Oh for cryin' out loud

Well, we seem to have made someone in the Mystical Seven angry. To clear up some history for our audience and perhaps appease an irate spirit:

1. There are 2 M7s on campus. One is more or less the descendant of the Temple of the Wand from 1837. The other was formed in 1985. Both remain active.

2. In our posts, we try to consistently refer to these societies separately, as, respectively, old M7 and new M7. In this we have no choice, as we can't go up to new M7 and say, "Hey guys, you're making things really confusing when we blog about you. Can you change your name?" If you're interested in questions of legitimacy, go to Olin and look at the Argus archives from the 90s, when the two groups were duking it out.

3. You may find that we sometimes refer to a Mr. Kylin. Kylin was in the class of 1984 and founded the new M7. He also runs The American Minerva, which has some publications from the original Cauldrons. We mention his name as a reference only. Unless you want me to unfurl a giant banner at the top of the page that says, "WESLEYING: REAL STUDENTS, REAL STUDENT LIFE, AND PS DON'T LISTEN TO ANYTHING KYLIN SAYS."

4. For further reading regarding the M7(s), Benjamin Wyatt-Greene '02 penned a thorough history that's available here. You can also go to Special Collections and ask to see one of the first 19 Cauldrons; They are available for public viewing.

5. Finally, a while ago we speculated that the templum was to be renovated. Our anonymous Maraudin' Mystic confirms,

- thanks for your concern, but the M7 templum renovation has been approved. the funny thing is that M7 has gotten stronger since the fire. oh well, it'll be one hell of a grand opening party!

More secrets

To those of you who took the 2002 US History AP test--Here's a familiar DBQ for you:

Document H

Source: Orestes A. Brownson, An address before the Society of the Mystical Seven at Wesleyan College, August 7, 1844.

I propose . . . to bestow . . . my remarks, my attention on several species of the genus QUACK REFORMERS . . . . The effort to cut loose from the past, and to create an entirely new social and industrial order . . . is the species of quackery practiced by our professed social reformers . . . . These systems of reform disown the past, condemn what has been, and propose the creation of an entirely new social order. . . . It is to no man’s credit that he disowns what has gone before him. . . . But what is this past which we in our folly condemn? It is that which has made us what we are. It is our mother. . . . Alas! He is a bad son who curses his own mother, and no good can come of him.

Wesleyan College? Boo, AP board!

(P.S. I've been asked why I focus more on the Mystical Seven and not the Skull & Serpent. This is because there's just more information out there on the m7. That and if you google "Skull and Serpent" you get more Harry Potter fanfiction than I'm willing to deal with.)

Mystical 7 at Mizzou

While the Mystical Seven originated here at Wesleyan with the Temple of the Wand, the society enjoyed some infamy with chapters in other schools, especially in the South. And while the two m7 factions at Wesleyan are still snuffling about all secret-like, at schools like Mizzou, the society is prospering and members are prominent.


...Maybe a little too prominent.

More pictures from the Mizzou m7 tap day can be found here.

Fire at North College

Here's a really interesting old postcard showing the ruins of North College after a fire broke out on March 1, 1906. The fire was supposedly started accidentally by the Mystical 7, who met in the attic in those days. From The Mystical 7: A History:

Many of the Mystic Records were destroyed in the fire as well as the possessions of many students who were living in the North College Dorms, although fortunately nobody was killed. Within a few years of the fire enough money was raised by the newly formed Mystic Alumni association to begin construction of a new Mystic Templum.

You can buy this postcard here.

The more things stay the same

This entry from the Mystical 7 Cauldrons, called "Proceedings of the Eclectic Society," dates from 1839 and is quite a fun read. For a society whose mission statement dedicates itself to change, Eclectic sure hasn't changed much in the last 100+ years.

"...The members assembled according to custom in wheel barrows and were deposited by their respective attendants on their couches;—the President’s being raised 6 feet higher than the others for the purpose of being conspicuous. The records were then examined and received with slight amusement, Mr. Clark being fined for spilling his liquor. The Society then listened to a speech from the President upon the subject of mermaids; in which he established beyond a doubt the truth of their existence and gave an eloquent and animated account of their appearance and mode of life."

The site says that the Cauldron in question is Volume 2, which is available for public viewing in Olin's Special Collections.