From “Q.C.G.”,
November 1906
Debating Society.
The Debating Society opened this session on Saturday evening, 10th November, with a short inaugural address from the chairman, after which Mr. W. F. Burke read a paper—or was it a paper ?—on “Irish Poetry.” The chairman’s address consisted chiefly in an exhortation to the Freshmen to lay aside their bashfulness, an advice which very few of them seem to have profited by. Mr. Burke’s paper, although commendable in that it was something more than a mere string of names, was on the whole unsatisfactory. The subject was a rather wide one, and Mr. Burke’s acquaintance with it narrow. The discussion which followed proved that ignorance in matters Irish is not quite so prevalent amongst us as Mr. Burke seems to have imagined. Prof. Trench treated us to a brilliant and instructive speech showing a profound knowledge of the whole range of Irish and Anglo-Irish poetry. Mr. Donovan, BA., Mr. M. Walsh and Mr. Fogarty, BA. also spoke, the latter two of whom were passable enough. If Mr. Donovan could see his way to give us less matter with more art, and if, on the other hand, Mr. Burke gave us less art with more matter, we could hear them both with a great deal more patience. The remarks emanating from the back benches during the debate were a distinct improvement on those of last year. There seems to be a spirit of general reform abroad amongst the “gods.”
The second meeting of the Society took the form known as “Hat Night.” Though “Hat Night” affords a specially favourable occasion for the debut of Freshmen, not one of them, with the solitary exception of Mr. Browne, jun., took the floor. Several of the older members spoke, but the event of the night was Mr. Martin’s brilliant harangue on “War.” Mr. Martin has too long “hid his light under a bushel,” and we hope to hear him oftener in the future. Towards the close of the proceedings Mr. Donovan, in seconding a motion proposed by Mr. Martin, discovered that he alone knew the rules of the Society and he vigorously rated the Secretary and Vice-Chairman. Mr. Marshall, from the back bench, called the attention of the meeting to the palpable depravity of smoking while addressing the chair. The “gods” are improving.
On Saturday evening, 24th inst., a debate on the question of “Women Suffrage” was held. Mr. Marshall and Miss Stevenson championed the ladies, white Mr. Ball and Mr. Curry opposed. The speeches on both sides were good but despite the limpid eloquence of the lady speaker, the motion that women be allowed the Parliamentary franchise was lost. Mr. Donovan withdrew his motion of censure on the officials for their ignorance of the rules, but he found a fresh bone of contention in the minutes, over which himself and M Clarke wrangled for half an hour.
In view of the inter-collegiate debate to he
held during
“BLUEY.”