First incarnation: 1819–1853
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. [2] 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. [3]
The Yale society held weekly debates, oratorial displays, and dramatic performances. [2] Calliope established a library that grew to 6,000 volumes. [2] It was distinguished from rival societies Linonia and Brothers-In-Unity by a larger proportion of membership from Southern states. [4] [1] Increasing sectional tensions before the American Civil War caused Calliopean to disband in 1853. [4] [1]
Second incarnation: 1950 to date
Revived in 1950, a little under a century after its discontinuation, the Calliopean Society sought to cultivate a distinguished salon for the discussion of classics, culture, and contemporary social thought, providing an alternative intellectual reality amid the dominant political tendencies of the time. [5] [6] From the 1950s through the early 1960s, the Calliopean Society conducted a program of debates and meetings, featuring guest speakers. [6] 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. [6] Traditionally, membership was limited to graduate students and undergraduate seniors. [6]
For decades, the Calliopean Society had no physical location. [7] 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. [7]
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. [7]
