Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-01
TWO ORATOR|CAL
CONTESTS TODAY
Private and Parochial and
Maryland Group COMPETE
tons Being Held.

area in the fourth National Oratorlcai
Contest will enter the group test phase
today while the Central High School
district and the Virginia district mark
time to await their respective hnalS,
April IA and April Z.
The first group contest of the private
and parochial school district is being
conducted at McMahon Hall, Catholic
University, this afternoon with the
spokesman for st. Cecelia's Academy,
st. Johns College and the Academy of
the Holy Cross competing for place
in the private and parochial school
finals April 13.
Three Compete at Hyattsville.
Three orators representing the Lau-
rel, Silver Spring and RyattsVilie HlSh
Schools will compete at Hyattsville at
o'clock tonight in the first group con
test of the Maryland district me
winner of that contest will be one OF
the entrants in the Maryland school
finals April a. and on the same day
Central High School will hold it's final
competition between the four surviv-
ors of it's series of elimination con-
tests.
The contestants in this afternoons
meeting and their respective Grafton
subjects are Hester A. Anderson OF ST
Cecelia's Academy, on THE Citizens
Defense of the Constitution john Ed
gar Chadwick of ST. Johns College
(high school grades) on THE Constr
tuition" and Margaret B. Hester of
the Academy Of the Holy Cross, on
1.-THE Constitution
An unusual jury is deciding upon
the merits Of the speakers in the test
this afternoon. The entire public
speaking class of the university, under
DIR. Joseph English, and Dr. Richard
PurcelPs political science class, making
a jury of 65, are sitting in Judgment
on the orations. DR.. Purcell is pre-
siding at the meeting in Mcmahon
Hall.
School Orchestra to Play.
The Business High School Orchestra
is rendering a concert program In the
periods between speeches.
The Maryland group contestants lin
the auditorium of the Hyattsville
High School tonight. and their ora
tons will be Elizabeth Colonel of the
Laurel High School. on 1.-THE Consti-
tution--What 1t Means Today: Mary
Stewart of the Silver Spring High
School, on Abraham Lincoln's Con-
tribution to the Constitution" and
Mark w. Woods of the Hyattsville
| I1lSH SoCHUUl, vi tOIi anu Tie
Constitution"
Three members of the faculty of the
University of Maryland Will be the
judges. They are c. S. Richardson
Of the arts and sciences department,
r. M. Watkins Of the reading and pub
lie speaking department and w. T. l..
Taliafero of the agricultural depart
ment. III. r. Cotterman. associate
dean of the university, will be chair
man of the meeting.
Reservations have been made in the
auditorium for the supporters of the
two visiting speakers and practically
the whole student body Of the Hyatts-
vile school Is expected to turn out
to root for its entrant
Wins at Falls Church.
The last entrant for the Virginia
district finals was chosen last night
at Falls Church in one of the most
enthusiastic group meetings yet held
In The Star areas course of the
fourth national oratoricaI contest.
Dwight Brown, 15-year-old junior of
the Oakton High School, speaking on
THE Constitution" was the victor in
a close contest between the spokes-
men of four high schools, including
with his own, the Fairfax, the Falls
Church and the Franklin Sherman
simultaneously with the arrival in
the Madison School Building audi
forum, where the contest was held,
of the contingents of each of the con
tending schools, cheers and school
yells split the air. establishing at once
the atmosphere for the Virginia dis
trict's final group meeting School
banners were carried in and were
given their places of honor in the sec
tions OF the auditorium reserved for
the visiting supporters of the speak
ers, and the pep Of the audience was
rivaled only by that which marked
the first group meeting at Alexandria
last Monday.
Victory Hard to Decide.
Holding the difficult position of first
speaker on the contestants program,
Dwight Brown came within 45 sec
onds of the 10-minute time limit, and
the victory he won was not easily de-
termined by the five judges. The de-
feated contestants. all Of whom deliv
cred good orations, were Vincent
Schermerhorn. spokesman of the
Franklin Sherman High School.
whose Grafton on 1.-The Constitution
and What 1t Means Today" was given
second place; Mary Shreve of the
Falls Church High School. who spoke
on AmGFlchS W 1pH-
stitutional Government" and Reba
Frances Cupp Of the Fairfax High
School. whose subject was THE Con-
stitution."
The meeting, which was presided
over by Wilbert WoodsOn, clerk of
the Fairfax County School Board.
was given color and Zest by musical
program that included vocal and in
strumental numbers. Mrs. John 7.
Bowen played piano solo as the I'M
troductory musical feature. Two
violin solos by Miss Martha Bowen
and songs by a quartet at intervals
throughout the speaking program
gave Interesting relief to the tension
that the contest created. The quartet
was composed of Mrs. Sheldon $.
cline. Mrs. Scott Ryer. DIR. Macon
Ware and F. NJ. Thompson. Mrs
RIVER also sang solo, and Mrs. j. w.
Brown was the accompanist.
The orators in last nights contest
represented the youngest group in the
Virginia district. Dwight Brown, the
winner. was the oldest Of the four.
contestants, who are two years his
Junior. He looks little older, how
ever. and with his manly voice and
stature and his GRAFTON, he will be
sturdy contestant for the 500 cash
award. the gift of The Star, and the
subsequent riSni 10 represent the VIZ
pinia district in this newspaper s
finals, May 4.
Little Girls Like Dolls.
Msry Shreve, the Falls Church
entry Ia a. tiny little girl with neat
dark bobbed hair. She appeared for
| ALI the world like wee little doll
as she walked shyly to the center of
| the big platform. to face big audi
ence and what must have seemed a
| Jury of even bigger judges, with her
very big Grafton on this Nations con
| trihution TO the worlds constitutional