1905-06 Volume 30 No 1–5 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

THE SCROLL. T,TJgeneral deportment and apparent native and acquired gifts,if he seemed to give fair promise of an after life of honor andusefulness, he was "spotted"—I mean marked as a suitablesubject to be considered for membership.Sometimes a member would say to the proposed candidate,without compromising himself or his society: ' Have youbeen addressed personally or by letter in regard to membershipin either of the college fraternities?" If he answered inthe negative, then came the reply: "Don't be in a hurry to'decide; there is no telling what may happen." At the nextmeeting the name was proposed and, the membership concurring,the man was elected. The letter notifying one of hiselection to membership was garbed in mystic phraze—languagecalculated to cause him to ponder long and well beforehe framed his reply. After initiation, each member, of hisown choice, selected a name by which ever afterward hewas known and addressed when the society was in session.The objects and aims of the Mystic society were social,moral and literary enjoyment and improvement; and onemust have been dull and listless indeed if he failed to enterwith zest into the spirit of our weekly meetings. Exercises,grave and gay—wit, repartee, criticism, sarcasm—all had aplace and part in the program, fitting ourselves, as we said,for the keen darts and rude blows of life's fierce battle.The societies held their meetings every Friday at 9 p. m.This bed-time hour for meeting was partly the result, nodoubt, of a rule of the college requiring the students to studyuntil 9 p. m. every scholastic day, but mainly because thenearer the midnight hour the deeper the mystery and less thelikelihood of being discovered by spying eyes.t The Mysticsheld a public celebration every seven years, the Crescentsevery three years. These were occasions of great display,not only in the matter of uniform and regalia but also in theuniqueness of the ceremonies.J. F. Mixox, '49.THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GEORGIA BETA.* A 0 entered Georgia in 1871, and was the first fraternityof northern origin to enter the state after the civil war. The'*That of J. T. McLaughlin. '33. was "Tickle Gizzard." that of L. D. Palmer, '55, was"Punch."tA. C. Mixon, '45. a brother of the writer of this article, writes as follows about theMystic meetings: "I remember that at the close of one session we banQuetted about midnighton baked opossum and sweet potatoes. At the initiation of new members there wasoccasionally a good deal of amusement The ceremonies were made as solemn andspectral as possible by darkness or alcoholic lights, accompanied by the clanking of chainsand other unmusical things."