The herald., 1898-03-29
THREE YOUNG ORATORS
SEVENTH oRAToRICAL INTER
COLLEGIATE CONTEST
U. S. C. DECLARED THE VICTOR
Ernest B. Bradley Carries Of the
Medal-Subjects Well Handled
by the Contestants-Yells

Five hundred people gathered in Music
hall last evening to listen to orators in the
seventh annual contest of the Southern
California Intercollegiate Oratorical as
ISOLATION. The blue and white Of Pomona
mingled with the black and gold of Occi-
dental, and the 'Varsity's cardinal lent coll
or and brilliance to the audience.
Rev. Guy w. Wadsworth, president of
Occidental college, opened the program
with fervent invocation. Miss Edna Bick-
nell then sang Forget -Me-Not," by Won
Suppe, in rich soprano.
"IGNOBLE NIGHT
Romeo c. Gould of Pomona college deliv-
cred the opening oration, entitled. "Ignoble
Might" Mr.. Gould said In part:
1.-THE house of Romanoff is the highest
type of Teutonic despotism, and its policy
has reared the greatest empire the world
has ever seen-Russia. Nor is size her only
boast. Behold her great defenses for war;
impregnable fortresses, a mighty navy.
and the largest army ever mustered under
one flag. Whence her growth and upon
what foundations does this dazzling struc-
ture stand?
From humble rank, by battle and con-
quest, Russia has risen to her present
height. Her arms are drawn from a hun
dred warlike tribes and mighty is the ar
ray. A boundless revenue is drawn from
her teeming millions by taxes wrung from
the toiling peasants. Nowhere else is free
dom of the press and of speech SO checked
This has bred a distrust of all officials.
Socialism and Nihilism, born and bred by
this suppression, are permeating every
class. The best minds in the empire are in
their ranks.
'"The very strength of Russia begets her
weakness. Her present institutions must
give way to the freer and nobler life Of our
age. We sometimes boast that we alone
are fit to rule over our brother man. The
rather let US firmly stand for the liberty of
all the world and pour out our sympat thy
before this struggling people that We may
see them united forever with the free Of
the earth.
SUNSET OF THE CENTURY"
The Occidental orator. Edwin H. Miller,
spoke on 1.-THE Sunset of the Century" He
said, briefly: I'VE stand upon the thresh-
hold of new century. To Americans the
significance is most vital, for here the
Anglo-Saxon race shall rule the world. .<sut
grave dangers threaten and demand our
instant attention. Sabbath desecration is
a prominent evil. The Sabbath is divine
institution: q moral law compels mans
compliance with Gods law. If man labors
without rest, mental and physical vgor
will fail.
"Closely allied with the Sabbath Is the
home, and if the home falls what will be
the morality of the next generation? The
arch fiend. intemperance. marshals the
hosts Of evil and curses city and country
alike. Shall We rectify these evils with
culture and law? Both have failed in the
past There Is but one cure for the ills of
the body politic-the gospel. The opp3r-
tunity to apply 1t is ours. To us 1t is given
to cleanse the fountain of impurity. Let MS
ever stand for the right, ever oppose the
wrong, and we shall accomplish this grand
and glorious task"
THE WINNING GRAFTON
The last oration, 1.-THE Fallacy Of Pes
simism," was delivered by Ernest B.
Bradley Of the University of Southern Cal
ifornia. Mr.. Bradley's speech. in part, was:
mo problem has ever occasioned SO
much intensity of thought as the problem
of life. In despair, the soul cries out:
Whence am ~ whittier am going?'
What is life?' What is death?' Six CEN
turtles before Christ. Buddha studied this
problem, and, after years of speculation, a
solution was revealed to him for sorrow,
desire and life. He proclaimed the death
of ihdividualism and taught the absorp-
tion into Nirvana. Thus was born pessim-
ism, and men began to cry: All is dark
ness, despair and woe!' Modern European
scholars have revived this Buddhistic phil
osophy and clothed 1t in more pleasing
garb. But pessimism presents an unsatis-
factory solution of life.
'"To whom, then, shall we turn for a real
solution? From the banks of the Jordan
flashes the message Of One, whose solution,
proclaims the ultimate triumph Of supreme
goodness. This message came when men
despaired of truth, and not only solved the
problem of life. but that of death and dis
solution. It has uplifted the earth and
turned 1t on another course. All that is
grand and dignified in our civilization to-
day. monuments Of philanthropy. ministers
of peace, world Of sympathy and the
power of brotherhood, are outgrowths of
the spirit Of Cavalry, which, In spite of
earthquakes and storms, fields of blood
and desolate homes, ruined cities and fall
en- empires, has enabled the race to pierce
the darkness and see
"A far-off divine event,
Toward which the whole creation moves" :"
THE vICTOR'S LAURELS
A "Madrigal,'' by v. Harris, was rem
dered In pure contralto by Miss Aroline
Ellis.
President Roy w. Day announced that
the judges had awarded first place to Err
nest B. Bradley. The U. 8. c. contingent
went wild and the air was filled with car
dinal streamers and the Varsity yells.
After the din subsided Mr.. w. A. Spalding
gave the prize, a gold medal and s25 In
cash, to Mr.. Bradley, with few timely re-
marks. The judges on Thought and Com
position" were Prof. r. B. Clapp of Berke-
ley. w. 8. Melick editor of the Pasadena
News, and President M. M. Parker of the
University of Arizona; on Delivery" w.
A. Spalding, George w. Parsons and Frank
A. Gibson.
Mr.. Bradley received highest place from
five judges.
The annual convention of the associa-
tion was held in the Y. M. c. A. building
yesterday afternoon. Officers for the en-
suing year were elected as follows: Pres
ident, r. C. Owens, Pomona; vice presi-
dent, c. l.. Shinn. Occidental; secretary
treasurer. G. H. Stevens: u. s. C. It was
voted to hold the next contest on or about
March Is, 1899. in Los Angeles, under the
ouov,fooa Of ho TTp;varss+x,