WOMAN’S SPHERE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19759, 9 April 1926, Page 7

WOMAN’S SPHERE.

A WITTY DEBATE. BRITISH SPEAKERS L\ BURNS HALL. A public debate by good speakers is always a form of entertainment that makes a wide appeal in Dunedin, and it was not surprising that Burns Hall was well filled last night on the occasion of a pubic debate between visiting speakers from British universities and representatives of Otago University. The three visiting debaters who spoke lastnight are members of a team which was organised by the National Union of Students of England, Scotland, and Wales. Ihev left England for Canada on January i, and were engaged in debates in most ol the large towns and at all the principal universities there. Out of 15 debates they were adjudged the winners in all but three. The opportunity of hearim euch speakers cones all too rarely in Dunedin, and popular interest in the occasion was heightened by the choice of • subject, “That woman has more than come into her own, and by the fact that one of the speakers in the negative was - Miss an Otago University lady of known skill and experience in debate. Ihe sides were not arranged so that the visitors opposed the local talent ns might have been expected, but two visitors were with a 1c I speaker nr one side and two local speakers with a visitor on the other. This was, after all, probably a better arrangement than haying straight-out opposition between the visitors and the local team. The speakers were : Affirmative.—Messrs H. G. Molson (New College, Oxford). A. H. MT.intock (Otago University), and R. Nunn May (Birmingham University). Negative.—Messrs L. A. North (Otago University). Paul Reed (Kings College, London), -,nd Miss Todhunter (Otago University. , The opening sne. ers and the last speaker in the negative were allowed 15 minutes each and the other speakers 10 minutes each, Mr J. B. Callan occupied the chair. The speaking of the visitors -ached a high standard, and was characterised by a finish and a polished wit that was much appreciated bv the audience. The presence of the undergraduate element was immediately made known ' v a series of guttural noises coming from the rear of the hall when the ctiairman rose, but thereafter practically nothing was heard of it. Mr Callan introduced and welcomed to Dunedin the “Empire Debaters,” and referred to *he previous visit to New Zealand of, the Oxford debaters. Mr Molson, he said, was president of the Oxford Union. Air Nunn May «' n president of the National Union of Students. Mr Reed was a vice-president of the London Union. He explained the arrangements for the evening, and said there would be no judging or taking a popular vote at the close. They were mot rather to be edified by a display of nubile speakimr. Ihey would all agree that such visits as these must do a great deal of good. (Applause.) Air Molson. who was very warmly greeted, said that before turning to ‘the more frivolous part of the proceedings lie desired to return thanks for the extraordinarily kind welcom accorded them here He thought it was some kind angel that had arranged that their longest stay in any part of the Empire was to ” e in Dunedin. Turning to the subject of debate, he described it as “this captivating, fascinating, interesting but thoroughly dangerous subject.” He thought someone should stand up to make a last plaintive appeal before man was finally trampled under the high-heeled shoes of woman. (Laughter.) He instanced the iniquitous evstem under which on the railways women had carriages set apart for themselves. while men had none. Woman *°- day, when she was a horny-handed daughter of toil, expected the same consideration as she received in the days when she was a frail and pretty thing unable to do anything for herself. Mr Molson touched upon the legal aspect of the question to show that woman had been more than freed from legal disabilities. He closed by quoting Solomon, the preacher: “I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and death and whose hands are as, bands. Whoso pleaseth God shall escape ‘ her, but the sinner shall be taken bv her.”—(Applause.) Air North began by complaining that his opponent saw in woman someone inferior in stamina. In fact, he suffered from “feminophobia.” This was a disease that was being cured by science. They admitted that in Western countries woman had come into her own, but she had not got the upper hand as yet. She had not more than come into her own. If woman entered into man’s sphere man would have to work harder and put forward better effort. — (Applause.) Air Ai'Lintock began by desL..oing a domestic scene depicted in Punch in which a woman had decidedly the upper hand. It looked as though woman was to take the entire globe for her sphere. From a masculine viewpoint the idea of a woman in Parliament was absurd.— (Laupliter.) She had no conception of political government or ideas. She only took it on as a means of getting into the limelight. The only good thing he cOnld think of in woman going into public affairs was that the affairs would become public, and that might not be milch good.— (Laughter.) In business woman spent all she earned, which would not be so bad if she only earned all she spent.— (Laughter.) The true function of woman was to mother the race, and if young girls engaged in strenuous labour the race would suffer for it. Air APLintock here became delightfully entangled for a few minutes in the mysteries of the -roportion of male and female babies born per 1000, the surplus woman, and the future of the race. Recovering, he inveighed against violent sports for girls, and ended with a parting shot. "Women complain that we don’t understand them. They are themselves to blame, for they don’t make themselves plain.”— (.Laughter and applause.) Air Reed said the case of his opponents was based on "Pride and Prejudice,” and had no connection with “Sense and Sensibility.” Their opponents were seeking to deny to woman her opportunity to live her life oh an equality with man. He contended that there were many ways in which wdmen had to suffer for their sex. His friend opposite temperamentally disliked change, and could give no reason for his dislike. Times were, of course, changing. There were times when a man who hid behind a woman’s skirt would be called a coward. Nowadays, of course, he would be called a i. —ician. — (Laughter and applause.) He gave woman the credit for first introducing the commendable habit of eating fresh fruit.—(Laughter.) He admitted that women were interested in clothes, but certainly not many of them were completely wranned up in the subject.— (Loud laughter.) As far as experience of women in politics went it could certainly be said that they were exercising a very beneficial and elevating influence. The finest thing we could find in this somewhat degenerate age was the undoubted advance of woman towards wi it

T -- u;u' iinv be her own. (Applause.) Mr Nunn May asserted that while the last speaker paid lip service to women—(laughter)—his arguments were shallow and unconvincing. He proceeded to argue that woman had lost the pride she used to have in her home and had surrendered herself to masculine arms and interests and pastimes. She had given up the tremendous power she used to exercise quietly in the home, and had given herself up to matters of far less importance. Women and men should be entirely separate — (laughter). Both had their own particular spheres of activity. Women had left the home and jgone out into (he industrial world. What a descent from, the sublime to the ridiculous! Mr Nunn May, though not without choice touche* of humour, was the first to treat his subject with some degree of seriousness, and he eloquently contrasted the magnificent sphere of the home and upbringing of children with the petty meaningless activities of the industrial and political world- He glanced at the question of dress—(“a small maitei. I know, but significant of much that lies beneath the surface’ - ) —(laughter)—and hv reference to the historv of dress sought to show that woman habitually imitated man in this matter. He concluded by contending that woman had “overflowed - ’ into man’s sphere—a very dangerous and undesirable thing.—(Apnlause.i

Miss Todhunter said that after the great ctment against them it was with fear and trembling that she had realised that she had left home and mother and come before them to speak.—(Laughter.) After the frivolity to which thev had listened she wished to make a serious contribution to the debate. Man until lately bad alwavs llirust woman into the home and kept her there. Man’s fear seemed to be mainlv that woman vfould invade his sphere (Applause.) They were a little doubtful about man’s anxiety to keep them in the home and out of the industrial sphere. Tf (here wore surplus women how were thev all to stay in the homo? What else could (hev do but take up some of the work that men had left for them? Benjamin Kidd had declared that the Mure centre of power lav with woman. She had not yet come into her own, but she was coming into it and would much further yet.—

(Applause.) Had those who declared that woman must stay in the home considered the monotony of the household tasks and duties'; VI oman could now manage the home and still take her share in the business world. She instanced the planning of houses as a sphere in which woman could produce more satisfactory results than man had done. Lawyers at hrst welcomed women jurors with open arms —(laughter) hut they soon found that they riot side-track women as tlic-v could men. r lhey were proud to-day that woman in a few cases hud entered into business and politics but the tune had yet to come when she would lully come into her own. Mr Molson was allowed 10 minutes for a final rep.jr. He contended that Miss lodhunter's speech was merely an onslaught on the two gieat pillars of civilisation —the home and the Bible, which Miss Todhunter. suggested would have been far better if partly written by a woman. —(Laughter.) He questioned whether women would rise to the greatest heights in such professions as law and medicine or even architecture. Where women were competing to-day with men was in the comparatively menial walks of life, the semi-skilled walks of life in which unemployment was the most acute. Women refused to accept the domestic service offered to them and preferred to go out as clerks. When so many privileges were being conferred on women he could not for the life of him see why, when a war was on, they should not go out and fight.—(Applause.) From the aays of the siege of Troy they had been the most fruitful cause of wars.—(Laughter and applause.)