The Lost Boys of Zeta Psi: A Historical Archaeology of Masculinity at a University Fraternity by Laurie A. Wilkie

Author:Laurie A. Wilkie [Wilkie, Laurie A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-520-94594-4
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 2010-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

RITUAL LIFE OF FRATERNITIES

In the remains of the first house, we found little evidence of the ritual life that surely must have been part of the fraternity experience. We know that ritual—both as a means of initiation and as an expression of membership—played some role in the fraternity. There is mention of the pledge pin, an outward symbol of one’s affiliation (figure 22). The Zetes themselves referred to the importance of ritual to affirming the bond between brothers. Zeta Psi, as a fraternity founded by Masons, borrowed heavily from that source in its rituals. Zeta Psi was described in 1899 as “impressing upon its members, rather more than some like organizations, the importance of profound secrecy regarding the society and its affairs.”11

An examination of the available evidence leaves the nature of the rituals largely invisible to us, but it is possible to make some generalizations. P. F. Piper, a late-nineteenth-century essayist, provides a general overview of fraternity ritual at that time. He observes that, in general, there was much overlap in the specific rituals of the various organizations—largely because the different organizations had taken to stealing from one another. The use of initials that represented a motto and which gave the fraternity its name, and the system of signs, grips, passwords, sets of colors, flower, and crest, characterized all the organizations.12 Piper also describes a typical hazing ritual: “There is usually a preliminary ordeal, during which the neophyte is obliged to submit to many ridiculous indignities. During this time he is required to obey all orders given by any member of the chapter to which he is pledged. Thus it happens that often a candidate may be seen rolling a peanut along a street, using a toothpick as a lever, others sell newspapers, black boots, or wheel baby carriages.”13

Piper acknowledges that more dangerous feats were not unknown, and refers to the death of a man at Cornell and one at Yale, which had occurred just a few years earlier. At Cornell, a young man who was blindfolded and led to the edge of a gorge disobeyed the order of his brothers and stepped forward, causing all three to fall to the bottom of one of Ithaca’s infamous gorges. The young man died of his injuries, but not before exonerating his companions. In the Yale case, a blindfolded man was led to an alley, where in the dark he collided with a wagon and died from his injuries. The author seemed to think that these two incidents had done much to curtail more dangerous initiation rituals among students.14

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