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A GREATER GETTYSBURG Student Organizations In the fall of 1904 the College had two literary societies, a Y.M.C.A., six social fraternities, several musical and debating clubs, a fledgling dramatics society, and a few additional organizations, most of which proved to be ephemeral. Over the next forty years the literary societies and the Pen and Sword Society disappeared; the Y.M.C.A. was transformed into a body which gave equal place to women students; the social fraternities increased their standing within the College; music, debating, and dramatics were expanded considerably; and a host of new organizations made their appearance. The Philomathaean and Phrenakosmian literary societies were the two oldest student organizations in 1904, in which year every member of the graduating class belonged to one or the other. For years faculty and alumni had proclaimed that their meetings, with the debates, orations, and essays, contributed to a student's fund of information, facility for oral and written expression, and readiness to furnish leadership both in and after College. Well before 1904, however, it was evident that the literary societies no longer occupied the almost unchallenged position which was theirs during the first half century of the College's existence. "At present class spirit, fraternity spirit, love for music and for athletics, are the chief centers" of student interest, President Hefelbower told the board in June 1907, "and, unfortunately, the literary society life is at a low ebb, when compared with that of twenty years ago." Then and later, the pages of the Gettysburgian abound with information about the current pulse of the societies (it went up and down), what was wrong with them, and how they might be cured of their malady. President Granville joined many others in recommending that membership in the societies be made compulsory, a certain sign that their condition was indeed serious. A writer in the May 29,1912 issue of the Gettysburgian criticized the societies themselves for their decline. Although conditions have changed greatly, he argued, "our societies have kept on using the same methods as were used in the older days with the result that they are dead, the inevitable end of any organization which will not change its methods to suit the conditions." Alumni serve no useful purpose, he said, when they tell us what the societies did for them years ago. Whether the societies could have evolved sufficiently to survive and still remain literary societies is uncertain. What is certain is that they did go from bad taworse. For some time, the members complained of the competition from basketball on their Friday meeting night. A new specter was reported in the Gettysburgian for February 5, 1919, when only "a handful of men" chose to attend meetings of the literary societies; all the rest 61