p. 190College Secret Societies

About one hundred and fifty thousand college students in the United States belong to so-called Greek Letter or College Societies. College bred men and women, the so-called better educated class of people among us, are thus imbued with the principles of secret societies, and after returning to their homes are, as a rule, prime movers in such societies, as stated in the beginning of this book.

Tradition has it that Thomas Jefferson introduced the first Greek Letter Society from France into the William and Mary College of Virginia, and that from there the society spread to Yale, Harvard and the other seats of learning, before the Declaration of Independence. Outside of the “hazing” and other “horse-play” practiced in some colleges and universities, the mode of initiation varies but little. From time to time the officials in the seats of learning interfere and it is conceded that in nearly all the schools the former brutal treatment is abolished.

The mode of initiation is described thus: “About two weeks after the scholastic term in September has commenced notice is given to all newly arrived students, who are of the required age and standing, to join the society, if they so desire. A day is set for the ceremony of initiation. Those who have signified their intention to join receive, on the afternoon of the appointed day, a black envelope containing a black-edged card or sheet of paper, bearing the badge of the society and the summons: ‘You, N. N., will be waited upon at your room this evening and be presented for initiation into the dark and awful mysteries of——Fraternity. Per Order.’”

“The half of a card of fantastic design and peculiarly notched edge is also enclosed, and the candidate instructed to surrender himself only to that person who presents him with the other half of the card; care being taken that no two cards are notched alike, so his card must exactly match the edge of the card of the bearer. At a convenient hour in the evening two masked students present the card and conduct the candidate to the place of initiation. Here he is blindfolded, led forward, hears doors open and close, and, the hoodwink being removed, he finds himself in utter darkness, but is made aware that he is not alone. He hears pandemonium break loose, as it were, all around him. His name is called, a skeleton redolent with phosphorus and a red demon take hold of him, blindfold him anew, and he is led up an elevation. Having answered the last question put to him, he tumbles, falls down apparently deep on a blanket held in readiness, is tossed high up in the air amid admiring shrieks of ‘Go it, Freshie,’ ‘Well done,’ ‘Shake him up,’ ‘Go it again,’ and so on until a new candidate demands the attention of the tossers. Then he is officiously told to set himself into a chair, the seat of which lets him into a pail of water beneath, though a large sponge probably saves him from an actual wetting. His head and hands are thrust through a pillory, and he is reviled whilst in that awkward position. He is rolled into an exaggerated squirrel wheel, a noose is thrown around his neck and he is dragged beneath the guillotine, when the bandage is taken from his eyes and he glares upon the glittering knife of block tin, which falls within a foot of his throat and cannot possibly go any farther. Being thus executed he is thrust into a coffin, which is hammered upon with such energy that he is at length recalled to life, pulled out again and made to wear his coat inside outward. This is the sign that his initiation is over and he can now stand by and enjoy the fun of the initiation of others. Ranging himself with the turn-coated class-mates, whom he finds have preceded him, he looks upon a motley throng of struggling sophomores arrayed in every variety of hideous and fantastic disguise, shouting, screaming, horn-blowing and putting the freshmen through the various stages of ceremonies which in his own case have just been completed. He is then made to take the oath and promise secrecy, as required by the respective society.”

In the old country the university students had and have their different secret societies; some of them harmless and others not so.

Initiation in one of the oldest seats of learning into the companionship of students is thus described:

“The ceremony of initiation was called ‘deposition.’ The candidate announced himself to the dean of the philosophical faculty, and asked that he might, through the ‘deposition,’ be received among the fellowship of the students. The candidate was called a ‘Branen,’ and when the number of Branens for admission was sufficient, the dean appointed a day for the ‘deposition.’ On the appointed day, the ‘depositor’ appeared in a burlesque dress before the assembled Branens and ordered his assistants to dress them in the most ridiculous manner, especially with horned hats and caps. Then the instruments for the deposition were distributed, viz.: Coarse wooden combs, shears, axes, hatchets, planes, saws, razors, looking glasses, etc. The Depositor then marched the Branens in rank and file, placed himself at their head and conducted them to the hall where the deposition was to take place. The dean and spectators being already awaiting them, the Depositor addressed them in a speech. Then he commenced the deposition by striking each Branen with a bag of bran or sand and compelled them to scamper about with all manner of laughable gestures and duckings in order to escape the stroke of the bag. Riddles and questions were put to them and whoever failed in answering them correctly was subjected to new attacks with the bag. The Branens now give up the instruments they hold in their hands, lay down flat on the ground, their heads together. The Depositor then planed their shoulders, filed their nails, pretended to bore through or saw off their feet, hewed every limb of their body into shape, knocked off their horns and tore out of their mouths with a pair of long tongs the satyr’s teeth, placed there on purpose. The Branen had then to sit on a stool with one leg, a napkin was placed around his neck, he was soaped with brick-dust or shoe-blackening and shaved so sharply with a wooden razor that the tears started down his cheeks. The combing with the wooden comb was equally rough, and after the combing the hair was sprinkled with sawdust and shavings. Then the Branens were driven out of the hall, amidst a great noise, changed their suits and returned in their ordinary dress to the hall, where the dean addressed them in an advisory speech. As a symbol of wisdom each tasted a grain of salt, as a sign of joy a few drops of wine were poured over the head of each one by the dean and the certificate of the accomplished deposition ended that part of the ceremony.”