Sigma Alpha Iota

A PRESIDENTIAL MYSTERY governments, representing the greater part of the population of the world, drawn together into a new sense of community of interest, a new sense of community of purpose, a new sense of unity of life… …to think of the women all over this country who are busy tonight, and are busy every night and every day, doing the work of the Red Cross, busy with a great eagerness to find out the most serviceable thing to do, busy with a forgetfulness of all the old frivolities of their social relationships, ready to curtail the duties of the household in order that they may contribute to this common work that all their hearts are engaged in and in doing which their hearts become acquainted with each other. When you think of this, you realize how the people of the United States are being drawn together into a great intimate family whose heart is being used for the service of the soldiers, not only, but for the service of civilians where they suffer and are lost in a maze of distresses and distractions. And you have, then this noble picture of justice and mercy as the two servants of liberty. For only where men are free do they think the thoughts of comradeship, only where they are free do they think the thoughts of sympathy, only where they are free are they mutually helpful, only where they are free do they realize their dependence upon one another and their comradeship in common interest and common necessity… …if you could catch some of those voices that speak the utter longing of oppressed and helpless peoples all over the world to hear something like "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," to hear the feet of the great hosts of liberty going to set them free, to set their minds free, set their lives free, set their children free; you The man who disparages music as a luxury and non-essential is doing the nation an injury. Music now, more than ever before, is a national need. There is no better way to express patriotism than through music. President Woodrow Wilson would know what comes into the heart of those who are trying to contribute all the brains and power they have to this great enterprise of liberty. I summon you to the comradeship. I summon you in this next week to say how much and how sincerely and how unanimously you sustain the heart of the world." In the libretto and in Wilson's speech war was a purifying flame. The war would necessarily continue until humanity's impurities had been completely melted away and all that would be left would be the refined desire for peace, a new sense of unity, and a hope of a new world order or New Jerusalem. This war would end all wars if we uncompromisingly pursued it to the end with intensity and singleness of purpose and with all of our human energies: the world would be finally set free, liberated, saved. We may conjecture that Woodrow Wilson read the libretto and kept it because its reference to Biblical texts — which he knew well from his staunch Protestant religious upbringing - resonated within his soul. We don't know, in fact, who gave the text to the president, or how he received it, or why he kept this startling document in his collection. We can only speculate. It is still a mystery. But, the signs are there. SAI in the first world war W e women of the States are just beginning to get an idea, some more poignantly than others, of what lies before us. In order to meet the inevitable, we must fortify ourselves with a thorough knowledge of the situation, an absolute familiarity with the hard things we will have to bear. ... We must be strong, buoyant, and resourceful in our associations with our soldiers and meet their departure with the same wonderful spirit and strength of the mothers, daughters, sisters, sweethearts, and wives, who sent forth the manhood of our country in its previous struggles to both death and victory. — OUR OPPORTUNITY SAI National Vice-president REBEKAH W. ALTER March 1918 The March 1918 Pan Pipes lists chapter war efforts: Alpha girls are taking part in Red Cross work. ... Zeta Chapter decided to show her patriotism by giving a concert for the Red Cross. ... [Iota] gave a Red Cross benefit recital on the fourth of February, and made $100, which we have contributed to the Red Cross ... Each member in the [Kappa] house has knitted a sweater for the soldiers. Some have already started a second one. … At one of Lambda's recent meetings, we voted ... to pledge to the Red Cross the amount of money necessary to finance such a banquet... [The Mu] chapter as a body go to the Red Cross rooms and assist in the making of surgical dressings. Just prior to Christmas, each one of the girls of our chapter sent a Christmas kit to boys in the trenches with our personal card enclosed ... Hollis Thoms is an Annapolis composer of over 100 works for a variety of ensembles. He has a Bachelor's Degree from Concordia University Chicago, a Master's of Music Degree from Northwestern University, an Educational Specialist Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Toledo, a Master's Degree in Liberal Arts from St. John's College, Annapolis, and finished the course work for the Doctorate in Musical Composition from the Eastman School of Music. He has been the recipient of a number of fellowships including the Joseph Kingenstein Fellowship to Columbia University to do research and creative work in English and music, writing a 45 minute song-cycle, "Sargasso," for soprano, cello and piano based on the poetry of Sylvia Plath as part of his fellowship year project that was performed at Columbia University during his fellowship year; and was selected to participate in the summer seminar for school administrators at Harvard University. In addition, he has had 30 articles published in educational journals on a variety of administrative and teaching topics. He has also been a teacher of music and English, a school administrator and regional director of schools. His published articles include "The Spiritual Dimension to Composing: Results of a Survey," published by PAN PIPES in 2007, and "Witnessing the Raw Power of Bach's Creativity: Two Composing Scores of Johann Sebastian Bach," published by PAN PIPES in 2009. sai-national.org WINTER 2012 PAN PIPES 19

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