Arizona republican., 1916-04-16
\ GIRL ORATOR
 IF PHOENIX HI
Miss Lavcda Leister, Senior, Gives Promise of Becom- ing Real Feminine Demos themes - Her Winning Grafton

atOr, ana, no QOuDt, when fnOcl1lN De- comes better acquainted with Miss La veda Leister, it will also number her among those to whom it renders hOm- age for good work, well done.
 Miss Leister winner of the Jennie r. Weedin medal in the recent Jefferson Society Oratorical contest, is a senior this year. Her Oration on Jefferson, the Ideal Man. with which she won the medal. and with which she charmed the meeting of the Jefferson Society is given herewith
 Although very young, Miss Leister gives promise of bein:; a sturdy, self reliant speaker Her thought is good and original. The fact she is working her way through high school. and has passed for first grade teachers cer- tificate, speaks well for her pluck.
 This is her oratiOn:
 The spirit of hero worship in man is jnborn and universal. In every time and cline men worship their hero and long 10 emulate his greatness. The vision of the ideal creates a desire for he ideal
 "Where'er is spoken noble thought.
 Whcre'er a noble deed is wrought Our hearts in glad surprise
 To higher levels rise
 Herein lies at once the inspiration ard the justification of an occasion such as this. It brings us into con- tact with one of the great characters of our national history, and cannot fail to inspire in us some of that patriot ism. loyalty to ideals and love of truth and righ: which were characteristic of him we are here to honor.
 If there stood before ls tonight a great sculptor. a Phidias or a Michael Angelo. or any of those great artists who have expressed their thoughts and ideals in stone, if one of these were to stand here, charged with the task of chiseling in marble a true likeness Of he ideal American what type of man should he portray? Should it be the figure oi d mighty athlete, expressing physical strength and perfection? No The mighty man of old for the miracles If his strength was crowned hero by the admiring multitude. But, we of today demand moral and intellectual strength as well as physical power. Neither Samson nor a Hercules can fulfill our ideal.
 Should the sculptor show us the fig ure of a great military leader and con- oueror: a dominant soul like Napoleon. whose determined hand strikes to make the world his own? No. Our nation is essentially a nation of peace. It has never known m Alexander the Great nor a CaesaI-let us hope it never may.
 Should it he the figure of great firanCeer? Shall the popular hero be the mar who is steeped in the spirit of comercialism; a man whose only ere dentials of greatness are stamped with the collar mark? Every true heart answers. No. Croesus never did and never could typify an ideal of manhood and character. If our sculptor is to meet our expectations. he must DOT trav a different type from these
 The ideal American must be a plain citizen of the land; an everyday man on whose face appear lines of strength, courage and moral power born of self mastery: and across l whose face the winds of inspiration sweep.
 If a sculptor should seek among Americans for concrete example to inspire his genius. where would he find one better suited to his purpose than Thomas Jefferson?
 l He was big and true and simple He possessed inherent qualities of mind l md heart which made him an ideal | citizen. DauntlesS courage and un- | tlinching devotion to duty were his: I he had a passion for the rights and l liber,ies of man. a spirit absolutely l 1nselfish in the service of the state | a mentality keen and incisive which | seemed some times to pass beyond the limits of mere reason into the realm of the prophetic he saw what other 1 men did not see and felt what they did not feel: yet with it all he possessed | sweet simplicity of spirit and tenn perament which made him one with all men.
 Jefferson owes much to that big | hearted big Drained frontiersman of | tlie Blue Ridge mountains-his father: 1 but it was his mother. sweet noble woman of high birth, who did most to | mould his character. She caught the
 vision of true motherhood from God 1 and her son is glorious tribute to
 her teaching. She showed him the folly of pomp and pretension and the futility of anger; she taught him that
 there is nothing worth while except | truth and right.
 The true calibre of a mans char
 acter and personality are rvealed by lis life and works. Thomas Jefferson in private conduct and in public ser
 vice was man of unimpe;,chable hon.
 or. He said when he took his frs
 public office, q will never enter into
 any service for my country merely fol lmy own interests" He kept his word
 Throughout d long political career, h,
 held fast to his sublime faith in tn,
 common people. Truly it might b'
 said of Jefferson that he could: Wall
 with crowds and keep his virtue. ant
 talk with kings nor lose the common touch.''
 The worth of an individual is de
 termineG by his response to oppOrtun
 ity. A man isn't great because he ha
 ability. 1t is only by his use of tha
 ability that he proves himself. It i
 always the being not the dreaming that counts. The days of Jefferson dena nded a savior deliverer fror
 political bondage. great soul sen
 sible to the new forces at work il
 human society, and sensitive. to tn