Kappa Sigma Pi
Ritual of the Second Degree – Order of Damascus
An Inner Circle
1912
The Order of Damascus is the first inner circle of the Club and is not to be
considered a separate organization, but a little more select, since the pledge
is more definite, age limit is higher, and the character test is a better
average. This circle is for boys whose fixed purpose is to be, and to confess to
be, Christians.
Where there is a Young People's Society in the Church, they are expected to
enter into its membership, and work as they have opportunity, to develop in the
Christian life.
If they are active members of the Church it is all the better, but an
equivalent to membership in the Young People's Society of the Church is expected
to show the sincerity of their purpose, and to train them for Christian service.
Church membership is necessary for promotion to Third Degree membership.
They are to be leaders of the younger and less seriously inclined, sometimes
taking the part of an elder brother to a single boy until he is led to the right
decision for Christ.
The work of building up the Young People's Society should be an important
part of their activities. In most places the Society needs greatly just this
young masculine energy to make it go. Become familiar with Period II in Paul's
life; see Manual, p. 115.
Membership Conditions
Age at least 13 years. Active member in Young People's Society, if any.
Passing record in the first degree. Recommended by the Chaplain. Vote of second
degree members present, after sufficient notice of meeting. Three negative votes
reject.
Chaplain selects the charter members, upon whom the degree is installed. The
local Chaplain is responsible to the Grand Chaplain for the moral standard and
qualifications of members in this degree.
The standard must not be lowered for the sake of numbers nor for any other
reason.
Organization of this Circle
Appointed by Chaplain, or elected by order.
Chairman—High Priest.
Ist Vice-Chairman—Ananias.
2d Vice-Chairman—Barnabas.
Secretary and Treasurer—Servant of Records.
Warden and Custodian—Servant of Arm s.
Doorkeeper—Servant at the Door.
Committees may be appointed by the High Priest for any special work.
Order of Business
1. Prayer by Chaplain.
2. Roll Call.
3. Reading Record; Financial Statement.
4. Reports of Committees.
5. Anything for the good of the order?
6. Chaplain's Recommendation for Membership.
7. Election.
8. Initiation.
The work decided upon should be done modestly and quietly in true fraternity
spirit.
Do not be anxious about credits. Be deliberate in electing new members. Say
little about it to the younger boys. They will be anxious. Let it mean
something. Arrange for the initiation quietly.
Boys asking the Chaplain to recommend them for election to this degree will
give the Chaplain his opportunity to talk to them personally about being a
Christian.
This point, with the initiation itself, is the very heart of Kappa Sigma Pi
work. Failure here will be a crime. Every member should be assigned to some
task, or to be a "big brother" to some younger or less fortunate boy.
The initiation fee is the only required tax; usually this is 25 cents.
Members continue paying dues in the first degree only. One Purser for all
degrees. Funds may be kept separate if desired; then Servant of Records makes
out warrant in place of the regular Scribe.
The fund from the initiation fee is generally sufficient to pay for all
paraphernalia.
Meetings of the Order
The Order should meet once a month, if only for a few minutes, to hold
conferences for the good of the order. Some have the 2d Degree meetings to
follow the regular meeting in the same evening. Others give an evening of each
month entirely to 2d Degree.
The best plan now in operation, it seems, is to have the regular club meeting
for the first degree with all Kappa Sigma Pi members one evening each week.
Have a special program or initiations in the first degree the first and third
meeting nights of the month, to occupy the whole evening.
On the second meeting night of the month dismiss the regular club meeting at
the end of the first hour, and take the second hour for the second degree
meeting.
Send the younger members home, keeping only the members of the second degree
(and third if any) and candidates to be initiated.
Use the fourth meeting night in the month for the third degree in the same
way, when it is installed in your Chapter. This plan demands but one night a
week and holds the degrees together as a solid Chapter.
Initiation Ceremony
Equipment
Large hamper or basket supported with wire with rings (four) for snaps. Small
rope and pulleys with four ends and hooks or snaps to attach to the basket.
Strong hook for the ceiling. Flash light trap like photographers use. Blindfold.
Cup of water. Bench or table. Set of one dozen imitation stones. Costume for
high priest and servants adds greatly to the effect.
Characters
Stephen, High Priest, Servants, Ananias of Damascus, Mob of Jews, Barnabas,
Circle of Disciples.
First Scene
Create an opening scene in which the candidates are led (eyes open) into the
room and made to take part in the stoning of Stephen.
One boy takes the part of Stephen and allows the others apparently to stone
him to death. The candidates are made to hold some of their coats while others
are thrown at their feet and involved in conversation as a party to the crime.
Let the team practice this scene several times before it is enacted the first
time, and it can be made very realistic. The signal to stop throwing stones is
for Stephen to throw up his hand, say: Behold. I fee the heavens open
and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God, then
to fall back as dead.
From this position, or, having been returned to the ante-room, they are
summoned one at a time to appear before the High Priest, to be rewarded for zeal
against the Christians, with a commission to go to Damascus.
High Priest: Servant of the Records, read to us the names of the
band of Sauls who seek favor at our hands.
Candidates' names are read.
H. P.: Servant of the Arms, bring one named Saul in before us and
we shall inquire of him certain things.
S. of Arms goes to the ante-room, approaches the first candidate, speaking
the following, and leads him to the H. P.
S. of Arms: Sir! Thy name is Saul. The High Priest calleth for
thee. Come with me and answer his summons at once.
The Servant at the Door and the S. of Arms may arrange raps and challenges,
if desired.
S. of Arms to the H. P.: Worthy Father, I present to you one Saul
who seeks a favor from thee. He would undertake to travel to distant cities so
as to continue his persecution of the despisable sect of the disciples of Jesus.
Wilt thou give him authority?
H. P.: Servant of the Records, what sayeth thy book of this man?
S. of Records: It is entered here that this one has paid his tithe
(fee). He has kept his vow and the laws of Moses from his youth up. He has been
properly recommended, and all the Sanhedrin have voted confidence in him.
H. P.: What think any of you Scribes and Pharisees of this man's
fitness for this important journey?
Several standing about the H. P. answer:
l—Worthy High Priest, This man Saul is a Pharisee, strict and exacting. He
loves the law and will enforce it.
2—I, too, declare, noble priest of Jehovah, that Saul is worthy of this
honor, for he is a learned lawyer, having sat at the feet of Gamaliel; a Greek
scholar, and an expert tent-maker. He is a Jew of the Jews.
3—Yes, he was with us in our efforts to rid Jerusalem of the disciples of
Jesus, and held the clothes and gave authority to the stoning of Stephen.
4—I also would witness in his favor. I have been with him on many
expeditions against the Christians, when we shut them up in prison, punishing
them of ten in the synagogues, trying to make them blaspheme, and he voted
against them, so many were put to death.
H. P.: Saul, take thou authority to journey with all haste to the
city of Damascus. My servants will accompany thee and aid thee. Bind and bring
unto me all the fanatical disciples of the Nazarene, who are creating so much
stir, and say that he hath arisen from the dead. Bring them to me, I say, and
they shall be utterly exterminated. Farewell!
S. of Arms: Come, we shall guard thee from all harm and fight right valiantly
for thee.
Two servants take his arms and walk him promiscuously about, improvising
remarks about the journey and the city of Damascus or the following lecture.
We are now entering upon the rough and dangerous journey to the oldest city
in the world, the beautiful city of Damascus. Severe tests of your bravery and
courage are before you, for Damascus is a city of seven days' journey and rocky
roads and Bedouin bandits are likely to be encountered in many parts of the
journey.
We are to take the steep and dangerous path down to Jericho and up the Jordan
valley and reach Damascus at the earliest possible date, for we are told that
this old city has large numbers of the followers of the Nazarene, and the
commission which you hold for their arrest must be carried out. Let your courage
fail not.
Finally approach a door to a darkened room or behind a curtain, explaining
that this is the gate of the beautiful city of Damascus. . . . Here
is the gate to the city. This is the cue to the flash
light operator. As he enters, the flash light is set off and he is thrown down
and blindfolded.
A Voice: Saul! Saul! Why persecutest thou Me?
Saul, instructed by servant: Who art thou, Lord?
A Voice: I am He whom thou persecutest. It is hard to kick against
the goad.
Saul, instructed: What shall I do?
A Voice: Arise! Go into the city of Damascus, to the street called
Strait, and to the house of one named Judas, and thou shalt be told what to do.
Candidate is now led to a bench or table and laid upon it in silence for a
few minutes.
Just before the appearance of Ananias, while the candidate is lying on the
couch in the house of Judas blindfolded,
improvise a scene to test his sincerity. By a prearranged plan let his best
friends raise the question of his sincere purpose to be a Christian and fitness
to enter the fellowship of the Order of Damascus. Tell the most inconsistent and
unworthy things known or imagined about him, and suggest that he should be
dismissed, or the initiation be postponed at least. Let others join freely in a
discussion of his case, destroying all conceit in his mind. Do not let this be
frivolous, but impress him that you are in earnest, and if he is not sincere in
his purpose to lead a Christian life the initiation had better stop now, and not
trifle with so sacred a question.
Finally let the Chaplain suggest that while these things sound bad, that it
is not a question of the past, but only one of sincere purpose to be clear and
straight in his efforts to serve Christ in the future, and put the matter
straight up to the candidate for a decision.
When he declares his purpose to be sincere the Chaplain asks the members
whether they are satisfied, and all agree that the ceremony shall proceed.
Ananias enters, laying his hand on him, and questions him.
Ananias: Brother Saul. I am Ananias. The One who appeared unto
thee on the way hath sent me that thou mayest receive thy sight and be filled
with the Holy Spirit. But I must question thee closely. Dost thou believe that
Jesus is the Christ?
Candidate answers.
Anan.: Wilt thou confess and serve Him as thou hast opportunity?
Candidate answers.
Anan.: Wilt thou associate thyself with His band, known as the
Young People's Society give local name, or
some such organization of the Church, so as to learn how to live a Christian?
Candidate answers.
Anan.: Wilt thou be loyal to the Order of Damascus by keeping its
secrets and striving at all times for the good of the members?
Candidate answers.
Anan.: Thy answers seem good to us, Brother Saul. Thou shalt be
called Paul, and the Lord shall be with thee to help thee, and thine eyes shall
be opened to see glorious visions of Divine truth. I hereby anoint thee with
pure water as a token of the cleansing from sin and the pure life that thou
mayest live thru Jesus the Christ.
Sprinkle some water in his face. Angry, threatening voices heard immediately
after. Growing louder and closer.
Anan.: Hasten, Brother Paul, we must send thee speedily out of the
city, for the Jews would now kill thee. From the house on the wall escape by
basket is possible, but the gates are guarded by your enemies.
He is hurried to the basket, swung, dropped, left alone and silent. Lowering
a basket with the candidate over a balcony or out of a window is ideal.
Suspended by rope and tackle from the ceiling and entered from a step-ladder or
stairway is good. Take no risks of accidents. Have everything strong and in
order, with some of the team below to catch the basket in case of a Fall. A
substitute, when necessary, for rope and pulleys, is to have two strong boys
pick up basket in hands, silently swinging and dropping it, not too roughly.
After a pause, in which the candidate is left alone, and the team and members
have time to form a circle, then Barnabas approaches and releases him, saying:
Barn. to Paul: Ah! a brother in distress. It is Saul of Tarsus. My
name is Barnabas. Let me assist thee. I know of thy conversion. I will lead thee
to the brethren at Jerusalem.
Introducing him to the circle of members.
Barn. to brethren: Here is one, Saul, who formerly persecuted us,
but who is not Paul, preaching Christ, and is one of us.
Club welcome him with hand shake and words of greeting.
After all the candidates have "traveled the road," let the closing
scene be as follows: All the members with the candidates form a circle, facing;
inward with arms horizontal and hands on each other's shoulders. Then, with
bowed heads, the Chaplain leads in a consecration prayer or calls for short
prayers by the members.