The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-12
OKLAHOMA Is
HEARD FROM
Frank Greer Entertains Con-
temporary Club
WITH BRIGHT SAYINGS
Theme of His Address Was
Modern Culture.
He FROWNtD ON SLAMS
And Scorned PretentionS of
Nobility of Blood.

The Contemporary Club gave q ban
quet to its members last evening at the
Hamilton hotel. The members first went
to the parlors of the hotel and enjoyed
an hour in conversation and discussion
OF various topics. About 9:15 they re-
paired to the dining hall and enjoyed a
splendid repast, served in five courses.
Reverend J. d. Ritchey was selected to
be the POSTMASTER for the evening and
under his able management the toasts
took on a character that afforded a great
deal Of entertainment to the assembled
guests. The fun and wit that was dis
played on the occasion was Of a very
choice variety and made the gathering
one of the most successful of the season.
The chief speaker OF the evening was
Mr.. Frank II. Greer, editor of the Guthrie
tOhahoma) Capital, and one of the
brightest contributions made by Kansas
to her growing up little sister on the
south. Mr.. Gresr's subject was Modern
Culture" but as prelude 70 1t he spoke
on that always fascinating theme. Kan
sas.
Il belong to profession" he said.
whose motto is The pen is mightier than
the mouth. Polonious said 10 Laertes.
Give thy thought no tongue nor any
unproportioned thought his act" News
paper men agree with Polonius.
But there are times when we are
tempted tc talk. There are times when
even the carefully prepared extemporan-
ious speech must slumber in the pocket
and the vocaliues submurge the pen.
How much easier TO think sitting down
than standing up remarked this TO a
friend once and he said this explained to
him what allied so many newspapers
they were evidently edited standing up.
Thoughts trickle much more readily from
the pencil than from the tongue.
Kansas is a state conducive Of talk.
It has always had an opinion of its own
unique and forceful way OF expressing
it. Culture in oratory has not been es-
sentiai here. Talk came by nature-was
inhaled from the enthusiasm of the sun
shine and the breezes and the peculiar
activities which have made effervescence
virtue and given TO thoughts the loud
est acclaim. Speech was thrown out by a
DYNAMIC force which could endure no
repression. 1t just exploded without
special fuse-and sometimes regardless OF
direction.
kansas came into being amid fires Of
patriotism-and at once began the lead
OF the nation to higher and freezer
plane Here we put aglOw the fires OF
union which welded the states into an
indissouable one
Here Blaine wrought the people to an
eighty-two thousand frenzy-and here the
stridant COLOSSUS called capital got the
first thrust that went TO its vitals. Here
the people fought the hideous octopus
and each stury yeoman contested with
the other as to who could dislocate the
largest number of ina ginary tentacles-
Then the sunshine of plenty dispelled
the clouds OF gloom, the palace OF in
dustrial glory reopened, and with only an
occasional Ratchet and crank to impede
the dawn, new peace and progress
came. and conservatism perched smiling
on the citadel.
1T is always A qualification for me TO
come to Kansas-and especially to its i'm
perial center, Wichita. I do not know
many of you here personally, but as Dan
Finch said 10 Lincoln, i know you IN
timately by reputation"
I love Kansas and its people. I love
its intellectual freedom, its vastness Of
resources. its unconventionslity of views.
oklahoma has, in an enlarged FORM
some of the characteristics of Kansas.
MANY Of the best people Of this state
smiled over into Oklahoma and at once
took possession and put the old stamp
anon II. l am glad TO note that Kansas
has recovered the loss and that from one
commonwealth has come two equally
creat-ereat in likeness. enterprise and
thrift.
Gene Ware once told me, Kansas IL a
university. She sends her graduates 70
all sections and cliines. for the uplifting
Of mankind and the furtherance OF pro-