Casque and Gauntlet

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Casque and Gauntlet
Emblem of Casque and Gauntlet at Dartmouth College, 1901.jpg
FoundedMarch 1886;138 years ago (1886-03)
Dartmouth College
TypeSenior secret society
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
ScopeLocal
SymbolArthurian imagery
Chapters1
NicknameC&G
Headquarters1 South Main Street
Hanover , New Hampshire 03755
United States
Website casqueandgauntletsociety.org
C&G house, 2007 Dartmouth College campus 2007-06-23 Casque & Gauntlet.JPG
C&G house, 2007

Casque and Gauntlet (also known as C&G and the Casque and Gauntler Senior Society) is the second-oldest senior society at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. [1] [2] The mission statement of the organization is: "to unite in fellowship men and women of strong character and high ideals; to promote their mutual welfare and happiness; to render loyal service to Dartmouth College, and to aid and encourage one another in performing their duties to God and their fellow man." [3]

Contents

History

Casque and Gauntlet was founded in March 1886 by students at Dartmouth College. [1] [4] Albert J. Thomas had the idea of creating a senior society like those at Yale University and recruited Fordyce P. Cleaves and Wilder D. Quint. [5] From those three, other potential members were recruited. [5] The founders decided to was to limit the society's membership or annual delegation to nineteen seniors. [5] The first delegation and founding fathers of Casque and Gauntlet were: [3]

Cleaves, Thomas, and especially Quint were inspired Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Idylls of the King" and the other members agreed on this concept. [5] [6] [7] They selected the organization's name to represent "truth, fidelity, and loyalty to each other". [5] Its president was called Arthur, The Pendragon, after King Arthur, and the members took the names of the various Knights of the Round Table. [6] [7] Its ritual was written by Quint, with the Holy Grail as "the focal point of their fraternal life". [6] Wentworth designed the society's pin. [6] The group also develops its emblem, the profile of a knights helmet or casque with a glove or gauntlet. [5] Its alumni association began publishing a newsletter and directories in the 1890s. [7]

The Castle on the Corner, pre-1915 Casque and gauntlet castle dartmouth.jpg
The Castle on the Corner, pre-1915

Initially, the group lacked a regular meeting place. [5] At one point, they had four rooms above Cobb's Store but also used a cemetery and a barn on Stump Lane. [5] [7] C&G moved into a house at 1 South Main Street in the fall of 1894. [8] [4] [9] The society dubbed their new residence "the Castle on the Corner". [9] The house was built in 1823 by Dr. Samuel Alden who lived there until he died in 1842; Joseph Emerson lived there until 1888 when it became a boarding house for students owned by Susan Brown. [9] The Castle was rented from Brown under a long-term lease. [9] [7]

Originally, membership in C&G ended upon graduation. [10] In 1895, an Alumni Association was incorporated in Boston. [10] Initially, the main activity of the association was organizing an annual dinner for alumni. [10] However, the Alumni Association purchased the Castle in 1901. [9] [7] The house was transferred to the newly formed Trustees of Casque and Gauntlet in 1904. [7] The alumni launched a campaign in 1911 to raise funds to improve the house, including selling stock to alumni. [7] In 1915, the society installed a rear addition designed by architect Fred Wesley Wentworth, a founding member.

A group adopted a new constitution and by-laws in 1923 and its collegiate group and Alumni Association merged into a single organization called The Casque and Gauntlet, giving all of its initiates a lifetime membership. [8] [7] [10] In 1924, C&G published a songbook and began publishing its Bulletin. [8] [7] During World War II, the society stopped its activities and leased the house to the university. [8] The university gave the Castle back to the society in July 1946. [11] However, C&G struggled to rebuild its membership after the war and was financially depleted. [11]

Once Dartmouth allowed female students C&G was criticized as a single-sex organization, especially after it voted to remain all-male in 1977-78. [12] [11] The 1979 delegation also voted to admit women after the encouragement of the university's board of trustees. [11] Its first female King Arthur was elected in 1986. [11]

In August 2020, the society leased its house to the university as graduate student housing for three years. [13] This was done because its use as an undergraduate residence was no longer financially sustainable. [13]

Symbols and traditions

The badge of Casque and Gauntlet is "the Bonnie Gold Pin." [14] It was designed by founding member Wentworth. [6] A sword called Excalibur, after the legendary sword of King Arthur, is laid on the shoulder of each new member as they are "knighted". [15] Members of Casque and Gauntlet are called knights and ladies. [16] Its emblem is a casque on top of a gauntlet. [5]

Membership

Members of C&G nominate and select tappees as a group. Tapping takes place at a time the College coordinates with the other senior societies, usually around Winter Carnival. In the 1950s, the society discontinued its practice of blackballing, instead relying on a system of prospects receiving a 75% vote to be tapped. [11] It also experimented with allowing each member to select their own replacement. [11] Following coeducation at Dartmouth in 1972, the class of 1979 delegation voted unanimously to nominate women for membership. [11] Members are selected based on achievement, character, and service to Dartmouth. [7]

C&G is co-ed. [1] The first six women members of C&G joined the class of 1980 delegation. [8]

While C&G's membership is not secret, some elements of the society are kept secret, as one might expect from a sorority or fraternity. Society meetings, held — like all Dartmouth senior societies — on Monday nights, are closed; the initiation ceremony and other details are also kept secret.

Notable members

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "About Us – Casque & Gauntlet Senior Society" . Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  2. ↑ "Casque and Gauntlet at Dartmouth" (PDF). The New York Times. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  3. 1 2 Faulkner, Robert K., ed. (1987). Casque and Gauntlet 1887 - 1987: One Hundred Years at the Corner (PDF). Casque and Gauntlet / Dartmouth Printing Company. p. 1. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Good, Jonathan. "Edward III's Round Table and Dartmouth College's Casque and Gauntlet: Two Returns of King Arthur". Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Cushman, Henry O. (1987). "The Beginnings". Casque and Gauntlet 1887 - 1987: One Hundred Years at the Corner (PDF). Faulkner, Robert K., ed. Casque and Gauntlet / Dartmouth Printing Company. p. 4. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Good, Jonathan (2000). ""King Arthur made new knights": The Founding of Casque and Gauntlet". Dartmouth College Library Bulletin: 66–67.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Daniell, Jere. (1987). "Casque and Gauntlet: History". Casque and Gauntlet 1887 - 1987: One Hundred Years at the Corner (PDF). Faulkner, Robert K., editor. Casque and Gauntlet / Dartmouth Printing Company. p. 56-57. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dartmouth College. Casque and Gauntlet". Dartmouth Library Archives & Manuscripts. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Marden, Philip S. (1987). "The House". Casque and Gauntlet 1887 - 1987: One Hundred Years at the Corner (PDF). Faulkner, Robert K., ed. Casque and Gauntlet / Dartmouth Printing Company. p. 4. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Kilmarx, Robert D. (1987). "C&G's Governance and Mission—Past, Present, and Future". Casque and Gauntlet 1887 - 1987: One Hundred Years at the Corner (PDF). Faulkner, Robert K., editor. Casque and Gauntlet / Dartmouth Printing Company. p. 74. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Daniell, Jere. (1987). "Casque and Gauntlet: History". Casque and Gauntlet 1887 - 1987: One Hundred Years at the Corner (PDF). Faulkner, Robert K., editor. Casque and Gauntlet / Dartmouth Printing Company. p. 58-59. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  12. ↑ Daniell, Jere. (1987). "Casque and Gauntlet: History". Casque and Gauntlet 1887 - 1987: One Hundred Years at the Corner (PDF). Faulkner, Robert K., editor. Casque and Gauntlet / Dartmouth Printing Company. p. 59. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  13. 1 2 Marin, Ella (September 30, 2021). "Casque and Gauntlet building leased to Tuck as graduate student housing". The Dartmouth. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  14. ↑ Andres, F. William. (1987). "Prophecy Fulfilled." Casque and Gauntlet 1887 - 1987: One Hundred Years at the Corner (PDF). Faulkner, Robert K., editor. Casque and Gauntlet / Dartmouth Printing Company. p. 2. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  15. ↑ Gregory, Warren Fenno. (1987). "The Founding of Casque and Gauntlet". Casque and Gauntlet 1887 - 1987: One Hundred Years at the Corner (PDF). Faulkner, Robert K., editor. Casque and Gauntlet / Dartmouth Printing Company. p. 6. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Casque & Gauntlet Senior Society" . Retrieved 2023-07-08.
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