The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-03-15
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PLEASED
Rapid Calculation Mixed With
Work Of Punsters; Songs
and PIayIet. 49,.
From Saturdays Daily.

night. There was scarcely q vacant
seat from parquet to the galleries
and every one enjoyed the program
aud the evenings entertainment.
The college gave the entertainment
for the public aud no admission was
charged, The program opened with
group of selections by the col.
lege orchestra, who are students
there and have practiced during the
winter together, so that at the pres
ent time they play we'll together
and furnish good class of music.
Miss Palmer, who is student,
gave the reading, Foolish CUES,
lions,p with piano accompaniment.
Miss Palmer has been heard 4 num-
ber of times in Mankato and always
wins applause with her selections.
Mrs. NJ r. Coulter, who possesses
q fine soprano voice, rendered a
solo in Il pleasing and artistic man
ner Katherine Ewertsen Gray was
her accompanlst.
..~ Fast TypeWrlting Contest.
Perhaps one OF the most interest
ing things In the evenings entertain
ment was Miss Maud e. Brcuer's
.typeWrlting contest. Miss Breuer in
her preliminary remarks said that
three things were essential in q
successful typist--practice, patience
and perseverance. There We're four
young men and eight young ladies
in the contest. The first part OF the
exhibition was one minute Of writ
ing a. familiar sentence. This pre-
pared for the, real contest. Miss
Breuer then gave the class selec-
ton from Robinson Crusoe, the Sc
lection not being familiar to them,
and they were given five minutes to
write. The average speed in this
contest was about sixty words a
minute. ]. NJ. Ray, however, wrote
an average Of seventy-tWo words q
minute, and had. only ten errors in
his whole sheet. The speed of this
sort of work can be imagined best
by thinking Of the number Of words
you could spell in a minute. without
part of. the contest was writing a
letter biindfolded. Mr.. Brandrup die
tated the. letter and each student
wrote with his eyes covered. Sew
eral in the class had just, one error
in the letter and one young lady had
an errorless page. The students all
wrote with apparent ease and a
thing which was decidedly interest
ing to those who are not accustomed
to the touch system of 'typewriting.
was the fact that the class never
looked at their machines. Their eyes
were kept on, their copy and their
fingers fairly jumped about the keys.
- =, Songs BY the Quartet. ..,'..
The Commercial College Male
quartet then sang. This popular or
ganization of some of Mankato's
best men singers never fails TO
score q decided bit with any audi
ence, and their appearance lasr
night was no exception. Their first
song was strongly applauded and
they graciously gave an encore.
C. E. Balls rapid calculation cor.
test kept the interest OF the audi
euce for some time, and most OF
those present are bordering yet over
some of the problems which those
young men. solved in very little more
than the time it took Mr.. Ball to
give them. The contestants were in
two teams OF five each, all young
men. Problems in addition. per-
centage and interest. The speed with
which the answers were given show.
ed something OF the activeness OF
the brains of the young men and OF
their concentration. They were alb
solutely unconscious of the audience
and the class was conducted just as
il would be In school. There were
sixty.one problems given, and the re,
suit was as close as possible, one
side having thirty and the other
thirty-one.
=. Quartet Called Again.
The quartet sang again, and this
time the crowd insisted upon three
songs. before they were allowed to
leave. Mr.. Hutchinson of the Com
mercial college faculty then read
The College Journal. This contain
ed, a description of the city and the
college, and had a number of puns
on tho various students and bust
ness men of the town. r.. -...
The program closed with short
play, "An Interrupted Proposal y
The cast all took their parts well
and the play proved very pleasing
and entertaining one.
The entire evenings program was
we'll carried out, and probably did
more to show the people of Man
kato what the college is doing than
could be shown in any other way
The students have held their lit
erary societies at intervals all win,
ter and this program was simply a
little more elaborate than the reg
ular literary programs they have for
their own, amusement and benefit
The students are given an opportu.
nity to develop their abilities along