The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-06-13
PURDY WINS PRIZE.
Carries Off Honors In Penn College
0ratorical Contest.

The Prize Oratorical Contest be-
tween students Of the Penn College,
the second of the series Of the Penn
Commencement exercises, was held
last evening at the Penn Chapel All
the orations were well chosen and
showed careful training under the in
struction of Miss Perkins. A large
crowd of friends of the college we're
in attendance at the contest, and
were well pleased with the oratlons
that were given.
Alex Purdy won the first prize on
his Grafton, The Cry of the Congo
Miss Mabel Flint took second honors
with her Grafton, "Our National Dis
grace" Miss Carrie Lupton took
third on IAN Uncrowned Queen and
Ralph Else fourth with his Grafton,
IAN Enemy of Government" The
judges were Hon John F. Lacey,
John N. Mccoy and Miss Helen Tos-
tenson.
The prize grafton, "The Cry of the
Congo" delivered by Mr.. Purdy, was
excellent. He told how the greed of
the rulers of the old world, especially
King Leopold of Belgium, kept Congo
back from the progress of the
world. He told of the great wealth
Of the continent and the greed of the
European rulers to get it. How the
country was kept down by the main
tenance of an army of 10000, which
instead of making the prosperity of
the country, drove it out. He at the
last of the Grafton said that to make
the Congo an up to date and first
class country was to see the Ameri-
can flag fly over it. His delivery was
good.
The second prize grafton was by
Miss Mabel Flint, entitled, "0ur Ma
tional Disgrace" She said that our
country was not only disgraced by its
social disgraces, militant unionism,
wage of continual warfare between
laboring people and others, but the
worst disgrace of the country was the
child slavery. She told how tens of
thousands of small children ranging
in years from six to sixteen were kept
in bondage and made to work which
caused a development of diseases and
the making of degenerate criminals.
She asked what future country could
have with such slavery in her bord-
ers. She said it was all caused by
the greed of the manufacturers for
gold. She said that child labor made
the child when he becomes man an
anarchist. She classed 1t lower than
negro slavery. Some states she said
had laws prohibiting child labor, but
tbn 1u n thtc ion o1
abuse was the passage of national
law.
Miss Carrie Lupton won the third
prize on her grafton, can Uncrowned
Queen" She told of Francis Will
lard, the great temperance worker,
who did great things for the uplifting
of humanity by preaching temperance
over the land. She said that after
Francis Willard graduated from the
Northwestern University at Evanston,
H., she was offered the position Of
$1,000 to teach in some high class col
lege, but who refused the position as
it would hinder her work in temper
ance for which she received no COM
pensation. How she organized the
Young Womens Christian Temper
ance Union which stands now for her
noble work.
The fourth grafton was by Ralph
Else, "An Enemy of Government" He
told of how gambling swindles wreck
ed many homes, but the greatest
home wrecker was divorce. He said
that in the last year over 10000 d.
vorces were issued, which effected
over 100000 people He said that
there is much fuss made over the
Mormons being polygamists, but
when 1t came down to the point ii
was not as bad as divorce. He sug-
gested as remedy more stringent
laws.
Lyle Buffers Grafton on "The Neg
lected Continent" was good and
would have probably secured one of
the prizes, but the speaker forgot his
lines too often. He told how the
South American continent was far
behind the others, because for many
years they have been in hands of the
Spaniards whose greed for money did
not allow the countries to prosper. He
said the wealth of the southern hem
Isphere was as great or greater than
any other country and that the only
way the country could prosper would
be to install steam roads. get enter.
prising citizens, missionaries, teach
ers and new forms of government.
7, Pliny McCracken followed with his
grafton, "a New Standard of Value"
which was very good. How the Unit
ed States was setting new standard
of value by prohibiting slavery, etc.
Clarence Fuller's Grafton, entitled
"The Rejuvenation of the South"
was also good. He said that the
south had some of the richest iron
mines in the world, of its barren
lands and other wealths. He said
that the southern country was now
however, with its new
citizens who have come from other
countries and who are turning the
100000 acres of barren lands into
fruit orchards and cotton plantations.
While awaiting for the decision of
the judges an instrumental trio was
given.
Rev. Ellison Purdy of the Friends
church gave the invocation, and Miss
Bernice Bentley favored the audience
with an instrumental solo. Superin-
tendent Else of the city schools acted
ne chairman of tho evaninp