PHILO ANNOUNCES PUBLICITY PLANS Campaign Is Under Way to Arouse Metropolitan Interest in 'Julius Caesar' AWARD PICTURE RIGHTS Two Photograph Syndicates Arrange to Take Solo Views of Cast at Rehearsal The metropolitan photograph syndicates have made arrangements with the management of the forthcoming Philolexian show, "Julius Caesar," to have the sole rights for distribution of the play pictures. Additional information concerning details of the plans involved in producing the Shakespearean tragedy were issued yesterday by Henry M. Robinson '23, president of the society. Underwood and Underwood and the World Wide photograph syndicates are the two agencies which have secured the rights to the "Julius Caesar" pictures. Leading journals in all parts of the United States will receive copies of the show views. In addition, an especial guarantee has been given to have a few of the best…

Columbia Daily Spectator, 1923-01-13 →

PHILO HOLDS ANNUAL ELECTION OF OFFICERS At a meeting held last Friday evening, the Philolexian Society elected Warner Tufts '23 president, and J. Warner Bellah '23 vice-president. In addition, the following- officers were elected: Elbert Olney '23, treasurer, Sidney Buchman '23, secretary, and Wellington Rose '23, corresponding secretary. An of new members will be held at the meeting- of Friday, April 13th. Candidates for admission, to the society are requested to meet the committee on membership for filing their applications between 12 and 12:30 in Eai'l Hall on Tuesday, April 10th. The Committee will also receive applications on Wednesday at the same place and hour.

Columbia Daily Spectator, 1923-04-09 →

PHILO ANNOUNCES CONTEST Prizes Are Offered for Best Short Story, Poem, and Essay Manuscripts for the Philolexian Prize Contest must be submitted to him not later than noon of Tuesday, May 15, according to J. Warner Bellah '23. The income from the Prize fund this year, according to Secretary Fackenthal, amounts to seventy dollars, which will be equally divided among the authors of the winning short story, poem, and essay. Stories and essays must not exceed forty-five hundred words. Poems may be any length. Competition is limited to undergraduate members of the Philolexian Society. Prof. John Erskine has consented to act as judge in the competition. In the event of there being no entrants in any one field of literature, the prize money will be divided between the winners in the other two fields.

Columbia Daily Spectator, 1923-05-08 →

Judges Present Students Philo Endowment Awards William A. S. Dollard '24 won the Philolexian Washington Centenial Prize at a competition held recently before the club. This award, presented once every four years, is given for the best original patriotic oration by a member of the society. The bust, gift of J. Ackerman Coles, is a copy of a bust of Washington, done by Houdon from life. Prof. John J. Coss and Warner Tufts, president of the club, were the judges. Henry M. Robinson, Jr., '23 won the Essay Prize, J. Warner Bellah, Jr., '23 received the short story award, and the Poetry Prize was given to Williams Norris Stahl '24, at the same gathering. These honors are each one third of the income of another Philolexian award, totalling $7O. Prof. John Erskine made the decisions.

Columbia Daily Spectator, 1923-05-28 →

Bellah Wins Knopf Publication Prize With Volume Written in Ninety Hours A book that was written in ninety hours by James Warner Bellah'23 has been awarded the Alfred A. Knopf Publication Prize for the best composition submitted by a Columbia University student. It is entitled "The Sketch Book of a Cadet from Gascony," and is the first piece of fiction to win the award, which provides for publication of the best work prepared. The book was released recently. Bellah's book contains eleven sketches,' of which seven pertain to undergraduate life. Its author is at present working upon a novel, and at the same time is endeavoring to achieve success in two positions. He is employe 4 by an advertising concern and is giving a course in University Extension. Bellah recently declined a commission in the Thirteenth United States Infantry in order to continue writing his novel. Born in New York…

Columbia Daily Spectator, 1923-11-01 →

DEAN TO BE GUEST AT PHILO BANQUET Will Speak at Annual Alumni Banquet of Literary Society Tonight. Dean Herbert E. Hawkes will be the guest of honor at the annual Alumni banquet of Philolexian Literary Society to be held at 7 o'clock tonight in the Blue Room of the Columbia University Club. He is expected to speak on the place that Philolexian has and should have on the Campus. A number of the older Alumni have promised to be present at the gathering. Arnold Koch '2O and Henry M. Robinson '23, both former presidents of the literary organization, will describe the society as it was in their time. Other former officers will also speak. To Announce Prize Winners. The prize winners in the Philolexian contests for the best essay, poem and short story submitted by members will be announced at tonight's affair. The contributions have been judged by Professor John Erskine. Last year the…

Columbia Daily Spectator, 1924-05-08 →

ANNOUNCE ELECTION OF PHILO OFFICERS Elliott V. Bell '24 Is Chosen President - Club Dines at Columbia Club. At the Wednesday evening meeting of the Philolexian Society Elliott V. Bell '24 was elected president for the coming year, Richmond B. Williams '25 vice-president, Frederick Griswold Atkinson '26 secretary and Edmund P. Roberts '26 treasurer. Last night members of the club gathered at the annual Philo Alumni banquet in the Blue Room of the Columbia University Club. David Cort '24, the retiring president of the society, presided and acted as toastmaster Arnold Koch '2O and Henry M. Robinson '23, former presidents of the organization, described the life of the club during their time. Another feature of the dinner was the signing of the famous Philolexian Scroll, which has been signed by all members of the society since Alexander Hamilton, who heads the list. Dean Herbert E.…

Columbia Daily Spectator, 1924-05-09 →

In the fall of 1922, a mysterious box on the front page of Spectator read 'Philolexian Society—J. W. Bellah '23, E. Finch '23, B. A. Simon '23, O. C. Walker '24, A. Baruth '25, J. C. Gephart '25, J. Philips '25, and L. D. Weaver '25.' We signed the society scroll, said to be a lineal descendant of an older literary society's scroll which is purported to hold the names of John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and Gouverneur Morris. In due course we were invested with our tiny Columbia-blue and gold crosses with the legend 'Surgam,' rendered loosely into English by Mr. Gephart as 'I am growing better and better every day in every way.'... We were all fiercely and practically literary like our favorite professors... Judson Philips '23 was publishing stark drama in magazines he hoped his mother wouldn't see. Cornell Woolrich '25 had topped that Irish fellow from Princeton by writing his…

Named in Bellah's letter to CCT as one of the fall-1922 Philolexian inductees / active members. Bellah is the author of the letter; identifies himself as an inductee of the fall 1922 Philolexian class.

Columbia College Today — vol. 9 (c. 1962), letter to the editor by James Warner Bellah '23 →

The words of the noted screenwriter Frank S. Nugent have made it into the latest edition of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. The co-author (with Laurence Stallings) of the script to She Wore A Yellow Ribbon is credited with the line 'Never apologize and never explain—it's a sign of weakness,' spoken by none other than John Wayne. Frank's other notable screenplays included The Quiet Man, Mr. Roberts (with Joshua Logan), and Fort Apache, based on the short story 'Massacre' by James Warner Bellah '23, who first honed his literary skills in the Philolexian Society.

CCT news item explicitly identifies Bellah as one 'who first honed his literary skills in the Philolexian Society,' and credits him with authorship of the short story 'Massacre' — the basis for John Ford's Fort Apache (1948). This is at least the third independent primary-source attestation of his Society membership (with his own CCT v.9 letter and the Wikipedia list).

Columbia College Today — vol. 36 (~1994), news item on Frank S. Nugent's Bartlett's inclusion →

Named in Samplings and Chronicles (Barzun, 1927) at the referenced leaf.

James W. Bellah, Jr · Confidence: CERTAIN