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AMERICAN COLLEGE FRATERNITIES
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CHAPTER-HOUSES AND HALLS

Since the fraternities have been firmly established, graduate and undergraduate members have united in contributing toward building funds, and have built chapter-houses and halls, sometimes at great expense. Two types of such structures have been developed; the earlier one a lodge or temple, designed to afford accommodation for meeting purposes only, or for meeting purposes and such additional social features as private theatricals, and the latter one, a complete club house, containing public rooms, a lodge room, or rooms, and sleeping rooms. The buildings of the earlier type were soon found to be deficient in accommodations, and this, together with the expense, will probably prevent the building of more elaborate and commodious structures of this class. It is a fact common in human experience, that people are more deeply interested in things upon which they have spent time, effort or money, than in things which they have acquired without either, and the interest of alumni has never been so fully aroused and maintained by any feature of fraternity life as by the efforts which have been made to build chapter-lodges and houses. The creation of building funds, the frequent consultation as to plans, and the consideration of ways and means, have intensified the interest of alumni in a way that nothing else has done. All of this has resulted in direct benefit to the colleges, and the wiser among college officials are encouraging the development of this feature of fraternity life in every way possible. The advantages of the chapter-house system are not altogether