The ceremony of admission to the grades was quite interesting. These who were to enter the Grade of Fidelity, were called out by the preceptor, and arranged themselves in a line before his desk. He then addressed to them a few words of congratulation and advice, after which he said:
“I now present these candidates for admission to the Grade of Fidelity. If it be your will that they be accepted, you will please to signify it.”
The members of the grade having previously been seated together, in the front desks, now voted on the question, by putting into a box that was passed round a slip of paper on which was usually inscribed, “Yes—all.” If a member objected to any candidate, he wrote, “Yes—all except——,” naming the person he objected to. Unless a candidate was objected to by at least one-fourth of the members, he was admitted. When it was ascertained that the vote was affirmative, the preceptor hung a blue silk ribbon around the neck of each candidate. The members then filed out from their seats, and after giving the hand of fellowship to their new comrades, the whole company joined hands, and sung one verse of a song, commencing:
“We’re a band of faithful friends.”
The blue ribbon was the badge of the Grade of Fidelity, and was worn at the reception of candidates, at the examination of the academy, and on other special occasions. The scholars in this grade enjoyed no privileges over their fellows; but it was considered quite important to gain admittance to it, unless one was content to be rated very low, morally if not mentally. Before the term ended, about three-fourths of the students had been admitted to the ranks of the “Fidels,” as they sometimes abbreviated their name. Some, however, were afterwards degraded; for if a member fell below the standard, or was guilty of any serious offence, he was dismissed from the grade.
It was not so easy to get into the Grade of Honor. One had to be very exemplary in conduct, and very pure in character, to gain admittance there. Less than one in six of the scholars passed this searching ordeal. The names of candidates to this grade were posted up in the school-room, three days before the ceremony of admission. Any member of the academy had a right to object to a candidate, and could privately inform the preceptor of his reasons. If a candidate was known to be profane, or untruthful, or dishonest, or chewed or smoked tobacco, or was addicted to any other bad habit, he was rejected, no matter how exemplary his conduct in school might be.
When the hour came to admit candidates to the Grade of Honor, those to whom no valid objection had been made, presented themselves, in front of the preceptor’s desk, the members of the grade being seated upon the platform. A separate ballot was taken for each candidate, and if one-fourth voted nay, he was rejected. The preceptor then affixed the badge of the grade, a pink silk rosette, to the left breast of the accepted candidate; and then, taking him by the hand, he addressed to him a few affectionate words of welcome. When all had gone through this ceremony, the members of the grade formed a ring, inside of which the candidates were admitted, one at a time. After making the circuit, and receiving the hand of fellowship from each one, the new member fell into the ranks, and another candidate passed through the same ceremony, and so on to the end. The whole school then arose and sang a song beginning:
“Who are these, with honors decked;”
the members of the grade, meanwhile, standing in a circle, with clasped hands. When the singing was over, they returned to their desks, the school remaining standing until they had taken their seats. So ended the ceremony of the initiation.
Those who belonged to the Grade of Honor enjoyed sundry privileges that were denied to other students. They could leave their seats without permission, and could even leave the room during study hours, without being called to account. They had access at all times to the library, while the other students enjoyed its privileges under some restrictions. They were also clothed with a sort of monitorial power, and as their testimony was received by the teachers with unwavering faith, it was counted a poor time to brew mischief when one of this class was around. It was of course expected that they would never take improper advantage of their privileges, and, like the other grade, they were liable to lose their position if found unworthy.