Reed College - Griffin Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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t1361 R E E D freshmen who defeated the sofomores in a preliminary con- test wer Charles Cohn and Edward Shears. Robert Sabin and Delbert French represented the seniors, and Clyde Beals and Horace Miller wer the sofomore team. Dr. Fosteris courses, too, hav become larger from year to year, and his second-year students hav many opportunities to debate. Each week open debates hav been held in the Chapel upon disputed questions of the day, folloed by a general discus- sion from the Hoot. Among the questions considerd hav been the subject of intervention in Mexico by the United States, commission government for Oregon, ttWhen in dout vote no, and government ownership of railroads. Dr. Foster 'has insisted that a debate is not merely an intellectual exercise for those taking part in it, but on the contrary, should be one of the best possible means of gaining reliable, all-round information upon a subject. But this benefit is lost unless the questions chosen hav to do with topics of current interest. By folloing this plan in the selection of subjects for debate, the student body has been interested in the subject matter of the debate, rather than in the winner. INTERCOLLEGIATE DEBATE This year the great interest in debating centerd around the first inter-collegiate contest. Near the close of the 1914 spring semester a permanent contract was drawn up between COLLEGE ANNUAL + 1915 the University of Washington and Reed College providing for two debates to be held between the institutions each year, one at Seattle and one at Portland. The contract provides that in CLARENCE YOUNG LOWELL BRADFORD one year one of the institutions shal submit three questions to the other, and the latter shal then select one of them as the subject for debate. For the first debate Reed College submitted the questions and of the three, the University of Washington chose to discuss the proposition, Resolvd, that a minimum wage H'

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REED COLLEGE ANNUAL1915 DEBATING INCE the extra-currienlar activities of Reed hav 8 become organized, debating has engaged at great deal of enthusiasm from a number of students. A $3; feeling of particular interest in this activity possi- bly resulted from two causes;Dr. Fosterts emi- U nence as an authority on argumentation, and sec- ondly, the realization of the student body that this was one field in which they might meet other colleges. A share of the enthusiasm which might otherwise hav been directed to inter- collegiate athletics was thus turnd toward debating. From it has been gaind, in part at least, the acknowledged good of inter- collegiate contests, the power to weld together the student body. During the first year of Reed's existence, the man, inter- ested in debating, organized a club which they cald the John Adams Debating Society. For that first year all debating took place under its auspices. Since that first year Dr. Foster has offerd courses in argu- mentation. Thru them debating activity has been stil further increast. In the year 1912-1913, the first debate open to the public was given in connection with the debating course on the subject of commission government for Portland, which ques- tion was at that time before the people for decision. From this time Dr. FosterIs classes furnisht an outlet for general debat- ing activity so that the John Adams Debating Society has ceast to exist. With three classes in the college keener competition in the debates was made possible. In May, 1914, the first inter-clas debates took place. The question discust was as to whether or not the proposed initiativ inesure providing for proportional representation in the Oregon legislature should be adopted. In the flrst of these the sofomores defeated the freshmen, and in the second the sofomores wer in turn defeated by the juniors. The winning team was composed of Robert Sabin, David Brace and Raymond Branion. Harry VVembridge, Lowell Bradford and Alexander Lackey made up the sofomore team, while Clarence Young, Horace Miller and Jay Sechrist wer the fresh- man contestants. This year, notwithstanding the keen interest in the col- legeIS first inter-collegiate contest, minor debating has com- manded more than ordinary interest. For one thing, the pres- ence of four classes in the field has made inter-clas competi- tion keener than before. The question selected this year had to do with the proposed decrease in the United States navy, and it has been thresht out in three closely contested debates, leaving the juniors in possession of the inter-clas championship. The winning juniors wer George Axtcll and Lloyd Carrick; the

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REED COLLEGE ADUtUAi law should be adopted in Oregon and XVashington, constitu- tionality waivd. The try-outs for the two teams to represent Reed wer held upon this subject. Preparation for the discussion of so comprehensiv a subject ment real work. Information was gath- erd from every possible source. Thursday evening labor eon- ferences wer held at the college and the question of the minimum wage was discust from every point of view by practical author- ities-employers, skild and un- skild laborers, trade-union repre- sentativs, social workers, and members of the Industrial XVel- fare Commission. Some of the debaters wer also fortunate enuf to be able to attend the minimum wage hearings before the United States Commission on Industrial Relations which wer held in Portland last summer. None of the Reed debaters ARTHUR HAUCK had had any previus experience in inter-collegiate debating, but they had learnd from debates at college that nothing is so essential as thoro knoledge 0f the subject. The tryouts were held in November and the men 1915 inn fmally chosen to represent the college wer Lowell Bradford and Arthur Hamek for the afhrmativ and Harry tVembridge and Clarence Young for the negativ. In accordance with the usual custom, the affirmativ team debated at home and the negativ team Visited. The debates wer held 011 the night of January fifteenth. At Reed the afhrnmtiv team developt the point that eight thousand men in Oregon and XVash- ington wer receiving lea than two dollars 21 day. They pointed out that 21 minimum wage law was the Only means of ensur- ing these men a living wage, social insurance, industrial education, re stricted immigration, em- ployment agencies, and labor unions h a V i 11 g proved ineffectiv to help the unskild workers. It was further shown that the minimum wage was economically sound and would not increase the HARRY WEMBRIDGE