Education: Castles for Colleges?

Surprised indeed would a college freshman be, if during the fraternity “rushing” season, a representative of the Order of Eagles should invite him to “come up to the eyrie and meet some of our boys.” Yet a similar situation was forecast last week by an announcement of the Knights of Pythias of Nebraska.* Delegates to the Nebraska Grand Lodge convention, seeking “an objective ‘to the perfection of which members could give their financial aid and fraternal support, and which would be generally beneficial to the Order,” were unanimously in favor of erecting on the campus of each & every large university in the U. S. and Canada a lodge at which Pythians or their sons could live free of charge. Such lodges would be known as “Pythian Student Castles.” The plan: if each of the 705,000 Knights of Pythias gives $1 per year, two “castles” accommodating 100 students each can be erected annually. Each “castle” will cost $125,000 and receive an endowment of $200,000 for upkeep. A reserve of $55,000 will be set aside each year toward building more and more castles. Inmates will be fed at cost. Those States which are populated by the largest number of Pythians would receive their castles first. Next August at the national convention the project will be officially brought to the attention of all Pythians by Supreme Representative L. B. Phillips. Chancellor E. A. Burnett of the University of Nebraska was the first college head to express an opinion on the Pythians’ castle scheme: hearty endorsement.

*The order “exists for charitable work and friendship,” has 6,500 branches in the U. S. (greatest number of members in Ohio), Canada, Hawaii and the Philippines, is open to “all whites over 18 who believe in a Supreme Being.” There are also over 175,000 Pythian sisters (female blood relatives of members). Initiation fee: from $15 (rural districts) to $25 (in Manhattan).