Asa phoenix vol 2 no 5 oct 1915

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VOLUU:E II

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P H 0 E iT I X

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OCTOBER 1!5, 1915.

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UU!IDER 5

Oy:R FL OV!ERS .Jur ging by tl:e fact that so many s oro ~it ie s use the sa;;:Je flov:er, we ::mst quite natu rally infe r that the one choocn has no s~ecial rit u c.listic significance, thot :l;bse.ll probc.bilitr 't 'l-J.e selec.-tlon ;rgs onde , because --che flm-rers in qt'..esti on -::rere obtainable e.t 2 ~ J. se~so:1s of the year.

Of t he thirt:·-two sorol'i ties no'·' reco cn i zed ~; ~,T Hc.1las, eleven use some variety of rose, whi le six have t h e ca rnat:.. c::: nne another half dozen the violet . Of eight others, t wo favor the ~~n~y a nd six ha7e cho s en the fleur de lis, the lily-o f- t he - vall e y , 't.tlc f orget- me -nf"t, the chryso.nthemum, or the daisy.

Alpha Sigma Alphars choice of a flov/er has ~raried c;re2.t::!.y .

Early in t :1e history of the sorol~i-;:~r t he carnation \;r as used. ':!:h e l 90 '3 Convention selected. th e violet as t h e sorority f l m,re :r, but t h is 1 '2 ~ soon s.uperseded by the American Beauty R0se. The 1914 Cor.··An t::.on cho se the White Chrysan.them,_un and the Jonquil. The c.ecision e.t t h is tiDe 1ras due to a desire to find flm7ers t hat v;o u.ld be a~ailable dt'.r ing the greater part of the school yea r. No s p eciol ef:fort n::.s maC:.e "co select flov1ers tha.t wonld in any way connect up n i th the Ritual, or wit~ the structural plan cf the eorority.

During the yeo. r since Co nventi on, the Council h n s been stt~ d y inG the subject of our flo~ers r athe r carefu lly, in hopes of findin g some special and sentimental reason for the u se of th ose chosen l ast Thanksgiving, other than th o.t of mere availe:bilitJ.-. As a rt?su l t of its investiGation, ti:1P. Council is p rep ared to make cert a in recommendr-. ·tions nhich are submitt ed "h.ere;,vi th , anc_ on -r.rhich it nsl:s for :a gen eral expression of opin ion both by Chap ter nne. Alumnae vote.

The Chry~antt.emu.m is the nE-.tionql floY:rer of Jr:]an . It i s sup::_Josed. to symbolize the ri sinG sun, and therefore to be espe ci s.l l y typical of Japan.

Its ori c inetor was re ~ arded ~ ith s re a t honors, among them tha t of hav:r: G hi~ n{:m.e s iven to t he ::_)lace of his birth. ~he exact origin of the f lor.re r is somePhe.t in doubt, but, in fl ll -pr obability, the plant v:ras a dcv elo pr.1ent of the 1 ell-l:no;:m Chin es e Aster .

Dh ich: in tum ITas the res,:tl t of the carefu l cul ti~'ation of s ome r.mch simi_)ler form. Since t'-le ':Tore. ASTER is fro~ a GreeJ ~ ..,ord th:::1t r.;eans S"TAR, since t he ritu8.l of o..._:_ r order rays Sl1'ecial stress n::> on tl:e si r> n ific an.c e of the STAR as 0!1e of ·che p1· incipn.l emblems on the ba.d(;P., ar:o. since, Dorco-.:;er, the b8t r nio c l nGm~ of the c:;.inesP .As ter--C a llisteuhus.--me uns 'Eeau.tifl:_l Cr o·rn 1 • t~: e Council recommencls tha t the r-r ord ASTE:rt te usee. in 1::efercnce to the ~,·ord Chry s&r.thew,_:r.m, especinll-,1 o.s it is really all-inclusi":e and makes possibl e t he er.1p loyment for J?Urp oses of decorc.tion anythinG .:rom t 1: c simp lest fcrr.i ::>f t h e l7i l d fl ov1er, throu ch the Ch ines0 AstcT , up t c tl:c r1 os t elabora te Chr 7s 2nthemurn 3in ce, moreofer, the J~n~ u il is onl y 8n c var1 e t ; c f t h e TI&r cissus, and s1nce there ~ re so ~e v~r 7 prctt~ l es enes connect e C ~it ~ th<:.t fl on er , as n ell as rrany thi::1t...; s .: bo,,t it thot ar e ::>nrtic 1_,_le;r:_ 7 ::;-n;)cest ive for .'\.l pha Si[n:a :.lpho., tLe Cc,mc1l reconmer:. d.s t !':.c: .l 3C of 7

t h: . . ~·ame l!ATI~ISBUS iz:stea.d of Jonqnil, vr DO.i. :fodi l, th• v me,~in~ P~>;l..:>l ble a _t lld c r c ho 1ce for decora ti ve p uposes, r:7' ile at t he same t~me secur1ng a 'Very vi tal con~ e cti o n bet·.r een t he flo er e nd "t::e Rlt~:al: Jus.t n~ it h~s_been ;_1 oi:r:te~ out ~~at Gbe fmrm of t;he LSTE~-~

emp,_aslzes t ~c cronn 1clen, so 1t 1s pos s1ole to call ~ t ent: :; r o the fact that the s imp le:r varieti e s of the l!ARCISSUS c 2rr hut em blem as a co nsp icuous pa:..·t of t r.e :flon er structure. Jon c:ni ls, or Daffod1ls, " re mlirely :r.1 odificati ons, just a s the 'q een 0 f fl r·ers ' i.s a dev~lo pm ent of the simr le 7i ld ro e. .

-· AccordL1[; to t 1e ;? oet ' s tale rurciss us ·as ti 11e s on of a riv e ~ ; od a n1 one of t he Q OS t beautiful'~ouths t hat ever liv ed. !.any a ma~den lost her heart to him. The lo v ely Echo "D ined a~aJ.· , f o :· love of hun, until there was noth int; le:'t except a voice. But arcis:su~ nas :-:-holly U11touched by her a a.d f~te, for he kneV7 not Love.

Nemes1s or Fate, t o punish him f or his i nd ifferen ce, cause d hi~ to see his· reflect ion i n a fo ·Jnt : >.in, rh ereupon he bec ame so ennmo 1red of his beauty the.t he forgot all else, and faded D.n cy 1mtil he€11as metamorphosed. into the flm-:: er thn t bears his n ame. Thus in le gend did the Greeks teach the absurdity· of self-centered interest a.nd the sad f~te that must inevitably overt ak e "Ghose ~Tho n.re selfishly in different t o love lavished on them by others.

This all- impl"'rtant lesson na s one t 1:a t t h (' ~arl~r Christian Church de3ired very much to ten.cl: its ch ildren, so ·.7he n it began to establish itself in Greece, it soucht to tell the srune vit~l truth in story form, because it -rias q_uic!: to see that this t:as tLe one 1.ray in which to impress the nerr. faith on the Hellenic mind, \7hich had had all its rel igi("'n and philosoph~r for centuries presented to it in fascinating legends. You nill remember that St. Paul went very early in h is missionary travels to Greece, thn t he p reaehed t o t h e Athenians on Marss Hill, th a t he p resided. over a church in Corinth f o: a year and a half before returnin g to Asia r. inor. It is from his letters to the Corinthians th at Alphe. S i c;ma Alpha eets a l nrge pn.rt of the material for its Ri t uc.l, so all this is ver.7 int ere stinG to you, e specia lly since, as students and Greet -Letter Folk, you have fallen heir to the inexhaustible treas1 res of Hell enic literatu re anC. ita bejeneled myths.

Not Self-Inte r es t, b 1".:; Self:.. ~acrifice, ·,·Jas 'the l ess on tLat the Early Church S~"ugbt to te a ch its follo rlers ev e r ~mh e re, and it knen of no better ~--ay in r:-h ich to exp ounc. t ha t lesson t .1an t J brin{ clearly before men's n inds the angelic r.os t above a lo\'lly :1an 0 e r in Bethlehem. Around th a t scen e tt liove a ll its most _potent chn rms, so 17hen the little Christian ch ildren in G r e~ ce -:1 e:1 t out i nto tLe o eadous and. ga thered great o rofu.ls o:Z t11e exq uisi te na rcissu s, t:hi ch groT:. so o.bundan tly in t h.a t sunn:;r clime, the:t -;e r e told, not the s tor ~r of the selfish Narcissus, but t r.e stol"Y o f t he n onder Flower .

It '. a s explaine d tc tbe m tha~ t : e ~h ole ea rth had been loo k in G for~ ard v ith lont; ing to the coninc:; off~ r ~ cssiah, t hat vrhen c. t length the ti me 7i a-::; nigh, His advent r.ras heralded b y a brilliant St~. r. t .1e ligat of ··rh ic b no mo.n had ever seen. They 1.rere tol d th :J t 1-.hen its \larm r a:rs rested on the ssnm; cla.d hilJ.s anC'. valle·ys of Beti1lehem tl:e earth burst into bloom, sending u p myriads of itrh<ite blosscns, - to be krio11n henceforth as Stars of Bethlehem. Then the ch 1ldr en v;e r c s hor:n tha t t .1c flo1 er . nas not only an evidence of God'~ p r om ise f1:: lfilled, ht1t th t it he l d w·i t h in it o.s n.e ll o prophec:: of the o:::;.l;'j 1' :.1 ~7 in rrt ich that fulfilm ent cou ld be ma de effective. Th e lo : ely f lo~7 er sup )o rted a ro :ral crovrn of gold, but this -r.·a.s ting ed r: ith crimson, in token of bload t ha t --:·c.~ to be shea. Th ere toa l"e r e the n e.ils, t he droopi.n c; Head s n rrounded by t he spe3rs of the soldiery, an~ t he re too ~as t he shroud.

19. , B?sld~s ~te 3ir.plest for r:1 of t he Nnrcis::ms, that '.7hict is caL1. ed Poet1cus , vr.ere 1s the kin d. that displays a trumpet, G. to~rtr S? ~he ea.r~y Church P.athers said, of t h e angels n~o ar:okc manltind ')J ... cn;lstbm~s ''10:~ Vlith their jo yo~s c h orus. Then, too, there is a v a:~ ·;. ety tha., car ... 1es a golden cup 1nsteaa. of trunr;>et or crorm . This sor.~.c of tl:e C~urc~ Fat~ers declarec k ingship ::md a royal lineage, rrh il e ot~1e rs mn1nt~.nncd ~hn t it t y? ified the Sacramental Cup thc.t \JUS to b.r1ng SO much of refres hmen t to a l t..n gu ishing \/Orld. . .If y o~ ~re n ot ve ry famili a r •niththe Narcissus, yo1, r· ill be a.llttle d1sappo1n1ied lJe l~h ~:r;;> s , vih en you vie'7 it at close ran ge, to f1nd t ha.t there are sL"'C p oint :J tJ 'che f:ov;er inst e a d of five, r:e ot modPr~ tir:.es c::: re so accustomr:d to visualizing stars r·i th five po in t;s tha t 1t seems strnnge a t fir s t to think of one o it h six. I t ~a s no t until mediaeval tiD e s tha t t :w fi-ve-pointed sta r c ume into uae. ::Ian,y ancient peoples, as well us sects end societies have ~ictured star~ i7ith six, seven, .:1nd even ten points, according' as the ~r "-; ish ed to nak : them typify a certain number hf virtues.

The six-pointed sta r was a f a vorite ~ith Hebr eu people, rn 6 to this ' day it is the princiJ?al symbol of t he Je; Jish f ~i th, a.s the C:rescent is for . Moh~mmedans unCi. t he . Cross f o r Christia ns .

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Those of the Hebre\7 f a ith v1 ill tell.- you that this s ymbol is the 'Shiel r of David', and since, a ccording to their belief, he is the hi ghes t type of S[:Viour c~d kin g , the y use his shield r: s their t f',lisman en d ~ s their distinctive emblem.

No iT , u s you look a t it, you ~ ill in a ll likelihoo d s u:T thc,.t you cr,nnot se e a ny 'Sl·. i cl d ', th c. t o.ll you notice are the t i-:o c::o s s trian3l es. · You i'org et th:;.t David '.7as on l y c sinple shep h e rd l ad, thc.t the only sh.i9ld possible to hin r.' as one o f t!1e s imp lest con s tru ctio n , c: sk in stretched ov er 8. frame of ':lOod . Tr.is s:"'Tlbo l, then, re;?re se::-tts the f ou~dc. tion of t he shi eld. You cc.n r ec:.dil y sec from your 1:nci'7 l 8dCC of r.l<:.them :::tics, o..n d especia ll y fro u ;;/ OUT stt'.d:r of geome tr ;>r, t hat the six points a rc the ec. si es t obtC',inabl e , since the r :J.dius of a c.ircl e VT ill mc.r1: off on tht? ci r c umf·'3 r c nce just 3 i:~ equal cl ivi s i01~s . The · c1·oss 1 in es , nh ich f orm t he t '·.ro t ri ansl e s, c.r e t he best a rrr:c:'l.gcrrd:nt possible for t he stre n gt henin.=: cf th e fr une by mal{ inr; e vcrJ p oint of contact s u~~ l ement every othe:;:- . _ , The i dealist, cf course, r eads in t o th e ' Sh i elc'. of I.>c.v1~ ~ :my i ntc:::-estin t:; thir..gJ. He p oint s 01.,t ~hc t the re 'Jere six esr;e~~lt',l qual it ies that rJa.dc Davitl th2 ',T ic to :;.~ in a l l t:1t:. t he 1..:nd.crtook , --lhs co n rage, his :;JO..tience, hi.s go dlines3, his r~u.YTi ilit y, h is s e l~-contro:: his self-s rr c :t ifice. The f cl lov ing ("'c.esi gn Vt ill [ i Ve y ou an l dea of v:'. C relativ e se tting of t hese sa'11e v irt ue s.

GODLETESS SELF

C 0~1T:RO L

SELF SACRIFICE

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COUP.b.G:E

PATIE~TCE

Hill.C ILI TY

These v-: er e the s tr e::c6thenir..G f ectures of t h e ermor oi Da vid and these o.re the v1 rtu e s t h8. t David's fol lo'.Je: s a re sn p ~1ose d to u c qu ire, in 4

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order thc.t they too may be victorioua in the battle of lif e .

Tl_lere ~s, houever, f.l.n additional me8Ilir.g, a mystical one , to :>e fo uncl. 1n th 1s deeply revered synbc 1. ..:rJ..ny ~cier: t pe opl es use c: the «::c~v ilateral t rinngle to t;y-L)ify ?ERFECTIO T, perfec'ticn of bod:,•, min~ and. s p irit.

The Hebrens used t!1e t r o cr ossed trianbles t0 s ..rmbollze, 1:n the one case Jehovah, the so urce of all be inc , '"'.nd in the other the p::omised :..Iessiah, 1·:h om ,HebreY:s still ~x:a it r: ith lor:[ ing , since they believe he is dest ined to del ivAr ther:1 from op)rc s s i on, as did Jehovah from the yoke of the Pharnahs . . ':Jhether David ;nerely u.ad e -'che frnmeworl;;. of his first shield as seemed to him easiest and c:it ron s est, or \7hether the lonely shepherd lad wrour-:ht into tha t fr c.m e';Tork the remembrance of the God of his fathers and a visio-;.1 of a l:~essiah ·a h o was to be of ~1is line Hil l never be knovm, but the s ymbol u as r.:wst certainly cher i shed b~r him in later life, o. n c1 pnsserd on to ~lis .successors, mt.ct a~ c. coo.t-ofarms41 is h and ed dov.n :Zrom f a J.;he r to so:1.

It :.ras bec n.use Solomon re gc.:-:decl t'b.is sJ•mbol as a to.lisman that it came to be used a s er: embler.1 b y the Nasonic Fr a ternit y . This societ3r, v1hich cl a ims an unbroken ex i st ence from the time of Solor:10n ancl. the bu ildinf"0 of t he Tenm le at Jerus8 l em • a sserts th[;! t some i·rorkmen employed i!l the constru ction decided to form a :~r otective l eacue, or t;u ild, and thn t from those be [~ innings s p r o.:'1g the order the. t he s sir.ce sp read into a ll civilized l anes . ', 7he ther the Hasen ic Bndy uses the enblem to t yp ify cert a in de sira ble virtues, the wr iter c.oes no t knou , but it could co so veJ.·y e as ily and successfu lly .

Since the early Christi r ns •ne re i:Iebrm7s and s ince , in adopting th e ne P f a ith, the ~r could still keep a ll the chc. rm o f th o ol e~ , it wa s quite natu:.:a l tl..n t t hey s h ou ld uBe o.. six- p ointe c1 des i p;. ,-.~len :.,Ji cturin t:; the St o..r of Bethlehem. Sin ce, !Tl < .):reove :r, t h e per i an"'..;h of th o Un rcissus displays t wo cro ss ed tri~nGle s maie by thre~ pe tals set 2 b ovr three sepcJ3, it '.-re s only n~.tr:. r al that the fir s t 'Follo':re rs of tn e . 1 Star' should see in t i1 is fl 01:e r ~ r eprodu cti on of the ';)J:: i e l c~ of Dov1 d ;·, ith its asst,_rance of c.n om:1 i :;; ot ent Jehoveth en d i ts j)roo i se o f an equally emnt:,; otent Ee ss iah. .

Be cc.u se of ASJ!.. ' s cl '::'se cc ~1nr.: cti o:n. v: i th tl: e Hou s e o f Da.vld, throu Gh his t;reat, g rN:.t gn.n:dso :G , l: in c::; !.sa , the use o f t h e siX- T?Ointe str>.r on t be b o. dt; e r;o ulc ho.-r P. been r.1 C Tv 2'l)j_Jro:ni a te , thoc ~h .not es11 ecinllJr cl.istinctiv c . 'i.' he ' FC' 7 :2 s r_Ui'.RZ ' ~12.:1 , ho ·:ever , cl.oes :1ot ? TC clude the acce pt u:c ce o ::~ t h e lJ~ rci s sus "'. 8 o:1.e of the S o ro::::- i t~·'s flo1.r er3 . r·c is c.n ea.s;s.- !:lc.tte:r . as sno·,.n in tr. e f ol} c·,.· i nr J. i cz.: rr'. m, t o chcnc e the 'Bb±eld o f D ~vi d ' into t~e r s~ i e l d of Zinc ~sa '. ~

GiOD:=..IFESS P LTI:::NCE SELF CO .i.iJ 'l'nOL

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HtL1ILITY

CmJR.'cGE SEL:.' SAC~ I F ICE

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3el f Control r.ssuredly dem c:·idS P:.:tience a ncl S:!Lf S.2cr ific~ is clecr~y :.tllie..d to Co un'.l_;e. As for Hur:1i li t~ , i t i s th e t ap root o::L. ~ll_ G o~llnc~ ~· Xi 1:g As~ ' s Sh i el d , thG ;J. , is the 3Lr.1e :.:.s ·,;h e_ ~S h1 e lc.. ~:L D~- ~l : l ;y i t c .rri e s on t he Tie ss i ah tr iar.61C: the s~'rabol of H1s advent, o::. nc.

2 0 1 au th 2 t oi J ehov ah the Cll:.·i s -~j_ c:n syn~b ol of As ~~ ir . '.. t ion, ~tru [.; ~ le anc1. .'lctieveDen t. \Je a r ers o:: t his s hielc. s re lo ~icclly " :!." ol .to'.·:ers of the ;.._~.~· · ~~" -,·}lo ho·>Je t :.:- ctt3in the "Crorrn Inco :;.·:ru J:n ; ibl e". ~ -~ · ' ~