Delphic Literary Society Records

The Delphic Literary Society of Swarthmore College was founded in 1873 by a group of freshman men, unhappy that they had been told they would have to wait until their sophomore year to become members of the Eurodelphians (later the Eunomians), the only men's literary society on campus. The Delphic Literary Society was open to male students from any class, and its mission was to develop its members' debating and writing skills.

In their regular meetings, the Delphics debated contemporary and historical subjects, occasionally discussed literature, held mock trials, and invited outside speakers to lecture. The Delphics also organized a reading room which in 1893 boasted six daily newspaper subscriptions and was open to any student. They also started a library in 1875 that by 1893 had more than 1100 volumes; according to the group's printed history, it was used by the Swarthmore College history department as its primary reference library.

The Delphics produced a manuscript journal which included editorials, short stories, and humorous anecdotes about Swarthmore College professors and students. The Delphic Chronicle, a name that around 1891 was changed to The Delphic Oracle, was produced monthly from 1890 to about 1902.

In 1893-1894 and again in the 1909 -1910 academic year, the Delphics organized a mock US Senate, the Delphic Senate, in which various Delphics took on the role of US Senators and debated contemporary bills and issues. Annual debates were held between teams from the Delphic Literary Society, Somerville Literary Society and Eunomians from 1897 to 1901. The Delphics did not hold any meetings from May 25, 1903 to March 24, 1905. The last document in this collection on the Delphics is a 1913 letter to Delphic alumni, asking them to donate money to help build a hall on campus to serve as the Delphics' meeting place and to house their library.

In 1913, the group merged with the Eunomian Literary Society to became the Athenaeum. That group ceased operation about 1918.