The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-06-07


today forms an exception. Reduced by IN
ternal strife she becomes an easy prey L
the English Henry II, and from that day Il
this no sadder page of misery or misrul'
blots tllc page of history. tribute was pai'
10 O'Connell and his glorious work, but, II
spite Of all, the letters are buried deeper than
ever in the flesh of his people. But the tim'
will come when they shall be removed, ant
Ireland, a free nation, shall 20 forward to {
splendid destiny.
Miss CARRIE NJ. RAYMOND told of 9Th,
Songs that have made Eistory"-a charming
sketch OF the songs Of the people, long and
beautiful line Of soul-movers that beginning
with the lays of the Trouvers and Trouba
dours have followed each other in rapid sue
cession through the ages down to "Yanket
Doodle, ~" Star-Spangled Banner" and John
Browns Body" bringing Punishment to
usurpers, destruction to tyrants, and freedom
TO a race
Miss DELLA NJ. QUINN spoke of "Charac-
ter" than which no word in the language
means more, without which praise is empty
and intellect dull 1t is the river of life into
which all rivulets empty, the crown OF life,
the conscience Of society, the motive power
Of life, the strength of nations, without
which power is weakness and wealth poverty
CHARLES SANDERS spoke of stepping
Stones" AS across brook the thoughtful
farmer places stepping stones for the traveller,
so in our life's journey the child, the youth,
the man is aided in his course by stepping
stones He who selects those embedded in
virtue and truth passes over to higher things,
while those on the quicksands or covered with
the slime of temptation lead on to ruin
The grandest and most sublime system of
all systems of mythology is that of the Morse
man. In majesty Of conception it is as high
above the Greek Olympus as the heavens are
above the earth; and one Of the most beau
tiful of Morse conceptions is Ygdrasil-the
tree of life, at whose feet are the three
fates Past, Present and Future. Its branches
are the nations of the earth, its leaves the
human race. The branches are Topped off
and the leaves fall, but the grand tree re-
mains ever beautiful and strong. The thought
is beautiful one and was the subject of a
very pretty essay-one of the best Of the ev-
ening, by Miss ANNIE PORTER.
Another pretty theme was 1.-The Diadem Of
Juue" by Miss FLORENCE f. JAQUEs, a tribute
10 the rose. The pretty legend of its change
Of color from white to ruby red by kiss
from Eve, its place in poetry, its use in war
and in peace were all touched up only to show
that now and forever to come it is and shall
he the queen of all flowers.
The orchestra having given the Poet and
Peasant overture by Suppe lin a very credit
able manner, too, by the way Miss ELIZA
BETH B. MCNAIR called attention to the
Three 'Tentions; "-In-tention the plan; At
tention, development of the plan; and Re.teh-
ton, requirement, doubling the value of the
others, and without which the others are use
less. The worth of these three 'tentions in
student or active life were noted.
wendell Phillips, by CHARLES p TAYLOR,
was tribute to the lovers of and workers for
liberty, in all ages-the Gracchi, Luther, Viii.
lam of Orange, Washington, Lincoln, Phil
lips. His life's work was fittingly alluded to-,
though, as was said, no words of praise can
add now to his glory,
Jack of all Trades" by Miss EMMA L.
RICHARDSON, was plea for Jack, who will
not content himself with the hum-drum of
one idea, but who is a man of nerve, who
daics all things, thinks well of himself and
can and does do a large part Of the worlds
work we'll.
"Useless Labor q theme by Miss MAY B.
PATCHEN, showed how fesrfully men and wo-
men waste their time. The thought was
broad one, and was very cleverly utilized.
"Thc Worlds Heroes" by JAMES A. GREEN.
was the longest as it was one of the very best
essays of the evening Too many of histo.
ry's pages are filled with the exploits of the
kings, feats Of arms, the gossip of the palace;
but after all this is not history as we now con-
slider history, which should though it does
not often, paint the picture of the growth of
the people The aurels belong not to the
soldier-kings, but to those brave, determined,
silent and patient spirits who did the work of
civllizing men, -matured the great reforms in
religion and government, made the great dis.
cOveries, perfected the great Inventions con-
Quered error, created the arts and the sciences
the thinkers and not the fighters, whose
names indeed shall grow brighte age by age
as that Of the warrior sinks below the horizon
into the vast sea of the forgotten.
"Mediocrity is Best" by Miss ANNA TRAIN.
OR, wds a very clever comparison of the fat
man with!the lean man The fat man has the
advantage in good nature-everybody loves
him, but after all the men who have done the
great things of history have been the thin
men. We mean no pun, though the essay
implied one.
"The Singer and the Spinner" by Miss
HATTIE NJ HILL, was another pretty offering
Of praise to those quiet and unseen workers
who, unmindful of the SCOTS, scorns and in.
difference of the world, like the patient, low
ing woman, continues in well doing, bcauti.
flying the world and all that is in it.
The orchestra then gave a charming "Ca.
price, during which all enjoyed the treat of
standing; after which Miss SUSIE n. BUSH
NELL entered plea for the cart of Laugh.
ing" which ought to be made one of the fun
ar a. MOI 10 L., 4 %