DEBATING (Purporting to be excerpts from the diary of a debater) JANUARY 18: This evening, debaters day. More students entered than ever before. The judges listened to oratory for four hours. Frank Rose, George Williams, James Neil, and David Kennedy won places on the league team, with Grant Syphers as alternate. The question debated was, "Resolved: that Utah should adopt a classified property tax." We now turn to other subjects, and begin to prepare for inter-scholastic competition. JANUARY 30: Debate tryouts held to- from the Agricultural College and the University of Utah met in our auditorium in a debate on the classified property tax. Mr. A. P. Bigelow, president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, presided: and a large audience of students and citizens attended. The debate was very entertaining. We hope the two schools meet at Weber again. FEBRUARY 8: Frank and George defeated the Ricks College negative team, and Jim and Dave won the decision over their affirmative team today in the first league contest. The answer to the question, "Should the indeterminate sentence as now used by the courts be condemned?", was thus decided by our debaters to be "yes, and no." We are developing some very able politicians. Saturday, these teams will go to Salt Lake City to enter the league finals. FEBRUARY 10: My good luck has not deserted me! Dave and Jim go to the North- west, Frank and George east-and Virginia Nicholas and I to California. We are all very much impressed. George has been induced to smile. Dave is finding it difficult to keep his mind on his family. Virginia and I are lost in visions of oceans and oranges, Jim hasn't cut a class for three days, and Frank is still writing letters, letters, letters. The Northwestern trip is to include debates in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and British Columbia; the eastern one, debates in Colorado, Kansas, Missiouri, and Illinois; and all of our debates (Virginia's and mine) will be with schools in California. It is an ambi Of all processes of learning perhaps none is so important as Debating. It involves not only a sincere search and acquisition of truth, but also the basic principle of growth -expression. Truth possessed but unexpressed is fruitless. The discovery of truth and its presentation to our fellowmen is the noblest of pursuits. -Aaron W. Tracy tious program, but not too much for us. The question we debate will be, "Resolved: that a substitute be found for trial by jury." The league contests are over, and we are now collecting books, pamphlets, magazines. and interviews, on "trial by jury." FEBRUARY 17: Dreams will be realized tomorrow when Virginia and I leave for California. There is three feet of snow on the ground now, and more coming down. I hope the California climate doesn't disappoint us. Our first debate is on the nineteenth with Sacramento Junior College. Dave and Jim will leave next Thursday. With four of us wandering about at the same time Mr. Monson will have a large amount of worrying to do. MARCH 8: We arrive home safely-in spite of the atempts we made to follow all of the excellent advice we had received about trains, taxis. hotels, street cars, ferries, restaurants, and sight- seeing trips. We liked the climate, the people, the places, and the debates. We found no other school with as etxensive a debate program. or so much interest in forensics as Weber has, and so came home well satisfied. Letters from Jim and Dave indicate that they are having a successful trip. They will be home in a few days, if they don't miss any trains. Frank is as submerged in this business of managing as he was when we left. The voluminous correspondence of the Debate Department is crowding everyone else out of the Student Body office. MARCH 9: Last evening Grant and Frank debated with a team from Mount St. Charles College of Helena. Montana. The Jury System was vociferously condemned and upheld with effectiveness by all four debaters. This is the first time Grant has represented the school this year. Next year he should be one of the best. MARCH 16: Jim and Dave came home today. They won all but two of their ten debates, and although Jim says that in fulfilling DEBATING their two-told mission, he had the good time, and Dave did the good debating, we believe that it must have taken two of them to do as much of either as they did. Representation such as they have given us is a credit to them and to Weber. Take your bow, gentlemen! MARCH 22: Mr. Monson and four debaters drove to Ephraim today to debate with Snow College. The teams consisted of Joseph Littlefield, Blaine Ramsden, Grant, and Jim. There was no decision, but all five members of the expedition are sure they won - the proper attitude! MARCH 28: This evening the administration entertained debaters and coaches from neighboring high schools at a banquet. The occasion was graced by the presence of President Tracy and Professor Blaylock, two of our most enthusiastic supporters. President Tracy's friendly reoperation has encouraged us to undertake things we perhaps should not have attempted without his help. Mr. Blaylock was instrumental in the organization of forensics at Weber many years ago, and has always, officially or as a friend, played an important part in the debates. Representatives from high schools of Davis, Box Elder, Weber, and Morgan Counties, and of Ogden City came to the banquet, and were entertained, (we fervently hope) by a program of music and the customary 'few words' from members of Weber's debate department. MARCH 29: Mr. Monson, George, and Frank left this morning for Peoria and points east. Mr. Monson trusted Virginia and me to conduct our own tour; he even, after some deliberation, allowed Jim and Dave to go with- out supervision; but when Frank and George began making plans, he decided to take them in his automobile. We are glad Mr. Monson is going to find something other than work. He was confronted with the task of educating ten debaters up to the point where they could en- gage in inter-scholastic competition, and he has accomplished the task single-handed. Frank's days as manager are almost over, but he'll probably be haunted forever by the 347 letters he has written. George protested even as he put his bags in the car that he didn't believe they were going. But they left, carrying road maps, tow ropes, and our wishes for their success. In a few weeks Mr. Monson and his young friends will return with stories of more victories. APRIL 1: Today we debated with the Agricultural College. Rondell Tanner and Dave went to Logan where they upheld the negative side of the jury question and Virginia and I debated affirmatively here, against the A. C. girls' team. Tre team was as good as any we have met. The first debate with the college at Logan proved very interesting. Mr. Blaylock acted as critic, and we found that, even at the end of season, there is much to be learned. APRIL 10: George and Frank have won three of their first four debates. They write of many good times and much excitement. The first few days they were occupied with snow, rain, and muddy roads, but after that, proceeded more comfortably. The events I have recorded here are only a few of these that we all shall remember. The long afternoons spent in heated discussions. the hours in class where some of us attempted to absorb the principles of logic, the many amusing things we found to do while we wandered about from school to school-all these have played their part in making the year busy and interesting. The efforts of our most capable coach, Mr. Monson, and Frank Rose, our enterprising and indefatigable manager, combined with what little the rest of us have been able to do, have brought the results for which we hoped. The wide scope of our activities, and their great success has made this a year upon which we shall always look with justifiable satisfaction and happiness. APRIL 23: Frank and George returned today, having won six out of eight debates. Their return marks the end of a successful debating season. No subject in the curriculum is more conducive to all around intellectual development than debating. It calls for research, for culling, for comparing, weighing and evaluating, for organisation. It trains the mind to meet situations with dispatch and decision. It calls for individual initiative, for courage and decision. It affords opportunity for the deevlopment and expression of "politesss." -John Q. Blaylock