Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-12-13
REVISE THE RULE
Change Governing the interschoI.
astic OratoFicai
Contest.
STATE IN FIVE DISTRICTS
Two Contestants Admitted from Each
According to Former Plan Best
Ten Were Heard.

With the purpose of securing a bet
ter representation from all parts OF
the state in the interscholastic orator
ical contest, held in May annually IN
Ider the auspices of the University OF
illinois, several changes in the plan of
procedure have been made. which will
be of interest TO the high school pupils
in this locality
Hitherto the plan has been 10 invite
competition from the whole state. and
from the orations submitted 10 select
10 TO be delivered at the annual con-
test This method has not proved alto
gether satisfactory, since there has
been a tendency 10 leave certain por-
| lions of the state unrepresented.
The state has been divided into five
districts. and in each of these districts
preliminary contest will be held at
time and place to be hereafter an
nounced. In these contests, each high
school is entitled to one representa-
tive. The contestants who secure first
and second prizes in these preliminary
contests will deliver the same orations
al the university in the final contest,
on Friday, May IS, 1906. That is, from
each of the five districts there will be
two representatives.
Final Contest.
The university offers three gold
medals as prizes for excellence in the
preparation and delivery of original
orations In addition, it announces II
silver cup 10 be competed for annually:
the cup is the gift of several promi-
nent citizens of Champaign and will
remain the property of the university.
The school whose representative wins
first prize at the final contest shall
have possession of il until the next
annual contest. The Grafton must fOt
exceed 1000 words in length and d
copy typewriter on letter size paper,
signed by a fictitious name or private
mark, must be sent so as to reach the
chairman of the committee on or be-
fore April ]. 1906. Each Grafton must
be accompanied by a statement from
the principal of the school that the
writer is a bona fide student and that
to- the best of his knowledge and belief
the Grafton is the Independent work of
the writer.
Determine Contestants.
The committee at the university will
grade the OratiOns submitted on the
basis of thought and composition, and
the writer will deliver them at the pre-
liminary contest above mentioned. The
grades given by the university commit
tee will be combined with those of a
committee on delivery, which will be
chosen from residents of the district
in which the contest is held, and the
combined grades of both committees
will determine the two contestants
who are TO represent each district.
After the 10 contestants have thus
been selected. the Orations will be
again graded by a committee at the
university and the grades combined
with those given by a committee on
delivery at the final contest. The
grades of each committee will have
equal weight in determining the result.
The three orations which combine in
the highest degree the merits of cor
rect thought, good expression, and ef-
fective delivery will be awarded the
prizes. The travelling expenses and
entertainment of the 10 contestants Sc
lected in the preliminary contests will
be paid by the university.