GISBORNE DEBATING SOCIETY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 843, 24 July 1879, Page 2

GISBORNE DEBATING SOCIETY.

The usual fortnightly meeting of this Society took place last evening m the Court House, which .Mr. Kenrick had kindly placed at the disposal of the Society for their use, and. where it is contemplated the usual gatherings will m future be held. Captain Porter, the President, occupied the chair. The post of Secretary was held by Mr, Featon m absence of Mr. Wilson, and about twenty members were present. The minutes of the last meeting were duly read and confirmed. It was proposed from the chaiv that a code of rules be preparedjby the Committee, to submit to the members, for adoption upon the next night of meeting. Agreed to. It was proposed by Mr. Arthur, seconded by Mr. Williams, that Mr. Cuff be elected a Vice-President of the Society. Carried. The business of the evening consisted of the Debate — " Are animals endowed with reason or not ?" Captain W. H. Tucker lead off m the affiinrative. The speaker commenced his argument by defining the difference between reason and instinct, and very carefully drew the line of disinction, quoting m support various authors on the subjecb, that reason was the ability to draw references, aud to explain the difference between cause and effect ; and that instinct was a spontaneous action without ability to repose. In support of his argument, the speaker read various selections from works on Natural History, wherein the dog, the horse, and the ape took prominent parts, as illustrating evidences of reason m certain of the habits, and explained how difficult it was to discern the line merging from instinct to reason. Where animals used their instincts to obtain certain ends, it was but a fair plea to claim for them that they possesed more or less of reasoning powers. After sustaining the thread of his argument m a clear and concise manner for length of time aud instancing personal experiences of the intelligence aud sagacity of the brute creation, the speaker sat down amidst much applause. Mr. F. Arthur then followed m the negative m redly. The speaker commenced by giving the definitions of instinct aud reason, and argued that animals cannot deduce one proposition .from another. The attributes of instinct, he said, were given to animals co teach them how to obtain food, and piotectthemselves ; but was man brought into the world totally defencless that he has reason given him to combat successfully against the animal creation, and to surmount difficulties. He argued that education, and the power of imitation m animals was the cause of their display of instinct, which was more noticeable m our domestic anknals, as the horse and the dog. Animals, he said, have not reason, be a. higher class of instinct, which is acquired by education, and not any powers of deduction. After relating dome humorous anecdotes of the monkey, and the learned pig with the cards, and citing a few remarkable* instances of the higher instincts of birds and the brute creation, the speaker concluded a well digested speech amidst applause. Mr W. K. McLean then spoke m support of the affirmative with some well-chosen remarks, followed by Mr A. C. Arthur, who chose to advocate a middle course, and believed that animals were possessed m degrees of both instinct and reason. Mr 0. Smith followed m support of the affirmative, with Borne very pertinent remarks, and gave lucid illustrations of the high attributes possessed by the animal world. Mr Tucker, then m reply, passed a high compliment upon his opponent, Me F. Arthur, for the very fair and able manner m which he had dealt with the subject, and though he had sought to obtain weight by calling many evidences of the sagacity of the brute world into question, he was not by any means convinced that his own argument was nob correct, and m support he would point to the contrast of differences m the race of men, the Australian black and the highly educated European, and compare intelligence of a highly trained dog with the Australian black ; the dog really possesses the most reason and intelligence of the two. Effects, said the speaker m conclusion, produced by the lower animals, are such that they appeal to our sympathy, and it is only fair to accord to them the possession of something more than powers of instinct. The President then commented upon the remarks of the several speakers, and, as m custom, put the question to the vote, with the following result : — For the affirmative 13 For the negative 7 Majority for affirmative ... 6 Before concluding, it was proposed that an extempore debate take place upon the next night of meeting. The subject to be given from the chair. Seconded by Mr. Tucker, and carried. A vote of thanks to the Chairman concluded a most agreeable and instructive meeting.