Seven Society, Order of the Crown and Dagger
Seven Society, Order of the Crown and Dagger is the most revered secret society at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. "Sevens'" membership is not revealed until the Seventh anniversary of a member's death. Membership is extremely selective and is limited to Seven male seniors who, in their time at the College, have most fully possessed and exemplified the Seven Virtues.
Rumored to meet late at night at Shields Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg, the society is known for recognizing outstanding individuals in the College community. Their endowment fund has grown in recent years and is used for philanthropic causes such as scholarships and anonymous financial gifts to the College.
History
Although the exact founding date of the society is unknown, several College historians point to the year 1891. After closing its doors in 1881 due to financial difficulties, William & Mary was finally revived Seven years later in 1888 under the leadership of the College's Seventeenth president, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, son of U.S. President and William & Mary alumnus, John Tyler. Despite limited funds, by 1891, President Lyon Tyler was able to assemble a small, yet immensely capable teaching staff that included professors Lyman B. Wharton, Thomas J. Stubbs, J. Lesslie Hall, Van F. Garrett, Charles E. Bishop, Hugh S. Bird and Lyon Tyler himself. Students affectionately deemed them "The Seven Wise Men" (later, "The Society of Seven", and eventually "The Seven Society"). It was their vision and leadership that ensured William & Mary's future. Their legacy of service to the College community lives on through the members of The Seven Society, Order of the Crown and Dagger.
Poem of the Seven Society
We are the beautiful buildings, the stately trees, the statue of Lord Botetourt, the friendly campus. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the scholars, the philosophers, the scientists that have pioneered human ProgresS. We come from every corner of the globe and from the remotest periods recorded in history. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the youth whom the call of duty tore from the College’s bosom. We are fighting and dying in a thousand chimes without a thought of personal sacrifice, that colleges like William and Mary might live. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the greatest freedoms of humanity: freedom of thought, freedom of press, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech in whose presence tyranny and falsehood cannot long survive. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the traditions of the College: the tradition of honor, the tradition of service, tradition of loyalty. We are intangible, but whenever you think of the College, or sing her Alma Mater you feel that we are very real. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the City of Williamsburg and the counties of York and James. Our people serve the College in a myriad of ways, ministering to all her manifold needs. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
I am the Commonwealth of Virginia. My history and that of the College are inseparable. I was at her side in her darkest hours, when her friends were penniless, her faculty dispersed, her halls empty. Through me, the humblest citizen contributes to her support so that she may live and prosper. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the people of the United States. Restored Williamsburg is our shrine. We came by the tens of thousands to be instructed and inspired. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the Board of Visitors. We determine the policies of the College. On the wisdom of these policies her very existence may depend. We give generously from busy lives with pecuniary reward. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the President and the Administration. We weld into one harmonious whole all the diverse elements of the College and cause them to function smoothly as an educated institution of the First Order. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the faculty. Into our hands is trusted the instruction of youth, humanity’s most precious possession. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the College’s activities: the athletics, the publications, the social clubs. We educate the students in courage, in honor, in dependability, and in the social graces. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the students. We attend our Alma Mater in never ending processions and receive bountiful gifts. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are fathers and mothers, the brothers and sisters, the friends and the well wishers of the students in residence. We rejoice at their accomplishments. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
We are the countless generations to come. The College was founded to serve us. We are part of the College of William and Mary.
I am the College of William and Mary. I have been forged in the anvil of time by master workmen. I have faith in humanity under God. I believe in a glorious future. I am the seed of the future. I am the College of William and Mary.
See also
- List of collegiate secret societies
- Seven Society (University of Virginia)