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Univ. of Miss. [University of Mississippi] April 6th 1872 [April 6, 1872]

Mr. J.J. Hogsett [John J. Hogsett]

Dear Brother:

I fear that I have been remiss in my duties by waiting so long to communicate to you the condition and prospects of this chapter of our beloved order and will, therefore, write you to-night.

Though we have had three of our members to leave us we still do well. We haven't as large a number as we would like but, making it a point always to get such members as we can look upon as brothers,

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we supply this deficiency by the quality of our members and by the warmth of feeling existing between us: a principle which our constitution strongly immulates.

Has the Grand Order come to any decision about having an annual meeting of representatives of the various chapters?

I send you a note written by a young man at the Frankfort, Ky. to an old member of [following word inserted] our chapter. The latter, Mr. Hawkins, says he is [following word inserted] a fine young man.

What do you think of sending him a copy of the constitution and allowing him to establish a chapter. It would probably be going contrary

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to the mode of initiation laid down in the Cons. [Constitution] But at the same time this is one of the best methods of establishing chapters or at least the readiest method. I think an annual meeting to settle such points would promote the welfare of the order.

Two years ago one [following word inserted] of our members, Mr. H.L. Sutherland, who had been one of the best we ever had, resigned his connection with the order on account of some excitement we had in a literary society; but we finding that he was sorry of his course, proposed to him to become a member of the association again and he has done so

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with sincere apologies for his past conduct. So if his name was ever stricken from the rolls it would be well to enter it again.

Let me hear from you soon. Fraternally your in the bonds of α.α.π. [alpha alpha pi, with a chain linking the letters]

Matthew C. Harper