1896-1897 Whitman Speech and Debate
Professor O. A. HAUERBACH was the
English/Rhetoric/Oratory professor.
No official program yet but it is getting
close.
Oratory contests were held this year and
there are debating societies.
William Worthington of Whitman served as
President of the Intercollegiate Oratorical Association.
The third annual oratorical contest of
We do not have pictures from these years.
Whitman News
I.
A. The
college added 3 new professors to the faculty.
1. Mr.
Reynaud was hired as a professor of modern languages.
2. The
Conservatory of Music added Miss Smith to its staff as a vocal teacher.
3. Miss
Bang was also hired by the college.
B.
Rev. Stephen B. L. Penrose was the college president.
III.
At
The Pioneer was first published in November,
1896. A close friend and benefactor of the school suggested the name to
President Penrose. Published once a month, the Pioneer ran advertisements for Stewart & Holmes Drug Co., and
'The Sterling," a dry-goods and shoe store in
COLLEGE ORGANIZATIONS
The Atheneum Debating Society for the young men, and the Alcott
Society for the young ladies, meeting weekly, furnish
opportunity for pleasant and profitable practice in the important work of
debate and oratory.
To
still further develop power and taste in oratory there has been inaugurated an
Oratorical Association, the work of which will, it is hoped, further
efforts heretofore made for an Intercollegiate Oratorical Association of the
State.
Two
Glee Clubs, one for young men and the other for young ladies, besides the
College Chorus, furnish opportunity for advancement in music to such as are prepared to enter therein.
PRIZES.
The
sum of $25 has been offered by a friend of the College for the last three years
to stimulate work in the department of Oratory. At a prize contest held in the
The
first meeting of the Intercollegiate Oratorical Association of Washington was
held in Tacoma at the First Methodist Church, May 1st, 1896. The first prize,
consisting of a gold medal and $50, was won by Miss Agnes E. Adams,
Speech in the English Department News
ENGLISH
LITERATURE AND ORATORY.
Professor
O. A. HAUERBACH.
I.
Rhetoric.—A thorough study and application of Genung’s
Rhetoric. General exercises in outlining, development of themes and practical
criticism.
Junior
course. Four hours a week during the first term.
II.
English Literature—I. Shaw’s New English and American Literature. Lectures upon English poets and writers.
Senior
course. Four hours a week during the first and second terms.
II.
(a) A course upon American writers. Senior
course. Three hours a week during the third term.
(b)
A course in Middle English for 1897 Prologue of Canterbury Tales.
Senior
course. One hour a week during the third term.
III.
Expression.—All students are given an opportunity for
class and individual work in the psychological development of expression. The
aim is to teach pupils to speak not words, but ideas. The voice and body are
systematically developed by means of the Emerson System.
(a)
Class reading.
Sophomore
required course. One hour a week throughout the year.
(b)
Analytical study of masterpieces in Oratory. Selections from
Demosthenes, Cicero, Burke, Mirabean, Webster,
Choate, Phillips and others.
Junior
course. One hour a week during the year.
(c)
Dramatic interpretation of Shakespeare’s plays. For 1897,
Julius Caesar and the Merchant of Venice.
Senior
required course. One hour a week throughout the year.
IV. Rhetoricals.—At least one essay, oration or debate must he
prepared each term by members of all classes, in each year except the third
term of the Senior year. At least one declamation, oration or debate must be
delivered each term by members of all classes. Some of these exercises are open
to the public.
World News
II.
In the world
A. Sheat's Law
was declared unconstitutional, making it illegal to have white and colored
children taught in the same schools.
B. The United States signed a treaty of annexation of the
territory of Hawaii, over the protests of Japan.
C.
In November, William McKinley (R) defeats William Jennings Bryan (D) for
president.
D. 1st
U.S. absentee voting law enacted by Vermont.
E. 1st
football game between black colleges-Atlanta U 10, Tuskegee 0.
F. N.Y.
Times begins using slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print"
G. Possibly
most severe quake in history strikes Assam India, shock waves felt over an area
size of Europe (fortunately, a negligible death toll)
Some
of the above taken from Brainy History web site.
The present Whitman buildings consist of a
large Recitation Hall, in which, besides recitation rooms, are the Chapel and
executive offices, the Ladies' Hall, and the Young Men's Dormitory.
The College Library, which now numbers
about four thousand volumes, exclusive of pamphlets, is open to the students
every day, and offers good facilities for reference, general reading and
special study. Books are added as rapidly as funds will allow, with the view to
enlarge the sources of reference in each department of College work.
The Athenaeum Debating Society for the
young men, and the Alcott Society for the young ladies, meeting weekly, furnish opportunity for pleasant and profitable practice in
the important work of debate and oratory.
To still further develop power and taste
in oratory, there has been inaugurated an Oratorical Association, the work of
which will, it is hoped, further efforts heretofore made for an Intercollegiate
Oratorical Association of the State.
THERE is a movement on foot to organize an
Inter-State Oratorical Association between the leading colleges of
Debate: "Resolved. That the wars of
the French revolution were unjustifiable and were a detriment to society."
Affirmative, G. M. Ryker, negative,
Seth.
THE increasing interest taken in debate by
the young men of the College and academy is exceedingly gratifying. It is only
within the last few years that much attention has been paid by our colleges to
this branch of public speaking. Why this should have been so is not apparent. But
the last few years have witnessed a great revival in regard to this most
important part both of college and actual life. The principal eastern colleges
now have intercollegiate debates the most important of which is probably the
Yale-Princeton debate. Upon the Western coast the only intercollegiate debate
is that between
An Inter Collegiate Oratorical Association. The
object which the Whitman College Oratorical Association had in view when it
arranged for the recent contest has been accomplished. The delegates
representing the three competing colleges met and drafted a constitution,
which, when ratified by the local associations, will govern the future meetings
of a similar nature to the one just held. The organization takes in the
The constitution provides for a yearly
contest, to be held at the different college towns on the last Friday of April
each year, beginning with
The third annual oratorical contest of
Whitman College was held in the Methodist Church on April 2, 1897. The citizens
of Walla Walla have long since become aware of the fact that our alma mater has
within her folds not a small number of masters of that eloquent art, so their
presence was voluntarily assumed, not for curiosity, but for intellectual gain.
Friends began to pour in at an early hour and before 8 o'clock the house was
filled with a large and appreciative audience. Class distinctions were cast
aside and much College enthusiasm was manifested in general. The programme was interspersed with singing by the Ladies' Glee
Club and artistic selections by the string quartette. Mr. Worthing,
'00, having received the highest marks both on thought and delivery, was
awarded the first prize. Mr. Proctor, '00, who stood next to his classmate,
received second prize. The judges on composition were Rev. Palmer, Prof. Brunton and Miss Seeyle; the
judges on delivery were Rev. E. L. Smith, Allen Reynolds and W. T. Dovell.
The Oratorical Contest From Behind the
Scenes.
BY NICK.
The oratorical contest? Well, I guess so. You missed the greatest
treat of your life if you did not hear it. We know because we furnished part of
the entertainment. The contest had been worked up with great zest from start to
finish. The advertising committee labored strenuously. The students co-operated
heartily and sold tickets with a will. The committee appointed to entertain the
delegates made every preparation to give them a royal welcome and spared no
pains to make them feel as though among friends when they come here. A rig was
hired and the delegates were taken to see the sights. Our Professor carried the
heaviest burden on his shoulders. He fairly ran himself weary for a week,
working up enthusiasm, providing for the best musical program to be had, even furnishing
a part of it himself putting up posters, and stirring up things generally. No
wonder that when we anxiously peeped through the eye hole in the fly we looked
out upon one of the finest audiences ever gathered in
Brickekekex, koax, koax,
Brickekekex, koax, koax,
Woahwup, woahwup,
Peribolu, Whitman!
After a beautiful violin duet, we slipped
down into one of the boxes and waited for the appearance of our other gentleman
orator. He stepped out upon the stage. We were pleased to see that he was well
received by the audience. We were watching him intently. He hesitated just a
minute till the audience was perfectly quiet. He uttered a word---our heart
sank within us. Oh, that deep, rich voice ! He made a
gesture. Ease itself! He made a classic illusion. It
caught our ear like a charm. Thoughts of resignation began to well up in our
mind. He finished without a falter and passed off the stage, followed by the
chorus from the balcony—
Rah, rah, rah!
Rah, rah, rah ! !
A splendid vocal trio followed, and then
our lady orator tripped out upon the stage. Eight hundred hands smote each
other. See that wealth of dark hair done up upon the back of her well-formed
head! See that sprig of pink roses laid across her breast! See those slippers, dainty
white! Watch that face lit with intelligence! Sometimes we think in slang (we
never spoke it): "The gentlemen orators ain't in
it." She caught the crowd and held it. She gave utterance to a deep
sentiment, the audience murmured assent. She made a gesture. Grace personified!
She made an appeal. We thrilled. Someone had the barbarity to get up and go
out. We wanted to take off our shoe and throw it at them. Memory failed not to
supply her lips with words. She finished and went off the stage amid loud
applause, and the ''gang of rooters' in the balcony shouted lustily:
Ree, rah, ree!
Ree, rah, ree!
W. A. C!
We slipped out of the box and went back
and congratulated our friends on the ease with which they acquitted themselves,
and then paced anxiously back and forth while the orchestra discoursed
sweet music, which we could not appreciate, and the judges cast up the marks. The
victory lies between us and the lady orator! No doubt about it! (Ah, cruel fate.) Our delegate came around with the decision
to the “judge." That expression on his face! Was it victory or defeat? The
music ceased. The "judge" stepped out on the stage and began making
himself a burden to humanity. We began to think slang again: "Why don't he let up on his gab?” We grew reckless and shied our
hat at him from behind the curtain. The audience caught the joke and laughed. We
begin to arrange our cuffs, preparatory to appearing when our name is called. ' 'Mr. J. A. 'offey will please
come forward. " " A sudden resignation—we
turn like an ash and grasp his hand with the grip of a vice. "Congratulations,
old man; you've won the second trial."
A few weeks ago the Oratorical Association
of Whitman College sent an invitation to
I.
Oratory at Whitman
A. A
movement was in the works to organize an Interstate Oratorical Association, to
include colleges in
B.
George Ryker won the
silver medal (1st place) in the Demorest (oratorical) contest.
C.
April 2 was the 3rd annual oratory
contest. It was held in the
D.
Plans were in the making for a tournament with
teams from Whitman,