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The Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania is a collegiate literary society, the oldest student group at the university,〔Kurtz, Rod. "U. Pennsylvania's Oldest Student Group Looks for New Blood." ''Daily Pennsylvanian.'' October 28, 1998.〕〔American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. ''Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, Volume XV.'' 332.〕 and a claimant to the title of the oldest continuously-existing literary society in the United States.〔This claim is disputed between the Philomathean Society and a number of other collegiate literary societies. In particular, the Union-Philanthropic Society asserts continuous existence since 1789 and the American Whig-Cliosophic Society draws its history to 1769; both claims are disputed by the Philomatheans on the grounds that the present societies are mergers of two other Societies and thus represent new entities, founded 1929 and 1928, respectively.〕 Founded in 1813, its goal is "to promote the learning of its members and to increase the academic prestige of the University."〔Sanford, Gregory B. "Note: Your Opinion Really Does Not Matter: How the Use of Referenda in Funding Public University Student Groups Violates Constitutional Free Speech Principles." ''Notre Dame Law Review.'' January 2008.〕 ''Philomathean'' is derived from the Greek ''philomath'', which means "a lover of learning." The motto of the Philomathean Society is ''Sic itur ad astra'' (Latin for "thus we proceed to the stars"). ==History== "Philo," as members affectionately refer to the Society, was founded October 2, 1813, by all thirteen members of the junior class, its original purpose being "the advancement of learning;" a counterweight and complement to Penn's academic coursework. In the first meeting, the title of Moderator was chosen for the Society’s presiding officer; two Censores Morum were appointed by the third meeting, who were given the responsibility, maintained to this day, of fining members for various real or imaginary infractions. Philo’s first meeting was on Friday night, at which time it would remain up to the present day. Minutes of the Society’s Meetings have been kept (relatively) faithfully in large leather-bound volumes since the first Meeting. Members still sign the Recorder’s Roll upon their initiation into the Society, following the tradition started by the founders. Early meetings were dominated by spirited debates and literary exercises where members would present original research, essays, or literary productions; both practices have continued through the present day. When the University of Pennsylvania moved its campus from Ninth Street to West Philadelphia in 1872, four rooms at the top of College Hall were specifically built for the use of the Society and its rival Zelosophic Society.〔 After the first collapse of the Zelosophic Society in 1872, the former Zelo rooms reverted to Philo.〔Philomathean Society. "History of the Philomathean Society" October 2, 1913.〕 The Society is credited with helping to found entire academic departments, including American Civilization,〔 Comparative Literature, and History of Science, and many campus groups and publications, including the ''Daily Pennsylvanian'' and the Mask and Wig Club.〔Myers, Rep. Michael O. (PA). "Tribute to the Philomathean Society." ''Congressional Record 124:157.'' October 2, 1978.〕 In 1858, the Society published the first complete English translation of the Rosetta Stone. The work was performed solely by three undergraduate members, Charles R Hale, S. Huntington Jones, and Henry Morton. The translation quickly sold out two editions, and was internationally hailed as a monumental work of scholarship.〔de Humboldt, Baron Alexander. "The Rosettat ''()'' Stone." ''New York Times.'' Dated March 12, 1859; published July 13, 1859.〕 In 1988, the British Museum bestowed the honor of including the Philomathean Rosetta Stone Report in its select bibliography of the most important works ever published on the Rosetta Stone. The Philomathean Society maintains a full-scale cast of the stone in its meeting room, along with several original lithograph prints of the report.〔See (copy of the original report ) in the University of Pennsylvania archives〕 In its internal governance, Philo reflected the progressivism of the early 20th century by being, in 1916, the first Penn group to require its members take an oath not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, and religion; in 1948 the Society voted to admit women as full members, prompting the headline “Philo hits rock bottom, admits women”. The Society vehemently defended the decision more than 25 years before women were admitted to the university proper. In 1927, overcrowding at the university led the Philos to agree to vacate their space in College Hall in exchange for temporary quarters in Houston Hall until more class space could be found. Houston Hall was not an ideal location: space constraints and building policy, especially the 11:30 p.m. curfew, severely limited Philo traditions. As a result, Society membership decreased, a trend further exacebated by the oubreak of World War II, when Houston Hall was taken over by the U.S. Navy of part of its officer training programme, and former Philo rooms were requisitioned for storage. The Society had dwindled to a single member, Hilary Putnam, who tried to preserve the Philomathean customs and arranged informal meetings in members’ apartments. After the war, the Society held more formal meetings and grew in membership, but it was not until 1951, under the direction of Moderator Charles Fine Ludwig, that the old pre-war customs were revived. Ludwig re-acquired the Philomathean archives and reintroduced academic attire, consistent meeting minutes, a regular literary exercise, and an official lecture series, among many other Philomathean customs. Ludwig also established the tradition of Philo’s graduates, or “senior members“, participating in the Society’s activities and taking an ongoing interest in the welfare of the Society.〔 Finally, in 1967, after a determined campaign of lobbying university administrators for permission and senior members for donations, the Society returned to its beloved Philomathean Halls on the fourth floor of College Hall, where it has remained (with brief absences for maintenance) until the present day. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Philomathean Society」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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