THE,
PETERITF„ Vol,. II .
JUNE, 1880 .
No . 13.
HINTS FOR DEBATING SOCIETIES. III . writer hopes that he has made a happy selection of a
T subject, for he believes it is one of interest both to past as well as present Peterites . But the selecting a subject is one thing, the handling of it quite another. The above topic was prompted by some objections made in the University of Cambridge, where it was asked by men who ha .l not the courage to speak "What is the good of Debating Societies ? They are only collections of men who love the sound of their own voices, and who either talk about something nobody cares for, or else discuss questions everybody knows by heart ." \Veil, the good is twofold, for by means of these Societies we can sometimes bring other people round to our way of thinking, and sometimes improve ourselves ; and the latter is generally better for all parties concerned, especially where the component elements have hardly attained years of discretion : and even when the members are somewhat advanced in years, erroneous views and false statements are not unfrequently swallowed by listeners simply because of the vehemence with which such statements are only too often accompanied . In cases of this sort it is advisable to bear in mind Macaulay's caution touching "the boldness of ignorance . " With regard to converting other people to our opinions, this can only be successfully done by persons who are themselves convinced, and conviction can only come from satisfying ourselves that the motion we arc bringing forward or supporting is either necessary or useful : and this conclusion may be so obvious on the face of it that common sense must admit it at once, in which case there is no need to debate about it ; or on the other hand, the conclusion may be one which can only be arrived at