Cross & Crescent

In 1929, Lambda Chi Alpha issued a green hardback book entitled the Expositor of Lambda Chi Alpha. According to Editor Bruce H. McIntosh (DePauw 1916), the book’s origin can be traced back to 1913 when Jack Mason (Pennsylvania 1913) prepared some written guidelines for chapter correspondents.

Badge Depression

By Jono Hren (Florida Tech 1975)

Shortly after the Expositor was published in 1929, the stock market crashed. The economic upheaval of the Great Depression produced profound changes in government, banking, and social and economic policies.

Even Lambda Chi Alpha’s badge would never be the same.

The 1932 Revenue Act and the 1934 Gold Reserve Act made private possession of gold illegal, except for jewelry. The price of gold increased from $20.67 to $35 per ounce.

The Fraternity’s jeweler was forced to add a 10 percent gold surcharge and a 6 percent Federal tax to all orders. Their 1934 catalog stated, “The recent proclamation by the president of the United States … compels the L.G. Balfour Company to pay approximately 50 percent more for our gold purchased from the government.”

This change meant an end to the thick, heavy, 14K badges that were popular in the 1910s and 1920s. The new badges were made of 10K gold and were much thinner.

Pictured is a 1933, 14K gold crown set badge on the left and a miniature plain pin from 1934. The 1934 pin is only 3/8″ in diameter — smaller than a thumbtack — and is one of the first to be made of 10K gold.

The Expositor first appeared in mimeographed form in late 1922. Numerous mimeographed booklets and pamphlets were published from 1913 through 1928. Eventually, these documents were revised to form the Manual of Lambda Chi Alpha, which evolved to form the hardback Expositor.

Early History

The Expositor is more than a chapter management manual, it also contains a 52-page history of Lambda Chi Alpha’s first 20 years. Many of its illustrations and historical commentary also appeared in the October, 1929 History Number of the Purple, Green, and Gold magazine.

One of its illustrations, a photograph of 1915 Philadelphia Assembly delegates, is a real oddity. It pictures eight members wearing the official Lambda Chi Fez — and none look too happy about the situation. The fez featured our colors with a cross and crescent emblem centered in front.

Ritual Insight

Though the Expositor was not issued as a secret publication, it is amazingly frank and open as it describes the core elements of our ritual.

In the Aims and Ideals section, we are told our Fraternity rests on a firm Christian foundation. It cites many Christian-specific influences, including the Bible, cross, and principles of belief such as forgiveness, humility, mercy, hope, and unselfishness.

It is interesting to note that elements of classical Greek philosophy are also incorporated into our ritual. Two of our primary symbols bear witness to this combination of Greek philosophy and Christian religion. According to the Expositor, the crescent symbolizes the naturalistic philosophy of the Greeks and the cross symbolizes the faith of Christianity.

McIntosh also points out that our ritual emphasizes manly virtues like courage, self-control, loyalty, and industry. “The Lamp of the ritual, which appears on the coat of arms, represents the abilities with which the initiate is endowed,” he writes, “and the protection of this light for good and useful purposes.”

Probably the most disturbing part of the Expositor — from our contemporary viewpoint — is found in its rationalization of membership restriction based on race and religion. While acknowledging the dream of universal brotherhood, it states Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity could not foster this ideal at that time. Of course, with few exceptions, this was the common stance of fraternities and sororities until the late 1960s.

Emblems

The highlight of the Expositor is the section that covers our emblems and ritual. It opens with a general overview of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman ritualism and its influence on Medieval European Knightly Orders. This short narrative is followed by a detailed review of specific Orders such as Knights Templar (military order), Knights Hospitaller, and Rene’ of Anjou’s short lived Chevaliers of the Crescent (1464).

The most significant part of this section is a lengthy review of the design of our emblems. The book provides a number of excellent plates that illustrate these objects.

One illustration includes a rare reproduction of the Gamma Plate designed in 1912 by Cole. Perhaps the most unusual entry, however, is a description of our official hatbands, “…all of which consisted of a black ground on which stripes of purple, green, and gold ran horizontally in different widths and arrangements.” This description is reminiscent of the hatbands Lambda Chi Alpha pledges wore at Miami University (Ohio) in the mid-1960s.

Chapter Operations

The second part of the Expositor addresses issues associated with the general operation of chapters. The aim was to standardize the administrative work of both the chapter and the central office. As such, it serves as a manual for officers, their duties, and a discussion of the forms and reports required by the central office at that time. It’s worth mentioning that the approved “Order of Business” for chapter meetings listed a time for a “Truth Session” — a long-standing tradition still practiced by many of our chapters today.

Another chapter covers Pledge Training. McIntosh places great emphasis on the need for initiated members to set a positive example of good character, scholarship, and service to others.

In keeping with the times, there is much written about disciplining pledges. The discipline mentioned ranged from friendly advice to paddling. The practice of “tubbing” (immersion in an icy tub) was included in the list of disciplinary measures.

The official policy concerning hazing read “The Fraternity absolutely opposes all brutal and inconsiderate practices, but tubbing and paddling need not be brutal, and should always be considerate.” Clearly, such practices are not tolerated today and should not have been tolerated in the past.

“Hell Week” and similar practices were roundly condemned by the editor as “…unauthorized and utterly inappropriate in Lambda Chi Alpha.” Lambda Chi Alpha is now a leader in the anti-hazing movement. While hazing incidents still happen, they are not condoned or excused as a normal part of our Associate Member program.

Gentleman Virtues

The section concerning Chapter Tone makes a good case for creating a social environment that reflects standards of good behavior and decency. Emphasis is placed on keeping a clean chapter house, good table manners, polite conversation, refraining from profanity, and avoiding alcohol — all of which are presented as virtues of a gentleman.

The Expositor was as close as Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity would get to an official hardback history book until The History of The Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity was published in 1992. Seventy-five years later, the Expositor of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity provides us a time capsule of our early history.