ked two of the athletes--they were really splendid
fellows--he was forced to admit that three of them were hardly better
than thugs, cheap muckers with fine bodies. Then there were the snobs,
usually prep school men with more money than they could handle wisely,
utterly contemptuous of any man not belonging to a fraternity or of one
belonging to any of the lesser fraternities. These were the "smooth
boys," interested primarily in clothes and "parties," passing their
courses by the aid of tutors or fraternity brothers who happened to
study.
Hugh felt that he ought to like all of his fraternity brothers, but, try
as he would, he disliked the majority of them. Early in his sophomore
year he knew that he ought to have "gone" Delta Sigma Delta, that that
fraternity contained a group of men whom he liked and respected, most of
them, at least. They weren't prominent in student activities, but they
were earnest lads as a whole, trying hard to get something out of
college.
The Nu Delta meetings every Monday night were a revelation to him. The
brothers were openly bored; they paid little or no attention to the
business before them. The president was constantly calling for order
and not getting it. During the rushing season in the second term,
interest picked up. Freshmen were being discussed. Four questions were
inevitably asked. Did the freshman have money? Was he an athlete? Had he
gone to a prep school? What was his family like?
Hugh had been very much attracted by a lad named Parker. He was a
charming youngster with a good mind and beautiful manners. In general,
only bad manners were _au fait_ at Sanford; so Parker was naturally
conspicuous. Hugh proposed his name for membership to Nu Delta.
"He's a harp," said a brother scornfully. "At any rate, he's a
Catholic."
That settled that. Only Protestants were eligible to Nu Delta at
Sanford, although the fraternity had no national rule prohibiting
members of other religions.
The snobbery of the fraternity cut Hugh deeply. He was a friendly lad
who had never been taught prejudice. He even made friends with a Jewish
youth and was severely censured by three fraternity brothers for that
friendship. He was especially taken to task by Bob Tucker, the
president.
"Look here, Hugh," Tucker said sternly, "you've got to draw the line
somewhere. I suppose Einstein is a good fellow and all that, but you've
been running around with him a lot. You've even brought him here
severa
|