The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1904-05-05

in school Evolutionary speaking 1t Is
rare that a prize goes to that contestant
whose medium is some forensic or ora
torical selection. II is almost invaria-
bly, the speaker whose piece il dramatic
that captures the honors. 1t can hardly
be that the speakers Of dramatic pieces
have the greater ability and 1t can
hardly he that their effort is more
pleasing-for, to our mind, at least, the
more pretensious the effort, in such
cases. the wider usually il the discre-
pancy between the promise and the fui'
filment- simple piece, clearly and
correctly rendered is preferable, from
the standpoint of the pleasure given the
listener. to n complicated piece which
is evidently beyond the ability Of the
Interpreter. But, whatever, the reason
the fact remains The reproducers OF
oratory seldom stand chance.
Now there il something manifestiy
unfair about this. If the boy or the
girl who, no matter what his or her
ability, is to be practically put ont OF
the race by the mere choosing OF the
kind of medium, why allow him or her
the choice Of the medium? If the con
test il to show the dramatic ability OF
the pupils why allow those to enter
whose pieces give no opportunity for
the display of such ability, A man
may be never so wonderful an actor
and yet be utterly unable to make any
thing essentially dramatic out OF
Washington farewell address or even
the famous give me liberty or give me
death" speech of Patrick Henry, for
instance. There are some pieces that
are magnificent mediums for oratorical
effort but which have no dramatic
qualities in them whatever We repeat,
why admit such pieces into such con
test?
But it, as we suspect shonld be the
case, these contests are not primarily TO
show the work done by the pupils in
dramatics, but to show the progress
made in rhetoricals the matter pre-
SCENTS an entirely different aspect. For
the rhetoricals which form apart OF
the curriculum Of our high schools, are,
and should be, designed to train the
pupil for whatever public speaking
he may be called upon to do in the or
binary exercise of his rights M citizen
to furnish him with n ground work
which shall be of benefit to him in
whatever walk Of life he may take mp
They ARE not, and should not be, de-
signed to fit him for the stage, or for
the professional platform, or even for
the pulpit or the court room. The
Young men or women who decide to
take up such special branches Of life
work have special schools open to them
the place for such specializing is not II
the high school The high school rhe
tOr1cHIs therefore HnOull no more ~
designed to fit a boy for the stage thar
the conrse in chemistry should be de
signed to make II pharmacist ont o.
him or the physiology course to turl
him into physician
And such being the case, is it fair t.
make these public contests expressive
merely Of the dramatic instincts OF thu
pupils? Cannot the results Of training
in correct pronunciation, clear enuncia
ton and proper emphasis be displayec
quite ~ well in an Grafton M in {
dalogue9 Cannot ease Of manner anc
grace and forcibleness Of gesture b'
quite IA much in evidence in the on'
m in the other2 And should not thu
markings in contests of the kind recent
~ given NJ the Opera House be con
fined to these pointsi