Neophogen College

Last updated
Portraits of honor students from Neophogen published in Popular Science Monthly in 1877 PSM V11 D738 Honor students of neophogen college.jpg
Portraits of honor students from Neophogen published in Popular Science Monthly in 1877

Neophogen College was a private university in Cross Plains, Tennessee, founded in 1873 by J.M. Walton. The college was noted for an attention to etiquette and English language instruction, for which it was often satirized in other university periodicals such as The Harvard Crimson , Yale Literary Magazine and the Daily Princetonian . The college lost favor with its patrons and was later discontinued at the end of 1877. [1]

Walton first erected a large wood-frame building, costing $25,000 to build, which soon after was destroyed by fire. A stock company immediately helped rebuild the school, this time out of brick. In the first session, 250 students enrolled, 150 whom were from other counties and states. The school's yearly tuition was $100.

Neophogen was known and sometimes ridiculed for its focus on etiquette and English language instruction. [2] A letter addressed to "a freshman at Neophogen" appeared in the Harvard Crimson in 1877, advising:

Be particular in little things; do not throw off your collar because you are warm, nor take off your collar because it has begun to melt. Such small points are too apt to be laughed at at Neophogen as over-refinements. Be careful, yet simple in your dress. A brass collar-button is better than a scarlet necktie. Do not lounge with the men at one end of the room, and never fail to go and talk with the girls when the President asks you. Your knowledge of the world will make you a favorite. [3]

It was also coeducational:

Today, at Neophogen, the chairs of Latin, Greek, Commerce, Agriculture, Horticulture, Phrenology, Physiognomy, Hygiene and Telegraphy are vacant. None can be found to properly fill them, we presume. And now we come to the settlement of a question which is agitating the world at the present day. This proves the extent of our blindness, when we go on in long arguments pro and con for years, wasting time, paper and patience, when, if we should but turn our heads, at our very elbow we find a satisfactory practical solution of the whole difficulty. The question of the present day was co-education; but is so no longer. Neophogen has practically proved that co-education is a glorious existence. Columbia is wrong; Harvard is right. Let Princeton at once take measures to introduce the system here. By all means let us have the girls. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivy League</span> Athletic conference of eight elite American universities

The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference which comprises eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The conference's headquarters are located in Princeton, New Jersey. The term Ivy League is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools as a group of elite colleges with connotations of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism. Its members are Princeton University, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princeton University</span> Private university in Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. The institution moved to Newark in 1747, and then to the current site nine years later. It officially became a university in 1896 and was subsequently renamed Princeton University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radcliffe College</span> Womens college in Cambridge, Massachusetts (1878–1999)

Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and held the popular reputation of having an intellectual, literary, and independent-minded female student body.

<i>The Harvard Crimson</i> Harvard College undergraduate daily newspaper

The Harvard Crimson is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the fall of 2022, the paper transitioned to a weekly publishing model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. Lawrence Lowell</span> American educator and legal scholar (1856–1943)

Abbott Lawrence Lowell was an American eugenicist, educator and legal scholar. He was President of Harvard University from 1909 to 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quadrangle Club</span> United States historic place

The Princeton Quadrangle Club, often abbreviated to "Quad", is one of the eleven eating clubs at Princeton University that remain open. Located at 33 Prospect Avenue, the club is currently "sign-in," meaning it permits any second semester sophomore, junior or senior to join. The club's tradition of openness is demonstrated as far back as 1970, when Quadrangle became one of the first coeducational eating clubs.

Neil Leon Rudenstine is an American scholar, educator, and administrator. He served as president of Harvard University from 1991 to 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvard Extension School</span> Extension school of Harvard University

Harvard Extension School (HES) is the extension school of Harvard University, a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1910, it is one of oldest liberal arts and continuing education schools in the United States. Part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Extension is Harvard University's part-time, open-enrollment program, offering undergraduate ALB and graduate ALM degrees primarily for nontraditional students. Academic certificates and a post-baccalaureate pre-medical certificate are also offered.

<i>The Daily Princetonian</i> Student newspaper for Princeton University

The Daily Princetonian, originally known as The Princetonian and nicknamed the 'Prince', is the independent daily student newspaper of Princeton University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secret Court of 1920</span> Disciplinary tribunal at Harvard University

The Secret Court of 1920 was an ad hoc disciplinary tribunal of five administrators at Harvard University formed to investigate charges of homosexual activity among the student population. During two weeks in May and June 1920, "the court", headed by acting dean Chester Noyes Greenough, conducted more than 30 interviews behind closed doors and took action against eight students, a recent graduate, and an assistant professor. They were expelled or had their association with the university severed. Two of the students were later readmitted. The affair went unreported until 2002.

Princeton University was founded in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1746 as the College of New Jersey, shortly before moving into the newly built Nassau Hall in Princeton. In 1783, for about four months Nassau Hall hosted the United States Congress, and many of the students went on to become leaders of the young republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvard University</span> Private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Its influence, wealth, and rankings have made it one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

<i>The Princeton Tory</i> Conservative publication by Princeton University students

The Princeton Tory is a magazine of Conservative political thought written and published by Princeton University students. Founded in 1984 by Yoram Hazony, the magazine has played a role in various controversies, including a national debate about white privilege. Notable alumni include United States Senator Ted Cruz and Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach for America. Four editors have gone on to be Rhodes scholars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Three (colleges)</span> Historical term used in the United States to refer to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton

The Big Three is a historical term used in the United States to refer to Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University. The phrase Big Three originated in the 1880s, when these three colleges dominated college football. In 1906, these schools formed a sports compact that formalized a three-way football competition which began in 1878. This early agreement predated the Ivy League by nearly a century. Today, the term is used to refer to the comparable levels of prestige, tradition, elitism, and academic and intellectual superiority affiliated with the schools. The rivalry remains intense today, though the three schools are no longer national football powerhouses, and schools continue to refer to their intercollegiate competitions as "Big Three" or "Harvard-Yale-Princeton" meets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of John Harvard</span> Statue at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupy Harvard</span> Student demonstration

Occupy Harvard was a student demonstration at Harvard University identifying itself with the global Occupy Movement. It sought to create a forum for discussing economic inequality at Harvard, in the United States, and throughout the world. It criticized Harvard's influence on global economic policy and its involvement with the American financial sector. It also supported wage campaigns by Harvard workers and a divestment demand initiated by Hotel Workers Rising.

"Old Nassau" has been Princeton University's alma mater since 1859. Harlan Page Peck was the lyricist and Carl A. Langlotz was the composer. The lyrics were changed in 1987 to address sexism at the newly co-educational institution. For a brief time the song was sung to the melody of "Auld Lang Syne" before Langlotz wrote the music on demand. The lyrics were the result of a songwriting contest by the Nassau Literary Review.

The 2000 Princeton Tigers football team represented Princeton University in the 2000 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their first year under head coach Roger Hughes, the team compiled a 3–7 record and finished in fifth place in the Ivy League. The team played its home games at Princeton Stadium in Princeton, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candler College and Colegio Buenavista</span> Educational in Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba

Candler College and Colegio Buenavista were educational institutions founded in Havana, Cuba by the United States Southern Methodist Episcopal Church. They were founded on two different dates, Candler College in 1899 and Colegio Buenavista in 1920. They both ceased to exist in 1961 when they were nationalized by the revolutionary government of Fidel Castro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1919–20 Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey season</span>

The 1919–20 Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey season was the 22nd season of play for the program.

References

  1. United States. Report of the Commissioner of Education Made to the Secretary of the Interior, p. 242. (1879). . Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Retrieved on March 23, 2015.
  2. "ENGLISH AND ETIQUETTE". The Harvard Crimson. January 26, 1877.
  3. "TO A FRESHMAN AT NEOPHOGEN". The Harvard Crimson. February 9, 1877.
  4. "Oops! — Princeton Periodicals". The Daily Princetonian. 8 (8): 6. 15 June 1883.