Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-27
OFFER BY EDISON
OPEN TOD. c. BOYS
Schools to Conduct COMPETE
ton in Choosing Candidate
for Scholarship.

The National Capitals candidate for
the Thomas Edison scholarship will be
boy of brilliant mind, extraordinary
powers of initiative, and unusual ability
TO meet new and unexpected situations"
according to plan outlined by COM
mittee of educators representing the
public, private and parochial schools
in an invitations mailed today to the
principals OF 16 eligible schools here to
send their respective nominations to
the committee on or before June z.
The committee is functioning under
the craftsmanship of Harry o. Hine,
secretary of the Board of Education, to
whom DR.. Frank w. Ballou, superin-
tendent of schools, forwarded the Com
missioner's request that Washington
secondary school student be nominated
for the scholarship race. Besides Mr..
Hine. the committee includes Stephen
E. Kramer. first assistant superintend-
ent of schools in charge of the white
high schools. and Garnet G. Wilkinson,
first assistant superintendent in charge
of the colored schools. acting for the
public schools: James E. Cummings OF
the National Catholic Welfare Council,
for the parochial schools, and Harry w.
Stinson of Emerson Institute for the
private schools.
Communication to Principals.
The communication addressed today
to the principals of the eight public
schools, the three parochial schools and
the five private schools, sets forth that
each school may offer but one candi-
date; that the committee will consider
only the candidate who has his princi-
pals recommendation and that NOM
nations must be in the committees
hands not later than June 7.
No specific plan for the manner IN
which each schools representative Is
to be chosen is offered by the commit
tee which preferred to permit each
school principal considerable liberty in
making his own selection. However, the
committee specifies that the candidate
selected should have credits sufficient
to entitle him to enter flrst-clasS
technical school Of college grade. 1t is
specified further that "he should rank
high in scientific subjects, including
mathematics; he should have bril-
liant mind. an intelligence quotient
of 100 or better, and should be selected
not merely because he Is an excellent
student who wins very high marks, but
rather because Of brilliancy Of mind.
extraordinary powers of initiative, and
unusual ability to meet new and unex-
pected situations"
The committee has ruled that it is
essential that each candidate possess
good moral and social qualities"
In addition to meeting the require
ments mentioned, each candidate Is re-
quired to present with their applica-
lions to the committee: /. A complete
transcript of his secondary scholastic
record. 2. A physicians certificate OF
health on the basis of life insurance
examination standards. 3. A concise
biographical sketch of his life, giving
briefly the background of his life ex-
periences, mentioning any particular
practical life experience bearing on
scientific or mechanical matters.
When the nominations Of the 16
school principals are received, the COM
mittee will sit again to study, the yari-
Gus documents. with q view TO picking
the representative of Washington S
schools.
Special Honor Allotted to Winner.
The winner, in accordance with the
recently announced plan of Mr.. Edison.
will receive trip to the famous IN
ventor's laboratory at West Orange,
N. J.. where he will undergo an exarni-
nation at the hands of Mr.. Edison HIM
self. With him will be the candidates
from each of the AZ States. Although
only one boy will be chosen for the
scholarships four-year course In a
leading technical school-each Of the
40 candidates will be presented with
one of Edison's radio-phonograph in
struments. The invitation was re-
ceived locally by the Commissioners
who in turn sent it to the superintend--
ent of schools. DR.. Ballou then asked
Mr.. Hine to name committee repre-
senting all the schools here for the Sc
lection of the local representative.