The Beginning
The West Virginia Conference Seminary opened on September 3, 1890.
The very next week, on September 11, 1890, the Literary Societies were formed.
Thomas W. Haught tells us that President Hutchinson and the faculty, “took the roster of students and divided it into two lists, equal in number, assigning all students to one or the other. There were practically no requests made by students for permission to change from one group to the other, and both groups at once set about organizing by adopting names, consitutions, and electing officers.”
Society A and Society B became Chrestomathean and Excelsior.
- Chrestomathean (from the Greek) A useful selection of literary passages for those with the desire for learning
- Excelsior (from the Latin) Higher, Always Upward
In the Seminary Building, each of these societies had a Hall, which they decorated elegantly, and which included a raised platform and a piano. In the same manner as societies at Oxford and Cambridge, the societies at the West Virginia Conference Seminary were places where intellectual issues of the day would be discussed and debated and where cultural activities would thrive.
You may be wondering what kinds of intellectual issues were discussed. Here are some examples from 1891:
March 27, 1891 That the right of suffrage shall be extended to women.
April 10, 1891 That the Railroads and Telegraph lines should be owned by the government.
April 17, 1891 That the Steam Engine is more beneficial to mankind than the Printing Press.
May 1, 1891 That the Pulpit wields a greater influence for good than the Printing Press. (It would appear that the negative argument prevailed here.)
May 7, 1891 That the Negroes have a greater right to complain of ill treatment at the hands of the U.S. than the Indians. (It would also appear that the negative argument prevailed in this one.)
1890-1910
For the first 20 years or so the school maintained a very strict environment for the students. Strict religious and social rules prevailed:
- No Dancing, No Smoking, No Plays, No Dating
Therefore, these meetings were the only forms of co-educational social contact beyond the classroom and the chapel services.
Boys and girls took great pride in displaying their intellectual and oratorical skills to impress each other.
They spent a lot of time together- at meetings, and preparing programs and debates. In many cases romances flourished. Here are a couple of examples of couples who met in the Chrestomathean Literary Society, and who were later married for many years.
Edward Boetticher became a Methodist pastor after his graduation in 1926, and served as a Trustee of the College from 1949-1965. Here is a related story about Edward and Gazelle: In the Footsteps of Giants.
Charles Aubrey Jones, Seminary Class of 1904, is well known to modern-day Wesleyan as the person who donated our large and valuable collection of materials on Abraham Lincoln. He was also the editor of the very first Murmurmontis (yearbook) and stayed in close contact with the school throughout his life. I had the honor to meet with Charles and Ireta’s daughter, Betty, when she was in her 90s. She told wonderful stories of Mama and Daddy and the love they had for Wesleyan and for each other.
Leadership Opportunities
The officers of these groups wielded a lot of power,and had many opportunities to grow in their leadership skills. They planned and presided over the weekly programs and the meetings. Officers changed each term:
For this particular year these were the dates:
- Fall Officers (September 3, 1902 through November 11, 1902)
- Winter Officers (November 12, 1902 through March 1, 1903)
- Spring Officers (March 6, 1903 through June 4, 1903)
Many of these leaders became leaders of the school in later years by serving on the Board of Trustees or on the Faculty. Or even President of the College! Here are a few names that may be familiar.
After 1910
There were an increasing number of students at the school, making the groups much more difficult to maintain. The first year the school was open, there were a total of 201 students. By 1910, there were 408 on the roster.
There were also increased opportunities for socializing, more speciaized groups for students to join, and greater social freedom.
Athletics were on the rise following the building of the Gymnasium, and students would often have to miss meetings for practices or games. There was the Athletic Association, and teams: Football, Baseball, Track, Basketball, Girls Basketball.
Christian youth organizations, such as the Y.M.C.A and the Y.W.C.A. were gaining in popularity both here and in the region, and the school also had a Homiletic Club.
Choirs and eventually bands began to appear.
There was even a Co-Ed German Conversation Club by 1912!
Debating Societies were formed, and Intercollegiate Debating was gaining popularity throughout the country. On the Wesleyan campus were two: The Wesleyan Debating Club and The Webster Debating Club.
Sororities and Fraternities started forming at Wesleyan in the early 1920s.
And the Pharos and Murmurmontis staffs were both Co-Ed.
In other words, Student Organizations were specializing. Debate, oration, music, drama, and social interaction were being done in new ways. Many of these things became part of the curriculum of the school as well.
In a two part series of articles for the Sundial in 1961, William C. Seifrit (Assistant Professor of Speech 1959-1964) described the history of the Literary Societies from their beginnings up through the 1920s. Please click here to read these wonderful articles:
The Meaning of ——- “Chrestomathean and Excelsior” (Part 1) pages 4-8
The Meaning of ——- “Chrestomathean and Excelsior” (Part 2) pages 4-7
