The morning call., 1893-02-26


tious boys and girls to the best literary ef-
forts of which they are capable. and the
keen competition for the prizes and the
honors that are to be won VIII De watehed
with lively interest by students and teach
ers throughout tue State as we'll as Dy Inc
public generally.
The boys and girls Of various cities OF the
State, and later the students Of the State at
large, are to be invited 70 write and submit
essays on q subject with which they should
all be familiar. and the authors of the best
ESSAYS will be awarded valuable prizes.
While the prizes will be we'll worth win
ming in themselves the chief prize, of course.
will be the honor and the glory OF the VIC
tory won by brains and genius.
The winning ESSAYS Will be published In
THE CALL with the names of the authors.
and the nature of the contest viii make the
honor of victory a high one.
Here are aurels worthy of the highest
efforts Of every boy and girl eligible to the
competition.
The subject on which the youthful essay
lists will be asked to write is THE Discovery
Of America by Columbus"
The Worlds Fair at Chicago in celebration
of the four hundreth anniversary Of this dis
covery will be the cynosure of all eyes in
America this year. Every boy and girl In
California who can get to Chicago viii see
the big fair and their ideas will be greatly
broadened and their intelligence greatly
Increased by what they see there. The
thousands of boys and girls who will have
to stay at home will read with interest and
profit descriptions of what is to be seen
there and accounts of what Is going on at
the exposition. Every scho0lboy knows a
good deal about the exposition now and for
months the Worlds Columbian Exposition
will continue to be talked about and writ.
ten about In every school. It will afford an
ever interesting theme for general discus
sions and compositions and class talks.
Every schoolboy who has reached the
grammar grade appreciates in some
degree the significance OF this great
anniversary. The history of the dis
eovery Of America has been studied
more thoroughly in the schools than ever
before. Columbus, his time and achieve
ments, is the great school topic of the year,
and with advanced pupils the philosophy
of the history has generally been gone into
by teachers.
There is hardly anything in history on
which an American boy should be more in
teligently Informed, or that offers more
interesting field of study. And SO the con-
test arranged is Invited by the occasion and
the subject named becomes the most timely.
profitable and satisfactory one that could be
selected for such contest.
1t has been decided to have a series Of
Independent contests in various important
cities OF the State. San Jose has been
chosen as the field of the opening battle and
when some rising genius of the Garden City
has wen The fgurative laurels contest on
the same plan will be opened In another
place.
The conditions OF the contest are
made as liberal as possible. Any
student not over Is years of age,
enrolled in any school, may enter into
the competition. This limit of age is fixed
because the contest is meant for the youth
of the State. The contestant must belong
to some school, it does not matter whether
II is public or private. The institution
where the contestant is enrolled may be a
sectarIan academy, paroehial school or a
college.
The essay should be not less than 500
words nor more than 1900 words. Twelve
hundred words will fill about three-fourths
of column Of space in THE CALL. This
will give ample space for scholarly essay.
Many of the most famous essays Ia the Ian
gusge are shorter than that.
The essays submitted by the students in
the Garden City must be received by THE
CALL by March Is. On that day the San
Jose contest will be closed. and the essays
received VIII be passed upon by THE CALL.
The author of the best essay will receive
a prize Of twenty dollars in gold.
A cash prize OF ten dollars in gold will be
awarded to the author Of the second best
essay.
The successful essays will be published
IN The CALL at once, together with the
pictures Of the victors.
The subject offers a wide latitude for
the method of its treatment. There are
many ways in which the theme may be ap-
preached, and the nature of the treatment Is
not prescribed.
What is want Ell is good essay from a
literary point Of view. and students who
enter the lists should know the essential
characteristics of short essay. The
productions will be judged as specimens of
literary work, aud the best one. all things
considered. will win the first prize.
The merits Of the essays submitted will
probably vary with differences 10 the char
acteristics of them. One may have strength
OF style as its principal merit; another will
have elegance; another will display fine
diction and another will have striking
originality. Originality will be considered
higher merit than literary graces, for
originality is an expression of genius.
But the essays are left to the genius and
culture of the boys and girls of the San Jose
schools and We will see what they can pro-
duce.
There Is DO city in the State, outside of
San Francisco, that has better educational
facilities than San Jose, and as 1t may be
assumed that the boys and girls in that
center of learning are as bright as there are
In the State. we may expect that many OF
the essays submitted will be literary gems.
Here is an opportunity for a spirited
rivalry among the schools of San Jose, for
the entire school from which the victor
comes will share the honor and win be
proud Of Its champion who wins the golden
prize.
The Garden City is famous for It's public
schools. and 1t has besides the State Normal
School, university and several other
academic institutions that will undoubtedly
send ambitious students into the contest, so
that the competition will be wide and keen.
The girls will enter the contest, of course,
and who knows that some budding genius,
who will some OF these days rank among
the literary women Of America, may not
give another REPUTATION Of the SANDER that
women are deficient in brains?
The essays submitted should be written
on paper of note size. and of course upon
only one side of the paper. They must be
addressed to 1.-THE MORNING CALL. 50e
Clay street, San Francisco" and should be
Endorsed Essay Contest" Manuscripts
will not be returned unless accompanied by
return postage.
The name of the author should not be
placed upon the manuscript, but given with
the address In an accompanying cote. The
manuscripts when reviewed will be identi-
fed only by number and when the best two
are selected the names Of the authors will