Project Editor: Anastasia Smallcomb, UCARE, 2007

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LITERARY SOCIETIES TWENTY YEARS AGO.

THE early literary
Societies of the Uni-
versity, twenty years
in retrospect, present
a pathetic as well as
a ludicrous side.
The Palladian was
the first born and
found a home in the
east room of the
present library.
About the beginning
of the spring term
1873, either because
there were more em-
bryo statesmen than
there were offices to
be filled, or more
heavyweight orators
than could be accommodated in one society,
an internecine war arose. Both factions
claimed to be the true representatives of the
parent organization. Finally however a
few "choice spirits" longing for a "higher
life" took formal leave of the tumultuous
Palladians and established what they fondly
hoped would live in history as the
Adelphian. Their longing for the "higher
life" was partially realized as they perched
on the third floor in what is now the south
end of Union hall. A strong rivalry, if I
may use that mild term for so intense a
feeling, at once aroused between the two so-
cieties.

At the beginning of each term, com-
mitties appointed for that purpose by each,
buttonholed every new student and en-
deavored to aid him in making a judicious
selection of his future society home. It is
now something over twenty years, and yet
it seems as but last week, since I visited
the two societies alternately for several
weeks trying to make up my mind as to
their relative merits. I think only those of
you who have been unlucky enough to have
two solid girls at one time can fully ap-
preciate my vexation of spirit. I always
flattered myself, however, that I was
courted rather than courting in that transac-
tion. It is not often that one has a chance
to choose his parentage, but here I felt that
I was selecting a foster mother, whose
tender care and venerable name would one
day bring those large honors which I fancy
fill the day dreams of most college boys.
After being flattered and cajoled alternately
by the two rivals I cast my lot with the
Adelphians in the fall of 1873.

The early societies of the university, per-
haps on the assumed superiority of the
male intellect, excluded the girls from
membership. If we ever needed an object
lesson of the absolute degeneracy of the
male portion of the race when without the
civilizing influence of the gentler sex, the
condition of the Palladian and Adelphian in
the latter part of 1873 would have furnished
it. The want of decorum as well as the
lack of spirit in the exercises, showed only
too plainly the absence of that influence, so
to define or account for, that comes from
the presence of those we always wish to
please. Not so much that our condition
was worse but that we sooner devined its
cause, the Adelphian first determined by a
, to better its estate.

About the close of the fall term of 1873 an

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Now that we had the girls, dear things,
what were we to do with them! We had
among our number just three young gentle-
men, dandies as we spitefully called them,
that had been somewhat licked into shape
and having grown up in the city had had
some of the rough corner knocked off.
They even wore tailor made suits and
actually seemed to have some other use for
their hands than twisting their coat frocks,
should they chance to speak to one of our
newly acquired members. How we envied,
hated, execrated, these city favorites! As
for the rest of us we have at least one thing
to be thankful for,—there are but few of
our photographs of that period extant. If I
were gifted with descriptive powers I would
give you a pen picture of some who are
now congressmen, judges, lawyers, doctors,
ministers, and other more or less useful
members of society, as they appeared fresh
from the all engrossing pursuits of the farm.
Suffice it to say that our hemed-me-down
pantaloons strove in vain to reach the tops
of our cowhide shoes and we were "long"
on nothing so much as superfluous hands,
hitherto so useful, but now so embarrassing
and in the way.

One thing I can never quite understand
and that is why the country girl when
transplanted to the city adapts herself to her
new surroundings so much more easily than
her brother. Hitherto he has been her
guide and protector and she had been
pleased to lean upon his strong arm, but
in this new life he instinctively turns to her
for instruction. Thanks, however, to the
noble impulses and tender sympathies of
the young ladies of the early societies, the
metamorphosis was made as little painful
and humiliating as possible. And some of
us are still enjoying the civilizing influences
so charitably begun in these literary
societies many years ago.

In the fall of 1876, for the purpose of
forming a society composed exclusively of
the college classes, the present Union
society was formed, drawing most of its
members from the Adelphian but embrac-
ing also nearly all of the eligible members
of the Palladian. This new candidate for
honors, without leave or licence appro-
priated to its own use the hall, fixtures and
furniture of the old Adelphian, but cast
its constitution and records into the waste
basket. Some of us who, (whether wisely
or not I have never quite settled) considered
a trip to the Centennial at Philadelphia
more valuable than the half term at the
university, returned in the early part of
1877 to find ourselves orphans. The
Adelphian had ceased to exist, nearly all of
its member being eligible had become
members of the new Union. The Union
however failed to fulfil its promise of a
society composed exclusively of college
classes.

Could oil and water be mixed! Could
the former Palladians and Adelphians ever
fraternize! Not so. The Palladians with
one or two exceptions soon returned to
their first love and the constitution of the
Union was amended so as to admit sub-
freshmen to membership. And thus failed
the attempt to establish a strictly college
society.

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One of the fiercest parliamentary con-
tests that ever took place in the Union
occurred upon the proposition to change the
name to Adelphian in recognition of the
property rights of the members of that
society in the fixtures and furniture.
Charges of rapine and spoliation were
freely indulged in a plea was made for the
rights of those who had been Adelphians
but had not consented to the transfer of the
property. The proposed change was
defeated, but we orphans succeeded in
having spread upon the records of the
Union a resolution recognizing lineal des-
cent of the Union from the Adelphian and
redeeming the constitution and records of
the latter from the waste basket.

In consideration of the property obtained
from the Adelphian the Union made all
members of the honorary members of the
latter and preserved the records of the
parent society. So by adoption rather than
by right of birth the Union is the heir of
the Adelphian. It was in these early days
of the Union that there occurred an impeach-
ment trial worthy of a larger place in
history than has hitherto been accorded to
it. In order to give the exercises a
practical turn, formal charges of "high
crimes and misdemeanors" were filed
against the secretary of the society and he
was regularly put on trial. The history
of impeachments from that of Warren
Hastings to that of President Johnson was
drawn upon for precedent. The brilliant
constitutional arguments would have ex-
cited the envy of a Webster, while the
Philippics delivered against the honorable
society were worthy of a Burke. Vener-
able and imposing sheep-bound tomes from
the university library served
for law books.

The manner in which the contending
counsel quoted convenient law from books
of general literary, encyclopaedias,
scientific reports, etc. gave ernest of their
future ability to make the worse appear the
better reason. The trial resulted in an
aqquittal. The impeachment trial of
Secretary Hart is still remembered as one
of the most interesting and amusing ses-
sions of the Union.

It was about this time that one of our
country recruits furnished a unique example
of polite correspondence. Having doubt-
less been urged by the Professor of En-
glish Literature to write with studied ex-
actness, asked one of our newly admitted
lady members "for the pleasure of her
company and the Union society on
next Friday evening." Not to be out
done in exactitude in diplomatic correspon-
dence she accepted his proffered escort "for
the ."

The literary societies of twenty years ago
formed an important factor in university
life, and it will be a matter of regret to me
if they shall ever be suffered to lose their
influence. While I have often doubted if
any practical benefit came from some of the
studies pursued in my college days, no
such doubts have ever existed as to the
practical value of the training received in
literary societies.

Henry H Wilson 78