e to observe this rule has caused many to think
debating a dry subject.

2. It should propose something different from existing conditions.
Argument should have an end in view. Your school has no lunchroom.
Should it have one? Your city is governed by a mayor and a council.
Should it be ruled by a commission? Merely to debate, as did the men
of the Middle Ages, how many angels could dance on the point of a
needle, or, as some more modern debaters have done, whether Grant was
a greater general than Washington, is useless.

The fact that those on the affirmative side propose something new
places on them what is called the _burden of proof_. This means that
they must show why there is _need_ of a change from the present state
of things. When they have done this, they may proceed to argue in
favor of the _particular change_ which they propose.

3. It should make a single statement about a single thing:

(Correct) In public high schools secret societies should be
prohibited.

(Incorrect) In public high schools and colleges secret societies and
teaching of the Bible should be prohibited.

4. It must be expressed with such definiteness that both sides can
agree on what it means.

5. It must be expressed in such a way as to be fair to both sides.

But you noticed that your friend had not only to state the question
definitely, but to explain what the terms of the proposition meant. He
had to tell you what the "honor system" was.

Our second rule, then, for making the question clear, is: In the
proposition as stated, explain all terms that may not be entirely
clear to your audience.

And in explaining or defining these terms, there are certain things
that you must do. You must make the definition clear, or it will be no
better than the term itself. This is not always easy. In defining
"moral force" a gentleman said: "Why, moral force is er--er--moral
force." He did not get very far on the way toward making his term
clear. Be sure that your definition really explains the term.

Then one must be careful not to define in a circle. Let us take, for
example, the assertion or proposition, "The development of labor
unions has been beneficial to commerce." If you should attempt to
define "development" by saying "development means growth," you would
not have made the meaning of the term much clearer; and if in a
further attempt to explain it, you could only add "And growth means
development," you would be defining in a circl