Delta Sigma Delta
Initiation Ritual
1899
Opening Exercises
Supreme
Grand Master, *: Brethren, we
are about to open a regularly convened session of the Supreme Chapter of Delta
Sigma Delta. Brother Tyler, you will assume your duties. Brother Senior Page,
you will see that all other officers are at their respective stations, and
properly clothed.
Supreme
Grand Master: Brother Senior
Page, you will advance in due form and satisfy me that you are in possession of
the proper pass. Done.
The pass is correctly reported, you will now proceed to collect the same from
all present and report to me.
Supreme
Senior Page: Supreme Grand
Master, your order has been obeyed. I find all present qualified to remain.
Supreme
Grand Master, * *: Brother
Worthy Master, where is your station, and what are your duties in this chapter?
Supreme
Worthy Master: My station is
opposite to and facing the Supreme Grand Master. My duties are to assist the
Supreme Grand Master and preside in his absence.
Supreme
Grand Master: Brother Scribe,
where is your station and what are your duties in this chapter?
Supreme
Scribe: My station is at the
right of the Supreme Grand Master. My duties are to keep a record of the doings
of the chapter, attend to all correspondence, keep a register of the membership,
collect all dues and pay same to Supreme Treasurer, notify brethren of meetings,
draw and sign orders for all proper demands upon the Supreme Treasurer, and make
a written
report to the annual
meeting of the Supreme Chapter.
Supreme
Grand Master: Brother
Treasurer, what ate your duties in this chapter?
Supreme
Treasurer: My duties are to
faithfully keep in a public depository, approved by the Supreme Council, all
funds of this chapter, and pay the same out only on vouchers properly indorsed
by the Supreme Grand Master and Supreme Scribe, and to make a written report of
all transactions at the annual meeting.
Supreme
Grand Master: Brother Tyler,
what are your duties in this chapter?
Supreme
Supreme
Grand Master: Brother Senior
Page, where is your station and what are your duties in this chapter?
Supreme
Senior Page: My station is in
front and at the left of the Supreme Grand Master. My duties are to prepare and
escort candidates, carry messages, and perform such other duties as the Supreme
Grand Master may order.
Supreme
Grand Master: Brother Junior
Page, where is your station and what are your duties in this chapter?
Supreme
Junior Page: My station is in
front and at the left of the Supreme Worthy Master. My duties are to receive and
introduce visiting brethren, assist the Supreme Senior Page in preparing and
escorting candidates, carry messages, and perform other duties as ordered by the
Supreme Grand Master or Supreme Worthy Master.
Supreme
Grand Master: And my duty as
Supreme Grand Master of the chapter is to preside at all regular and called
meetings. To see that all orders of the chapter are executed; sign all vouchers
drawn upon its treasury; refer to the Supreme Council all matters regular and
accidental which require its sanction, appoint regular and special committees,
and nominate such officers as are thus provided for by the constitution or
by-laws; and last, but not least, to have a general oversight of such matters as
concern the Fraternity, its chapters or individual members, using all available
resources for the preservation of harmony, and strengthening of its bonds; and
so secure a power which shall be helpful in elevating us as individuals to that
ideal position to which our noble and beloved profession calls us.
*
* *. Brethren in Delta Sigma
Delta, give the sign of knowledge. Done.
By virtue of the power vested in me as its Supreme Grand Master, I now declare
this the Supreme Chapter
of Delta Sigma Delta
regularly opened and ready for the transaction of such business as may properly
come before it.
Initiatory Exercises
Supreme
Grand Master: Brother Senior
Page, you will retire and see if there are any candidates in waiting.
Senior
Page salutes and retires, upon his return he presents the candidate’s name (in
full) in writing, with a complete record of degrees or other titles he
possesses, together with the names of Medical or Dental societies to which he
belongs, and any other information obtainable to make a complete record. Such
record is to be placed in a record book for such purposes.
Supreme
Senior Page: Supreme Grand
Master, I here present the name of a candidate I find in waiting.
The
Supreme Scribe reads the records.
Supreme
Grand Master: Brethren, we have
in waiting to be initiated, Doctor …. If there are no objections, we will
proceed to confer the degree.
Brother Scribe, you
will take with you the Pages, retire, collect the usual fee, and administer the
preliminary oath.
The
chapter will be at ease until the sound of the gavel
The
Scribe and Pates retire to prepare the candidate for admission.
Supreme
Scribe, to candidate in ante-room: Doctor,
this you know is a secret Fraternity. It is composed exclusively of members of
the dental profession and those preparing to enter it. Its aim is to admit none
but men of honor and integrity who shall be an honor to the profession and to
the Fraternity. Secrecy, in any Fraternity of this kind, is necessary to
establish intimate bonds of friendly relationship and confidence, and to secure
to the worthy, fraternal benefits. We do not solicit membership.
Someone friendly to
you and convinced of your worthiness has advocated your admission to our
Fraternity. Before you are affiliated you will be required to undergo a mental,
moral and physical ordeal, which shall determine your capabilities as a brother
in this Fraternity.
Should you justify
our confidence by successfully fulfilling the requirements, and receive our
final approval, you will then be more able to appreciate the benefits of our
Fraternity. It is but just to tell you that some candidates fail utterly and are
forever debarred from membership, while others have been denied full recognition
until satisfactory preparation has been made.
I can assure you that
you will be dealt with in all fairness and justice, tempered with a friendly
desire to receive you as a brother of this honorable Fraternity. “What man has
done, man can do.” Let this encourage you, and remember, you are in the hands
of your friends. If you do not succeed, the fault will be your own. Let
Knowledge, Strength, and Justice, be your beacon lights.
Before we proceed in
this initiation, it will be necessary for you to take upon yourself an oath or
obligation that, whether or not you pass the ordeal successfully, you will never
divulge any of the secrets with which you are now, or may become at any future
time, acquainted. Consider well what has been said to you and if you desire to
withdraw, you now have the opportunity.
If it is your desire
to proceed, you will raise your right hand and repeat after me:
“I, (pronounce your
name in full) do solemnly and sincerely swear, (or affirm) upon my honor as a
man, that to my knowledge, I have never been rejected or expelled from any
chapter of this Fraternity
‘‘I furthermore
swear (or affirm) that I will never, irregularly or otherwise, reveal any of the
secrets, secret work, signs, passwords or grips of this Fraternity with which I
may now, or at any time hereafter, become acquainted, or of which I may in any
way become cognizant, so help me God”
When
the Scribe re-enters the robin the chapter is called to order.
Supreme
Scribe: Supreme Grand Master,
your order has been obeyed and the candidate stands fully pledged, awaiting your
further orders.
Supreme
Grand Master: It is well, you
will instruct the Senior Page to present the candidate.
Senior
Page, with candidate properly clothed in white gown, and hoodwinked, approaches
the door and gives signal.
Supreme
Supreme
Grand Master: You will attend
the alarm.
Supreme
Supreme
Senior Page: The Senior Page of
this chapter with Doctor …, an honorable gentleman and practitioner, who
desires to share the knowledge and strength of this Fraternity.
Supreme
Supreme
Senior Page: He is a man of
good character, earnest and sincere in his endeavors to gain knowledge and
advancement in his chosen profession. He promises faithfully to stand by and
uphold the principles of Delta Sigma Delta, and strive ever to be a worthy
member.
Supreme
Supreme
Senior Page: He has.
Supreme
Supreme
Senior Page: He has promised
under oath
Supreme
Supreme
Senior Page: He believes this
to be an honorable Fraternity organized for laudable purposes.
Supreme
Candidate
answers.
Supreme
Senior
Page and Junior Page with candidate pass the various stations, return to the
Supreme Worthy Master and salute.
Supreme
Worthy Master: Brother Senior
Page, why do you approach my altar?
Supreme
Senior Page: Brother Worthy
Master, I have the pleasure of presenting Doctor …, who has been examined and
permitted by the Supreme Tyler to pass into your province. He seeks further
enlightenment. He is in search of Knowledge, and desires to be fortified by
Strength, and believes himself imbued with a sense of Justice that will enable
him to worthily maintain membership in the Supreme Chapter of Delta Sigma Delta.
Supreme
Worthy Master: Doctor ..., the
Supreme Chapter of Delta Sigma Delta is a very select and exclusive body, which
raises and upholds a high standard of manliness and professional conduct, to
which all candidates for membership must qualify and subscribe. I will report to
the Supreme Grand Master and will inform you as to his answer. Brother Senior
Page, you may conduct
the candidate from the room.
Candidate
is then conducted into a side room and the door left open.
Supreme
Worthy Master: Supreme Grand
Master, there is without Dr. …, who has passed two provinces of our chapter
and now desires to enter, that he may satisfy us of his worthiness to become a
member of Delta Sigma Delta.
Supreme
Grand Master: Brothers, you
have heard the announcement of our Supreme Worthy Master. Doctor … comes to us
well recommended and has been favorably reported upon by our Board of Censors. I
know of no objection to his admission. Brother Worthy Master, you may admit the
candidate who is searching for Knowledge, Strength and Justice.
If
possible introduce music.
March
the candidate in directions to form a …, then around the hall, then form a
…, and afterwards a …, stopping
in front of the Worthy Master.
The
Supreme Worthy Master leaves his station and approaches the candidate.
Supreme
Worthy Master: Doctor …,
among the things that came early to your knowledge was the direction of the
rising sun. To the best of your ability now, please face the east. Doctor, you
have lost the points of your Compass, which of course, is not strange under the
circumstances. The lesson it teaches is this—that trifling things may render
us, in a measure, helpless, and some times entirely so. It is also significant
that at times we find ourselves in need of the kindly offices of a guiding and
helping hand. In Delta Sigma Delta we pledge ourselves to each other to be as
watchful of a brother’s interests as of our own, and to stand by each other in
the time of need. As you are at present unable to proceed alone we will endeavor
to lead you in the right direction.
Brother Senior Page,
conduct the candidate to the station of the Supreme Grand Master.
The
Supreme Page raises the hood-wink.
Supreme
Grand Master: Dr. …, will you
please examine this substance before you and tell me what it is?
Candidate
answers.
Supreme
Grand Master: In your daily use
of this substance, did you ever stop to consider its wonderful qualities, which
make it stand first among the metals of the world? This precious metal, with
which we are so closely allied in our work, is a fit emblem of the noble
character that each member of our Fraternity should strive to maintain, and so
deserve to have it said of him—“That man is as pure as gold.” Such high
honor is not, however, obtained without trial and discipline. Gold is refined by
fire and must remain in the crucible until all the dross and baser metals, which
have been incorporated with it, are driven out. Pure gold has nothing to fear
from the fire. In like manner a man with a noble nature withstands the fire of
affliction, adversity, or even of misrepresentation and calumny, and will be
able to thwart his adversaries by the purity of his character. He will endure
the pressure of continuous labor and the hammering and beating of vexatious
cares and petty annoyances without breaking with impatience or passion. Gold,
then, with its myriads of rare qualities, its purity, its usefulness, its
strength, its ductility, its beauty, its luster, its fineness and its precious
worth, goes to symbolize a noble character, such as we all should sincerely
endeavor to emulate.
Pledged to each other
as brothers, as we are in this Fraternity, the best that is in us should govern
our demeanor towards each other and make us true both in spirit and in deed.
Believing that, united we are strong. What strength to influence for good, can
there not be in a brotherhood whose standard of character and worth is so
elevated, and whose members may always be associated, by the community at large,
with honor and integrity, with worthy deeds and clean purposes? My brother, does
this sentiment coincide with your belief and purpose in life?
Candidate
answers.
Brother Senior Page,
you will conduct the candidate to the altar for the obligation.
If the Past Supreme
Grand Master is not present the Worthy Master gives the obligation.
Past Supreme Grand
Master: Brother …, this Supreme Chapter of Delta Sigma Delta aims to have a
membership composed of the very best and noblest men in the profession.
Intelligence, skill,
and a superior order of professional attainments generally, are qualifications
we seek; but a man with the highest attainments in erudition and manipulative
skill, and without honor, integrity and honest purposes, is not desired. Such an
one would not be congenial to our members nor we to him. Therefore, a clean
record and honest purposes are among the most important qualifications we
demand. If a man is an honor to himself we feel that he will be an honor to our
Fraternity.
Honor is one of the
most important qualifications of our Fraternity. It is not, with us, an empty
phrase, but an active sentiment, and constitutes the strength of our
organization. It is not confined alone to our associations with each other, but
it reaches out beyond the bounds of brotherhood, past the pale of party, farther
even than the fraternal feeling. It is expected to influence you in all your
future relationship with Delta Sigma Delta, with the world at large, and above
everything else it must be your guide in your associations with the patrons who
confide themselves to your care. It is unnecessary for me to indicate to you the
nature of your bearing towards your brothers in the Fraternity. Your conception
of good fellowship will teach you that I need not dwell upon your relations with
society at large —the instincts of a gentleman will govern you here;— but in
your professional relationships, I wish to impress upon you the necessity of
honor at all times and under all
circumstances. Remember that you are brought in close contact with all sorts and
conditions of the human race. Let your demeanor toward each of them be dignified
and honorable, impressing all of them as an individual worthy of their
confidence and respect. Wear the mantle of your manhood always about you.
Doctor …, you, no
doubt, gave this matter of affiliation with our Fraternity some thought, before
you came to us. And you doubtless believe that our purposes are worthy of your
confidence and support.
We believe that no
secret order is conducive to good, unless the principles upon which it is
founded are good, and Truth is its guiding star. Knowledge is, perforce, the
groundwork of any professional calling and certainly must be the foundation of
dentistry. In Delta Sigma Delta, we require something more than the ordinary
standard. No candidate should be accepted here without proper credentials in
that respect. We desire to have our insignia indicate that the owner of such a
badge is worthy of public confidence. In selecting you, (for no one is allowed
to enter the Fraternity by application) for membership, we had confidence in
your honor and power for the uplifting of our honored profession. The shades of
our distinguished predecessors, who have labored with their lives, have left to
us a noble heritage as a grand incentive to further knowledge in our profession.
Coming so well
recommended, we believe you will verify the good opinion .of your sponsors.
You were told that
this Supreme Chapter of Delta Sigma Delta was a select and exclusive body, and
such we aim to be, placing our standard higher and higher as we are able to
climb to greater heights. Can we depend upon you to assist us in the furtherance
of such an object?
Candidate
answers.
Then it becomes
necessary for you to take upon yourself a binding, obligation, not to reveal any
of the secrets of this Fraternity with which you now are, or may hereafter,
become acquainted
I can assure you upon
the honor of a man and a brother of this Fraternity, that there is nothing in
this obligation which will conflict in any way with your moral duty, or your
political or religious liberty. If you are ready to receive the obligation you
will please kneel at the altar.
*
* *.
You will place your
left hand over your heart Repeat after me: “I, (pronounce your name in full) ,
do solemnly swear before Almighty God, in the presence of this assembled
brotherhood as witnesses, that I will be faithful in all things as a brother in
Delta Sigma Delta that I will perform all duties assigned to me, carefully and
thoroughly; that I will, under all circumstances, uphold the honor and good name
.of our Fraternity, and abide by all of its laws.
I do furthermore
swear, that I will never reveal any of the secrets of this Fraternity; that I
will endeavor to promote its power for good, and the well-being of all of its
members, by actions, words and deeds, whenever so ordered, or whenever
opportunity be afforded; that I will bear in mind the golden precept, “Do unto
others as you would wish them to do unto you,” so working for its success,
that I will sink all petty feelings of discontent, and in all things strive for
Knowledge, Strength and Justice.
I furthermore swear,
that should I find a brother in distress, I will lend a helping hand to relieve
and warn him of threatening dangers. I will caution and advise him against
errors or any wrong doing to which he may have yielded, and with brotherly
interest I will endeavor to guide him into the paths of rectitude.
I promise not to
present the names of unworthy persons for membership, and swear to protect the
Fraternity from anyone whom I know to be unqualified for membership. I further
pledge that I will not reveal to anyone outside of the Fraternity, or to the
candidate himself, that he was rejected by the fraternity ballot.
I furthermore swear,
that my personal conduct in every walk in life, as well as in my professional
calling, shall be such as to uphold the honor and good name of Delta Sigma
Delta; that I will labor for its advancement, and faithfully uphold its
standards. As a further assurance of my sincerity and good faith, I ask all of
the brothers present to bear witness, and if any who have gone to that unknown
world are hovering near in spirit, I also call upon them to witness my
affiliation.
Hand
is placed upon the skull.
With my hand upon
this silent temple, once the abode of knowledge, I solemnly swear to keep,
inviolate, this, my obligation, so help me God.
Supreme
Grand Master to the chapter:
Brethren, in charging this newly made brother to fulfill the precepts of our
Fraternity, I ask you to pledge yourselves anew in his presence, to maintain the
honor and, integrity which Delta Sigma Delta imposes upon its members. Do you so
promise?
Brethren,
in chorus: We do. *.
Supreme
Grand Master: Before you,
brother, is food for serious thought. This silent temple was once the abode of
Knowledge.
It housed the myriad
impulses which go to make or mar a human life. It held the happiness of
childhood, the hope of youth, the stern reality of middle life and mayhap the
honor or regret of old age. It was inhabited by dreams of ambition, it swelled
with the pride of success or shrank with the humiliation of defeat. All there is
of love and hate and hope and fear and joy and grief, has trembled within the
walls of this frail tenement, and now, alas, it stands before us, shorn of its
temporal comeliness, an odd, ungainly, tenantless structure, giving no
indication of the thoughts and emotions that once battled for supremacy within
its confines. Brother, our legacy to the world must be more substantial than
this, if we wish to claim its remembrance, something more than that which is
purely material. We must leave the record of noble words and deeds. of charity,
good will and loving kindness. We must assist the helpless, cheer the faint, and
succor our needy fellow man. In short, we may say to you, and to each individual
member of the Fraternity, in the beautiful words of our beloved Bryant:
“So live, that when
thy summons comes to join
The innumerable
caravan, which moves
To that mysterious
realm, where each shalt take
His chamber in the
silent halls of death,
Thou go nor, like the
quarry-slave at night,
Scourged to his
dungeon, but, sustained and soothed
By an unfaltering
trust, approach thy grave,
Like one who wraps
the drapery of his couch
About him, and ties
down to pleasant dreams.”
My brother, you are,
no doubt, impressed to some extent, with the effort this Fraternity is making to
do some good in the profession of which we are all members; but I desire to
impress you with the fact that this effort is not exhausted in the forms of this
initiatory work, but continues through our every day lives, and sits fulfillment
will henceforth be expected of you as a member of this body. We are a secret
society largely, that we may be select and exclusive in our membership, and
associate with us only such persons as we believe .will truly affiliate with us
and co-operate with our endeavor to uplift and uphold the very highest
professional standards.
We realize that the
highest standards cannot be reached at a bound, but we expect by carefulness and
thoughtfulness to make the most of the situations as we find them, thus making
the gradual advancement that ultimately leads to perfection. This is in part the
function of this Fraternity.
My brother, you now
know the principles of Delta Sigma Delta, and so long as you adhere to them and
walk uprightly, you may be sure of our fraternal support. If, on the contrary,
your conduct is such as to cast reproach upon yourself as a man and a dentist,
and upon us as a Fraternity, you may be assured that you will be summarily dealt
with. By following these precepts, you will ever prove yourself a worthy member
of this honorable Fraternity, whose motto, ‘‘Knowledge, Strength and
Justice”, is translated from the three Greek words the initial letters of
which are D, S and D. The sign of this Fraternity is “Knowledge,” and is
given thus —. This you will give upon entering or retiring from the chapter
while in session.
When you enter, you
are to advance to the center of the room by lines drawn at tight angles to each
other, give this sign to the Supreme Grand Master and await his return of the
same, at which signal you may be seated.
The grip of, this
Fraternity is given thus: ….
You will now advance
to the desk of the Scribe, sign the constitution, and return to me for further
instructions.
Done.
As a token of
friendship and brotherly love, I now have the pleasure of presenting to you this
pin, a monogram of the three Greek letters D, S and D, representing, as I have
previously explained to you, Knowledge, Strength, Justice. The crown is the
emblem of the Supreme Chapter. This you are privileged to wear at any and at all
times so long as you remain in good standing with the Fraternity, but which,
according to an article in the constitution you have just signed, can never be
the property of anyone, but must belong to the Fraternity.
Let these emblems of
our brotherhood worn by its members be known as badges of honor worthily worn.
Our colors are light blue and garnet, as represented by the colors of the jewels
in this pin.
There remains but one
more right for you to receive, and that is the annual password.
The password for this
year is …, and should be used only as necessity requires. You will now be
conducted to the center of the room where you will give the sign of Knowledge,
together with the chapter, which last act will constitute you a brother, in full
fellowship.
All together,
brothers. All give
the sign.
Brothers in Delta
Sigma Delta, I now take pleasure in introducing to you our newly made brother,
…. The chapter will be at ease until called to order by the Supreme Grand
Master.
Closing Exercises
Supreme
Grand Master, *: If there is no
further business to be transacted at this session of the Supreme Chapter of
Delta Sigma Delta, we shall proceed to close. Brother Worthy Master, have you
any other business to present at this session?
Supreme
Worthy Master: I have none,
Supreme Grand Master.
Supreme
Grand Master: Brother Scribe,
have you any further business on your desk to present?
Supreme
Scribe: There is nothing,
Supreme Grand Master.
Supreme
Grand Master: If there is
nothing in the hands of the brethren we are prepared to close. *
* *. We are now about to separate until our next regular meeting at
the call of the Supreme Council. May our conduct be such as shall command the
respect of the profession, and the continued confidence and united support of
all brothers in Delta Sigma Delta.
By virtue of the
authority vested in me as the Supreme Grand Master of this Fraternity, I
herewith declare this session of the Supreme Chapter of Delta Sigma Delta
regularly and duly closed.
The