| Show u uI I A A NEW BASIS FOR HIGH SCHOOL DEBATING On Thursday of s. convention week the High School School principals of the state met In conference to toL l L r t consider the high scho school l debating situation There has been some dissatisfaction with the organization of the State High Sch School ol Debating League This league in previous years has comprised some ten tenor tenor tenor or twelve schools which engaged in preliminary semi-preliminary semi semi-final semi and final debates for forthe forthe forthe the state championship The victorious teams frequently engaged in as many as four debates in one year This system was not fair to the small school it was not convenient for the isolated school and it was not pleasing to the schools defeated defeated defeated de de- in the preliminary series to watch their rivals going on to further debates for several months longer Among the ideas advanced by members of the conference the following were almost unanimously approved 1 Interscholastic Interscholastic debating is essentially different from interscholastic athletics and the debating schedule cannot be modeled after the basket ball or baseball schedule with any suc suc- cess 2 Under the organization heretofore the championship ideal has ov overshadowed the educational educational educational aim of the work 3 The frequent requirement of three or four debates from front one school in a single year has overtaxed the young debaters and also their teach teach- ers 4 This overwork has encouraged the evil of speaking as a means of partial relief relief re relief re- re lief by presenting apparently finished though really superficial work 5 Two debates per school per year is the J maximum number within the scope of efficient and one debate is preferable to two Of cours this limitation affects in no way the number o 0 purely intramural contests j i t tJust Just before adjourning the conference mad mad the following recommendations to the Universal Debating Committee l 1 The abolishment of the championship idea i 2 The establishment in place of the o on of State League of local organizations in the shap shag of dual triangular or leagues acco accord according ing to number size and distribution of schools i ithe i ithe i ithe the community as well as according to condition cf interest st and natural rivalry j 3 Positively the non-clashing non of these loc loci loca leagues in any way 1 4 A greater freedom in the choice of prof for debate j 5 The election of one judge by each COD coi con contesting testing school and the appointment of the judge by the U. U D. D C. C In response to the recommendations of th thi thi- conference the University Debating Commute Committee 1 is mailing a circular letter to the high school schools suggesting plans for local organizing but t matters of choice mainly in the hands of the ii in individual individual communities The committee frankl frankly states that under these new conditions by it is relieved of many former administrative d di du duties ties more time should be left for visiting th the various schools in the interests of debating fo far fOj issuing occasional special bulletins on debating Continued on Page 6 1 i I 0 u NEW BASIS FOR HIGH SCHOOL DEBATING Continued Continue from Page 2 and bibliographies on questions discussed by by bythe the schools and for seeking the operation co-operation of the trustees both of school and municipal libraries in placing as many many manyas as possible of the desirable books for debating purposes at the disposal of the high school students The Review believes that this obscure conference conference confer confer- ence though largely overlooked in the hustle and bustle of the great convention will have a avital avital avital vital influence for good in the public school movement move move- ment merit of today A. A B. B R. R i |
