Demosthenian Literary Society
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The Demosthenian Literary Society is a
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 writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newslet ...
focused on extemporaneous debate at the
University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...
in
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. It is among the oldest literary societies in the English-speaking world and was founded on February 19, 1803, by the first graduating class of the university's Franklin College. The object of the society is "to promote the cause of science and truth by the cultivation of oratory and the art of debate at weekly meetings." It is named after the Greek orator
Demosthenes Demosthenes (; ; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and cu ...
. The society meets every Thursday during the academic school year at 7 pm and once during the summer in Demosthenian Hall on UGA's North Campus. In addition to its relations with other organizations at the
University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...
, like the Phi Kappa Literary Society, the society maintains relationships with other
Literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...
and
Debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...
societies across the
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, including the
Philodemic Society The Philodemic Society is a student debating society at Georgetown University founded in 1830 by Father James Ryder, S.J. The Philodemic is among the oldest such societies in the United States, and is the oldest secular student organization a ...
at
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
, the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies at UNC-Chapel Hill and the Philolexian Society at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
.


History

Augustin Clayton, James Jackson, and Williams Rutherford are recognized as the founding fathers of Demosthenian. Clayton became the first student to receive his diploma from Franklin College and went on to become a federal judge and a U.S. Representative from Georgia, with Georgia's Clayton County being named in his honor. Rutherford and Jackson went on to become professors at Franklin College. After 167 years of male-only membership, the first female members of the society were inducted on March 4, 1970. President Sherrill Watkins presided over the initiation of Kathy Conrad, a freshman from Atlanta, and Bebe Herring, a junior from Athens. By the late 1970s, female members were heavily active in the society and held numerous offices—even President. Today, the society has slightly more female than male members. Citing issues of student disenfranchisement within the UGA and U.S. political systems, the society voted in 2012 to secede from the United States of America as the
micronation A micronation is a polity, political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from list o ...
'Demosthenia.' This resolution was acknowledged as a move to raise the society's profile and to encourage lively debate. In the wake of the
Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...
in
Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...
in August 2017, the society removed their portrait of Confederate general and honorary member
Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...
from their building. The debate attracted significant media attention, with various newspapers such as the Red and Black appearing for the debate. The motion was passed by a unanimous vote of 27–0.


Demosthenian Hall

Demosthenian Hall was constructed by Dr. James Tinsley in 1824. It is the fourth oldest building at the University of Georgia and was placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1971. The construction was financed by the society's members, alumni, and friends. It remains the only building on the UGA campus that was privately financed and is not wholly owned by the university. In 1997, Demosthenian Hall received $200,000 in donations to restore the hall. The construction work restored the ceiling medallion and the rest of the Upper Chamber to its original 1824 layout and color scheme. The original hardwood floors were uncovered and restored in the Lower Chamber.


The Upper Chamber

The Upper Chamber is the meeting room of the society. The speaker's lectern has been dated to the 1820s and may have been built specifically for the Hall. The simplicity of the carved mantels, window moldings, doors, and deep paneled wainscoting emphasizes the drama of the ornate plasterwork ceiling medallion which is based on a template designed by Asher Benjamin. It is a medallion of holly leaves surrounded by swags of smaller leaves which are framed by delicate filigree. This ceiling is one of the most architecturally unique structures at the University of Georgia and is one of the few remaining examples of this form of decorative artwork.Demosthenian Hall
section of Official Demosthenian website. Last accessed 2012-03-27.


The Lower Chamber

The Lower Chamber is into one main room flanked on the right by two smaller rooms - designated the President's Office and the Library. Containing mostly donated furniture constructed in the late 18th and early 19th century, the society has endeavored to maintain the historic feel of the rooms.


The Library

The society has maintained an extensive library since its founding and currently owns over 2000 volumes. Its collection surpassed that of the university's main library for the majority of the 19th century. Upon the reopening of the university after the Civil War, the society donated its books to the university to replace the library collection that had been burned. Demosthenian maintains extensive archives of past meeting minutes, society business, and members. In addition, the most recent minutes and some historical minutes from 1829 are available online.Minutes
of the Demosthenian Literary Society. Last accessed 2012-03-27.


Organization


Meetings

The Demosthenian Literary Society was founded for the specific purpose of promoting the art of extemporaneous speech.About us
section of the official Demosthenian website. Last accessed 2012-03-27.
During meetings, members introduce original resolutions that have not been shared with others before their presentation. This method of debate challenges members and guests to formulate speeches based on solely prior knowledge and without extensive preparation. Speakers are also subject to questions from the audience and are limited to speeches of up to five minutes in length. Each meeting of the Demosthenian Literary Society is run by Parliamentary Procedure as set out in
Robert's Rules of Order ''Robert's Rules of Order'', often simply referred to as ''Robert's Rules'', is a manual of parliamentary procedure by U.S. Army officer Henry Martyn Robert (1837–1923). "The object of Rules of Order is to assist an assembly to accomplish the ...
.


Officers

After being active members for a designated amount of time and completing adequate service to the society, members are eligible to run for officer positions. The society has 13 officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Chief Justice, two Associate Justices, Treasurer, Hall Administrator, Hall Preservationist, Historian, Sergeant-at-Arms, Librarian, and Custodian. The offices of Treasurer, Hall Administrator, Hall Preservationist, and Historian are all year-long positions elected every Spring while the others are elected each semester.


Advisors

These advisors are members of the University of Georgia faculty and serve as liaisons between the university and the society. Notable faculty advisors who have greatly contributed to the society include: Albert B. Saye and Dr. Cal Logue (1981- 1988). Recent faculty advisors include: * Dr. Daniel Kapust (? - 2008) * Dr. John Murphy (2008- 2011) * Dr. John Knox (2011- 2017) * Professor Hatidža Mulić (2018- 2019) *Dr. Cassia Roth (2019- 2024) *Dr. Karim Jetha (2024–Present)


Activities


All Night Meeting

On the Saturday that falls closest to the anniversary of the society's founding, the All Night Meeting is hosted at Demosthenian Hall. The All Night Meeting lasts twelve hours, from 7 pm Saturday to 7 am Sunday. Dinner is served and then the meeting opens with guest keynote speakers; the meeting then continues with debate among current members, guests, and alumni of the society throughout the night and into the morning. Each year at the All Night Meeting, current members are recognized for their service and devotion to the society by being awarded Speaker's Keys.Speaker's Keys
section of the Demosthenian website. Last accessed 2012-03-27.
Speaker's Keys were briefly discontinued and not given out from the year 1997 to 2007.


Hat Debate

Starting in 1995, the Thursday closest to Halloween has been designated as the date that the Demosthenian Literary Society hosts the annual Hat Debate. Members submit resolutions (usually humorous) and challenges (certain tasks people must complete during their speeches) before the program that are then put in a hat to be drawn from. Participants are called up one by one to the lectern, pull out a resolution and/or challenge, and then must immediately present a speech in the affirmative while completing the drawn challenge.


Orations and Declamations

Once a year in early April, the society hosts a program dedicated to presenting orations and declamations, speeches that are originally written by the presenter and those not written by the presenter, respectively. Members may compete in each category of prepared speech for an award of two speaker's points. The Judicial Council judges the orations and declamations and declares the winners at the following meeting.


Intersociety Debate

Each spring, the Demosthenian and the Phi Kappa Literary Societies hold a debate to highlight the oratory skills of the societies' best speakers.Constitution of the Demosthenian Literary Society
Revised and Ratified March 24, 2022.
Due to a change in relations between the two societies, the 2020 Intersociety Debate would have been held between the Demosthenian Literary Society and the Georgia Debate Union until the COVID-19 suspended the society's operations. The Debate is usually held in the Hatton-Lovejoy courtroom at the
University of Georgia School of Law The University of Georgia School of Law (Georgia Law) is the law school of the University of Georgia, a Public university, public research university in Athens, Georgia. It was founded in 1859, making it one of the oldest American university law ...
. Judges are randomly selected for the debate from a pool of nominations submitted by members of both societies."The Intersociety Agreement of 2007". Demosthenian Literary Society and Phi Kappa Literary Society (2007)


Notable members

* Rachel Aaron, fantasy and science fiction author * William Yates Atkinson, Governor of Georgia Famous alumni
section of official Demosthenian website. Last accessed 2012-03-27.
* John Barrow, U.S. Congressman * Pope Barrow, U.S. Senator * Robert Benham, first African-American chief justice, Georgia Supreme Court * William Tapley Bennett Jr., diplomat * D. W. Brooks, founder of Gold Kist * John A. Campbell, U.S. Supreme Court Justice * William Ragsdale Cannon, American United Methodist bishop * Augustin Clayton, Statesman, Judge, U.S. Congressman from Georgia * Hugh M. Dorsey, Governor of Georgia * Tim Echols, Georgia Public Service Commissioner * Joel Furr, the first person to refer to junk e-mail as "spam" * Benjamin Harvey Hill, U.S. and Confederate States Senator *Arthur Hinds, member of the Celtic/Pagan band Emerald Rose * Phil Kent, political consultant * Jack Kingston, U.S. Congressman * Crawford Long, physician, best known for the first use of inhaled sulfuric ether as an
anesthetic An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into t ...
, first obstetric anesthetist * Eugene Patterson- civil Rights activist, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and publisher of the
Pentagon Papers The ''Pentagon Papers'', officially titled ''Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force'', is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States in the Vietnam War, United States' political and militar ...
* Count Emilio Pucci, fashion designer *
Ralph Reed Ralph Eugene Reed Jr. (born June 24, 1961) is an American political consultant and lobbyist, best known as the first executive director of the Christian Coalition during the early 1990s. He sought the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Gov ...
, political consultant * Charles Henry Smith, better known as writer Bill Arp * Herman E. Talmadge, U.S. Senator and former governor of Georgia * Robert Toombs, first Secretary of State of the
Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...
, U.S. Senator and Congressman * Beth Shapiro,
Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Esta ...
and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation " Genius Grant" * Emory Speer, post-civil war equal rights advocate and
federal judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States A U.S. federal judge is appointed by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Arti ...
* A.E. Stallings, poet & translator (recipient of a MacArthur Foundation " Genius Grant") * Bob Trammell, former Minority Leader of the
Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...
Duplicated from above * Robert Benham (judge), first African-American justice of the Georgia Supreme Court and first African-American Chief Justice


References


Further reading

*Coulter, E. Merton. ''College Life in the Old South''. Reprint edition. Athens, Ga.: University of Georgia Press, c1983. {{College Literary Societies, state=collapsed Student debating societies College literary societies in the United States University of Georgia University of Georgia campus 1803 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Local fraternities and sororities