The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-27
HIGH SCHOOL ORATORY
JAMES GIPE, OF INDIANAPOLIS,
YIN FIRST HONORs.
EngIish's Opera House Completely
Filled with an Animated Audi
cnce of Young People.

sentative OF Shortridge High School in last
nights oratorical contest at English's
Opera House, must have had a premonition
that their man would win. for the appear
ance Of Walter Eggemeyer, president of
the association, on the stage was the signal
for a roar of applause. yells and ~catcalls
from local high school students that rem
dered it almost impossible for Mr.. Egge-
meyer TO make himself heard i'm the an
nouncement. James Gipe. of indianapolis.
has won first place." The uproar continued
with crescendo force for several minutes,
and then the announcer finished by giving
the other winners-Arthur Ach. OF Madison.
second, and Dowell King, of Richmond,
third place.
The contest was the fifth of the Indiana
Interscholastic Oratorlcal Association, and
the attendance was fully commensurate
with the high esteem in which the event
was held by high school students in the
seven cities Observation-Disclosures,
Richmond. Madison. Muncie. Columbus.
Huntington and Portland. The audience
presented a Kaleidoscope effect with the
gay hats and dresses of the young girls
and the rich profusion of many-colored rib
bonds waving and dangling in all parts of
80 ~ DON "a NHS ANAt VI
the stage was filled with handsomely
dressed young women and presented a beau
tiful picture in colors. OF course there was
noise. plenty of it, but that mattered little
since the audience was made up chiefly of
young folks. there not being much room
left for the elders.
The programme was attractively ar
ranged, the o~rations being interspersed
with musical numbers. One of the most
enjoyable of these was the song For all
Lfnrpifyf uCRIarnnh FandarRd nv Miss
Margaret G.. Johnson. of Madison, who en-
joys the distinction of being the first vocal
list TO appear on a programme OF the asso-
citation. Other music OF an excellent quail
iy was furnished by the Shortridge High
School orchestra and by the Muncie Glee
Club, the latter made up or twenty-one
opened with an address by President Egge-
meyer. who himself won first place In a
similar oratorical contest. Dowen King,
representing the Richmond High School,
was the first contestant 10 speak. Mr..
Kings Grafton was a glowing eulogy on
Wendell Phillips, 1.-The slaves most eloquent
defender Arthur Ach, representing the
Madison High School, a lad OF fifteen at
tired in knee trousers, created a most IA
vorable impression by his admirable de-
livery of an Grafton on the supJect no
Monopoly on Genius" The speech dis
played remarkable depth of thought and
elegance of diction considering the youth
of the speaker, and many thought he would
secure first place easily. VIII ODon-
nell. of the Columbus High School. gave
an interesting and exhaustive Grafton
on Benedict Arnold" in which he showed
that Arnold displayed early in life traits or
character that presaged the unfortunate
end of his career. 'The First Martyr was
the subject Of the Grafton by omar w:
Hearn. of the Portland High School. and
the martyr proved TO be Rev. EliJah +.
Lovejoy. who saved the freedom of the
press" BY an odd coincidence James Glpe,
the Shortridge High School representative,
of this city. chose the same subject that
was used by Dowell King, wendell Phil
lips" except that Mr.: Gipe added the
really better than that of any other con-
testant. and probably assisted materially
in raising him TO first place. The Grafton
was interesting. but differed very little
from the other one on the same subject.
Miss Pearl Franklin. Of the Huntington
| High School. had a peculiar Grafton for a
young woman. her topic being Little La
borers of a Great City" She spoke forcfbly
against the evil Of child labor and urged
the manual training school as a cure. The
| place i'm the contest. He was Walter Greg
| DRY. of Muncie. and his Grafton was on the
subject of "Fanaticism." Mr.. Gregorys
persuasive style of delivery was against
him. although his Grafton had many good
points. He denounced lynchings as the
outgrowth OF fanaticism and referred par
t~icularly to the recent distressing event In
Terre Haute.
The Judges who decided last nights con-
test were: On thought and composition,
DIR. w. p. Kane. president of Wabash Col.
lege. Charlottesville; Prof. G. A. Waldo. of
Purdue University, Lafayette; Prof. w. L.
| Rogers, of Indiana University, Blooming
ton. On delivery, Capt. VIM. e. English.
Of Indianapolis; Prof. John M. Walker, of
De PAW University. Greencastle, and
Sum of Final