EPSILON DEUTERON.
Yale University.
Being informed at the convention that we represented just at the present time, the first of Shakspeare’s seven ages of man, viz., the infant, we beg leave to state that we have already cut our eye teeth.
Although a little more than a month has elapsed since our initiation in New York, we are in first-class running order. With three new men from the Freshman class and several more on the list, our number is now increased to eleven. Great was the surprise exhibited by our fellow-students when we blossomed out with eight, although not a word was said in our presence. So conservative are society men here, that no greater insult could be offered than a word about society there, or even in their presence. Woe be to the guileless freshman who innocently examines some upper classman’s society pin, for either he is treated to a horrible sour, as college parlance has it, or something decidedly worse in the way of physical punishment. It was amusing in the extreme to note the side glances at our pins in the class room. On the street very often we overheard the remark :
‘There goes one of the new society men now,’ and felt that we were being sized up by their sharp glances. In fact, we are in our own quiet way not a little famous throughout the University.
Possibly some little outline of how we came to be Theta Delts would not be amiss here.
Last spring a few of us got together, seeing the great need of a first-class fraternity in the Scientific Department, and knowing that no better field for selecting men could be asked for by a society—a little more than onethird of the men being society men. We locked about for a fraternity to correspond with regarding the subject, and after a great amount of careful study into the comparative worth of the different fraternities, at length decided upon Theta Delta Chi. Everything went along as smoothly as possible. We were going to Troy to be initiated, but one of the boys’ papa donned his war paint and said that he didn’t believe in secret societies, and wouldn’t allow a son of his to join one. We postponed the date to give time for the ‘ireful papa’ to be written to. Examinations came up, and before we were aware of it, in our hard labors to convince the faculty that we were in training to knock out the next year’s work, the end of the term came. We must wait until Fall. As soon as the Fall Term opened, letters were at once written to Troy, Dartmouth and Amherst, and quite an extensive correspondence opened up, which continued for over a month, during which time we were honored by a visit from Dr. John M. Curtis, of Wilmington, Del. Our propositions were accepted at the convention, and on the 17th day of November Epsilon Denteron was duly enrolled as a charge. What a royal good time followed at the banquet! I will not dwell on that; but how I wish that every Theta Delt throughout the length and breadth of our broad land could have been there to enjoy it with us.
We hope to begin work on our buildings as soon as the ground is suitable in the Spring. We intend to erect two houses. One of these will be constructed of Ohio granite, with terra cotta trimmings. This we will live in, and so it will contain bedrooms, studies, parlors, etc., and a room large enough to hold a convention in if we ever have that pleasure. This building will cost $20,000. The chapter house, which is to cost $8,000, will be quite original. It will be built of gray stone in the form of a monument surmounted by a tower, from which a light will signal the mystic meetings of our charge. The only ornament, and in fact the only mark, on this building will be a stone shield bearing the three mystic letters. There will be no doors or windows, no visible means of entrance.
We will make the dedication ceremonies most interesting, and hope to welcome all the brethren who can possibly come. Our present charge roll is as follows :
’89.
Mark S. Bradley, Edwin F. Landy,
Lewis C. Du Bois, Harry C. Gibbons.
Perry M. Caldwell,
’90.
James Ruthven, Fred. Carter,
Duane P. Cobb, George C. Worthington,
Edward Y. Ware, Jacquelin Holliday.
Lewis W. Gunckel,
In conclusion, let me say that our only hope and aim is to make Epsilon Deuteron the brightest star of the constellation, which by loyalty, fidelity and untiring zeal in behalf of our beloved fraternity will accomplish.”
