The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1914-01-22


for drill. The girls were costumed
in white and the boys wore white
waists and black trousers and all
were very sweet and pretty, the only
criticism being that it was .stoo
short. : The fact that the boys took
part in this should be particularly
gratifying to our people, for it is
difficult in most places to find bows
who can or will do these dances ac-
ceptably.
Mr.. Marshall, our able superin-
tendent, next presented Prof. Rankin
from the department. of education of
the state university, who had been
chosen to conduct the spelling for
the contestants, and this gentleman
prefaced his duties with a few re-.
marks highly commentators Of our
public schools. He cited the recent
attempt by well-known public
man to attack our modern school
system and was able, as is any one
really conversant with the facts, to
refute this mans accusations most
effectively. Several anecdotes con-
trasting the products of our present
school system with those of the
I s'good old days. were related, and
the speaker declared that the chill
dren of our grades are more scholarly
than were many Of the college pro-
fessors of those ''lamented'' times.
He also issued challenge, to the
business men in any community to
meet an equal number of pupils
from their high schools in a contest
such as was to take place that even
ing, for instance, feeling sure that
the outcome would be in favor of the
students and this, too, in face of the
fact that while formerly the entire
attention was given to the acquiring
of the ''three R's.' the average
student of today is devoting time to
many subjects that were attempted
by only the specialists of former
times. ~
Prof. Rankin concluded with a
tribute to the patriotism and energy
evinced in the erecting of so fine a
building as our armory, and con-
graduated the schools and the
people in general upon the possession
Fof an auditorium where such audi
ences as the large one present could
be so comfortably housed.
!, At the conclusion of his remarks,
Prof. Rankin turned his attention to
the contestants, who. were seated.
fifteen sturdy boys and girls from
our two eighth grades and six
teen from the Elk River schools
at either end of the commodlous
stage. The contest opened briskly
and both sides spelled confidently
but the ranks soon began thinning
out, Elk River losing the more
rapidly until but one was left on the
opposing side with eight for Prince
ton. The one lonely "enemy'' held
to his post brave]y for some little
time but succumbed to :'devastate. ,"
and the eight left on the winning
side were allowed to finish the
contest among themselves. One by
one the line was depleted until there
were but three left, and the pro-
fessor ''tired" words at these until
the entire audience was ready to
call ''quit," and Mr.. Marshall de-
clared the contest closed with a
promise of dollar each to the win
ners. These were Florence Blocker,
Hazel Henschel and Margaret
Hofaander. In the written contest
the following, all from Princeton,
had perfect papers: Margaret Hoff-
lander, Ruth Lind and Florence
Blocker. This contest, also, resulted
in a great victory for Princeton, our
side having missed but 81 out of
1,500 words, while there were 100
missed upon the opposing side.
The Princeton pupils who engaged
in the contest we're Georgia feathers,
Florence Blocker, Lou Libby, Mar
garet Hofaander, Hjoerdis Scheen,
Hazel Henscfel, Leonard Bridge,
Raymond Nicely, John Berg, Walter
Nelson, Emma Parks, Ruth Lind,
Harriet Mcmillan, Jay Winsor, Erma
Steeyes-15. Eight of these remained
after Elk River had been spelled
down. They were Margaret Hoff-
lander, Hazel Hensehel, Hjoerdis
Scheen, Georgia Leathers, Florence
Blocker, Lou Libby, Leonard Bridge
and Raymond Nicely.
The Elk River contestants were
Harriet Bell, Hazelle Frederickson,
:Eben Davis, Dwight Hayden, Zetta
Nickerson, Walter Hartfelder, Min
ME Keen, Odile lie Febvre, Amanda
Kohert, Ernest Semans, Layina
- I'M 1850 7.