Evening star., 1927-04-20
ORATORY CONTEST
OFFICIALS NAMED
Moss, TaIiaferro and GulIion
to Be Judges, HeSSe
Timekeeper.

The administering officials of The
Star finals in the fourth National
Oratorical Contest are announced
today.
Judge Mckenzie Moss of the United
States Court of Claims, Commissioner
Sidney F. Taliaferro and Maj. Allen
: w. Gullion. in the department of
the judge advocate general Of the
Army, will he the judges Of the
10 contesting orators. and Maj.
Edwin r. Hesse, superintendent of
the District of Columbia Police De
partment, win be the lone timekeeper.
This official staff will journey to
each of the contestiug groups into
which The Star finals have been
divided. the jury hearing all the con-
testants before it reaches a decision.
and the timekeeper holding stop
watch against each Of the young
speakers.
High School Contest May 4.
The first group to deliver its ora
fions as a bid for The Star regions
championship and the two-and-a-half-
month tour Of Europe, with the addi-
fionaI award of 5000, will be the
washington public high schools. That
contest will begin promptly at
O'Clock on the morning of May 4, in
the Central High School Auditorium,
and when it's five contestants have de-
Hvered their orations the judges and
other officials will move on to the
Dunbar High School Auditorium.
where at II o'clock the colored high
school speakers will contend.
The third and last group will be
heard in the National Museum audi
torium when the speakers of the Nir-
ginia, Maryland and private-and-pa-
rochial District of Columbia( schools
districts will be heard, beginning at
11:45 o'clock.
According to the rules of the Ma.
tfonaI OratoricaI Contest each contest
ant must deliver his oratoin within
A period of 10 minutes, beginning with
his first utterance of address to the
chairman, and that rule win be rigidly
enforced
Cannot Speak Overtime.
Mai Hesse will hold the stop-watch
and at the instant the hand splits
the 10-minute bar on the dial, the
hammer will fall with a resounding
thud. One word spoken by a contest
ant after that time-up blow OF the
gavel. and the youngster will be dis
qualified. But when the gaVel faliS at
the end of the 10 minutes and the
contestant stops talking at once, even
though in the middle of sentence. he
will be Judged by what he has said up
to the time he is stopped.
The time rule stands without argu-
ment, and for that reason every audi
ence that hears any group of contest
ing speechmakers will be warned
against applauding during the deliv-
ery of an Grafton The time begins
with the contestants first utterance
and there will be no allowance for
time squandered by an enthusiastic
audience. Applause as greeting for
each contestant when he is introduced,
however, is permissible, as we'll as
when he is through talking.
Judges Admirably Qualified.
Each Of the judges possesses admi-
rable qualifications for the Office of
juror. AS a Federal court judge,
Judge Moss has heard innumerable
orations and he is accustomed to max
ing decisions in which stakes are high.
He was former Assistant Secretary
Of the Treasury in charge of internal
revenue and miscellaneous affairs of
finance. and was appointed to the
bench in the Court of Claims by Pres
ident Coolidge last June.
Commissioner Taliaferro is an attor-
ney The office he holds in the gov
ernment of the District of Columbia is
ample testimony of his capabilities.
and, like any man in high public