Evening star., 1927-05-08
Relates Inside Story of His
Efforts Under Guidance
of His Teachers.
WROTE ESSAY 90 TIMES
All Students in High School
Took Part in Prelimi-
nary Competition.
He that well his warke beginneth
The rather q good end he winneth


Maryiander concluded his demonstra
ton of this bit of philosophy when ht
cliYnaxed seven months of hard worl
| bv winning the championship OF The
Stars region in the fourth Nationa
| Oratorical Contest.
And it was of the business of hare
| work at the beginning of project
more particularly an oratorical con
! test project---that ''Afeck" Loker
| talked. in his modest fashion, durina
| a telephone conversation S7ith re
porter for The Star yesterday after
no6n.
Resting for Finals.
When the reporter called the Lokei
home. "Aleck" was not there. bu
Judge William M. Loker, his father
suggested that he might be found al
one of the business houses In town
The call was switched and Aleck wa'
reached Just where his father thougn'
him TO he. After a CHEEKY greeIlhs
The Stars oratorical champion, In an
swer to a logical question, reporteG
that he 'is just bumming around
this week end. True to the promise
of his teachers, he is enjoying resi-
from oratory before he prepares loi
the national finals.
But how about oratory ahC
"Aleck's" interest in it anyway:
"Aleck" says his live interest IN tne
National Oratorical Contest began ias'
year when he attended the tnlrd an
nual finals with Brothers Amorost
and Walter. c. F. X, his scnooi ui
rector and his teacher, who had cas-!
vary weather eyes at the oratorlcai
horizon before them--and for MN
ne had always been interested III
sneakinR. defamation and things OF
tho SORT. and it fired "Aleck's" lmagl'
nation when he saw and heard the
Nations seven best high school ora,
tors compete for the championship Oh
the limited States. The two Aaveflah
brothers evidently saw that flre Tor
thew promptly instituted the proceed
ings which ultimately entered 81.
Mary's County, Md, in The Star
contest area.
Wanted to Try Best.
In talking about it yesterday
"Aleck" said:
After hearing last years contest
ants. / certainly wanted TO try my
hest for the national championship.
too-r-if / ever could get as tar as the
finals-aiad after we, / mean Leonard
Hall School. were in the contest, ana
the subjects were announced In Inc
Star, / started writing my oration. II
was rather an essay though. -,
Where did you write your essay?
the reporter wanted to know. !,
s'In class" was "Aleek's' reply, ana
the scope of Leonard Halls interest IN
the contest widened for the reporter
fer assigned the essay on the subjects
that were eligible in the National
Oratorical Contest to the whole high
school department of Leonard Hall,
and so every boy wrote an essay.
Then did the best essay deter,
mine the representative of your
school?" the auestioner asked when
"Aleck" seemed unwilling to continue
without the assurance that he should.
"Oh. no; the essays were judged
bv the Brothers and the writers OF
those papers which were considered
somewhat better than the rest ana
were made to read them as though
they were speeches" the champion ex-
pIained. "In that way the students
who had some ability as speakers
were selected and finally the 10 best
had to deliver their essays--well, they
were .orations, then, ! guess-before
the faculty. -
Rewrote 1t 20 Times.
"And YOU won the right to repre-
sent your scheol?' he was asked
"Wen, the Brothers judged it that
way" was his return.
by the way, 'Aleck,' in the writ
ing OF your oration, did you ever re,
write it?" the reporter remembered
TO ask, thanks to q better telephone
connection.
N The youth laughed pleasantly
"About 90 times, / guess! You see,
when / started out to prepare
speech / had an idea that to keep
talking for 10 minutes I'd have TO
write a book, and 1 certainly was
surprised to find how few words can
be pronounced in that time
Continuing, he explained that ne
had to "cut and cut" his speech to
get it into a 10-minute delivery. ana
he found that he had TO make every
word count"
Following his selection as Leonard
Halls spokesman, "Aleck" said ne
worked for weeks under the direction
ofeBrother Walter TO perfect q deilv'
cry. There were gestures to be exc
cuted gracefully, there was prohnn-
citation to be sharpened and infectlon
to be guarded. 1t was a long task,
"Aleck" said yesterday. and finally ne
felt he could do no more.
The reporter, however, wanted TO
know what The Stars oratorical cham
pion did during the few days before
each of the contests which the young
orator had to fight through.
"Well. I did the only thing l could
keep on doing" he said, quietly, Il
hoped in the good Lord that / could
win, and / asked Him to let me win
if He could"
you mean you prayed pretty
hard?" ;.
was sincere.
And you are praying for success
in the big contest the 27th, are you?"
"Aleck" answered that he is.
Has Lead i'm Play.
But while he rests from oratory
these days, young Loker isn't resting
his stage presence. He said yesterday
that he is in the school play, "The
Turn in the Road" In fact, he plays
the lead, and
The funny part of 1t is" he
laughed, II win contest In the play
and the prize is 500.
The performance was given first in
tire town hall of Leonardtowns and
again Friday night at Ridge. Another
performance at Morganza will end the
tour OF the show. Aleck explained
that a play is given annually by the
Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity, of which
he is a member to raise funds for the
big June ball for the graduates. So
there's that work. Yes, Aleck agreed
and the reviews for examinations are
near, too, he remembered.
So feeling that a fellow with al
those things on his mind could be do
ing something more enjoyable than
talking into a telephone, the reporter
forgot everything else he might have