The article below is one of the first newspaper mentions I have found so far mentioning the secret societies at Yale. While the societies are not named, it is obvious from the article that they were not liked by the “regular” university students.
Yale Secret Societies
New Haven, Conn., May 24. — The 45 members of the three senior secret societies of Yale acquired much knowledge of their unpopularity and several gallons of glue today.
The forty-five had been attending society meetings. They returned to Vanderbilt hall, where they room, gaily and merrily.
But when they came within sight of Vanderbilt hall, their gaiety and merriness fled from them suddenly.
The non-society members of the senior class clad in pajamas and various outlandish rigs, were dancing around a grand bonfire just inside the gates of the hall.
The bonfire was a very fine bonfire indeed, and it was made of the furniture and bedding of the society members of the class.
Also, the gates to the hall were locked, and the society men were allowed to watch their vanishing property from the outside for about half an hour.
Then, they were invited, one by one, to climb the rulings around the hall. The railings were nicely coated with glue.
Dean Jones, who happened to pass, ordered the non-society men to let the society members into their rooms. But the senior class hoi polloi [populace] was far above deans and university government and paid no attention to him.
[Source: The Day Book (Chicago, Illinois newspaper). May 24, 1912]
