Drolefille is right; I was talking about girls who had been in the chapter longer than I. I can honestly say that I was probably stuck in a bad chapter, one that tolerated nasty behavior (when I was initiated, one girl was tripped!), and just had a miserable experience. The good news is that I've since heard that it merged with another chapter, and is much kinder.

Interestingly, when I first joined the DAR, it was a very competitive chapter, to say the least. I've since changed chapters and am actually excited to go to meetings! This is a lesson that I've learned in life - it may not be you, it may not be the chapter, but if the mix makes either feel uncomfortable, by all means, try another chapter!

ETA: Is the White Shrine still around? Two of my aunts did the chairs, including the equivalent of Worthy Matron.

Yes, White Shrine of Jerusalem is still around. I'm a member, but there are only 2 or 3 Shrines in Texas.

Honeychile, I see your point now. Sorry if I sounded rude didn't mean to in the least, its just that so many people have this negative imagine about rainbow that I can't stand it when people make comments like that. What is DAR? BTW.

Glitter, I did not get the opportunity to g to CA rainbow but my counterpart did attend my Grand Assembly. I was able to attend Mississippi's Grand Assembly though and I am planning on attending Mississippi's and Arkansas' Grand this summer.

Daughters of the American Revolution.

Wow, let's see: I was a DeMolay ( Past Master Councilor and State Senior Councilor) and I am now a 1st Degree Mason.

On my father's side of the family: His parents were Masonic Lodge and Eastern Star; both my Dad's sisters are Eastern Star and my Dad is a 1st Degree Mason also.

Actually, due to decreasing numbers, they lowered the age to 10 for Job's Daughters, so it's 10-20.

I was VERY involved growing up. I really attribute it to "forming" me into the woman I am today. I am a Past Honored Queen, Majority Member, Honorary member of another Bethel, Past Grand Bethel Member, Past Supreme Representative to Montana, I served on the Guardian Council for my Bethel, and am currently serving on the Guardian Council for a Bethel in my area.

I am hoping the Bethel stays open long enough for my daughters to join, my oldest is 6.

I admit, it was the capes and crowns that originally suckerd me in...lol

At least two other college fraternities had substantial ties with Masons:

Square and Compass
and
Sigma Mu Sigma

A brief history of Sigma Mu Sigma can be seen at:

http://gwired.gwu.edu/sac/greek/history/SigmaMuSigma/

and that ^ history mentions Square and Compass more or less in passing.

Square and Compass and Sigma Mu Sigma have not survived as college social fraternities.

Wasn't there also a college social fraternity for members of DeMolay? (It either became extinct or merged into another fraternity, and I don't recall its name.)

Edited to answer my own question:
The fraternity for DeMolays was Delta Sigma Lambda, founded in 1921. The Depression was not kind to it, either, and in 1937 the chapters at Purdue and Montana, with their alumni, were absorbed into Theta Chi. Earlier the Nebraska chapter had joined Phi Gamma Delta, later the Rensselaer chapter joined Lambda Chi Alpha. A couple of other chapters became locals.

Are you all seeing a dramatic drop in the youth organizations? I was shocked, upon moving back to FL, that many of the Rainbow Assemblies were now inactive. I wasn't able to determine from the state website how many are actually active, and would love to find out since I would like for DD to go through one of those experiences.

We always loved watching the girls from California, and I am surprised to see the changes! What other changes have they made as well?

Still a member of OES with my hometown chapter...probably should think about finding a chapter here now.

I too was a Rainbow girl and I joined at 12 or 13 for all the wrong reasons. I just wanted to find out the secrets. I expected to find out the President was a communist or something earth shattering, which I did not. The initiate has to be receptive intellectually and emotionally for that bond to occur. Years later, I had a much better experience in a greek orginization. I was so in awe of our members. I can't imagine anything being more meaningful or a young woman feeling more proud. We had a semester long new member period as well.

The Masons and other related groups have always seem interesting to me. I am not related to any Masons, so I will never join Eastern Star, but still very interesting.

Wow! How did you find all this stuff out? Do you know where I could look for more information?

Most of it was from an old Baird's Manual. Baird's Manuals from the 1920s and early 30's tend to have writeups on some of these organizations that may not have lasted past the Depression or WW2.

Some of it was from just a perfunctory Google search. (As one of our major experts on GC says, "Google is your friend.")

I'm just reading through this thread and remembering that both my mom and my aunt went to a Rainbow camp in (I assume) North Carolina. I don't know if they were actually in the organization though! My grandmother was in Eastern Star so I think that was the connection.

I wonder if that camp still exists. My mom loved it!

According to the NC Rainbow website, there's no assembly near me today, so I don't know if there was formerly and it shut down or my mom and aunt just somehow went to the camp anyway.

There used to be about 5-6 DeMolay chapters here in my city but now there is but just one. I think the same is true for Rainbow Chapters.