MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1150, 12 August 1882, Page 2

MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY.

The meeting of the*' Society Jast evening was well altende'd, Mr Grundy presiaiiigr The evenibg was,,", Should •the i W'Bw%'beputtied." . i Mfjßedraan'. oeortod..(ittoe\de>aMiwJtliex affirmative. Too much- importance, he' said, had_ been attached'byimamhersito" .p^itTeminded'himof.Diokens' Mud.Fo»{ Association. He advocated, doing, all, .thiiigs' aboveboar'd.'';'Phey"gave 'riut'that' tlieir debates were piiblio:;and;while tlib" .was the case, ■ tliey coiilct'nbt exclude the press, through whose aid the Society had obtained a consjdeiuble<locttl:repututiou. Excluding newspaper meit 'ffleSpf'sittking .jnto obßcbWly? ,a Throbgh' ; 'taving ; ;'their debates reported theyhad iroreased tlieir,. numU'erlof niembers/. Mo\ that they: h&d ? leen' correctly >re'ported, aijd probably it was Jhe Y^ry ? ,aqburaoy of. the reports which had- given offence. f (AppUasei)rw y,; '..,n:.ta'lOt^?i(. ~:j Mr.G. MbrißhnV'in;riaingron> the^riegat tiyeWde of the aubjedt' : any reference' to"'the 1 press. They;had a right to Bay whetheV it; was desirable that ".their be| very sorry to* throw any "sluY on the press ..which < had ,«s6isied;; raateriajlyj; Joj make'the Sooiety.! tfmp.j .however," had come when i Key dould do without the 4he Sppietyi imjght, require nourishment from ihißßource','but • it ho longepneeded it.;' '■ ;He to thb younger members of the "Society 'who were'toci modeit'i i6 : ''haVe'.''their speeches' and consequently, .were silent oi;hejd_aloof from, the meetings... He thought publio men.would opmo.more f r ii tly to * their T ro eatings iftiriijr.Bt;, terances'were 'private;''' Hei 's'aid'it'would :bei ».^at.sbame|D^md i diJß|y,tp..b.e ) ijap,ri- ; fie'pOp .yanityi'ampng: mem i '^'e».'l^ ! The' la\r : .bufc he'thoughti : it waijiuppssible. for acy : reporter.not to. give someaniountor<bias,to He spoke of the apprp'oaiivenessaiid selfof members as theprincipalarsmmenVin" favor of publication. (ApplauVe'J ~ Mr Paytoa said 'tne'debaterevealeitho of sensitive plaats^in ; the] Ho- • ciety. They did not,,p.onstilute a majority! of] members,'b.ui.-ihey were i sufflcUtitly numerous to demand.special consideration. He proposed that there' Should be a sensitive plant nightonce a month, at • whiohjhe.doMshiiuld be tyled and oaths |swbrtiblithe traditional red hot poker, ilt must not be supposed that' the sensitive plants were born to blush unseen and •wastetheir fragrance'on" the'd'eserPair. 5 : li' might be rerrAembered;'that ! 'bne of thein had formerly mo'ved a 'feaoliition in favor o{ilady I 'visitbrß; " On sensitive plant nigh'ls'fKrbbm "migKt be ticketed, " For' ladies only'.t'M-AVith' : iW "Sweet girl .graduates"' the sensitive plant-debates would be'e'xtremely'iiiteres't'-' ing,biitheiagreed'with the-last speaker that it would be very > undesirable ito. report.the prooee'dines: ••■■■? '<■'■'<<■'&> v r^-*

Mr 'Wobdrobfe contended-:'that : the press was one of the'grealßst boiiefactora.' He 1 , though he'had 'been'" "lockl 5 newspapera, had aMys'iethiSfrightat 1 public meetmijs, "No one ought 'to "be ash'tined of what bo said. Many questions they had discussed, bad conveyed through 'the;Preßs very' iiseful irtfofmoiion r; to 'the public? He 1 believed that' the-Public took'aiarjje^ihferest'in;their ptiiceedihgs' and he conaijere'd that'the notj now'"be "in" aVißtenca'.'wtthbiit'.iho" ?reas. ; , s ~,_..J., , yv ? .. ; . v . fljfc J, Tile confessed tobeing a Bensi-.' five plant He believed that there were members of 'the" Society who' would' not care to ; takfl'parS l iu ihe dcbftte if tfea'^ 1 ' dreadeß were published, and fov that reaq-m he' ljfduld'supi.oit; fheii)," The'- object', 1 of [the] sl?cfely^waß\tb",|tea'climelntjeH'''to, speaVanj he'djd riu|^imk;jt : 'jha|. i value * 'b'eyon'd'f'iw " dia'oussinns flight but others would be better unreported, and it was bara 4 10 draw the'line. '"."""■;;" """' -\

t .Mr Golflihekj thatithe object;'of imemv ' b'ers,wastb'advahoflWinterestV'of' ttie Society, and .he J^to.ihe.rplfa.pi, s jhe motion Tfie question was jwhetheM cef tain.unenviable notoriety; whicXjtha, ;Bq^ was [the result of the publication of their p'feoCedings;: He held .that met; for (mutual improvement oaud they ' opuld not avail themselves of'this adva'Av ] .t'age! il WmYtyroceedings were'publishecl; • ' ". The Key, Mr f Isitt was; aruaaed at a towyer hiking 'aborjt'robdesty. He'W cuse'd the opener of the'debate of hair Bplitjting,jaljsp of ingratitude Jn ; (thrpwADg press on one side. ,aCter. ing the benefits "the 1 Sooiety"hVd"derived from ; j.Tbe; ;Maa;erton, Debating.. So : ; ,ciety wielded-an, influence,ithrqß«h v |its. "ptibHci'y groat'er than that exercised by any j other e.ojnityiTsojjfe.ty within. r > his months before he came to..Mastertoh.ihe had'been led to takejan interest in the Society through the press. He could understand Mr Vile, who-had notpbeea :ainpngrtbemf(mueh, sympaih!sm^witli J young he c'ould' , - , as4'ure'hi.tt'that beenjwjth,tl|em {t little tor^ta,would find im'silent me^ue^i3tiflgsl;t^BV I 'fo i whom he referred." Ontjoitm always had ,gqodj. - reßu.! j t,a,- > ttieir ? dis ; . "iVee, .apdi'easyV thieyi would "be. . { qijMr Ford said it seemed strange aiw: cussihg such a question after inviting the publtolo attend lueirl>meetihga. As a rule general Bense of ; the collected. Personally..., lie'"Vvnuld..prefor not tw •'ae'e'bis- imme m^M ,,^i, a jbu^Tie 1 ' waived thai objeotion i 'ib' coosfderat'on of th v ' ;It ibidi. been! ' publiihedt ooai 11 .the names o^'apeaker,!/., hut now their names' were before tHepiily: ho hej feared tb'aTtb'e latter would-be .dia^' appointed .wjthxjtiojh .'imik'W&BWS&fiW; Taken ( was an, . 'advantage for tKem io have the press in theirinidst. , .nm : M:>tA . >'* Mr|Wickens'Baid.rhe joinedii[he'iS6oietf v. simply on account of the; reports' he. saw in shut out good fcmVU '<»# ■ the bread butof ttie^tnbtithi^bf tiie'prw.' - ; (Alaogh.) •The , 'pr^VM'a'good' l help , 1o i '.; them, and be didinot see why they should stop it ■., '■. ;. : "' : *'~ -. Mrjßnisellsaidtf jjhpttbeyipolreWs* j not publißheditwbpoo&o'ut'in another, ' and perhapa / : a' ? f | w , onld ; Buppb*rt-tUe , 'amrmative side of the qaeitlb^i;;:;.^;.::V : :^C'.t'V';:''- v i-'\' ; U.'' : Mr DeCastro asked, did the/ come j)

theraM'edaoatepublio opinion for ftoaj ,imji|o»ement. HoMte|ld to tabie|noti*of motinu if ihe%eft. were that tbli^pthe Sobiety.'"..™ t ■-^BSpsr^ifMr Park sympathised with'"jjfoapj members who desired their speeches' t8 ■.^PHYi^^rH^^^^d^'he^ormatioa. of: a study branch of the Society.-'One mistake they had made was ip not having ; ,tslifin,np.B«bie(«jiflf a« edw»iifl(iaifiba^u They were'jnuoj) indebteji, to jiie press, and Hib only?|om|alnQaa tbitl tbe'press had pot*ihWiup*tb*ir» defioi-i . .ehces sufficiently. It was ungrateful on-/ Ifcfieir part to kiok away the ladder' atf Bpoirßßiheyhad'olimbedhiglreQou({h.-It: press a little longer. . . "-. i jMr fiappdid not beliero the press carid_ : ja'tnsp whether they reported .their d.9«, laics -or no, still.'forfithejjjakejr.sfotbji; , society it would'be .better; to do without the, pf eisaltogetlfeK'i 1$ cor rectlf-reported ! it Vould be different, 1 'but lie held that discrepances wereobsernable in 'th'a'frepoVla-publiihed.; oHe'icoo/eesetr? that he was a sensitive plant.'i<(A ; la»ah). The arguments ; thttfcnif[ht,-reft)ind)ed hutt T of shooting a hie "i&Mb bptinHngjbirdiI Mr tirowMaid J he , should^up f^ri; ih'B affirmativeVi.le of the question for several' reasons, first'the^lu^ofWe'pablJt'ity.-t*., • members whb'.'cßfl •nßi? ; w , a^^d , Tiui , it.6ut; b|l of a ,(,, 6r? ;'th r e'frwoW^'M , . ■ tremedoua buj.. to !l J»V6riare j ii'' gradually,, seco'ndly;iri' {lie press itself,'ana thirdly the World at large." They could not telJfwtiaV: , L the result of the pubhcation : |nis[ht I wV. „'' jMr Uogg said that in, reporting,he, was' frequently sßbediEaupprßss namis, and;' "Mfe-S^h^ he could strain a point, than tb^cpjnplyj; with aueh reb,ueßt ; s.-...'.-H« only objictat m;eetingspl tae'Spcs'.'yhad'.beenHo'Be'nei: ; • Jit it. It was quite' aatural:;(hat there, should be a class of »ufl(Uiw should be very sotty ? tS)drag t ariy mole or any other animal, which resided In the ■'• jJfjvk from its tiet^'lhlt ■ itKeir clld" injrjjietice,p.ublid, tobti- ' Jment, aivd-.'tbat' 'every! wbrtby sen' tilnenf , which c 9rn f t^eir d .Society found ali echo 'somewhere, tnopgh'- ' they might not-alwaya be aßie to iface U* . Mr Webster,;,thought}maiiy.?ni»P4berSi who had spoken had altogether missed the: point. They in the. negative deßirtd to" i jaffirm the pnnpiple that the proceedings of- debating;. Buoie'tiea'as 'eMo'atoff 'of ib>;' dividual members' alioulo* not' be^pub*Jished He thought the more/advanced members of the Society should raercise a little s this towns the 1 idea" of reporting-debating societies-was never entertained. >■■• t>-f,, »~. Mj Hall replied and advocated giving publicity to their proceedings. He bad himself often blushed to see sentiments he had uttered appear in print, but the criticism outside jj fwhioh they elioited had, he found, enlaired his views. '"' Mfc Girdwood pointed out. that there was a dkihctiw/\betwsßsJpybfisHiqg 36batesarid reporting' them. ..The Society ,coiildnot afford the former, tu'tilie deemed ' the latter to be the life and soul of their deflates. He fouiid.Ahat 1 4he public outside jwere j ttieMapejit of : losing the reporti ofHhe pirn ' ; They toojkjupj large questions affecting the in*'' • terests of and it would be foolish to Hmii-tlibir publioitibn. 1 ./ 0 ■ ; - Mr Redman made' an! abltf. : reoly,' after; which a| vote was taken-,, jfhioh, resulted in jfayor" of the advocites'o/ publicity, ' whoiiiumbered.Be.venteen as against-the sensitive planto;Tvho i ntfnib ) ered i fiye..vV