Secret societies were a major part of my upbringing.
My grandparents and parents all were devoted members of the Masons, the Oddfellows, the Order of the Eastern Star, the Rebeckahs, The Court of Amaranth and one for which my daddy wore a fringed three cornered hat, a sash and a sword and scabbard. All four advanced through the ranks to become masters, past masters, grand masters, past grand masters and worthy matrons, grand matrons, past grand matrons, past grand worthy matrons - it was a dizzying and dazzling list of rankings and regalia. I had never thought much of all this membership one way or another until I turned twelve and was surprised with the news that I was to join the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. No one even pretended that there was any element of choice in the situation - there was a tradition to be maintained and the responsibility of maintaining it was mine - and it was assumed that I would be cooperative.
I dutifully learned the Seven Stations of the Rainbow and the hierarchy, titles, and protocol of the meetings and was initiated in a deadly serious candlelight ceremony along with several of girls my age. We all wore white dresses with shoes dyed to match, we all learned our lines and were careful to keep our expressions solemn. Most of felt ridiculously foolish and were unimpressed with the rituals and secrecy but we hit our marks as trained, knelt and rose on cue, made the proper responses when called upon. The Singer twins performed a tremulous version of "The Lord's Prayer", a collection was taken, a blessing said, and we were pronounced Rainbow Girls.
The scandal was a year or so later when our Worthy Advisor who was also prom queen, editor of the school paper, head of the debating team, student of the year and voted most likely to succeed, mysteriously abdicated her position and left school without warning. She was sixteen and had been gotten "in trouble" by her football hero boyfriend so she was whisked away to visit a sick aunt - it was, after all, the 60's - and the boyfriend quietly changed schools and sports, becoming a hockey star for Cambridge High and Latin. The prom queen returned, a sadder and wiser girl, but she never tried to rekindle the romance and she was never invited back to the Rainbow Girls. She finished her interrupted senior year, graduated without fanfare, and was accepted at a small college in New York State where she eventually took a teaching job.
My grandparents and parents all were devoted members of the Masons, the Oddfellows, the Order of the Eastern Star, the Rebeckahs, The Court of Amaranth and one for which my daddy wore a fringed three cornered hat, a sash and a sword and scabbard. All four advanced through the ranks to become masters, past masters, grand masters, past grand masters and worthy matrons, grand matrons, past grand matrons, past grand worthy matrons - it was a dizzying and dazzling list of rankings and regalia. I had never thought much of all this membership one way or another until I turned twelve and was surprised with the news that I was to join the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. No one even pretended that there was any element of choice in the situation - there was a tradition to be maintained and the responsibility of maintaining it was mine - and it was assumed that I would be cooperative.
I dutifully learned the Seven Stations of the Rainbow and the hierarchy, titles, and protocol of the meetings and was initiated in a deadly serious candlelight ceremony along with several of girls my age. We all wore white dresses with shoes dyed to match, we all learned our lines and were careful to keep our expressions solemn. Most of felt ridiculously foolish and were unimpressed with the rituals and secrecy but we hit our marks as trained, knelt and rose on cue, made the proper responses when called upon. The Singer twins performed a tremulous version of "The Lord's Prayer", a collection was taken, a blessing said, and we were pronounced Rainbow Girls.
The scandal was a year or so later when our Worthy Advisor who was also prom queen, editor of the school paper, head of the debating team, student of the year and voted most likely to succeed, mysteriously abdicated her position and left school without warning. She was sixteen and had been gotten "in trouble" by her football hero boyfriend so she was whisked away to visit a sick aunt - it was, after all, the 60's - and the boyfriend quietly changed schools and sports, becoming a hockey star for Cambridge High and Latin. The prom queen returned, a sadder and wiser girl, but she never tried to rekindle the romance and she was never invited back to the Rainbow Girls. She finished her interrupted senior year, graduated without fanfare, and was accepted at a small college in New York State where she eventually took a teaching job.
The colors of the rainbow are for love, religion, nature, immortality, fidelity, patriotism and service. There are no colors for tolerance or forgiveness.
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