Calliopean Society (Yale College)

The Calliopean Society of Yale College was founded in 1819 by former members of the Linonian Society of Yale College. The Calliopean Society met weekly to participate in debates, oratorical displays, and dramatic performances. Members established a library and published a newsletter, The Mirror. The Society disbanded in 1853.

The Calliopean Society of Yale College was founded in 1819, after the resignation of dissatisfied members of the Linonian Society. Although the details of the founding are obscure, a group of Southerners left Linonia, presumably angered by the demeanor of the newly elected Northern Linonian President. The group adopted the name Calliope, and established itself as the only organization at Yale dedicated to offering gentlemanly fraternity. Reaction to the founding was harsh, with Linonia immediately expelling the Calliopeans from membership and only allowing them to be reelected to membership with a two-thirds majority vote. From 1819 to 1853, Calliope, though smaller than the two major debating societies, Linonia and Brothers-in-Unity, had a strong fraternal element, which helped it to survive, often as a haven for Southerners.

Calliopeans met weekly to participate in debates, oratorical displays, and dramatic performances. In addition to these member meetings, the Society offered talent exhibitions to members of the Yale community consisting of musical and dramatic acts. The Society newsletter, The Mirror, provided members a chance to publish poetry and stories.

Like other societies at that time, Calliope prided itself on its library, which, by the time of its dissolution, contained nearly six thousand volumes. The Calliopean librarian maintained thorough records of the texts available. Indeed, because of the large number of volumes, Calliope had little room to store them. While the College offered a solution to the problem by allocating space to Linonia, Brothers, and Calliope in a newly built Alumni Hall in 1853, the Society had already dissolved by a vote of the members, by that time.

The reasons why the Society dissolved are not clear, but in 1853, a Committee was established within Calliope to decide upon the way in which the group would cease to exist. After much debate, the Calliopean Society was disbanded.