The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-04-11
HAMMOND ONCE
MORE WINS HONOR.
CONTINUED from page u.

She is a frail little girl very much
younger than the rest, her dresses
reached scarcely below her knees. she
seemed to be too young to be seriously
considered as a dangerous contestant
but there was a sparkle and a fire In
her clear eyes that had not been reck-
oned with and when she had finished
with her grafton there was not a
person in the house who did not have
world of admiration for the plucky
Hobart girl.
Miss Banks took as an example of
the injustices that is frequently melted
out to societies criminal Jene Vatican
the principal character in Les Mise
rabies who stole loaf of bread to feed
his indignities that could be subse-
quently suffered all of the punishment
and indignities that could be heaped
upon criminal Of the worst type. She
maintained that people We're frequently
the objects of missaplied justice and
that society punished instead the wrong
doer instead of correcting the wrong.
She said that society did not take into
consideration the fact that crime is
frequently matter of heredity or a
disease which should be treated as
such.
When the Judge announced that Miss
Banks has won second place the little
girl, who apparently feared that she
had little chance to win started forward
in her chair and her face lighted with
inexpressab1e joy. 1t was victory
for her and whether or not the audi
ence agreed with the judges in their
decision they were pleased to see that
the laurel had fallen where it would
cause so much happiness.
The Grafton of Walter Smith of Whit
ing was finished and well delivered.
subject was THE Problem of the Am
erican Negro" and there were many
who thought that Mr.. Smith should
have had second place. His manner of
delivery was easy and his gestures We're
the most natural of all. It is under
stood that the judges would have
awarded him second place If he had
thrown more spirit into his delivery.
Mr.. Smith described the period fol-
lowing the civil war when the negro
race was in such a state Of chaos He
spoke of the little education that is
dangerous" and drew the conclusion
that practical education, not the oretical
would be the salvation of the race.
Miss Flossie Pickard of East Chi
{
opinion a great many deserved a sec
ond or at least a third place. Her de-
livery was excellent her self confidence
and poise admirable, her voice was good
and her subject, 1.-The Problem of the
Wait" was well chosen. It had to do
with one of the sociological problems
OF the day and she took as an example
the life of the newsboy in Chicago"
She showed that his environment
was such as to give him every oppor
tunity to become a criminal and her
idea of a solution of the problem was
the substitution of a gymnasium and
more elevating forms of pleasure for
those which now threaten and finally
bring about his ruin. There was Sc
quence and logic in her composition
and her illustra tons were admirably
adapted to the subject.
Miss Hazel Smith of Crown Point
spoke on the subject, More Regard for
the Law" Her position was well taken.
her voice was good and all of her ar
guments were strong. There was hard
/ " enough force to her delivery, how
ever, and this probably counted against
her
Miss Bessie Griffith of Lowell chose
as her subject, Woman Suffrage in Am
erica: Pro and Con" 1t was unfortunate
that she attempted to present both
sides of the subject for therein lay
her weakness. The grafton was simply
q presentation of the arguments on
both sides and did not give her hearers
any decided impression.
In the musical contest the Whiting,
Hammond and East Chicago were the
real contestants The Hammond chorus
was the largest and Mr.. Leaning chose
an exceedingly difficult selection to be-
gin with. Hail Alma Matter" was well
rendered but there was something of a
lack of spit in its renditionthat prob
ably counted against the local school
The Whiting chorus was exceedingly
well balanced and we'll trained and
Hammond critics generally conceded
that they deserve the victory. Whiting
students sang but one selection, "Tc
Three Oh Country" but it was exceed
ingly we'll sung.
The grade of the various schools ir
music was as follows: Whiting, Is
Hammond, 10; East Chicago 21; Ho-
bart "a; and Whiting last. The grade
, in oratory was Hammond. 10; Hobart
I35; Whiting, 50; East Chicago, As
Crown Point, Al; and Lowell, IS.