McGill Library
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St. James Literary Society Fonds
Fonds
3.5 m of textual records, photographs and audio tapes
The St. James Literary Society, dedicated, in the words of its Constitution, to "the mutual improvement of its members by means of speeches, essays, debates, etc. on social, political, scientific or literary subjects", held its first meeting in 1899 in the Anglican Church of St. James the Apostle. Formal affiliation with the Church ended in 1901. The Society has pursued its aims largely through its speakers programme, and from the 1901 session has appointed an officer to maintain copies of addresses. The eclectic intellectual character of the Society has remained relatively unchanged over the years, although its membership base has broadened and its meetings are now public.
The archives of the St. James Literary Society are divided evenly between administrative records and copies of addresses. Administrative records include minutes, 1899-1977, attendence registers, 1904-1969, correspondence, ca 1946-1964, and financial accounts, 1938-1966. Supplementing these are programmes, syllabi, and records of the Society's annual dinner, as well as newsclippings on the Society's members and activities, 1899-1978. Addresses to the Society are preserved in manuscript, typescript or audio-tape form, and are indexed by subject and speaker.
Originals, Copies, Printed Materials, Photographs, Audio-tapes