A Princeton eating club, to a casual visitor, seems to offer nothing except an endless round of parties, dances, and dinners. But behind this facade of elegance--waiters, fine food, comfortable chairs, linen table cloths--lies a quarrel that nearly split the university in two three years ago, and the resulting mess is still the hottest topic on the campus.

Clubs always exclude someone and up to spring of 1950 ten percent of Tiger sophomores usually failed to make the grade and were condemned to Commons and Howard Johnson's dinners.

From being an experiment, Princeton's unique 17-clubs system has passed through the stages of phenomena and fadism, and at last proved itself an asset to the college. The sophomore "100-percent or none" movement of 1949 to 1950 virtually established a new and shaky Tiger tradition. Since then all eligible sophomores have received bids and as one Princeton said recently, "the 'right' attitude towards 100-percent is now accepted. . . '

Still this February's "bicker period," during which sophomores receive bids to join the clubs, will again be a rocky one; the claim of 1955 has five negroes. Twelve of the 17 clubs draw no racial lines, but all have held a color barrier so far.

Prospect Out of Bounds

The present bickering system is the crux of the "100 percent argument." Until he is elected to a club, Prospect Avenue, where the clubs are located, is out of bounds to all underclassmen.

Bickering starts in February with a calling period during which club representatives visit prospective members in their rooms--up to 11.45 p.m. Then a three day calling period ensues when for the first time sophomores can visit any or all houses. During this time sophomores receive bids and are usually given several hours to accept or decline. About two percent annually refuse all club bids.

A "Bicker code" defines "unethical practices" such as pre-Bicker beer parties and mailing Christmas greetings to promising sophomores.

One of the major obstacles to "100 percent" was the practice of "ironclads" whereby upwards of 14 men would insist on being elected to a club on masse. Current rules limit the size of such groups to five or six.

Almost all of a Princetonian's social activity is centered in his club. Here he eats, relaxes, parties, and houses his girl in the weekends. Meals cost about $19 to $21 per week, but for this sum an undergraduate avoids the noise of commons, student waiters, and Howard Johnson's food. Most say it is well worth the price. Scholarship students are called rate men and pay $17 a week.

In addition club men are assessed a party fee--about $40 to $75 a year, depending on the club. Rates are somewhat cheaper in Prospect Club, a cooperative. Initiation fees run in the neighborhood of about $50, and some clubs have undergraduate dues of about $25 a term.

At present, with the exception of Prospect, all club waiters are professional. The University has repeatedly tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade clubs to give up this luxury and employ students. As Minot C. Morgan Jr., Director of the Bureau of Student Aid and Employment, said recently, "It's something that's inevitable, only the date is uncertain."

Parietal rules are unknown in Princeton. Since the clubs are on private property the University has no jurisdiction over them. Under the so-called "Gentlemen's Agreement" clubs enjoy complete autonomy from interference by college proctors if they enforce the rules pertaining to undergraduate behavior.

Theoretically all men must leave the clubs by 2 a.m. on weekends and no liquor may be served without Dean's Office permission. The Agreement was revised this fall, but still "it's power depends solely upon what kind of a guy your club has as president . . ."

Criticism has dogged the Princeton clubs. In 1853 the University banned secret societies, so students turned to eating in boarding houses. This soon proved unsatisfactory, and in 1878 the first eating club--Ivy--was born.