programme for the term. The subjects were : Nineteenth Century Architecture, Trends in British Foreign Policy, and an article on "The History of Smoking".
THE DEBATING SOCIETY The Society held four meetings during the term, the first and last being open meetings. Attendances at closed meetings were somewhat disappointing, but a welcome compensation for this has been the large number of speakers from the floor. There seems little danger that the Society will fall into the hands of a few vocal members. At the same time it would be unfair to omit from these notes a word of appreciation to those members whose staunch support helps so much in every debate, such as Staines, Wheatley, Holmes, Ibberson, and Dunwell, to name a few, and, of course, Baines, who is one of the `"characters" of the Society and is credited with over 50 speeches. An ability to defend himself with a well-turned phrase, a sense of humour sly enough to appear unintentional, and an imperturbable delivery have enabled him to achieve a unique position in the Society. A word of thanks is due, too, to the efficient and hard-working Secretary, R. N. Johnson. We have continued the system of "Parliamentary" seating—not without some dissentients—and it seems well established. Some members enjoy a dramatic and ostentatious change of sides; some have been known to persuade themselves by their own speeches, and then walk across. A really good speech has been known to cause quite a large-scale migration, and it seems as if the old gibe that everyone came with his mind already made up, and with no intention of changing it, whatever was said, is no longer applicable. The first meeting (23rd January) was to discuss the motion "That this House regrets the ever-increasing strength of the party-system in Parliament". The proposers were Mr. Le Tocq and Kirkus, the opposers Wheatley and Crossley. In spite of the fact that the opposers, whose political views are well-known to be diametrically opposed, had at last found something to agree upon, and so might have been expected to win all shades of opinion, the motion was carried by 60 votes to 31, with 21 abstentions. At the second meeting (6th February), J. 'M. Baines and H. C. Bulmer proposed "That this House regrets the growth of urban life in Britain". The Secretary and Bolton led the opposition, and there were 20 speakers from the floor. This motion was carried by 26 votes to nine, with six abstentions. On 27th February the third meeting was held, and the House discussed the motion "That modern art form is not artistic". The proposers were Mr. F. Waine and Crowe, the opposers Stephenson 23
