic endeavor to do, as a matter of course, their utmost for the cause, lending their strength to that of others in order to multiply many-fold the effectiveness of the results. Members of the fraternity who served during the war in the federal service in Washington, D. C, are listed on page 313. As typical of the service our alumnae rendered, we mention, without further comment, the following: Pearl Armitage Jamieson, A, was very active in local Red Cross work in Denver, and supervisor of the Corona Branch Red Cross work- room until the end of the war. Florence Bishop, A, instructor at Camp Kawajiwin, Cass Lake, Minnesota. Alta Moyer Taylor, A, head of Red Cross Center. Flossie Allen, A, Committee on Community Music and Junior Musicales for Second District of Federated Clubs of Indiana.' Olah Hill, B, Assistant In- structor in Occupational Ther- apy, Detroit. Lucille Morgan Gibson, T, Vice-chairman of Executive Com- mittee of Evanston Young Wom- en's War Relief Workshop , which served principally refugees. Mary Richardson Vose, V, member of the Relief Committee of the Evanston War Council, which cared for members of families of enlisted or drafted men, 1918-1920. Her service involved giving legal advice, ^H^^Sj^RHH^^f^^^^^ T'^^^m^j ^%m ^ilf ^I^H pU B^^' r !>' '^S J^^^l ^Hk, /; " }: jfl s Alta Moyer Taylor, Delta War Services Contributed by Individuals 311 financial assistance, or friendly aid. Disabled or diseased men were cared for and referred to proper agencies for medical or surgical work. Delight Stephens Dodds, E, had charge of Delta Delta surgical dressings; assistant at Surgical Dressings Room of Friday Morning Club ; had charge of knitting department of same club for eight months, teaching machine knitting. Knit on the machine 300 pairs of socks, besides knitting by hand 14 pairs, 57 sweaters, and other articles. Faye Dressier, Z, student army nurse, stationed at Camp Hancock, Georgia, then at Fort MacPherson. Lydia Kinsley, 0, Hospital Librarian for American Library Associa- tion in hospital work, Camp Wheeler, Macon, Georgia; served in midst of epidemic; transferred to Fort Riley, Kansas, which was full of overseas wounded ; under War Department went to Fort Sheridan, Illinois, where she still is working in 1921. Ruth Butler, G, returned from Korea where she had been teaching and entered the War Camp Community Service for the Federal Reserve Bank at Chicago. Died May 9, 1920, after an illness of several weeks with typhoid fever. Mabel Hayward Rothgeb, I, head of Red Cross Center, East Orange, New Jersey. May AlHnson, I, New York, Executive Secretary, Women in Indus- try Service, Council of National Defense. Conducted survey of condi- tions of women's work in Indiana to assist in the passing of remedial legislation. Died at Indianapolis, December, 1918. In Washington, investigated women workers in the Navy Yard, women as balloon and gas mask makers, and other conditions of women in industry. See also p. 372. L. Grace Grifhth, A, assistant to personnel officer in Military Intelli- gence, Washington, D. C, 1917-1918; in charge of placement of civilian employees; assigned to care for women employees during epidemic of influenza ; principal of night school and placed in charge of welfare work for women in Military Intelligence, 1919. See also p. 373. A. Lena Dalrymple, M, served as Y. W. C. A. secretciry in Hostess House at Camp Humphreys, Virginia. Ruth Bigelow Vertrees, N, Research Chemist, 1918, of the Great West- em Sugar Company, Brighton, Colo. ; late in 1918 enlisted in Chemical Warfare Service and made chemical analyses of surgical dressings for the Red Cross. Elma Curtin, N, served on the Boulder Draft Board as a volunteer, to enable the county to take care of its draft work witiiout expense to the government. Ethel Frye, S, and Beatrice Montgomery, S, served in Omaha Motor Corps. 312 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Rebanis Sissler, £, enlisted as a nurse and served during the years 1917-1919. Dale Pugh Hascall, E, canteen service in Omaha, 1917-1918. Beulah Buckley Withrow, E, active part in Thrift Savings Stamp work in connection with Association of Collegiate Alumnae, speaking and organizing clubs throughout the city of Portland. Kathryn J. Morgan, E, served as Red Cross volunteer nurse for the S. A.T. C. and in Red Cross Hospital for four monthsduring 1918 and one month 1919-20 in the influenza epidemic; had charge of Red Cross gauze room two evenings a week; made addresses in Liberty Loan and Red Cross drives in Colorado Springs. Anna Church Colley, 0, worked in Liberty Loan campaigns, one Red Cross drive and helped with the sale of Smileage Books and War Savings Stamps. Edith Kurtz Appell and Louise Chesney, 0, worked regularly in Red Cross chapters. Cora Ault, O, spent six months at Fort Riley and three months at Base Hospital, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Was then transferred to the City Hospital at St. Louis, Missouri, to teach vocational training. Lucy Lane, O, trained for nursing for the Red Cross at Barnes Hospital, St. Louis. Lucille Reeves and Mary MacChristy, O, canteen work, Dodd City, Kansas. Pauline Peters, 2, took the Smith College course in psychiatric social work, 1918; assigned to U. S. A. G. Hospital No. 4, Fort Porter, New York, which contained overseas patients from Eastern or Middle Western States; obtained information concerning patients' previous history to use in diagnosis and in deciding on compensation; gave vocational guidance to patients; helped to clear up problems in allowances, insur- ance, allotments, compensation, and other technical affairs; in 1920, became Associate Director of Psychiatric Social Service for the Lake Division of the American Red Cross, and U. S. Public Health Service. Laura Davis, X, Reconstruction Aid in hospitals. Irene Brandeis Shaw, X, Alpha Chi Omega captain of the Sorority Section of National League for Women's Service in Portland. Alberta Cavender Morrow, X, formerly instructor in domestic science in city schools of Portland, assisted the Hoover Food Saving Demonstra- tions. Elizabeth Putnam, T, served as Red Cross nurse. Fort Sheridan Hos- pital, and did reconstruction work. Caroline N. Doran, $, 1917-1918, assistant packer at the Navy League, packed approximately 50,000 knitted garments, and was awarded a Red Cross medal. Spent one day a week at Red Cross sur- War Workers in Washington, D. C. 313 gical dressing rooms, one day a week and all Sundays in canteen work at Soldiers' and Sailors' Community Club ; assisted in two Liberty Loan campaigns and a Red Cross drive. Julia Hammler, A A, dietitian at Camp Humphreys, Virginia. The Training Camp for Nurses at Vassar College was begun June 24, 1918, with 435 women, graduates from 117 colleges in the United States and Canada. Among the number of women who registered for this training were fifteen Alpha Chis. Their names and the hospitals they entered in September are as follows : Grace Howe, K, Mt. Sinai, New York; Ethel Beard, H, Postgradu- ate, New York; Eva Sutton, A, Cincinnati General; Esther Smith, 0, Brooklyn Hospital; Lois Spraker, 0, Lakeside, Cleveland; Ruth Wash- burn, 0, Barnes Memorial, St. Louis; Edith Noxon, N, Richmond, Va; Mary Smith, 0, Cincinnati General; Claudia Steele, 0, Barnes Memorial, St. Louis; Marguerite Coley, 0, Brooklyn Hospital; Marion McPherson, 0, BrookljTi Hospital; Katherine Asher, n, Philadelphia General; Mil- dred Caswell, K, Mt. Sinai, New York; Luella Dye, M, Massachusetts General, Boston; Marjorie Weyrauch, A, Bellevue, New York City. War Workers in Washington, D. C. The following Alpha Chis performed their war service in Washington, D. C, in widely varied tasks: Alpha — Gertrude Boyd, Transportation Department, Surgeon General's Office; Opal Goodrich, Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Treasury Department; Nelle Meyers, Division of Loans and Currency, Treasury Department ; Lucile Riley, Quartermaster Gen- eral's office, War Department; Marie Shoaf ; Isabelle Wineland. Beta. — Helen Fiske Pamkopf (Mrs. Harvey J.), Committee on Public Information. Gamma. — Ruth DeWitt; Helen Todd, War Trade Board. Delta. — Dorothy Dashiell Acorn (Mrs. R. E.), Division of Military Aeronautics, War Department; Georgia Carr, Civil Service Commission; Sadie Van Hoesen. Epsilon. — Isabel Long Nelson (Mrs. E. S.), Bureau of Research, War Trade Board; Marjorie Peck, Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Treasury Department. Zeta. — George Thonssen, Treasury Department. Theta. — Helen Tremaine, Adjutant General's Office, War Depart- ment. Iota. — May Allinson, I, T T, Z Z, Women in Industry Service, Council of National Defense; Hazel Cummings, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Treasury Department; Julia Green, I and M M; Letha Irwin Paddock (Mrs. Ralph), Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Treasury Department; Louise Amborn Pagin, I and T; Charleen Redding, Bureau of War Risk 314 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Insurance, Treasury Department; Ola M. Wyeth, organizer, War Library Service, American Library Association. (See also p. '319.) Lambda. — Grace Griffith, Military Intelligence Division, Office of Chief of Staff, War Department; Mary-Emma Griffith, Bureau of Mar- kets, Department of Agriculture; Myra H. Jones, Executive Secretary, Petroleum Division, Bureau of Mines, Interior Department; Mildred Potter, Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Treasury Department. Mu. — Florence A. Armstrong, Military Intelligence Division, Office of Chief of Staff, War Department (see also p. 360); Emma J. Brown, Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Treasury Department; Eleanor Jones Wauchope (Mrs. S. S.), Quartermaster General's Office, War Department. Nu. — Irene Hastings; Inez Kinnison, Chief clerk. Office of Record- ing of Property; Ella Noxon, War Department; Leila Wild, Naval Re- serve; Leona Peters Wild. Xi. — Ethel Sloan, secretary to Congressman Sloan; Charlotte Jenkins, Office of Home Economics, Department of Agriculture. Omicron. — Opal Benjamin, State Department; Ruth Kurtz; Cola Nelson, Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Treasury Department. Pi. — Blanche Winham, Military Intelligence Division, Office of Chief of Staff, War Department. Rho. — Margaret Larrison, ship construction company. Sigma. — Helen George, Record Section, General Staff, War College. Tau. — Nina Beck, Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Treasury De- partment; Beulah Dickert, Senator Chamberlain's office; Marjory Watson, Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Treasury Department. Phi. — Persis Cook; Claribel Lupton; Margaret Lupton; Nora McNeel, Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Treasury Department. Chi. — Grace Kinnison, volunteer worker for Red Cross. Alpha Gamma. — Alberta Hawthorne, Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Treasury Department. Overseas Workers The record of the twenty-nine Alpha Chis who served overseas has been pieced together from numerous sources, including many letters. The story not only makes good reading, but it gives the fraternity cause for pride in its members who followed the flag across the Atlantic and there helped to win the war. Helen Hanna Birch, A, went to Europe early in 1919 as a canteen worker in the Y. M. C. A. She was sent immediately to the Army of Occupation and spent six months in the Moselle Valley and on the Rhine, stationed with Headquarters of the Fourth Division. For a time she helped in operating dry canteens, selling soap, towels, cookies, and such, but later she worked in the wet canteens serving coffee, chocolate, Overseas Workers 315 lemonade, ice cream and cake. And always it was her duty to dispense cheer among soldiers who, inasmuch as the war was over, were only too anxious to return to their "ain countree." Lou Babcock, B, left Detroit the first of December, 1918, trained at Barnard College and reached Liverpool January 1, 1919. After a few days in England she went to Paris for assignment. She was temporarily employed for a short time at Camouflage Hut, Dijon, and then was appointed to the charge of the "Y" hut at Marigny le Cahaut, C6te D'Or, a camp occupied by the 307th and 308th Machine Gun Battalions of the 78th Division. Her leave was spent in Southern France, at the Riviera and in the Pyrenees, and she returned home in August, 1919. Ada Dickie Hamblin, B, performed distinguished war service in France and Germany. The following excerpts describe her experiences in her own words. "The establishing of a canteen at a Class A evacuation camp was my first experience. It was a crude affair but served thousands of our men daily as they came from the front for re-equipment. ***** "In January I was reassigned to go to Germany with the Army of Occupation. It was a much coveted privilege and I was the envy of many workers in Nevers. I was ready to go and a young woman recently arrived from the States. had come out to take my place when I received a call to report at Divisional Headquarters in Nevers. Upon reaching the office, the Divisional Secretary showed me a petition he had just received, signed by all the officers and enlisted men of our camp. I will copy it. It was written by a committee of enlisted men as you will perhaps judge by the wording — it was typed. Headquarters . Casual Camp. Adrian Barracks. Intermediate Section. France. U.S.A.P.O. No. 708 Jan. 15th, 1919. To Secretary Y.M.C.A. Intermediate Section. We, the undersigned, fully cognizant of the splendid service rendered by Mrs. Hamblen at the Y.M.C.A. Canteen of the Adrian Barracks; of the personal hold she has on the entire personnel of the Camp, and the irreparable loss that would accrue to us by the transfer of her to another field of work — do hereby petition that she be retained at this post of duty. Signed, "Then followed the officers' signatures and all the men from the 'top kicks' (1st. Sergeant) to the cooks. "It's a bulky document but I am proud of it, as Paris headquarters sent for a copy of it and said it was unprecedented. So, of course, I remained in the Camp until most of the men therein had been sent home and the camp was about to close. In April, I accepted my appointment to Germany; first taking my one and only leave. ***** 316 History of Alpha Chi Omega FRATERNitv "Arriving in Coblenz, tlie American Bridgehead — I was assigned to duty with the 47th Infantry of the 4th Division at Remagen on the Rhine. There were several other Y workers at this post and for a time my duty was that of hostess on one of the Rhine excursion boats, taking difTerent outfits of the A. E. F. from Remagen to Cologne and back each day. "In June a real opportunity presented itself and I was given the honor of establishing a Y for the 3rd Army Remount at Kripp, Germany. In a few amazingly busy days with the aid of a detail of soldiers, and the never-to-be-forgotten cooperation and interest of the entire camp (which had never had a Y), a big aeroplane hangar (which on first inspection had nothing in it but grass) was transformed into the 'most attractive hut in Germany.' ***** "When the 4th Division left Germany in July en route to America the Y staff left also, and I went with them as I had been on detached service only. "I returned to Paris and had just completed the red tape necessary at headquarters to secure my discharge when Mrs. Meade (head of the women's Y work overseas) sent for me and said she had that day received by a wire and long distance phone from the Army and Y headquarters in Germany a request that Mrs. Hamblin return to Germany to the 3rd Army Remount to remain until they were released from duty and sent home." Mary Masters Needham, B, served in war activities as a worker and writer with the American Committee for Devastated France. In acknowl- edgement of her fine service, she was awarded a medal by the French Reconstruction Commission. Her husband was Henry Beach Needham, also a journalist, who met a tragic death early in the war. Mary B. Greene, A, writes from Franklin, Pa., where she is teaching mathematics in the high school, that she happened to be in Paris when rumors of war arose. Though she came home that September, it was with a resolve that if possible, she would return in some sort of war work. But four years passed before she succeeded. In the meantime she organ- ized what was probably one of the first Junior Red Cross units. At last Miss Greene was sent to France as a canteen worker. When asked just what her work was, she says: "To do whatever came to hand. I sang, I played, I danced, I cooked, and sewed and talked, and like every good soldier I stood inspection when General Pershing came to camp. My main duty was to make my hut as nearly like home as possible for 900 men. "When the great American University at Beaume closed in June, 1919, I was transferred to the Garden in Paris, where I worked at thp Overseas Workers 317 soda fountain. As this 'profession' has always held a fascination for me, I was able to satisfy a long-cherished ambition. In addition I enjoyed the living in Paris, for to live there is to love that city. It was with regret that I left there for St. Malo, a quaint old city in Brittany to await my passage home." Juvenilia Porter, A, known by her pen name as Olive Porter, was studying in France when the World War broke out. During the Battle of the Mame and many months after she was in Paris. She was a regular contributor on war topics to the Pittsburgh Sunday Dispatch; she served with the French Red Cross; she worked for the Americans with the French and was the only American except the liaison officer himself on the staff of the military governor of Paris. "Of course I wanted to be a nurse in a front line hospital," stated Miss Porter. "In wartime every woman wants to be a nurse in a front line hospital. But I knew nothing of nursing, whereas I could write French shorthand; so it was a military bureau and not a hospital for me. And typewriting machines (mostly American made) as well as guns, won the war, you know." In Miss Porter's opinion, the most momentous hour of the war was "When the French knew that the Americans would fight In July, 1918, when they (the French) knew at last that Pershing's men would fight and that there was practically no end to their number, hope of victory sprang into every French officer's eye. The war was won 1 That was a great moment for an American woman working with the French. I wouldn't have missed it for worlds!" Miss Porter remained on at the American Embassy in Paris until the summer of 1920, doing special work in the Information Division where a knowledge of French was required. Katherine Price Babcock, Z, entered the Entertainment Department of the Y. M. C. A. in October, 1918. Accompanied by Miss Beth Roman of Boston, a dancer and general entertainer, she worked for two months in hospitals and in the avaition camps throughout England, playing her own accompaniments, for the promised accompanist "was not." As for the rest of her service, her own words will perhaps best describe it. "We were sent to France," she writes, "the first of the year 1919 and spent the first month entertaining in Paris. Here our unit was made complete by three ex-army boys, a pianist, a singer, and a dancer. Our company was known as the 'Half and Half Co.' We were sent to Brest for several weeks, then to Le Mans for a long stay before returning to Paris. We went up to Chateau Thierry and Rheims also. My leave after six months service was spent in southern France at the foothills of the Pyrenees at the famous watering-place Biarritz. 318 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity "After nine months our company dispersed and each member returned to the U. S. A. Everyone who was in France knows the joys of the service rendered over there and I shall always consider myself fortunate to have been given the privilege of helping to entertain the American Expeditionary Force." Martha Baird, Z, of whom the fraternity is proud as the winner of the Mason and Hamlin grand piano at her graduation from New England Conservatory and of professional honors since, went "overseas" with Mima Montgomery in connection with Y. M. C. A. work. She served as entertainer, traveling through Belgium, France, and Germany, wherever our men were to be found. Blanche Brocklebank, Z, acted as Assistant Entertainment Director at St. Malo in the Brittany Leave-Area, Vhere at the time she left in January 1919, 4,000 men were on leave all the time. Her special work, as she herself stated it, was "running the music end, and dances and stunt nights." "Oh, our boys are so fine," she wrote in a letter home, "I fairly want to weep sometimes, realizing how much we can mean to them, how easy it is to get their confidence, how much they want to laugh and be noisy and have a good time. I pound the old piano till my fingers are sore, but they love it, from the Colonel down. The woman's job here is a mighty responsible one. The 'Y' woman must be the best she is capable of, for we represent American womanhood to our French Allies as well as to our boys. We must be sisters and mothers to the boys, and be ready with smiles and a glad hand every minute." And to quote from another letter: "Tonight we are going to have movies here, and I'm to play for them. It surely does amuse me. One night I am a serious artist, announced as 'professeur de musique a Wellesley College'; the next night I'm 'an honest- to-goodness' American girl, playing fairly serious music; the next night I am a plain jazz band, and the next day the church organist!" Fannie G. Heaton, Z, has sung on Keith's circuit for ten years and has appeared in almost all of the capitals of Europe. She is perhaps better known to the public as "Yvette." As the "little chanseuse" she was one of the Alpha Chis who went "overseas" to entertain. Leslie LaBaume, Z, went "overseas" as a Y. M. C. A. entertainer, and served also at Nancy, at the front, driving an ambulance. Mima Belle Montgomery, Z, dramatic soprano, resigned her position as head of the Voice Department of Wellesley College to do war work, and became a "Y" worker in the fall of 1918. In April of 1919, she went over seas as a song leader and was sent immediately to Camp Pontenazen, at Brest. "Here," she writes, "we conducted two 'Sine-s' a Hair «rV,..^= Overseas Workers 319 we always had at least 1,000 men singing; for you know, we had 16,000 men passing through our camp daily diiring June and July." In August Miss Montgomery returned to Paris and did concert singing there until September when she sailed for America. Iva Rider, Z, is another of our musical sisters who did entertainment work in France. She was the soprano soloist in a rendition of Stainer's Crucifixion on an occasion when General Pershing and his staff were present. She also sang in a concert with Miss Margaret Wilson, the daughter of our former president, at Clignon Court. After nearly two years of service in the libraries of the military hospi- tals in the United States, Ola M. Wyeth, I, was sent "overseas" in answer to a call from Coblenz, in April of 1920. In her letter dated March 10, 1921, she says: "The work here has been most interesting and very well worth while. There are about 15,000 American soldiers on the Rhine, and the American colony is further augmented by many wives and families, hundreds of civilians connected with the welfare organizations, and such. While the library is primarily for the soldiers, it has always been free not only to other Americans but to our Allies who are here, British, French, and Belgian representatives connected with the Rhineland Commission. "The library has a central collection of about 40,000 volumes, with as many again scattered in the "Y" huts, branch libraries, et cetera. Coblenz is the center and contains most of the troops, but many small towns in the vicinity are also garrisoned by our troops and must be provided with recreation. "I have had a staff of five regular workers, two enlisted men, and seven Germans; so you see we could turn out a good deal of work. Inciden- tally, we never get caught up. Besides supervising the work in the main library, I have had to make periodic trips of inspection to outlying points to see that the books were being properly cared for, that the supply was adequate. "You would not believe that books could wear out so quickly. Books a month old which have caught the boys' fancy, look as though they had been through the war. Then too, the boys read so eagerly and so con- stantly that they are forever calling for an exchange of collections, and it has always been great fun to see them gather around the box when a new collection was sent out and opened up. The schools maintained by the Army inspire the men to serious use of the library as do also the examinations for West Point for commissions, etc. I feel I deserve little credit for my work here as it was all organized and in good working order when I arrived and I have simply 'carried on.' " 320 History of Alpha'Chi Omega Fkatehnity Miss Wyeth states that there was a Panhellenic club at Coblenz, and though the membership constantly shifted, the organization proved to her a delightful means of meeting congenial people. Agnes M. Olson, I, describes her overseas service thus: "After serving in England, I was sent to Paris. Here the Y. M. C. A. was just beginning to assign women to combatant divisions for emer- gency or general service. When given an opportunity to express a preference — great privilege in a wartime regime — it was easy to choose between the luxury and sunshine offered by the Riveria and the unknown monotony and rain described by those back from the lines. "Thus it was that I was assigned to the 79th Division, 316th infantry, which, after the armistice, with the record of taking and holding Mont- falcon theirs indisputably, settled down, in sadly broken ranks, to reminisce and wait for the hike home. "Running a hut is a delightful occupation. In adevastated area there are complications, however. One must first get a hut. Having salvaged a hut, one must next get equipment. And what use is equipment if one cannot get supplies? Necessity is indeed the mother of invention, and invention becomes most prolific when the effort brings a little comfort to ease the waiting. "It is enough to say that things had just begun to run smoothly when orders came for the Division to move! Should I go with the Division, and establish another hut for them, or stay at Huippes and make dough- nuts for the next contingent? The Division Commander settled the question by showing me a petition from the men asking that I be enrolled as a private, and ordered forward. "And so, I had the privilege of hiking over the Sacred Road leading from Verdun away from my little hut set in mud and surrounded by mud, through rain, sleet, and sunshine toward the S. O. S. We hiked fifty minutes and rested ten, twenty kilometers a day for five days. At each stop for the night a station had been chosen by the advance billeting officer which I used as the center for distributing smokes and eats from the supply truck equipped with a stove and five days supplies. "Other problems and other surroundings presented themselves at Orquevaux; worked out to satisfaction in a similar two months time, when again the orders came to move forward. This time I was sent by a convoy of trucks and so had an unforgettable three days in the Loire valley at the break of spring. "Clisson and Brittany was the beginning of the end, for in a month orders came to entrain for the port. Box-car transportation this time, no great distance as American Pullmans travel, but a healthy taste of what the men endured. At St. Nazaire my name appeared on the sailing N c ^ ^ CQ CD 5 ■a. t: X • X X ^ BMOl JO Xi^IBiaAlUfX ■( • X X X X X X XXX - X = s ao^diqse^ jo it^iaraAniQ ■iKKKKKXXMMX X X X X X X ^ s o wiuojiiBQ JO jC^iaiaAiaQ ■ • X ^»" Si msQOOsi^ JO iC^iRiaApia ■iXXXXXXXXXXKMXXX -X r* ^ sioonil JO jCjisiaAinfl M9 X X j X X X X ■ X X X X • > < ■ X p^ ^ ^ treSiqaij^ jo i^iaraAtna • X X X X X : ^ ^ X X • X X = «0 X^jasArafl ipinpng X • ■ ■ h ■ X ■ ■ - X "* 1 -eAjasnoQ pncfaa^ Aa^ - ■ X - 1. to «nLiojn«0 niaqjnog ' JO ^iiBiaAxnu ■ X X ; ^ *^ • X X to 8 aSanoo ilnaqSairv ■ X • • X • X j 1 ■ ■ X •^ 5 iCjieiaAnia ni»;s3Mq?jo|^ ; X M X : X X X ■ X X X X X - X N fe eaanoo noiqrv '.'..'.'. ti ■ X • • X er> 1 AjraiaAtnfl ahb j aQ ■ X M X ; X • X ■ X • X ■ • ■ • X oo ja^-jaj-jiaajo itooi^bi^ S tt(iooo-Hoo^ooo^-ooo^-o^-oooo^oo »»«oo»co«coosooooc»aow»oooo ^ papimoj aaqAV \ sSoooooooooooooacooooOQOoooaooooo A-\vai9-\;23^ JO aore^ d t. C ■r ■ < < < 1 • < tq ^ <1 ^ =- ^ : W m s ti ::i 2 6- '/ : < = i Ir X ■(3 f2 346 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity strong presiding at the sessions of editors. The Editor's Conference made two important recommendations to N. P. C: first that N. P. C. should negotiate for the purchase of the Sorority Handbook, and should super- vise the publication of all material regarding Panhellenic fraternities in similar handbooks; second, that a pamphlet be published on the war work of college fraternities. These recommendations, though generally approved, were not adopted by N. P. C. Alpha Chi Omega legislated at her 1919 Convention that the chair- man of the committee on Panhellenic relations should serve as a long- term delegate to the National Panhellenic Congress, for such time as might be determined by the National Council. This officer attends Panhellenic meetings upon call, acts as adviser on all Panhellenic ques- tions to the chapters, and directs Panhellenic relations of the fraternity. As interfraternity relations improve through personal acquaintance of officers, the tendency is increasing for N. P. C. fraternities to be repre- sented time after time by the same delegate at different Congresses. Efficiency also increases by familiarity with college problems and with interfraternity relations. Mrs. Tennant served Alpha Chi Omega from 1905 to 1911; Mrs. Crann from 1911 to 1915; Mrs. Fall from 1916 to date. With the passage of the constitutional ruling that Alpha Chi Omega shall be represented by a long term delegate, it appears certain that the fewest possible changes will be made in that important office. One of the delegates (r^B) who has served in the Conference for many years says, in a survey of the history and attitude of the N. P. C: If laws were to be so few and so simple how were the innumerable differences, quarrels, injustices, and grievances which soon began to pour in upon N. P. C. to be handled? Here the delegates made their second great discovery. Whatever temporary expedients might be used to deal with these, the only fundamental method was to prevent them by changing the very spirit of the Greek world. In place of suspicion, criticism, and distrust must be put confidence in each other's honor and willingness to believe the best of each other. Such a change could be wrought in but one way. Each fraternity must keep its own standards high, must watch its own acts with the greatest care, so that its fraternity neighbors might through experience feel confidence in its honor. So from the very first N. P. C. delegates have devoted a great deal of time to getting acquainted and to forming lasting friendships that shall be proof in the time of danger against suspicion and misunderstanding. N. P. C. has never chosen a motto, but its whole life has been an expression of its faith that "the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" — that ethical standards are a surer support than written laws, that the permanent contribution of N. P. C. to the fraternity world is to arouse the will to act and to believe honorably in the thousands of new girls becoming Greeks yearly. N. P. C. adopted at the 1919 session a brief statement of the accepted standards of ethical conduct of fraternity women, as follows: Standards of Ethical Conduct. Whereas the ideals toward which all fraternities are working and which can only be gained by cooperation, which coSperation is only perfected when there is thorough understanding of the relation of local chapters to the nationals, of local chantpra tn o^oK National Panhellenic Constitution 347 other, and of local chapters to the institutions in which the respective chapters occur; be it resolved that each fraternity, through its officers, be made responsible for bringing to the attention of its chapters, the following Standards of Ethical Conduct which are to be accepted and which will then become binding on all National Panhellenic frater- nities. 1. That in case of Panhellenic difficulties all chapters involved do their utmost to restore harmony and to prevent publicity, both in the college and city community. 2. That any National Panhellenic fraternity whom a local is petitioning shall insist that such group conform to college Panhellenic conditions as to pledging, etc., where it is established. 3. That National Panhellenic fraternity chapters unite in assisting local groups in colleges and universities to obtain national charters. 4. That National Panhellenic fraternity chapters shall be expected to keep before the attention of their members the legislation regarding high school sororities and fraternities, and to obey the regulation strictly. 5. That visiting officers of National Panhellenic fraternities shall be expected not to interfere with regular routine work of the college but, on the contrary, that they shall encourage chapters to keep the college business day free from social engagements. 6. That it is beneath the standards of fraternity women : (a) To speak disparagingly of any fraternity or any college woman. (b) To create any feeling between fraternity and non-fraternity women. (c) To allow an account of minor social functions to appear in the public press. 7. That National Panhellenic fraternities shall impress upon their members that they shall respect and obey the letter and the spirit of any agreement which has been made either by the college Panhellenic or National Panhellenic. Also for reference we publish an exact copy of the constitution of the National Panhellenic Congress which runs as follows: National Panhellenic Constitution Article i — Name Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the National Panhellenic Con- gress. Article II — Object Section 1. To maintain on a high plane fraternity life and interfraternity relation- ship, to cooperate with college authorities in their efforts to maintain high social and scholarship standards throughout the whole college and to be a forum for the discussion of questions of interest to the college and fraternity world. Article III — Organization Section 1. The Congress shall be composed of one delegate from each national fraternity represented. Article IV — Eligibility to Membership Section 1. To be represented in the Congress a fraternity must have at least five chapters in institutions of the collegiate rank; a college of collegiate rank to be defined as one which requires fourteen entrance units; a unit to mean that in a given subject there have been three forty-minute lecture periods a week for thirty-six consecutive weeks. In the science departments, where laboratories have to be considered, three forty-minute laboratory periods are equivalent to one lecture period. Sec. 2. Any fraternity meeting three Congress fraternities at any institution and not eligible to full membership in the Congress shall be admitted to associate member- ship, having a seat and a voice, but not a vote. Sec. 3. The application of any fraternity for membership in the National Pan- hellenic Congress shall be referred to a committee of three, which shall investigate the standing of the petitioning body, and upon their recommendation it shall be admitted into the Congress upon a unanimous affirmative vote of the delegates present. 348 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Article V — Meetings Section 1. The Congress shall assemble bi-annually, the time and place ofthe following meeting to be arranged each year, and shall be presided over by the fraternities in rotation. Sec. 2. The official list shall be: 1. Pi Beta Phi 10. Chi Omega 2. Kappa Alpha Theta 11. Sigma Kappa 3. Kappa Kappa Gamma 12. Alpha Omicron Pi 4. Alpha Phi 13. Zeta Tau Alpha 5. Delta Gamma 14. Alpha Gamma Delta 6. Gamma Phi Beta IS. Alpha Delta Phi 7. Alpha Chi Omega 16. Delta Zeta 8. Delta Delta Delta 17. PhiMu 9. Alpha Xi Delta 18. Kappa Delta Sec. 3. Additions to the official list shall be made in order of election to member- ship. Article VI — Powers Section 1. The powers of the Congress shall be four-fold. First, to make laws that pertain to its own government. Second, to admit at its discretion petitioning fraternities. Third, to levy annual dues — not to exceed $15 — to be paid by the fraterni- ties within two weeks of notification by the treasurer. Fourth, to have powers to make recommendations to Grand Presidents for legislation. Article VII — Government Section 1. The delegate from the fraternity calling the Congress shall act as chair- man of the same, and the delegate from the fraternity next in order shall act as secretary of the Congress. The treasurer shall be the delegate whose fraternity is next on the list after that of the secretary's. Sec. 2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the secretary of the last Congress as chairman, the secretary of the next Congress, and the treasurer. Sec. 3. The duties of the Executive Committee shall be (a) to carry on the work of the Congress between sessions; (b) to appoint on application from a Grand President of any chapter involved in college Panhellenic difficulties, a member of the Congress whose fraternity interests are not involved in the question at issue to investigate and arbitrate any difficulty arising in the Panhellenic, expenses of the one sent to be defrayed by the college Panhellenic; (c) on application of a Grand President, to make settlement of college Panhellenic disputes; (d) subject to appeal by a Grand President to the National Panhellenic Congress, to inflict penalties, if necessary, on any chapter which withdraws from a local Panhellenic or refuses to arbitrate its violation of any Panhellenic contract, after the Grand President of the offending chapter has been duly informed by the chairman of the Executive Committee. All appeals to Executive Committee to settle said disputes or inflict said penalties to be made by Grand President of one chapter involved, and no penalty shall be inflicted until the Grand President of each of the fraternities involved has been given reasonable time to present the case of the fraternity to the Executive Committee. Sec. 4. Chairman. The duties of the chairman shall be as follows: She shall keep the minutes. She shall send reports of the Congress promptly to the members of the Congress and to all Congress delegates of the fraternities represented in the Congress for distribution to chapters and officers of their fraternities. She shall issue questions proposed by the Congress to the Congress delegates for presentation to their fraternities, and shall upon receipt of the result, send notices of the same to all Congress delegates. She shall report all measures of interfraternity interest passed by any Grand Council or by convention at once to the Congress. She shall send to each Grand Secretary voting blanks for all motions submitted to the fraternities by the Congress. She shall prepare, with the other members of the Executive Committee, the program of the next Congress and the instructions to the delegates, and shall issue the call for the next meeting. She shall send, with the aid of the Executive Committee, quarterly bulletins of Panhellenic interest to each Congress delegate. Sec. 5. Treasurer. The duties of the treasurer shall be to collect and hold all monies, subject to the will of the Congress, and be expended only on written order from the chairman. Article VIII — Methods of Procedure Section 1. Recommendations of the Congress shall be submitted as soon as pbssible by the chairman of the Executive Committee, to all the Cong^ress Grand National Panhellenic Constitution 349 Presidents of the fraternities, and the result of the vote announced by each Congress Grand President to the chairman of the Executive Committee of the Congress within two months. Sec. 2. The chairman of the Executive Committee shall then announce the result to all Congress delegates and chapters. The motions that have received a unanimous vote of all the fraternities shall at once become binding upon all chapters, the Grand Councils being responsible for their observance. Article IX — Legislation Section 1. Legislation enacted by a fraternity at the recommendation of the Congress can be repealed or modified only by formal action of the Cong^ress. Article X — ^Amendments Section 1. This Constitution may be amended by an unanimous vote of all the fraternities represented in the National Panhellenic Congress. (National Panhellenic Rules that are binding upon college Panhellenics.) By-Laws Article I — Concerning College Panhellenics Section 1. Panhellenic shall be established in all colleges where two or more national fraternities exist. Sec. 2. These Panhellenics shall consist of one alumna and one active delegate from each fraternity represented in the Congress. Sec. 3. The purpose for which these college Panhellenics shall be formed shall be the same as the purposes of the National Panhellenic Congress. Sec. 4. The chapter first established at each college is to organize the Panhellenic. The chairmanship is to be held in rotation by each chapter in the order of its establish- ment. Sec. 5. Any chapter violating a Panhellenic agreement is to be reported to its Grand President by the Panhellenic Association to which it belongs. Article II — Concerning Pledging Section 1. No student shall be asked to join a fraternity before she has matricu- lated. Sec. 2. Matriculation shall be defined as the day of enrollment or registration as a student in the university or college. Sec. 3. A pledge day, fixed by the college Panhellenic, shall be adopted by the national fraternities in each college where chapters of two or more fraternities exist. Sec. 4. Students in a university summer school are ineligible for fraternity pledging. Sec. 5. A pledge shall expire at the end of one calendar year. Sec. 6. A girl who breaks her pledge to one N. P. C. fraternity or resigns therefrom, shall not be asked to join another for one calendar year from the date of request for release. Sec. 7. After January, 1916, no girl who becomes a member of an organization bearing a Greek name, and called a fraternity or a sorority, shall be eligible to a National Panhellenic fraternity. This is exclusive of Junior College or professional fraternities. (It is the opinion of the Congress that the high school ruling be interpreted as applying only to Greek letter organizations, or sororities, or fraternities in high schools, public or private.) Article III — Concerning Fraternity Journals Section 1. An exchange list shall be prepared and printed consisting of the names of three officers for each fraternity. Each N. P. C. fraternity shall send its magazine to each address on its list. Sec. 2. Each N. P. C. fraternity shall print in each issue of its journal the name and address of the chairman of the National Panhellenic Congress. dcacBCcede ^ csciiiaatscfiaG ^ cceaaaanaa =s 1 fc g g g g g guduo-Si2i2 3 = HHHHHH....3.. C) m T3T3T3-OT3-ai;EKIi;o<< a s rtSrtrtiSrtSSSS.-^-^ X -0 (A uiaiuiuicnuiaiwtAtototoui .S l_,l-.Ut-.t-.l-"«" >"M"imi^ .If^ U tZi .ii .ii ^ *ii U -ii i-> U 'ii \m 1 :s:s:s;ss:sss:s:§§§sss:§ 1 ^ l-^0lCSrJ<\ClvOOOOOQOOOQOQO 1 0'2 0000000000 0g'o2?X .H J .S S .3 J .3 .3 S 1 .3 J ^ ^ .§ -S c *^ • o* S 3 ^ ^ a. 15 jj 15 J3 J3 Ic IS Ic J3 > IS 15 V ai 15 >2 o utJ5uuuuuuuuuu2;p3u^-" 1 qO'^ OOO o, t^ -r-i '^ ^ ■,~i -^ ■g 1 1 1 CJ --ii^--*! •r**'^^^ -CS^H Cl -X Ov ,-;rT;^o«-^, «f Alta Allen Loud 360 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity present council system; Chairman Coat-of-arms Committee; Chairman Endowment Fund Committee; Delegate to National Presidents' Con- ference of 1911; Chicago Greek Conference of May, 1913; teacher of Greek and German at Albion College, 1898-1903; member of Eastern Star; president, vice-president, and treasurer of Albion E. L. T. Club; president Albion Review Club; vice-regent chapter of Daughters of American Revolution; on board of City Federation of Clubs." Her main interest, however, is the city hospital; she has served three years as president of the Hospital Board. For details regarding Mrs. Loud's fraternity service see also pp. 171, 283, and the index. It is the spirit of Mrs. Loud that has meant perhaps her greatest contribution to Alpha Chi Omega: poise and tenderness in decisions, truest courtesy, unfailing graciousness and sincere interest, depth of conviction and alert emphasis upon the real values — combined with keen intellectual grasp, intensity and self-forgetfulness in service; such a personality has made all members understand better the meaning of fraternity. FLORENCE A. ARMSTRONG The following request from Miss Griffith, Secretary-Editor, was made of the author. In accordance with this request the sketch mentioned is herewith reprinted. Dear Miss Armstrong: I shall consider myself honored if you will include in the History one of my own articles from The Lyre for November, 1919, as no history of the fraternity is complete without some acknowledgment of the very splendid work you have done for our maga- zine during the nine years of your editorship. In my present work as National Secretary- Editor I have occasion to touch many other phases of fraternity work aside from that connected with The Lyre, and on every side I find constant evidence of your influence, which seems to have touched almost every "nook and cranny" of our fraternity life. I know that the History itself will testify most convincingly to your splendid influence in the fraternity world, but I feel that some definite acknowledgment of.our appreciation of your work is needed to "complete its tale." The article is as follows: "One does not soon forget Matthew Arnold's charming description of 'the voices in the air' that 'haunted' so pleasantly the memory of his undergraduate days at Oxford. No undergraduate Alpha Chi Omega of the past decade will soon cease to remember one of the most convincing 'voices of the air' that has ever echoed throughout the fraternity world. Adapting Arnold's words — 'Happy the women who in that susceptible season of youth hears such voices! They are a possession to her forever.' A 'voice' so true, so clear yet so subtle, so gently humorous and withal so sweetly insistent as that of Miss Armstrong's has seldom been heard in the Greek world. Fraternity Leaders 361 "It is difficult to speak of Miss Armstrong without using superlatives ; one hears them on every side. From the most widely known man in the fraternity journalistic world came the message several years ago, 'Both (a prominent man and woman in journalistic circles) put her work and The Lyre at the head in sorority journalism.' And at the recent National Panhellenic Conference in Washington, the president of the Conference paid a tribute to Miss Armstrong when she described the History of Alpha Chi Omega as the 'most progressive piece of fraternity journalism that has ever been published.' All members of Alpha Chi Omega are justly proud of the splendid record which the publications of the frater- nity have made under her guidance during the past nine years. "As Secretary of the Editor's Conference in 1917 and President of the Conference in 1919, Miss Armstrong has contributed vitally toward the success of these meetings of fraternity editors that are held in connection with the meeting of the National Panhellenic Congress. "Miss Armstrong has continued her work with The Lyre and the History under conditions that might easily have daunted a less adven- turesome spirit. During three and a half years of her service she was doing graduate work at Radcliffe College, where she obtained her master's degree and did practically all of the work preparatory to receiving the degree of Doctor of Philosophy for which she is now completing her dissertation. In addition she was president of the Radcliffe College Poetry Club, an enviable distinction, and spent one summer working on the History at the Macdowell Memorial Association where she was awarded the use of one of the studios. For the past two years Miss Armstrong has been in Washington, first in the intensely interesting work of the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department where she did research and writing on European politics, and later in the State Department where she did similar work. In 1920 she accepted a respon- sible position as assistant editor in the Bureau of Mines. "Fitted by direct contact with the varied interests of college life through the medium of a small college — Simpson, a progressive western co-educational state institution — Iowa State University, and a con- servative woman's college, most intimately connected with a great university, rich in traditions of the east — Radcliffe College, coordinate with Harvard University, Miss Armstrong has enriched the pages of The Lyre and the History with her generous understanding of college problems, her keen interpretation of significant movements, and her marvelous sympathy with men and women. "Above everything else — she is real, human, and a most remarkable friend. After all, we who know her are most grateful for the fact that she is so very much more than a 'voice in the air'!" (For photo see p. 216.) 362 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity NELLA RAMSDELL FALL No more delightfully popular member of the Council has graced the fraternity's honor roll of distinguished officers than Nella Ramsdell Fall. _^ All of her friends think of ^^ her — as all of de Sevigne's friends spoke of her — as being delightful, and more than that, beautiful. To Mrs. Loud, who has cher- ished Mrs. Fall's friendship longer than any of us, we give the privilege of describ- ing her sers'ices and her contribution to Alpha Chi Omega. "For several years before Mrs. Fall's election to the Council," says Mrs. Loud in The Lyre for No- vember, 1919, "she was coveted asanational officer, because of her charming personality, unusual ability, and the important work she had rendered for Alpha Chi Omega. She was one of the two founders of our fine Gamma Gamma Chap- ter, and -had a large part in the writing of our beauti- ful initiation and other Nella Ramsdell Fall, Beia ceremonies and our present Constitution and Code. Home responsibili- ties and limited strength compelled negative answers to several appeals to take a place on the Council, so it was with real delight that the fraternity learned early in 1916 of her acceptance of the office of Na- tional Inspector. "Alpha Chi Omega has had splendid inspectors always, and it is no reflection on her predecessors when I say that Mrs. Fall made an ideal visiting officer. She was able to accomplish what no other national officer has done in visiting every college chapter of our fraternity. Besides this, she has made many extension visits and was personally responsible for the installation of Alpha Epsilon, Lambda Lambda, and Nu Nu Chapters. In addition, she acted as National Panhellenic Congress delegate. * * * Fraternity Leaders 363 "It is comparatively easy to present statistics, showing the numljcr of chapter inspections and other visits made, but it is the quality of the work done, the personality and spirit of the worker that really count. According to prophecy, Mrs. Fall walked straight into the hearts of our college girls and quickly won their love and sympathy. As the chairman of the 1919 Nominating Committee so aptly said in her report, 'Mrs. Fall possesses an unusual combination of girlish spontaneity and womanly dignity and charm' and it was this combination which won for her the love and loyalty of our members and a sincere respect and enthusiastic tributes from faculty members with whom she came in contact. It is a fitting commentary on her work that in nearly four years of Council service not a single complaint was registered from any chapter or college visited. "It was with deep regret that officers and chapters realized that they could not longer retain Mrs. Fall as Inspector. But we are truly glad that she accepted the office of National Panhellenic Congress Delegate and Panhellenic Adviser to our chapters. In this way our chapters will be able to keep in close touch with her and have the benefit of her counsel on Panhellenic relations and problems." LILLIAN G. ZIMMERMAN Lillian G. Zimmerman, K, ac- complished for the fraternity more than any previous officer had found it possible to perform in putting Alpha Chi Omega on a sound busi- ness basis. Other National Treas- urers had striven toward this goal, — particularly Laura Howe, Z, Winifred V. Mount, Z, and Myrta McKean Dennis, T; Miss Zimmer- man gathered together all their results and carried them forward to greater fruition. From 1912 to 1915 Miss Zimmerman labored hard to improve the financial methods of the chapters and of the national organization. She con- served the fraternity's funds and developed plans for increasing them. As chairman of the Chapter House Committee Miss Zimmerman directed far in advance the plans for Lillian G. Zimmerman 364 History of Alpha Chi Omkga Fkatf.knity house Ijuilding (if 'Dicta aiul luta, for purcliasing and remodelling chapLer houses by Kappa, Lambda, Omicron, Pi, and for Alpha's campaign of memorial house ronstrurtion. "As a result of her efforts," writes Miss Griffith, "there is not a single chapter of the fraternity that is not the proud possessor of at least a building fund." The fraternity is fortunate in retaining Miss Zimmerman as head of the fraternity's activities in chapter house ownership. As Alumna Vice President, 1915-1919, Miss Zimmerman organized nineteen alumnae clubs, and trebled the alumna; membership in organized groups. No one phase of fraternity development has been so significant in beneficent results to the national order as the growth and intelligent cooperation of our large numbers of alumnce. In stimulating this move- ment Miss Zimmerman's splendid vitality and charming persistence played an important role. MAUDE STAIGER STEINER Maude Staiger Steiner, 9, served the fraternity four years as Extension Vice President. Six of our chapters came into the fraternity under her Maude Staiger Steiner Fraternity Leaders 36^ guidance. Says Miss Griffith of Mrs. Steiner's work, "Each of their charter members is ready to bear eloquent testimony to her patience, her thoughtful guidance, and her untiring response to the many perplexing problems that confront a newly organized group or a recently installed chapter. "During this time she investigated the possibilities of colleges and groups, accepted six petitions, rejected eighteen informal petitions, and left nine informal petitions still pending (1919). In addition Mrs. Steiner directed the personal visits made by members of the Extension Board and others to twenty-four colleges and investigated through correspondence fifty institutions." Before assuming national duties, Mrs. Steiner held the offices of secretary of the University of Michigan Alumn£e for two years ; of president of the St. Louis City Panhellenic Association for one year; and secretary of the St. Louis College Club. Her fraternity service like her share of organized work of many kinds has been energetic and enthusiastic. FAY BARNABY KENT Fay Barnaby Kent, A, performed six years of significant service as National Vice President, an office which then embraced ' the duties of both the extension and alumnse vice presidents of today. Mrs. Kent left upon the fraternity the imprint of high artistic attain- ments and idealism, and she stands out as one of the most forceful and rich personalities in Alpha Chi's long roll of distinguished officers. From 1909 to 1916, Mrs. Kent contributed generously of her talent and time, often at enormous cost to herself on account of responsibilities and illness in her family. To Mrs. Kent, a former pupil of Macdowell and friend of Mrs. Macdowell, we owe the happy thought of building our studio for writers at the Macdowell Artists' Colony ; to her also, with Nella R. Fall and Virginia F. Green, we are indebted for the impressive and thoroughly artistic ritual of the fraternity. Under Mrs. Kent's leadership seven chapters began their fraternity life. Pi, Rho, Sigma, Tau, Upsilon, Phi, and Chi; eight alumnae chapters, Epsilon Epsilon, Zeta Zeta, Eta Eta, Theta Theta, Iota Iota, Kappa Kappa, Lambda Lambda, and Mu Mu; and twelve alumnae clubs, Decatur, Cleveland, Eastern Oklahoma, St. Louis, Des Moines, Albion, Omaha, Milwaukee, Meadville, Ann Arbor, Portland and District of Columbia. It can be seen by this brief survey of Mrs. Kent's achieve- ments something of the significance of her constructive work. She con- tinues her interest in Gamma Gamma Chapter which had been founded in 1907 largely through the efforts of Mrs. Fall, Mrs. Green and herself; in 1919 she had charge of the music at the installation of our chapter at Pennsylvania. 366 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Mrs. Kent for many years has been a professional organist and director of the choir. For several years she played at the Church of the Ascension, Mt. Vernon, New York, and later became organist at the Congregational Church, at Plainfield, New Jersey, and teacher of music. She supports the activities of the Macdowell Club in New York, and is cooperat'ng in the organization of the Macdowell Colony League to maintain the Colony by dollar subscriptions in order to relieve Mrs. Macdowell of the staggering financial burden of the upkeep of the insti- tution. Her summers Mrs. Kent spends on the farm at Kent Knoll, New Jersey with Mr. Kent and their young son, Barnaby. MABEL SILLER NAFIS Mabel Siller Nafis, r,held, for a number of years, the position of Assistant Registrar, College of Engineering, Northwestern University, 1909-1913. Mrs. Nafis' frater- nity work has been extensive. She was a member of the Na- tional Council as Secretary' 1900 -1902, and as Historian, 1905- 1911. At the end of her work as Historian there appeared the History of Alpha Chi Omega compiled by her, with Miss Arm- strong's help, the second, we believe, of such volumes to be published by a woman's frater- nity. Mrs. Nafis' work was much wider, however, than either of her national offices denote. Only by reading carefully the full minutes of the national organiza- tion can one understand the scope of her service. She was Alpha Chi Omega's first delegate to the National Panhellenic Conference; she installed three chapters of the fraternity, Nu (1907), Xi (1907), and Pi (1909). She has served on two standing committees — the Alumnae Committee, the Panhellenic Committee — and, in an advisory relation, on the Editorial Board of the 1916 History of Alpha Chi Omega; and served on twenty-five committees appointed by the National President to 1910. Such a volume of earnest work has made Mrs. Nafis an important figure in the history of Alpha Chi Omega. Mabel Siller Nafis Fraternity Leaders 367 Mrs. Nafis is secretary and advertising manager of the firm, Louis F. Nafis, Inc., Manufacturers of Scientific Glass Apparatus for Testing Milk and Its Products, Chicago. Her work is scientific as well as commercial and brings her in close contact with the U. S. Bureau of Standards, U. S. Dairy Division, and the various state experiment stations and dairy schools. She has worked with Mr. Nafis on several inventions that have been patented and which the firm manufactures. Mrs. Nafis has won unusual success in advertising and business. JA NETTE ALLEN CUSHMAN The first National President of Alpha Chi Omega, after the passing of the period when Alpha and Beta Chapter constituted the Grand Chapter and the officers of one chapter or the other directed the fraternity, was Ja Nette Allen Cushman (1891-1893). Mrs. Cushman is the sister of the most conspicuous figure in the honored list of Alpha Chi presi- dents, Alta Allen Loud. Our first National President has never lost her interest in Alpha Chi Omega; she was instru- mental in the establishment of a most successful alumnae chap- ter. Delta Delta, of which she has ever since been an active member. Since the 1919 Con- vention Mrs. Cushman has served on The Lyre Finance Board. Mr. Cushman has long rendered the most valuable service to Alpha Chi by advis- ing and aiding in the handling of The Lyre Reserve Fund with maximum return to Lyre coffers. In 1921 Mrs. Cushman assumed the chairmanship of the Scholarships for Children on the Pacific Coast. Not only has she labored for her fraternity but she has given her a loyal daughter, Dorothy, B and E. Mrs. Cushman is an officer in the Holly- wood Woman's Club and a member of the Hollywood D. A. R. MARY JANET WILSON Mary Janet Wilson, A, served as President of Alpha Chi Omega from 1896 to 1898 and from 1897 to 1900 as Editor of The Lyre. Her service Ja Nette Allen Cushman, Beta 368 HisTouY OK Alpha Chi Omk.oa Fraternity ab. (.ditor of The Tyre luis been (lewribcd in that coTinL'ttil Colby, the Colby String Quartet Beta and Zeta, Alpha Chi Mother and Daughter 378 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity of Albion College. Her daughter, Martha, was the first daughter of a Beta member to be initiated into the chapter. Martha graduated from Albion College in 1915 and then studied for several years at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston; she is now teaching ^•iolin and piano in Kents Hill Seminary, Kents Hill, Maine. Jennie Worthington, one of Beta's charter members and for several years her alumna adviser, was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega Quartet which did concert work. The other members were Cora Travis, Marion Hewlett Garfield, and Jean Whitcomb Fenn. Miss Worthington graduated from both Albion and New England Conservatories and studied Public School Music in Detroit and Chicago. For eleven years she taught piano and harmony in Albion College, and served as organist and choir director of the Presbyterian Church for about fifteen years. She introduced music into the public schools of Albion and served as supervisor for several years. Harriet F. Reynolds, B, of Horton, Michigan, completed the course in piano at Albion College and studied in Boston ; she then became a mem- ber of the Albion College Conservatory faculty until ill health in her family forced her to retire. Clarissa Dickie Stewart, B, of Battle Creek, Michigan, the daughter of President Dickie of Albion College, graduated from Albion College, and spent several years in advanced study at Detroit, Chicago, and New York. She later became an instructor in piano at Albion College. At pres- ent she is prominent as a pianist and accompanist at Battle Creek, as well as a giver of lecture-recitals. She married in 1903 Mr. Louis E. Stewart, one of the leading attorneys of Battle Creek, and has two daughters. Gamma's alumnae to the number of seven have taught at North- western University: Sadie Knowland Coe, Instructor in Piano; Eleanor Kirkham, Instructor in Voice, 1904; Mabel Dunn Madson, Instructor in Piano, 1901-1903 ; Grace Ericson, Instructor in Piano; Myrta McKean Dennis, Instructor in Piano, 1905-1909; Hedwig Brenneman, Instructor in Voice, 1908-1915 ; Mae Smith, Instructor in Piano, 1909. Several of Delta's members have served as faculty members or in- structors. Theo White is a violinist of merit and has done much concert work. For five years, she was at the head of the Violin Department in Elmira College, Elmira, New York. Miss White organized and directed with much success Y. W. C. A. orchestras in Newark, N. J. and while there opened her popular "tea shoppe," The Blue Lantern. Juvia O. Hull, at the time of her initiation was the Director of the Conservatory of Music. She is prominent in the musical life of Meadville, being choir director of the Christ Episcopal Church of Meadville and leader of the Oratorio Society. Mary Pinney, after teaching piano several years College Professors and Instructors 379 in the Meadville Conservatory of Music, went in 1893 to New York where she became engaged as organist of the First Church of Scientists. After a short period of teaching in New York she devoted herself to accompanying and to organ work. Lucia DeTurk teaches French at Allegheny. She is a native of Belgium and returns frequently to Europe for study. LucL^ De Turk, Delta Carrie A. Trowbridge, Epsilon Epsilon Chapter has been fortunate in having several members on the faculty of the music school of the university. Miss Carrie Adelaide Trowbridge is a member of the faculty of the College of Music of the University of Southern California, and is head of the Normal Training Department of the College of Music. Her concert work as accompanist and pianist has also won her recognition, and her success as a teacher has been very successful. In 1919-20 with Da%'ol Sanders, violinist, she gave a series of five concerts in Los Angeles. She is in 1921 president of the Los Angeles Music Teachers' Association and chairman of the Program Committee of the Dominant Club, the foremost women's musical club of Los Angeles. Miss Trowbridge has composed several pieces for the piano. Lillian Arnett, 1905, and Isabelle Curl, 1907, taught music in the Uni- versity; Doris Coomber taught history in the Liberal Arts Department. Evangeline Bridge Stevenson , Z , f or a number of years was an instructor in the New England Conservatory and had a large private class of ad- vanced pupils. She is distinguished in Alpha Chi Omega for her service as National President 1910-1912. She has been a member of Zeta Zeta Chapter since 1909, and served as delegate to Convention in 1908 from Zeta, as delegate for Zeta Zeta in 1912. She graduated from New Eng- land Conservatory in the Piano Department as soloist and did brilliant concert work. She was a pupil of the famous Carl Baermann. 38(1 History of Alpha Chi Omega Frateknity Zeta has numerous alum- nae on college faculties. Miss Blanche Brocklebank has been teaching piano at Wellesley since 1912, and Miss Mima Montgomery- held a similar position in the teaching of voice. Miss Brocklebank graduated from the New England Conservatory in 1912 as a soloist in the Piano Depart- ment. She has been, since that year, a member of Zeta Zeta Alumnae Chapter. She is also an assistant teacher of George Proctor at the New England Conservatory of Music. She has been Zeta's alumna adviser and Custodian of the Alpha Chi Omega Songbook. During the war Miss Brocklebank was granted leave of ab- sence for overseas service, an account of whichappears Blanche Brocklebank, Zela ,,„ on page 318. Alma Marti Olseii, Z, ser\'ed on the faculty at Washburn College (Kan- sas). She graduated in piano at the New England Conservator^' in 1905. Blanche Crafts Kaiser, Z, teacher and soloist in \'iolin, taught in Wes- leyan College, Macon, Georgia, and later at Acadia Seminary, Wolfville, North Carolina, and at St. Mary's, Raleigh, North Carolina. She became concert mistress of the New England Conservatory Orchestra, and served on the faculty of New England Conservatory in 1906-1907. She went to Meadville to National Convention as delegate in 1904. While a student she won the Trustees' Scholarship. Annie May Cook, Z, was instructor in the New England Conservatory 1909-1910. Since that time she has done private teaching in her own studio. She served Zeta Chapter as alumna adviser 1911-1915 and served as Custodian of the Songbook. She has long taken the leading part in the initiation ceremony at Zeta and assisted in the same part in the in- stallations at Pennsylvania, Bucknell, and at Vermont. Sheis known to College Professors and Instructors 381 many in the fraternity because of lier representation of Zeta Chapter at the Detroit Convention, and her attendance at the Long Beach Conven- tion. Rivers Ellet, Ztla On faculty at Lasell Seminary Naomi Bevard, Zela Winner of Masini-Haittjiit ^rand piano Olive Cutter, Z, graduated from the VioHn Department of New England Conservatory and served as instructor of violin in that institution. She is a member of Zeta Zeta, and was present at the Long Beach Convention. She made the exquisite design for the Alpha Chi Omega Calendar for 1916. Josephine Freeman Haley, Z taught at Western Union College, LeMars, Iowa, 1907-1908. She graduated from New England Conser\'atory in 1906 as a teacher and soloist of the piano. In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a very interesting work was done by Nell Brushingham Starr, Z, mezzo-contralto as director of the vocal school in Salem College, the historic old Moravian institution which has been identified for generations with the best in music. Sub- sequently Mrs. Starr has continued her residence in Winston-Salem, and confined her concert work to the South. Spicie Belle Chaffee, Z, is now on the faculty of the Bradley Poly- technic Institute, Peoria, 111., as one of the teachers of piano. Mrs. Chaffee served as president of the Amateur Musical Club 1915-1917, and as president of the Southern Women's Club, 1919-1921. 382 History of Alpha Chi OmiiGa Fraternity Helen Wegmann, Z, from 1917 to 1920 served on the faculty of the University of Idaho, as head of the Piano Department. She appeared in faculty recitals and toured the state with the Idaho Glee Club, as accompanist and soloist. She also has given programs for clubs in Portland. In 1921 she became I^resident of the Portland Alumna; Club. In Theta Chapter have been the following University instructors; Virginia Fiske, Instructor in Piano; Maude Kleyn, Instructor in Voice Culture; Florence Potter, Head of Public School Music, 1909-1910; Frances Hamilton, Instructor in Piano; Leonora Allen, Instructor in Voice Culture. Members on the faculty in the history of Iota Chapter are: Eunice Helen Wegmann, Zeta Y)e2.n Daniels, Dean of Women, 1905 and 1906, and Instructor in Music School, 1909; Susan Reed Stifler, Ph.D., Instructor in History Department, 1908-1910; Mary Brene- man. Instructor in Music School, 1902; Mary Greene, Instructor in Music School, 1907; Florence Kirkup, Instructor in Music School, 1909- 1915; Alison Marion Fernie, Instructor in Music School, 1899; May Allinson, Ph.D. taught methods in industrial research at Columbia Uni- versity (see pp.372, 394); Elizabeth Bryan, Libra- rian of the University Library, 1912 to date; Stella Galpin, Librarian of the University Library, 1914 to date; Ola Wyeth, Librarian of the Uni- versity Library, 1906-1917, then in A. L. A. work for army hospitals, and assistant director of library work for hospitals under federal Public Health Service (see also p. 319); Rachel Baumgartner, Assistant in Zoology, 1914-1916. Members of Kappa Chapter on the faculty at University of Wisconsin during the history of the chapter are: Margaret H'Doubler, assistant professor in the Department of Physical^ Educa- Margaret H'Doubler tion in the Lfni\'ersity of Wisconsin is gaining re- Kahhn College Professors and Instructors 383 cognition through her remarkable work in dancing. Miss H'Doubler has demonstrated her work and lectures to the universities of Ohio, Illinois, Northwestern, and to the State Teachers' Association of Michigan. Gertrude E. Johnson, assistant professor in the Department of Speech published two books recent- ly — Choosing a Play and Modern Literature for Oral Interpretation. The latter is receiving wide com- mendation and is being adopted bv many universities and colleges. Others are Ruth Morris, As- sistant in Physical Training; Mary Sayle, Assistant in Biology; Alice Regan, Instructor in Piano. Russel MacMurphy Chase was for some time, instructor in piano at the University of Wisconsin and later director of the Macdowell Club Music School, Derry, New Hampshire. Mrs. Chase was State President of the National Federa- tion of Musical Clubs, and Chair- man, as well, of the State Music Committee of New Hampshire Federation of Women's Clubs. Ethel J. McCoy, A, holds the position of head of the history depart- ment of Virginia Intermont College, a junior college. During the summer she directs a large summer camp near Asheville, North Carolina, Camp Junaluska, which she has founded and which she owns. To this camp, which is the leading camp for girls in the South, Miss McCoy devotes her remarkable store of constructive energ>'. Mu Chapter has a number of faculty members including two deans of women, a physical director, and a professor of French. They are : Effie Silliman Kimer, teacher of Public School Music, 1906-13; June Hamilton Rhodes, Director of Physical Education for Women, 1912; Dean of Women, 1914-1915; Alice Barrows, Instructor in Piano, 1903- 1905, 1908; Myrtle Bussey, Instructor in Piano, 1905-1908; Nellaby Finney, Instructor in Voice, 1915-1916 ; Lora Hagler, Instructor in English, 1903-1908; Dean of Women and Principal of Academy of Simpson, 1908- 11; Nell E. Harris, Secretary of Conservatory Faculty-, 1906 to 1917; since that time assistant university Examiner, University of Iowa. Carrie McBride, Instructor in Voice, 1910-11 ; Florence A. Armstrong, In- Gertrude E. Johnson, Kappa ,^84 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fkaternity June Hamilton Rhodes, Mii Normal College, Albion, Idaho. Mabel Fett teacher of piano in Hiram College, Ohio. Alice M. Looinis was born in Nebraska. She completed the home economics course in the Kansas Agricultural Col- lege, and later studied in Chi- cago University and Columbia University. In the latter in- stitution she held the Caroline Stokes Phelps Scholarship. From the University of Wis- consin she received her M.A. degree with a major in Physio- logical Chemistry, under Dr. E. V. McCollum and a minor in Sociology under Dr. E. A. Ross. Miss Loomis introduced structor in Engli.sh at Iowa State College, 1908-10. Both Miss Barrows and Miss Bussey have opened studios of their own. Miss Hagler has become a religious work director in a city Y. W. C. A. Florence M. Hier taught French at Simpson College, 1914-16, where she was ini- tiated into Alpha Chi Omega. She then resigned her position at Simpson to accept an in- instructorship at the Univer- sity of Iowa, from which position she went to Columbus to become a member of the faculty of the University of Ohio. Miss Hier graduated from Mt. Hoh-oke in 1910, and studied at the Uni\ersity of Paris 1912-13. Kathryn Vollmar, Director of Music Department in State CoLLE(.E Professors and Insthictors 385 Alice M. Loomis, Xi a home economics course into theStateNormal, where she had graduated ten years pre\i- ously, and in this connection had charge of a "self-boarding dormitory" which had been built by the president in an attempt to im- p^o^-e the conditions of li\'ing for students who were forced to board themseh-es. Later Miss Loomis substituted as As- sistant Professor of Home Economics in the Rhode Island Agricultural College, taught in the University of \A'isconsin for three years, and for seven years was in charge of the Home Economics Department in the University of Nebraska. After the Smith-Hughes Act was passed. Miss Loomis was one of the two federal agents in Home Economics Education and helped to introduce instruction under the vocational act in twenty-two of the states of the Union. She is now state supervisor of Vocational Courses in Home Economics in Nebraska where she is having an opportunity to work out her firm belief that there should be no line of demarcation between cultural and vocational education. Miriam Little, Xi, teacher of the cello in the University Conser\'atory of Music. The following alumnje of Omicron Chapter have served on the faculty of Baker University: Birdean Motter Ely, Instructor in Fine Arts; Eula Smith, Instructor in Voice; Helen Mayer, Teacher of Violin in Conserva- tory of Music. Katherine Kester teaches dramatic art in the English De- partment of the University of Minnesota ; she writes and coaches annually a play for children at Ludington, Mich. Grace Medes, Omicron, received her Ph.D. degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1916. After holding the position of Instructor in Physiology at Vassar College, Miss Medes has become the Assistant Professor of Physiologv'. Leona Young, 11, Department of Chemistry at the University of California. At the University of Washington, Edith Hindman Johnson, P, was Instructor in Pharmacy; and later served at the State Food and Drug Laboratory'. She has contributed several articles to food journals; her research on cascara segrada bark has won her recognition. Norma Harrison Thrower, 2, Director for the Regent Photo Film Co., had charge of the Public Speaking Department at the University of Iowa 1910-1914. She graduated at Cumnock and did postgraduate work 3S() lIisToiiv OF Alpha Chi OmeijA P'katernity there. Her work since her teaching at the University of Iowa has been spent in staging and writing photoplays. Other faculty members of the University of Iowa have been: Nina Shaffer, for several years reference librarian of the University Library, a charter member of Sigma, and at different times alumna adviser; Agnes Flannagan, S, first assistant to the Director of the School of Music. Two members of Alpha Chapter established conservatories of music and have become well known in Washington, District of Columbia, and Chicago, respectively, for their work as musical leaders. Katharine McReynolds was president of Alpha in 1887, and thus she had the honor of initiating Madame Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler. She received artist's and teacher's certificates from the Royal Conservato y, Stutt- gart, Germany, (1891-1895) and artist's certificate from the Stern Con- servaton,', Berlin (1899-1900). In 1895, together with Fraulein Fanny Koehle, she founded the McReynolds- Koehle Music School of Washington, D. C, which for nineteen years held high stand- ing in the community. The school was closed in its twentieth year, in 1914, when Miss McReynolds gave up her professional career to become the wife of Hon. Martin A. Morrison, Representative of the 9th District of Indiana in the Congress, later President of the Civil Service Commission. Ethel Sutherlin Bergey gradu- ated from the De Pauw school of music while it was still managed Ethel S. Bergey, Alpha by our patron, James H. Howe. She was a member of the De Pauw Symphony Orchestra, and a tutor in the school of music. Later she studied a year in Europe and spent some time at Milan in operatic study. She has been accompanist in several operatic companies. Ethel Sutherlin Bergey was instrumental in the organization of Bergey's Chicago Opera School. She has given many piano recitals in Chicago and is well known in the music world. At Brenau College Alpha Chi Omega has been represented by Grace Jean Sails, principal of the School of Oratory; Margaret Brown Holder, director of Theoretical department of the conservatnrv nf miicir. . Musicians 387 lona Peterman, director of Pipe Organ and instructor in Piano; Ruby McGaughey, instructor in Piano. Upsilon's faculty members have been: Anna McNabb, Instructor in the Conservators' of Music, 1912-14; Elizabeth Putnam, Instructor in Applied Art Department, 1913-; Cora Irene Leiby, University of Idaho. Chi Chapter has been well represented on the faculty with Mrs. Kerr, wife of the president; Miriam Thayer Seeley, Director of Physical Education of Women; Bertha Davis and June Seeley, Instructors in the School of Home Economics; and Irene Ahern, Instructor in the Chemistry Department. Miss Davis is serving in 1921 as State Supervisor of Home Economics of Oregon. The above list of Alpha Chis who have served or are serving as college professors or instructors is far from complete, we are certain, but it is extensive enough to be significant in revealing the large percentage of our membership who are working in professional lines. Musicians Numbers of the memb.rs of Alpha Chi Omega have won conspicuous successes musically. (For details of the work of many of them see The Lyre for April, 1913.) In the mention made above of Alpha Chi Omegas on college faculties, and of writers, several musicians have been noted. Some of the others who have distinguished themselves in the musical world we will mention, with regret that space cannot be given to relate the fascinating stories of their careers. Alpha — LucyAndrewsOdell, violinist, lecturer on art and translator of Armenian songs. Pearl Waugh, one of the leading teachers of music in Washington, D. C, has a studio in that city; she also gives lectures to women's clubs, illustrating technical points at the piano. Berta Miller Ruick, of Indianapolis, is a soloist. Beta — Grace Brown, for several years head of Piano Department in Michigan School for the Blind, later at University of Oklahoma; Zella Brigham Sand, Cleve- land, organist and accompanist; Marie White Longman, contralto, Chicago; Kate Calkins Drake, concert singer, Texas; Ella Gustafson Turrentine, contralto, con- certist; Eva Marzolf Tiney, Director of Music in Michigan Soldiers' Home, Grand Rapids; Jean Whitcomb Fenn, conductor and founder of the New York Woman's Choir which provides group instruction in individual voice development and en- semble singing. Grace Brown, Beta 3SS History of Alpha Chi Omega Fratkrkity Ga7nma — Ciu-ck'lia Hanson, chairman of Chicago Committee of Ravinia Park and director of Birchwood Musical Club; Zella Marshall, Chicago, pianist; director of Illinois Federation of Musical Clubs, and is compiling series of books on Illinois composers; Marie White Clark, Evanston, soprano; Mary Marshall and Julia Marshall, pianist and violinist, respectively; Myrta McKean Uennis, pianist; Tina May Haines, organist and choir director; Vesta Lister, soprano, song recitals; El Fleda Coleman Jackson, soloist, and di ector young people's social acti\'itieLS, Presbyterian Church, Muskogee, Oklahoma; chairman of Macdowell Studio Committee; president Eastern Province 1917 to 1919. Mabel Dunn Madson, teacher of music in Cle\'eland. Delta — ¥a\ Barnaby Kent, organist of the Congregational Church, Plainfield, N. J., and teacher of music. See also index for references to her fraternit\' work. Sara Frances E\-ans, con- tralto soloist, Brooklyn, N. Y.; May Thorpe Graham, chorus, piano; Ju'sia O. Hull, chorus, \ocal ; Bertha Mc- Cord, Canton, Ohio, teacher of voice; Charlotte Marhoffer Grinager, pianist and soloist; Alta Moyer Taylor, soloist; Gertrude Ogden Fleming, so- prano soloist; Fern Pickard Stevens, vocal and piano teacher, accompanist; Flora Tucker Dick, ]Mead\-ille, Pennsyh'ania, soprano soloist. Zeta— Edith Wells Bly, pianist in chamber concert work and symphony. Jo- sephine Durrell, Boston, vio- linist, leader of Durrell String Quartette 1916 to date; was teacher of violin, viola and ensemble at Wells College, Aurora, N. Y., 1917-1919; Miss Durrell played frequently for the soldiers at "Y" huts, Camp De^'ens and Charlestown and at the Navy Yard. Anne McLearv, Sara F. E\'ans, Delia Musicians 38') New York, pianist and organist; Helen Wegmann, Portland, Ore- gon, pianist; Dicie Howell, New \ ork, soprano soloist; George Thoenssen, soloist; Louise Daniel, Houston, Texas, pianist, accom- panist, soloist with orchestra; Alice Mustard Adams, soloist, Seattle; Spicie Belle South Chaf- fee, officially interested in the National Federation of Musical clubs; Fannie Heaton ("Yvette"), singer of French and other songs, at Keith's. A. \'ernice Gay, head of piano and pipe organ depart- ment at Albion College; Estelle Hibbard Osborne, pianist; promi- nent in musical clubs of Chi- cago and Grand Rapids; appears often in recital; Chairman of 1919 Con\-ention Committee; I\'a Jane Thomas, 1918-1919 head of the \"oice department of the Billings (Montana) Polytechnic Institute. Martha Baird xan Laar graduated at New England Conser\"atory in 1917 with highest honors in secondary subjects and with special honors in ensemble playing. She was the winner in com- petition of the Mason & Hamlin piano. Since her graduation and especially since her return from Europe, Mrs. van Laar has come into prominence as a pianist of distinction. She has played in recital with the Boston Symphony orchestra, and as assisting artist with Mme. Melba. Sara Helen Littlejohn, pianist; Estelle M. Dunkle, Boston, organizer of Zeta Zeta Chap- ter; treasurer of Alumnae Association; pianist. Lillian Goulston McMasters, pianist and teacher. Won Mrs. Jack Gardner Scholar- ship in competition in 1903; Florence Lar- rabee McLeary, New York, pianist, appeared Josephine Durrell, Zela Martha Baird van Laar, Zeta in Boston with Boston Symphony Orchestra. 390 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity One of Alpha Chi's most brilliant artists is Wini- fred Byrd. She graduated from New England Conserv- atory in 1905 as piano soloist, winning during her study there the Spaulding scholarship. She was Zeta's delegate to convention in 1906. She twice returned to Boston to study with Ma- dame Hopekirk and also studied later with Carl Baer- mann and with Madame Teresa Carreno. Critics have likened the warm, mag- netic quality of her touch to Madame Carreno. Her play- ing is vital, full of fire, and rich in suggestion. Her Winifred Byrd, Zeta successes in New York and other musical centers have been marked. Thela — Alice Reynolds Fischer, founder with her husband, Edgar S. Fischer, of Fischer School of Music, Walla Walla, Washington. Iota — Llora Hofman, soprano soloist in Metropolitan Opera Com- pany. Lambda — Frances Waldo Fee, teacher of piano in Seattle until her marriage to James Alger Fee. Mu — Nellaby Finney, soprano soloist. Of the Phillips Girl's Orches- tra, Mu Chapter writes: "Four of the six Phillips' sisters are Alpha Chis and the younger two will soon become Alpha Chis. The girls have a ful orchestra, including trombone, clarinet, cornet, drums, violin and piano They are noted far around Indianola for their musical talent and enter- taining ability. They do much Chautauqua and lyceum work and are very successful." Xi — Genevieve Fodrea, violinist, Chicago; Clara Hill Knight, Lin- coln, singer with Redpath-Horner Lyceum; Frances Gettys, soprano solo- ist with Redpath Chautauqua and Lyceum bureaus, with Montague Light Opera Singers, and soprano soloist and pianist for Ellison White with the Symphonic Sextette. Omicron — Edith Bideau Normelli, B.A., B.M., studied two years in Italy under Mme. Bensberg Barracchia. She studied in this country Writers 391 with Richard Hageman. Mme. NormeUi has appeared in recital at Aeolian Hall, New York, with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, in recital at Chicago, in joint recital with Riye-King and in many other engagements. In Evanston she sang at St. Luke's Episcopal Church as soloist, and as soloist in the Pittsburg Mendelssohn Choir, which gave "Messiah" in 1920 with Ernest Lund as conductor. Mme. Normelli in 1921 resided for a time in Washington, D. C. where Mr. Normelli served as consul in the Swedish Legation ; later official duty took Mr. Normelli to New York. Pi — Leila Nielsen, singer, California. Rho — Margaret McCulloch Lang, violinist, and concertist. Upsilon — Gertrude Guller, piano soloist and accompanist. Artists Miss Ruth Hutchins, A, has published a number of costume or dress designs in the Fashion-Art Magazine and in the School Arts Magazine. For one set of designs she went to the Metropolitan Museum and copied armor and from her copies developed children's dresses. Miss Hutchins teaches costume design at Mechanic's Institute, Roches- ter, N. Y. She designed the lovely Alpha Chi Christmas cards, 1721. Another Lambda Alpha Chi is devoting her time to art, Ethel Hoffman, who won, upon graduating from Syracuse, the Hiram Gee fellowship for foreign study in art. She chose Paris as the seat of her study in painting. June Hamilton Rhodes, M, as managing director for a few years of the Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis concert dancers, found scope for the appli- cation of her artistic ideals. She directed the ballet The Mysteries of Dionysius and Bacchus, at The University of California Greek Theater in 1920. Mrs. Rhodes formerly served as Physical Director at Simpson College. Doris McEntyre, IT, was associated with Maxwell Armfield in dramatic work and took part in their production with Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in Miriam staged in the Greek Theater. Writers Of writers Alpha Chi Omega has not a few. There are many members who have published works of various kinds, written as a by-product of a busy life; several Alpha Chi Omegas, however, are professional writers. Among these members, all well known to the fraternity through the pages of The Lyre, is Mary Masters Needham, B, magazine writer. Her article, What a War-Nurse Saw, from the Independent, was republished in The Lyre. During the war Mrs. Needham wrote constantly of French affairs and needs. For her work during these years see page 316. Olive 392 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Porter, A, author of The Ringmaster did journalistic writing in Paris for seven years before and during the war. Several of her articles on the war have been quoted in The Lyre. Margaret Barber Bowen, A, poet, formerly on The Atlantic Monthly staff, has been good enough to contrib- ute several short poems to The Lyre. She has published a volume of verse Singing Places, and has written several plays. Mabel Chalfin, E, has written several beautiful and successful songs, and has done many travel sketches. She travels widely and gathers her material from all parts of the world. She is a member of the Woman's Press Club of Southern California. Louise Van Vorhees Armstrong, 9, is doing dramatic com- position and stage production in Chicago. With her husband, Henry W. Armstrong, an artist, she has a studio. She has directed plays at the Chicago Art Institute, and the Northwestern University Settlement. In 1919 Mrs. Armstrong was in charge of The Enchanted Mirror which was given at the Municipal Pier. Her artistic work has been exhibited at the Art Institute in Chicago and at the John Herron Institute in Indianapolis. Some of her plays have been produced by the Art Institute in Chicago. Aside from these professional writers are about two score members who have published a considerable body of writing. Jean Whitcomb Fenn, B, wrote the Whitcomb-Fenn System of Technic for Junior Grades. Mabel Keech, B, published Training the Little Homemaker by Kitchen Garden Methods; Alta Allen Loud, B, has contributed frequently to The Lyre, and served on the editorial board of the first two editions of the History of Alpha Chi Omega. To the first edition she wrote the Introduction. Nella Ramsdell Fall, B, has contributed to The Lyre, and in the writing of the ritual of the fraternity assisted Fay Barnaby Kent and Virginia Fiske Green. Six members have filled the post of Editor of The Lyre: Mary Janet Wilson, and Elma Patton Wade, A; Edith Manchester Griffin, and Florence Reed Haseltine, Z; Florence A. Armstrong, M; and Mary- Emma Griffith, A. Miss Armstrong has written much for newspapers and magazines and served as editor of the first edition and author of the second and third editions of the History of Alpha Chi Omega. During and following the war she wrote steadily on European politics for the Federal Government, and then became assistant editor of one of the bureaus of the Interior Department. Miss Griffith has held an editorial position in the Department of Agriculture for several years. Mabel Siller Nafis wrote the first edition of the History of Alpha Chi Omega with the assistance of Miss Armstrong. Elva Murray, E, wrote a sociological monograph on Social Thought in the Current Short Story. Hazel Wilkinson, E, wrote a sociological mono- graph on Social Thought in American Fiction. Both studies were pub- Writers 393 lished by the Soutiiern California Sociological Society. Miss Wilkin- son served as instructor in Economics at University of Southern Cali- fornia after her graduation. Elizabeth Egleston-Hinman, Z, is the author of Naya, published by Rand, McNally and Company. Carrie Adelaide Trowbridge, E, composer of a set of seven Character- istic Pieces for Piano, and of Valse Melodiqiie, both published by R. W. Neffelfinger, Los Angeles. Margaret R. Lang has written a large number of songs published by Arthur P. Schmidt, Boston, Leipzig, New York. Besides these she has written pianoforte solos, part-songs, and songs to order for G. Schirmer; Messrs. Breitkopf and Hartel ; John Church Co. ; C. C. Birchard and Co. ; Ginn and Co.; J. B. Millet; Silver, Burdett and Co., and others. Mrs. H. H. A. Beach has published songs and concertos. Maud Powell wrote poems and violin pieces. Ellen Beach Yaw has written poems and songs. The compositions of Elthea Snider Turner, T, include choruses for women's voices, such as The Call of the Thrush and Shadow March; an- thems, two violin solos — Chanson du Soir and Melodie, a violin-cello suite in A Minor, compo- sitions for piano, among them being High Tide, Sunset 1919, Venetian Valse, Lullabye, La Fon- taine, Marche Brilliante, Minuet in E Major, Danse Oriental, et cetera, works for the organ, and many songs, among which are June Time, Sunshine, Japanese Love Song, Call of the Spring, Hunter's Song, Tonight, and Irish Spring Song. Besides these numerous composi- tions, Mrs. Turner has written the incidental Elthea Snider-Turner, Gamma 394 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fkaternity music for two pageants. She was one of the artists at the Macdowell Colony in 1919; while at the Colony she did her creative work in Star Studio, Alpha Chi Omega's own contribution to the Macdowell Colony. Of composers an in,complete list includes: Margaret Upcraft, Z, who is the composer of several songs, published by G. Schirmer and Company, New York; Olga Brandenburg Currier, Z, composed Spring Quartette, songs, piano pieces, and also cello pieces, as Night Mood and Bruges. She also sings in recitals and concerts. Gladys Livingston Graff, Z, National President, former National Alumna Editor of The Lyre, con- tributed a brilliant series of sketches of Alpha Chi Omega artists to The Lyre, has written for Boston Globe, and Des Moines Register. (See also page 351). Virginia Fiske Green, 6, has written poems. Alpha Chi Omega songs, and she assisted in writing the beautiful ritual of Alpha Chi Omega. Susan Reed, I (Ph.D. Illinois), wrote Church and State in Massa- chusetts, 1691-1740, published in the University of Illinois Studies in the Social Sciences. (This monograph was reviewed in the American Historical Review, January, 1916, and in the Nation, July 15, 1915.) She has published also an 3.rX\c\e,' British Catography of the Mississippi Valley in the Eighteenth Century, printed in the Mississippi Valley Historical Review, September, 1915. May Allinson, I, was the author of the following works: Studies of the Health of Women Workers; and Dressmaking as a Trade for Women, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. She was director in investigation and author in cooperation of the following works: The Public Schools and Women in Office Service, published by Boston School Committee ; Women in the Boot and Shoe Industry of Massachusetts, pub- lished as a bulletin of U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; A Trade School for Girls, published by U. S. Bureau of Education; Industrial Efficiency of Girls Trained in Massachusetts Trade Schools, to be published as a bulletin of U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In her work for the Council of National Defense during the war Miss Allinson made and wrote a survey of labor laws and conditions of women in industry in Indiana, and began a number of other important studies. Miss Allinson's heroic war service is described briefly on pp. 311 and 372 in this volume. Gertrude Johnson, K, has written two books published by the Cen- tury Company : Choosing a Play, and Modern Literature for Oral Inter- pretation. Inez Boyce, K, is the author of The Relation of the Basis Diet to the Composition of Body Tissue as Affecting Arterio-Sclerosis, pub- lished by Journal of Biological Chemistry. Mary Sayle, K, wrote The Reactions of Necturus Maculosus to Stimuli Received Through the Skin, published by the Journal of Animal Behavior. The Founders 395 Virginia Sanderson, IT, was awarded the prize g\\vi-[ by the League of National Drama for a play on Food Conser\-ation ; her play was entitled, Bread upon the Waters. Gretchen O'Donnel Starr, P, is author of Bibliography of the Geology and Geography of the State of Washington, published and distributed by the State Geological SuPi-ey. Being the first bibliography written for ten years covering this subject, the bulletin has been in great demand by libraries and colleges. miH ■ '^^^^■|^^1M ^^^1 •W\l H ^^^t^^^F 1 ■ T^^^H m^^^^. i% 1 1 wl^B^^^^^m^^m'>' msr-, ^ B' ' BbI^^^^H^kI ti^i» Htf^f IB - ^^H ^H^^^^^^^^^^^^HUttflUiMUIwHBI} rf xi ^K^i'' ^^^H ^■■H ^KS^ 1 Flora Mercer, Si^nia .Helen Cheney Bailey, Alpha Epsilon Flora Mercer, 2, A.B., Western College for Women, A.M. Columbia, is studying for her Ph.D. degree in music at Iowa under Dean Seashore. Her research lies in the field of psychology of music. She has composed and orchestrated a symphony which the New York Symphony Orchestra played. Helen Cheney Bailey, A E, had a play The Demigod, published in the November, 1918, issue of Drama. The Founders We have withheld to the close of the chapter the sketches of the foun- ders of the fraternity, those loyal and well-known women who in some ways are the most important leaders of all. Anna Allen {Mrs. Harry M. Smith). Anna Allen was born in Green- castle, Indiana, in 1870, and there she has spent her life. While attending 396 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity the public schools she began the study of music and became an accom- plished musician at an early age. Being one of the first students of the department of music of De Pauw University, she was the youngest to do advanced work, graduating from the conservatory at the age of nineteen. During her junior year she began teaching pianoforte in the School of Music and occupied that position until 1896, when she went to Chicago to study under Mme. Fanny Bloomfield-Zeisler and Emil Liebling. Her reputation as a brilliant performer and an excellent accompanist has rendered her prominent in local musical circles, where her generosity has proved of much benefit and pleasure to the public. Miss Allen was married to Mr. Harry M. Smith, of Greencastle, where their beautiful home on Walnut Street has always been open to the Alpha Chi girls. It has been her privilege to be more closely associ- ated with the mother chapter than any of the other founders. The members of Alpha have always felt not only sincere appreciation for her influence and counsel, but love and respect for her charming personality and the impartiality of her advice. Olive Burnett {Mrs. Ralph B. Clark) . Olive B umett was born in Green- castle, Indiana, June 10, 1867. After attending the public schools there until 1880, she spent one year in Indianapolis, Indiana, resuming her studies on the piano and beginning on the violin. She then attended high school in Anderson, Indiana, until the fall of 1885, when she entered the School of Music of De Pauw University, studying the piano and violin. During the first year in the school, upon the request of Dean James Hamilton Howe, she took up the study of double bass and cello in order to fill a long-felt need in orchestra and ensemble work. During the years 1886-88, she was a member of the School of Music faculty of De Pauw, teaching pianoforte and primary work on the violin, cello, and double bass ; at the same time she was organist at the College Avenue M. E. Church. In the spring term of her junior year she gave up her studies and began teaching piano and violin in Anderson and in Franklin, Indiana. Her work for the building up of Alpha Chi Omega has, from the very first, been enthusiastic and tireless, for all her life she has lived in an atmosphere of fraternity spirit, and she believes it to be a vital influence in a college education. She has always remained in touch with Alpha Chapter enjoying many visits with the members. Miss Burnett was married in 1889 to Mr. Ralph B. Clark, a business man and musician of Anderson, Indiana. In their home Mr. and Mrs. Clark have continued their own music study and have emphasized music in the education of their two sons and their daughter, each of whom has studied a different instrument; this harmonious ensemble creates a The Founders 397 beautiful musical atmosphere, the influence of which has brought great joy and satisfaction not only to the immediate family, but to their many friends. The two sons graduated from De Pauw University — George L. in 1914 and Robert W. in 1916. Both belong to the Phi Beta Pi fraternity and both are Phi Beta Kappas. Maryellen attended De Pauw in 1917 and 1918 and was the first daughter of a Founder to be initiated in Alpha Chi Omega. In June, 1920, she graduated from the Teachers' College of Indianapolis, having completed the three year course in primary and kindergarten training. Mr. and Mrs. Clark reside at 2950 Washington Boulevard, Indianapolis, Indiana. Bertha Deniston {Mrs. Scoby Cunningham). Bertha Deniston was born at Peru, Indiana, July 28, 1869. It was the wish of her mother, who died in the spring of 1885, that her daughter should study music at De Pauw University, so in the fall of that year she entered the School of Music and lived in the dormitory. Although very quiet and reserved, her genial smile and sweet disposi- tion soon placed her in high favor with all the students. She was well advanced in piano study when she entered the music school, and her remarkable execution and composure were the envy of all the students, especially at recital time. She won the reputation of accomplishing more work with less expenditure of time than any student in the school. She and Mary Jones (Mrs. Richard Tennant) were the first national dele- gates of Alpha Chi Omega, having been chosen by Alpha to establish Beta Chapter at Albion, Michigan. Miss Deniston left school before graduation to accept a position in Pearson's Piano House in Indianapolis. On July 18, 1893, she was married to Mr. Scoby Cunningham (Beta Theta Pi), a graduate of Indiana University, and since that time they have lived in Indianapolis. She is an enthusiastic member of the Beta Beta Alumnae Chapter at her home city, and meets with the De Pauw girls each year at their annual banquet. Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham have two sons, Harold and Frederick, who with their parents, welcome the wearers of the lyre to 1909 Ruckle Street. Amy Du Bois {Mrs. Julius Rieth). Amy Du Bois was born in Noko- mis, Illinois, December 31, 1869, but when she was very young her parents moved to Oxford, Indiana, where she lived at the time she entered De Pauw University in 1885. She studied both the pianoforte and voice in the School of Music and was familiarly known as the "little girl with the big voice." Although she attended the music school but one year, in that time she endeared herself not only to the Alpha Chis but also to her teachers and to the students by her bright, cheerful disposition, her 39S History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity straightforward manner, and her industry. She was honored several times during the year by being selected to sing on important occasions, one of which was the Festival of the School of Music in which she took a leading part. After leaving college in 1886, she moved to Colby, Kansas, where she organized a music class. A few years later she was married to Mr. Julius Rieth, and went to live at Crete, Nebraska. For four years she was connected with the E>oane College as teacher of piano, voice, and har- mony. From Crete, Nebraska, they moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where with their one daughter, Mrs. Rieth lived at 2433 Lynn Street until her death on August 12, 1915. Here Mrs. Rieth had enjoyed keeping in touch with the fraternity through Xi Chapter. The death of one of the seven Founders caused deep grief throughout the fraternity. Nellie Gamble {Mrs. Edward Childe). Nellie Gamble was born May 12, 1867, in Martinsville, Illinois. After completing the course in the public schools in her home city, she entered the School of Music at De Pauw University to pursue her piano studies. She had much personal charm, was an energetic and conscientious student, and had the qualities of a good fraternity girl, loyalty, earnestness, and unselfishness. Her musical career, however, came to an end a short time after she entered the school, as she soon returned to her home to be married to Mr. Edward Willard Childe, of Moores, New York. Good traits of character are as essential to successful housekeeping as to professional work, so Mrs. Childe has been fully equal to the requirements of her domestic "career." She and her husband are now living in Martinsville, Illinois. Bessie Grooms {Mrs. Luther Keenan). Bessie Grooms was born in Greencastle, Indiana, April 28, 1866, and lived there until her marriage to Mr. Luther Courtland Keenan in 1895. She began the study of piano- forte music when very young and by the time she graduated from the high school, was an accomplished musician. She immediately entered the Music School of De Pauw University to continue her studies, intend- ing to complete the course, but her work came to an abrupt end when by over-practice she strained the muscles of her left wrist. She lost the use of the fingers of that hand for over a year and, as a consequence, gave up her music entirely, for fear that steady practice might cause a perma- nent affliction. Mrs. Keenan was one of the three Greencastle girls of the seven founders of Alpha Chi Omega. The first large social function of the fraternity, an elaborate and memorable affair, was given at her home. In 1918, Mrs. Keenan's daughter Hannah entered De Pauw University and was initiated into Alpha Chi Omega. Hannah served as president The Folndeks 399 of Alpha Chapter for one year. Mr. and Mrs. Keenan had a family of five sons and daughters and made their home in Le Roy, Illinois, where Mr. Keenan is engaged in the banking business. In November, 1920 the fraternity was deeply grieved to learn of the sudden death of Mrs. Keenan on November 4, 1920, after only a few days' illness. Mrs. Keenan was deeply interested in the fraternity and gave to it freely of her home, means, and strength. Mrs. Smith writes: "Her last visit (to Alpha) was made when her daughter Hannah was in college. She came to superin- tend the arrangements for a house party for the girls, and I distinctly remember the pleasure she had in doing it, for she was seemingly happiest in making others happy." Estelle Leonard. Estelle Leonard entered the School of Music of De Pauw University, September, 1885, and graduated from that depart- ment in 1891, having been a member of the faculty for the last two years that she was a student there. Miss Leonard was principal of the Music Department in Moores Hill College, 1889-1893, during which period she carried work at De Pauw University. After studying at the Cin- cinnati College of Music in 1893-1894 and receiving a certificate, she became principal of the Piano Department in Centenary College, 1894-1895. During the next four or five years she studied at the Col- lege of Music irregularly and then located at 217 Plum Street, Union City, Indiana, where she now has a large class in piano music. Miss Leonard was choir director at the Lutheran Church in that city one year; for fourteen years she has been organist and choir, director at the First Methodist Church there, as well as an active member of the Cecilian Musical Club of which she was president 1907-08. During her vacations Miss Leonard has studied with the best teachers in the East, having spent some time learning the methods in Musical Kindergarten, which she has introduced with marked success into her classes. She has recently published a volume of easy teaching pieces for the piano. In 1914 Miss Leonard entered the field of Public School Music, and since that time has been music supervisor in Union City East Side Schools. On July 14, 1916, she graduated from the American Institute of Normal Methods in Chicago. She also studied at Northwestern in the summer of 1916. Beside her work in the public schools she is still teaching a large class of private pupils. Too much cannot be said of Miss Leonard's loyalty and influence for Alpha Chi Omega. Besides being one of the founders and Alpha's first president, she had the pleasure and satisfaction of working in the frater- nity for several years and did much toward effecting practical organiza- tion, and toward establishing a firm foundation for future growth. CHAPTER XXX THE CONTRIBUTION OF ALPHA CHI OMEGA TO AMERICAN LIFE The history of a fraternity during the past generation is a cross section of the American development of the higher education of women. When Alpha Chi Omega was founded, the education of girls had become important; but the experimental stage was not entirely passed. "One of the most interesting inquiries that has arisen," writes the American Com- mission of Education in 1884, " * * is that of the effect of college education upon their health!" Bryn Mawr College was but founded in 1885; Harvard had issued one certificate of final examination to a woman; and the University of Illinois was just changing its name from the Illinois Industrial University. One of the degrees conferred upon women was M.P.L., Mistress of Polite Literature. At the present time there are six hundred colleges in the United States, sixty per cent of which are co-educational. Women have won so many Phi Beta Kappa keys in competition with men students that the administration of the fraternity became alarmed lest it become a woman's order. The higher education of women now almost equals in importance and quality the higher education of men. The college has become, in the meanwhile, a force in the artistic development of the nation. In 1921 America is no longer the most public schooled and the least cultivated country in the world. Our musicians, both composers and interpreters, are now to be reckoned with in the art of music. The same is true in painting, in the writing of history, philos- ophy, science, drama, poetry, and the short story. Sculpture has made remarkable progress during the past decade. And the life intellectual has been somewhat more nearly approached by the nation during the life of Alpha Chi Omega. Some state universities have extension courses in their Fine Arts Colleges as well as in their Liberal Arts and Science Departments. And the development of Fine Arts Schools in the universities is, artis- tically, one of the most hopeful ,of the characteristics of the period of our study. At the conclusion of a history of the development of a college frater- nity it is only logical for the reader and the writer alike to utter the query, "What of it?" It impresses the writer that Alpha Chi Omega, as a part of the great fraternity movement, has had a real share in the educational and artistic progress of the country. About 600,000 students, it is said, have become members of fraternities, including The Contribution of Alpha Chi Omega to American Life 401 leaders in every art and in every profession. More than 2,000 chapters not including professional fraternities have been established. Their total wealth includes a good many millions. Through their discipline of these 600,000 rather influential persons in matters of intellectual, moral, and social standards, the fraternities have contributed, beyond words, to the cultivation and charm of the educated class. In the opinion of many thoughtful persons the fraternity doubles the value of a college course to the student because of this discipline. A perusal of this volume shows, it seems, that Alpha Chi Omega has made, in the lives of her own membership and through the influence of their practice, a concrete, tangible contribution to the aesthetic culture of the nation. The enthusiasm for art and something of an understanding of its place in life which the Founders hoped to advance and which the traditions of the fraternity have perpetuated constitutes a unifying force in the fraternity. It is a fragrance left by the nine college genera- tions of Alpha Chis. A phase of the contribution of the fraternity to the nation is that Alpha Chi Omega has assisted, in some degree, in nullifying Matthew Arnold's statement in the eighties, that in the United States "the bom lover of ideas and of light could not but feel that the sky over his head is of brass and iron." In the denominational colleges, where Alpha Chi Omega placed her early chapters, the small size of the student-body and the close affinity of the liberal arts and the fine arts courses rendered possible and most desirable the union of the aesthetic with the purely intellectual courses. The acquisition for membership of many of the most distinguished musi- cians in the colleges, the giving by the fraternity of concerts of high order, and of interesting dramatic productions, combined to bestow on the earli- est chapters, as they soon recognized, "an unique and enviable standing in the college and in the community." This prestige was enhanced further by the accession to honorary membership (a form of membership common in fraternity circles, in the early days) of the greatest creative and interpretative musical artists in America. As was mentioned above, a liberal education was desired for all mem- bers, and in but one instance despite very numerous opportunities, was a charter granted to a separate school of fine arts. The school so honored, the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, is in rank the first school of music in America, with certain literary requirements of its students. The chapter placed there has been a source of great happiness and honor to the fraternity. There may come a time, it is hoped, in the future of American education, when the general literary opportunities of other colleges of Fine Arts may be sufficiently broad, and the material foundations sufficiently deep and strong, to warrant their winning, with honor to themselves and to the fraternity, charters of Alpha Chi Omega 402 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity and other National Panhellenic Congress fraternities. For fine arts and the liberal arts supplement each other. In an organization with such inter-relation of esthetic and intellectual ideals as Alpha Chi Omega, one is not surprised to find its first fellowship established for the encouragement of creative art. Shortly after the establishment of the Macdowell Memorial Association in memory of Edward Macdowell, the most gifted of American composers, Alpha Chi Omega built the Star Studio, at the association's colony for artists at Peterborough, New Hampshire. The use of this studio is awarded annually by the association for creative work in one of the arts, and has been occupied by several writers, and one composer, two of whom were Alpha Chis. In case the fraternity presents an applicant who is eligible to membership in the association, the standards of which are very high in creative achievement, a member of Alpha Chi Omega may receive the fellowship. The fraternity thus encourages creative art among her own members, as well as among other young artists. Upon her entrance into the state-supported university, early in the second decade of her existence, Alpha Chi Omega passed into a new experience. The relation between the liberal arts and the fine arts courses, in such institutions, is much more loose, and much less impor- tant than in the cultural college. The significance of the state institution in American education became so tremendous that Alpha Chi Omega, ever flexible to the needs of her membership, responded to the changed situation; slight adaptations and changes in her laws rendered it possible for a university chapter of Alpha Chi Omega to make in its choices of members the same emphasis, in regard to the curriculum, that the con- trolling bodies themselves were making in their appropriations for strengthening university departments. By this same adaptation to educational conditions. Alpha Chi Omega is free to choose the finest type of university woman, whatever her college course, and may, if desirable, enter a college where there is no fine arts school. She persists, nevertheless, in her traditional devotion to music and the cognate arts, and in her insistence on the aesthetic element in a woman's education and life. Like the ancient Greeks, the members of Alpha Chi Omega, from the cultural colleges and the great universities alike, have done much to disseminate musical culture. The author has been told by four different musicians of note that the most significant and promising portent for the future of America as a great musical center lies in the understanding and appreciation of music cultivated by the public schools and particular- ly by the colleges, with their increasingly efficient schools of music, artists' recitals, orchestras, glee clubs, bands, and musical festivals. The names of many members of Alpha Chi Omega appear on the lists nf The Contribution of Alpha Chi Omega to American Life 403 the faculties of these schools of music ; a few have established successful music-schools of their own ; many have their own studios and do private teaching; while many either are, or have been, on the concert stage. Artist, teacher, or "creative listener" she may be; it makes no difference. An Alpha Chi Omega may be engaged in chemical research, or in home- making; she is always a patron of the arts. The unifying force of their ideals has partly eliminated in the mem- bers of Alpha Chi Omega that disruptive element which has seemed to cling to things Grecian. They have positive tendency toward cooperation and harmony which has made the fraternity, generally, desire peace and union among contemporary fraternities. This tendency has made it inevitable that Alpha Chi Omega should be cooperative, in Panhellenic relations, rather than combative; courteous rather than malicious; an arbitrator rather than a foe. Embedded in the same ore with the cohesive element that has charac- terized our sisterhood is absolute fairness in Panhellenic relations. Fair- ness is a costly process in the Greek world, but less so than its reverse. It strikes the undergraduate, when hard pressed in rushing, that "absolute fairness" is impossible under some circumstances; and she sometimes thinks that, if it wins in the end, as she is taught, the end is certainly slow in coming. That trait, however, which Mrs. Crann called the fastidious fairness of the college woman, stands firm when backed by fraternity tradition. The spirit of cooperation is revealed in the part played in the com- munity life of the college. The endless array of undergraduate honors in college activities is possible by but one road — citizenship. According to national ruling, in fact, each member must partake in two college activities ; genuine academic citizenship is the result. But the same kind of a league with the faculty is insisted upon by the laws of the order. There is constant supervision of the class work of each member on the part of the chapter, the alumnae adviser, and the national inspector. A certain amount of work must have been completed at a certain grade before a student may be pledged, or initiated. Work of a grade deter- mined upon by the fraternity must be done by all initiated members. The outcome of consistent supervision, of requirements, of encourage- ment, and of help by upperclassmen is undeniably powerful. Between the 1915 and the 1919 conventions 21 reports have been received of Alpha Chi Omega chapters that have ranked first in scholarship among the fraternities in their institutions, and 16 have ranked second, making 39 high ranks in four years. In many instances the relative ranking of chapters has gone up by leaps and bounds. Alpha Chi Omega, indubi- tably, has made for higher standards of scholarship in the college life that she touches. 404 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity In every university Alpha Chi Omega fosters unswerving loyalty to the institution; enthusiastic support of its requirements; and a general attitude of responsibility toward its concerns. No more staunch and loyal students share the duties toward Alma Mater than members of Alpha Chi Omega. Loyalty to God, to college, to fraternity, she nurtures by her precepts. With this last token, loyalty to fraternity, we shall conclude our story. Of the personal meaning of fraternity the world hears most. The friendly association of personalities is the basis of all fraternity; the benefit from the interaction of congenial and diverse characters is its unforgettable boon. Fraternity, moreover, in the words of Alice Freeman Palmer regarding college life, "makes the world a friendly place." A cosmopolitan sympathy follows a cosmopolitan friendliness. Asked, "What has your fraternity meant to you?" a superb athlete replied: "I think that the biggest thing lies in the bond of union I feel with all other Alpha Chis over the country, especially since I have been out of college. It has helped more than anything to keep me filled with hope and enthusiasm for everything I have been doing." Another replied, "A broadening of purpose in life, a democratic spirit." A third confesses, "Alpha Chi Omega is helping me more and more all the time to be a part of the busy life of the world. Naturally, I am inclined to live largely within myself, and not to make many friends. Being brought into such close touch with so many girls helped me wonderfully in bring- ing me out of myself, and in bringing me to see the interests of others." A different point of view which yet stresses the same advantage is that of an eastern college woman who received her doctor's degree from a co-educational university. Alpha Chi Omega meant, in her own words, "a delightful chance to have the friendship of a type of undergraduate whom I could not have known in any other way, and to study the problems of the college girls of various types of institutions, while it has offered always a splendid opportunity for service." Personal friendships are not, by any means, the sole good accruing from fraternity membership. But, nevertheless, memories of friends and bonds of friendship are, to the hundreds of thousands of members of col- lege fraternities, the priceless asset. The development of the aesthetic sense, of the power to cooperate, of the quality of leadership, of intellectu- ality, of idealism, are all involved, more or less, in the magic gift of fraternity. But the human friendships, as Aristotle says, are "most necessary for life. * * For where is the use of all the good things in the world if there be taken away the doing of kindnesses?" Fraternity is rich in weal, "like the pomegranate, full of many ker- nels." It is praised most, notwithstanding, for its enduring friendships, because friendship is in reality the deep root of the spirit of good will- harmony, unity, aspiration, and courage — the flowering of the fraternity, and is its greatest APPENDIX Directory of Council Officers The National Officers are elected at the closing session of each Grand Chapter, but, in order to facilitate matters for the successors, the retiring officers continue their duties for two months after convention. As is stated in the chapter on Government, during the early years of Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha, except for a term of two years of Beta's leadership, was Grand Chapter. Thus Alpha's officers were really the general officers of the fraternity until the First Convention elected the first national officers. NATIONAL officers October, 1891-February, 1893. President, Ja Nette Allen, Beta. Vice-president, Bertha Moore, Alpha. Corresponding Secretary, Jessie Fox, Alpha. Recording Secretary, Zannie Tate, Delta. Treasurer, Mary Stanford, Gamma. February, 1893-March, 1894. President, Mary Stanford, Gamma. Vice-president, Charlotte Weber, Delta. Corresponding Secretary, Laura Marsh, Alpha. Recording Secretary, Effa Simpson, Beta. March, 1894-April, 1896. President, Charlotte Weber, Delta. Vice-president, Mayme Jennings, Alpha. Corresponding Secretary, Irene Clark, Beta. Recording Secretary, Virginia Porter, Delta. Treasurer, Ella Strong, Gamma. Editor of Lyre, Mayme Jennings, Alpha. April, 1896-April, 1897. President, Mary Janet Wilson, Alpha. Secretary, Ida Steele, Alpha. Treasurer, Gertrude Ogden, Delta. 406 HisTOKY OF Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity April, 1897-December, 1898. President, Mary J. Wilson, Alpha. Secretary, Alta Allen, Beta. Treasurer, Gertrude Ogden, Delta. Editor of Lyre, Mary Wilson, Alpha. December, 1898-December, 1900, First Grand Council. Grand President, Raeburn Cowger, Alpha. Grand Vice-president, Winifred Bartholomew, Theta. Grand Secretary, Ethel Elizabeth Egleston, Zeta. Grand Treasurer, Gertrude Ogden, Delta (1898-1899); Florence Harper, Delta (1899-1900). Editor of Lyre, Mary J. Wilson, Alpha. December, 1900-November, 1902. Grand President, Raeburn Cowger, Alpha. Grand Vice-president, Spicie Belle South, Zeta. Grand Secretary, Mabel Harriet Siller, Gamma. Grand Treasurer, Florence Harper, Delta. Editor of Lyre, Edith Manchester, Zeta. November, 1902-January, 1905. Grand President, Kate Calkins, Beta. Grand Vice-president, Virginia Fiske, Theta. Grand Secretary, Alta Moyer, Delta (1902-1903) ; Bertha Sackett, Delta (1903-1905). Grand Treasurer, Laura Howe, Zeta. Grand Historian, Raeburn Cowger, Alpha. Editor of Lyre, Edith Manchester, Zeta. January, 1905-January, 1907. Grand President, Kate Calkins, Beta. Grand Vice-president, Bertha Sackett, Delta (1905-1906); Mary Jones Tennant, Alpha (1906-1907). Grand Secretary, Virginia Fiske, Theta (1905-1906); Marcia Clark, Theta (1906-1907). Grand Treasurer, Laura Howe, Zeta. Grand Historian, Mabel Dunn Madson, Gamma (1905); Mabel H. Siller, Gamma (1905-1907). Editor of Lyre, Edith Manchester Grififin, Zeta (1905-1906) ; Elma Patton Wade, Alpha (1906-1907). National Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant, Alpha. Directory of Council Officers 407 January, 1907-January, 1909. Grand President, Alta Allen Loud, Beta. Grand Vice-president, Marcia Clark Howell, Theta. Grand Secretary, Imo Baker, Iota (1907-1908) ; Helen Wright, Iota (1908). Grand Treasurer, Laura Howe, Zeta. Grand Historian, Mabel Harriet Siller, Gamma. Editor of Lyre, Elma Patton Wade, Alpha (1907) ; Florence Reed Haseltine, Zeta (1907-1909). National Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant, Alpha. January, 1909-November, 1910. Grand President, Alta Allen Loud, Beta. Grand Vice-president, Fay Barnaby Kent, Delta. Grand Secretary, Frank Busey Soule, Iota. Grand Treasurer, Myrta McKean Dennis, Gamma. Grand Historian, Mabel Harriet Siller, Gamma. Editor of Lyre, Florence Reed Haseltine, Zeta. National Inspector, Mary Jones Tennant, Alpha. November, 1910-November, 1912. Grand President, Evangeline R. Bridge, Zeta. Grand Vice-president, Fay Barnaby Kent, Delta. Grand Secretary, Frank Busey Soule, Iota (1910-1911); Helen Hardie, Gamma (1911-1912). Grand Treasurer, Winifred Van Buskirk Mount, Zeta. Grand Historian, Grace Hammond Holmes, Delta. Editor of Lyre, Florence A. Armstrong, Mu. National Inspector, Myrta McKean Dennis, Gamma. November, 1912-November, 1915. National President, Alta Allen Loud, Beta. National Vice-president, Fay Barnaby Kent, Delta. National Secretary, Birdean Motter Ely, Omicron. National Treasurer, Lillian G. Zimmerman, Kappa. Editor of Lyre, Florence A. Armstrong, Mu. National Inspector, Lois Smith Crann, Mu. November, 1915-November, 1917. National President, Alta Allen Loud, Beta. First National Vice-president, Lillian G. Zimmerman, Kappa. Second National Vice-president, Maude Staiger Steiner, Theta. 408 History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity National Secretary, Mary-Emma Griffith, Lambda. National Treasurer, Myra H. Jones, Lambda. Editor of Lyre, Florence A. Armstrong, Mu. National Inspector, Nella Ramsdell Fall, Beta. November, 1917-September, 1919. National President, Alta Allen Loud, Beta. First National Vice-president, Lillian G. Zimmerman, Kappa. Second National Vice-president, Maude Staiger Steiner, Theta. National Secretary, Mary-Emma Griffith, Lambda. National Treasurer, Gretchen Gooch, Iota. Editor of Lyre, Florence A. Armstrong, Mu. Inspector, Nella Ramsdell Fall, Beta. September, 1919- National President, Elizabeth Dunn Prins, Iota (to March 1, 1920) Myra H. Jones, Lambda, Acting (March 1 to July 1, 1920) Gladys Livingston Graff, Zeta (July 1, 1920 — ) First National Vice-president, Myra H. Jones, Lambda. Second National Vice-president, MyrnaVan Zandt Bennett, Phi. National Secretary- Editor, Mary-Emma Griffith, Lambda. National Treasurer, Gretchen O'Donnell Starr, Rho. National Inspector, Gretchen Gooch Troster, Iota. Honorary Members of Alpha Chi Omega Early in the history of Alpha Chi Omega, in 1886, at Greencastle, Indiana, was initiated the first of a series of celebrated musicians, Julia Rive- King. During the existence of the fraternity, fifteen distinguished women have honored the organization in a similar manner: Adele Aus der Ohe, 9; Mary Cheney Beach (Mrs. H. H. A.), Z; Teresa Careno, Z; Marie Dacca, A; Helen Hopekirk, Z; Margaret Ruthven Lang, Z; Mary Howe Lavin, A; Mrs. Edward Macdowell, Z; Maud Powell (Mrs. H. Godfrey Turner), A (1868-1920); Julia Rive-King, A; Neally Stevens, A; Antoinette Szumowska Adamowski, Z; Adela Verne, E; Ellen Beach Yaw Cannon, E; and Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler, A. Madame Zeisler was the second to be initiated, in 1888, and Mrs. Macdowell, the last of the fifteen artists, was taken through the mysteries on January 5, 1916, in Boston. The relation between the honorary members and the college members has been affectionate and helpful. There was much for college women to do in the eighties in the cultivation of an appreciation of the best music and of the greatest artists both in academic circles and in the general public. Musicians of today attribute much of the remarkable development of the art of music in America to the interest and activity of college-bred men and women. INDEX Active chapters, budget system 184 geographic distribution 51 government 124 house-building funds 107 list ;;. 52 war service 305^ 306 See also chapters named. Adams, Alice Mustard, work 389 AHelphean. See Alpha Delta Pi. Affiliation certificates, adoption 164, 191 Affiliation fees, discussion of ' 200 Ahem, Irene, work ' 337 Albion Alumnse Club, establishment '. .. 245, 264 war service 308 ' 3Q9 'Tork 247, 264 Albion College, fine arts at 34 fraternities at [[[ 345 statistics 40 AUard, Jessie, war service 324 Allegheny College, dramatics at 32 fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39, 345 statistics 40 Allen, Anna. See Smith, Anna Allen. Allen, Flossie, war service 310 Allen, Leonora, work [ 382 Alliance Alumna Club, establishment 264 work 264 AUinson, May, war service 311 work 372, 373,' 382, 394 Alpha Alpha Chapter, as Convention hostess 180 charter members 254 establishment 245,253 historical sketch 253, 254 war service 308 work 247,253 Alpha Beta Chapter, charter members 97 establishment 26,97 historical sketch 97, 98 home, view of 98 Alpha Chapter, altruistic work 289 alumnae reunions 244 as Grand Chapter 144 duties and powers 117 as Convention hostess 55, 139, 148, 160, 180 award of Council trophy cup to 195, 197 charter members 55 See also Founders of Alpha Chi Omega. establishment 55 groupphotograph (1885) 8 historical sketch 54-56 home, view of 55 memorial home, plans for 55, 116 newspaper published by 248 publication of Lyre by 212 war service 306 Alpha Chi Omega, adoption of name 15 early policies 11, 12 establishment 9 extension 132 ideals, Grecian influence on 327 significance of 402, 404 influence of, on art 401 meaning of 404 nature of 9, 10, 29 Panhellenic relations 404 purposes 13 Alpha. Delta Chapter, charter members 100 establishment 100 historical sketch 100 Alpha Delta Pi, early years 7 extension 132 flag» plate showing.. 210 war sernce 302 Alpha Epsilon Chapter, aJtruistic work '.'.'.','. 289 charter membera 101 establishment 26, lOO, 101 historical sketch 100, 101 AIphaEta Chapter, charter members '/... 103 establishment '.','..26, 103 Alpha Gamma Chapter, charter members 99 establishment 26, 98 historical sketch !!98'99 lodge, view of ]'/\ ' gg Alpha Gamma Delta, extension .[ 132 flag, plate showing ][[[ 210 possessions, value of ...'.. 49 war service ['[ 301 Alpha Iota Chapter, charter members . ......... 105 establishment 26 105 Alpha Kappa Chapter, charter members . . ...... ' 106 establishment 26. 105, 106 Alpha Lambda Chapter, establishment 26 Alpha Omicron Pi, extension 132 flag, plate showing ....'.'...'. 210 possessions, value of 49 war service " 301 Alpha Phi, alumna organization 243 date of founding \ 3 early years 5 extension ] 132 possessions, value of 49 warservice ......'. 301 Alpha Theta Chapter, charter members 104 establishment 26, 104 Alpha Xi Delta, extension ' 132 possessions, value of 49 warservice 30] Alpha Zeta Chapter, charter members 102 establishment 26,102 historical sketch 102, 103 Alta Allen Loud Room, plans for 55, 182, 183 See also Founders' Memorial. Altruistic work, national, authorization for. ..... 191 funds 200 See also Scholarships for Children; Hera Day; and chapters named. Alumnae advisor, authorization 164, 190 duties 120 equipment 184 method of appointment 197 value 120 Alumnae, as recruits for committee work 138,250 Alumnx Association, development 252 establishment 245 scope and plans 243, 246-247 work 247 Alumnae by-laws, publication 176 Alumna chapters, geographical distribution 51 legislation regarding 156 list S3 requirements for 182 See also alumme chapters named. Alumna clubs, authorization 245 geographical distribution 51 list 53, 54 organization plans for 194 requirements for 182, 245 See also alumna clubs named. Alumna letter, authorization 164, 193 value 248 Alumna notes, collection 249 purpose and use 126, 249, 250 Alumna organization, development 184, 243-245 factors affecting 247,248 l^slation regarding 244 needs 175, 244 requirements for 182 value 242 See also Alimma Association, and alumna chapters and clubs. Alumna Vice President, establishment of office 174, 175, 245 American A^ociation of University Women, col- leges on list of 44 Ann Arbor Alumna Club, establishment 245, 264 work 264 Appell, Edith Kurtz, war service 312 Argolid, meaning of word 227 purpose and scope 177,227,228 value 184, 248 409 Armstrong, Florence A., as chairman of N' P. C. editor's conference 344 award of honor pin to 205 photograph 216 sketch 360, 361 term of office 130, 183 work 171, 184.217-218,231251,302,383 , 392 Armstrong, Louise Vorhees, work 392 Arnett, Lillian, work 379 Art, contribution ot Alpha Chi Omega to 401 Artists of Alpha Chi Omega 391 Arts, fine, in colleges, opportunities for 3i, 34 Asher, Katherine, war service 313 Association of American Colleges, colleges on list of 43 Association of American Universities, colleges on list of 43 Atlanta Alumnae Club, establishment 245, 265 work 247,265 Atlantic Province, presidents of 124 states comprising 122 Atlantic Province Convention, description 187, 188 Ault, Cora, war service 312 Austin, Beatrice G., photograph 57 Austin, Irene Clark , photograph 143 Austin, Irene Ward, photograph 57 B Babcock.Lou, warservice 315 Babcock, Katherine Price, warservice 317,318 Badge, Custodian for, appointment 164 description 201 6gures showing 202 Grecian influence on 327 identification certificates for 160, 168, 201 legislation regarding 148, 152. 161 requirements regarding purchase 174 sale of, profit from 126 Bailey, Helen Cheney, photograph 395 work 395 Baird, Martha, photograph 389 warservice 318 work 389 Baker, Newton D., on war work of college women 299,300 Baker University, fine arts at 34 fraternities 345 statistics 40 Balfour, L. G., Company, acknowledgment to. . . . viii Banta, George, Publishing Co., acknowledgment to viii Barnum, Helen Woods, photograph 376 Barrett, Ida Steele, photograph 145 Barrows, Alice, work 383 Bartlett, Miriam J., work 375 Baumgartner, Rachel, work 382 Beard, Ethel, warservice 313 Bellingham Alumnse Club, establishment 265 Bennett, Myrna Van Zandt, photograph 355 sketch 355,356 Bent, I mo Baker, photograph 153 Bergey, Ethels., photograph 386 work 386 Beta Beta Chapter, altruistic work 289 as Convention hostess 180, 186 charter members 254 establishment 245, 254 historical sketch 254, 255 work 247,255 Beta Chapter, altruistic work 57-58, 289 alumnu' reunions 244 as Convention hostess .140, 150 award of Lyre loving cup to 219 charter members 56 establishment 20, 22, 2.^, 56 group pictures 14, 17, 18 historical sketch 56-58 lodge, value of 46, 107 view of 56 war service 306 Bevard, Naomi, photograph 381 Birch, Helen H., photograph 321 warservice 314, 315 Birkhofif, Margaret Grafius, photograph 221 work 221,302 Bishop, Florence, war service 310 Bly. Edith Wells, work 388 Boicourt, Edna, photograph 221 work 222 Boulder Alumnze Club, establishment 245, 265 war service 308 work 265 Bowen, Margaret Barber, work 392 Bowman, Myrtle Hatswell, work 377 Boyce, Inez, work 394 Brenau College, fine arts at 34 fraternities 39, 345 statistics 40 Breneman, Mary, work 382 Brocklebank, Blanche, photograph 321, 380 war service 318 work 229.380 Brown, Beatrice Herron, photograph 123 Brown, Grace, photograph 387 work 387 Bryan, Elizabeth, work 382 Bucknell University, fine arts at 34 fraternities 39,345 statistics 40 Buffalo Alumnae Club, establishment 265 Buffum, Ruth, work 191.217 Burnett, Olive. See Clark, Olive Burnett. Burton, Marion L. cited 43 Busey, Garreta, war service 322 Bussey, Myrtle, photograph 384 work 383 Butler, Ruth, warservice 311 Byrd, Winifred, photograph 390 work 390 Cain, Florence E., work 371 Calendar, fraternity, publication of 177, 235 California, University of, admission of women 2 dramatics at 32 fine arts at 34 fraternities 39, 345 statistics 41 Campbell, James G., work 9, 15 Caswell, Mildred, warservice. 313 Central Province, presidents 124 states composing 122 Chaffee, Spicie Bell, work 381. 389 Chalfin, Mabel, work 392 Chapter- house ownership, growth 107 need for 49 plans for 107, 108, 114-116, 194 present scope 107 supervision 1 14, 1 1 5 Chapter houses, furnishings, value of 46 Chapter newspapers. See Alpha; Iota. Chapters. See Active chapters; Alumna; chapters. Charter, description 236 figures showing .237, 238 revision .'. . .20, 168 Chase, Louise, work 183 Chase, Russell MacMurphy, work 383 Cheers of Alpha Chi Omega 144,208 Chesney, Louise, warservice 312 work 374 Chi Chapter, charter members 94 establishment 26, 94 historical sketch 94 home, view of 93 lot, value of 46, 107 Chi Omega, alumnae organization 243 extension 132 flag, plate showing 210 possessions, value of 49 warservice 301 Childe, Nellie Gamble, biographical sketch 398 photogra ph 6 Children's Bureau, on scholarships for children . . . 286 Cincinnati Alumntc Club, establishment 266 Cincinnati, University of, fraternities at 39, 345 statistics '. 41 Clark , Marie White, work 389 Clark, Olive Burnett, biographical sketch 396, 397 photograph 6 Clark, Thomas Arkle, on fraternity extension. ... 131 Cleveland Alumnae Club, establishment 266 war service 308 work 247. 266 410- Coal -of -arms, authorization for 190 description 205.206 figure showing 206 restrictions regarding use 174 Coe, Sadie Knowland, work 378 Coeducation in universities, development 2, 401 Colby, Martha, photograph 377 Colby, Martha Reynolds, photograph 377 work 377, 378 Coley, Marguerite, war service 313 College activities, representation in, le;^isl;iijon regarding 194 College endowment funds, drives for 30, 3 1 College fraternilychapters.numberof 132 College women, war service 299, 300 College Panhellenics, war service 307 College professors of Alpha Chi Omega 376-387 Colleges, enrollment at, increase in 30 preparatory work 2 present day, weaknesses 42, 43 war service 297-300 Coliey, Anna Church, war service 312 Colorado, University of, fine arts at 34 fraternities 39, 345 statistics 41 Colors of fraternity, select ion 15, 206, 207 Committee work, participation of alumna: in 250 Committees, standing, development 250, 251 Conservatories, extension in, legislation regarding. 148 Constitution, adoption . . .■ 9, 16 revbion 13,16,21, 160,170, 184 Convention credentials, adoption 164 Convention Transcript, authorization 234 beginning 174 financial management 234 scope 233 staff 233 value 248 Conventions, national, delegates to, provision for 140 holding of 117 pKJwers. . . . _ 118 sessions 117 significance 139 vol ing members 1 62 Conventions, national: 1891 139,140 1893 140-142 1894 142, 144 group photograph 141 1896. ... 144, 145, 148 group photograph 146 1897.. 148 group photograph 147 1898 150 group photograph 149 1900 152, 154 group photograph 151 1902 154-158 group photograph 155 1904. 158, 160 photograph 157 1906 160,161 photograph 159 1908. . . 161, 162, 164. 165 group photograph 163 1910. .........: 166, 168, 170 group photograph - - 165 1912 170-172 photograph 169 1915. . .... 172, 174-178 group photograph 173 1919 178-186 group, photograph 179 See also province conventions named. Cook, Annie May, work 229, 380, 381 Coomber, Doris, work 379 Council meetings, description 189-200 Council trophy cup, adoption 1'7 1 Crann, Lois Smith, award of honor pin to 203 on N. P. C. conferences 342,343 photograph 168, 220 term of office 130 work 221 Cunningham, Bertha Deniston, biographical sketch 397 photograph 6 Curl, Isabelle. work 379 Currier, Olga Brandenburg, work 394 Curtin, Elma, war service 311 Cushman, Dorothy M., photograph 57 Cushman, Ja Nette Allen, photograph 57, 367 sketch 367 Cushman, Jessie, work 183 Cutter, Olive, work 381 D Dalrvmple, A. Lena, warservice 31i Dancing, aesthetic in colleges, opportunities for, ,3^, 35 Daniel, Louise, work 389 Daniels, Eunice, work 382 Davis, Bertha, work 387 Davis, Laura, warservice 312 Decatur Alumnae Club, establishment. .245, 266, 267 war service 308 work 267 Delta Chapter, altruistic work 60,289 alumnx reunions 244 as Convention hostess 144, 158 award of iyre loving cup to 219 charter members, group picture 19 establishment 24,25,59 Delta Delta Chapter, altruistic work 289 as Convention hostess 172 charter members 256 establishment 245,256 historical sketch 256. 257 war service 308 work 247, 256, 257 Delta Delta Delta, alumna: organization 243 extension 132 flag of , plate showing 210 possessions, value of 49 war service 301 Delta Gamma, alumna: organization 243 date of founding 3 early years 5 extension 132, 1.^3 possessions, value of 49 war service 301 DelU Zeta, extension 132, 133 war service 302 Deniston, Bertha. See Cunningham, Bertha Deniston. Dennis, Myrta McKean, award of honor pin to . . . 203 photograph 167 , 168 term of office 129 work 171, 191, 216, 228, 229, 378, 388 De Pauw Univereity, dramatics at 33 fine arts at 34 fraternities at : 39,345 statistics 40 Des Moines Alumns Club, establishment 245. 267 war service 308 work 247, 267, 268 De Turk, Lucia, photograph 379 work 379 Dick, Flora Tucker, work 388 Directory, authorization 190 publication 184, 234, 235 requirements regarding purchase 174 scope and value 234, 248 District of Columbia Alumnae Club, establish- ment ^'*^'^nfi war service 308 work 247, 268. 289 Dodds, Delight Stevens, war service 308, 3 1 1 Doran, Caroline N., warservice 312,313 Drake, Kate Calkins, sketch 370 work 387 Drake University, fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39, 104, 34^ on committee work 250 term of office.. ^ 1*^ Dramatics at colleges, opportunities for 32 33 Dressier, Faye, war service 311 Du Bois, Amy. See Rieth, Amy Du Bois. Dunkle, Estelle MacFarlane, work. . . 183, 229, 246, 281 Durrell, Josephine, photograph 389 work J • 388 Dye, Luella, war service • 313 Eastern Oklahoma Alumnae Club, establishment 245,269 war service 308, 309 ,»ork 247,269,289 411 Eastern Province, presidents 124 states comprising 1 22 Eastern Province Convention, description 186, 187 Eddy, Clara, warservice 323 Eddy, Laura, war service 323 'Eklekta prize, awards 211,219 Ellett, Rivers, photograph 381 Elwood, Mabel, work 376 Ely, Birdean Hotter, award of honor pin to 203 term of office 130 work 385 Endowment funds. See Reserve Fund, Lyre Re- serve Fund, Scholarship Fund. Epsilon Chapter, altruistic work 61,289 as Convention hostess 172 charter members 60 establishment 60 historical sketch 60-62 home, view of 61 war service 306 Epsilon Epsilon Chapter, charter members ....;. 258 establishment 245, 257, 258 historical sketch 257,258 warservice 308,309 work 247, 258 Ericson, Grace, work 378 Eta Chapter, charter members 63 historical sketch 63 Eta Eta Chapter, as Convention hostess 170 charter members 259 establishment 259 historical sketch 259 war service 309 work 247, 259, 289 European Tour, Alpha Chi Omega, authorization. 200 Evans, Sara F., photograph 388 work 388 Evansville Alumnae Club, establishment 269 work 269 Examinations, fraternity, development 126, 127 early list of questions 127 legislation regarding 156, 164 purpose and scope 128 requirements 126, 127 Expulsion, legislation regarding 142, 162 Extension, early policies 5, 12, 23, 140, 156 changes in, causes 131, 132 methods 134-138 results . . . . ; 54 western, development 26-28 Extension Board, work 175 Extension Committee, provision for 168 F Fall, Nella Ramsdell, award of honor pin to 205 photograph 362 sketch 362, 363 term of office 130, 183 work 251,392 Farrington, Mabel E., photograph 324 war service 324, 325 Fee, Frances Waldo, work 390 Feige, Laura, work 372 Fenn, Jean Whitcomb. work 378, 387, 392 Fernie, Alison Marion, work 382 Fett, Mabel, work 386 Finances of Alpha Chi Omega, development. . . 125, 126 See also National treasury. Finney, Nellaby, work 383, 390 Fischer, Alice Reynolds, work 390 Flag, fraternity, adoption 168,207 description 207, 208 plate showing 210 women's fraternities, figure showing 210 Flannagan, Agnes, work 386 Fleming, Gertrude Ogden, term of office 129 work 388 Flower, fraternity, adoption 207 Fodrea, Genevieve, work 390 Founders, award of honor pin to 205 See also Founders named. Founders' Day, observance 209 Founders' Memorial Home, plans. . . .55, 108, 116, 182 Founding of Alpha Chi Omega, conditions govern- ing 1, 2. 5, 7, 15, 401 Fraternity as designation of Alpha Chi Omega, legislation regarding 148, 152 breadth and scope vii, viii contribution to college 43, 44 leaders, value _. 35 1 Fraternities, honorary, admitting women, list of. . 345 increase 39 influence on members 402 men's, early purposes 3 origin 3 new, need for 132 women's, geographical distribution 133 See also Women's fraternities, and fraterni- ties named. Freeman, Alice, educational work 2 French orphans, adoption as fraternity war work 181,302 description of work 302-304 exhibit, description 302 Fresno Alumnie Club, establishment 269 Frisbie, E. Fay, work 229 Fryc, Ethel, war service 311 Galesburg Alumnae Club, establishment 270 work 247 Galpin, Stella, work 382 Gamble, Nellie. See Childe, Nellie Gamble. Gamma Chapter, altruistic work 289 as Convention hostess 142, 154, 180 award of Lyf« loving cup to 219 charter members 58 group picture 19 establishment 20, 23, 24, 58 historical sketch 58, 59 house ownership plans 58 warservice 305,307 Gamma Gamma Chapter as hostess for province convention 187 charter members 255 establishment 245, 255 historical sketch 255, 256 work 247,256 Gamma Phi Beta, alumnae organization 243 date of founding 3 early years 5 extension 132. 133 possessions, value of 49 war service 301 Garfield, Marion Howlett, work 378 Gay, A. Vemice work 389 "General" fraternity, meaning 3 Gettys, Frances, work 390 Gibson, Lucille Morgan, warservice 310 work 229 Goldschmidt, Ema, photograph 125 Government of Alpha Chi Omega, stages 117 See also Conventions; National Council; Province government Graff, Gladys L., acknowledgment viii biographical sketch 35 1-353 on French orplian work 303, 304 photograph 221,352 work 221, 222, 302, 394 Graham, May Thorpe, work 388 Grand Chapter, constituents 117 See also Conventions, national. Grand Council, establishment 150 expenses, legislation regarding 152, 164 meetings, legislation regarding 154 personnel, legislation regarding 150 See also Council meetings. See also National Council. Grays Harbor Alumnse Club, establishment 270 war service 308 work . . V '.'.'.'.'. 270 Greek culture. influence on Alpha Chi Omega. .326-336 Greek divinities, attributes 330-336 Gteek myths influencing Alpha Chi Omega . . ! '. 329-336 Green, Virginia Fiske, on Hera as patron goddess. 339 photograph 153 term of office " ' 530 work 25V, 382,*392, 394 Greencastle Alumnae Club, establishment 270 Greene, Mary, photograph 321 warservice ',".*.*.'.'. .316, 317 work 382 Greensburg Alumna Club, establishment.' .' .' .' .245 270 warservice 308,309 work , 271 412 GriCBn, Edith Manchester, photograph 214 term of office 1 29 work 213.392 Griffith, L. Grace, photograph 373 warservice 311 work 373 Griffith, Mary-Emma, award of honor pin to . . . 203, 205 photograph 217 sketch 357 term ol office 130 work 217, 218, 221, 246, 251. 392 Grinager, Charlotte Marhofter. work 388 Grooms, Bessie. 5eeKeenan, Bessie Grooms. GuUer, Gertrude, work 391 H Hagler.Lora, work 374,383 Haines, Tina May, work 388 Haley, Josephine Freeman, work 381 Hamblin, Ada Dickie, warservice 315,316 Hamilton, Frances, work 382 Hammler, Julia, war service 313 Hanson, Cordelia, work 388 Hardie, Helen M., award of honor pin to 203 photograph 168 Harper, Florence E., photograph 154 term of office 129 Harris, Nell E., photograph 222 work 221,383 Hascall, Dale Pugh, warservice 312 Haseltine, Florence Reed, award of honor pin to 192,203 photograph 215 selection of secret motto by 208 sketch 370 term of office 1 29 work 171. 190, 215-217, 235, 392 Havighurst, Ruth R., work 375 Hayne, Bertha Sackett, term of office 129 H^DouDler, Margaret, photograph 382 work 35,382,383 Heaton, Fannie G., war service 315 work 389 Heller, Hedwig Brenneman, war service 309, 378 work 379 Hera as patron goddess, adoption 166, 168 attributes 334-336, 339 photograph ■ - - JF Hera Day, observance 288-290 Heraea, Greek festival _-.._. 327 Eeraeum, as factor in alumnae organization 248 meaning of word 227 publication, authorization for 193 purpose and scope 227 value ^°* Heraeum, gods and goddesses, description 329-334 Mount Olympus, description 327, 329 view of 328 Hertzler, Agnes, photograph < - - 376 work 376 Hier. Florence M., work ; ■ ■ 384 Hill, Olah, war service 310 Hinkley, Lelia, photograph 32 1 work 374 Hinman, Elizabeth Egleston, work 393 History Advisory Committee, acknowledgment to v»H History Board, acknowledgment to - vii History of fraternity, authorization 175, 182, 230 publication 164, 171, 191 requirements regarding purchase _ 17_4_ scone va, viii ta1Se::.V....... 230,248 Hoffman, Ethel, work 391 Hofman, Llora, work 390 Holder, Margaret Brown, work 386 Holmes, Grace Hammond, photograph - . 168 Honor pin, adoption lo8, 203 awards '^m description 203 view ■:••■;•■ J. Honorary fraternities, admitting women, list of . . 39 Honorary members, legislation regarding 150 list 408 Hoople, Ruth, work 373 Hoult.Eda Long, war service 324 Howe, Grace, war service 313 Howe, James Hamilton, on musical traditions of Alpha Chi Omega 9, 10, 338 work.... 7,9, IS Howe, Laura A., photograph 162 sketch 370 term of office J30 work 216,236 Howell, Dicie, work 389 Howell, Marcia Clark, term of office 130 Huff, Ramoth, work 376 Hull, Juvia 0., work 378. 388 Humma, Mary, work 375 Hutchins, Ruth E., work 391 I I.e. 5« Pi Beta Phi. Illinois, University of, admission of women 2 fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39. 345 statistics 41 Indiana University, admission of women 2 Indianola Alumnae Club, establishment 271 Initiates record, form showing 241 Initiation, mock , legislation regarding ._ 150 Initiation ceremony, legislation regarding 152 revised, adoption of 166 revision 144, 184 Intersorority Conference, delegates 156 See also National Panhellenic Congress. Iota Chapter, altruistic work 71 alumnjE organization. . .' 249 as Convention hostess 162 award of Council trophy cup to 199 charter members 68 establishment 26. 29. 68 historical sketch 66, 68. 72 home, description 110. 112 value 46,107 views 69., 70 newspaper published by 248 trophy cups, view 67 war service 306 Iota Iota Chapter, charter members 260 establishment 245. 260 historical sketch 260,261 warservice 306,308 work 247. 260,261 Iowa, University of, establishment 2 fine arts at 34, 36 fraternities 39, 345 statistics 41 Iowa City Alumnse Club, establishment 271 work 271 J Jackson, El Fleda Coleman, photograph 123 work 197, 388 Jamieson, Pearl Armitage, photograph 123 war service 310 Jarrold, Rachel M., photograph 321 war service 322 Jennings, Mayme, as editor of Lyre 212 Jeweler, official, appointment - 174 planfor 182,183 Jewelry, fraternity, cut showing 204 Johns, Ethel Calkins, work 377 Johnson, Edith Hindman, work 375, 385 Johnson, Gertrude E., photograph 383 work 35, 383, 394 Johnston; Harriet Moore, war service 323 Jones, MyraH., acknowledgment to viii award of honor pin to 205 photograph ;;. ice sketch 354, 355 term of office ^30 work . 183, 246, 281, 285 Jones, Ruth, photograph 321 war service - ^^*« ^^^ Journal, secret, authorization for 192 legislation regarding 152 Set also Areola ; Heraeum. K Kaiser, Blanche Crafts, work 380 Kane, Gretchen E., acknowledgment to vui Kansas, University of, dramatics at 32 establishment 2 ■413 fine urlsiti 34 fraterniiics at .19, 345 slatistics 41 Kuppa Alpha Tliela, date of founding 3 early years 4, 5 extension 132, 133 flag, fjliitc showing 210 possessions, value of 49 war ser\ice 301 Kappa Chapter, altruistic work 72 alumna; organization 249 as Convention hostess 170 award of Lyre loving cup to 219 charter members 72 establishment 26. 29, 72 historical sketch 72-74 home, description 112 value 46,107 view of 73 trophy cups, plate showing ' 71 war service 306 KappaDella, date of founding 132, 133 flag, plate showing 210 war service 302 Kappa Kappa Chapter, charter members 261 establishment 245, 261 historical sketch 261 work 247,261 Kappa Kappa Gamma, alumnae organization 243 date of founding 3 early years S establishment of journal 5 extension 132, 133 possessions, value of 49 warservice 301 Keech, Mabel, work 37 1. 392 Keenan, Bessie Grooms, biographical sketch. .398, 399 photograph 6 Kenoyer, Aletha Kelly, work 374 Kent, Fay Barnaby , award of honor pin to 203 photograph 168 sketch 365,366 term of office 129 work 203, 207, 251, 295, 388, 392 Kester, Katherine, work 385 Kieckhefer, Ann, work 176 Kieckhefer, Meta, work 176 Kimball, Minnie Murdoff, photograph 376 work 377 Kimer, Effie Silliman, work 383 Kinsley, Lydia, warservice 311 Kirkham, Eleanor, work 378 Kirkup, Florence, work 382 Kleyn, Maude, work 382 Knight, Clara H., work 390 Lambda Chapter, altruistic work 76, 289 alumna: organization 249 charter members 74 establishment 26 historical sketch 74-76 home, description of 113 value 46, 107 viewof 75 war service 306 Lambda Lambda chapter, charter members 262 establishment 245, 261, 262 historical sketch 261,262 Lane, Lucy, warservice 312 Lang, Margaret R., work 393 Lang, Margaret McCuUoch, work 391 Larrabee, Florence, work 389 Lawrence AlumnE Club, establishment 27 1 work 272 Lawson, Mary ,_ work 183 LeBaume, Leslie, warservice 318 Leiby, Cora Irene, work 387 Leitzbach, Elizabeth, ot\ Iota chapter house 110-112 Leonard, Estelle, biographical sketch 399 on selection of fraternity colors 207 photograph 6 Lippitt, Lucile, photograph 372 work 372 Lister, Vesta, work 388 "Literary" fraternity, meaning 3 Little, Miriarr, work 385 Liltlejohn, Kara Helen, work 389 Lombard. Marion, on children's scholarshi[^s 287 Longman, Marie White, work 387 Loomis, Alice M., photograph 385 work 384, 38S Loud, Alta Allen, acknowledgment to viii award of honi)r pin to 192, 203 description of coat-of-arms by 205, 206 on Alpha Chi Omega expansion 138 on Alpha Chi Omega musical traditions 338 on value of Alpha Chi Omega History 230, 231 photograph 359 reports of 175-178, 183-185 selection of open motto by 209 sketch of 358,360 term of office 129,183 work 47, 171, 190, 251, 283, 377, 392 Lyre, advertising in 224 alumna: issue of 218 as factor in alumnze organization 247 cover designs 219, 220 plate showing 213 departments of 218 development of 212-226 early plans for 145 'Eklekta articles, selection of 218 financial management 125, 220, 223 legislation regarding ISO, 152, 160, 164 life subscriptions to 174, 220,223,224 loving cup, awards of 219 national standing 1 76, 220 policy 225 prize awarded by 211 Reserve Fund 46, 48, 180. 224. 283 M McBride, Carrie, work 383 MacChristy , Mary, war service 312 McCord. Bertha, work 388 McCoy, Ethel J., work 373,383 Macdowell Memorial Colony, 6nancial needs. . . . 296 life at 295, 296 location 291,292 scope and value 29 1 , 292, 294 studios 292 McEntyre, Doris, work 39 1 McGaughey, Ruby, work 387 McGraw, Marguerite, war service 323 MacGuire, May Jaggard, work 374 McHatton, Jennie, work 215 McLeary, Anne Woods, work 229, 388 McMasters, Lillian Goulston, work 389 McNabb, Anna, work 387 McNally , Mary, war service 308 Mcpherson, Marion, war service 313 Madson, Mabel Dunn, work 378, 388 Magazine, fraternity, early plans for 140, 144 See also Lyre. Manchester, Edith. See GriflBn, Edith Manchester. Marks, Frances, work 22 1 Marshall, Julia, work 388 Marshall, Mary, work 388 Marshall, Zella, work 212,388 Mayer, Helen, work 385 MeadvilleAlumnEB Club, establishment 245,272 work 272 Medes, Grace, work 385 Membership certificate, description 236 legislation regarding 1S6 plate showing 239 revised, adoption of 1 68 Membership requirements, early 11,12 legislation regarding 156, 162, 164, 174 Mercer, Flora, photograph 395 work 395 Michigan, University of, admission of women to. . 2 dramatics at 32 fine arts at .......'.'. 34 fraternities at .39,345 statistics of ' 41 Miller, Hortense Osmun, photograph 57 MillcFj Hortense Osmun , photograph 57 Millikin University, fine arts at 34 fraternities at ' 345 statistics 40 414 Mills, Kathertne Anderson, on Theta chapter house 108-1 10 Milwaukee Alumnae Club, establishment 245, 273 work 247, 272, 273 Minnesota, University of, establishment 2 Missouri, University of, admission of women to. 2 Montgomery, Alinda, acknowledgment to viii work 222 Mon tgomery , Beatrice, war ser\' ice 311 Montgomery, Mima B, photograph 321 war service 318,319 work 381 Monticello Alumnse Club, establishment 273, 274 work 274 Moody, Mildred, work 373,374 Morf;an, Kathryn, photograph 222 warservice 312 work 221,240 Morris, Ruth, work 383 Morrison, Katharine McReynolds, work 386 Morrow, Alberta Cavender, war service 312 Motto, open, adoption 168, 209 secret, adoption 21, 164, 208 Mount, Winifred Van Buskirk, award of honor pin to 203 photograph 168 work 203 Mt. Union College, dramatic ; at 33 fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39,345 statistics of 40 Mu Chapter, alumnae reunions 244 charter members 76, 77 establishment 26,76 historical sketch 76, 77 home, view of 77 Mu Mu Chapter, charter members 262 establishment 245, 262 historical sketch 262 war service 308 work 247, 262 Mu Phi Epsilon, colleges in which located 39 Murray, Elva. work 392 Musicians of Alpha Chi Omega 387-39 1 Musical culture in Alpha Chi Omeg;i, influence of 337-339 Musical requirements, early 11, 12 legislation regarding 28, 29, 148, 161 Musical training, educational value of 11 Mystagogue, duties of 124 N Nafis, Mabel Siller, award of honor pin to 192, 203 photograph 366 selection of flag by 207 sketch 366, 367 term of office 129 work ni, 230, 235, 392 National Convention. See Grand Chapter; Con- ventions, national. National Council, committee work 118, 1 19 constituents 118 expenses, budget for 174 meetings. See Council meetings. officers, duties of 118, 219. 120, 124, 125, 128, 174, 180, 181 list of 129, 405 origin of 1 1 ' powers of 118 See also Grand Council. National Inspector, creation of office 119, 120, 158 National Panhellenjc Congress, accomplishments. 340 constitution 347-349 delegate 119 long terra, authorization for 181,346 historical sketch 340-344 meet ings, list 350 standards of ethical conduct of 346-347 National Scholarship Committee, authorization of 197 National Secretary-Editor, creation of. office 119 National Tre^urer, deputy to, appointment of. . . 176 National Treasury, function of 125 sources of revenue for 126 .171 National Vocational Committee, creation of 175 Nebraska, University of, dramatics at 32 establishment 2 fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39, 345 statistics of 41 Needham, Mary Masters, war service 316 work 391 Nesbit, Virginia Porter, photograph 143 New England Conservatory, fine arts at 34 fraternities at 345 statistics of 40 training given by 12 New Mexico, University of, fraternities at 39, 345 statistics of 41 Nielsen, Leila, work 39 1 Normelli, Edith Bideau, work 390, 391 North Central Association of Colleges, colleges listed by 43 Northwestern University, dramatics at 32 fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39, 345 statistics of 41 Noxon, Edith, war service 313 Nu Chapter, altruistic work 78, 289 charter members 78 establishment 26, 78 historical sketch 78, 79 home, view of 78 Nu Nu Chapter, charter members 263 establishment 245, 262 historical sketch 262, 263 war service 308 work 263 O Oakley, Beatrice, work 183 Obenchain, Raebum Cowger, photograph 150 sketch 368.369 term of office 129 Odell, Lucy Andrews, work 387 Ogden, Gertrude H., photograph 153 Ogg, Mary E., photograph 374 work 374 Ohio, University of, admission of women to 2 Oil City Alumnae Club, establishment 245,274 war service 308 Oklahoma, University of, fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39, 345 statistics 41 Olsen, Alma Marti, work 380 Olson, Agnes M., photograph 321 warservice 320,322 Omaha Alumnffi Club, establishment 245.274 war service 308 work 247,274 Omega Chapter, altruistic work 289 charter memhers 96 establishment 26,96 historical sketch 96,97 home, plate showing 96 plans for owning 108 lot, value of 46, 107 war service 306 Omicron Chapter, altruistic work 289 alumnae organization 249 award of Council trophy cup to 195 charter members 80 establishment 26, 80 historical sketch 80, 82 house ownership, plans for 108 lot, value of 46, 107 Oregon Agricultural College, fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39,345 statistics 40 Oregon, University of, fraternities at 39, 106, 345 Oregon Alumnae Club, war service 308 See also Portland Alumns Club. Organization and Laws committee, appointment. 251 Osborne, Estelle Hibbard, work 389 Osgood, Zannie Tate, photograph 145 Overseas workers, description of service 314-325 recognition of 181, 182 P Pacific Province, convention of 188 presidents of 124 states composing 122 Palmer, Walter, on extension 131 415 Parmenter, Effa Simpson, photograph 145 Parry, Josephine Heily, photograph 123 Patronesses, legislation regarding 150 Patzig, Edna, work 36 Pennsylvania, University of, dramatics at 32 fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39. 100, 345 position of women in 38 statistics 41 Per capita tax, payment of 126 purposes of 171 Ferine, Mary, appointment 191 work 213,217 Peterman, lona, work 387 Peters, Pauline, photograph 374 warservice 312 work 375 Petition forms, adoption 190 Phi Chapter, altruistic work 92, 289 charter members 92 establishment 26, 9 1 historical sketch 92-94 lot, value of 46, 107 war service 306 Phi Mu, early years 7 extension 132 flag of, plate showing 210 war service 302 Philadelphia Alumnae Club, establishment 276 work 276 Phillips' Girls' Orchestra, work 390 Philomathean. See Phi Mu. Pi Beta Phi, early policies 4,5 extension 132, 133 flag of, plate showing 210 possessions, value of 49 war service 302 Pi Chapter, altruistic work 84,289 alumnx organization 249 award of Lyre loving cup to 219 charter members 82 establishment 26, 82 historical sketch 82-84 home, description of 114 value of 46, 107 vievfs of 81, 83 war service 306 Pickles, KatherineM., warservice 323 Pinney, Mary, work 380 Pittsburgh Alumnae Club, establishment 245,275 work 247, 275 Pledge organization, pamphlet on 180 Pledge pin, adoption 152 description 201, 203 plate showing 202 Porter, Juvem'lia (Olive), warservice 317 work 392 Portland AlumnEE Club, establishment 245,275 warservice 307,309 work 247,275 Potter, Florence, work 382 Powell, Maude, badge of, plate showing 202 Prins, Elizabeth Dunn, photograph 353 sketch 353,354 Province conventions, provision for 122, 200 See also provinces named. Province government, adoption of system 120 development 176, 183 value 124 Province Presidents, duties . , 122 equipment 183, 184 list 124 Provinces of Alpha Chi Omega, map showing 121 Psi Chapter, altruistic work 95 charter members 95 establishment 26,94 historical sketch 94, 95 home, view of 95 war service 306 Pueblo Alumnae Club, altruistic work 289 establishment 245, 276 war service 308, 309 work 247,276 Purcell, Dorothy, work 371 Purdue University, dramatics at 32, 33 fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39,345 statistics 40 Putnam, Elizabeth, war service 312 work 387 R Recognition pin, adoption 198 plate showing 202 Reeves, Lucille, war service 312 Regan, Alice, work 383 Reserve Fund, authorization 170 establishment 47, 283 growth 47, 180, 283, 284 loans from 196 maintenance 249, 284 purpose 284 size 46 See also Lyre Reserve Fund. Reserve Officers Training Corps, establishment and value 297,298 Reynolds, Harriet F., work 378 Rho Chapter, altruistic work 86 charter members 85 establishment 26, 84 historical sketch 84-86 home, plates showing 84 -85 war service 306, 308 Rhodes, June Hamilton, photograph 384 work 383. 391 Rider, Iva, war service 319 Rieth, Amy Du Bois, photograph 6 sketch 397. 398 Ritual, revision of, legislation regarding 160 Ritual and Equipment committee, appointment . . 25 1 Roberts, May me Jennings, photograph 153 Rothgeb, Mabel Hayward, war service 311 Rowley, Adeline, work 212 Ruick, Berta Miller, work 387 Rushing Rules, Handbook of, authorization for. . . 194 publication 176 revision 1 84 St. Louis Alumnic Club, establishment. .245, 276, 277 Salem Alumnae Club, establishment 276 Sails, Grace Jean, work 386 Sand, Zella Brigham, work 388 Sanderson, Virginia, work 1 8J, 395 Sayle Mary, work 383, 394 Scherrebeck, loa, photograph 374 work 375 Schimelfenig, Katberine, photograph 321 war service 323 Scholarship forms, adoption 190 in Alpha Chi Omega, methods of improving. 45, 404 records for chapters, legislation 1 64 requirements, early 22 of pledges 108 present 194 Scholarship Fund, amount 46 early plans 168 establishment 279 future scope 281 growth 48, 180 loans from ,279, 280, 281 maintenance 126, 174, 249, 279 purpose 279 repajjment of loans 180, 280 Scholarships for Children, fitness, for fraternity endeavor 286, 287 plan of administration 287, 288 purpose 285, 286 scope 282 Scientists of Alpha Chi Omega 377 Scycle, Charlotte Weber, sketch 368 Seal of fraternity, adoption 195 figure showing 209 Secretary-Editor, as Keeper of Supplies 240 creation of office 180 Seeley , June, work 337 Seeley, Miriam Thayer, work 387 Seiple, Charlotte Weber, term of office 129 Shaffer, Nina, work 386 Shaw, Irene Brandeis, war service 312 416 Sigma Chapter, altruistic work 86 charter members 86 establishment 26,86 historical sketch 86,88 home, views of 87 Sigma Kappa, early years 7 extension 132, 133 possessions, value of , . . * 49 war service 301 Simpson College, fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39,345 statistics of 40 Sissler, Rehanis, war service 312 Smith, Anna Allen, biographical sketch 395, 396 ^ photograph 6 Smith, Esther, war service 313 Smith, Eula, work 385 Smith, Mae, work 378 Smith, Mary, war service 313 Social service workers, of Alpha Chi Omega 37 1-374 Songbook, as factor in alumnae organization 248 custodian for, appointment 164 development 228, 220 earlv plans 140 publication 144 requirements regarding purchase 174 Songs, early, writing of 16 prize- winning, quoted 338 Sophomore pledging, adoption 191 Soule, Frank Busey, award of honor pin to 192, 203 South, Spicie Bell, photograph 153 Southern California, University of, dramatics at . . 32 fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39, 345 statistics 41 Southern Province, states composing 122 Southwick, Vera, work 246 Spokane Alumnje Club, establishment 277 work 277 Spraker, Lois, war service 313 Stanford, Mary, photograph 368 sketch 368 term of office 129 Star Studio, construction 282 description 295 endowment 182,282 occupants 294 qualifications for 282 use and value 403 view of 293 Starr, Gretchen O'Donnell, photograph 356 sketch 356, 357 work ., 395 Starr, Nell Brushinghamj work 381 Steele, Claudia, war service 313 Steiner, Maude Steiger, award of honor pin to 203 photograph 364 sketch 364,365 term of office 130, 183 work 176. 184 Stevens, Fern Pickard, work 388 Stevenson, Evangeline Bridge, photograph 369 sketch 370 work 379 Stewart, Clarissa Dickie, work 378 Stifler, Susan Reed, work 382, 394 Strong, Ella, photograph 143 Students Army Training Corps, establishment and enrollment 298 value to colleges 298 Supplies, fraternity, list of 241,242 systematizing of 240 keeper of, appointment 176 Sutton, Eva, war service 313 Sweet, Elna Clifford, work 183 Symphony, official, adoption 195,337 Syracuse Alumnje Club, establishment 277 Syracuse University, dramatics in 32 fine arts at 34, 36, 37 fraternities at 39,345 statistics 41 T Tau Chapter, altruistic work 89 award of Council trophy cup to 198 charter members 88, 89 establishment 26, 88 historical sketch 88, 89 home, view of 8S scholarship record 89 Taylor, Alta Moyer, photograph 310 war service 310 work 388 Temiant, Mary Jones, award of honor pin to. . .192,203 photograph 162 selection of open motto 209 term of office 129 Terre Haute Alumns Club, establishment 245, 277, 278 Theta Chapter, altruistic work 66 alumnae organization 249 as Convention hostess 166 award of Lyre loving cup to 219 charter members 64 establishment 26, 64 historical sketch 64-66 home of, description 110 plans for 108-110 value of 46, 107 views of 64, 65 Theta Theta Chapter, charter members 259 establishment 245, 259 historical sketch 259,260 war service 309 work of 247, 259, 260 Thomas, Iva Jane, photograph 321 work 389 Thompson, Bess Storch, work 375 Thompson, Dorothy, overseas service 323 work 374 Thompson, Martha, war service , 324 Thompson, Nathalie, war service 309 ThSnssen, George, work 389 Thrower, Norma Harrison, work 385 Tiney, Eva Marzolf , work 387 Traditions of Alpha Chi Omega 337-339 significance 338 Traditions Committee, creation 175 Travis, Cora, work 378 Tree, fraternity, adoption 207 Tri-City Alumna Club, establishment 278 work 278 Troster, Gretchen Gooch, photograph 358 sketch 357, 358 Trowbridge, Carrie Adelaide, photograph 379 work 379. 393 Turner, Elthea Snider, occupation of Star Studio. 182 photograph 393 work 393, 394 Turrentine, Ella Gustafson, work 387 Twin Cities Alumnae Club, establishment 278 war service 308, 309 work 278 U Universities, coeducation at 2 growth of, table showing 31 housing conditions at 27, 26 western, fraternity extension in 26-28 Upcraf t, Margaret, work 394 Upsilon Chapter, altruistic work 91, 289 charter members 90 establishment 26, 90 historical sketch 90-91 home, view of 91 Vermont, University of, fraternities at 39, 105, 345 V Vertrees, Ruth Bigelow, photograph 375 war service 311 work 375 VoUmar, Kathryn, work 384 Vose. Mary Richardson, war service 310 work.. 171.191,229,371 W Wade, Elma Patton, photograph 214 work ^92 War service of fraternity, description 302 plans for, authorization of 198 See also French orphans and chapters and colleges named. 417 Washburn, Ruth, war service 313 Washington, D. C., war workers of 313, 314 Washington State College, 6ne arts at 34 fraternities at 39, 345 statistics 40 Washington State University, fine arts at 34 fraternities at 39, 345 statistics 41 war service 299 Washington University (St. Louis), dramatics at . 33 fine arts at 34 fraternities 39, 345 statistics 41 Waugh, Pearl, work 387 Wegmann, Helen, photograph 382 work 382, 389 Western Province, presidents of 124 states comprising 122 Weston, Glennie B.. work 371 Weyrauch, Ina, acknowledgment to viii Weyrauch, Marjorie, war service 313 Whistle, of Alpha Chi Omega 208 White, Theo, work 378 Wilhite, Mary E., work 376,377 Wilkinson, Hazel, work 392 Wilson, Mary Janet, as editor of Lyre 212,214 photograph 214 sketch 367,368 termofoflBce 129 work 392 Winn, Rowena Hudson, work 375 Wisconsin, University of, admission of women to. 2 dramatics at 32 fine arts at 34,35 fraternities at 39,345 statistics 41 Withrow. Beulah Buckley, war service 312 Women, nigher education of, development 1,2 in colleges, status of 38 Women's fraternities, colleges entered by 7 development of, conditions affecting 2,3 early years 4, 5, 7 in 1885 condition of 7 institutions entered by 4 number of niembers of 7 journals of, establishment 5 need for, in western institutions 27 purpose of . , , , 3, 4 Worthington, Jennie, work 378 Wright, Helen, photograph 162 Writers of Alpha Chi Omega 391-395 Wyeth.OJaM., photograph 321 war service -319, 320 ftork 382 X Xi Chapter, altruistic work 289 award of Lyre loving cup to 219 charter members 79 establishment 26, 79 historical sketch 79, 80 home, view of 79 house ownership, plans for 80 Y Young, Leona, work 385 Z Zeta Chapter, altruistic work 289 as convention hostess 152 award of Council trophy cup to 200 award of Lyre loving cup to 219 charter members 62 establishment 12,62-63 historical sketch 62h53 war service 306, 307, 309 ZetaTau Alpha, extension 132, 133 flag of, plate showing 210 war service 30 1 Zeta Zeta Chapter, charter members 258 establishment 245, 258 historical sketch 258 war service 308,309 work 247,258 Zimmerman, Lillian G., award of honor pin to . . . 203 photograph 363 report of 107,108 sketch 363,364 term of office 130,183 work 184, 246, 281 418 Mi;'