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Lake City, Florida: A Sesquicentennial Tribute (2009) H. Morris Williams, Dr. Kevin M. McCarthy
Chapter Nine: 1890 - 1899
The Forum group of cadets
In 1893, the ninth year of the college, students formed two
groups, the Forum and Bema societies, urged on by instructor of
English, Professor W.W. “Billy” Seals and instructor in History and
Latin, Professor Stewart. In the previous year some informal debates
had been held on Saturday afternoons, a bad time, as it turned out,
since a number of cadets were serving punishments at that time
because of, in the words of the yearbook, “some fun they had had the
previous week.” The students successfully prevailed on President Clute
to have the debates on Saturday evenings. Once the two societies
were formed, the debates became so heated that, in the words again
of the yearbook, “there were a good many broken heads and a large
number of black eyes as a result of the discussions which were
frequently held concerning the merits of the two societies.” Beginning
in 1893, the students published the Cadet Bugle in the interest of the
two societies during the first years of the two groups, which debated
three times a year. Apparently also the receptions and banquets given
by the two societies were quite memorable.
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