Evening star., 1925-05-03
WORLD NOTABLES
TO HEAR ORATORS
President to Head Brilliant
ASsemblage at Contest
i Friday Night.

Two beautiful girls and five stal
wart boys will compete in the Wash
lngton Auditorium Friday evening for
tbe oratorical cham pionship of the
United States and So 900 in prizes.
The national tinalists. in the order
IN which they will speak, are:
Miss Asenath Graves, 16. Washing.
Ton. champion of the District of Co.
ltInbia
Miss Flora Longenecker, 16, Ilion
~. y. Northeastern champion.
-Robert Sessions, 15, Birmingham
Ala. Southern champion.
Eugene f. McElmeel. Is. Los An.
geles, Calf. Pacific champion.
George Stansell. Il, Chicago, Ill.
Central States champion.
Philip Glatfelter, II, Columbia, Pa,
Eastern champion.
Max n. kroloff, II. Sioux City,
Iowa, MidWe estern champion.
in the presence of the President OF
the United States, more than half of
the cabinet, members OF the United
states Supreme Court and countless
other personages of international rep
lltatiou, these champions of cham
pions will fight it out. The seven are
the sole survivors of the 400 900 who
have participated in this years Ma
ttonal OratOrical Contest on the Con.
stitution. They are the pick of 16, PIG
schools in all parts of the country.
Stirring Meeting Promised.
Impressive though the final meet
ing of the National Oratorical Contest
was in 1924. it will be far more
stirring this year. For one thing, the
finals will be held in an auditorium
holding approximately 1000 people
able auditorium here had a seating
capacity scarcely a third of that. For
another, the tremendous growth ir
popular enthusiasm for and under
standing of the movement has had its
effect upon the preparations for the
closing meeting of the year.
The meeting will he presided over by
John Hays Hammond. President Cool
idge Will make an address on the
meaning of the contest. Then the
seven contestants will speak, each be
ing allowed only 10 minutes.
The following sketches give interest
ing details regarding the seven ma
tioual finalists:
Miss Graves Is Native.
Miss Asenath Graves. 16-year old
Eastern High School senior, was born
in Washington, ID. c.. but comes
from New England stock and mum
hers among her colonial ancestors
Robert Cushman, the first pastor of
Plymouth Colony, and Miles StandiSh
the governor of that colony. Among
her revolutionary ancestors was Jere
mfah Purdy, who served under Wash
fngton at Valley Forge. Her father
was Capt. Herbert c. Graves, nautical
engineer in the United States Coast
and Geodetic Survey. who died in
England in 1919. while representing
the United States in an International
Nautical Congress held in connection
with the Peace Conference.
Miss Flora Longenecker. IS. of lion
y. Y. is a slender. sparkling eyed gir1
with golden locks and a golden voice
She was adjudged the best speaker in
the Northeastern zone and was the
only girl in that zone to win the cham
pionship of a newspaper territory
Miss Longenecker is a senior in Ilion
High School. is president of the high
school debating society and Is a mem
Der of the school dramatic club. She
has lived in lion but A year. after
having passed eight years in Canadian
schools while her parents lived at
Windsor, Canada.
Robert Sessions, 15-year-old winner
of the Southern finals, is the son OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Robert E. Sessions, OF
'46 West Seventh street, Birmingham
VA. Mr. sessions, ST. is pub
Usher being vice president and South.
ern representative of the firm of Row
Peterson and Company of Chicago
publishers of text books for schools
robert was born in Huntsville, Ala
June /, 1909, and his parents removed
70 Birmingham when he was 4 wears
old. He attended the Martin granrnat
school before entering high school. and
at the age of 9 began to distinguish
himself as an orator During the war
when he was a student in the fourth
grade at Martin School, he was chosen
as a three minute speaker to address
various classes of the school on the
necessity of organized child effort at
home to help win the war He spoke
on the patriotic duty of being thrifty
and many sale of war savings
stamps was traced to his youthful elo
quence, as well as many an addition
10 the membership rolls of the Rec
Cross. As student in the Paul Heynf
Junior High School. three years later
ne distinguished himself in school de
bates. and was IN early favorite WITH
school societies because of his or;,-ori
cal ability. As boy of Il he won the
tnterclub declamatory contest al
Phillips High School competinf
against many older students. He ha(
been chosen as the representative oi
Hilliard Literary Society in the inter
club contest, and his delivery of Pat
rick ienry's Liberty or Death
speech won him first prize. Judge
Hugo l.. Black, a prominent Birnoinp
ham attorney and orator of distinc
ton, heard Sessions in this contest anf
was quoted in a newspaper interview
as follows:
In all my experience as a lawye,
and student of oratory | have neye,
heard II better rendition of Patrick
Henry Liberty or Death speech
than was given last Friday at the in
terclub oratoriCal contest at Phillins
High School Robert Sessions. tht
boy who gave the oration is hardly
out of grammar school. but there was
nothing amateurish about his work
1t has been years since a voice stirred
me so. and I have never so full,
realized the greatness of this speech
as / did Friday. Some real orators
are being developed at the local higl
schools, and the outlook for the future
as to orators is bright indeed"
Wins in Third Attempt
Eugene +. McElmeel, champion ora
tor of the Pacific zone. is is wears old
lie Is the son of owen McF,lmeel. ar
attorney. living at 2726 West -Four
fpontb