The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1892-06-22
SECRET SOCIETIES.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE FAMOUS
ORGANIZATIONS OF YALE.

New Haven University-Pcculiar Rites
and Ceremonies of Skull and Bones,
Scroll and Key and woirs Head.
The election ceremonies to the Skull
and Bones, Scroll and Key, and VOLTS
Head societies of Yale university are
very impressive. The members of the
junior class on the afternoon of this day
gather in little knots in front of one of
the big buildings which are used by the
scholars ms sleeping rooms. The win
dows of every other building which
commands view Of the expectant stu
dents on the campus below are crowded
with other scholars and their friends
Suddenly a solemn looking young man
comes around corner of one of the dor
mitories. He goes straight toward the
waiting crowd without word to any
one. He walks in among the fellows,
many of whom are his friends, without
noticing anybody. Every other student
stands perfectly still, and without turn
ing his head follows with his eyes the
movements of the mysterious looking
fellow who has recently appeared and
who is going up and down, up and down,
in and out, in and out among the crowd,
looking at nobody, speaking to no one,
apparently seeing nothing. Then he
goes around in n circle. All hold their
breath. The people in the windows on
every side lean little farther out and
watch with increased interest. II is a
moment of intense suspense! All of
sudden the quiet man, on whom every
body's eyes are fastened, slaps fellow
student right between the shoulders and
almost knocks him over
Then great shout goes up! The
students on the campus are yelling them
selves hoarse. The crowded windows
are alive with frantic men and women
who are waving handkerchiefs and hats,
clapping hands and laughing, each add
ing something to the terrible uproar.
Meanwhile the student who was slapped
on the back is the happiest man in the
immense crowd, for he has been elected
a member of Skull and Bones, the ia
nous secret society of the university.
The first thing the fortunate student
does when he realizes that he has been
slapped 1s to go straight 10 his room, with
out word to his most intimate chum,
or even to the man who has 80 rudely
struck him. He is followed by the man
who did the slapping, and who all this
time has not even SO much ms smiled or
said "Hallo" to any one-in fact has
not recognized the man he is following
except by the slap.
Nobody knows, except these two, what
takes place in the room, and the men
are not seen again that day, for the in
terest Of the people outside is centered
on another man who has come from the
same direction as the first one, and who
is going through exactly the same per-
formances that the first fellow executed.
When he finally slaps man, another
great shout goes up, and then these two
students go away to the room of the one
whose back has been slapped. These
scenes are repeated until forty-five men
have been slapped, for that is the num-
Der composing the three societies. Each
society is made up of fifteen men, no
more and no less, and each member is
said 10 choose one student.
When the forty-five have been selected
the elections are over and the people go
home feeling that they have witnessed
an event more interesting and more ex-
citing than the graduating exercises
which take place when a whole class are
about to leave the school. Nothing more
is done to the students who have been
slapped until the next Tuesday. What
occurs then is seen by nobody except q
few Of the students who gather in front
Of the secret society houses.
The names even of the societies are
not known. They are called Skull and
Bones, Scroll and Key, and VOLTS
Head, because each member wears a
little gold pin, with one or another of
these objects on it as the case may be.
The Skull and Bones pin is a horrid
bit of gold in the shape Of human skull
and crossbones. The Scroll and Key.
as the name implies, is made mp of a
small sheet Of gold. like an ancient piece
Of paper. On the scroll is q key, above
the key are the letters &c. s. p" and
below the key are the letters &c. C. j."
What they stand for only the wearers of
the pins know.
The other society has for its pin a lit
tie gold head of savage looking wolf.
Often the eyes are made of two brightly
shining diamonds.
Another wonderful thing about these
pins is that the wearer never loses one.
He never lays 1t down even for q second.
OF course they have to bathe, and how
do you 80 suppose they do then? You
would think they would have to lay the
pin aside at that time anyway, wouldn't
you? But they don't; they hold the bit
of gold in their mouths!
Bones is the Oldest of the three So
cieties. Tradition has it that the pins
first appeared in 1882. About ten years
later men who had expected an election
to "Bones" and were disappointed or
ganized the Scroll and Key. Wolf's
Head was founded less than ten years
ago, but today is almost as exclusive in
its membership as either of the others
In fact it generally represents as much
wealth among its members as the two