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Lafayette College Literary Societies

The Washington Literary Society and the Franklin Literary Society were the only two debating clubs found at Lafayette College in the 19th century and were the first form of extra-curricular activity established on Lafayette’s campus. These clubs were precursors to the Greek system eventually established at the College in the 20th century. The societies not only debated, but also sponsored oratorical contests, enrolled honorary members, and established the college’s first libraries.

The first society founded at the college was the Washington Literary Society, established in 1830 as the Philomathean Society at the Germantown Manual Labor Academy. When the Academy moved to Easton, Pennsylvania in 1832, to form Lafayette College, the society was renamed the Washington Literary Society.

In 1831, the Franklin Literary Society was founded by members who resigned from the Washington Literary Society. Historians theorize this occurred because of a contentious debate and the desire for more inter society competition.(1) Records kept by both societies document their activities until the dissolution of both organizations in 1923, following a greater trend towards social rather than intellectual organizations.

Historical Context of the Collection

College literary societies, such as those featured in this collection, peaked in the United States during the 19th century and slowly became less prominent at the dawn of the 20th century. Since they existed for a long period of time on college campuses, their focuses tended to reflect salient political and ethical issues. The northern societies, located on the east coast, flourished until the Civil War; after which they began to decline. The very purpose of these societies was to discuss topics of importance in order to develop the oratorical abilities of the members. It has been argued that these societies allowed for members to more effectively challenge established ideas and the status quo.(2)

Since these societies were established during the 19th century, these societies tended to address relevant topics, the most pressing being slavery. Since these literary societies peaked before the Civil War, this became a topic of constant discussion. In fact, the records of the Franklin and Washington Literary Societies tell us that the organizations asked debate questions about slavery and its function. It has been posited that these literary societies were even more likely to challenge slavery because of the breadth of their discussions. These societies as explained by the historian Thomas S. Harding were the “training grounds for men in public affairs”.(3)

Yet, even if theses societies challenged widely held beliefs and established policies, in the end they still seem to have come to established conclusions. Literary societies were hardly the breeding grounds of any activism.(4) Colleges at this time were dominated primarily by privileged white males, who often found these spaces to be sheltered areas to for the discussions of politics, historical, philosophical, and religious topics.Thus, it would seem that debating divisive issues does not always foster social criticism, at least not on 19th century college campuses.

The placement of these societies on college and university campuses meant they were affected by changes occurring at universities. Virtually all students at colleges were in enrolled in a literary society as they functioned both as primary social outlets on campus as well as the centers of intellectual life.(5) Due to high participation, literary societies became an integral part of any college curriculum despite their extracurricular status. Colleges viewed the skills gained by students from participating in these societies as part of their core curriculum and intellectual development.(6)

The typical antebellum classroom often focused on the classics and recitation or memorization of the works written by others. In this setting, it was very rare that students were able to write their own compositions based on original ideas and arguments. It was not common for students to discuss current events or ethical dilemmas.(7) Literary societies provided students with a forum to debate topics of importance and interest. Even more crucial, students were able to develop their own original orations on these subjects. Literary societies, therefore, played a developmental role in exposing students to new topics and skills which were very different from the traditional classroom in the 19th century.

These societies also played an important role in the development of academic libraries at colleges and universities. College libraries at the time, though much larger than those of the literary societies, were highly restricted. In fact, the restrictions placed on those attempting to use college libraries seemed to be aimed at discouraging students from using the books. Examples of restrictions included, a short two week period to check out books out, limited library hours, and exorbitant costs for only damages.(8) Undergraduates had a hard time accessing the books due to the rigorous rules prescribed at college libraries.(9) Literary society libraries were the opposite. Though they did have rules for use they, were used by the students in the societies and accessible to them. As literary societies began to decline, their libraries integrated with the college’s libraries, and thus, affected not only the collections, but also the accessibility of the libraries.(10)

Eventually, these societies would develop into the Greek life system so prevalent on today’s college campuses.(11) It is argued that this shift occurred because of revolutions in higher education on campuses and extracurricular interest shifts(12) that ensued. The Civil War was not only an important topic to the literary societies, but also marked a prominent cultural shift in the United States. As Harding notes, “The great reform movement which characterized the decades of the 1830's, 1840's, and 1850's finally burned itself out in the slavery issue. It was another half-century before Americans again turned seriously to the quest for social justice”.(13)

After the Civil War, a very large change in U.S. higher education occurred, which contributed to the downfall of these societies. As colleges started to disband with traditional learning described above, the societies lost the edge that distinguished from classrooms activities. Between 1866 and 1890 reform to the elective system, graduate instruction, and scientific courses occurred on campuses throughout the U.S. This revolution corresponded with a shift in extracurricular interests.(14) Just from gazing at the early Lafayette College newspaper issues in comparison to newer editions a clear change is evident. The focus begins to shift in the 1860s towards athletics, social fraternities, and music clubs.

Collection’s Contents

The Washington Literary Society’s collection contains minute books, programs of debates, essays, constitutions and by-laws, financial records, library records, a roll book and visitor’s register, and publications. The most significant parts of the collection are the minute books, programs of debates, and essays.

The minute books contain weekly entries of the society’s general meetings, dating from 1897-1922. The earliest entry is dated to December 21, 1897, the first meeting of the society since the December 18, 1897 Pardee Hall fire. The format of the Washington Literary Society minutes remained the same throughout the organization’s existence, although the detail of the earlier entries disappeared in the later time periods. The lack of detail reflects the growing disinterest with the literary societies in the 20th century and a shift towards social organizations, instead of intellectually driven ones.

The format of the Washington Literary Society minutes contained information on the literary exercises, including a list of performances and names of the members that participated. The literary exercises changed over years, but included orations, essay readings, addresses, declamations, and debates. The minutes also presented a debate topic and the verdict of the judges, and any announcement about committee business. The debate topics generally focused on political issues of the time. The last recorded entry was March 22, 1922, which was the final meeting of the society.

Washington Minute book

Washington Literary Society Minute Book Entry (Lafayette College Archives, Washington Literary Society, Box 1)

The programs of debates give a more in depth look at the debate topics, how sections were assigned, the names of the judges, all of which were briefly mentioned in the minute books. The format of the books from 1886-1892 was: reading of paper, essay, declamation, five minute address, oration, debate question, “affirmative” or “negative” assigned to the topic. The format of the books then changed and from 1892-1896 it was: declamations, essays, oration, debate question, “affirmative” or “negative” assigned to the topic. Some examples of debate topics included: “Resolved: That this country isn’t in danger of Roman Catholicism,” “Resolved: That the state should support higher education,” “Resolved: That the Crusades were beneficial to the world,” “Resolved: That politics are becoming more corrupt,” and “Resolved: That the Russians were in the right in expelling the Jews from their country.”(15) Even though the records provide the topics discussed by the society, the collection is limited because the reasoning behind the society’s choices of debate topics is unknown. This makes it difficult to come to conclusions related to the social climate of the Lafayette College campus at the time.

Washington Literary Society Program of Debates Entry (Lafayette College Archives, Washington Literary Society, Box 2)

Washington Literary Society Program of Debates Entry (Lafayette College Archives, Washington Literary Society, Box 2)

The essay book of the Washington Literary Society serves as an early example of students writing at Lafayette College and is one of the few early records that survived the Pardee Hall fire of 1897. The essays were written for annual contests between the two debate societies. Some examples of essay topics included: “The Effects of the Reformation on the Project of Knowledge” (1837), “The Divine Superintendence Manifested in the Discovery and Settlement of America” (1839), “Egypt: A Poem” (1840), “The Rise and Progress of Liberal Principles” (1842), “The Triumph of Christianity: A Poem” (1843), “Women: An Essay” (1844), and “Joan of Arc or the Heroine” (1846).(16)

Washington Literary Society “The Triumph of Christianity: A Poem” (Lafayette College Archives, Washington Literary Society, Box 3)

The Franklin Literary Society’s collection contains minute books, books of exercises, constitution and by-laws, early records, financial records, library records, a roll book, a visitor’s register, gavels, and diplomas. The most significant parts of the collection are the minute books and the constitution and by-laws.

Gavels used by the Franklin Literary Society (Lafayette College Archives, Franklin Literary Society, Box 26)

The minute books contain weekly entries of the meetings of the Franklin Literary Society. The first meeting took place at the Germantown Manual Labor Academy on November 23, 1831. The format of the minute books remained the same throughout the existence of the Franklin Literary Society, except for the time period between 1850 and 1852, when membership dropped and the society ceased to meet regularly. The final meeting of the society was on March 27, 1922.

The format of the Franklin Literary Society minutes contains the list of exercises, including declamations, orations, and debates, as well as the member responsible for the performance. While the minutes include this information, it is vague and doesn’t go into much detail about orations, debates, or discussions. The weekly debate topic and its decision is included in the minutes. The debate topics focused on politics, education, religion, and aspects of student life at Lafayette College. Some examples of debate topics included: “Has the extensive use of machinery been beneficial to mankind?,” “Was it good policy in the legislatures of PA to charter the United States Bank?,” and “Would it be decent policy for the United States to purchase Texas from Mexico?.” (17)

There are four volumes of the constitution and by-laws of the Franklin Literary Society. The articles of the constitution discuss offices, membership, election procedures, committees, and duties. The by-laws describe the exercises of the society. The earliest volume of the constitution and by-laws contains the Articles of Confederation, which were written in connection with the Washington Literary Society. The articles define the mutual rights and courtesies due to each society. Volume 1 also includes a catalog of members and a list of honorary members. Volume 2 contains the first revision to the constitution and by-laws and includes a catalog of active members, a catalog of honorary members, and a register for the Commencement of 1895. Volume 3 contains the second revision and includes the guidelines of the Junior Oratorical Contest and a list of members. Volume 4 was the first version of the constitution and by-laws to be printed, previously they were handwritten.(18)

How the collection has been used for historical research

By and large, this collection of the Washington and Franklin Literary Societies has been used in school histories and in reference to other works about literary societies more broadly in the United States during the antebellum period. For example, in the college’s historical volumes and records from the 19th century, the literary societies are mentioned often. In fact, much of the information and documents saved from the Pardee fire were from the literary societies. Additionally, their essays have been used in an exhibition by the college on college writing and the college’s history of promoting writing skills. Specifically, the Washington Literary Society at Lafayette has been mentioned in a work by Helen Nicolay on the history of literary societies.(19)

Similar Collections

Many colleges and universities across the United States had literary societies. Many of these societies are no longer present on campuses, but their records can be found in collections across the country. The collections tend to contain components similar to the Washington Literary Society and the Franklin Literary Society: minute books, programs, and membership lists. These collections can shed light on the atmosphere of the particular college or university and student life on campus. These collections allow historians to look into the past and see examples of student writing and topics of debate that occurred during the time period.

Bibliography

1. Lafayette College Archives, “Franklin Literary Society Record 1831-1922,” Archival (Easton, PA: Lafayette College, 2017).
2. B. Evelyn Westbrook, “Debating Both Sides: What Nineteenth-Century College Literary Societies Can Teach Us about Critical Pedagogies,” Rhetoric Review 21, no. 4 (2002): 339–56.
3. Thomas S. Harding, “College Literary Societies: Their Contribution to the Development of Academic Libraries, 1815-76: II. The Decline of College Society Libraries, 1841-76,” The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy 29, no. 2 (1959): 94–112.
4. Westbrook, “Debating Both Sides.”
5. Thomas Spencer Harding, College Literary Societies: Their Contribution to Higher Education in the United States, 1815-1876 (New York: Pageant Press International, 1971), http://books.google.com/books?id=y12fAAAAMAAJ.
6. Harold T. Shapiro, “The Transformation of the Antebellum College: From Right Thinking to Liberal Learning,” in A Larger Sense of Purpose, Higher Education and Society (Princeton University Press, 2005), 40–87, https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt7sqvz.5.
7. Shapiro, “The Transformation of the Antebellum College: From Right Thinking to Liberal Learning,, 2005.
8. Harding, “College Literary Societies,” 1971.
9. Harding, “College Literary Societies,” 1959.
10. Harding, “College Literary Societies,” 1959.
11. Michael A. Grandillo, “Social Fraternities and Sororities - History, Characteristics of Fraternities and Sororities, Reforms and Renewal,” State University, 2019, https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2429/Social-Fraternities-Sororities.html.
12. Henry N. Snyder, “The College Literary Society,” The Sewanee Review 12, no. 1 (1904): 78–91.
13. Harding, “College Literary Societies,” 1959.
14. Snyder, “The College Literary Society.” 1904.
15. Washington LIterary Society, Program of Debates from the Washington Literary Society, Box 2. (Lafayette College, 1898).
16. Washington Literary Society, Essays of the Washington Literary Society, Box 3 (Lafayette College, 1835).
17. Franklin Literary Society, Franklin Literary Society Minute Books, Box 1-9 (Lafayette College, 1831).
18. Franklin Literary Society, Franklin Literary Society Constitution and By-laws, Boxes 11-12 (Lafayette College, 1832).
19. Helen Nicolay, Sixty Years of the Literary Society (Washington, D.C.: Priv. print, 1934), https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001010036.