The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-04-24
CONTEST AN EVEN VICTORY
Carbondale Awarded Defamation,
Essay and Recitation Honors, But
Honesdale Takes Singing-Re-
suits Gratifying TO Honesdale
-DunmOre OuitS
.Dunmore Quits.

-DunmOre Quits.
The annual literary contest con-
Quoted by the Carbondale and
! Honesdale schools was held in Lyric
| theatre on Friday evening last. This
popular play house was filled to it's
utmost capacity to listen to the fa-
vorites of both towns. Carbondale
was supported by 800 strong, who
! came over the Moosic mountain on
a special train, arriving here at
| $40 p. m.
After a selection by the Lyric
orchestra, the curtain arose and
seated upon the platform were Miss
/ Romaine Mum, Miss Dorothy Hen
| derson and Robert MCGOWAN, Car
| bondales contestants; Miss Mildred
! Ward, Mortimer Stocker and Prof.
| Oday. The professor announced
! that all applause be made with the
/ hands only and that no demonstra-
| tion be made until after the speak
er had seated.
I An explanation on the part of
| Prof. Oday relative to the essay,
The Human Nature of Milton's
Minor Poems" preceded the reading
/ of it by Miss Romaine Mum, of Car
| bondale. He stated that the subject
| was unknown to any of the contest
! ants of the three schools (Dunmore
! having since dropped out) when
! Miss Mum, of Carbondale, Miss Carr,
! representing Dunmore, and Miss
! Kraft, Honesdale, met in Scranton
! to write the essay. The subject was
selected by Miss Mary Jordan, head
of the English department of Smith
/ College, Northampton, Mass, and
! given to the contestants as they
] H.
| The young ladies spent the greater
I part of the day in the room and
when the essays were completed
they were Immediately mailed to
| Miss Jordan who selected Miss
! Munn's essay as being the best. The
essay was exceptionally fine and
! HOnesdale should not feel displeased
at the excellence of the composition
of Miss Mum. She is deserving of
| great credit and one who is capable
of writing an essay on this subject
with no time for preparation is cer-
! tainly a genius. Miss Munn's es-
say:
The human nature portrayed in
| Milton's Minor Poems is one OF th-iI
most striking charactCristi :. The
descriptions of nature are truly eX-
quisite; yet it is man, rather than
nature, that is foremost in Milton 5
! thoughts. Some appeal is made to
almost every phase OF the human
| character, and for tMis reason, per-
| haps more than for any other, these
! poems will remain forever the de-
! light of mankind.
L'Allegro is the happy man, the
| follower of mirth and gladness,
whose joys are the innocent pas
| . H.
! He rejoices in the song of the lark,
the shouts of the hunters, and the
shrill crow of the cock, Scattering
the rear of darkness thin" Yet he
! is an educated man, and in his quiet
er moods, he longs for the refresh
| ing influence of music, such ex-
quisite harmony that Orpheus him
| self would raise his head
From golden slumber on a bed
or heaped Elysian flowers, and hear
Such strains as would have won
the ear
or Pluto to have quite set free
His half-regarded Eurydice."
What more perfect or touching
appeal could be made to the true
lover of music!
II Penseroso is the meditative
man, and his joys are the quiet and
solemn pleasures of the student, the
philosopher, and the lover of church
! ceremony In some high lonely tow
er, far from the companionship of
men, he studies the profound doc
trines of Plato or reads the tragic
history of Thebes. Nature, too, has
charms for him, but it is in her
calmer, sadder aspects. The mourn
full notes of the nightingale are
more in harmony with his mood,
than the gay song of the lark; and
the mild radiance of the moon is
more beautiful to him than the
glaring rays of the sun.
With the later years of II Pense-
roso, man of religious devotion can
not fail to sympathize. More and
more does he desire to escape from
the vanities of the world, and to
what greater seclusion could he re-
tire, than to the stately walls of a
cathedral!
There let the pealing organ blow,
To the full-voiced choir below,
In service high and anthems clear,
AS may with sweetness, through
mine ear
Dissolve me into ecstasies,
And bring all Heaven before mine
eyes"
So vivid is this description, that
we can almost hear the solemn
chant echoing through the lofty
halls, and see before us the splendoT
of church ritual.
The theme of Comus Is the in
volatility of virtue, and here we
see human nature in its truest light
The chastity and moral purity OF
the lady, and the almost superhu-
man strength with which she re-
sists all temptation, are, indeed
qualities rarely found amid the sin
of this world. But the Brothers are
types of human weakness; they rep
resent the man whose ideal is vir-
tue. and who, because of his mortal
frailty, seldom attains his ideal
With them we can fully sympathize
grieye over their weakness, and re-
Joice over their strength. Here
surely, we can feel the potency OF
Milton's own plea:
'Mortals, that would follow me,