Evening star., 1927-03-28
ORATORS PR|MED
FOR MEET TONIGHT
Compete at Alexandria for
Group Honors in Inter-
scholastic Contest.

Four young knights of oratory
bearing the banners of their respec-
tive schools will meet in the audi.
torium of the Alexandria High School
at s o'clock tonight to compete for
group honors in the first interscholas-
tic battle of The Stars Fourth Ma
tional Oratorical Contest area.
The contestants and the schools
they represent are: Harmon Francis.
the George Mason High School Of Del
Ray: Viola Barrett the Alexandria
High School: Jennie Wards, the Lee
jackson High School Of Alexa ndria,
and John Oscar Bell, jr., the Wash
ington.Lee High School of Ballston.
No less than 200 hackers of the three
visiting orators will journey to the
Alexandria High School to root for
their entrants and there, with the con
tingent of the school that is host to
the contest. will FIJI the auditorium to
its doors.
Miss Wards First Speaker.
Jennie Wards, 17-year-old senior of
Lee-Jackson, will be the first speech
maker to take the platform. The
subject of her grafton will be The
Contribution of My State to Constitu-
tional Government"
She will be followed by John Bell.
jr.. who will speak on THE Benefits of
the Constitution Harmon Francis.
lS-year-old senior of George Mason.
with an Grafton on John Marshall and
the Constitution" will be third, and
Viola Barrett 16year.old senior of
Alexandria, talking on THE Meaning
of the Constitution To-day" will be
the concluding sneaker
The Alexandria rSeeting will be one
of the most interesting Of the series
of four group meetings between 10
Virginia district schools, in that each
orator is using different subject
and that it's entrants include perhaps
the youngest speaker to reach the
group meetings. John Bell is only IA.
but he is Junior and one Of the lead
ing students In his class.
Charles Henry Smith, member OF
the Virginia State Legislature, will
preside at the meeting. His opening
remarks will give stern warning to
the high-pitched audience that ap-
plause during contestants speech
will be a severe handicap to the
youngsters, whose Grafton is limited
to 10 minutes. No time for the inter-
ruption will be allowed.
NuSICdI EFUSFdUI AFEduSeu.
A musical program will be rendered
while the ballots are being counted by
the referees after the work of the
judges is completed. concert by the
student orchestra of the Alexandria
school will be included.
The judges will be Elmer Louis
Kayser, professor of history and Sec
retary of George Washington Univer-
sity; l.. r. Alderman, specialist in
adult education of the United States
Bureau of Education, and w. 7.
Winds, specialist in rural education
of the same bureau.
The second of the Virginia district
group meetings will be held at Manas.
sas tomorrow morning, when the
spokesmen for the Haymarket Swave-
ly Agricultural and Mana ssas high
schools will compete. Other group
meetings in the Virginia series will
be held at Leesburg on Wednesday
and at Falls Church on Thursday.
The winners of each of the group
contests will compete against one an
other in the Virginia district finals at
Ballston April Z, and the survivor Of
that battle will represent the Virginia
district in The Star finals in Wash.
ington May 4. The Virginia district
champion will receive cash prize of
500. while the winner of The Star
finals will be awarded an additional
5000 and the grand prize of the two.
ahd'a'half-month trip TO Europe.