Philolexian Society

Infobox Organization
name = The Philolexian Society


image_border =
size = 150px
caption = The Philolexian Seal
formation = 1802
type = Student society, debate society, Literary society
headquarters =
location = New York City
membership = Hundreds of Full members
language = English
leader_title = Moderator, Censor
leader_name = Sophie Litschwartz, Amitai "Schmonz" Schlair
key_people =
num_staff =
budget =
website = [http://www.philo.org www.philo.org]

The Philolexian Society of Columbia University is one of the oldest collegiate literary societies in the United States, and the oldest student group at Columbia. Founded in 1802, the Society aims to "improve its members in Oratory, Composition and Forensic Discussion." The name "Philolexian" is Greek for "Lover of discourse," and the society's motto is the Latin word "Surgam", meaning "I shall rise."

Philolexian (known to members as "Philo," pronounced with a long "i") has been called the "oldest thing at Columbia except the College itself," and it has been an integral part of Columbia from the beginning, providing the institution with everything from its colors, Philolexian Blue (along with White, from her long-dispatched rival Peithologian Society), to some of its most solemn traditions and many of its finest (as well as a few of its most notorious and most dissipated) graduates.

History

Philolexian is one of many literary societies that flourished at the nation's early colonial colleges. Before fraternities, publications, and other extracurriculars became common, these groups--which generally bore Greek or Latin names--were the sole source of undergraduate social life. Indeed, it was not unusual for two or more groups to coexist at one institution, often in competition. Surviving examples include the Philodemic Society of Georgetown University, the Union-Philanthropic Society of Hampden-Sydney College, the Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania, the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Demosthenian and Phi Kappa Literary Societies at the University of Georgia, The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society at the University of Virginia and the Whig-Cliosophic Society at Princeton University.

Founding

Columbia's first such society was formed in the 1770's, when the school was still known as King's College; among this unnamed organization's members was future Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton (Class of 1778) and his roommate Robert Troup. After the Revolution, a similar group known as the Columbia College Society for Progress in Letters was formed; among its members were John P. Van Ness (Class of 1789), later mayor of Washington, D.C., and Daniel D. Tompkins (Class of 1795), vice president of the United States under James Monroe. The group became extinct in 1795.

Building on these earlier efforts, Philolexian was established on May 17, 1802. Among its earliest members were future Columbia president Nathaniel Fish Moore (Class of 1802), and Alexander Hamilton's son, James (Class of 1805). To accommodate freshmen, who were initially ineligible for admission, the Peithologian Society was formed four years later. For most of the next 100 years, Peithologian would serve as Philolexian's primary literary rival.

For most of the 19th century, Philo engaged in a wide range of literary activities, including debates within and without the society, essay writing, correspondence, and hosting speeches by eminent men of the city. In 1852, at the organization's semi-centennial celebration, alumni raised a prize fund of over $1,300 to endow annual awards in three categories: Oratory, Debate, and Essay. (The awards were eventually combined into a general "Philolexian Prize" which, since the 1950's, has been awarded annually by Columbia University's English department.)

20th Century

In the 20th century, Philo broadened its range of activities as it became a training ground for essayist Randolph Bourne (Class of 1912), poet A. Joyce Kilmer (Class of 1908), and statesman V.K. Wellington Koo (Class of 1909), all prize winners in their time at Philo. In 1910 the society took a decidedly dramatic turn when it commenced a 20-year stretch of annual theatre productions, ranging from Elizabethan comedies to contemporary works. Many of the older productions, by the likes of Ben Jonson, Nicholas Udall, and Robert Greene, were North American debuts. Oscar-winning screenwriter Sidney Buchman ("Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Cleopatra") (Class of 1923) got a start playing Shakespeare's Richard II for a Philo production.

Although Philolexian members during the Great Depression included such figures as future Pulitzer Prize-winning poet John Berryman and publisher Robert Giroux (both Class of 1936) and noted Trappist monk and humanist Thomas Merton (Class of 1938), the economic hardships of the period severely curtailed the group's activities. By the late 1930s, according to former society president Ralph de Toledano (Class of 1938), the organization was devoted mainly to drinking wine and listening to jazz. Philo effectively ceased to function by the beginning of World War II.

Decline and renewal

But in 1943, at the behest of Columbia history professor and former Philo president Jacques Barzun (Class of 1927), several undergraduates competed for the Philolexian Centennial Washington Prize, an oratory competition endowed by J. Ackerman Coles (Class of 1864), bestowed on the society on the occasion of its centennial in 1902. This short-lived revival was followed by another wartime incarnation; in 1947, 14 Columbia College undergraduates became the last students to sign one of the original Philolexian parchment membership scrolls. In 1952, due to waning interest and, according to some, the infamous presidency of poet Allen Ginsberg (Class of 1948), the society entered a 10-year period of dormancy. Another brief revival in 1962 was followed by an even longer period of inactivity.

In 1985, under the guidance of Thomas J. Vinciguerra (Class of 1985), the society was revived in its current incarnation. Mr. Vinciguerra was subsequently recognized as the society's "avatar" in honor of this and other critical and successful efforts for Philo. In 2003, an award in his name was established.

Current Organization

The Philolexian Society holds meetings every Thursday the College is in session; the agenda typically consists of a debate and the presentation of a literary work. Meetings often act serious and absurd simultaneously. As a result of the long history of the club, numerous in-jokes, scripted by tradition, are told throughout the session. Philolexian also hosts a Croquet Tea, the Annual Joyce Kilmer Memorial Bad Poetry Contest [citeweb |last=Sefton |first=Dru |title=If I'm As Bad As I Can Be, Won't You Please Not Publish Me |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20051218175010/http://newhousenews.com/archive/sefton080305.html |journal=Newhouse News Service |date=August 3, 2005|accessdate=2008-02-20 ] (which has received coverage in the New York Times) (the winner of which becomes the Poet Laureate of the society until the next Contest), a beat poetry event appropriately called Beat Night, and a Greek-style symposium. The organization also publishes a collection of poetry and prose called "Surgam." Starting in 2003, Philolexian has organized a fund for small theatre projects, later named for Robert C. Schnitzer (Class of 1927), and sponsored an improv comedy group called Klaritin.

In 2003 the society held a constitutional convention that updated the original document, adjusting the organization to suit changes that had happened in the previous 200 years, such as co-education. Nonetheless, the society has retained its traditional forms and rituals almost in their entirety. Philolexian has several officers, the Moderator ("de facto" president), Scriba, and Censor ("emeritus" president), as well as other positions, including Herald, Keeper of the Halls, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sergeant-at-Arms, Whip, Minister of Internet Truth, Nomenclaturist-General, and Editor of Surgam, the annual literary journal of the Society. These titles are derived from the roles performed at the meeting, at which the Moderator leads debate, the Scriba records minutes, and the Censor adds his or her views about the debates, punishing or rewarding members if necessary.

The number of Philolexians is actually unknown, because any person who attends even part of a meeting is officially a member (the organization's website claims that the number is greater than one but less than infinity). Those who wish to gain full membership within the society must speak well at three "consecutive" meetings and attend regularly. Those candidates who qualify may receive an invitation to New Member Night, a secretive initiation rite. To further test a potential Full Philo's merit, he or she must also present a petition reflecting the approval of other Philolexians and some work of original creative merit in order to be considered at New Member Night, as well as surviving The Horrors. This meeting is not open to the public, and if asked, Full Philos may only disclose that it involves weasels and/or platypi. Full Philos have access to a large number of privileges through the organization.

Notable Philolexians

In addition to the names cited above, prominent Philolexians have included:

* Pennsylvania bishop Henry Ustick Onderdonk (Class of 1805);
* U.S. Congressman Edmund H. Pendleton (Class of 1805);
* New Jersey Governor Peter Dumont Vroom (Class of 1808);
* Theologian Jackson Kemper (Class of 1809);
* New York bishop Benjamin Treadwell Onderdonk (Class of 1809);
* Financier William Backhouse Astor, Sr. (Class of 1811);
* Congressman Charles G. Ferris (Class of 1811);
* Maj. Gen. Stephen Watts Kearny (Class of 1812);
* Classical scholar Charles Anthon (Class of 1815);
* Acting Rhode Island Governor William Beach Lawrence (1818);
* Bibliophile James Lenox (Class of 1818);
* Explorer John Lloyd Stephens (Class of 1822);
* Railroad engineer Horatio Allen (1823);
* U.S. Secretary of State Hamilton Fish (Class of 1827);
* Journalist John L. O'Sullivan (Class of 1831), coiner of the phrase "manifest destiny";
* Literary critic Evert Augustus Duyckinck (Class of 1835);
* U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Blatchford (Class of 1837);
* Diarist George Templeton Strong (Class of 1838);
* Sportsman William R. Travers (Class of 1838);
* Chemist Oliver Wolcott Gibbs (Class of 1841);
* Mayor of New York City Abram S. Hewitt (Class of 1842);
* Financier William Backhouse Astor, Jr. (Class of 1849);
* Military theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan (Class of 1858);
* Columbia College Dean John Howard Van Amringe (Class of 1860);
* Novelist Edgar Fawcett (Class of 1867);
* Diplomat Nicholas Fish (Class of 1867);
* Assistant Secretary of State and Columbia trustees chairman George Lockhart Rives (Class of 1868);
* Historian William Milligan Sloane (Class of 1868);
* Journalist and social reformer William Dudley Foulke (Class of 1869);
* Illinois Central Railroad president Stuyvesant Fish (Class of 1871);
* Dramatic scholar Brander Matthews (Class of 1871);
* Music critic Gustav Kobbé (Class of 1877);
* New York City subway chief engineer William Barclay Parsons (Class of 1879);
* U.S. Congressman and Assistant Secretary of War J. Mayhew Wainwright (Class of 1884);
* U.S. Ambassador to Germany James W. Gerard (Class of 1890);
* Mayor of New York City John Purroy Mitchel (Class of 1899);
* "New York Times" editor and "Topics of the Times" essayist Simeon Strunsky (Class of 1900);
* Playwright George Middleton (Class of 1902), president of the Dramatists Guild of America;
* Governor of North Dakota and U.S. Senator William Langer (Class of 1910);
* Union College president Dixon Ryan Fox (Class of 1911);
* Political scientist Parker Thomas Moon (Class of 1913);
* Congressman Frederic René Coudert, Jr. (Class of 1918);
* Western writer James Warner Bellah (Class of 1923);
* Philanthropist Lawrence Wien (Class of 1925);
* Science fiction anthologist Groff Conklin (Class of 1927);
* City College of New York president Robert Marshak (Class of 1936), president of the American Physical Society;
* John La Touche (Class of 1937), lyricist for "Cabin in the Sky" and "The Golden Apple";
* Minimalist poet Robert Lax (Class of 1938);
* East Asian scholar and Columbia University provost Wm. Theodore de Bary (Class of 1941);
* Oscar-winning screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond (Class of 1941);
*"Holocaust" author Gerald Green (Class of 1942);
* Economist Robert Lekachman (Class of 1942);
* New York Giants quarterback Paul Governali (Class of 1943);
* Grammy-winning record producer Orrin Keepnews (Class of 1943);
* Novelist Walter Wager (Class of 1944);
* Pulitzer Prize-winning gerontologist Robert Neil Butler (Class of 1949);
* Publisher Jason Epstein (Class of 1949);
* Poet John Hollander (Class of 1950);
* Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and translator Richard Howard (Class of 1951);
* Editor Robert Gottlieb (Class of 1952);
* Actor Ben Stein (Class of 1966);
* Novelist and Academy Award-winning film producer Garth Stein (Class of 1987);
* MTV personality Gideon Yago (Class of 2000).

Awards and Accomplishments

Philolexians have:
*Won:
** 3 Pulitzer Prizes
** 4 Academy Awards
** 2 Grammy Awards
*Included:
** 8 U.S. Congressmen
** 5 Ambassadors
** 4 Governors
** 2 United States Senators
** 1 Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
** 2 Mayors of New York City
** 8 Presidents of Colleges
*Founded or co-founded:
** The Travers Stakes
** Harcourt Brace
** Thom McAn Shoes
** The New York Review of Books
** Library of America
** Writers Guild of America
** The Century Association
** Players' Club
*Been president of:
** New-York Historical Society
** New York Chamber of Commerce
** New York Athletic Club
** National Academy of Sciences
** Doubleday
** Authors' League of America
** American Physical Society
** American Mathematical Society
** American Historical Association
** American Society of Civil Engineers
** American Academy of Arts and Letters
** The Union League Club of New York

References

*Barzun, Jacques (editor): "Samplings and Chronicles, Being the Continuation of the Philolexian Society History, With Literary Selections, From 1912 to 1927," New York, published by the Society, 1927
*Bellah, James Warner: "When the College Was Younger and, Perhaps, More Literary," New York, Columbia College Today, Spring 1962
*Cardozo, Ernest A.: "A History of the Philolexian Society of Columbia University From 1802-1902," New York, published by the Society, 1902
*Swindler, Josie. " [http://media.www.columbiaspectator.com/media/storage/paper865/news/2005/10/27/News/Debate.Clubs.Debauchery.Continues.In.21st.Century-2030031.shtml Debate Club’s Debauchery Continues in 21st Century] " "Columbia Spectator". (October 27, 2005)
*Vinciguerra, Thomas J.: "Contemporary Civilization Meets Monty Python," New York, Columbia College Today, Spring/Summer 1987
*"Philolexian Annals 1902-1912 With the Constitution and By-Laws," New York, published by the Society, 1912
*"The Columbian" (yearbook): New York, Columbia University, various years

Inline References

External links

* [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/philo The Philolexian Society of Columbia University]
* [http://www.philolexian.com The Philolexian Foundation]
* [http://www.columbia.edu Columbia University]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE7D6123DF936A35751C1A961948260 1987 New York Times Article on Joyce Kilmer Bad Poetry Contest]