Philomathean Society
Encyclopedia
The Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania
is a collegiate literary society
, the oldest student group at the university, and a claimant to the title of the oldest continuously-existing literary society
in the United States
.This claim is disputed between the Philomathean Society and a number of other collegiate literary societies. In particular, the Union-Philanthropic Society
asserts continuous existence since 1789 and the American Whig-Cliosophic Society
draws its history to 1769; both claims are disputed by the Philomatheans on the grounds that the present societies are mergers of two other Societies and thus represent new entities, founded 1929 and 1928, respectively. Founded in 1813, its goal is "to promote the learning of its members and to increase the academic prestige of the University." Philomathean is derived from the Greek philomath, which means "a lover of learning." The motto of the Philomathean Society is sic itur ad astra (Latin for "thus we proceed to the stars").
"Philo," as members affectionately refer to the Society, was founded October 2, 1813, by all thirteen members of the junior class, its original purpose being "the advancement of learning;" a counterweight and complement to Penn's academic coursework. In the first meeting, the title of Moderator was chosen for the Society’s presiding officer; two Censores Morum were appointed by the third meeting, who were given the responsibility, maintained to this day, of fining members for various real or imaginary infractions. Philo’s first meeting was on Friday night, at which time it would remain up to the present day. Minutes of the Society’s Meetings have been kept (relatively) faithfully in large leather-bound volumes since the first Meeting. Members still sign the Recorder’s Roll upon their initiation into the Society, following the tradition started by the founders. Early meetings were dominated by spirited debates and literary exercises where members would present original research, essays, or literary productions; both practices have continued through the present day.
When the University of Pennsylvania
moved its campus from Ninth Street to West Philadelphia in 1872, four rooms at the top of College Hall were specifically built for the use of the Society and its rival Zelosophic Society. After the first collapse of the Zelosophic Society in 1872, the former Zelo rooms reverted to Philo.
The Society is credited with helping to found entire academic departments, including American Civilization, Comparative Literature, and History of Science, and many campus groups and publications, including the Daily Pennsylvanian and the Mask and Wig
Club.
In 1858, the Society published the first complete English translation of the Rosetta Stone
. The work was performed solely by three undergraduate members, Charles R Hale, S Huntington Jones, and Henry Morton. The translation quickly sold out two editions, and was internationally hailed as a monumental work of scholarship. In 1988, the British Museum bestowed the honor of including the Philomathean Rosetta Stone Report in its select bibliography of the most important works ever published on the Rosetta Stone. The Philomathean Society maintains a full-scale cast of the stone in its meeting room, along with several original lithograph prints of the report.
In its internal governance, Philo reflected the progressivism of the early twentieth century by being, in 1916, the first Penn group to require its members take an oath not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, and religion; in 1948 the Society voted to admit women as full members, prompting the headline “Philo hits rock bottom, admits women”. The Society vehemently defended the decision more than 25 years before women were admitted to the University proper.
In 1927, overcrowding at the University led the Philos to agree to vacate their space in College Hall in exchange for temporary quarters in Houston Hall until more class space could be found. Houston Hall was not an ideal location: space constraints and building policy, especially the 11.30pm curfew, severely limited Philo traditions. As a result, Society membership decreased, a trend further exacebated by the oubreak of World War II, when Houston Hall was taken over by the US Navy of part of its officer training programme, and former Philo rooms were requisitioned for storage. The Society had dwindled to a single member, one Hilary Putnam
, who tried to preserve the Philomathean customs and arranged informal meetings in Members’ apartments. After the war, the Society held more formal Meetings and grew in membership, but it was not until 1951, under the direction of Moderator Charles Fine Ludwig, that the old pre-war customs were revived. Ludwig re-acquired the Philomathean archives and reintroduced academic attire, consistent meeting minutes, a regular literary exercise, and an official lecture series, among many other Philomathean customs. Ludwig also established the tradition of Philo’s graduates, or “senior members“, participating in the Society’s activities and taking an ongoing interest in the welfare of the Society.
Finally, in 1967, after a determined campaign of lobbying University administrators for permission and senior members for donations, the Society returned to its beloved Philomathean Halls on the fourth floor of College Hall, where it has remained (with brief absences for maintenance) until the present day.
are eligible for membership except in their final semester of study. Applications consist of three parts: an interview with four to five members of the Society, a presentation on a topic of the applicant's choice to a General Meeting of the Society, and a submission of creative or critical value. Members are elected once each academic semester by the Society at large.
The society is governed by a Cabinet of nine officers: the Moderator, First Censor, Second Censor, Scriba, Recorder, Treasurer, Librarian, Archivist, and Director of the Annual Oration. The first four, often termed "the Bench" in reference to their position during meetings, are attired in full academic gown at all society meetings, held eight times per semester on the top floor of College Hall, on Friday evenings.
The Society has published several books, including, most recently, The Philomathean Society Anthology of Poetry in Honor of Daniel Hoffman
— Hoffman, a former professor at the university and a distinguished poet in his own right, had brought many renowned poets and authors, including John Updike
, Seamus Heaney
, Joyce Carol Oates
, and Yevgeny Yevtushenko
, to read in the Philomathean Halls.
On 16 February 2010, Philo hosted a public screening of the 1971 internationally-televised debate between philosophers Noam Chomsky
and Michel Foucault
. Philo's was the first public screening of the debate in the world since the original 1971 broadcast. Debate topics included human nature, justice, creativity and war.
Philo publishes Philomel, a literary magazine.
, The Daily Pennsylvanian, Mask and Wig and The Punch Bowl. Prominent Philomatheans have included:
Phi Mu
, the second oldest secret organization for women, was originally founded as "The Philomathean Society" in 1852 at Wesleyan College
in Macon, Georgia
.
New York University
's Philomathean Society was founded in 1832.
Phillips Academy
's Philomathean Society, founded in 1825, is the oldest high school debate society in the nation.
Catawba College
of Salisbury, NC also charters a Philomathean Society. The group was created in 1851, after the founding of the college, and served as a society for debate and fellowship for young men. Soon after its inception, the Philomathean Society began a library in their home because the college did not yet have one. In the early 1900s the society became inactive, but was resurrected in 1991 to serve in a different capacity. The all-male society now serves as a group dedicated to "Scholarship, Culture, Character, and Service", the motto of the College. Membership is by application and invitation only.
Philomathean Literary Society (Erskine College)
was established in 1842. A number of South Carolinian politicians, theologians, lawyers, writers, and thinkers were inducted as members or honored with membership. It is one of Erskine College
's four literary societies today.
Founded in 1849, the University of Virginia
's Philomathean Society formed as a splinter group from the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union
.
Ouachita College, now Ouachita Baptist University
, had a Philomathean Literary Society that existed from 1888 to 1931. The Philos and their rivals, the Hermesians, were the result in a split in the college's original literary society, the Adelphian Circle, formed in 1886.
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
is a collegiate literary society
Literary society
A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...
, the oldest student group at the university, and a claimant to the title of the oldest continuously-existing literary society
Literary society
A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.This claim is disputed between the Philomathean Society and a number of other collegiate literary societies. In particular, the Union-Philanthropic Society
Union-Philanthropic Society
The Union-Philanthropic Society is a college literary society at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia.For over two centuries, the Union-Philanthropic Society has offered Hampden-Sydney a unique forum for discussion...
asserts continuous existence since 1789 and the American Whig-Cliosophic Society
American Whig-Cliosophic Society
The American Whig–Cliosophic Society is a political, literary, and debating society at Princeton University and the oldest debate union in the United States...
draws its history to 1769; both claims are disputed by the Philomatheans on the grounds that the present societies are mergers of two other Societies and thus represent new entities, founded 1929 and 1928, respectively. Founded in 1813, its goal is "to promote the learning of its members and to increase the academic prestige of the University." Philomathean is derived from the Greek philomath, which means "a lover of learning." The motto of the Philomathean Society is sic itur ad astra (Latin for "thus we proceed to the stars").
History
When the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
moved its campus from Ninth Street to West Philadelphia in 1872, four rooms at the top of College Hall were specifically built for the use of the Society and its rival Zelosophic Society. After the first collapse of the Zelosophic Society in 1872, the former Zelo rooms reverted to Philo.
The Society is credited with helping to found entire academic departments, including American Civilization, Comparative Literature, and History of Science, and many campus groups and publications, including the Daily Pennsylvanian and the Mask and Wig
Mask and Wig
The Mask and Wig Club, founded in 1889 by Clayton Fotterall McMichael, is the oldest all-male collegiate musical comedy troupe in the United States...
Club.
Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian granodiorite stele inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle portion Demotic script, and the lowest Ancient Greek...
. The work was performed solely by three undergraduate members, Charles R Hale, S Huntington Jones, and Henry Morton. The translation quickly sold out two editions, and was internationally hailed as a monumental work of scholarship. In 1988, the British Museum bestowed the honor of including the Philomathean Rosetta Stone Report in its select bibliography of the most important works ever published on the Rosetta Stone. The Philomathean Society maintains a full-scale cast of the stone in its meeting room, along with several original lithograph prints of the report.
In its internal governance, Philo reflected the progressivism of the early twentieth century by being, in 1916, the first Penn group to require its members take an oath not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, and religion; in 1948 the Society voted to admit women as full members, prompting the headline “Philo hits rock bottom, admits women”. The Society vehemently defended the decision more than 25 years before women were admitted to the University proper.
In 1927, overcrowding at the University led the Philos to agree to vacate their space in College Hall in exchange for temporary quarters in Houston Hall until more class space could be found. Houston Hall was not an ideal location: space constraints and building policy, especially the 11.30pm curfew, severely limited Philo traditions. As a result, Society membership decreased, a trend further exacebated by the oubreak of World War II, when Houston Hall was taken over by the US Navy of part of its officer training programme, and former Philo rooms were requisitioned for storage. The Society had dwindled to a single member, one Hilary Putnam
Hilary Putnam
Hilary Whitehall Putnam is an American philosopher, mathematician and computer scientist, who has been a central figure in analytic philosophy since the 1960s, especially in philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of science...
, who tried to preserve the Philomathean customs and arranged informal meetings in Members’ apartments. After the war, the Society held more formal Meetings and grew in membership, but it was not until 1951, under the direction of Moderator Charles Fine Ludwig, that the old pre-war customs were revived. Ludwig re-acquired the Philomathean archives and reintroduced academic attire, consistent meeting minutes, a regular literary exercise, and an official lecture series, among many other Philomathean customs. Ludwig also established the tradition of Philo’s graduates, or “senior members“, participating in the Society’s activities and taking an ongoing interest in the welfare of the Society.
Finally, in 1967, after a determined campaign of lobbying University administrators for permission and senior members for donations, the Society returned to its beloved Philomathean Halls on the fourth floor of College Hall, where it has remained (with brief absences for maintenance) until the present day.
Membership
Membership in the Society is by application; all currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students at the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
are eligible for membership except in their final semester of study. Applications consist of three parts: an interview with four to five members of the Society, a presentation on a topic of the applicant's choice to a General Meeting of the Society, and a submission of creative or critical value. Members are elected once each academic semester by the Society at large.
The society is governed by a Cabinet of nine officers: the Moderator, First Censor, Second Censor, Scriba, Recorder, Treasurer, Librarian, Archivist, and Director of the Annual Oration. The first four, often termed "the Bench" in reference to their position during meetings, are attired in full academic gown at all society meetings, held eight times per semester on the top floor of College Hall, on Friday evenings.
Present Activities
In addition to its eight General Meetings, Philo also has regular afternoon teas with professors and sponsors other academic events such as lecture series, a film series, and other events. Most of these events center around inviting one or more Penn professors to the Halls to present on their research. Society members are given freedom to plan events fitting their personal and intellectual interests, which has led to events as varied as art exhibitions, chamber concerts, math olympiads, and the Poe Vespertil.The Society has published several books, including, most recently, The Philomathean Society Anthology of Poetry in Honor of Daniel Hoffman
Daniel Hoffman
Daniel Gerard Hoffman is an American poet, essayist, and academic. He was appointed the twenty-second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1973.-Biography:Hoffman was born in New York City...
— Hoffman, a former professor at the university and a distinguished poet in his own right, had brought many renowned poets and authors, including John Updike
John Updike
John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....
, Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer. He lives in Dublin. Heaney has received the Nobel Prize in Literature , the Golden Wreath of Poetry , T. S. Eliot Prize and two Whitbread prizes...
, Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...
, and Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko is a Soviet and Russian poet. He is also a novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, actor, editor, and a director of several films.-Early life:...
, to read in the Philomathean Halls.
On 16 February 2010, Philo hosted a public screening of the 1971 internationally-televised debate between philosophers Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
and Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
. Philo's was the first public screening of the debate in the world since the original 1971 broadcast. Debate topics included human nature, justice, creativity and war.
Philo publishes Philomel, a literary magazine.
Annual Orations
Every year, Philo presents a public annual oration to the University, given by a prominent figure in the arts and sciences. Recent orations have included the following:- On 6 April 2011, Philo hosted noted environmental historian Jared DiamondJared DiamondJared Mason Diamond is an American scientist and author whose work draws from a variety of fields. He is currently Professor of Geography and Physiology at UCLA...
. Diamond presented to more than 1,000 members of the University and local community on the role of water in the collapse or survival of societies, building on his influential book, Collapse.
- On 3 March 2010, Philo hosted feminism, gender, and sexuality theorist Judith ButlerJudith ButlerJudith Butler is an American post-structuralist philosopher, who has contributed to the fields of feminism, queer theory, political philosophy, and ethics. She is a professor in the Rhetoric and Comparative Literature departments at the University of California, Berkeley.Butler received her Ph.D...
. Butler presented for approximately two hours on "Performativity and Precarity" to more than 400 University of Pennsylvania students and faculty.
- On 23 April 2009, Philo hosted American literary theorist, legal scholar, and New York Times columnist Stanley FishStanley FishStanley Eugene Fish is an American literary theorist and legal scholar. He was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island...
. Drawing from his then-unpublished book Save The World On Your Own Time, Fish argued that professors' relationships with students should be strictly academic in nature.
- On 16 April 2008, Philo hosted philosopher Daniel DennettDaniel DennettDaniel Clement Dennett is an American philosopher, writer and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the Co-director of...
, who spoke on the role of cultural evolution.
- On 6 April 2005, Philo hosted former United States intelligence agent and counterterrorism specialist Malcolm Wrightson NanceMalcolm Wrightson NanceMalcolm Wrightson Nance is a formerU.S. Navy Senior Chief, SERE instructor, and expert in prisoners of war and terrorist hostage survival techniques. He also has recognized the Iraq insurgency, Jihadist tactics and Al Qaeda’s global organization...
.
- On 7 April 2004, Philo hosted playwright Arthur MillerArthur MillerArthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
. Miller delivered scenes from his satirical work Resurrection Blues to a more than 800 Penn students, faculty, and staff at Penn's Zellerbach Theater.
- On 11 February 2003, Philo hosted novelist and essayist Salman Rushdie. Rushdie discussed many of his literary works, political views, and personal anecdotes in Penn's Irvine AuditoriumIrvine AuditoriumIrvine Auditorium is a performance venue at 3401 Spruce Street on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by the firm of prominent architect Horace Trumbauer and built 1926–1932...
.
- On 10 April 2002, Philo hosted journalist Joe KleinJoe KleinJoe Klein is a longtime Washington, D.C. and New York journalist and columnist, known for his novel Primary Colors, an anonymously written roman à clef portraying Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. Klein is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a former Guggenheim...
, author of Primary Colors, the once-anonymously-authored investigation into the 1992 Democratic Party Presidential Primary. Klein discussed Bill Clinton's presidency and contemporary American politics.
- On 1 May 2001, Philo hosted physicist Brian GreeneBrian GreeneBrian Greene is an American theoretical physicist and string theorist. He has been a professor at Columbia University since 1996. Greene has worked on mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi-Yau manifolds...
. Green explained general relativity, quantum mechanics, and super-string theory to approximately 400 Penn students, faculty, and staff in Penn's Houston Hall.
- On 14 April 1994, Philo hosted author, social critic, and feminist Camille PagliaCamille PagliaCamille Anna Paglia , is an American author, teacher, and social critic. Paglia, a self-described dissident feminist, has been a Professor at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 1984...
. Paglia discussed free speech and criticized the academic establishment in front of approximately 500 attendees.
- On 17 April 1990, Philo hosted author Joyce Carol OatesJoyce Carol OatesJoyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...
. Oates read one of her own short stories, Family, and discussed its unconventional structure.
Notable Philomatheans
Philomatheans have included seven United States Representatives, three United States Senators, and two ambassadors and have founded the Philadelphia Museum of ArtPhiladelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
, The Daily Pennsylvanian, Mask and Wig and The Punch Bowl. Prominent Philomatheans have included:
- Thomas M. PettitThomas M. PettitThomas McKean Pettit was a United States lawyer, politician, and judge who was briefly Director of the United States Mint in 1853 before his death in office.-Biography:...
, 1813, Director of the US Mint - Henry Dilworth Gilpin, 1819, US Attorney General
- Robert James Walker, 1819, US Senator from Missouri, Secretary of Treasury, Governor of Kansas and debating nemesis of Henry Clay
- John CadwaladerJohn CadwaladerJohn Cadwalader is the name of:*John Cadwalader , known as "General John Cadwalader", Pennsylvanian merchant, general in the Revolutionary War...
, 1821, US Representative from Pennsylvania 1855 to 1857, US Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania 1858-1879 - George SharswoodGeorge SharswoodGeorge Sharswood was a Pennsylvania jurist and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.Sharswood was born in...
, 1828, founder, University of Pennsylvania School of Law and Chief Justice of Pennsylvania - George Augustus Bicknell Jr.George A. BicknellGeorge Augustus Bicknell was a U.S. Representative from Indiana.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bicknell was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1831.He attended Yale Law School one year....
, 1831, US Representative from Indiana 1877-1881 - Henry Morton, 1859, 162nd Moderator, member of the Committee to Translate the Rosetta Stone, and founding President of the Stevens Institute 1870-1902
- Persifor FrazerPersifor FrazerPersifor Frazer was an American farmer, soldier, and industrialist, and the founder of one of the most prominent families of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, 1862, Professor of Chemistry and Pioneering Chemist/Geologist/Naturalist - William PepperWilliam PepperWilliam Pepper, Jr., M.D. , an American physician, was a leader in medical education in the nineteenth century, and a longtime Provost of the University of Pennsylvania.-Early life:...
, 1862, University Provost 1881-1894 - Charles Custis Harrison, 1862, 176th Moderator, University Provost 1894-1910
- Robert Adams Jr., 1869, 196th Moderator, PA State Senator 1883-1886, US Minister to Brazil 1889-1890, US Representative from Pennsylvania 1893.
- Henry Galbraith WardHenry Galbraith WardHenry Galbraith Ward was a federal appellate judge in the United States....
, 1870, 199th Moderator, Judge of US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 1907-1933 - Henry Laussat Geyelin, 1877, the first to wear red and blue as the University colors
- Eli Kirk PriceEli Kirk Price IIEli Kirk Price II was a prominent Philadelphia lawyer, called "the foremost civic and cultural leader in early twentieth-century Philadelphia". He was the commissioner of Fairmount Park during the planning and development of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, of which he was one of the principal...
, 1881, founder, Philadelphia Museum of Art - George Wharton Pepper, 1887, US Senator from Pennsylvania, author and chronicler of the Senate
- Jasper Yeates Brinton, 1889, US Legal Advisor to Egypt, architect of the Egyptian court system and Justice of the Egyptian Supreme Court
- Josiah Harmar Penniman, 1890, Professor of English and University Provost 1921-1939
- Thomas Ellis Robins, 1st and last Baron Robins, 1904, Member of ParliamentParliament of the United KingdomThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
between 1909 and 1914. Commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Rhodesia Regiment between 1940 and 1943. Created 1st Baron Roberts of Rhodesia and Chelsea [U.K.] on 10 July 1958. - Alfred BesterAlfred BesterAlfred Bester was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books...
, 1934, Recipient of the first Hugo AwardHugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
for a Science Fiction Novel: The Demolished Man (1953), Science Fiction Grand Master (1988), and author of The Stars My Destination (1956) - Carl KaysenCarl KaysenCarl Kaysen was an economist and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-chair of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' Committee on International Security Studies. He is the father of Girl, Interrupted author Susanna Kaysen. He was married for 50 years to Annette Neutra...
, 1940, director of the Institute for Advanced StudyInstitute for Advanced StudyThe Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
and University Trustee Emeritus - Hilary PutnamHilary PutnamHilary Whitehall Putnam is an American philosopher, mathematician and computer scientist, who has been a central figure in analytic philosophy since the 1960s, especially in philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of science...
, 1948, philosopher, Walter Beverly Pearson Professor of Modern Mathematics and Mathematical Logic at Harvard University, and past president of the American Philosophical AssociationAmerican Philosophical AssociationThe American Philosophical Association is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarly activity in philosophy, to facilitate the professional work... - Arlen SpecterArlen SpecterArlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
, 1951, United States Senator from Pennsylvania
Other Philomathean Societies
Several other societies share the Philomathean name. Among them are:Phi Mu
Phi Mu
Phi Mu is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. It was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The organization was founded as the Philomathean Society on January 4, 1852, and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same year...
, the second oldest secret organization for women, was originally founded as "The Philomathean Society" in 1852 at Wesleyan College
Wesleyan College
Wesleyan College is a private, liberal arts women's college located in Macon, Georgia, United States.-History:The school was chartered on December 23, 1836 as the Georgia Female College, and opened its doors to students on January 7, 1839. The school was renamed Wesleyan Female College in 1843...
in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
.
New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's Philomathean Society was founded in 1832.
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
's Philomathean Society, founded in 1825, is the oldest high school debate society in the nation.
Catawba College
Catawba College
Catawba College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in Salisbury, North Carolina, USA. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its current home of Salisbury...
of Salisbury, NC also charters a Philomathean Society. The group was created in 1851, after the founding of the college, and served as a society for debate and fellowship for young men. Soon after its inception, the Philomathean Society began a library in their home because the college did not yet have one. In the early 1900s the society became inactive, but was resurrected in 1991 to serve in a different capacity. The all-male society now serves as a group dedicated to "Scholarship, Culture, Character, and Service", the motto of the College. Membership is by application and invitation only.
Philomathean Literary Society (Erskine College)
Philomathean Literary Society (Erskine College)
The Philomathean Literary Society of Erskine College is one of Erskine College's four literary societies. The Philomelean Society is the sister organization and provides membership to women. Philomathean Hall is the oldest building in the Erskine College-Due West Historic District, located in Due...
was established in 1842. A number of South Carolinian politicians, theologians, lawyers, writers, and thinkers were inducted as members or honored with membership. It is one of Erskine College
Erskine College
Erskine College is a four year, Christian liberal arts college located in Due West, South Carolina.-Early history:Established in 1839 by the Associate Reformed Synod of the South as an academy for men, Erskine College became the first four year, church-related college in South Carolina...
's four literary societies today.
Founded in 1849, the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
's Philomathean Society formed as a splinter group from the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union
Washington Literary Society and Debating Union
The Washington Literary Society and Debating Union is a literary and debating group at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville...
.
Ouachita College, now Ouachita Baptist University
Ouachita Baptist University
Ouachita Baptist University is a private, liberal arts, undergraduate institution located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, which is about 65 miles southwest of Little Rock. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Arkansas...
, had a Philomathean Literary Society that existed from 1888 to 1931. The Philos and their rivals, the Hermesians, were the result in a split in the college's original literary society, the Adelphian Circle, formed in 1886.
Other Historic Collegiate Literary Societies
- The Philolexian SocietyPhilolexian SocietyThe Philolexian Society of Columbia University is one of the oldest college literary societies in the United States, and the oldest student group at Columbia...
of Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the... - The American Whig-Cliosophic SocietyAmerican Whig-Cliosophic SocietyThe American Whig–Cliosophic Society is a political, literary, and debating society at Princeton University and the oldest debate union in the United States...
of Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution.... - The Philodemic SocietyPhilodemic SocietyThe Philodemic Society is a student debating organization at Georgetown University. It was founded in 1830 by Father James Ryder, S.J., in whose honor an award is given every Spring at the Merrick Debate. The Philodemic is among the oldest such societies in the United States and is the oldest...
of Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States... - The Jefferson Literary and Debating SocietyJefferson Literary and Debating SocietyThe Jefferson Literary and Debating Society is a debating and literary society at the University of Virginia. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest organization at The University and one of the oldest continuously existing debating societies in North America....
of the University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson... - The Union-Philanthropic (Literary) Society of Hampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney CollegeHampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
- The Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies of the University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
- The Demosthenian Literary SocietyDemosthenian Literary SocietyThe Demosthenian Literary Society is a debating society at The University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. It was founded in 1803 by the first graduating class of the University's Franklin College. The society was founded on February 19, 1803 and the anniversary is celebrated now with the Society's...
of The University of GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
in AthensAthens, GeorgiaAthens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
External links
- Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania
- Daily Pennsylvanian Article about Philomathean Tea with Gov. Rendell
- The Pennsylvania Gazette Article about Philo
- "Philo. Society reigns as Penn's oldest student group" from the Daily Pennsylvanian
- Hood, Clifton R. "Philomathean Society: Foundation as the University's First Student Organization, 1813." University Archives and Records Center, University of Pennsylvania, 2006.