"GET AN AXE."

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 32, 7 February 1907, Page 5

"GET AN AXE."

AMERICAN METHODS. AN INTERESTING PILGRIMAGE. From timo to time, New Zcalanders go to America, and they return with more or less tales about iho land of the •pread-'eagle. A commentary, decidedly different from the average narrative, is given by Mr H. P. Richmond, who returned recently from a pilgrimage through tha United States on his way back from England. UNIVERSITY FRATERNITD3S— SECRET SOCIETIES. Mr. Richmond noticed that the students jf the American Universities are fond of banding themselves into "fraternities," so-called secret societies. There ars nbput of these fraternities in tho Sfotas, all distinguished by two or threo letters oi the Greek alphabet— such as LaniDda-Lelta-Omega, Pic-Gamma-Theta, •pd <joon,' One of these fraternities might have a" membership extending through thirty universities, making a roll number Of 10,000. They have quaint initiation ceremonies, secret pass words, and other things to give a deep air of mystery to these organisations. Each of the fraternities has a chapter house at ench irf the big universities, and there the students domicile themselves. They have these accommodation houses put up at their own. expense, with the assistance of graduates who remain members of the secret society after they have finished their course. These fraternities are chiefly social, as far as an outsider can judge. The main idea, apparently, is to give a man a social centre at a big university. The members are supposed to work hard to uphold* the honour of the university and fraternity alike, and each society strives to outvie the others ii> matters of schol«shi|) and athletics. Women aro also banded together into similar secret socieSies, -called sororities. . Sometimes the members who are initiated ue constrained to. do "6tunts," 4omething akin to the "fags" of the English schools. One day, Mr. Richmond A" girl, of about twenty summers, Walking along a footpath with a perambulator containing a doll, and about fifteen girls Tvere on the other side of the toad enjoying the spectacle of the "stunt" to -which they had subjected their fellow •fcteri The danger o* the fraternity system, toys Mr, Richmond, js that the members (sometimes place their sacret society ahead /of the university, and they tend to become cliquey 3l"oreover, a young man might get into a fast set, dad have ibis college career ruined. EDUCATION ON A DOLLAR 1 BASIS. Contact with men of various universities - gave Mr Richmond an impression that the average American graduate was not bo widely read as the New Zealand«T. The American's_ Jaiowlcdge was not co tride. he h*d less interest in other parts of the world. Tha Americans epecialisc in a.«ubject or two, and the result is a tntiren.not so stable or broad-minded as •ir New Zealander or Briton. Their education tends to make them good at a subject, and is arranged to produce an immediate definite <?olhr result i In the Western Universities Mr. Richmond was struck uy the strong democratic spirit that prevailed. For instance, the head of one of the chapter houses paid his way through college by selling fcheiving-gum wholesale. There were moneyed men in the house, bu;t they d£d not question tho supremacy of the gum mercbant. \ '* I BMART" SPORT. ' J ■" • Even in spors the American seems to regard "smartness"— with a heavy accent on the "smart" — as a virtue. The American methods of play appear odd to a Britisher, who has a rigid code of honour in his games. The Americans caJrry on their pastimes rather like a "war, m which, according to tho adage, all is fair. For example, American football is fall of things called "plays," special tricks, and one university endeavours to steal the "dodges" o*f another. As a result, for several days ' preceding, a battle a university team shuns daylight for practice. It is feared that there may be spies, even in the home camp, and therefore tbe men ' wait foir darkness, and practise with a "ghost ball," a luminous apparition. -It is considered "smart" for a university to steal the "wrinkles" of a rival. THE FEARFUL "ROOTER." "Barracking" at American football matchfs >ia something more than a fine art. An enthusiast ia not suffered to yell cut "Go It, Bill," "Kick it in Yale,"-.' "Boost *em, Reds," or any other of such solitary cric3 as rend the air on New Zealand fields. The "barracker" is palled a "rooter," and the "rooterg" are organised, trained for their work. The rival factions take their place in "bleaches" (grand-stands) on opposite sides of the ground, and givo concerted! music. Mr Richmond had an opportunity of peeing a wonderful exhibition of "rooting" at the first Rugby match played by universities in America. Representatives of California and Stanford universities met at San Francisco, and each team had an army of f.oren hanclred "rooters," each equipped with a megaphone. California's "rooters" were ranged in long lines so disposed as to effectively display the university colours of gold and blue, and theso hues also graced the megaphones. The Stanford 'Tooters" wore cardinal <ap», and! had crimson megaphones. At a given signal some of the "rooters," at regular intervals, removed their red head gear in favour of white cooks' caps, and whirled white cloths over their shoulders, to produco a succession of great S'e. These terrible armies had leaders who gate the time for the "roots," and there was some memorkDle unroar. Stanford also had a brass band to assist the human noise-makers. Before the match commenced the rival factions had mortars, with which they shot tip objects that unfurled into Bgpres of women and other designs flourishing the party's colours. After the battle, which Stanford won, by two penalty goala to a try, the "rooters" were not content v/ith seeing the enemy vanquished. They took the field, and did a serpentine dance over the field, in accordance with tho rights of "root«rs," and the whole seven hundred filed before tho Californian goal. As each man passed the posts he hurled his 'crimson cap over the bar as an indication of the process by which California had been defeated. The Californian "rootqrs" watched the procession and yelled "Get an axe, get an axe." This "rooting," which must strike a New Zealander as a hysterical, obnoxious adjtinct to football, is regarded as a very Important feature of American matches. Mr. -Richmond mentioned that thcro is as much excitement over the \n\ cntion of a new "stunt" (war-cry) for "rooting" as over tho introduction of a clever "play." It is a matter which the newspapers consider momentous enough to chronicle.