The Demosthenian Literary Society, formed in 1803 at the University of Georgia, is an extemporaneous speaking/debate society. It is named after Demosthenes, one of the greatest of Greek orators. Demosthenes, however, had humble beginnings. In those times, Greeks had to be their own advocates, and when his father died, Demosthenes had to go to court to fight for his inheritance. However, Demosthenes suffered from speech impediments, and was laughed out of the room with nothing to show for it. After that humiliation, Demosthenes was determined to become the best speaker in all of Greece, so he secluded himself to a cave by the sea, where he put pebbles in his mouth to learn how to enunciate, and shouted at the crashing waves to learn how to be heard.Though we do not use such tactics ourselves, the Demosthenian Literary Society is dedicated to making its members more effective public speakers. We debate everything from politics and international affairs to religion and philosophy, and anyone can get up and speak. Throughout our history, our alumni have become senators, judges, and governors—in part, we believe, from the skills the Demosthenian Literary Society allowed them to learn.
In fact, you probably have heard of some of our alumni: Ralph Reed, former head of the Christian Coalition; Emilio Pucci, international fashion designer and inventor of the string bikini; Crawford Long, the first doctor to use anesthesia; and Robert Toombs, the famous Georgia statesman. Of all Demosthenian alumni, Toombs is one of the most infamous.

Next Page