The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-11
FourAdmirabIe Speeches
For Medal.
Mr.. PORTER WINS OUT
His Subject The Panama CANADIAN
Interesting Contest. The Judges
Award the Medal After COnsid-
r a BILE Trouble. The Other
Speakers and the Subjects.

Speakers and the Subjects.
The annual oratorical contest at the
Agricultural and Mechanical College
last evening between senior members
of the Leazar Literary Society attract-
ed a fair percentage of the young
women Of the town who are interested
in the college boys and practically the
entire membership of the society.
There were four orations and the
medal was awarded by the judges to
Mr.. r. B. Wilson, of Greensboro,
whose subject was the Panama Canal
All tho speakers We're greeted with
liberal applause and presented at the
end of their speeches with bouquets
from friends in the audience.
The judges were Attorney General
Gilmer, j. G.. Brown, Esq, and Prof,
T. n. Johnson, Of the Baptist Uni
versity.
The various orations reflected credit
upon the young men who made them
and were in the good taste of brew
ity.
The intermissions were filled in with
music by the college band, which was
energetic in its execution of its NUM-
bers and patriotic i'm their selection,
putting the audience to the continued
applause of Dixie, in particular.
The first speaker was Mr.. j. A. Park,
of Raleigh, his subject being "Will
the Nation Endure z, On this point
Mr.. Park was forcefully confident and
carried his audience with him. He is
a light young man with delivery
which was possibly more impassioned
than that of either Of his competitors.
His gestures flowed with his rhetoric
and aided his appeal. The necessary
review OF the hiss@fy Of the republic
incident to his subject was handled
deftly and without WEAKNESS of de-
tail and he proceeded through the
trials of the past to the progress and
incidental dangers of the present and
on to a quivering peroration With a
grace which gives great promise of
his future abilities as a public speak
er.
Following Mr.. Park, Mr.. Wilson
spoke on college Mans duty to his
Stat" Mr.. Wilson has the bearing
of a speaker and the air of a think
er. His black hair goes in a sweeping
curve over a broad forehead, and his
mouth and chin are of an honest and
convincing ruggednes. His voice is
full and has good carrying ability, but
he is slightly too self-conscious. He
neither stands still nor goes into ac-
tion with his body while he speaks.
Instead he shifts with an uneasiness
which in some measure detracts from
the effect of his utterances His ges-
lures make one almost think that
they come because they are consid-
cred necessary and not as the instinc-
tive emphasis to q thought or the
fight of a sentence going beyond
words, which is their only excuse.
This much of criticism of Mr. Wilson
for the goodness of his Grafton as
such. He had constructed it we'll and
thoughtfully and carried it triumph
antly to it's logical conclusion. He
made an eloquent plea for the greater
development of the State so endowed
with the capacities for large destinies.
and urged that in the days when it
had aWaked to the duty Of educating
its men, its boys should stay with it
for their own and the States good
Along with the educational awaken
ing, said he, came in full measure
to North Carolina the industrial
awakening which was sweeping over
the country. There is no section like
ours TO take full advantage of this
national trend and the duty on the
youth of the State is a plain one.
Mr.. e. G.. Porter, of Clinton, next
spoke upon the Panama Canal bear
ing off the medal in the end, as
stated. He prefaced his remarks by
stating that the age of oratory was
dead and proceeded to dis
prove his assertion in large measure
by getting out of a highly interest
on the subject of the building of the
great waterway good degree Of
fluent and pleasing speech. Mr.. Por-
ters Grafton was evidently the most
carefully planned and constructed one
Of the evening. 1t brimmed with
thought and study. Mr.. Porter looks
the careful student. He is sharpe
featured with keen, close eyes. His
are clear cut and are given
with the trust of a man dealing with
facts. He marshals his utterances into |
d consistent chain, and binds the sub |
ject with strong and calculated knots |
of logic Mr.. Porter defended the |
Panama project from every point of |
view from the exercise of United |
States sovereignty on the canal zone, /
to the projected plans of the engin-
aering features of its construction. He |
went into details showing the difficult /
lies which would have to be overcome
and how they would be met and |
praised Chief Engineer Wallace as a |
man who was at the head of his pro-
fession and 81; lad the common |
sense = taa technical knowl- T
edge ans ab5 lvincible The /
america pepla the race to /
build til sane Ter than the /
French, Wne icy of national /
ii not of the
ibre of t scessary for so
stupendoL he reports of +
he unhes y ilEssal OF Panama |
we're he " exaggera- !
aI11 cove e.,