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About This Exhibit

University life in the 19th century was quite different from what we experience today. President Philip Lindsley modeled Cumberland College (later the University of Nashville) after the College of New Jersey with the goal of creating generations of leaders for the region. Every aspect of students’ lives was highly regimented in order to shape the young men into productive members of society, and rules and regulations permeated every aspect of student life. Students learned by recitation and their detailed notes reflect close attention in daily classes from Latin composition to spherical geometry. Although students largely respected this formulaic structure, they nevertheless found fun and independence on their own terms, as chronicled in the monthly Cadet. After graduation, many alumni went on to become senators, judges, and other leaders in the community, becoming a defining legacy of the school.

Constitution and By-Laws of the Erosophian Literary Society

Constitution and By-Laws of the Erosophian Literary Society

Creator University of Nashville Peabody College for Teachers

Publisher Nashville, Tenn: Gosnell Printing Company

Date March 1908

Source Vanderbilt University Archives

Literary societies were popular in the 19^th century but had their heyday in the 1840s and 1850s in America. Members were required to write and present on current topics and their membership fees in part supported the purchase of books for member use. The Erosophian Literary Society (possibly from the Latin for “love of wisdom”) was student-organized and regulated.

“Laws of Cumberland College” »