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The Spike: or, Victoria University College Review, June 1916

Debating Society

page 54

Debating Society

Urquent Rustice Sane.

After a session and a half of valiant struggling against adverse circumstances the Debating Society comes once again into its own. More settled conditions obtain than did during either of the last two sessions, and fresh vigour is given by a body of new students, who seek with enthusiasm to revive the old traditions and to carry on t he work interrupted by the sad and shattering events of the earlier stages of the war. The Society is strengthened also by the support received from the women students, who have temporarily suspended the activities of their own society and thrown their weight into the balance on behalf of the main body; and for the keenness and energy with which they have come to the rescue in a time of stress the committee cannot be too grateful. The Training College must also be mentioned. In response to an invitation to co-operate with the older society—based on the ground that one strong society was better than two weak ones—the T. C. S. A. decided to leave the matter to the individual option of its members. This is, perhaps, all that can reasonably be expected and despite the disadvantage caused by the occurrence of Training College functions on debating evenings, the support received is appreciable and must be recognized.

From among the variety of questions in which these crowded days abound the committee has had no great difficulty in making a satisfactory selection, and the programme for the current selection, and the progamme for the current session is a full and well-balanced one which would be very hard to beat. The Plunket Medal Contest, which was last held in 1913, will resume its place among the Society's activities, and, with a view to lightening the ordeal for new students who intend page 55 taking part, will most probably be held in the College Gymnasium.

Four meetings of the society have been held to date and have met with a success which even in times of peace would be considered unusually creditable. There are good solid speakers among the new blood and the attendances are such as to evoke from one of the judges (himself an old member) the comment that they reminded him of "the palmy days of the Society." Whether this state of affairs is to continue or not is, of course, in the lap of the future, and no man may look far in these days; but what-ever the uncertainty in this and in other matters, all the elements for "one crowded hour" exist, and it may be that it is left to the Debating Society to maintain an institution which would otherwise sink land disappear.

The Annual General Meeting was held on 24th March and was made interesting by an attempt to rob debating of half its terrors (and nearly all its benefits) by the appointment of a committee to settle the exact meaning of all terms beforehand. As the meeting preferred to look upon debating in its old and healthy character of an exercise in dialectics and not as an essay at truth, or any such perverse unnatural thing, the attempt failed; and members are assured that all questions placed before them are in their wild and woolly state and must be used as raw meat, with great appetite and much chewing. During this discussion one speaker exposed the crafty controversial device, to be encountered frequently, no doubt, when a Home Rule Parliament commences business, of "drawing a mare's nest across the track."

The society commenced its session with the customary public debate. This took place on the 8th April, when Mr. T. Brindle and Mrs. Donaldson, on behalf of the Social Democratic Party, moved "That the highest form of morality can only be attained in a Socialist state of society," and were opposed by Messrs P. B. Broad and J. P. Byrne. This occasion favourably resembled that of 1915 in its attendance and as favourably differed from it in that the representatives of the College did not go unsupported. Messrs George, Evans and Rogers added their opinions to the discussion and made the debate, in point page 56 of numbers, even. The arguments used by the movers turned chiefly—as on former occasions—upon the rotten condition of the present state of things and, while good propaganda, did little to assist the forming of a conviction upon the matter. The case for the College—let us say it unscrupulously—was better, Mr. Broad showing that the conditions of the socialist state would be unfavourble to morality and Mr. Byrne hanging Haman with his own rope by showing that socialism professed to affect morality in no way whatever. The construction of Mr. Broad's argument was hard to follow and Mr. Byrne wasted time by frequently indicating his opponents, but on the whole their case was a distinct improvement on the Mallockian argument of former years and went nearer to fundamentals. The society is indebted to the social Democratic Party for its kindness in assisting to open the session so successfully, and is sorry that a return debate is impracticable.

On the 22nd April the first regular debate took place, the question being "That an alteration in the regulation of the liquor traffic in so far as it applies to the New Zealand troops is desirable." Messrs Cooper and Rowe moved and Messrs Wilson and Schmidt opposed. The debate concerned itself chiefly with wet canteens and early concerned and early closing, but as usual with liquor debates much was said on matters which claimed only a distant kinship with the point at issue. There is no rule compelling speakers aroused optimism as regards the outlook for the session, but a sad not was struck when the meeting displayed an almost unbelievable absence of sympathy with that most poignant of human anguishes—thirst—and voted for the motion en bloc. The judge (Mr. D. S. Smith, M.A., LL. M.) placed the first five speakers in the following order: Messrs Cooper, Schmidt, Cocker, Wilson and Evens.

At the second "regular" meeting on 13th May, Mr. George, seconded by Mr. Ross, moved "That the British should adopt reprisals in answer to Germany's infringements of the rules of war" and Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Jenkins opposed. Because of a counter-attraction at the Training College, the attendance was less than at the page 57 first meeting but was well over the average. Twelve speakers took part and all but three of them hammered home a strong case for reprisals, defending them on legal, moral and military grounds. The case for the opposition was chiefly sentimental and was not made the best of. Mr. Jenkins, however, unintentionally opened up a side issue of strong spirited interest in his statement that "if Germany bombed a Russian town and killed a hundred Russians, the voices of those Russians would not be heard in the councils of the State!" Mr. Jenkins is a good speaker but inclined to ramble. Mr. Evans prepares too well and attaches over-much importance or rhetoric. Mr. George—it is faults we deal with; good points can look after themselves—makes a hobby of precise definition and occasionally rides his hobby horse to death. Messrs Ross, Cocker and Archer are good, strong debaters. The decision of the judge (Mr. J. Caughley, M.A.) in this debate was: George, Jenkins, Ross, Archer and Rogers.

The meeting on the 27th May consisted of a literary evening arranged by Miss Marjory Nicholls, winner of the last Plunket Medal Contest, and formed an enjoyable interlude to the solemn rumble of debates. Miss Nicholls opened with an address on "Modern Irish Writers," describing in brilliant phrase the genius and the character of the Irish, and the nature and import of that remarkable literary renascence which is developing before us and of which the greatest names are those of Lady Gregory, W. B. Yeats, and J. M. Synge. This was followed by readings from some of the writers mentioned, Mr. Nicholls giving a length (and all-to-short) excerpt from James Stephens' "Here are Ladies," Miss Nicholls and Messrs Broad and Pot of Broth.," Miss Crawford some representative selections from Irish poetry, and finally Miss Kennedy and Misses Nicholls and Baldwin a lively dialogue between two bedridden old workhouse characters in Lady Gregory's "The Workhouse Ward." Everything went swimmingly and it is only mildly true to claim that the majority present gleaned a mass of information and a very fair idea of a literary realm seldom brought into popular notice out here. It may, however in passing be page 58 merely hinted that an Irish is not identical with a broad Scotch accent. Perhaps this defect in several of the readers was made conspicuous by the faultless rendering of Mr. Nicholls, who is to the manner born. To Miss Nicholls, and to her supporters, is due the heartiest thanks of the Society for an occasion the uniqueness and success of which marks it out as a landmark in the march of the Debating Society.

This is the progress up to time of publication. It was hoped to have included in this report the names of the plays to be read on Friday evening during the Short Vacation, but these are not yet agreed upon. When they are settled, notice of titles, dates and casts will be given on the College Notice Board.