COLLEGE DEBATING SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 931, 26 September 1910, Page 2

COLLEGE DEBATING SOCIETY.

THE STANDARD OF THE PRESS;'

:! A highly sufceessful session;, of the fVio* toria . .College ;Debating : ,', Society . vwaa. brought to _a" close ou; fcaturday, t-h'o oo« oasionibeingitlie -last debate of : -the ; , year. Tlie morion, for]discussion was':."That ; tiia standard; ofthe. : press' is. the : product;:; o£'. the-, wishes: and- .culture of:; its readers.";. . ■ Mr. A; E. Caddiok and Mr. ■ ($. ~Wv Morice,;-,8.A., established a very st.ix>ng , case ' for. the- afeih'atiye; ; ' ;The.'detOTmina- . tion'.-of the ..standard of, tho press iithey; of-the'law of • supply and demand. •' A paper is brought-into: existence only. by. -the,: wishes of„a..class. of:.;the:;community.v ; If,:at .a^Z'' time it fails -to.meet'the wishes'-.andViei .quirements of that class.: its_circuiatibii is diminished.:, To, maintain ,'its ; :position,' a. paper must,yield,'to :the demands of!ita readers," rather' than tosthose .of; ; its':-pro«. -prietors or;'ltß. : advertisers.^:'An,'eteor..ia- : ser-ti hg.. unpopular vidivs ,Mn JhisV paper' iiai paving tho way: for-vdisaster;.:.- Even'-- th». jwishesV of> the 'advertisers ;Can;. rarely : b», oorisideredj ■'"for: .the vaiuo'.: of'.'a. paper. 7 as an Advertising! medium depends'essentially: on its circulation. -; , , ' In opposing'this- point of view, Itr.- F. Hall-Jones and; Mr;'T. M;'Holmden.men. tioned : th"e : impbssibility^--'of-determining:■' .the : ; ; Uterary..istandard: ;of .the^press.7frqia ; * 1 -t'h'e--.'iyary.ihg, culture;.'oi' l iti: : admitted l that, ihe;. press was ■ called the people, but contended, that once firmly, established,> a■■ •' standard reacts^' on. iw creator/a high br-a'loiy.istaudaru of- thi»-: press, far from being the product of tha wishes and the culture of its readers,; is a most:'inllnential : factor in elevating or' degrading- the reader. The .ethical standard .of the-'press; is l determined,by, thef! Wishes of : . the :.pToprietors,, and . the; liter-, ary standard by the culture of Where thei proprietor finds-it;.to his'ad-, vantage to yield to the wishes of. tho. readers 'he does so, but this is. not in-: variably the case.- Tn- Russia tne editors,.' -find it,convenient:to chaanpio-n tho auto-' oratic. : system despite the. wishes of . .the' masses.' 7 . In America ' the -wishes, .'of ,-:tha; people are powerless to remove'the-grip." of .wealth on the .leading-papers. .In these-, cases the. proprietors consult - their finan- ' cial position vrather :. ,tban.;the . ; wishes , of . the people. ' : ' : ; , On being put to the meeting tho motion was carried. ■: 1 •'-'- . Mr.; Malcolm, M.P,, .who judged the debate, gave <t brief address, and placed the - first-.five speakers, in' the following order,:—Messrs. 11 'Eldowney,. Oram, ; Cad- - ■dick; Fair, and Bread. • ; The chairman, Sir. Kennedy,^sl.A;,' - ,LL.B., announced that tho i'.ew speak«xs s ;: 'prize, awarded to the new speaker who.makes the most : progress' during''the, year,;; had 'been' awardra to ;Mr. : R'. -S.' Watson, ■ ■ -The" Union Prize, the society's "blue: ribf.: bon," awarded to the speaker who ol>. tains ' the , highest average :of .; .points" throughout the year; -was! won by Mr. M. 11. Oram, JI. ! A., with ah, average of '2;5points, ' Mr.' G. W.;:'Jlorice, ;B;A:i : -' being.; second with an' average, of. 2.1' points.: :A. vote:of':thanks., -judge;.coriclvideci;.: the meeting. : : v. v : i;.: