Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-26
SCHOOL ORATORS
OF NINE COUNTRIES
COMPETE TONIGHT
Eight Boys and One Girl Will
Seek Trophy in Interna-
tionaI Finals.
SWOFFORD, U. S. ENTRY,
TO BE FIRST SPEAKER
Contest for World Honors Will
Open in Constitution Hall
at 8 O'Clock.

The worlds best high school orator
will be chosen in Constitution Hall to-
night.
Today, the eight boys and one girl
who comprise the field in the finals Of
the Fourth International Oratorical
Contest are hiding their time as they
await the stroke of 8 o'clock which will
send them into competition for the
world championship. The handsome
Sevres vase which France has offered
as the trophy of the meet will be
awarded the winner.
The six scholars who will sit as judges
on the nine orationS, each of which is
| designed to increase respect for good
| government, are in the Capital, and the
| stage is set for what probably will be
the Stiffest contest of the series of in
ternational annual speechmaking meets.
Swofford Takes Stage First.
Ben w. Swofford of Kansas City, who
last May was adjudged the best high
school orator in the United States by
| board of United States Supreme Court
justices and who. by virtue of that de-
cision represents this country in the
LlS6E, De the I1rSG OF
| the young orators to take the stage.
He will speak on The American Con-
stitution and Its FramerS," the same
| oration which won him national honors
! in May
The same lottery which determined
| the young American as the first speaker,
prescribed that Gabriel Fouche, cham
pion of France, shall be the second
speaker. He will bid for victory with
| Modern French Youth"
The third contestant to speak will be
Herbert Schaumann, Germanys entry,
| whose subject will be THE Significance
i of the Weimar Constitution to the
| Youth of Germany
The fourth speaker will be Roberto
Ortiz Girls, Mexican forensic hope, who
will talk on Should the Latin American
Peoples Try to Replace Pan-American-
ism by Policy of Universal InterestS?"
| Benigno Petit Lecaros of Peru, cham
| pion Of South America, will be the fifth
orator to bid. for victory, speaking on
! "Art in Civilization"
Roch Pinard, Canadas entry, will
! speak on Canada Among the Nations
as the sixth contestant.
Girl Is Seventh Speaker.
Miss Lis Torsleff of Denmark, cham
pion of the Scandinavian and Upper
European nations, and the only girl in
the meet, will be the seventh speaker,
using as her subject "Denmark'S Con-
| stitution and Political Ideals"
Vicente Pardo SuareZ, representative
OF Cuba, will speak on Jose Marti,"
as the eighth contestant.
F. Whitnan Allen, champion Of Eng
land will conclude the contestant phase
of the meet with his grafton on will
| liam EWart Gladstone"
Each of the nine orators will speak
In his own tongue and, in the case of
the Canadian, who is of the French
colony OF the Dominion, that language
| will be French. English translations of
the foreign speeches will be printed in
tributed to the audience.
Judges to Write Ballots.
The judges, each capable of weighing
the merits of speech in all of the
languages which will be used tonight,
are DR.. Jan Herman Van Royen, Min
lister from the Netherlands, and chair
man OF the committee; DR.. Jules-B of
the faculty of PEco.e de Psychologist,
Paris; DIR. Richard Henry Wilson of the
University OF Virginia; DR.. Adam Bow
ing, Danish scholar of the National Mu-
scum; Comdr. ]. B. De MarboiS of the
Upper Canada College at Toronto, and
DR.. Paul G. Gleis of Catholic Univer-
sity.
Each Judge will write his Individual
ballot upon all nine speakers and If q
contestant receives the rating of first
place from majority of the judges and
at the same time receive the low-point
total, that orator will be announced
winner. However, If no speaker is ac-
corded majority vote for first place,
the judges will retire from the hall to
deliberate upon the three best speakers
as determined by the initial ballot,
The meeting will be opened by RAN
dolph Leigh, director general of the
contest, who will introduce DR.. Fred
erick w. Won Prittwitz und Graffron.
German Ambassador to the United
States. DR.. Won Prittwitz will deliver
the opening address.
Following the German Ambassadors
contestants individually SO that the
audience will have no difficulty in
identifying them later in the meet.
The young championship contenders
Will be summoned to the stage for their
forensic bids by the national anthem
OF their respective countries. The
musical introductions will be PLAYED
by the Tech Symphony Orchestra of
the Mckinley High School of this city.
Dore Walton, faculty director of the
organization, will be directing.
Hammond to Announce Results.
After the speeches are delivered and
verdict has been reached, the results
Will be announced by John Hays HAM
mond, internationally known engineer,
who is honorary president of the Consti-
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