Florida Agricultural College - Pinakidia Yearbook (Lake City, FL)

Page 72 text:

So, as the State College began to grow and reach out, it came to be realized that it was necessary to have some form of literary societies in the school. The Forum and Bema Societies were organized in the year 1893, the ninth year in the life of the College. A large amount of credit for the organization of the societies is due to the efforts of Professor W. XV. Seals, then Instructor of English, who was co1111nonly known among the boys as Billy Seals. This gentleman took great interest in the work of the societies, and it was by his influence, seconded by the work of Professor Stewart, Instructor in History and Latin at that time, that the two societies were firmly established. During the preceding year considerable interest had been manifested in work of this kind by a number of the students, and several debates were held on Saturday afternoons. No societies had been formed, and, as it was a habit of a great number of cadets to be serving punishment at this time as a consequence of SOHIC fun they had had the previous week, it can be readily seen that these debates were not entirely satisfactory or very largely attended. And so the societies were organized. During the first year there was more rivalry and feeling between the two societies than there has ever been since. In fact there were a good many broken heads and a large number of black eyes as a result of the discus- sions which were frequently held concerning the merits of the two societies. During the first two years the meetings were held on Saturday afternoons, but, as has been already said, circumstances made it impossible for some of the students to attend. It was only after strenuous efferts on the part of the societies that permission was given to meet Saturday nights. This privilege was granted by President Clute, and was due largely to the influence of Lieutenant Smoke, then Commandant of Cadets, who is now a captain in the United States army. The Cadet Bugle, a college paper, was published in the interest of the two societies during the lirst years of their lives by cadet Lieutenants Jackson and McKean. While it received no great assistance from the college during its lirst year of its existence was, perhaps, the most successful year in the issue of this publication, which should be a cause of congratulation to these men as they look back on their efforts in this line while cadets. After the graduation of these znerubers, Captains Oliver, johnson, Curry and Cone, together with Lieu- tenants XVilliams, Ilrmnright and Flournoy, and last, but not least, Major Cox, advanced the growth of the society by their able work. 61

Page 71 text:

if Rllll XTX w 5 X F there is an educational institution in the United States to'day, which has attained sufficient import- Q, ni' ance to be called a college, and has not established among its students some form of literary societies, we can assure you that that same institution is not doing its full duty, or working to the W best advantage in educating its students. ' ' VVhile our college is not as strong in numbers as Harvard, Yale, Princeton or Cornell, and has not as much money to back it up as the University of Chicago, or Leland Stanford, yet our fighting committee will take great pleasure in attending to any person who says that our institution does not rank among the great colleges of the country. 60

Page 73 text:

Each and every one of these members, together with a great many more that we might mention, who have gone out from our college and our society, and attained positions of trust and honor throughout the country, did all in their power for the advancement of the society. Later members of distinction were Messrs. Bellot, Wigg, Yocum, Butler, Clute, Layne and Calhoun, while during the last two years Messrs. Rowe and Pattillo have figured very prominently in the work of the organization. During the first few years of its history the Forum Society seemed to be under an unlucky star, and for a long time she lost continuously in the debates which were held three times a year between the societies. But in the debate of the commencement of 1896, a year to be remembered in the history of the institution, the society recovered some of its lost prestige. In this debate the society was represented by Adjutant William XV. Flournoy, afterwards Commandant of Cadets for two years, and now a law student at Lebanon, Tennessee, and Captain D. N. Cone, now a practising physician in Columbia County. Since this time the society has been almost uniformly victorious, winning every debate with one exception, in the year 1897. This statement will doubtless be hailed with joy by those who, to use the Commandant's expression, Suifered and bled and died in the service of the ' Blue and Gofdl prior to that time. In addition to the advantages to be derived from the society from an intellectual standpoint, there is also much to be gained in a social way. The receptions and banquets given by the society have always been very pleasant features during each school year. Since last year, owing to unfortunate circumstances, it has been impossible to have the customary debates, but the Forum Society has, on several occasions, had public meetings in which speakers of note addressed the people in general from our rostrum. Chief among these was Senator Broome, who spoke under the auspices of our Society last january, while last commencement we presented to the public General john B. Gordon, the far-famed soldier, statesman and lecturer, who held the vast audience spell-bound by his matchless eloquence, or made them shake with laughter by his irresistible humor. 62