St Michaels College - Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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ST. MICHAELS DEBATERS IN THE I.C.D.L'. MR- I- REDDIN, 'I5. MR. bl. Mc'Dux.xu11 MR. bl. RICCARTHY. Prvsidvlzf, I.C.D.L'. MR. L. ,-XRLAND. 'I7. Mk. Y. 'l'R.-wxlm. 1, T511

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jfirst Tlntercollege Debate, St. flbichaels vs. wsgoobe N the evening of Nov. 2llCl, 1914, I gazed wonderingly at the gaily decorated club-room of St. Michaels A by-stander inquired, f'Are you not going to the debate? This eveningfl he continued, two worthy representa- tives of Osgoode Hall, with a host of supporters, come to meet two of St. Michaels famous debatersf' I will go. I replied, for I have heard much concerning the progress made by that college in inter-college debating. As we strode into the hall, I was surprised at the goodly representation of ladies, most of whom, as I afterwards learn- ed, came from St. joseplfs Convent. The faces of the students beamed with joy, as they beheld their convent cousins, who had at last come to visit them. A few minutes afterwards Mr, Bernard Fitzpatrick took the chair, and with a few well-chosen remarks, introduced the subject of debate, namely, 'That the franchise should be ex- tended to women. The afhrmative was upheld by St. Michaels, the negative by Osgoode. Mr. joseph McDonagh, the worthy leader of the afhrmative, opened the discussion in his celebrated style. He proved clearly that woman would purify politics, that justice demanded the franchise for women, and that its absence throws woman into a low sphere. After a hearty applause, and the college yell, Mr. I. C. McFarland, the leader of the negative, was intro- duced. I-le gave as his opinion. that the vote is not a right but a privilege granted to men, as being most at to possess it. ' O The second speaker for St. Michaels was Mr. Victor Tray- nor, who acquitted himself well. By great bursts of oratory, and by his strong convincing powers, he left no stone unturned in showing that the granting of the franchise had been success- ful in the United States and any other place in which it had been tried. He asked why the franchise should be limited to man alone, who, in fact, has not inherited it? Mr. J. jackson was the nnal speaker for Osgoode Hall. He was characterized by a plain and convincing style, and oc- casionally threw out hints of satire. His argument, in which he proved that the powers of man were superior to those of woman. was very sound. Mr. McDonagh, who by this time, was overflowing with energy, replied, and weakened the strongest points of the nega- tive by his refutations. Then the judges, Mr. Ludwig, Prof. VV. P. M. Kennedy and judge Denton retired, and during their absence the audience was entertained by Messrs. Guinane and Kraus. On the return of the judges all awaited breathlessly for the words of weal or woe to come from the lips of Prof. Kennedy, who had ascended the platform. He announced that St. Michaels had won, and for almost five minutes the walls of the assembly hall resounded with the exultant shouts of the boys of the double blue. J. P. C.

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1Rnog Glollege vs. St. !lbichael's Qiollege AND in hand with St. Michaels successes in other lines for 1914-15, her debaters carried her name again this year into the semi-Hnals. Fresh from the vic- tory over Osgoode Hall, we were again doomed this year to disappointment in losing to Knox. The subject of the debate was Resolved that the policy of neutralitv pursued by the United States, a party of the Hague Convention, is justihablef' Although vanquished, the laurels of the previous contest lost none of their freshness, for it was in a great part due to the unfortunate selection of the question of debate that we lost.- The subject was so naturally one-sided, that the pro- verbial other side failed to reveal itself, though raked and illuniined by the searchlights of 'K-Tun Reddin's plain logic and Louis Arland's eloquence. The crowd, which filled the club-room, was enthusiastic, and both colleges were out in force. Mr. johnson, for Knox, 5P0ke first. Clearly and forcibly he showed that the United States was not bound to interfere in the present struggle, when her own material interests were not affected, and that she was already assisting the Allies by her vast exports. Mr. Reddin, gig s .Jun , ..-- '- ' - f..,,, lllll irHl ' -f --u,,,., IIII 'I' rim 1 AEN Q? -,W .1 ---'-- ---u-.X wow ,,,,,,,,..i'-'I l ,,,.. ..,, ,Jn 'IIII ...uf Hu: ..wf,,,,,b fr' Iii: - .in lmm,,,,,,,u .,,.- IH,,..-.. Jinlllgx' xy lin' in .,.. Niall . .,,,, , fs -- i .III Jw wini- ' ff: x 'f., '1...,f If .f 1- ... R ,,,. 'xkh I 1.-, ff t 1. 11 ..... A 1 -.,.,, 'u.f, ummir., ymmH,,uau the next speaker, argued that the duties of the United States to humanity and civilization should be an incentive for her to intervene. It is strange how such a man as -li1n should be recognized as a debater only on the eve of his graduation. Mr. Donald, second orator for Knox, spoke next, skillfully proceeding to break down the arguments of the negative. The last, and as usual, not the least, was Louis Arland, a new student at our College and speaking for the first time in the I.C.D.U., he made a name for himself as one of the most eloquent debaters in the Union. In a splendid oratorical effort, he explained the obligation the States were under in signing the Hague Conventions. He then passed to Pan-Germanism and showed the grave danger that would lie in the way of English speaking nations, if it became dominant. In the five minutes rebuttal, Mr. johnson emphasized the restriction the States placed in the Hague Conventions, after which the judges retired. On their return, Mr. Patterson, in a brief speech, wherein the rhetorical art of suspense played a most important part, finally acquainted the audience with the joyful and sad tidings. hiikiuj