West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-06-15

i'sN oppii biiC SldQQaJtS.
MEETING OF THE ALUMNI AssocI-
ALTON.
Immediately afterthe Commence
ment exercises, the Alumni held
their annual meeting. Among
other things, the Association de-
clared its opinion that women
should forthwith be admitted to
the privileges of the University,
and appointed A. G. Dayton, Esq,
}. n. Hawthorne, Esq, and Prof. A.
L. Purlnton committee to bring
this action properly to the notice
of the Regents Of the University,
and the Legislature of West Vir-
ginia.
The Alumni then adjourned to
the Commercial Hotel, where with
about thirty invited guests they
partook of the Annual Alumni
Dinner. This was followed by the
usual number of post-prandials, and
was an enjoyable occasion.
The exercises of the week were
closed on Thursday evening by the
annual contest between the Liter
airy Societies for the Presidents
prize, amounting to 800.
THE PROGRAMME
was as follows;
Defamation, "Custers Last
Charge" d. U. O'Brien, Weston,
w. Va.
Defamation, Necessity of Edu-
cation" VIM. T. Bland, Weston,
w. Va.
Essay, "Prohibition," E. D. JEFF
fries, Arbuckle, Mason Co., w. Va,
Essay, "The Lowry Bill" A. l..
Cox, Fairmont, w. Va
Grafton, "The Perils and Hopes
of the Republic" James H. Stew
art, Raymond City, w. Va.
Grafton, "Oklahoma,n O. NJ. Mil
Ter, Russelv:lfe, w. Va.
Debate-Question, "Has Moham-
mechanism been productive of more
evil than good to humanity?"
To affirm, G. B. Foster, st. Al
bans, w. Va.
To deny, Thos E. Hodges, Up
shur CO., w. Va.
The Judges were Prof. p. B. Rey-
nolds, of st. Adams, Rev. G. E.
I1ite, of Wheeling, c. E. Hogg, Esq,
of Point Pleasant, Col. Woodford, OF
Weston, and as chairman, J. Barton
Payne, Esq, Of Preston county.
The contest was the ablest and
most entertaining undergraduate
exercise of the week. The Decla-
nations were good, the Essays bare
ly average, the Orations and De-
bate splendid. The judges awarded
the prize for Defamation to d. u.
O'Brien for Essay, to E. d. Jeffries ;
for Grafton to James H. Stewart !;
for Debate to Thos E. Hodges,
The first two of these rewards
seem to us to have been perfectly
Just and right. The third we deem
simply an outrage, and the fourth
clearly a mistake. We thought
Mr.. Stewards grafton very excel
lent one indeed, rejecting great
honor upon himself and society,
and we admit that both had good
reason to be proud of it. But if
ever a prize was clearly, unmistak-
ably won, it was by Mr.. Miller's
grafton on "Oklahoma." We have
no words in which to do it justice,
and we think almost every intelli-
gent, disinterested member Of the
audience will agree with us that it
was simply masterly.' Excellent
as was Mr.. Stewards grafton, (and
it was very excellent,) we are still
constrained to say that in our opin-
ion, a committee which could give
it the prize over Mr.. Miller's, was
clearly not possessed Of sufficient
literary discernment to fit it for the
iudicious discharge of its duties.
Mr.. Foster, we think, was evil
IDENTIFY entitled to the decision in
the debate, still, he greatly over
ran his time, and SO we make no
complaint of the judges in his case.
It is fair to state that in the cases
of the grafton and debate the decis-
ion of the judges was given over
the protest of Prof. Reynolds and Mr..
Hite.
Thus ended the Twelfth Annual
Commencement of the West Vir-