St Xavier College - Xaverian Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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THOMAS J. MANION The Verkamp Debate NE of the most hotly contested debates of the season proved to he the Verkamp Debate which was held in the Hamilton County Memorial Hall at Grant and Elm Streets on the night of the 24th of April. The especial occasion was the Silver Jubilee of the inception of the debate held for competition for the much coveted Verkamp Medal. A rather slim crowd was present to hear the topic that was up for discussion, namely, Resolved: That in excluding Japanese, the United States adopted the best policy. The Affirmative, which was rendered the de- cision was masterfully upheld by James P. Glenn, Thomas J, Manion and Frank A. Arlinghaus. Richard T. Deters, Earl J. Winter and Edward J. McGrath fought valiantly for the negative side of the question. The medal was awarded to Thomas J. Manion, T26, by a vote of the judges, three in number. The notable manner in which the negative side defended their points of issue, was a subject of much comment, Their arguments in their first speeches were very effective, but; they appeared somewhat weak in the rebuttals. The line of argument as followed 'by the affirmative, was virile and consistent throughout, Consequently the deCision was a very popular one. Page One Hundred Fifteen

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JAMES P. GLENN Oratorical Contest HE annual Oratorical Contest for the Washington Alumni Gold Medal was held at St. Xavier Memorial Hall, on the evening of February 22. Ten students of the College of Arts and Sciences competed. The stage of Mem- orial Hall which was so beautifully decorated through the efforts of G. Edward Fern, '27, presented a magnificent sight to the large crowd which attended. The judges of the contest, Messrs. Chas. F. Dolle, Andrew H. Foppe, Walter V. Heekin, James B. O'Donnell and Dr. Thomas Glenn, awarded the coveted medal to James P. Glenn, a member of the Class of '26. The subject of his speech was uJoan of Arc . Glenn traced the life of the Maid from her birth and early life in Domremy, to her bitter execution on the pyre at Rouen, France. Throughout his oration he made the audience sympathize with the Maid and feel the beauty and strength of her saintly soul. Second place in the contest was awarded to Edward McGrath, '28, for his speech, The Catholic Church in 1925 , a defense of Catholicism against its many adversaries; and third place was awarded to Robert A. Ruthman, '25, for his speech on, uDante, the Catholic , an oration showing that the Florentine poet's immortality is the direct result of his being a sincere and fearless Catholic. The other contestants, in the order in which they delivered their speeches, were: Frank A. Arlinghaus, '26, The Cradle of Famous Americans , 2 eulogy of the State of Ohio, and the distinguished sons she has given to our country; Carl R. Steinbicker, '27, American Independence and Woodrow Wilson , depict- ing the strong personality and firm convictions of the past president; G. Murray Paddack, '26, Youth in Politics , 3 condemnation of the lack of interest in gov- ernmental affairs on the part of younger Americans; Paul J. Brophy, '28, The Federal Constitution , a plea for the strict observance of the Iawa set down by the pioneers of our Republic; John A. Murray, '25, The Service of Citizenship , an argument for a realization of the true meaning of citizenship; Richard T. Deters, '28, Washington and Lincoln , an appeal to government officials to abandon political dictation, and to follow their own convictions as did our two greatest presidents; and Earl J. Winter, '26, 'tIndividuaI Rights , an emphasis upon the importance of the individual. Page One Hundred Fourteen

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The Inter-Collegiate English Contest NOTHER of the annual institutions of St. Xavier, the Inter-Collegiate English Contest, was held on Monday, March 30 This contest presents a splendid opportunity to the students to display their literary skill as well as. their knowledge of current world topics, partie cularly those of moment to Catholics. It is open to all students of the Liberal Arts Colleges of the Missouri Province. The contest consists in writing: an essay on a subject not disclosed until the day of the contest. Six hours are allowed the participants. The authorities of each college then select the three best papers in their respective schools and forward them to St. Louis where all the manuscripts from the entire province are judged by a body of thirty-six judges. The prizes for the province are $50.00, $20.00, $15.00, $10.00 and $5.00. Besides these general awards, this year, the faculty of St. Xavier offered a prize of $5.00 to anyone from the school obtaining- one of the ten places in the contest. The subject for the essay of 1925 was ttPotent Catholic Life . The win- ners from St Xavier were Thomas J. Manion 26, Earl J. Winter ,26, and Ed- ward J. McGrath '28. At the time this book goes to press the winners of the entire contest have not yet been announced. Page One Hundred Sixteen