G&W – Alpha Chi Rho and Freemasonry: Setting the Record Straight

Written by John Wilder, Delta Sigma Phi, 2012

Many of you who know me know of my activities as a Freemason.  It would probably surprise few to know that I count among my roles “Historian” & “Archivist” for a number of Masonic groups and serve on the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts’ Library & Archives Committee, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts being the oldest in the Western Hemisphere and third oldest in the world as recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England.  To others, that may have just sounded like a bunch of useless words.  The important thing to know, despite what you may see on TV, the Freemasons are simply a fraternity aimed at “making good men better”.  Our lengthy titles and extensive regalia hold little weight outside our Lodges, and truth be told, they hold little weight inside as no matter the position, all Freemasons are Brothers “on the level”.

While many Brothers of Alpha Chi Rho have sought further Fraternal Bonds and gone on to become Freemasons, I, being both a very active Freemason and having spent an extensive amount of time studying (first having to dig most of it up) the history and all editions of the Ritual of Alpha Chi Rho, feel I am uniquely qualified to speak on the relationship between the two.  For a number of years I had touted that there were a number of similarities between the Rituals of Freemasonry and Alpha Chi Rho, and in extension you will often hear Freemasons who are also collegiate fraternity men state that “most likely all college fraternity ritual developed from Freemasonry”… though the more I have learned, I find I need to set the record straight and show that is simply not true.

Let us begin the examination of the relationship by looking to our Revered Founders.

In the records of the Grand Lodge of Oregon we find that Herbert Thomas Sherriff was initiated into Albina Lodge No. 101 on 9/28/1928, passed on 11/26/1928, and raised on 12/26/1928.  Albina Lodge No. 101 was located in Portland, though is now defunct.

In the records of the Grand Lodge of Michigan we find that Carl G. Zeigler was initiated into St Louis Lodge No. 188 on 11/26/1907, passed on 12/10/1907, and raised 1/7/1908.  He transferred to Ishpeming Lodge No. 314 which was located on the Upper Peninsula on 9/21/1908.  These lodges are also now defunct.

In a 1905 letter offering expansion opportunities, William A.D. Eardeley-Thomas mentions that he was “at a Masonic meeting” when he met someone.   No record has been found by any relevant Grand Lodge of his membership, though due to his eccentricities, Eardeley changed his name a number of times over his lifetime and so it may be difficult to find which name he would have joined under.

Neither the Grand Lodges of Connecticut, Kansas, nor Michigan have any record of Paul Ziegler being a member.  The only reference we have is in 1931 Rouse responded to a letter from Curly Walden asking about various aspects of the founding of the Fraternity.  He states that he is “inclined to give the Rev. Paul Ziegler all credit for the writing of the Ritual.  He was probably a Mason as well as a College Fraternity man and full to overflowing with ideas along the lines of a proper Ritual.” Though earlier in the same letter he mentions “I never met Rev. Ziegler.  All that I really know of him was that he was a graduate of Trinity College and a member of Psi Upsilon Fraternity.  I should say that the best way to get information about him would be thru Carl his son or Bro. Sheriff who probably knew him personally.”  And it should be noted that his mention of some other earlier aspects tend to be vague and he admits that “These mites of information are all rather meager but at a distance of 35 years and from one who has not kept in close touch with Fraternity brothers and Fraternity affairs perhaps they are all that can be expected.”  As such we shall conclude that it is possible that Paul was a Freemason, though surely his many endeavors with the Church kept him busy enough. It also should be noted that none of the published histories of the Fraternity repeat this claim.  We also can infer, coupled with the lack of records, that Rouse was not a Freemason.

So what does this all mean in relation to Alpha Chi Rho?  As we can see, Carl, Sherriff and Eardeley were Freemasons, though none were members until well after the founding.  We include Eardeley in this statement as we have early writings from him at the time of the Founding where it would have been an appropriate opportunity to mention his affiliation (especially considering his proclivity for historical accuracy in his record keeping) if it existed at the time, but he doesn’t.  As noted, Paul was “possibly” a Freemason, but where this would make its greatest appearance, it fails to do so.

It is believed that Paul Ziegler wrote the original 1895 Ritual.  Keeping this examination exoteric, we shall make some inferences about the structure and overall themes without discussing the esoteric substance.  It is true that similarities between the Rituals of Freemasonry and Alpha Chi Rho can be found on the surface, but I would propose that features such as loyalty oaths, handshakes, call and response, and even the “footwork” of multiple “examinations” can be found in the Ritual of almost every fraternal or other organization which has an initiatory ceremony.  I would suggest taking a look at the number of organizations which have in recent years opened their Ritual and look for those common features.  Ritual in general serves to create a Bond and teach the values of the organization, so it is by looking at the overall “stories” they tell or rather the teachings imparted, that we can see the lack of relatability.

Some may know that the Masonic initiation is an allegory presented over three separate ceremonies representing the birth, life, and death of man and uses the tools of ancient stone masons to teach values that help guide the candidate in the path of self-improvement.  Alpha Chi Rho on the other hand teaches that true Brotherhood is only achievable through absolute loyalty and mutual support.  While there can be viewed aims of self-improvement in Alpha Chi Rho’s Ritual as well, it is to benefit the advancement of the Brotherhood as a whole, as opposed to the individual journey of the Freemason.  Herein lies the key difference.  So instead of Freemasonry, let us look at what may be the true origin of our Ritual.

I would propose that the Ritual of Alpha Chi Rho is not Masonic, but instead is most closely related to the Trinitarian faith of Christianity.  By looking into the older editions of our Ritual the difference becomes clearer.  The major editions of the Ritual of Alpha Chi Rho include the 1895, the 1903/1905, the 1929, and the 1971/1972.

While those who remember or have read the 1929 edition of the Ritual which was used in one form or another until 1971/1972 will agree to the explicitly Christian nature which was complete with prayers and hymn, we must look deeper into the values and symbolism of the Ritual which still survive, though are often unexplained, in the current version of the Ritual.  This may be surprising when many know that the purpose of the 1971/1972 revisions was to remove the explicitly “Christian-ness” of our Ritual.

I draw your attention to the importance of the numbers 3, 4, and 7 in our Ritual.  Beyond our 4 Landmarks which are exoteric, there are the 4 esoteric ideals.  In the current edition of the Ritual, the 4^th is not actually named, though the idea of it is still present.  We still receive it in instruction which is more explicitly explained in the previous editions; it is noted that the fourth ideal is only achieved through the living of the first three, in as such the fourth is really a combination of the first three.  Hence, we get the three-in-one of the Trinitarian faiths.  Thus with the combination of the three and four we get seven representing the highest and most esoteric value espoused by Alpha Chi Rho.  This becomes even more apparent when we look at the other places in our Ritual and symbolism which take on a greater significance when keeping this relationship in mind.

Going further back, let’s examine the original Ritual of Alpha Chi Rho; the one believed to be written by Paul Ziegler.  After studying the 1929 Ritual, and its similar predecessor, the 1903/1905, I will admit I was slightly underwhelmed upon first reading the 1895 edition.  It is contained on 5 single sided pieces of legal paper and when accounting for the cover page, set up instructions, and certification signatures, the actual ceremony takes up only about 2.5 pages.  The ceremony imposes the strict insistence of loyalty to the Fraternity through the obedience to superiors and service to your fellow man espoused by Christian Knights of old.  This invoking of Knighthood survived into later editions which sought to provide symbolism and meaning to parts of our ceremonies and in a greater length, our Fraternity in general.

The early stress on obedience which was developed over the concern of controlling the caliber of men accepted into the Fraternity, was tested during the troubles of 1901-1902 which caused the reevaluation of all aspects of the Fraternity for the first time in 1903-1905 and beyond.  The Ritual would be modified to focus on service to God and your fellow man, while obedience was ensured through the organizational aspects of the Fraternity, which all Chapters now had a say in as opposed to early on when all power existed in the Phi Psi Chapter.  This early “control” was in direct conflict with the teachings of Freemasonry mentioned above where all Brothers are equal.

So, while we recognize that three of our Revered Founders were, or rather would become, Freemasons, we see that Freemasonry wasn’t really in the picture when it came to the development of our Ritual.  We see from the drafts still in existence of the 1903-1905 Rituals that none of the Founders seem to have been part of the Ritual Committee; in fact, at that point in our history, many of the National Offices were held by undergraduates or very recent graduates who would not have been Freemasons.  By the 1929 changes, which was mostly an expansion of the 1903/1905 anyway, most of the Founders were not involved in the Fraternity beyond answering questions on early history and occasionally serving as a local contact when looking into expansion; Carl was in Michigan focusing on his church, Sherriff was in Oregon (and wouldn’t have been a Freemason yet when the revisions were first discussed), and Eardeley was in New York living as a recluse as his mental illness had not yet been discovered.

Summing up, I will reiterate that while there are many worthy organizations out there with long held rituals and there is often extended crossover in rosters, it’s worth the effort to take the time to go beyond assumptions and truly study what is being taught.  Rituals were often written at face value, so there’s really not “hidden meanings” as many like to claim; the founders of these organizations were regular men, just like us, with all the calls on their time and attention.  They were, however, inspired to go a little further and write something to help teach a lesson using an allegory or example that they believed would be most effective.  Often there are similarities in stories as the same stories have been inspiring us over the centuries, but despite wanting to find connections, a majority of these do exist in their own rights, telling their own stories, to best pass down the spirit and legacy of each organization.