The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-07-15
GIRLS IN SECRET DEBATE.

The Sylvania young ladies' determined
a few days ago that in the course OF
human events the times were mellow for
a secret organization; it was to bea kind
of secret debating club, and boys OF all
ages were of course excluded. They said
IL was TO be a ''girls secret society, and
they solemnly declared they were going
to have it that way or not at all. For
about an hour the young ladies sat and
conversed, yet no one had the courage to
propose an organization. AT last, how
ever, one of them suggested that they
get to work. They knew they ought to
have a President, but how to elect one
was the question.
One girl said she had heard her father
saw that all Presidents ought to be elected
by a popular vote. So they selected
Young lady whom they considered a
favorite with every one, and she declared
which one of their number should be
presiding officer, and thus the President
was elected by popular vote. Next
Secretary was chosen by the voice OF the
whole assembly. 1t tickled the girls i'm;
mensely to vote, and after they said
''Yesw or mop" they would all laugh
for the space of about five minutes.
When order was permanently restored
the President announced that question
was open for discussion. The words had
hardly had time to escape her lips before
sixteen girls leaped from their chairs and
sixteen simultaneous voices shouted,
'AIr. President"
The scene that followed beggars the
pen. Imagine sixteen girls all making a
speech on the same subject at the same
time. The President raped and rerap-
ped on the table and tried to bring them
to order, but her voice as well as the
sound of the gavel was lost in the din.
1t was evident that the debaters were
prepared for the discussion, for as time
wore on they warmed up to the question,
and their sixteen impassioned voices
made the ceiling rattle. The lamp be-
gan to sway, the Scriptural notices that
hung on the wall rose and fell, and every
now and then chair would be sent
furiously across the room as an excited
speaker advanced nearer to the front.
The bending of sixteen pairs of arms
in unceasing gesticulations confused and
dazzled the eye like the revolving of
rapid machinery and added but direr
confusion to the babel that fell upon the
ear. Occasionally two opposing arms
would become entwined as they aspired
together to the ceiling. Then there was
an instant pause in that locality, and eyes
would gaze back on eyes that glared with
the fire of debate.
Sometimes a fair debater would stop
for second at the end of sentence to
catch her breath and see what effect her
oratory was having on the rest; but when
she saw that they all rushed heedlessly
on she plunged once more into the mad
dening speech, and her voice was heard
above the roar.
The President, good talker herself,
Of oct ;o1l 70 hn f,r1
against her and sank back into her seat,
wrapped in silence and despair; the Sec
rotary buried her face in her hands and
wept, but still those sixteen richly
freighted orators tioated CALAMITY on
over the stormy waves of debate. But,
as time wore by, NATURES exhausted
forces began to rebel, and at last, like
the Deacons wonderful one-hoss shay,
there was a grand collapse, and the whole
sixteen in the same instant dropped
painting from the ranks.
After a fearful silence of about a
minute, one of the girls got up to remark
that she thought it was perfectly dis
gushing for all the other girls to COM
mence talking when she started to speak,
to which there followed an excited
chorus of voices which said plainly,
although the words were not distinguish
able, that each one was under the same
impression.
BY powerful use of the gavel, aided
by her foot, the President was able to
quell the mutterings of this second
storm and declare peace in Warsaw
again. The armistice, however, was OF
short duration. The girls began to call
for the decision of the Clair. Each one
was sure she had made the best points,
and felt her brow warming to the laurel.
The President arose and in few
words stated that she could not decide
the question from the fact that she haf
not been able to distinguish a single wore
that was said.
That was enough. The last syllable
was still lingering on her lips when
pandemonium broke loose again. Cries
of "Treason" rent the air, and in a great
throng they made for that President and
brought her down from the chair witt
force of arms. The scene was indescrib
able. The widest excitement prevailed
and amid the confusion, while battle
cries and shouts filled the room, the re
porter made good his escape, and once
more in the open air faltered, thanks tt
heaven, for life.
And this is the story of how the "Girli
Secret society rose, fiourished anC
decayed in single night.-Syludnit
Telephone.