Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-20
A[EXANDR|AN BEST
ORATOROF VIRGINIA
Carey Howard Blackwell,
High School Student,
Wins in Finals.

Carey Howard Blackwell of the Alex
andria High School captured the foren-
sic championship Of the Virginia dis
trict In The Stars Sixth National Ora
torical Contest area last night in the
Old Dominion finals. held in the Wash
inpton-Lee High School of Ballston.
With the championship, Blackwell
won 500 in cash and the right to rep
resent his district in The Star finals
here next Thursday, when entry In the
national finals as the spokesman for
this entire contest region, an additional
award of 5000 and the three-month
tour of South America will be at stake.
The Virginia finals vas the concluding
rdistrict" championship contest and
Blackwell's victory completes The Star
finals field with eight boys and three
girls.
Miss Elizabeth D. Brereton Of the
Warrenton High School was adjudged
the second best speaker on last nights
program and she was pronounced alter
nate to young Blackwell.
Patriotic Airs Played.
The enthusiastic spirit Of the meet
ing was established by a musical pre-
amble of patriotic airs played by sec
ton of the Washington Boys indie
pendent Band, which sent resounding
brass notes and drum rolls out TO chase
prickly excitement up and down the
audiences collective spines. It was just
such an audience-keyed up and wait
ing for the forensic combat to begin
which Fletcher Kemp. superintendent
of Arlington County Schools welcomed
to his community. Mr.. Kemp COM
mended the contest as an institution
which "uniteS the people of Northern
Virginia and portrays to the boys and
girls that those who have passed the
school age are deeply interested in what
they are doing"
Mr.. Kemp paid generous tribute to
The Star as the sponsor of the con-
test, of which he said he knows "of no
other one thing that has sispired school
Boys and girls more"
Mr.. Kemp then presented Col. John
r. Saunders. attorney general Of Vir-
ginia, who was chairman of the con-
test. Col Saunders prefaced his business
of presiding with brief comment upon
the Oratorical Contest. when he eX-
pressed his admiration for it as an in
stitution which inspired study, thought
and appreciation of the constitution.
I'm this age of commercialiSm." Col.
Saunders said, I'VE do not stop to think
enough what this great law-the Con-
stitution-means to us"
With a brief but adequate recitation
of the rules under which the meet was
to be staged, Col Saunders then pre-
sented Miss Helen Lucille McCarty of
the Herndon High School as the first
speaker.
Miss McCarty's Efforts.
Miss McCarty took the stage bravely
to speak for eight minutes and thirty
five seconds upon 1.-The Citizen: HIS
Privileges and Duties Under the Con-
stitution." She was one of the two
girls on the program and she did her
share to establish Virginia's girls as true
competitors with the States boys in
matters of oratory.
Miss Brereton. winner of second hon.
ors, was the second orator to be intro
duced by Col Saunders. Having carved
a niche in the hearts Of her audience
at Warrenton in the group phase of
the contest, this speaker won more
friends In the larger audience last night
with her personality, charm and poised
oratory. When in what probably was
the last sentence of her speech on Per
sonalities of the Constitutional Conven-
tion," however, the 10-minute time limit
expired, and at the sound Of the whistle
she ceased speaking to return to her
chair upon the stage still the ideal OF
poise.
Thomas Edward Taylor of the Lin
coin High School was the first Of the
boy orators to compete. Speaking on
1.-THE Development of the Constitution"
Taylor used the same style Of oratory
which won victory for him in the group
meet at Leesburg. Last night he used
8 minutes and S seconds of his time.
Blackwell, the victor came next in
the line of Speechmakers who bid for
the championship. This lad who fought
so hard to win his States champion
ship last year. presented marked I'M
provement last night in the oratory,
with which he won the group meet at
Alexandria. There was decidedly more
ease in his speaking; his gesture was
smoother and he had eliminated the
too-long pauSes which frightened his
audience in the earlier contest. But
withal, he retained his infection, his
poise and his expression. His time last
night was exactly minutes.
Jerry Schultz, speaking for the Wash
ulStULi-hCc f1lSH 0CllOUl Va Ddl4SCOIl,
was the concluding speaker and he put
up good fight for victory.
Speech on Constitution.
Schultz spoke on 1.-THE Constitution: A
Guarantee of the Liberty of the In
dividuar' In quiet, almost converse
tional style of oratory. His was much
the same oratory which won his group
meet AT Falls Church
While the judges wrote their individ-
ual ballots, the Washington Boys Inde-
pendent Band struck up more lively
music at the command of Its MASTER
full I4-year-old bandmaster, G. j. Brown,
jr. And then came the announcement.
Col. Saunders first asked Miss Brere-
ton and Miss McCarty to stand, then,
thinking better of it, asked the boy con-
testants to stand also. A verdict was
to be read, and virginiais attorney gen.
eral had his ideas on how verdicts
should be received
The board Of judges had found Carey
Howard Blackwell guilty" of victory
and Col. Saunders told them so. Ap-
plause that shook the building greeted
the announcement. Washing tcn-Lee