Evening star., 1926-03-09
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

There are today az many American u
boys and girls actively engaged In
a certain undertaking of great
moment as there were men in the
American ExpeditiOnary Forces who
marched across the bridge Of ships"
to make the world safe for democracy.
Two millions of high school stu
dents are preparing speeches to be
delivered in local elimination tests,
looking toward the great National
Oratorical Contest to be held June
in the Auditorium of the Nations
Capital. There, the President OF the
United States. the justices of the
Supreme Court. cabinet officials and
6 900 citizens will listen TO the victors
OF State contests.
The speakers will discuss that
"unemotional subject" the United
States Constitution, and the young.
but gall INT. knights OF eioQuence will
thrill the thousa nds before them and
the millions throughout the land
listening in by radio. Without thrills
there is no Oratory, and two previous
contests have proved that oratOry-
long mourned as dead-still lives.
That is a momentous renaissa nee.
For half century, Old-time ora =
tory has been out of favor. There
are two professions of high require
ments which no man today without
prejudice dare claim to have
achieved. What newspaper man will
set up for himself the title of Jour
nalist"? Veteran newspaper men
cannot explain why one who follows
the work of journalism Is not a jour-
nalist. as one who practices law Is
a lawyer, or one who speaks from a
pulpit is a preacher. The title Is
given freely to the "other newspaper
writer" but not arrogated to ones self.
The title Of Orator" is seldom ap-
piled even to speaker. except In
fiowery introductions by toastmas
ters. Oratory& has suffered atrophy
through disuse. Critics say that II
has lived on in the halls Of radicalism
and revolutionary unrest, before au-
diences who do little reading and
less thinking, but how seldom does
it appear in Congress or even In pull
pits or courts. in the guise of the
old time pOmposity and dramatic
fervor Of the spread eagle speaker
who rent the air. tore the language
to tatters. split the ears and drowned
the eyes with tears Of tragedy or
pathos!
The Civil War brought public de.
mand for fun telesraphic news. This
Great ted the modern newspaper, which,
with it's fullness Of information, sup.
planted the Old-time slow methods Of
the orators. There developed ~per.
scnal journalism" with much OF the
characteristics of the orators self-aS-
sertion and pomposity.' The editor
used not only the logic and erudition
of the orator, but also often his ve-
hement denunciatiOn of opponents
coupled with every resource Of vitu-
perative language.
While personal journalism" has
been in turn largely supplanted by,
systematic and enlarged news gather
ing and by specialized editorial re.
search, room has been restored for
the development of the lost art of
vocal eloquence in direct, fervent and
forceful appeal both to reason and
emotion.
Some twenty-five or thirty metro
politan journals, of. which The Star
is one leach in it's own circulation
field, have combined in an effort to
revive and popularize oratory and at
the same time to inspire patriotic in.
terest in the fundamentals of Amer.
lean Government.
Educators recognize the tremendous
importance of this growing move
ment upon public understan nding of
American ideals and patriotic appre.
citation OF the significance of the
United States fundamental law--the
Constitution.
The finals last year were Judged
by three members Of the Supreme
Court: this year the Judges, not vet
announced, will also be most emf.