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THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
Published Monthly at the United States Indian Training School
Chemawa, Oregon
H. E. WADSWORTH, Superintendent
E n te r e d a t t h e C hem aw a, O regon, P o s to ffic e as S eco n d -C la ss M ail M a t t e r ..........
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VA LU E O F SCHOOL D E B A TE S
During the past few weeks we have been interested in a series of de
bates here at Chemawa. These debates have been between representa
tive teams of our school societies, and, as the “ local color” of these
events has been "touched up” in other columns of The American, it is
not our purpose to go into detail here regarding each item.
We desire especially to call attention to the benefit derived from con
tests of this character. It is impossible to sift such a problem so fine
that the exact amount of good can be estimated- much must be felt in
such a matter, as there is no other wav of measuring possible. We
have taken a special interest in the series of debates just finished. It
was desired to see what the result would be on the student body as a
whole. It has been good—better even than we dared hope for.
First ot all, to go into a public debate as one of the contestants obliges
a pupil to dig about for data relative to his subject. He should know
as nearly as he can find out, everything pertaining tothe question both
for and against. This is worth while. Then there is the valuable ex
perience gained by standing before the public and battling to win,
which of itself is of greatest benefit, and which makes for self-reliance
all through life. No one can elect to engage in such a contest without
the members of his society becoming alive to the situation, and all be
gin studying the question” and looking for data. In this way all are
benefitted; those who lose by the verdict of the judges are still winners
by a big margin—they have gained in certain wavs far more than thev
lost.
We think such a series of debates as we have just had was creditable