Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-11
AS ONE WOMAN SEES 1T
Sincerity, Earncstness and convle-
tlon Win Highest Points In Ora.
torieal Contest Among
Schoolboys
By SARAH ID. LOWRIE

i week wnlCn L owe TO TWO IunCtlOus ~
has fallen to me to fulfll in this town. One
is my temporary craftsmanship Of the Phila-
delnhia League of Women Voters, during
the absence of Mrs. Dunning in Europe, and
the other is my position on the EVENING
PUBLIC LEDGER. The experience was my
being chosen by a committee of public school
boys to act as once of three judges in an
oratorical contest conducted by the Library
League of the Free Library of Philadelphia
in the library assembly room, Thirty: ninth
and Walnut streets, West Philadelphia.
There have been four of these contests,
and until this year the judges have all been
men, but the boys thought 1t only fair that,
as women now had political rights, they
should, so to speak, be given oratorical
ones, too. Moreover, 1t was felt that the
press should be represented, so rs between
the Dollys and Peggys of journalistic fame,
my name was chosen for Its lack of frivolity.
l was thought to be older,
T FOUND Miss Williamson, the supervisor
l. of club work and of story telling for the
Free Library system, the master of cere-
monies, with number of Librarians and the
chairman of each club of the league, already
on hand when l arrived. The chaTmen are
mostly university men who have been high
school boys and notable orators or debaters
in high school or league contests in the past.
These last were Morris Weisman, Southwark
Club; David Gordon, South Philadelphia
Jr. Club; Carl Dow, South Philadelphia
Club; Anthony Fretz, Kingsessing Club, and
IsadOr Katz. These men acted as coaches
for the contestants and were most Of them
the medal men in previous contests. OF the
judges Mr.. Lettinger acted as chairman,
and Mr.. Homer, who is noted debater,
coached us as to the rules governing the
contest My part was to have new expe-
rence and to enjoy myself and to greatly
admire the orators and to learn what the
points were by which such youthful speakers
should be judged l discovered that the four
main points were:
First. Manner of delivery, /. e., en-
trance, posture, gesture. finish
Second. Voice production, j. e., pronun-
citation, infection.
Third Effect, /. e., appearance, appeal,
power to move.
Fourth. Appropriateness, i. c., subject,
popular or classic. apt.
THE boys were all young, belonging to
L the seventh or eighth grade; their
voices were apt to go shrill in their eager
effort to fill the big room with their sound
and fury. Only one had n voice that was
unchildish and low pitched and was capable
of variety Of infections. Only one used
gesture, and only one smiled when he was
speaking, or indeed could be said to change
the expression of his face with the change Of
ideas, but the speeches nevertheless were
surprisingly well and vivaciously delivered,
with conviction and with good emphasis aud
without any halt or self consciousness. The
English was we'll and very clearly pro-
nounced with only a shade of foreign tang
here and there-one ''w'' pronounced like
~" and an accent perhaps once or twice
on an unusual syllable AS will be seen
from the program. the speeches called for
considerable intelligence from the audience.
yet the young orators made their point and
turned their arguments and flung out their
scOrn or shouted their enthusiasm with q
fine of the meaning and of rhytlm
THE speech democracy was composed
i from fragments of other speeches and
from sentences Of his own by the boy who
gave it. and he gave it as one convinced and
intent on convincing. The war message from
Woodrow Wilson's speech was given with
a slow dramatic art that was very moving
Our nation and our flag and war were
given with such fervor and decision and
shrill appeal to patriotism that quite shook
the thin boyish bodies. The Lincoln's birth
place speech was made by boy who ought
to make a good administrator and leader
he is so firm and neat and hearty. The boy
who spoke on national ideals had by far the
most infections and changes of manner, and,
as my fellow judges remarked, had been
very cleverly coached.
TT WAS enlghtening to hear from the ap-
i plause what was liked and what was nd .
mired and what was discounted by the boys
themselves and their fellow club members.
| l am not at all sure that the very pains
taking decision of the judges really met with
| the approval of the ina jority. | confess that
the result was not in every case what ]
would have come to as my single conclusion,
| because something which / felt was an
| artistic triumph, the result of temperament,
was discounted by the two men who were
wise in boys and in racial characteristics.
| They said it lacked sincerity, it was an as
sumed mood not 30 much a parrot mita
| ton as self conscious attitude without
inward conviction. That viewpoint of the
| two judges very seriously given interested
me more than the whole contest.
| Evidently no tongue in the cheek, Mark
| Anthony oratory, however artistically set to
| entrap, is to be encouraged as a goal out o.
side the playhouse. 1t would be well II all
political bunco could also be diSCountenauced,
| as we'll as all demagogiSm directed at
| mems ignorance could likewise receive the
early frown.'
T SHOULD say both for the coaches and
| i the judges, earnestness and conviction
we're the points counting most politcness
and good form in address counted next, and
| voice production was the least consideration.
| The silver cup for the best all round
speaking went to the South Philadelphia Jr
| Club The highest medal to Morris Mann
for his speech on democracy, with honorable
| mention to Davis Kaufman for "rhe War
Message" and the silver medal went to Carl
| Schaufele who had more points on de
livery and general effect than any one.
FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA
l LIBRARY LEAGUE
Fifth Annual OratOrical Contest
May @, 1921
/. "Our National Ideals" by William
Dackus Guitteau; Israel Wilderman South
wark Club.
2 Capital Punishment" by Sienkie
wicz Jack Weiner, South Philadephia
Club
s. "Lincolns Birthplace" by Woodrow
Wilson; Murdoch Goodwin, KingsCsslng
4. Democracy; Morris Mann, South
Philadelphia Jr. Club.
8. "'The Crisis in Education" by Car
Lee Harry Kait, South Philadelphia Club
g. "The War Message" by Woodrow
Wilson; David Kaufman, Southwark Club
Z. "Our Nation and Our Flag" b,
Charles Sumner; Carl Schauffele, Kingses
sing Club.
s. War" by Charles Sumner; Ma,