Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PART III. BUILDING THE CASE CHAPTER I DEFINING THE TERMS1 Preliminary Statement. — In Part I of this text under the general title, Beginning Principles, sufficient theory has been given to enable the student to begin intelligently the practice of debate. In Part II, under the general title, Elements of Proof, a thorough consideration has been given to all the elements of- proof that must be used by a debater in the practice of his art. And now in Part III, under the general title Building the Cose, it is planned to give the student a thorough understanding of the process by which all the different elements of proof may be assembled under a proposition to constitute what is known as a cose. Definition of a Case. — A cose consists of all the assembled proof that is available for determining the alleged truth of a proposition. When this proof is assembled in such a way that it tends to establish the alleged truth of a proposition, then it constitutes an Affirmative case; and when it is assembled in such a way that it tends to disestablish the alleged truth of a proposition, then it constitutes a Negative case. Process of Building a Case. — The process of building a case is one in which a solid foundation of proof is laid under a proposition to give it firm support; and this process may belikened to laying a similar solid foundation under any material structure. The supports in this foundation may be referred to as: the main points; the subordinate points; and the evidence. 1 For lesson assignments on Defining the Terms, see Appendix A. A graphic illustration of the manner in which a case lays solid foundations of proof under a proposition is given in the diagram below: PROPOSITIONIVIAIN POINT S suB-POINTS !IIIlUilI EN IIIImportance of Building the Case. — The ge...