Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-14
Rene Ponthieu, Paris Stu
dent. Given international
Contest Trophy.
ARGENTINA IS SECOND
AND CANADA THIRD
America Is Placed Fourth-Deci.
sion of Judges Reached on
Second Ballot.

The high school speech-making
championship of the world went tc
France last night when Rene Ponthieu
| l8-year-old Partisan student. won the
decision on the second ballot in the
| finals of the third International Ora
torical Contest, held in the Washington
Auditorium.
Speaking on French Thought and
the Idea of Liberty Ponthieu presented
his victorious oratoricsl bid to defeat
the entries from seven other nations
Jose de Tomaso of Argentina was Judged
second best, and William Fox. jr., of
Canada. won third place.
James r. Moore. the Somerset, KY,
youth, the American champion, was
given fourth place by the judges de-
cision.
The remaining four contestants who
went down to defeat before the little
Frenchman were Julio Cesar Fernandez
of Cuba, Heinz Barth of Germany. Dud
ley Raymond Barker of England and
Efrain Brito Rosado of Mexico.
was presented with striking silver
trophy donated by the Canadian spon-
sorS of the movement. Main johnson.
editor of the Toronto Star, made the
presentation The decision was an
nounced from the stage by DR.. Alejan-
dro Herosa, Buenos Aires educator, who
accompanied the Argentine contestant
to Washington.
Presented individually at the OPEN
ing of the contest by Randolph Leigh
director general of the contest, the
eight boys rose in acknowledgment of
the pronunciation of their names and
bowed TO the audience. When they
we're summoned to speak in their ac-
tual contest participation, however. each
went into oratorical battle with his
country's national anthem ringing in
his ears. following its rendition by the
United States Marine Band Orchestra
end a special chorus of 800 voices.
The contest meeting was opened a
moment or two after o'clock when the
heavy curtains were drawn to reveal a
setting of quiet with a background or
black velvet against which the seals of
the eight nations stood in color relief.
The contestants we're ranged in seats
in two groups of four at the sides OF
the platform while in the center sat
Ambassador Manuel G. Tellez of Mexico
Dr. Herosa, Mr.. Johnson and Mr.
Leigh. The base of the background
was framed in bank of ferns out of
which seemed to be run the halyards
| for the eight flags of the represented
| nations.
Ponthieu Sixth Speaker.
Ponthieu. the sixth speaker on the
program, heard the orchestra ano
chorus strike up La Marseillaise. He
faced his country's flag as 1t was hauled
to the peak of its halyard by an honor
guard of United States Marines. He
sang his countrys' anthem, turned and
strode to the microphones to. face his
audience. The versatile French language
| was used by Ponthieu with feeling
| that reflected itself in facial expression
and body gesture which only sincerity
not schooled oratory alone-coulo
| produce.
Ponthieu talked of his French poets,
| his French writer's of prose, who in
| the fervor of their artistic accomplish
ments, wrote much of liberty and free
| dom. He talked with facility and the
| impression his audience received was
| that of boy begging his listeners in
the only language he knows fiuently
to love and respect his France and his
| French literati as he loved them When
! he finished his speech the audience
gave its approval of the performance he
had given, although few of them under
stood word of 1t.
Before any of the contestants We're
| called upon Ambassador Tellez of Mex
leo delivered the opening address. He
reviewed the march of civilization from
| creation, when speech was Gods first
gift to man, through art, romance and
beauty to sphere Of international un-
derstanding, which he said is the most
sought goal of all civilization.
Mexican Speaks First
| The first contestant to deliver his
| speech was Brito Rosado, the Mexican
youth who sought to retain for his
country the championship won last
| year by Arturo Garcia Fermenti
Rosado is small of stature and at time:
he sought to give emphasis to his ex.
preston by rising on his toes while
he carried on his almost continuou.
gestures
Young de Tamaso was the secone
orator to take the stage. He was al
intense speaker as he talked in "Th,
Confraternity of the Americas" Hi
Spanish was spoken more slowly ane
it seemed to the audience that hi.
tones were less deep and rich thar
those of little Rosado.
Barker, the third contestant, wake,
confidently to the battery of micro
phones to poSe-one hand in pocket
as he launched quietly into his speech
on THE English Governmental System
According to Barker, party government
in England is doomed by virtue of th
existence of three parties, necessitatint
! Continued on Page S, Column II