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the affirmative can prove his case, he should not be allowed to collect from the negative the money he is suing for. In a criminal case, unless the affirmative can prove its contention and establish the guilt of the alleged criminal, the accused person should not be punished. In the courts, therefore, both civil and criminal, unless the affirmative can prove its case, all the negative has to do is to point out to the jury the fact that the affirmative has not proved its case, and the jury must vote for the negative.

If we apply the juryman's vote in the same way to a contest debate, the time limits make it practically necessary for the judge to vote for the negative team. It is obviously very much easier for a negative team to point out that a case has not been established by the affirmative, than it is for an affirmative to establish its case. Any attempt to use the juryman's vote in a contest debate gives an almost conclusive advantage to the negative team.

3. The Critic's Vote. It is easy to arrive, merely by the process of exclusion, at the opinion that the critic's vote is the only justifiable vote in a contest or class debate. However, there are also positive reasons for using this type of vote. It is the only one that ensures the educational advantages that are supposed to come from debating. This activity is supposed to benefit the debaters by teaching them how to conduct themselves in the actual debates of real life. If this is true, then a person is most benefited by activity in a contest debate when his work is carefully evaluated and criticized by a competent critic of debating.

Ordinarily, when a person is to be taught how to do anything, he is given a certain amount of instruction, and then is set to work upon a project. When the project is completed, some competent critic goes over the work and tells him wherein it is excellent and wherein it can be improved. Why should not this be done in debating? The critic's vote should be accompanied by just such criticism.

The reasons underlying a critic's vote should always be

given to the debaters in as complete detail as possible. A contest debate in which groups of earnest students debate for an evening, and then someone says to them that the affirmative team has won or the negative team has won, and declines to talk the matter over with the debaters, cannot possibly have any excuse for existing as an educational activity. Debates so conducted can easily do more harm than good. The judge who takes the lofty attitude that "post mortems" are in bad taste, and that only a poor sportsman wants to know why a team won or lost, is a menace to good debating.

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A decision of any kind in any sort of educational contest which is not explained fairly, and frankly, and fully, cannot possibly be justified. Young people should never be asked to contest for a decision in any activity in which the basis of winning or losing is not obviously apparent to any one (as for instance in a foot-race) unless the reasons for the decision are made quite plain to them. No one should ever be allowed to judge a contest debate who is not willing to explain his decision and to give a careful criticism of the work of each debater. C. A Criticism Blank. The following criticism blank is suggested for the use of critics and for debaters working in classes or in clubs or societies in preparation for debate. This blank should be typewritten or printed on a full-sized sheet (8 x 11) of substantial paper or light cardboard. It should be easy to handle and to write on. The spaces should be ample to allow for markings or brief notes. The critic should take this blank to the debate with him. He should also be furnished with paper for running notes and comments if he cares to make them. He should not write on the blank while a debater is speaking. At the close of each speech, the critic should make, in the column for that particular speech, whatever remarks he cares to make. Using plus or minus signs is usually sufficient. If he has no particular impression to record on a given point, he may simply check it to indicate a neutral attitude.

If a critic uses plus and minus signs, he may use two or

three plus signs for particularly good work or two or three minus signs for particularly poor work. Instead of plus and minus markings a critic may use percentages, or any other system which he chooses.

The purpose of the blank is simply to call to mind each of the points in which excellence contributes to good debating, in order that the critic may record, at the close of a speech, a definite impression, if he has one, on each point. This list is offered as the whole list of points which ought to be considered; in other words, no critic should base a decision in any way upon any points not listed on this blank. He should consider all of these points and use them in coming to his decision. He should consider nothing else.

CRITICISM BLANK FOR A CRITIC OF DEBATE

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NOTE. The critic may fill in grades or percentages for each speaker or for each team as a whole; or he may use +, V, and - to indicate his general opinion on each point, either for individuals or teams, using the V for "neutral" or "no particular impression". The critic shall decide for himself the relative weight to be given to each of the points mentioned.

DECISION

On the basis of the criticism indicated by the above markings on these nine points, and considering nothing else, it is my decision that, on the whole, the better debating was done by

The

(Signed)

team.

Critic.

EXERCISES

1. Formulate a good proposition for debate in this class on some phase of each of five of the following topics:

(a) Athletics

(b) The college paper

(c) Dancing

(d) Compulsory military training

(e) National defense

(f) Prohibition

(g) Coal

(h) Labor disputes

(i) Railroads

(7) Taxation

(k) Capital punishment

(1) Improved highways

2. Formulate ten good propositions for class debate. Write them in the order in which you would prefer to debate them in class. 3. Find the issues on each of two of the propositions prepared for Exercise 2. State the type of negative case which you would prepare if you were in charge of the negative.

4. Let a schedule of class debates be arranged to occupy as many meetings of the class as can be devoted to this chapter. Have the propositions taken from the list already handed in, and arrange the speakers in affirmative and negative teams. Run off the debate with main speeches and rebuttals, and have each member of the class fill out a criticism blank for each speaker in each debate.

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The speeches discussed in this chapter1 are grouped together as speeches of courtesy, because each one is simply a part of the normal courtesies of the occasion on which it is given. These speeches are always subordinate to something else in the occasion. They serve the occasion, which exists for some purpose other than simply the giving of the speech. They might well be called occasional speeches because of this common element of always being subordinate to other things in

1 For examples of the kinds of speeches here treated see J. M. O'Neill's Models of Speech Composition and Modern Short Speeches.

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