River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-04-21
The High School Declamatory
Contest.

High school students. GobS of the
beautiful" covered all below, about
four inches deep, dank and glisten-
ing, while countless fleecy incre-
ments were being added from above.
But this beautiful was not pleasing
on this occasion. And yet the for
bidding aspect of the elements did
not deter the people from filling the
spacious NJ. E. church by eight
O'Clock, SO strongly does anything
relating to the schools appeal to the
consideration of the people of this
community.
This year all the schools in the
River Falls district-which compri-
ses the territory tributary to the
4th Normal school and which is di-
vided into four leagues the first
time, divide the contestants into
two classes determined by the char
acter of the selection to be spoken.
Those whose selections are orator.
cal are placed in one class and com
pared only with each other in merit,
while those whose selections are of
a dramatic or descriptive nature
constitute also distinct class and
these are compared with each other
in excellence. This division Of the
speakers is demanded from the ma
ture of the case. The scheme of
dividing the speakers into classes,
with respect to comparison of merit
in judgment, was inauguTated oy
Principal Anes of the High school
here and first tested by him in the
local contest two years ago. The
plan commended itself so wisely
that all the schools in the district
have adopted it and find it eminent
ly satisfactory.
The League in which the River
Falls High school is located COM
prises the counties of ST. CroiX and
Pierce and this year seven schools
take part in the league contest
which is to be held at Ellsworth to-
morrow evening. The schools which
send representative to the contest
to be held at Ellsworth are, New
Hudson, Hammond,
Baldwin, this city, Prescott and the
school where the contest is to be
held.
In the local contest here fourteen
students took part. Of these, five
all boys-had oratorical selections,
and had their contest Thursday
evening; nine-all girls-had their
contest Friday evening. This was
a larger number of contestants than
entered the lists at any other school
in the district, as far as notice has
been published. New Richmond
had seven contestants and Hudson
the same number.
The program on Thursday even
ing was rendered by the boys in its
entirety. There were five speakers
d. ]. Corcoran, Conrad Iverson,
Oliver Knight, Henry G. Forsyth,
and Glen Rounsevell None of
these, we believe, had taken part in
any previous contest, except Glen
Rounsevell, who was easily the win
ner on the occasion and was so
decisively declared by the judges.
The program Friday evening was in
control Of the girls exclusively.
Here there were nine speakers
Julia Anderson, Clara Lien, Minnie
Grace Lamson, Edna
Symes, Allie Hamilton, Maggie
Brown, Myrtle Hendrix and Della
Sweet. The judges decided that
Maggie Brown was entitled to first
place. In the contest of the first
evening all the boys did we'll. They
gave evidence of good training,
persistent practice and promise of
superior attainment. The speaking
in the second contest, in which nine
girls contended for the mastery,
was spirited, and there were so
many that were very good it was a
delicate question to determine who
was the most nearly excellent and
so entitled to the first place. The
winner, Miss Brown, having spoken
in a previous contest, had the ad-
vantage of experience and longer
But the question of who
among these fourteen should stand
first-one of five among the boys
and one of nine among the girls,
while a prize to be worked for-was
not the particular and most valuable
reward to be gained. The intention
and strife of doing his best and the
fact that he did do we'll is the real
and substantial gain.
The music on both occasions was
excellent. The instrumental num-
bers were we'll rendered and the
singing showed that the students