Phi Sigma Epsilon
Initiation Ritual
No date
Business
Meeting
President:
The meeting will come to order, and have the roll call.
Secretary:
Roll call of actives, pledges, and honorary members.
The
President may at this time bring up any important things concerning pledges.
President:
Brother Conductor, you
will prepare the membership for regular meeting.
Conductor:
…Chapter of Phi Sigma Epsilon is about to open for regular business procedure
Will all those who are not listed as active alumni, or honorary members please
retire from the room?
The
pledges and all who are not members will retire from the room. The Conductor
examines by glancing over those present. If there be anyone of whom he may be in
question, he will notify the President and the President will thereupon
verify his membership or in case he does not know him, he will ask the stranger to leave the room and appoint someone to examine this
individual.
Conductor
to the President:
Worthy President, upon examination of those present I see no one who is not a
Brother Phi Sigma Epsilon. I thereupon declare this meeting opened and
in order for the regular business procedure.
President:
We will
have the minutes of
last meeting.
Minutes
read and approved.
Report
of house man.
Report
of Treasurer.
Report
of chairman of social committee.
Old
business.
New
business.
Report
of committees.
Suggestions
for the good of the chapter.
President:
Initiation
Ritual
President:
Meeting will come to order for initiation of new members into the endless
triangle of Friendship and Brotherhood. Brother Conductor, Brother Conductor,
are there any candidates in waiting to receive the initiation ceremony?
Conductor:
Worthy President, there are … candidates waiting to receive the initiation
ceremony.
President:
Will the Conductor retire and prepare the candidates for final initiation into
the fraternal order symbolized by the endless triangle of Friendship and
Brotherhood.
Conductor:
I will, Worthy President. The
Conductor leaves the room to prepare the candidates of the representation.
Conductor,
to the candidates in the outer room: You know yourselves to have completed all requirements,
are you willing to proceed?
Candidates:
We are.
Conductor:
Then you will accompany me to the Chapter Room to receive the lessons set forth
within the endless triangle of Friendship and Brotherhood
The
Conductor gives the alarm at the door by rapping three times.
Sentinel:
Worthy President, there is an alarm at the door.
President:
Attend the alarm.
Sentinel:
Who comes there?
Conductor,
outside:
The Conductor with Candidates prepared for initiation.
Sentinel,
to President:
Worthy President, the Conductor waits without, with Candidates prepared for
initiation into the endless triangle
of Friendship and Brotherhood.
President:
How shall we
know these Candidates
to be worthy of initiation into the endless triangle of Friendship and
Brotherhood?
Sentinel,
to Conductor: How
shall we
know these Candidates
to be worthy of initiation into the endless triangle of Friendship and
Brotherhood?
Conductor:
By their having completed the requirements satisfactorily and by having shown
themselves capable and worthy of true Friendship.
President:
Admit them.
The
Conductor enters with the Candidates around the burning torch, forming a
semi-circle facing the President’s station. The Conductor takes a stand to the
right.
Conductor:
Worthy President, I present these Candidates for initiation into endless
triangle of Friendship and Brotherhood?
President:
My friends, you are about to become members of this, a National College
Social Fraternity. Fraternities are organized
for a real purpose.
You can only become a good fraternity man when you know something of the
purposes and workings of the order. There are
many lessons set forth as you pass around the different stations in the endless
triangle of Friendship and Brotherhood. Therefore,
I would ask you to
observe closely and ponder well all lessons as they are
set forth. Brother
Conductor, you will advance with the representation to the station of Phi where
they will receive the first lesson in the endless triangle of Friendship and
Brotherhood.
The
Conductor advances to the station of Phi, with the Candidates.
Conductor:
Keeper of the Charge
of Phi, I present
these candidates (or this representation) to receive the first
lessons in Friendship
and Brotherhood.
Keeper
of the Charge of Phi:
My friends, you are about to become members of Phi Sigma Epsilon, a National
College Social Fraternity, whose membership believes that in all successful
achievements of mankind since the dawn of group activity there have been present
certain cardinal principles, which made for each step of man's growth and
development.
The
members of Phi Sigma Epsilon hold that the Cardinal principles of Friendship and
Brotherhood
are most fundamental
in all group life that aspires to any degree. Friendship and Brotherhood have
been the basis of all the world's great philosophies, which have come out of the
east to point the way of western civilization toward something higher than
material accomplishment for the sake of itself. Today not only religious
organizations preach the gospel of Friendship and Brotherhood but institutions
of learning, business organizations, and service clubs the world over, are
spreading the good tiding of Friendship and Brotherhood as the great principles
of service to mankind.
All achievements
of civilization that
have been enduring, either material or spiritual, have sooner or later given to
civilization certain symbols from certain of their characteristics, as a constant reminder to
man of the value of the particular quality symbolized. For centuries man has
spoken of anything constant and enduring as being everlasting as the pyramids,
those gigantic piles of masonry that remain to mark the age of glory and the
splendor of the empires of the valley of the Nile. Engineers tell us that
one of the secrets of the endurance of these monuments of the east, in spite of
the ravages of time and
civilization, is the
triangle shape of the pyramid. From this, Phi Sigma Epsilon has taken a symbol
of eternal Friendship and Brotherhood. This symbol is carried out in all manner
of representation of
our Fraternity. Greater than this it is carried out in the life of each member
within the life of the chapter, and within the life of the National
Organization.
Phi
Sigma Epsilon has its charter membership, three chapters corresponding to the
three points of the pyramid. The points of the triangle are vital in that they
represent the places where the strain may be greatest with in the endless
triangle of Friendship and Brotherhood. May Phi Sigma Epsilon ever
guard these points of
the triangle, and build for the success of its members and the organization. The
points of the triangle are set with the unity of three pearls.
Since
from time immemorial another symbol of supreme value has been the Pearl of Great
Price. The
So
strong is our belief in the honor of man toward parents, fellowman, womankind,
and God, that we have chosen as a symbol for the quality of honor at the apex of
the pyramid, the armor of the Knights of Old, who risked their lives and all to
stand with honor before God and man. Honor is truly a Pearl of Great Price.
To
the Conductor: Brother
Conductor, you will now conduct the candidate (or this representation) to the
Keeper of Sigma where they will receive the next lesson.
Conductor,
marches with the Candidates to Sigma: Keeper
of the Charge of Sigma , I present these candidates, who have received the charge of Phi to
receive the Charge of Sigma.
Keeper
of the Charge of Sigma:
I place within this corner of the base of the triangle of Friendship and
Brotherhood the Pearl of Justice.
Fraternity
exist for fellowship amongst men of like mind. True fellowship can exist only
where there is an abiding Spirit of Justice. Justice does not mean judgment in
the light of the teaching of the ancient people of the earth, who believed they
existed for the purpose of passing judgment and meeting out punishments, rather
it means open-mindedness, liberality, toleration, and understanding of mankind,
as taught
by Jesus and his
philosophy of open-mindness towards
one’s fellows. “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” as
an admonition that will make happier homes, greater fraternities, more useful
religious organizations and will
finally bring about understanding between peoples of the earth that will hasten
the day when “swords shall be beaten into plow shares and spears into pruning
hooks.” There the common sense of most shall hold a fruitful realm in all, and
the kindly earth shall slumber lapped in universal law, because this is a
philosophy of justice.
No true
Phi Sigma Epsilon will pass judgment until with open-mindedness he has viewed
all sides of any question, lest he lose one of the Pearls of Great Price. The
symbol of justice is the ancient scales, which allows as much on one side as it
allows on the other in maintaining a proper balance.
Brother
Conductor, you will conduct the candidates to the Keeper of Epsilon, for the
next lesson .
Conductor
marches with the candidates to the Keeper of Epsilon: Keeper of the Charge of Epsilon, I present these candidates (or this
representation) who have received the charges of Phi and Sigma, to receive the
charge of Epsilon.
Keeper
of the Charge of Epsilon: The triangle of Friendship and Brotherhood would not be complete without
the Pearl of Wisdom. Sages and
prophets through the ages have extolled the virtues of wisdom. An ancient writer
once admonished his readers, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore
get wisdom, and with all thy getting, get understanding. Exalt her and she shall
promote thee; she shall bring thee honor when thou dost embrace her. She shall
give to thine head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory shall she deliver unto
thee. The Lord by wisdom hath found the earth, by understanding hath he
established the heavens. My son, let wisdom not depart from thine eyes; keep
sound wisdom and discretion; so shall there be life unto thy soul, and grace to
thy neck. Then shalt thou walk and thy foot not stumble. When thou liest down
thou shalt not be afraid."
Let me
commend to you wisdom. It is one of the priceless gems of life, much to be
desired by those who would reach the heights of character and usefulness in
life. Would you make your lives worth while? Would you achieve distinction in
some field of human endeavor? Then heed the ancient injunctions "Get
Wisdom." Wisdoms like character, is a product of gradual growth. It must be
sought eagerly. No
price is too great to
pay for true wisdom. Anything which would tend to handicap you in your quest for
this priceless pearl is unworthy.
I,
therefore, place the pearl of wisdom in the endless triangle of Friendship and
Brotherhood to bind it together. May it, together with honor and justice,
constitute the foundation upon which you will seek, ever, to build your lives.
This foundation can never crumble nor deacay.
Brother
Conductor, you will conduct the candidate to the burning torch where the Worthy
President will give final instructions.
The
Conductor leads the candidates to the center of the floor where they
face the
President.
President:
Phi Sigma Epsilon’s crowning purpose is excellence of academic achievement in
affairs
of mankind, and in the
wholesome life of service. From earliest history the symbol of greatest achievement has been the
crown, whether it was the simple garland of leaves or the jewel-studden diadem.
As the President of Phi Sigma Epsilon, I place this crown in the center of this
symbolic triangle, which you have seen created here this evening, trying
together honor, justice, and wisdom in the endless triangle of Friendship and
Brotherhood.
In this
Fraternity, like all others, there is
an oath to which all membership
is solemnly bound at
this time you will be bound into this Brotherhood of College Men.
Obligations
Raise your right hans, / and say I, / pronounce your
name and repeat after me … / … / do solemnly swear by God, / my mother, / my
Fraternity, / and all that I hold most sacred, / that I will never communicate / or make known in any
conceivable way / to any human being other than a Phi Sigma Epsilon Brother,/
any part of the secret work of this Fraternity,/ nor any of the workings thereof,/
which may be deemed
feasible to be withheld by the Fraternity./
Furthermore,/
I swear to abide by/ and act in accordance with/
the constitution and laws of this Fraternity./ As an undergraduate./ I
will regard my academic work as my first duty/ and my Fraternity as my second./
As an alumnus,/ I will cherish my continuing membership/ and work to perpetuate my
Fraternity./ I will never become
a member of another college
social fraternity,/
without the consent of Phi Sigma Epsilon./
I swear
that I will at all times/ stand willing and ready to give counsel,/ advice and
sympathy to a Brother,/ and will do my utmost/ in helping a Brother in
financial, physical or moral distress./
I will
never hesitate/ to make known to the Fraternity a Brother's mistakes,/ and in
case made mistakes,/ I will accept the counsel of the Fraternity/ and endeavor
to correct them accordingly./ I will conduct myself while in college,/ and as
long as I am a member of this Fraternity/ so as to shower only credit and honor
upon the
Fraternity/ its
members, and the fraternity system.
I will
propose for membership / only those men whom I have met personally/ and know to be able to fulfill
the requirements/ of the order and obey its laws./
I will
hold most sacred the badge of this Brotherhood,/ and will allow no person not a
member to wear it/ except my Mother,/ my Sister,/ and the girl whom I have promised to marry./
Should I ever in any way violate this sacred oath,/ I wish to be cast out of the
Fraternity./
Secret
Work
The
secret work of this fraternity consists of three things,
a password, a grip,
and a token.
The
password
is …, symbolic of
crowning hope of achievement of all chapters and all members of Phi Sigma Epsilon. This word is to be
required of all persons of whom the sentinel is in doubt as to membership, in
observation, under the direction of the President in the opening of each chapter
meeting. This password shall be used by the Brother receiving the grip from
another Brother.
The grip
consists of a firm, hardy, goodfellowship handshake made by the one offering the
grip, clasping the other Brother’s right hand, and at the same time placing
his left hand commendingly upon the back of the Brother's, clasped hand in the
manner of complimenting him for his excellence. The Brother receiving the grip,
thereupon, should reply …. The token is the crown of excellence, the universal
symbol of highest achievement.