The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-05-18

Staunton Debating Society was effected, and the
following officers elected-W. =. McChesney,
President; W. B. Harrison, Vice President;
Guy Cochran, Secretary and Treasurer. Friday
night the President will deliver the inaugural
address, and the following question will ce
discussed s'Is the Free School System the
Best?" The debaters are Messrs. Bumgardner
and McGuffin, in the affirmative, and Messrs.
Echard and Frazier, in the negative. On next
Thursday night the question, "Ought Virginia
to Have Dog Law?" will be debated i'll the
affirmative by Messrs. Harrison and Gibbs, III
the negative by Messrs. Stout and Waldron.
We should like to see this society succeed
of the town, and there is no reason why It
should not. Very few of the young men cam
not afford to give one night Of the week to lit
erary culture and the requirement OF knowl-
edge of parliamentary rule, both OF which are
essential to those entering upon professional
what may be his avocaton. In country like
this, where so much depends on individual eff
fort, and each is more or less the architect of his
own fortune; where the highest honors Of State
are attainable by the humblest members of soci-
ETY., he who neglects an opportunity to advance
himself by all honorable means, or fails to en-
brace every advantage which may be thrown
in his pathway, is less deserving of success.
We are aware that not few will decline to
connect themselves with this institution, be-
cause similar enterprises have been started in
this city, and have failed. But is that a sensi-
BILE reason why any should stand aloof from it ?
Suppose it does fail, though such a contingent
cy is not contemplated by those who have in
augurated it, will anything be lost by it?
| Will the study and research necessary to prop
err presentation OF the subjects which will
come up for discussion, be SO much time vast
ed? We hardly think SO, for there are few men
in town, especially young men, we imagine,
who would not be benefited by devoting more
of their time to study and research. There are
others who will say that they have no oratoric-
al talent, and won't consent to expose them
selves by getting up before crowd Of men,
To such we would say, that the majority of the
present members of the Society arc inexperi-
enced in debate, and have everything to learn,
and for that reason the meetings will, for the
present, be private.
If, as we believe, the Society should succeed
and become one of the attractions of the place,
as the Franklin Society is of Lexington, there
will be 4 double return for the effort expended
in its Inauguration, and both the individuals
connected with it and the public will be the
beneficiaries. Since we have alluded to the
Franklin, we will mention few facts con-
nected with it. That society is now nearly one
hundred years old, has its own hall handsome
| ly fitted up. an immense and we'll selected Ii
1 brary, and embraces in the list of its member
ship thenames oftllose who, to-day occupy lofty
inches in the esteem of their couutrymen and
are recognized as leaders Of the political par
ties. In the fierce oratorcal Journeys, from
which they have often come forth victorious,
these men have evinced skill and familiarity
in the use of the weapons of offence and de-
fence which have called forth admring COM
ment from almost every quarter of the nation
from their friends and from their opponents
and doubtless the maj or part Of them will ac-
knowledge that to the Franklin Society, where
their maiden efforts were made with embarrass-
ment and hesitation, they are indebted for the
success which has crowned their maturer con-
| tests.
There are members of that society whose
hair has been whtcned by the SHOWS of many
winters and whose brows have been furrowed
by the share of time, but who are still num-
| hpra1 the notiva .lahatorc on
are rarely absent from its meetings. The liv-
| ing, practical questions of the present, as we'll
as the debatable points of history, are discuss
| ed with yigor and ability that would reflect
credit upon legislative halls, and not unfre-
| quently questions of a local nature are decd-
ed, indirectly, by the disposition made of them
| at the Franklin.
| Such is the institution we desireto see flour
ishing in Staunton, and now that it has already
been started with every promise of success,
there is no reason why the list of its member
ship should not be increased and the sphere of
its influence wdened until it shall be regarded
as one of the prominent attractions of our in
land city. Certainly nothing can be lost by
| the effort, for in game of ''heads, win, and
tails, you loose" there isn't great deal of
! danger.
THE PUBLIC COMMENCEMENT
EXERCISES commencement exercises of
the Staunton Public Schools, will be held at
the following times and places. The public are
| invited to attend:
EASEMENT OF METHODIST CHURCH.
Friday, May 26th-Primary, (Colored.)
Miss Mary Thomas. Teacher.
MADISON sTREET-(Colored.)