NELSON, E. Jean - Putnam

Source: Greencastle Star Press, 12 March 1892 p  4

On Friday night the intercollegiate oratorical contest took place at Plymouth Church, Indianapolis. The audience was limited only by the capacity of the building and was composed of the youth, beauty and talent of the state. All the colleges interested in the contest were largely represented and DePauw sent about 1,000 excursionists to the capital city on the early trains of that day. College colors composed of yards of varied colored ribbons worn by partisans of the different colleges floated in the breeze and all of the contestants were heartily applauded as they stepped on the rostrum to   deliver their orations. After the opening exercises the representative of Franklin College, EL Branigan was heard on The Puritans. EH Evans of Wabash followed with his thoughts on Savonarola and was followed by Reed Carr of Butler who selected for his subject Ethics of American Politics LP Drayer of Hanover spoke upon the American Wage Worker and CM Hubbard of Indiana State delivered an address on Higher Selfishness. The last and best was the address on Industrial Freedom by Miss E. Jean Nelson of Depauw.  Briefly summed up she said the highest law in the world of spirits is freedom; in the world of matter, gravitation. The highest law of nature was the amelioration of the conditions of the race. Freedom was the power behind every reform., Legislatures and judicial councils cannot create it; it comes as a ruling principle into the life of man with the first budding of the intellect. Human nature forms the basis of society. Were all men true, honest and unselfish there would be no need of government. The spirit of individual liberty forces itself forward until the power of state bows before it. The speaker then illustrated the causes which lead to industrial clannishness and organization and which had arrayed labor as antagonistic to capital when the life of one depended upon the diffusion of the other and pointed out the means of changing existing conditions for the benefit of the laboring masses.  “Only true freedom is of the mind,” said Miss Nelson.  “He is the freeman who the truth makes free.”  At the close of Miss Nelson’s speech the applause was loud and prolonged and the DePauw yell, “Rip, saw, boom, baugh, bully for old DePauw.”  The judges were only a short time in making up their verdict which awarded to Miss Nelson of DePauw the first place; Mr. Evans of Wabash the second place and Mr. Branigin of Franklin the third place. There seemed to be no division of opinion as to the justness of the award to Miss Nelson – all conceded that she fairly won and with a great lead, too.  (Insert: The Indianapolis Sentinel of Sunday says: When a pretty girl determines to enter a talking match with a number of young men the chances are that she will carry off the honors for woman’s most skillful weapon is her tongue. Miss E. Jean Nelson of DePauw who opened her rosy lips and talked her way into the hearts and minds of the judges Friday night is worthy of all the honors showered upon her. She is the first lady to represent DePauw and the selection has proven that beauty and brains are triumphant over any adversaries).  The victor, Miss E. Jean Nelson is a native of this city and born Nov 4, 1872. She is a member of the Junior Class of DePauw University and is a member of the Western Association of Writers and had the honor which rarely falls to one so young of addressing this large body of writers at their last meeting in Warsaw. She is a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma fraternity (sic) and represented the western division of that fraternity at the first national Pan-Hellenic convention of women’s Greek letter fraternities held in Boston in 1891. To converse with Miss Nelson convinces that she is not only a young woman of education but one whose education has not been confined to college text books. She has traveled a great deal and in her manner shows not only the marks of inherent grace and refinement but of wide culture and acknowledge people and the world in which they live.  On Saturday morning at Indianapolis a reception was given in her honor by Misses Nellie and Sue Wright which was attended by a large number of invited guests. Potted palms, foliage plants and vines made the hall and parlors bowers of green. The Misses Wright were assisted in entertaining by Misses Halcie McCurdy, Kennedy and Eva Charles. The dining table bore a block of ice as center piece resting on a bed of ferns. Pineapple ice was served from this frozen receptable. Roses occupied the ends of the table. The rooms were crowded with young people during the hours form 10-12. Th occasion was noted for its brilliancy, and it was one of the social successes of Indianapolis society. Miss Nelson returned to this city on the 6:46 p.m. train via the Big Four. Hundreds of our students and citizens were there to bid her welcome and congratulate her because of well-earned success. Later in the evening a large concourse gathered at the family residence, accompanied by the Greencastle Cornet Band and tendered her a serenade, interspersed with DePauw yell with variations, etc. Our prophecy is that Miss Nelson will prove the victor at the Interstate Contest and this prophecy is not based upon home pride but upon the fact her address is meritorious in thought, diction and delivery.