XXXVI. Student Life—Intellectual Side, Continued
At the beginning of the Ninth Period, 1904–05,
there was in existence at the University of Virginia a
debating and oratorical council representing the two
literary societies, the Washington and the Jefferson.
It comprised five members in all, two of whom belonged
to the one society and two to the other, whilst the fifth
was the professor of public speaking. It was their duty
to arrange, in the names of these organizations, for the
annual contests between the two societies, and also for
the contests between the University and those institutions
of Virginia, the South, and the Middle States, with
which the University had combined under the terms of
special agreements. The two societies were still members
of the Southern Interstate Oratorical Association,
which was composed, at this time, of the Universities
of Texas, Alabama, Sewanee, Vanderbilt, South Carolina,
Kentucky, and Virginia. Previous to 1905, the
representatives of the University of Virginia had won in
only a single contest,—the successful competitor, in
this instance, being Aubrey E. Strode, afterwards a
prominent senator in the General Assembly of Virginia.
The two societies were also members of the Central
Oratorical Association,—to which also belonged the
Universities of Chicago, Ohio, Wesleyan, Cornell,
Columbia, Yale, and Princeton. Two prizes were
awarded to the successful orators of these contests,—
one for an hundred dollars, and the other for fifty. The
Interstate Association was composed of the colleges
of Richmond, Randolph-Macon, Hampden-Sidney,
Roanoke, and Emory and Henry, and the Universities
of Virginia and Washington and Lee.
The method of selecting the representatives of the
two societies for these trials of debating and oratorical
skill was substantially the same in each instance,—the
candidates were chosen by the sifting process of preliminary
tests. Those who were successful thereby
were considered eligible for individual instruction in
daily rehearsals, until the yard-stick of a final competition
should be applied to disclose the possessors of the
superior qualifications. This ultimate test was made by
a committee of the Faculty sitting as the final judges of
merit. The first step was to choose by debate ten representatives;
this number was reduced to six by a second
debate; and from this number, three were selected.
There were, as we have already stated, three strenuous
oratorical and debating contests each year with representatives
of other institutions. One group of champions
would compete with their opponents of the Southern universities,
either at some one of these seats of learning, or
at the University of Virginia itself; a second group
would meet their interstate rivals at Richmond or
Roanoke; a third group would cross swords with representatives
of the central universities at Chicago or Baltimore.
In these oratorical contests, each speaker was
permitted to select his own theme.
The inter-society debates were also events of interest.
The team of the Jefferson would meet the team of the
Washington, and the one pronounced successful in the tilt
was awarded the Board of Visitors' prize. A committee
of the Faculty served as judges. To the winning society
was granted the privilege of holding the Harrison trophy
during the ensuing year.
In 1915, a departure from the prevailing custom was
ventured upon in inviting members of the Faculty to deliver
addresses before the societies,—in the course of
that session, Professor Hall-Quest spoke at a meeting
of the Jefferson, and Professor Graves at a meeting of
the Washington. Set orations were still delivered at the
joint celebration in June. In 1915, Chief Justice
Clark, of North Carolina, spoke. The chief officer at
each celebration was the president of the Oratorical and
Debaters Council, supported by the final presidents of the
societies, who, in turn, handed over the medals bestowed
by their respective societies upon their best orators and
debaters. The final celebration was abolished after this
date, on condition that the means for paying the expenses
of the inter-university debates should be supplied
by the University treasury. These debates, under this
new regulation, were arranged by a committee of four,
two of whom were members of the Faculty, and the remaining
two the representatives of the societies.
The disappearance of the joint celebration at the final
exercises was regretted and deprecated by the older
alumni, whose affection for the University had, in no
small degree, been riveted by the charm and distinction
of that occasion in former times. The substitution of
Founder's Day introduced a purely college hour unknown
to these alumni, and without personal interest to
them, in consequence. In 1913, the Washington Society
revived the interesting custom of celebrating the 22nd
of February. Two years later, that body entertained
the members of the Jefferson at a smoker; and later on,
this courtesy was returned by the Jefferson, when the
vivacity of the occasion was increased by a vocal and
instrumental performance of the glee club.
About this date, the Congress of Debating Union was
organized, the membership of which was drawn from the
two societies. Its meetings, which took place monthly,
were conducted in strict harmony with the procedure of
the National House of Representatives. No sooner had
a constitution been adopted than the body divided into
two parties, one of which was represented by the members
of the Jefferson, and the other by the members of
the Washington. A struggle at once began for the
possession of the speakership, in the course of which
every parliamentary device was employed to ensure success
for one side or the other. When this contest came
to an end, each party brought in bills and endeavored to
pass them in the teeth of the opposition of the other
party. The object of the Debating Union was to teach
the members of the two societies the various methods
followed by the deliberative assemblies.
Training in public speaking was also given by Professor
Paul to those who desired it. A special course
of instruction was imparted by him to the members
of the inter-collegiate teams. This course dealt with
the theory and practice of the art in all their varied
phases. It was said, in 1907–08, that three-fourths of
the young men, who had, by competition, won the distinction
of representing the University in the interstate
contests during the anterior two years had been
pupils of Professor Paul.
The Washington and Jefferson Societies were not satisfied
to cultivate powers of debate and oratory among
their own members alone,—they brought before the
State Teachers' Association, at a meeting held in 1913,
definite plans for a speaking league of all the public
and private secondary schools in Virginia. Seventy-five
of them were soon enrolled, under the guidance of
an executive committee composed of the professor of
secondary education at the University and a member of
each of its literary societies. A bulletin was subsequently
issued which contained questions for debate,
and also sufficient material for the preparation of the
necessary arguments. The first discussions, however,
were entirely local. One neighborhood school would
challenge another school in the vicinage, and the winner
in this contest would be entitled to the privilege of
coming to the University to participate in the contest for
the final championship. In May, 1914, the first intersecondary
school debate was inaugurated at the latter
place. At the start, twenty high schools competed, but
by elimination, the number was reduced to the Buena
Vista High School, represented by two girls, and the
Charlottesville High School, represented by two boys.
The boys went down in defeat before the girls. The
Faculty and students alike were indefatigable in entertaining
the visitors, both old and young,—there was a
movie exhibition, without cost, for their amusement; and
also an excursion to Monticello, in addition to other
forms of open-air diversion.
