The Philadelphian Society, founded in 1804, was an early mode of fraternal organization at Middlebury College throughout the early 1800s. Middlebury students who were professing Christians organized the Philadelphian Society. The society strenuously debated such questions as whether Christ would reign personally on the earth during the millennium and the nature of the holiness. Many members became ministers, and these discussions gave them an opportunity to gather valuable material for the sermons and speeches that they would deliver later. The Philadelphian Society invited speakers to address their group at commencement and other occasions, collected a modest library of religious books, helped set a religious and moral tone on campus, and remained a visible sign of vital Christianity at Middlebury for over fifty years. Although the society, a forerunner of the YMCA, was probably the most important religious extracurricular activity at the college, several students also conducted area Sunday school classes, and it was claimed that Middlebury students organized the first Sunday school in New England. Through their examination of such issues, society members put great emphasis on the promotion of learning. With the coming of the Civil War, the organization began declining as other fraternal organizations became more formally recognized and prevalent