The Emerson Literary Society (ELS) is a

co-ed Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

, non-exclusive social society at

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

in Clinton, New York. Since 1882, ELS has operated on the Hamilton campus. From 1884-1995, the society operated a residence, open to all members. Since the closing of the house in 1995, ELS has maintained a presence at Hamilton, hosting social events and presenting public programs.

Early history

The society was founded in 1882, making it one of the oldest private societies on the Hamilton College campus. It was the first society to become co-educational when the College admitted women, and remains one of only two co-ed social societies on the campus. Six weeks before

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

's death, a group of Hamilton students honored his life's work by founding a non-secretive society based on his American philosophy. At first a

fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...

(Hamilton College would not admit women for nearly 100 years), the fledgling organization sold stock certificates to build a house off the campus of the college in 1884.

Later history

Over the years, the house changed with the times and adapted Emerson's words into a modern context through practical application. Over 2,000 graduates of the small liberal arts college have associated themselves with the Emerson Literary Society in the 120 years that followed. In 1995, Emerson Hall and all other private society houses were closed by the College's Board of Trustees due to increasing pressure to decrease the role of private societies on the campus. The profits from the sale of the house to the College were used to establish a board of

trustees Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

to manage the group's finances, as well as a yearly student scholarship and research grant. In 2004, the Emerson Literary Society began its "Tell Us What You Know" lecture series, which brings diverse speakers and points of view to the campus. In the past,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

scientists,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

an historians,

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

ists, experts in

Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is se ...

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

artists, and ultimate fighters have been speakers. ELS also sponsors many social events, previously including the annual Smokin' Word and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

open mic An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether the ...

nights, and currently including the annual

Oktoberfest The Oktoberfest (; bar, Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or ...

and ''

Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 Musical film, musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White (producer), Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman an ...

'' parties. Even without a house, the Emerson Literary Society continues its tradition of forward thought and welcoming community. Meetings continue to be held weekly in the former ELS house, currently called the Sadove Student Center at Emerson Hall, open to all members of the Hamilton student body.

References

External links

Emerson Literary SocietyEmerson Literary Society
{{Hamilton College Hamilton College (New York) Ralph Waldo Emerson Literary societies Organizations established in 1882 1882 establishments in New York (state)