Debating Society.

The following is a brief account of the Club's various enterprises since the publication of the June "Spike":—

On June 4th the evening was devoted to Impromptu Speeches. The subjects were chosen by the judge, Mr. A. W. Blair, and two subjects, one sad and one silly, were given to each speaker, between which he was to choose.

The subject themselves provided considerable amusement, and when eked out by the ingenuous utterances of the speakers, helped to pass a miserable evening quite agreeably.

W. J. Hall denied that "Victoria College students have no sense of humour," which subject he chose in preference to the suggestion that "The Child is Father to the Man."

H. Bishop followed and argued that "there is virtue in a permanent wave." which he thought of more interest than "That Secondary Education is Overdone."

The next speaker was H. R. Bannister, who could not believe that the average student of V.U.C. was of low mentality.

R. E. Tripe considered the statement that "The hand that rocks the cradle misses the bus," and perpetrated the enormity of punning on the Shapespearean quotation, Come bus me, Kate."

W. P. Rollings expanded on the topic, "That the age of 40 is woman's ideal age."

C. H. Arndt failed hopelessly to come to any conclusion as to whether or not "woman is more intellectual than man."

A. E. Hurley's subject was, "that the use of face powder is pernicious." His acquaintance with the subject was striking, not to say alarming.

W. J. Heyting had scope for antiquarian research in "clothes make the man, there is virtue in a swallow-tail." We may say there was some difficulty in the deglutition of his story.

T. P. Rollings was hesitant in asserting "that there is no place like home."

R. E. Pope refused to agree that the medical profession was the greatest profession.

J. F. Platts-Mills, given "that mothers-in-law are not as bad as they are painted," discoursed in trite platitudes on the advisability of painting as treatment for mothers-in-law.

R. H. C. Mackenzie allowed that it was better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

T. M. Hughes, showed great interest in culinary matters in contend page 47 ing that woman is bound to cook her best, ("cook" or "look."?)

The speakers were placed as follows:—

1, Hurley; 2, Heyting; 3, Rollings; 4. Tripe, Bannister and Platts-Mills.

On June 18th. at the 300th ordinary meeting of the Society, the motion, "That the Arbitration Court should be abolished," was subscribed to by Messrs. Rollings and Hughes, and opposed by Messrs. Heyting and Powles before a poor audience. Mr. J. Caughley assisted by criticising the calibre of the speakers. J. F. Platts-Mills presided. The discussion was enlivened further by the efforts of Messrs. Free and Bishop, Miss Cooley, Messrs. Hall, Hurley, Arndt, Mackenzie and Platts-Mills.

The judge placed the speakers in this order:—Mr. Heyting, Miss Cooley, Messrs. Platts-Mills, Arndt, Rollings, Bishop. Hurley.

On July 2nd an audience, the paucity of whose numbers was inexcusably miserable, listened to arguments on the question that "the medical profession has the public interest at heart and is concerned only with the public welfare." Mr. Rollings was in the Chair, and the speakers were under the critical eye of Mr. H. F. O'Leary. Mr. Hall and Miss Cooley moved this proposition, which was scouted as ridiculous by Messrs. Tripe and Platts-Mills. Other speakers were Turner, A E. Campbell, C. H. Arndt, S. C. Childs, and W. P. Rollings.

The audience was scarcely large enough to record a vote, but after due consideration it raised voice enough to reject the motion. Mr. O'Leary placed these speakers: J. F. Platts-Mills, W. J. Hall. Miss Cooley. S. C. Childs, R. E. Tripe.

On July 16th a debate was held with representatives of the Auckland University College Debating Society in the Wellington Town Hall. This meeting is the first Inter-College debate, apart from the Easter Tourney Joynt Scroll entertainment, of which there is any record. It is hoped that this visit at the invitation of the V.U.C. Society will prove a precedent for an annual interchange of visits.

The one regrettable feature was the lack of interest on the part of local students, though the enthusiasm of the team themselves in part compensated for this.

Auckland University College (Messrs. Straubel, Wills, and Simpson) moved: "That the action of the New Zealand Government in contributing £1,000,000 to the Singapore base scheme was to be supported." This was opposed by the Society (Messrs. Platts-Mills, Rollings, and Hurley). J. W. G. Davidson presided, and on his putting the question to the vote, it was defeated. A fuller account appears elsewhere in this "Spike."

On July 30th a bare dozen of the members gathered to what was a meeting in name only. The judge was Mr. P. J. O'Regan. W. P. Rollings took the chair. Messrs. Heyting and Arndt moved (Messrs. Platts-Mills and Hall opposing): "That the Coates Government has justified the confidence of the people of New Zealand."

Mr. Heyting outlined the issue, and Mr. Arndt drew attention to the progressive statutes enacted during the last session. Mr. Platts-Mills became hopelessly entangled in the activities of the Dairy Board, and the audience was only saved by a trip to Samoa with Mr. Hall. Mr. R. H. C. Mackenzie gave personal reminiscences of the glaring injustice of contemporary inequalities of wealth, a phenomenon which to him "did not seem to be quite the thing."

Mr. Mountjoy gave a polished survey of the inanition of the present ruling party, and Mr. Rollings ended with a trenchant attack on the financial policy of the present Government. The leaders summed up, and the motion was put to such of the audience as had not already retired. The majority page 48 against the motion was an absolute one. Mr. O'Regan placed the speakers as follows: Messrs. Rollings, Hall, Heyting, Mountjoy, Platts-Mills, Arndt, Mackenzie.

"That the Chinese are justified in opposing foreign interference in China," was the motion propounded on the evening of August 13th by Messrs. Davidson and Hall; the contention was supported by a ghastly array of the "hard facts" as to the foreign-imposed conditions which have rendered well nigh intolerable the continued existence of the indigenous population of China. Messrs. Platts-Mills and Tripe endeavoured to refute the assertion that the Chinese were justified in resenting foreign interference, but the main result of their efforts was to cloud the issue with generalities. There followed these speakers: C. H. Hogers, who disclosed a scholarly acquaintance with the twin atrocities of extra-territoriality and confiscation of Customs control. C. H. Arndt, G. A. Nicholls, W. P. Rollings. The meeting was presided over by Mr. Rollings, and the responsibility of judging was kindly undertaken by Mr. D. S. Smith. The speakers were placed as follows:—1, Rollings; 2, Davidson; 3, Platts-Mills; 4, Hall and Rogers; 5, Tripe; 6, Arndt.

During the 2nd vacation the 304th ordinary meeting was held on August 27th. The marked increase in attendance was a salutary symptom, but was attributable rather, to extensive advertising than to the nature of the subject; at all events the great majority of the audience were non-members, and taken by and large there was no noticable diminution in the nonchalant attitude of the student fraternity (and sorority) to the Society's activities.

Mr. Rollings presided, and Mr. O. C. Mazengarb acted as judge. There were some 30 persons present.

The motion: "That the practice of Birth Control should be encouraged" was opened by Messrs. Free and Powles in support, with Messrs. C. Pope and R. E. Pope opposing them.

The movers entered into a thorough and detailed survey of their proposals and the prospective consequences of their adoption, a survey which was to a certain extent a drawing of curtains and a rending of veils. The Messrs. Pope based their objections on those sound, moral arguments which do actually emanate from the Papal See. aided by sundry felicitous stories of a more local origin.

Through an oversight the platform speakers occupied the Chariman's attention until 9.30. Then there followed W. J. Hall, supporting limited control, to prevent propagation of the unfit, C. H. Arndt proclaiming Race Eugenics, J. F. Platts-Mills discursive on the lilies of the field, and the purging potency of the battle of natural selection, W. P. Rollings in support of general principle.

The vote of the audience favoured Birth Control by a large majority, but the small students vote defeated the motion.

Mr. Mazengarb delighted the audience with his criticism and opinions, and placed the following:—1, Hall and Platts-Mills; 2, Rollings; 3, C. Q. Pope; 4, R. E. Pope; 5, Arndt.

We interpret it as an ominous sign, this dwindling away of the attendance at the Society's meetings; this heedless altitude towards impassioned appeals to join in the debates, and this lack of appreciation of the benefits and pleasures which must accrue from the free discussion, the exchange of opinions, and the bursts of eloquence which characterise the meetings. It may be that there is a lack of thought, or it may be there is an excess of thought and a clarity of intellect which discerns the trifling futility of page 49 youthful discussions. In either case it is to be regretted. But it is no worse than that. This is neither an advertisement nor a jeremiad. The Society is under no moral obligation to spoon-feed opinions into the recalcitrant crania of adherents. It provides the opportunities for all its members (and any student may be, and with gumption is within that category), to learn to debate under the criticism of the ablest judges in the neighbourhood, and to exchange ideas with those few who think in the College, at least with all who regard their thoughts as worth expressing. Students who fail to grasp the fleeting forelock will do less injury to the Society than to themselves. The Society will be carrying on its programmes of debates when future generations of students have superceded the students here to-day. But to the present students the opportunity of gaining what the Society has to offer will not present itself again.

The remaining meetings on the syllabus are:—

September 17th—Plunket Medal Contest.

September 22nd—Presidential Address, by Dr. Sutherland, subject, "Science and Poetry."

September 24th—Subject to be arranged.

October 8th—That the Press is a greater evil than the Pulpit.