Constitutions, minutes, correspondence, lecturers' files, and publicity material; include correspondence, 1890-1896, of Thomas C. Trueblood and James B. Angell relating to the establishment of the association
The papers of the University of Michigan Oratorical Association consist of nearly three linear feet of material. The collection is organized in five series: History, Minutes, Correspondence, Name File and Publicity
The uses of this collection are rather limited. Probably only researchers of the University of Michigan's history will find it of any value. Even then, the quality of the material here is low, consisting as it does primarily of newspaper clippings which are readily obtainable elsewhere. Although the Oratorical Association made use of many notable figures of the day, neither the Correspondence nor the Name-file yield unique information about these people. Possibly the only thing this collection reflects is the changing public taste in entertainment.