require that sustained thought and action for
which the ardent souls pined, and the ap-
pearance of the Sigma Chi fraternity in Jan-
uary, 1883, followed by the Phi Delta Theta
the next December, with rumors of a third
among the girls, proved a temptation these
restless ones could not withstand.

It was not the welfare of the University
that first started the opposition, for the lead-
ers later acknowledged that when the first
fraternity was announced they knew nothing
of the nature of college fraternities, and
hence could not have been acquainted with
their evils. Neither could it have been an
overweening devotion to institutional his-
tory that first led them to look into the mat-
ter, as the methods they pursued were scarce-
ly those of an investigator for knowledge
only. But whatever motive prompted, in-
vestigation and agitation was promptly be-
gun. In the debates of the literary societies
opportunity was afforded the leading investi-
gators to present to the initiated the nefar-
ious principles upon which all secret orders
were based. Gradually and adroitly the
rank and file of preps and specials were made
conversant with the workings of Odd Fel-
lows, Masons, the Spanish Inquisition, Ku-
Klux-Klan, and finally with the very culmi-
nation of evil, the college fraternity already
flourishing within the prickly hedges of our
sacred campus.

It was not until May 16th, 1884, that the
right of the college fraternities to exist was
made an open subject of debate. The occa-
sion was a joint entertainment given by the
two societies, in lieu of a contest which, ow-
ing to the lamentably peaceful state of af-
fairs, had fallen through earlier in the year.
In one regard the frats had the better of us,
as it was hardly in good taste for fraternity
men to expound too enthusiastically the ad-
vantages of a society to which from its very
nature the general public could not be in-
vited to belong.

In the mean time a somewhat incidental
series of events precipitated the final strug-
gle, which otherwise might have been tided
over. Earlier in the term, the usual attempt
to abolish the June exhibition was more vig-
orously carried on than on former occasions
by those elected to serve. In the Palladian
Society C. S. Polk, one of the prominent
barbarians, and P. F. Clark, a Sigma Chi,
represented the victims, while A. G. War-
ner and W. O. Jones, the two barbarian
leaders, were their successful opponents. A
somewhat bitter spirit was aroused and it was
resolved to debar Mr. Warner from the pres-
idency for the coming fall term. The plan
carried, and as the opposing candidate was a
girl, the Warner faction maintained an omi-
nous silence. Later they persuaded Mr.
Polk and various other barbarians who had
voted with us, that they had been mere tools
in the hands of fraternities. All that had
been half suspected of the fraternities was
now given foundation. Not only would
frat men control the offices, but the whole
society, unless checked. It was even hinted
that they were looking with eyes of cupidity
at the society halls for fraternity purposes.
But if this election was governed by any
other motive that the one stated, I never
knew of it. In the Union society the fra-
ternity people as a matter of course were
elected. With them the opposition had never
been much more than an echo of the Palla-
dian.

In a short time the students dispersed for
the summer. When we assembled in Sep-
tember everything seemed peaceful, the us-
ual scramble for additions to the literary so-
cieties apparently constituting the absorbing
interest. The fraternities were looking about
for new members, but none had been initiated.
The Greeks were never aggressive, and
though we did not place much trust in the
evident quiet that prevailed, we were little
prepared for the bomb that was hurled into
our camp.

Thursday morning, October 23rd, 1884,
Will O. Jones casually called me aside after
chapel and informed me, as president of the
Palladian Society, that on the following
night amendments were to be proposed to the