FOXTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1274, 21 July 1914, Page 3

FOXTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

A well-attended meeting of the recently-formed Debating Society was held in the Good Templar Hall last night. Mr Hornblow was elected chairman. The subject for debate was : "Should we obey Mrs Grundy ?” Mr E. Huntley championed the affirmative. and Mr George Daniell the negative. The speakers who supported Mr Huntley were the Rev Mr Maslin, Miss Honore, and Mr E. Walker, while Messrs Geo. Huntley, Burgess and Miss Signal would have nothing of Mrs Grundy. All the speakers acquitted themselves remarkably well. A clear definition of the mythical Mrs Grundy and her code for the respectability and good government of society was not clearly defined. This led the speakers into irrelevant paths of argument. Here are a few of the arguments in brief both for and against: Had Rome obeyed Mrs Grudy she would have maintained her prestige ; Nelson’s name would not have been sullied ; George Washington, by his obedience to Mrs Grundy, would not tell a lie ; Amy Bock was a Grundy-defying person ; the man who wore the grey coat would not have been ostracised by society if he bad conformed to the conventional dress; suffragettes were paying the penalty for not obeying Mrs Grundy ; obedience to Mrs Grundy tended to refinement ; extremes in dress were in defiance of Mrs Grundy ; Mrs Grundy was an object of ridicule associated with old fashioned spinsters; conventionalities were unnecessary—particularly in "popping the question” ; Mrs Grundy’s dictates were old fashioned and silly ; the priest and the Levile obeyed Mrs Grundy, but the good Samaritan did not ; Mrs Grundy was a prude and a hypocrite; people would waste half their lives if they waited to know what Mrs Grundy would think before they did anything ; it was quite natural to treat each each other correctly without consulting Mrs Grundy ; Mrs Grundy was out-of-date and people should be ruled by common sense; it didn’t follow a man was a gentleman if he adhered to the rules of Mrs Grundy ; Lady Hamilton was Nelson’s inspiration not Mrs Grundy ; Mrs Grundy killed initiative, and so on. After the leaders had replied the chairman reviewed the arguments and by a majority of two —13 to 11 —the meeting decided against Mrs Grundy. The usual congratulations and votes of thanks concluded a very interesting evening. The next meeting should prove very interesting, when a mock municipal election will take place.