THE DEBATER'S COLUMN.

Evening Star, Issue 14003, 9 March 1909, Page 7

THE DEBATER'S COLUMN.

[By DEBATER.] Aim: The attainment of a higher standard in public speaking. [Any communications covering books, papers, suggestions, and information for this column will be gladly received if addressed care of tno editor. In all cases correspondence must be accompanied by the name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.] " R.G.L."—Many thanks for your letter and papers, which have conic ,nost opportunely. Mr A. H. Burton writes to me thus:— Naturally I am in thorough sympathy with any movement that encourages the cultivation )f tho speaking voice. Ab Dr Waddell puts it in the third of your articles: "Our language is a great bequest from the past, and we arc the trustees of it." The formation of an Otago Debating Societies' Union also seems to me to be wise, and has before it—if carried on with enthusiasm and knowledge—a notable future. That I should approve—and strongly approve and support—Dr Wa.ddelPs urging that more attention should *be given to elocution goes without saying. Tho language of Canon Fleming as to the widespread negket of it at present, quoted by you, though tolerably strong, is that of an expert, and should command respect. And you yourself seem fully to realise the urgent need for reform in this particular. Perhaps you will, bear with me if I quote what I once ventured to say from the platform in urging the claims of elocution as an accomplishment: That it was positively useful and pleasure-giving; compahatively easy to acquire; and superlatively cheap. But to regard it as an accomplishment is to do it but scant justice. It is very much more than that. That the practice of deep or diaphragmatic breathing is of fundamental importance; that clear articulation and "forward speaking" are necessities for all successful rhetoricians, and for others—these are no individualistic dicta, but are incontrovertible truths. Then comes the teohnic of elocution—inflexion, modulation, tempo, pausafcion, and all the rest of it, accompanied, or kvkn preceded, by absolute correctness of pronunciation. No one, methinks, should dare to take the platform whose diction teems with elementary errors. Anyone conscious of such faults ought to be nervous ; but let him perfect his pronunciation and he reasonably teachable otherwise, and his nervousness will soon disappear, and thus one of your declared objects will bo attained—that of "men and women being able to say in public what they wish to say, and that without trepidation." - . . Since writing the above I have read your fourth article—on Deportment. There is much therein that is undoubtedly true, but to many it will be almost an unattainable counsel of perfection. As far as my experience goes, pupils require to be shown Deportment and Gesture. 1 am very pleased to have Mr Burton's letter, and feel sure that readers will study it with a good deal of interest. As already intimated by me, the various phases of elocution will be treated in turn, not with the idea of teaching students by this alone, but to assist them to acquire a thorough understanding of the theory of the art, so that the practical work will be more interesting and more quickly productive. From this readers must not infer that the notes are not intended to bo practical, because my endeavors will always be in this direction. THE AUSTRALIAN UNION.

Last Tuesday I promised to give some information regarding the South Australian Literary Societies' Union, which in August last celebrated its semijubilee. Before detailing the methods by which this organisation achieves its purpose, it is almost essential to gain some idea of

—The Magnitude of its Operations,— and to do this a few figures from tho twenty-fifth annual report and balancesheet should suffice. There are fortynine societies affiliated to the Union, with a total membership of 1,624 and an average weekly attendance of 941 members, who between them have free access to libraries containing some 7,077 volumes. So much for the number of people that come under the helpful influence of the Union, and now for —The Practical Outcome.— For this we can well look to the positions in public life that have been attained by those who were once verv active members. From. a long list of names the following are selected:— Hon. T. Price (Premier), E. G. Jenkins (for many years Premier, and until recently Agent-General in London), Senator Vardon, the Mayor of Adelaide, four members for Adelaide in the State House of Assembly, Messrs A. Sv. Piper, J. R. Anderson, J. L. Gordon. LL.B., Herbert Solomon, 8.A., LL.B.; and many other leading Australian barristers, besides numbers of prominent municipal councillors and business and professional men too numerous to mention. It would be folly to assume that the above owe their positions entirelv to their training in the Union, but from reports to hand eacli gentleman is E leased to acknowledge the amount of elp received.

—Objects.— The objects of the Union arc stated 1. To cultivate a friendly feeling between the members of the societies affiliated with the Union—(a) by arranging competitions between the societies; (b) by giving help at any of the meetings of such affiliated societies as may desire it; (c) by holding an annual competition, or other meetings of a public character; Cd) by such other methods as may be deemed advisable by the GenerafCommittee. 2. To seek to improve the condition and working of the affiliated societies by delegates meeting and considering matters likely to further this object. 3. To form a parliamentary club to be called " Union Parliament." . . . —The Management—

of the Union's affairs is vested in a General Committee consisting of two delegates from each affiliated society and from branch unions, together with the trustees and life members of the organisation. The expenses are mot bv a levy on the affiliated societies of 6d per member, and also by the proceeds; of the annual competitions and of the sale > of ' The Literary Societies-' Jourthe official organ of the Union. We now come to a consideration of —The Value of the Work-

that is being done, with special reference to tho conditions that exist hero. The mere fact of delegates meeting and interchanging ideas is of itself a sufficient warranty for the existence of the Union, but does not constitute the whole purpose for which it has been formed. Annual competitions are held, similar to our Dunediu competitions' but with this difference: tho contest is limited to the representatives of the various societies, and thus stimulates a feeling of rivalry which is essentially the life of any such organisation. Perhaps, when the Otago Union obtains a better footing, some arrangement may be made with the Committee of the Dunedin Competitions Society whereby such a competition as the impromptu debate (which, by the way, needs some more life) is resolved into one between teams chosen frem the societies affiliated to the Debating Union. At present, however, the Union cannot do better than popularise tho proposed —lnterclub Debates, — and. to this end'l now. aire a brief

sketch of a tournament as it is known in Australia:—

1. Each, society is represented by three debaters, who aro each allowed fifteen minutes to speak on tho subject selected by the Executive. 2. The judge adjudicates on tho following plan:—Matter. (20), method (20), delivery (30), and a maximum number of twenty-five points is alloAved for the debaters' combined treatment of the subject. 3. Each round of debates takes place within oue week, and so the danger of any one society gaining an unfair advantage by witnessing the performance of a previous pair is obviated. 4. Winning societies in the first round compete with one another in the second, and losing sooieties in the first compete ivitk one another in the second round. At the close of the second round, and of each succeeding one, societies which have lost two debates drop out of the tournament; societies which have not lost a debate competing with one another, and societies which have lost only one debate competing with one another. This proceeds until there remains only one society which has not lost a debate, and this society is declared the winner, the societies which have lost

only one debate competing for second place. I understand that the proposal of the Otago Union is to divide the societies iiito sections of four, the winners only of these sections to bo allowed to compote in the final. . Such a scheme can work out unfairly, for what might actually bo tho second best team might have to meet its superior at the beginning of the tournament, and consequently he prevonted from obtaining in the final its proper position as riuir ner-up. It will be seen that tho conditions prevailing in Australia admit of no such injustice. Space prevents my dealing further with the subject just now, but next Tuesday I will give a description of what is known as a " Short-papeT Tournament," and also of " Union Parliament,"a really admirablo institution consisting of the " cream " of the societies, and which deals only with political questions. I might hero state that I have a quantity of literature to a perusal of which the members of the O.D.S.U. or any others are welcome. I regret that no room remains for the remarks I proposed to make on Gesture, but this aspect will receive space very shortly—probably next week.