| Mace and Chain | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1956 Yale University |
| Type | Senior society |
| Scope | Local |
| Chapters | 1 |
| Members | 300+ lifetime |
| Headquarters | Trumbull Street New Haven, Connecticut United States |
Mace and Chain is an "Ancient Eight" society, or one of the eight landed secret societies, at Yale University. It was founded in 1956 with the mission of providing fifteen rising seniors with the traditional senior society experience in a freer, more modern setting. Mace and Chain's tomb, a centuries-old colonial structure owned by the society, boasts various military artifacts, Revolutionary War documents, and a purposefully open appearance. As is tradition for Yale secret societies, the tomb is accessible only to current members and alumni.[1]
Mace and Chain was founded by Yale student Thornton Marshall in 1956 after he failed to receive an invitation to join a secret society.[2] His goal was to create a group that would be "a more a representative and engaged community".[3] Yale professor Robert Penn Warren gave Marshall advice on structuring the society, starting off the tradition of the group seeking input from Yale faculty.[1][2]
Marshall recruited six friends to join his new society.[1] They chose the name Mace and Chain based on discussions about chivalry.[1] The fledgling group had a democratic rule, rotating its leadership weekly.[1] It also allows each delegation or new senior class to determine the society's by-laws, excluding a few secret guidelines.[1][3] It was located in an apartment on Wall Street.[1] The society went inactive due to a lack of funds.[3] It reformed only to go dormant on May 1, 1970, when it lost its lease.[3][1][4]
Mace and Chain was revived by alumni Tom Haines and William "Biff" Folberth in 1993 who helped it secure a house near campus for the group in 2001.[2][3][5] As a result, Mace and Chain is considered a "landed" society because it owns its meeting place called a "tomb".[6] The tomb is six bedroom Colonial-style house in built in 1823 on Trumbull Street in downtown New Haven, built with salvage from Benedict Arnold's home.[7][1] The society's alumni trust, the Night's Trust Foundation, owns and operates the tomb.
Like other societies at Yale, Mace and Chain conducts meetings on Thursday and Sunday evenings. Among other activities and traditions, each member takes one evening to relay their life story and personal development to the rest of the group.
The name Mace and Chain is rooted in discussions amongst the founders about chivalry.
The society has a tradition of rotating student leadership each week and is unique among Yale's societies in allowing each new "delegation" (new senior class) to determine its own ground rules, excluding a few secret guidelines.[1] This has helped Mace and Chain develop a reputation for fostering unusually close-knit senior classes, as members together build their society experience.
Mace and Chain alumni have gone on to become journalists, authors, academics, filmmakers and members of Congress. The society hosts Yale professors and outside guests during its weekly dinners. Past faculty advisors to Mace and Chain include Charlie Hill, a former senior advisor to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and John Wilkinson, a former vice president of Yale.
Each year, the society admits a new tap class of fifteen rising seniors. Tap classes have historically included top-tier athletes and student leaders such as editors of the Yale Daily News and The Yale Herald, Yale College Council officers, and various campus political activists.
A valued criterion of all taps is adherence to the enduring values of chivalry, on which Mace and Chain was founded. That is, a reputation for respecting all members of the Yale community, demonstrating a strong moral compass and valuing ideas and others above oneself.