Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-04-01

nature. The neOphyte was carrlou
olindfolded through . great number OF
Boston's crazy streets until he was thor
oughly mystified. Then he was taken
to the highest gallery OF brilliantly
lighted theater, and made to lean over
the rail. when the blindfold was sudden
ly whisked off. The sensation of that
moment, the student afterward said,
finding himself in the glare of the
lights, and looking far down into the
abyss of human beings, was something
indescribable.
With the gradual undermining Of
things at Harvard has come the new
system of inflicting torment upon candi-
dates who apply for admission into the
secret societies--or into the secret So
clety, to be more accurate, for the D. X.
E., or "Dickey," is the only one that
makes its new members suffer to any
extent. Instead Of terrorism in semi
privacy has come exposure to ridicule in
full publicity-a much worse thing for
the thin-skinned student to bear.
The favorite mode OF torment seems
to be to make . man go out and sell
something, or perform some manual
labor in the street. Not long ago a stu
dent. who was mi ch in love with pretty
Cambridge girl, was compelled to go to
the house of her parents with He
brew peddlers pack on his shoulders and
endeavor to sell the members of tho
family the cheap handkerchiefs and afro
cious brass jewelry with which he was
loaded down.
The match WAS not broken off, but
there was a great GOODNESS in that house
until the point Of the visit was explain
ed. Another rich ard dudish young fell
low was ordered into ditch that some
Italians were digging in the main
street of Cambridge. and into it he went
with pick and shovel, and clad in dress
suit which was made part of the COM
mand. Rubber boots. an ulster and a
fur cap are frequently ordered on a
victim, in the hottest days of term time
and must be seen on him whenever he
appears outside his room. But very fire.
quently Boston is made the
exploiting place of some brill.
liant piece of tomfoolery, and
then the initiate Is bound to make
sensation, whether he will or no. Not
many weeks ago an MISUNDERSTANDING
fellow dressed in the height of fashion,
was seen on Washington street, indus
triously grinding out white Wings"
from big hand organ. while a discon-
| tented monkey was Juggling at the chain
which bound him to his new and unloved
master. Each looked as miserable as the
| other.
All Amherst society rigs up q very
| realistic Hades for the entertainment Of
| the candidates, and If his nerves are not
| pretty strong his hair is apt to rise. His
Satanic majesty is remarkably true to
tradition, the society having gone to the
expense of buying costume of the
| brightest red, including the cloven
| hoof and very well-developed forked
tail.
In ono society at Union College the
neophyte is led through q small brook.
but as he is allowed to change his shoes
after the ceremony it doesn't hurt him
any. At one of the large colleges few
years ago the guides lost their way.
walked the freshman off prccipice. and
he was kill by the fall.
| In one of the societies at another col
lege the victim is led into the big hall
blindfolded, and goes through the mo-
tions of not being afraid. The room is
| perfectly dark, SO that he could not see
any thing even If the bandages were re-
moved. Here he is taken by two strong
men and put into regulation graveyard
coffin, with holes bored in the lid so he
will not sulfocate, and the lid is screwed
down tight. The building has a shaft
to the cellar, and tho coffin, with the
victim in it, Is slowly lowered. 1t is a
truly horrible experience and several
young men with rather shaky nerves
have tainted during the ceremony. In
the cellar, which is fitted up with all
sorts of ghostly appliances, the coffin is
put on an altar of logs such as is sup
posed to have been built in olden times
for Isaac's benefit.
| The cover is removed, and the ha ndage
loosened, so that it can he easily re-
moved. There is horrible grooming
and clanking Of chains, and suddenly
the altar, which has been saturated
with harmless chemicals, blazes up, and
the bandage is removed from the neo-
phyte's eyes. AS he raises himself IN
his coffin-provided he has nerve enough
left-he sess about the room two OF
three skeletons, which have been rub
bed with phosphorus and glow wildly
in the darkness. They are rugged with
pulleys and ropes, and slowly they raise
their bony fingers and point at him
while sepulchral voice bids him get ou
Of his coffin,
WIN snow Oh courage not AZ all war
ranted by his feeling, he obeys. A sin
gle taper is lit, and he sees in the din
light several masked figures in whit,
robes standing about him. The cold
clammy body of dead snake is then pu
into his hands, and he is made to swea
upon it that he will keep the secrets o
the order to his dying day. and defent
, them with his life if necessary. This j
the most trying initiation that the write
has ever heard of. The man that Cal
Z go through it without feeling q chill
dampness go through his body nee
q never fear on the score of weak nerves
/, A society at Lehigh University ha
q built an incline chute from garnet to Gel
|. lar along one of the walls of the house
and the newly fiedged collegian is star
l ed down this on his college career. Their
;. is soft, padded cushion at the bottom