The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1908-05-15
YOUNG STATE ORATORS
NORTH NEBRASKA WON TWO
FIRST HoNoRS IN CONTEST.
STANTON AND oAkDALE VIcToRs

ALLIANCE Secures the other First Prize
In the Annual Contest OF the Ne.
lbraska High School Deelamatory
Union Friday Evening.
First prize, oratorlcal class, Cecil
Smith Alliance.
First prize, dramatic class, Miss
Anna Vasholz Stanton.
First prize, humorous class Miss
Blanch Putney Oakdale.
Second prize, oratorical contest,
gGmcr Hammer, Harvard,
Second prize, dramatic class, Miss
pearl Carey, York.
Second prize, humorous class Miss
Bessie Watkins Hastings
North Nebraska won first honors nj
dwo of the three classes Of the state
contest of tho Nebraska High School
Declamatory Union held Friday even
ing in the Norfolk Auditorium.
Miss Vasholz Of Stanton and Miss
Putney of Oakdale, awarded gold
medals by the judges, gave the same
selections that they used in the north
east Nebraska district contest held
recently in Norfolk The Ride of
Lilly Servosse" was delivered by Miss
Vasholz, Naughty Nell" by Miss Put
ney
Coming to Norfolk as the winners of
the four district contests the young
men and women who took part In the
state contest were naturally young
people of considerable talent. The
competition was spirited. In addition
to state wide honors being at stake,
the young people stood as the special
representatives not only of their own
school but all the schools in their
quarter OF the state.
The attendance, on account Of rival
demands for the attention of Norfolk
people Friday evening, was tritle dis
appointing. Considerably more than
a hundred visitors from away came to
Norfolk for the state contest.
Ten of the leading high schools Of
the state, Hastings, York, Stanton,
Valentine, Oakdale, Alliance, North
Bend, North Platte, Sidney and Har-
ward. were represented on the Audi
forum stage. Six of the contestants
were young ladies', four young men.
AS something of a coincidence the
honors of the evening were distributed
in this exact proportion.
The oratorical Glass.
A perfect articulation and complete
ease of bearing were important factors
in bringing victory to Cecil Smith, the
young man from Alliance who won
first place in the oratOrical class. 1.-The
Battle of Monmouth was the Grafton
selected by Mr.. Smith and he gave it
an intelligent Interpretation.
"Spartacus to the Gladiators" form
ed the basis of the oratorical efforts
of both Milo Hawkins of North Bend,
who was in the district contest here,
and Elmer Krammer of Harvard. 1t
fell to Mr.. Krammer to make the sec
ond presentation of the famous speech
of the old gladiator and he mastered
the situation to the extent of winning
y.
of North Platte. the only young lady
who secured the chance to contest in
the oratorical class, did very credit
ably. Her selection was "A Well
Founded Optimism"
The Dramatic Glass.
The same insight and ability to
bring out the dramatic points in her
EDhn piin of | .illV Ser
yosse," which made her popular con-
testant for district honors in Norfolk,
gave Miss Annah VasholZ of Stanton
success in the bigger field Friday
evening. She excelled in delivery and
In Interpretation, receiving well mer-
tied victory.
Miss Pearl Carey of York won the
second position with THE Kentucky
Derby" She did well.
The Honor of the Woods" by Miss
Gertrude O'Kane of Sidney was also
pleasing.
The Humorous Glass.
A happy climax of the contest was
furnished by the last class in which
three truly humorous selections were
we'll given. The audience was not
only amused but was also called to
acknowledge the cleverness displayed
by the young people.
Miss Blanch Putney of Oakdale
whose Naughty Zell" captivated the
other audience at the Auditorium, re
peated her success. She won first
place.
Miss Bessie Watkins OF Hastings
pressed close upon Miss Putney fol
honors. In a little sketch called "The
Orator" she told of the grief OF the
school urchin forced to oratory on &
Friday afternoon. The piece gave op
portunity for a display of versatility
which the Hastings representative
made the best Of She ranked second
John d. Gould of Valentine was the
only contestent who essayed verse