Fraternal Education
This section will be dedicated to the educational advancement of all Sinfonians. Sinfonia is rich in history, myth, and tradition. This section will be updated regularly with information that will be useful not only to us as Sinfonians, but hopefully others who happen to surf on in and take a look. It is my intention to educate you on some of Sinfonia's mysteries. (However, no real secrets will be revealed.)
The featured topic for this month is an article discussing
"The Mystic Cat"
"The Mystic Cat" as it is called is one of the most unknown and mysterious components in Sinfonia history. There are several accounts and stories as to what The Mystic Cat really is. It’s first appearance came about in the 1908 Songbook, which included a song entitled “The Mystic Cat”. Here is the song below:
Words: P.J.
Burrell, Alpha
Music: G.W. Chadwick, Alpha
Oh, meow, meow,
meow
Now mystic cat, oh yowl!
For Sinfonia,
to scratch and toil,
So raise the
big meow
In sweet
melodia, For dear old red and black,
Sinfonia.
For the Mystic Cat to have been included in the first edition Songbook it had to have been in existence way before it was included in the songbook. However, there are no written records to date as to what it really is. It was surely intended to be a mystery as it is told in the following poem from the 1911 Year Book:
By
M.H. LaPrade,
Eta
The most
mysterious mystery is our mighty mystic cat,
He prowls about
our chapter rooms and waxed sleek and fat;
We wonder what
and where he is, but all to no avail-
He a mystery
from his mystic nose to the tip of his mystic tail.
Does he only
venture forth at night and shun the light of day.
Does he vanish
like a spectre before the sun’s first ray?
We never see
his mystic form, but while we watch and wait
We feel his
mystic presence like some omen grim of fate.
Oh, mystic cat,
enigma dark, thou phantom of the night,
Reveal thyself
unto as in all thy mystic might.
Oh,
sable-coated feline, tho’ thy form we never see,
We’ll worship
at thy mystic feet for all eternity.
The poem sounds very eerie and almost like you are joining a cult. Don’t be alarmed it is not like that at all. The poem is also featured in the 1914 Songbook and listed as “A Sinfonia Nonsense Song”.
Whenever you think of what the Mystic Cat really is, it can directly be associated with the Ritual. The Themes for Brotherhood describes a little about what a Ritual is and what it means. As Sinfonians we prepare ourselves to experience the magnitude and significance of our Ritual. This is the one common bond that unites all Sinfonians.
Two possibilities exist as to what the Cat is. In Egyptian Mythology the cat was first domesticated, since Sinfonia has a good amount of Masonry background, it is possible that the cat came along with the Masonic influences. The other is the possibility that it was associated with “Catechism” which was apparently a set of questions that were asked of probationary members in order to achieve the “historical degree”. It has been suggested that indeed the cat, as in Mystic Cat, is really a shortened version of “Catechism”. Some aspects of the Mystic Cat if it was associated with Catechism were elements of hazing. These were things the brothers were not in favor of anymore and ordered that all copies be collected and burned in 1911. (Note: "It has been suggested by Robert H. Bray, Beta Mu, (who is both a Sinfonian and Mason) that the cat, as in "Mystic Cat," is simply a shortened version of "Catechism." From there, Sinfonian imaginations could have built the additional symbolism. The difficulty with this explanation is that the Catechism did not appear until 1909, and by that time the symbolism of the Mystic Cat was already well established. In any case, the name "Mystic Cat" outlasted the Catechism; there were apparently some aspects of the Catechism, probably associated with hazing, of which the brotherhood was not proud; in 1911 all copies were ordered collected and burned. Nor is a solution to the mystery offered by the "Degree of the Mystic Cat" that is reported in Alpha's chapter report of 1909; cat symbolism was already well established by that date and did not originate from it." (Underwood, 2.7) )
The prominence of cat symbolism was very strong from 1909-1916. The cover of the 1908 songbook shows a point up triangular design. The triangle is red and encloses the full face of a black cat. The cats always appeared black in illustrations frequently yowling. New members were referred to as “kittens” or “new kittens”. As you can see by the pics below you can see how morbid some of the illustrations were. Some were of course humorous.
But where the Mystic Cat was mostly recognized was in the form of the Mystic Cat publication, which was a supplemental insert in the Sinfonian Annual yearbook. It covered the news of the fraternity in much greater detail. The newsletter was published three times a year until 1916. In 1915 it became the only fraternity publication, replacing the Annual, and in 1916 four issues were published. However it was decided in the 1916 Convention that The Sinfonian was a more dignified name and the March 1917 issue was announced as the final issue of The Mystic Cat. It’s demise was celebrated with one last poem in the July 1917 Sinfonian.
In Memorium
After a long
Honorable career,
Was laid to rest
On a day, late in
April,
Ah! very late-
That revered feline
Hight* "The Mystic Cat" *Called
He-or was it
She? Don't let's argue
The point but style it
"It" - It really died last
December. In fact
It was done to death
By a valiant few
Under the leadership
Of Brother
Jordan.
Did it die hard?
No! When the fatal hour
Arrived, it presented
It's manly-
Now we must stop
Again
And argue its sex.
We can't, with
assurance
Of accuracy use
The word "manly"
And 'twould be
Indelicate to say
"Maidenly."
And again,
False premises might be
Charged if we said
"Chest"-or even
"Bosom!" So let's play it
Safe and say
"Front."
Good! Now we can
Go on. When the
Fatal hour arrived, it
Presented its
Front to the
Assassin's steel and
Died the death!
And horrid, raucous
Cachinnation vibrated the
Chest (we're almost
Sure of our ground
There) of Brother
Jordan.
The Corpse-I am
again
Talking about the
Cat- and (keep in
Mind, it became a
Corpse
In December)-wasn't
Really buried until,
As I said late
April. Think of
That (but the
Weather was cold)
A bad-a bad
Naughty printer
hung
Brother Quinn
Up and a
Lot of chapters didn't
Come across with
Literary-contributions
And a lot of
Things happened.
And Brother Quinn
is
Older-much
Older-because of it.
Don't ask, but-
Well, if you must
Know, the Cat died
Interstate and there
Were no
Children. I might
Qualify that last
Assertion, but we
would again
Have to argue the
Sex problem. So
Let's don't. The
Cat is quite and
legally
Dead!
RequiesCat in
Pace!
Credit:
Excerpts were taken from the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia A Centennial History Book, T. Jervis Underwood, Ph. D. Edited by David Irving.
Pictures taken from the Lyrecrest Archives
This page created
by
Jacob Banda
All rights reserved
Copyright May 1, 2001.
