Evening journal., 1923-01-05

| word IN every London paper tn
] following day. II was no easy task
BY the brilliance OF his thr1ists ant
the GOODNESS OF his argument, thu
undergraduate had presented hi
case as cleverly as any Member OF
| Parliament could have done. II
the minds OF the referees the min,
| lister won his case by slight mar
gin. and he returned to London sat.
ished that he had justified the ex-
istence OF the Coalition Cabinet: for
the Union debates are a matter OF
national importance.
A very large proportion OF the
men prominent in political life re-
ceived their early training at oxford
and Cambridge. and the two uni
versities are thus a natural begin
ming for the men who conduct the
affairs OF the British Empire. The
undergraduate who decides on a
political career enters upon his task
with a high SERIOUSNESS, leaving no
stone unturned In his efforts 10 equip
himself for the position he hopes
ultimately 70 attain.
There is very strange attitude
toward debating in most OF our
American colleges. A student who
devotes himself 70 that branch OF
activity Is looked upon in much the
same light as the one who dabbles
in poetry. His prestige on the
campus his popularity with his as
sociates. suffers from II. I believe
this attitude 70 be the result OF our
method Of conducting classes In ora
tory and training debating teams
In general the student is taught the
mechanical tricks OF oratory--the
gestures, the stance, infections OF the
voice To practice these newly ac-
quired tricks he is given selections
from Daniel Webster or Robert In
gensoH to recite--a form OF public
speaking which is as obsolete today
as a coach-and-four. except in those
parts of the country where the spirit
Of the last century still fourishes.
The inevitable outcome OF such a
training is 10 make the student OF
oratory n mechanical machine, a
speaker whose interest is more con-
cerned with the details OF correct
utAANtIN IMAM VIII Nlt ruulfNA~lAAhA-
ter OF his speech. Our intercollegi-
ate debates are for the most part
for that reason. and
the average undergraduate is pre-
JUDGED against H. Thus arises the
attitude toward the student who IN
terests himself in that activity.
An interesting comparison was
afforded last year when the debating
team OF a New England college,
competition. was sent 10 oxford 10
speak against a group from that
II IS a humiliating fact
that the Americans were a laugh
!ngstock for the rest OF the term.
and the Rhodes Scholars hlushed
wherever the word debating" was
The English boys spoke |
in a natural off-hand manner. with
out great deal OF preparation,
without mechanical gestures, with
no election-campaign tricks OF in
lection or laundering cllmaxes. In
stead, they relied upon combina- |
ton OF good sense and delightful [
humor TO carry the day, and they |
lid 1t with an ease and GOODNESS that /
made US seem ridiculous.
The Americans conformed 20 me I
teaching OF their instructors and /
coaches, memorized their speeches /
word for word. and found themselves |
utterly at a loss when confronted by
the necessity OF making a slight al
teration in preconceived plan Of
attack They had been taught 70
speak. but they had not been taught
TO think The outcome was not
only a reflection upon our methods /
N debating; It furnished food for I
bought IN considering the compar- |
alive maturity of mind among the
OF England and
America.
There are no two colleges in
America which hold a position com
parable 10 that enjoyed by oxford
md Cambridge in England. They
re distinguished from the others by
prestige that has never been chal-
enged. The other universities
catered about England afford equal
for education. some OF
hem even Boosting stronger faoul-
les and a more efficient orgauiza-
ion. The universities OF London, /
Sheffield, Leeds and
theirs are quite on par with the
wo older institutions IN these re-
poets but they are conducted on
mes more clsely resembling the
-