Meeting in the 1000-seat Odd Fellow’s Hall, the Philadelphia Literary Society announces its plans and schedule for the coming season, which began with a lecture by Charles Zueblin on the life and philosophy of the recently deceased Mark Twain.

‘The Socialist Literary Society of Philadelphia’ from The New York Call. Vol. 3 No. 311. November 7, 1910.

First Meeting of the Season Will Be Held Today–Schedule of Speakers Announced.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 6. The meeting addressed by Professor Charles Zueblin, held under the auspices of the Socialist Literary Society at the Odd Fellows Temple this The afternoon, was a great success.

The hall was filled and many people were standing. Zueblin spoke on “Mark Twain; the Reformer.” He told of the life of Mark Twain and his work in arousing his readers to questions of the day, dwelling upon the fact that Twain was a man of deep philosophy as well as a humorist.

Next Sunday Zueblin is to lecture on “William Morris; Master Craftsman” and it is expected that the hall will again be filled.

The Vandem Beemt string quartet rendered several selections that added charm to the meeting.

The Socialist Literary Society of Philadelphia is pleased to announce that the work outlined for the coming season is far larger in scope than any heretofore essayed in this city.

The general aim of the society is to afford public expression for the important part played in modern thought and culture by the Socialist philosophy and movement. At the same time, speakers who are not distinctly Socialists will be heard, so that a broad basis may be found for comparison and discussion.

The large auditorium of Odd Fellows’ Temple, at Broad and Cherry streets, has been secured for the meetings The hall is centrally located, and the auditorium has seating capacity for a thousand. Meetings will be held every Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock. Professor Charles Zueblin will open the season: the list of speakers shows that no pains have been spared to secure the very ablest men and women of Socialist and progressive thought in America.

String Quartet Engaged.

A special feature at the meetings will be the Van Den Beemt String Quartet, which has been engaged by the society for the entire season. This quartet has been in existence for several years, and has earned for itself a place as one of the foremost musical organizations in Philadelphia. First Violin–Hedda van Beemt, one of our most talented violinists, having been brought to this country from Holland by the late Fritz Scheel for the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Second Violin–Nathan L Frey, a pupil of the renowned Hans Sitt, a graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Leipzig and a former member of the famous Gewand-Haus orchestra under Arthur Nikisch.

Viola–Emil Hahl, occupant of the first of the viola desks of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1903. Cello Bertrand A. Austin, one of the foremost violoncellists, a pupil of the late R. Henning.

Another feature of the meetings will be the systematic handling of literature. Special effort will be made to have on the literature tables works of the several speakers, so that the benefit of the course of lectures may be enhanced by appropriate reading.

Considerable Money Needed.

To carry on the work upon the scale outlined will require considerable money. It is hoped that a fair portion of the necessary funds will be raised by collection at the meetings. But it is hardly expected that sufficient can be had from this source to defray expenses. The society, therefore, urges all who are interested in its plans, and who are in a position to do so, to contribute as liberally as possible to the sustaining fund. Unless the response is hearty in this respect the society will be seriously hampered. Contributions should be sent to the treasurer. Henry A. Shenken, 333 Market street.

Membership is open to every one who agrees with the purpose of the Society and is willing to encourage it in its work. There’s no Initiation fee, dues, or assessments. It is hoped that all interested will affiliate themselves with the society by notifying the secretary, George N. Cohen, 3085 Kensington avenue.

The following in the schedule for a part of the season:

Charles Zueblin. November 6, “Mark Twain, Reformer;” November 13, “William Morris, Master Craftsman:” November 20, “Government and the Common Life.” William English Walling, November 27, “European Socialism from the American Standpoint”: Clarence Darrow, December 4; “Trades Unionism:” John Cowper Powys, December 11; Charlotte Perkins Gilman, December 18. “The Coming Change:” George R. Kirkpatrick. December 25, “Civil War in Industry”: Franklin H. Wentworth, January 1. “Trades Unions and Socialism;” William Mailly, January 29. “Woman and the Modern Drama;” Morris Hillquit, March 3, “Substance of Marxism.” The complete schedule will be announced shortly Among others who will be heard during the season are Eugene V, Debs: Frances Perkins, secretary Consumers’ League of New for: A.M. Simons, editor Coming Nation: May Wood-Simons, national executive committee, Socialist party; Upton Sinclair, author “The Jungle.” and Brand Whitlock, mayor of Toledo.

The New York Call was the first English-language Socialist daily paper in New York City and the second in the US after the Chicago Daily Socialist. The paper was the center of the Socialist Party and under the influence of Morris Hillquit, Charles Ervin, Julius Gerber, and William Butscher. The paper was opposed to World War One, and, unsurprising given the era’s fluidity, ambivalent on the Russian Revolution even after the expulsion of the SP’s Left Wing. The paper is an invaluable resource for information on the city’s workers movement and history and one of the most important papers in the history of US socialism. The paper ran from 1908 until 1923.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/the-new-york-call/1910/101107-newyorkcall-v03n311.pdf