Cornell literary societies

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Cornell literary societies were a group of 19th-century student organizations at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, formed for the purpose of promoting language skills and oratory. The U.S. Bureau of Education described three of them as a "purely literary society" following the traditions of the old literary societies of Eastern universities.^[1] At their peak, the literary societies met in a room called Society Hall, located within North University (now White Hall).^[2]