Casque and Gauntlet
Founded	March 1886; 138 years ago (1886-03) Dartmouth College
Type	Senior secret society
Affiliation	Independent
Status	Active
Scope	Local
Symbol	Arthurian imagery
Chapters	1
Nickname	C&G
Headquarters	1 South Main Street Hanover, New Hampshire 03755 United States
Website	casqueandgauntletsociety.org

Casque and Gauntlet (also known as C&G and the Casque and Gauntler Senior Society) is the second-oldest senior society at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. ^{[1] [2]} The mission statement of the organization is: "to unite in fellowship men and women of strong character and high ideals; to promote their mutual welfare and happiness; to render loyal service to Dartmouth College, and to aid and encourage one another in performing their duties to God and their fellow man." ^[3]

History

Casque and Gauntlet was founded in March 1886 by students at Dartmouth College. ^{[1] [4]} Albert J. Thomas had the idea of creating a senior society like those at Yale University and recruited Fordyce P. Cleaves and Wilder D. Quint. ^[5] From those three, other potential members were recruited. ^[5] The founders decided to was to limit the society's membership or annual delegation to nineteen seniors. ^[5] The first delegation and founding fathers of Casque and Gauntlet were: ^[3]

Cleaves, Thomas, and especially Quint were inspired Alfred Lord Tennyson's " Idylls of the King" and the other members agreed on this concept. ^{[5] [6] [7]} They selected the organization's name to represent "truth, fidelity, and loyalty to each other". ^[5] Its president was called Arthur, The Pendragon, after King Arthur, and the members took the names of the various Knights of the Round Table. ^{[6] [7]} Its ritual was written by Quint, with the Holy Grail as "the focal point of their fraternal life". ^[6] Wentworth designed the society's pin. ^[6] The group also develops its emblem, the profile of a knights helmet or casque with a glove or gauntlet. ^[5] Its alumni association began publishing a newsletter and directories in the 1890s. ^[7]

Initially, the group lacked a regular meeting place. ^[5] At one point, they had four rooms above Cobb's Store but also used a cemetery and a barn on Stump Lane. ^{[5] [7]} C&G moved into a house at 1 South Main Street in the fall of 1894. ^{[8] [4] [9]} The society dubbed their new residence "the Castle on the Corner". ^[9] The house was built in 1823 by Dr. Samuel Alden who lived there until he died in 1842; Joseph Emerson lived there until 1888 when it became a boarding house for students owned by Susan Brown. ^[9] The Castle was rented from Brown under a long-term lease. ^{[9] [7]}

Originally, membership in C&G ended upon graduation. ^[10] In 1895, an Alumni Association was incorporated in Boston. ^[10] Initially, the main activity of the association was organizing an annual dinner for alumni. ^[10] However, the Alumni Association purchased the Castle in 1901. ^{[9] [7]} The house was transferred to the newly formed Trustees of Casque and Gauntlet in 1904. ^[7] The alumni launched a campaign in 1911 to raise funds to improve the house, including selling stock to alumni. ^[7] In 1915, the society installed a rear addition designed by architect Fred Wesley Wentworth, a founding member.

A group adopted a new constitution and by-laws in 1923 and its collegiate group and Alumni Association merged into a single organization called The Casque and Gauntlet, giving all of its initiates a lifetime membership. ^{[8] [7] [10]} In 1924, C&G published a songbook and began publishing its Bulletin. ^{[8] [7]} During World War II, the society stopped its activities and leased the house to the university. ^[8] The university gave the Castle back to the society in July 1946. ^[11] However, C&G struggled to rebuild its membership after the war and was financially depleted. ^[11]

Once Dartmouth allowed female students C&G was criticized as a single-sex organization, especially after it voted to remain all-male in 1977-78. ^{[12] [11]} The 1979 delegation also voted to admit women after the encouragement of the university's board of trustees. ^[11] Its first female King Arthur was elected in 1986. ^[11]

In August 2020, the society leased its house to the university as graduate student housing for three years. ^[13] This was done because its use as an undergraduate residence was no longer financially sustainable. ^[13]

Symbols and traditions

The badge of Casque and Gauntlet is "the Bonnie Gold Pin." ^[14] It was designed by founding member Wentworth. ^[6] A sword called Excalibur, after the legendary sword of King Arthur, is laid on the shoulder of each new member as they are "knighted". ^[15] Members of Casque and Gauntlet are called knights and ladies. ^[16] Its emblem is a casque on top of a gauntlet. ^[5]

Membership

Members of C&G nominate and select tappees as a group. Tapping takes place at a time the College coordinates with the other senior societies, usually around Winter Carnival. In the 1950s, the society discontinued its practice of blackballing, instead relying on a system of prospects receiving a 75% vote to be tapped. ^[11] It also experimented with allowing each member to select their own replacement. ^[11] Following coeducation at Dartmouth in 1972, the class of 1979 delegation voted unanimously to nominate women for membership. ^[11] Members are selected based on achievement, character, and service to Dartmouth. ^[7]

C&G is co-ed. ^[1] The first six women members of C&G joined the class of 1980 delegation. ^[8]

While C&G's membership is not secret, some elements of the society are kept secret, as one might expect from a sorority or fraternity. Society meetings, held — like all Dartmouth senior societies — on Monday nights, are closed; the initiation ceremony and other details are also kept secret.

Notable members

See also

• Dartmouth College student groups
• Collegiate secret societies in North America

References