The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1908-02-13


prizes offered by the U n o for best
essays on Abraham Lincoln. The
papers were all numbered and the
judges did not know the names of the
writer's. The judges we're Rev. j. w.
Heard, pastor of the M. E. church;
Rev. George A. Swertfager, pastor of
the Congregational church, and Rev.
j. P. Levings, pastor of the Roman
Catholic church, all of them highly
educated gentlemen. The U nj O n
extends it's thanks to those gentlemen
for their kindness in acting as judges
and for their painstaking labor in
determining the winners. Only three
prizes of $500, $500 and S1.00 were
offered for class A-country boys and
girls under fourteen years of age-but
there we're twenty-six competitors in
the class and the Union gave two
additional prizes of one dollar each,
thus making five instead of three
prizes in that class.
Miss Ella B. Hanson, teacher in
school district No. 7, Sherburne
county, was the only school teacher
to compete for the $500 prize offered.
Miss Olive M. Townsend of Prince
ton town, a girl of l3, was awarded
the free-for-all prize of $500. The
judges considered her essay the best
of the entire lot.
Here are the names of the winners
in each class: Glass A-country boys
and girls under ii years: Laura
McVicar, Princeton town, 1st, $500;
Hilma Wahlfors, Blue Hill, End,
$500; Hilfred Peterson, Princeton,
3rd, s1OO; Eva Burke, Brickton, 4th,
s1.O0; Daisy E. Mott, Princeton town,
5th, Sl.00.
Glass B-Country boys and girls
under is years: Pearl Irene Freer,
Opstead, LIST, $500; Edna M. Lowell,
Wyanett, End, $500; Helen e. Peter
son, Wyanett, 3rd, Sl.0O.
Glass C-Village boys and girls
under IA years: Andrew Mattson,
Princeton town, 1st, $500; Edith
Early, Princeton, End, $500; Gerald
Peterson, Princeton, 3rd, $l.0O.
Glass D-Village boys and girls
under IS years: Alma Roos, Prince
ton, LIST, $500; Muriel Price, Milaca,
End, So. 90; Nellie Hill, Princeton, 3rd,
$1.OO.
Below are given the prize essays
just as they we're written:
FIRST PRIZE-Country Teachers.
BY ELLA B. HANSON.
''My Captain.Y
My first knowledge of Lincoln was
derived from stories told by dear,
childish, old-fashioned, Grandma
Stanley-not real grandmother to me
more than to the hosts of others by
whom she was so called. Most of
those stories I have forgotten, but
there was one which told of wonder
full lawn fete at the Springfield home.
Just what was the occasion of the
event, I do not now remember; but I
do know sat wide-eyed as grandma
enumerated the articles of food pro-
vided for the feast and told of the
great length of the table from which
it was partaken. The story always
ended with "And my man made the
table," spoken so impressively as to
put me much in doubt as to which was
to be held in higher esteem, Lincoln,
or the good old lady's husband.
I have since learned that admira-
ton and reverence and love are due
the man who made the feast; and that
admiration and reverence and love is
only intensified when I reflect that he
could have made the table as we'll
as did Grandpa Stanley; and because
I can believe that he would just as
soon have made it, had he not been
otherwise engaged, deem him one of
the noblest men that ever walked
Gods earth. Had I learned law
without teacher and grown wise
without schools-had I risen from the
life of the lowly to the highest honor
a nation affords, would esteem N.Y.
self so much more worthy than my
fellows that I would speak to them
civilly with difficulty, much less take
off my hat to an old negro who
saluted me.
But Lincoln-well, any man that
will voluntarily pull a pig out of the
mud with his best suit on, and that
pig a strange one which may not even
grunt "thank you," downing the pig
would alter the case), and plead for
the life of mud rtle,-surely that
man must feel we are all children oil
one Father, and none great only as he
is given a great duty to perform.
Certain it is, the man who said