Evening star., 1930-05-23
YOUNG ORATORS
READY FOR TEST
Seven High School Students
Meet in National Finals
Tomorrow Night.
The seven high school students who

The seven high school students who
will speak tomorrow night In the Ma
tional Oratorical finals are in Wash
ington today, the last two arriving early
this morning Each expressed readi-
ness for the trial which will determine
the championship of the United States.
The first to reach Washington was
15-year -old William Carlos Turner of
eastern-Central zone, who arrived at
Union Station at IL O'Clock yesterday
morning. He was followed by Miss
Gloria Gulager. ID years old, Of Musko-
gee, Okla, who became national flnal-
ist by the disqualification of Pat Ahern.
winner Of the finals for the Midwestsrn
contestants came In during the night
and early morning.
Gullion Inherits Gift.
It was learned today that Edmund
Gullion, The Stars representative, not
only is himself gifted orator, but that
he comes by his ability by right OF In
heritance, since his maternal great
great-grandfather was Gen. Joseph
MacDowell, kn0Wn as the boy Orator
of the Continental Congress" HIS
father, Lieut.. Col. Allen w. Gullions Is
recognized as leading pleader OF the
and has tried a number of its most i'm
portant cases. Last Summer he was
chief military advisor at the 1nterna-
tional Red Cross Conference at Geneva,
Switzerland. Edmund spent the Sum-
mer with him there. %
Gullion, who Is II years old. Ia .
senior at Western High School, and
president of the Constitution Club. He
Is considered a brilliant student by the
faculty of the school and was predicted
by Randolph Leigh, director general OF
the contest to have a better chance for
victory than any speaker washington
has ever produced.
tertained the finalists at luncheon to-
day. Mr.. Leigh and members Of the
school faculty were present.
Reception for Orators.
Later in the afternoon, the young
orators were to be guests at reception
In their honor given by Mr.. and Mrs.
Leigh at their home, on Fairfax road,
Va. The judges in the national finals
and number of other distinguished
guests, including Speaker Longworth
and Mrs. Longworth, have been invited
to attend.
Turner is the youngest and smallest
of the seven orators. He was accom-
panied by his father, william j. Turner.
IT,, and Donald McWain, contest man
ager for the Louisville Courier Journal,
sponsor Of the competition In Kentucky.
The young speaker Is q junior In
the Louisville Male High School and
intends to enter the University Of Louis
vile following his graduation, and
eventually to study law.
His victory in the zone finals is the
elimination Of three-year fight for
the Kentucky championship. Two years
ago, when he was but Is years old, he
placed second to James .Rayborn Moore
Of Somerset, KY. who later won the
Fifth National Oratorical Contest.
Miss Gulager, one Of the two girls to
years old and senior at the Central
High School Of Muskogee Okla. She
| Is the daughter Of State Senator and
Mrs. w. M Gulager. who are TO arrive
in washington by automobile sometime
| today.
Misses Commencement Exercises.
The Midwestern contestant Is amem-
Der Of the National Honor Society and
plans to attend Ward-Belmont College
| at Nashville, Tenn, and to become o
| dramatic teacher. BY coming to Wash.
ington at this time she missed her
| commencement exercises, which are
being held In Muskogee tonight.
| She was accompanied here by Mrs.
Boyd Ozment, her coach. teacher and
The other girl contestant, Miss LOU
| rene Mokstad, 16-year- senior Of the
Morgan Park High School. Chicago, is
an entirely different physical type from
Miss Gulager, who is slight, small and
brunette. The Chicago representa-
| tive Is larger and q blonde.
The champion of the Chicago Daily
News, sponsor Of the contest in uli-
nois, she was accompanied to Washing
ton by John Gihon, contest manager
for the newspaper, and her coach, Mrs.
Irma Kimmel.
Miss Mokstad expects to become Q
study the subject at the Northwestern
School Of Speech. Despite her interest
In this field, 1t IS interesting to note
| that she never has done any extenl-
poraneous speaking before the present
| contest. Miss Mokstad and Miss Gula-
ger are placed together In the speaking
order for tomorrow night, with the Chi
| cago girl speaking last.
Studied 80 Decisions.
Vernon Lawrence Withuhn, 18-year-
old champion of the Pacific Coast zone,
Is a tall. slender young man with a
| deep, powerful voice. He Is q senior
at the Ballard High School Of Seattle,
Wash.
Withuhn is the orator who said at the
conclusion of preliminary stage of the
| contest, that he did not find the i'm
promptu speaking difficult since he had
prepared himself to discus in detail 80
OF the most important decisions rend-
| cred by John Marshall, great Chief
Justice. The subject of his prepared
address is John Marshall and the Fed
| eral Constitution" He planS to attend
the University Of Washington in the
Fall.
An unusual feature Of the national
finals this year is the youth Of the con-
testants. Three of them are but Is
years old. Besides Turner, they are
Edmond D. Bernard of the Cathedral
High School. Springfield, Mass, who Is
champion Of the New England zone,
and Seymour M. Peyser, Q senior at the
Horace Mann School for Boys, New
York City.
Peyser. who is bringing q party of 40
friends to hear him speak. arrived some
hours before the rest, in company Of
his uncle, Herman Katz.
He represents the New York Times.
sponsor of the contest In the City of
New York, which will send Q stan
correspondent, Waldo Walker, to the
finals. Harold @. Campbell, assistants
superintendent Of schools In New York.
VIII accompany Mr.. Walker and make
the award OF the trophy cup to tn
Young Peyser is said to have achieved
high scholarship in mathematics, Latin
and Greek and plans to study law at
Harvard University.
Bernard is q sophomore at high school
and is tall and well built despite his
youth. He Is reported to be o rapid
speaker with excellent diction and
dramatic but we'll controlled gestures.
Ia To UTa hi x1rxfA d.