The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-21
Stanford and Berkeley to
Meet in Debate
AFTER THE 0PEN-AIR SPORTS.
Preparations Made for the First Inter-
collegiate Intellectual Contest.
Others Are to Follow.

1 HG JuuuS 0iCtlUS az DF4hSiC1 HdfC W.
cnpied their spare time this week in hurting
parliamentary iuvective at imaginary gen
tlemen on the other side" with their
mouths full of pebbles. Il la Demosthenes,
while Palo Altos trio OF orators have put in
their leisure hours in endeavoring TO con-
vince the Western hills that their arGu-
ments are irrefutable.
The proposition which these embryo
Websters are going to debate is: Resolved,
That the United States should annex
Hawaii" The subject will be debated
af1irmatlvely by the University Of Califor-
MIA, represented by Leon NJ. SOlomons, '93.
and Cecil II. Smith, '95. OF the Berkeley de-
parment, and c. A. Reynolds, '94, OF the
Hastings College OF the Law.
The negative side of the issue will be
handled by r. l.. Gruwell, '93, a. II. Barn
heIsel, '93, and Ward Bamster, '93. members
Of the the debating society of Stanford Uni
versity.
Subject and debaters were selected sew
eral weeks ago at joint meeting or the
societies of the Two universities. and since
that time all miner arrangements have been
made and large and enthusiastic audience
is assured.
The judges of the debate have not yet
been decided upon, but the names OIL DF.
Stebbins, Judge Morrow, Judge Hatch and
Judge Coffey have been proposed.
Odd Fellows Hall has been hired for the
occasion, and thither students of both col
leges will assemble after having spent the
afternoon In running, Jumping ana shout-
ing as only college boys can at held-day
meeting of rival universities. Thus the ma
terials, muscle and brains, OF which all nor
NAL young men are supposed to be formed
Will have an equal opportunity for vigorous
exercise tomorrow.
The debate is intended to inaugurate a Sc
ries Of intellectual contests of all sorts. be-
n n In0RfnltHlV
as part of their regular exercise.
Among all Eastern universities, especially
between Yale and Harvard, debates and
rhetorical contests, as they are called, are
part Of the yearly programme.
The last DEBATE between the two Eastern
universities was upon the question of the
annexation of Canada ard was presided
over by Governor Russell of Massachusetts.
Behind the announcement OF the debate
there is an interesting history, and beyond
it is hope and plan.
Al Berkeley two debating societies exist
at the present time.
The older. now known as the Durant
NeOlean, was organized years ago. when
the university was still largely an expert
meDt 1t was composed of two societies,
the Durant and the Neolean. which had for
some time been maintained as separate
organizations.
The Durant Neolean Debating Society
as it was then knOWn-was purely literary
the literary side of the society was neglected
and the debates took the form of parlia-
mentary proceedings. 1t was at the time
that the name was changed to the Durant
MCLEAN Students Congress The Con
gIess" being in imitation of the national
Congress at Washington. The literary side
of the society was then dropped entirely,
and the memDership is at present Iimited to
thirty.
The congress is attended by fifteen
mpmb1rS The
Representatives have no constituency to
please, and are therefore free TO advocate or
oppose the various laws introduced for the
government Of the Imaginary country over
whose destiuies they preside with perfect
freedom and impartiality.
The youthful legislators found fault with
some of the methods employed by Uncle
sam in manufacturing laws, so they adopted
some af the leading features of the British
Parliament
A prime Minister is appointed to in
| troduce all bills, and Leader Of the Op-
| position" is also selected to denounce the
| measure proposed in true parliamentary
| style.
/ No bill may be introduced however,
which might not actually be presented in
| the Congress Of the United States.
! Real live national issues and important
questions oil public policy are thus brought
forward and discussed by the students, and
so, for the time being ut least, tie old and
eighteenth century wisdom and folly are
temporarily deserted and the boys emerge
into the broad daylight of living, breath
ing present.
The second and younger of the two debat-
ing societies at Berkeley is the Bushnell
Union, which Is also literary society. It
has membership of about forty. During
their discussions and debates the critic does
his duty on the spot. He criticizes a
speaker while he is ON his feet. the latter
algn mt llATtV tn ranlV and ha
friendly war goes On. This procedure has
been found TO add greatly to the interest of
the meetings.
The Hastings College of the Law Debating
Society has existed for number of years
At PalO Alto several societies have been
formed and are now fiourishing.
Now comes the hope" The students at
Berkeley who are interested in the welfare
of the debating societies have resolved to
''boom this particular feature of the uniyer-
sity work by every legitimate means in their
power"
There is no opposition or antagonism felt
toward the college athletic clubs. 1t is not
absolutely essential, they contend, that
debaler should have pipeStems for arms and
| legs Many of the members of the two
| societies are also prominent in athletics.
| They do not so much claim that an undue
enthusiasm is lavished upon the athlethc
| side OF the college as that the auxiliary
| clubs and societies Of an intellectual nature
/
This Is especially true, they say. in re-
| spect 10 the debating societies. The con-
! slant tendency to bo0kishnesS, and the
| various evils OF Observation-Disclosures which
| flow from it must be met by some counter
acting influence, and this, they argue, Is
| furnished by debating societies of all
! kinds. especially such rs concern them
selves with issues of the day and are not
confined to any particular class of subjects.
! The broadening effects of this work are
| Sidaraf npalpulnhlp and an iDvalu-
able safeguard against certain invariahle
| tendencies OF the average mind which APP
! proaches its maturity in the atmosphere of
| a university.
So. during all the week, athletics and the
| political complications of the Hawaiian
Islands have monopoliZed the attention
! OF the two universities, and tomorrow even
ing the public will be asked 30 decide, in
| their own minds, at least, whether the
| evenings exercises are one bit less essential
| universities than those of the afternoon.
| The debate will be the beginning of the
| boom. Other debates and intellectual con-
| tests generally will follow.
But the two Berkeley societies will not
| stop here.
| They believe that such an important
feature of their four years training should
| not be relegated to che department OF mere
| auxiliary work.
Every one knows that besides the athletic
! clubs. which are organized and maintained
| by the bows themselves, there is also a
| gymnasium in which the students are given
a proper amount of physical training as a
part Of the regularly prescribed work Of the
university proper.
| In the same way, the debaters claim that
| there should be. beside the outside So
cieties, regular course of training in de-
bate, within the college Itself. to be made
| part and parcel Of the established cur
| riculum.
| And being wise younp man they ara
| aware that the proper way to bring about
the desired innovation is to first make it
| popular with students and public, and the
| rest will follow ''as the night the day."
| --s----------
Simple as A 8 c.
Eastern Man-Is there any way for a
stranger to make money in this section?