|
The
Coat of Arms
Nearly all fraternities, even the smallest locals in the smallest colleges, boast a coat of arms. A heritage
from the old days of feudalism and knighthood, it is an emblem which can become almost as precious to the Sig Ep who has the
right to wear it as his heart-shaped badge. For a long time, however, Sigma Phi Epsilon displayed a coat of arms which was
not heraldically correct. The original design was adopted in 1908 at the Chicago Conclave. Frederick M. Cutler, Massachusetts
Alpha (U. of Massachusetts), called attention to the old emblem's inaccuracies. In 1933, Mark D. Wilkins, then a Field Secretary
for the Fraternity, consulted Arthur E. DuBois, in charge of the heraldic work for the United States Government, and the new
and revised coat of arms was subsequently accepted.
The badge and coat of arms are the official insignia of the Fraternity;
their esoteric meaning is contained in the Ritual of the Fraternity. They shall be worn by the initiated member of the Fraternity,
his fiancee, wife, sister, mother, or daughter.
|
