New-York tribune., 1874-12-26
STUDENT RIVALRIES.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE INTERCOLLEGIATE
CONTEST.

ry, scur,r GENERALLY HAILED WITH ENTHU-
u,sx-rux COMPETITORS AND THEIR RECORDS
rur ESSAY PRIzES-INTEREsT TAKEN BY THE
FACULTY IN THE PROGRESS OF THE PLAN.
During the past Fall preparations have been
, nrorress in many retired college town for the cxhi-
Son Of literary and oratorical skill soon to be madc 80
public on the stage OF Academy OF Music In this city
The honor being the representative speaker OF ones
college such ocoason has ho doubt proven all IN
ducement to work part Of the undergraduates ar
more stimulating than any ordinary college prze OF
medal. The result Is said to have beon degree Vi e
thusiasm diligence heretofore unknown III TWO Very
portant methods OF college culture s1 colleges. w
o series Of idd preliminary contests. have seieeteu
young meu Ms the of their best oiatorea
talent.
The delay and mistakes natural 10 an undertaking OF
ruch an entirely powell character have not been wanting
In tbis The excitement and enthusiasm produced oy
the prei unary intercollegiate Convention 10 HARTFORD
last Spring we're suffered angus and almost utterly
die out during the Summer. No determined steps TO
assure the this Wnter taken until the hrst
Of December To entirely is due the small number
OF colleges represented Six only found themselves pre-
pared at such shor; notice. aud as many more regret
that lack Of time for preparation alone keeps them from
the list this season and have sgnfcd their intention Oh
entering next year. Among the latter are Brown, Wes
leyan, Hamilton, Dartmouth, BowdoiD, and Amherst.
President Smith OF d ,rtmouh writes. Dec. II: "Ihe
undergraduates have voted to refrain from participating
this year. not on general grounds, but because OF tne
sbortness Of the time for preparation" President
s,earns of Amherst heartily approves the enterprise
and assigns tie for Amherst not appearing
Aud so with the rest. Harvard has expressed no
opinon save that OF interest In the experiment aHe
has condemned It heartily far as Its influence IN that
institution is concerned, but considers OF importance
and benefit to tho small colleges.
Princeton Williams, Lafayette New York University
Rutgers ami Cornell will be represented by two men
each In f.llowlng years, should more colleges COM
pete as pO doubt they WILL each college Will DC re-
stricfed TO one representative.
In addiicu to the personal benefit derived from par
ticipaon In the contest Is urged that valuable op
portunity will be afforded for aaring the results OF
the varOus systems OF elOcutoDary training now IN
vogue in the colleges represented. AS will be seen be-
ow an essential dercuce exists both In the amount OF
attention aud cement given TO bellies lettres
and oratcry IN various colleges aud also IN the man.
ner rin which tie student undertakes and continues their
pursuit.
PRINCETON.
The idea o; an intercollegiate Literary contest, which
had been nUaiing about tho press In usty form for
some time irst taken up 10y Princeton College, In
October 1873, III dozen men met. dscussedthe SUBJECT
and after consulting tuch as Presidents Stearns,
ChadbOurne and McCOsh, Jas T. Fields, T. W. Higgin'
son and hers sent communication 10 Williams Col
lege asking her calling convention to put the
call was issued In the OF Princeton aud Williams to
the colleges Of the lstern and Middle States and from
that beginning tho scheme has proceeded to its present
stage.
Princeton always paid great attention to rhetoric
and oratory This is due very largely TO the influence
Of the two rival literary societies. which hold positions
Of great power In college affairs They are the Oldest
societies of the kind in the country, both having passed
their ceutennIals Tie Of the students IS
shout equally divided between them II is almost Inn
possible for to hold place Of any Importance or
influence in his Without going into one or the other
Of the halls They control classday elections, and
almost all the oratOrca appointments which are made
by the voice of the students Secrecy has always been
leading feature OF the societies. each Of which possesses
q building aud library The only part OF their ma
chiaery keeping up rhetorical training Of which the
the outer world Is supposed to know ANYTHING are tho
prize medals, OF which about given, In each hall,
every year.
Besides contests there Is everv year on the
night before Commencement between eight Juniors.
four from each society. These called j. Os"
and the b the chief oratorcal occasion OF the
college, occupying somewhat the fame position as that
for the d. Forest medal at Yale. Five prizes Of
ered-one of 800 and four Of $50 each In addition to
these the college authorities offer seven large prizes for
essays jects Two OF the annual fellow
chips depend in great measure upon contest In es-
say-wring, and The Nassau Literary Mgdasine offers
four prizes OF u each for essays Thus there
about prizes given altogether or In large part for
writing or speaking, which open to the students
every year. These prizes vary In amount from t5 to
$500. The total sum OF them is "a 0so.
W. u. Nicholas, the first representative IN oraory Is
graduate Of class Of 74 and prepared for COL
lege a: Blair Academy, " j. During his college course
he has taken four przes Clio Hail. and of the
Junior He also delivered tue class Grafton.
s. NJ Miller of Philadelphia, the second sentative
oratOry is member Of the class Of rs, and was
pared for college at St. Pauls School, Concord n H.
He Of last years ]. O.'s Mr.. Allan MarQuand,
the essayist Princeton, prepared for college
st. Pdul's School. he has taken two Of the college
essay prizcs and o: the first scholars in his
class. He graduated in "a, with the second honor
WILLIAMS.
The undergraduates OF Williams, who had long been
agtatug the practicability Of other than muscular
intercollegiate competition, warmly approved Prince
toms proposition, ami lent themselves heart and soul to
furhering the success the enterprise Dr. Chadbourne,
one Of tho first college presidents who expressed him.
self the subject approved OF 1t thoroughly urged the
students to support it, added much to the success Of the
enterprise by his advice aud mas watched Its progress
with the greatest interest Williams students have
always had good reputation among the colleges for
their proficiency the departments to whiob the contest
is this year coDned The have though
only about $50 number published until this year two
good college Journals The Rertep and The Vtdee. The
literary socitles which many other EewEngland col
leges have been suffered die out through neglect,
have never wanted support nor failed to exercise
strong influence since 1893 In this college. They have
nne halls, aud hold weekly meetings. A contest In
oratory styled the Prize Rhetorical Exhibition
popularity by the students the "Moonlight," is held
annually under the auspices OF the faculty. Ten
speakers, five chosen from the Junior and five
from the Sophomore Glasses, contend for prizes
valued at tlbo The chair OF Rhetoric has
been fer many years ably filled by Prof.
John Bascom, now President OF Madison University,
and widely known through his works. Prof. G. L. Ray
mond s his successor, and is meeting with great
cess. contest held publicly the Saturday pre-