VICTORIA COLLEGE DEBATING SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1831, 18 August 1913, Page 2

VICTORIA COLLEGE DEBATING SOCIETY.

Tho seventh debate of tho Victoria College Debating Society was held on Saturday evening. Mr. G. G. Watson, 8.A., presided over a laTge audience. The subject debated was "That the French Evolution Exercised a Greater Influence on English Literature than tho Renaissance." Tho motion was moved by Mr. A. E. Oaddick, M.A., seconded by Miss J. Tolly, 8.A.; while Mr. H. E. Evans, M.A., LL.M., and Mr. P. B. Broad, LL.B., opposed. The movers claimed that the democratic ideals as evidenced by the French Revolution infused into English literature the feeling and t'lie distinctive tone Of poetry of the ago of Wordsworth, and were responsible for the rise of pros! and historical work which gave to the literature of the beginning of last century muoh of its literary excellence. The opposers, however, contended that tho Renaissance was the- creative force of English literature. The French It-evo-lution was merely a supplementary influence, and did not materially alter the natural -trend of literary endeavour. The brilliance •of Shakespeare and Milton would have been impossible but for the Renaissance. .Altogether, interest in the debate was well maintained, and tho standard of debating was high. On being put to tho meeting tho motion was declared lost. The judge, Mr. A. R. Atkinson, B.A. (Oxon), expressed his satisfaction of tne ma,nner with which so difficult a subject had been handled. Tho various speeches showed a grasp of tho details of English literature. He placed the first five speakers in 'the following order: Mr. A'. B. Sievwright, Miss M. L. Niclvolls, Mr. P. B. Broad, and Messrs. Caddick and Evans, wjual, fourth.