PUBLIC SPEAKING ASSOCIATION

At the invitation of three members of the English Department, Professor I. L. Winter '86, Professor C. N. Greenough, '98 and Dr. A. P. Stone '93, a meeting of teachers of public speaking and oral composition in the New England colleges was recently held in Cambridge, and an association formed for the promotion of these studies. The first election of officers resulted in the choice of Professor Winter as president, of Professors Thomas Crosby, Jr., of Brown, and J. W. Wetzel, of Yale, as vice-presidents; and of Professor John Corsa, of Amherst, secretary and treasurer.

Speaking of this new project, the Transcript says: "The purpose of the association, as stated in the constitution, is the enlarging of interest, the raising of standards, and the improving of instruction in public speaking and oral English in schools and colleges. The organizing of the society is the outcome of the greatly increasing interest in oral instruction all over the country. Not many years ago English composition was poorly taught and had no important place in general education. Continued discussions in associations such as this led to a systematizing of the instruction and emphasized the need of trained teachers. False ideas and methods were done away with, and the teaching was adapted to the everyday needs of the average student. Oral reading and oral composition should be practiced for their cultural effect. The improvement made in the teaching of written English will soon be made in regard to spoken English, and the two will go hand in hand."