l b1JIMIMIMIM!M!MIMI!.\41M!M!M!MIMIMIMIM!MI~!'W!M!M!Mf.QI!IVI!IQII!Q\!!.Q.\Il.Q!Il&
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Aruriu M!Wl!Wl!M'i!Wl!Wl!W.!Wlllrti!Wllltri!W.!Wl!W.I!X'ii!X'ii!X'ii!X'illtrilmii!X'ii!X'ii!X'i!W.!M'ilmi!Wl!Wl!W.!Wl!Wll® 1ra 1 A "baby" edition o f THE A CA CIA JOURNAL published fo r the purpose of suggesting to every Acacian a New Year's resolution of renewed allegiance to his fraternity. T. HAWLEY TAP PING, Editor
D E C E MBER
GRAND R APIDS, MICHIGAN
1920
The 1920 Conclave It is a long cry from that day in Jun e of 1905 when the fir st Conclave of Acacia was held in Ann A rb or , to that day in Minneapoli s last fall when the thirteenth Conclave went into session. And it is a vastly different st ory that th e two have t o t ell. At th e on e five m en gath er ed around a single table in a small room of the Chapter House at Ann Arbor t o tussle w ith the prob lems which m ean t ei th er th e life and growth of Acacia or its failure as a college fraternity. At th e oth er , six tim es five m en asse mbl ed abou t many tabl es arranged in th e form of a large tria ngl e in th e bi g ha ll of a m etropolitan lodge, there t o legislate fo r th e furth er advancement of a successful na ti onal fraternity which , in th ose fifteen intervenin g years, had li ved and grown as a result of th e pl a ns of that first small group. But p erhaps th e m os t startling difference b etween the two Conclaves lay in th e typ e of m en . In 1905 and in each succeeding yea r, m en of 25 t o 35 years of age made up th e delegat es. In 1920 th e average age was probably und er , rath er than over, 25. So evid ent was this youth of th e delegates that ·it call ed forth frequent r emarks from those Gran d Office r s who had seen man y of th e oth er Conclaves.
Delegates Enjoy Personal Contact The 1920 Conclave was perhap s th e longest in Acacia history, lasting a whole week. It was fruitful in careful legis lati on and in comprehen sive discussion of Frat ernity problems; but perhaps th e mo st potent factor for good which cam e out of the m any days of m eeting was the per sonal to uch which was possible between th e del egates and the many out-of-sess ion discussions about intimate chapt er matt ers. T he delecrates ca m e t o kn ow each oth er well , in oth er w ord s . and had plenty of ~ pp ortunity of di scussing with one a noth er. th eir various chap ters .and their indiv idua l troub les and problems. Th1s factor a lone r esu lted m a better und erstanding betw een the East and th e West and .was particula rl y m a nifes t during and afte r .the vot e on th e Gr eek .q uesti on. w hen r~o ill-feeling or acrimony was ev1dent and Harvar d, Yale and Columb1 a