e the presiding officer, the speakers
themselves, the audience, the judges.

The Presiding Officer. Every debate has a presiding officer. The
Vice-President of the United States is the presiding officer of the
Senate. The Speaker is the presiding officer of the House of
Representatives. If you will refer to Chapter IV on _Beginning the
Speech_ you will see several other titles of presiding officers. In
school debates the head of the institution may act in that capacity,
or some person of note may be invited to preside. In regular classroom
work the instructor may serve as presiding officer, or some member of
the class may be chosen or appointed. The latter method is the
best--after the instructor has shown by example just what the duties
of such a position are.

The presiding officer should announce the topic of debate in a short
introductory speech. He should read the names of the speakers on the
affirmative and those on the negative side. He should stipulate the
terms of the debate--length of each speech, time for rebuttal, order
of rebuttal, method of keeping speakers within time limits, conditions
of judgment (material, presentation, etc.), announce the judges, and
finally introduce the first speaker; then the subsequent speakers. At
the close he might refer to the fact of the debate's being ended, he
might rehearse the conditions of judgment, and request the judges to
retire to consider their decision. Practice varies as to who shall
deliver the decision of the judges to the audience. Sometimes the
chairman elected by the judges announces the decision. Sometimes the
judges hand the decision to the presiding officer who announces it.

The Debaters. Beyond saying that the speakers must do their best,
there is nothing to be added here about their duty in the debate
except to issue one warning to them in connection with the next
personal element to be considered--the audience.

The Audience. Debaters must remember that in practically no
circumstances outside legislative bodies are the audience and the
judges ever the same. Debaters argue to convince the judges--not the
entire audience, who are really as disconnected from the decision of
the debate as are the straggling spectators and listeners in a
courtroom detached from the jury who render the verdict of guilty or
not guilty. The debater must therefore speak for the judges, not for
his audience. Many a debating team has in the course of its speeches
won all the