Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-06
PHI RHO SIGMA INITIATION
Candidates Have Their Feet Dipped Into
Boiling Hot Water.
OTHER UNIQUE AND EXCITING DEGREE
six Young Doctors Crawl IN Fsrnnm
street Hm Backward and
on Their Hands
and Knees

on Their banNA
and Knees.
More than 100 medical men. real and en-
bryo. young and old, held high carnival FOR
about seven consecutive hours last night.
The occasion was the annual initiation and
banquet Of the two local chapters Of Pm
Rho Sigma. one of the foremost medical
fYaternities in the United States Besides
the immediate active membership Of the
two chapterk. Eta and Iota. which collabo-
rated in the function, there were present
many Of the old alumni Of each chapter,
besides Phi Rho Sigma alumni from other
chapters over the country.
From Kansas. from Illinois and from
Iowa did the doctors hock in to the cere-
monies, besides scores from Nebraska
itself. Thus it happened that a dozen
cities sent men 70 swell the annual gather
ing, and six of the twelve chapters that
comprise the fraternity were represented.
As guest Of honor was DR.. Frank O..
Lydston of Chicago. an alumnus Of Bets
chapter. at the School Of Physicians and
Surgeons in the Windy City, and now a
prominent lecturer before classes at that
school. In the afternoon DR.. Lydstor lee
tured before an audience OF medical men
aAsa mtuAGaA EAuuchAr ~ SItAbnA1A aafHA
sity. His was an evolutionary theme at
that time. dealing at arms length with
theories DarwtniaD and spencerian, by
which men are said to have become men
Last night Or. Lydston participated ae-
lively in q far mere tangible and extremely
latter day Demonstration Of how men be-
come Greeks. He is said to have enjoyed
the concrete exposition far better than the
abstract eluoidstion which preceded it.
Eta and IOta Chapters.
Eta and Iota chapters divided the un-
usual hnnors last night. The former Is 10
Gated at Creighton Medical university,
where 1t was installed two years ago this
spring. Iota is a year younger, having
been planted at the Omaha Medical college
early in 1901. There were six undergrAdu-
ates who underwent the ordeals OF initiation
last night and each chapter proudly claims
three.
There were twice as many prominent
physicians and surgeons Of Omaha and Ne
braska who were admitted into honorary
membership at the same time. These men
we're allowed to forego the thrills OF tor
ture and abuse to which the embryo Greeks
and NEEDLES we're submitted.
Headquarters for the whole affair was IN
Arcanum hA1l in The Bee building. From
this center as q distributing point the med
icine was administered and none Of Il was
by absent treatment. Many stunts and
cruel were perpetrated and even the COM
modious corridors OF The Bee building
proved too limited a space for all the OPP
erations necessary. and the luckless iis
tihtes found themselves dragged over a
chilly pavement IN divers sttires playing
the fool as per command for the amusement
Of the general public. .
All the old gags. 80 familiar to college
Greeks. were gone through. The candidates.
stepped up into manholes and stepped
down into stone walls. They stopped low
in a vain attempt to set under buildings
and raced maoly at the rear Of street cars
on the back platform. of which stood thor
tormentors holding the ropes that LED them
by the neck. giving them the choice be-
tween q sprint or suffocation.
Last Hot Degree.
But probably the cleverest Of ali, and tbs
one that struck most terror into the hearts
Of the six initiates. came on in Arcznun
hall itself. 1t was left tn the last. after
the candidates had swept sixtesnth streei
clean for a block. had crRwlsd up Farnau
street hill backward on Sl tours and had
proposed in melting accents TO the pretty
girl behind the nlgRr sand in the drug
store on the corLer.
After all that. gone thro Igh in utts.
sightlessness, the men wev Allowed again
10 see the hight OF electricity. Thei1
bRndages were removed at the hall. Their
one WIS ushersd into an ante room. Here
in the center OF the noor stood a par
OF water on a little oil stove, APPARENT,
boiling in great bubbles. The mans she.
and stocking were removed and he was car.
risd fighting Onward the water. Then hi
foot was showed into il, while he went int
~paroxysms OF fear and a~nticipatory pain
And although he found the water cold, IN,
suggestion had been 80 strong that he gen,
orally thought his foot was boiled to
pulp, even after he got IL out. The cole
water had Just been poured IN and a spoon
full Of chemical added. which made it bub
hle. but the flames below looked real, an
they were. Six men were put through this
one al a time. and II never failed TO elici
the widest fight of the night
These affairs began at 2 O'Clock and lasteI
until 10. Then came the banquet. xhicI
was q wet wonder. IT came on Mt tn
! HenEhRw. where the medics had the Who'll
cafe to themselves. D.. ". n. Poynter,
senior at Iota chapter. and a son Of ex
Governor P0ynter, was postmaster. am
- S0alLASIl
we're extremely fsiicitious. The set toast
were: "Fr1endship." by Herbert TayloI
Harris OF Eta; Sigma" by Bert LAM
cristie Of IotR; Learned Professions" b.
w. o. Henry Of Bta; 'Femlninities," b
H. Foster Of Eta; .F~raternity." by B. B
Davis "The Young Medic on the Road Il
Success" by DR.. Frank G. Lgdston.
Eanes Of the Intfaatea.
The undergraduates initiates for Eta were
Chester Impey. Pred Meyer and RaymonI
Mullen; for Iota. william n. Anderson
Charles Root and Henry Lane The latte
chapter took into honorary nambershi1
Or. Oscar r. Hoffman. Or. A. C. stoke
and Dr. Harry NJ. McClanahan. al q
Omaha Dta admitted AZ honorary member
DR.. b p. drummer. DR. H. p. Hamilton
DR.. Burrell and DR.. j. P. Lord. Of Omahs
DR.. T. r. Lacey and DR.. Eiebert Of Coun
ell BUNS: DR.. r. s. Harris o. Baatrioe.
Other visiting alumni guests and ths
chapters were; DR. r. BenlnEer Of Coun
ell Bluns. Eta; Dr. l. r. Rex Of KichitI
Kan. Eta; DR.. W. T. Green Of counc