The Aquinas 1934-03-09

              VOL. III, NO. 12 ST. THOMAS COLLEGE, SCRANTON, PA., MARCH 9, 1931-
Carbondale To Be Scene
Of Final Debate Of
Current Season
Rev. Brother Denis Edward left
this morning for Philadelphia, where
he will attend the convention of the
Committee of the Pennsylvania Cath,
olic Education Association. The assembled
educators will work on the
problem of formulating a uniform
program of teacher training. The
convention will be in session today
and tomorrow.
. The question is of fundamental
importance, for it is essential that a
teacher training program be provided
that is unified, and yet sufficiently
adapted for specialization within any
local area. The convention will
gather with the express intention of
establishing such a unification by
close cooperation of representative
schools. Brother Edward is confident
that much real progress will be
made.
Brother Denis Edward
To Attend Meeting
Of Penn. Educators
On March twenty'eighth the De'
bating Team will wind up the current
season when it meets the team representing
New York University in
Carbondale This debate will coil'
clude what will be known as one of
the most successful seasons in the his'
tory of debating at St. 7'homas. The
subject of this debate, will be: "Re'
solved, That the Essential Features
of the National Recovery Act Should
be Adopted as a Permanent Policy of
the United States Government."
St. Thomas will be represented in
this debate by Dominic Motsay and
John Clark. Both of these young
men are residents of Carbondale. It
will be an opportunity for the resi,
dents of that city to hear two of their
fellow townsmen debate against one
of the best teams in the East. Mr.
Motsay is president of the Debating
Society and is active in many of the
other extra'curricular activities of the
college.
On Friday evening, February
twenty,third, the Debating Team met
and defeated the Holy Cross Debat'
ing .Team on the same question as
will be debated with New York Uni,
versity. The debate which was held
in the Chamber of Commerce Audi,
torium was the best forensic contest
presented in this city during the cur'
rent season. The St. Thomas de'
baters who successfully defended the
affirmative side of the question were:
Dominic Motsay, John Gallagher,
and John Clark. The members of
the Holy Cross team were: Harry
W~ Kirwin, James P. Bradley, and
Michael F. McDonald who comes
from Wilkes,Barre. The Holy Cross
debaters, although the losers, gave
evidence of a .thorough knowledge of
the subject and displayed exceptional
ability. The judges for this debate
were: Eugene Fellows, associate
editor of the Scranton Republican,
Attorney Earl McLaughlin, assistant
solicitor of the City of Scranton, and
Attorney John Murphy, assistant dis,
trict attorney of Lackawanna county.
Mr. Emmet Hart of the Debating
Society presided as chairman.
VARSITY DEBATER
DOMINIC MOTSAY
Annual College Prom
To be Held in April
New Catalog Will
Be Ready April 15
The college catalog which is now
in the process of revision will be
ready for distribution on April 15,
according to information from the
college officials. Changes in the
courses of study, new student regu'
lations, and the college calendar for
next YE'ar will be published along
with the usual material.
::.. "
The annual College Prom, con'
sidered the most outstanding event of
the school year at St. Thomas will
be conducted on Friday evening,
April 20, in the Crystal Ballroom of
the Hotel Casey. Within the very
near future there will be a meeting
of representatives of the student body
and of the Alumni association to for'
mulate plans and to select the various
comnuttees for the affair.
Tonight's radio debate of the Social
Science over W.B.R.E., Wilkes'
Barre, will be on the question: "Re'
solved, That President Roosevelt Was
Justified in His Airmail Cancella'
tion." William Kelly of the Social
Science Senior Class will present the
affirmative side of the question, and
Emmet Hart will defend the negative
side of the issue.
Michael J. Eagen, an alumnus of
St. Thomas College, and present
District Attorney of Lackawanna
County will be interviewed on the
legality of the question.
Last Friday's program was devoted
to the discussion of the present polit,
ical conditions of Europe. John
Clark and Dominic Motsay partici,
pated in the debate and Brother
Gregory was interviewed.
William Farrell and James Galla'
gher, both very active members of the
Forum, were appointed on the radio
program committee by Isadore Stah,
ler, President of the Forum. Due to
the maghitude and importance that
the programs have assumed, it was
deemed advisable to make the two
appointments in order to assist David
Yellen and Robert Lynn in the prep'
aration of the programs.
SociallScience Forum
Will Conduct Debate
OverW.B.R.E. Tonight
Subject Will Concern CriSis in
Education; Other Famed
Educators Will Attend
The St. Thomas College Social Sci'
ence Forum resumed its radio debates
over W.G.B.I. in Scranton when a
debate was presented last evening,
March 8, from 9 :45 to 10 :00 P. M.
William Farrell, of the Senior
class, and Ross Tarentino, of the
Junior class, debated on the subject,
"Resolved, That the Devaluation of
the Dollar Will be Beneficial to the.
Nation."
Isadore Stahler, president of the
forum, was chairman of the program.
Another program will be presented
in Scranton in the near future.
BROTHER PHILIP
Freshman Debating
Team Selected; Will
Oppose Local Schools
James W. Rule, Ph.D., Superin'
tendent of Public Instruction of
Pennsylvania wilt be one of the prin'
cipal speakers who will address the
General Educational Convocation in
the main auditorium of the Chamber
of Commerce on Thursday and Satur,
day, April 5 and 7, under the aus'
pices of St. Thomas College.
Dr. Rule has chosen for his sub,
ject "The Educational Crisis in
Pennsylvania." This subject will be
of particular interest to the local
educators because of the difficulties
being experienced in keeping the
schools open in several cities and
towns in this region. Dr. Rule has
had several conferences with school
officials in the troubled districts and
his influence has been largely respon'
sible for the reopening of several
schools in Lackawanna and Luzerne
counties.
Other speakers on the program for
Thursday include Honorable Frank
P. Graves, Ph. D., LL.D., L.H.D.,
President of th~ University of the
State of New York, and Rev.
Maurice Sheehy, Ph.D., Assistant
Rector of the Catholic University of
America. Dr. Graves will speak on
the "Mystery of Intelligence" and
Father Sheehy will discuss the subject
"The Teacher and the Problems of
Mental Illness "
The teachers will then attend a
banquet to be given by St. Thomas
College in the Dining Room of the
Chamber of Commerce. An interest'
ing program is being arranged for this
affair and the St. Thomas College
Orchestra will be on hand to provide
the music.
On Saturday, the Convocation will
reconvene in the Chamber of Com'
merce. The teachers will divide into
study groups to be led by special in'
structors. Dr. George W. Norvell,
Ph.D., of the English Department
of the New York State Educational
Board, will be chairman of the Eng'
lish Group. Dr. Reinhard of St.
Thomas College will lead the dis'
cusion in the Biology Department,
and Dr. Pritham, also of St. Thomas,
will be in the Chemistry Department.
Rev. Brother Faber, Head of the
Physics Department of St. Thomas,
will preside over the Physics meeting.
Professor George R. Price, Ph.D., of
the University of the State of New
YOt'k, will lead the discussion among
those teachers interested in the Mod,
ern Language Department.
Invitations are being sent to edu'
cators throughout the Lackawanna
valley and a large attendance is ex'
pected at, both sessions of the Con'
Phi Nu Sigma Dance vocation. _
St. Patrick's Night Social Science Debate
The phi Nu Sigma Fraternity has Ove~ Station W.G.B.I.
completed the plans for their eighth
annual St. Patrick's Night Dinner
Dance.
The following committee heads
were appointed: Jack Kelly, gen,
eral chairman; Jack Rogan, music
committee; John Reap, floor commit,
tee; Jack Dempsey, finance commit,
tee; Thomas Leyeder, decoration
committee. The affair will be in
charge of the Junior members of the
fraternity.
It has been decided by the members
that the affair will be semi,private
with only the members and their
friends attending.
. On last Tuesday afternoon the
team which will represent the Fresh,
man class in the debating activities
for the remainder of the year was
selected. The candidates for the var'
sity team had been selected from a
larger group earlier in the month.
Originally the candidates num'
bered more than twenty and eight
were selected from this group. Then
on last Tuesday the eight spoke on
a timely topic and the judges graded
each speech and selected the varsity
team and the alternates. The varsity
will include John Moffit, of Fr. Sc.
I; John Herbert, of Fr. Sc. II; Paul
Brennan, of Fr. Arts II; Manuel
Stolbach, of Fr. Sc. II; Frank
O'Brien, Fr. Sc. I; and Clarence
Walton, Fr. Arts I. The alternates
are William Ratchford, Fr. Sc. I and
William Miller, Fr. Arts II.
Stolbach, Miller, O'Brien and
Ratchford are graduates of Central
High School; Brenna.n comes from
the Honesdale Catholic High; Mof,
fit received his high school education
at St. Rose's Academy, Carbondale;
Herbert is from Dunmore High; and
Walton graduated from St. Patrick's
High School.
It is planned to have the Frosh
debate the Sophomore team later in
the season, and to hold debates with
some of the secondary schools and
prep schools in the vicinity. Tenta'
tive arrangements are being made to
have the team meet one or two repre,
sentative prep schools from lower
Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Sixty-two Prospective
Teachers Visit Local
High Schools
Senior Education Classes Jam~s W.'Rule, Ph.~. College Debaters To Meet
Begin Practice Teaching Leading Educator\ydl New York University Team.
__ (i) Address Convocation @
EDUCATION HEAD
Kiwanis Club Banquet
For College Football
Team Is Postponed
The sixty'two members of the
Senior Education Department began
practice teaching last Monday and
will continue in this work for a
period of four weeks. This will give
them the equivalent of three semester
hours in observation which is one of
the required rules for teaching in
Pennsylvania.
Through the courtesy of local
school superintendents the students
this year will be distributed as fol,
lows: Archbald, four; Jessup, two;
Olyphant, five; Throop, four; Dick,
son City, four; Central High, seven;
Technical High, seven; Minooka,
four; Avoca, four; Duryea, four;
Pittston, four; Plains, four; Swoyers'
ville, two; St. Thomas High, five.
An invitation was also extended by
Dunmore High School, but the as'
signments had already been made.
Rev. Brother Philip, Head of the
Education Department, was instru'
mental in arranging successful co'
operation between the various high
schools and the Senior Education
students. He has also worked very
hard in planning the procedure "to be
followed by the student teachers for
the "four week period.
Previous to last year the practice
teaching was limited due to the fact
that St. Thomas High School was the
only place available. Last year due
to the cooperation of the various local
and out of town school boards, the
students were able to teach in a wide
area. This'enables them to receive
.an exceptionally fine training in this
work.
These young teachers will be given
nnprecedented opportunity to study
the relation of the pupils to va,rious
methods of instruction. They will
also be given the privilege to put into
practice the principles and theories of
teaching that they have received in
their four years of study.
The annual Kiwanis Club Banquet
that was to be held in honor of St.
Thomas College at the Hotel Casey,
Wednesday afternoon, February 28,
has been postponed. No definite
date has been set for the ban'
quet, but it will be held at the earl'
iest possible date.
This special "St. Thomas Day" has
a particular meaning this year due
to the fact that St. Thomas will meet
Bucknell University next year on the
gridiron. The proceeds of the game
will be for the benefit of the Kiwanis
Club Fund.
The guest of the club on this oc'
casion' will'be Jack Harding, Director
of Athletics, and the members of the
football team.
Reverend Brother Denis' Edward,
President of St. Thomas will be the
principal speaker. Several other
speakers will represent the college.
The lobby and, banquet room of
the Hotel Casey will be decorated
in the colors of the college. The col,
lege orchestra will provide musical
. entertainment for. the diners.
" ., J ~ .. • •• .,