UNIVERSITY DEBATING SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 509, 17 May 1909, Page 3

UNIVERSITY DEBATING SOCIETY.

'.■'■''.'*.,'', '■. '"':.'':.''.'':::. : .■ ''.'■■."' THE FUTOEE£MHE ASIATIC/NATIONS.'. : .'A'. largo audiehcff .'wasVpteseiit■ at' the third meeting.of,the: Yictbria'.\College''Debating-So-' eiety .on Saturday' evening, when :a to the effect that,;"'rh6 v Asiatio nations will within the -'next- 150. years • predominate ; as : world Powers" was': discussed." .'.'. ■ ■ -'.'' '. '] ''■■ ..- ■ ~: 'The-.motion :was •nioved'byiliissß/ReeTe ■ seconded.by: Miss:M.-E.'. Barkas, ; wTiile Miss E. j N.. Sampson,seconded by-,Miss A. E. C'urrie, ; opposed;;'.- The movers of. the motion : gave an analysisAof.. tho'iawaEening in Japan and China and .the. other; Asiatic nations.; They had adopted Eur.opean.legal ;systems,.reformed their administration,, and had rapidly, assimilated Western civilisation:'■; The-population'of the' East and its,resources were.exceedingly• great,- and since ~ the future of nations, was .tending ,'■ to depend more.fand -more .on their, commercial activity, . then /everything pointed to the greatness of: the Chinese 'Empire. /Moreover, the, Chinese' w.oro. industrious ;ahd good 'financiers j ..Japanese' d«—■ hpression was only- .temporary. .There, was "a spirit, of nationalism abroad, in the East; the Japanese especially had' '£■ vision of'future pre-' ! domiiiance'on- the.-sea: > -v. r .' : . i ./The. opposers-replied that materialresources I would : not :rhahe ■: the. Asiatic nations . great. 'Even'.';though.-''they had- a teeming population they would'nevor have .-predominance in arms, commerco or learning. -The mind of the Asiatic, was not moulded for greatness:. The Japanese: were'deceitful; the Chinese were inert and i uhpatriotip;;. the -Hindus.:, were ■ feeble "and scheming.'_ India, with her castes; .would never be, an'entity,. while China' was split' up into ,'four divisions-bound, together by'.a feeble.link. Japan, indeed,. was, an c'ntitjvbut / the country :.was too'small .to', acquire predominanoo.,- Moreover, .the Asiatic had -not the ifirility- 5 of the West. ;:.': : Lastly,..lnd.ia.; , had: been .''overrun ; by invaders, China'by military ihordesV and 'the ■majfe:, ; of''the','Japanese had not .yet. emerged from af eudalistic state. ,'" Such nations, it was contended,'--would ' hot attain 'predominance in a century,-.and a^'halfc r .:-:":,.",V. ' ' : '\ . 'riVembors •toolc, part -.iii the debate, and the motion, on bejngput; was deolared lost ■by.' : 'l9;to 8..:,-'.-, ! - .' ; ': ; .- ;'■• :'. -~!:•'.;. '••,....-•■ K...:-■^Mr;s'A:-.E: ; v Atfcinson,'-/who judged the-debate for, the .'purpose of' awarding-.points for-,tho union ..prize, placed the' first .five/ speakers, as follow:—Messrs.'J. Jlogben, \V. ', J. - M'Eldowriey,'J. Dudley, H.'Monaghan, and Miss-M. E. Barkas..:*;'.,•'..■;■ .'.";'.■:";;■.■• ;■.;-;■.; .:'".-:■;'.;.'■.::j: -.?" •■■•".■:'. jittho next meeting, of.th'e 'society to be held ? n .Saturday/ May-29, the motion for discussion is: -That the - granting of' self-government '.to India-.is.in the:best interests of India and of tho.British Empiro." ■ • ■' r -.