athletics, literary societies, military training, music, oratory, patriotic observances and religious programs. Literary societies In 1891, Reinhardt President D.C. Evans Patillo formed the Henry W. Grady Debating Club, where eloquence in speaking was highly esteemed, and speaking competitions were held. In 1892, two more literary societies were formed – the George F. Pierce and Atticus G. Haygood Literary Societies. All three of these were open only for male membership. Female students formed their own societies - the Delphian, Phi Alpha and Phi Delta Literary Societies. Each of these societies held competitions throughout the year for Reinhardt students and the public at large. Topics were generally of national significance. Additionally, these societies staged various annual social events for students, particularly at Christmas and Easter. Students were encouraged to join these groups as the school felt they provided social activity on the campus and increased school spirit. Much like social fraternities, these societies had initiation ceremonies for new inductees, such as bizarre dress and antics, downing raw eggs, or having students roll a piece of chalk across the floor with their noses while blindfolded. In 1967, these societies were converted into social fraternities and sororities, allowing students to compete not only in debating, but in athletics, fundraising, social events and scholarship. By the mid-1990s, these organizations had been disbanded. Religious activities From Reinhardt's beginning, the school has been associated with the Methodist Church and religious life. Many of the schools early presidents and faculty members were ministers, most notably Emory College graduate Rev. James T. Linn, who was the school's first teacher. Not only did the school provide religious instruction for ministerial students, who were, incidentally, not required to pay tuition nor serve in the school's Military Department, but it also provided students with chapel services, morning and evening prayers, vespers, an Epworth League, Wesley Fellowship and Baptist Student Union associations and the Alpha Delta Delta, an association interested in church-related vocations. Military department and athletics In 1893, a military department was established in lieu of a physical education department at Reinhardt. Service in this department was compulsory for able-bodied boys, where they often participated in drills, exercises, encampments, dress parades and mock skirmishes. By 1909, the department had a uniformed band. In 1922, the Military Department was replaced by the Department of Physical Culture. By the 1920s, Reinhardt had a football team that competed with neighboring high schools. Soon, however, interest