Evening star., 1930-12-07
.ORATORY CONTEST
PLANS ANNOUNCED
1891 High School Forensic
Competition viii Be Best
Organized.

petition as the biggest. broadest and
most thoroughly organized since the
movement in the interest of good gov
ernment was founded.
The eighth national contest in the
United States has, to date, 78 individual
sponsors. which include, beside the most
prominent and influential newspapers,
several universities, education groups
and law bodies. This represents gain
of 20 sponsors.
Star Again Sponsors Contest.
Through the international phase Of
the contest, the oratorical competition
has spread its field of active participa-
ton into "a nations, gain of S.
In washington and the neighboring
counties of Maryland and Virginia, the
1881 contest will be sponsored, as in the
past, by The Washington Star. Through
this newspaper and under the inspira-
tion OF the individual prizes it offers to
its participants, thousands of youths will
compete for the honor of being named
champion orator of the United States,
and for the pleasure of travelling through
Europe next Summer for three months
with all expenses paid. Should a boy
or girl in Washington or the counties of
the two neighboring States within The
Stars contest territory win the national
finals, then he or she will enter the in
y
| orator of the world is chosen
Such sweeping success is possible for
a student of any of the schools under
The Stars sponsorship. Just two months
ago Edmund Gullion, Western High
School student, won a distinct victory
on the first ballot in the Fifth Interna-
tional Oratorical Contest finals in Con-
stitution Hall. That victory came a
month after he had returned from the
prize European tour, which he won with
the United States championship last
Spring.
The National and International Ora
tortcal Contests face the 1881 season Sc
curely established as an institution
which has received the public com
mendation of every President Of the
United States since the contest was
founded. President Hoover was the
most recent Chief Executive to place
his approval upon the movement.
Hoover Lauds Contests.
These speeches." Mr. Hoover as
serted in his address at the international
contest finals in October in reference to
the contestants orations, have proved
a great inspiration, not only to the mil
lions OF high school students, but to
millions Of our fellow citizens. They
have advanced the knowledge and un-
oerstanding OF government, of history
and Of social and political questions"
Continuing, the President declared
that the international contest bears
still another high implication; that is
the building Of mutual understanding
OF these questions between the youth
Of our different nations"
The contest in the District Of Colum-
bia has also not only the official sane
ton of the public school authorities
here but also the commendation of the
school heads as individuals. In the
public exercises last month surrounding
the presentation of the Board of Educa-
tons formal congratulations to Gull
hon. DR.. Charles F. Carusi, president
OF the school board, pointed out that
the oratorical contest is an institution
which proves that laurels can be won
in intellectual competitive fields.
This Is a contest which is unusual |
because 1t is a competition based solely |
upon intellectual prowess rather than
upon mere physical feats of strength"
DR.. Carusi declared. I'VE of the school
board want to emphasize that laurels
can be won in fields other than ath-
letics and that these laurels carry with
them honors and rewards commensu-
rate with the effort put into the win
ming Of them"
DR.. Frank w. Ballou, superintendent,
also recently declared that the oratort-
cal contest Is a competition which in
spires academic work in a variety of
school subjects rather than in any way
detracting the students attention from
their regular curriculum He cited his
tory, English, geography and civics as
the subjects in which students are
given impetus by their participation in
the contest He added that the move
ment had his hearty support as q pro-
fessional educator and as superintend-
ent OF the schools in the National Cap
ital.
500 Prizes Offered.
The administration Of the contest in
The Stars area this year will be identi-
cal with the set-up that has character
lied 1t here in recent years Each pub
lie high school in Washington will con-
stitute contest district" the schools
OF Maryland will constitute a district" :"
the schools of Virginia will be embraced
In another district" and the private
and parochial schools of Washington
viii be contained in another district. "
Thus the whole area will be divided into
II contest districts, each Of which will
choose its own spokesman. The win
ming spokesman will receive a cash
award OF 500 and the right to enter
The Star finals.
In The Star finals, this newspapers
representative in the national finals will
be determined. That representative will
receive an additional award of 5000 and
the European tour.
The Star areas champion will clinch
his claim to the trip abroad by par
ticipation in the national finals race
Tor the championship Of the United
States.
With the exception Of the Judging
system, the national finals phase Of the
/ contest will remain the same. In that
meet, the champions of the seven con-
test regions of the United States, one
of which Is The Stars territory, will
compete. In determining the victor
the board Of judges this year will not
consult under any circumstances. The
low-point total system of balloting will
be used with the added requirement of
q majority Of f1rst-place ratings. If.
/ under this dual system, a tie results
or If no contestant receives first place
rating from a majority of the judges,
| the judges will write new ballots on the
first three speakers as determined by
the low-point total system.
The entrants in the national finals
are TO be chosen In regional finals sim
liar to The Star finals. Besides Wash
ington, the regional contest centers are
Los Angeles. Kansas City, Chicago, Bir-
mingham, New York City and Spring
field, Mass. These meetings will be held
and their respective winners chosen by
May Is.
| Finals Dates Announced.
The national finals of the 1881 con-
test will be held May %, while the in
ternational contest is to be staged here
next October "a.
The United States contest is under
the jurisdiction of a publishers com
mittee which includes some of the out
standing journalists of the country