Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-21
GIRL IS ORATORY
CONTEST WINNER
Betsy Cannon Wins in County
Finals for Arlington
Area.

0eNe0UeeD-yedT-OlQ Betsy cannon,
who wears her long, brown hair hanging
down her back below her waist, won
the oratorical contest at Washington
Lee High School in Ballston last night
and automatically became the repre-
sentative Of Arlington County in the
Virginia finals of the National Ora
torical Contest, sponsored In this region
by The Star.
One of the few girls her age in the
crowd which filled the auditorium of
the school whose hair was not bobbed
or had not been bobbed recently, Miss
Cannon attracted attention by her APP
pearance and the remarkable poise she
displayed in the delivery of her Grafton
Speaking on "The Advantages of a
Rigid Over a Flexible Constitution"
! government under the Articles of Con-
federation and contrasted it with the
strong government that came into being
with the adoption of the Constitution
Medal Is Presented to Her.
Miss Cannon becomes representative
of her county by virtue of the fact that
WaShington-L is the only institution
| of the high school grade in that juris-
diction. A gold medal, provided by The
Star for all county victors, was pre-
sented to her.
! Four other students, three boys and
| two girls, took part in the competition.
They were Rial Rose, 16; Kathryn Cum
mingS, Is; Gordon Walker, Is, and
Walter Spauls, 10, who was adjudged
the second best speaker.
Their subjects we're, respectively, 1.-THE
Development of the Constitution" "The
Personalities of the Constitution, The
| Citizen, His Privileges and Duties Under
| the Constitution" and a repetition of
] the last-named topic by Spauls.
Vanderslice Presides.
S. P. Vanderslice, principal of the
\ school, which is the largest institution
entered in the contest outside of Wash
| ington in The Star area, presided. The
| Bows and Girls Glee Clubs sang be-
| fore and after the speaking. Fletcher
Kemp, county superintendent of schools,
| was present, but took no part in the
| exercises. Mrs. Marie Malott, faculty
committee chairman, was in charge Of
arrangements.
| All three Judges were from Washing
| ton. They were DR.. Frank Collier of
American University, DR.. Grace Holmes
of Eastern High School and DIR. j. Grin
| Powers of George Washington Univer-
sity.
The contest winner is the daughter
of Andrew H. and Mrs. Florence E.
Cannon of Arlington, Va. Following
| her graduation next year, she intends
to enter William and Mary University
and eventually to study and practice
! medicine.
Eastern Finals to Be Held.
Tonight the Eastern High School
| finals will be held at o'clock in the
school auditorium, with six students
| competing for the right to represent
| the school in The Star area finals.
Each of the washington high schools
comprises a separate district, equivalent
| to the six Virginia counties or to the
four Maryland counties included IN the
area. Each district winner is present.
| ed with prize of 500.
! The contest will be held in connection
with the March meeting of the Eastern
| Home and School Association. There
will be a brief business session, with
Arthur Bishop, the president presiding
Then the forensic competition will be
staged.
Tonight will be the first time the ex
| temporaneous feature of the contest,
inaugurated this year, has been present
/ in any of the school competitions. 1t
| is compulsory in The Star area and
| the national finals, but is optional in
the cases of individual institutions.
Each orator will deliver a six-minute
prepared address, upon completion OF
which he win be handed subject for
his extemporaneous speech in sealed
! envelope. When the other contestants
have finished speaking. he viii make
his extemporaneous address on the as
signed topic.
Faculty Selects Subjects.
For the past week the faculty COM
mittee at Eastern has been carefully
! selecting proper topics.
The contestants are: Eloise A. Crane,
| 16, of BOT z street; Clarence M. Bern
hardt, II, of 1929 Massachusetts, ave-
nue. southeast; Clara E. Critchfield, 18,
of 1906 A street northeast; Paul j. Bush,
10, Of 428 Fifteenth street southeast;
Charles w. Hart, Is, of 625 Lexington
place northeast, and Robert McCor-
mick, 10, Of Allegheny avenue, Takoma
] Park
Judges viii be Prof Robert Rock of
| Catholic University. Prof Arthur S
Fleming of American University and
Miss Anna D. Halberg, principal of the
| Washington Teachers College. John p.
Collins, assistant principal of Eastern,
and j. Bruce Handy, member of the
l alumni association, have been appointed
! timekeepers. Music will be by the East
ern High School Orchestra, under the
direction of Mrs. c. ID. Byram.