THE RITUAL By Brother Thomas D. Pawley III nee the decision was made to induct new members into the Alpha Phi Alpha Society, a ritual became necessary. In this essay, we shall endeavor to answer the questions: How was the Ritual created? By whom? What were the sources of its subject matter? And finally, what purposes does it serve? In 1906, the first Ritual "was worked out ... by a committee composed of Brothers George B. Kelley and Robert Ogle," {History of Alpha Phi Alpha, p. 35). What its contents were we do not know for it was lost during the ensuing year. Oddly enough, Brothers Kelley and Ogle were not designated to rewrite it. "During the Fall of 1907, the ritual could not be found and Brothers Callis and E.K. Jones wrote one from memory in the room of Brother Callis," {History, p. 35). Brother Jones was probably chosen because he was among diefirstgroup initiated and he had studied Greek at his Alma Mater, Virginia Union University. Brother Callis was the Fraternity's secretary. Brother Roscoe C. Giles also was a contributor to the earliest Rituals. "[He] was engaged during the same period in historical research on the background of Ethiopia and Brother Callis consulted the professor of Greek, all of which assisted in the procuring of die necessary facts for the ritual," {History, p. 35). The ritual was the focus of interest at early General Conventions. At the First General Convention at Howard University, "acting as a committee of the whole, the [second] session proceeded to consider the Ritual, passwords, the grip and the Constitution," states founder Callis, {Henry Arthur Callis: Life and Legacy, p. 40). Thus it can be said that all of the persons participating in this convention share to 40
some degree the authorship of the earliest Ritual. In 1909, it again was on the agenda when a committee "consisting of Brothers Giles, Adams [Numa P.G.] and Graves [Lemuel] made its report," {History, p. 60). Over die years General Conventions have made revisions, as for example in 1911 when a decision was made to write it in a cypher created by Epsilon Chapter and in 1913 when the Committee on Ritual recommended that the jewels in the Fraternity pin stand for the Seven Founders.1 Difficulties in reading the cypher led to the adoption of a new code in 1916, {History, p. 104). During the early years some aspect ofthe Ritual was constantly undergoing revision as the Brothers sought to perfect the document. The writer remembers the late Brother Raymond Cannon saying, "We were changing the grip at every General Convention." Dr. Wesley also comments, "The present ritual... is the result of continuous revisions at ... conventions," {History, p. 35). Oneaspect, the Ceremony of Initiation, has historically been subject to revision as General Conventions struggled with the problem of hazing and brutality. More changes are in the offing as a result of the adoption of the "Intake Process."2 While such Brothers as Kelley, Ogle, Jones, Callis, Giles, Adams and Graves are known to have been the authors of the earliest rituals, the ultimate product is the result of the creative efforts of numerous others. The Founders knew little about the inner workings of fraternities. How then would they secure the necessary information about establishing one? They did what anyone would do. They turned to the traditional fraternities. "Several... worked at fraternity houses ofsuch groups as Phi Delta Theta, Phi Kappa Psi, Psi Upsilon, Phi Gamma, Alpha Delta Phi, Sigma Phi, Delta Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Theta Beta Pi The SPHINX" - Summer 1997