The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-07-05

JlOilS presented W licin, NSio fCAhieOu w
the honor and rank of Gods" 1t seemed
for a moment that the Fates were against
Mr.. Bryan; in his earlier sentences an at
tempt to light defective gas jet caused a
blaze to shoot almost into his face, quite to
the CONSERVATION of the asseniblage, and
not little to his own discomforture. The
| foot lights were all turned Off and order
prevailed once more. The young orator
received much praise for his coolness and
his eloquence.
''Shackles" was the next subject which
was finely handled by Miss Marie S. Brewer.
This young ladys style of speaking is
marked and impressive. Her paper showed
much careful Istudy and contained many
valuable thoughts. in every department
of life" she told us, ''we have obstacles to
impede our progress. In the line Of morals
upon close analysis of character, we find
few, frail creatures of the dust, who haye
not been branded slaves by some vice or
folly. Shackles affect us in two different
ways. In one way by external circumstan-
ces over which we have no control; and in
the other way, from internal influences with
which the will power must contend for COM
plete mastery The inhuman treatment of
the Siberian exiles is an illustration of the
first form of effects. Intemperance, so
widely spread, is an illustration of the sec
ond form of the effects of the shackles
which men bind upon themselves.
Miss Ada NJ. Halsey came next on the
program with the subject ''More Beyond"
and lured us forward with worthy argu-
ments and winning tones. She told us that
There are very few, who on catching a
glance of the future, are not more or less
influenced with the fact, that beyond them
lies vast amount of the treasures of this
earth" $50 long as we content ourselves
with sitting idly down and accepting what
may happen to come to us, we do not realize
all there is in life." She closed by saying,
'.By daily making the best of what is given
us, and faithfully striving after the more
which lies beyond, each of our lives will be
a success, and the world will be the better
for our having lived In it,"
Miss Josephine Gilbert woyeinto an essay
nearly fifteen minutes long, pathetic and
popular Swiss story, founded upon the word
''Edelweiss," which is the name of a little
white blossom that grows amid the snow
and ice of the Alps. The composition was
written out with great care and minuteness
NV md 10.
memory. She recited every word of it on
the stage without hesitancy OF a mistake
very rare feat some portions Of it with the
accompaniment of the soft notes of violin
and base viol. The work performed by this
young lady is the more wonderful in the
fact that she was seriously i'll, and not fit
to be in the opera house at all.
After another piece of music by the or
chestra, Miss Mamie l.. Barnes presented
stirring essay upon "The Pursuit of Dol
lar" This pursuit, in itself and for itself,
she fiercely denounced, as money getting,
for the name of it, is the sin of the age. 1t
insurses dishonest methods as the means,
and vicious indulgence as the end She re-
lated the account given by a journalist of
a Bonanza banquet held somewhere in Cali
fornia recently, and attended by several of
the richest men in the country whose united
wealth ran up into the hundreds of millions.
Each gentleman seated around the festive
board, found near his plate bill of fare en-
graved in solii silver at a cost Of $40 EACH"
This kind of pursuit and display of money,
she bitterly condemned, as demoralizing
and disheartening to the young, to dan
gerous degree. She denounced dragging
and smarmess' so much in vogue in Ameri-
can society, and closed with some Kind and
encouraging words to the wage earners and
the humble ones of earth.
Miss Anna M. Deal answered, in an essay
of considerable merit, the question "What
of That?" 1.-the, energetic, brlght-eyed, and
self-reliant, it is just such aqueston as she
would be likely to ask herself If distressed
or environed; OF if scorned or neglected by
fellow being. Learning of land ofplenty
and beauty in the distance, we seek 1t.
''But alas. before we can realize the fact
we come to hill. 1t Is very high. We
look up to its sublime top and feel ourselves
growing smaller and smaller in its presence.
Some say. % it is too high, we cannot climb
itr But what of that? Shall we give up
in despair and turn back, or dwell at the
foot of the mountain, when that beautiful
Eden is Just beyond? Nay"
Miss Gertie E. Wells was next introduced,
TO tell us about "The Indian Summer of
Life, "As the Indian Summer is the
golden-tinted season of the year, so matured
life may be made the most beautiful of any
period of human existence. 'Ts not au-
tumn," she asks, "a brilliant illustration of
our lives? Can we always maintain our
youth? Not so, we must all grow old"
'sWinter leaves its foot prints everywhere;
in the garden, homestead, heart and cheek.
1t but touches our lives, and we die;
breathes upon the flowers, and they wither;
steals over the scepters and they rust flows