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The undergraduates who have just been taken into Phi Beta Kappa deserve commendation. They are to be congratulated in having achieved the highest scholastic distinction in the University. Creditable as their work has undoubtedly been, nevertheless, it does not of necessity denote high scholarly distinction. It is, unfortunately, too easy to acquire good standing by learning things by rote, and there are students who gain the highest averages by dint of incessant, unthinking memorizing.
There is one class of men, however, to whom the Phi Beta Kappa key is an incomparable distinction. That is the typo of man who goes out for some undergraduate activity other than pure studies, yet who succeeds in doing excellent work in his lessons. To these men, the Phi Beta Kappa means most. Not merely scholars, not purely athletes, not men whose only achievements have been in literary or social fields, these are the most "all-around" men of the University. He who can succeed at work as well as at play merits the highest approval of his fellow undergraduates.
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