Elements of Debating Part 5

(2) James Brown, a teamster, a.s.serts that the use of alcohol is beneficial to all persons.

(3) John Burns, a labor leader, declares that labor unions are beneficial to trade.

(4) F. W. McCorkle, a large manufacturer, states that labor unions have proved beneficial to commerce.

(5) Professor Sheldon, a college president and profound student of economics, has declared that labor unions help the trade of the world.

(6) Henry Hawkins, a student at the Johnstown High School, a.s.serts that they have the best football team in the state.

(7) M. Metchnikoff, chief attendant at the Pasteur Inst.i.tute, says: "As for myself, I am convinced that alcohol is a poison." M.

Berthelot, member of the Academy of Science and Medicine, states: "Alcohol is not a food, even though it may be a fuel."

(8) Lord Chatham, a member of the English Parliament, said, in speaking of the Revolutionary War: "It is a struggle of free and virtuous patriots."

6. On the basis of your answers to 5, state three conditions that would make a man's speaking or writing weak evidence as testimony; three that would make a man's testimony strong.

7. In Exercise 5 is (3), (4), or (5) the strongest testimony in favor of labor unions. Why? Which is next?

8. Can you see one danger of relying on testimony alone for evidence?

LESSON VI

THE BRIEF. THE CHOICE AND USE OF EVIDENCE

I. What the brief is.

II. What the brief does.

III. Parts of the brief:

1. The introduction in which--

(1) The end desired is made clear.

(2) The issues are determined.

2. The proof, which states the issues as facts and proves them.

3. The conclusion, which is a formal summary of the proof.

IV. A specimen model brief.

V. A specimen special brief.

VI. Rules for briefing.

When a builder begins the construction of a wall, he must have the proper material at hand. When an engineer begins the construction of a steel bridge, he must have metal of the right forms and shapes.

Neither of these men, however, can accomplish the end which he has in mind unless he takes this material and puts it together in the proper way. So it is with the debater. He may have plenty of good evidence, but he will never win unless that evidence is organized, that is, put together in the most effective manner.

The builder, if he were building a wall of concrete, would get the correct form by pouring the concrete into a mold. So also, there is a mold which the debater should use in shaping his evidence. When the evidence has been put into this form, the debater is said to have constructed a _brief_.

In a previous lesson we saw how we might prove that John Quinn was a dangerous man by using the evidence of a court record. If we had put that evidence in brief-form we should have had this:

John Quinn was a dangerous man, for:

1. He was a thief, for:

(1) The Illinois state courts found him guilty of robbing a bank, for:

a) See _Ill. Court Reports_, Vol. X., p. 83.

The brief, then, is a concise, logical outline of everything that the speaker wishes to say to the audience.

Its purpose is to indicate in the most definite form every step through which the hearers must be taken in order that the proposition may at last be fully accepted by their experience.

The brief is for the debater himself. He does not show it to the audience. It is the framework of his argument. It is the path which, if carefully marked out, will lead to success.

Now, as we have seen, there are three princ.i.p.al steps in debating:

1. Making clear what you wish the audience to believe.

2. Showing the audience why the establis.h.i.+ng of certain issues should make them believe this.

3. Proving these issues.

The first two of these steps const.i.tute what in the brief is called the _Introduction_.

The third step, proving the issues, is the largest part of the brief and is called the _Body_ or the _Proof_.

In addition to these two divisions of the brief there is a sort of formal summary at the end called the _Conclusion_.

The skeleton of a brief then would be as follows:

INTRODUCTION

In which: (1) the desired end is made clear; (2) the issues are determined.

PROOF

In which the issues are stated as declarations or a.s.sertions and definite reasons are given why each one should be believed. These reasons are in turn supported by other reasons until the a.s.sertion is finally brought within the hearers' experience.

CONCLUSION

In which the proof is summarized.

Of course no two briefs are identical, but all must follow this general plan. Suppose we look at what might be called a model brief.