[Erosophian Literary Society Certificate for Samuel E. Hogg]
This certificate was granted in 1837 to student Samuel E. Hogg by the Erosophian Literary Society. Hogg graduated that year from the University of Nashville, which suggests this is a certification of completion. Literary societies were popular in the 19th 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 as seen by the signatures of younger student members and the induction statement.
A loose translation of the Latin text is below:
“Such development of our society for the promotion of eloquence and learning, and the liberal arts diligently to develop, it will be marked; even when it happens, this mutual friendship, but good-will, is the origin and growth of the teareth in pieces, and, when the behavior of the young people, not only to be a gentleman with Samuel Hogg charged with, and most closely conjoined with us and we all are very friendly, and the best of the arts of these are the wise, that he pay, but boasts all manner of workmanship. Therefore, we, with one mind, observance of the law mentioned above Samuel Hogg of our ticket [illegible] this, you and then to him as a brother and a partner, one of us, wherever on the earth will be, to have and to the testimony of in witness whereof, we want to be recognized, of these letters, the seal of [illegible] of our society, in our names, written below.”