The story is told that, after being kicked out of the University, Toombs stood outside of the Chapel, under an oak, on the day he was to graduate and gave such a strong oration that the people watching the graduation left the ceremony in favor of listening to him. The stump of that oak still sits under the podium in our hall today. To honor his skill, Demosthenians created the tradition of traveling to his house in Washington, Georgia once a semester. It is a great place to bond over legends, history, and fried chicken.
Another old tradition is the rivalry between the Demosthenian Literary Society and the Phi Kappa Literary Society. It began in the 1820s during a lull in the membership of Demosthenian. The other society was created to spark competition and interest for the society. This competition started a rivalry that exists to this day. There are no longer fistfights over which society is better, yet the name Phi Kappa is never spoken during Demosthenian debate under penalty of a fine. The rivalry also lives on in a Fall Intersociety Meeting and a Spring Intersociety Debate, each year alternating who will host and who will choose the topic of the debates.
Currently, Demosthenian boasts the most members it has had since the early 1900's—split almost evenly between males and females. The interests of members are extremely varied. Most majors tend to fall within the liberal arts, from languages, to political science, to philosophy. Other majors include criminal justice, math, microbiology, and sports studies. Activities are just as diverse.

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