The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1893-07-08
JAMES H. swANGo.
ASketch of the Life of the Nations
Leading College Orator.

nate, and the fire of eloquence, which
has been smouldering for years, is
prepared to blaze anew, in volume
and vigor equal to the days of Ken
tucky's brightest fame. Frankfort,
though not the birthplace OF the
young orators, is, by reason of thier
family residence, entitled to proper
share of the credit attached to the
Identification Of the authors of such
meritorious deeds as were achieved
by Martin d. Hardin recently at the
Southern intercollegiate Contest and
by James Hugh Swango, at the
National Contest in Chicago, on Fri
day night Of last week.
None but winners of State contests
entered at the National Contest, and
Mr.. Swango was the only Kentuckian
in the list of fifteen States, repre-
sented by seventy-three colleges, in
Guiding such noted institutions as
Yale, Harvard and Princeton.
A Chicago special says: "Mr.
Swango won easily and handsomely.
The judges on Thought and Style
were President Evans. of Illinois.
Editor J. R. Thompson, of Ohio, and
Chief Justice Cleaver, of Michigan.
The judges on Delivery were Profs.
Fulton and Trueblood, of the Kansas
School of Oratory, and VIM. Thomas
%
ceived five out of the six votes for
first place, L. S. Bentley, of Indiana,
got second place and A. N. Foster, of
Massachusetts,. third place.
'The speeches delivered were sub
mitted to the Committee on Thought
and Composition two weeks before
the contest and it was their unani-
nous opinion that Mr.. Sawngo's com
position was unquestionably superior
to all others. His delivery showed
improvement during the past two
months and by his graceful bearing
and distinct enunciation he won the
admiration Of the large audience and
made his victory popular one."
Mr.. Swango's subject was "The Old
South" which it was said was hand
led with a power and finish that left
no question whatever on the orators
ability to effectually vindicate him
self on the groundless charge of plaig-
arism raised by his enemies over the
State contest at Lexington last April.
Mr.. Swango is the son of Judge G.
B. Swango, Register of Land Office.
He was born in 1870 at Hazel Green,
Wolfe county, where he attended
school and finished a course at the
town academy. He obtained teach
er's certificate and taught school for
five months in each Of the four sue
ceeding years, working on farm the
rest of the time and applying himself
diligently to history, biography and
general literature at nights. In
the sessions Of 1889 and 1890 he
was pupil at the Kentucky Univer-
sity, at Lexington, and from there
went to Center College, at Danville,
for two years and graduated last
month with the highest honors, rep
senting in the meanwhile the col
lege at the State contest at Lexing-
ton last April, winning the prize over
three competitors from the leading
colleges of the State. He was always
a hard student and especially fond of
rhetoric and oratory, but ambitious
in all his studies to rank with the
first. Like the orators of old he has
omitted no detail in training to quail
ify himself in the art of public speak
ing, believing with the poet that to
be successful he must
"Be up and doing, with heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing, learn to labor and
TO wait"
Numberless note and scrap books fill
ed with the best thoughts from lectur-
ers and addresses by the most distin
guished speakers Of the day attest a
toll and patience that rarely ever fail
to bring the brightest rewards.
Nourished on Plutarch, Demosthenes,
Cicero, Macaulay, Burke, Patrick
Henry, Clay, Webster and Calhoun,
it was an easy matter for him to ac-
quire the training in delivery to COM
plete the orator.
In person, Mr.. Swango is Ave feet
4 l..