The Peithologian Society was an undergraduate debate society at Columbia University. It was founded in 1806, four years after Columbia's first literary society, the Philolexian Society, by freshmen who were disenfranchised by Philolexian's requirement that its members be upperclassmen. Its emphasis on debate, composition, and rhetoric was similar to Philo's literary aims, and the two societies shared other superficial characteristics as well. Philo adopted light blue as its official color, while Peithologian adopted white (Columbia later appropriated the two hues as its official school colors). Whereas Philolexian's symbol was a rising sun, Peithologian's was a star. Its Latin motto was "Vitam Impendere Vero" meaning, roughly, "To devote one's life to truth."
Eventually, Peithologian became so popular that on July 9, 1821, Columbia's trustees resolved that "for the accommodation of the Philolexian and Peithologian Societies, a suitable building be erected." Peithologian flourished as a society in its own right, dropping its freshman status and opening itself to all undergraduates. Indeed, some students, such as John Lloyd Stephens, belonged to both Peithologian and Philolexian. In general, though, the two groups maintained a rivalry that was friendly at best and highly charged at worst. In his famous diary, George Templeton Strong recorded that a Philolexian gathering was disrupted by "those rascally Peithologians"; firecrackers and stink bombs, tossed into the midst of each other's meetings, were usually the weapons of choice.
Although Peithologian's alumni included such prominent names as Columbia president Nicholas Murray Butler (Class of 1882), Nobel laureate Hermann Muller (Class of 1910), and publisher Alfred A. Knopf (Class of 1912), both it and Philolexian suffered declining membership after the turn of the century. The society ceased to exist around World War I, although several undergraduates revived it after World War II.
^The Undergraduate Record: Columbia College. A Book of Statistical Information. Gillis Bros. 1881.
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Columbia Student Life: The Curriculum and The Extra-Curriculum, 1754 - 2004.
April 11, 2024
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The Peithologian Society was an undergraduate debate society at Columbia University It was founded in 1806 four years after Columbia s first literary society the Philolexian Society by freshmen who were disenfranchised by Philolexian s requirement that its members be upperclassmen Its emphasis on debate composition and rhetoric was similar to Philo s literary aims and the two societies shared other superficial characteristics as well Philo adopted light blue as its official color while Peithologian adopted white Columbia later appropriated the two hues as its official school colors Whereas Philolexian s symbol was a rising sun Peithologian s was a star Its Latin motto was Vitam Impendere Vero meaning roughly To devote one s life to truth Eventually Peithologian became so popular that on July 9 1821 Columbia s trustees resolved that for the accommodation of the Philolexian and Peithologian Societies a suitable building be erected Peithologian flourished as a society in its own right dropping its freshman status and opening itself to all undergraduates Indeed some students such as John Lloyd Stephens belonged to both Peithologian and Philolexian In general though the two groups maintained a rivalry that was friendly at best and highly charged at worst In his famous diary George Templeton Strong recorded that a Philolexian gathering was disrupted by those rascally Peithologians firecrackers and stink bombs tossed into the midst of each other s meetings were usually the weapons of choice Although Peithologian s alumni included such prominent names as Columbia president Nicholas Murray Butler Class of 1882 Nobel laureate Hermann Muller Class of 1910 and publisher Alfred A Knopf Class of 1912 both it and Philolexian suffered declining membership after the turn of the century The society ceased to exist around World War I although several undergraduates revived it after World War II Contents 1 Notable members 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksNotable members editAccording to The Undergraduate Record published by Columbia College in 1881 1 former members of the society included John Church Hamilton 1809 son of Alexander Hamilton Benjamin T Onderdonk 1809 Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York from 1830 to 1861 John Slidell 1810 United States Senator from Louisiana Confederate States of America minister to France William Backhouse Astor Sr 1811 businessman member of the Astor family founder of the Astor Library James H Roosevelt 1819 founder of Roosevelt Hospital Robert Goelet Sr 1828 co founder of the Chemical Bank of New York Robert L Cutting 1830 co founder of the Continental Bank of New York and president of the New York Stock Exchange John Jay 1836 grandson of Chief Justice John Jay United States Minister to Austro Hungary president of the American Historical Association James Renwick Jr 1836 Gothic Revival architect who designed St Patrick s Cathedral New York Samuel Blatchford 1837 associate justice of the U S Supreme Court John Jacob Astor III 1839 financier philanthropist member of the Astor family William Colford Schermerhorn 1840 lawyer philanthropist trustee of Columbia University Charles Carow 1844 shipping magnate father of the first lady Edith Roosevelt Robert Morrison Olyphant 1842 heir to trading company Olyphant amp Co and president of the Delaware and Hudson Railway John Winthrop Chanler 1847 United States Congressman from New York Morgan Dix 1848 priest theologian rector of Trinity Church Horace Carpentier 1848 first mayor of Oakland California and president of the Overland Telegraph Company Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt 1850 son of Cornelius Vanderbilt Stewart L Woodford 1854 Lieutenant Governor of New York and U S Minister to Spain Robert L Cutting Jr 1856 American banker and club man Elbridge Thomas Gerry 1857 lawyer and social reformer who founded the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children grandson of U S Vice President Elbridge Gerry George Goelet Kip 1865 American lawyer heir and member of the Goelet family William Bayard Cutting 1869 financier philanthropist namesake of the Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park Francis S Bangs 1878 attorney at Bangs Stetson Tracy and McVeigh and trustee of Columbia College Edwin Robert Anderson Seligman 1879 American economist William Archibald Dunning 1881 founder of the Dunning School of Reconstruction Reginald Sayre 1881 orthopedic surgeon and Olympic sport shooter Nicholas Murray Butler 1882 president of Columbia University chairman of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Nobel Peace Prize winner founder of Horace Mann School and the College Board John Kendrick Bangs 1883 author satirist editor of Puck magazine Francis Lister Hawks Pott 1883 Episcopal missionary and president of St John s University Shanghai from 1888 to 1941See also editDemosthenian Literary Society Philolexian Society Literary society List of Literary SocietiesReferences edit The Undergraduate Record Columbia College A Book of Statistical Information Gillis Bros 1881 External links editWikiCU Peithologian Society Columbia Student Life The Curriculum and The Extra Curriculum 1754 2004 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Peithologian Society amp oldid 1211754784, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
