DEBATING FOR BOYS

DEBATING FOR BOYS

BY
WILLIAM HORTON FOSTER

New York
STURGIS & WALTON
COMPANY
1915

All rights reserved

Copyright, 1913
By THE PERRY MASON COMPANY

Copyright, 1913, 1914
By THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

Copyright, 1915
By STURGIS & WALTON COMPANY

Set up and electrotyped. Published, August, 1915

The judge, in awful ermine, on the bench; thejury, glowering, in its box; the prisoner, the book,in the dock: enter in humility, the attorney for thedefense, the preface.

“What excuse for existence has the prisoner?”thunders the judge in tones that make the culprit’sleaves shake.

In cringing deference, the attorney for the defensefalters, “None, your lordship, none, but....”

Such is the scene that many prefaces suggest.This preface, however, is different—and quiteshameless. It says, merely, that the title “Debatingfor Boys” carries its own statement of its reasonfor being. Boys like to debate; debating will dothem good. This volume is a simple, unpretentiousmanual designed to help boys to debate efficiently—toget from the most manly of all sports, and aroyal sport it is, all of the pleasure and profit it hasto offer. The book is designed, first of all, as an aidto the boy himself—in home, club, school, church—and,also, as an aid to the father, club director,teacher, clergyman, all, in fact, who are his friendsand advisers.

I wish to thank The Youth’s Companion for itscourteous permission to reprint one chapter whichoriginally appeared upon its Boys’ Page; Boys’Life, the Boy Scouts’ magazine, for kind consentto the republication of much matter which first sawthe light of print in its columns; Mr. Henry SmithChapman for valuable material upon parliamentarylaw; and Mr. Warren Dunham Foster for his generaleditorial direction of the book.

Acknowledgment is due Mr. Rollo L. Lyman ofthe University of Chicago, and Mr. George P. Bakerof Harvard, whose methods of teaching argumentationhave become standard.

W. H. F.

Boston, Massachusetts.