Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 24 November 1893 (Creation)
Extent
2 pages
Name of creator
Biographical history
Thencanic Society member and critic, 1890s. Son of Trenton Mayor (later US Senator) Frank O. Briggs. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10665996/frankland-briggs
Name of creator
Administrative history
A literary and debate club at the Model School from 1882 to 1917. The members (only young men) focused on improving their oratory skills, personal appearance, and general comportment, with one member serving as "Critic" to evaluate the boys' behavior during each meeting. The literary aspects of the Society led to the publication of "The Signal" in 1885--while it started as a literary magazine through the Thencanic, it quickly escaped the Society's control and became a general Normal/Model School periodical. This club ended when the Model School closed in 1917. This version of the Thencanic should not be confused with the later revival in the 1930s with college students.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Thencanic Critic Frankland Briggs lists the various behavioral problems at the Society's November 24th meeting, including a filibuster that delayed the end of the meeting by an hour. Transcription included.