The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-09

football, while Harvard has had her victories on the forensic platform. One nearby newspaper has asked editorial ly in rather sarcastic vein: (Which is the more crodltable victory for great university, the prime concern of which is the intellectual development of It's mombcrs?" A writer to the New York Evening Post who says he is an outsider, complains of verdict which should have been in favor of Yale. Ills letter has made interesting reading for Yale mon but they, on their part, can quite agree with Professor Henry Van Dyke, of Princeton, who was one of the judges and who has written an answer to the charges In which he save one thing Is certain, namely that Vale mon arc not kiokers, nor are they In the habit of trying to retrieve a game which has been honestly lost by ac- | cusing their opponents or the umplres of bad faith They play their best, and then accept the score with equanim- ity"
 It Is a pleasure to read such eulog- istic sentiments about Yale's methods of meeting rivals, especially when it 
 comes from such a thoughtful and dis interested pen as pr. Van Dykes. But this whole newspaper discussion has awakened Yale to great need of revolution In debating methods, A writer to the Alumni Weekly says he is certain that Harvard was entitled to win but he asks for some radical changes in the subjects selected for fu- ture debates, "Wny are the debaters afraid of live subjects?" he asks. There are plenty of them around It would be infinitely better to discuss woman suffrage or capital punishment 1 than 10 try to settle practical pro- bem Of colonial administration some years ahead of time There is plenty Of interest in debate. as tho last audi ence in Woolsey hall shows; but that Interest Is being endangered. We would like to see a little more freedom and red blood"
 This criticism of Intercollegiate de- batting Is by no means a new one Nov ertheless this correspondent who hides his identity under the mystifylng cog nomen of Observer seems to have struck al the root fo the matter A debate, 1t seems, should. above all things. give those who participate in 1t opportunity to present original matter in an individual way. To take a sub tect for discussion, which our national Legislators cannot make head nor tail of and about which volumes of the Congressional Record have been pub llshed, gives college student but lit- tie chance to develop himself as a plat form orator, nor does it offer q very lively evenings entertainment to those poor mortals who through enthusiasm for their alma mater or for other req
 sons, determine with almost heroic
 courage to so and listen. There art college topics by the score to be dis cussed If these young mon would put themselves to their solution seriously, it Is not to be doubted that their con clusions would be highly valued by the faculties and thus they would be doing double service to their universities Debating means too much to Yale, es. pecIally 10 the Law school, to come tc any period of suspension or to suffer for any lack of interest. Let the sug gestion be adopted by those who choos future subjects and let new pcrioc
 of debating start in which Yale will bC as consistently successful as she Is now [ on the gridron.