The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1891-06-13


Mr.. Chas. Miller. The Queen will be
attended by about forty little elfs Mrs.
E. M. Williams will preside at the
piano. Admission 25 cents.
! NELLIE FRANCIS GRISWOLD
Takes one of the Glass Honoas at the High
| school Commencement, Captures the
| Second Prize for her Grafton, and
Carries the House by Storm.
The twenty-frst annual com mence-
ment of the st. Paul High School took
place at Peoples Church, Thursday
evening, before the usual crowd of
thousands. There were eighty-four
graduates representing various Ameri-
canized nationalities, with the Afro
American represented alone by Miss
Nellie Francis Griswold But she
proved to be a host within herself, and
carried off the honors of the evening in
a manner which did her great credit
and filled the hearts of all with pride
and Joy. Her subject was ''The Race
Problem;" and, if long, loud, generous,
heartfelt applause accounts for any
thing, she presented her subject in
way which met a sympathetic chord in
the bosoms of, what seemed to be, the
entire audience. Naturally every Afro
American who heard the grafton feels
that it was the best of the ten delivered
during the evening and for fear that
some may think The APPEAL is biased
we give below verbatum what the Pho
neer Press, the leading daily paper of
the Northwest, had to say on the sub
ject Friday morning: s2s
mo speaker of the evening was more
enthusiastically received than Nellie
Francis Griswold. She spoke on 1.-The
Race Problem" Miss Griswold possess
ses an attractive and intellectual face,
and petite figure. She also was
dressed in soft cream-colored gown
but carried no flowers. Her hands
were free to enable her to accompany
her words with suitable gestures
| There was freshness and naturalness
that all enjoyed. Her production was
an excellent one, and undou btedly
there were many in the audience who
would have given her first place. She
| reviewed briefly the former condition
of the black man, which had made him
| less favored in his surroundings than
the domestic animals on his masters.
plantation. She could not see where
the American derived that feeling of
| superiority which prompts him to re-
fuse the Negro that panoply of citizen
ship equal to his own. She ended: -
In the light of these facts, it cannot
| be denied that should the Negroes be
accorded the same rights and privileges
as other people and given the same op-
portunities, there is no cause for appre-
tension as to the solution of the race
problem. "
They have the highest respect for
good government; they do not disturb
the order of things by consolidated
strikes and constant threatenings. In
all the struggle against the rights of
the Negro he is not found to be an enc
| my OF society. He aims no deadly blows
at the welfare of our government, nor
does he attempt the overthrow of our
| laws under the cover of a Malta or
Clan-na- gael. He is no anarchist, no
socialist, but thoroughly American, pa
triotic and law-abiding. May the peo-
pie of this country, North and South,
East and West, early awake to the
sense of their duty in this matter and
thoroughly realize that the race prob
lem must be settled right, and then
will the early rays of the morning sun
kiss the fair land of a happy, peace
loving, justice-doing people; and then
can all, black and white, American and
foreign-born, shout with one glad shout
that shall sound and resound from pole
to pole, and from sunrise to sunset, this
is the land of the free.''
The diplomas were conferred by Supt
Gilbert, after which the committee,
consisting of Condo Hamlin, A. p. War
rem and Mrs. Fannie James, announced
the awarding of the George Benz prize.
This was given to Walter Bradford
Cannon, and honorable mention was
made of Nellie Francis Griswold. The
competition was very close, and it is
probable that the latter was the popu-
lar choice of the audience; but the COM
mittee had examined all the articles
carefully, and the decision was based,
after much discussion, pom originality
and style.
st. Paul may we'll be proud of her.
| talented daughter and it is a pity that.
! her admirable Grafton cannot be print
ed:in full for the benefit of the race, but
time and space forbids. However, one
who can produce such an grafton has
that within which will bring her before
the public again and again, for light
set upon q hill cannot be hid, and The
APPEAL predicts for Miss Griswold a
notable, brilliant career ere LIES fitful
dream is Ger.