South High School - Tiger Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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Class Book, i p o 4 25 GJhr ICttrranj atti Srhating Swirly The South High Literary and Debating Society had this year the most successful year in its history. Its membership lias been larger, its attendance greater and its team has gone farther in the state contest than ever before. A better spirit, that is, more enthusiasm, seemed to discover itself from the start. Within a few weeks after the society was reorganized the number of active members reached the fifty mark, and that figure has not been lowered during the year. The attendance has averaged about fifty-five or sixty, never falling below twenty-five, and twice passing a hundred. The new spirit was owing partly to the creation of a committee whose business it was to interview students with the idea of inducing them to become members. The committee did especially good work. Early in the year work was begun on the state question, the preliminaries being held on November 12. There were eleven entries. The finals were held on November 25. Messrs. Anderson, Cioodsell and Young, with Miss Tillie Will as alternate, were chosen as the team. The state question this year was upon the municipal ownership of public utilities. ()ur first debate was with North High. It was our first meeting with that school. Noth sides worked hard but on the night of the contest it was shown that South had worked a little the harder. She took the negative of the question, arguing against municipal ownership, while the team from North town, consisting of Pratt, Hughes and Turner, the affirmative. The contest was held in the South auditorium. The decision was unanimous in favor of the negative. The efficient aid and able guidance of Mr. Westerson told on the opposing team. Now our team began to cast about for new material for. on the same night East High had vanquished Central, and they must meet East to decide the championship of the district. The hoys again worked to win and again they won. The contest was held in East High hall and we chose to debate the negative again. The East team consisted of Wyman, McKercher and Peering, and they proved worthy foes, but the South Siders were too much for them. The decision was rendered two to one in favor of the negative. We were now champions of the fifth district. We

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2 6 Class Book. 1904 were paired with Fairmont for the next debate. Mr. Ozias had handled the financial end of the debates, and Zimmerman and others had done good work in selling tickets, so that we had money enough to bring Fairmont to Minneapolis. Fairmont chose the negative and our boys had to reverse and turn their arguments inside out for use on the affirmative. Meanwhile word was received that quite a delegation need be expected to come down with the team and a committee was appointed to arrange a reception to take place after the debate. The day came and brought with it the debaters, Richardson, Tonne and Xorris. This team turned out to he the strongest we had yet encountered but we won out as before. The decision rendered was two to one in favor of the affirmative. Flic reception which followed was enjoyed by every one, both from Fairmont and Minneapolis. And now South High was in the semi-finals. Her opponent was to be St. Paul, who had beaten her once before. The debate was to be held in South High auditorium and St. Paul chose the negative. The debate had to be postponed a week on account of the illness of one of the St. Paul men. The extra week proved too much for our team, and the St. Paul trio, consisting of Firestone, Hor-witz and Gauger. carried off the honors. The decision was unanimous for the negative. An oratorical and declamatory contest was held early in May. At the preliminaries three orators out of four and three declaimed out of six were selected. The orators taking part in the finals were Anderson, Young and McKeen, and the declaimers were Bertha Sanford, Sol Fligelman and Beatrice Gjertsen. At the finals Young and Anderson took first and second oratorical prizes, and Miss Gjertsen and Miss Sanford took the declamatory prizes. With the receipts a banquet was to be held near the close of the year. The receipts of the debates went to new literature for the society, and a fund of over a hundred dollars will be expended in this way. This year of 03-04 has, taken altogether, been most successful. and it is our hearty wish that it may lx? eclipsed next year. — Willis Newton.