Deoembeb 23, 1010] 



SCIENCE 



913 



while the men of the local organizations 

 incurred no more expense on the average than 

 the non-fraternity men. One strong frater- 

 nity had thirty eligible men, of which half 

 spent $800 or more, while seven spent $1,000 

 or more. One local organization had no man 

 spending more than $600. Four had no man 

 spending more than $650 and eleven had no 

 one exceed $750, while practically all had men 

 spending as low as $400 or $450. 



What shall be our conclusions? If our 

 figures are assumed to be perfectly representa- 

 tive, which they should be as far as compari- 

 sons are concerned, how much criticism is due 

 the fraternal organizations? 



We must not overlook the fact that the fra- 

 ternity man is at an expense simply for mem- 

 bership in the organization, such as initiation 

 fees, dues, assessments, social fees, etc., which 

 we may set at $50 for the average, many going 

 far above that figure and many below it. This 

 leaves $100 per man to be accounted for. It is 

 an open question as to whether this extra 

 expense represents extravagance or not. Re- 

 membering that in all statistics results must 

 be weighed and reweighed lest ridiculous con- 

 clusions be made, we must not overlook one 

 point lest we suffer the same penalty. A large 

 portion of the fraternity men who are extra- 

 vagant would be so, even if they were not 

 members of such an organization, and if this 

 is true to the extent that it accounts, or more 

 than accounts, for the extra $100 per man, 

 then the fraternity itself can not be blamed 

 and may even be considered a real benefactor 

 in this respect. Some insist that in many 

 cases such extravagance is reduced by associa- 

 tion with more thrifty brothers. There is very 

 strong argument in favor of the declaration 

 that this $100 is more than accounted for, for 

 the reason that a fraternity man does not care 

 to spend his time where he would likely spend 

 a lot of money, as much as he would if he were 

 outside, because of his congenial companions 

 and home in the fraternity house. But as I 

 said before, this is an open question and will 

 be decided in a multitude of ways. 



But I do think the fraternity deserves a 

 great deal of criticism wherever it allows the 



extremely extravagant cases to exist. If we 

 examine the curves, we shall notice nothing 

 about the non-fraternity curve which corre- 

 sponds to that part of the fraternity curve for 

 the expenditures above $1,000, although the 

 two curves correspond at other points rather 

 extraordinarily. 



C. H. Forsyth 

 Univebsity of Illinois 



MR. CARNEGIE'S TRUST FUND FOR PRO- 

 MOTING PEACE 



As has been announced in the daily papers 

 Mr. Andrew Carnegie has given $io,000,000 

 of the first mortgage bonds of the U. S. Steel 

 Corporation of the value of $11,500,000, the 

 income to be used to hasten the abolition of 

 international war. In his letter of gift, Mr. 

 Carnegie says : 



Lines of future action can not be wisely laid 

 down. Many have to be tried, and having full 

 confidence in my trustees I leave to them the 

 widest discretion as to the measures and policy 

 they shall from time to time adopt, only pre- 

 mising that the one end they shall keep unceas- 

 ingly in view until it is attained is the speedy 

 abolition of international war between so-called 

 civilized nations. 



When civilized nations enter into such treaties 

 as named, or war is discarded as disgraceful to 

 civilized men, as personal war (duelling) and 

 man selling and buying (slavery) have been dis- 

 carded within the wide boundaries of our English- 

 speaking race, the trustees will please then con- 

 sider what is the next most degrading remaining 

 evil or evils whose banishment — or what new ele- 

 vating element or elements if introduced or fos- 

 tered, or both combined — would most advance the 

 progress, elevation, and happiness of man, and so 

 on from century to century without end, my 

 trustees of each age shall determine how they 

 can best aid man in the upward march to higher 

 and higher stages of developments unceasingly, 

 for now we Icnow that as a law of his being man 

 was created with the desire and capacity for 

 improvement to which, perchance, there may be 

 no limit short of perfection, even here in this life 

 upon earth. 



Let my trustees, therefore, ask themselves from 

 time to time, from age to age, how they can best 

 help man in his glorious ascent onward and up- 

 ward, and to this end devote this fund. 



