063
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Title
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063
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Transcription
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where both societies had a membership roll of about eighty, a third society, with a membership limitation of fifty, the Delian, was launched, in the autumn of 1889. The opening sentences of its constitution ran: "We, students of the University of Nebraska, believing that the membership of the existing literary societies is too large for the best literary and social culture, and that the formation of a new society is desirable do hereby organize ourselves into a literary society." The Palladian and the Union societies occupied at this time the long rooms, since remodeled, at the east and west ends respectively of the third floor of University Hall. These rooms they furnished themselves, buying carpets, chairs, curtains, and rugs, from society dues and from voluntary subscriptions. The new Delian society, since no room for its sole use was available in the building, met at first in the "music room" on the first floor, now used by the department of elocution. In 1890, it was granted the use of the chapel for its meetings, in those days a large hall on the north wing of the second floor, but now partitioned off into class-rooms for the departments of rhetoric and of education. Here the Delian society continued to meet until it went out of existence about 1905. It was reestablished in 1916-17, or rather a new literary society was instituted, adopting the same name.
The programs of the literary societies consisted of varied features. Staple were the "essay", the "oration", the "recitation", with such musical numbers as were available interspersed, and the program closed normally with a "debate." Social sessions followed, sometimes varied by the serving of "light refreshments", such as doughnuts, apples, popcorn, or more rarely, ice cream; and there were promenades through the long corridors. In the '80's and '90's, the height of elegance was thought to be attained when the more prodigal members went to a local restaurant after the program for oysters. The recreation of dancing was frowned upon in those days, and was not to be thought of after society meetings. Auxiliary organizations which played conspicuous roles in the life of the literary societies were the P. B. D. C. (Palladian Boys' Debating Club),
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Rights
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