Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-07
VIRGINIA ORATORS
COMPETE TONIGHT
Finals at BaIISton Stir Wide
Interest-Clagett Mary
land Winner.

/
district in The Stars area of tn:
fourth National Ora torical Contest will
be determined tonight.
Four winners of as many group
competitions held in the Virginia dis
trict last week will meet tonight in
the auditorium OF the Washington
Lee High School at Ballston. to dc
battle in the hardest fought and most
imDortant contest yet held this year
in this newspapers area. 1t is the
first of n series of 10 district finals'
that will be conducted to select the
contestants for the championship of
The Stars area.
The combatants--one Of whom will
be the Virginia champion-and their
respective schools. are: John Oscar
Bell, jr., of the Westinghouse High
School, Mary S. Pattie of the Ma
| nassas High School, Dwight Brown of
! the Oakton High School, and Carrie
| I. Lucas of the Herndon High School.
Jurors Are Announced.
! The task of determining the cham
| pion orator of the district rests in
the hands of a jury of three. COM
| posed of Judge F'enton Whitlock
| Booth of the United States Court of
Claims; Mrs. William Wolff Smith,
president of the Washington branch
of the League Of American Pen
Women, and Huston Thompson, at
| torney, who was active in the found
| ing of one of the first Woodrow-Wil-
son-for. President Clubs.
While the Virginia clans were gath
erng last night for the journey to
Do In, ~ hal "
orators, the fourth group contest OF
the Maryland district was held at the
Marlboro High School. Lansdale
Clagett OF the Marlboro School was
judged winner with his Grafton on
"Franklin's Contribution to the Con:
stitution" and thus was made con-
testant in the Maryland finals next
week.
But it is the Virginia finals at
Ballston tonight that are holding the
attention today of the orators of the
10 districts in the big battle for the
European trip and subsequent cash
awards. Fletcher Kemp, superintend-
ent of the Arlington County schools,
will preside as chairman of the meet.
ing and he will therefore direct the
elaborate program which has been
arranged as an accompaniment Tor
the speeches.
Following the address Of the pre-
siding officer, Fleming Newbold bust
ness manager of The Washington
Star, will talk briefly to the young
contestants who follow.
Interesting School Orchestra.
A concert of music will be present
ed by the orchestra Of the Langley
Junior High School, under the direc-
a nd
trainer of several Washington school
orchestras Mr.. Hurt was a first
violinist of the London symphony
Orchestra. He fought with the Brit
ish army in the World War, as the
result of which activity, his health
was endangered He came to this
country. where his recovery has been
complete and he is now devoting his
full time to the musical instruction
of Washington youngsters. The or
chestra that will play at the big con-
test tonight isone of the most pro-
gressive under his tutelage. The pro-
gram will include. Mr. Hurts own
arrangement of The Star Spangled
Banner" as a feature.
Miss Anna Mandel will sing solo,
accompanied by Elizabeth Breuer. as
another feature ofsthe musical period.
The WashingtonLee High School is
one of the newest high schools in the
contest this year. and its entrant, John
Bell, is one of the youngest con-
testants. The enthusiasm of faculty
and student body throughout the
elimination tests has been the hlgh-
est and the auditorium was offered
as the scene of the Virginia finals.
even before that schools own student
won in his group contest. More than
S.f 70 nf ct
teachers of the school are entertain.
ing as house guests the families and
friends of the visiting contestants,
who will come to Ballston to roo"
for their own spokesman.
John Bell, the 14-year- cadet
sergeant of the Westinghouse Cadet
Corps, was the victor in the first Vir-
GINA district group contest. He sent
down to defeat in that affray the rep
resentatives of the Alexandria, George
Mason and Lee Jackson High Schools,
and the auditorium Of the Alexandria
school is still ringing, they say, with
the cheers that greeted the announce
ment of the tiny sergeant's victory.
Girl Represents Manassas.
Mary s. Pattie of the Manassas
High School was chosen winner of the
second group competition in the dis
trict. and she defeated the two boys
who opposed her from Haymarket
High School and the Swavely School
for Boys. She is II years old and a
senior in her school.
Dwight Brown, 15-year-old junior of
the Oakton High School, who won
the third group contest, will be
another competitor tonight. In win
ming place in the Virginia finals, he
defeated the representatives of the
Fairfax, Falls Church and Franklin
Sherman High Schools, in what was
one of the finest-spirited meetings of
the series.
Carrie Tracy Lucas of the Herndon
High School is the 15-yearold victor
in the last Virginia group test held
at Leesburg, last Friday. She de
feated the contestants from the
Lincoln and Ashburn High Schools.
interestingly enough, the subjects
OF the opposing orations are very
closely allied. Miss Pattie and young
Mr.. Brown are both bidding for VIC
tory with orations on The Constitu-
tion," while little Miss Lucas is talk
ing on Our Constitution" Young
Sergt. Bells topic is not far removed