The Republican journal., 1910-06-16
Colonial Danes of Texas
Give the Students Award to Miss Winnie
Omar Hussey for Prize Essay.
from a Dallas, Texas, Newspaper.


Omar Hussey for Prize Essay.
from Dallas, Texas, Newspaper
The prize essay written by Miss Winnie
Omar Hussey Of the junior class of the
Dallas High School IN competition for the
prize offered by the Colonial Danes of
Texas to any student in Texas for the
best essay on Colonial history was read at
exercises held by the Colonial Danes at
the High School auditorium yesterday af-
ternoon.
Upon a platform where Old Glory
formed background and in the fore
ground a pedestal held brass bowl
of larkspur to suggest the Colonial
colors of buff and blue, sat the partici-
pants in the program. Mrs. j. w. Wen.
delken presided Under the direction OF
Miss Birdie Alexander the school pupils
sang America" with spirit to the piano
accompaniment of Mrs. l.. M. bennington.
In speaking of the interest aroused by
the offer of the $40 prize, Mrs. Wendell
ken stated that in some towns IN the
State the history course was arranged
with this competition in view. This year
there We're three contestants, Misses
Frances Wolcott, Winnie Gerloff and
Winnie Omar Hussey. Miss Hussey lives
at 500 Maple avenue, Oak Lawn. The
Colonial Danes have been interested IN
thus encouraging research into Colonial
history and so commemorating noble
deeds. She said that next year the same
competition would be held. Mrs. F. H.
Blankenship sang Spring" by Storm,
and ''She Stops to Conquer.
Judge Philip Lindsey, Son of the
Revolution, presented Miss Hussey with
the prize coin, inclosed in an envelope
sealed with the crest of the Colonial
Danes and tied with blue and buff rib
bons.
PRIZE WINNING ESSAY.
Miss Hussey read the following essay
on 1.-The Influence of Conditions at Home
on English Sentiment Toward the Colo
Mes
ITO review the causes of the great
American Revolution in light unpreju
diced by any personal feeling, we must
thoroughly understand the condition of
England during the reign of George Ill.
For it was this corruption at home, So
cietv and government which Kept Eng
land in a storm of civil agitation and
shaped and developed her attitude OF
overbearance toward the colonies.
First, we will discuss the nature of
the King of England. Surely we all have
heard the popular maxim, AS the leader
is, so will the followers be- What then
shall we expect of England with George
Ill at it's head. In but few Kings before
had England endured such indeclslon OF
character, such lack of conscience, and
such selfish ambition. Unlike his two
predecessors, George l. and H., who
practically intrusted the entire admins
tration of government to their Ministers,
George Ill, a stanch believer in the d.
vine right Of Kings, had come to the
throne determined to regain the lost con-
troll of his Empire, to rule on both sides
of the Atlantic, in fact, as well as in
name. To do this he must crush the re-
bellious, liberty-loving spirit of America,
secure discipline, order and unity to his
stricken Empire by means of an absolute
individual rule He wished England to
be the first servant to His Majesty, the
King. In all his underhanded schemes
he was firmly backed by Parliament, over
which he eXerted a wonderful influence.
In going over his Parliamentary voting
list each day he granted rewards or pun
ishments to the members as they had
pleased or displeased him in the manner
of their voting and we shall see that as his
power increased his selfish ambition and
depravity likewise rose.
SIN the second place we will consider
the condition of Parliament at this time,
which was really the ruling power of
England, though it was but mockery
to the people it stood for. Cities like
Birmingham and Leeds, lately sprung
into Importance, We're without represen-
tation. while ancient boroughs, long since
decaved, had seats which were bought
and sold at the discretion of few old
Wing families. Furthermore, the King,
ambitious for greater influence in the
lower house, gave unimportant boroughs
the privilege of returning members to
the Commons. Thus we see Parliament
corrupted by the influence of the crown
and ruled by wealthy land owners, total
ly ignoring the rights of the people. But
this condition at home created in Eng
land vast number of sympathizers for
America who We're lenient with the colo
MES for the reason of their own inability
to secure true representation.
The postoffice, too, had its share of
corruption, and being the medium of
communication between the colonists IN
America and their colonial agents in
England, it played an important and
most damaging part IN shaping colonial
affairs. The outgoing and incoming mali
of England was accessible to public men;
one man was at liberty to open the mail
of another and appropriate 1t to his own
use. 1t was said that Benjamin Franklin,
at one time colonial agent in England,
had never received letter from the
Colonies which had not first been opened
and a copy of it secured. This violation
of public faith produced lack of conf
dence on the part of the colonists.
The bitter feeling existing between
America and England was due largely to
the actions of the inefficient and profit
gate men placed over the Colonies. These
men, usually of noble families, had been
educated according to the corrupted ideas
prevalent in English schools for young
mobiles. In their reports to England the
conditions of the Colonies were grossly
misrepresented, further estranglng the
two countries.
Under such a Government, events
moved swiftly to crisis; England adop-
ted harsher measures of government;
the Colonies began to speak up in de-
tense of those rights and privileges
which their fathers had won with so
hard struggle
Great Britain S method of governing
America was, to say the least, selfish,
severe and unfruitful. Though the Colo
MES received their charters and patents
from England, they were spoken of as