Evening star., 1928-04-13
BA[STON ORATOR
CAPTURES CONTEST
Miss Josephine Sterling Be.
comes First Chosen Cham
( pionship Contender.

Accompanied by the raucous shouts
Of student contineents which We'd with
one another In giving their respective
champions noisy support the Virginia
district of The Stars area In the ffth
National Oratorical Contest entered the
group phase Of Its contest participation
last night at Falls Church when Miss
Josephine Sterling, representing the
WaShington-Isee High School at BaiiS-
ton. defeated three other contestants 10
become the first chosen contender ior
the Virginia championship.
In her victory In the first virginia
district group meeting last night. MISS
Sterling won the right TO enter the
Virginia finals. May ?, and The star 5
award of $50 as winner OF q group
contest Along with the concrete prizes
for which she competed. Miss Sterling
won reasonable claim to meteoric
rise In the national high school forensic
contest.
Other Contestants.
A student at Westinghouse High
School, which last year sent John oscar
Bell into the competition 10 win the
Virginia championship. Miss Sterling oe,
feated the conoueror Bell IN her Scnooi
finals this year, and last night she
conquered three veterans of the idenu-
cal group meeting OF the fourth Ma
tional Oratorical Contest.
Dwight Brown of the Oakton High
School, Vincent Schermerhorn OF the
Franklin Sherman High School OF Nc
Lean and Miss Mary Fairfax ShreVe
OF the Falls Church High School. were
defeated in last nights battle and each
had competed in the same phase OF
the contest in the same hall last year.
Second honofs were awarded to young
Schermerhorn through the unanimous
decision. Of the jury.
Scheduled TO be in at O'Clock. the
actual program got under way 10
minutes later after a Commute cheer
-ag contest in which the fellow students
Of the four contestants shouted their
faith in their champions, with school
yells and songs. When at last Harry
KeySer, secretary of the Washington
Railway q. Electric Co. took the stage
20 call the meeting to order, the silence
he commanded was profound. Thrilled
'roOterx' sat on chair edges. and ex-
cited contestants. who followed Mr..
KeySer to the platform. smiled greet
Angs to their friends out in front.
Commenting briefly on the vast ma
tional machine of the oratorical con-
test. as sponsored in this region by The
founding as the most important step
In public education in the high schools
that has been made in recent years.
He commended the newspaper sponsors
for their interest and then proceeded
90 state the rules Of the contest. Ten
minutes for each speaker and absolute
silence By the audience during each
speaking period was the law he laid
down in accordance with the ofncial
rules Of the contest and both contest
ants and audience upheld their re-
epective responsibility for q well-staged
meet.
Brown Is First Speaker.
Dwight Brown, champion O. the Oak
ton High School. was the first contest
ant to be introduced. Dwight was the
winner in the Falls Church group meet
last year He fought hard and well last
night 20 recapture the same honors. He
spoke for nine minutes and I'VE seconds
and worked nard with a strained sort
OF intensity, but the result of his efforts
fsii below the attaInments OF the victor
IN the opinion OF the jury.
Vincent Scnermerhorn. representing
the Franklin Sherman High School Of
Mclean. was the second speaker on the
program TAI and dark and with
power somewhere that some day will
win for him N the fields Of oratory.
SchermerhoTn used but minutes and
IS seconds Of his time. In the final
ANALYSIS his bid for victory gave him
unanimous second honors IN the con-
test.
Then came Miss Sterling. the victor.
Delivering her Grafton in 9 minutes and
IS seconds. Miss Sterling was picture