Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-11-26
DEBATING Is A BENEFIT
A Debating Society a Great
Help to Young Men Who
Wish to Improve Themselves.

The long evenings have come.
There are many young men in our
city who desire to improve themselves
and who enjoy the change and relaxa-
ton to be found in well conducted
debating society.
We have good public library and
plenty of halls that could be had at a
small expense, and this year our uni
versity is prepared to furnish free of
charge very valuable assistance to de-
batting societies that will make appli-
cation for it.
Under our form of government it is
not only the privilege, but often the
duty of every citizen to attend public
meetings and take part in conducting
them; and it does not matter much
whether such meeting is called to
nominate school officers or president
of the United States. A large part of
our public welfare depends on the way
in which such meetings are conducted
and the instructions necessary for this
purpose are best learned through the
ordinary debating society. 1t does
not require that one should be an ora
tor or great parliamentarian. He
ought to be able to get up in his place
in any meeting and address the pre-
siding officer and make motion or
express his opinion on any motion or
question pending before the meeting.
If the reader of this is not able to
do that much now, he can learn to do
it in short time in any of our societ-
les, but there is no society that will
qualify him quicker or better than a
small debating society. When one has
learned to make motion and to
move an amendment to it, he has the
foundation laid for acquiring full
knowledge of parliamentary rules and
the forms used in conducting meet
iEgs, and when he is able to stand on
his feet and give one reason why he is
in favor of, or against any pending
question, he has laid the foundation
for becoming good DICTATOR.
These elementary debating societies
should at the outset consist of not
more than or 10 members. This
number gives US chance to take part
1t does more, it forces all to take part,
and it is only when one takes part in
the work of the society that he learns
in a substantial way.
If anyone desires to belong to such
society it is up to him TO find half
dozen others who will join with him
in promoting it and securing for them
selves what will be pleasant and pro-
fitable to them as long as they live.
II they do not know just how to go
about it, they can write to "Univer-
sity Extension Division, Madison,
Wis., and they will get pamphlets
that have been prepared for that pur-
pose and bulletins that have been pre-
pared to assist young debaters.
That department will do more, if
the debaters cannot find both sides of
a question fully treated in our local
library, the University will send out
sort of travelling library that will
furnish an abundance OF reading
matter on any subject that may be
selected for debate Our teachers
would be glad to assist in organizing
such clubs and to assist in conducting
them. There is nothing lacking here
for the maintenance of half a dozen
good debatingsclubs except the dis
position to 60 at it and organize them.
Communicated