ABSTRACT
The period from the Civil War to the First World War witnessed not only a remarkable transformation of the curriculum and organization of the American college; it saw profound changes in the nature of student life. Before 1865 this life was more cohesive. The literary society was the focus of student attention, but its activities were not too remote from the aims of the largely verbalistic course of study. Concern with college honors, primarily involving a display of oratory, reinforced this tendency. Thus we may say that, despite the sporadic warfare which raged between the faculty and the student body, a basic unity existed between the curriculum and the extracurriculum. 1
