Jump to content

Calliopean Society

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Calliopean Society
ΦΕΜ
19th-century Calliopean Society emblem
Founded1819; 207 years ago (1819); revived 1950
Yale University
TypeSecret
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
EmphasisDebate
ScopeLocal
MottoGeschwind, Geräuschlos, Tödlich.
Patron Greek deityCalliope
Chapters1
Other nameFraternity of Phi Epsilon Mu
Headquarters348 Elm Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06511
United States
Websitewww.calliopean.com

The Calliopean Society, also known as the Fraternity of Phi Epsilon Mu, is a secret society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established at Yale College in 1819 as a literary and debating society.[1] It disbanded in 1853, and revived in 1950 as an discussion venue for conservative students.[1][2] Its name refers to Calliope, the Greek muse of epic poetry.

History

[edit]

First incarnation: 1819–1853

[edit]

Calliopean was founded in 1819 by a group of members of Linonia dissatisfied with the result of an election for the presidency of the latter society.[3] Another literary society of the same name had been formed in Bermuda in 1790 by George Tucker, at that time under the tutelage of Josiah Meigs, who later became professor of moral philosophy at Yale.[4]

The Yale society held weekly debates, oratorial displays, and dramatic performances.[3] Questions debated in the society's first two decades included “would it be beneficial to the United States to colonize the blacks?”, “should the tarif [sic] be abolished?”, and “ought negroes be permitted to vote?”[5] Calliope established a library that grew to 6,000 volumes.[3]

It was distinguished from rival societies Linonia and Brothers-In-Unity by a large proportion of membership from Southern states, along with a handful of members from slave societies further afield (such as Brazil).[6][1] Several of its members owned slaves.[5] Increasing sectional tensions, along with debt and membership issues, are thought to have caused Calliopean to disband in 1853.[6][1][5]

Second incarnation: 1950 to date

[edit]

The Calliopean Society was revived in 1950 as a forum for discussions of classics, culture, and contemporary social thought, and as a conservative alternative to liberal and left-wing viewpoints at Yale.[7][8] Time identified the refounded Society, "nurtured [...] by William F. Buckley Jr." as a prominent player in the nascent campus conservative movement.[2]

From the 1950s through the early 1960s, the Calliopean Society conducted a program of debates and meetings, featuring guest speakers.[8] In 1974, it unsuccessfully arranged a debate between white nationalist William Shockley and black activist Roy Innis.[9] The society also experienced a brief period where it served as a senior honorary society, modelled after the Aurelian Honor Society and Torch Honor Society.[8] Traditionally, membership was limited to graduate students and undergraduate seniors.[8]

For decades, the Calliopean Society had no physical location.[10] During much of the 1970s and 1980s, the university gave the society use of a locked library located on the upper-levels of Bingham Hall.[10]

The society is said to have continued in largely uninterrupted succession since its revival in 1950, its membership transmitted from one generation of students to the next. Beyond this, very little is known. Its current purposes remain obscure.[10]

A historic emblem of the Calliopean Society

Symbols

[edit]

The society's name comes from Calliope, the Greek muse of epic poetry.[10] The earliest symbol of the Calliopean Society was a hexagram with a "C" containing the Greek letters ΦΕΜ at its center.[5] Another, later emblem showed the arms of Timothy Dwight IV supported by a torch and a devil-like figure holding a knife, with the German motto Geschwind. Geräuschlos. Tödlich ("Quick. Silent. Deadly"). It published The Mirror, which included stories and poetry written by its members.[3]

Legacy

[edit]

Calliope is commemorated on the Yale University campus by Calliope Court, one of three small courtyards within Branford College.[11][12]

Notable members (second iteration)

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 "Elms and Magnolias: The 19th Century". Yale University Library. August 12, 1996. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  2. 1 2 TIME (February 10, 1961). "Education: Campus Conservatives". TIME. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Calliopean Society, Yale College, records". Archives at Yale. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  4. ↑ McLean, Robert C. (1961). George Tucker Moral Philosopher and Man of Letters. Chapel Hill: Univ. of North Carolina Press. p. 4.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Yale School of Medicine and Slavery · Student Financial Ties to Slavery · Yale School of Medicine and Slavery · Yale University Library Online Exhibitions". onlineexhibits.library.yale.edu. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "An Irrepressible Urge to Join". Yale Alumni Magazine. No. Special Tercentennial Edition. Yale Alumni Publications, Inc. March 2001. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  7. ↑ Evans, M. Stanton (1961). Revolt on the Campus (PDF). Chicago: Henry Regnery Company. pp. 8–9.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Havemeyer, Loomis (January 1961). Yale's Extracurricular & Social Organizations 1780 - 1960. Yale University Library. p. 6.
  9. ↑ "Yale Again Cancels Shockley and Innis | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Collection: Calliopean Society records | Archives & Manuscripts". TriCollege Libraries. Archived from the original on April 24, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  11. ↑ Goldberger, Paul (June 13, 1982). "Yale's Architecture: A Walking Tour". The New York Times. p. 10.20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  12. ↑ Seto-Weiss, Patricia. "Harkness Memorial Tower and Quadrangle, [New Haven, Connecticut]," SAH Archipedia. Accessed February 17, 2026.
  13. ↑ Bernstein, Andrea (October 11, 1999). "Yale in the 60's With the Two Georges". Observer. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  14. ↑ Martin, Douglas (February 14, 2019). "Raymond K. Price Jr., 88, a Key Nixon Speechwriter, Is Dead". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calliopean_Society&oldid=1370611849"