The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-01-31
Popular High School Girl Takes First
Place In Declamatory
Held Last Eve
ming.
TWO OTHERS WIN MEDAL
Violet Cochran and Lee Brown Take
Prizes for Dramatic and Hum
orous Selections
Given.

Keokuk high school was held last
night in the assembly room of the
building, Mildred French being
claimed, the winner over all" The
medal for the dramatic work went
| to Violet Cochrane, and Lee Brown
was awarded the medal given for the
| best humorous selection.
Mildred French, the winner over
all, was not eligible to compete for
one of the medals, having won one
of them in a former contest. She,
however, was graded on her work
and was claimed winner over all.
This honor entities her to a place in
tho sub-district meet, which occurs
March Is. If successful there, Miss
French will enter the state contest.
The program last night. and the
manner in which each performer did
his part. was appreciated by the
| large audience which heard it, and
| members of the high school faculty
who have witnessed many former
similar affairs declared it the best
all-round contest ever given here.
| The judges for the evening were
all from Carthage and included DE-.
Ferris, of the Methodist church;
Miss Elizabeth Mayor, principal OF
the high school, and Miss Josephine
Simmons, head Of the English depart
ment in the high school. DR.. r. l..
Reid, principal of the Keokuk high
| school, presided over the meeting,
announcing the speakers and the
winners Of the medals. The program
was prefaced by several selections by
the high school orchestra, and dur
ing the intermission Heatherly Pay
ton played violin solo.
Credit to Miss Griffis.
Much credit is due Miss Boneata
Griffis, the head Of the department
of public speaking in the school, for
the manner in which she coached her
pupils and the taste with which she
chose the selections given. This is
the first year that Keokuk high
school has had real class in public
speaking, and last night it proved
itself to be a success.
| The young dramatists and humor-
| lists each displayed certain amount
| of real talent in their respective
works, and marked amount OF
training. The evidence Of the train
ing, however, did not detract from
the attractiveness and naturalness OF
the speakers stage appearances, but
rather gave them more poise. At no
time were there signs Of any real
stage fright upon the part of the per
formers. They were each able to
interest their audience during the
length of their separate selections.
The Winners Prove Ability.
"The Wheels of Time" given by
Violet Cochrane, was the story OF a
successful young doctor and his
frivolous little wife, whom he called
Flower. Miss Cochrane enlisted the
sympathies Of her listeners as she
told the story of how he frivolous
little Flower" developed INFO real
woman when she learned her lesson
and found that the wheels OF time
would not turn back.
Lee Brown isn't as cgotIstical IN
zeal life, his friends hope, as he ap-
peared last night in the role o. the
agotistical lover He lost his own
personality in depicting his part, and
the audience Were highly amused
over his soliloquy in which he ex-
pressed his intention to propose to