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The New York World recently imagined that it had discovered a great sensation in New York politics. An article recently appeared in its columns, headed "The College Committee : How the Alpha Delta Phi, Being Scholars in Politics, as Set Forth in the World, Made Four a Majority of Eight," professing to be an expose of the designs of this fraternity to subvert the government of the State to its own interests. The Times pricks the World's bubble in one of its characteristic satirical editorials, headed "The Great Conspiracy."
"When Speaker Chapin appointed a committee to examine the rival claims of Messrs. Sprague and Bliss," says the Times, "no one but the World noticed that there was anything unusual in the matter. That able journal, however, discovered that Mr. Sprague and the majority of the committee were members of the Alpha Delta Phi. Further investigation showed that the appointment of the Sprague-Bliss committee was only a step in the vast conspiracy to overthrow the State and National governments and to concentrate all power in the hands of the Alpha Delta Phi Society. It is, perhaps, even now too late to avert the threatened calamity, but, whatever may be the result, the country owes unspeakable gratitude to the World for its bold exposure of the truth. The Alpha Delta Phi Society has hitherto been supposed to be a harmless college society, organized for the purpose of permitting its members to wear breast-pins of a peculiar form. Under its cloak of innocent breast-pins the society is nevertheless - as the World has discovered - endeavoring to make itself the ruling power of the nation, and its dangerous character can be readily perceived under the light of alleged publicity which the World has thrown upon it."
"The oath of an Alpha Delta Phi is skilfully worded, so as not to appeals the new member and yet to render him little better than a slave. It reads in part as follows : 'I do solemnly swear to assist all Alpha Delta Phis with my tobacco, my ponies and my examination papers, provided such assistance is needed.' The neophyte fancies that this obligation has no hidden meaning, but he soon finds his mistake. It is not enough that he gives cigars and lends 'ponies' to his fellow Alpha Delta Phi. Under the apparently innocent words, 'tobacco,' 'ponies' and 'examination papers,' lie hidden meanings which are sooner or later boldly declared. Tobacco is found to be synonymous with all valuable property - money, lands and stocks. The 'pony,' instead of being a translation of a Greek or Latin author, means nothing less than life, and 'examination papers' means all the energies which man possesses. The Alpha Delta is thus pledged to assist his fellow member of the society with his life, his property and all his influence. The Alpha Delta Phi Society is determined to use all the executive and legislative power of the State for the nefarious purpose of giving to a properly elected candidate his rights. If the conspirators succeed in this where will they stop? They now number fully four thousand. All they have to do is to fill every office, State and Federal, with members of the society, and to put none but Alpha Delts in command, either in the army or the navy, and they can then seize the supreme power, and compel every man, woman and child to drink lemonade, eat oysters and wear outlandish breast-pins."
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