The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-12-11
KRAMER
IS winner
-
WILL REPRESENT EARLHAM
AT STATE oRAToRICA
SMELSER TAKES SECOND
The Contest Held Last Night Was a
Fine One in Every Par
ticular.

n The contest at Earlham College
last night to determine who would
represent Earlham at the State Or
atorical contest next January, was
vfry we'll attended by an intelligent
audience.
j. Aubrey KRAMER was chosen
last night to represent Earlham Col
lege at the State Oratorical contest
next January.
Mr.. KRAMER was followed by
Smelser and Spohn, second and third
respectively.
The greatest disappointment of the
evening was the failure of Oliver M.
Frazer, a Richmond man, to win
and many declared after the contest
that Frazer should have won the
right to represent the college. His
oration was indeed a splendid eff
roft, while the delivery was but fair,a
fact which, contrasted with the bril-
liant dramatic effort of Mr.. Kram-
Ter, lost him a place.
Kramier's tone is clear, strong
and has great fexibility. His
use of the dramatic climax, with
resultant silence in which the drop
. Of pin could be heard, held the au-
dience entranced and spe1lbound
His story of "Two Emancipators,"
that Of the strong, rousing narration
of the downfall Of despotism and
slavery, was given in a manner that
held his hearers interest and inten-
tion. His subdued, yet stirring and
splendid use of dramatic effects was
splendid and he fully deserved the
honor awarded to him.
A noticeable characteristic toward
the strongly practical was seen in
the thought of all the orations. The
topics dealt on were practical, every
day ones, expressed with force and
power.
c. w. Sumner first spoke, his topic
being a plea for "More True Amer
icans.' This, Mr.. Summers first
trial, was a particularly fine one.
"More True Americans those eag-
per to do anything resulting in better
ment of the conditions in this coun-
try, were asked for in an earnest,
A. NJ Mendenhall, a Richmond
-forcible manner.
boy, in an Grafton of great earnest
ness and strength, spoke of "The
Unwritten Law, that by which mobs
work and break down the laws.
"Custom, statute and the unwritten
law were the three kinds Of law,
according to Mr.. Mendenhall, the lat
ter being that resulting in lawless-
ness and a cessation of enforcement
of the laws.
L. B. Smelser, of this city, receiv-
ed second place for his grafton
"Louis Kossuth.' 1t was a master
ly piece of eulogy, stirring and splen-
did, and Mr.. Smelser paid fine
tribute to the high qualities of the
great Hungarian patriot, the friend
of the serf.''
= n particularly pleasing feature
was the appropriate, powerful, YET
subdued, gestures of Mr.. Smelser
His speech was an especially fine one
: his enuneiation being a slight draw
= back, due to a severe cold. Mr.
Smelser fully deserved second place
Oliver M. Frazer, on "The Prob
Len of the American Cities" wa:
very fine and calculated to open the
eyes of the people to the power OF
citizenship, which is the great lever
for solving the problem of the
cities. Mr.. Frazer's voice was pecu
liarly harsh and with staccato note
was used powerfully.
August Epohn, third man, closed
the program with fine Grafton or
"The Yellow Peril" His contrast.
of Japan and Russia was an apt ant
forcible one, and the 'fyellow peril
as a bogie, was displayed.
Mr.. Starbuck and Misses Mabe
Stewart and Mamie Huff rendered