Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-10
ORATORY CONTEST
WIDELY APPROVED
School Superintendent in
Four Maryland Counties Wei
come Star Competition.

School superintendent of the four
Maryland counties embraced in The
Evening Star area of the National
Oratorical Contest have expressed
unanimously their approval of the ex-
temporaneous feature of the contest
offered their students this year.
r. B. Gwynn of Charles County,
Nicholas Orem of Prince Georges
County, Miss Iettie Dent of st. Mary's
County and Edwin W. Broome of Mont
gomery County are especially interested
in the opportunities for more thorough
training afforded by this radical change
in the rules of the annual competition,
which The Star has sponsored locally
for the past seven years.
Mr.. Gwynn's Statement.
Mr.. Gwynn finds the present rules
especially adaptable to his purposes in
Charles County. He writes;
For the winner of the coveted Euro
pean tour and the $500 in cash offered
by The Star to be required to speak
extemporaneously as well as with a
prepared speech on the Constitution
of the United States is, to my mind, the
fairest and most practical method yet
followed in these annual events. The
secondary school students in this
county are enrolled in large numbers in
the work and l believe are preparing
themselves more intsnsively than ever
before, both as to subject matter and
delivery. for the meetings in which they
will participate In the next two
months"
Opportunities Appreciated.
Mr.. Orem writes:
II have always appreciated the un-
usual opportunities, both in prizes and
in forensic training, offered by The Star
to the high school students in Prince
Georges and nearby counties, but this
year feel that the procedure will bring
even finer results than ever before.
With the prepared speech reduced to
from 10 minutes and the 4-minute
eXtemporaneous speech feature added.
foresee a series of Examinations which
will be even more interesting and
harder fought than those I have pre-
viouSly witnessed. I am with you in
this most worthy enterprise"
County Produced 1927 Champion.
Miss Dent, from whose county came
the 1927 Star Area champion-William
Alexander Loker of Leonardtown-
states:
THE extemporaneou 4-minute speech
requirement will undoubtedly produce
a Star champion who is thoroughly
informed on the subject he or she
discusses. At the same time, since this
feature will be obligatory only in the
final stage, the Star Area finals, it will
not involve an extra burden upon the
majority of teachers whose pupils do
not progress to the finals
Students Eager for Competition.
Mr.. Broome writes:
Montgomery County students and
teachers are unusually keen to capture
the Star Area championship in this
years National Oratorical Contest. The
new requirement for an extemporaneous
speech introduces an element of sports
manship which appeals to them. They
are enrolled in larger numbers than
previously, not only for the gold medal
offered the county winner, the 500
offered the State winner, and the won
derful European tour and additional
5000 awaiting the area champion, but
for places in the cheering lines at a
series Of combats which they anticipate
with the same enthusiasm that they
carry to their athletic meets"