Show Dr R O OLIVER IV R WENDELL HOLMES in his Autocrat of the Breakfast Table makes the following remark All generous minds have a horror of what are commonly commonly commonly com com- called facts They are the brute beasts of the intellectual domain Who does not know fellows that always al have an ill-conditioned ill fact or or r two that they lead after them into decent company like so many dogs bull-dogs ready to let them slip at every ingenious suggestion or convenient generalization or pleasant fancy I allow no no facts' facts at this table What Because bread is is good and wholesome shall you thrust a crumb into my w windpipe windpipe wind wind- nd- nd pipe while I am talking Do not these muscles of mine mine represent a hundred loaves of bread and is not my thought the abstract of ten thousand of these crumbs of truth with which you would choke off my speech The application of this idea should be made in our debating societies where some members constantly object to every motion that is made and insist on wasting time and find hindering the transaction transaction transaction tion of business on the ground that the action taken by the society is not in accordance with certain rules of parliamentary parliamentary parliamentary parlia parlia- law or that it conflicts with a literal interpretation of the by Parliamentary law or rules of order like facts are all very well in their place and proper use but it must be remembered remembered remembered that all rules are formed to help and not to hinder the transaction of business and that the f fewer and the simpler the rules needed the better Itis It Itis Itis is argued that all this useless wrangling over technicalities is met with in political cal organizations and that therefore the student should be trained to m meet et them when he goes out into the the world world that that thatis is to take part in them It might as aswell aswell aswell well be argued that because there is much dishonesty and bribery in the world the student should be trained traine in these that he may be able to compete with his fellowman If students form the habit habit in their societies of practicing these detestable political methods when they pass out into the of practical life they will be the very ones mes to perpetuate these evils in which they are skilled instead of helping to overcome them |