The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-03-25
THREE HIGH SCHOOLS CON.
TEST FOR LITERARY HONORS
Brookve Punxutawney and Reynodve Furnish Superb Enter
tainment before Large Audience Reynoldsvle Declared
Winner by the Judges amid Great Applause.

One OF the most notable events in the
history of the public schools OF jefferson
county occurred in Assembly hall, Rey-
noldsville, March goth, when, in the
presence OF an immense throng, repre-
sentatives of the three leading High
Schools OF the county-Brookvil Rey-
noldsville and Punxsutawney-met In
friendly, but earnest battle for literary
and evolutionary supremacy. 1t was an
inter.scholastic contest In every sense
of the word, for not only we're the three
towns represented on the stage but in
the audience also each high school had
a large delegation OF friends present
who had come to applause and cheer on
their representatives to victory, and
never before has there assembled in
that hall such an enthusiastic and in
terested audience.
1t was contest for glory alone, no
prizes and no rewards we're held up for
the students save only the more prec-
ious award OF recognition of superiority,
and without any flattery, whatever, II
may be said that all, winners and losers,
acquitted themselves In manner Of
which each of the High Schools may be
proud.
Notwithstanding the long delay in
getting started, the audience remained
In good humor and when the curtain
finally rolled up and County Superin-
tendent II. b. Teitrick stepped forward
to prelude the contest with a few con-
graduating remarks, he was greeted
with hearty applause. The front Of
the hall and stage had been decorated
with purple and gold, the class colors
Of the Reynoldsville High School, and
on the stage were seated all the contest
ants and representatives of the three
schools.
The program had been arranged in
four great divisions-essays, orations,
recitations and debating-and between
each division musical number was
given by representatives of each school,
but this was not part OF the contest.
The octette of Brookville, composed OF
four young ladies and four young men,
gave an especially fine rendition OF a
song of the sea entitled Anchored" !"
A score and a half of girls voices gave
a chorus for Punxsutawney, and for
Reynoldsville Misses Annie Klahr and
Amy Bollinger rendered a piano duet
entitled "The Return OF the Heroes" in
such pleasing manner that 1t brought
forth prolonged and enthusiastic ap-
plause.
The contest opened with trio OF
essays by Misses Helen Brady, of Brook
vile, Ada Hennigh, of Punxsutawney,
and Helena Black. OF Reynoldsville.
Miss Brady chose for her subject the
heroic career of William the Silent
Prince OF Orange, the savior OF Holland,
and described how in days of war and
dark religious persecution he struggled
courageously for the cause OF his
country until martyrdom crowned the
life of man who was Every Inch a
Prince" In "The American Girl" Miss
Henneigh contrasted In concise and wit
ty language the maid Of to-day and
other days and moved the audience to a
smile by her description of the tribu-
lations and triumphs of the American
girl and the conclusion that she was
worth at least half dozen boys, That
| IannnAc Wi
great opportunities as they present
themselves was the theme OF Miss
Blacks essay, and her illustrations from
the life of Napoleon and other famous
men to show that opportunities exist in
all things even the most trivial, were
forceful and appropriate.
In the orations the lives of three
great and typical American statesmen
Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Gregg Cur
tin and Daniel Webster-were eulogiz-
ed by the three contestants. For PUNK
sutawney Clair Baird depicted the
majestic rise OF the humble Lincoln
from the rude hut in the wilderness to
the first place in the nations love and
reverence Thomas Nolan, of Reynolds
Vile, had for his hero Andrew G..
Curtin, the war governor OF Pennsyl-
vanla, man equally noble but far less
known than either Lincoln or Webster,
but the speaker dilated upon his merits,
his wisdom and humanity so forcibly,
with an eloauence so free from affecta-
tion, that he quickly won the approval
of the audience and his victory over his
opponents was perhaps the most de-
cisive OF the evening. John Walker, OF
Brookville, recounted the early strug.
giles, the craftsmanship, the eloquence
and true patriotism of Daniel Webster.
One of the most pleasing features OF
the evening was the simple grace and
eloquence of the contestants in the
recitations. The pieces were we'll