A suggestion has come from a well known preparatory school pointing out what appears to be a valuable field for effort on the part of college men. It is suggested that some methodical attempt be made to encourage school debating, and to inaugurate interscholastic debates.

Without question Harvard debaters could do much to increase the interest in debate among the schools. The past few years of college history have proved so forcibly the advantages to college men of learning to discuss questions with ease and intelligence before an audience, that those advantages are well understood. Schoolboys are, of course, not so well fitted to handle difficult questions, but aside from the intellectual training, they are perfectly capable of profiting by the experience of facing an audience. This portion, at least, of the speaker's training can not be begun too early, and that the fact is appreciated is shown by the increasing number of school debating clubs.

In most schools, however, with the probable exception of Andover and Exeter, but little progress has been made. Interscholastic contests would do much to stimulate vigorous training and no one can do so much to put life into the movement as can the college debater.

We think that the more debating experience school boys can obtain the better fitted they will be to make the most of the larger opportunities in college, and that by this means many more individuals might be brought to realize the practical value of debating ability. We recommend this matter to the attention of the debating clubs.