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THE MAROON TIGER
CHALLENGE TO COMMON SENSE DO FRATERNITIES JUSTIFY THEIR
EXISTENCE?
American students are constantly exposed to corro
sive ridicule and pungent criticism by European stu
dents because of tbeir stupidity, their deep-seated ignor
ance of international affairs, and their lack of taste. For
the most part these criticisms and taunts have been po
lite and slight. Because American students know com
paratively little about the agonizing conditions of their
country, not to mention foreign affairs. If they do know
about the ugly ills of America they have not been aroused
to action about them. Inasmuch as American students
are superficial, they lack nerve, wisdom and influence.
Student opinion is considered squip and prattle in Ameri
ca. Even when students debate, the public looks upon
them as entertainers, rather than serious thinkers. When
they write, the public discounts their thoughts, because
they are “bookish”, romantic or fanciful.
Retorts of various descriptions have emanated from
American students. By the way, they have pretentious
ly organized impotent societies to bluff European stu
dents. Tnspite of these spasmodic attempts to stave off
reproach they remain apostates of great needs.
It has become a fad or a pastime, especially in the
South for white students to subscribe to eloquent pro
grams that involve improving lace relationship. It is ad
mitted that such movements should start among stu
dents. Bui, it is disdained that such movements should
yield to sdly foppery. Nothing has yet occurred that
would make us believe that these movements have been
sincere. They have halted because they have not seen
any work to do. They have shriveled up for want of
activity. Yet people die for want of justice, service,
and instruction. They do not hear their groans.
Prominent among all student movements in the
South is the Interracial Forum. It is founded upon
laudable ideals, but ideals without correct social atti
tudes are treachery and bunk. Since being intact it
has accomplished little that would make us proud of it.
of it.
The Interracial Forum seems to be a blind gesture.
Students who follow it are not frank, aggressive and
militant. Their motives are often narrow and selfish.
They talk more than they act. In their meeting they
always dodge weighty problems, either by relating dry,
pointless jokes that are more ludicrous than clever or
by citing far-fetched, rainbow allusions. Social prob
lems, however experimental or elemental, cannot be
solved in a vacuum. Furthermore, Nordic Southern stu
dents are too docile, stolid, and suspicious to be en
trusted with the salvation of a minority group. Indeed,
they seem to be intellectual vultures feeding upon the
Rhetoric of Christianity.
Students attend the Interracial Forum for veiled ex
ploitation. Scholarships and subject-matter for class
work seem to be the basic incentives. They seek self
esteem and not racial uplift. Such types would attempt
to bribe God with a dip of snuff. Moreover, this organi
zation is intra-racial and not interracial. Only a few
white students attend it regularly.
If this is what we consider bettering race relations,
then life is a cheat; civilization is a fraud; education
is a humbug; and, Christianity is a sob-story. Where
do you stand on this question?
We live in a world whose dominant spirit is one of
progress. Almost unconsciously, we look for growth
in plant, we expect development in animal life and evo
lution in human relationship. Because of this fact, the
justification for the existence of any person or thing
or group of such has come to be determined by the
contribution which each of them makes to the progress
of society.
Greek-letter fraternities are organizations, and as such,
are subject to the same test by which all organizations
are measured. The question has been asked, “Do Fra
ternities justify their existence on college campuses?”
What contribution do they make to the progress of the
students?
To some, fraternities are the summation of maldi-
rected energies, incubators of chicanery and clandestine
plots, organized foes to moral propriety, and financial
parasites. In other words, they are the “Dead Seas” of
college life. On the other hand, there are those who
realize in fraternities, as they are, the crystallization of
certain lofty ideals. They would make fraternities the
summum bonum of college college life. To this group,
fraternities make a contribution to the all-round develop
ment of men.
Wherein does the truth lie? Are fraternities really
evil influences in our college life? or, an the other hand,
do they represent the best in our undergraduate life?
I think the truth lies between these two extremes. Let
us see. To be sure, certain practices have become asso
ciated with college fraternal groups which are para
doxical to the ideal of progress in human relationships.
Now, the aim of all fraternities is to make possible
world brotherhood, “to create a secret communion among
good men throughout the world, and establish a mutual
affinity connecting all them by a similitude of sentiments.”
But, what do we find when we consider the conditions
on our campus?
There are four fraternities represented. In each group
there arises something akin to what we call in countries,
“nationalism.” According to Kirby Page, editor of The
W orld Tomorow, Nationalism is an organized emotion,
built on patriotism, national pride and national inter
est, which attempts to unify the national group. Unity
and cooperation are lofty aims, we admit. But the
means employed to attain the end defeats the purpose.
We assume that the only' way to prove our patriotism,
our love for our country, is to hate an denounce all
other countries; the only way to show our pride and
esteem is look with disdain upon other peoples, and
that the only way to manifest warm interest in our af
fairs is to put a “damper” on everything foreign. The
result is, we build our power upon the assumed weak
ness of other countries. In the meantime, we weaken
ourselves.
This is what happened to a few of the men exposed
to fraternity life! They assume that the superiority of
their particular fraternity depends upon the total anni
hilation of the others and that the subordination of
the non-frat man. It is that small class which would
give the impression that fraternities afford incurable ills,
/that they are parasites, that they are electioneering
“gangs.”
But, mark me. these “wind-jammers” are men who
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Emory 0. Jackson.