The Green Forest tribune., 1913-03-28
4 RED HOT DISCUSSION
Giant Debaters Meet in Fierce Com bat on Last Friday Evening. "En-
 Wronent" Champions Win.

Wronent Champions Win.
 The open meeting of the two literary S cities of the Green Forest school last Friday evening was literally patronized and everybody seemed to feel that they had gotten the worth of the admission price.
 The preliminary program of reel tations and. music put everybody in a good mood for the oratorical battle that followed in the dcussion of the question Resolved that heridity has more influence upon humanity than environment. "
 Six speakers had been groomed for the fray, but owing to the enforced absence of Edwin Thayer, Austin Newton withdrew leaving four com- batants as follows: Lonnie Johnson, Burton Orren, Edgar Johnson and Logan Stephenson, the first two affirm
 ing and the last two denying.
 The first speaker, Lonnie Johnson, tried by an ironical prelude to leave the impression he had given the sub ject but little study, which led his auditors to wounder before he was done speaking just what sort of giant he would be in debate, had he de- liberateIy prepared himself. By both precept and example he showed that men who have made deep impression upon humanity have been born and not made; that all the environments that can be thown around will not of them selves produce brains.
 The second speaker, Edgar Johnson, obliterated to great extent the science and philosopy of his brother and proved by the same authorities that if not directly environments are indirectly responsible for all the ills that have fallen to the human family. He ire quently quoted scripture to strengthen his points; contending that the sur roundings of our forefathers fired their ambitions and aroused their sym pathies in such a manner that caused them to accomplish so much for the generations to come after them. In fact, he did in effect, if not in words, deny that the word ''heredity" is en- titled to place in the dictionary.
 Burton Orrell came forward as the second speaker for the affirmative and he was so merciless in his attack upon his adversary that the sympathy of the audience was actually aroused for the object of his sledge hammer blows. One by one, he undone every vital point made by his opponent and with the same aim he clinched the points pre- sented by his colleague. So perfectly did he trace the source of everything in the economy of the human makeup to heredity that his hearers were nat uraly constrained to wonder where in his ancestry had he inherited such ability as a public speaker.
 Logan Stephenson was next for the negative and had he been programmed for sermon, no one would have been greatly disappointed in his address. Aeying his voice to the preachers tone, he took the position that all men are created free, and equal and bringing to his aid many scriptural quotations, he proved that environments are the whole thing, supporting the theory of his colleage in denying the eXistance of condition that the word heredity implies. But for little misstep in which he asserted that Jesus Christ was the creator of man, he might have won the hearts of his hearers as the real philosopher if not the orator of the evening.
 In his rejoinder, Lonnie Johnson ex- pressed much surprise that his oppo- nents should deny the existence of condition recognized by philosophers of ali ages, that heredity and en- vironment both contribute to character and education, none of the great minds ever having attempted to say which was the greater. In his short closing speech, Mir. Johnson endeavored to rebuild some of the shattered argu- ments made on his side of the question, but in the opinion of the judges, he was unequal to the task. By two to one, the three judges, l. R. Hill, Loss Walker and Dr. Morrow, the decision was awarded the negative
 There are some excellent debatars attending school here this year. We were told that some of the best speakers were not represented on the program Friday evening"