Three years ago the debating interests of Harvard were divided between two rival organizations and were practically without an administrative head. The Harvard Union had been organized in 1880, with W. R. Thayer '81 as its first president, and was originally intended to be like the unions of Cambridge and Oxford, the nucleus of a university club. In 1881 a difference in internal matters arose in the Union and two independent organizations, the New Harvard Union and the Wendell Phillips Club arose. The former soon adopted the old name, the Harvard Union; the Wendell Phillips Club later changed its name to the Harvard Forum. On March 23, 1898, these two debating clubs formally united as the Harvard University Debating Club, its membership being open to all students of the University except Sophomores and Freshmen.

But the rise of class debating clubs and the large attendance in the various College courses, directly or indirectly connected with debating, soon made it evident that there was not room for an active debating club open to the different classes. It was then that the University Debating Club took on the purely administrative character that it has since had. For the last three years it has confined itself to arranging all University and class club debates, including those with outside organizations, providing for the appointment of judges and distribution of prizes. Without directing the details of the class clubs the University Debating Club has the right to disapprove of any part of their general policy. The University debaters and the presidents of the class clubs are the only members of the new organization.

The first intercollegiate debate this year will be with Princeton at Cambridge in March the entire arrangements for which will be made by the Intercollegiate Debating Committee.